Daily Devotional – February 27

WEALTH 

Once there was a family that was not rich and not poor. They lived in Ohio in a small country house. One night they all sat down for dinner, and there was a knock at the door. The father went to the door and opened it.

There stood an old man in tattered clothes, with ripped pants and missing buttons. He was carrying a basket full of vegetables. He asked the family if they wanted to buy some vegetables from him. They quickly did because they wanted him to leave.

Over time, the family and the old man became friends.

The man brought vegetables to the family every week. They soon found out that he was almost blind and had cataracts on his eyes. But he was so friendly that they learned to look forward to his visits and started to enjoy his company.

One day as he was delivering the vegetables, he said, “I had the greatest blessing yesterday! I found a basket of clothes outside my house that someone had left for me.”

The family, knowing that he needed clothes, said, “How wonderful!”

The old blind man said, “The most wonderful part is that I found a family that really needed the clothes.”

Acts 20:35 I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Daily Devotional – February 26

 

THE BEREAN DAILY

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CHRISTIAN CLASSIFIEDS

For Sale

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Cross. Nearly new. To hard to life, much less carry. Will consider trade. Phone: 919-5TI-RED

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Set of armor. Good shape, with little wear. Unblemished. May need polishing. Phone: 919-WHI-PPED

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Opportunities. Rarely used. Cheap. Will not be missed. Phone: 919-WHO-CARES

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Job Opportunities

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Laborers. Huge harvest, but few applicants. Phone: 919-NED-HELP

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Teachers. Wisdom and knowledge preferred. Lousy pay, but great benefits. Phone: 919-GIV-LIFE

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Spiritual Truancy Officers. Must possess gentle strength. Not easily discouraged. “Thanks” not part of compensation package. Phone: 919-PUM-P1UP

Five Things

 I, Jack, was tagged a long time ago by my friend, Helen.  (Helen, forgive the delay!)

FIVE THINGS YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT ME:

1.  I was conceived in Africa

2.  If all of the all of the food in the world was eliminated and there was just one thing left to eat I would want it to be donuts.

3.  Some of my friends call me Walter Mitty because I have been and done everything.  Those that love me think its because I have such wonderful talent–I just think it was because I couldn’t hold a job.

4.  I like weird music.  www.hos.com 

5.  I have no wisdom teeth.  Never did, never will.  My dentist joked that this may be due to me being higher up the evolutionary ladder.  I asked him why he thought that was a joke. . .

Now, I would like to tag: Doug, PG, Dan, and Father Joe (Please leave us a link in our comments!)

Daily Devotional – February 23

GO DEEPER 

“Why is it that the vast majority of Christian believers remain largely unexposed to Christian learning–to historical-critical studies of the Bible, the content and structure of the great doctines, to two thousand years of classic works on the Christian life, to basic disciplines of theology, biblical languages and ethics? Why do bankers, lawyers, farmers, physicians, homemakers, scientists, salespeople, managers of all sorts, people who carry out all kinds of complicated tasks in their work and home, remain in a literalist, elementary school level in their religious understanding? How is it that high school age church members move easily and quickly into the complex world of computers, foreign languages, DNA and calculus, and cannot even make a beginning in historical-critical interpretation of a single text of Scripture? How is it possible one can attend or even teach Sunday School for decades and at the end of that lack the interpretive skills of someone who has taken three or four weeks in an introductory course in the Bible at a university or seminary?”

Edward Farley, “Can Church Education Be Theological Education”, Theology Today, July 1985.

2Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Daily Devotional – February 22

ROOT CAUSES

Every time we turn around we hear “root causes” thrown our way by some smug know-it-all who is promoting a new theory about why someone did something they shouldn’t have.

My personal favorite “root cause” is WOMAN. Ever since Adam and Eve were in the Garden in Eden we’ve known what the root cause for every problem in the world is. Adam figured it out for us:

Genesis 3:12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest [to be] with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

On a serious note, however, as humans it is our instinct to blame everything and everyone for our shortcomings–a daily exercise in ferreting out “root causes.” Because of this we have created systems within systems that enable us to trespass against our brother without the culpability.

1 John 1:8-10 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Daily Devotional – February 21

AGAPE

There was this man who saw a scorpion floundering around in the water. He decided to save it by stretching out his finger, but the scorpion stung him. The man still tried to get the scorpion out of the water, but the scorpion stung him again.

A man nearby told him to stop saving the scorpion that kept stinging him.

But the man said: “It is the nature of the scorpion to sting. It is my nature to love. Why should I give up my nature to love just because it is the nature of the scorpion to sting?” -Author Unknown

1John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins. 

Daily Devotional – February 19

IF WE ARE THE BODY…

In Ephesians 5:30 it says, “For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.”

While we Christians may experience great pride in being an integral part of Jesus’ body, we may have gotten much more than we bargained for.

What happened to our Lord’s body?

• stripped naked

• beaten beyond recognition

• a crown of thorns thrust into his head

• spit upon

• crucified

And you thought that becoming a Christian was about being comfortable, rich, and pain-free?

Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Daily Devotional – February 16

VOCABULARY WEEK

SUNDAY (Pronounced: suhn – dey) is the first day in the Christian week.

Daily Devotional – February 15

 VOCABULARY WEEK

KVETCH (pronounced: kvech) is to complain–especially chronically. To complain persistently and whiningly.

If there is one thing God can’t stomach it’s whining. All of us know how much it grates on our nerves, imagine what God has to listen to on a daily basis!

The Children of Israel were chronic complainers. It didn’t matter that God had delivered them from slavery, they found something to complain about:

Numbers 14:26-29 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, How long [shall I bear with] this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. Say unto them, [As truly as] I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me.

God’s blessing on nation we live in has created an ever widening cacophony of whining and complaining. It doesn’t matter how much we have, we still find fault with God and the way he is running things. He has told us:

Philippians 4:11 (b)… in whatsoever state I am, [therewith] to be content.

How soon do you think it will be before we hit God’s last nerve?

Daily Devotional – February 14

VOCABULARY WEEK

EBULLIENT (pronounced i-buhl-yuhnt) means overflowing with fervor, enthusiasm or positivity.

Usage: “In spite of the adversity he faced, no one seemed to be able to stifle his ebullient mood”

Robert Shuller’s daughter was in an accident resulting in a leg amputation. Long after she was fitted with a prosthetic limb she told her father that she wanted to try out for the school baseball team. Understanding the physical demands of the sport, Dr. Shuller tried to think of the kindest thing he could say to discourage his daughter from her decision.

Finally he broke down and said, “How are you going to run?”

“Homerun hitters don’t have to run, Dad.” was her reply.

Romans 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.