Daily Bread

[HeavenBesideYou]

July 29th

"What appears bad may be God's plan for good."

Homespun wisdom says, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." Although you won't find it put just that way in the Bible, you will find many stories of both effective and poor planning. The Bible teaches that God is a God of both purpose and planning. His purpose is to draw all humanity to himself in order to forgive and redeem. His plan—from Creation, to the Law, to the Prophets, to Jesus and the church—is what we are seeing when we read and study the Bible. Planning is part of all of our lives. The only question is if, in all our planning, we ever consult his perfect and eternal plan.

"I am Joseph!" he said to his brothers. "Is my father still alive?" But his brothers were speechless! They were stunned to realize that Joseph was standing there in front of them. "Come over here," he said. So they came closer. And he said again, "I am Joseph, your brother whom you sold into Egypt. But don't be angry with yourselves that you did this to me, for God did it. He sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. These two years of famine will grow to seven, during which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God has sent me here to keep you and your families alive so that you will become a great nation. Yes, it was God who sent me here, not you! And he has made me a counselor to Pharaoh—manager of his entire household and ruler over all Egypt."

Genesis 45:3-8

Heaven

[HeavenBesideYou]

July 30th

"Know it all?"

If you think you know it all, you probably know less than you think. If, in humility, you recognize how much help and counsel you need, you will likely seek it and get it. No one wants to waste time counseling a fool, because the fool doesn't want counsel. We all enjoy sharing wisdom with the wise, and when we do, we discover new wisdom for our own needs. Proverbs 14:7 tells us that we should stay away from fools if we are looking for wise counsel.

The degree to which people will listen is determined by the degree to which we have wise counsel for them. If you want people to listen to you, you yourself must listen to the right adviser. Like Samuel, listen to the Lord's counsel—read his Word and hear what he says. There is no wiser counselor than he who knows every moment of every tomorrow and knows how you will fit into those moments.

My child, listen to me and treasure my instructions. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight and understanding. Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of good sense to the godly. He is their shield, protecting those who walk with integrity.

Proverbs 2:1-7

Heaven

[HeavenBesideYou]

July 31st

"A step at a time."

Wouldn't you like to know now what is in store for you a year from now? God leads us a day a time, a step at a time. No need to worry about distant events. The Welsh hymn writer William Williams compared the Christian life to the Israelite's trek through the wilderness. We may not know the route by which God is leading us, but we humbly count on His guidance.

As a college student, Williams prepared for a career in medicine. But one Sunday morning he heard a man preaching in a Welsh churchyard. Williams responded in faith, and his life was radically changed. For forty-three years he preached and sang throughout Wales. "He sang Wales into piety," said one writer. He was the poet laureate of the Welsh revival. Soon, all of Wales was singing their way to the coal mines and soccer matches. And their favorite hymn was this marching song by one of their own: Guide me, O Thou Great Jehovah...

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but Thou art mighty;
Hold me with Thy powerful hand;
Bread of heaven,
Feed me till I want no more,
Feed me till I want no more.

William Williams

The Lord will guide you continually, watering your life when you are dry and keeping you healthy, too.

Isaiah 58:11

Heaven

[HeavenBesideYou]

August 1st

"God speaks to us."

As our Good Shepherd, Jesus promises that we can hear and know His voice. This does not, however, have to be some mysterious, mystical process. In fact, you may be surprised to learn that God speaks to you quite often. I would venture to say He has spoken to you lately and may be speaking to you right now in some way.

God speaks to us through His Word. God will never lead us contrary to His written Word. It is our litmus test, our bedrock, our absolute.

God speaks to us through circumstances. Those circumstances can include failure. Jonah certainly heard God through his mistake. God may even speak to us through tragedy or hardship. C. S. Lewis wrote that, "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains. It is His megaphone to arouse a deaf world."

God speaks to us through His peace. When we live in God.

"My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish."

John 10:27-28

Heaven

[HeavenBesideYou]

August 2nd

"A call for different..."

Being different is difficult. To say no to wrong-doing and evil can be excruciatingly hard. Yet, our Lord calls us to be different; to stand apart from the crowd. If we will continue to say no to evil, while saying yes to God, He will preserve and strengthen us. We are never truly alone if we will only love the Lord.

Ye that love the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.

Psalm 97:10

Heaven

[HeavenBesideYou]

August 3rd

"Long hard day..."

Yeah, one of those... Sorry for posting Daily so late, but even the simple routine can be shaken up every now and then.

If this world of noise and confusion, where can we find a place of peace and tranquillity? If Christ is the Lord of our hearts, then we can turn inward. Christ is the giver of peace. He transforms our hearts into refuges, where the clamor of the outside world cannot enter in. Call upon the Lord, and He will surely grant you peace.

Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

Psalm 98:7

Heaven

[HeavenBesideYou]

August 4th

"Almighty!"

In a universe of billions of stars, think of the power of the God who made them and knows each of their names. Think of all he knows that we don't. Think of all he has seen that is not in a history book. Think of all he has done and can do. Add to this that he invites us to speak to him about the things of our heart.

This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it -- the Lord is his name: Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

Jeremiah 33:2-3

Heaven

[HeavenBesideYou]

August 5th

"The worst sin."

What would you consider the worst sin you could commit? Adultery? Stealing? Murder? You might be surprised by the answer the Bible gives.

The worst sin—and the one with the most far-reaching consequences—is this: to refuse to believe in Jesus Christ.

Jesus taught that the Holy Spirit convicts guilty men and women of sin "because they do not believe in Me." ( John 16:9 ) On that final day, it will not so much be the sin question as it will be the Son question. All sins can be dealt with and forgiven if we believe in Jesus.

And when he comes, he will convince the world of its sin, and of God's righteousness, and of the coming judgment.

John 16:8

We must not forget that knowledge brings responsibility. It is a grave thing to shake off the conviction of the Spirit.

Heaven

[HeavenBesideYou]

August 6th

"Should you feel guilty?"

In the beginning of this passage, the psalmist speaks of the perfect law of God and the way it protects us, makes us wise, and gives us joy and light. God's Word is sweeter than honey dripping from a honeycomb, warning us, and giving success to those who obey.

Recognizing the power, sweetness, and beauty of God's Word, however, brings us face to face with the darkness of the sins lurking in our heart—some that we are all too familiar with and others that we have committed unknowingly. Confession shines the bright light of God's forgiveness into these dark corners of the heart, exposes them, and cleanses them. This cleansing forgiveness in turn brings freedom from guilt.

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commandments of the Lord are clear, giving insight to life. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. They are a warning to those who hear them; there is great reward for those who obey them. How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep me from deliberate sins! Don't let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.

Psalm 19:7-13

Once forgiven, we have no reason to feel guility anymore.

Heaven

[HeavenBesideYou]

August 7th

"Judgment."

When we think about God being our judge, we normally think of falling into judgment. Isaiah reminds us that God being our judge means that he will be there to judge us based on his will, his rule and his grace. He is on our side and is looking to save, not condemn. Using the New Testament idiom, when we stand before our Judge we see instead our Father.

The Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; it is he who will save us.

Isaiah 33:22

Heaven

[HeavenBesideYou]

August 8th

"Bad day?"

The dawn of a new day will one day come for all of God's people. Evil will have no place in the Kingdom of God. It will be wiped away; dissipated like a storm cloud after it is spent. When we live in the storm, we find it hard to see the future, which will be brighter. Trust God. His light conquers the blackest clouds, and once conquered they will never come again.

I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord.

Psalm 101:8

Cause you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day

Daniel Powter

Heaven

[HeavenBesideYou]

August 9th

"The battle from within."

There will be times in our lives when we find ourselves unable to function normally because of our emotional upheaval. When we are sensitive to what is right and good, we instinctively rebel at wrong and evil. The Psalms are full of David's own struggles with times when he felt alone and wretched. Those times were necessary for David to grow and mature. He learned to accept guilt and go on, knowing that God's love for him endured and that His forgiveness was without bounds.

My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread.

Psalm 102:4

God loves us just as much. He suffers when we suffer, and He stands with us, even in our darkest hours.

Heaven

[HeavenBesideYou]

August 10th

"My Rock, My Hope, and My Protector."

Where can we go when all the walls fall and all the armies crumble and all hope is lost? To the eternal God, who is our Father. He preserved Israel through the most difficult of times, protected the Bible from those who would eradicate it, and has led his Church through troubles and triumphs through the centuries. He will do the same with us until he brings us home to himself.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1

Heaven

[metalchris25]

check your pm's. Thanks for your posts.

[HeavenBesideYou]

August 11th

"Prayer brings us to His presence."

Psalm 118 pictures a victorious yet battle-weary king at the helm of a throng of grateful people entering the gates of the temple to thank God for saving them. During those times, the temple represented God's presence, the place where followers would go to pray to the Lord. Today, we enter into God's presence in a car, at work, or in the aisles of a grocery store, wherever we take time to pray to him. We can be sure God hears our prayers and answers each one wherever and whenever they are uttered. And by doing so, he gives us even more reasons to pray.

Open for me the gates where the righteous enter; and I will go in and thank the Lord. Those gates lead to the presence of the Lord, and the godly enter there. I thank you for answering my prayer and saving me!

Psalm 118:19-21

The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him sincerely.

Psalm 145:18

Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come fearlessly into God's presence, assured of his glad welcome.

Ephesians 3:12

Just like the victorious king in this psalm, we should enter God's presence by thanking him for answering prayers. What answers to prayer are you thankful for today?

Heaven