Daily Bread

[GOLDDUSTERS5703]

March 17, 2010
A Good God
Listen Now | Play MP3 (Mobile)
READ: Psalm 46
The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. —Psalm 9:9When my brother-in-law was a missionary in Mali, West Africa, he was involved in a traffic accident. A man had wandered into the road in front of Chuck’s motorcycle. The cycle struck the man and sent Chuck and the bike sliding along the ground for more than 200 feet. Shortly after Chuck regained consciousness in the hospital, his doctor told him he had been “really lucky.” Chuck smiled and replied, “God is good.”

Later he thought about the day’s events. The man who was struck hadn’t received any permanent injuries, and Chuck would also recover from his injuries. But what if one of them had been killed? He thought, God would be no less good.

When we experience tragedy, we may wonder about God’s goodness. Is God always good? Yes, He is. He doesn’t promise that bad things will never happen to us, but He does promise to be “our refuge and strength” (Ps. 46:1). He doesn’t promise that we will never walk through heart-wrenching circumstances, but He promises that we won’t be alone (23:4).

God is good—no matter what suffering we are experiencing. Even when we don’t understand, we can say with Habakkuk, “Yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation” (3:18). — Cindy Hess Kasper

O taste and see that God is good
To all who seek His face;
Yea, blest the one who trusts in Him,
Confiding in His grace. —Psalter

God tests our faith so that we may trust His faithfulness.

[GOLDDUSTERS5703]

Who Are You?
Listen Now | Play MP3 (Mobile)
READ: Matthew 4:18-25
Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. —Matthew 4:19If someone were to ask, “Who are you?” my guess is that you would tell a little about yourself and what you do—“I’m an electrician” or “I’m a nurse.” But that’s not really who you are—it’s what you do. Which leads to the question, If what you do is who you are, who will you be when you stop doing what you’re doing?!

Who you are is found in your relationship to Jesus. And this sense of identity will drive your behavior. Take Matthew, for example. As a tax collector during the reign of the Roman Empire, his life was driven by greed. But everything changed the day Jesus showed up and invited Matthew to follow Him (Matt. 9:9). Suddenly Matthew had a whole new identity as a follower of Christ! And he wasn’t the only one. We also read about four fishermen in Matthew 4:18-25, Peter, Andrew, James, and John, who left their nets to follow Him.

Jesus is a compelling Person, and He is still looking for followers. He wants to make something of your life by giving you the identity of a follower of Jesus. It doesn’t mean giving up your career, but it does mean that you will do your work—and all of life—according to His will and ways.

So next time someone asks, “Who are you?” I hope you’ll answer, “I’m a follower of Jesus”! — Joe Stowell

For Further Study Read about 10 perspectives that should form our attitudes and actions as followers of Jesus in Kingdom Living at Kingdom Living Part 2 - Following The Perspectives Of The King - Discovery Series

If you are a follower of Jesus, that’s all the identity you need.

[GOLDDUSTERS5703]

March 19, 2010
Authentic Beauty
Listen Now | Play MP3 (Mobile)
READ: Proverbs 31:21-31
Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. —Proverbs 31:30I often take a moment as I wait at our grocery store checkout stand to scan the covers of the magazines displayed there. It seems that if they aren’t about sex and money, they’re about diet, fitness, health, and outward beauty. There’s nothing there for the soul.

The problem is that people read the wrong magazines—those that are full of lies that fixate on beauty of face and form as though that’s all there is. This can lead to comparison and terrible despair.

Some years ago, a friend of mine told of a conversation he had with a lovely, self-assured teenager. “You’re very self-confident,” he observed. “Can you tell me why?” “Yes,” the young woman answered. “It’s because I’m so pretty.” “Oh, I’m sorry,” he said with extraordinary wisdom. “Why?” she asked in surprise. “Because,” he replied, “you may not always be pretty.”

“Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing” is the wisdom we read in Proverbs 31. Physical beauty all too quickly fades away; all one’s efforts to keep it are doomed to fail. But there is an inner beauty—authentic beauty that will endure forever—in the one “who fears the Lord” (v.30). — David H. Roper

Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me—
All His wonderful passion and purity!
O Thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine,
Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me. —Orsborn

Righteousness in the heart produces beauty in the character.

[GOLDDUSTERS5703]

March 20, 2010
Marriage God’s Way
Listen Now | Play MP3 (Mobile)
READ: Genesis 2:18-25
A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. —Genesis 2:24The movie The Princess Bride has a wedding scene in which the marrying minister says, “Marriage . . . is what brings us together today.”

Sometimes it is good to remind ourselves of the grand plan for marriage spelled out in Scripture.

Marriage creates one new family out of two: Adam said, “ ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh . . . .’ Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife” (Gen. 2:23-24).

It provides a pure outlet for a divinely designed desire: “Because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband” (1 Cor. 7:2).

It forms a mutually helpful team: “The heart of her husband safely trusts her . . . . She does him good and not evil all the days of her life” (Prov. 31:11-12).

Marriage God’s way brings a man and a woman together to honor Him and help society. Celebrate marriage for the ways it brings us together in God’s name. — Dave Branon

If men and women yield to God
And of His love partake,
The marriage bond that joins two hearts
No power on earth can break. —D. De Haan

God created husband and wife to complement each other.

[GOLDDUSTERS5703]

Texting God
Listen Now | Play MP3 (Mobile)
READ: Colossians 1:3-12
[We] do not cease to pray for you. —Colossians 1:9An article in The Washington Post told about a 15-year-old girl who sent and received 6,473 cell phone text messages in a single month. She says about her constant communication with friends, “I would die without it.” And she is not alone. Researchers say that US teens with cell phones average more than 2,200 text messages a month.

To me, this ongoing digital conversation offers a remarkable illustration of what prayer could and should be like for every follower of Christ. Paul seemed to be constantly in an attitude of prayer for others: “[We] do not cease to pray for you” (Col. 1:9). “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit” (Eph. 6:18). “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). But how can we possibly do that?

Missionary Frank Laubach described his habit of “shooting” prayers at people as he encountered them during the course of each day. In a sense, he was “texting” God on their behalf, staying in constant communication with the Father. Laubach believed that prayer is the mightiest force in the world, and said: “My part is to live in this hour in continuous inner conversation with God and in perfect responsiveness to His will.”

Pray without ceasing. Perhaps what Paul urged us to do can be done. — David C. McCasland

Give me a spirit of prayer, dear Lord,
That I may commune with Thee
As I travel along life’s rugged road,
In Thy company always to be. —Dawe

Prayer should become as natural as breathing.

[GOLDDUSTERS5703]

March 23, 2010
Signature Scent
Listen Now | Play MP3 (Mobile)
READ: 2 Corinthians 2:14-17
Through us [God] diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. —2 Corinthians 2:14You can’t see it, hear it, or touch it, but scent is powerful. The smell of things like crayons, petunias, and colognes evoke memories that transport me to the past and bring to mind people and places I might not otherwise recall.

Some celebrities have fragrances named after them. Fans can identify with an actress or singer by dabbing on the scent bearing her name. Along those lines, Ladies Home Journal published a quiz to help readers determine the perfect fragrance for them. The idea is that every woman, to be memorable, should have a specific scent associated with her.

The idea of a signature scent is not new. God introduced it as part of worship. In the tabernacle, a certain scent was to be associated with the Lord (Ex. 30:34-35). The people were forbidden to use this fragrance for anything but worship (vv.37-38).

This idea continues under the new covenant, but with a stunning difference. Instead of using incense to make people think of Him, God uses Christians as His “signature scent” to the world (2 Cor. 2:14-15). The fact that God identifies Himself with us in such a powerful way is a truly humbling thought, and causes me to ask, “What do people think about God as a result of being around me?” — Julie Ackerman Link

When we’ve been alone with Jesus,
There’s a difference others know;
And to them it’s like a fragrance
That we leave where’er we go. —Hess

A life lived for God has a pleasing aroma.

[GOLDDUSTERS5703]

Worst Possible Scenario!
Listen Now | Play MP3 (Mobile)
READ: Job 1:13-22
When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. —Job 23:10When I used to teach at a Bible college in a large city, I sometimes graded papers at a food court while waiting for a commuter train. One day, I accidentally bumped my large cup of coffee. Its entire contents emptied into my open briefcase.

In most cities, there is a quiet reserve on the part of commuters. However, the coffee splash was so dramatic that it could not be ignored. A man sitting nearby said aloud, “Worst possible scenario!”

That comment was obviously an overstatement. But each of us dreads the thought of something in particular: financial loss, the death of a child or spouse, cancer, or another loss or hardship.

The book of Job is a case study in worst possible scenarios. Yet Job wisely assessed God’s role in trying circumstances of loss and poor health: “He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10). From this wise statement we can learn two valuable lessons: One is that what we dread most can be used to test our character and make us stronger. The other is that God will provide the strength and comfort to see us through.

Cling to God. He has promised to work on our behalf, even in the worst possible scenario. — Dennis Fisher

God often sends me joy through pain,
Through bitter loss, divinest gain;
Yet through it all—dark days or bright—
I know my Father leads aright. —Conklin

The living God can take the fear out of living.

[GOLDDUSTERS5703]

Far Better
Listen Now | Play MP3 (Mobile)
READ: Revelation 21:1-4
God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. —Revelation 21:4Having suffered greatly—first from cancer, and then from the grueling medical regimen—pastor Dan Cummings was tired. After 2 weeks of treatment in Texas, he was looking forward to going back home to Michigan. In a post on his blog, he wrote: “Today is far better . . . amazing what some hydration will do. . . . Will fly home on the weekend to continue treatment at home.”

Dan did return to Michigan, but several days later, his journey on earth ended. He went home to be with his God—whom he loved with every bit of his weakened body but mighty spirit.

When I viewed his blog a few days later, his words “Today is far better” jumped out at me. I smiled through my tears in the knowledge that Dan was now experiencing a life that is truly “far better” (Phil. 1:23).

Someday we who claim the name of Jesus will also go to that place where there is “no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.” It’s a place where there is no more pain and where a loving Father promises to “wipe away every tear from [our] eyes” (Rev. 21:4).

The life we have here isn’t all there is. There is a far, far better place that Jesus is preparing for those who love Him (John 14:2-3). — Cindy Hess Kasper

When our life on earth has ended
We will feel God’s warm embrace;
There will be no pain or sorrow
In that far, far better place. —Sper

Heaven—no pain, no night, no death, no tears.

[GOLDDUSTERS5703]

Worthy Of Respect
Listen Now | Play MP3 (Mobile)
READ: Philippians 2:19-30
Receive [Epaphroditus] therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem. —Phil. 2:29Just before kickoff at Super Bowl XLIII, Kurt Warner of the Arizona Cardinals received the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award—a tribute given to the player who had best combined on-field excellence with off-field community service. “I am humbled the Lord has given me such an amazing life to impact others,” said Warner, a dedicated Christian. “Of all the awards given to NFL athletes, [this one] stands out . . . because of what it represents.” It represents a commitment to giving and sacrificing for others.

Paying homage to those who serve is not a new concept. Paul spoke of it when he reminded the Philippians to honor those who gave themselves in serving Christ. He told them of their friend Epaphroditus, who had nearly died (Phil. 2:30) because of his efforts for Christ in ministering to others—including the people at Philippi. How should they respond? Paul said, “Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem” (v.29). Clearly, when we think of those who sacrifice in serving the Savior, they are worthy of our respect and appreciation.

Why not look for ways to show gratitude to those who have served you spiritually. Give them the honor they deserve. — Bill Crowder

To honor is to show respect,
To meet another’s need,
To give someone encouragement,
To love in word and deed. —Sper

We honor God when we honor those who serve God.

[GOLDDUSTERS5703]

Loving God
Listen Now | Play MP3 (Mobile)
READ: 1 John 4:7-21
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. —1 John 4:11Early in our marriage, I thought I knew the ultimate shortcut to my wife’s heart. I arrived home one night with a bouquet of a dozen red roses behind my back. When I presented the flowers to Martie, she thanked me graciously, sniffed the flowers, and then took them into the kitchen. Not quite the response I had expected.

It was an introductory lesson in the reality that flowers are not my wife’s primary language of love. While she appreciated the gesture, she was mentally calculating the cost of an expensive bouquet of flowers—a budget breaker for a young couple in seminary! And as I’ve discovered through the years, she is far more interested in my time and attention. When I devote myself to her in an uninterrupted and attentive way, that’s when she really feels loved.

Did you ever wonder how God wants us to show that we love Him? We get a clue when we read, “He who loves God must love his brother also” (1 John 4:21). It’s that simple. One of the primary ways we show our love for God is by loving our brothers and sisters in Christ. When we genuinely love each other, it brings pleasure to our heavenly Father.

So watch for opportunities to tell Jesus that you love Him. He’s infinitely worth whatever it costs. — Joe Stowell

All those who say they love the Lord
But don’t love one another,
Should question the relationship
They have with God the Father. —Sper

To show your love for God, share your love with others.

[Southpaw]

Still enjoying these every day!

Thank You!!

[GOLDDUSTERS5703]

10-4

Thanks, God!
Listen Now | Play MP3 (Mobile)
READ: Psalm 105:1-5
Oh, give thanks to the Lord! —Psalm 105:1At RBC Ministries, our human resources team has developed an effective and encouraging program that centers around gratefulness.

When an employee notices something good another employee does here at the office, he or she can take a special “Thank You” card provided by human resources and write a note of appreciation. It’s a good feeling to walk into your office and find one of those cards on your desk.

Isn’t it great to be thanked for a job well done? Doesn’t a good, hearty “thank you” brighten your day? And doesn’t it make your relationships a little more special—just to know that your work is not being taken for granted?

Everybody loves to be thanked. Even God. Our heavenly Father finds pleasure in our expression of thanks to Him. It’s His will that we tell Him “Thank You.” “Give thanks in all circumstances,” Paul said, “for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess. 5:18 niv). The writer of Hebrews took it a step further by saying, “Let us be thankful, and so worship God” (12:28 niv).

Keep looking for ways to improve your relationship with God. Don’t forget what may be the most basic way to worship and honor Him: Tell Him “Thanks.” — Dave Branon

Then let us adore and give Him His right,
All glory and power, all wisdom and might,
All honor and blessing, with angels above,
And thanks never ceasing for infinite love. —Wesley

The worship most acceptable to God comes from a thankful heart.

[GOLDDUSTERS5703]

The Kingdom Of Me?
Listen Now | Play MP3 (Mobile)
READ: 1 Peter 3:8-17
Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. —1 Peter 3:15In 1977, 15-year-old Kevin Baugh and a teenage friend decided to create their own country, just for fun. The Republic of Molossia began as they drew a map, created paper money, and made a flag. Today, Mr. Baugh continues his micro-nation the same way it began—just for fun. When Chicago Tribune reporter Colleen Mastony toured his 1.3 acre kingdom in the Nevada desert, Baugh assured her he still pays US taxes, which he calls “foreign aid.”

“It’s always tongue-in-cheek,” Baugh admits. “I’m doing this for the pleasure and enjoyment of having my own country.”

Not many of us will create our own nation, but we all have a kingdom of the heart where we decide who will rule. The apostle Peter wrote: “Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts” (1 Peter 3:15). “Sanctify” means to set apart Christ as Lord or Ruler of our life.

There is something within each of us that longs to be in control of our lives. It may be only a small corner where we assert our spiritual independence and answer to no one but ourselves.

But true freedom comes when we allow Christ to rule our hearts. — David C. McCasland

’Tis mine to choose if self shall die
And never rise again;
’Tis mine to yield the throne to Christ
And bid Him rule and reign. —Christiansen

When Christ rules in our heart, our feet will walk in His ways.

[GOLDDUSTERS5703]

The Beauty Of Forgiveness
Listen Now | Play MP3 (Mobile)
READ: Luke 15:11-24
When he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran . . . and kissed him. —Luke 15:20What started out as a collection has grown into a ministry opportunity for Larry and Mary Gerbens. For the past 10 years they’ve been collecting artistic works based on the story of the prodigal son from Luke 15. Their collection includes a painting by Rembrandt and a number of items by other artists depicting this story.

The Gerbens wanted to share their collection, so they put it on display at a local college. Larry said, “The artists have ministered to us, and we hope their work will minister to others.”

As I wandered through the displays, I was touched by the deep need of the prodigal, his honest repentance, and the beautiful forgiveness of the father portrayed in the variety of art pieces—paintings, etchings, engravings, glasswork, sketches, and silk screens.

We have all been like the son in this story, who had other plans for his life than what his father had for him. We have all run away from our heavenly Father (Rom. 3:10-12). But He welcomes us when we come to Him.

You too will see the beauty of forgiveness in your heavenly Father’s face when you cry out to Him, “Father, I have sinned . . .” (Luke 15:18). If you’re away from Him, head home now and experience His love. * — Anne Cetas

O Lord, I now admit my guilt,
And I accept Your grace;
Transform my life and help me grow
Until I see Your face. —Hess

When God forgives, He removes the sin and restores the soul.

[Dano50]

Nice stuff! Thanks for sharing. It's a nice way to start the day.

[GOLDDUSTERS5703]

To Speak Or Not To Speak
Listen Now | Play MP3 (Mobile)
READ: Mark 14:53-65
[Jesus] kept silent and answered nothing. —Mark 14:61Sometimes silence is the best response to a false charge. At other times we must speak up.

When false witnesses accused Jesus as He stood before the Sanhedrin, He “kept silent” (Mark 14:53-61). Defending Himself would have been useless. Furthermore, He was fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 53:7. But earlier in His ministry, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees, challenging them to prove that He sinned (John 8:13-59).

A pastor resigned from his church because a few members made untrue statements about him. He thought it unchristian to defend himself, and in some instances it is. But in this case, the troublemakers needed to be confronted and their false charges refuted. He should have urged them to repent or face church discipline.

Saying nothing may allow wrongdoers to go unchallenged in their evil ways. But if God’s Spirit leads us to remain silent, or if we want merely to try to salvage our wounded pride, then we should hold our tongue.

Are you being falsely accused? If you discern that it’s futile to argue, or if your pride has been hurt, ask God for grace to say nothing. But if you feel concern for the wrongdoers and want to see justice done, speak up! — Herbert Vander Lugt

Lord, give us wisdom to discern
When what is false must be revealed
Or if we need Your grace and strength
To close our lips and keep them sealed. —D. De Haan

Silence can be valuable; don’t break it unless you can improve on it.

[StraightDiesel]

This stuff is great thanks for posting it

[GOLDDUSTERS5703]

yw thanks for the support!!!!

A New Normal
Listen Now | Play MP3 (Mobile)
READ: Romans 6:1-11
Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. —Romans 6:4After my doctor announced that I had cancer, I tried to listen to what he said, but I couldn’t. I went home, pulled a blanket over my head, and fell asleep on the couch, as if sleeping could change the diagnosis.

When I finally gained enough strength to tell my loved ones, my friend Judy Schreur said something especially memorable. After expressing her sympathy, she said, “This is what will happen. You will feel really bad for 3 days. Then you will get up, figure out what you have to do, and get on with your life.” Then she added, “I think it has to do with death, burial, and resurrection.”

At the time, I didn’t believe it. I was sure that life as I knew it was over. Nothing would ever be the same. I couldn’t imagine feeling normal again. But she was right. Three days later I woke up and realized I didn’t feel quite so bad. And little by little, despite the physical misery of chemotherapy treatments, my emotional and spiritual condition improved significantly. I “died” to my old reality and was “raised” to a new normal.

Thankfully, God is in the business of resurrection. For those who have died in Christ, the death of one reality means resurrection to a new, glorious normal so that we can “walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). — Julie Ackerman Link

Jesus redeemed us and died in our stead;
In Him we died and rose from the dead.
No longer is death a thing that we dread;
The old is behind us, the new is ahead. —D. De Haan

To be “in Christ” is to share in His life, in His death, and in His resurrection.

[emiller3]

Happy Easter to all.

[GOLDDUSTERS5703]

The Power Of Praise
Listen Now | Play MP3 (Mobile)
READ: Isaiah 61:1-3
The Lord has anointed Me . . . to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning. —Isaiah 61:1,3Praise is powerful! When Scottish pastor Robert Murray McCheyne was troubled with a coldness of heart toward the things of the Lord, he would sing the praises of God until he felt revived in his spirit. Those in his household were often able to tell what hour he awoke because he began the day with a psalm of praise.

One day, while he was trying to prepare his heart for preaching, he wrote in his journal: “Is it the desire of my heart to be made altogether holy? . . . Lord, You know all things . . . . I’ve felt so much deadness and grief that I cannot grieve for this deadness. Toward evening I revived. Got a calm spirit through [singing psalms] and prayer.” McCheyne had been uplifted by praising God.

Perhaps you feel as if you are mired in what John Bunyan called the “slough of despond.” Lift a song of praise to the Lord. The psalmist said, “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever” (89:1). When we do that, the praise will flow not only from our lips but also from our heart. The Lord delights to give “the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” (Isa. 61:3).

Yes, “it is good to sing praises to our God”—at all times (Ps. 147:1). — Paul Van Gorder

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven,
To His feet your tribute bring;
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Evermore His praises sing. —Lyte

If you find yourself wearing a spirit of heaviness, try on a garment of praise.