DAILY PRAYERS & BLESSINGS - FEBRUARY 28

FEBRUARY 28

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of

yourselves:  it is the gift of God:

Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Lord, I am grateful that you don’t have a list of criteria for being eligible for salvation. What insecurity that would create in us!  I feel blessed that I don’t need to resort to servile fear or self-important boasting when it comes to my standing with you.  Your salvation is a gift available to all and secured by your merits (not mine).  It is received only by grace through faith in you.

FINDING SECURITY

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

FINDING SECURITY

READ:  Psalm 59

You have been my defense and refuge in

the day of my trouble.  Psalm 59:16

After a man shot and killed two people at Los Angeles International Airport in 2002, some began insisting that armed guards be placed at every check-in-area.  Others said that individuals should be screened before entering an airport terminal.  But a consultant on airport security said, “If you move the checkpoint, all you’re going to do is push the problem to another part of the airport.  There will always be a public area that is vulnerable to these kinds of attacks.”

In a world where violence and terrorism may strike anytime, anyplace, where can we find security?  Where can we be safe?

The Bible says that our security is not in human protection but in God himself.  The book of Psalms contains more than forty references to taking refuge in the Lord, many of them from David’s experience of being pursued by his enemies.  In his prayers for help, he centered his hope in the Lord:  “You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble.  To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; for God is my defense, my God of mercy” (Psalm 59:16-17).

God doesn’t guarantee to protect us from difficulty and physical harm, but He does promise to be our refuge in every situation.  In Him we find real security.      DCM

Though danger lurks on every side,

In Christ our Lord we will abide;

Our God is strong, our hope is sure-

In Him alone we are secure! -Fitzhugh

No one is more secure than the one who rests in God’s hands.

THE FAITH TO ENDURE

The Faith to Endure

Suffering produces endurance.

Romans 5:3

READ ACTS 27:27–38

Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922) led an unsuccessful expedition to cross Antarctica in 1914. When his ship, aptly named Endurance, became trapped in heavy ice in the Weddell Sea, it became an endurance race just to survive. With no means of communicating with the rest of the world, Shackleton and his crew used lifeboats to make the journey to the nearest shore—Elephant Island. While most of the crew stayed behind on the island, Shackleton and five crewmen spent two weeks traveling 800 miles across the ocean to South Georgia to get help for those left behind. The “failed” expedition became a victorious entry in the history books when all of Shackleton’s men survived, thanks to their courage and endurance.

The apostle Paul knew what it meant to endure.

 During a stormy sea voyage to Rome to face trial for his belief in Jesus, Paul learned from an angel of God that the ship would sink. But the apostle kept the men aboard encouraged, thanks to God’s promise that all would survive, despite the loss of the ship (Acts 27:23-24).

When disaster strikes, we tend to want God to immediately make everything better. But God gives us the faith to endure and grow. As Paul wrote to the Romans, “Suffering produces endurance” (Romans 5:3 esv). Knowing that, we can encourage each other to keep trusting God in hard times.

By Linda Washington

REFLECT & PRAY

Heavenly Father, I need Your help to keep going, even when it’s tough.

What’s your usual response to hardship? How can you encourage someone who’s going through difficult times?

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

The journey from Jerusalem to Rome consumed about three years of Paul’s life, beginning with his arrest in Jerusalem—which happened all the way back in Acts 21:27! That arrest wasn’t prompted by Paul’s actions but by those of his Jewish countrymen who had rioted. His arrest nearly resulted in a flogging (22:25-29) and generated a series of trials before Roman-appointed officials—none of whom found Paul guilty of anything (26:30-32). As was his right as a Roman citizen, Paul appealed his case to Caesar, and that choice set him on the journey that would include the shipwreck events in Acts 27.

To learn more about Paul, visit Paul’s Life and Ministry. Bill Crowder

DAILY PRAYERS & BLESSINGS - FEBRUARY 27

FEBRUARY 27

But now the Lord my God hath given me rest on every side, so

that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent.

1 Kings 5:4

You, O Lord, are our refuge.  When the days are too full and sleep is hard to come by, we simply need to escape to a quiet place and call on you.  In your presence we find strength for our work and peace for our troubled minds.  We are grateful for the comfort of your embrace, Lord.

OUR UNSEEN HELPERS

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

OUR UNSEEN HELPERS

READ:  Hebrews 1:5-14

Are [angels] not all ministering spirits

sent forth to minister?  Hebrews 1:14

At one point in Martin Luther’s stormy career, he received some discouraging news.  But he responded by saying, “Recently I have been looking up at the night sky, spangled and studded with stars, and I found no pillars to hold them up.  Yet they did not fall.”  Luther was encouraged as he reminded himself that the same unseen God who was upholding the universe was caring for him.

There is another unseen source of help from which God’s children can take courage when facing a physical or spiritual crisis-angels!  Those heavenly hosts are called “ministering spirits” (Hebrews 1:14), and they are instantly responsive to God’s command.  Little do we know what powerful protection and help they provide.  When Jesus was enduring agony in Gethsemane, “an angel appeared to him from heaven, strengthening Him” (Luke 22:43).

But you say, “I’ve never seen an angel.”  No need of that!  It’s enough to know that they do their quiet, protecting work beyond the realm of physical sight.  They call no attention to themselves, lest we focus on them instead of Jesus.  But their presence is real.  Just knowing that these unseen helpers are on our side strengthens our trust in God, whom they faithfully serve.   DJD

The angels of God assist the people of God

as they do the work of God.

UNEXPECTED CHANGE

Unexpected Change

You do not even know what will happen tomorrow.

James 4:14

READ JAMES 4:13–17

In January 1943, warm Chinook winds hit Spearfish, South Dakota, quickly raising the temperatures from -4° to 45°F (-20° to 7°C). That drastic weather change—a swing of 49 degrees—took place in just two minutes. The widest temperature change recorded in the USA over a twenty-four-hour period is an incredible 103 degrees! On January 15, 1972, Loma, Montana, saw the temperature jump from -54° to 49°F (-48° to 9°C).

Sudden change, however, is not simply a weather phenomenon. It’s sometimes the very nature of life. James reminds us, “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow” (4:13-14). An unexpected loss. A surprise diagnosis. A financial reversal. Sudden changes.

Life is a journey with many unpredictable elements. This is precisely why James warns us to turn from “arrogant schemes” (v. 16) that do not take the Almighty into account. As he advised us, “You ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that’ ” (v. 15). The events of our lives may be uncertain, but one thing is sure: through all of life’s unexpected moments, our God will never leave us. He’s our one constant throughout life.

By Bill Crowder

REFLECT & PRAY

Father, forgive me for the times I worry over things I couldn’t anticipate or can’t control, and help me to find my rest in You.

When facing sudden change, how do you respond? What do you think an appropriate faith response to life’s surprises should look like?

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

James warns the rich against arrogant boasting, a worldly and materialistic outlook, and exploiting the poor (James 4:13-17; 5:1-6). Instead of helping believers who were suffering because of persecution, rich believers were exploiting them (2:5-7). In contrast, we’re to use our material wealth to do good (4:15-17). James reminded self-confident and arrogant wealthy believers who believed they had the future in their hands not only to be aware of the uncertainties, brevity, and frailty of life, but also to trust in God who controls it (v. 14). Alluding to Christ’s parable of the rich man in Luke 12:16-21, he warns that trusting in their own selves is sin. The apostle Paul gave similar advice in 1 Timothy 6:17-19. K. T. Sim

DAILY PRAYERS & BLESSINGS - FEBRUARY 26

FEBRUARY 26

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that

curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for

them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.

Matthew 5:44

Heavenly Father, give us the forgiving spirit we so badly need to heal the wounds of the past.  Help us live “the better life”  by making peace with our enemies and understanding that they, too, need your love.  Amen.

HELP FOR THE HELPLESS

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

HELP FOR THE HELPLESS

REA:  Hebrews 4:14-16

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain

mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  Hebrew 4:16

I sometimes ask people, “Where does it say in the Bible, ‘God helps those who help themselves’?“  Most say they’re not sure, but the concept is so familiar that they think it must be somewhere in God’s Word.

Actually, the Bible doesn’t say that at all.  It tells us just the opposite:  God helps the helpless.

When you read the Gospels, you find that Jesus did not refuse to help the helpless.  He did not withhold forgiveness and compassion from those who acknowledged their sin.  He did not turn away from those who had no power to change.  In fact, the people who distressed Him most were those who thought they didn’t need any help at all.

God’s thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9), and He sees things differently than we do.  We see our own ability to deal with problems; He shows us our weaknesses to teach us to rely on His strength.  We take pride in our successes and begin to think we don’t need God’s help; He allows us to fail so He can teach us that true success comes through His grace.

Are you feeling helpless today?  God’s grace is available for those who recognize that they cannot help themselves.  “Come boldly to the throne of grace” to find help in your time of need (Hebrews 4:16).    DHR

God helps those who know they are helpless

THOUGHTS OF JOY

Thoughts of Joy

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Philippians 4:4

READ PHILIPPIANS 4:4–9

In What We Keep, a collection of interviews by Bill Shapiro, each person tells of a single item that holds such importance and joy that he or she would never part with it.

This caused me to reflect on the possessions that mean the most to me and bring me joy. One is a simple forty-year-old recipe card in my mom’s handwriting. Another is one of my grandma’s pink teacups. Other people may value treasured memories—a compliment that encouraged them, a grandchild’s giggle, or a special insight they gleaned from Scripture.

What we often keep stashed away in our hearts, though, are things that have brought us great unhappiness: Anxiety—hidden, but easily retrieved. Anger—below the surface, but ready to strike. Resentment—silently corroding the core of our thoughts.

The apostle Paul addressed a more positive way to “think” in a letter to the church at Philippi. He encouraged the people of the church to always rejoice, to be gentle, and to bring everything to God in prayer (Philippians 4:4-9).

Paul’s uplifting words on what to think about helps us see that it’s possible to push out dark thoughts and allow the peace of God to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (v. 7). It’s when the thoughts that fill up our minds are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and praiseworthy that we keep His peace in our hearts (v. 8).

By Cindy Hess Kasper

REFLECT & PRAY

Guide my thoughts this day, O God, as You hold my heart and life in Your care.

What unwelcome thoughts have stubbornly taken residence in my mind and heart? What’s one way I can daily fill up my mind with good things?

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

Unlike many of Paul’s other epistles, his letter to the Philippians doesn’t seem to be a response to a serious crisis or conflict within the congregation (only one relational conflict is mentioned in 4:2). Instead, Paul’s primary motivation seems to be to express his deep gratitude for the support of the Philippian believers (vv. 14-18) as well as to rejoice with and encourage a greatly loved community of faith. The tone of the letter conveys that he shares a unique spirit of comradery and trust with this faith community, which he describes as his “joy and crown” (v. 1). Paul senses with these believers a deep unity as those who “share in God’s grace” (1:7).

 Instead of focusing on addressing weaknesses within the congregation, he’s able to joyfully encourage them to go deeper in their walk with Christ (v. 27), learning to experience joy in Christ even when suffering (v. 29). Monica La Rose

DAILY PRAYERS & BLESSINGS - FEBRUARY 25

FEBRUARY 25

Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet

to the soul, and health to the bones.

Proverbs 16:24

The best medicine for a discouraged spirit is a dose of love.  Add a touch of support from friends and family, mix with a pinch of awareness of God’s presence, and spread over your entire heart and soul. Wait ten seconds, then smile.  Nothing can withstand such a powerful healing balm.

CELEBRATE WINTER

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

CELEBRATE WINTER

READ:  Psalm 42

Why are you cast down, O my soul?…Hope in God, for I shall

yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.  Psalm 42:5

I love living where there are four seasons.  But even though I love settling down with a good book by a crackling fire when it’s snowing, I must admit that my love for the seasons grows a little dim when the long gray days of winter drone on into February.

Yet regardless of the weather, there is always something special about winter:  Christmas!  Thankfully, long after the decorations are down, the reality of Christmas still lifts my spirits no matter what’s happening.

If it weren’t for the reality of Christ’s birth, not only would winter be dark and dreary, but our hearts would be bleak and have nothing to hope for.  No hope for the freedom from guilt and judgment.  No hope of His reassuring and strengthening presence through dark and difficult times.  No hope for a future secured in heaven.

In the winter of a troubled life, the psalmist asked, “Why are you cast down, O my soul” The remedy  was clear:  “Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance” (Psalm 42:5).

In C.S. Lewis’s tales of Narnia, Mr. Tumnus complains that in Narnia it is “always winter and never Christmas.”  But for those of us who know the God who made the seasons, it is always Christmas in our hearts!  JS

When our lives are heavy-laden,

Cold and bleak as winter long,

Stir the embers in our hearts, Lord;

Make Your flame burn bright and strong. -Kieda

Let the reality of Christmas chase away the blahs of winter.   

RICH TOWARD GOD

Rich Toward God

Godliness with contentment is great gain.

1 Timothy 6:6

READ 1 TIMOTHY 6:6–11

Growing up during the Great Depression, my parents knew deep hardship as children. As a result, they were hard-working and grateful money stewards. But they were never greedy. They gave time, talent, and treasury to their church, charity groups, and the needy. Indeed, they handled their money wisely and gave cheerfully.

As believers in Jesus, my parents took to heart the apostle Paul’s warning: “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction” (1 Timothy 6:9).

Paul gave this advice to Timothy, the young pastor of the city of Ephesus, a wealthy city where riches tempted all.

“The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,” Paul warned. “Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (v. 10).

What, then, is the antidote to greed? Being “rich toward God,” said Jesus (see Luke 12:13-21). By pursuing, appreciating, and loving our heavenly Father above all, He remains our chief delight. As the psalmist wrote, “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days” (Psalm 90:14).

Rejoicing in Him daily relieves us of coveting, leaving us contented. May Jesus redeem our heart’s desires, making us rich toward God!

By Patricia Raybon

REFLECT & PRAY

Satisfy us in the morning, God, with Your unfailing love—replacing our greed with holy hunger for You.

How have you mishandled money, or made it more than it ought to be? How might you give your financial concerns to God this day?

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

Paul’s words to Timothy about money reflect his words in Acts 20:35 where he quotes Jesus as saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Yet nowhere in the New Testament do we hear Jesus saying those exact words. So where did Paul get them? One possibility is that he was quoting an oral tradition passed down from eyewitnesses. Another is that Paul was just saying in his own words what he learned from the life and words of Jesus.

Paul had been educated in a system that tended to produce leaders who loved money at the expense of the poor (Luke 16:14; 20:46-47). It took a dramatic conversion of his soul to be able to hear and believe what Jesus said by both word and example—that the net worth of our lives isn’t determined by how much we possess (12:15). Mart DeHaan

DAILY PRAYERS & BLESSINGS - FEBRUARY 24

FEBRUARY 24

Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:4

Help me take stock of your gifts to me, Lord.  I’m good at things that appear to be so insignificant.  Chances are you can use any one of these gifts, no matter how simple they appear, to help others.  Remind me that it’s not what I do but my doing it that ultimately matters.

OUR GOD IS MARCHING ON

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

OUR GOD IS MARCHING ON

READ:  Habakkuk 2:6-20

The Lord is in His holy temple.  Let all the earth

keep silence before Him.  Habakkuk 2:20

In 1861, during the U.S. Civil War, author and lecturer Julia Ward Howe visited Washington, D.C. One day she went outside the city and saw a large number of soldiers marching.  Early the next morning she awoke with words for a song in her mind.

She was aware of all the ugliness of the war, but her faith led her to write:  “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”  She saw, I believe, that in spite of and through all the ugliness, God was “marching on” toward the day when He will right the wrongs of the ages.

The prophet Habakkuk came to a similar conclusion.  Chapter 1 of his book tells us how troubled he was when he learned that God was going to punish the people of Judah by letting them be conquered by the wicked Babylonians.  In chapter 2, God assured his servant that - in spite of and through all the ugliness and wrongs o history-He is “marching on” toward the day when “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord” (v. 14).

If we believe that God is “marching on,” in spite of all the brutal conflicts that mark  our day, we will not despair.  He can quietly await the final verdict from our Lord, who rules the universe from “His holy temple” (v. 20).    HVL

God rules as Sovereign on His throne,

He judges great and small;

And those who would His earth destroy

Beneath His rod shall fall. -DJD

Someday the scales of justice will be perfectly balanced.   

LIBERATED BY JESUS

Liberated by Jesus

[He] began to tell . . . how much Jesus had done for him.

Mark 5:20

READ MARK 5:1–20

“I lived with my mother so long that she moved out!” Those were the words of KC, whose life before sobriety and surrender to Jesus was not pretty. He candidly admits supporting his drug habit by stealing—even from loved ones. That life is behind him now and he rehearses this by noting the years, months, and days he’s been clean. When KC and I regularly sit down to study God’s Word together, l’m looking at a changed man.

Mark 5:15 speaks of a former demon-possessed individual who had also been changed. Prior to his healing, helpless, hopeless, homeless, and desperate are words that fit the man (vv. 3-5). But all of that changed after Jesus liberated him (v. 13). But, as with KC, his life before Jesus was far from normal. His internal turmoil that he expressed externally is not unlike what people experience today. Some hurting people dwell in abandoned buildings, vehicles, or other places; some live in their own homes but are emotionally alone. Invisible chains shackle hearts and minds to the point that they distance themselves from others.

In Jesus, we have the One who can be trusted with our pain and the shame of the past and present. And, as with Legion and KC, He waits with open arms of mercy for all who run to Him today (v. 19).

By Arthur Jackson

REFLECT & PRAY

God, I’m so grateful that, through Jesus, things that controlled me in the past can indeed remain in the past.

How has Jesus changed you? Who do you know that needs to hear about it?

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

Demons believe in God, but their belief isn’t saving faith (James 2:19). They know Jesus is the “Son of the Most High God” who has authority over them (Mark 5:7; also 1:24) and that He’ll send them to the abyss (Matthew 25:41; Luke 8:31). Jews believe the abyss or “the place of the dead” (Romans 10:7 nlt) is the underworld prison of evil spirits or fallen angels, a place of torture and torment (Matthew 8:29; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6). K. T. Sim

DAILY PRAYERS & BLESSINGS - FEBRUARY 23

FEBRUARY 23

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that

bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not

wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Psalm 1:3

The older I get, the more aware I am of the seasons of life, Lord.  I know that when we draw our energy and resources from your living Word, we truly can be compared to the trees that thrive near streams of water.  The fruit of a young life lived for you may look a bit different than the fruit visible in the lies of older folks, but it all brings you glory.  Thank you, Lord, for supplying your living water through all the seasons of our lives.  Without it, we could bear no worthy fruit at all.

ABOVE YOUR PROBLEMS

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

ABOVE YOUR PROBLEMS

READ:  Isaiah 40:15-31

Those who wait on the Lord..shall mount up

with wings like eagles.  Isaiah 40:31

On of the pitfalls of living in our troublesome world is that we can become problem-centered rather than God-centered.  When this 

happens, we lose the proper perspective.  Gradually, all our problems begin to look huge and the strength of almighty God seems small.  Instead of moving mountains by faith, we become constant worriers, creating mountains of needless pressure for ourselves and others.

Isaiah 40 is an effective prescription for those of us whose God seems small.  God reminds us that He is much bigger than the world He created.  He points out that compared to Him, “the nations are as a drop in a bucket” (v. 15) and the inhabitants of earth “are like grasshoppers” (v.22).  His words aren't meant to belittle us, but rather to encourage us to look to Him and gain His perspective of life.

Yet, God offers us more than a new perspective.  He offers us something that will enable us to live by that view.  If we will depend on Him instead of brooding over our problems, He will renew our strength, and wings of faith will lift our hearts above our difficulties.  Some of them may be huge, but we can see them as smaller than our great God.  And that makes all the difference.       JY

Lord, give us wings to soar above

Our problems gray and small,

With strengthened faith and confidence

To trust You with them all. -Sper

Worry ends where faith begins.  

PIERCED LOVE

Pierced Love

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities.

Isaiah 53:5

READ ISAIAH 53:1–6

She’d called. She’d texted. Now Carla stood outside her brother’s gated entry, unable to rouse him to answer. Burdened with depression and fighting addiction, her brother had hidden himself away in his home. In a desperate attempt to penetrate his isolation, Carla gathered several of his favorite foods along with encouraging Scriptures and lowered the bundle over the fence.

But as the package left her grip, it snagged on one of the gate spikes, tearing an opening and sending its contents onto the gravel below. Her well-intended, love-filled offering spilled out in seeming waste.

 Would her brother even notice her gift? Would it accomplish the mission of hope she’d intended? She can only hope and pray as she waits for his healing.

God so loved the world that—in essence—He lowered His one and only Son over the wall of our sin, bringing gifts of love and healing into our weary and withdrawn world (John 3:16). The prophet Isaiah predicted the cost of this act of love in Isaiah 53:5. This very Son would be “pierced for our transgressions, . . . crushed for our iniquities.” His wounds would bring the hope of ultimate healing. He took on Himself “the iniquity of us all” (v. 6).

Pierced by spikes for our sin and need, God’s gift of Jesus enters our days today with fresh power and perspective. What does His gift mean to you?

By Elisa Morgan

REFLECT & PRAY

Dear God, thank You for Your gift of Jesus, sent over the fences in my heart to meet my need today.

How have you experienced God’s pierced love? How have you seen Him transform a broken life by His amazing grace?

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

Beginning in chapter 42 of Isaiah, we find many references to the “Servant of the Lord.” From chapters 42-48, the “Servant” sometimes refers to Israel or to a godly remnant with indirect references to Jesus Christ. But chapters 49-53 clearly indicate the “Servant” is Jesus. For example: The Servant’s extreme humiliation through a beating that grotesquely disfigures Him will be followed by such exaltation that men will bow in awe before Him (52:13-15; Philippians 2:1-11). The Servant will be despised and rejected because His appearance will differ from Jewish Messianic expectations (53:1-3). The Servant will suffer and die a violent death for our transgressions as the Lord lays on Him the suffering we deserve (vv. 4-6).

Adapted from Knowing God through Isaiah.