“The end of all things is at hand. Therefore, be wise and watchful in your prayers.” — 1 Peter 4:7
In June 1965, six teenagers from the island Kingdom of Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean set out to sea in search of adventure. They did not make themselves wait. On the very first night, a storm broke the mast and rudder. They drifted for several days without food or water before reaching the deserted island of Ata, where they spent 15 months until help arrived.
The boys understood that they had to fight for survival. They planted a vegetable garden, hollowed out some wooden trunks to store rainwater, and even built a makeshift gymnasium. When one of them fell off a cliff and broke his leg, the others fixed it with sticks and leaves. Quarrels ended with a mandatory reconciliation, and every day began and ended with singing and prayer. When the boys returned home safe and sound, their relatives were shocked: they had already organized their funeral.
Christians in the first century had a hard time. The apostle Peter comforted the persecuted brothers and sisters, urging them to be prudent, pray (1 Peter 4:7), show mutual concern (v. 8) and use their gifts to serve one another (vv. 10-11). Then, despite all the calamities, God will “assure” them, “strengthen” and “establish” them (1 Pet. 5:10).
In times of trial, we need the “faith of the exiles.” We will pray and work together, and the Lord will guide us through any troubles.
When disaster strikes, do you ask others for help or do you try to deal with it alone? Which of the believers needs your support?
God, give me faith so that I can face difficulties with dignity.
Author: Sheridan Voysey
“So that you do not grieve like others who have no hope.” — 1 Thessalonians 4:13
Louise was a cheerful, playful girl. Everyone who looked at her smiled. But at the age of five, she fell ill with a rare disease and died. Her sudden departure was a terrible blow to Peter and Day-Day, her parents, and to all of us who worked with them. We cried with them.
And yet Peter and Day-Day showed remarkable fortitude. When I asked how they were dealing with their grief, Day-Day said that they were comforted by the thought of where Louise was now in the loving hands of the Lord Jesus. “We rejoice for our girl, whose time has come to go to heaven,” she said. “God gives us the grace and strength to overcome grief and continue to do what He has entrusted to us.”
Day-Day found comfort in the character of God as revealed in Jesus Christ. Biblical hope is more than simple optimism. It is full confidence based on God’s promise that He will never break. When it is difficult for us, we turn to the truth with which the Apostle Paul comforted believers who longed for their dead friends: “If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, God will also bring the dead through Jesus with Him” (1 Thess. 4:14). Let this confidence comfort us and give us strength in spite of all sorrows.
How do you draw strength from God’s promises? How can you comfort someone who is grieving the loss of a loved one?
Heavenly Father, thank You for hope and comfort. Strengthen me so that I can support others.
Author: Leslie Koh
? 07/23/2023 10:01 a.m. #broadcast “Between 1 and 42 chapters of the book of Job” began on the Church of God’s Glory channel | Pastor Oleksandr Koltukov 07/23/2023: https://youtu.be/foyZPLPkDhU
“I always thank my God when I remember you in my prayers.” — Philemon 1:4
Every year in Great Britain there is a ceremony during which the reigning monarch distributes specially issued coins “Mondi Money”. In 2021, Malcolm Cloutt was honored to receive these coins from the hands of Queen Elizabeth II. This minister, who turned exactly one hundred years old, distributed a thousand Bibles during his long life. He wrote down the names of everyone he gave a Bible to and prayed for them regularly.
Clout’s faithfulness is a great example of the love we find in the letters of the Apostle Paul. He often informed his addressees that he regularly prayed for them. For example, he writes to his friend Philemon: “I always thank my God when I remember you in my prayers” (Phil. 1:4). In his letter to Timothy, Paul says: “I always remember you in my prayers day and night” (2 Tim. 1:3). Addressing the church in Rome, he emphasizes that he “constantly” and “always” remembers them in his prayers (Rom. 1:9-10).
We may not have a prayer list of a thousand people, but the Lord answers our requests. Diligent prayer for those we know has great power. If the Holy Spirit gives the desire to pray for a specific person, even a simple journal can be a useful tool. I write down the names of those I pray for on certain days of the week and it helps me stay faithful. Remembering each other in prayers is a wonderful expression of love.
What helps you to remain faithful in prayer? How has someone’s prayer blessed you?
Heavenly Father, help me to be faithful in prayer and to remember that You always hear me.
Author: Lisa Samra
“And do not be drunk with wine in which there is debauchery, but rather be filled with the Spirit.” — Ephesians 5:18
The writer Scott McKnight tells how in his school years he experienced what he later called “the permeation of the Spirit.” In the Christian camp, the preacher urged the youth to submit to the authority of Christ. After the meeting, young Scott retired under a tree and prayed: “Heavenly Father, forgive my sins and fill me with the Holy Spirit.” “Something powerful happened,” he said. “From that moment on, my life became completely different. Not perfect, but not the same as before.” Suddenly he had a desire to read the Bible, pray, meet other believers and serve God.
Before ascending to heaven, the resurrected Jesus told the disciples to “not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4). They were to “receive power” and become His witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (v. 8). God gives the Holy Spirit to every believer in Jesus. The first time this happened was on the day of Pentecost (see Acts 2). And today it happens every time someone turns to Christ.
In addition, we can be filled with the Spirit and with His help bear the fruit of a changed character and new desires (Gal. 5:22-23). We will praise and thank God for His comfort, guidance, help and love!
What change has the Holy Spirit made in you? How can you enable Him to work in you and through you?
Loving God, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Help me to love You and others more.
By Amy Buescher Pye
“And by the fire, a quiet gentle voice.” — 1 Kings 19:12
If you like peace and quiet, then there is a room in Minneapolis (Minnesota, USA) that you will like. It absorbs 99.99% of all sounds! This is the world-famous anechoic chamber of the Orfield Laboratory, which is called the quietest place on earth. People who decide to visit an anechoic space should sit down so as not to lose their orientation due to the absence of an echo. No one has ever managed to spend more than forty-five minutes in this room.
Few of us need that kind of silence. And yet we live in a noisy and vain world, so from time to time we want peace. Even the news and social networks create a kind of “background noise” that distracts attention. Most of this noise causes negative emotions. Having immersed ourselves in it, we can stop hearing God’s voice.
Having met the Lord on Mount Horeb, Ilya found Him not in a stormy wind, not in an earthquake and not in fire (1 Sam. 19:11-12). As soon as he heard a “still, small voice”, the prophet covered his face and stood at the entrance to the cave to meet the almighty God (vv. 12-14).
Maybe your spirit longs for silence, but even more it wants to hear God’s voice. Set up a “quiet room” for yourself so that you can always hear a “still, small voice” in your life (v. 12).
How does God speak to His children? Why is it so important to communicate with Him regularly?
Loving Heavenly Father, comfort my heart and mind so that I may be ready to meet You.
By Cindy Hess Kasper
“But He humbled Himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming like a man.” — Philippians 2:7
In the British reality show “Undercover Boss”, the director of a large corporation for the production and sale of frozen sweets got a job in one of the stores as an ordinary cashier. Her clothes and make-up made her unrecognizable to employees. Her goal was to find out what was really happening on the ground. Thanks to this, she was able to solve a number of problems that the store faced.
The Lord Jesus also “humbled Himself” (Phil. 2:7) to solve our problems. He became a man, walked the earth, taught people, and then died on the cross for our sins (v. 8). This sacrifice showed how much Christ humbled himself. He became one of us and experienced everything we feel.
Christians are called to have “the same thoughts,” especially toward other believers (v. 5). God helps us to put on humility (v. 3) and to adopt the way of thinking of our Savior (v. 5). He encourages us to become servants who are willing to care for the needs of others and willing to lend a helping hand. God wants us to humbly love those around us, because we have received so much from Him. We will serve them and seek solutions to their problems with compassion.
How can you lovingly help people in their difficulties? What does it mean for you to be humble like Christ?
Holy God, thank you for the sacrifice of Christ. Please give me His way of thinking to humbly serve my brothers and sisters.
Author: Katara Patton
“He who hides his sins will not be punished, but he who confesses and forsakes them will be pardoned.” — Proverbs 28:13
Our dog Winston knows that you can’t bite shoes. So he came up with a cunning strategy. We call it “sinning behind the door”. If Winston sees an accidentally left shoe, he casually walks towards it, as if bored. He takes the shoe in his teeth and just as lazily goes to the door. Nothing special, nothing to look at. “Mom! Winston carried your shoe out the door!”
Let’s face it: we all sometimes think that we can just as carelessly carry our sin past God. We want to believe that He will not pay attention. “It’s not that important,” we think. But, like Winston, we all understand and know what the Creator does not like.
Like Adam and Eve in Paradise, we can hide, hiding the shame of our sin (Gen. 3:10), or we can pretend that nothing happened. But the Bible calls us to the opposite: to run to God for mercy and forgiveness. In the Book of Proverbs it is said: “He who hides his sins will not be punished, but he who confesses and forsakes them will be shown mercy” (Prov. 28:13).
If we are Christians, then going to “sin behind the door” and hope that no one will see is not an option. Let us confess our sin to ourselves, to God, to a good friend – and we will find freedom from guilt and shame (1 John 1:9).
Are you trying to hide some sin? What prevents you from confessing it?
Heavenly Father, thank you that sin is not the last word in my life. Help me to speak the truth to You and to people and to be confident in Your mercy and forgiveness.
Author: Adam Holtz
“And when he was oppressed, he begged the face of the Lord, his God, and humbled himself.” — 2 Chronicles 33:12
A letter from an inmate named Jason came as a surprise to my wife and me. We raise puppies, make them service dogs for people with disabilities. One of these puppies went on to the next stage of training and was given to prisoners who were specially trained to train dogs. In the letter, Jason regretted his past and then remembered our former pet: “Snickers is the seventeenth dog I’ve trained and he’s the best. When I see the way he looks at me, I feel like I’m finally doing something right.”
Jason is not the only person who regrets the past. We are all familiar with remorse. And Manasseh, the king of Judah, felt them with special force. The Bible lists some of his crimes: building altars to pagan gods (2 Chron. 33:3), witchcraft, and sacrificing his children (v. 6). He and all his people led in the same sinful way (v. 9).
“And the Lord spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they did not listen” (v. 10). In the end, God managed to get his attention. The Assyrians “bound [Manasseh] with copper shackles and took him to Babylon” (v. 11). There, the captive king begged the face of the Lord, his God, and humbled himself greatly (v. 12). God heard him and even returned him to the Jewish throne. Then Manasseh began to worship the true God (vv. 15-16).
Is something bothering you? It’s not too late. God hears humble prayers of repentance.
What do you regret? What can you do to correct mistakes and allow God to use you in His service?
Thank you, Father, that You are always ready to accept my sincere prayers.
Author: Tim Gustavson
“I bring to my memory your unfeigned faith, which first settled in your grandmother Loida and your mother Eunice.” — 2 Timothy 1:5
“I feel completely useless,” Harold complained. “The wife is dead, the children are busy with their families. After dinner I sit and look at the shadows on the wall.” He often said to his daughter: “I am old, life is behind me. I no longer have a purpose. May the Lord take me away.”
But one day a simple conversation changed the usual course of thoughts of a lonely old man. “The neighbor had problems with his children, so I began to pray for him,” said Harold, “and then somehow I talked with him about the Gospel. And I felt that I had a purpose in life! As long as there are people who do not know Christ, I have to tell them about the Savior.”
It was an ordinary meeting, but Harold decided to talk about his faith, and his neighbor’s life changed forever. In the Second Epistle to Timothy, the apostle Paul mentions two women whom God also used to change someone’s life, namely Timothy, a young colleague of Paul. Loida, Timothy’s grandmother, and Eunice, his mother, had “faith without hypocrisy”, which was passed on to the young man (1 Tim. 1:5). Among the daily chores in an ordinary home, young Timothy learned the faith that made him a dedicated disciple of Jesus, and later the leader of the church in Ephesus.
No matter how old we are and no matter what conditions we find ourselves in, let us make it our goal to testify about Christ.
Who can you tell about your faith in Jesus? What evangelistic opportunities might you need to pray about?
Lord Jesus, open my eyes and heart to see people around me who need to hear about your love. Give me opportunities to share the Gospel with them.
Author: Karen Huang
