The Red Hackle November 27, 2016

Read: Psalm 92:12–15 Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 30–32; 1 Peter 4 They will still bear fruit in old age.—Psalm 92:14 Several years ago I stumbled across a bit of fishing lore in a second-century ad work by the Greek writer Aelian. “Between Boroca and Thessalonica runs a river called the Astracus, and in it there are fish with spotted skins [trout].” He then describes a “snare for the fish, by which they get the better of them. They fastened crimson red wool round a hook and attached two feathers. Then they would throw their snare, and the fish, attracted by the color, comes up, thinking to get a mouthful” (On the Nature of Animals). Fishermen still use this lure today. It is called the Red Hackle. First used over 2,200 years ago, it remains a snare for trout by which we “get the better of them.” When I read that ancient work I thought: Not all old things are passé—especially people. If through contented and cheerful old age we show others the fullness and deepness of God, we’ll be useful to the end of our days. Old age does not have to focus on declining health, pining over what once was. It can also be full of tranquility and mirth and courage and kindness, the fruit of those who have grown old with God. “Those who are planted in the house of the Lord . . . shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing” (Ps. 92:13-14 nkjv). —David Roper Lord, thank You for Your faithfulness throughout our lives. Help us finish our lives well in service to You and to remember that old age does not mean uselessness. As the years add up, God’s faithfulness keeps multiplying.  INSIGHT: In today’s Scripture, Psalm 92, the psalmist proclaims in verse 12 that the righteous—the faithful—will flourish like a palm tree and grow like the cedars of Lebanon. The palm tree was associated with value—both ornamental and economic—and palm fronds were already being used in worship (Lev. 23:40). The cedars of Lebanon are almost always used in Scripture to illustrate strength, stability, and majesty. At the time this psalm was written, magnificent evergreen (cedar) forests graced the mountains of Lebanon. With low branches and expansive canopies, these trees can reach up to 100 feet tall. The psalmist’s prayer is for the righteous to increase like the cedar and blossom like the palm tree. Dennis Moles Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

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Day 10 - Identify Your Losses

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 Identify Your Losses Day 10 One reason grief disrupts so many aspects of your life is because your loss is not one isolated loss. You will miss so many qualities and facets of the person you lost that each will become an opportunity to experience grief. The range of things you need to grieve for may surprise you. Identify your losses and be prepared to grieve for each one. Use the list below as a starting point. your companion your lover your encourager your "entertainer" your source of delight the one who shares your private jokes your breadwinner the one who knows you so well your housekeeper the shoulder on which you cry your cook the arms that embrace and comfort you your mechanic the one who always cheers you your friend your pride and joy Your list will go on and on. Say your losses out loud to God; speak until you run out of words to say. He knows your deepest needs, and He alone can provide. Do not skip this step. "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). O God, I have lost so much. Who will fill these gaping holes within me? You, Lord—yes, You. 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

Unsend November 26, 2016

Read: 1 Peter 3:8–12 Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 27–29; 1 Peter 3 Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. —1 Peter 3:10 Have you ever sent an email and suddenly realized it went to the wrong person or it contained harmful, harsh words? If only you could press a key and stop it. Well, now you can. Several companies offer a feature that gives you a brief time after sending an email to stop it from leaving your computer. After that, the email is like a spoken word that cannot be unsaid. Rather than being seen as a cure-all, an “unsend” feature should remind us that it’s extremely important to guard what we say. In the apostle Peter’s first letter, he told the followers of Jesus, “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing. . . . For, ‘whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it’ ” (1 Peter 3:9-11). The psalmist David wrote, “Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Ps. 141:3). That’s a great prayer for the beginning of each day and in every situation when we want to strike back with words. Lord, guard our words today so we may not harm others by what we say. —David McCasland Father, teach us first to guard our hearts so that we may guard our tongues. And help us, when we do say things we regret, to humbly apologize and seek forgiveness. The tongue has the power of life and death.  Proverbs 18:21 INSIGHT: The apostle Peter may be one of the last people from whom we would expect counsel on bridling our tongues. He was the one to chastise Jesus and claim fidelity even if all others failed, and yet he later disowned Christ (Matt. 26:33, 69-75). He was the only disciple to resort to violence (v. 51; John 18:10-11), and yet he encouraged the mistreated and displaced not to return like for like (see 1 Peter 3:9). Through the work of the Holy Spirit, Peter finally understood the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:38-44. Have you wished you could hit rewind and take back your words or actions? Is it comforting to know that just as Peter was changed, you too, through the Holy Spirit, can experience growth and change? J.R. Hudberg Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

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Day 9 - Grief Is Disruptive

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 Grief Is Disruptive Day 9 Grief affects everything you do. It can disrupt every aspect of your life in ways you might not expect. "I don't think I had time to think because psychologically I wasn't with it," says Nancy, whose husband passed away. "I would do stupid things. I would be coming home thinking I was on X Street, and then I'd realize, 'Well, I'm on the wrong street.' It was dumb things like that." When life seems chaotic and your world has lost its predictable order, remember that God does not change. Like Nancy, you may find yourself driving down the wrong road, but God is with you, and He is able to get you to your destination. "What a God! His road stretches straight and smooth. Every GOD-direction is road-tested. Everyone who runs toward him makes it" (Psalm 18:30 MSG). Creator God, You are a steadfast presence in my forever-changed world. 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

Best Deal Ever! November 25, 2016

Read: Ecclesiastes 5:10–19 Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 24–26; 1 Peter 2 As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owners?—Ecclesiastes 5:11 How much is enough? We might ask this simple question on a day that many developed countries increasingly devote to shopping. I speak of Black Friday, the day after the US Thanksgiving holiday, in which many stores open early and offer cut-price deals; a day that has spread from the States to other nations. Some shoppers have limited resources and are trying to purchase something at a price they can afford. But sadly, for others greed is the motivation, and violence erupts as they fight for bargains. The wisdom of the Old Testament writer known as “the Teacher” (Eccl. 1:1) provides an antidote to the frenzy of consumerism we may face in the shops—and in our hearts. He points out that those who love money never will have enough and will be ruled by their possessions. And yet, they will die with nothing: “As everyone comes, so they depart” (5:15). The apostle Paul echoes the Teacher in his letter to Timothy, when he says that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and that we should strive for “godliness with contentment” (1 Tim. 6:6-10). Whether we live in a place of plenty or not, we all can seek unhealthy ways of filling the God-shaped hole in our hearts. But when we look to the Lord for our sense of peace and well-being, He will fill us with His goodness and love. —Amy Boucher Pye “You have formed us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in You.” Augustine, ‘The Confessions’ True contentment does not depend on anything in this world. INSIGHT: Without the living God being brought into the picture, Ecclesiastes is one of the most paradoxical books in the Old Testament. For much of this short reflective work, we see life portrayed without God as an active Person in our lives. As a result, much of the text, though inspired by the Spirit, describes secular beliefs. Nonetheless, today’s reading showcases wisdom in various aspects of life. Dennis Fisher Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

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