“We have this treasure in clay vessels.” — 2 Corinthians 4:7
His back is hunched, he walks with a stick, but six decades of spiritual shepherding testify to the fact that he relies on God – the source of his strength. In 1993, Pastor William Barber was diagnosed with a disease that causes vertebrae to fuse together. In a not too delicate way, he was told: “William, you will probably have to find another occupation, because the church will not want a person with a disability to be their pastor.” But Barber overcame the offensive comment. God not only used him as a pastor. He has also become a powerful, respected voice in support of neglected and marginalized people.
Although the world may not fully know what to do with people with disabilities, God does. Those who value beauty and the things money can buy may miss the goodness that comes with unsolicited hacking. The rhetorical question of the apostle James and the principle behind it are worth pondering over: “Has not God chosen the poor of this world over the rich in faith and over the heirs of the Kingdom that He promised to those who love Him?” (James 2:5). If health, strength, or other things decline, faith need not follow suit. With God’s help, everything can be the other way around. Our lack can be a catalyst for trust in Him. Our brokenness can be used by God to bring good into our world.
What are you weak or broken in? How can you use your weakness to encourage others?
Heavenly Father, please help me to bring You glory despite my weaknesses.
Author: Arthur Jackson
“They will raise their wings, like those eagles, they will run – and they will not tire.” — Isaiah 40:31
A pair of eagles built a giant nest in a tree a few miles from my house. Soon the huge birds had eaglets. They cared for their chicks together until one of the adult eagles was tragically hit by a car. For several days, the surviving eagle flew up and down over a nearby river, as if searching for its lost mate. Finally, the bird returned to the nest and took full responsibility for raising the offspring.
In any situation, the process of raising a child by one of the parents can be difficult. The joy that a child brings, combined with possible financial and emotional pressures, can create a wide range of experiences. But there is hope for those who fulfill this important role, and for all those trying to cope with a situation that seems overwhelming.
If we feel exhausted and discouraged, remember that God is with us. Because He is almighty, almighty, and unchanging, His power never fails. We can trust what the Bible says: “Those who hope in the Lord will recover their strength” (Is. 40:31). Our own limitations will not determine what happens to us because we can rely on God to supernaturally recharge us. Hope in Him allows us to go and not get tired, but on the contrary – to “raise wings like those eagles” (v. 31).
What seems overwhelming in your life? How can God encourage you to rely on His strength?
Dear Heavenly Father, I cannot handle my problems on my own. I need You. Please give me Your supernatural power today.
By Jennifer Benson Schuldt
“Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron was eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.” — Exodus 7:7
Two Texas grandmothers recently became a media sensation by traveling around the world in eighty days at the age of eighty-one. Best friends traveling the world for twenty-three years, visited all seven continents. They started in Antarctica, danced the tango in Argentina, rode camels in Egypt and sledded at the North Pole. They visited 18 countries including Zambia, India, Nepal, Bali, Japan, Rome and ended their trip in Australia. The friends hope that they have inspired future generations to enjoy travel, regardless of their age.
In the book of Exodus, we read about two 80-year-old men who were called by God to a life of adventure. He urged Moses to go to Pharaoh and demand that he free God’s people from slavery. God sent Moses’ older brother, Aaron, to support him. “Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron was eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh” (Ex. 7:7).
Such a request would seem terrible at any age, but God chose these brothers, and they carried out His instructions. “And Moses and Aaron entered Pharaoh, and they did as the Lord commanded” (v. 10).
Moses and Aaron had the privilege of witnessing how God delivered His people from more than 400 years of slavery. God can use us at any age. So let us follow Him wherever He leads.
How have you seen God’s faithfulness manifest in your life? How can you serve Him?
Dear God, please help me to follow You all the days of my life.
By Nancy Gavilanes
“A faithful word: if we died together with Him, then we will live together with Him!” — 2 Timothy 2:11
For more than two centuries, the first hymn in the Methodist songbook was “Oh, if I could praise You with a thousand mouths.” Written by Charles Wesley and originally titled “On the Anniversary of Conversion,” this song was created to celebrate being completely renewed through faith in Jesus. The song consists of eighteen stanzas that proclaim the glory of God’s goodness to those who repent and follow Christ.
Such faith should be celebrated and shared. In the 2nd Epistle to Timothy, the apostle Paul encourages him to remain steadfast in his faith and persistently share the Gospel, for which he suffers torment “even to prison, like that criminal” (2 Tim. 2:8-9). However, Paul does not doubt his choice at all and calls Timothy to remember the Good News, “about Jesus Christ of the seed of David, who rose from the dead” (v. 8), who came not to rule, but to serve and, ultimately, to die for the sins of the world so that we may have peace with God. Death did not win. Jesus rose from the dead!
We are free, and the Good News about Him is also free. “The word of God cannot be imprisoned” (v. 9), even in those places where death seems to have won: in prison cells, hospital beds, graves. In Christ there is hope for all people. This is news worth noting!
How do you rejoice in the Good News of Jesus in your daily life? Who can you share this news with?
Heavenly Father, thank you for saving me and giving me the opportunity to share the Good News with others.
Author: Matthew Lucas
“For God will bring every case to judgment, and everything is secret – whether it is good or evil.” — Ecclesiastes 12:14
The thief broke into the phone repair shop, broke the window glass and began to put phones and other things in his pockets. He tried to hide his face from the surveillance camera by covering his head with a cardboard box. However, during the robbery, the box fell, revealing his face. In a few minutes, the store owner saw a video recording of the robbery, called the police, who arrested the robber near a nearby store. This story reminds us that every hidden sin will be revealed someday.
Human nature tries to hide its sins. Instead, in the book of Ecclesiastes, we read that we must obey God’s commandments, because every hidden thing will appear before His righteous gaze and receive a just judgment (Eccl. 12:14). The author wrote: “Fear God, and do His commandments, because this belongs to every person” (v. 13). Even the hidden things condemned by the Ten Commandments (Lev. 4:13) will not escape God’s judgment. God will judge every case, good or bad. But by His grace we can find forgiveness of our sins in Christ Jesus and His sacrifice for us (Eph. 2:4-5).
If we realize and internalize His commandments, it leads to a reverent fear of Him and a corresponding way of life. Let’s bring our sins to Him and feel His loving, all-forgiving heart again.
How do you maintain a reverent fear of God? What can you do this week to remember His commandments?
Dear God, I repent of my secret sins. Please look at me with mercy and help me live righteously before You.
Author: Marvin Williams
“And the grace of our Lord increased greatly in me with faith and love in Christ Jesus.” — 1 Timothy 1:14
I expected eight bananas. Instead, when I opened the packages with products that were delivered to my home, I found twenty! I quickly realized that my move to England meant that I also went from ordering food in pounds to ordering in kilograms. Instead of three pounds, I ordered three kilograms (almost seven pounds) of bananas.
With this abundance, I made several batches of my favorite banana bread to share this blessing with others. As I mashed the fruit, I began to think about other areas of my life where I felt unexpected abundance, the source of which was always God.
The apostle Paul seems to have had a similar experience of thinking about God’s abundance in his life. In the First Letter to Timothy, he tells about his life before conversion, describing himself as an oppressor and an attacker (1 Tim. 1:13), the first of sinners (v. 16). God lavished grace on the broken Paul (v. 14). Having told about all the abundance in his life, the apostle could not help but express praise to God, because he considers Him worthy to be shown “honor and glory forever and ever” (v. 17).
Great grace was also shown to us when we accepted Jesus’ offer of salvation from sin (v. 15). If we pause to reflect on all the blessings we have received, we will join Paul in grateful praise to our bountiful God.
How have you experienced God’s abundance in your life? How can you glorify Him today?
Heavenly Father, thank you for your infinite gift of grace.
Author: Lisa Samra
“A man looks at the face, but the Lord looks at the heart.” — 1 Samuel 16:7
To reduce food waste, a supermarket chain in Singapore is selling slightly damaged fruits and vegetables at lower prices. Over the course of a year, this initiative made it possible to save more than 771,000 kg of products that would previously have been thrown away due to non-compliance with aesthetic standards. Buyers quickly realized that the appearance with certain flaws does not affect the taste and nutritional value. What is outside does not always determine what is inside.
The prophet Samuel learned a similar lesson when he was sent by God to anoint the next king of Israel (1 Sam. 16:1). Seeing Eliava, Jesse’s firstborn, Samuel thought that he was the chosen one. However, God said: “Do not look at his face and at the height of his stature… for a man looks at the face, but the Lord looks at the heart” (v. 7). Of Jesse’s eight sons, God chose the youngest, David, who tended his father’s sheep (v. 11), to become the next king.
God is more concerned with our hearts than with outward signs—the school we attended, how much we earn, or how much we volunteer. Jesus taught His disciples to focus on purifying their hearts from selfish and evil thoughts, because “what comes out of a person defiles a person” (Mark 7:20). So, just as Samuel learned not to pay attention to outward appearances, so we, with God’s help, examine our hearts, our thoughts and intentions in everything we do.
When have you done a “good deed” for the wrong reasons? How to be sure of the purity of your heart?
Dear God, please help me to do only what glorifies You.
Author: Jasmin Goh
“I will rejoice in Your decrees, I will not forget Your words.” — Psalm 118:16
My husband and I organized a student group and gave each participant a Bible. “God will use these priceless gifts to change your life,” I said. That evening, several students decided to read the Gospel of John together. We continued to encourage the group to read the scriptures at home and also taught them during our weekly meetings. More than ten years later, I met one of the members of our group. “I still use the Bible you gave me back then,” she said. I saw confirmation of this in her faith-filled life.
God empowers His people to go beyond reading, quoting and memorizing. He gives us the opportunity to keep our path “pure” in order to live according to the Scriptures (Ps. 118:9). God wants us to seek and obey Him as He uses His unchanging truth to free us from sin and change us (vv. 10-11). We can ask God every day to help us know Him and understand what He says in the Bible (vv. 12-13).
Realizing the valuelessness of a pious way of life, we can “rejoice” in God’s instructions, “like a great estate” (vv. 14-15), and sing with the psalmist: “I will rejoice in Your decrees, I will not forget Your words” (v. 16). By asking the Holy Spirit to empower us, we can enjoy every moment spent in prayerful Bible reading that changes our lives.
How do you invest in scripture study? How can enjoying biblical texts change your view of God’s call to obey Him?
Loving God, please help me to rejoice in the precious words of Scripture as You give me the strength to submit to Your wisdom and authority in my life.
Author: Sosheel Dixon
“And you will rejoice before the Lord, your God, seven days.” — Leviticus 23:40
We set up camp right under the stars, with nothing separating us from the boundless West African sky. A tent is not needed in the dry season. However, fire is crucial. “Never let the fire go out,” Dad warned, prodding the logs with a stick. Fire kept wild animals at bay. God’s creatures are beautiful, but you would never want a leopard or snake wandering around your camp.
Dad was a missionary in the northern part of Ghana and had a real talent for turning everything into a teaching moment. The camp was no exception.
God also used camping as a teaching moment for His people. Once a year, for a whole week, the Israelites had to live in tents, for the construction of which they took “palm branches and branches of many-leaved trees and poplars” (Lev. 23:40). The purpose was twofold. “Every native in Israel will sit in groups, so that your generations will know that I made the children of Israel sit in groups when I brought them out of the land of Egypt” (vv. 42-43). However, the event was also supposed to be festive. “And you will rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days” (v. 40).
God instituted a weeklong journey for the Israelites as a joyful way to remember His goodness. We easily forget the meaning behind our holidays. Our holidays can be a joyful reminder of the character of a loving God. He also created fun.
What is your favorite holiday and why? How does celebrating it remind you of God’s goodness?
Heavenly Father, thank you for the joy that You have invested in Your creation and in Your holidays.
Author: Tim Gustavson
“That we may be truthful in love, and grow in Him in everything, and He is the Head, Christ.” — Ephesians 4:15
Andrew Card was the chief of staff of US President George W. Bush. In an interview about his role at the White House, he said, “In every staff member’s office is a framed statement of purpose: ‘We serve to support the president.’ But that doesn’t mean we serve to please the president or win his favor. Rather, we serve to tell him what he needs to know to do his job effectively.” This job is about managing the United States of America.
In many of our roles and relationships, we begin to please people, instead of building each other up in unity, which the Apostle Paul often called for: “And He, therefore, appointed some to be apostles, some to be prophets, and some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare the saints for the work of service for the building up of the body of Christ, until we all reach the unity of the faith” (Eph. 4:11-13). In verses 15-16, Paul exposed our tendency to please people. He emphasized that these gifts should be expressed through truthfulness in love, which “makes the growth of the body to build itself up with love.”
As Christians, we serve people to build them up and fulfill God’s purposes. Whether we please others or not, we please God as He works through us to create unity in His Church.
Who are you serving to please? How can God’s presence guide your speech?
Dear God, I want to please You by speaking the truth in love to my brothers and sisters.
Author: Eliza Morgan
