Making Preparations September 18, 2016

Read: John 14:1-6 Bible in a Year: Proverbs 30-31; 2 Corinthians 11:1-15 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.—John 14:3 As we viewed my father-in-law’s body in his casket at the funeral home, one of his sons took his dad’s hammer and tucked it alongside his folded hands. Years later, when my mother-in-law died, one of the children slipped a set of knitting needles under her fingers. Those sweet gestures brought comfort to us as we remembered how often they had used those tools during their lives. Of course, we knew that they wouldn’t actually need those items in eternity. We had no illusions, as the ancient Egyptians did, that tools or money or weapons buried with someone would better prepare them for the next life. You can’t take it with you! (Ps. 49:16-17; 1 Tim. 6:7). But some preparation for eternity had been necessary for my in-laws. That preparation had come years before when they trusted Jesus as their Savior. Planning for the life to come can’t begin at the time of our death. Each of us prepares our heart by accepting the gift of salvation made possible by Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross. At the same time, God has made preparations as well: “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:3). He has promised to prepare a place for us to spend eternity with Him. —Cindy Hess Kasper Father, we’re grateful that we will have a place with You one day. Thank You that you will fill us with joy in Your presence. God gives us time—to prepare for eternity. INSIGHT: Preparation was an important theme in Jesus’s final teaching time with His followers. His “upper room discourse” opens with the promise of a place in the Father’s house (John 14:2), where Jesus would go and prepare a place for His followers. The imagery of a prepared place in the house of the Lord was not new. This same idea brought comfort to David, who sang, “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Ps. 23:6). As it was with David, Jesus’s disciples had this hope. And so do we! He promised to return for His own and take us to the place He has prepared. Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

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Day 323 - Be Involved in Others' Lives

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 Be Involved in Others' Lives Day 323 Involvement requires investment. Getting involved in other people's lives is not easy. You have to choose to take the time and show love to others. It will not always come naturally. "You need to find the courage to get deeply involved in other people's lives and experience the mess and frustration, the sense of impotence, the sense of not knowing what to do," says Dr. Larry Crabb. You may be thinking, I have my own problems. I don't have the time. I don't have the energy. I don't have anything to offer. Excuses! Step out of your comfort zone and do something great for God. People need you, and it's up to you to find out who they are and what you can do to help. "If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, 'Love your neighbor as yourself,' you are doing right" (James 2:8). Holy God, I want to do right. Even when my energy and courage are failing, push me forward to help and love another person who needs me. 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

The Survival Float September 17, 2016

Read: Psalm 55:4-23 Bible in a Year: Proverbs 27-29; 2 Corinthians 10 Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you.—Psalm 55:22 Sunlight glittered on the swimming pool in front of me. I overheard an instructor speaking to a student who had been in the water for quite a while. He said, “It looks like you’re getting tired. When you’re exhausted and in deep water, try the survival float.” Certain situations in life require us to spend our mental, physical, or emotional energy in a way that we can’t sustain. David described a time when his enemies were threatening him and he felt the emotional weight of their anger. He needed to escape the distress he was experiencing. As he processed his feelings, he found a way to rest in his troubled thoughts. He said, “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you” (Ps. 55:22). He recognized that God supports us if we dare to release our problems to Him. We don’t have to take charge of every situation and try to craft the outcome—that’s exhausting! God is in control of every aspect of our life. Instead of trying to do everything in our own effort, we can find rest in God. Sometimes it’s as simple as asking Him to handle our problems. Then we can pause, relax, and enjoy the knowledge that He is sustaining us. —Jennifer Benson Schuldt God, today I give my problems to You. I know that You are in control of everything and I believe You are willing to help me. Please help me to find peace in You. How do you find your rest? Share with us at odb.org. God is a safe resting place. INSIGHT: In today’s reading David lamented over the activities of the wicked against him and denounced those who accused him (Ps. 55:1-15). Especially troubling was the betrayal of a former friend. Yet David had confidence in God. His goodness and ability to deliver pulled David into a spirit of praise (vv. 16-23). Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

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Day 322 - Lend Me Your Faith

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 Lend Me Your Faith Day 322 "Faith is what carries you through," says Dr. H. Norman Wright. "It is vital. But the problem is, during an intense loss or trauma or crisis sometimes you wonder, 'Where is my faith? Where is my hope?' And that's when you need somebody else to walk alongside you and say, 'Let me lend you my faith and my hope until your own comes back again.'" A strong Christian friend will be invaluable on your grief journey. This friend will listen, be available, and uphold you in prayer. He or she will spur you on to a deeper relationship with Christ. "I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith" (Romans 1:11-12). Your friend, in turn, will grow and be blessed by the almighty God who greatly rewards those who follow His commands. Lord, show me who this strong Christian friend is. You have provided people to walk alongside me and to lift me up when I stumble. I do not want to miss out on this blessing. Thank you, Great Provider. 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

A Pleasing Aroma September 16, 2016

Read: 2 Corinthians 2:12-17 Bible in a Year: Proverbs 25-26; 2 Corinthians 9 We are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ.—2 Corinthians 2:15 A perfumer who works in New York declares that she can recognize certain combinations of scents and guess the perfumer behind a fragrance. With just a sniff she can say, “This is Jenny’s work.” When writing to the followers of Christ in the city of Corinth, Paul at one point used an example that would have reminded them of a victorious Roman army in a conquered city burning incense (2 Cor. 2:14). The general would come through first, followed by his troops and then the defeated army. For the Romans, the aroma of the incense meant victory; for the prisoners, it meant death. Paul said we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ’s victory over sin. God has given us the fragrance of Christ Himself so we can become a sweet-smelling sacrifice of praise. But how can we live so we spread this pleasing fragrance to others? We can show generosity and love, and we can share the gospel with others so they can find the way to salvation. We can allow the Spirit to display through us His gifts of love, joy, and kindness (Gal. 5:22-23). Do others observe us and say, “This is Jesus’s work”? Are we allowing Him to spread His fragrance through us and then telling others about Him? He is the Ultimate Perfumer—the most exquisite fragrance there will ever be. —Keila Ochoa Do others recognize the work of God in my life? Am I spreading the fragrance of Christ? How? A godly life is a fragrance that draws others to Christ. INSIGHT: Among the ancient Roman military elite, the greatest honor afforded a general was after a military triumph. The general of the victorious army would parade through the streets of Rome as crowds shouted their praise. The aroma of the incense that burned on the altars in the pagan temples would waft over the city during this time of celebration. In today’s reading, Paul uses this picture to describe the triumph we have as believers in Jesus Christ: “But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere” (2 Cor. 2:14). Paul understood that we spread the aroma of the knowledge of Christ to others. Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

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