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OUR DAILY BREAD December 1, 2017 Friday THE LAST WILL BE FIRST Those who humble themselves will be exalted.  Matthew 23:12 Mark 9:33–37 Bible in a year: Ezekiel 40–41; 2 Peter 3 Recently I was among the last in line to board a large passenger jet with unassigned seating. I located a middle seat beside the wing, but the only spot for my bag was the overhead compartment by the very last row. This meant I had to wait for everyone to leave before I could go back and retrieve it. I laughed as I settled into my seat and a thought occurred to me that seemed to be from the Lord: “It really won’t hurt you to wait. It will actually do you good.” So I resolved to enjoy the extra time, helping other passengers lower their luggage after we landed and assisting a flight attendant with cleaning. By the time I was able to retrieve my bag, I laughed again when someone thought I worked for the airline. That day’s experience made me ponder Jesus’s words to His disciples: “Anyone who wants to be

OUR DAILY BREAD November 30, 2017 Thursday IMPERFECT, YET LOVED God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Romans 5:8 Luke 7:36–50 Bible in a year: Ezekiel 37–39; 2 Peter 2 In Japan, food products are immaculately prepared and packaged. Not only must they taste good but they must look good too. Often I wonder if I am purchasing the food or the packaging! Because of the Japanese emphasis on good quality, products with slight defects are often discarded. However, in recent years  wakeari  products have gained popularity.  Wakeari  means “there is a reason” in Japanese. These products are not thrown away but are sold at a cheap price “for a reason”—for example, a crack in a rice cracker. My friend who lives in Japan tells me that  wakeari  is also a catchphrase for people who are obviously less than perfect. Jesus loves all people—including the  wakeari  who society casts aside. When a woman who had lived a sinful life learned

OUR DAILY BREAD November 29,2017 Wednesday THE POWER OF EMPATHY Remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison.  Hebrews 13:3 Hebrews 2:14–18; 13:1–3 Bible in a year: Ezekiel 35–36; 2 Peter 1 Put on the R70i Age Suit and you immediately feel forty years older as you experience impaired vision, hearing loss, and reduced mobility. The Age Suit was designed to help caregivers better understand their patients.  Wall Street Journal correspondent Geoffrey Fowler wore one and wrote, “The unforgettable, and at times distressing, experience shed light not just on aging, but also how virtual reality equipment can teach empathy and shape our perceptions of the world around us.” Empathy is the power to understand and share the feelings of another. During a time of severe persecution against the followers of Jesus, the writer of Hebrews urged fellow believers to “continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistrea

OUR DAILY BREAD November 29,2017 Wednesday THE POWER OF EMPATHY Remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison.  Hebrews 13:3 Hebrews 2:14–18; 13:1–3 Bible in a year: Ezekiel 35–36; 2 Peter 1 Put on the R70i Age Suit and you immediately feel forty years older as you experience impaired vision, hearing loss, and reduced mobility. The Age Suit was designed to help caregivers better understand their patients.  Wall Street Journal correspondent Geoffrey Fowler wore one and wrote, “The unforgettable, and at times distressing, experience shed light not just on aging, but also how virtual reality equipment can teach empathy and shape our perceptions of the world around us.” Empathy is the power to understand and share the feelings of another. During a time of severe persecution against the followers of Jesus, the writer of Hebrews urged fellow believers to “continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistrea

OUR DAILY BREAD  November 28, 2017 Tuesday  OUR POWERFUL GOD [He] who creates the wind, . . . the Lord God Almighty is his name.  Amos 4:13 Amos 4:12–13 Bible in a year :  Ezekiel 33–34; 1 Peter 5 One day by the seaside, I delighted in watching some kite surfers as they bounced along the water, moved by the force of the wind. When one came to shore, I asked him if the experience was as difficult as it looked. “No,” he said, “It’s actually easier than regular surfing because you harness the power of the wind.” Afterward as I walked by the sea, thinking about the wind’s ability not only to propel the surfers but also to whip my hair into my face, I paused to wonder at our God the Creator. As we see in the Old Testament book of Amos, He who “forms the mountains” and “creates the wind” can turn “dawn to darkness” (v. 13). Through this prophet, the Lord reminded His people of His power as He called them back to Himself. Because they had not obeyed Him, He said He would reveal Himse

OUR DAILY BREAD November 27, 2017 Monday KNOWING BETTER When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes.  2 Kings 22:11 2 Kings 22:1–4, 8–13 Bible in a year : Ezekiel 30–32; 1 Peter 4 When we brought our adoptive son home from overseas, I was eager to shower him with love and provide what he had lacked over the preceding months, especially quality food, since he had a nutritional deficit. But despite our best efforts, including consulting specialists, he grew very little. After nearly three years, we learned he had some severe food intolerances. After removing those items from his diet, he grew five inches in just a few months. While I grieved at how long I’d unwittingly fed him foods that impaired his growth, I rejoiced at this surge in his health! I suspect Josiah felt similarly when the Book of the Law was discovered after having been lost in the temple for years. Just as I grieved having unintentionally hindered my son’s growth, Josiah grieved having

OUR DAILY BREAD  November 26, 2017 Sunday  GOD KNOWS Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  Matthew 6:4 Matthew 6:1–4 Bible in a year :  Ezekiel 27–29; 1 Peter 3 When Denise met a hurting young woman in her church, her heart went out to her and she decided to see if she could help. Every week she spent time counseling her and praying with her. Denise became her mentor. However, some church leaders didn’t notice Denise’s efforts and decided to assign a church staff member to mentor the woman. No one, they commented, seemed to be taking care of her. While she was not expecting any credit, Denise couldn’t help but feel a little discouraged. “It’s as if I wasn’t doing anything at all,” she told me. One day, however, the young woman told Denise how grateful she was for her comfort. Denise felt encouraged. It was as if God was telling her, “I know you’re there for her.” Denise still meets with the woman regularly. Sometimes, we feel unappreciated when our e

OUR DAILY BREAD November 25, 2017 Saturday BEING HUMAN BEINGS All of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.  1 Peter 3:8 1 Peter 2:11–17; 3:8–9 Bible in a year : Ezekiel 24–26; 1 Peter 2 When asked to define his role in a community that was sometimes uncooperative with law enforcement, a sheriff didn’t flash his badge or respond with the rank of his office. Rather he offered, “We are human beings who work with human beings in crisis.” His humility—his stated equality with his fellow human beings—reminds me of Peter’s words when writing to first-century Christians suffering under Roman persecution. Peter directs: “All of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble” (1 Peter 3:8). Perhaps Peter was saying that the best response to humans in crisis is to be human, to be aware that we are all the same. After all, isn’t that what God Himself did when He sent His Son—became human in order to help us?

OUR DAILY BREAD November 24, 2017 Friday THE HEART’S TRUE HOME [God] has . . . set eternity in the human heart.  Ecclesiastes 3:11 Ecclesiastes 3:10–11 Bible in a year : Ezekiel 22–23; 1 Peter 1 We had a West Highland Terrier for a number of years. “Westies” are tough little dogs, bred to tunnel into badger holes and engage the “enemy” in its lair. Our Westie was many generations removed from her origins, but she still retained that instinct, put into her through years of breeding. On one occasion she became obsessed by some “critter” under a rock in our backyard. Nothing could dissuade her. She dug and dug until she tunneled several feet under the rock. Now consider this question: Why do we as humans pursue, pursue, pursue? Why must we climb unclimbed mountains, ski near-vertical slopes? Run the most difficult and dangerous rapids, challenge the forces of nature? Part of it is a desire for adventure and enjoyment, but it’s much more. It’s an instinct for God that has been impl

OUR DAILY BREAD  November 23, 2017 Thursday  HARVEST AND THANKSGIVING Celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field.  Exodus 23:16 Genesis 8:15–9:3 Bible in a year: Ezekiel 20–21; James 5 Several thousand years ago, God spoke directly to Moses and instituted a new festival for His people. In Exodus 23:16, according to Moses’s record, God said, “Celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field.” Today countries around the world do something similar by celebrating the land’s bounty. In Ghana, the people celebrate the Yam Festival as a harvest event. In Brazil,  Dia de Acao de Gracas is a time to be grateful for the crops that yielded their food. In China, there is the Mid-Autumn (Moon) Festival. In the United States and Canada: Thanksgiving. To understand the fitting goal of a harvest celebration, we visit Noah right after the flood. God reminded Noah and his family—and us—of His provision for o

Storyline:A mother said to her daughter to take Jesus with her but the daughter replied that there's no space in the car and also said Jesus should stay in the booth,few hours later the car got fatal accident only the eggs in the booth survived. -Rev Meduoye # FGCN  @FoursquareNGR  Foursquare Fagba  @Fgc_igbosere

OUR DAILY BREAD November 12, 2017 Sunday WHAT’S THE BEST GIFT? The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods.  2 Chronicles 2:5 2 Chronicles 2:1–10 Bible in a year : Jeremiah 51–52; Hebrews 9 My husband recently celebrated a milestone birthday, the kind that ends in a zero. I thought hard about the best way to honor him on this important occasion. I discussed my many ideas with our children to help me home in on the best one. I wanted our celebration to reflect the significance of a new decade and how precious he is to our family. I wanted our gift to be in keeping with the importance of this milestone in his life. King Solomon wanted to give to God a much greater gift than a “big birthday” would merit. He wished for the temple he built to be worthy of God’s presence in it. To secure raw materials, he messaged the king of Tyre. In his letter, he remarked that the temple would be great “because our God is greater than all other gods

OUR DAILY BREAD  November 11, 2017 Saturday  THE GOOD EARTH God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. . . . And God saw that it was good.  Genesis 1:9–10 Genesis 1:1–10 Bible in a year :  Jeremiah 50; Hebrews 8 While orbiting the moon in 1968,  Apollo 8  astronaut Bill Anders described the crew’s close-up view of the moonscape. He called it “a foreboding horizon . . . a stark and unappetizing-looking place.” Then the crew took turns reading to a watching world from Genesis 1:1–10. After Commander Frank Borman finished verse 10, “And God saw that it was good,” he signed off with, “God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth.” The opening chapter of the Bible insists on two facts: Creation is God’s work.  The phrase “and God said . . .” beats in cadence all the way through the chapter. The entire magnificent world we live in is the product of His creative work. All that follows in the Bible reinforces the me

OUR DAILY BREAD November 10, 2017 Friday THE HAND OF COMFORT Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, . . . who comforts us in all our troubles.  2 Corinthians 1:3–4 2 Corinthians 1:3–7 Bible in a year : Jeremiah 48–49; Hebrews 7 “Patient is combative,” the nurse’s notes read. What she didn’t realize until later was that I was having an allergic reaction as I awakened after a complicated open-heart surgery. I was a mess, with a tube down my throat. My body began shaking violently, straining against the straps on my arms, which were there to keep me from suddenly pulling out my breathing tube. It was a frightening and painful episode. At one point, a nurse’s assistant to the right side of my bed reached down and simply held my hand. It was an unexpected move, and it struck me as especially gentle. I began to relax, which caused my body to stop shaking so badly. Having experienced this with other patients, the nurse’s assistant knew that a hand of comfort could

OUR DAILY BREAD November 9, 2017 Thursday A GOOD ENDING The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face.  Revelation 22:3–4 Revelation 22:1–5 Bible in a year : Jeremiah 46–47; Hebrews 6 As the lights dimmed and we prepared to watch  Apollo 13,  my friend said under his breath, “Shame they all died.” I watched the movie about the 1970 spaceflight with apprehension, waiting for tragedy to strike, and only near the closing credits did I realize I’d been duped. I hadn’t known or remembered the end of the true story—that although the astronauts faced many hardships, they made it home alive. In Christ, we can know the end of the story—that we too will make it home alive. By that I mean we will live forever with our heavenly Father, as we see in the book of Revelation. The Lord will create a “new heaven and a new earth” as He makes all things new (21:1, 5). In the new city, the Lord God will welcome His people to live with

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