Thunder and Lightning Our Daily Bread | Wednesday, January 25, 2017 By David Roper
Read: Psalm 29 | Bible in a Year: Exodus 12–13; Matthew 16
The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. Psalm 29:7
Many years ago a friend and I were fishing a series of beaver ponds when it started to rain. We took cover under a nearby grove of quaking aspen, but the rain continued to fall. So we decided to call it a day and run for the truck. I had just opened the door when lightning struck the aspen grove with a thunderous fireball that stripped leaves and bark off the trees, leaving a few limbs smoldering. And then there was silence.
We were shaken and awed.
Lightning flashes and thunder rolls across our Idaho valley. I love it—despite my close call. I love the raw power. Voltage! Percussion! Shock and awe! The earth and everything in it trembles and shakes. And then there is peace.
Grant me Your peace and the strength to walk through this day.
I love lightning and thunder primarily because they are symbols of God's voice (Job 37:4), speaking with stupendous, irresistible power through His Word. “The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning . . . The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace” (Ps. 29:7, 11). He gives strength to endure, to be patient, to be kind, to sit quietly, to get up and go, to do nothing at all.
May the God of peace be with you.
Calm my spirit in the storms, Lord. Grant me Your peace and the strength to walk through this day.
Faith connects our weakness to God's strength.
INSIGHT:
Psalm 29:3 says, “The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders.” The Lord is called “the God of glory”; therefore, in keeping with God’s character, we should “ascribe to the Lord glory” (v. 1). The appropriate reaction to whatever is genuinely awesome is to be awe-filled. What do you remember as being breathtaking or awesome? What response did it evoke?
DO NOT BE CORRUPT (kayannan@gmail.com/ 024 642 5541) | Wednesday, January 18, 2017 By Ps K. Essibrey-Annan
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips...( Pro 4:23-27, NIV )
The heart is the seat of our life, therefore, we are asked to guard it, thus "above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it" (Pro 4:23). In order words, our hearts dictate the direction of our life. For that reason, we should jealously guard our hearts so that nothing negative will enter into it, but rather positive issues. It is said that "garbage in garbage out"
It is possible to guard our hearts when that heart has believed the lordship of Jesus (Rom 10:9-10): A heart that is filled with the Holy Spirit and spiritually circumcised (Rom 2:29). That heart would keep our mouth free of perversity; not intentionally behaving in an reasonable manner, but keeps corrupt talk far from our lips (Prov 4: 24). A guarded heart would not curse or abuse a fellow human being, even when provoked. How do you react when provoked?
A person with a guarded heart would give careful thought to the paths for his feet and would be steadfast in all ways (Pro 4:26). This means he would gives a careful thought before entering into any venture, making sure not to be corrupted, be it in some one's employment or self-employed. Above all, he is very hard working. Is that your nature?
"Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil" (verse 27). This means the individual with a guarded heart is focused. He or she knows the course divinely marked out for them. Therefore, they run with perseverance, fixing their eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of their faith (Heb 12:1-2). Do you want to be free from corruption? Then let your heart be divinely guarded, "for everything you do flows from it"
Prayer
I have inherited a regenerated heart, filled with the Holy Spirit. Thank you Heavenly Father, for such a divine gift. Holy Spirit, help me to always live a corrupt free life wherever I will find myself. Thank you Father, for an answered prayer. In Jesus' name I have prayed, Amen.
Further Studies
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb 12:1-2)
Laws Of Moral Justice DCLM - Daily Manna | Tuesday, January 17, 2017 By Deeper Christian Life Ministry
EXODUS 21:26-36
Key Verse: "And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye's sake" (Exodus 21:26).
On all modern highways, reflectors are placed on conspicuous places to guide night travelling. Reflectors are also mandatory for all vehicles when they breakdown, to guide against avoidable road accidents. A breach attracts severe sanctions from higher authorities. The sundry laws in the text are laws bordering on natural justice. They concern particularly, the sixth commandment which forbids killing a fellow human being.
Human lives, either one’s or others, are sacred and should therefore not be handled carelessly. The sundry moral laws under consideration are however not binding on New Testament believers. Nevertheless, we are taught by those laws that we must be careful not to do wrong either directly or indirectly, nor should we be cruel to our servants or slaves. God places great value on the lives of men, even those of servants and slaves.
As believers, if we have done wrong, we must be willing to make it good and be desirous that nobody may lose by us. We are to avoid any kind of carelessness that can endanger or destroy the life of any other person. Many people today live carelessly. Their careless actions are sometimes inimical to the lives and safety of others and their property. Believers must be distinct and unique as light and salt to others, always bringing glory to God and not reproaches and blemish.
Thought for the day: Carelessness and ignorance are twin evils believers must not for once be associated with.
Reflecting on Light TruthForLife | Thursday, January 05, 2017 By C.H. Spurgeon
And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.Genesis 1:4
Light might well be good since it sprang from that fiat of goodness, "Let there be light." We who enjoy it should be more grateful for it than we are, and see more of God in it and by it. Physical light is said by Solomon to be sweet, but gospel light is infinitely more precious, for it reveals eternal things and ministers to our immortal natures. When the Holy Spirit gives us spiritual light and opens our eyes to behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, we behold sin in its true colors, and ourselves in our real position; we see the Most Holy God as He reveals Himself, the plan of mercy as He propounds it, and the world to come as the Word describes it. Spiritual light has many beams and prismatic colors, but whether they be knowledge, joy, holiness, or life, all are divinely good. If the light received be thus good, what must the essential light be, and how glorious must be the place where He reveals Himself. O Lord, since light is so good, give us more of it, and more of Yourself, the true light.
No sooner is there a good thing in the world than a division is necessary. Light and darkness have no communion; God has divided them--let us not confound them. Sons of light must not have fellowship with deeds, doctrines, or deceits of darkness. The children of the day must be sober, honest, and bold in their Lord's work, leaving the works of darkness to those who will dwell in it forever.
Our churches should by discipline divide the light from the darkness, and we should by our distinct separation from the world do the same. In judgment, in action, in hearing, in teaching, in association, we must discern between the precious and the vile, and maintain the great distinction that the Lord made upon the world's first day.
O Lord Jesus, be our light throughout the whole of this day, for Your light is the light of men.
Family Bible reading plan: * Genesis 5 • Matthew 5
Not Business As Usual Our Daily Bread | Wednesday, January 04, 2017 By Deeper Christian Life Ministry
2 CHRONICLES 18:28-34
Key Verse: "And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and will go to the battle; but put thou on thy robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself; and they went to the battle" (2 Chronicles 18:29).
It is never business as usual when it is time for God to lay the hammer of judgment on the sinner who persists in his iniquity and refuses to repent. Many in the Scripture and in secular history have embraced this bitter truth in different ways. The tragic twist has always been that they never lived to regret their wicked actions. The end came upon them suddenly as prophesied by the men of God they contemned. That was the fate that befell Ahab, the ungodly king of Israel. He despised God’s true prophets and joined himself to the fake ones who told him false predictions he loved to hear. He persecuted those who stood for the truth. He also married the iniquitous Jezebel whose pastime was given to cruelty, slaying of the prophets of God, idolatry and a conspiracy to dispossess the innocent of their property. The true prophet of God Micaiah prophesied death for Ahab if he went to the battle. Thinking it would be the usual business of trying to outwit God, Ahab disguised himself and dropped the royal robes while convincing his guest (king Jehoshaphat of Judah), to be in his true apparel.
At the battle front, Jehoshaphat escaped death by a whisker. He cried out and God showed him mercy when compassed about by enemies. But despite Ahab’s deception, God proved that He cannot be mocked. He demonstrated that a sinner’s devices would not stop the fulfillment of His Word. A randomly shot arrow inflicted a fatal wound on Ahab. As for Jehoshaphat, he could have died as a consequence of not heeding the divine instruction: "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood" (Proverbs 1:10,16). It is folly to expect God to operate on the unhelpful formula of business as usual. This doesn’t change the rigid laws of God.
Thought for the day: On Judgment Day, it will not be business as usual.
Not What It Seems Our Daily Bread | Tuesday, January 03, 2017 By Jennifer Benson Schuldt
Read: 2 Kings 6:8–17 | Bible in a Year: Genesis 7–9; Matthew 3
Don’t be afraid . . . . Those who are with us are more than those who are with [the enemy]. 2 Kings 6:16
Don is a border collie who lives on a farm in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. One morning, he and his owner, Tom, set out to check on some animals. They rode together in a small farm utility truck. When they arrived, Tom left the vehicle but forgot to put the brake on. With Don in the driver’s seat, the vehicle rolled down a hill and across two lanes of traffic before it stopped safely. To watching motorists, it appeared the dog was out for a morning drive. Indeed, things are not always as they seem.
It seemed as if Elisha and his servant were about to be captured and carried off to the King of Aram. The king’s forces had surrounded the city where Elisha and his servant were staying. The servant believed they were doomed, but Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid . . . . Those who are with us are more than those who are with [the enemy]” (2 Kings 6:16). When Elisha prayed, the servant was able to see the multitudes of supernatural forces that were in place to protect them.
Situations that seem hopeless are not always the way we perceive them to be. When we feel overwhelmed and outnumbered, we can remember that God is by our side. He can “command his angels . . . to guard [us] in all [our] ways” (Ps. 91:11).
Situations that seem hopeless are not always the way we perceive them to be..
Dear God, please give me a glimpse of Your power today. Help me to believe that You are willing and able to help me in any situation I encounter.
Things are always better than they seem to be when we remember that God is by our side.
INSIGHT:
In Elisha and Elijah’s day, the nation of Israel had drifted from God and embraced pagan gods. The miracles God performed through these men called the people back to Himself. How does believing in the God of the miraculous help when you’re feeling helpless or overwhelmed?
How Much God Loves You Our Daily Journey | Monday, January 02, 2017 By Mike Wittmer
Read: John 17:1-26. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me (John 17:23).
When my children were small, I often read them the bedtime story Guess How Much I Love You. A baby rabbit stretched his arms high and told his daddy he loved him that much. His father had longer arms, so he raised them up and said he loved his son even more. The baby hopped and said he loved his dad that high. The father could jump higher, and so he hopped to show his love was even greater. Finally, the baby rabbit said he loved his daddy all the way to the moon. The father thought for a moment and said, “I love you right up to the moon—and back.”
I like that story because it impressed upon my children what I couldn’t put into words. How could I tell them just how much I loved them? I know the ache of a parent’s heart when words fail, so I was amazed to hear that my heavenly Father feels the exact same way about me.
In an astounding prayer, Jesus asked His Father to unify us so “the world will know that you sent me and have loved them as much as you love me” (John 17:23). Our heavenly Father loves us as much as He loves His Son? I wouldn’t believe it if it weren’t in the Bible, and even then I wonder if I’m reading it correctly. But without question, that’s exactly what it says.
The God of the entire cosmos loves you as much as He loves anyone—as much as He loves His “one and only Son”! (John 3:16). Do you know what that means? You could not possibly be loved more—or better.
When I finished reading the bedtime story, I would tuck my children in and give them a goodnight kiss. There wasn’t anything for them to do but accept that they were loved. So it is with us. Snuggle in the warm embrace of your heavenly Father’s grace today.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Genesis 2:15–3:24
More: Read Ephesians 3:14-21 and consider just how much your heavenly Father loves you.
Next: What prevents you from accepting God’s love? How have you been showing your love for Him?
