Thanks-Living January 1, 2017

Read: Psalm 23 Bible in a Year: Genesis 1–3; Matthew 1 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.—Psalm 23:6 Wanting to mature in her spiritual life and become more thankful, Sue started what she called a Thanks-Living jar. Each evening she wrote on a small piece of paper one thing she thanked God for and dropped it in the jar. Some days she had many praises; other difficult days she struggled to find one. At the end of the year she emptied her jar and read through all of the notes. She found herself thanking God again for everything He had done. He had given simple things like a beautiful sunset or a cool evening for a walk in the park, and other times He had provided grace to handle a difficult situation or had answered a prayer. Sue’s discovery reminded me of what the psalmist David says he experienced (Ps. 23). God refreshed him with “green pastures” and “quiet waters” (vv. 2-3). He gave him guidance, protection, and comfort (vv. 3-4). David concluded: “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life” (v. 6). I’m going to make a Thanks-Living jar this year. Maybe you’d like to as well. I think we’ll see we have many reasons to thank God—including His gifts of friends and family and His provisions for our physical, spiritual, and emotional needs. We’ll see that the goodness and love of God follow us all the days of our lives. —Anne Cetas Dear Lord, You bless me in more ways than I can count. Thank You for Your love for me. When you think of all that’s good, give thanks to God.  INSIGHT: Psalm 23 is a familiar favorite of many people. Modern believers are unlikely to connect shepherds with sovereigns. Yet in the Bible world, people did think of kings as shepherds. Look up Psalm 78:71-72; 2 Samuel 5:2; Isaiah 44:28; and Jeremiah 3:15. (Amazingly, note that in Revelation 7:17 a Lamb will shepherd His people!) After all, what does a shepherd do? He cares, controls, governs, protects, and so on. Isn’t that what any good king would do? In other words, the job profile for kings and shepherds is not all that different. God’s giving is the trigger for our responsive thanksgiving. And thanksgiving can be packaged as “thanks-living.” Why not take an inventory of ways God has provided for you this week? How might your thanksgiving practically manifest itself in “thanks-living”? Jim Townsend Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

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Day 45 - The Third Principle of the Journey: Be Involved

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 The Third Principle of the Journey: Be Involved Day 45 "Don't imagine that you're gonna tough this out and make it all by yourself," says Dr. Jim Conway. Do you have a person with whom you can share your innermost feelings about your loss? Take action to find someone. Often it is helpful to find someone who has experienced a loss similar to your own. Pray first that God will direct you. Then make a list of family members, friends, neighbors, and coworkers with whom you might share. Pick up the phone and plan a time to meet and talk. You might also call your local church and explain that you just need someone to talk to about your situation. Another idea is to find a grief support group where you can share, ventilate, talk, and find support from others who can truly relate.[1] "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up" (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). Lord, direct me to the person You want me to have as a friend and confidant during this time of grief. Amen. [1] To find the GriefShare grief recovery support group nearest you, call 1-800-395-5755, email info@griefshare.org, visit our web site at http://www.griefshare.org, or write to Church Initiative, P.O. Box 1739, Wake Forest, NC, 27588-1739. 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

Now Is the Day December 31, 2016

Read: 2 Corinthians 5:18–6:2 Bible in a Year: Malachi 1–4; Revelation 22 I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.—2 Corinthians 6:2 Our preschool-age granddaughter Maggie and her kindergarten-age sister Katie hauled several blankets to the backyard, where they proceeded to build a blanket tent in which to play. They had been outside a while when their mom heard Maggie call for her. “Mom, come here quick!” Maggie yelled. “I want to ask Jesus into my heart, and I need your help!” Apparently at that moment her need for Jesus became clear to her, and she was ready to put her faith in Him. Maggie’s urgent call for help in trusting Jesus brings to mind Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 6 about salvation. He was discussing the reality that Jesus Christ’s coming—including His death and resurrection—instituted an era he called “the time of God’s favor.” We live in that time, and salvation is available to all right now. He said, “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (v. 2). For all who have not yet trusted Jesus for forgiveness, the time to do so is now. It is urgent. Perhaps the Holy Spirit has alerted you to your need to put your trust in Jesus. Like Maggie, don’t put it off. Run to Jesus. Now is the day! —Dave Branon Heavenly Father, I now understand my need to have my sins forgiven. I also realize that only Jesus—because of His sacrifice on the cross—can forgive my sin. I put my faith and trust in Jesus today. Please forgive me and become the Lord of my life. There’s no better day than today to enter into God’s family. INSIGHT: Second Corinthians 5:20 provides a marvelous description of our role as believers in the world: ambassadors for Christ. An ambassador is a representative sent to a foreign country. When we share the good news that Christ paid the penalty for sin, we are doing the work of God’s ambassadors. The redemptive work of Jesus Christ through His death, burial, and resurrection has provided the means by which human beings—who are spiritually separated from God—can be brought back into a relationship with their Creator. As ambassadors we share God’s promise of a new citizenship in heaven for all who will repent and believe the gospel. Dennis Fisher Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

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Day 44 - The Second Principle of the Journey: Be Expressive

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 The Second Principle of the Journey: Be Expressive Day 44 Express your tears and your pain. In order to move on, you cannot push down and pocket your emotions; they must be fully communicated for you to heal. "Everyone cries," says Dr. H. Norman Wright. "Everyone sheds tears. Some people do it on the outside, but some are only capable of doing it on the inside. From a health perspective, the shedding of tears is very beneficial to physical well-being. "The people who are unable or haven't developed the capacity to cry are carrying a heavier load of emotion that can actually contribute to some physical difficulties. I don't think you should ever apologize for your tears because you never apologize for something that is a gift from God." Pull out your emotions. Face the pain head-on. Mourn loudly. Weep bitterly. Be set free. When Peter realized he had disowned Jesus three times, he "went outside and wept bitterly" (Luke 22:62). When Stephen, the first Christian martyr, died, devout men "made loud lamentation over him" (Acts 8:2 NASB). Holy God, I'm so adept at pushing down my emotions that I don't know how to pull them up, but I know that I must. Give me the opportunity and the courage to let my emotions pour out freely. 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

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Thanks for Your Partnership We love to hear how God is changing lives! We’re privileged to play a part and are so thankful for the prayers and support of friends like you! Enjoy these stories of hope and change . . . I love Our Daily Bread. It was through this ministry that I originally got saved. At the time, I was given an Our Daily Bread that was a year old and I thought it was trash because it wasn’t current, not realizing the timeless and matchless power of the Word of God! That night I read about the love that Jesus has for me which surpasses all understanding, and my impenetrable walls of Jericho fell in. Today I eagerly wake up to read what our heavenly Father has to say about how I’m supposed to live my life for Him in the light of love. Thank you so much, and may God bless you always! —ROBERT Read More

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BRAZIL: Olympic Outreach The 2016 Olympics and Paralympics events brought 15,903 athletes and thousands of spectators representing more than 200 countries to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Our Daily Bread Ministries Team in Brazil could not pass up this opportunity to “spread the Word.” Working with sports and evangelism ministries in Brazil, thousands of volunteers from 400 churches were mobilized to distribute gospel literature in the areas surrounding the Olympic competition events. In addition, coordinated outreach efforts involved sports clinics, community festivals, Kids Games events, host homes for athletes, media interviews, and community peace walks.

ASIA-PACIFIC: Our Daily Bread Ministries Audio Device Many pastors and others who live in remote areas of the Asia-Pacific Region have limited access to biblically based resources. To meet these needs, the Our Daily Bread Ministries Audio Device Project was begun. The devices feature the entire Bible, readings from Our Daily Bread, sermons, and hymns. In 2016 over 600 devices were distributed. In Indonesia the devices were distributed to pastors in remote areas. In Malaysia and Cambodia the devices were distributed to those who are illiterate, elderly, or vision impaired. Please pray that we will be able to distribute over 3,000 devices in 2017.

UNITED STATES: Youth for Christ Devotional A 17-day devotional resource was created for Youth for Christ in 2016. Used specifically with their Project Serve Summer Camp Team, this devotional featured 7 days of inspirational readings and Scripture passages to be read during the camp experience, as well as 10 days of devotions to  strengthen and encourage each young person at home after returning from camp. See 2016 Year in Review

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