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Showing posts from April 8, 2018

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OUR DAILY BREAD April 14, Sunday INTO OUR STORMS Adam Holz He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.  Mark 4:39 Mark 4:35–41 Bible in a Year: 1 Samuel 25–26; Luke 12:32–59 Wind howled, lightning flashed, waves crashed. I thought I was going to die. My grandparents and I were fishing on a lake, but we’d stayed out too long. As the sun set, a fast-moving squall swept over our small boat. My grandfather instructed me to sit in front to keep it from capsizing. Terror flooded my heart. But then, somehow, I began to pray. I was fourteen. I asked God for His reassurance and protection. The storm didn’t weaken, but we made it to shore. To this day, I don’t know if I’ve experienced a deeper certainty of God’s presence than that night in the storm. Jesus is no stranger to storms. In Mark 4:35–41, He told His disciples to head across a lake that would soon turn windy and wild. The storm that night te...

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OUR DAILY BREAD April 14, Saturday INTO OUR STORMS Adam Holz He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.  Mark 4:39 Mark 4:35–41 Bible in a year: 1 Samuel 25–26; Luke 12:32–59 Wind howled, lightning flashed, waves crashed. I thought I was going to die. My grandparents and I were fishing on a lake, but we’d stayed out too long. As the sun set, a fast-moving squall swept over our small boat. My grandfather instructed me to sit in front to keep it from capsizing. Terror flooded my heart. But then, somehow, I began to pray. I was fourteen. I asked God for His reassurance and protection. The storm didn’t weaken, but we made it to shore. To this day, I don’t know if I’ve experienced a deeper certainty of God’s presence than that night in the storm. Jesus is no stranger to storms. In Mark 4:35–41, He told His disciples to head across...

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OUR DAILY BREAD April 13, Friday WHEN ONE HURTS, ALL HURT Linda Washington If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.  1 Corinthians 12:26 1 Corinthians 12:14–26 Bible in a Year: 1 Samuel 22–24; Luke 12:1–31 When a coworker called in sick due to extreme pain, everyone at the office was concerned. After a trip to the hospital and a day of bed rest, he returned to work and showed us the source of that pain—a kidney stone. He’d asked his doctor to give him the stone as a souvenir. Looking at that stone, I winced in sympathy, remembering the gallstone I had passed years ago. The pain had been excruciating. Isn’t it interesting that something so small can cause a whole body so much agony? But in a way, that’s what the apostle Paul alludes to in 1 Corinthians 12:26: “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.” Throughout chapter 12, Paul used the metaphor of a body to describe Christians around the world. When Paul ...

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OUR DAILY BREAD April 12, Thursday FAITH, LOVE, AND HOPE Lisa Samra We always thank God for all of you.  1 Thessalonians 1:2 1 Thessalonians 1:1–3 Bible in a year: 1 Samuel 19–21; Luke 11:29–54 For ten years, my Aunt Kathy cared for her father (my grandfather) in her home. She cooked and cleaned for him when he was independent, and then took on the role of nurse when his health declined. Her service is one modern example of the words of Paul who wrote to the Thessalonians that he thanked God for “your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 1:3). My aunt served in faith and love. Her daily, consistent care was the result of her belief that God called her to this important work. Her labor was borne out of love for God and her father. She also endured in hope. My grandfather was a very kind man, but it was difficult to watch him decline. She gave up time with family and fri...

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OUR DAILY BREAD April 11, Wednesday HOW LONG? Bill Crowder How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?  Psalm 13:1 Psalm 13 Bible in a year: 1 Samuel 17–18; Luke 11:1–28 In Lewis Carroll’s classic  Alice in Wonderland, Alice asks, “How long is forever?” The White Rabbit responds, “Sometimes, just one second.” That’s how time felt when my brother David suddenly died. The days leading to his memorial dragged on, intensifying the sense of loss and grief we felt. Every second seemed to last forever. Another David echoed this sentiment, singing, “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?” (Psalm 13:1­–2). Four times in just two verses he asks God, “How long?” Sometimes the pains of life seem as though they will never end. Into this heartache steps the presence ...

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OUR DAILY BREAD April 11, Wednesday HOW LONG? Bill Crowder How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?  Psalm 13:1 Psalm 13 Bible in a year: 1 Samuel 17–18; Luke 11:1–28 In Lewis Carroll’s classic  Alice in Wonderland, Alice asks, “How long is forever?” The White Rabbit responds, “Sometimes, just one second.” That’s how time felt when my brother David suddenly died. The days leading to his memorial dragged on, intensifying the sense of loss and grief we felt. Every second seemed to last forever. Another David echoed this sentiment, singing, “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?” (Psalm 13:1­–2). Four times in just two verses he asks God, “How long?” Sometimes the pains o...

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OUR DAILY BREAD April 10, Tuesday ONLY BY PRAYER Xochitl Dixon Everything is possible for one who believes.  Mark 9:23 Mark 9:14–29 Bible in a year: 1 Samuel 15–16; Luke 10:25–42 My friend called me late one night during her cancer treatment. Grieved by her uncontrollable sobs, I soon added my own tears and a silent prayer.  What am I supposed to do, Lord? Her wails squeezed my heart. I couldn’t stop her pain, fix her situation, or find one intelligible word of encouragement. But I knew who could help. As I wept with my friend, stumbling through a prayer, I whispered repeatedly, “Jesus. Jesus. Jesus.” Her cries quieted to sniffs and whimpers, until her breathing slowed. Her husband’s voice startled me. “She’s asleep,” he said. “We’ll call tomorrow.” I hung up, weeping prayers into my pillow. The apostle Mark shares a story of another person who wanted to help his loved one. A desperate fat...

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OUR DAILY BREAD April 9, Monday LEAVING A LEGACY David H. Roper A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.  Malachi 3:16 Isaiah 49:14–16 Bible in a year: 1 Samuel 13–14; Luke 10:1–24 Some years ago our sons and I spent a week on an abandoned backcountry ranch on the Salmon River, Idaho’s “River of No Return.” One day, exploring the ranch, I came across an ancient grave with a wooden marker. Whatever inscription the marker may have borne had long since been weathered away. Someone lived and died—now was forgotten. The gravesite seemed tragic to me. After we got home I spent several hours reading about the history of the old ranch and that area, but could find no information about the person buried there. They say that the best among us is remembered for 100 years or so. The rest of us are soon forgotten. The memory of past generations, like our markers, soon fades away. Yet our lega...