CELEBRATING DISAPPOINTMENT

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

CELEBRATING DISAPPOINTMENT

READ:  Psalm 30

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing.

Psalm 30:11

After receiving his second Academy Award, Denzel Washington said to his family “I told you, if I lost tonight, I’d come home and we’d celebrate.  And if I won tonight, I’d come home and we’d celebrate.”  Denzel, a Christian, was trusting God, whether in blessing or in disappointment.

A Christian couple I know were inspired to follow Denzel’s example.  The woman was applying for a dream job that had just opened up where she worked.  The interview went well, but she knew she might not get the position.   Her husband suggested, “Let’s make reservations at our favorite restaurant this Friday to celebrate-no matter what the outcome.”

Soon the news came that someone else was offered the job.  But that Friday the disappointed couple still celebrated.  While eating a delicious meal, they were able to count their blessings and renew their faith in the the God who holds tomorrow’s opportunities in His hand.

When the psalmist counted his blessings, he was lifted out of his despair and praised God, saying, “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing” (Psalm 30:11).

Are you facing a situation in which you could be disappointed?  Why not plan a celebration to count your blessings no matter what the outcome?  DF

Thank God in your disappointment,

Celebrate His grace and love;

Know that He will never leave you

And will bless you from above. -DJD

The pain of disappointment is soothed by a heart of gratitude.

PLAYING WITH JOY

Playing with Joy

The fruit of the Spirit is . . . joy.

Galatians 5:22

READ GALATIANS 5:22–26

One of our sons, Brian, is a high school basketball coach. One year, as his team was dribbling its way through the Washington State Basketball Tournament, well-meaning folks around town asked, “Are you going to win it all this year?” Both players and coaches felt the pressure, so Brian adopted a motto: “Play with joy!”

I thought of the apostle Paul’s last words to the elders of Ephesus: “That I may finish my race with joy” (Acts 20:24 nkjv). His aim was to complete the tasks Jesus had given him. I have made these words my motto and my prayer: “May I run and finish my race with joy.” Or as Brian says, “May I play with joy!” And by the way, Brian’s team did win the state championship that year.

We all have good reasons to get grouchy: discouraging news, everyday stresses, health problems. Nevertheless, God can give us a joy that transcends these conditions if we ask Him. We can have what Jesus called, “my joy” (John 15:11).

Joy is a fruit of the Spirit of Jesus (Galatians 5:22). So we must remember each morning to ask Him to help us: “May I play with joy!” Author Richard Foster said, “To pray is to change. This is a great grace. How good of God to provide a path whereby our lives can be taken over by . . . joy.”

By David H. Roper

REFLECT & PRAY

I turn my eyes to You, God. I’m grateful I can count on Your faithfulness to me. Please bring me into Your joy.

What causes you to be discouraged? Where do you find your joy?

Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

When we’re reading the Scriptures, it’s important to identify whether the author is imparting information about what God has already done or is giving direction for what we are to do. In Galatians 5:22-23, the apostle Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit, which is the result of the Spirit’s work in our lives, not our work. However, in verses 25-26 he tells us to “keep in step with the Spirit.” The Greek word for “keep in step” or “walk” (nkjv) means “to march in military rank; to conform to virtue and piety; to walk orderly.” Pictured here is spiritual growth that comes from teamwork. The fruit that grows is the responsibility of the Spirit, but it’s our job to see where the Spirit is working in our lives and to “keep in step” with Him. We’re participants in our spiritual growth, but not solely responsible for it. J.R. Hudberg

STAGECOACH PRAYER

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

STAGECOACH PRAYER

Read:  John 15:7-14

Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father

may be glorified in the Son.  John 14:13

Five-year-old Randy wanted a toy stagecoach for Christmas.  

While shopping with Mom, he found just the one he wanted.  It was about six inches long and had cool wheels and dark brown plastic horses pulling it.  “Mommy, I want this one.  Pleeeeeease!” he begged.  As young children sometimes do, he threw a tantrum, insisting that he get that stagecoach for Christmas.  Mom said, “We’ll see,” and took him home.

Randy was sure he’d get what he asked for.  Christmas morning came, and he opened the package confidently.  Sure enough, it was the stagecoach he had begged for.  He was so pleased.  But then his older brother said, “You really did a dumb thing to insist on getting that coach.  Mom bought you a much bigger one, but when you begged for that little one, she exchanged it!”  Suddenly the small stagecoach didn’t seem so appealing.

Sometimes we’re like that with God.  We pray about a specific need and tell Him how He ought to answer.  We beg and plead-and God may even give us exactly what we ask for.  But He may have had something better in mind.

Phillips Brooks once said, “Pray the largest prayers.  You cannot think a prayer so large that God, in answering it, will not wish you had made it larger.”   AC

Do not presume to know what’s best

When you begin to pray;

But say to God, “Your will be done,”

Then trust His perfect way. -Sper

Large asking results in large receiving.

THE LORD REJOICES

The Lord Rejoices

[God] will rejoice over you with singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

READ ZEPHANIAH 3:14–20

My grandmother recently sent me a folder full of old photographs, and as I thumbed through them, one caught my eye. In it, I’m two years old, and I’m sitting on one end of a hearth in front of a fireplace. On the other end, my dad has his arm around my mom’s shoulders. Both are gazing at me with expressions of love and delight.

I pinned this photo to my dresser, where I see it every morning. It’s a wonderful reminder of their love for me. The truth is, though, that even the love of good parents is imperfect. I saved this photo because it reminds me that although human love may fail sometimes, God’s love never fails—and according to Scripture, God looks at me the way my parents are looking at me in this picture.

The prophet Zephaniah described this love in a way that astounds me. He describes God as rejoicing over His people with singing. God’s people had not earned this love. They had failed to obey Him or to treat each other with compassion. But Zephaniah promised that in the end, God’s love would prevail over their failures. God would take away their punishment (Zephaniah 3:15), and He would rejoice over them (v. 17). He would gather His people into His arms, bring them home, and restore them (v. 20).

That’s a love worth reflecting on every morning.

By Amy Peterson

REFLECT & PRAY

God, thank You for Your forgiveness and faithful love for us.

How does it make you feel that God rejoices over you with singing? How have you experienced His love?

Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

Although Zephaniah concludes his message with powerful hope, most of this brief book warns of severe judgment. Why? Despite God’s efforts to correct His people, Jerusalem was “still eager to act corruptly in all they did” (Zephaniah 3:7). Yet God promises them a peace-filled unity. “I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder,” God said through the prophet (v. 9). The emphasis on “lips” is intriguing; God singles out the specific sins of lying and boasting—sins that involve speech. His corrective measures will be effective. “I will leave within [Israel] the meek and humble,” He says. “They will do no wrong; they will tell no lies” (vv. 12-13). It’s God’s judgment that sets the stage for Zephaniah’s encouraging conclusion. Tim Gustafson

NOON

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

NOON

READ:  PSALM 23

He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me

beside the still waters.  Psalm 23:2

Our office is a busy place where things sometimes feel like they are moving at breakneck speed.  This often involves meeting after meeting, hallway conferences, and an avalanche of e-mail.

In the midst of this extreme busyness, I sometimes feel the need to escape, to decompress.  My response?  To create a quiet place.  On those days when I have no lunch meeting, I retreat to the quiet of my car.  I grab some lunch and sit in my car, where I can read, listen to music, think, pray-and be refreshed.

I think this is the essence of what the shepherd-psalmist points to in Psalm 23:2.  He sees the Good Shepherd bringing him to “still waters” -that is, waters to rest by.  It pictures a quiet place, a retreat from the pressures of life, where you can rest in the presence of Shepherd of your heart and be strengthened for what lies ahead.  Even Jesus withdrew to a solitary place to pray and commune with His father (Mark 1:35).

We all need retreats in our lives, not only because of the overwhelming nature of life, but because of our dependence on the resources of the Master.  In our fast-paced days, it is essential to find a place of solitude, “a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God.”  Where’s yours?  BC

There is a place of quiet rest,

Near to the heart of God,

A place where sin cannot molest,

Near to the heart of God. -McAfee

When we draw near to God our minds are refreshed and our 

strength is renewed!

HIDE-AND-SEEK

Hide-and-Seek

But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

Genesis 3:9

READ GENESIS 3:1–10

“He’s going to find me,” I thought. I felt my little heart pound faster as I heard my five-year-old cousin’s footsteps around the corner. He was coming closer. Five steps away. Three. Two. “Found you!”

Hide-and-seek. Most have fond memories of playing the game as children. Yet sometimes in life the fear of being found isn’t fun but is rooted in a deep instinct to flee. People may dislike what they see.

As children of a fallen world, we’re prone to play what a friend of mine labels, “a mixed-up game of hide-and-seek” between God and us. It’s more like a game of pretending to hide—because either way, He sees all the way through to our messy thoughts and wrong choices. We know it, though we like to pretend He can’t really see.

Yet God continues to seek. “Come out,” He calls to us. “I want to see you, even your most shameful parts”—an echo of the same voice that called to the first human who hid out of fear: “Where are you?”(Genesis 3:9). Such a warm invitation voiced in the form of a piercing question. “Come out of hiding, dear child, and come back into relationship with Me.”

It may seem far too risky, preposterous even. But there, within the safe confines of our Father’s care, any of us, no matter what we’ve done or failed to do, can be fully known and loved.

By Jeff Olson

REFLECT & PRAY

The One who fully knows us unconditionally loves us.

How is it comforting to know that God sees you and yet still longs for you to come to Him? How is that knowledge freeing?

Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

In today’s reading, we see how Satan misquoted God’s words. Adam and Eve were restricted from only one tree—“the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:16-17)—not every tree (3:1). “You will not certainly die” (v. 4) was a deliberate lie (2:17). Eve also added to God’s instruction and said, “You must not touch it” (3:3). Paul says Eve was deceived by Satan’s cunning ways (2 Corinthians 11:3). We’re to be alert (1 Peter 5:8) so that “Satan might not outwit us” (2 Corinthians 2:11). K. T. Sim

EXISTING OR TRULY LIVING?

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

EXISTING OR TRULY LIVING?

READ:  John 10:1-11

I have come that they may have life, and that they may

have it more abundantly.  John 10:10

On a family visit to Disneyland, I pondered the sign over the entrance arch that read, “Welcome to the happiest place on earth.”  The rest of the day I looked at the faces of the people and was impressed by the small number who were actually smiling during their visit to “the happiest place on earth.”  I roamed the park with divided attention-trying to make sure my kids had a good time and wondering why so few adults seemed to be enjoying themselves.

As I think of that day, I am reminded of a line from an old song that says, “Life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone.”  So it seems.

To live life to the fullest is qualitatively different than merely existing.  In fact, Jesus said that part of His mission was to enable us to live life to the fullest:  “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have is more abundantly” (John 10:10).  He came so that we could experience life to the full-not according to the standards of a fallen world, but life as it was intended to be.  It is life according to the designs and desires of the Creator of life.

By coming to provide forgiveness for rebellious, broken people, Jesus has made it possible for us to live a life of joy and hope in a world of despair.    BC 

Jesus came to bring us life-

Abundant living, full and free;

Trusting Him to save and keep us

Gives us joy the world can see. -Sper

To know God puts a song in your heart

and a smile on your face.