Today's Daily Devotional

[Bugsy]

October 7, 2008

God’s Encouragement in Tough Times
READ | Judges 7:8-26

Yesterday, we read about how God shrunk Gideon’s Army down from 32,000 men to just 300, immediately before an important battle. Today, let’s see what happened next. Gideon was undoubtedly feeling anxious. He was about to attack an enemy camp of more than 130,000 trained soldiers, and he was going to do it with just a handful of men. In this terrifying moment, God gave Gideon what he needed most: encouragement.

God woke Gideon at night and strategically positioned him to overhear an enemy soldier recounting a frightful dream—a vision of Israelite victory! This unlikely circumstance assured Gideon that the Lord was at work in his daunting situation. God graciously used that incident to demonstrate His sensitivity to one man’s faintheartedness. And He still does so today.

Consider the power of a friend’s encouraging words. Think about how meaningful it is when an unexpected blessing seems to fall from heaven right at your darkest moment. These are not “happy accidentsâ€

[Bugsy]

October 8, 2008

Brokenness: The Principle
READ | John 12:24-25

Brokenness hurts, and most of us would rather live without any seasons of pain. Yet during such times, the Lord often does His greatest work in our lives, reshaping and realigning us for His divine purposes.

Jesus beautifully explains the principle of brokenness in John 12:24-25, where He compares our life to a single grain of wheat. If we hold a kernel in our hands, nothing will happen. If we carefully place it in a jar or on a shelf for safekeeping, it will just sit there indefinitely. In its safety, the grain will essentially be useless.

However, if that kernel is placed in the soil where its protective layer is stripped away, something amazing happens. Before long, a little sprout will emerge from the earth and start to grow into something different, useful, and beautiful. Moreover, that new stalk will produce more grains that can be planted, and the stalks they produce will do the same. It’s an amazing cycle of life, wherein a single kernel can lead to countless stalks of wheat. But it has to start with the brokenness of one grain.

Jesus did not just speak this example; He lived it. By sacrificing Himself, He was broken and placed in the ground. From that brokenness came new life for us all. From that one “grain,â€

[Bugsy]

October 9, 2008

A Life of Becoming
READ | 2 Corinthians 4:7-18

Probably the greatest obstacle to understanding God’s purpose for brokenness is this: Most believers think of Christianity as something we do. We pray. We read the Bible. We go to church. We sing hymns. We give money. We do and do—and assume that’s the Christian life. It’s not.

Authentic Christianity is about becoming rather than doing. The life of faith that God designed involves receiving Jesus into our hearts and allowing Him to change our habits, mindset, beliefs, interests, and concerns so we become more and more like Him.

Realizing this will change our perspective on the heartache we must endure. You see, when we recognize that the Christian life is about Jesus’ persistent work of “re-creationâ€

[Bugsy]

October 13, 2008

Dressed for Battle
READ | Ephesians 6:10-18

When you wake up in the morning and get dressed for the day, you’re probably not thinking about stepping onto a battlefield. But the enemy is all around us, constantly assaulting our hearts and minds with temptations, adversities, emotional attacks, and more. And some days, it feels as though we are standing on the front lines of combat with no protection whatsoever.

Therein lies our misunderstanding. You see, we do have protection. The Lord made a provision for our nakedness in battle. He hasn’t sent us to war unprotected; instead, He’s given us a suit of armor that the enemy can’t penetrate—the armor of God.

In Ephesians 6:10-18, the apostle Paul tells us step by step how to prepare for our daily warfare, and yet most Christians don’t pay much attention to the instruction. We may say, “Well, that’s a nice metaphor, but we shouldn’t take it literally. After all, the armor isn’t real.â€

[Bugsy]

October 14, 2008

A Real Enemy
READ | 1 Peter 5:8-10

Let’s play a little game. Imagine that you’re a soldier during wartime. You’ve made it through basic training, mastered the weapons of war, memorized all the relevant warfare strategies, and are heading into battle.

You’ve seen the war in the news headlines for months. Friends of yours have already been deployed. And now that you’re on the front lines, you witness explosions and desolation all around you. Without a doubt, you know that there is an enemy out to destroy you.

Now, imagine a fellow soldier coming to you and saying, “I really don’t believe there’s an enemy out there. I think it’s a myth, or maybe just a metaphor for evil. It isn’t real.â€

[Bugsy]

October 15, 2008

Becoming Like Jesus
READ | 2 Peter 3:18

God has a plan for every life, and salvation is just the first step. He wants His adopted children to develop a close “family resemblance.â€

[Bugsy]

October 16, 2008

Transformed Into Jesus' Image
READ | 1 Corinthians 15:45-49

Making the changes God requires can be difficult (Eph. 4:31-32). But through the sacrifice of His Son, our Father set free us from slavery to sin. Pondering all that Jesus underwent to secure our salvation (Phil. 2:6-8 ) will motivate us to adopt His ways.

Our mind is where transformation begins (Rom. 12:2), because the way we reason affects how we act. As the Holy Spirit helps us identify wrong attitudes and replace them with godly ones, we’ll see our behavior start to change. Instead of being quick to anger, we will forgive others’ mistakes because we remember how much we ourselves have been forgiven. We’ll speak encouraging words in place of critical ones and will hold our tongue rather than share gossip. Our priority will be to follow the Savior’s example.

Our heavenly Father has provided the Scriptures and the Spirit’s presence to guide us. He’s also given us brothers and sisters in Christ who are able to encourage and direct us. Mature believers can detect obstacles hindering our growth and point out adjustments we need to make. They can also identify spiritual gifts and areas of service we might have overlooked. I was greatly impacted by the biographies of godly men like Oswald Chambers, Charles Spurgeon, and Dwight L. Moody. As I read, I would see qualities in their lives that I wanted in my own. These traits formed the basis for many of my prayers.

Being transformed into Jesus’ image is a lifelong process. Ask God to help you cooperate with Him in strengthening the family likeness.

[Bugsy]

October 17, 2008

The Supreme Worth of God’s Word
READ | 2 Timothy 3:16-17

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is filled with God’s words. The Holy Spirit oversaw the writing of His message to be sure it was relevant, reliable, and without error.

The Scriptures contain the Lord’s complete revelation about His character, kingdom, and plan of salvation. Consider the variety and importance of the topics covered in this timeless book: the creation of our world; the fall of man; the presence and power of sin; the penalty owed for transgression; future judgment; Satan’s program; our need for a Savior; His offer of forgiveness; the redemption of mankind; the history of faith; and wisdom for living. Questions about life’s meaning, man’s purpose, the source of evil, and life after death are also answered.

All sections of the Word are valuable and interconnected. For example, the gospels tell about redemption, while the Old Testament contains prophecies about the Messiah who would come to save us. John 1:29 proclaimed that Jesus was the Lamb of God, who would take away our sins; Leviticus and Numbers help us understand this concept through descriptions of the sacrificial system. The first book of the Bible teaches us that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness (Gen. 15:6). And in the New Testament, we learn that everyone’s salvation is by faith alone, and not through works (Eph. 2:8-9).

God gave us the Bible so we might know Him personally, be adopted into His family, and bring glory to His name. Make it your goal to become more familiar with the most important book ever written.

[Bugsy]

October 18-19, 2008

Understanding the Word of God
READ | 1 Peter 1:10-12

Prophecies about Jesus Christ abound in the Old Testament. However, the men who wrote down God’s message didn’t always understand its full meaning. Events needed to unfold and further knowledge had to be provided before more complete significance could be grasped. In fact, Jesus Himself said that there was more to be known but the disciples were not ready for it (John 16:12 ).

Let’s look at some Old Testament truths about the Messiah that were understood more clearly later on—namely, that He was . . .

• Preexistent. Micah 5:2 prophesied that One coming from Bethlehem would have origins in eternity past. John 7:42 says that Jesus came “from Bethlehem . . . where David was,â€

[Bugsy]

October 20, 2008

Life-Changing Prayer
READ | Colossians 1:9-10

Philippians 4:6 says that it’s good to bring requests to the Lord, and we often ask Him for certain blessings, desired outcomes, and healing for loved ones. But there are times when, in God’s omniscience, He sees that a “noâ€

[Bugsy]

October 21, 2008

Effective Prayer for Others
READ | Colossians 1:11-14

One of the disciples saw Jesus praying and made the request, “Lord, teach us to prayâ€

[Bugsy]

October 22, 2008

The Danger of Laziness
READ | 2 Thessalonians 3:7-10

The Lord has appointed believers to be His ambassadors to a lost and hurting world. As His followers, we are to represent Him in our character, conduct, and conversation whenever we interact with family, friends, neighbors, or coworkers.

God expects us to be diligent in our work and faithful to complete it. However, in our self-absorbed, pleasure-seeking culture, it is very easy to get sidetracked into laziness. This sin is dangerous in a Christian’s life because of the potential harm that can result—it can hurt our witness for Christ, damage our relationships with others, and waste both the time and the gifts the Lord has given us. One negative result of such a lifestyle is a character marked as unreliable and untrustworthy.

Laziness frequently shows up as procrastination. For example, despite saying that we will take action, we repeatedly delay the start time. Or we may begin a project and yet find reasons not to finish it. Being neglectful is another manifestation: though we make an attempt to carry out responsibilities, they are handled in a haphazard or incomplete way; relationships with loved ones go untended; or the needs of others are overlooked.

Irresponsible behavior doesn’t fit who we are in Christ. If you realize you’ve been careless in some area of your life, pray, “Lord, I have not lived as I should, and I ask You to forgive me. I choose to turn away from lazy attitudes and neglectful behavior. Please help me to follow through and become someone who is industrious for You.â€

[Bugsy]

October 23, 2008

The Problem of Laziness
READ | Proverbs 6:9-11

The book of Proverbs has much to say about people who are lazy. They are regarded as sluggards who do not think beyond today (20:4), who wrongly consider themselves wise (26:16), and who are on a path leading to future poverty.

When people develop a habit of laziness, they tend to offer excuses—such as “I was too tiredâ€

[Bugsy]

October 24, 2008

Your Eternal Destination
READ | Luke 16:19-26

All of us are eternal beings because we were made in God’s image (Gen. 1:26). After physical death, our spirits will live forever. Where we reside—heaven or hell—will depend on whether we have accepted or rejected Jesus as our personal Savior.

Scripture teaches that all have sinned and owe a penalty (Rom. 3:23; 6:23). There isn’t anything we can do to earn God’s forgiveness. Knowing this, our heavenly Father sent His Son Jesus to take our sins upon Himself and experience punishment in our place. In that way, we become part of God’s family and look forward to spending eternity with Him in heaven. His only requirement for this amazing blessing is that we acknowledge we’re sinners who need a Savior and believe that Jesus died to save us (Rom. 10:9-10). Those who reject Christ will spend life after death separated from Him and all else that is good. But those who believe will live with Him forever.

Every person will ultimately dwell in heaven or hell, both of which are real places described in the Bible. In heaven, we’ll never again know pain, sorrow, or tears (Rev. 21:4). But Hell is the opposite. A place of punishment, it will be the scene of everlasting agony and torment. Today’s passage illustrates this hard fact.

Eternal punishment and the reality of hell are never easy topics to consider, but they are vitally important because they will really happen. Don’t let your emotions turn you away from the truths recorded in Scripture. Instead, take heed of the warnings, and be certain you are heaven-bound.

[Ranger Andy]

Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. Guide me through the starry night and wake me when the day is bright!

It's Miller time, I'm outta here. Maybe I'll get some sleep tonight?