Call for Help

So here we are we are at the end of August getting ready to head into the 9th month of the New Year YES! September is just a day away I hope that the end of the week has brought you into a reflective moment YES! Be Thankful that you have made it to the end of the week OMG! YES! It's FRIDAY! I am going to leave yow with these words of wisdom to meditate on Read: Acts 2:14–21 Bible in a Year: Psalms 132–134; 1 Corinthians 11:17–34 Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.—Acts 2:21 After five deaths and fifty-one injuries in elevator accidents in 2016, New York City launched an ad campaign to educate people on how to stay calm and be safe. The worst cases were people who tried to save themselves when something went wrong. The best plan of action, authorities say, is simply, “Ring, relax, and wait.” New York building authorities made a commitment to respond promptly to protect people from injury and extract them from their predicament. In the book of Acts, Peter preached a sermon that addressed the error of trying to save ourselves. Luke, who wrote the book, records some remarkable events in which believers in Christ were speaking in languages they did not know (Acts 2:1-12). Peter got up to explain to his Jewish brothers and sisters that what they were witnessing was the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy (Joel 2:28-32)—the outpouring of the Spirit and a day of salvation. The blessing of the Holy Spirit was now visibly seen in those who called on Jesus for rescue from sin and its effects. Then Peter told them how this salvation is available for anyone (v. 21). Our access to God comes not through keeping the Law but through trusting Jesus as Lord and Messiah. If we are trapped in sin, we cannot save ourselves. Our only hope for being rescued is acknowledging and trusting Jesus as Lord and Messiah. —Marvin Williams Have you called on Jesus to rescue you from your sin? Rescue comes to those who call on Jesus for help. INSIGHT: Luke records the coming of the Holy Spirit in wonderfully descriptive language. For the disciples, the entire three years of walking with Jesus would have been astounding, but the last two months prior to the day of Pentecost would have been especially intense: the trial, the crucifixion, hiding in fear, the resurrection, the ascension. And it all led to the coming of the Holy Spirit and the proclamation of the gospel. Luke doesn’t record the reactions of the disciples, but imagine being in their sandals. As you are together with your closest friends, you hear the sound of wind—inside the house! What appears to be fire descends on you. Even with everything you have seen, the temptation to flinch would have been great. God’s presence was both terrifying and empowering. But it’s this fire that sparks the first gospel message, the message of salvation in Jesus. J.R. Hudberg

Serve Continually

WOW! I can't believe we are starting the New Week Off in the last week of August be fore we step over into the 9th month of the New Year which is September MAN! Time is moving but let's NOT get ahead of ourselves let's stay in the moment and reflect on these words of wisdom to help get us through the rest of the week with Read: Daniel 6:10–22 Bible in a Year: Psalms 120–122; 1 Corinthians 9 Has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you?—Daniel 6:20 When educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom, researching how to develop talent in young people, examined the childhoods of 120 elite performers—athletes, artists, scholars—he found that all of them had one thing in common: they had practiced intensively for long periods of time. Bloom’s research suggests that growing in any area of our lives requires discipline. In our walk with God, too, cultivating the spiritual discipline of regularly spending time with Him is one way we can grow in our trust in Him. Daniel is a good example of someone who prioritized a disciplined walk with God. As a young person, Daniel started making careful and wise decisions (1:8). He also was committed to praying regularly, “giving thanks to God” (6:10). His frequent seeking of God resulted in a life in which his faith was easily recognized by those around him. In fact, King Darius described Daniel as a “servant of the living God” (v. 20) and twice described him as a person who served God “continually” (vv. 16, 20). Like Daniel, we desperately need God. How good to know that God works in us so that we long to spend time with Him! (Philippians 2:13). So let us come every day before God, trusting that our time with Him will result in a love that will overflow more and more and in a growing knowledge and understanding of our Savior (1:9-11). —Keila Ochoa Father, I thank You for the privilege of serving You. Help me to spend regular time with You in order to grow in my knowledge of You. Time with God transforms us.

We Would See Jesus

We are getting ready to wrap up the 8th month of the New Year which is August WOW! Time is moving so FAST but before we wrap up the month of August the week has come to an end YES! It's FRIDAY! Take a moment to reflect on these words of wisdom Read: John 12:20–26 Bible in a Year: Psalms 116–118; 1 Corinthians 7:1–19 They came to Philip . . . with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.”—John 12:21 As I looked down at the pulpit where I was sharing prayers at a funeral, I glimpsed a brass plaque bearing words from John 12:21: “Sir, we would see Jesus” (kjv). Yes, I thought, how fitting to consider how we saw Jesus in the woman we were celebrating with tears and smiles. Although she faced challenges and disappointments in her life, she never gave up her faith in Christ. And because God’s Spirit lived in her, we could see Jesus. John’s gospel recounts how after Jesus rode into Jerusalem (see John 12:12-16), some Greeks approached Philip, one of the disciples, asking, “Sir, . . . we would like to see Jesus” (v. 21). They were probably curious about Jesus’s healings and miracles, but as they weren’t Jewish, they weren’t allowed into the inner courts of the temple. When their request was passed along to Jesus, He announced that His hour had come to be glorified (v. 23). And by that, He meant that He would die for the sins of many. He would fulfill His mission to reach not only the Jews but the Gentiles (the “Greeks” in verse 20), and now they would see Jesus. After Jesus died, He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in His followers (14:16-17). Thus as we love and serve Jesus, we see Him active in our lives. And, amazingly, those around us too can see Jesus! —Amy Boucher Pye Lord Jesus Christ, I am humbled and amazed that You would come and live in me. Help me to share this amazing gift with those I meet today. We can see Jesus in the lives of His followers. INSIGHT: At first glance, it might appear that Jesus brushes off the Greeks who requested to see Him. But characteristically, His indirect reply points to a far more profound reality. Jesus is explaining the significance of what will happen to Him later that week. First He says, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (John 12:23), a reference to His death and resurrection for the salvation of the world—including the Greeks. Then He uses the metaphor of wheat to describe Himself and His mission. William Hendriksen points out the significance of the kernel of wheat in the context of the approaching Passover celebration. The seed must die before it can grow into a wheat stalk, producing many more seeds that will be made into bread—bread that will be eaten at Passover. Jesus (the Bread of Life) would have to die to produce “many seeds” (v. 24). And anyone who wants to serve Jesus must hate their life in this world (v. 25)—in other words, die to self. Am I willing to die to self in order to serve the One who died for me? Will I do what is necessary to “see Jesus”? Tim Gustafson

In Progress or Completed?

Here we are starting the New Week Off in the Third week of August and Welcome back to the First Day of School for the majority of us being a Colleges Student it can get hectic around this time as we enter a New Chapter and a New Season in our Lives let's reflect on these words of wisdom Read: Hebrews 10:5–14 Bible in a Year: Psalms 105–106; 1 Corinthians 3 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.—Hebrews 10:14 It’s satisfying to finish a job. Each month, for instance, one of my job responsibilities gets moved from one category to another, from “In Progress” to “Completed.” I love clicking that “Completed” button. But last month when I clicked it, I thought, If only I could overcome rough spots in my faith so easily! It can seem like the Christian life is always in progress, never completed. Then I remembered Hebrews 10:14. It describes how Christ’s sacrifice redeems us totally. So in one important sense, that “completed button” has been pressed for us. Jesus’s death did for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves: He made us acceptable in God’s eyes when we place our faith in Him. It is finished, as Jesus Himself said (John 19:30). Paradoxically, even though His sacrifice is complete and total, we spend the rest of our lives living into that spiritual reality—“being made holy,” as Hebrews’ author writes. The fact that Jesus has finished something that’s still being worked out in our lives is hard to understand. When I’m struggling spiritually, it’s encouraging to remember that Jesus’s sacrifice for me—and for you—is complete . . . even if our living it out in this life is still a work in progress. Nothing can stop His intended end from being achieved eventually: being transformed into His likeness (see 2 Corinthians 3:18). —Adam Holz Jesus, thank You for giving Your life for us. Help us trust You as we grow into followers whose lives look more and more like Yours, knowing that You are the one who makes us complete. God is at work to make us who He intends us to be. INSIGHT: The words “It’s finished!” can mean different things to different people. For the student, they might mean, “I’m finally graduating!” For the Jewish leaders at the time of Jesus, these words could mean they had succeeded in killing Jesus (John 11:53). For the Roman soldiers, it could describe the death penalty they had successfully carried out (19:16-18). For the disciples, these words could mean that their hopes of the Messiah delivering them from Roman bondage were dashed (Luke 24:19-21). But when Jesus uttered, “It is finished” (John 19:30), He was declaring He had completed the work the Father gave Him to do (17:4)—to be “an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10). For more about the death and resurrection of Jesus, check out our free online course at christianuniversity.org/CA206. K. T. Sim

Jesus Reached Out

So another week has come to an end YES! It's FRIDAY! as we begin to reflect on this past week we had to over come some adversity weather it was starting college classes, work or whatever the case may be we ALL were in our emotions so take the time to FORGIVE yourself and reflect n these words of wisdom to guide you into ALL TRUTH with Read: Matthew 14:22–33 Bible in a Year: Psalms 97–99; Romans 16 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.—Matthew 14:31 Sometimes life gets busy—classes are hard, work is exhausting, the bathroom needs to be cleaned, and a coffee date is on the day’s schedule. It gets to the point where I force myself to read the Bible for a few minutes a day and tell myself I’ll spend more time with God next week. But it doesn’t take long before I’m distracted, drowning in the day’s tasks, and forget to ask God for help of any kind. When Peter was walking on water toward Jesus, he quickly became distracted by the wind and waves. Like me, he began to sink (Matthew 14:29-30). But as soon as Peter cried out, “immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him” (vv. 30-31). I often feel as if I have to make it up to God after being so busy and distracted that I lose sight of Him. But that’s not how God works. As soon as we turn to Him for help, Jesus reaches out without hesitation. When we’re unsettled by the chaos of life, it’s easy to forget that God is standing in the middle of the storm with us. Jesus asked Peter, “Why did you doubt?” (v. 31). No matter what we’re going through, He is there. He is here. Next to us at that moment, in this moment, ready to reach out and rescue us. —Julie Schwab Lord, help me to turn to You in the midst of my busyness and life’s distractions. Thank You for always being here, ready to catch me. God is waiting for us to turn to Him so He can reach out and help. INSIGHT: The fear-filled disciples who saw Jesus walking on the lake cried out, “It’s a ghost!” (Matthew 14:26). But then they worshipfully acknowledged, “Truly you are the Son of God” (v. 33). In between the collective voices of the disciples, we hear the voices of Jesus and Peter. Following the words of Jesus in verse 27, Peter spoke, “Lord, if it’s you . . . tell me to come to you on the water” (v. 28). At first glance it’s easy to interpret Peter’s “if” as implying uncertainty. An alternate rendering of the word if is since. Given Peter’s actions, it seems to me that this translation makes sense. When Jesus is the one directing us, doubt can yield to confidence. Arthur Jackson

The Gift of Time

We have start the New Week Off in the third week of August so let's continue to be Thankful for God's Grace and Mercy has we journey throughout this week YES! I know it get challenging but continue to put your TRUST in GOD with these words of wisdom Read: Luke 6:37–38 Bible in a Year: Psalms 87–88; Romans 13 A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.—Proverbs 11:25 I headed into the post office in a big hurry. I had a number of things on my to-do list, but as I entered I was frustrated to find a long line backing up all the way to the door. “Hurry up and wait,” I muttered, glancing at my watch. My hand was still on the door when an elderly stranger approached me. “I can’t get this copier to work,” he said, pointing to the machine behind us. “It took my money and I don’t know what to do.” Immediately I knew what God wanted me to do. I stepped out of line and was able to fix the problem in ten minutes. The man thanked me and then left. As I turned to get back in line, it was gone. I walked straight to the service counter. My experience that day reminds me of Jesus’s words: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38). My wait seemed shorter because God interrupted my hurry. By turning my eyes to others’ needs and helping me give of my time, He gave me a gift. It’s a lesson I hope to remember, next time I look at my watch. —James Banks Heavenly Father, all of the time I have is in Your hands, a gift from You. Please show me how to use it to bring glory and honor to You. Sometimes our to-do list needs to wait. INSIGHT: Time is a precious commodity that we can waste, spend, or invest. Moses prayed, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). In a sense, nothing more clearly requires—or displays—a heart of wisdom than the way we use our time. This may be why Jesus—pressed by the crowds, confronted by the needs around Him, and threatened by the religious establishment—is never described in the Gospels as being in a hurry. Instead, He saw time as having a part in the Father’s purposes. At the wedding feast in Galilee, He said to His mother, “My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4). As He drew ever closer to the cross, however, He saw that time coming to culmination. In John 12:27 He affirmed, “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.” Living wisely is rooted in understanding that our loving Father has a purpose behind our seconds, minutes, hours, and days. Bill Crowder

A Hopeful Lament

Here we are at the end of another week YES! It is FRIDAY! so let take the time and the moment to just reflect on the Goodness of God with these words of wisdom Read: Lamentations 3:49–58 Bible in a Year: Psalms 79–80; Romans 11:1–18 I called on your name, Lord, from the depths of the pit.—Lamentations 3:55 To visit Clifton Heritage National Park in Nassau, Bahamas, is to revisit a tragic era in history. Where the land meets the water, stone steps lead up a cliff. Slaves brought to the Bahamas by ship in the eighteenth century would ascend these steps, often leaving family behind and entering a life of inhumane treatment. At the top, there is a memorial to those slaves. Cedar trees have been carved into the shapes of women looking out to sea toward the homeland and family members they’ve lost. Each sculpture is scarred with marks of the slave captain’s whip. These sculptures of women mourning what they’ve lost remind me of the importance of recognizing the injustices and broken systems in the world, and lamenting them. Lamenting does not mean that we are without hope; rather, it’s a way of being honest with God. It should be a familiar posture for Christians; about forty percent of the Psalms are psalms of lament, and in the book of Lamentations, God’s people cry out to Him after their city has been destroyed by invaders (3:55). Lament is a legitimate response to the reality of suffering, and it engages God in the context of pain and trouble. Ultimately, lament is hopeful: when we lament what is not right, we call ourselves and others to be active in seeking change. And that’s why the sculpture garden in Nassau has been named “Genesis”—the place of lament is recognized as the place of new beginnings. —Amy Peterson We can trust God to bring something new out of our seasons of lament. INSIGHT: The prophet Jeremiah had prophesied for over forty years to a disobedient, disbelieving Judah (627-580 bc). Now in five emotionally charged “funeral laments” he writes as an eyewitness, lamenting the destruction and devastation of Jerusalem, the temple, and the people as they are forcefully exiled to Babylon. He includes the reasons why God would use the Babylonians to discipline His idolatrous people (Lamentations 1:5-8; see 1 Kings 9:6-9; Jeremiah 2:11-13, 18:15-17). For two years the Babylonians besieged Jerusalem. Jeremiah witnessed the uncensored horrors of war (2 Kings 25:1-4; Jeremiah 52:12-27; Lamentations 2:20; 4:10). But he also wrote of hope in the midst of despair (3:21-33) and of the restoration that would come (5:19-22). Jeremiah reminded the Jewish people that the Lord, who has judged Judah rightly for her sins, is the Lord of hope (3:21, 24-25), compassion (v. 22), faithfulness (v. 23), and salvation (v. 26). Jeremiah calls the people to repent and to trust in the goodness of God (vv. 25-26; 5:21). “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation,” says the apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 7:10). How has this been true in your own life? K. T. Sim

The Joy of Giving

So here we are in the second week of August as we start this New Week take a moment to reflect on these word of wisdom to uide you throughout the rest of the week with Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:12–24 Bible in a Year: Psalms 70–71; Romans 8:22–39 Encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.—1 Thessalonians 5:14 It was a dreary week. I had been feeling lethargic and listless, although I couldn’t figure out why. Near the end of the week, I found out that an aunt had kidney failure. I knew I had to visit her—but to be honest, I felt like postponing the visit. Still, I made my way to her place, where we had dinner, chatted, and prayed together. An hour later, I left her home feeling upbeat for the first time in days. Focusing on someone else rather than myself had somehow improved my mood. Psychologists have found that the act of giving can produce satisfaction, which comes when the giver sees the recipient’s gratitude. Some experts even believe that humans are wired to be generous! Perhaps that’s why Paul, when encouraging the church in Thessalonica to build up their faith community, urged them to “help the weak” (1 Thessalonians 5:14). Earlier, he had also cited Jesus’s words, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). While this was said in the context of giving financially, it applies as well to the giving of time and effort. When we give, we get an insight into how God feels. We understand why He’s so delighted to give us His love, and we share in His joy and the satisfaction of blessing others. I think I’ll be visiting my aunt again soon. —Leslie Koh Father, You have made me to give to others just as You have given to me. Teach me to give so that I can truly reflect Your character and be more like You today. The giver is the greatest recipient. INSIGHT: Do you ever feel that you’re always on the giving end? Or do you feel you’re always taking and receiving—with nothing to offer others but your own neediness? Take another look at Paul’s words to the Thessalonians. See if you can hear the wisdom of someone who knows there’s a time to give and a time to receive. If you sense that you’re receiving more than your fair share of help, does Paul give you any idea about what you have to give even while receiving? Can you see that in acknowledging graciously the hard work of those who are caring for you, God can actually use you to encourage them? If you seem to be giving to the point of exhaustion, see if you can hear any gentle wisdom here for yourself. Mart DeHaan

To My Dear Friend

We have step out of the seventh month of the New Year which was July now we are moving forward and have entered into the Eighth month of the new year Welcome to August as we have come to the end of the week lets take a moment to reflect on a New Season and a New Chapter that we are going to begin with these words of wisdom Read: 3 John Bible in a Year: Psalms 63–65; Romans 6 The elder, to my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.—3 John 1 What the apostle John did for his friend Gaius in the first century is a dying art in the twenty-first century. John wrote him a letter. One writer for the New York Times, Catherine Field, said, “Letter-writing is among our most ancient of arts. Think of letters and the mind falls on Paul of Tarsus,” for example. And we can add the apostle John. In his letter to Gaius, John included hopes for good health of body and soul, an encouraging word about Gaius’s faithfulness, and a note about his love for the church. John also spoke of a problem in the church, which he promised to address individually later. And he wrote of the value of doing good things for God’s glory. All in all, it was an encouraging and challenging letter to his friend. Digital communication may mean letter-writing on paper is fading away, but this shouldn’t stop us from encouraging others. Paul wrote letters of encouragement on parchment; we can encourage others in a variety of ways. The key is not the way we encourage others, but that we take a moment to let others know we care for them in Jesus’s name! Think of the encouragement Gaius experienced when he opened John’s letter. Could we similarly shine God’s love on our friends with a thoughtful note or an uplifting call? —Dave Branon Lord, help us know how to encourage others who need a spiritual boost from us. Encouraging words bring hope to the human spirit.