Daily Bread Words for Life The Bible guide for every day Jan Mar 2012 2014 God s great plan Mike No guts, Hawthorne no glory on Genesis Jude Mason on Acts Enough is enough Penny Does Boshoff it matter? on Jonah & Penny Nahum Boshoff on Matthew Bring A class it in on! ethics David Sam Ennis Tolputt on on 2 Samuel Mark
SUDDB141 DB XX00 0963479014018 ABCDE123 Contents Introduction 2 Matthew 5 7 Leviticus 1 23 1 Corinthians 8 10 Jeremiah 1 5 Matthew 8 10 Jeremiah 6 10 Acts 20 23 2 Samuel 1 15 Matthew 11,12 Proverbs 10 18 Walk the talk! Laws of love No compromise Preparing for exile Does it matter? Clear warning No guts, no glory A class in ethics A challenging adventure Wisdom to steer by 8 22 30 38 46 62 70 85 102 110 Features Living dangerously Spotlight on Absalom 4 100
How to use Daily Bread Standing Way in out dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonu mmy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. A day s note Are you the sort of person who loves to stand out from the crowd? Or do you spend all your life trying to blend into the wallpaper? Many of us, if Minim we are veniam, honest, quis are more nostrud like exerci this second tation group we simply don t like ullamcorper being different. suscipit And lobortis we certainly nisl ut don t aliquip want ex ea to stand out in a way that commodo brands us consequat. as fanatics, Duis or autem nutters! vel eum iriure dolor We are in hendrerit in for a few in challenges, vulputate velit then, esse as we molestie open the pages of Daily Bread consequat, this quarter. vel illum Simon dolore Guillebaud s article on pages 4 to 6 kicks off Preparethe theme, Vero eros describing et accumsan his own et iusto move odio from dignissim the comfort qui of the UK to a radically blandit praesent different luptatum (and dangerous) zzril delenit lifestyle augue serving duis God in Burundi. It s quite dolore a read te feugait and you nulla can facilisi. find out more by following the links to his website. Then as we move through the quarter, there s Jesus teaching in ReadMatthew s Ullamcorper Gospel et which suscipit calls lobortis us all to vulputate upside-down velit living ; there s the insistence esse nolestie on holiness consequat in Leviticus vel illum and sat 1 dolor Corinthians; euismod there s Jeremiah s urging tincidunt of God s vel eum people iriure to dolor stand in out esse. against Ut laoreet corruption; and finally there s dolore Paul s magna own aliquam example erat in volutpat. Acts of being all out for Christ. It all Explorebuilds up a picture, challenging us to live lives that stand out from the world Ad around minim us. veniam, quis nostrud. Hendrerit in atsvulputate We may balk velit at the esse challenge nolestie that consequat. this sets us. Exerci But, as we enter 2014, tation perhaps ullamcorper this new suscipit year is lobortis an opportunity vulputate to velit. rethink our Respondcommitment to Christ, to take some new steps of faith, and yes! to Ut live laoreet a bit more dolore radically. magna It aliquam might not erat be volutpat. easy, or comfortable, but it Wisi will delight enim ad God s minim heart. veniam. Dolore eu satasfeugiat. Esse Happy lestie New drerit Year! in atsvul putate. Bible in a year At consequat vel satillum dolore eutta feugiat nostrud exerci. Exerci Jenny tation Hyatt ullamcorper suscipit lobortis vulputate Editor velit exercitation et suscipit lobortis. Lizzie Evans Content Manager 2 2
How to use Daily Bread Prepare Read Explore Respond Bible in a year Way in This page introduces both the notes and the writer. It sets the scene and tells you what you need to know to get into each series. A day s note The notes for each day include five key elements: Prepare, Read (the Bible passage for the day), Explore, Respond and Bible in a year. These are intended to provide a helpful way of meeting God in his Word. yourself to meet with God and pray that the Holy Spirit will help you to understand and respond to what you read. the Bible passage, taking time to absorb and simply enjoy it. A verse or two from the Bible text is usually included on each page, but it's important to read the whole passage. the meaning of the passage, listening for what God may be saying to you. Before you read the comment, ask yourself: what s the main point of this passage? What is God showing me about himself or about my life? Is there a promise or a command, a warning or example to take special notice of? to what God has shown you in the passage in worship and pray for yourself and others. Decide how to share your discoveries with others. If your aim is to know God and his Word more deeply, why not follow this plan to read the whole Bible in one year? 3
Living dangerously Simon Guillebaud comes from a Christian family with a long history of missionary service in Africa and close links with Scripture Union. Here he tells us about his call to serve God in Burundi, and his passion for radical Christian living. I became a Christian at the age of 15. My mum had packed me off on a Scripture Union holiday, saying I d never have to do another one if I didn t like it. In the end I loved it, and did Easter and summer camps every year for the next decade. During one of those early holidays, I prayed a simple prayer to receive Christ into my life, but doubted my conversion because I didn t see flashes of lightning across the sky! Over time, I came to realise that conversion didn t need to involve a dramatic experience, but was simply about having peace in my heart, knowing that God s presence in my life was real. In 1998, God called me to go and work for him in Burundi, which at the time was the most dangerous country in the world. My family knew that area of Africa well. My grandfather, Peter Guillebaud, had set up Scripture Union in Rwanda, and had spent years working on the new Kinyarwanda Bible translation together with my grandmother Elizabeth. Other members of my family had also spent 4
years of missionary service in that region. But Burundi was nowhere on my own radar at the time, so my initial call to go was an amazing story in itself. It was during my last week at Bible College and I was still clueless as to what would happen next. I prayed: Lord, please! I m 25, single, available, have no ties, and I m willing to go anywhere and do anything. I beg you, reveal your purposes for my life! Later that day someone passed me a note with a name and telephone number scribbled on it. A man had been trying to track me down. I rang him and we arranged to meet the next day. His first words were: Simon, the Lord has laid your name on my heart. How would you feel about working in Burundi? He explained the great needs among the youth in Burundi and how the church there was desperate for trained personnel. My heart was beating faster. I told him at the end of our meeting that I would pray about it, and that I would get back to him in due course. I began praying that if this was what God wanted me to do, he would give me a sign to confirm his will. The following Monday found me sitting at a desk in front of a computer at my old job, which my former employers had kept open for me. As I stared at the screen I wrestled with the Burundi question. God, I prayed silently, if you want me to go to Burundi, then please give me a sign. I know it s a war zone, and it will mean leaving everything family, friends, money, security and making radical changes in my life. But, I trust you. Just give me a sign! It was a specific prayer request, seeking a specific answer. Just to be clear, the nation of Burundi had no connection whatsoever with my job, so yes, I was asking God to do 5
something extraordinary. If he answered clearly, then I d go. A few minutes after praying, I took a phone call. A voice on the other end of the line asked me a question out of the blue which took my breath away: Do you know anyone who wants to work in Burundi? It was all I needed. This was my call. I was off That was 15 years ago. I ve worked for Scripture Union all that time, and seen thousands of people come to know Jesus. Nine years ago I set up Great Lakes Outreach, a charity that works in Central Africa with local partners such as SU Burundi to share God s message and transform lives (see www.greatlakesoutreach.org for more information about our work). With my team, we ve seen witchdoctors burn their charms publicly and surrender to God, we ve seen cripples healed, blind people see, deaf people hear, and more. I ve been threatened with death on more than one occasion, and nearly been blown to bits by a grenade. But God has kept us all safe throughout. Having come to know him as a 15-year-old on a Scripture Union camp one summer, I now get to work for Scripture Union on camps with very different kinds of teenagers in Central Africa! I love the way God has worked his plans out for me and for each one of us. So, whoever you are, and wherever God calls you to serve him, go for it! Live wholeheartedly and radically for him, and your life will never be the same again! 6
What are your thoughts like? Phil Green encourages you to face up to the battle of your thought-life as you take a 40-day Bible challenge: to let God s Word renew your mind and transform your life. 40/ 40 40 DAYS TO RENEW YOUR MIND, TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE PHIL GREEN 40 daily Bible reflections for mornings and evenings Space for journaling Group discussion questions A challenge for any season Lent, holidays, New Year... BE CHANGED BY A NEW WAY OF THINKING. Romans 12:2 Are you ready? BE CHANGED... BY A NEW WAY OF THINKING.' Romans 12:2 Buy locally at your Christian book shop Buy online www.scriptureunion.org.uk/shop Buy direct 01908 856 006 5.99
Way in to Matthew 5 7 Writer Andrew Knowles Andrew is a writer and theologian who lives in Cumbria, England. His books include, The Bible Guide (Lion Publishing, 2001). He is retired now but was Canon Theologian at Chelmsford Cathedral. Walk the talk! Wouldn t it be wonderful if Jesus himself could give us a short, practical course on how to live the Christian life? Here, in the Sermon on the Mount, we have the very teaching he gave his first followers. We might like to imagine ourselves among the close circle of Jesus disciples, standing or sitting around him as he speaks. Many people talk of the Sermon on the Mount as though it is an easy, obvious and straightforward set of principles. In fact it is the very opposite! As Jesus opens up the great themes of Christian living, we find ourselves searched and stretched by his radical insights and commands. But whenever Jesus makes these extraordinary challenges, he first assures us of God s fatherly love. When Jesus says to a wealthy man, Sell everything you have and give to the poor, then come, follow me, Mark tells us that first, Jesus looked at him and loved him (Mark 10:21). The Sermon on the Mount is one of the Bible s greatest treasures. Here Jesus tells us how we can change the world for good, by our peace-making, forgiveness and secret, generous relationship with God. He teaches us how to pray simply and directly, and he urges us to trust our heavenly Father for our everyday needs. Above all, it is not the words on Jesus lips that count, nor the print on these pages in our Bibles, but whether we prove the truth of what we read by living it; by walking the talk. 8
Prepare Matthew 5:1 12 Happiness is How are you feeling about the people in your life, and your circumstances? Ask God for his grace in the face of any difficulties, so that you may give yourself in love and service today. Read Matthew 5:1 12 Wednesday 1 January Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3 (NIV) Explore The word blessed ( happy ) wins our attention, because we all hope for happiness in this life. Google secret of happiness and you will be offered nearly 100 million entries! But the happiness Jesus describes here is the very opposite of what we might expect. While many people imagine that happiness comes from fame and fortune, Jesus lists the qualities of the world s losers. He teaches his followers that they will appear to lack self-esteem and to be sad and weak (vs 3 5). In a world where egotism and self-promotion are admired, those who live like Jesus will be regarded as a push-over, lacking in ambition, and far too quick to apologise Respond (vs 6 9). His followers will even be frustrated with themselves, because they long to live a godly life, Lord, share with me but find it almost impossible to do so (v 10). your kind of happiness Jesus description of us, his followers, as happy today: the joy and only makes sense because we are living by the pain of living for values and joys of God s kingdom which is not heaven on earth. of this world (John 18:36). Jesus assures us we are absolutely on the right track when we find ourselves sharing his self-emptying humility (Philippians 2:5 8) and his sufferings (John 15:20). Bible in a Year 9 Genesis 1,2; Matthew 1
Thursday 2 January You are the salt of the earth You are the light of the world. Matthew 5:13,14 (NIV) Respond When Desmond Tutu was a boy, he saw a white priest doff his hat to his mother, who was a black domestic cleaner. That small courtesy changed his life. Lord, take even my smallest actions and use them to change the world. Agents for change Prepare What s on your heart, as you come before God today? Father, despite all I want you to do for me, may I seek rather what I can do for you. Read Matthew 5:13 20 Explore Matthew 5:13 20 When Jesus describes his followers as salt and light, he has a single strategy in mind: that we should actively engage with the society and world in which we live. Salt not only flavours food, but is also a preservative, fertiliser and disinfectant. We are salt when we promote good and hinder evil. Light is only useful when it shines out, and Jesus says that we, too, must show God s love to all by our acts of generosity and self-sacrifice (v 16). We mustn t be like ships that never put to sea, or soldiers who only work from home! The first and best way to change the world is by keeping God s law. It gives guidance for all our relationships: with God himself, with other people, and with the whole of creation. God s law is inspired, wonderful and good (Romans 7:12), guiding us in ways of wisdom, harmony and safety. Without it we are like a train without rails. In Jesus time there was no shortage of people who observed God s law. What do you think he means by saying we should surpass their efforts? 10 Bible in a Year Genesis 3,4; Matthew 2
Matthew 5:21 32 Straight to the heart Friday 3 January Prepare Jesus is the brilliant teacher whose truth will set us free (John 8:32). Lord, show me the secrets of my heart and set me truly free today. Read Matthew 5:21 32 Explore You have heard that it was said You shall not murder But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgement. We have said that the best way to change the world is Matthew 5:21,22 (NIV) by keeping God s law. Here Jesus addresses two wellknown commandments: You shall not murder and You shall not commit adultery (Exodus 20:13,14). Murder is the taking of a God-given life and adultery is the breaking of a God-given bond. Untold damage is done by such behaviour. Sadly, when it doesn t affect us personally, we too easily enjoy it as gossip. Before we declare ourselves not guilty, Jesus shows how the seeds of disobedience are common and close. Murder, he says, springs from the slightest anger; adultery unfolds from the merest glance. It s a first thought that kindles an eventual inferno. To show us the urgency of the danger, Jesus suggests drastic remedies (vs 29,30). Mending a Respond relationship is more important than any churchgoing. If tempted to adultery, we had better disable Jesus, my only ourselves rather than proceed. Jesus makes us wince Saviour, guide my with the extreme humour of his examples, but his heart, my mind, my point was never more serious. eyes, my hands, in the Jesus holds us responsible for dealing with our way that leads to life. anger and lust. But only he can enable us to live the life he commands (Romans 7:24,25). Is selfcontrol down to us, or does God work within us (Galatians 5:22,23)? Bible in a Year 11 Genesis 5,6; Matthew 3
Saturday 4 January But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:44,45 (NIV) Respond What excites you most about this landscape of relationships, transformed by God s generous love? How might it free up your attitude to a particular person or situation today? Matthew 5:33 48 Breaking the mould Prepare The teaching of Jesus reaches into every part of our lives and there is always more to discover and learn. Ask God to help you to know him better and to share his life more fully today. Read Matthew 5:33 48 Explore The best way to change the world is by keeping God s law ; but that sounds rather narrow and rigid. Doesn t Jesus set us free from being legalistic? Yes, indeed he does! Jesus looks at the swearing of oaths (vs 33 37), the right to revenge (vs 38 42) and the limits of love (vs 43 48). Jewish teaching is clear. You can seal your oath by binding it to God, or something to do with God. You can exact compensation for a crime committed against you (but no more and no less). You must care for your neighbour (someone of the same race and religion), but are free to neglect or reject everyone else. Now Jesus, the liberator who sets us free, demolishes the walls of these narrow-focused rules. He dismisses sacred oaths by saying our own character will prove our word. He irrigates the desert of legalism with rivers of grace. He dismantles the barriers between neighbour and stranger, friend and foe, by declaring that our Father God loves all equally and immeasurably; and so must we. 12 Bible in a Year Genesis 7,8; Psalms 1,2
Psalm 99 A new vantage point Sunday 5 January Prepare Place yourself quietly in the presence of God. He is holy and majestic, beyond all that we can imagine. Yet he is here with you now: more loving than any parent; closer than any friend. Read Psalm 99 Explore Do you ever feel shut in by your problems; your vision narrow and your faith weak? Perhaps this was the starting point for our psalmist yet look where he arrives! He begins, not with his own sense of inadequacy or gloom, but with the supreme and wonderful reign of God (vs 1 5). He reflects that God has engaged, in the past, with real people and situations (vs 6 8). He, too, can respond to this living God and take his place in the company of worshipping believers (v 9). He thinks of Moses and Aaron from the days of the Exodus and Samuel from the days of the kings. They weren t perfect people, but God spoke with them, enlisted them in his service, and persevered with them in friendship. They witnessed God s power in action, but learned even more from his endless mercy. So the psalmist has found a place to stand; a vantage point from which he can survey God s grace in history; a view from which he can praise God in his own day. Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy. Psalm 99:5 (NIV) Respond This God of old is our God and we know him even more completely, through Jesus his Son. God is King and Jesus is Lord, not only there and then, but here and now, and everywhere and for ever (Revelation 1:17,18). At your feet we fall, mighty risen Lord. Bible in a Year 13 Genesis 9 11; Matthew 4
Monday 6 January Matthew 6:1 15 Secrets But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father who sees what is done in secret. Matthew 6:6 (NIV) 14 Respond What will be my secrets with God today: a confidential gift to someone and a quiet moment for prayer? And who is God showing me I must forgive, as an absolute priority? How did Jesus manage this himself (Luke 23:34)? Prepare Early in the morning, or late at night, Jesus prayed. He prays still for us and with us. Lord Jesus, think on me and make me pure within (Synesius of Cyrene, ad 430, translated by Allen W Chatfield, 1876, Lutheran Hymnal). Read Matthew 6:1 15 Explore Today Jesus teaches us about two expressions of a righteous life: giving (6:2,3) and praying (6:5 15). With each, he emphasises that our true relationship with God is something essentially private, which only God sees. In verses 2 and 5 Jesus paints a hilarious portrait of hypocrites (people who wear a mask), performing their good deeds before an admiring public. Their reward is a reputation for generosity and piety. But to his disciples Jesus urges the utmost secrecy and promises rewards found only in heaven. The prayer Jesus teaches (vs 9 13) begins with God s concerns and then flows on to our own. It is a surprisingly intimate prayer, as Jesus shares with his friends his understanding of God as Father. What is your favourite part of this prayer; and is there anything you would like to add? After teaching his prayer, Jesus again emphasises the importance of a forgiving life (vs 14,15). Before ever we ask God to forgive us our own sins, we must already have forgiven others theirs. Bible in a Year Genesis 12,13; Matthew 5
Prepare Matthew 6:16 24 Healthy living New Year is a time for resolutions: about things we intend to change, or hope to achieve. Lord, help me to learn what you want me to know and to become what you want me to be. Read Matthew 6:16 24 Explore Jesus continues to challenge us with his teaching about the good life. After secret giving and secret praying, he talks about secret fasting (vs 16 18). He assumes that his followers will go without food or sleep at times, in order to focus on prayer. But this is to be a hidden activity, centred only on God, and quite different from a New Year diet! Bit by bit, Jesus is outlining a life which is in orbit around God. The only possible explanation of a generous spirit, cheerful and contented, is that we have a single priority in our lives: to know God s love and to do God s will. The great enemy of our Christian well-being is greed. Jesus calls it Mammon the god of materialism, money and gain. As with every other aspect of our behaviour, Jesus makes us responsible for the choices we make. Why does money hold such an attraction for us (1 Timothy 6:10) and why does Jesus see it as a dangerous rival to the living God? Tuesday 7 January Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:20,21 (NIV) Respond What are the priorities in your life, as expressed by your time and money, enthusiasms and goals? Is there a secret fast you can offer for a while (from television, or social media sites, for example) so that you can focus ( clear-eyed, v 22) on what God really wants? Bible in a Year 15 Genesis 14,15; Psalms 3,4