by dailyd | Oct 22, 2018 | More
Topic: Treasure in a Pumpkin
Read: 2 Corinthians 4:7–18, Bible in a Year: Isaiah 65–66; 1 Timothy 2
We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7
As a young mother, I was determined to document my daughter’s first year of life. Each month, I took photos of her to illustrate how she had changed and grown. In one of my favorite pictures, she is gleefully sitting in the belly of a hollowed-out pumpkin I purchased from a local farmer. There she sat, the delight of my heart, contained in an overgrown squash. The pumpkin withered in the ensuing weeks, but my daughter continued to grow and thrive.
The way Paul describes knowing the truth of who Jesus is reminds me of that photo. He likens the knowledge of Jesus in our heart to a treasure stored in a clay pot. Remembering what Jesus did for us gives us the courage and strength to persevere through struggles in spite of being “hard pressed on every side” (2 Corinthians 4:8). Because of God’s power in our lives, when we are “struck down, but not destroyed,” we reveal the life of Jesus (v. 9).
Like the pumpkin that withered, we may feel the wear and tear of our trials. But the joy of Jesus in us can continue to grow in spite of those challenges. Our knowledge of Him—His power at work in our lives—is the treasure stored in our frail clay bodies. We can flourish in the face of hardship because of His power at work within us.
Prayer: Dear Father, thank You for putting Your truth into my heart and life. Help me to bear up under the challenges I face with Your power. May others see Your work in my life and come to know You too.
God’s power is at work within us.
INSIGHT:
As with Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, the epistle of James encourages those who are facing trials. “Consider it pure joy . . . whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete” (James 1:2–4). Those who persevere will receive strength for today and “the crown of life” (v. 12)—eternal life—tomorrow.
How have you experienced the joy of Christ in the midst of trials?
Alyson Kieda
This message was written By Kirsten Holmberg [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]
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Our Daily Bread 21 October 2018 Devotional – My Real Face
by dailyd | Oct 21, 2018 | More
Topic: My Real Face
Read: 1 Timothy 1:12–17, Bible in a Year: Isaiah 62–64; 1 Timothy 1
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. 1 Timothy 1:12
For years, feelings of unworthiness and shame over my less-than-godly past had an adverse impact on every aspect of my life. What if others discovered the extent of my blemished reputation? Though God helped me muster up courage to invite a ministry leader to lunch, I strived to seem perfect. I scrubbed my house spotless, whipped up a three-course meal, and donned my best jeans and blouse.
I rushed to turn off the front-yard sprinklers. Twisting the leaking nozzle, I screamed when a gush of water drenched me. With towel-dried hair and smeared makeup, I changed into dry sweat pants and a T-shirt . . . just in time to hear the doorbell. Frustrated, I confessed my morning’s antics and motives. My new friend shared her own battles with fear and insecurity stemming from guilt over past failings. After we prayed, she welcomed me to her team of God’s imperfect servants.
The apostle Paul accepted his new life in Christ, refusing to deny his past or let it stop him from serving the Lord (1 Timothy 1:12–14). Because Paul knew Jesus’s work on the cross saved and changed him—the worst of sinners—he praised God and encouraged others to honor and obey Him (vv. 15–17).
When we accept God’s grace and forgiveness, we’re freed from our past. Flawed but fiercely loved, we have no reason to be ashamed of our real faces as we serve others with our God-given gifts.
Prayer: Lord, thanks for eliminating our shame and insecurities as You use us to serve You, no matter what our life looked like before You saved us.
God accepts us as we are, and changes us as we serve Him in love.
INSIGHT
When Paul said he was shown mercy because he acted in ignorance and unbelief (1 Timothy 1:13), he was echoing a common theme of Scripture. Old Testament sacrifices were made for sins done in ignorance (see Leviticus 4:2, 13, 22; Hebrews 9:7). So was mercy only given to Eve who was deceived—and not to Adam? (1 Timothy 2:14). No. Even when we consciously do wrong, as Adam did, He still offers His mercy. Who doesn’t need to hear Jesus say, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).
Mart DeHaan
This message was written By Xochitl Dixon [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]
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Our Daily Bread 20 October 2018 Devotional – Always Accepted
by dailyd | Oct 20, 2018 | More
Topic: Always Accepted
Read: Luke 19:1–10
Bible in a Year: Isaiah 59–61; 2 Thessalonians 3
Scripture: The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. Luke 19:10
Message: After several years of struggling to keep up in her studies, Angie was finally taken out of her elite primary school and transferred to a “normal” one. In Singapore’s intensely competitive education landscape, where being in a “good” school can improve one’s future prospects, many would see this as a failure.
Angie’s parents were disappointed, and Angie herself felt as if she had been demoted. But soon after joining her new school, the nine year old realized what it meant to be in a class of average students. “Mummy, I belong here,” she said. “I’m finally accepted!”
It reminded me of how excited Zacchaeus must have felt when Jesus invited Himself to the tax collector’s home (Luke 19:5). Christ was interested in dining with those who knew they were flawed and didn’t deserve God’s grace (v. 10). Having found us—and loved us—as we were, Jesus gives us the promise of perfection through His death and resurrection. We are made perfect through His grace alone.
I’ve often found my spiritual journey to be one of constant struggle, knowing that my life falls far short of God’s ideal. How comforting it is to know that we are always accepted, for the Holy Spirit is in the business of molding us to be like Jesus.
Prayer: Father, thank You for loving me as I am, and for making me perfect through Your Son’s sacrifice. Teach me to submit to Your daily renewal.
Thought for the Day: We’re not perfect, but we’re loved.
INSIGHT
In Luke 19, Jesus gives His mission statement: “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (v. 10). Those words convey even more importance when we consider their timing: Jesus is purposefully, methodically making His way to Jerusalem to be crucified. On the way, He draws people to Him, including this despised, wealthy tax collector. The crowd had already judged Zacchaeus—and Jesus. “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner,” they said of Him (v. 7). Jesus saw it differently. Zacchaeus’s declaration, “Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor,” revealed the change in his heart (v. 8); and Jesus responded, “This man, too, is a son of Abraham” (v. 9).
Are we prone to snap judgments about other people’s sins? Or do we see ourselves as recipients of God’s grace, freely extended to anyone who recognizes their need of it? (Tim Gustafson)
Our Daily Bread 20 October 2018 Devotional was written by Leslie Koh
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Our Daily Bread 19 October 2018 Devotional – Bring Your Boats
by dailyd | Oct 19, 2018 | More
Topic: Bring Your Boats
Read: Proverbs 3:21–31
Bible in a Year: Isaiah 56–58; 2 Thessalonians 2
Scripture: Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Proverbs 3:27
Our Daily Bread 19 October 2018 Message: Hurricane Harvey brought catastrophic flooding to eastern Texas in 2017. The onslaught of rain stranded thousands of people in their homes, unable to escape the floodwaters. In what was dubbed the “Texas Navy,” many private citizens brought boats from other parts of the state and nation to help evacuate stranded people.
The actions of these valiant, generous men and women call to mind the encouragement of Proverbs 3:27, which instructs us to help others whenever we are able. They had the power to act on behalf of those in need by bringing their boats. And so they did. Their actions demonstrate a willingness to use whatever resources they had at their disposal for the benefit of others.
We may not always feel adequate for the task at hand; often we become paralyzed by thinking we don’t have the skills, experience, resources, or time to help others. In such instances, we’re quick to sideline ourselves, discounting what we do have that might be of assistance to someone else. The Texas Navy couldn’t stop the floodwaters from rising, nor could they legislate government aid. But they used what they had within their power—their boats—to come alongside the deep needs of their fellow man. May we all bring our “boats”—whatever they may be—to take the people in our paths to higher ground. Our Daily Bread 19 October 2018 Devotional
Prayer: Lord, all that I have is from You. Help me to always use what You’ve given me to help others.
Thought for the Day: God provides for His people through His people.
INSIGHT
Helping others by doing good when it’s in our power to act (Proverbs 3:27–28) is also the focus of Paul’s instructions to believers. Encouraging us to live meaningful and purposeful lives before a watching, non-believing world, Paul tells us to “be very careful, then, how [we] live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity” (Ephesians 5:15–16). Careful living means we are to live godly lives as “children of light” pleasing to the Lord (vv. 8, 10). Paul expects “those who have trusted in God [to] devote themselves to doing what is good” (Titus 3:8). We are to adopt a never-give-up attitude when it comes to serving others: “Let us not become weary in doing good . . . . As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (Galatians 6:9–10).
What can you do this week to serve someone?
K. T. Sim
Our Daily Bread 19 October 2018 Devotional was written by Kirsten Holmberg (Our Daily Bread Ministries)
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Our Daily Bread 18 October 2018 Devotional – A Piercing Thorn
by dailyd | Oct 19, 2018 | Seed of Destiny
TOPIC: Christ Being Visible Through Your Life
SCRIPTURE: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: God cannot own you and you are looking like the child of the devil.
Seeds of Destiny 19 October 2018 Message: Previously, we saw that a lot of people answered the call to give their lives to Christ whenever such call is made, but in reality, they did not really understand what they were doing. So, we tried to understand what it really meant to give one’s life to Christ. We saw that giving one’s life to Christ entails, relinquishing the ownership of one’s life to God, amongst others.
Today, we shall consider another important point of what it means to give your life to Christ. This understanding is important because everyone is a product of his understanding.
Now, another meaning of giving your life to Christ is:
Christ Being Seen In You
This means, having the mark of Jesus Christ on your life; it means that you have become the brand of Christ. For instance, when you see a product manufactured in China, on that product, it would be boldly written, ‘Made in China’. If it was made in Japan, it would be written, ‘Made in Japan’. Also, during the era of slave trade, the owners of the slaves engraved their marks on the slaves they owned. A slave is not permitted to bear another slave owner’s mark. As it is in the physical, so it is in the spiritual. God cannot own you and you are looking like the child of the devil; resemblance is also a proof of ownership.
Beloved, my counsel is, come to the point where believers and unbelievers are able to see or feel Jesus Christ when they come close to you by the way you dress, talk or by your attitude.
REMEMBER THIS: God cannot own you and you are looking like the child of the devil.
ASSIGNMENTS:
1. Take out some time to examine yourself by asking the following questions: Do I look like Christ? Do I act or behave like Christ? Do people hear Christ when I speak?
2. Respond appropriately to your answers above by adjusting your life to God’s standard.
PRAYER: O Lord, remove every character or nature in me that does not resemble You. Put Your mark of ownership on my life Lord, in Jesus’ Name.
FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: GIVE YOUR LIFE TO CHRIST
QUOTE: Existing without Jesus Christ is existing without a just cause; life becomes toxic outside of Christ. Culled from 365 WISDOM CAPSULES by Dr Paul Enenche
DAILY READING: Jeremiah 33:1 to 34:22, 1 Timothy 4:1 to 16, Psalm 89:1 to 13, Proverbs 25:23 to 24
AMAZING FACT: A hen turns her eggs nearly 50 times each day to keep the yolk from sticking to the side.
TODAY IN HISTORY: 19/10/1870: 1st African-Americans elected to United State House of Representatives
DON’T FORGET TO ATTEND: The Home Church meeting tomorrow by 6:00pm at a Dunamis Home Church near you. Invite your neighbours and family. God bless you.
Seeds of Destiny 19 October 2018 Daily Devotional was written by Pastor Paul Enenche of the Dunamis International Gospel Centre (DIGC), headquartered at Abuja, Nigeria, with Pastor Paul and Becky Enenche, as the Senior Pastors.
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