Our Daily Bread -- Shocking Honesty June 26, 2016

Read: 1 Peter 3:7-12 Bible in a Year: Job 5-7; Acts 8:1-25 Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered. —1 Peter 3:7 nlt When the minister asked one of his elders to lead the congregation in prayer, the man shocked everyone. “I’m sorry, Pastor,” he said, “but I’ve been arguing with my wife all the way to church, and I’m in no condition to pray.” The next moment was awkward. The minister prayed. The service moved on. Later, the pastor vowed never to ask anyone to pray publicly without first asking privately. That man demonstrated astonishing honesty in a place where hypocrisy would have been easier. But there is a larger lesson about prayer here. God is a loving Father. If I as a husband do not respect and honor my wife—a cherished daughter of God—why would her heavenly Father hear my prayers? The apostle Peter made an interesting observation about this. He instructed husbands to treat their wives with respect and as equal heirs in Christ “so that nothing will hinder your prayers” (1 Peter 3:7). The underlying principle is that our relationships affect our prayer life. What would happen if we exchanged the Sunday smiles and the façade of religiosity for refreshing honesty with our brothers and sisters? What might God do through us when we pray and learn to love each other as we love ourselves? —Tim Gustafson Father, You love all of Your children, but so often we fight and disagree. Help us learn to interact with love and respect in all our relationships so the world will see the difference You make. Teach us to pray. Prayer is simply an honest conversation with God. INSIGHT: Husbands are instructed to “be considerate . . . and treat [their wives] with respect” (1 Peter 3:7). Fellowship with God is hindered if a man does not give honor to his wife (v. 7). The apostle Paul instructed husbands not to be harsh with their wives (Col. 3:19), but to love them “just as Christ loved the church,” sacrificing their own interests for their wife’s growth, maturity, and holiness (Eph. 5:25-27). The husband is to “love his wife as he loves himself” (v. 33). Sim Kay Tee Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

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Day 239 - Look Beyond the Past

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 Look Beyond the Past Day 239 It would be dangerous to drive down the street if your attention were focused solely on the rearview mirror, looking at what is behind. Grief tends to make you look to the past, to what you lost. The pain of that loss, it's true, will be with you forever, but to move on, you must focus on the future as well as on the past. "You can either stay in that grief, or you can move on. But you will move on with the grief," says Linda, whose baby was stillborn. "You always have that, and you can't expect that one day you won't ever feel sorry that you lost a loved one. That will always be part of you." Use your past to build on your future. Seek the God of the past, the present, and the future for a hope that will sustain you. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End" (Revelation 22:13). Lord God, You are my only hope. I do not want to forget the past, but I cannot live there either. 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 Firm Place to Stand June 25, 2016

Read: Psalm 40:1-5 Bible in a Year: Job 3-4; Acts 7:44-60 He lifted me out of the slimy pit; out of the mud and mire, he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. —Psalm 40:2 The historic riverwalk area of Savannah, Georgia, is paved with mismatched cobblestones. Local residents say that centuries ago the stones provided ballast for ships as they crossed the Atlantic Ocean. When cargo was loaded in Georgia, the ballast stones were no longer needed, so they were used to pave the streets near the docks. Those stones had accomplished their primary job—stabilizing the ship through dangerous waters. The days in which we live can feel as turbulent as the high seas. Like sailing ships of old, we need stability to help us navigate our way through the storms of life. David faced danger as well, and he celebrated the character of God for providing him with stability after he had endured a desperate time. He declared, “He lifted me out of the slimy pit; out of the mud and mire, he set my feet on a rock, and gave me a firm place to stand” (Ps. 40:2). David’s experience was one of conflict, personal failure, and family strife, yet God gave him a place to stand. So David sang “a hymn of praise to our God” (v. 3). In times of difficulty, we too can look to our powerful God for the stability only He brings. His faithful care inspires us to say with David, “Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us” (v. 5). —Bill Crowder My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’s blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’s name. On Christ, the solid rock, I stand—all other ground is sinking sand. Edward Mote When the world around us is crumbling, Christ is the solid Rock on which we stand. INSIGHT: Psalm 40 is a beautiful song of thanksgiving to God for His deliverance. The key to understanding and appreciating this psalm is seen in the simplicity of the opening words. David knows and celebrates the deliverance of the Lord because he “waited patiently” for Him (v. 1). In our times of trial and struggle, we want to be delivered quickly and in ways that are simple to see. But David reminds us that God’s deliverance comes in God’s timing. We, like David, must wait patiently for the Lord if we are to see His wonders (v. 5). J.R. Hudberg Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

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Day 238 - Letting Go

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 Letting Go Day 238 To move on means (1) you have to acknowledge that things will never be the same again, and (2) you have to desire God's plan for your life now. Letting go of a lost loved one is tough, especially when the love is deep, and he or she has filled a need in you that was never filled until you met that person. "To really admit to yourself, 'This person is gone, and life's got to go on, and I've got to buck up and turn the corner and get going,' is probably one of the toughest transitions in the grief process," says Dr. Joseph Stowell. Your plan for life was suddenly changed. But God has a purpose for you, and you were created to fulfill that purpose. That is why you are here on earth right now. Find God's plan for your life and seek fulfillment from Him. "The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever—do not abandon the works of your hands" (Psalm 138:8). "But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth" (Exodus 9:16). Lord God, things will never be the same again, and I will never be able to go back to the way things were. I admit this, Lord, and I will move forward with a purpose, seeking to fulfill Your plan for my life. What do You have for me to do? 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 -- His Loving Presence June 24, 2016

Read: Hebrews 13:1-6 Bible in a Year: Job 1-2; Acts 7:22-43 Never will I leave you. —Hebrews 13:5 Our hearts sank when we learned that our good friend Cindy had been diagnosed with cancer. Cindy was a vibrant person whose life blessed all who crossed her path. My wife and I rejoiced when she went into remission, but a few months later her cancer returned with a vengeance. In our minds she was too young to die. Her husband told me about her last hours. When she was weak and hardly able to talk, Cindy whispered to him, “Just be with me.” What she wanted more than anything in those dark moments was his loving presence. The writer to the Hebrews comforted his readers by quoting Deuteronomy 31:6, where God told His people: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Heb. 13:5). In the darkest moments of life, the assurance of His loving presence gives us confidence that we are not alone. He gives us the grace to endure, the wisdom to know He is working, and the assurance that Christ can “empathize with our weaknesses” (4:15). Together let’s embrace the blessing of His loving presence so we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid” (13:6). —Joe Stowell Lord, thank You for the promise that You will never leave me. May the reality of Your constant supporting presence fill my heart with comfort, confidence, and courage. During hard times, tough questions often arise such as “Where is God?” For help, read Out of the Ashes at discoveryseries.org/q0735 There is peace in the presence of God. INSIGHT: The opening verses of Hebrews 13 are among the most practical in the New Testament. The chapter begins with a reminder that as followers of Christ we are to love one another (v. 1). The writer then challenges us to show hospitality to others (v. 2), followed by a strong call to give mercy, help, and kindness to those imprisoned and those who have been mistreated (v. 3). Verse 4 challenges us to sexual purity in marriage, while verse 5 calls believers to a contentment that can defeat covetousness. These practical statements find their culmination in the challenge to rest in the never-failing presence of God (vv. 5-6). Bill Crowder Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

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