Thought for the day...

"You know you're getting old when you stoop to tie your shoelaces and wonder what else you could do while you're down there."
~ George Burns ~

 

August 1, 2019
Verse of the Day
“There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.
1 Samuel 2:2

 

August 2, 2019
Verse of the Day
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:9 NIV

 

I’m tired and thirsty
By Pastor Mark Jeske
There’s a reason why blues music is so enduring.

Look around at the office, in your classroom, on the streets where you are driving—you are looking at tired people. The daily struggle to survive is exhausting. Disappointments and setbacks sap your strength and make you weaker for the next one. People are weary.

They’re thirsty too, thirsty to be reinvigorated, thirsty for the Water of Life. Thirsty to feel that things are working for them in their lives again, thirsty to feel good again, thirsty to be loved, thirsty to like themselves again. The common denominator—people are thirsty for God: “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1). When Jesus described himself to a Samaritan woman as the Water of Life, he was offering her not only the endless delight of heaven but the secret to a happy and fulfilling life right now.

Through Christ we have the assurance of worth and value. We have his promise for spiritual strength and relief from suffering, forgiveness of our sins, protection from the evil one, and hope for a future way better than our past

Lord, I believe you. In the meantime, how about a little sip of heaven, just to keep me going? Please?

 

August 3, 2019
Verse of the Day
Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.
Proverbs 19:21 NIV

 

August 4, 2019
Verse of the Day
“ ‘ “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.” ’
Numbers 6:24-26 NIV

 

August 5, 2019
Verse of the Day
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Colossians 3:23-24 NIV

 

Something to offer
By Pastor Matt Ewart
Sometimes you might feel like you have nothing to offer people, or you feel like you can’t serve in a meaningful way. Do other people even want your help?

Depending on the day, I can land on either side of that question. Some days I feel like I’m absolutely no help to anybody. Other days I’m convinced that the world would stop turning were it not for my awesomeness. Both reactions are wrong, and the account of Jesus feeding the five thousand tells you why.

“When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?’ He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do” (John 6:5,6).

What could the disciples possibly do to feed all these people? Nothing. There was no way they could provide an impromptu catered meal for thousands and thousands of people. They had absolutely nothing to offer. Or did they?

While Jesus provided the amount of food needed for those people, he depended on the disciples to distribute it. Without their help, the people would have gone hungry. And in the end, the disciples who started with nothing ended up gathering basketfuls of leftovers.

To this day, God provides what is needed. From forgiveness in Jesus to the fruit of the Spirit, he provides it all. Think of how he might use you today to bring these blessings to others. You have everything to offer.

 

August 6, 2019
Verse of the Day
Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
John 14:21 NIV

 

Holding Out Hope
…We can’t be sure of the identity of Ethan the Ezrahite, the ascribed author of Psalm 89. Perhaps he wrote this psalm in response to this event in the life of Rehoboam. Or the occasion may have come more than 300 years later with the attack on Jerusalem by the Babylonians and the exile of King Jehoiachin (see 2 Kings 24:8–17). At any rate, the psalmist was depressed and mystified as he asked, “Lord, where is your former great love, which in your faithfulness you swore to David?” (Psalm 89:49).

The first half of the psalm reflects on God’s promises to David and his royal lineage. But beginning at verse 38, Ethan’s tone changes: “You have cut short the days of his youth; you have covered him with a mantle of shame” (verse 45).

Ethan’s psalm resonates with some of us with regard to our marriages. Every couple that celebrates a wedding echoes the enthusiasm of the first 37 verses: “God’s love endures forever and will shine through our lives!” But too many relationships run into hard times. For example, one couple we know struggled through decades of infidelity. She partied with her friends from work, and he cozied up to other women while on business trips. When the couple finally decided to call it quits, she realized she was pregnant. Unsure of what to do, they put parting on hold. During that time, they fell in love all over again.

Some years later I was part of their 25th anniversary celebration in a rented hall. When the couple stood to thank the large gathering of friends for coming, the tears flowed. They confessed sins. They told of their early hopes and wayward paths. They spoke of losing faith and questioning God’s promises.

Then they revealed why all of us had been invited to the party. Each of us, they said, had kept faith in God for them even while they had lost courage and confidence. They had tried, failed, prayed and grown bitter. But we had wrestled with God on their behalf, using both praise and lament, similar to the way Ethan did in Psalm 89.

That night we laughed together in the great joy of God’s promises—and we wept together over the pain of lost opportunities and faded hopes. And as we lingered over final good wishes, we recognized that life in all its shades is a faith journey.

—Wayne Brouwer

Taken from NIV Couples’ Devotional Bible

 

A man may plant a tree for a number of reasons. Perhaps he likes trees. Perhaps he wants shelter. Or perhaps he knows that someday he may need the firewood.

Joanne Harris

 

August 7, 2019
Verse of the Day
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
Isaiah 43:2 NIV

 

Facebook friends: What’s the point?
By Diana Kerr
Have you ever heard of Friendship Day? You get one guess who created this holiday—yep, Hallmark! Shocking.

Sorry, Hallmark, but I have no plans to send your greeting cards to my friends on that day. There are just way too many: 1,337 to be exact.

I’m talking about my Facebook friends. Yes, I know, that seems like an excessive amount. Honestly, I actually know all those people.

Still, that is way too many friends to maintain relationships with, which makes you wonder, What’s the point of all those Facebook friends? Most people’s instinctive answer would be, “To keep in touch.” But is that really our goal?

Have you realized how easy it is to let the devil suck you into comparison on social media and in wanting to make yourself look good? Envy, jealousy, pride, and boastfulness all show up so easily, tainting our friendships in real life and online.

For me personally, it takes conscious effort to use social media as a tool for good instead—for encouraging and for sharing my faith. When you’re about to post something on Facebook for your friends to see, ask yourself why you’re doing it. Are you doing this to build people up or to bring them down? to encourage and inspire or to make them feel jealous or lesser than you? “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29).