Daily Bread

[HeavenBesideYou]

July 14th

"A pearl of great price."

The man fell in love with the painting. Its beauty was beyond words. He would give anything to own the painting; to possess its beauty for himself. He bought the painting and took it home with him. Immediately, he began to worry that it might get damaged. He packed the painting in a crate and locked it in an airtight vault, away from seeking eyes, where no one could benefit from its loveliness.

We have received a treasure of great value: Jesus Christ. Should we hold Him in our hearts, never letting Him be seen, or should we expose Him to the view of all who would look? We are to be the city on the hill, the light shining in the darkness, the salt of the earth. No one has the option to call himself a Christian and then keep it selfishly inside. Our faith is intensely personal, but it is never private. We possess a pearl of great price. Be proud of it and let the whole world see it.

Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? And they righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

Psalm 88:12

The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.

Oscar Wilde

Heaven

[HeavenBesideYou]

July 15th

"Why should I help the poor?"

To be poor means that something is lacking from our life.

The Bible focuses primarily on two kinds of poverty—people who are in need of basic necessities (like food and clothing) and people who are in need of God (for they lack the Holy Spirit's presence in their life). We are called—commanded—to help both of these kinds of people as much as we possibly can.

Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor. The Lord rescues them in times of trouble. The Lord protects them and keeps them alive. He gives them prosperity and rescues them from their enemies. The Lord nurses them when they are sick and eases their pain and discomfort.

Psalm 41:1-3

He will rescue the poor when they cry to him, he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them. He feels pity for the weak and the needy, and he will rescue them. He will save them from oppression and from violence, for their lives are precious to him.

Psalm 72:12-14

A greedy person tries to get rich quick, but it only leads to poverty. Greed causes fighting; trusting in the Lord leads toprosperity. Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing. But a curse will come upon those who close their eyes to poverty.

Proverbs 28:22,25,27

Heaven

[HeavenBesideYou]

July 16th

"God lives here!"

If you had known Jesus' address in Nazareth along about A.D. 20, you could have gone to that house and said, "God lives here!" The doctrine of Jesus as fully God and fully man, fully God and yet having emptied himself of all of his divine privilege, is nearly impossible to fully understand, but is the awesome reality of Grace. God chose to be like us because we could not be like him. So in Jesus, God came to us so we could be given his fullness.

In Christ, all the fullness of the Deity lives bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.

Colossians 2:9-10

They say that God is everywhere, and yet we always think of Him as somewhat of a recluse.

Emily Dickinson

Heaven

[HeavenBesideYou]

July 17th

"Magic!"

No matter where the children were, they heard it. It called them from their homework, their play, their naps, their chores. In an instant, heads came up, slightly cocked, in order to hear the delicate chimes. The ice cream man! No greater sound could be found. From every corner of the neighborhood, children with beaming faces were drawn magically to the little wine cart, with its row of silver bells.

Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.

Psalm 89:15

When the voice of the Lord calls out to us, may we respond to it with the same childlike glee that our youngsters demonstrate at the approach of the ice cream man. May the name of the Lord bring joy to our hearts and smiles to our faces.

Phil Ware

Heaven

[HeavenBesideYou]

July 18th

"The dangers of greed."

Greed is never satisfied because self is at the center of its world, and the self is forever taking, grasping after whatever is beneficial to "me." A person secure in the love of God approaches life with quite a different attitude: Because I am sure that God will take care of me and provide all that I need, I no longer have to be greedy, desperately looking out for myself and grabbing everything in sight.

Ultimately, greed is a sign of emptiness. If you find yourself grasping after things in life, worried that you won't get what you want, what you need, or what you deserve, you have put your trust in the wrong place. Greed will use you up without giving anything in return. God's great love offers us a fuller, more satisfying life.

The desires of lazy people will be their ruin, for their hands refuse to work. They are always greedy for more, while the godly love to give!

Proverbs 21:25-26

It is possible to give freely and become more wealthy, but those who are stingy will lose everything. The generous prosper and are satisfied; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

Proverbs 11:24-25

Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor.

Proverbs 22:9

Heaven

[HeavenBesideYou]

July 19th

"One week to live."

What would you change about your routine if you only had one week to live?

God wants us to value the time we have on earth. We take time for granted, acting as though our earthly life will go on forever. Time on earth is too short to waste. Number your days, and God will fill you with a special wisdom.

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Psalm 90:12

Heaven

[HeavenBesideYou]

July 20th

"My wife's works."

Sheryl loves her artwork. She can express so many things with a canvas and paint that she can't express any other way. She showes the depths of her soul. All her work has a spiritual sense to it. It comes from a deep and beautiful place inside her own soul. Sheryl feels that the image of God in her is best displayed through the works of her hands and heart.

Within each of us is a wellspring of beauty that comes from God above. How we express it varies from person to person, but it is there, nonetheless. Reach deep into your soul and share the wealth of beauty buried there. To do so is to share God.

And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.

Psalm 90:17

Heaven

[HeavenBesideYou]

July 21st

"Prayer, defined."

The most universally practiced yet least understood of human experiences, prayer is one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith. Its simplest definition is communication with God. Yet so often we approach prayer like a one-way telephone conversation, forgetting that God also wants to speak to us. Prayer appears nearly on every page of the Bible as the very essence of a faith relationship with the living God.

The Lord is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness. The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him sincerely. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them.

Psalm 145:17-19

Then Saul said, "Let's chase the Philistines all night and destroy every last one of them." His men replied, "We'll do whatever you think is best." But the priest said, "Let's ask God first."

1 Samuel 14:36

The next morning Jesus awoke long before daybreak and went out alone into the wilderness to pray.

Mark 1:35

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14

prayer
n.

1.a. A reverent petition made to God, a god, or another object of worship.

1.b. The act of making a reverent petition to God, a god, or another object of worship.

2. An act of communion with God, a god, or another object of worship, such as in devotion, confession, praise, or thanksgiving: One evening a week, the family would join together in prayer.

3. A specially worded form used to address God, a god, or another object of worship.

4. prayers A religious observance in which praying predominates: morning prayers.

Heaven

[HeavenBesideYou]

July 22nd

"Guardian angels."

Who's to say where God's angels are? Perhaps we each have an angel who watches us and guides us. God, in His love for us, has set the angels over us. They are His ambassadors of goodwill in this world. Though angels have been shoved aside to the category of myth by many, we know that there is another realm where everything doesn't always make sense to us. Rest secure. The angels are watching.

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

Psalm 91:11

An angel is a spiritual creature created by God without a body for the service of Christendom and the church.

Martin Luther

Heaven

[HeavenBesideYou]

July 23rd

"What can we learn from Nehemiah?"

With little time to think, Nehemiah prayed to God. Eight times in this book we read that he offered a spontaneous prayer. Nehemiah prayed at any time, even while talking with others. He knew that God is always present, always in charge, always listening, and always ready to answer.

Nehemiah could confidently pray to God throughout the day because he had established an intimate relationship with him during times of extended prayer. If we want to be confident about our brief prayers, we need to take time to cultivate a strong relationship with God through times of in-depth prayer.

When I heard [how things were going in Jerusalem], I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. Then I said, "O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel.

Nehemiah 1:4-6

The king asked, "Well, how can I help you?" With a prayer to the God of heaven, I replied, "If it please Your majesty and if you are pleased with me, send me to Judah to rebuild the city when my ancestors are buried."

Nehemiah 2:4-5

Heaven

[HeavenBesideYou]

July 24th

"Generosity."

Generosity is love expressed in practical ways with joy. Generosity and justice needed in our selfish world. They come from a heart touched by grace.

Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.

Psalm 112:5

You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give.

Winston Churchill

Heaven

[HeavenBesideYou]

July 25th

"The commander who cannot fail."

The commander stood a head above the rest of the soldiers. He was dressed in finest battle attire, head aloft and proud, sword drawn. To see the man was to be filled with the confidence that everything would work out. He exuded the sense of triumph and victory. Everything about him claimed victory before the battle was even begun.

Our Lord is like that. He is the source of all power and might. His wisdom is matched by none. As we fight our daily battles, it is good for us to keep in mind that the Lord is on our side and He leads the charge. There is no retreat for God. He is with us every step of the way. Trust in Him, for He is the commander who cannot fail.

The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is established, that it cannot be moved.

Psalm 93:1

Heaven

[HeavenBesideYou]

July 26th

"Heating up in the Middle East..."

While the road ahead of us may be filled with questions and concerns, we can look back and see the many ways God has acted in our behalf to get us to the places we need to be. We see his work through history and we can take assurance that his promises are true and his victory in us is assured.

Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Hebrews 11:1

Heaven

[HeavenBesideYou]

July 27th

"Getting ahead in the great race..."

It's hard not to sin. Not just our blatant sins, but the willingness to dabble in things that are not holy, to flirt with things that are spiritually dangerous, and to expose ourselves to things that leave a residue of Satan's world. Like the great heroes of the Bible, both big and small, we can do God's work with confidence. But to boldly go where he wants us to go, we must first be willing to let go of the sin that entangles our lives, distorts our vision, and robs us of spiritual vitality and stamina.

Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Hebrews 12:1

Holy Father, forgive me for my sin. Give me strength to say no to the things that distract me from you and to embrace with passion those things that make me more like you. Through Jesus our Lord I pray. Amen.

Heaven

[HeavenBesideYou]

July 28th

"Walk this way."

The way to walk a tightrope is to keep one's sight on the goal, not on the ground or what is behind. The way to walk with Jesus is to keep our eyes on the goal, his victory waiting for us when he returns, not on the ground (our failures) and not what is behind (our accomplishments). The goal of the Christian walk is to keep walking toward Jesus until we walk with him in heaven.

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:14

If you don't know where you are going, you'll probably end up somewhere else.

Lewis Carroll

Heaven