Of Trees and Stars (Genesis 15:5)

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T. C. Roddy Jr. from Rusk, Texas, wrote, “In my front yard are six huge oak trees that must be over 100 years old. I look at them and realize that the leaves must have barrels of fresh water each day to stay green.”

“As a retired engineer, I know that no pump ever devised by man could force that amount of water through the dense wooden trunks of these trees. Yet God causes their roots to exert a working pressure of more than 3,000 pounds per square foot just to move the water up to the leaves – not considering the resistance of the wood. That is just another of God’s ‘miracles’ that occur every day unnoticed.”

God didn’t ask Abraham to look at trees but directed his attention to the stars. As Abraham contemplated the vast numbers of stars, God said, “So shall your descendants be.” I believe that was more than a promise of large numbers. To me it implied that if God could create and maintain all those stars, He would have not trouble fulfilling His promise that Abraham would have a son in his old age. And Abraham got the picture, for we read that “he believed in the Lord” (Genesis 15:6).

Let’s consider often the wonders of creation. It’s a good way to strengthen our faith in the promises of the Creator. – Dennis J. De Haan

If God’s creation helps you see

What wonders He can do,

Then trust the many promises

That He has given you. – D. J. De Haan

He who holds the stars in space will not let go of His promises to us.

• May 31, 1992, Our Daily Bread

Remember the Sacrifice (1 Corinthians 11:24)

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Every Memorial Day, we remember those who have died in the service of their country. In the United States, a place where such remembrances carry a deep and emotional significance is Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington DC. Arlington is a serious place where, due to the passing of aging war veterans and the ongoing conflicts around the world, there are currently about 25 military funerals every day.

This is particularly difficult for the Old Guard – members of the 3^rd US Infantry Regiment who serve at Arlington. It is their task to bear the bodies of the fallen and honor their sacrifice. The members of the Old Guard never forget the price of the liberty – for they are reminded of it every day.

Believers in Christ have been given the Lord’s Supper as a reminder of what our freedom from sin cost the Lord Jesus Christ. As we partake of the bread and the cup, we fulfill His command to “do this in remembrance of Me” (1 Corinthians 11:24). But in the sober celebration of the sacrifice of Christ there is joy. For we need not leave our remembrances at the Lord’s Table. Living our lives for the Savior can show the world that we will never forget the sacrifice He has made for us. – Bill Crowder

Thank You, Lord, for dying for me

On the cross of Calvary;

Help me always to remember

What You did to set me free. – Sper

Remembering Christ’s death for us should cause us to live for Him.

• May 30, Vol. 17, Our Daily Bread

Slow Starts (Acts 18:9)

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Are you discouraged because the work that God has called you to do is off to a slow start? Remember, some of our most wonderful inventions got off to slow starts as well.

The first electric light was so dim that a candle was needed to see its socket. One of the first steamboats took 32 hours to chug its way from New York to Albany, a distance of 150 miles. Wilbur and Orville Wright’s first airplane flight lasted only 12 seconds. And the first automobiles traveled 2 to 4 miles per hour and broke down often. Carriages would pass them with passengers shouting, “Get a horse!” But look what these inventions are capable of today.

In his ministry at Corinth, the apostle Paul went every Sabbath to the synagogue and tried to persuade the Jews that Jesus is the Christ, but they refused his message. He also faced opposition. So he turned to the Gentiles, and many believed. Encouraged by the Lord, he kept on for 1½ years until a church was well established in that city. What began with little promise eventually prospered.

Are you off to a slow start? Don’t let a rough beginning in your endeavor for the Lord get you down. When you know you’re in God’s will and you’re obeying His call, stick with it! – David C. Egner

Giving up and giving in

To pressure that we face

Limit all that God could do

If we’d but trust His grace. – Sper

God can make a great finish out of a slow start.

• May 29, 1990, Our Daily Bread

Are We Listening? (James 1:22)

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A fascinating film made in the 1950, The Next Voice You Hear, tells a story of a family with a typical amount of trials and tensions. then, one night, the voice of God speaks on the radio. But not just their radio – God’s voice is heard throughout the world on every radio, saying the same thing at the same time.

At first people react with disbelief, then fear. After several days of hearing “The Voice,” however, people’s attitudes, actions, and priorities begin to change. The impact of what God was saying directly affected how they lived their lives.

I have heard people say, “If only God would talk to me! If He would just tell me what to do, I would do it.” The simple fact is that God has already spoken to us through His Word, the Bible. Do we listen to Him as He speaks?

The psalmist desired to obey God’s Word “continually, forever and ever” (119:44). And James warned about ignoring it when he said, “Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22).

How would you respond if God began to speak to you on your radio? We can be thankful that God does speak to us – not on the radio but in the Scriptures. May we be wise enough to listen and obey. – Bill Crowder

Instill within my heart, dear Lord,

A deep desire to know Your Word;

I want to learn to hear Your voice

So that Your will becomes my choice. – D. J. De Haan

In God’s works we see His hand; in His Word we hear His heart.

• May 28, Vol. 15, Our Daily Bread

“Weep Not for Me!” (Philippians 1:23)

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For the believer, death means entering into the glorious presence of Christ. The 18^th-century Bible commentator Matthew Henry expressed this confidence in words he hoped would be read after his death by anyone who might unduly mourn his passing. He wrote: “Would you like to know where I am? I am at home in my Father’s house, in the mansions prepared for me here. I am where I want to be – no longer on the stormy sea, but in God’s safe, quiet harbor. My sowing time is done and I am reaping; my joy is as the joy of harvest. Would you like to know how it is with me? I am made perfect in holiness. Grace is swallowed up in glory. Would you like to know what I am doing? I see God, not as through a glass darkly, but face to face. I am engaged in the sweet enjoyment of my precious Redeemer. I am singing hallelujahs to Him who sits upon the throne, and I am constantly praising Him. Would you know what blessed company I keep? It is better than the best on earth. Here are the holy angels and the spirits of just men made perfect…. I am with many of my old acquaintances with whom I worked and prayed, and who have come here before me. Lastly, would you know how long this will continue? It is a dawn that never fades! After millions and millions of ages, it will be as fresh as it is now. Therefore, weep not for me!”

Christian, has the harsh reality of death recently taken a believing loved one? Be comforted by Matthew Henry’s words. They are firmly based on the hope promised by the Word of God. – Henry G. Bosch

Oh, how blessed is the promise

When our spirit is set free;

To be absent from the body

Means to live, O Lord, with Thee! – H. G. Bosch

Death for the Christian means heaven, happiness, and Him.

• May 27, 1984, Our Daily  Bread

Our Triune God (1 Timothy 3:16)

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In an interview, a young woman said that she converted to Islam because she found the Christian doctrine of the Trinity too complicated. What she failed to realize is that the Islamic concept of a solitary, distant God is inadequate. We need the triune God who became one of us to show His love and to provide salvation – One who understands our trials because He Himself experienced them.

The Bible teaches that the Father is God (John 6:27), the Son is God (John 1:1, 18), and the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3, 4). Each is distinct, but they are so united that not one of them could exist without the others. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were all present at Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:16, 17).

Most of us are not as concerned about the deep theology of the Trinity as we are about its practical meaning in a world of sin, pain, sorrow, and death. Yet it is because God is triune that He could come to earth in the person of Jesus to provide salvation for us (John 3:16) and to be our sympathetic helper (Hebrews 4:14-16). It is because God is triune that the Holy Spirit can live in us and make our bodies the temples of God (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Let’s reaffirm our faith in our triune God and praise the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. – Herbert Vander Lugt

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit –

O Thou blessed Trinity;

One in essence, yet three persons –

Thou, our God, we worship Thee. – D. J. De Haan

The triune God reveals Himself not to confuse us but to convict, cleanse, and comfort.

• May 26, 1991, Our Daily Bread

Love in Return (1 John 4:10)

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What indescribable joy fills the heart of a mother and father when their little child responds to their love freely showing them affection! How much more must the heart of the Heavenly Father be gladdened when His children spontaneously give back to Him what He has so bountifully shown to them!

The following incident beautifully portrays the power of love to stimulate love in return. A mother was busily writing letters at her desk as her little girl played in another room with a doll. After some time, she called her daughter to come and sit on her lap. The little girl said, “Mommy, I’m glad you called for me. I love you so much.” “Do you, darling?” she asked as she tenderly hugged her beaming 5-year-old. “I am glad you love me. You weren’t lonely while I was writing, were you? You and your dolly seemed to be having such a good time together.” “We were having fun, but I got tired of loving her. She never loves me back.” “Is that why you love me?” “That’s one reason, Mommy; but not the best.” “And what is the best?” Her bright blue eyes were earnest as she replied, “O Mommy, can’t you guess? I love you now because you loved and took care of me when I was too little to love you back.”

When we consider that God loved us “while we were yet sinners,” and even “when we were enemies” (Romans 5:8, 10), there is but one response that should flow naturally from our hearts – a return of love because He first loved us. – Paul R. Van Gorder

Oh, how I love Jesus,

Oh, how I love Jesus,

Oh, how I love Jesus –

Because He first loved me. – Whitfield

God loves His children not for who they are, but because of who He is.

• May 25, 1984, Our Daily Bread

Making Restitution (Numbers 5:7)

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When we have wronged someone, we must go to that person and make things right if possible. This is difficult, but restitution honors God and may convince the offended person of the reality of our faith.

After F. E. Marsh preached on this subject, a young man came to him and said, “Pastor, you have put me in a bad fix. I’ve stolen from my employer, and I’m ashamed to tell him about it. You see, I’m a boat builder, and the man I work for is an unbeliever. I have often talked to him about Christ, but he only laughs at me. In my work, expensive copper nails are used because they won’t rust in water. I’ve been taking some of them home for a boat I am building in my backyard. I’m afraid if I tell my boss what I’ve done and offer to pay for them, he’ll think I’m a hypocrite, and I’ll never be able to reach him for Christ. yet, my conscience is bothered.”

Later when the man saw the preacher again, he exclaimed, “Pastor, I’ve settled that matter and I’m so relieved.” “What happened when you told your boss?” asked the minister. “Oh, he looked at me intently and said, ‘George, I’ve always thought you were a hypocrite, but now I’m not so sure. Maybe there’s something to your Christianity after all. Any religion that makes a man admit that he’s been stealing a few copper nails and offer to settle for them must be worth having.’”

Confess past wrongs and try to make restitution. You’ll find new freedom and joy in the Lord. – Henry G. Bosch

If you’ve believed and salvation received,

Your duty should then become clear;

Wrongs must be righted, if this can be done,

To show to the world you’re sincere. – H. G. Bosch

Honest restitution is a mark of honest repentance.

• May 24, 1986, Our Daily Bread

In the Circle of Safety (Romans 8:1)

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At the coronation of King Edward VII of Britain in 1902, the Maharaja of India, wanted to do something special to commemorate the occasion. So he purchased land near Delhi and paid into the local treasury a huge sum of money that would go on paying the taxes indefinitely. From then on, citizens who had no money could live there without ever being assessed. Because all taxes had been paid, the people were free from the fear of being imprisoned for nonpayment.

In a similar way, we as Christians enjoy a secure environment in the salvation Jesus has provided. By dying on the cross, He paid the debt of our sin, and it will never be brought against us. He is the sinless One, both in nature and in deed. No one could rightly accuse Him of a single act of disobedience to God. And because His righteousness has been given to us, we are no longer subject to condemnation.

The Old Testament portrays this safety in Christ in various ways. Noah and his family were secure in the ark when the flood of God’s wrath destroyed a wicked generation. The children of Israel were safe on the night of the Passover in Egypt because the blood of the sacrifice was applied to their doorposts and lintels. And the scarlet cord kept Rahab from being killed by Israel’s armies.

As believers in Christ, we are safe from the accusations of friends, enemies, Satan, and even ourselves. Punishment for sins is real and terrible, but it will never fall on us. Thank God, we live in the circle of safety. – David C. Egner

Now are we free – there’s no condemnation!

Jesus provides a perfect salvation;

“Come unto Me,” on, hear His sweet call!

Come, and He saves us once for all. – Bliss

Through faith in Christ man steps out of sin’s slavery into salvation’s freedom.

• May 23, 1984, Our Daily Bread

Hindered Prayers (Psalm 66:18)

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A Christian woman had often asked others to pray for her husband’s salvation, yet he remained unconverted. One thing she didn’t realize was that she was part of the reason he had not accepted Christ. By failing to control her temper, she was driving her husband away from the Lord. When her pastor discovered that this was the problem, he invited her to come to his office. Kindly he said to her, “Your anger is one of those besetting sins mentioned in Hebrews 12:1. You must ask the Lord to help you control it. If you don’t, you can’t expect God to answer your prayer for your husband’s conversion.” Realizing he was right, she began yielding to the Holy Spirit and making her temper a matter of prayer.

Some time later, her husband accidentally brushed against a beautiful new lamp. It swayed for a moment then fell to the floor and was shattered beyond repair. He waited apprehensively for an outburst from his wife but was amazed when she said quietly, “You couldn’t help it, dear. We’ll just have to save up for another one.” “Mary!” he exclaimed in surprise. “What’s come over you?” She replied, “John, I’ve recently asked the Lord to cleanse my heart and help me control my temper.” “Well,” said her husband, “If His power can do that for you, you’d better remember me in your prayers; that’s the kind of Christianity I want!”

Are you clinging to some pet sin in your life? By God’s grace get rid of it. It is not only hindering your testimony but it’s also blocking your prayer! – Henry G. Bosch

Oh, now I see that things I thought

Were harmless were a sin;

So clear I see that I have hurt

The souls I tried to win. – Anon.

Pet sins prevent power in prayer!

• May 22, 1985, Our Daily Bread