Saturday 27th February 2021-NO LONGER YOURSELF

 

February 27

No Longer Yourself

Bible in a Year:

• Numbers 17–19
• Mark 6:30–56

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

Today's Scripture

Galatians 2:14–21(NIV)

Insight

The book of Galatians is significant for understanding the content of the gospel and showing us how to live in accordance with it. The word gospel is mentioned more times (twelve) in Galatians than in any other New Testament book except Romans (thirteen times). Paul’s defense of the gospel of God’s grace in and through Jesus—apart from conformity to the law, including circumcision—is the highlight of the letter. The great apostle’s godly zeal was such that his defense included challenging Cephas (Peter), one of the pillars of the early church (2:11). Paul’s boast was in Christ’s work alone (6:14).

In the summer of 1859, Monsieur Charles Blondin became the first person to cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope—something he would go on to do hundreds of times. Once he did it with his manager Harry Colcord on his back. Blondin gave Colcord these instructions: “Look up, Harry . . . you are no longer Colcord, you are Blondin. . . . If I sway, sway with me. Do not attempt to do any balancing yourself. If you do, we will both go to our death.”

Paul, in essence, said to the Galatian believers: You can’t walk the line of living a life that is pleasing to God apart from faith in Christ. But here’s the good news—you don’t have to! No amount of attempting to earn our way to God will ever cut it. So are we passive in our salvation? No! Our invitation is to cling to Christ. Clinging to Jesus means putting to death an old, independent way of living; it’s as if we ourselves have died. Yet, we go on living. But “the life [we] now live in the body, [we] live by faith in the Son of God, who loved [us] and gave himself for [us]” (Galatians 2:20).

Where are we trying to walk the tightrope today? God hasn’t called us to walk out on the rope to Him; He’s called us to cling to Him and walk this life with Him.

By:  Glenn Packiam

Sign in to track your progress!

Reflect & Pray

How can you stop trying to please God on your own? Where do you need to cling to Jesus today, trusting His righteousness?

Dear Jesus, thank You for doing for me what I could never do for myself. I turn away from trying to please You on my own. I’m so glad I don’t need to earn Your love.

Friday 26th February 2021-FACING FEAR

February 26

Facing Fear

Bible in a Year:

• Numbers 15–16
• Mark 6:1–29

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

Psalm 56:3

Today's Scripture

Psalm 56:3–11(NIV)

Insight

The prominent theme of Psalm 56:3–11 is David’s trust in God when he’s afraid. In Scripture, we see God repeatedly calling His people to trust in Him and not be fearful. He urged Abram, Hagar, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Isaiah, and Daniel: “Do not be afraid” (Genesis 15:1; 21:17; 26:24; 46:2-3; Numbers 21:34; Joshua 1:9; Judges 6:23; Isaiah 43:5; Daniel 10:12, 19). And God has likewise instructed others to do the same. King David urged his son Solomon, “Do not be afraid or discouraged” (1 Chronicles 28:20), and King Hezekiah encouraged his followers with similar declarations (2 Chronicles 32:6–8). When Jesus walked the earth, He often calmed His disciples’ fears with those same words (Matthew 10:28, 31; 14:27; Mark 5:36).

Warren moved to a small town to pastor a church. After his ministry had some initial success, one of the locals turned on him. Concocting a story accusing Warren of horrendous acts, the man took the story to the local newspaper and even printed his accusations on pamphlets to distribute to local residents by mail. Warren and his wife started praying hard. If the lie was believed, their lives would be upended.

King David once experienced something similar. He faced an attack of slander by an enemy. “All day long they twist my words,” he said, “all their schemes are for my ruin” (Psalm 56:5). This sustained assault left him fearful and tearful (v. 8). But in the midst of the battle, he prayed this powerful prayer: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. . . . What can mere mortals do to me?” (vv. 3–4).

David’s prayer can be a model for us today. When I am afraid—in times of fear or accusation, we turn to God. I put my trust in you—we place our battle in God’s powerful hands. What can mere mortals do to me?—facing the situation with Him, we remember how limited the powers against us really are.

The newspaper ignored the story about Warren. For some reason, the pamphlets were never distributed. What battle do you fear today? Talk to God. He’s willing to fight it with you.

By:  Sheridan Voysey

Sign in to track your progress!

Reflect & Pray

What real fears do you face? How can David’s prayer help you deal with them?

Loving God, I’m afraid—and so today I put my trust in You. What can mere mortals do to me when You’re fighting for me? Thank You for the coming victory.

For help in choosing hope instead of fear, read DiscoverySeries.org/Q0733.

 

Thursday 25th February 2021-TO BE HUMAN

February 25

To Be Human

Bible in a Year:

• Numbers 12–14
• Mark 5:21–43

Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . . how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.

Matthew 23:37

Today's Scripture

Matthew 23:37–24:2(NIV)

Insight

Scholars believe Jesus made the statements about the temple in Matthew 24 two days prior to His crucifixion. The temple was a source of great national pride for the Jewish people. Constructed by Herod the Great, it was twice as large as Solomon’s temple and served as the centerpiece of national faith. Not surprisingly, Jesus’ prophecy about the temple’s destruction was literally fulfilled. Josephus the historian, who was with the Romans at the temple’s destruction, has left us an eyewitness account of that event. The destruction was thorough, with only a portion of the Western Wall left standing.

At Jesus’ crucifixion, the miraculous tearing in two of the temple curtain signified the end of the system of animal sacrifice for sin (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45), yet these ineffective sacrifices did continue for a time. The destruction of the temple in ad 70 put an end to the practice.

“Mr. Singerman, why are you crying?” asked twelve-year-old Albert as he watched the master craftsman construct a wooden box.

“I cry,” he said, “because my father cried, and because my grandfather cried.” The woodworker’s answer to his young apprentice provides a tender moment in an episode of Little House on the Prairie. “Tears,” explained Mr. Singerman, “come with the making of a coffin.”

“Some men don’t cry because they fear it is a sign of weakness,” he said. “I was taught that a man is a man because he can cry.”

Emotion must have welled up in the eyes of Jesus as He compared His concern for Jerusalem to the care of a mother hen for her chicks (Matthew 23:37). His disciples were often confused by what they saw in His eyes or heard in His stories. His idea of what it meant to be strong was different. It happened again as they walked with Him from the temple. Calling His attention to the massive stone walls and magnificent decor of their place of worship (24:1), the disciples noted the strength of human accomplishment. Jesus saw a temple that would be leveled in ad 70.

Christ shows us that healthy people know when to cry and why. He cried because His Father cares and His Spirit groans for children who couldn’t yet see what breaks His heart.

By:  Mart DeHaan

Sign in to track your progress!

Reflect & Pray

In what situations in your life might you be avoiding grief? How can your faith in a Savior who cries (John 11:35) help you express your grief in a healthy way?

Father, please replace any cold illusions of strength I cling to with a growing understanding of the cares and concerns that break Your heart for children like me. 

 

Wednesday 24th February 2021-NEVER ALONE

February 24

Never Alone

Bible in a Year:

• Numbers 9–11
• Mark 5:1–20

Two are better than one . . . If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.

Ecclesiastes 4:9–10

Today's Scripture

Ecclesiastes 4:8–12(NIV)

Insight

The book of Ecclesiastes is unique for its grappling with “existential angst,” or the meaninglessness of life. Our days are complicated and our experiences aren’t always easily understood. Ecclesiastes reflects the confusion we all experience as we wrestle with the challenges of life; therefore, it has an almost timeless appeal. It speaks to highly personal issues, such as loneliness (4:8), that are just as relevant today as when it was first composed. But even a subject as apparently simple as loneliness is not as straightforward as it appears. A few verses earlier in verse 4 the writer complained that one’s labor is a result of the jealousy of one for another, and yet in verse 8 the problem is not having anyone around. We don’t want to be alone, and yet certain relationships can bring pain and discomfort—perhaps leaving us wanting to be left alone! Ecclesiastes gives voice to the painful tensions we experience in life.

Visit ChristianUniversity.org/OT506-11 to learn more about the book of Ecclesiastes.

“It can be an affliction more harrowing than homelessness, hunger or disease,” wrote Maggie Fergusson in The Economist’s 1843 magazine. Her subject? Loneliness. Fergusson chronicled the increasing rates of loneliness, irrespective of one’s social or economic status, using heart-wrenching examples of what it feels like to be lonely.

The hurt of feeling alone isn’t new to our day. Indeed, the pain of isolation echoes off the pages of the ancient book of Ecclesiastes. Often attributed to King Solomon, the book captures the sorrow of those who seem to lack any meaningful relationships (4:7–8). The speaker lamented that it’s possible to acquire significant wealth and yet experience no value from it because there’s no one to share it with.

But the speaker also recognized the beauty of companionship, writing that friends help you accomplish more than you could achieve on your own (v. 9); companions help in times of need (v. 10); partners bring comfort (v. 11); and friends can provide protection in difficult situations (v. 12).

Loneliness is a significant struggle—God created us to offer and receive the benefits of friendship and community. If you’re feeling alone, pray that God would help you form meaningful connections with others. In the meantime, find encouragement in the reality that the believer is never truly alone because Jesus’ Spirit is always with us (Matthew 28:20).

By:  Lisa M. Samra

Sign in to track your progress!

Reflect & Pray

How might you reach out to someone who’s lonely? How have you experienced the blessing of God’s Spirit with you when you’ve felt alone?

Heavenly Father, when I feel lonely, give me courage to reach out to others with an offer of friendship. 

 

Tuesday 23 February 2021-TURN ON THE LIGHT

February 23

Turn on the Light

Bible in a Year:

• Numbers 7–8
• Mark 4:21–41

Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:16

Today's Scripture

Matthew 5:14–16(NIV)

Insight

The New Testament uses various metaphors to describe the believer in Jesus. For example, it speaks of us as sheep (John 10:27); fruitful branches (15:5); ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20); soldiers, athletes, farmers (2 Timothy 2:3, 5–6); and living stones (1 Peter 2:5). In Matthew 5:13–16, Jesus uses two everyday items—salt and a lamp—to illustrate the impact disciples of Christ ought to have on the people around them. Salt is a preservative, a flavor enhancer, and a thirst stimulant. As believers in Jesus, we’re to bring the salt of preservation and joy to a bland, tasteless, and otherwise decaying world. A lamp gives light that enables people to see and gives direction. It must necessarily be placed in a conspicuous position for the light to be effective. We’re to be the light of salvation to a world darkened by sin.

As my husband and I prepared for a cross-country move, I wanted to ensure that we kept in touch with our grown sons. I found a unique gift, friendship lamps connected by wireless internet, which can be turned on remotely. When I gave the lamps to my sons, I explained that their lamps will turn on when I touch my lamp—to provide a shining reminder of my love and ongoing prayers. No matter how great the distance between us, a tap on their lamps would trigger a light in our home too. Though we knew nothing could replace our more personal moments of connection, we could be encouraged by knowing we’re loved and prayed for every time we turned on those lights.

All God’s children have the privilege of being light-sharers powered by the Holy Spirit. We’re designed to live as radiant beacons of God’s everlasting hope and unconditional love. When we’re sharing the gospel and serving others in the name of Jesus, we become brilliant spotlights and living testimonies. Every good deed, kind smile, gentle word of encouragement, and heartfelt prayer produces a beaming reminder of God’s faithfulness and His unconditional and life-transforming love (Matthew 5:14–16).

Wherever God leads us, and however we serve Him, we can be used by Him to help others shine His light. As God, by His Spirit, provides the true illumination, we can reflect the light and love of His presence.

By:  Xochitl Dixon

Sign in to track your progress!

Reflect & Pray

How can you be a light for Christ, intentionally expressing His love to those in your sphere of influence this week? How can you shine a light on God’s love as you serve people who don’t know Him?

Loving Father, please fuel me with Your perfect truth and love so I can shine a spotlight on You by loving You and others wherever I go.

 

Monday 22 February 2021-LIKE JESUS

February 22

Like Jesus

Bible in a Year:

• Numbers 4–6
• Mark 4:1–20

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.

Romans 8:29

Today's Scripture

Romans 8:22–30(NIV)

Insight

Unlike Stoic philosophy, which advocated responding to suffering by submitting to fate, in Romans 8 Paul emphasizes God’s love and power working on behalf of His people even in the midst of hardships. Although God can bring good out of suffering and evil in this lifetime, Paul focuses primarily on the ultimate good to come in the future with God’s final and complete redemption of the cosmos (vv. 18–21), as well as transformation into Christ’s image and likeness (v. 29) through the work of the Spirit.

As a boy, theologian Bruce Ware was frustrated that 1 Peter 2:21–23 calls us to be like Jesus. Ware wrote of his youthful exasperation in his book The Man Christ Jesus. “Not fair, I determined. Especially when the passage says to follow in the steps of one ‘who did no sin.’ This was totally outlandish . . . . I just couldn’t see how God could really mean for us to take it seriously.”

I understand why Ware would find such a biblical challenge so daunting! An old chorus says, “To be like Jesus, to be like Jesus. My desire, to be like Him.” But as Ware rightly noted, we are incapable of doing that. Left to ourselves, we could never become like Jesus.

However, we’re not left to ourselves. The Holy Spirit has been given to the child of God, in part so that Christ can be formed in us (Galatians 4:19). So it should come as no surprise that in Paul’s great chapter on the Spirit we read, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29). God will see His work completed in us. And He does it through the Spirit of Jesus living in us.

As we yield to the Spirit’s work in us, we truly become more like Jesus. How comforting to know that’s God’s great desire for us!

By:  Bill Crowder

Sign in to track your progress!

Reflect & Pray

What attribute of the fruit of the Spirit would you like to live out to a greater degree? (see Galatians 5:22–23). What will help you do so?

Father, I long to be more like Your Son but so often fall short in word, thought, or deed. Forgive me, and help me to yield to the work of Your Spirit so that Jesus might be formed in me.

For further study, read Free in the Spirit at DiscoverySeries.org/Q0307.

 

Sunday 21st February 2021-UNIMAGINABLE PROMISES

February 21

Unimaginable Promises

Bible in a Year:

• Numbers 1–3
• Mark 3

He has given us his very great and precious promises.

2 Peter 1:4

Today's Scripture

2 Peter 1:2–8(NIV)

Insight

Second Peter 1 reminds us that God is the One who provides the power we need to live our life in Christ (v. 3). One of the ways He does this is by giving us the Holy Spirit. The characteristics we display—the fruit of the indwelling Spirit—have strong implications for the way we live (vv. 5–9; see Galatians 5:22–23). But whose fruit is it? It’s the Spirit’s. The Holy Spirit is the agent, the source, and the power that produces that fruit.

Adapted from Live Free: A Fresh Look at the Fruit of the Spirit. Read it at DiscoverySeries.org/Q0214.

In our moments of greatest failure, it can be easy to believe it’s too late for us, that we’ve lost our chance at a life of purpose and worth. That’s how Elias, a former inmate at a maximum-security prison in New York, described feeling as a prisoner. “I had broken . . . promises, the promise of my own future, the promise of what I could be.”

It was Bard College’s “Prison Initiative” college degree program that began to transform Elias’ life. While in the program, he participated on a debate team, which in 2015 debated a team from Harvard—and won. For Elias, being “part of the team . . . [was] a way of proving that these promises weren’t completely lost.”

A similar transformation happens in our hearts when we begin to understand that the good news of God’s love in Jesus is good news for us too. It’s not too late, we begin to realize with wonder. God still has a future for me.

And it’s a future that can neither be earned nor forfeited, dependent only on God’s extravagant grace and power (2 Peter 1:2–3). A future where we’re set free from the despair in the world and in our hearts into one filled with His “glory and goodness” (v. 3). A future secure in Christ’s unimaginable promises (v. 4); and a future transformed into the “freedom and glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:21).

By:  Monica La Rose

Sign in to track your progress!

Reflect & Pray

Why can it be difficult for us to accept “unearned” grace and love? How does it touch your heart to consider that in God’s eyes you have a future filled with unimaginable beauty?

Jesus, some days all I can see is the ways I’ve disappointed myself and others, the ways I’ve broken the future I’ve dreamed of. Help me to see the unchanging beauty of the future I find in You. 

 

Saturday 20th February 2021-STRENGHTENED BY GRACE

February 20

Strengthened by Grace

Bible in a Year:

• Leviticus 26–27
• Mark 2

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 2:1

Today's Scripture

2 Timothy 2:1–4(NIV)

Insight

The imagery of a soldier is used in ancient Greek ethical teaching (for example, Plato and Epictetus) for the same reasons that Paul uses it in 2 Timothy 2: a soldier is dedicated and is willing to suffer in order to achieve a set goal. Paul also uses this imagery in 1 Corinthians 9:7 and uses military metaphors in 2 Corinthians 10:3–4, Ephesians 6:10–17, and 1 Timothy 1:18. But such military metaphors and images aren’t meant to be taken literally—though they sadly have been in times past through crusades and holy wars. Such misuse of Paul’s language isn’t to be blamed on him. To be “a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3) means that Timothy is to embody the same attitudes toward the service of Jesus that a soldier does toward his commanding officer—and Jesus’ command is that we love our enemies (Matthew 5:44).

During the American Civil War, the penalty for desertion was execution. But the Union armies rarely executed deserters because their commander-in-chief, Abraham Lincoln, pardoned nearly all of them. This infuriated Edwin Stanton, the Secretary of War, who believed that Lincoln’s leniency only enticed would-be deserters. But Lincoln empathized with soldiers who had lost their nerve and who had given in to their fear in the heat of battle. And his empathy endeared him to his soldiers. They loved their “Father Abraham,” and their affection led the soldiers to want to serve Lincoln all the more.

When Paul calls Timothy to join him in “suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3), he calls him to a tough job description. A soldier is to be completely dedicated, hard-working, and selfless. He’s to serve his commanding officer, Jesus, wholeheartedly. But in reality, we sometimes fail to be His good soldiers. We don’t always serve Him faithfully. And so Paul’s opening phrase is important: “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (v. 1). Our Savior is full of grace. He empathizes with our weaknesses and forgives our failures (Hebrews 4:15). And just as the Union soldiers were encouraged by Lincoln’s compassion, so believers are strengthened by the grace of Jesus. We want to serve Him all the more because we know He loves us.

By:  Con Campbell

Sign in to track your progress!

Reflect & Pray

How can the grace of Christ become a source of strength for you to serve Him? What does it mean for you to suffer for Jesus?

Dear God, please strengthen me in the grace of Christ that I may serve Him faithfully.

 

Friday 19th February 2021-WE 'RE NOT GOD

February 19

We’re Not God

Bible in a Year:

• Leviticus 25
• Mark 1:23–45

In the pride of your heart you say, “I am a god.”

Ezekiel 28:2

Today's Scripture

Ezekiel 28:1–10(NIV)

Insight

Ezekiel 26–28 contains four oracles or prophecies proclaiming judgment against Tyre. This ancient Phoenician city was known for its sea trade and idolatry. It was “full of wisdom and perfect in beauty” (28:12), but “through [its] widespread trade [it was] filled with violence” (v. 16). Due to descriptions such as “anointed as a guardian cherub” (v. 14), “blameless in your ways . . . till wickedness was found in you” (v. 15), and “your heart became proud . . . so I threw you to the earth” (v. 17), some scholars believe this passage also refers to Satan. Verse 19 concludes that the wicked city of Tyre would “come to a horrible end.”

In Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis recommended asking ourselves some questions to find out if we’re proud: “How much do I dislike it when other people snub me, or refuse to take any notice of me, . . . or patronize me, or show off?” Lewis saw pride as a vice of the “utmost evil” and the chief cause of misery in homes and nations. He called it a “spiritual cancer” that eats up the very possibility of love, contentment, and even common sense.

Pride has been a problem throughout the ages. Through the prophet Ezekiel, God warned the leader of the powerful coastal city of Tyre against his pride. He said the king’s pride would result in his downfall: “Because you think you are . . . as wise as a god, I am going to bring foreigners against you” (Ezekiel 28:6–7). Then he would know he wasn’t a god, but a mortal (v. 9).

In contrast to pride is humility, which Lewis named as a virtue we receive through knowing God. Lewis said that as we get in touch with Him, we become “delightedly humble,” feeling relieved to be rid of the silly nonsense about our own dignity that previously made us restless and unhappy.

The more we worship God, the more we’ll know Him and the more we can humble ourselves before Him. May we be those who love and serve with joy and humility.

By:  Amy Boucher Pye

Sign in to track your progress!

Reflect & Pray

How did you answer Lewis’ questions about whether or not you’re proud? Did that surprise you? Why or why not?

Almighty God, help me to revel in my identity as one You created, knowing You are great and mighty and yet You love me.