Daily Bread

Read: 1 Timothy 1:12-17
The grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant. —1 Timothy 1:14
Bible in a year:
Job 5-7; Acts 8:1-25A man was filling out a job application when he came to the question “Have you ever been arrested?” He wrote, “No.” The next question, intended for people who had answered “Yes” to the previous question, was “Why?” The applicant answered it anyway: “I never got caught.” He evidently knew he was guilty of plenty!

So was the apostle Paul. He knew he had personally done wrong and sinned against God. He wrote, “I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man” (1 Tim. 1:13). He even called himself the “chief ” of sinners (v.15).

We too were once separated from the Lord because of our sin and were considered His enemies (Rom. 5:10; Col. 1:21). But when we confessed our sin and acknowledged our need for His forgiveness, He cleansed us and made us new.

Those of us who have known the Lord for many years may have the tendency to forget what we’ve been rescued from and forgiven of. Sharing about our past and current failures and giving praise to God for forgiveness will help us not to come across as “holier-than-thou” to people who don’t yet know the Lord.

The truth is we’ve all been guilty of plenty, and God deserves the glory for His mercy toward us.



All that we were—our sins, our guilt,
Our death—was all our own;
All that we are we owe to Thee,
Thou God of grace, alone. —Bonar

Grace is everything for those who deserve nothing.
 
Read: 1 Samuel 13:7-14
Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord.” —1 Samuel 13:13
Bible in a year:
Job 11-13; Acts 9:1-21Picher, Oklahoma, is no more. In mid-2009, this once-bustling town of 20,000 went out of business. In the first quarter of the 1900s, Picher was a boomtown because of its abundant lead and zinc. Workers extracted the ore, which was used to help arm the US during both World Wars.

The town faded as the ore began to run out—but the biggest problem was that while the lead and zinc brought wealth, they also brought pollution. Because nothing was done to deal with the pollution, Picher became a toxic wasteland, and the government condemned the land.

What happened to Picher can happen to people. Prosperity can look so good that it’s hard to think about possible downsides. Actions that are detrimental to long-term spiritual health are accepted, and unless the problem is corrected, destruction follows. It happened to King Saul. He began as a good king, but in seeking success he failed to see the damage he was doing. Turning his back on God’s commands, he acted “foolishly” (1 Sam. 13:13) and lost his kingdom (v.14).

In our attempts to find success, we need to watch out for spiritual pollution that comes when we fail to follow God’s clear scriptural guidelines. Godly living always beats toxic living.



The Lord has given us commands
And told us to obey;
Our own designs are sure to fail
If we neglect His way! —Bosch

No one can be a real success without God.
 
Read: Philippians 1:12-21
With all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. —Philippians 1:20
Bible in a year:
Job 14-16; Acts 9:22-43According to a long-held Christian tradition, the apostle Paul was beheaded and buried in Rome around ad 67. In 2009, scientists conducted carbon dating tests on what many believe to be his remains. While these tests on the bone fragments confirmed that they date from the first or second century, positive identification remains in question. But no matter where Paul’s bones rest, his heart lives on through his letters in the New Testament.

While imprisoned in Rome, Paul wrote to the followers of Jesus in Philippi about his purpose in life. He spoke of his “earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:20-21).

As we read Paul’s words today, they challenge us to examine our own hearts. Are we as passionate as he was about Jesus Christ? Is it our goal to honor Him in our everyday life?

Long after we’re gone, those who knew us will remember our hearts. May we, like Paul, create a legacy of hope and encouragement centered around Jesus Christ.



Lord, I would serve You day by day,
Doing Your will, let come what may;
Keep my heart faithful, strong, and true,
Always to trust and honor You. —Hess

We are Christ’s “letters of recommendation” to all who read our lives.
 
Read: Colossians 1:12-23
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. —Colossians 1:13
Bible in a year:
Job 17-19; Acts 10:1-23A South African man surprised nine men robbing his home. Seven of the robbers ran away, but the homeowner managed to shove two into his backyard pool. After realizing that one of the robbers couldn’t swim, the homeowner jumped in to save him. The Cape Times reports that once out of the pool, the wet thief called to his friends to come back. Then he pulled a knife and threatened the man who had just rescued him. The homeowner said, “We were still standing near the pool, and when I saw the knife I just threw him back in. But he was gasping for air and was drowning. So I rescued him again.”

In his letter to the Colossians, the apostle Paul wrote of another rescue:God the Father had saved them from the domain of darkness. This rescue occurred at the death of Christ, but also at the Colossians’ conversion. The imagery Paul used (1:12-13) suggests that believers have been rescued from the dark reign of Satan by being transferred as free people into the peaceable rule of Christ. By Jesus’ death, believers become free citizens in the kingdom of light.

The appropriate response to such amazing grace is to show joyous gratitude by offering God acceptable service with reverence and awe (Heb. 12:28).



Your love, O God, would spare no pain
To conquer death and win;
You sent Your only Son to die
To rescue us from sin. —M. Gustafson

Through the cross, Jesus rescued and redeemed the rebellious.
 
Read: Matthew 6:25-34
Do not worry about tomorrow. —Matthew 6:34
Bible in a year:
Job 20–21 & Acts 10:24-48I was worrying about a few things as I sat in my car under a shade tree at lunchtime. Then a robin, with a fat worm dangling from its mouth, landed near my door and looked up at me. The robin was a vivid reminder to me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:25-26, “Do not worry about your life . . . . Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

Years ago, in an article in the Denver Seminary magazine Focal Point, Paul Borden gave some helpful suggestions for worriers:

Start a worry list. Write down what you’re worried about. The bills. Your job. Your children or grandchildren. Your health. The future.

Turn your worry list into a prayer list. Ask the Lord to work in those situations you’re concerned about. Pray specifically for your needs and depend on Him.

Turn your prayer list into an action list. If you have any insight that there’s something you can do about your cares, do it. As we turn our worries into prayer and action, Borden says, “Paralyzing anxiety can be replaced by concern for the responsibilities of life.”

Why not start your list right now?



Don’t fret about the future
Or be consumed by cares;
Instead take all your worries
And turn them into prayers. —Sper

What you have made a matter of prayer should cease to be a matter of care.
 
GOLDDUSTERS5703 said:
Read: Matthew 6:25-34
Do not worry about tomorrow. —Matthew 6:34
Bible in a year:
Job 20–21 & Acts 10:24-48I was worrying about a few things as I sat in my car under a shade tree at lunchtime. Then a robin, with a fat worm dangling from its mouth, landed near my door and looked up at me. The robin was a vivid reminder to me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:25-26, “Do not worry about your life . . . . Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

Years ago, in an article in the Denver Seminary magazine Focal Point, Paul Borden gave some helpful suggestions for worriers:

Start a worry list. Write down what you’re worried about. The bills. Your job. Your children or grandchildren. Your health. The future.

Turn your worry list into a prayer list. Ask the Lord to work in those situations you’re concerned about. Pray specifically for your needs and depend on Him.

Turn your prayer list into an action list. If you have any insight that there’s something you can do about your cares, do it. As we turn our worries into prayer and action, Borden says, “Paralyzing anxiety can be replaced by concern for the responsibilities of life.”

Why not start your list right now?



Don’t fret about the future
Or be consumed by cares;
Instead take all your worries
And turn them into prayers. —Sper

What you have made a matter of prayer should cease to be a matter of care.
Click to expand...

Awesome, thank you, and have a happy 4th:thankyou2:
 
GOLDDUSTERS5703 said:
Read: Matthew 6:25-34
Do not worry about tomorrow. —Matthew 6:34
Bible in a year:
Job 20–21 & Acts 10:24-48I was worrying about a few things as I sat in my car under a shade tree at lunchtime. Then a robin, with a fat worm dangling from its mouth, landed near my door and looked up at me. The robin was a vivid reminder to me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:25-26, “Do not worry about your life . . . . Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

Years ago, in an article in the Denver Seminary magazine Focal Point, Paul Borden gave some helpful suggestions for worriers:

Start a worry list. Write down what you’re worried about. The bills. Your job. Your children or grandchildren. Your health. The future.

Turn your worry list into a prayer list. Ask the Lord to work in those situations you’re concerned about. Pray specifically for your needs and depend on Him.

Turn your prayer list into an action list. If you have any insight that there’s something you can do about your cares, do it. As we turn our worries into prayer and action, Borden says, “Paralyzing anxiety can be replaced by concern for the responsibilities of life.”

Why not start your list right now?



Don’t fret about the future
Or be consumed by cares;
Instead take all your worries
And turn them into prayers. —Sper

What you have made a matter of prayer should cease to be a matter of care.
Click to expand...

I could never in a lifetime show you or tell you how true those words are.
Faith is a powerful tool.
 
I am so glad you post every day because it gives us something to read even if we don't get to open the good book.Thanks again!
 
thanks fellas! yall have been such a blessing to me more than u know!!! happy 4th!!!

The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. —Acts 11:26
Bible in a year:
Job 22–24 & Acts 11
Hans Geiger, Marie Curie, Rudolf Diesel, Samuel Morse, and Louis Braille share something in common. They all invented or discovered something significant that bears their name. Their names, along with many others, appear in the “Encyclopedia Britannica’s Greatest Inventions,” a list of “325 innovations that have had profound effects on human life.”

We who follow Christ bear His name. In Luke’s record of the early church, he said: “The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch” (Acts 11:26). Later, Peter urged the early believers not to be ashamed of suffering as “a Christian” (1 Peter 4:16). The term Christian, once directed at Jesus’ followers in scorn, was embraced by them as a badge of honor, a mark of allegiance to Him.

E. M. Blaiklock, former Chair of Classics at the University of Auckland, wrote that in the first century the term Christian had “a certain appropriateness, for it implied loyalty and acceptance of a person, and that person, the Messiah (Christ). . . . The true modern use of the word follows the same tradition. . . . The Christian is one who accepts, with all its implications, the lordship of Jesus Christ.”

As followers of Christ today, we gladly bear His name as our Savior, Lord, and Friend.



Just what do Christians look like?
What sets their lives apart?
They’re ordinary people
Who love God from the heart. —D. De Haan

Don’t be a Christian in name only.
 
Read: Romans 5:1-5
Tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. —Romans 5:3-4
Bible in a year:
Job 25-27 & Acts 12One of my earliest childhood memories was watching snails in our backyard flower garden. I was fascinated by this little creature with a shell, a slimy little tummy, and tiny eyes that turned like periscopes. But what really seemed unusual was how slowly a snail travels.

How slow does a snail go? One study clocked a snail at 0.00758 miles per hour—or 40 feet in one hour. No wonder we use the phrase moving at a snail’s pace to mean “slow.”

Although a snail does move at a “sluggish” pace, one virtue it does possess is perseverance. The great 19th-century preacher Charles Spurgeon wryly observed, “By perseverance the snail reached the ark.”

According to the apostle Paul, perseverance is a key component in character development. He explained that “tribulation produces perseverance” (Rom. 5:3). And upon that building block go character and hope (v.4). The original Greek word translated “perseverance” means “steadfastness, constancy, and endurance.” It was used of believers who endured in their walk of faith despite many painful trials.

Have setbacks slowed you down to a snail’s pace? Be encouraged. God doesn’t ask for a fast finish. He expects persevering progress.



When trials intrude to slow down your life,
It would be easy for you to give in;
But by perseverance you’ll overcome strife,
So just keep on plodding—with Christ you can win. —Branon

Great achievement requires great perseverance.
 
Read: Heb. 11:4-7,32-40
All these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise. —Hebrews 11:39
Bible in a year:
Job 32–33 & Acts 14Abel doesn’t seem to fit in the first half of Hebrews 11. He’s the first “ancient” listed, but his story isn’t like the others mentioned there. Enoch went to heaven without dying. Noah saved mankind. Abraham started a people group. Isaac was a noted patriarch. Joseph rose to the top in Egypt. Moses led the greatest exodus ever.

Clearly, their faith was rewarded. By faith, they did what God asked, and He poured out blessings on them. They saw God’s promises fulfilled before their eyes.

But Abel? The second son of Adam and Eve had faith, and what did he get for it? Murdered. That sounds more like the folks in verses 35-38, who found that trusting God doesn’t always lead to immediate blessing. They faced “mockings,” “imprisonment,” and being “sawn in two.” “Thanks, but no thanks,” we might say. We would all prefer to be heroic Abraham instead of someone “destitute, afflicted, tormented” (v.37). Yet in God’s plan, there are no guarantees of ease and fame even for the devout.

While we might experience some blessings in this life, we may also have to wait until “something better” (v.40) comes along—the completion of God’s promises in Glory. Until then, let’s keep living “by faith.”



Press on in your service for Jesus,
Spurred on by your love for the Lord;
He promised that if you are faithful,
One day you’ll receive your reward. —Fasick

What is done for Christ right now will be rewarded in eternity.
 
Read: Exodus 20:1-17
You shall not covet. —Exodus 20:17
Bible in a year:
Job 34–35 & Acts 15:1-21Sometimes I wonder why God didn’t list the Ten Commandments in reverse order, since the 10th commandment correlates to the first sin—desire. Eve’s sin wasn’t simply her desire for a piece of fruit; it was the desire for knowledge that Satan told her would make her like God (Gen. 3:5). Eve’s covetousness caused her to violate both the first and tenth commands that God later gave to Moses.

When we don’t covet, we pretty much eliminate our reasons to disobey the other commands. Wanting what isn’t ours causes us to lie, steal, commit adultery, murder, and refuse to honor our parents. We refuse to rest because we can’t get what we want in 6 days of work. We misuse God’s name when we use it to justify something that we want to do. We make gods out of wealth and relationships because we don’t want to have to put all our trust in God.

I have a hard time coming up with sins that don’t involve some form of covetousness. Yet because it’s the last in the list, we tend to think of it as being the least important. But it’s not. When we stop sin while it is still in our hearts and heads, we avoid making others the victim of our sin, and we avoid many of the serious consequences of sin.



When you covet someone else’s things,
Thinking that they’re better than your own,
Just remember that God’s gifts to you
Were designed for you and you alone. —Hess

Contentment is realizing that God has already given me all I need.
 
Read: Matthew 24:36-44
Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age? —Matthew 24:3
Bible in a year:
Job 36–37 & Acts 15:22-41News that a solar eclipse would take place on July 22, 2009, brought an alarming prediction. It was predicted that the eclipse would sufficiently affect gravitational pull, causing tectonic plates to “pop a seam,” resulting in a sizable earthquake and a subsequent devastating tsunami in Japan. The US Geological Survey responded that no scientists “have ever predicted a major earthquake. They do not know how, and they do not expect to know how, anytime in the foreseeable future.”

There have also been many false predictions about the date of Christ’s second coming—despite our Lord’s emphatic words: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Matt. 24:36). Christ told His followers that instead of trying to predict the date of His return, they should “watch” (v.42) and “be ready” (v.44).

Peter warned, “The day of the Lord will come like a thief.” Then he added: “What kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives” (2 Peter 3:10-11 NIV).

Striving to live for God—that’s what Jesus wants us to focus our energy on while we wait for that “blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).



When someone says, “I can discern
Exactly when Christ will return,”
Don’t be deceived or led astray—
The Lord said we can’t know the day. —Sper

Look for Christ’s return, and you’ll live for Christ’s glory.
 
Read: Matthew 5:11-16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father. —Matthew 5:16
Bible in a year:
Job 38–40 & Acts 16:1-21There was a time when a certain West Coast city may have been one of the most hostile places to the gospel in America. Posters in coffee shops advertised witchcraft meetings where you could learn to cast a spell on your enemies.

It was such a challenging environment for churches that they struggled to get building permits from the city council. And there was a lot of “woe is me” talk among church leaders. Until a group of pastors began to meet to pray regularly and then decided to take the love of Jesus into their city. They started a ministry to the homeless, to those suffering with AIDS, to teens at risk. Faithfully and intentionally they brought the love of Jesus to the needs of hurting people. Before long, the city agencies started calling on them for help. Better yet, the churches started growing as people responded to the gospel in action.

Which proves the point: Sometimes you’ve got to “show up” before you speak up. No one really wants to hear what we have to say about the love of Jesus until they’ve seen it in our lives (Matt. 5:16). Then even the most ardent opponents to the gospel may just be glad you’re in their town, their office, or their neighborhood. And then you just might be able to tell them about Jesus.



Let us go forth, as called of God,
Redeemed by Jesus’ precious blood;
His love to show, His life to live,
His message speak, His mercy give. —Whittle
 
Read: 2 Cor. 11:22-33
. . . besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. —2 Corinthians 11:28
Bible in a year:
Job 41–42 & Acts 16:22-40While making his landmark documentary about World War II, filmmaker Ken Burns and his colleagues watched thousands of hours of military footage. Scenes of the devastating Battle of Peleliu often invaded their dreams at night. Burns told Sacramento Bee reporter Rick Kushman, “You’re listening to the ghosts and echoes from an almost inexpressible past. If you do that, you put yourself into the emotional maelstrom.”

There’s a price to becoming involved in the struggles of others, whether artistically or spiritually. Paul experienced this in his work of sharing the gospel: “Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?” (2 Cor. 11:28-29 NASB).

Oswald Chambers said we enter this spiritual struggle as we “deliberately identify ourselves with God’s interests in other people” and “find to our amazement that we have power to keep wonderfully poised in the center of it all.”

Paul realized that God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). Jesus paid the greatest price to be involved in our world, and He strengthens us as we share His love with others.



Though weak, you still can serve today
And follow Christ’s command;
Behind the lines or in the fray
In Jesus’ strength you stand. —Hess

If we obey God’s calling, He will provide the needed strength.
 
This is true.Some of you know i serve the homeless in our church ministry.
I felt down as i went there , i had some personal problems that apparently shown through.Get this ,a homeless man talked to me for 20 minutes building me up.He encouraged me.He lifted me to the Lord.A man with nothing but God in him.How refreshing and humbling.
His last words to me was "steel sharpens steel my brother"
 
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