A SURE HOPE

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

A SURE HOPE

READ:  1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the first fruits

of those who have fallen asleep.  1 Corinthians 15:20

Konrad Adenauer, former chancellor of West Germany, said, “If Jesus Christ is alive, then there is hope for the world.  If not, I don’t see the slightest glimmer of hope on the horizon.”  Then he added, “I believe Christ’s resurrection to be one of the best-attested facts of history.”

Christ’s resurrection and ours go together.  So reasoned the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15.  And if Christ didn’t rise from the grave, what’s left?  Empty preaching (v.14), false witnesses (v. 15), a futile faith (v. 17), unforgiven sins (v. 17), no life after death (v. 18), and hopelessness (v. 19).

But Christ did rise from the grave.  Paul asserted the proof for the resurrection in verses 1 through 11, listing many credible witnesses who saw the risen Lord:  Peter (v.5), 500 people (v.6), all the apostle (v.7), and Paul himself (v.8).

When the Greek philosopher Socrates lay dying, his friends asked, “Shall we live again?”  He could only say, “I hope so.”  In contrast, the night before author and explorer Sir Walter Raleigh was beheaded, he wrote in his Bible, “From this earth, this grave, this dust, my God shall raise me up.”

If we trust in Christ as our Savior, we won’t say “I hope so” about our own resurrection.  Jesus’s resurrection gives us a sure hope.   DJD

Rejoice in glorious hope!

Our Lord the Judge shall come

And take His servants up

To their eternal home. - Wesley

Christ’s resurrection is the guarantee of our own.

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

Hazardous Materials

See, this [live coal] has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.

Isaiah 6:7

READ ISAIAH 6:1–10

The sound of a siren increased to an ear-piercing level as an emergency vehicle sped by my car. Its flashing lights glared through my windshield, illuminating the words “hazardous materials” printed on the side of the truck. Later, I learned it had been racing to a science laboratory where a 400-gallon container of sulfuric acid had begun to leak. Emergency workers had to contain the substance immediately because of its ability to damage whatever it came in contact with.

As I thought about this news story, I wondered what would happen if sirens blared every time a harsh or critical word “leaked” out of my mouth? Sadly, it might become rather noisy around our house.

The prophet Isaiah shared this sense of awareness about his sin. When he saw God’s glory in a vision, he was overcome by his unworthiness. He recognized that he was “a man of unclean lips” living with people who shared the same problem (Isaiah 6:5). What happened next gives me hope. An angel touched his lips with a red-hot coal, explaining, “your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for” (v. 7).

We have moment-by-moment choices to make with our words—both written and spoken. Will they be “hazardous” material, or will we allow God’s glory to convict us and His grace to heal us so we can honor Him with everything we express?

By Jennifer Benson Schuldt

REFLECT & PRAY

Dear God, help me to see how my words affect other people. Show me how to encourage them.

Why do our words have such a powerful effect on others? How might God want to change your speech?

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

The book of Isaiah was written by the prophet whose name means “Yahweh is salvation” during a time of almost constant clash with the kingdom of Assyria. Isaiah was the son of Amoz and was married to a woman called “the prophetess” (8:3). They had two sons—Shear-Jashub and Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (7:3; 8:3). From the very first verse we know that Isaiah prophesied “during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah,” a period of possibly fifty years. Alyson Kieda

LOVE THAT LIFTS

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

LOVE THAT LIFTS

READ:  Psalm 40:1-3

They called upon the Lord, and He answered them.  Psalm 99:6

When King David looked back on his life, he remembered some painful experiences.  In Psalm 40, he recalled one especially severe difficulty, a time when he felt as if he had sunk deep into “the miry clay” (v. 2).

In his despair David kept pleading with God for deliverance, and graciously the Lord answered his desperate cries.  Lifting him out of the “horrible pit,” He set his feet on solid ground (v. 2).  No wonder David broke out into this hymn of praise and gratitude!  As you look back on your own life, do you remember any experience when you felt as if you had fallen into a pit?  Perhaps it was the pit of failure, the pit of bereavement, the pit of painful illness, the pit of dark doubt, the pit of some persistent sin. Did you keep crying out to God, and did He mercifully deliver you?

If so, are you still praising the Lord for that answer to your cries and thanking Him for His grace?  And are you now walking with Him in obedient fellowship?

You can confidently trust the Lord to help you in whatever experience comes your way in the days ahead.  Rejoice that in His time He can-and will-bring you through and bring you out.  VCG

Why must I bear this pain?  I cannot tell;

I only know my Lord does all things well,

And so I trust in God, my all in all,

For He will bring me through, whate’er befall. -Smith

God can bring showers of blessing out of storms of adversity.

A SINCERE THANK YOU

A Sincere Thank You

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

Psalm 9:1

READ PSALM 9:1–2, 7–10

In preparation for Xavier’s first job interview, my husband, Alan, handed our son a pack of thank-you cards for him to send out after he met with prospective employers. He then pretended to be a hiring interviewer, using his decades of experience as a manager to ask Xavier questions. After the role-playing, our son tucked several copies of his resume into a folder. He smiled when Alan reminded him about the cards. “I know,” he said. “A sincere thank-you note will set me apart from all the other applicants.”

When the manager called to hire Xavier, he expressed gratitude for the first hand-written thank-you card he’d received in years.

Saying thanks makes a lasting impact. The psalmists’ heartfelt prayers and grateful worship were preserved in the book of Psalms. Though there are one hundred and fifty psalms, these two verses reflect a message of thankfulness: “I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High” (Psalm 9:1-2).

We will never be able to finish expressing our gratitude for all God’s wonderful deeds. But we can start with a sincere thank you through our prayers. We can nurture a lifestyle of grateful worship, praising God and acknowledging all He’s done and all He promises He’ll do.

By Xochitl Dixon

REFLECT & PRAY

Generous and loving God, please help us acknowledge the countless and wonderful ways You work.

What would you like to thank God for on this day He’s made? How can writing down prayers of thanks help us cultivate a spirit of gratitude in all circumstances?

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

Psalms 9 and 10 may have originally been a single acrostic poem in Hebrew in which alternating lines begin with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Unlike other laments (a prayer or poem of deep sorrow for the hardships and difficulties of life), these psalms begin with deep confidence and praise to God. Even in the midst of the trials, the author recognizes that God has done wonderful things and the proper response is to give thanks, spread the news of those deeds, and rejoice and sing praises to His name (9:1-2).

We see in Psalm 9 a lesson in perspective. Not only has God performed grand things like delivering His people from Egypt, sustaining them in the wilderness, and giving them the Promised Land, but His deeds are personal as well. God shows His goodness and unfolds His plan in both grand and personal ways. J.R. Hudberg

ARE EVANGELICALS THE NEW PHARISEES?

ARE EVANGELICALS THE NEW PHARISEES?

For more great blogs as this one go to Daniel’s blog site at:  www.Mannsword.blogspot.com

The level of hatred and contempt against evangelical Christians, those who worship the Lord according to His Word, grows daily, even from those within churches. A favorite ploy is to equate us with Pharisees and other legalists, like those who opposed Jesus. In one instance, Jesus had healed a crippled woman,

∑       And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” (Luke 13:13-14 ESV)

Heartless? Yes! It’s not every day that the sick can come and get healed. Besides, should the Sabbath day take precedence over the healing of a desperate woman, who had suffered for 18 years? No! But this is how the world chooses to portray the evangelical, as heartless, brainless hypocrites, who are more concerned about trivial rules than about loving others. In contrast, Jesus is regarded as a loving and tender-hearted shepherd, who is willing to break the rules.

However, these aren’t accurate characterizations of any of these three parties. For one thing, Jesus was a stickler on the laws/teachings of the Bible, which He never violated. Instead, He taught that we must live according to every one of God’s Words:

∑       “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4; 5:17-18)

Instead of denigrating the Law, Jesus always sought to interpret it clearly, insisting that there were some laws more important than others:

∑       “Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.” (Matthew 12:5-7)

Jesus correctly insisted that there are some considerations greater than Sabbath Day observances, namely mercy!

It is also wrongly assumed that the Pharisees had been faithful observers of the Law. While they made a splendid show of living by the Law, according to Jesus, they were hypocrites:

∑       “For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” (John 5:46-47)

Why then were they esteemed as faithful interpreters and keepers of the Law of Moses? It was all just a hypocritical self-centered show:

∑       “They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.” (Matthew 23:5-7)  

Even in our present context, the religious leadership demonstrated their hypocrisy, since they too worked on the Sabbath:

∑       Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it?  And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” (Luke 13:15-16)

In contrast to the Pharisees, evangelicals strive to put the Lord and His Word first in our lives (Matthew 6:33; John 14:21-24). In this we struggle to not succumb to the temptations to win the esteem of others. Instead, we struggle to put our Savior first in all things. Many of us do not look very impressive on the outside (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). We often come from broken backgrounds and lack education and the respect of the community, but why are we so widely hated, even by those who call themselves “Christian?”

Jesus often prophesied about how the world will hate the Christians who truly follow Him:

∑       Matthew 10:21-22  “Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake.”

∑       Matthew 10:34-36 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.”

∑       Matthew 24:9-12 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.”

∑       John 15:18-20 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.  Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.”

Our persecutors will even be convinced that God endorses their persecution of Christ-followers:

∑       John 16:2-3 “Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.”

In contrast, the Pharisees of Jesus’ day were held in the highest esteem. They occupied the best seats and were distinguished by the highest levels of education and eloquence.

However, we rejoice in persecution, as Jesus had explained:

∑       “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:10-12)

Consequently, if you want to know who are the people of Christ, it is generally those who are hated, persecuted, and refuse to adopt the values of their prevailing cultures.

THREE CERTAINTIES

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

THREE CERTAINTIES

READ:  1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

O Death, where is your sting?  O Hades,

where is your victory?  1 Corinthians 15:55

As I waited outside the Intensive Care Unit for changes in the condition of a loved one, I was reminded that death affects all of us:  old and young, male and female, rich and poor.

In 1 Thessalonians 4, the apostle Paul comforted those who mourned the death of their loved ones.  He told them that excessive grief resulted from being uniformed.  Weeping for our loss is good, but we need not weep like those who have no hope.  Instead, we must rely on three certainties of death.

The first certainty is that the soul does not die.  The souls of departed believers are with the Lord (v.14).  They have retired from this problematic world, and they “sleep in Jesus.”

Second, Jesus will come for every believer.  Whether a Christian is alive on earth or asleep in death, Jesus will return for all His children (vv. 16-17).

Third, there will be a joyous reunion.  “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (v.17).

Knowing these certainties brings comfort to believers when their friends and loved ones depart.  Although we are separated from them for a while, we will meet again in the presence of our Lord.  AL

When facing death’s shadow, remember the Light;

The shadows bring fear, and the dark shrouds our eyes;

But if we will turn to face Jesus the Light,

The shadows will fade as He brightens our skies. -Lee

Sunset in one land is sunrise in another.

GREEDY GRASPING

Greedy Grasping

Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.

Ecclesiastes 4:6

READ ECCLESIASTES 4:4–8

In the ancient fable The Boy and the Filberts (Nuts), a boy sticks his hand into a jar of nuts and grabs a great fistful. But his hand is so full that it gets stuck in the jar. Unwilling to lose even a little of his bounty, the boy begins to weep. Eventually, he’s counseled to let go of some of the nuts so the jar will let go of his hand. Greed can be a hard boss.

The wise teacher of Ecclesiastes illustrates this moral with a lesson on hands and what they say about us. He compared and contrasted the lazy with the greedy when he wrote: “Fools fold their hands and ruin themselves. Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind” (4:5-6). While the lazy procrastinate until they’re ruined, those who pursue wealth come to realize their efforts are “meaningless—a miserable business!” (v. 8).

According to the teacher, the desired state is to relax from the toil of greedy grasping in order to find contentment in what truly belongs to us. For that which is ours will always remain. As Jesus said, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul” (Mark 8:36).

By Remi Oyedele

REFLECT & PRAY

God, thank You for Your provision and faithful presence in my life. Help me to live in a contented way, exhibiting true gratefulness to You.

What are you driven to pursue and grasp? How can you apply the wise words of Ecclesiastes in order to find tranquility?

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

The book of Ecclesiastes is properly placed amid the Wisdom books of the Old Testament (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs). This obscure book highlights the concerns of mankind from the beginning, with questions about God, earthly living and eternity, joy and sorrow, good and evil, death and dying, wisdom and folly. Ecclesiastes is like a twelve-chapter journal where the author records his musings and perspective on how life works. The writer is a realist (he doesn’t ignore the many complexities of life) and uses phrases that represent the author’s varied frustrations. The word meaningless is repeated thirty-five times, and the phrase chasing after the wind occurs nine times. But the writer is also a theist—he believes in God. He urges his readers to acknowledge and reverence their Maker. Why? “God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (12:14). Arthur Jackson

A SURPRISE ANSWER

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

A SURPRISE ANSWER

READ:  1 John 3:16-23

Whatever we ask we receive from Him, because

we keep His commandments and do those things

that are pleasing in His sight.  1 John 3:22

When Josh McDowell’s mother died, he was not sure of her salvation  He became depressed.  Was she a Christian or not?  “Lord,” he prayed, “somehow give me the answer so I can get back to normal.  I’ve just got to know.”  It seemed like an impossible request.

Two days later, Josh drove out to the ocean and walked to the end of a pier to be alone.  There sat an elderly woman in a lawn chair, fishing.  “Where’s your home originally?” she asked.  “Michigan-Union City” Josh replied.  “Nobody’s heard of it.  I tell people it’s a suburb of-” “Battle Creek,” interrupted the woman.  “I had a cousin from there.  Did you know the McDowell Family?”

Stunned, Josh responded, “Yes, I’m Josh McDowell.”  “I can’t believe it,” said the woman.  “I’m a cousin to your mother.”  “Do you remember anything at all about my mother’s spiritual life?” asked Josh.  “Why sure-your mom and I were just girls-teenagers-when a tent revival came to town.  We both went forward to accept Christ.”  “Praise God!”  shouted Josh, startling the surrounding fishermen.

God delights to give us what we ask when it is in His will.  Never underestimate His desire to respond to our prayers.  A surprise may be just around the corner.  DJD

That long-sought wish, oh, how I prayed,

I thought it not divinely willed,

And then the joyous, tear-stained smile

Of faith triumphant, hope fulfilled! -Brandt

If you get definite with God, He’ll get definite with you.

HE'S GOT THIS

He’s Got This

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 3:18

READ 2 PETER 3:14–18

Pastor Watson Jones remembers learning to ride a bike. His father was walking alongside when little Watson saw some girls sitting on a porch. “Daddy, I got this!” he said. He didn’t. He realized too late he hadn’t learned to balance without his father’s steadying grip. He wasn’t as grown up as he thought.

Our heavenly Father longs for us to grow up and “become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). But spiritual maturity is different from natural maturity. Parents raise their children to become independent, to no longer need them. Our divine Father raises us to daily depend on Him more.

Peter begins his letter by promising “grace and peace . . . through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,” and he ends by urging us to “grow in” that same “grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:2; 3:18). Mature Christians never outgrow their need for Jesus.

Watson warns, “Some of us are busy slapping Jesus’s hands off the handlebars of our life.” As if we didn’t need His strong hands to hold us, to pick us up, and to hug us when we wobble and flop. We can’t grow beyond our dependence on Christ. We only grow by sinking our roots deeper in the grace and knowledge of Him.

By Mike Wittmer 

REFLECT & PRAY

Jesus, thank You for walking alongside me as I grow in my relationship with You.

Where do you feel your dependence on Jesus? How is that a sign of maturity?

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

Peter wrote both of his letters (see 1 Peter 1:1; 2 Peter 3:1) to Christians in “the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia” (roughly modern Turkey). In his second letter, he warns the believers to be on guard against false teachers (3:17). To ensure they’re not easily persuaded, they must “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (v. 18). To know Jesus intimately is the clarion call of true discipleship and the end goal of every believer (John 17:3; Ephesians 1:17; Colossians 2:2). Peter says we’ve received “everything we need for living a godly life . . . by coming to know him” (2 Peter 1:3 nlt). K. T. Sim

PEACE IN THE STORM

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

PEACE IN THE STORM

READ:  Isaiah 26:1-4

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed

on You, because he trusts in You.  Isaiah 26:3

Life can seem unbearable at times.  Physical pain, difficult decisions, financial hardships, the death of a loved one, or shattered dreams threaten to engulf us.  We become fearful and perplexed.  Plagued by doubts, we may even find it difficult to pray.

Those of us who know the Lord through personal faith in Christ have in Him a calm retreat in the storms of life, even while the howling winds of trial are sweeping over us.  We can experience peace of mind and calmness of spirit.

Richard Fuller, a nineteenth-century minister, told of an old seaman who said, “In fierce storms, we must put the ship in a certain position and keep her there,”  Said Fuller, “This, Christian, is what you must do…You must put your soul in one position and keep it there.  You must stay upon the Lord; and, come what may-winds, waves, cross seas, thunder, lightning, frowning rocks, roaring breakers-no mater what, you must hold fast your confidence in God’s faithfulness and His everlasting love in Christ Jesus.”

Do you feel overwhelmed by your troubles?  Learn a lesson from that old sailor.  Fix your mind on the Lord. Ask for His help. Then trust Him to give you peace in your storm (Philippians 4:6-7).  RDH

Stayed upon Jehovah,

Hearts are fully blest-

Finding, as He promised,

Perfect peace and rest. -Havergal

The secret of peace is to give every anxious care to God.

GOD'S SPECIAL TREASURE

God’s Special Treasure

But you are . . . God’s special possession.

1 Peter 2:9

READ 1 PETER 2:4–10

Imagine a vast throne room. Seated on the throne is a great king. He’s surrounded by all manner of attendants, each on their best behavior. Now imagine a box that sits at the king’s feet. From time to time the king reaches down and runs his hands through the contents. And what’s in the box? Jewels, gold, and gemstones particular to the king’s tastes. This box holds the king’s treasures, a collection that brings him great joy. Can you see that image in your mind’s eye?

The Hebrew word for this treasure is segulah, and it means “special possession.” That word is found in such Old Testament Scriptures as Exodus 19:5, Deuteronomy 7:6, and Psalm 135:4, where it refers to the nation of Israel. But that same word picture shows up in the New Testament by way of the pen of Peter the apostle. He’s describing the “people of God,” those who “have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:10), a collection now beyond the nation of Israel. In other words, he’s talking about those who believe in Jesus, both Jew and gentile. And he writes “But you are . . . God’s special possession” (v. 9).

Imagine that! The great and powerful King of heaven considers you among His special treasures. He has rescued you from the grip of sin and death. He claims you as His own. The King’s voice says, “This one I love. This one is mine.”

By John Blase

REFLECT & PRAY

High King of heaven, my identity is found entirely in You, and You call me Your special treasure. I know this isn’t because of anything I’ve done, but because of everything You are.

Can you recall a time when someone genuinely called you “special”? What effect did it have on you? What does it mean for you to know that you’re precious to God?

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

When Peter speaks of Jesus and His disciples as being like living stones (1 Peter 2:4-6), he draws on words from the prophet Isaiah and Psalm 118. Using the language of a builder, Isaiah foresees a cornerstone God will lay in Jerusalem as a safe foundation for all who build on it (28:16). Psalm 118 praises the day when this cornerstone will be laid, describing it as a stone human builders rejected before God used it to show that His faithful love endures forever (vv. 22-24, 29). Peter is joined by the apostle Paul, who also refers to Jesus as the cornerstone of a temple made of the treasured lives of God’s own people (Ephesians 2:19-22). Together, these Old and New Testament texts give us a picture of a temple that comes alive in the people of God as they’re filled with the Spirit of Christ. Mart DeHaan

A GRATITUDE VISIT

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

A GRATITUDE VISIT

READ:  Romans 16:1-16

I commend to you Phoebe,…for indeed she has been a

helper of many and of myself also.  Romans 16:1-2

Counting your blessings promotes good physical health, according to a study by some U.S. doctors.  Volunteers who kept weekly gratitude journals reported fewer aches and pains than those who recorded daily hassles or neutral events.

A “gratitude visit” was developed by Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman to promote strong emotional health.  He tells people to think of someone who has made an important different in their lives.  He asks them to write the story of how that person has helped them, and then to visit that person and read the story aloud.  Tests show that a year later the people who had done so were happier and reported fewer episodes of depression.  Even more important, think of what it must have done for those who were thanked!

The apostle Paul had a long list of people who had helped him and for whom he was grateful (Romans 16:1-16).  He wrote that Phoebe had “been a helper,” Priscilla and Aquila had “risked their own necks” for his life and Mary had “labored much” for him.  And he took time to write his thanks in a letter to the church at Rome.

Who has helped to shape your life?  Could you make a gratitude visit-for their sake, and for yours?   AC

Consider what the Lord has done

Through those who’ve shown you love;

Then thank them for their faithful deeds,

For blessings from above. -Sper

Gratitude should not be an occasional incident

but a continuous attitude.

  

GOD TALK

God Talk

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.

Deuteronomy 11:18

READ DEUTERONOMY 11:13–21

A study conducted by the Barna Group in 2018 found that most Americans don’t like to talk about God. Only seven percent of Americans say they talk about spiritual matters regularly—and practicing believers in Jesus in America aren’t that different. Only thirteen percent of regular churchgoers say they have a spiritual conversation about once a week.

Perhaps it’s not surprising that spiritual conversations are on the decline. Talking about God can be dangerous. Whether because of a polarized political climate, because disagreement might cause a rift in a relationship, or because a spiritual conversation might cause you to realize a change you need to make in your life—these can feel like high-stakes conversations.

But in the instructions given to God’s people, the Israelites, in the book of Deuteronomy, talking about God can be a normal, natural part of everyday life. God’s people were to memorize His words and to display them in places where they’d often be seen. The law said to talk about God’s instructions for life with your children “when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (11:19).

God calls us to conversation. Take a chance, rely on the Spirit, and try turning your small talk toward something deeper. God will bless our communities as we talk about His words and practice them.

By Amy Peterson

REFLECT & PRAY

There’s so much about You, God, that can be shared with others in my life. Lead me as I interact with them. To learn more about why the Bible endures, visit bit.ly/2XO1Abb.

What challenges have come to you as a result of spiritual conversations with friends? What blessings?

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

Jesus quoted Deuteronomy more than any other Old Testament book except the Psalms. When tempted in the wilderness, He rebuffed Satan three times with teachings from Deuteronomy (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10, quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:16, and 6:13). And when a teacher of the law asked Him which commandment was the greatest (Matthew 22:34-40), Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:5. That passage is repeated here in 11:13, emphasizing its importance. If Israel obeyed God’s law by loving “the Lord [their] God and [serving] him with all [their] heart and with all [their] soul,” God’s blessing would follow. Tim Gustafson

ALWAYS THANKFUL

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

ALWAYS THANKFUL

READ:  Habakkuk 3:17-19

I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the

God of my salvation.  Habakkuk 3:18

Perhaps Habakkuk 3:17-19 was an unusual Bible passage to read as our family and guests sat down to a traditional feast of turkey with all the trimmings.  But I had a reason for choosing it.  Simply to bow my head and give thanks didn’t seem to be enough.  Compared with the poverty of many of the world’s people, I am wealthy.

The prophet Habakkuk was awaiting the destruction of his country by the ruthless Chaldeans, whose army was called by God to punish His people for their disobedient and evil ways (Habakkuk 1:5-6).  He said, “Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls-yet I will rejoice in the Lord” (3:17-18).

Those words made me stop and ask, “Am I thankful to God regardless of what He gives or withholds?”  Habakkuk pondered how he would respond to the loss of every material blessing.  He concluded, “I will joy in the God of  my salvation” (v.18).

Circumstances may change, but God remains the same.  That’s always cause for thanksgiving.   DCM

We can give thanks to every trial

And say, “Your will be done,”

For God’s at work in everything

To make us like His Son. -DJD

Thankfulness depends on what is in your heart,

not what is in your hand.