Our Daily Bread -- Waiting on God July 3, 2016

Read: 2 Peter 3:8-15 Bible in a Year: Job 25-27; Acts 12 [The Lord] is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. —2 Peter 3:9 I was sitting with a group of passengers on an airport shuttle heading to our connecting flight when the bus driver was told to “hold in place.” It looked like we would miss our flight, and this was more than one passenger could handle. He exploded at the driver, insisting he ignore his orders or “risk the wrath of a lawsuit.” Just then an airline employee came dashing up carrying a briefcase. Looking at the angry man, the airline employee triumphantly held up the briefcase. When he had caught his breath, he said, “You left your briefcase. I heard you mention how important your meeting was, and I figured you would need this.” Sometimes I find myself impatient with God, especially about His return. I wonder, What can He be waiting on? The tragedies around us, the suffering of people we love, and even the stresses of daily life all seem bigger than the fixes on the horizon. Then someone tells their story of having just met Jesus, or I discover God is still at work in the messes. It reminds me of what I learned that day on the shuttle. There are stories and details God knows that I don’t. It reminds me to trust Him and to remember that the story isn’t about me. It’s about God’s plan to give time to others who don’t yet know His Son (2 Peter 3:9). —Randy Kilgore I’m thankful You are patiently waiting for more people to trust in You before You return. Help me to be patient too. Wait and witness till Jesus returns. INSIGHT: The New Testament manuscripts, which were written in Greek, use two different words for patience. One word describes patience regarding circumstances; the other relates to patience with people. When the Greek text speaks of God’s patience, the word used is almost always the one that refers to people. God’s patience with us is not because He can’t compel us to do what He wants, but because He loves us, respects our will, and has given each of us the ability to make our own choices. Adapted from What Does the Bible Say About Patience? Read it at discoveryseries.org/q0722 J.R. Hudberg Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

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Day 246 - Responses That Cause People to Be Stuck in Grief

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 Responses That Cause People to Be Stuck in Grief Day 246 Are you struggling with any of the following responses? acting as if the loss is not affecting you pretending you are still in control giving in to despair as your normal attitude allowing bitterness or self-pity to control you refusing to let the departed go holding on to your anger against God not talking about the aspects of your loss "medicating" your pain with drugs, alcohol, busyness, etc. Any of the above responses can cause you to be stuck in grief. Tackle each area one by one. For instance, if you are outwardly acting as if your loss is not affecting you, make a point today to let someone know just how much you are affected deep down. Sharing honestly is one sure step to moving on in grief. Alone, it would be impossible to work through the above issues and succeed. With God, all things are possible. This next Bible verse says that God is able to do far more than what you can even imagine! "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen" (Ephesians 3:20-21). Glory to You, Lord. You answer my seemingly impossible prayers. Help me as I face the struggles that are pulling me down. 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 -- Come Sit a Spell July 2, 2016

Read: Luke 19:1-9 Bible in a Year: Job 22-24; Acts 11 Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today. —Luke 19:5 When I was a kid, our family made a monthly excursion from Ohio to West Virginia to visit my maternal grandparents. Every time we arrived at the door of their farmhouse, Grandma Lester would greet us with the words, “Come on in and sit a spell.” It was her way of telling us to make ourselves comfortable, stay a while, and share in some “catching-up” conversation. Life can get pretty busy. In our action-oriented world, it’s hard to get to know people. It’s tough to find time to ask someone to “sit a spell” with us. We can get more done if we text each other and get right to the point. But look at what Jesus did when He wanted to make a difference in the life of a tax collector. He went to Zacchaeus’s house to “sit a spell.” His words, “I must stay at your house” indicate that this was no quick stopover (Luke 19:5). Jesus spent time with him, and Zacchaeus’s life was turned around because of this time with Jesus. On the front porch of my grandmother’s house were several chairs—a warm invitation to all visitors to relax and talk. If we’re going to get to know someone and to make a difference in their life—as Jesus did for Zacchaeus—we need to invite them to “come sit a spell.” —Dave Branon Dear Lord, as I look around at those who share this life with me, help me to make time to spend with them—for encouragement, challenge, and perhaps just plain conversation. The best gift you can give to others may be your time. INSIGHT: For generations, the government of ancient Rome commissioned generals to conquer and colonize people of various cultures and locations. In governing these conquered people, Rome enlisted the service of the publicani, who are called publicans or tax collectors in Scripture. These publicans were often considered both traitors to their own people and collaborators with the occupying forces, and they would often tax more revenue than required in order to line their own pockets. Today’s reading bears significant meaning because it shows how even a hated publican like Zacchaeus received forgiveness and redemption through Christ. As a result of his repentance, Zacchaeus reimbursed those he had cheated four times the amount he had taken. Dennis Fisher Dennis Fisher Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

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Day 245 - Confess Self-Preoccupation

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 Confess Self-Preoccupation Day 245 We need to be straightforward at this point. Some of you are stuck in grief because you have allowed your loss to become the central focus of your life, dominating your existence. Your loss has become larger than all other relationships, larger than your purpose for existence, larger than God. But how does one get unstuck? What does one do with the loneliness and suffering? Elisabeth Elliot says, "He gets down on his knees. Lifts up his hands in the presence of the Lord, and says, 'Lord here is this self-pity. I confess it as a sin. This self-isolation, I confess it as a sin.' And the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses you from all sin, and He can deliver you. He wants to deliver you from all self-preoccupation.'" You must recognize that your self-preoccupation is a sin and you need to be freed from it. When you admit this to God and seek His forgiveness and help, He will clean your heart and free you from this entrapment. "How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!" (Hebrews 9:14). Living God, I want to serve You, not myself. I am only making things worse by focusing on my loss, which in reality is focusing on myself. I confess my self-preoccupation, and I ask that You forgive me and deliver me from my sinful habits. 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 -- Out in the Cold July 1, 2016

Read: Job 11:7-20 Bible in a Year: Job 20-21; Acts 10:24-48 To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his. —Job 12:13 In desperation, a woman called the housing assistance center where I worked. A heating problem had turned her rental home into a freezer with furniture. Panicked, she asked me how she would care for her children. I hurriedly replied with the scripted official response: “Just move into a hotel and send the landlord the bill.” She angrily hung up on me. I knew the textbook answer to her question, but I had completely missed her heart. She wanted someone to understand her fear and desperation. She needed to know she wasn’t alone. In essence, I had left her out in the cold. After Job had lost everything, he had friends with answers but little understanding. Zophar told him all he needed to do was live wholeheartedly for God. Then “life will be brighter than noonday,” he said (11:17). That counsel wasn’t well received, and Job responded with scathing sarcasm: “Wisdom will die with you!” (12:2). He knew the dissatisfying taste of textbook answers to real-world problems. It’s easy to be critical of Job’s friends for their failure to see the big picture. But how often are we too quick with answers to questions we don’t truly understand? People do want answers. But more than that, they want to know we hear and understand. They want to know we care. —Tim Gustafson Father, help us to be a friend first before we offer advice to others. Thank You for the privilege of sharing our hearts with You in prayer. Thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit so that we will never be alone. Before people want to hear what you say, they want to know that you care. INSIGHT: Many scholars consider the book of Job to be the oldest biblical book, though it does not contain the oldest stories about the creation of the universe and the fall of the human race (see Genesis). It is fitting, therefore, that the oldest biblical book would deal with the most universally experienced human reality—the presence of suffering in the world. Bill Crowder Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

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