Daily Bread Archives

February 14, 2020May 28, 2021

Love Is Patient

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4, 8

They say the strongest thing in the universe is love, and I believe it is true. It was love that sent Jesus to the Cross, and it was love that held the Son of God there, not the nails. Therefore, true love is a verb, not an adjective. Although it can be used to describe a feeling, it must be put into action in order to make that feeling a reality. Love without the right and proper actions is not real love at all. What I mean is, if I truly love my spouse, I will seek ways to please her and to bringing joy and happiness to her, not to myself. She then, in turn, does the same for me. In that way, we learn to depend on each other for our marital happiness, always putting God first in all things. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone.

My Heavenly Father, please bless relationships this Valentine’s Day. And those that have lost sight of the shore bring them back. For those who have forgotten what they started fighting for, open their eyes to see that it is a spiritual fight for their families and for their loved ones. Spark the flame again in marriages, in family relationships, in friendships, and in their relationship with You. And for those relationships that are burning bright, keep fanning the flames that it may become an inferno. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Love Your Saul

“¹¹David and his men tore their clothes in sorrow when they heard the news. ¹²They mourned and wept and fasted all day for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the Lord’s army and the nation of Israel, because they had died by the sword that day.” ~ 2 Samuel 1:11-12

Saul tried to kill David on multiple occasions, yet David didn’t rejoice in Saul’s death, he mourned. He wept for Saul, the man who caused him to be an outcast, gave his wife to another, and tried to kill. David loved God so much that he was able to love his enemies. How many of us can say that we truly love our enemies?

It’s easy to say that we love someone until they’ve done us wrong. Love is an easy thing to say, but not an easy thing to be. God is love and we are to model our lives after Him, then we must also be love. What does that mean? We must show mercy, especially to those that showed us none. We must show love to those who showed us hate. We have to live as Christ because it’s no longer us who is living, but it is Christ who is living through us. We each have a Saul in our lives, but do we each love our Saul like David did?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Love Your Saul.

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Breathe Life

“³¹Gehazi hurried on ahead and laid the staff on the child’s face, but nothing happened. There was no sign of life. He returned to meet Elisha and told him, ‘The child is still dead.’

³²When Elisha arrived, the child was indeed dead, lying there on the prophet’s bed. ³³He went in alone and shut the door behind him and prayed to the Lord. ³⁴Then he lay down on the child’s body, placing his mouth on the child’s mouth, his eyes on the child’s eyes, and his hands on the child’s hands. And as he stretched out on him, the child’s body began to grow warm again! ³⁵Elisha got up, walked back and forth across the room once, and then stretched himself out again on the child. This time the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes!

³⁶Then Elisha summoned Gehazi. ‘Call the child’s mother!’ he said. And when she came in, Elisha said, ‘Here, take your son!’ ³⁷She fell at his feet and bowed before him, overwhelmed with gratitude. Then she took her son in her arms and carried him downstairs.” ~ 2 Kings 4:31-37

Here’s some more background, a woman and her husband took good care of Elisha whenever he was in the town of Shunem. They even built him a room, so Elisha wanted to do something kind for them. When he asked his servant Gehazi what he should do, he told him that she had no son. So Elisha granted her her desire and she was able to have this one son. One day he was out in the fields with his father and he began to have a headache. Then when his mother put him in Elisha’s bed, the boy died. She then had no one enter the room and went in search of Elisha.

When she met Elisha, she told him all that happened. So Elisha told Gehazi to go place his staff on the dead child’s face, expecting to see a miracle, but the woman refused to leave without Elisha, so he went back with her. But Gehazi returned, saying the child was still dead. When Elisha entered, prayed, laid on the child, the child still didn’t jump up alive. So Elisha got up, walked back and forth across the room one more time, praying no doubt, and then tried it again. Then finally the boy woke up.

The little boy didn’t wake up on the first attempt, he didn’t wake up on the second attempt, it took three acts of faith to awaken this dead child. Some of us have pleaded for a child, a business, a miracle, and have been given one. But for some reason, it has died, whether physically or spiritually. You’ve tried to fix it, but it just seems hopeless. But don’t give up hope. If God has given you this child, business or promised you a miracle, He will awaken whatever has died, even if you don’t see life.

It wasn’t until Elisha came in, prayed, and acted, did he begin to see life in the boy again. When something dies, sometimes it’s not enough to just lay down a stick. Sometimes you have to get on your knees and pray. Sometimes you have to layover what is dead and breathe life back into them. It took three tries to awaken that child, yet Elisha never lost hope. Don’t give up. There is still time for that wayward child to return, that business to pick up, that miracle to happen. Don’t give up, don’t be discouraged. Your Heavenly Father is working this out for the good of all of His children. He’s working it out for YOUR good.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Breathe Life.

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Be New

“¹⁰For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” ~ Ephesians 2:10^NLT

Paul writes to the Ephesians that we are God’s masterpiece. How amazing is that? You are God’s masterpiece. Your old has been cast down and you were made new in Christ Jesus. He has made you new so that you can fulfill every good and perfect plan He has for you. God has blessed you with a new life, every wrong thing you’ve done has been erased, and you are a new creation. You can overcome any and every obstacle because you are a new creation in Christ Jesus. So be encouraged, because your past no longer holds you back. It no longer controls you. You are now a new creation. God’s masterpiece.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be New.

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Focus On Eternity

“²We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” ~ Hebrews 12:2

Jesus endured all that He did because He knew what was waiting for Him. The pain and shame of the cross would only last a short moment compared to the joy and honor He would receive for all eternity. Jesus had His eyes focused on one thing, eternity. Where are your eyes focused?

Do the temporary things of this world pull you in? Do they control you? Are they how you make your decisions? Jesus never lost sight of what He would gain from the cross, He never allowed what He would lose to stop Him. In life, our call is our one purpose; if we allow this world and its distractions to control what we do and what we want, we will lose out on our great reward that is waiting for us in Heaven. These things won’t last forever, they’re only temporary, but what God has in store for us will last forever.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Focus On Eternity.

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Withdraw To God

“¹⁶But He [Jesus] would withdraw to desolate places and pray.” ~ Luke 5:16

Jesus never sinned, overcame the world, started a revolution, healed the sick, raised the dead, and more. What was His secret? Could it have been quiet time? Jesus spent time with His Heavenly Father so that no matter where He was or what form He was in, they remained one.

Jesus was able to overcome any and every temptation (Hebrews 4:15) without making a mistake. Could it be that the more He connected with His Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit, the less the world drew Him in? Imagine quiet time as putting on glasses that narrow in the focus only on God. That’s what you’re doing in quiet time, you’re removing everything else and placing God as your one and only focus.

He got rid of distractions, so that when He prayed God heard Him. He didn’t have to try to ignore the disciples, crowds, chatter, etc. because He removed every distraction and just had time with His Heavenly Father.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Withdraw To God.

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Lasting Prayers

“But the angel said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.’” ^~Luke 1:13^NLT

Did you hear what the angel of the LORD said to Zachariah? He said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer.” That is extremely important. Why? Because, when we read that, we read it superficially, or in other words, we read it at face value. But there is more going on here. Look with me at verse 18. It says, “Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.’”

Did you catch that? It’s been years, probably decades since Zachariah last prayed that prayer. It’s been so long forgotten that he has given up, no, he has lost all hope, because his wife can no longer bear children. Therefore, God did not answer his prayer and now it’s too late; they’ve missed their opportunity. But God, our God is a good God and He never forgets. The prayers that have come up before Him are lasting prayers.

Look at Acts 10:4^NIV “…The angel answered, ‘Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.’” It wasn’t the prayer he was praying at that time, it was those he had prayed in the past, coupled with his giving.

Look also at Revelation 5:8^NIV, “And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.” Our prayers don’t just go up and eventually fizzle out just because we don’t see something happening when we say amen. Our prayers are ever before God and they will have their turn coming up as a memorial before Him. So, don’t ever think, or feel that your unanswered prayer is just that, an unanswered prayer. We are probably all still reaping the benefits of prayers that our parents, or grandparents, or even great grandparents prayed.

Be encouraged, your prayers have been heard by your heavenly Father, and if they have been heard, then they will be answered if we don’t lose heart. Be blessed and stay blessed.

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Standing In The Gap?

“And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” ~ Ezekiel 22:30

God told Ezekiel that He was looking for a man, just one man to make up the hedge and to stand in the gap. Why was He looking for such a man? Because the nation of Israel had rebelled against Him and gone astray. They ignored His warnings and killed and mistreated His prophets that He sent to warn them and bring them back to a right standing. Still they insisted on continuing in their rebellion and stiff-necked ways.

Finally, God had enough, it was time for judgment, but the sin was so grievous that it demanded a severe sentence. But because of God’s loving mercy towards them, He didn’t want to destroy the land. In doing so, bring such a terrible punishment on the nation of Israel, yet His justness couldn’t let them go unpunished. So He looked for someone, anyone who would build up a hedge of protection by standing in the gap on their behalf in prayer. But He found no one.

How often has God been looking for someone who is willing to stand in the gap for your neighborhood, or your place of employment, or your family? How often has He looked and found no one willing to pray for, fast for, or intercede for them? We get so caught up in our own day to day lives, or our own personal pleasures that we forget we have a higher calling.

Don’t miss the opportunity to do something great for the people you care about. Don’t be found MIA when God comes looking for someone to build up the hedge; stand in the gap and prove yourself undependable. But rather, be usable to God by partnering with Him in His work of showing mercy to His people.

Father help us to spend more time in prayer and less time in personal satisfaction and personal pleasures. Help us to be kind and helpful. Help us to be the hands, feet, and mouthpiece of Jesus so that many will have the opportunity to be saved. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

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Don’t Justify Rebellion With Religion

“¹²So Micah installed the Levite as his personal priest, and he lived in Micah’s house. ¹³‘I know the Lord will bless me now,’ Micah said, ‘because I have a Levite serving as my priest.’” ~ Judges 17:12-13

Micah was a man who wanted to be a High Priest but was not a Levite. Micah wanted to be in a different area, then God had placed him. He wanted more, which is why I believe his mother had the silver he stole from her, turned into an idol for him. Micah desired to be everything he wasn’t, in doing so, he rejected everything God called him to be.

Micah then tried to justify his rejection of God’s calling by becoming religious. Because he wanted to be a High Priest, he felt that God would accept his desires and pursuits because he now had an actual priest, a Levite, serving with him. He justified his sin with religious reasoning.

Often times, we do this in today’s world as well. We see what other people are doing and we desire their call more than we desire our own. We want to follow what we want instead of what God wants, justifying it with religious reasoning. Our own desires can’t compete with God’s ultimate plan for our lives, He knows what’s for us. When we do it ourselves, we not only deceive ourselves but also those around us. Micah’s sin deceived an entire tribe, who has been deceived by your sin?

LORD God, I ask that you teach all of us how to follow Your perfect will for each of our lives. I ask that You would forgive us for when we’ve done things our way and polluted your call on our lives and led others astray. Please help us to return to You whole-heartedly, humbling ourselves to Your call and Your desire for our lives. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Justify Rebellion With Religion.

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Take Back What’s Yours

“¹⁸David got back everything the Amalekites had taken, and he rescued his two wives. ¹⁹Nothing was missing: small or great, son or daughter, nor anything else that had been taken. David brought everything back. ²⁰He also recovered all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock.” ~ 1 Samuel 30:18-20a

David went before the LORD and asked Him if he should attack the Amalekites after they had stolen everything from David and his men. Because David waited on the LORD, the LORD was with him, and not one thing, neither large nor small, was left behind. David and his men recovered everything the Amalekites had stolen from them.

Instead of getting discouraged and allowing himself to become defeated, David humbled himself before God and asked God what he should do. Then he waited for an answer. The enemy has taken many things from us. Some he has taken children, spouses, loved ones, finances, success, health, and place it at the LORD’s feet. It may seem like an obvious answer but wait for the LORD to go with you because with him, you will be able to bring back that wayward child or spouse. Recover those depleted finances. Achieve success in every endeavor.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Take Back What’s Yours.

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