Fearless Giving

As we start this New Week Off in the last week of February take a moment to just reflect on ALL the things that God has brought you through just this week alone so let's take a look at these words of wisdom Read: Malachi 3:8–12 Bible in a Year: Numbers 15–16; Mark 6:1–29 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.—Malachi 3:10 When my son Xavier was six years old, a friend brought her toddler to visit and Xavier wanted to give him a few toys. I delighted in our little giver’s generosity, until he offered a stuffed animal my husband had searched several stores in different cities to find. Recognizing the high-demand toy, my friend tried to politely decline. Still, Xavier placed his gift into her son’s hands and said, “My daddy gives me lots of toys to share.” Though I’d like to say Xavier learned his confident giving from me, I’ve often withheld my resources from God and others. But when I remember that my heavenly Father gives me everything I have and need, it’s easier to share. In the Old Testament, God commanded the Israelites to trust Him by giving a portion of all He had supplied to the Levite priests, who would in turn help others in need. When the people refused, the prophet Malachi said they were robbing the Lord (Malachi 3:8-9). But if they gave willingly, showing they trusted the Lord’s promised provision and protection (vv. 10-11), others would recognize them as God’s blessed people (v. 12). Whether we’re managing our finances, our schedules, or the gifts God entrusted to us, giving can be an act of worship. Giving freely and fearlessly can show our confidence in the care of our loving Father—the ultimate generous Giver. —Xochitl Dixon Lord, please help us live with full confidence in Your faithful provision, so we can give freely and fearlessly to You and others. Fearless giving to God and others reveals our trust in the Lord’s promises and provision. INSIGHT: The command to give a tithe (one-tenth) of one’s income to God was central in ancient Israel (Leviticus 27:30; Deuteronomy 12:5-6; 2 Chronicles 31:4-5). In Israel’s God-ruled government, the tithe helped to provide for the Levitical tribe, which offered sacrifices to the Lord and assisted in temple work (Numbers 18:21, 26), as well as provide for the poor. Today’s passage gives us a stirring warning about the neglect of giving to God, calling it robbery (Malachi 3:8-9). When Christ came, He fulfilled the demands of the Mosaic law (see Galatians 3:10-13), and there is no longer a required tithe. Instead, believers are encouraged to regularly give to the Lord in proportion to their income and with an attitude of generosity (1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7). Giving is an act of worship and generous giving can show our confidence in the God of grace. In what ways can you worship God this week through your generosity? For further study see odb.org/2013/11/08/the-blessing-of-giving. Dennis Fisher

Mercy over Judgment

So we have finished the third week of February with only one more week in this month before we head into the third month of the New Year which will be March MAN! time is moving so fast YES! It is FRIDAY so let's just take a moment to reflect on these word of wisdom Read: James 2:1–13 Bible in a Year: Numbers 7–8; Mark 4:21–41 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom.—James 2:12 When my children were squabbling and came to me to tattle on one another, I took each child aside separately to hear their account of the problem. Since both were guilty, at the end of our chat I asked them each what they felt would be an appropriate, fair consequence for their sibling’s actions. Both suggested swift punishment for the other. To their surprise, I instead gave them each the consequence they had intended for their sibling. Suddenly, each child lamented how “unfair” the sentence seemed now that it was visited upon them—despite having deemed it appropriate when it was intended for the other. My kids had shown the kind of “judgment without mercy” that God warns against (James 2:13). James reminds us that instead of showing favoritism to the wealthy, or even to one’s self, God desires that we love others as we love ourselves (v. 8). Instead of using others for selfish gain, or disregarding anyone whose position doesn’t benefit us, James instructs us to act as people who know how much we’ve been given and forgiven—and to extend that mercy to others. God has given generously of His mercy. In all our dealings with others, let’s remember the mercy He’s shown us and extend it to others. —Kirsten Holmberg Lord, I’m grateful for the great mercy You’ve shown me. Help me to offer similar mercy to others as a measure of my gratitude to You. God’s mercy prompts us to be merciful. INSIGHT: Growing up under Roman oppression and the religious legalism of Israel’s rulers, James valued mercy and forgiveness, which was the fruit of his relationship with Christ. For further study on mercy and forgiveness, see “Forgiven Debt” at ourdailyjourney.org/2017/05/12/forgiven-debt. Bill Crowder

Not Enough?

Here we are in this third week of February as we start this New Week let's take a moment to reflect on these words of wisdom with Read: 2 Corinthians 9:10–15 Bible in a Year: Leviticus 25; Mark 1:23–45 Do not forget to do good and to share with others.—Hebrews 13:16 On the way home from church, my daughter sat in the backseat enjoying Goldfish crackers as my other children implored her to share. Trying to redirect the conversation, I asked the hoarder of snacks, “What did you do in class today?” She said they made a basket of bread and fish because a child gave Jesus five loaves and two fish that Jesus used to feed more than 5,000 people (John 6:1-13). “That was very kind of the little boy to share. Do you think maybe God is asking you to share your fish?” I asked. “No, Momma,” she replied. I tried to encourage her not to keep all the crackers to herself. She was unconvinced. “There is not enough for everyone!” Sharing is hard. It is easier to hold onto what we see in front of us. Perhaps we do the calculation and reason there is simply not enough for everyone. And the assumption is that if I give, I will be left wanting. Paul reminds us that all we have comes from God, who wants to enrich us “in every way so that [we] can be generous” (2 Corinthians 9:10-11). The math of heaven isn’t a calculation of scarcity but of abundance. We can share joyfully because God promises to care for us even as we are generous to others. —Lisa Samra Father, You take good care of me. Help me to think of others today and to share Your goodness with them. When we believe that God is good, we can learn to open our hands to others. INSIGHT: A careful reading of 2 Corinthians 9 is quite eye-opening. One of the things we see is a cycle of giving that includes the gracious giving of God, the generous giving of those who have received from God, and the giving of thanks from those who have received from God through others. The abundant giving of God is prominent (v. 8). His giving is evident in nature and other areas (v. 10). He enriches us so we can be generous (v. 11), and His gifts include grace that cannot be measured (v. 14). His ultimate gift (the gift of His Son) is “indescribable”—words are inadequate to communicate its worth (v. 15). Generous givers are next in the cycle. Having been enriched by God, the riches received are to be shared with others, especially with those in the family of God (vv. 1-5; see also Galatians 6:10). Lastly, the giving cycle continues with the giving of thanks—thanksgiving to God, the giver of every good and perfect gift. People are recipients of and conduits for God’s bounty, and God—the ultimate Giver—gets the thanks and the glory! What are some ways you can participate in the cycle of giving? Arthur Jackson

Loving All

The week has come to an end as we take a moment to reflect on ALL that has transpired over the course of the week let's reflect on these words of wisdom. Read: Leviticus 19:33–34 Bible in a Year: Leviticus 19–20; Matthew 27:51–66 The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself.—Leviticus 19:34 I worship in a church located in a large, open field—a rare commodity on the island of Singapore (we’re just twenty-five miles long and fifteen miles wide). Some time back, people from abroad who work in my country started gathering on the church property for a picnic every Sunday. This evoked a range of responses from fellow churchgoers. Some fretted about the mess the visitors would leave behind. But others saw this as a divine opportunity to extend hospitality to a wonderful group of strangers—without even leaving the church grounds! The Israelites must have faced similar issues in their time. After they settled in their new land, they had to grapple with how to relate to other peoples. But God expressly commanded them to treat foreigners like their own kind, and to love them as themselves (Leviticus 19:34). Many of His laws made special mention of foreigners: they were not to be mistreated or oppressed, and they were to be loved and helped (Exodus 23:9; Deuteronomy 10:19). Centuries later, Jesus would command us to do the same: to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:31). May we have God’s heart to love others as ourselves, remembering that we too are sojourners on this earth. Yet we have been loved as God’s people, treated as His own. —Leslie Koh Father, You have made each and every one of us in Your likeness. May we love those from elsewhere and seek to reach out to them with Your love. Embracing God’s love for us is the key to loving others. INSIGHT: The story of Ruth (a Moabitess) offers a moving illustration of “loving the foreigner.” The pagan nation of Moab was situated just east of the Dead Sea. The Moabites were descended from Moab, the son of Lot (Genesis 19:37). During the exodus and throughout the reigns of Saul and David, the Moabites were frequently at war with Israel. In the time of the judges, Naomi and Elimelek and their sons settled in Moab to escape a famine in Israel (Ruth 1). During their stay, Elimelek died, the sons married Moabite women (Ruth and Orpah), and then the sons also died. With no one to care for them, Naomi and Ruth left Moab and returned to Bethlehem, where Ruth was a foreigner (who may have been despised because of her heritage). When they arrived, “the barley harvest was beginning” (v. 22). As a widow, Ruth was allowed to gather the leftover grain after the harvesters had gone through. “As it turned out,” she ended in the field of Boaz, a relative of Elimelek’s (2:3). But it was no coincidence. Boaz’s kindness resulted in Ruth and his place in the ancestry of King David (and Jesus) (Matthew 1:5-16). What would it look like for you to extend kindness to a stranger? Alyson Kieda

Trust Me

The weekend has come to an end and we are starting the New Week off with these words of encouragement to help us get through the rest of the week let's truly reflect on these words of wisdom Read: 1 Kings 17:7–16 Bible in a Year: Leviticus 13; Matthew 26:26–50 Do not worry about tomorrow.—Matthew 6:34 After graduation from college, I had a low-paying job. Money was tight, and sometimes I didn’t even have enough for my next meal. I learned to trust God for my daily provision. It reminded me of the prophet Elijah’s experience. During his prophetic ministry, he learned to trust God to meet his daily needs. Shortly after Elijah pronounced God’s judgment of a drought in Israel, God sent him to a deserted place, Kerith Ravine, where He used the ravens to bring Elijah his daily meals and refresh him with water from the brook (1 Kings 17:1–4). But a drought occurred. The brook shrank to a tiny stream, and slowly became a mere trickle. It was only when the brook had dried up that God said: “Go at once to Zarephath . . . . I have directed a widow there to supply you with food” (v. 9). Zarephath was in Phoenicia, whose inhabitants were enemies of the Israelites. Would anyone offer Elijah shelter? And would a poor widow have food to share? Most of us would rather God provided in abundance long before our resources were depleted rather than just enough for each day. But our loving Father whispers, Trust Me. Just as He used ravens and a widow to provide for Elijah, nothing is impossible for Him. We can count on His love and power to meet our daily needs. —Poh Fang Chia Faithful Father, thank You for knowing exactly what we need before we even ask. Help us to trust You for our daily needs. God supplies all our needs—one day at a time.

Unlikely Friends

Made it to the end of the week YES! It's FRIDAY! As we prepare our minds for the weekend let's take a moment to reflect on ALL of God Grace and mercy towards us as we reflect on these words of wisdom Read: Isaiah 11:1–10 Bible in a Year: Leviticus 6–7; Matthew 25:1–30 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together.—Isaiah 11:6 My Facebook friends often post endearing videos of unlikely animal friendships, such as a recent video I watched of an inseparable pup and pig, another of a deer and cat, and yet another of an orangutan mothering several tiger cubs. When I view such heartwarmingly unusual friendships, it reminds me of the description of the garden of Eden. In this setting, Adam and Eve lived in harmony with God and each other. And because God gave them plants for food, I imagine even the animals lived peacefully together (Genesis 1:30). But this idyllic scene was disrupted when Adam and Eve sinned (3:21-23). Now in both human relationships and the creation, we see constant struggle and conflict. Yet the prophet Isaiah reassures us that one day, “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together” (11:6). Many interpret that future day as when Jesus comes again to reign. When He returns, there will be no more divisions and “no more death . . . or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4). On that renewed earth, creation will be restored to its former harmony and people of every tribe, nation, and language will join together to worship God (7:9-10; 22:1-5). Until then, God can help us to restore broken relationships and to develop new, unlikely friendships. —Alyson Kieda Dear Father, help us to break down barriers and to seek to befriend others; and as we do, enable us to be bearers of the gospel of peace. One day God will restore the world to perfect peace. INSIGHT: Do you long for a day when animals will no longer prey on one another and people will not be bullied? In the days of Isaiah, Assyria was the “Goliath” that made Jewish hearts melt in fear. The prophet Isaiah foresaw a future time when the Messiah will rule and man and beast will live in peace (Isaiah 2:1-4; 11:6-9). For further study, consider the free course on the book of Isaiah at christianuniversity.org/courses/the-book-of-isaiah/. Mart DeHaan

Listening to His Voice

Starting the New Week off in the second week of February with these word of wisdom to help us get through the rest of these week with Read: John 10:25–30 Bible in a Year: Exodus 36–38; Matthew 23:1–22 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.—John 10:27 nkjv I’m hard of hearing—“deaf in one ear and can’t hear out of the other,” as my father used to say. So I wear a set of hearing aids. Most of the time the devices work well, except in environments where there’s a lot of surrounding noise. In those settings, my hearing aids pick up every voice in the room and I cannot hear the person in front of me. So it is with our culture: a cacophony of sounds can drown out God’s quiet voice. “Where shall the Word be found, where will the Word resound?” poet T.S. Eliot asks. “Not here, there is not enough silence.” Fortunately, my hearing aids have a setting that cuts out the surrounding sounds and enables me to hear only the voices I want to hear. In the same way, despite the voices around us, if we quiet our souls and listen, we will hear God’s “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:11-12 nkjv). He speaks to us every day, summoning us in our restlessness and our longing. He calls to us in our deepest sorrow and in the incompleteness and dissatisfaction of our greatest joys. But primarily God speaks to us in His Word (1 Thessalonians 2:13). As you pick up His book and read it, you too will hear His voice. He loves you more than you can ever know, and He wants you to hear what He has to say. —David H. Roper Dear Lord, thank You for giving us Your Word. Help me to listen to Your voice as I spend time alone with You. God speaks through His Word when we take time to listen. INSIGHT: Throughout the Scriptures, God used a variety of ways to speak to people. Sometimes, God spoke audibly (Abraham, Moses). Sometimes, He communicated by way of dreams (Joseph, Nebuchadnezzar). At other times, God gave His message through prophets (Samuel, Ezekiel). Occasionally, God even sent His message by way of angels, which means “messengers,” as He did with Mary and Joseph. No wonder the writer of the letter to the Hebrews said, “God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways” (1:1). However, God’s greatest means of expressing His heart to people was His Son, as verse 2 states: “In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.” That explains why John opened his gospel by describing Jesus as the Word (the Logos) who “became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). Jesus—the living Word—is God’s ultimate message of love to us! And He is revealed to us in the Scriptures—the written Word. For more on Jesus as the living Word, check out the conversations from Discover the Word at discovertheword.org/the-living-word. Bill Crowder

Stepping Into Opportunity

Here we are on this second day of February which is better known as Groundhogs Day Well the Groundhog saw it's shadow so there is going to be six more weeks of Winter OK! I'm alright with that, We have made it to the end of the week YES! It is FRIDAY! since we are in the Second month of the New Year let's take a moment to reflect on these words of wisdom Read: Colossians 4:2–6 Bible in a Year: Exodus 29–30; Matthew 21:23–46 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.—Colossians 4:5 Like lots of people, I struggle to get enough exercise. So I recently got something to motivate myself to move: a pedometer that counts steps. It’s a simple thing. But it’s amazing how much difference this gadget makes in my motivation. Instead of grumbling when I have to get off the couch, I see it as an opportunity to get a few more steps. Mundane tasks, like getting one of my kids a cup of water, become opportunities that help me work toward a larger goal. In that sense, my pedometer has changed my perspective and my motivation. Now I look to get extra steps in whenever possible. I wonder if our Christian life isn’t a bit like that. There are opportunities to love and serve and interact with people every day, as Paul exhorts in Colossians 4:5. But am I always aware of those moments? Am I paying attention to opportunities to be an encourager in seemingly mundane interactions? God is at work in the lives of every person I relate to, from my family and coworkers to a clerk at the grocery store. Each interaction offers a chance for me to pay attention to what God might be doing—even if it’s something as seemingly “small” as kindly asking a server at a restaurant how she’s doing. Who knows how God might work in those moments when we’re alert to the opportunities He sends our way. —Adam Holz Lord, there are so many opportunities to love, listen, and serve those around us each day. Please help us to become people who notice the needs of others. Take every opportunity to serve someone. INSIGHT: Paul’s normal pattern for writing letters to churches is well evidenced in this epistle to the Colossians. That pattern calls for the first half of the book to be primarily theological in nature, with the remainder providing practical application of that doctrinal teaching. The first two chapters of Colossians describe the relationship between Christ, the head of the church; and the church, the body of Christ. Chapters 3-4 then give the practical outworking of those realities. In today’s Scripture reading, we find clear counsel on how to live and function as the church body. This includes the need for intercessory prayer (vv. 2-3) and the importance of personal testimony, which includes graciously using the opportunities God gives us (vv. 5-6). This is wise counsel that is still needed today. Bill Crowder