The Last Call

As we start this New Week out on this Memorial Day lets take a moment to truly reflect on these words of wisdom as we remember those who have fallen on this Memorial Day Read: 2 Samuel 1:17–27 Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 4–6; John 10:24–42 How the mighty have fallen!—2 Samuel 1:27 After serving his country for two decades as a helicopter pilot, James returned home to serve his community as a teacher. But he missed helicopters, so he took a job flying medical evacuations for a local hospital. He flew until late in his life. Now it was time to say goodbye to him. As friends, family, and uniformed co-workers stood vigil at the cemetery, a colleague called in one last mission over the radio. Soon the distinctive sound of rotors beating the air could be heard. A helicopter circled over the memorial garden, hovered briefly to pay its respects, then headed back to the hospital. Not even the military personnel who were present could hold back the tears. When King Saul and his son Jonathan were killed in battle, David wrote an elegy for the ages called “the lament of the bow” (2 Samuel 1:18). “A gazelle lies slain on your heights,” he sang. “How the mighty have fallen!” (v. 19). Jonathan was David’s closest friend and brother-in-arms. And although David and Saul had been enemies, David honored them both. “Weep for Saul,” he wrote. “I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother” (vv. 24, 26). Even the best goodbyes are oh-so-difficult. But for those who trust in the Lord, the memory is much more sweet than bitter, for it is never forever. How good it is when we can honor those who have served others! —Tim Gustafson Lord, we thank You for those who serve their communities as First Responders. We humbly ask You for their safety. We honor the Creator when we honor the memory of those who honored Him. INSIGHT: Second Samuel 1:19-27 combines personal and communal grief. Jonathan’s death was not just a loss for David personally, but along with Jonathan’s father, King Saul, a loss to the entire nation (vv. 19, 17). Although Saul had tried to kill David, David invited the nation to grieve the loss of their king (v. 24). How can mourning with a community, instead of alone, bring greater healing during grief? Monica Brands

Accidental Wisdom

Made it to the end of the week YES! It's FRIDAY! Take a moment to reflect on these words of wisdom as we prepare to enter into the weekend after going through a long hectic work week with Read: Philippians 4:4–9 Bible in a Year: 1 Chronicles 25–27; John 9:1–23 Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable . . . think about such things.—Philippians 4:8 A few years ago, a woman shared with me a story about finding her preteen son watching news coverage of a violent event. Instinctively, she reached for the remote and changed the channel. “You don’t need to be watching that stuff,” she told him rather abruptly. An argument followed, and eventually she shared that he needed to fill his mind with “whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely . . .” (Philippians 4:8). After dinner, she and her husband were watching the news when suddenly their five-year-old daughter burst in and turned off the television. “You don’t need to be watching that stuff,” she declared in her best “mom” voice. “Now, think about those Bible things!” As adults, we can better absorb and process the news than our children. Still, the couple’s daughter was both amusing and wise when she echoed her mother’s earlier instructions. Even well-adjusted adults can be affected by a steady diet of the darker side of life. Meditating on the kind of things Paul lists in Philippians 4:8 is a powerful antidote to the gloom that sometimes settles on us as we see the condition of our world. Making careful decisions about what fills our minds is an excellent way to honor God and guard our hearts as well. —Randy Kilgore Father, open our eyes today to what’s beautiful. Teach us to meditate on You. What we let into our minds shapes the state of our souls. INSIGHT: The virtuous life described in Philippians 4:8 is to be the believer’s focus. What is “true” refers to basing one’s life on reality according to God’s Word. “Noble” means honest or worthy of respect. “Right” corresponds to a moral sense of what is fair. “Pure” indicates a character that is not polluted by sin. “Lovely” means expressing love toward others in relationships. Finally, “admirable” carries with it the idea of a positive reputation and reliable Christian character. What are some specific ways you can display these virtues this week? For further reading, see Kingdom Living: Embracing the Virtues of the King at discoveryseries.org/hp091. Dennis Fisher

A Prayer of Forgiveness

We have enter into the last week of May BOY! time is flying as we start this New Week before we head into 6th month of the New Year which is June but lets NOT rush it lets savior the last week's of May with these words of wisdom Read: Luke 6:27–36 Bible in a Year: 1 Chronicles 13–15; John 7:1–27 Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.—Luke 6:27-28 In 1960, six-year-old Ruby Bridges was the first African-American child to integrate an all-white public elementary school in the American South. Every day for months, federal marshals escorted Ruby past a mob of angry parents shouting curses, threats, and insults at her. Safely inside, she sat in a classroom alone with Barbara Henry, the only teacher willing to instruct her while parents kept their children from attending school with Ruby. Noted child psychologist Robert Coles met with Ruby for several months to help her cope with the fear and stress she experienced. He was amazed by the prayer Ruby said every day as she walked to school and back home. “Please, God, forgive them because they don’t know what they’re doing” (see Luke 23:34). The words of Jesus spoken from the cross were stronger than the hatred and insults hurled at Him. In the most agonizing hours of His life, our Lord demonstrated the radical response He taught His followers: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you . . . . Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:27-28, 36). This remarkable approach is possible only as we consider the powerful love Jesus has given us—love stronger than even the deepest hatred. Ruby Bridges helped show us the way. —David C. McCasland Father, You have so graciously forgiven us. Help us today to forgive others who have wronged us. Bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you. INSIGHT: Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive [someone] who sins against me? Up to seven times?” (Matthew 18:21). In that day, if you forgave a person three times, you were considered magnanimous. So Peter must have thought he was a super saint to forgive an offender seven times. Jesus corrected him, “Not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (v. 22). Jesus is saying that when it comes to forgiving another, you can’t keep score. We never reach a limit when we can say we have forgiven enough. Although forgiveness doesn’t excuse an offense, we can choose to “be kind and compassionate to one another, [forgive] each other, just as in Christ God forgave [us]” (Ephesians 4:32). Is there someone who needs your forgiveness today, yet again? K. T. Sim

Overflowing

We have made it to the end of the week YES! It's FRIDAY! Let's just take a moment to be Thankful that we have lived through another week with these words of wisdom Read: Romans 15:4–13 Bible in a Year: 1 Chronicles 4–6; John 6:1–21 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him.—Romans 15:13 “No! No! No! NO!” I screamed. It didn’t help. Not one bit. My brilliant solution for our plugged problem—flushing again—accomplished exactly the opposite of what I’d intended. I knew I had made a mistake the second I pushed the lever down. And I stood helplessly as water overflowed. How many times have our kids tried to pour milk and misjudged the process, with white liquid flowing everywhere. Or maybe we failed to remember that a two-liter bottle of soda just rolled around in the trunk . . . with explosively startling results. No, spills are almost never a good thing. But there might be one exception. The apostle Paul uses that image of overflowing to describe a people so full of God’s Spirit that what naturally spills out of them is hope (Romans 15:13). I love that picture of being filled to the brim with joy, peace, and faith because of His powerful presence in our lives. So much so, in fact, that we can’t help but exude and express winsome confidence in our heavenly Father. That might be during the beautiful, sunny seasons of our lives. Or when the proverbial cup of our lives gets jostled. Either way, what sloshes out over the top is life-giving hope to those around us who are “drenched” by it. —Adam Holz Lord, spills happen in life. But when they do, help us to be so full of Your Spirit that what pours out of us is the kind of hope that others can’t help but notice and be blessed by. The Father gave us the Spirit to make us like the Son. INSIGHT: Hope is a central theme in Romans. Testing results in hope (5:4), we are saved in hope (8:24), we are to be joyful in hope (12:12), we draw hope from the Scriptures in the trials of life (15:4), and our lives can overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit (15:13). For more on hope, listen to the Discover the Word series Hope: The Missing Ingredient at discovertheword.org/series/hope-the-missing-ingredient. Bill Crowder

Not What It Seems

The weekend has come an gone an we are starting a New Week with ALL of it's ups and downs twist and turns lets continue to keep are eyes focus on Christ with these words of wisdom to guide us through the ups and downs of life Read: 2 Kings 19:29–37 Bible in a Year: 2 Kings 19–21; John 4:1–30 Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.—1 John 4:1 “Listen!” my wife said to me over the phone. “There’s a monkey in our yard!” She held up the phone so I could hear. And yes, it sounded just like a monkey. Which is weird, because the nearest wild monkey was 2,000 miles away. Later, my father-in-law burst our bubble. “That’s a barred owl,” he explained. Reality was not what it had seemed. When King Sennacherib’s armies had Judah’s King Hezekiah trapped inside Jerusalem’s walls, the Assyrians thought victory was theirs. Reality proved different. Although the Assyrian field commander used smooth words and pretended to speak for God, the Lord had His hand on His people. “Have I come to attack and destroy this place without word from the Lord?” the commander asked (2 Kings 18:25). As he tried to entice Jerusalem to surrender, he even said, “Choose life and not death!” (v. 32). That sounds like something God would say. But the prophet Isaiah told the Israelites the true words of the Lord. “[Sennacherib] will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here,” God said. “I will defend this city and save it” (19:32-34; Isaiah 37:35). That very night “the angel of the Lord” destroyed the Assyrians (v. 35). From time to time, we’ll encounter smooth-talking people who “advise” us while denying God’s power. That isn’t God’s voice. He speaks to us through His Word. He guides us with His Spirit. His hand is on those who follow Him, and He will never abandon us. —Tim Gustafson Teach us to discern Your voice, Lord. God is always trustworthy. INSIGHT: For further study on discerning truth from error, read Dangers of False Teachers at discoveryseries.org/q0909.

Persevering with Peace

We have made it through another week YES! It's FRIDAY! as we head into the weekend lets take a moment to reflect on ALL that God has brought us through just this week alone with these words of wisdom Read: Psalm 3 Bible in a Year: 2 Kings 13–14; John 2 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.—Psalm 3:5 As I continue trusting God through my struggles with chronic pain, even the simplest setback can feel like a fierce enemy attacker. Problem One jabs me from the right. Problem Two shoves me from behind. Problem Three punches me square in the nose. During these times, when my strength wanes and immediate relief evades me, running and hiding can seem like a good idea. But since I can’t escape my pain, change my circumstances, or ignore my emotions, I’m learning slowly to rely on God to carry me through. When I need encouragement, comfort, and courage, I prayerfully read through the songs of the psalmists, who honestly bring their situations to God. In one of my favorite psalms, King David flees from Absalom, his son who wanted to kill him and take his kingdom. Though David lamented his painful situation (Psalm 3:1-2), he trusted God’s protection and expected Him to answer his prayers (vv. 3-4). The king didn’t lose sleep worrying or fearing what could happen, because he trusted God to sustain and save him (vv. 5-8). Physical and emotional pain can often feel like aggressive adversaries. We may be tempted to give up or wish we could escape when we’re weary and can’t see the end of our current battle. But, like David, we can learn to trust that God will hold us up and help us rest in His constant and loving presence. —Xochitl Dixon Lord, thanks for giving us rest in the peace of Your constant presence and assuring us of the victory You’ve already won. God offers us peace as He holds us up and carries us through every trial. INSIGHT: In addition to the Psalms, the New Testament has a lot to say about perseverance through trials. The book of Acts tells the account of the apostle Peter who was preparing to stand trial after being unjustly imprisoned by King Herod for eight days. Undoubtedly he would be executed. But Peter didn’t lose any sleep over his impending death. In fact “the night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep” (Acts 12:6 nlt). Peter experienced peace—peace that can come only through trusting God—because the church was earnestly praying for him (vv. 5, 12). The apostle Paul wrote about tranquility in his letter to the Philippians: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). When we can’t sleep because we’re troubled by the trials of life, instead of counting sheep we can talk to our Good Shepherd. Jesus promised, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you” (John 14:27). What worries keep you awake at night? Ask God to help you find the peace you need. K. T. Sim

The Fingerprint of God

Now that we have officially started in the 5th month of the New Year in the second week of May let's start this New week Off with a Celebration take a moment to just rejoice in the fact that God has been so GOOD to you with these words of wisdom to help guide you through this week with Read: Ephesians 2:1–10 Bible in a Year: 2 Kings 1–3; Luke 24:1–35 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.—Ephesians 2:10 Lygon Stevens loved to climb mountains with her brother Nick. They were experienced climbers and both had summitted Mt. McKinley (Denali), the highest point in North America. Then, in January 2008, they were swept off a Colorado mountain by an avalanche, injuring Nick and killing twenty-year-old Lygon. When Nick later discovered his sister’s journal in one of her satchels, he was deeply comforted by its contents. It was filled with reflections, prayers, and praise to God as seen in this entry: “I am a work of art, signed by God. But He’s not done; in fact, He has just begun. . . . I have on me the fingerprint of God. Never will there ever be another person like me. . . . I have a job to do in this life that no other can do.” Although Lygon is no longer physically present on earth, through the legacy of her life and her journal she inspires and challenges those she left behind. Because we are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26), each person is a “work of art, signed by God.” As the apostle Paul says, “We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). Praise God that He uses each of us, in His own time and way, to help others. —Dennis Fisher How would You like to use me, Lord? I am open and willing. Each person is a unique expression of God’s loving design. INSIGHT: Genesis 1:26-27 says we were created in God’s image. Similarly, Genesis 5:1 and James 3:9 tell us we were made in His “likeness.” What does it mean to be made in God’s image? We were created with characteristics that set us apart from other creatures. We have the capacity to reason, to make moral choices, and to be in relationship with others. We also have the capacity to do good works, and Jesus set the precedent: He “went around doing good” (Acts 10:38). Ephesians 2:10 tells us we were not only created “to do good works” but “God prepared in advance” the good works we would do. Our task is to stay near to God (Hebrews 10:22), be alert for opportunities, and rely on the Spirit for strength and help. Alyson Kieda

Before the Beginning

So here we are the week has come to an end we have finished the week in the 5th month of the New Year Welcome to May so has we take a moment to reflect on these words of wisdom also take a moment to be Thankful for ALL that God has brought you through take these words of wisdom to Heart and reflect on How truly God has been good to You with Read: Matthew 3:13–17 Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 16–18; Luke 22:47–71 You loved me before the creation of the world.—John 17:24 “But if God has no beginning and no end, and has always existed, what was He doing before He created us? How did He spend His time?” Some precocious Sunday school student always asks this question when we talk about God’s eternal nature. I used to respond that this was a bit of a mystery. But recently I learned that the Bible gives us an answer to this question. When Jesus prays to His Father in John 17, He says “Father, . . . you loved me before the creation of the world” (v. 24). This is God as revealed to us by Jesus: Before the world was ever created, God was a trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)—all loving each other and being loved. When Jesus was baptized, God sent His Spirit in the form of a dove and said, “This is my Son, whom I love” (Matthew 3:17). The most foundational aspect of God’s identity is this outgoing, life-giving love. What a lovely and encouraging truth this is about our God! The mutual, outgoing love expressed by each member of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is key to understanding the nature of God. What was God doing before the beginning of time? What He always does: He was loving because He is love (1 John 4:8). —Amy Peterson God, thank You for Your overflowing, self-giving love. We are created in the image of a God who is loving and relational. INSIGHT: Love has always defined God; it is at the core of everything He does, now and in eternity. But today’s text urges us to think about an aspect of God’s love we might not typically consider. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit spend eternity in a perfect relationship—giving and receiving love. It’s important to remember that genuine love not only gives love but also receives it. It wouldn’t be loving of the Father not to accept the love of the Son and the Spirit. It’s easy to say we love someone and to show it with what we do for them, but part of loving them is receiving their expressions of love too. That takes humility and trust. Do you need to receive the love of someone else today? Or do you need to receive the love of God again and remember the reason we love Him is because He first loved us. J.R. Hudberg