Read: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31
God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise. --- 1 Corinthians 1:27
The Bible In One Year:
1 Peter 1-5
Proverbs 14:25-35
One of my boyhood heroes was Davy Crockett, the "King of the Wild Frontier." I looked up to him, admiring his courage and exploits.
Years later, my brother gave me a book that traced the experiences of the real-life David Crockett. I was surprised by his humanness. The real Davy Crockett made mistakes and had serious personal problems. The book depicted him as both flawed and frail.
This was both disappointing and reassuring to me. It was disappointing because he was less than I had come to believe, but reassuring because that reality made Crockett more accessible to me --- and even more of a hero.
In the Bible we see that God consistently used people who were far less than perfect. That shouldn't surprise us. God is glorified by showing Himself strong through our weaknesses. It shows us that He desires to work through our lives not because we are perfect but because He is. And since He uses weak and foolish things [1 Cor. 1:27], it means you and I are prime candidates for His work.
The Lord isn't looking for superheroes. He uses those of us who are flawed and frail, so that He can show His strength and grace. He wants those with a willing and available heart. --- Bill Crowder
It's not in the flash of the style that you hone,
Or all the degrees you've compiled;
The Savior is looking for servants who own
The warm, willing heart of a child. --- Gustafson
IN GOD'S SERVICE, OUR GREATEST ABILITY IS OUR AVAILABILITY.
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Saturday, November 07, 2009
Waiting
Read: Psalm 70
Make haste to help me,. O LORD! --- Psalm 70:1
The Bible In One Year:
Ezekiel 28-30
Proverbs 14:12-24
"Make haste to help me, O LORD!" the psalmist David prayed [Ps. 70:1]. Like him, we don't like to wait. We dislike the long lines at supermarket checkout counters, and the traffic jams downtown and around shopping malls. We hate to wait at the bank or at a restaurant.
And then there are the harder waits: a childless couple waiting for a child; a single person waiting for marriage; an addict waiting for deliverance; a spouse waiting for a kind and gentle word; a worried patient waiting for a diagnosis from a doctor.
What we wait for, however, is far less important than what God is doing while we wait. In such times He works in us to develop those hard-to-achieve spiritual virtues of meekness, kindness, and patience with others. But more important, we learn to lean on God alone and to "rejoice and be glad" in Him [v.4].
F.B. Meyer said, "What a chapter might be written of God's delays! It is the mystery of the art of educating human spirits to the finest temper of which they are capable. What searchings of heart, what analyzings of motives, what testings of the Word of God, what upliftings of soul.... All these are associated with those weary days of waiting, which are, nevertheless, big with spiritual destiny." --- David Roper
Be still, My child, and know that I am God!
Wait thou patiently --- I know the path you trod.
So falter not, nor fear, nor think to run and hide,
For I, thy hope and strength, am waiting by thy side. --- Hein
GOD STRETCHES OUR PATIENCE TO ENLARGE OUR SOUL.
Make haste to help me,. O LORD! --- Psalm 70:1
The Bible In One Year:
Ezekiel 28-30
Proverbs 14:12-24
"Make haste to help me, O LORD!" the psalmist David prayed [Ps. 70:1]. Like him, we don't like to wait. We dislike the long lines at supermarket checkout counters, and the traffic jams downtown and around shopping malls. We hate to wait at the bank or at a restaurant.
And then there are the harder waits: a childless couple waiting for a child; a single person waiting for marriage; an addict waiting for deliverance; a spouse waiting for a kind and gentle word; a worried patient waiting for a diagnosis from a doctor.
What we wait for, however, is far less important than what God is doing while we wait. In such times He works in us to develop those hard-to-achieve spiritual virtues of meekness, kindness, and patience with others. But more important, we learn to lean on God alone and to "rejoice and be glad" in Him [v.4].
F.B. Meyer said, "What a chapter might be written of God's delays! It is the mystery of the art of educating human spirits to the finest temper of which they are capable. What searchings of heart, what analyzings of motives, what testings of the Word of God, what upliftings of soul.... All these are associated with those weary days of waiting, which are, nevertheless, big with spiritual destiny." --- David Roper
Be still, My child, and know that I am God!
Wait thou patiently --- I know the path you trod.
So falter not, nor fear, nor think to run and hide,
For I, thy hope and strength, am waiting by thy side. --- Hein
GOD STRETCHES OUR PATIENCE TO ENLARGE OUR SOUL.
Friday, November 06, 2009
Serve Or Die
Read: Mark 10:35-45
The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve. --- Mark 10:35
The Bible In One Year:
Ezekiel 25-27
Proverbs 14:1-11
Dr. Paul Brand told me of a memorable Frenchman named Pierre, who had served in Parliament until he became disillusioned with the slow pace of political change. During a harsh winter, many Parisian beggars froze to death. In desperation, Pierre became a friar to work among them and organize the beggars themselves.
They divided into teams to scour the city for bottles. Next, he led them to build a warehouse out of discarded bricks and start a business processing the bottles. Finally, he gave each beggar responsibility to help another poorer than himself. The project caught on. In a few years he founded the charitable organization Emmaus.
Eventually, there were few beggars to be found in Paris. So Pierre went to India. "If I don't find people worse off than my beggars," he said, "this movement could turn inward. They'll become a powerful, rich organization, and the whole spiritual impact will be lost. They'll have no one to serve."
At a leprosy colony in India, Pierre met patients worse off than his former beggars. Returning to France, he mobilized the beggars to build a leprosy ward at a hospital in India.
"It is you who have saved us," he told the grateful patients. "We must serve or we die." --- Philip Yancey
THINKING IT THROUGH
In Mark 10:35-37, what did James and John seek?
What did Jesus say about the world's authority? [v.42].
How are followers of Christ to be different? [vv. 43-45].
IF YOU WANT A FIELD OF SERVICE, LOOK AROUND YOU.
The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve. --- Mark 10:35
The Bible In One Year:
Ezekiel 25-27
Proverbs 14:1-11
Dr. Paul Brand told me of a memorable Frenchman named Pierre, who had served in Parliament until he became disillusioned with the slow pace of political change. During a harsh winter, many Parisian beggars froze to death. In desperation, Pierre became a friar to work among them and organize the beggars themselves.
They divided into teams to scour the city for bottles. Next, he led them to build a warehouse out of discarded bricks and start a business processing the bottles. Finally, he gave each beggar responsibility to help another poorer than himself. The project caught on. In a few years he founded the charitable organization Emmaus.
Eventually, there were few beggars to be found in Paris. So Pierre went to India. "If I don't find people worse off than my beggars," he said, "this movement could turn inward. They'll become a powerful, rich organization, and the whole spiritual impact will be lost. They'll have no one to serve."
At a leprosy colony in India, Pierre met patients worse off than his former beggars. Returning to France, he mobilized the beggars to build a leprosy ward at a hospital in India.
"It is you who have saved us," he told the grateful patients. "We must serve or we die." --- Philip Yancey
THINKING IT THROUGH
In Mark 10:35-37, what did James and John seek?
What did Jesus say about the world's authority? [v.42].
How are followers of Christ to be different? [vv. 43-45].
IF YOU WANT A FIELD OF SERVICE, LOOK AROUND YOU.
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Exploratory Procedure
Read: Hebrews 4:11-16
The Word of God is living and powerful, ... a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. --- Hebrews 4:12
The Bible In One Year:
Ezekiel 22-24
Proverbs 13:13-25
I have a friend who recently underwent a laryngoscopy. I winced as he explained how his doctor took a camera with a light on the end and stuck it down his throat to try to find the cause of his pain.
It reminded me that God's Word is like a laryngoscopy. It invades the unseen areas of our lives, exposing the diseased and damaged spiritual tissue that troubles us. If you're wincing at the thought of how uncomfortable this divine procedure might be, consider Jesus' words: "Everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed" [John 3:20]. Internal intrusions may be uncomfortable, but do you really want the disease?
Welcoming God's Word to penetrate the deep, dark places of our hearts is the only way to find true healing and the spiritual health we long for. Believe me, the procedure will be thorough. As the writer of Hebrews assures, God's Word is "sharper than any two-edged sword" [4:12] --- piercing all the way through the external stuff of our lives, all the way down to our thoughts, intentions, and motives.
So what are you waiting for? With God's Word you don't need an appointment. The divine surgeon is ready when you are! --- Joe Stowell
Ever present, truest Friend,
Ever near Thine aid to lend,
Guide us as we search the Word,
Make it both our shield and sword. --- Anon.
LET GOD'S WORD EXPLORE YOUR INNER BEING.
The Word of God is living and powerful, ... a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. --- Hebrews 4:12
The Bible In One Year:
Ezekiel 22-24
Proverbs 13:13-25
I have a friend who recently underwent a laryngoscopy. I winced as he explained how his doctor took a camera with a light on the end and stuck it down his throat to try to find the cause of his pain.
It reminded me that God's Word is like a laryngoscopy. It invades the unseen areas of our lives, exposing the diseased and damaged spiritual tissue that troubles us. If you're wincing at the thought of how uncomfortable this divine procedure might be, consider Jesus' words: "Everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed" [John 3:20]. Internal intrusions may be uncomfortable, but do you really want the disease?
Welcoming God's Word to penetrate the deep, dark places of our hearts is the only way to find true healing and the spiritual health we long for. Believe me, the procedure will be thorough. As the writer of Hebrews assures, God's Word is "sharper than any two-edged sword" [4:12] --- piercing all the way through the external stuff of our lives, all the way down to our thoughts, intentions, and motives.
So what are you waiting for? With God's Word you don't need an appointment. The divine surgeon is ready when you are! --- Joe Stowell
Ever present, truest Friend,
Ever near Thine aid to lend,
Guide us as we search the Word,
Make it both our shield and sword. --- Anon.
LET GOD'S WORD EXPLORE YOUR INNER BEING.
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Choosing Our Leader
Read: Joshua 24:14-25
Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve ... But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. --- Joshua 24:15
The Bible In One Year:
Ezekiel 19-21
Proverbs 13:1-12
Today, millions of people in the United States will cast their votes for a slate of political leaders, including President. After months of campaign speeches, television ads, and debates, each voter has the opportunity to say to one candidate, "I choose you." Not everyone's favorite will win, but every voter has a choice.
Unlike a political election in which the majority rules, each of us is given the opportunity to select our personal leader each day. In the spiritual election deep within our hearts, our choice will stand no matter what others may decide.
After many years in the Promised Land of Canaan, the aged Joshua called the people of Israel together and issued this challenge: "If it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" [Josh. 24:15]. In a great collective response, the people said, "We will serve the LORD!" [v.21].
Everyone serves some kind of god. Whom will we choose to have rule in our hearts today? --- David McCasland
Thy will I choose; I give to Thee
All of the life Thou gavest me;
Thy will I choose, no life I ask
Except to do Thy given task. --- Anon.
EACH DAY WE CHOOSE THE ONE WE WILL FOLLOW IN LIFE.
Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve ... But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. --- Joshua 24:15
The Bible In One Year:
Ezekiel 19-21
Proverbs 13:1-12
Today, millions of people in the United States will cast their votes for a slate of political leaders, including President. After months of campaign speeches, television ads, and debates, each voter has the opportunity to say to one candidate, "I choose you." Not everyone's favorite will win, but every voter has a choice.
Unlike a political election in which the majority rules, each of us is given the opportunity to select our personal leader each day. In the spiritual election deep within our hearts, our choice will stand no matter what others may decide.
After many years in the Promised Land of Canaan, the aged Joshua called the people of Israel together and issued this challenge: "If it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" [Josh. 24:15]. In a great collective response, the people said, "We will serve the LORD!" [v.21].
Everyone serves some kind of god. Whom will we choose to have rule in our hearts today? --- David McCasland
Thy will I choose; I give to Thee
All of the life Thou gavest me;
Thy will I choose, no life I ask
Except to do Thy given task. --- Anon.
EACH DAY WE CHOOSE THE ONE WE WILL FOLLOW IN LIFE.
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
God's Catalog
Read: John 17:20-26
By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. --- John 13:35
The Bible In One Year:
Ezekiel 16-18
Proverbs 12:15-28
Tis the season to receive catalogs in the mail. Every trip to the mailbox ends with an armload of slick holiday catalogs. Each one claims to offer me something I need --- immediately. "Don't wait!" "Limited offer!" "Order now!"
The lure works. I open the pages to discover what I didn't know I needed. Sure enough, I see things that suddenly seem essential, even though a few minutes earlier I didn't know they existed. Manufacturers use catalog illustrations to create desire for their products.
In a way, Christians are God's catalogs. We are His illustration to the world of what He has to offer. His work in our lives makes us a picture of qualities that people may not know they need or want until they see them at work in us.
Jesus prayed that His followers would be unified so the world would know that God sent Him and loved them as God loved Him [John 17:23]. When Christ is alive in us, we become examples of God's love. We can't manufacture love. God is the manufacturer, and we are His workmanship.
As you browse holiday catalogs, consider what the "catalog" of your life says about God. Do people see qualities in you that make them long for God? --- Julie Ackerman Link
What does the world see in us
That they can't live without?
Do they see winsome qualities
And love that reaches out? --- Sper
AS A CHRISTIAN, YOU ARE "GOD'S ADVERTISEMENT." DO PEOPLE WANT WHAT THEY SEE IN YOU?
By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. --- John 13:35
The Bible In One Year:
Ezekiel 16-18
Proverbs 12:15-28
Tis the season to receive catalogs in the mail. Every trip to the mailbox ends with an armload of slick holiday catalogs. Each one claims to offer me something I need --- immediately. "Don't wait!" "Limited offer!" "Order now!"
The lure works. I open the pages to discover what I didn't know I needed. Sure enough, I see things that suddenly seem essential, even though a few minutes earlier I didn't know they existed. Manufacturers use catalog illustrations to create desire for their products.
In a way, Christians are God's catalogs. We are His illustration to the world of what He has to offer. His work in our lives makes us a picture of qualities that people may not know they need or want until they see them at work in us.
Jesus prayed that His followers would be unified so the world would know that God sent Him and loved them as God loved Him [John 17:23]. When Christ is alive in us, we become examples of God's love. We can't manufacture love. God is the manufacturer, and we are His workmanship.
As you browse holiday catalogs, consider what the "catalog" of your life says about God. Do people see qualities in you that make them long for God? --- Julie Ackerman Link
What does the world see in us
That they can't live without?
Do they see winsome qualities
And love that reaches out? --- Sper
AS A CHRISTIAN, YOU ARE "GOD'S ADVERTISEMENT." DO PEOPLE WANT WHAT THEY SEE IN YOU?
Monday, November 02, 2009
Class Participation
Read: Psalm 119:129-136
The entrance of Your words gives light. --- Psalm 119:130
The Bible In One Year:
Psalms 125-127
As a high school teacher and college professor, I have observed that learning is a cooperative effort between the student and the instructor. That's why educators try to get the student involved in class participation. The teacher does some work; the student does some work. Together progress is made. Education happens.
In Psalm 119, the writer suggests a similar pattern in verses 129-136. God is the teacher; we are the students.
Let's look at God's role in our education. He shows us mercy [v.132]. He guides our steps [v.133]. And He redeems us from outside trouble [v.134].
But first we must be eager students, ready to accept God's teaching, guidance, and help. We should enter His classroom with anticipation: "The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple .... I longed for Your commandments" [vv. 130-131]. In our role as students of God's Word, we should fulfill three requirements: [1] examine God's words for what they are teaching, [2] gain understanding from those words, and [3] obey His statutes.
It's time to enter God's classroom and listen and learn from Him. When we do, we'll look at God with renewed love and at the world with renewed concern [v.136]. --- Dave Branon
Thy Word is like a deep, deep mine,
And jewels rich and rare
Are hidden in its mighty depths
For every searcher there. - Hodder
CAREFUL MEDITATION ON THE SCRIPTURES MAKES FOR A CLOSER WALK WITH THE SAVIOR.
The entrance of Your words gives light. --- Psalm 119:130
The Bible In One Year:
Psalms 125-127
As a high school teacher and college professor, I have observed that learning is a cooperative effort between the student and the instructor. That's why educators try to get the student involved in class participation. The teacher does some work; the student does some work. Together progress is made. Education happens.
In Psalm 119, the writer suggests a similar pattern in verses 129-136. God is the teacher; we are the students.
Let's look at God's role in our education. He shows us mercy [v.132]. He guides our steps [v.133]. And He redeems us from outside trouble [v.134].
But first we must be eager students, ready to accept God's teaching, guidance, and help. We should enter His classroom with anticipation: "The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple .... I longed for Your commandments" [vv. 130-131]. In our role as students of God's Word, we should fulfill three requirements: [1] examine God's words for what they are teaching, [2] gain understanding from those words, and [3] obey His statutes.
It's time to enter God's classroom and listen and learn from Him. When we do, we'll look at God with renewed love and at the world with renewed concern [v.136]. --- Dave Branon
Thy Word is like a deep, deep mine,
And jewels rich and rare
Are hidden in its mighty depths
For every searcher there. - Hodder
CAREFUL MEDITATION ON THE SCRIPTURES MAKES FOR A CLOSER WALK WITH THE SAVIOR.
Sunday, November 01, 2009
"Gimme It!"
Read: James 3:13-18
My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways. --- Isaiah 55:8
The Bible In One Year:
James 1-5
Proverbs 12:1-14
I heard the screams long before I could see him, but as I wheeled my grocery cart around to the next aisle of the store, there he was!
With angry tears streaming out of squinty eyes, the little boy was shouting, "Gimme it!" His mom glanced at me for a moment. I won't debate the merits of her actions, but, embarrassed and worn down, she grabbed the cheap trinket and tossed it into her cart.
I think I recognized that kid. He looked a lot like me. Yes, I've often been the willful child. And sometimes I've even pleaded with God, "Why not? Why can't I have it?" On occasion, God's given me what I wanted, but not because I wore Him down. No, I think He wanted me to see what happens when I put myself in charge.
What we think is best is not necessarily the best that God desires for us. In Isaiah 55:8, the Lord said, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways."
In his book Days of Grace, tennis champion Arthur Ashe paraphrased James 1:5 when he wrote this advise to his young daughter: "Ask God for the wisdom to know what is right, what God wants done, and the will to do it."
That's just the kind of sincere prayer that God wants to hear from His children. --- Cindy Hess Kasper
We can't presume to know what's best
When we begin to pray;
So we must ask, "What honors God?"
Then seek His will and way. --- Sper
IF GOD DOESN'T GIVE US WHAT WE ASK FOR, WE CAN BE SURE THAT HE HAS SOMETHING FAR BETTER.
My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways. --- Isaiah 55:8
The Bible In One Year:
James 1-5
Proverbs 12:1-14
I heard the screams long before I could see him, but as I wheeled my grocery cart around to the next aisle of the store, there he was!
With angry tears streaming out of squinty eyes, the little boy was shouting, "Gimme it!" His mom glanced at me for a moment. I won't debate the merits of her actions, but, embarrassed and worn down, she grabbed the cheap trinket and tossed it into her cart.
I think I recognized that kid. He looked a lot like me. Yes, I've often been the willful child. And sometimes I've even pleaded with God, "Why not? Why can't I have it?" On occasion, God's given me what I wanted, but not because I wore Him down. No, I think He wanted me to see what happens when I put myself in charge.
What we think is best is not necessarily the best that God desires for us. In Isaiah 55:8, the Lord said, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways."
In his book Days of Grace, tennis champion Arthur Ashe paraphrased James 1:5 when he wrote this advise to his young daughter: "Ask God for the wisdom to know what is right, what God wants done, and the will to do it."
That's just the kind of sincere prayer that God wants to hear from His children. --- Cindy Hess Kasper
We can't presume to know what's best
When we begin to pray;
So we must ask, "What honors God?"
Then seek His will and way. --- Sper
IF GOD DOESN'T GIVE US WHAT WE ASK FOR, WE CAN BE SURE THAT HE HAS SOMETHING FAR BETTER.
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