Our Daily Bread -- A Hint of Heaven January 17, 2016

Read: 1 Corinthians 14:6-12,26 Bible in a Year: Genesis 41-42; Matthew 12:1-23 Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church. —1 Corinthians 14:12 The world-class botanical garden across the street from our church was the setting for an all-church community gathering. As I walked around the gardens greeting people I have known for years, catching up with those I hadn’t seen recently, and enjoying the beautiful surroundings cared for by people who know and love plants, I realized that the evening was rich with symbols of how the church is supposed to function—a little hint of heaven on earth. A garden is a place where each plant is placed in an environment in which it will thrive. Gardeners prepare the soil, protect the plants from pests, and make sure each one receives the food, water, and sunlight it needs. The result is a beautiful, colorful, and fragrant place for people to enjoy. Like a garden, church is meant to be a place where everyone works together for the glory of God and the good of all; a place where everyone flourishes because we are living in a safe environment; a place where people are cared for according to their needs; where each of us does work we love—work that benefits others (1 Cor. 14:26). Like well-cared-for plants, people growing in a healthy environment have a sweet fragrance that draws people to God by displaying the beauty of His love. The church is not perfect, but it really is a hint of heaven. —Julie Ackerman Link How can you promote the health of your church? Ask God to help you serve others as Christ serves us. Serve in a role that matches your skills and interests. Listen well to others and pray for them. Hearts fragrant with the love of Christ display His beauty. INSIGHT: Corinth, the destination of this letter, was located about fifty miles from Athens in the isthmus that connects northern Greece with the Peloponnesus of southern Greece. This strategic location made Corinth a bustling trade center and an important shipping port. Corinth was also the home of the Isthmian Games, an athletic competition in the ancient world that was second only to the ancient Olympics. This may explain Paul’s use of athletic illustrations in his first letter to the Corinthians (see 1 Cor. 9:24-27). 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 © 2016, 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

Day 78 - Dealing with Anger: Bible Verses

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 Dealing with Anger: Bible Verses Day 78 Another practical suggestion for dealing with anger is to draw help from Bible verses. Dr. John Trent recommends that you start by writing down an appropriate Bible verse on a three-by-five card. Every time you begin to feel angry, take out the card and read the verse. Then write the date on the back of the card and place a check mark next to it. This practice will first of all link God's Word with your active anger. It will also provide a written record of how angry you are and whether or not you are showing improvement. As you continue this practice, you will begin to realize that anger is a choice. "But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15). Almighty God, grant me the perseverance to follow through on these anger management ideas and to follow through in a relationship with You. 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 -- Desiring Growth January 16, 2016

Read: Hebrews 5:11-14 Bible in a Year: Genesis 39-40; Matthew 11 Anyone who lives on milk . . . is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. —Hebrews 5:13 The axolotl (pronounced ACK suh LAH tuhl) is a biological enigma. Instead of maturing into adult form, this endangered Mexican salamander retains tadpole-like characteristics throughout its life. Writers and philosophers have used the axolotl as a symbol of someone who fears growth. In Hebrews 5 we learn about Christians who were avoiding healthy growth, remaining content with spiritual “milk” intended for new believers. Perhaps because of fear of persecution, they weren’t growing in the kind of faithfulness to Christ that would enable them to be strong enough to suffer with Him for the sake of others (vv. 7-10). Instead they were in danger of sliding backward from the Christlike attitudes they had already shown (6:9-11). They weren’t ready for a solid diet of self-sacrifice (5:14). So the author wrote, “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand” (v. 11). Axolotls follow the natural pattern set for them by their Creator. But followers of Christ are designed to grow into spiritual maturity. As we do, we discover that growing up in Him involves more than our own peace and joy. Growth in His likeness honors God as we unselfishly encourage others. —Keila Ochoa Lord, I want to grow, so help me to go deeper into Your Word. Teach me more each day, so that I am better equipped to serve and worship You. The more we live on a diet of God’s Word, the more we grow. INSIGHT: Because of severe persecution in the first century, Jewish Christians were pressured to abandon Christianity and revert to Judaism. The unnamed writer of Hebrews wrote to encourage them by affirming the pre-eminence, superiority, and sufficiency of Christ. As he embarked on teaching about Jesus, the writer realized his readers were not able to comprehend it because they were spiritually immature (5:12-13) and had not lived holy lives according to the instructions of the Scriptures (vv. 13-14). 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 © 2016, 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

Day 77 - Dealing with Anger: Write About Angry Feelings

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 Dealing with Anger: Write About Angry Feelings Day 77 As you attempt to deal with your anger, you may find it helpful to write about your angry feelings. Writing about your feelings will help to unload some of that pressure because it gives you a way to express your emotions. Barbara Johnson says, "The anger comes and just seems to flood you. But there are a lot of ways to dilute the anger. If you have lost a loved one, write a letter. That will help you unload some of those feelings you have." Address your letter to the person causing you the most anger and distress. It could be your lost loved one, a family member, or someone involved in the circumstances surrounding the death. You might be angry mostly with yourself. If your anger is directed at God, write a letter to Him. He alone can deliver you from your anger. "May my cry come before you, O LORD; give me understanding according to your word. May my supplication come before you; deliver me according to your promise" (Psalm 119:169-170). Precious Savior, deliver me from this anger. 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 -- What’s in the Bank? January 15, 2016

Read: Ephesians 2:4-7 Bible in a Year: Genesis 36-38; Matthew 10:21-42 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. —Hebrews 4:16 In the winter of 2009, a large passenger plane made an emergency landing in New York’s Hudson River. The pilot, Captain Chesley Sullenberger, who landed the plane safely with no casualties, was later asked about those moments in the air when he was faced with a life-or-death decision. “One way of looking at this,” he said, “might be that for 42 years I’ve been making small, regular deposits in this bank of experience, education, and training. And on [that day] the balance was sufficient so that I could make a very large withdrawal.” Most of us will at some time face a crisis. Perhaps it will be a job termination or the results of a medical test, or the loss of a precious family member or friend. It is in those times that we must dig down deep into the reserves of our spiritual bank account. And what might we find there? If we have enjoyed a deepening relationship with God, we’ve been making regular “deposits” of faith. We have experienced His grace (2 Cor. 8:9; Eph. 2:4-7). We trust the promise of Scripture that God is just and faithful (Deut. 32:4; 2 Thess. 3:3). God’s love and grace are available when His children need to make a “withdrawal” (Ps. 9:10; Heb. 4:16). —Cindy Hess Kasper Great is Your faithfulness, O Lord God! Each day I see You provide for me and show me mercy. Thank You. Remembering God’s faithfulness in the past strengthens us for the future. INSIGHT: In today’s text Paul reminds the believers in the church at Ephesus that their salvation is wholly God’s doing—after all, dead things (v. 5) can’t do anything to change their situation. But Paul doesn’t stop with the reminder that it is God who makes us alive. He adds that the goal of that gracious action is to show the incomparable riches of God’s grace. God saves us to show us who He is. 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 © 2016, 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