Our Daily Bread -- Consider the Poor September 27, 2015

Read: Matthew 25:31-40 Bible in a Year: Isaiah 3-4; Galatians 6 The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern. —Proverbs 29:7 The year was 1780, and Robert Raikes had a burden for the poor, illiterate children in his London neighborhood. He noticed that nothing was being done to help these children, so he set out to make a difference. He hired some women to set up schools for them on Sunday. Using the Bible as their textbook, the teachers taught the poorest children of London to read and introduced them to the wisdom of the Bible. Soon about 100 children were attending these classes and enjoying lunch in a safe, clean environment. These “Sunday schools,” as they were soon called, eventually touched the lives of thousands of boys and girls. By 1831, Sunday schools in Great Britain reached more than a million children—all because one man understood this truth: “The righteous considers the cause of the poor” (Prov. 29:7 nkjv). It’s no secret that Jesus cares greatly for those who struggle. In Matthew 25, He suggests that followers of Christ show a readiness for the Lord’s return by helping the hungry to get food, helping the thirsty to get a drink, helping the homeless to find a home, helping the naked to get clothes, and helping the sick or imprisoned to receive comfort (vv. 35-36). As we bear witness that Christ is in our hearts, we honor our compassionate Savior by considering those on God’s heart. —Dave Branon Awaken my heart, Lord, to those You care about, including the poor and helpless, the hungry and homeless, the troubled and hopeless in our world. Open your heart to God to learn compassion, and open your hand to give help. INSIGHT: Today’s Bible reading is a portion of what is sometimes referred to as the Olivet Discourse, our Lord’s last recorded public sermon before going to the cross. Matthew 24:3 says that Jesus led His disciples to the Mount of Olives, where He delivered this message on the future judgment and the establishment of the kingdom. Jesus spoke to them of tribulation, of the coming of the King, and of the need to have a prepared heart. It’s a sober message, yet one that ends with Jesus calling His followers to a heart of service that reaches out to hurting people with compassion and generosity. Bill Crowder Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

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Day 334 - The Courage to Listen

365 daily emails to help you through the grieving process Grief support groups: Click here to find a GriefShare group near you. If you would like to find a group for a friend or relative, try our Search Page. Want to read ahead or resend a previous daily email? Click Here The Courage to Listen Day 334 Dr. Larry Crabb describes this scenario: "You're sitting next to somebody in church or maybe in a small-group setting. It's coffee break time and the person obviously is distressed. Your initial inclination is 'Let me see if I can't go have coffee with somebody else, because if I stay with this person who is hurting, I won't know what to do. Let me go chat with some buddies and some friends where I feel very adequate.'" He continues, "We tend to underestimate the profound power of listening. We think of that as anemic: 'Well, at least I listened, but what good does that do?' I think the biggest lesson I've learned as a friend or as a husband or as a counselor is this: It isn't what I know or my competence that makes the difference; it's when I find the courage to be there in the presence of God, that's where the difference is found." Be courageous; do not stay where you feel comfortable and safe. Take a chance for someone else today and listen. Listen to God urging you forward and listen attentively to someone who is hurting. When a person sees that you are truly listening, that person feels valued. This validation brings deep healing. "He who answers before listening—that is his folly and his shame" (Proverbs 18:13). God, I feel very inadequate sometimes. Teach me that with You in my life, I am complete, and my presence is needed to help others who are hurting. Amen. Grieving with Hope This GriefShare-based book contains short, topical chapters addressing issues that grieving people face but are often hesitant to mention to others; it gently guides people to determine whether they're grieving in a way that leads to hope and ultimate healing. Look for Grieving with Hope by Samuel Hodges and Kathy Leonard at a local or online bookstore or at griefshare.org/hope. If you would like to recommend these daily emails to a friend, please click here and choose one of the options under Share. For more information about GriefShare, including how to sign up for these daily emails, please click here. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2003-2013 by The Church Initiative, Inc., All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without explicit permission in writing from Church Initiative. You subscribed to this daily email through www.griefshare.org. We value your privacy! We will never give, sell, rent, or otherwise share your email or personal information with any other organization — EVER. To remove this email address from further mailings Click Here while connected to the internet. If you have any problems or concerns, please contact dailyemailsupport@griefshare.org. GriefShare 250 S. Allen Rd. Wake Forest, NC 27587 (800) 395-5755

Our Daily Bread -- A New Creation September 26, 2015

Read: Acts 9:10-22 Bible in a Year: Isaiah 1-2; Galatians 5 If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. —2 Corinthians 5:17 Early in my work life I had a coworker who seemed to delight in using God’s name as a profanity. He mercilessly taunted Christians who were new to their faith or who tried to talk with him about Jesus. On the day I left that job to move to another community and a new place of employment, I remember thinking that this man would never become a follower of Jesus. Two years later I visited my old workplace. He was still there, but never have I witnessed such a dramatic change in a person! This man, so antagonistic to faith, was now a walking, talking example of what it means to be a “new creation” in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). And now, more than 30 years later, he’s still telling others how Jesus “met him where he was—sin and all.” It occurs to me that the early Christians must have seen something similar in Paul, their fiery persecutor—a riveting example of what it means to become a new creation (Acts 9:1-22). What great hope both of these lives are to those who think themselves beyond redemption! Jesus sought Paul and my former coworker—and me. And He continues today to reach the “unreachable” and model for us just how we can reach people too. —Randy Kilgore Lord, I want to learn to reach out to others and share Your love and forgiveness. Teach me and help me to step out in both faith and trust.For further study, check out Truth with Love: Sharing the Story of Jesus by Ajith Fernando at discoveryseries.org/hp141 No one is beyond the reach of God. INSIGHT: A true encounter with Jesus always results in change. However, this change is not in merely stopping negative behavior; true change begins to do positive things. Saul immediately “began to preach” (v. 20). J.R. Hudberg Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

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Day 333 - Be Available to Help Others

365 daily emails to help you through the grieving process Grief support groups: Click here to find a GriefShare group near you. If you would like to find a group for a friend or relative, try our Search Page. Want to read ahead or resend a previous daily email? Click Here Be Available to Help Others Day 333 Elisabeth Elliot says, "My advice would certainly be quit thinking about yourself. Don't look around the room and wonder why nobody wants to pay attention to you, thinking to yourself, Are the people not remembering that I'm a widow? "Forget all that and look for someone who looks a little lonely and go and try to encourage that person. Isaiah 58:10 has been a great watchword for me: If you pour yourself out for the hungry, then the Lord is going to satisfy your needs and you will become like a watered garden." You may think you have nothing to offer right now. But, remember, when people are in the midst of a deep struggle, they need someone who cares, someone who will just be with them. "If you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom will become like midday. And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail" (Isaiah 58:10-11 nasb). Lord, today I will change my focus from myself to others. I am going to look for someone who needs encouragement or company. Amen. Through a Season of Grief The daily email messages you are receiving are also available in a book format. Purchase as a gift for a friend or buy a print copy for yourself. Through a Season of Grief by Bill Dunn and Kathy Leonard is available at online and local bookstores or at griefshare.org/devotional. If you would like to recommend these daily emails to a friend, please click here and choose one of the options under Share. For more information about GriefShare, including how to sign up for these daily emails, please click here. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2003-2013 by The Church Initiative, Inc., All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without explicit permission in writing from Church Initiative. You subscribed to this daily email through www.griefshare.org. We value your privacy! We will never give, sell, rent, or otherwise share your email or personal information with any other organization — EVER. To remove this email address from further mailings Click Here while connected to the internet. If you have any problems or concerns, please contact dailyemailsupport@griefshare.org. GriefShare 250 S. Allen Rd. Wake Forest, NC 27587 (800) 395-5755

Our Daily Bread -- First Steps September 25, 2015

Read: Romans 8:14-17 Bible in a Year: Song of Solomon 6-8; Galatians 4 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. —Romans 8:16 A friend stopped me the other day with some exciting news and then spent 10 minutes describing for me the first steps of her 1-year-old nephew. He could walk! Later I realized how bizarre we might have sounded to an eavesdropper. Most people can walk. What was the big deal? It struck me that childhood provides a quality of specialness that nearly vanishes for the rest of life. Thinking about our treatment of children gave me further appreciation for the fact that God chooses the word picture of “children” to describe our relationship with Him. The New Testament announces that we are God’s children, with all the rights and privileges of worthy heirs (Rom. 8:16-17). Jesus (the “one and only” Son of God) came, we’re told, to make possible our adoption as sons and daughters in God’s family. I imagine God views each halting step forward in my spiritual “walk” with the eagerness of a parent watching a child take that very first step. Perhaps when the secrets of the universe are finally revealed, we will learn an underlying purpose of watching children grow. It may be that God has granted us these times of specialness to awaken us to His infinite love. Of the fullness of that love, our experiences here on earth are mere glimpses. —Philip Yancey Loving heavenly Father, increase our awareness of Your love for us and Your delight in us so we can show the world the difference You make in our lives. You are loved. INSIGHT: Notice in today’s Bible reading the extensive nature of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Paul tells us that the Spirit leads us as God’s children (v. 14), enables us through adoption to call God our Father (v. 15), and affirms God’s saving work in our hearts (v. 16). It is one of the truly great passages in the New Testament on the work of the Spirit in our lives—and one we should celebrate! Bill Crowder Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

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Our mission is to make the life-changing wisdom of the Bible understandable and accessible to all. Our vision is to see people of all nations experiencing a personal relationship with Christ, growing to be more like Him, and serving in a local body of His family. To read today's Our Daily Bread online visit www.odb.org. Copyright © 2015, Our Daily Bread Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI 49555 USA. Written permission must be obtained from Our Daily Bread Ministries for any further posting or distribution. Scriptures taken from Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved.   Our Daily Bread Ministries | 3000 Kraft Ave | Grand Rapids, MI 49512 Manage Your Subscription