Our Daily Bread -- The Wrong Horseshoe July 24, 2016

Read: Psalm 34:11-18 Bible in a Year: Psalms 35-36; Acts 25 Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil. —Psalm 34:12–13 Napoleon’s defeat in Russia 200 years ago was attributed to the harsh Russian winter. One specific problem was that his horses were wearing summer horseshoes. When winter came, these horses died because they slipped on icy roads as they pulled the supply wagons. The failure of Napoleon’s supply chain reduced his 400,000-strong army to just 10,000. A small slip; a disastrous result! James described how a slip of the tongue can do great damage. One wrong word can change the careers or destinies of people. So toxic is the tongue that James wrote, “No human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:8). The problem has increased in our modern world as a careless email or a posting on a social media site can cause great harm. It quickly goes viral and can’t always be retracted. King David tied respect for the Lord with the way we use our words. He wrote, “I will teach you the fear of the Lord. . . . Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies” (Ps. 34:11, 13). He resolved, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth” (39:1). Lord, help us to do the same. —C. P. Hia What do James 3:1–12 and Proverbs 18:1–8 teach you about a slip of the tongue? Our words have the power to build up or tear down. INSIGHT: The introduction to Psalm 34 identifies David as the author and describes the circumstances surrounding its writing: “Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek . . . .” David had just narrowly escaped King Saul’s attempt to murder him, and he had fled to the only place he felt was out of Saul’s reach—the territory of the Philistines (1 Sam. 21:10-15). After he arrived in Gath, David’s life was again threatened. He only escaped King Achish (Abimelek or Abimelech was a general title for Philistine kings) by pretending to be insane. This is the context from which David begins Psalm 34: “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.” Dennis Moles Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

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Day 267 - Continue Learning

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 Continue Learning Day 267 "I learned lessons that I keep learning over and over," says Janet Paschal, whose grandfather passed away. Some of life's lessons need to be learned several times, not just once. But each time, you will learn them in a deeper way. Dr. David Olford states: "That's [God's] purpose of allowing a lot of things to come into your life—to shape you and to mold you and to purify you. At the same time, there's not only a purpose of God; there's His power to enable you to go through and to shield you and to guard you and to keep you." Take a moment to consider what lessons you have learned as a result of your grief experience. These are lessons for your good, not lessons about what you should not have done. What good have you learned? "I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw" (Proverbs 24:32). "who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:5)" Holy God, I pray that something good can come out of this situation in my life. Help me to see this, and please take down any barriers that block my view. 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 -- Free from Fear July 23, 2016

Read: Psalm 34:1-10 Bible in a Year: Psalms 33-34; Acts 24 I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. —Psalm 34:4 Fear sneaks into my heart without permission. It paints a picture of helplessness and hopelessness. It steals my peace and my concentration. What am I fearful about? I’m concerned about the safety of my family or the health of loved ones. I panic at the loss of a job or a broken relationship. Fear turns my focus inward and reveals a heart that sometimes finds it hard to trust. When these fears and worries strike, how good it is to read David’s prayer in Psalm 34: “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears” (v. 4). And how does God deliver us from our fears? When we “look to him” (v. 5), when we focus on Him, our fears fade; we trust Him to be in control. Then David mentions a different type of fear—not a fear that paralyzes, but a deep respect and awe of the One who surrounds us and delivers us (v. 7). We can take refuge in Him because He is good (v. 8). This awe of His goodness helps put our fears into perspective. When we remember who God is and how much He loves us, we can relax into His peace. “Those who fear him lack nothing” (v. 9), concludes David. How wonderful to discover that in the fear of the Lord we can be delivered from our fears. —Keila Ochoa Lord, I’m aware of my worries and fears, and I place them in Your hands. Give me peace as I face the day. Ask God to free you from your fears. INSIGHT: In the Old Testament, references to the nature of life after death are obscure. Therefore, the Israelites often struggled to reconcile the injustices of life, since they believed what happened beyond the grave was uncertain. Another belief that influenced Jewish thinking about the afterlife was the principle of retribution that taught God blessed the righteous and judged the wicked—but only in this life. Three psalms focus on this concept. Psalm 34 explains the basic principle. Psalm 37 offers counsel to one who suffers without understanding. And in Psalm 73, the psalmist himself wrestles with the problem of injustice but sees an eternal solution. Bill Crowder Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

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Day 266 - Make Life Count

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 Make Life Count Day 266 Grief reminds you that you only have one life to live, and you need to make it count. "There are some things in life that we put too much emphasis on that really aren't important at all. Family is so important, and too often we take everybody for granted," says Heidi, whose husband passed away. "With the Lord we too often put Him down a bit on our priority list because 'I have to be these things; I have to accumulate this; I have to get this;' or 'I have to work through this problem.' So often we leave Him out." What does it mean to truly live? According to the Bible: "To live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). Embrace this truth in order to live a life that really counts. Pray this prayer of Heidi's: "God, I can't leave You out because You're the main source of my life, and without You I am nothing." 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 -- Human Race July 22, 2016

Read: Mark 6:7-13, 30-32 Bible in a Year: Psalms 31-32; Acts 23:16-35 [Jesus] said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” —Mark 6:31 The alarm clock goes off. Too early, it seems. But you have a long day ahead. You have work to do, appointments to keep, people to care for, or all this and more. Well, you are not alone. Each day, many of us rush from one matter to another. As someone has wittily suggested, “That’s why we are called the human race.” When the apostles returned from their first mission trip, they had a lot to report. But Mark did not record Jesus’s evaluation of the disciples’ work; rather, he focused on His concern that they rest awhile. Jesus said, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (6:31). Ultimately, we find true rest through recognizing the presence of God and trusting Him. While we take our responsibilities seriously, we also recognize that we can relax our grip on our work and careers, our families and ministry, and give them over to God in faith. We can take time each day to tune out the distractions, put away the tense restlessness, and reflect in gratitude on the wonder of God’s love and faithfulness. So feel free to stop and take a breath. Get some real rest. —Poh Fang Chia Lord, I thank You today for all You have given me to do. Help me to truly rest in You—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We do not rest because our work is done; we rest because God commanded it and created us to have a need for it. Gordon MacDonald INSIGHT: When Jesus asked His disciples to go to a quiet place and rest (Mark 6:31), He was telling them to do something that He had often done with them. Jesus had withdrawn with His disciples to the lake (2:13; 3:7) or up on the mountain (3:13). Jesus was also in the habit of withdrawing from the crowds to a solitary place to rest and to spend time talking with His Father (Matt. 14:13,23; 26:36; Mark 1:35; 6:46; Luke 4:42; 6:12; John 6:15). The gospel of Luke tells us, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (5:16). Sim Kay Tee 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.