Naming God August 28, 2016

Read: Genesis 16:1-13 Bible in a Year: Psalms 123-125; 1 Corinthians 10:1-18 I have now seen the One who sees me. —Genesis 16:13 In his book The God I Don’t Understand, Christopher Wright observes that an unlikely person is one of the first to give God a name. It’s Hagar! Hagar’s story provides a disturbingly honest look at human history. It’s been years since God told Abram and Sarai they would have a son, and Sarai has only grown older and more impatient. In order to “help” God, she resorts to a custom of the day. She gives her slave, Hagar, to her husband, and Hagar becomes pregnant. Predictably, dissension arises. Sarai mistreats Hagar, who runs away. Alone in the desert, she meets the angel of the Lord, who makes a promise strikingly similar to one God had made earlier—to Abram (see Gen. 15:5). “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count” (16:10). The angel names Hagar’s son Ishmael, which means “God hears” (v. 11). In response, this slave from a culture with multiple gods that could neither see nor hear gives God the name “You are the God who sees me” (v. 13). “The God who sees us” is the God of impatient heroes and powerless runaways. He’s the God of the wealthy and well-connected as well as the destitute and lonely. He hears and sees and cares, achingly and deeply, for each of us. —Tim Gustafson Lord, You didn’t sugarcoat the story of Your people in the Bible and yet You loved them—as You love us—in spite of all the dirt and drama. You are the God who sees us, and yet we can still run to You. Read about some of the names that Jesus is given. See The Amazing Names of the Messiah. God sees us with eyes of compassion. Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

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Day 302 - Joy Comes in the Morning

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 Joy Comes in the Morning Day 302 "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5 NKJV). God's promises in the Bible are for you. Choose to embrace them and live them out in faith. Beth, who lost both her husband and her mother within a year, read God's promise in Psalm 30:5 (above). Not only did she find comfort in this verse, but she also acted on it in faith. She says, "I had a difficult time in the mornings waking up, facing the day; it's sort of that 'what do you have to live for?' feeling. So, particularly special to me was that verse about joy coming in the morning. Every morning I'd say, 'Lord, what day is my joy coming? What day is my joy coming?' "Finally I woke up one morning, and my joy had returned. That doesn't mean that I was fine from then on. It doesn't mean I didn't cry and break down and so forth. But there was that peace and that joy that had been missing for those months. It was just wonderful to have that back again." Lord, I believe Your promises. May my actions be a reflection of my beliefs. 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

God’s Mouthpiece August 27, 2016

Read: Exodus 4:1-12 Bible in a Year: Psalms 120-122; 1 Corinthians 9 Who gave human beings their mouths? . . . Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak. —Exodus 4:11-12 My nerves fluttering, I waited for the phone to ring and the radio interview to start. I wondered what questions the host would ask and how I would respond. “Lord, I’m much better on paper,” I prayed. “But I suppose it’s the same as Moses—I need to trust that you will give me the words to speak.” Of course I’m not comparing myself with Moses, the leader of God’s people who helped them escape slavery in Egypt to life in the Promised Land. A reluctant leader, Moses needed the Lord to reassure him that the Israelites would listen to him. The Lord revealed several signs to him, such as turning his shepherd’s staff into a snake (Ex. 4:3), but Moses hesitated to accept the mantle of leadership, saying he was slow of speech (v. 10). So God reminded him that He is the Lord and that He would help him speak. He would “be with his mouth” (as the original language translates, according to biblical scholars). We know that since the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, God’s Spirit lives within His children and that however inadequate we may feel, He will enable us to carry out the assignments He gives to us. The Lord will “be with our mouths.” —Amy Boucher Pye Lord Jesus, You dwell with me. May my words today build up someone for Your glory. Share your story of how God helped you carry out an assignment at Facebook.com/ourdailybread. As God’s people we are His mouthpiece to spread His good news. Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

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Day 301 - Healing Through the Psalms

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 Healing Through the Psalms Day 301 The book of Psalms provides great comfort for those who are suffering and in pain. "Certainly when someone has lost a husband, a wife, a very dear friend, or perhaps a child, there is an awesome gaping hole of loneliness," says Dr. Ray Pritchard. "One of the best things I know to do is to open to the book of Psalms and to read those great psalms where David, with those same feelings, is crying out to God." Let words of Scripture be your prayers to God. Choose a psalm to pray each day. Here are a few to get you started: Psalm 5, 23, 31, 40, 57, 61, 69, 86. "I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. 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. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord" (Psalm 40:1-3). O God, I trust in You. You are my refuge, my rock, and my daily help. 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

Honorable Living August 26, 2016

Read: 1 Peter 2:9-12 Bible in a Year: Psalm 119:89-176; 1 Corinthians 8 You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession. —1 Peter 2:9 While delivering a well-publicized speech, a respected leader and statesman got the attention of his nation by declaring that most of his country’s honorable Members of Parliament (MPs) were quite dishonorable. Citing lifestyles of corruption, pompous attitudes, unsavory language, and other vices, he rebuked the MPs and urged them to reform. As expected, his comments didn’t go well with them and they dispatched counter-criticisms his way. We may not be public officials in positions of leadership, but we who follow Christ are a “chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession” (1 Peter 2:9). As such, our Lord calls us to lifestyles that honor Him. The disciple Peter had some practical advice on how to do this. He urged us to “abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul” (v. 11). Although he didn’t use the word honorable, he was calling us to behavior worthy of Christ. As the apostle Paul phrased it in his letter to the Philippians, “Whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Phil. 4:8). Indeed, these are the characteristics of behavior that honor our Lord. —Lawrence Darmani Lord, when we are honest with You, we understand how often we fall far short of honorable behavior. We know how much we need You. By Your Spirit, help us replace any selfish thoughts, words, and actions with things that please You and draw others to You. We honor God’s name when we call Him our Father and live like His children. INSIGHT: The apostle Peter wrote this letter to encourage Jewish and Gentile Christians in Asia Minor (modern Turkey) who were going through severe trials and suffering because of their faith in Jesus. Peter says that for the Christian, trials and suffering are inevitable and to be expected (1 Peter 4:12), although often unreasonable, unjust, and inexplicable (2:19-20). But these difficulties can be valuable to the believer and therefore glorifying to God (1:6-7). Although they are universal, they are certainly temporal (5:9-10). Peter calls us to rejoice in our trials because we participate not only in Christ’s suffering but also in His glory (1:7; 4:13). Sim Kay Tee Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

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