Our Daily Bread Devotional

In Small Ways

Read: 1 John 4:7-12, 19-21 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 43-45; Acts 27:27-44

We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

When she was struck by cancer, Elsie was prepared to go home to heaven to be with Jesus. But she recovered, though the disease left her immobile. It also left her wondering why God had spared her life. “What good can I do?” she asked Him. “I don’t have much money or skills, and I can’t walk. How can I be useful to You?”

Then she found small, simple ways to serve others, especially her home cleaners who were migrants. She bought them food or gave them a few dollars whenever she saw them. These cash gifts were small, yet they went a long way toward helping the workers make ends meet. As she did so, she found God providing for her: friends and relatives gave her gifts and money, enabling her to bless others in return.

As she shared her story, I couldn’t help but think of how Elsie was truly putting into practice the call to love one another in 1 John 4:19: “We love because he first loved us” as well as the truth of Acts 20:35, which reminds us that “it is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Elsie gave because she received and was in turn encouraged as she gave. Yet it took little more from her than a loving, grateful heart and a readiness to offer what she had—which God multiplied in a virtuous circle of giving and receiving. Let’s ask Him to give us a thankful and generous heart to give as He leads us!

What have you received from God? How can you encourage someone in a simple yet meaningful way today?

Dear Father, thank You for Your gifts in my life. Please give me a heart to love others just as You’ve loved me.

INSIGHT

John, “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20), wrote the fourth gospel to show us that God in His great love gave us His Son to die for our sins and to give us eternal life (3:15-18, 36). This new life is characterized by love (13:34-35). Some years later, this same John wrote his first epistle, reminding believers that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). In language reminiscent of John 3:16-17 he says: “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. . . . [He is] an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10). John urged believers to put this love into action: “Since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other” (v. 11 nlt). God’s love commands and compels us to love others (vv. 19-21).

By Leslie Koh|2024-07-27T02:33:29-04:00July 27th, 2024|

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Jesus Removes the Stain

Read: Jeremiah 2:1-5, 21-22 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 40-42; Acts 27:1-26

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“Although you wash yourself . . . , the stain of your guilt is still before me,” declares the Sovereign Lord. Jeremiah 2:22

“Are. You. Kidding?!” I yelled, digging through our dryer looking for my shirt. I found it. And . . . something else.

My white shirt had an ink spot on it. In fact, it looked like a jaguar pelt: ink splotches coated everything. I clearly hadn’t checked my pockets, and a leaky pen had stained the entire load.

Scripture often uses the word stain to describe sin. A stain permeates the fabric of something, ruining it. And that’s how God, speaking through the prophet Jeremiah, described sin, reminding His people that its stain was beyond their ability to cleanse: “Although you wash yourself with soap and use an abundance of cleansing powder, the stain of your guilt is still before me” (Jeremiah 2:22).

Thankfully, sin doesn’t get the last word. In Isaiah 1:18, we hear God’s promise that He can cleanse us from sin’s stain: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”

I couldn’t get the ink stain out of my shirt. Neither can I undo the stain of my sin. Thankfully, God cleanses us in Christ, just as 1 John 1:9 promises: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

What has it looked like in your life to experience forgiveness and cleansing from sin? What “stain” might you need to bring to God?

Father, please help me to cling to the promise that in Christ there’s forgiveness and purity as I’m washed white as snow in Your sight.

INSIGHT

In Jeremiah 2, God compares Himself to a farmer who carefully planted His people “like a choice vine of sound and reliable stock” (v. 21). Yet, inexplicably, they’d turned into a “corrupt, wild vine” (v. 21). Elsewhere in Scripture, this same metaphor of a vine is used for God’s people (Isaiah 5:1-3; Ezekiel 17:5-10; Hosea 10:1). Jesus returned to this image when He said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener” (John 15:1). He told His disciples that they were “clean because of the word I have spoken to you” (v. 3) but urged them to remain in Him and “bear much fruit; [for] apart from me you can do nothing” (v. 5).

By Adam Holz|2024-07-26T02:33:20-04:00July 26th, 2024|

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Really Live

Read: Hebrews 13:5-8 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 37-39; Acts 26

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Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. Hebrews 13:5

Thousands of people prayed for pastor Ed Dobson when he was diagnosed with ALS in 2000. Many believed that when they prayed in faith for healing, God would answer immediately. After twelve years of struggling with the disease that caused Ed’s muscles to atrophy little by little (and three years before he died), someone asked him why he thought God hadn’t healed him yet. “There’s no good answer, so I don’t ask,” he replied. His wife, Lorna, added, “If you’re always obsessed about having to have answers, you can’t really live.”

Can you hear the respect for God in Ed and Lorna’s words? They knew that His wisdom is above their own. Yet Ed admitted, “I find it nearly impossible not to worry about tomorrow.” He understood that the disease would cause increasing disability, and he didn’t know what new problem the next day might bring.

To help himself focus on the present, Ed placed these verses in his car, on the bathroom mirror, and next to his bed: “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid’ ” (Hebrews 13:5-6). Whenever he started to worry, he would repeat the verses to help him refocus his thoughts on the truth.

No one knows what the next day will bring. Maybe Ed’s practice could help us turn our worries into opportunities to trust.

What Scriptures help you to focus on today and not worry about tomorrow? Where might you place them to help your faith grow?

Help me to remember, Father, that You’re God, and I am not. Please teach me to trust You.

INSIGHT

From beginning to end, the book of Hebrews is richly flavored by the sacred writings of the Old Testament. One scholar notes that the thinking of the writer of Hebrews “was saturated with Old Testament types, echoes and allusions.” Regarding direct quotations from the Old Testament, the same author notes that “there are 40 of them.” Bible readers will find that various quotes are used to highlight and support lofty theological truths such as the deity of Jesus (see Hebrews 1:5-13). Other citations are used to guard and guide behavior. The children of Israel needed the exhortations of Moses found in Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrew believers in Christ needed them in the first century, and we need them now to live a life that honors God: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

Discover the rich wisdom and history of the book of Hebrews.

By Anne Cetas|2024-07-25T02:33:26-04:00July 25th, 2024|

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Our True Refuge Is God

Read: Psalm 91:1-2, 14-16 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 35-36; Acts 25

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He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. Psalm 91:2

After his wife died, Fred felt he could endure the pain as long as he had his Monday breakfasts with his buddies. His fellow retirees lifted his spirits. Whenever sadness came, Fred would think about the next time he’d enjoy their company again. Their corner table was his safe place from grief.

Over time, however, the gatherings ended. Some friends became ill; others passed away. The emptiness led Fred to seek solace in the God he’d met in his youth. “I have breakfast by myself now,” he says, “but I remember to hold on to the truth that Jesus is with me. And when I leave the diner, I don’t leave to face the rest of my days alone.”

Like the psalmist, Fred discovered the safety and comfort of God’s presence: “He is my refuge . . . in whom I trust” (Psalm 91:2). Fred came to know safety not as a physical place to hide, but as the steadfast presence of God that we can trust and rest in (v. 1). Both Fred and the psalmist found that they didn’t have to face difficult days alone. We too can be assured of God’s protection and help. When we turn to Him in trust, He promises to respond and be with us (vv. 14-16).

Do we have a safe place, a “corner table” we go to when life is hard? It won’t last but God will. He waits for us to go to Him, our true refuge.

When life is hard, what’s your safe place? How can you turn to and trust God as your refuge?

Dear God, You’re my safe place. Yours is the presence that will never leave me to fend for myself. Your help and protection surround me always.

For further study, read Jesus Is in the Room.

INSIGHT

No author is given for Psalm 91. However, because verses 1-2 continue the theme of God as “our dwelling place” introduced in Psalm 90:1, some scholars suggest that Moses wrote both psalms as an exposition of Deuteronomy 33:27: “The eternal God is your refuge.” The psalmist warns of threats, insidious traps, deadly diseases, unexpected events, physical attacks, and disasters that endanger us (Psalm 91:3, 5-6). This psalm doesn’t promise exemption from such dangers, but it assures us that there’s refuge in God (vv. 9-16). Those who “trust” Him (v. 2), who love Him (v. 14), and who pray to Him (v. 15) need not fear. Various vivid metaphors are used to describe the security and safety He provides: “shelter of the Most High” and “shadow of the Almighty” (v. 1); “refuge” and “fortress” (v. 2); “shield and rampart” (v. 4); and “dwelling” (v. 9).

By Karen Huang|2024-07-24T02:33:17-04:00July 24th, 2024|

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Time to Party

Read: Luke 15:11-13, 17-24 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 33-34; Acts 24

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Let’s have a feast and celebrate. Luke 15:23

Our former church in Virginia held baptisms in the Rivanna River where often the sunshine is warm, but the water is frigid. After our Sunday service, we’d load into our cars and caravan to a city park where neighbors tossed Frisbees and kids mobbed the playground. We were quite a spectacle, traipsing to the river’s edge. Standing in the icy water, I would offer Scripture and immerse those being baptized into this tangible expression of God’s love. As they emerged, soaked to the bone, cheers and clapping erupted. Climbing up the bank, friends and family enveloped the newly baptized in hugs—everyone getting drenched. We had cake, drinks, and snacks. The neighbors watching didn’t always understand what was happening, but they knew it was a celebration.

In Luke 15, Jesus’ story of the prodigal son (vv. 11-32) reveals that it’s cause for celebration whenever someone returns home to God. Anytime someone says yes to God’s invitation, it’s time to party. When the son who’d abandoned his father returned, the father immediately insisted on showering him with a designer robe, a shiny ring, and new shoes. “Bring the fattened calf,” he said. “Let’s have a feast and celebrate” (v. 23). A massive, exuberant party including whoever would join the revelry was a fitting way “to celebrate” (v. 24).

Where have you seen transformation and healing happen? What could celebration in these moments look like?

Dear God, I have much to celebrate, and this joy flows from You and Your work in my life.

INSIGHT

In the background of Jesus’ parable of a father’s embrace of his returned son are the religious leaders grumbling that Christ “welcomes sinners” (Luke 15:2; see also 5:30; 7:34). Yet it was “tax collectors and sinners” who “gather[ed] around to hear Jesus” (15:1). Listening to Christ and responding appropriately is a theme in Luke’s gospel (6:27, 47; 8:8; 9:35; 10:16; 11:28-31). Before this parable, Jesus told two others—of a “lost sheep” (15:4) and a “lost coin” (v. 9). In both parables, the theme is “rejoicing in heaven” (v. 7) over sinners returning.

By Winn Collier|2024-07-23T02:33:16-04:00July 23rd, 2024|

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Instruments for Good

Read: Ephesians 2:4-10 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 31-32; Acts 23:16-35

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If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. James 4:17

The criminal had been apprehended, and the detective asked the perpetrator why he had brazenly attacked someone with so many witnesses present. The response was startling: “I knew they wouldn’t do anything; people never do.” That comment pictures what is called “guilty knowledge”—choosing to ignore a crime even though you know it is being committed.

The apostle James addressed a similar kind of guilty knowledge, saying, “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them” (James 4:17).

Through His great salvation of us, God has designed us to be agents of good in the world. Ephesians 2:10 affirms, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” These good works aren’t the cause of our salvation; rather, they’re the result of our hearts being changed by God’s Holy Spirit taking up residence in our lives. The Spirit even gives us spiritual gifts to equip us to accomplish those things for which God has recreated us (see 1 Corinthians 12:1-11).

As God’s workmanship, let’s yield to His purposes and the empowering of His Spirit so that we can be His instruments for good in a world that desperately needs Him.

Review 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 and read about the spiritual gifts. What gifts has the Spirit given you? How can you exercise them?

Loving God, thank You for the salvation You’ve provided as a free gift of grace. Please give me the courage and wisdom to know how best to serve You and others.

Discover your God-given calling here.

INSIGHT

Paul has just outlined his prayer for the readers of his letter (Ephesians 1:15-23). When he prays, he asks God on their behalf that “the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you” (v. 18). But who, exactly, is he praying for? The letter to the Ephesians may have been intended to be “circular,” that is, for circulation among other churches. Specifically, however, these first readers were gentile Christians in the port city of Ephesus. Having prayed for them, Paul then gives guidance on how to fulfill God’s purpose. God “made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions” (2:5). He “raised us up with Christ” (v. 6) to “show the incomparable riches of his grace” (v. 7). This is why we “do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (v. 10).

By Bill Crowder|2024-07-22T02:33:17-04:00July 22nd, 2024|

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The Winning Goal

Read: Acts 11:19-30 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 29-30; Acts 23:1-15

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A great number of people were brought to the Lord. Acts 11:24

On February 5, 2023, Christian Atsu kicked the winning goal for his football (soccer) team in a match in Turkey. A star international player, he learned to play the sport as a kid running barefoot in his home country of Ghana. Christian was a believer in Christ: “Jesus is the best thing that ever happened in my life,” he said. Atsu posted Bible verses on social media, was outspoken about his faith, and put it into action by helping finance a school for orphans.

The day after his winning goal, a devastating earthquake shook the city of Antakya, once the biblical city of Antioch. Christian Atsu’s apartment building collapsed, and he went to be with his Savior.

Two thousand years ago, Antioch was the fountainhead of the early church: “the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch” (Acts 11:26). One apostle, Barnabas, said to be “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit” (v. 24), was instrumental in bringing people to Christ: “a great number of people were brought to the Lord” (v. 24).

We look to the life of Christian Atsu not to idolize him but to see in his example an opportunity. Whatever our circumstance in life, we don’t know when God will take us to be with Him. We do well to ask ourselves how we can be a Barnabas or a Christian Atsu in showing others the love of Christ. That, above all, is the winning goal.

What does it mean to be a Barnabas to others? What opportunities do you have to talk about Jesus?

Dear God, I pray that You’ll give me opportunities to share my faith.

INSIGHT

One advantage of the persecution the early believers in Jesus faced in Jerusalem and Judea was that they dispersed to other regions “spreading the word” as they went (Acts 11:19). The Jewish believers witnessed only to other Jews (v. 19), but some believers in Christ from Cyrene and Cypress “began to speak to Greeks also” (v. 20). Luke, who wrote the Acts account, tells us that “the Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord” (v. 21). The attempt at stamping out Christianity served only to spread it.

By kenneth petersen|2024-07-21T02:33:08-04:00July 21st, 2024|

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Taking Responsibility for Words

Read: Proverbs 15:1-9 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 26-28; Acts 22

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The tongue has the power of life and death. Proverbs 18:21

It’s almost unheard of for institutions to admit guilt after a tragedy. But one year after a seventeen-year-old student’s death by suicide, a prestigious school admitted it “fell tragically short” in protecting him. The student had been relentlessly bullied, and school leaders, despite knowing about the mistreatment, did little to protect him. The school has now committed to taking significant steps to combat bullying and better care for students’ mental health.

The devastation caused by bullying is a stark example of the power of words. In the book of Proverbs, we’re taught to never take the impact of words lightly, for “the tongue has the power of life and death” (Proverbs 18:21). What we say can either lift up or crush another. At its worst, cruel words can be a factor contributing to literal death.

How do we bring life with what we say? Scripture teaches that our words flow from either wisdom or foolishness (15:2). We find wisdom by drawing close to God, the source of wisdom’s life-giving power (3:13, 17-19).

We all have a responsibility—in words and actions—to take seriously the impact of words, and to care for and protect those wounded by what others have said. Words can kill, but compassionate words can also heal, becoming a “tree of life” (15:4) to those around us.

When have you seen careless words cause damage? How can you show God’s compassion through what you say?

Loving God, please help me never take the impact of words lightly but rely on You to speak what brings life.

INSIGHT

Proverbs 15:1-9 has a lot to say about the importance of our speech. It’s also a prominent theme in the New Testament book of James. Though broadly applicable, James warns “teachers”—those who influence others through their word—that they’ll be judged more strictly (3:1). We’re more susceptible to sin with our words than in any other way (v. 2). Compared with the other members of the body, the tongue is disproportionately powerful and more difficult to tame (vv. 3-8). We’re inconsistent in how we use our words. They can be used to treat those who are made in the very image of God as if they’re useless and at the same time we use our words to praise God who made them (vv. 9-12). As the psalmist says, “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

By Monica La Rose|2024-07-20T02:33:17-04:00July 20th, 2024|

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Brokenness that Blesses

Read: James 2:3-6 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 23-25; Acts 21:18-40

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We have this treasure in jars of clay. 2 Corinthians 4:7

His back is hunched, and he walks with a cane, but his many years of spiritual shepherding are evidence that he leans on God—the source of his strength. In 1993, the Reverend William Barber II was diagnosed with a debilitating disease that causes the vertebrae of the spine to fuse together. In a not-so-subtle way, he was told, “Barber, you probably gonna need to figure out another thing to do besides pastoring, because the church ain’t gonna want [someone disabled] to be their pastor.” But Barber overcame that hurtful comment. God has not only used him as a pastor, but he’s also been a powerful, respected voice for underserved and marginalized people.

Though the world may not fully know what to do with those with disabilities, God does. Those who value beauty and brawn and things that money can buy can miss the good that accompanies uninvited brokenness. The rhetorical question of James and the principle underneath it are worth considering: “Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?” (James 2:5). When health or strength or other things are reduced, one’s faith needn’t follow suit. By God’s strength, it can be the opposite. Our lack can be a catalyst to trust Him. Our brokenness, as was the case with Jesus, can be used of Him to bring good to our world.

In what ways are you weak or broken? How can your weakness be used as an asset to encourage others?

Father, please help me to bring You honor despite my weaknesses.

INSIGHT

The oppression of the poor by the rich is a miscarriage of justice in every society. James warns of the sins of favoring the rich and discriminating against the poor. To avoid such sins, he tells us to “keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ ” (2:8, quoting Leviticus 19:18). The royal law warns of perverting justice based on socioeconomic status: “Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly” (Leviticus 19:15). Our perfectly impartial God doesn’t show favoritism: “He defends . . . the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner . . . giving them food and clothing” (Deuteronomy 10:18). James reminds us: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27).

By Arthur Jackson|2024-07-19T02:33:07-04:00July 19th, 2024|

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Renewing Our Strength

Read: Isaiah 40:27-31 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 20-22; Acts 21:1-17

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They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary. Isaiah 40:31

A pair of eagles built a giant nest in a tree a few miles away from my house. Before long, the enormous birds had eaglets. They cared for their hatchlings together until one of the adult eagles was tragically struck and killed by a car. For several days, the surviving eagle flew up and down a nearby river, as if searching for the lost mate. Finally, the eagle returned to the nest and assumed the full responsibility of raising the offspring.

In any situation, single parenting can be challenging. The delight a child brings combined with possible financial and emotional pressure can create a broad range of experiences. But there’s hope for those who have this important role, and for anyone trying to manage a situation that feels overwhelming.

God is with us when we feel exhausted and discouraged. Because He’s omnipotent—all powerful—and doesn’t change, His strength won’t ever expire. We can trust what the Bible says: “Those who hope in [Him] will renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31). Coming up against our own limits won’t determine what happens to us because we can depend on God to supernaturally recharge us. Hoping in Him allows us to walk and not faint, and to “soar on wings like eagles” (v. 31).

What feels overwhelming in your life? How might God be encouraging you to rely on His strength?

Dear heavenly Father, I can’t manage this life on my own. I need You. Please give me Your supernatural strength today.

INSIGHT

Isaiah 40:30-31 includes three classifications of people. “Youths” refers to children into the teenage years. They’re often bundles of energy and vigor. But—naturally speaking—sooner or later, they wear out. The term “young men” refers to those in the prime of life, but they also have limitations. The third category is a spiritual category that’s not defined by age, stage, or other human metrics: “those who hope in the Lord.” Such are candidates for strength of a different kind—supernatural spiritual strength. It enables them to do through God what they can’t do on their own: “[God] is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20). Those who put their trust in Him are candidates for Godlike spiritual strength. Like Him, in whom they trust, they “will not grow tired or weary” (Isaiah 40:28).

By Jennifer Benson Schuldt|2024-07-18T02:33:35-04:00July 18th, 2024|

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In Small Ways

INSIGHT

Jesus Removes the Stain

INSIGHT

Really Live

INSIGHT

Our True Refuge Is God

INSIGHT

Time to Party

INSIGHT

Instruments for Good

INSIGHT

The Winning Goal

INSIGHT

Taking Responsibility for Words

INSIGHT

Brokenness that Blesses

INSIGHT

Renewing Our Strength

INSIGHT

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