A CONSTANT HELPER

A Constant Helper

[The Holy Spirit] will remind you of everything I have said to you.

John 14:26

READ JOHN 14:15–26

After a spinal injury left Marty paralyzed, he decided to go back to school to earn his MBA. Marty’s mother, Judy, helped make his goal a reality. She sat with him through every lecture and study group, jotting notes and handling technology issues. She even assisted him onto the platform when he received his diploma. What might have been unattainable became possible with the consistent, practical help Marty received.

Jesus knew His followers would need a similar kind of support after He left the earth. When He told them about His upcoming absence, He said they would gain a new kind of connection with God through the Holy Spirit. This Spirit would be a moment-by-moment helper—a teacher and guide who would not only live with them but also be in them (John 14:17, 26).

The Spirit would provide Jesus’s disciples with internal help from God, which would enable them to endure what they couldn’t handle on their own as they fanned out to share the good news. In moments of struggle, the Spirit would remind them of everything Jesus said to them (v. 26): Do not let your hearts be troubled . . . Love one another . . . I am the resurrection and the life.

Are you facing something that exceeds your own strength and ability? You can depend on the Spirit’s constant help. God’s Spirit working in you will bring Him the glory He deserves.

By Jennifer Benson Schuldt

REFLECT & PRAY

When it is a question of God’s almighty Spirit, never say, “I can’t.” —Oswald Chambers

Dear God, thank You for the ongoing support available through the Holy Spirit. Help me to rely on Your Spirit when I need help.

Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.

INSIGHT

In John, Jesus teaches extensively about the Holy Spirit: The advocate or comforter will help us and never leave us (John 14:16). The world cannot accept this “Spirit of truth,” yet He lives with and inside believers (v. 17). He teaches us and reminds us of Jesus’s words (v. 26; 15:26); convinces us of sin and reveals God’s “righteousness,” or moral rightness (16:8); and guides us into “all the truth” about Christ and brings Him glory (vv. 13-14). Alyson Kieda

ALWAYS THANKFUL

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS TO OUR DAILY BREAD

Always Thankful

Read:  Habakkuk 3:17-19

I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the

God of my salvation.  Habakkuk 3:18

Perhaps Habakkuk 3:17-19 was an unusual Bible passage to read as our family and guest sat down to a traditional feast of turkey with all the trimmings.  But I had a reason for choosing it.  Simply to bow my head and give thanks didn’t seem to be enough.  Compared with the poverty  of many of the world’s people, I am wealthy.

The prophet Habakkuk was awaiting the destruction of his country by the ruthless Chaldeans, whose army was called by God to punish His people for their disobedient and evil ways (Habakkuk 1:5-6).  He said, “Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls-yet I will rejoice in the Lord” (3:17-18).

Those words made me stop and ask,  “Am I thankful to God regardless of what He gives or withholds?”  Habakkuk pondered how he would respond to the loss of every material blessing.  He concluded, “I will joy in the God of my salvation” (v.18).

Circumstances may change, but God remains the same.  That’s always cause for thanksgiving.   DCM

We can give thanks in every trial

And say, “Your will be done,”

For God’s at work in everything

To make us like His Son. -DJD

Thankfulness depends on what is in your heart,

not what is in your hand.

A MOTHER'S LOVE

A Mother’s Love

He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

Psalm 91:15

READ PSALM 91:1–6

When Sue’s parents divorced when she was young, the legal tussle over her custody and other matters resulted in her being sent to a children’s home for a while. Bullied by bigger kids, she felt lonely and abandoned. Her mother visited only once a month, and she hardly saw her father. It was only years later, however, that her mother told her that while the home’s rules prevented her from visiting more often, she had stood at the fence every single day, hoping to catch a glimpse of her daughter.

 “Sometimes,” she said, “I would just watch you playing in the garden, just to check if you were okay.”

When Sue shared this story, it gave me a glimpse of God’s love. Sometimes we may feel abandoned and alone in our struggles. How comforting it is to know that God is in fact watching over us all the time! (Psalm 33:18). Even though we can’t see Him, He is there. Like a loving parent, His eyes and His heart are constantly on us wherever we go. Yet, unlike Sue’s mom, He can act on our behalf at any time.

Psalm 91 describes God delivering, protecting, and lifting up His children. He is more than a refuge and a shelter. As we navigate the dark valleys of life, we can take comfort in the knowledge that the all-powerful Lord is watching over us and is active in our lives. “I will answer [you],” He declares. “I will be with [you] in trouble, I will deliver [you]” (v. 15).

By Leslie Koh

REFLECT & PRAY

Our heavenly Father is ever near.

Lord, thank You for the assurance that we’re always under Your watchful care.

Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.

INSIGHT

Psalm 91 celebrates the safety and security of those who trust in God, who have made the Lord (the Most High) their refuge, fortress, and dwelling place (vv. 2, 9). The psalmist affirms that our God is powerful and faithful and therefore trustworthy (vv. 1-8). He also testifies of God’s protection and deliverance in a dangerous and destructive world (vv. 9-16). In the New Testament, Satan misquoted verses 11-12 to tempt Jesus to test God’s protection by jumping from the top of the temple (Matthew 4:6). In response, Jesus says that God’s promise is for those who love and obey Him (Psalm 91:14-15) and not for those who presume upon God’s grace (Matthew 4:7). K. T. Sim

NO TERROR

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

No Terror

Read:  Psalm 31:9-24

Make Your face shine upon Your servant;

save me for Your mercies’ sake.  Psalm 31:16

After the terrorist bombing in Bali in 2002, one man reacted by giving up traveling.  Three years later, he finally took his family for a holiday in Bali, together with fifty tourists from Newcastle, Australia.  The trip ended in tragedy why his family was caught in a suicide bombing at a cafe on Jimbaran Beach.

From New York to Indonesia, warnings and threats of terrorist attacks continue.  Terrorism derives its sting by exporting fear.  No one feels safe.

In Psalm 31, David was in the grip of surrounding threats that terrorized both his reputation and his life.  He wrote, “Fear is on every side,” and said, “They scheme to take away my life” (v. 13).

When everything seemed bleakest, David cried in despair, “I trust in You, O Lord” (v. 14).  He began to find peace when he acknowledged, “My times are in Your Hand” (v. 15).

In our world, perfect safety is not possible.  But David’s God is our God.  Though our earthly security may be threatened, we can never lose God’s eternal, unfailing love.

To those who trust in the Lord, David wrote these hope-filled words:  “[The Lord] shall strengthen your heart” (v. 24).  When we place our times in His hand, we can exchange the fear of terror for peace and praise.    AL

Peace, perfect peace,

Death shadowing us and ours?

Jesus has vanquished

Death and all its powers. -Bickerksteth

Putting your faith in the living God takes the fear out of living.

WHAT WE HAVE

What We Have

For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.

2 Corinthians 8:12

READ 2 CORINTHIANS 8:1–12

My friend was eager to gather her family and friends for a festive holiday celebration at her home. Each of the guests looked forward to gathering around the table together and wanted to help defray the expense of feeding so many by contributing to the meal. Some would bring bread, others salad or a side dish. For one guest, however, money was exceptionally tight. Although she looked forward to spending the evening with those whom she loved, she couldn’t afford to purchase any food. So, instead, she offered to clean the host’s home as her gift.

She would have been welcome at the table had she come empty-handed. Yet she looked at what she did have to offer—her time and skills—and brought them to the gathering with her whole heart. I think that’s precisely the spirit of Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 8. They had been eager to give to help some fellow Christians, and he urged them to follow through on that effort. He commended them for their desire and their willingness, saying their motivation to give is what makes a gift of any size or amount acceptable (v. 12).

We’re often quick to compare our giving to that of others, especially when our resources don’t afford us the luxury of giving as much as we’d like to. But God views our giving differently: it’s our willingness to give what we have that He loves.

By Kirsten Holmberg

REFLECT & PRAY

God loves wholehearted giving of any measure.

Lord, help me see what You’ve given me, even if it doesn’t seem like much by the world’s standards. Help me to give generously.

Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.

MIXING-BOWL MUSING

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

Mixing-bowl Musing

Read:  Luke 18:18-27

The things which are impossible with men

are possible with God.  Luke 18:27

Countless times I’ve heard myself say, “I’m going to bake a cake.”  Then one day I realized that I’ve never baked a cake in my life-only my oven can do that.  I simply mix the right ingredients and allow the oven to do its part.  Through that division of labor, I have the joy of seeing others taste and enjoy delicious cake.

God used my mixing-bowl musings to clarify a dilemma I once had after starting a neighborhood Bible study.  It was one thing to bring my neighbors together to study the Bible, but seeing them believe and follow Christ was another.  I felt powerless.  Suddenly I saw the obvious.  Like baking cakes, making Christians was impossible for me, but not for God.  I had blended the right ingredients-an open home; friendship, love.  Now I had to trust the Holy Spirit, through His Word, to do His work.  When I cooperated with that division of labor, I had the joy of seeing others taste of God’s goodness.

In Luke 18:18-27, Jesus so vividly described some hindrances to saving faith that His listeners began to wonder if anyone could be saved.  Do you feel that way about someone?  Be encouraged by the Lord’s strong reminder that there are some things that only God can do.  Saving people is one of them.      JY

The Lord’s the only one who can

Transform a person’s heart;

But when we share God’s saving truth,

We play a crucial part. -Sper

We sow the see, but God brings the harvest.

A HIDDEN MINISTRY

A Hidden Ministry

On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers.

2 Corinthians 1:10-11

READ 2 CORINTHIANS 1:8–11

A big academic project was weighing on me, and I was fretting over whether I could complete it by the deadline. In the midst of my anxious thoughts, I received three notes of encouragement from friends who were cheering me on. Each one said, “God brought you to mind today when I was praying.” I felt humbled and encouraged that these friends would contact me without knowing what I was going through, and I believed God had used them as His messengers of love.

The apostle Paul knew the power of prayer when he wrote to the people in the church of Corinth. He said he trusted that God would continue to deliver them from peril “as you help us by your prayers” (2 Corinthians 1:10-11). And when God answered their prayers, He would be glorified as the people gave Him thanks for the “answer to the prayers of many” (v. 11).

My friends and Paul’s supporters were engaging in the ministry of intercession, which Oswald Chambers calls “a hidden ministry that brings forth fruit through which the Father is glorified.” As we focus our minds and hearts on Jesus, we find Him shaping us, including how we pray. He enables us to give the gift of true intercession to friends, family members, and even strangers.

Has God put someone on your heart and mind for whom you can pray?

By Amy Boucher Pye

REFLECT & PRAY

God hears the prayers of His people.

Read more from Oswald Chambers at utmost.org.

Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.

INSIGHT

Paul endured far more than his share of trials. As he begins this deeply personal letter (see 2 Corinthians 1:3-7), he comforts the church in Corinth by using his own difficulties to identify with them. Then, with piercing candor, he reveals the depths of those trials—“far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself” (v. 8). Why would God permit His faithful servants to go through so much? Paul points to the reason: “This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead” (v. 9, emphasis added).

When facing despair, we can do far more than merely endure. We can use our travails to identify with and understand our brothers and sisters who suffer and to pray for them. And we can acknowledge the absolute necessity of God, who raises the dead. Tim Gustafson