Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.
Scripture: John 12:24-26a (The Message) (Jesus speaking:) “Listen Carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal.”If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me.”
Seeds must be planted in the ground in order for them to germinate and grow into a plant. In the ground, the seed receives the water and nutrients necessary to sprout out of a state of dormancy. Merriam Webster’s Dictionary s definition of germination is to “cause to sprout or develop.” Until that seed is planted, it cannot grow into something beautiful or edible. Otherwise, it just sits there, useless.
How do we apply this to our faith life? Remember, Jesus used parables to tell stories that were easily understood and discerned by the common people. Jesus was creating a new faith that was to be life-changing and not just rule-following and looking good on the outside. Jesus cares most about heart-change. That seed looks fine and dandy from the outside, but on the inside, it was made to sprout. If it isn’t planted and, essentially buried and dead, it can’t grow and develop into the plant it was designed to be.
We as people are the same way. If we followed the world’s ways or perhaps another religion that didn’t focus on love and grace (only Christianity), we have to first die to our old ways (buried in the ground) before we can receive God’s love and grace (water and nutrients from the soil). For many of us, that death was divorce. For me, it certainly was a wake-up call at age 35. I was at the height of my professional career, I was married, a home-owner and an active dad. I went to church on Sundays with my son, because that’s what good Baptists do. My life was miserable.
My faith life, however, was dormant. My divorce caused me to die to my old ways and look to God for new meaning and purpose for my life. My divorce was a wake-up call to who I could become through Christ Jesus. When I hit bottom, I chose to follow and serve Jesus. There I was, six feet under, lying in dark, cold, musty dirt. Things couldn’t have been worse. Suddenly, something started to happen. I started to grow! I found new meaning in my faith life, and it took leaving my old church to find a new church that would help me grow. My new church fed me in the ways of Jesus, and in time my branches reached out above the ground and started feeding others through my gifts of teaching and shepherding single parents. That new way of life could not have started had I not let go of my fears and let myself die to my old ways.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, thank you for new growth. Thank you for the new life you have given me. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 171
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/december.asp?version=51
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
A triumphant entry
Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.
Scripture: John 12:12-15 (The Message) The next day the huge crowd that had arrived for the Feast heard that Jesus was entering Jerusalem. They broke off palm branches and went out to meet him. And they cheered: Hosanna!/Blessed is he who comes in God’s name!/Yes!/The King of Israel!/Jesus got a young donkey and rode it, just as the Scripture has it.
Jesus didn’t ride into Jerusalem on a strong, handsome steed, prancing about for all the people. He rode in on a simple donkey, which is used only for packing or riding. No self-respecting warrior would ever be caught dead riding a donkey into battle. When we think of a donkey, one word comes to mind: humility. That describes Jesus, and that is the way he wants it. He doesn’t want to be seen as the conquering hero, which is what the Jews were hoping and praying for.
Today, we use “hosanna” as an exclamation of praise, but in roughly 33 AD, it had meaning in both the Greek and Hebrew, meaning “save or deliver (us), we pray.” So when the people were shouting “Hosanna!” to Jesus, they weren’t praising him, they were pleading for deliverance. And Jesus delivered – in a mighty way. Just not the way the people were expecting. Jesus came to set hearts free, even if they were still shackled as slaves. Even the palm branches had meaning: triumph and victory.
Jesus’ final days were at hand, and he rode triumphantly into Jerusalem, just a few days before Passover. He had just left Bethany and the home of Lazarus, where his sister Mary had anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume. There, Judas Iscariot was already plotting against Jesus. He made a big scene about using the money from the perfume to help the poor, but it was all a hoax, because he probably would have embezzled the funds. Mary’s use of the nard also was part of Jesus’ preparation for burial a week later.
Word had quickly spread. Jesus had healed Lazarus from the dead. Eyewitness accounts were growing. Even as the people were cheering for Jesus to save them, Judas was en route to sell his soul to the Pharisees for 30 pieces of silver. The people were clamoring for Jesus, and all the Pharisees saw was an out-of-control mob. This Jesus had to be stopped! The Pharisees must have looked on in contempt as Jesus rode in on a dirty pack donkey, for crying out loud. Triumph and victory would come a few days later in his death. The people just didn’t know that. We do.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, thank you for your triumph over death, so that I could live eternally. Help me to be more humble like you. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 170
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/december.asp?version=51
Scripture: John 12:12-15 (The Message) The next day the huge crowd that had arrived for the Feast heard that Jesus was entering Jerusalem. They broke off palm branches and went out to meet him. And they cheered: Hosanna!/Blessed is he who comes in God’s name!/Yes!/The King of Israel!/Jesus got a young donkey and rode it, just as the Scripture has it.
Jesus didn’t ride into Jerusalem on a strong, handsome steed, prancing about for all the people. He rode in on a simple donkey, which is used only for packing or riding. No self-respecting warrior would ever be caught dead riding a donkey into battle. When we think of a donkey, one word comes to mind: humility. That describes Jesus, and that is the way he wants it. He doesn’t want to be seen as the conquering hero, which is what the Jews were hoping and praying for.
Today, we use “hosanna” as an exclamation of praise, but in roughly 33 AD, it had meaning in both the Greek and Hebrew, meaning “save or deliver (us), we pray.” So when the people were shouting “Hosanna!” to Jesus, they weren’t praising him, they were pleading for deliverance. And Jesus delivered – in a mighty way. Just not the way the people were expecting. Jesus came to set hearts free, even if they were still shackled as slaves. Even the palm branches had meaning: triumph and victory.
Jesus’ final days were at hand, and he rode triumphantly into Jerusalem, just a few days before Passover. He had just left Bethany and the home of Lazarus, where his sister Mary had anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume. There, Judas Iscariot was already plotting against Jesus. He made a big scene about using the money from the perfume to help the poor, but it was all a hoax, because he probably would have embezzled the funds. Mary’s use of the nard also was part of Jesus’ preparation for burial a week later.
Word had quickly spread. Jesus had healed Lazarus from the dead. Eyewitness accounts were growing. Even as the people were cheering for Jesus to save them, Judas was en route to sell his soul to the Pharisees for 30 pieces of silver. The people were clamoring for Jesus, and all the Pharisees saw was an out-of-control mob. This Jesus had to be stopped! The Pharisees must have looked on in contempt as Jesus rode in on a dirty pack donkey, for crying out loud. Triumph and victory would come a few days later in his death. The people just didn’t know that. We do.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, thank you for your triumph over death, so that I could live eternally. Help me to be more humble like you. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 170
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/december.asp?version=51
Monday, December 08, 2008
Be a part of God’s plan
Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.
Scripture: John 11:45-48 (The Message) Then one of them – it was Caiaphas, the designated Chief Priest that year – spoke up, “Don’t you know anything? Can’t you see that it’s to our advantage that one man dies for the people rather than the whole nation be destroyed?” He didn’t say this of his own accord, but as Chief Priest that year he unwittingly prophesied that Jesus was about to die sacrificially for the nation, and not only for the nation but so that all God’s exile-scattered children might be gathered together into one people.
God can and will use anyone for his purposes. In this case, he uses the High Priest to prophesy that one man would die for the people. Jesus kept providing miracles and healings, and that upset the Pharisees. They plotted to kill him because of his claims of being God – blasphemy in their eyes. Consequently, Jesus had to hide out rather than go out in public in and around Jerusalem because it wasn’t quite his time.
Caiaphas become an unwitting bit actor in God’s plan. The Pharisees couldn’t catch Jesus giving any false teachings, so they had to concoct another story in order to kill him. Jesus was pulling believers away from the Jewish sect because of his powerful teaching about his Father. It wasn’t faith that led the Pharisees to want to kill Jesus; it was simple greed. The Pharisees had a good thing going financially, and their power base would be destroyed if Jesus continued to teach in the countryside and in the Temple. One man had to die for all as a sacrifice for the people. Even Caiaphas said so.
Though Jesus’ time on earth was drawing short, he didn’t stop teaching his disciples. The next thing we know, he has withdrawn from public eye to neighboring Ephraim, where he could be alone with his disciples (vs. 54). Passover was coming, which would be his time to die, so he used those last few days for last-minute preparation with the disciples. Their jobs would begin soon, and he knew they needed more development. God’s plan for them was to change the world.
Jesus never seems to take a break from teaching the disciples. Throughout his 3-3 ½ year ministry, we constantly see him go off and seclude himself from the disciples to pray and seek God’s guidance. At other times when he isn’t teaching the masses, he secludes himself with the disciples, giving them all the God-wisdom he has. Though Jesus spent many evenings just eating and hanging out with his buddies, he didn’t waste any time. He was always building relationships. That is one of the central themes of Christianity, then, now and always. God wants to use us for his purposes in one way, every day – to build up the faith of our family, friends and neighbors. That’s our purpose.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, help me to be there for people you put in my path. Help me to see those who need ministering to. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 169
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/december.asp?version=51
Scripture: John 11:45-48 (The Message) Then one of them – it was Caiaphas, the designated Chief Priest that year – spoke up, “Don’t you know anything? Can’t you see that it’s to our advantage that one man dies for the people rather than the whole nation be destroyed?” He didn’t say this of his own accord, but as Chief Priest that year he unwittingly prophesied that Jesus was about to die sacrificially for the nation, and not only for the nation but so that all God’s exile-scattered children might be gathered together into one people.
God can and will use anyone for his purposes. In this case, he uses the High Priest to prophesy that one man would die for the people. Jesus kept providing miracles and healings, and that upset the Pharisees. They plotted to kill him because of his claims of being God – blasphemy in their eyes. Consequently, Jesus had to hide out rather than go out in public in and around Jerusalem because it wasn’t quite his time.
Caiaphas become an unwitting bit actor in God’s plan. The Pharisees couldn’t catch Jesus giving any false teachings, so they had to concoct another story in order to kill him. Jesus was pulling believers away from the Jewish sect because of his powerful teaching about his Father. It wasn’t faith that led the Pharisees to want to kill Jesus; it was simple greed. The Pharisees had a good thing going financially, and their power base would be destroyed if Jesus continued to teach in the countryside and in the Temple. One man had to die for all as a sacrifice for the people. Even Caiaphas said so.
Though Jesus’ time on earth was drawing short, he didn’t stop teaching his disciples. The next thing we know, he has withdrawn from public eye to neighboring Ephraim, where he could be alone with his disciples (vs. 54). Passover was coming, which would be his time to die, so he used those last few days for last-minute preparation with the disciples. Their jobs would begin soon, and he knew they needed more development. God’s plan for them was to change the world.
Jesus never seems to take a break from teaching the disciples. Throughout his 3-3 ½ year ministry, we constantly see him go off and seclude himself from the disciples to pray and seek God’s guidance. At other times when he isn’t teaching the masses, he secludes himself with the disciples, giving them all the God-wisdom he has. Though Jesus spent many evenings just eating and hanging out with his buddies, he didn’t waste any time. He was always building relationships. That is one of the central themes of Christianity, then, now and always. God wants to use us for his purposes in one way, every day – to build up the faith of our family, friends and neighbors. That’s our purpose.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, help me to be there for people you put in my path. Help me to see those who need ministering to. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 169
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/december.asp?version=51
Friday, December 05, 2008
A credible message
Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.
Scripture: John 10:31-33 (The Message) Again the Jews picked up rocks to throw at him. Jesus said, “I have made a present to you from the Father of the great many good actions. For which of these acts do you stone me?” The Jews said, “We’re not stoning you for anything good you did, but for what you said – blasphemy of calling yourself God.”
Abraham didn’t call himself God. Mohammad did not call himself God. Siddharta Gautama (the “Buddha”) did not call himself God. Joseph Smith believed he would become a god and that he was a prophet of God. Others, such as Nation of Islam founder Wallace D. Fard, were deified as God, but there was no credibility to their claims. Jesus’ life backed up his claims of being God. His life was without sin. He healed people of sicknesses, he brought people back from death, he rose from the dead, and his teachings are renowned in other religions.
Though his teachings are used in Islam, Mormonism, Hindu and other religions, those factions believed him only to be a wise man and prophet. Mormonism founder Joseph Smith claimed to be the equal of Jesus. What is the difference between other would-be gods and Jesus himself? Jesus’ claims had validity, and the others cannot hold up to any kind of academic study. Archaeology disclaims the foundation of Mormonism. The Quran, Islam’s holy scriptures, are filled with discrepancies, as are the Book of Mormon and other Mormon texts. Yet, the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life are remarkably accurate and consistent, as are other New Testament texts. Nearly a thousand people witnessed his life after death experience after dying on Calvary.
Jesus’ claims can hold up through scientific, archaeological and academic scrutiny. We can believe Jesus when he says he is the Son of God because there are nearly 50 Old Testament prophecies pointing to him being the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament. The odds of him not being the Messiah of the Old Testament is astronomical, something like 1 in 17 trillion. Just write down 17 and zeroes for about 10 seconds, and you have it the odds. If you don’t believe it, study the Bible with an open heart and put Jesus to the test. He will pass – with flying colors.
Another words, he’s God. The question is, are you going to believe it, or are you going to be like the Jews and question his claim. After all, they wanted a messiah who would come and conquer Rome with a sword and set them free. Jesus came to set our hearts free instead. Unlike other holy scriptures, Jesus’ teachings give us peace and fulfillment in life, not shame and guilt. They teach us how to love the unlovable in horrific circumstances. He gave people the choice to follow him, and he doesn’t pull out his sword and kill anyone who doesn’t follow him. Jesus was all about love, and forcing someone to follow him is not love. We can bank on Jesus being God because he is credible. He lived the perfect life as a sacrifice for our poor, miserable lives and rose from the dead to prove it. He lives today.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, thank you for being credible. You make believing easy. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 168
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/december.asp?version=51
Scripture: John 10:31-33 (The Message) Again the Jews picked up rocks to throw at him. Jesus said, “I have made a present to you from the Father of the great many good actions. For which of these acts do you stone me?” The Jews said, “We’re not stoning you for anything good you did, but for what you said – blasphemy of calling yourself God.”
Abraham didn’t call himself God. Mohammad did not call himself God. Siddharta Gautama (the “Buddha”) did not call himself God. Joseph Smith believed he would become a god and that he was a prophet of God. Others, such as Nation of Islam founder Wallace D. Fard, were deified as God, but there was no credibility to their claims. Jesus’ life backed up his claims of being God. His life was without sin. He healed people of sicknesses, he brought people back from death, he rose from the dead, and his teachings are renowned in other religions.
Though his teachings are used in Islam, Mormonism, Hindu and other religions, those factions believed him only to be a wise man and prophet. Mormonism founder Joseph Smith claimed to be the equal of Jesus. What is the difference between other would-be gods and Jesus himself? Jesus’ claims had validity, and the others cannot hold up to any kind of academic study. Archaeology disclaims the foundation of Mormonism. The Quran, Islam’s holy scriptures, are filled with discrepancies, as are the Book of Mormon and other Mormon texts. Yet, the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life are remarkably accurate and consistent, as are other New Testament texts. Nearly a thousand people witnessed his life after death experience after dying on Calvary.
Jesus’ claims can hold up through scientific, archaeological and academic scrutiny. We can believe Jesus when he says he is the Son of God because there are nearly 50 Old Testament prophecies pointing to him being the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament. The odds of him not being the Messiah of the Old Testament is astronomical, something like 1 in 17 trillion. Just write down 17 and zeroes for about 10 seconds, and you have it the odds. If you don’t believe it, study the Bible with an open heart and put Jesus to the test. He will pass – with flying colors.
Another words, he’s God. The question is, are you going to believe it, or are you going to be like the Jews and question his claim. After all, they wanted a messiah who would come and conquer Rome with a sword and set them free. Jesus came to set our hearts free instead. Unlike other holy scriptures, Jesus’ teachings give us peace and fulfillment in life, not shame and guilt. They teach us how to love the unlovable in horrific circumstances. He gave people the choice to follow him, and he doesn’t pull out his sword and kill anyone who doesn’t follow him. Jesus was all about love, and forcing someone to follow him is not love. We can bank on Jesus being God because he is credible. He lived the perfect life as a sacrifice for our poor, miserable lives and rose from the dead to prove it. He lives today.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, thank you for being credible. You make believing easy. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 168
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/december.asp?version=51
Thursday, December 04, 2008
The master gatekeeper
Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.
Scripture: John 10:3-4 (The Message) The gatekeeper opens the gate to (the shepherd) and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice.
As children, the first voices we recognize are our parents. We hear their voices from inside our mothers’ tummies, we hear the joy of their voices the minute we pop out of the womb. When we couldn’t sleep as infants, they rocked us to sleep by singing a soft lullaby. “Hush, little baby, don’t you cry …” Virtually every day of our young lives, we hear their voices. Even when we are away from them, we can picture their voices in our minds’ eyes. Our parents’ voices are soothing and comforting in times of troubles.
God’s voice should be soothing and comforting to us, as well. Some of us hear God’s voice every day, and we know it. It also is soothing and comforting. In the boisterous, hustle and bustle of this world, we can hear God’s soft voice whispering in our ears. Some people may not hear God’s voice because they don’t seek it out. We hear his voice most often in our prayers and in the reading of his word. If we aren’t praying and reading daily, how can we know his voice?
The gatekeeper is us, either opening our hearts to Jesus or closing it down tight. The choice is ours. We may choose to keep our gates closed at various times of our lives. Still, Jesus comes to the gate daily to see if we are ready to open our gate to him. He is patient and persistent. He waits at the gate for us all day. If we are followers of Jesus, we allow him to be the gatekeeper, which allows Jesus to protect our hearts from the outside. It is a wonderful feeling to know that he is protecting us 24/7.
I love that Jesus calls each one of his sheep by name. He knows all of our names. That shows how important each one of us are to him. As a teacher, I have 120 students, and it took me three weeks to memorize everyone’s names. Imagining knowing billions of names! Jesus voice is there for us to follow – if we choose to obey. Some of us will listen to a stranger’s voice and follow it, straight to trouble. Indeed, there are many sheep rustlers out there, seeking to sway our hearts. Every day, we need to call upon our shepherd for protection and direction. He is waiting to hear our voices call him.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, protect me today. Keep my heart pure for you. Help me to hear your voice and follow it. Help me to discern when rustlers call out. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 167
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/november.asp?version=51
Scripture: John 10:3-4 (The Message) The gatekeeper opens the gate to (the shepherd) and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice.
As children, the first voices we recognize are our parents. We hear their voices from inside our mothers’ tummies, we hear the joy of their voices the minute we pop out of the womb. When we couldn’t sleep as infants, they rocked us to sleep by singing a soft lullaby. “Hush, little baby, don’t you cry …” Virtually every day of our young lives, we hear their voices. Even when we are away from them, we can picture their voices in our minds’ eyes. Our parents’ voices are soothing and comforting in times of troubles.
God’s voice should be soothing and comforting to us, as well. Some of us hear God’s voice every day, and we know it. It also is soothing and comforting. In the boisterous, hustle and bustle of this world, we can hear God’s soft voice whispering in our ears. Some people may not hear God’s voice because they don’t seek it out. We hear his voice most often in our prayers and in the reading of his word. If we aren’t praying and reading daily, how can we know his voice?
The gatekeeper is us, either opening our hearts to Jesus or closing it down tight. The choice is ours. We may choose to keep our gates closed at various times of our lives. Still, Jesus comes to the gate daily to see if we are ready to open our gate to him. He is patient and persistent. He waits at the gate for us all day. If we are followers of Jesus, we allow him to be the gatekeeper, which allows Jesus to protect our hearts from the outside. It is a wonderful feeling to know that he is protecting us 24/7.
I love that Jesus calls each one of his sheep by name. He knows all of our names. That shows how important each one of us are to him. As a teacher, I have 120 students, and it took me three weeks to memorize everyone’s names. Imagining knowing billions of names! Jesus voice is there for us to follow – if we choose to obey. Some of us will listen to a stranger’s voice and follow it, straight to trouble. Indeed, there are many sheep rustlers out there, seeking to sway our hearts. Every day, we need to call upon our shepherd for protection and direction. He is waiting to hear our voices call him.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, protect me today. Keep my heart pure for you. Help me to hear your voice and follow it. Help me to discern when rustlers call out. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 167
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/november.asp?version=51
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Seeing through Jesus’ eyes
Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.
Scripture: John 9:30-33 (The Message) The man replied, “This is amazing! You claim to know nothing about him, but the fact is, he opened my eyes. It’s well known that God isn’t at the beck and call of sinners, but listens carefully to anyone who lives in reverence and does his will. That someone opened the eyes of a man born blind has never been heard of – ever. If this man didn’t come from God, he wouldn’t be able to do anything.”
I can’t imagine being blind from birth and never knowing the beauty of this earth. I would never see the crashing of the waves on the ocean, the crystal blue waters of Lake Tahoe, the splendor of Yosemite National Park, the majesty of fishing on the Taylor River in Colorado, the exhilaration of hitting a golf ball on Spyglass Hill in Pebble Beach, the pretty face of my wife. If I were blind from birth, I would have to guess what all those things look like, because I wouldn’t know. By the grace of God, I have witnessed all those things and found joy in them.
This man wouldn’t have known what Jerusalem looked like, or the Judean Hills, or the shores of Galilee. Who knows what visuals God gives the blind from birth in their minds’ eyes. Many in the Jewish culture believed the man was blind because of his or his parents’ sins. Coming from the perspective of the blind man, that was a harsh reality. He couldn’t see people shunning him, but surely he felt it. People stayed away from him because of his perceived sins. He would have led a lonely life. He was forced to beg for his life.
Then one day, the Nazarene Jesus mixed clay and water to form a paste and rubbed it on the man’s eyes. Jesus told him to go and rinse his face with water. Suddenly, the blind man could see. Yet, instead of celebrating joyously at the miracle, the Pharisees condemned the man and Jesus because the healing took place on the Sabbath. Isn’t that how some people are? They witness a major healing before their very eyes, and all they can do is find fault in the way the person found peace. You know, the kind of healing that a single mom goes through after a painful divorce. She loses her home, her way of life and is forced to go back to work to support her family. One day she is mired in a deep depression with no friends or life. A few years later, she has her life back on track and is smiling joyfully and her kids are happy and respectful of others.
Only Jesus can open the eyes of the blind and make them see the reality of life. Just as that man suddenly was able to see the world, so can you. But only if you open your eyes to the glory of what Christ can do in your life. You have to want to see every nook and cranny of your sins and be willing to expose them to the world. That kind of humbling makes us realize that we can’t live life without the Father and the Son. Without them, we are blind as bats trying to see through the muck and the mire of this filthy world. Come, see the world through the eyes of Jesus. It’s the only way to really see the real world.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, help me to see the world through your eyes. Help me to see my students through your eyes, so that I can know what their lives are like away from me. Help me to see their needs, so that I can minister to them through you. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 166
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/december.asp?version=51
Scripture: John 9:30-33 (The Message) The man replied, “This is amazing! You claim to know nothing about him, but the fact is, he opened my eyes. It’s well known that God isn’t at the beck and call of sinners, but listens carefully to anyone who lives in reverence and does his will. That someone opened the eyes of a man born blind has never been heard of – ever. If this man didn’t come from God, he wouldn’t be able to do anything.”
I can’t imagine being blind from birth and never knowing the beauty of this earth. I would never see the crashing of the waves on the ocean, the crystal blue waters of Lake Tahoe, the splendor of Yosemite National Park, the majesty of fishing on the Taylor River in Colorado, the exhilaration of hitting a golf ball on Spyglass Hill in Pebble Beach, the pretty face of my wife. If I were blind from birth, I would have to guess what all those things look like, because I wouldn’t know. By the grace of God, I have witnessed all those things and found joy in them.
This man wouldn’t have known what Jerusalem looked like, or the Judean Hills, or the shores of Galilee. Who knows what visuals God gives the blind from birth in their minds’ eyes. Many in the Jewish culture believed the man was blind because of his or his parents’ sins. Coming from the perspective of the blind man, that was a harsh reality. He couldn’t see people shunning him, but surely he felt it. People stayed away from him because of his perceived sins. He would have led a lonely life. He was forced to beg for his life.
Then one day, the Nazarene Jesus mixed clay and water to form a paste and rubbed it on the man’s eyes. Jesus told him to go and rinse his face with water. Suddenly, the blind man could see. Yet, instead of celebrating joyously at the miracle, the Pharisees condemned the man and Jesus because the healing took place on the Sabbath. Isn’t that how some people are? They witness a major healing before their very eyes, and all they can do is find fault in the way the person found peace. You know, the kind of healing that a single mom goes through after a painful divorce. She loses her home, her way of life and is forced to go back to work to support her family. One day she is mired in a deep depression with no friends or life. A few years later, she has her life back on track and is smiling joyfully and her kids are happy and respectful of others.
Only Jesus can open the eyes of the blind and make them see the reality of life. Just as that man suddenly was able to see the world, so can you. But only if you open your eyes to the glory of what Christ can do in your life. You have to want to see every nook and cranny of your sins and be willing to expose them to the world. That kind of humbling makes us realize that we can’t live life without the Father and the Son. Without them, we are blind as bats trying to see through the muck and the mire of this filthy world. Come, see the world through the eyes of Jesus. It’s the only way to really see the real world.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, help me to see the world through your eyes. Help me to see my students through your eyes, so that I can know what their lives are like away from me. Help me to see their needs, so that I can minister to them through you. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 166
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/december.asp?version=51
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Helping the blind and crippled
Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.
Scripture: John 9:1-4 (The Message) Walking down the street Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, “Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?” Jesus said, “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do. We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines.”
We have become a society of blame and not one of taking responsibility. When we play the blame game, we are abdicating the consequences for our actions. The blame game is an escapist attitude. “If my ex weren’t such a jerk, I wouldn’t be in this mess.” What God wants us to do is look ourselves squarely in the mirror and be truthful with ourselves. “What is my part in this scene?” That attitude forces us to learn from our mistakes, which is what God wants us to do. That is what freedom means as a Christian.
Now, the disciples were simply asking a question that they had been taught while growing up in the Jewish culture. The Jews believed that one’s sins caused physical and mental handicaps. That means that being blind or crippled was because of one’s sins – or one’s parents. So looking at this man, the disciples naturally wanted to know whose fault it was. Jesus quickly turned the tables on them, telling them there is “no cause-effect here.” Jesus tells them to stop looking to lay the blame on someone.
Instead, Jesus wants them to see how God can be at work in the blind man’s life. Jesus wants the disciples to know that there is still work to be done with this man and not to give up on him. Jesus was telling them that there are things they could do for this man to bring salvation to his life. He wants his disciples to “energetically” be at work for the Father, showing the blind man who God is. In the next verse, Jesus reminds the disciples that his light needs to be shined on this man’s life.
What is our part in shining Jesus’ light on the world? It may be to shine his light on the spiritually blind and cripples of this world, or it may be helping the physically blind and cripples that are around us. If our gift is teaching or discipling, maybe it is studying the Bible and sharing God’s love with someone who needs it? If our gift is hospitality or service, perhaps we can drive a blind person to the supermarket once a week or maybe take them to church on Sundays. Look around you. There may be someone God wants to shine his light on this week.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, help me to see those you want me to share your love with today. Help me not to be blinded by my own blindness. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 165
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/december.asp?version=51
Scripture: John 9:1-4 (The Message) Walking down the street Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, “Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?” Jesus said, “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do. We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines.”
We have become a society of blame and not one of taking responsibility. When we play the blame game, we are abdicating the consequences for our actions. The blame game is an escapist attitude. “If my ex weren’t such a jerk, I wouldn’t be in this mess.” What God wants us to do is look ourselves squarely in the mirror and be truthful with ourselves. “What is my part in this scene?” That attitude forces us to learn from our mistakes, which is what God wants us to do. That is what freedom means as a Christian.
Now, the disciples were simply asking a question that they had been taught while growing up in the Jewish culture. The Jews believed that one’s sins caused physical and mental handicaps. That means that being blind or crippled was because of one’s sins – or one’s parents. So looking at this man, the disciples naturally wanted to know whose fault it was. Jesus quickly turned the tables on them, telling them there is “no cause-effect here.” Jesus tells them to stop looking to lay the blame on someone.
Instead, Jesus wants them to see how God can be at work in the blind man’s life. Jesus wants the disciples to know that there is still work to be done with this man and not to give up on him. Jesus was telling them that there are things they could do for this man to bring salvation to his life. He wants his disciples to “energetically” be at work for the Father, showing the blind man who God is. In the next verse, Jesus reminds the disciples that his light needs to be shined on this man’s life.
What is our part in shining Jesus’ light on the world? It may be to shine his light on the spiritually blind and cripples of this world, or it may be helping the physically blind and cripples that are around us. If our gift is teaching or discipling, maybe it is studying the Bible and sharing God’s love with someone who needs it? If our gift is hospitality or service, perhaps we can drive a blind person to the supermarket once a week or maybe take them to church on Sundays. Look around you. There may be someone God wants to shine his light on this week.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, help me to see those you want me to share your love with today. Help me not to be blinded by my own blindness. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 165
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/december.asp?version=51
Monday, December 01, 2008
We can depend on God’s word
Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.
Scripture: John 8:14-17 (The Message) Jesus replied, “You’re right that you only have my word. But you can depend on it being true. I know where I’ve come from and where I go next. You don’t know where I’m from or where I’m headed. You decide according to what you can see and touch. I don’t make judgments like that. But even if I did, my judgment would be true because I wouldn’t make it out of the narrowness of my experience but in the largeness of the One who sent me, the Father.”
It is easy to get caught up in the “I feel game.” The trouble is, our feelings let us down. Ever put your trust in someone of the opposite sex and been wrong? We all have. It is human nature. So where do we go for answers? To the lips of Jesus Christ. As the scripture says, we can depend on his word being true. His word will guide us down the straight and narrow path that guides us through life. If we base our choices on our experiences, our choices have dwindled.
We all want to be strong and make our own decisions, from rebellious teenagers to middle-aged single adults on their own again for the first time, after perhaps 10-20 years of marriage. Decisions are easier when two are discussing the potential pitfalls. Two heads think better than one. The Bible is meant to be more than just good reading of history, poetry, prophecy and parables. God’s word is meant to direct us through the winding roads of life. The Bible’s myriad of stories show us the consequences of poor choices.
Bad judgment can lead to serious consequences. We teachers tell our teenage students that all the time. “Think before you speak.” That alone will get us through many difficulties. Who we listen to for wise counsel matters, too. If all teenagers do is listen to other teenagers, where are they getting their wisdom? If a single mom listens only to those in her divorce recovery group, where does the knowledge come from? We must spread our wings and build relationships, so that we have options when we need advice.
Rehoboam, Solomon’s son and heir to the throne of Israel and Judah, got an earful after he returned from asylum in Egypt to lead the people. His father’s advisers told him to lighten up on the people’s workload (2 Chronicles 10:3-4), but Rehoboam, instead, followed the advice of his young turk buddies, who told him to work the people even harder (vs. 10). The people rebelled, and the king was forced to flee to safety in Jerusalem. He wouldn’t listen and lost half his kingdom. Note, also, that Rehoboam failed to seek God’s wisdom when faced with a tough decision. God wants to hear from us when we need wisdom. We must first ask for his advice. God speaks to us through his Word more than any other medium. First, we must open it to gain its wisdom.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 164
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/december.asp?version=51
Scripture: John 8:14-17 (The Message) Jesus replied, “You’re right that you only have my word. But you can depend on it being true. I know where I’ve come from and where I go next. You don’t know where I’m from or where I’m headed. You decide according to what you can see and touch. I don’t make judgments like that. But even if I did, my judgment would be true because I wouldn’t make it out of the narrowness of my experience but in the largeness of the One who sent me, the Father.”
It is easy to get caught up in the “I feel game.” The trouble is, our feelings let us down. Ever put your trust in someone of the opposite sex and been wrong? We all have. It is human nature. So where do we go for answers? To the lips of Jesus Christ. As the scripture says, we can depend on his word being true. His word will guide us down the straight and narrow path that guides us through life. If we base our choices on our experiences, our choices have dwindled.
We all want to be strong and make our own decisions, from rebellious teenagers to middle-aged single adults on their own again for the first time, after perhaps 10-20 years of marriage. Decisions are easier when two are discussing the potential pitfalls. Two heads think better than one. The Bible is meant to be more than just good reading of history, poetry, prophecy and parables. God’s word is meant to direct us through the winding roads of life. The Bible’s myriad of stories show us the consequences of poor choices.
Bad judgment can lead to serious consequences. We teachers tell our teenage students that all the time. “Think before you speak.” That alone will get us through many difficulties. Who we listen to for wise counsel matters, too. If all teenagers do is listen to other teenagers, where are they getting their wisdom? If a single mom listens only to those in her divorce recovery group, where does the knowledge come from? We must spread our wings and build relationships, so that we have options when we need advice.
Rehoboam, Solomon’s son and heir to the throne of Israel and Judah, got an earful after he returned from asylum in Egypt to lead the people. His father’s advisers told him to lighten up on the people’s workload (2 Chronicles 10:3-4), but Rehoboam, instead, followed the advice of his young turk buddies, who told him to work the people even harder (vs. 10). The people rebelled, and the king was forced to flee to safety in Jerusalem. He wouldn’t listen and lost half his kingdom. Note, also, that Rehoboam failed to seek God’s wisdom when faced with a tough decision. God wants to hear from us when we need wisdom. We must first ask for his advice. God speaks to us through his Word more than any other medium. First, we must open it to gain its wisdom.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 164
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/december.asp?version=51
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
It isn’t Thankstaking Day!
Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.
Note: I will be taking off tomorrow and Friday to be with my family. Happy Thanksgiving to all. Doug Mead, Parenting Solo
Scripture: Psalm 107:1 (The Message) Oh, thank God – he’s so good! His love never runs out.
“Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as he has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience.
“Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty-three and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.”
.
William Bradford
Ye Governor of Ye Colony
The Pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Mass., in December 1620 after being blown off course from their original destination of the Virginia Colony. The Mayflower planted 102 English travelers, mostly Pilgrims who left England because of religious persecution.
Nearly three years later, half the original group of Pilgrims had died, yet Bradford felt it was important to gather everyone together and celebrate. Bradford was thankful for the bountiful harvest of vegetables and an abundance of nearby game and fish.
Fast forward to 2008. Our economy is reeling, unemployment is continues to rise, we have a new presidential administration offering up “change,” soldiers are still in Afghanistan and Iraq. Fear and indifference grip our nation. What shall we do? Do as William Bradford did, and focus on the positive. Let us really give thanks tomorrow, the way the original Pilgrims did, who invited the native Americans over to join the celebration. Bradford gave thanks first to his maker, then gave to his neighbors. We should follow that simple premise tomorrow and every day after. We aren’t celebrating Thankstaking Day.
This year, I choose to give thanks and not wallow in self-pity for what I don’t have. I am thankful that I married a wonderful woman 18 months ago, I have a job that is challenging, I have a home (though it is small), I have good relationships with my son and step-son, I am debt-free for the first time in years, I have good health (after disc surgery and chronic back pain for more than 20 years), I am getting good grades in my return to school to acquire an education degree (two B’s this semester), and the golf team I coach at Berean is on the rise and may win a few prizes this year. I have much to be thankful for.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, thank you for giving me an abundant life. You have blessed me richly. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 163
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/november.asp?version=51
Note: I will be taking off tomorrow and Friday to be with my family. Happy Thanksgiving to all. Doug Mead, Parenting Solo
Scripture: Psalm 107:1 (The Message) Oh, thank God – he’s so good! His love never runs out.
“Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as he has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience.
“Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty-three and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.”
.
William Bradford
Ye Governor of Ye Colony
The Pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Mass., in December 1620 after being blown off course from their original destination of the Virginia Colony. The Mayflower planted 102 English travelers, mostly Pilgrims who left England because of religious persecution.
Nearly three years later, half the original group of Pilgrims had died, yet Bradford felt it was important to gather everyone together and celebrate. Bradford was thankful for the bountiful harvest of vegetables and an abundance of nearby game and fish.
Fast forward to 2008. Our economy is reeling, unemployment is continues to rise, we have a new presidential administration offering up “change,” soldiers are still in Afghanistan and Iraq. Fear and indifference grip our nation. What shall we do? Do as William Bradford did, and focus on the positive. Let us really give thanks tomorrow, the way the original Pilgrims did, who invited the native Americans over to join the celebration. Bradford gave thanks first to his maker, then gave to his neighbors. We should follow that simple premise tomorrow and every day after. We aren’t celebrating Thankstaking Day.
This year, I choose to give thanks and not wallow in self-pity for what I don’t have. I am thankful that I married a wonderful woman 18 months ago, I have a job that is challenging, I have a home (though it is small), I have good relationships with my son and step-son, I am debt-free for the first time in years, I have good health (after disc surgery and chronic back pain for more than 20 years), I am getting good grades in my return to school to acquire an education degree (two B’s this semester), and the golf team I coach at Berean is on the rise and may win a few prizes this year. I have much to be thankful for.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, thank you for giving me an abundant life. You have blessed me richly. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 163
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/november.asp?version=51
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Go and sin no more
Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.
Scripture: John 8:3-5 (The Message) The religion scholars and Pharisees led in a woman who had been caught in an act of adultery. They stood her in plain sight of everyone and said, “Teacher, this woman was caught red-handed in the act of adultery. Moses, in the Law, gives orders to stone such persons. What do you say?” They were trying to trap him into saying something incriminating so they could bring charges against him.
We are always quick to point out the flaws of others, to judge, to condemn. We gossip, quietly, in the corridors of our churches. When one person throws out an accusation, another comes out of the crowd, and perhaps another. Word travels fast among God’s people. Why is that? It’s as if when we bring out the sins of others, we feel better about our own weaknesses. “Hey, someone else has bigger sins than mine!”
The Pharisees are trying to trap Jesus, so they bring a woman caught in the act of adultery before him. Mind you, they have not brought the guilty man before him. The woman’s partner in sin also would have been eligible for the punishment of stoning, yet he is nowhere to be found. The Pharisees think they have Jesus cornered. They are hoping he will tell them to release her, so they can catch him in a heretical act. As usual, Jesus outsmarts them by telling them, “Sure, stone her. But the guy who is without sin should throw the first stone.” One by one, they quietly walk away, knowing that their sins are just as large, if not larger. I picture them mumbling as they walk away.
Jesus didn’t want a dead adulteress on his hands; he wanted a woman with a changed heart. Imagine being this woman. She thinks her time is up. The lump in her throat must have been the size of a golf ball, and she could hardly breathe. Had she been asked to speak out on her own behalf, would she have lied? Or would she have blamed the man, or would she have come up with an excuse why her sin was OK? Maybe she was just trying to feed her family, and she had no other job skills. We will never know, because Jesus absolved her of her sin. Imagine how she must have felt as her accusers walked away.
Then Jesus asks her if any of her accusers are still around. They have all gone, she tells him. Then he says something remarkable. Absolving her of her sin is not the key issue. That alone would make her feel good for a day or two. The key is telling her “Go on your way. From now on, don’t sin.” (vs. 11). The forgiveness of sins is not what changes lives, though it often sets a person free to change her life. Stopping the sin – whether it be premarital sex, pornography, spending money you don’t have, an anger issue, a filthy mouth, or just a hard heart toward others – continuing the sin leads to death. Jesus offered her a way out of her troubles by first forgiving her, then setting her free by reminding her to leave her life of sin behind her.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, help us to search our hearts and find that secret sin and put it out in the open. Help us to put our life of sin behind us. “Help us to go and sin no more.” Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 162
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/november.asp?version=51
Scripture: John 8:3-5 (The Message) The religion scholars and Pharisees led in a woman who had been caught in an act of adultery. They stood her in plain sight of everyone and said, “Teacher, this woman was caught red-handed in the act of adultery. Moses, in the Law, gives orders to stone such persons. What do you say?” They were trying to trap him into saying something incriminating so they could bring charges against him.
We are always quick to point out the flaws of others, to judge, to condemn. We gossip, quietly, in the corridors of our churches. When one person throws out an accusation, another comes out of the crowd, and perhaps another. Word travels fast among God’s people. Why is that? It’s as if when we bring out the sins of others, we feel better about our own weaknesses. “Hey, someone else has bigger sins than mine!”
The Pharisees are trying to trap Jesus, so they bring a woman caught in the act of adultery before him. Mind you, they have not brought the guilty man before him. The woman’s partner in sin also would have been eligible for the punishment of stoning, yet he is nowhere to be found. The Pharisees think they have Jesus cornered. They are hoping he will tell them to release her, so they can catch him in a heretical act. As usual, Jesus outsmarts them by telling them, “Sure, stone her. But the guy who is without sin should throw the first stone.” One by one, they quietly walk away, knowing that their sins are just as large, if not larger. I picture them mumbling as they walk away.
Jesus didn’t want a dead adulteress on his hands; he wanted a woman with a changed heart. Imagine being this woman. She thinks her time is up. The lump in her throat must have been the size of a golf ball, and she could hardly breathe. Had she been asked to speak out on her own behalf, would she have lied? Or would she have blamed the man, or would she have come up with an excuse why her sin was OK? Maybe she was just trying to feed her family, and she had no other job skills. We will never know, because Jesus absolved her of her sin. Imagine how she must have felt as her accusers walked away.
Then Jesus asks her if any of her accusers are still around. They have all gone, she tells him. Then he says something remarkable. Absolving her of her sin is not the key issue. That alone would make her feel good for a day or two. The key is telling her “Go on your way. From now on, don’t sin.” (vs. 11). The forgiveness of sins is not what changes lives, though it often sets a person free to change her life. Stopping the sin – whether it be premarital sex, pornography, spending money you don’t have, an anger issue, a filthy mouth, or just a hard heart toward others – continuing the sin leads to death. Jesus offered her a way out of her troubles by first forgiving her, then setting her free by reminding her to leave her life of sin behind her.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, help us to search our hearts and find that secret sin and put it out in the open. Help us to put our life of sin behind us. “Help us to go and sin no more.” Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 162
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/november.asp?version=51
Monday, November 24, 2008
Knowing the scriptures
Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.
Scripture: John 7:16-19 (The Message) Jesus said, “What I teach comes from the One who sent me. Anyone who wants to do his will can test his teaching and know whether it’s from God or whether I’m making it up. A person making things up tries to make himself look good. But someone trying to honor the one who sent him sticks to the facts and doesn’t tamper with reality. It was Moses, wasn’t it, who gave you God’s law? But none of you are living it.”
Jesus had been teaching in Galilee during the Feast of Tabernacles, an annual event with the Jews. The people were arguing over whether Jesus was genuine or a fraud. The talk ranged from “He’s a good man” to “He’s selling us snake oil.” (vs. 12, 13) Jesus heard the quibbling and defended himself. The key to his defense was that he wasn’t trying to puff himself up, he was simply telling the truth from the Word Moses. Jesus was upset that few seemed to be living up to the law.
This is an apropos message for any pastor or teacher: Stick to the truth and don’t strut around promoting yourself, trying to make yourself look important. A humble teacher is the best kind in God’s eyes. Teachers and pastors who spend hours studying the word and looking for new and creative ways to teach pleases God. You don’t have to teach in front of an auditorium full of saints and sinners to honor God. Leading a Bible study in your living room is pleasing to God.
There is a simple way to determine if a pastor or teacher (or anyone for that matter) is using scriptures accurately. Does his message line up with what the Word says? Whether lessons come from the Old Testament or New Testament is irrelevant. What matters is that lessons agree with what scriptures say. The message must line up. One thing we can count on with the Bible is accuracy and consistency. Everything Jesus taught came from the teachings of Moses and the prophets. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, we can add the life of Christ in the New Testament to our studies.
The only way to know if someone is using scriptures accurately is to constantly be in the Word. That’s why God wants us to read and meditate on the Bible daily. With study comes wisdom and reverence for God. Reverence for God requires us to know scripture. A good, healthy Bible study necessitates people sharing their own knowledge. While it’s OK to say “This is what I think it means,” what is more important is what the author meant or God meant? Applying God’s word to our daily living means obedience, which is what God expects from us.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, help me to honor you with knowing what scripture says. Help me open your Word every day and study it. Help me to know you more. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 161
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/november.asp?version=51
Scripture: John 7:16-19 (The Message) Jesus said, “What I teach comes from the One who sent me. Anyone who wants to do his will can test his teaching and know whether it’s from God or whether I’m making it up. A person making things up tries to make himself look good. But someone trying to honor the one who sent him sticks to the facts and doesn’t tamper with reality. It was Moses, wasn’t it, who gave you God’s law? But none of you are living it.”
Jesus had been teaching in Galilee during the Feast of Tabernacles, an annual event with the Jews. The people were arguing over whether Jesus was genuine or a fraud. The talk ranged from “He’s a good man” to “He’s selling us snake oil.” (vs. 12, 13) Jesus heard the quibbling and defended himself. The key to his defense was that he wasn’t trying to puff himself up, he was simply telling the truth from the Word Moses. Jesus was upset that few seemed to be living up to the law.
This is an apropos message for any pastor or teacher: Stick to the truth and don’t strut around promoting yourself, trying to make yourself look important. A humble teacher is the best kind in God’s eyes. Teachers and pastors who spend hours studying the word and looking for new and creative ways to teach pleases God. You don’t have to teach in front of an auditorium full of saints and sinners to honor God. Leading a Bible study in your living room is pleasing to God.
There is a simple way to determine if a pastor or teacher (or anyone for that matter) is using scriptures accurately. Does his message line up with what the Word says? Whether lessons come from the Old Testament or New Testament is irrelevant. What matters is that lessons agree with what scriptures say. The message must line up. One thing we can count on with the Bible is accuracy and consistency. Everything Jesus taught came from the teachings of Moses and the prophets. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, we can add the life of Christ in the New Testament to our studies.
The only way to know if someone is using scriptures accurately is to constantly be in the Word. That’s why God wants us to read and meditate on the Bible daily. With study comes wisdom and reverence for God. Reverence for God requires us to know scripture. A good, healthy Bible study necessitates people sharing their own knowledge. While it’s OK to say “This is what I think it means,” what is more important is what the author meant or God meant? Applying God’s word to our daily living means obedience, which is what God expects from us.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, help me to honor you with knowing what scripture says. Help me open your Word every day and study it. Help me to know you more. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 161
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/november.asp?version=51
Friday, November 21, 2008
Food that sticks to you
Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend. If you wish to be removed from this e-mail list, simply hit reply and write REMOVE in the subject line.
Scripture: John 6:27 (The Message) “Don’t waste your energy striving for perishable food like that. Work for the food that sticks with you, food that nourishes your lasting life, food the Son of Man provides. He and what he does are guaranteed by “God the Father to last.”
In my freshman Boys Health class, we are studying habits that determine our lifestyle. In the past few weeks, we have studied nutrition and fitness. Each week, we write down the positives and negatives of our habits. Some kids realize that by missing breakfast in the morning, they are sluggish until noon. Some kids see that they do not have any energy because they don’t exercise regularly or get enough sleep. The one habit I tried diligently to get them to stop was the drinking of energy drinks. Bad stuff.
Jesus has just spent all day teaching in a spacious meadow near Galilee . At the end of the day, his disciples count 5,000 men (so maybe as many as 15,000 including women and children), and they report back that the people have no food to eat. Jesus realizes he and his men have to feed everyone. Philip tells Jesus that the money they have in their treasury wouldn’t feed very many people. Peter finds a young boy who has five barley loaves and two fish. Jesus then performs a miracle by feeding everyone, with plenty of leftovers.
The next day, the crowd follows him by boats across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum . Jesus scolds them because they are just looking for another free meal. Instead, he warns them to feed their bodies with nourishment that will be longlasting. This kind of food, he reminds them, comes only from that which Jesus can provide. We spend far too much time looking for easy snacks that will get us through our day. We think too much short-term and not enough long-term.
How do we find food that sticks to you? It takes work, and it is not easy. It takes commitment to keep seeking the right kind of spiritual nourishment we need for our bodies to grow strong and healthy. Seeking Jesus is an every day thing, and there is no rote routine in place for us, such as what the Jews had with their daily rituals. What Jesus wants is for us to turn to him every day, from morning to night. And not just when we are needy or when God answers our prayers, but to wake up and praise him for another day, to appreciate the job you have that pays the bills, to sit down at a meal with your family and be thankful that we have food on the table, to open our Bibles and study who Jesus is, and to serve our neighbors who are in need. That is what God guarantees will last.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, help me to seek you out today. Help me to thank you for the spiritual nourishment you give me daily. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 160
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/november.asp?version=51
Scripture: John 6:27 (The Message) “Don’t waste your energy striving for perishable food like that. Work for the food that sticks with you, food that nourishes your lasting life, food the Son of Man provides. He and what he does are guaranteed by “God the Father to last.”
In my freshman Boys Health class, we are studying habits that determine our lifestyle. In the past few weeks, we have studied nutrition and fitness. Each week, we write down the positives and negatives of our habits. Some kids realize that by missing breakfast in the morning, they are sluggish until noon. Some kids see that they do not have any energy because they don’t exercise regularly or get enough sleep. The one habit I tried diligently to get them to stop was the drinking of energy drinks. Bad stuff.
Jesus has just spent all day teaching in a spacious meadow near Galilee . At the end of the day, his disciples count 5,000 men (so maybe as many as 15,000 including women and children), and they report back that the people have no food to eat. Jesus realizes he and his men have to feed everyone. Philip tells Jesus that the money they have in their treasury wouldn’t feed very many people. Peter finds a young boy who has five barley loaves and two fish. Jesus then performs a miracle by feeding everyone, with plenty of leftovers.
The next day, the crowd follows him by boats across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum . Jesus scolds them because they are just looking for another free meal. Instead, he warns them to feed their bodies with nourishment that will be longlasting. This kind of food, he reminds them, comes only from that which Jesus can provide. We spend far too much time looking for easy snacks that will get us through our day. We think too much short-term and not enough long-term.
How do we find food that sticks to you? It takes work, and it is not easy. It takes commitment to keep seeking the right kind of spiritual nourishment we need for our bodies to grow strong and healthy. Seeking Jesus is an every day thing, and there is no rote routine in place for us, such as what the Jews had with their daily rituals. What Jesus wants is for us to turn to him every day, from morning to night. And not just when we are needy or when God answers our prayers, but to wake up and praise him for another day, to appreciate the job you have that pays the bills, to sit down at a meal with your family and be thankful that we have food on the table, to open our Bibles and study who Jesus is, and to serve our neighbors who are in need. That is what God guarantees will last.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, help me to seek you out today. Help me to thank you for the spiritual nourishment you give me daily. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 160
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/november.asp?version=51
Thursday, November 20, 2008
A full stomach
Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.
Scripture: John 6:10-11 (The Message) Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” There was a nice carpet of green grass in this place. They sat down, about five thousand of them. Then Jesus took the bread and, having given thanks, gave it to those who were seated. He did the same with the fish. All ate as much as they wanted.
With Jesus, there is always an abundance of food for the masses. He always has enough on hand to meet the needs of those around him. No matter what the circumstances, he is never short. People never walk away hungry. That day, those who were hungry were filled to their heart’s content. There was no excuse for anybody to walk away without a full belly.
If you have Jesus in your life, we don’t have the need to eat from any other plate. The question is, do we want to have a well-balanced life of Jesus? Or do we want to add a few supplements, from, say Depak Chopra or Oprah Winfrey. Or maybe we’ve gotten on a fitness craze and made a guru out of the latest pitch man or woman. God wants to be No. 1 in our life, and he is a jealous God of anything we put in front of him. Being physically fit and eating nutritiously is important, but God cares more about our spiritual health.
What in our lives are we turning into gods, possibly without us even knowing it? In Old Testament times, the God of Abraham had to fight for display space with the likes of Asherah, the sex goddess, and Baal, as well as hundreds if not thousands, of other false idols. Anything we make a God out of, whether it be alcohol, cigarettes, food, TV, pornography, work, toys or even our kids, competes with God. There isn’t room for anything else, other than God. If we partake of any other replacement, we will walk away hungry for more.
We may be starving for affection, for attention, for status, for material things, whatever. All of those things are in a skirmish for our time. The people who came to listen to Jesus speak had to stop and sit down before being fed. They had to slow down and relax for a little while. Jesus simply wanted people to take time out from their busy schedules to sit down with him and eat and drink. Every meal we eat should be treated as if Jesus were sitting right next to us. Next time you sit down for a meal, have a conversation with Jesus. You won’t walk away hungry.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, help me to make it a priority to include you in my meal times. Help me to take the time to know you today. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 159
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/november.asp?version=51
Scripture: John 6:10-11 (The Message) Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” There was a nice carpet of green grass in this place. They sat down, about five thousand of them. Then Jesus took the bread and, having given thanks, gave it to those who were seated. He did the same with the fish. All ate as much as they wanted.
With Jesus, there is always an abundance of food for the masses. He always has enough on hand to meet the needs of those around him. No matter what the circumstances, he is never short. People never walk away hungry. That day, those who were hungry were filled to their heart’s content. There was no excuse for anybody to walk away without a full belly.
If you have Jesus in your life, we don’t have the need to eat from any other plate. The question is, do we want to have a well-balanced life of Jesus? Or do we want to add a few supplements, from, say Depak Chopra or Oprah Winfrey. Or maybe we’ve gotten on a fitness craze and made a guru out of the latest pitch man or woman. God wants to be No. 1 in our life, and he is a jealous God of anything we put in front of him. Being physically fit and eating nutritiously is important, but God cares more about our spiritual health.
What in our lives are we turning into gods, possibly without us even knowing it? In Old Testament times, the God of Abraham had to fight for display space with the likes of Asherah, the sex goddess, and Baal, as well as hundreds if not thousands, of other false idols. Anything we make a God out of, whether it be alcohol, cigarettes, food, TV, pornography, work, toys or even our kids, competes with God. There isn’t room for anything else, other than God. If we partake of any other replacement, we will walk away hungry for more.
We may be starving for affection, for attention, for status, for material things, whatever. All of those things are in a skirmish for our time. The people who came to listen to Jesus speak had to stop and sit down before being fed. They had to slow down and relax for a little while. Jesus simply wanted people to take time out from their busy schedules to sit down with him and eat and drink. Every meal we eat should be treated as if Jesus were sitting right next to us. Next time you sit down for a meal, have a conversation with Jesus. You won’t walk away hungry.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, help me to make it a priority to include you in my meal times. Help me to take the time to know you today. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 159
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/november.asp?version=51
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Loving gently and forcefully
Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.
Scripture: John 5:39-40 (The Message) (Jesus speaking) “You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you’ll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me. And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren’t willing to receive from me the life you say you want.”
There is an old saying that Christianity “isn’t in the doing, it’s in the being.” Another words, all the things we do, seemingly, to please God isn’t working if who we are isn’t pleasing to God. So often, we get caught up in trying to look right that our hearts veer off course. Having our heads in the Bible, being seen at all the right prayer meetings and sitting in the center-aisle, second-row pew every Sunday – that is all important for the kingdom – but sometimes we get caught up in how we are seen and forget how to relate to people. We get caught up being busy for the Lord that we forget about serving the people who need Jesus most.
Jesus was always about doing the right thing for the right reason and not worrying about appearances. Our focus always needs to be about Jesus. Jesus is attractive in our lives, because his truth sets us free. It hurts to look in the mirror, because what we’ve done on our own isn’t always pretty. Jesus’ words always set us on the right path. Jesus was harsh with the Jews because their hearts had hardened and cared only about outward appearances. They added all those rules so they could appear being more holy than their neighbors. It became an unhealthy competition.
And along the way, they forgot about God. Yesterday, the Pharisees were angry at the lifetime cripple for picking up his bedroll and carrying it on the Sabbath. Instead of joyously celebrating with the man for his heeling, they found fault with his miracle. Those are the times we should be happy. Instead, we look for weaknesses in others and expose them so that we look better in the eyes of others. Who do you think the healed man followed after that day, Jesus or the Pharisees?
If Jesus were here today, he, indeed, would love the tree huggers and gay populace, but he also would be hated because he would stand up and hold people accountable for their sins. Jesus loved the sinner, but never tolerated their sin. He told the man lying by the swirling waters of Bethseda not to “return to a sinning life or something worse might happen (vs. 14).” Jesus didn’t just care about the man at that moment, he cared about his future. We can better love people through committed relationships, not by walking past someone we barely know and tell them about their sins. Jesus was both gentle and forceful in his actions. It only works when wrapped in love.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, help me to be gentle and forceful at just the right times. Help me to seek you in all my relationships. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 158
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/november.asp?version=51
Scripture: John 5:39-40 (The Message) (Jesus speaking) “You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you’ll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me. And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren’t willing to receive from me the life you say you want.”
There is an old saying that Christianity “isn’t in the doing, it’s in the being.” Another words, all the things we do, seemingly, to please God isn’t working if who we are isn’t pleasing to God. So often, we get caught up in trying to look right that our hearts veer off course. Having our heads in the Bible, being seen at all the right prayer meetings and sitting in the center-aisle, second-row pew every Sunday – that is all important for the kingdom – but sometimes we get caught up in how we are seen and forget how to relate to people. We get caught up being busy for the Lord that we forget about serving the people who need Jesus most.
Jesus was always about doing the right thing for the right reason and not worrying about appearances. Our focus always needs to be about Jesus. Jesus is attractive in our lives, because his truth sets us free. It hurts to look in the mirror, because what we’ve done on our own isn’t always pretty. Jesus’ words always set us on the right path. Jesus was harsh with the Jews because their hearts had hardened and cared only about outward appearances. They added all those rules so they could appear being more holy than their neighbors. It became an unhealthy competition.
And along the way, they forgot about God. Yesterday, the Pharisees were angry at the lifetime cripple for picking up his bedroll and carrying it on the Sabbath. Instead of joyously celebrating with the man for his heeling, they found fault with his miracle. Those are the times we should be happy. Instead, we look for weaknesses in others and expose them so that we look better in the eyes of others. Who do you think the healed man followed after that day, Jesus or the Pharisees?
If Jesus were here today, he, indeed, would love the tree huggers and gay populace, but he also would be hated because he would stand up and hold people accountable for their sins. Jesus loved the sinner, but never tolerated their sin. He told the man lying by the swirling waters of Bethseda not to “return to a sinning life or something worse might happen (vs. 14).” Jesus didn’t just care about the man at that moment, he cared about his future. We can better love people through committed relationships, not by walking past someone we barely know and tell them about their sins. Jesus was both gentle and forceful in his actions. It only works when wrapped in love.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, help me to be gentle and forceful at just the right times. Help me to seek you in all my relationships. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 158
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/november.asp?version=51
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Don’t return to life of sin
Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.
Scripture: John 5:15-17 (The Message) The man went back and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. That is why the Jews were out to get Jesus – because he did this kind of thing on the Sabbath. But Jesus defended himself. “My Father is working straight through even on the Sabbath. So am I.”
Hundreds of sick people were hanging out at the pools of Bethseda, near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem. People believed that there were healing powers when the waters “stirred.” They were blind, crippled, and paralyzed, looking for hope. There, Jesus sees a man stretched out. He had been an invalid for 38 years. When Jesus sees him, he asks if he wants to get well. The crippled man replies that when the waters stir, he has no one to help him get in the water. Jesus tells him to pick up his bedroll and walk. He is healed instantly.
Great story of how Jesus’ miraculous healing powers work, except for one thing: The Jews got wind of the healing on the Sabbath and are ticked. They confront the man. “You can’t carry your bedroll around,” they respond. “It’s against the rules.” The man tells them that it was Jesus who healed him and who told him to grab his bedroll and go home. The Jews are incredulous at Jesus’ healing on the Sabbath – right in the open, in front of a big crowd. The nerve of that guy showing everybody up. Jesus had to sneak off to hide from the Jews.
But Jesus isn’t done. A short while later, Jesus finds the man again, this time in the Temple. “Don’t return to a sinning life or something worse will happen,” he tells the man. Even after Jesus performs miraculous healings on us, we can still return to a life of sin. Jesus warns us that the consequences will be even worse the second time. The temptation we all face is that after we are healed and are strengthened, we begin to think that we can do it on our own. Then we fall away from our faith life and stumble. The second fall is always harder.
This is an important message for single parents who find healing after their life crisis, whether it be divorce, having a child out of wedlock, or a spouse dying. After things settle down and we find peace, we sometimes slip up and stumble again. Maybe we think we’re ready to date when we really need to focus on our kids. Our fall prey to flattery and get burned in an unhealthy relationship. Jesus wants us to know that he is there for us, 24/7, even on the Sabbath, even after we stumble. We can always count on his healing powers. Do you want to be healed?
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, help me to stay on the right path. Help me to draw near your healing powers and let you do your thing. Help me not to lean on my own strength. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 157
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/november.asp?version=51
Scripture: John 5:15-17 (The Message) The man went back and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. That is why the Jews were out to get Jesus – because he did this kind of thing on the Sabbath. But Jesus defended himself. “My Father is working straight through even on the Sabbath. So am I.”
Hundreds of sick people were hanging out at the pools of Bethseda, near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem. People believed that there were healing powers when the waters “stirred.” They were blind, crippled, and paralyzed, looking for hope. There, Jesus sees a man stretched out. He had been an invalid for 38 years. When Jesus sees him, he asks if he wants to get well. The crippled man replies that when the waters stir, he has no one to help him get in the water. Jesus tells him to pick up his bedroll and walk. He is healed instantly.
Great story of how Jesus’ miraculous healing powers work, except for one thing: The Jews got wind of the healing on the Sabbath and are ticked. They confront the man. “You can’t carry your bedroll around,” they respond. “It’s against the rules.” The man tells them that it was Jesus who healed him and who told him to grab his bedroll and go home. The Jews are incredulous at Jesus’ healing on the Sabbath – right in the open, in front of a big crowd. The nerve of that guy showing everybody up. Jesus had to sneak off to hide from the Jews.
But Jesus isn’t done. A short while later, Jesus finds the man again, this time in the Temple. “Don’t return to a sinning life or something worse will happen,” he tells the man. Even after Jesus performs miraculous healings on us, we can still return to a life of sin. Jesus warns us that the consequences will be even worse the second time. The temptation we all face is that after we are healed and are strengthened, we begin to think that we can do it on our own. Then we fall away from our faith life and stumble. The second fall is always harder.
This is an important message for single parents who find healing after their life crisis, whether it be divorce, having a child out of wedlock, or a spouse dying. After things settle down and we find peace, we sometimes slip up and stumble again. Maybe we think we’re ready to date when we really need to focus on our kids. Our fall prey to flattery and get burned in an unhealthy relationship. Jesus wants us to know that he is there for us, 24/7, even on the Sabbath, even after we stumble. We can always count on his healing powers. Do you want to be healed?
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, help me to stay on the right path. Help me to draw near your healing powers and let you do your thing. Help me not to lean on my own strength. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 157
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/november.asp?version=51
Monday, November 17, 2008
Join God in his harvest
Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.
Scripture: John 4:34-35 (The Message) Jesus said, “The food that keeps me going is that I do the will of the One who sent me, finishing the work he started. As you look around right now, wouldn’t you say that in about four months it will be time to harvest? Well, I’m telling you to open your eyes and take a look at what’s right in front of you. These Samaritan fields are ripe. It’s harvest time!”
One of my most vivid memories of growing up on a farm was the golden fields of wheat, ready to be harvested. What is planted in spring and harvested in summer. Often, I was able to watch the fields grow from a green sprout in the ground until harvest time. A combine would cut the wheat stalks and separate the heads of wheat at the top. When I was in junior high, I worked for my dad as his weighmaster, the person who weighed the trucks loaded with grain that came directly from the fields. The harvested wheat was paid for by the tonnage, at whatever the market price was at the time.
In this analogy, the person who planted the wheat was not the same person who came by in a combine and cut the stocks at harvest time. There were also people who disked up the previous crop, set the planting rows, added vertilizer, and another who watered the crops regularly. Sunshine, provided by God, was needed every day. At harvest time, everybody got paid equally. Each person in the chain of jobs was equally important in order for the wheat to be eaten by cattle (in our case, or to the mill in other cases).
As Jesus is telling the story, it is springtime, and the crops are still growing in the sun. The disciples are pressing him to move on, away from Sychar and the Samaria they despised so much. Instead, Jesus tells them to look around at the potential crop right in front of them. They were hungry, but Jesus wasn’t, because, he told them, his nourishment came from his Father above, who filled him generously.
The key is that God sent us to finish the work that he already started. Each of us can look around and see crops planted by God all around us. He has already started good works in different areas of our lives. We just need to have our eyes open to see what is sprouting up around us to know what he wants us to do. Maybe one of us is to water, another is to fertilize, and still another of us is meant to drive the combine in the field. In each situation, there are plenty of jobs to be done. Each has a different skill. The only requirement is the desire to be an active participant in God’s work. We all can reap the rewards of the harvest.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, help us to want to see the ministry you have started around us. Help us to be a part of the whole process, no matter how small or large the task. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 156
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/november.asp?version=51
Scripture: John 4:34-35 (The Message) Jesus said, “The food that keeps me going is that I do the will of the One who sent me, finishing the work he started. As you look around right now, wouldn’t you say that in about four months it will be time to harvest? Well, I’m telling you to open your eyes and take a look at what’s right in front of you. These Samaritan fields are ripe. It’s harvest time!”
One of my most vivid memories of growing up on a farm was the golden fields of wheat, ready to be harvested. What is planted in spring and harvested in summer. Often, I was able to watch the fields grow from a green sprout in the ground until harvest time. A combine would cut the wheat stalks and separate the heads of wheat at the top. When I was in junior high, I worked for my dad as his weighmaster, the person who weighed the trucks loaded with grain that came directly from the fields. The harvested wheat was paid for by the tonnage, at whatever the market price was at the time.
In this analogy, the person who planted the wheat was not the same person who came by in a combine and cut the stocks at harvest time. There were also people who disked up the previous crop, set the planting rows, added vertilizer, and another who watered the crops regularly. Sunshine, provided by God, was needed every day. At harvest time, everybody got paid equally. Each person in the chain of jobs was equally important in order for the wheat to be eaten by cattle (in our case, or to the mill in other cases).
As Jesus is telling the story, it is springtime, and the crops are still growing in the sun. The disciples are pressing him to move on, away from Sychar and the Samaria they despised so much. Instead, Jesus tells them to look around at the potential crop right in front of them. They were hungry, but Jesus wasn’t, because, he told them, his nourishment came from his Father above, who filled him generously.
The key is that God sent us to finish the work that he already started. Each of us can look around and see crops planted by God all around us. He has already started good works in different areas of our lives. We just need to have our eyes open to see what is sprouting up around us to know what he wants us to do. Maybe one of us is to water, another is to fertilize, and still another of us is meant to drive the combine in the field. In each situation, there are plenty of jobs to be done. Each has a different skill. The only requirement is the desire to be an active participant in God’s work. We all can reap the rewards of the harvest.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, help us to want to see the ministry you have started around us. Help us to be a part of the whole process, no matter how small or large the task. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 156
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/november.asp?version=51
Friday, November 14, 2008
Quick-change artist
Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.
Scripture: Matt. 4:28-30 (The Message) The woman took the hint and left. In her confusion she left her water pot. Back in the village she told the people, “Come see a man who knew all about the things I did, who knows me inside and out. Do you think this could be the Messiah?” And they went out to see for themselves.
Although the woman at the well has made a decision to follow Jesus, the disciples are still judging her because of her past. Jesus loves and accepts her wholeheartedly, but that does not mean everyone else will. Many single parents – whether from divorce or out of wedlock -- feel shunned by the church. This is sad, because the very people single parents need to feel loved by are keeping them at an arms distance. Usually, acceptance comes in time, though.
It should be noted that there are many parishioners out there ready to love on single parents. Many were once single parents themselves. Or perhaps they are elderly people who have children who are single parents, and they understand your plight. One friend whom you can confide your struggles with every few weeks can make all the difference in the world. Single parents need to take the time to heal and grieve and understand the changes that are occurring for them and their children and confessing your sins is a part of that process.
This story has so many gems hidden in the text. When the woman leaves her water pot behind, it symbolizes her burden to society. She can’t collect her water in the morning with the rest of the women because of her reputation. But after she meets Jesus, she is emboldened and goes back to town to share Jesus with everyone she meets. The fact that Jesus accepts her, despite her flaws, excites her because she can put her life of shame and ridicule behind her. People can see the change in her immediately. The best part of the story is the last sentence of this scripture: “They went out to see for themselves.” If this Jesus fellow could change the town harlot, maybe he could fix other problems. And he can, if you let him. Go and see for yourself.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, I pray that one person reading this goes and sees for himself who you are. I pray that you bring change upon his or her life, the same as you did the woman at the well. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 155
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/november.asp?version=51
Scripture: Matt. 4:28-30 (The Message) The woman took the hint and left. In her confusion she left her water pot. Back in the village she told the people, “Come see a man who knew all about the things I did, who knows me inside and out. Do you think this could be the Messiah?” And they went out to see for themselves.
Although the woman at the well has made a decision to follow Jesus, the disciples are still judging her because of her past. Jesus loves and accepts her wholeheartedly, but that does not mean everyone else will. Many single parents – whether from divorce or out of wedlock -- feel shunned by the church. This is sad, because the very people single parents need to feel loved by are keeping them at an arms distance. Usually, acceptance comes in time, though.
It should be noted that there are many parishioners out there ready to love on single parents. Many were once single parents themselves. Or perhaps they are elderly people who have children who are single parents, and they understand your plight. One friend whom you can confide your struggles with every few weeks can make all the difference in the world. Single parents need to take the time to heal and grieve and understand the changes that are occurring for them and their children and confessing your sins is a part of that process.
This story has so many gems hidden in the text. When the woman leaves her water pot behind, it symbolizes her burden to society. She can’t collect her water in the morning with the rest of the women because of her reputation. But after she meets Jesus, she is emboldened and goes back to town to share Jesus with everyone she meets. The fact that Jesus accepts her, despite her flaws, excites her because she can put her life of shame and ridicule behind her. People can see the change in her immediately. The best part of the story is the last sentence of this scripture: “They went out to see for themselves.” If this Jesus fellow could change the town harlot, maybe he could fix other problems. And he can, if you let him. Go and see for yourself.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, I pray that one person reading this goes and sees for himself who you are. I pray that you bring change upon his or her life, the same as you did the woman at the well. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 155
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/november.asp?version=51
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Start with worshipping God
Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.
Scripture: John 4:23-24 (The Message) (Jesus speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well) “It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship … in adoration.”
The woman at the well is grasping at straws. She’s looking for a way out. This man from Nazareth has trapped her. Suddenly, she’s antsy. She wants to run away, just as she has dozens of times before. He has alleviated all her inhibitions about worshipping God. She has no more excuses. Jesus simply tells her that God doesn’t care about who she was yesterday, he cares about who she is today. In one fell swoop, Jesus took away all her reasons for not worshipping his Father.
“That’s it? I don’t have to be Jewish? I don’t have to worship in the Temple in Jerusalem? I can worship God right here? In Sychar, this God-forsaken place?” Perhaps she was shaking her head or mumbling under her breath. “It can’t be this easy,” she thought. All those years, wasted. She starts to think, putting it all together in her head. “You mean, I don’t have to try to be someone I’m not?” she thought, in essence. Jesus responded: “It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God.”
Suddenly, the woman at the well goes from being a nobody to being a somebody. Everyone who believes becomes a somebody just like that. It doesn’t matter what your past was. God forgives all sins, not just some. That’s why some people who come before God feel so cleansed. It’s a new experience for them. People spend their whole lives ashamed and guilt-ridden because of their actions. They think they aren’t worthy to come before God. And, in fact, none of us are worthy. God’s grace is a gift for everyone who wants it. That’s what makes grace so amazing. It’free.
But what happens after that initial contact? What then? Jesus said we must “engage our spirit in the pursuit of truth” as we seek God in worship. When we come to faith, the Holy Spirit fills us up with good things to make our lives whole and complete. This pursuit of truth isn’t like a catechism, in which we get all this information handed to us, we study for a while, and then we’re done. Pursuing Jesus is a 24/7 thing. The key is letting go of our old, unusable, unworkable ways and trying it God’s way. How we live before God is what counts. How we seek him is what matters. It starts with worshipping him, right where we are, whenever we feel the urge. It’s that simple.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, thank you for making worship easy. Thank you that I can worship you in my living room every morning, in my classroom mid-day, in my car in the afternoon, and in bed late at night. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 154
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/november.asp?version=51
Scripture: John 4:23-24 (The Message) (Jesus speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well) “It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship … in adoration.”
The woman at the well is grasping at straws. She’s looking for a way out. This man from Nazareth has trapped her. Suddenly, she’s antsy. She wants to run away, just as she has dozens of times before. He has alleviated all her inhibitions about worshipping God. She has no more excuses. Jesus simply tells her that God doesn’t care about who she was yesterday, he cares about who she is today. In one fell swoop, Jesus took away all her reasons for not worshipping his Father.
“That’s it? I don’t have to be Jewish? I don’t have to worship in the Temple in Jerusalem? I can worship God right here? In Sychar, this God-forsaken place?” Perhaps she was shaking her head or mumbling under her breath. “It can’t be this easy,” she thought. All those years, wasted. She starts to think, putting it all together in her head. “You mean, I don’t have to try to be someone I’m not?” she thought, in essence. Jesus responded: “It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God.”
Suddenly, the woman at the well goes from being a nobody to being a somebody. Everyone who believes becomes a somebody just like that. It doesn’t matter what your past was. God forgives all sins, not just some. That’s why some people who come before God feel so cleansed. It’s a new experience for them. People spend their whole lives ashamed and guilt-ridden because of their actions. They think they aren’t worthy to come before God. And, in fact, none of us are worthy. God’s grace is a gift for everyone who wants it. That’s what makes grace so amazing. It’free.
But what happens after that initial contact? What then? Jesus said we must “engage our spirit in the pursuit of truth” as we seek God in worship. When we come to faith, the Holy Spirit fills us up with good things to make our lives whole and complete. This pursuit of truth isn’t like a catechism, in which we get all this information handed to us, we study for a while, and then we’re done. Pursuing Jesus is a 24/7 thing. The key is letting go of our old, unusable, unworkable ways and trying it God’s way. How we live before God is what counts. How we seek him is what matters. It starts with worshipping him, right where we are, whenever we feel the urge. It’s that simple.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, thank you for making worship easy. Thank you that I can worship you in my living room every morning, in my classroom mid-day, in my car in the afternoon, and in bed late at night. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 154
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/november.asp?version=51
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Freedom for all
Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.
Scripture: Matthew 4:5-9 (The Message) Jesus came into Sychar, a Samaritan village that bordered the field Jacob had given his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was still there. Jesus, worn out by the trip, sat down at the well. It was noon. A woman, a Samaritan, came to draw water. Jesus said, “Would you give me a drink of water?” … The Samaritan woman, taken aback, asked, “How come you, a Jew, are asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (Jews in those days wouldn’t be caught dead talking to Samaritans.)
Jesus committed two faux pas in the exchange. First, he was alone with a woman, and two, he was alone with a Samaritan. The Jews hated the Samaritans. In fact, when Jesus said he wanted to take a shortcut on his journey from Aenon to
But Jesus had a mission. He had to be at Jacob’s Well in Sychar at noon on this very day to witness to a harlot. Her life was at stake. Jesus even made sure all his disciples were in town buying food (wells usually were a short walk from the center of town). Jesus needed to be alone with the Samaritan woman in order to have a conversation with her and gain her trust. Had the disciples been hanging around, they would have shoo’d the woman away from Jesus.
Jesus was smarter than the average bear and planned around his disciples’ bigotry. That day, the Samaritan woman found new freedom, something she had never experienced in her rugged life. She kept bouncing from one man to another, hoping to be set free of her bondage. She was a virtual sex slave to whatever man she was with at the time. She probably had no friends; all the women in town shunned her because of her reputation. She was fetching water at noon – the other women would have done it in the cool of the morning and spent perhaps an hour socializing. She had gone through five husbands and was now living with a sixth, so the other women wanted nothing to do with her.
What Jesus offered her was equality, the same thing anyone who comes to know Christ receives. Other religions in the world – even today – set women aside as second-hand citizens. Jewish women sit on one side of the room, while the men sit on the other. Muslim women are not allowed into mosques. Mormon women can’t get to heaven unless they are married and produce children. Jesus offered a harlot equality with every woman in town. John goes on to tell that the entire town of
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, I pray that you help every woman reading this know that you want to use them for your glory. Let them know that, no matter what their past, God can use their struggles to bring others to Christ. May they humble themselves in order to know you better. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 153
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/november.asp?version=51
Monday, September 22, 2008
Waiting patiently
Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.
Scripture: Matthew 24:3b-6 (The Message) (The disciples speaking) “What will be the sign of your coming, that the time’s up?” Jesus said, “Watch out for doomsday deceivers. Many leaders are going to show up with forged identities, claiming, ‘I am Christ, the Messiah.’ They will deceive a lot of people. When reports come in of wars and rumored wars, keep your head and don’t panic. This is routine history; this is no sign of the end. … Famines and earthquakes will occur in various places. This is nothing compared to what is coming.”
Over the past two centuries, many people have tried to predict when Christ’s second coming will occur. Every single one of them has been wrong. A few have deceived people greatly by enticing them to sell all their worldly possessions and move to some isolated area to wait for the end times. Yet the Bible is quite clear that no one knows when Christ will return, except for the Father. Anyone claiming special knowledge is just blowing smoke and wasting people’s time, energy and resources.
Why do people think it is so important to make such predictions? Is it because they want the attention to themselves. Matthew says they “will deceive a lot of people.” “They will have forged identities.” Matthew also says that routine history is no way of foretelling the future. Wars, famines and earthquakes are everyday occurrences. Jesus warned the disciples not to panic; those things are nothing compared to what is coming when he returns.
So why do people panic? Perhaps it is because they don’t have assurances that they have a place in eternity. Or perhaps they have lost hope and cling to the notion of ending their time on earth for a better place, heaven. I know there have been times when I have said, “Lord, just end it all!” We feel weighed down during tough economic times or when relationships crumble. But, at least with me, reality hits and I don’t really want to go. I don’t believe my mission on earth is accomplished yet, so I continue to wait, sometimes patiently, while other times I am patient.
How do we become patient in waiting? It all comes down to trusting God with our lives, spiritually, emotionally, relationally and financially. We all have that hope that there are better times awaiting us in heaven, but do we have that same hope that life here on earth can be as it is in heaven? That is what the Lord’s prayer states: “On earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:7-13). We must cling to God’s promises in order not to be deceived by false prophets. As soon as we see someone spouting off about end times, we know he is clueless. Do not bother with his numerology or prophecy, because no one knows when He is coming again. So sit back and enjoy the wait.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Help me to have patience in waiting for your return, Lord. Help me to live in these times as salt in the world. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 129
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/september.asp?version=51
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Real relationships
Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.
Scripture: Matthew 18:15 (The Message) “If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him – work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you’ve made a friend.”
If only it were that simple: “Work it out between the two of you.” That single line may be among the most difficult in the Bible for us to grasp. We humans just don’t do conflict well. Issues between two people can get to the point in which both lives become consumed. Anger simmers, and hatred is just around the corner. Bitterness cannot be far behind. When a friendship is broken, Satan smiles.
That is why Jesus made forgiveness the heart of his ministry. He knew just how important forgiveness would be. He also knew how tough it would be for us to grasp the concepts. That is why he urged us to ask forgiveness and seek reconciliation as soon as possible. Don’t wait. The wounds will only fester and spread to the heart. Then it begins to affect every relationship in our lives. Just the way Satan wants it.
Relationships demand trust and honesty. Trust is built on honesty. When someone is hurt by another person, trust is put on hold until amends are made. Satan wants us bickering with our friends. He wants us angry at one another. He wants us to put off seeking forgiveness because that means healing, and the relationship depends. He wants us on edge, so that true friendship cannot happen. He likes shallow friendships. Depth scares him, because God is into deep relationships.
When two friends can forgive and reconcile, it helps us to see God’s plan of grace. It makes it easier for us to go to God and confess our sins. When we know it is easier than we thought, we are free to go to him more often. Our faith grows with our openness and honesty. Real relationships demand trust. When trust is built, authenticity occurs. That is what God wants for us, with him as well as with our earthly relationships. When we have real relationships here on earth, we grow closer to God, because he created us to be relational. Real faith isn’t about trying to be perfect before God; it is realizing that we aren’t perfect and we need a God who forgives all our sins. Jesus Christ died for each and every one of those sins so that we need not carry that burden.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, thank you for forgiveness and reconciliation. Help me to not be afraid to come before you with my sins. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 113
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/august.asp?version=51
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Jesus doesn’t take days off
Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.
Scripture: Matthew 14:34-36 (The Message) On return, the (disciples) beached the boat at Gennesaret. When the people got wind that he was back, they sent out word through the neighborhood and rounded up all the sick, who asked for permission to touch the edge of his coat. And whoever touched him was healed.
Life goes on. One day Jesus is healing the sick and teaching 5,000 out in the countryside. When they were hungry, he fed everyone with two fish and five loaves of bread. Then he sent the disciples away on a boat ride so he could be alone and pray. When the disciples saw him body surfing in the middle of a storm, Peter jumped out of the boat to chase after him but sank after he took his eyes off Jesus. The next day, the people saw Jesus in their neighborhood. Back to work. He healed whoever touched him.
The Bible talks about rest periods for the weary, but Jesus rarely took a day off during his 3-year ministry. When Jesus needed restoration, he would go away by himself and pray half the night and be ready to go the next day. We may be tired and in need of rest, but that doesn’t mean Jesus is tired and in need of a day off. We may get through a really busy time serving the Lord and think we need time off, but God may have a plan for us the very next day. We must be ready.
I’ve heard it both ways about rest when we are busy serving the Lord. Some of the most invigorating times I’ve had in my adult life were after serving God in a big way. On the flip side, some of the most draining times were spent serving God. If we are uncertain as to whether to rest or serve again, we must ask God for wisdom and guidance. Our prayer life is the key in such times. If we’re tired from serving too much, we are doing it for ourselves. If we are in constant prayer, God has a way of giving us the strength we need in trying times.
God doesn’t look at our lives the way we do. We may look at life as working M-F with weekends off, but kingdom servants don’t have regular days off. But God does tell us to take a Sabbath day every week, which is meant for rest and worshipping him. We may be busy serving the sick on Sundays that takes half our days. Then it’s back to the grind in the office on Monday. Or we may plan a Saturday at the beach, but we find ourselves ministering to someone God put before us in the parking lot. There is no rhyme or reason when it comes to working for God. Be prepared to serve whenever he calls you, no matter what day it is.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, help me to be ready to serve when you call me. Help me to get my daily rest so that I will have the energy I need whenever you call on me. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 99
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/july.asp?version=51
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Sinking caused by faint-hearts
Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.
Scripture: Matthew 14:31 (The Message) (From yesterday: Peter lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, “Master, save me!”) Jesus didn’t hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, “Faint-heart, what got into you?”
One of the descriptions the Bible uses for Jesus is “comforter.” He comforts us in our struggles because he cares for us. But at one point does Jesus reach his hand out to grab us from treachery? Anybody? Anybody? He reaches out before we sink. The passage says Peter “started to sink,” at which point, Jesus grabbed him. Jesus was right there beside Peter. He knew exactly what was going on. He was watching him, millisecond by millisecond. At just the right moment, he pulled up Peter before his head went below the surface.
Peter didn’t sink. His head didn’t go under water. He wasn’t bobbing up and down in drowning mode, gasping for air when his head rose above the water. We must trust that Jesus knows just when to save us. Somewhere in there in his perfect timing, Jesus wants us to grow in our faith: If we keep our eyes on Jesus, we can walk on water; when we focus on the storm, we start to sink. That’s why Jesus said to Peter, “Faint-heart, what got into you?” Jesus didn’t say “Peter, you sank because you lost faith;” He said, “What got into you?” He wanted Peter to think on his own.
Only Jesus knows when that perfect time is to save us. At that point, he won’t hesitate to save us. What he doesn’t want to happen is for us to try to save ourselves. That is the dilemma we all face in trying times. Instead of relying on God’s strength, we try to do it ourselves. It is human nature, but that is what Jesus is trying to warn us about. Do not lose focus during stormy times. If we lose that focus for even a little while, fear quickly sets in. That fear does not come from God, it comes from Satan.
God can do incredible things through us, but only if we do things his way. Jesus wants us to know it’s OK to acknowledge or fears. Peter doesn’t get out of the boat and walk on water, then tell Jesus, “Master, I’m scared. There’s a storm all around me. I’m afraid of sinking.” Had Peter made such a statement, Jesus would have replied. “I know it’s scary out here, Peter, but keep your eyes on me.” Instead of keeping his focus on Jesus, Peter looks either to his left or to his right. That is his sin. For us, keeping our focus means living out our faith for Christ daily. When things get tough, we can’t suddenly stop going to church, forget to pray or stop reading our Bibles. Seek counsel from a wise friend. Don’t be afraid to cry out “Master, save me!” because Jesus promises to rescue us from the storms of life.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, help me to keep my eyes on you, every day. Help me not to turn to the left or to the right during the storm. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 97
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/july.asp?version=51
Monday, July 28, 2008
Listen only to Jesus’ voice
Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.
Scripture: Matthew 14:30 (The Message) Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus. But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, “Master, save me!”
When my son was an infant, I took him to swimming lessons in the summertime. The instructor had us place or children on the deck of the pool, with us standing in the water a few feet away. Then he told us to tell our children to jump into our arms. “Come on, Son, you can do this. Jump into Daddy’s arms.” And what’s the first thing our children say? “Will you catch me?” “Yes, Son, I’ll catch you.” Then he would jump into my arms, and laugh and giggle. “Again,” he’d say.
That’s how our faith life is, too. Peter first asks Jesus if it is really him on the water. When Jesus assures him it is he, Peter “jumps out of the boat” with exuberance. At first, Peter’s faith is rewarded. He is the only one of the disciples to get out of the boat and walk on water. Only Peter had that special experience of knowing Jesus right then. It’s the same way with the swimming lesson above. Afterward, my son and I had a special bond, because he knew he could trust me and jump and I would catch him.
That’s what Jesus was doing with Peter. Peter was fine at first. His excitement got him out of the boat and surfing onto the water. But as soon as he looked around, he realized there was still a storm going on around him. These were white-cap waves churning around him, not just water lapping onto the side of the boat. Peter had reason to fear, at least in his own mind. Then, scripture says “he lost his nerve and started to sink.” That’s what happens with us and our faith. Note that it doesn’t say “he sank.” Jesus was still there for him, whether Peter realized it or not.
Peter’s faith got him out of the boat as no other. But when he took his eyes of Jesus, he began to sink. And just like us when we panic, we first cry out to God to save us. It’s instinct. “Hey, I’m sinking here, God. Are you watching.” Yes, God is watching, but he gave us instructions, and he wants us to follow them. Keep with the program and we’ll be fine. That’s what faith is about. Peter’s troubles began when he started looking at the storm around him. Thinking like that will always discourage us. Satan’s plan is to discourage us at every turn. We must learn to listen to God’s voice of encouragement in stormy times and not Satan’s.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, help me to listen to your voice only. Help me to stick you’re your program. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 96
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/july.asp?version=51
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Preparing properly
Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.
Scripture: Matthew 14:22-23 (The Message) As soon as the meal was finished, he insisted that the disciples got in the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he dismissed the people. With the crowd dispersed, he climbed the mountain so he could by himself and pray. He stayed there alone, late into the night.
Jesus had just finished performing the miracle of feeding the 5,000. The next subtitle for this story is “Walking on the Water.” Like a businessman looking ahead to the next day’s agenda, Jesus knew what would happen that night. He had an object lesson planned for Peter, designed to build his faith. So what does Jesus do, knowing he must go from one great miracle to another? He first regains his strength by going off to a place of solitude and praying. Scripture says he was praying “late into the night,” so it wasn’t a short prayer.
That’s a lesson we should all learn. Tomorrow’s a big day, and we know it. We need proper rest, yes, so going to bed at a decent hour is wise. But it’s the prayer thing that is important. Instead of taking a day off, Jesus looks at the surroundings and sees another opportunity to teach Peter how to trust him more. His prayer time fortifies his plans. We should do the same. “Father, this is my plan. What am I missing? Tell me.” Then listen intently. Whatever you need, God will reveal to you.
Our plan may be sound because we prayed over it as we made it, but that quiet time with God is meant to be a listening time. “Lord, what is your plan for me.” That way, it becomes more of God’s plan and less of ours. Jesus knew a storm was brewing when he sent the disciples out. He knew he would rejoin them by walking on water. He knew Peter would hop out of the boat and cry for help when he sank. Yet he still wanted to ensure he was one with God by praying first. He prayed fervently, too.
Jesus didn’t waste any time moving on to the next ministry opportunity. He didn’t gloat over his success with the feeding of the 5,000. Had he eaten with his disciples that night, they surely would have reveled in the fact that, at the end of the meal, there were more loaves and fishes than when they started. Maybe they would have gloated a little bit. Jesus would have none of that. He saw another opportunity to teach his disciples, and he didn’t waste it. We should do the same with our children. Sometimes it happens so quickly that the only prayer time we have is “Lord, help me.” That’s enough. We’ve called on the Holy Spirit to intervene for us. It’s suddenly about God and not about us. Let the great teacher teach.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, help me to give my daily plans over to you. Tell me what I am missing for today. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 93
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/july.asp?version=51
Monday, July 21, 2008
God-infused knowledge
Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.
Scripture: Matthew 13:52 (The Message) (Jesus) said, “Then you see how every student well-trained in God’s kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his handle on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it.”
Jesus had just finished telling the parable of the thistles in the field and was trying to explain God’s kingdom to the people. The thistles represented servants of Satan, sent to destroy the kingdom Harvest. We find that God’s angels will pull up the thistles and destroy them – in the final act. When he asked them if they had a handle why he told stories, they said they understood. Jesus put a premium on being a well-trained student of the Bible because it would give one the knowledge to deal with any problem, which is wisdom. Wisdom is the key to everything you need.
As parents, we hope our children grow in knowledge as they continue their education. Today, a premium is put on getting a college education because it’s at least four more years of learning how to study in order to solve problems. When a student studies and understands the materials, it usually means a better grade. Knowing the material down the road is what is important, not getting a good grade and then forgetting what you studied. That’s the way it is with the Bible; it isn’t about reading it, forgetting it and not using it. We must retain knowledge in order to use it for the kingdom.
That’s why reading and studying the Bible is so important. I have come to value reading the Bible with a daily plan because I see its importance. I read it first thing in the morning (ideally before the newspaper or the Internet). Then I pray and write. That’s my quiet time; it amounts to about 30 minutes a day. I need that time to be first thing in the morning, so that I make God my priority from the beginning. I also am involved in two Bible studies, one a couples group that meets twice a month, and one a men’s group that meets every Wednesday night. In the group studies, we usually don’t get past more than a few verses at a time, because we’re also discussing it. It helps to know what others think about the passages. Sometimes, I read different translations to get a different take. This year, I am reading The Message for these devotions.
God wants us all to be well-trained in his Word because it gives us preparation for what comes our way each day. It gives us a basis for living. The Bible teaches us how to deal with the thistles the world throws at us. It’s a guide for kingdom living. The more we study it, the better we are able to tackle life’s problems. It’s sort of like osmosis; as we read God’s word, his knowledge just sort of seeps out of the pages and into our minds. That’s how God works. With that kind of lifestyle, whenever we need wisdom, it’s there because God grants wisdom to those who are prepared.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, give me wisdom as I study your word. Give me the knowledge to deal with today’s problems. Help me to live for today. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 91
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/july.asp?version=51
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
It’s simple: Follow Jesus
Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.
Scripture: Matthew 13:1-3 (The Message) At about that same time, Jesus left the house and sat on the beach. In no time at all, a crowd gathered along the shoreline, forcing him to get into a boat. Using the boat as a pulpit, he addressed his congregation, telling stories.
The simplicity of it all. Jesus is standing on a beach, hanging out with his disciples. Suddenly, swarms of people gather around him to listen to him teach. Whatever he had said previously had impacted them greatly because they wanted to hear more. To gather himself, he hopped into a nearby boat and pushed off from shore. From there, he taught the people by telling stories. A beach, a boat, stories. That was all Jesus needed.
Imagine if a Benny Hinn or a Jimmy Swaggert tried that today with no television audience and no hope of an offering to subsidize their mega-ministries. (Side note: Did Jesus ever ask for money when he preached? The answer is no.) Today, we want to be entertained. We want to laugh on Sunday mornings. We want multi-media presentations to give us pizzazz. We want to be dazzled. Yet Jesus’ messages were always simple stories. He told parables that made them think about its meaning. He told about the love of God. He told of truth and grace. He told about the kingdom to come. That’s it. No flash.
It wasn’t just the message they were attracted to, it was the messenger. He was so different than anything they had heard from the Jewish leaders. The people on the outside looking in were no longer outcasts; they were included in Jesus’ plans. Jesus’ message was all-inclusive; no one was left out. Anyone who believes in Jesus and the Father can spend eternity in heaven with them. Jesus’ message was and is so simple. It isn’t about the act of doing; it was about being.
Being a Christian, or a follower of Jesus, is simply trying to be like him. We can never be perfect enough to get into heaven. No matter how hard we try, we can never make it on our own merits. The people were tired of trying to live up to the standards of Moses’ Law, which had changed over the centuries to include too many of man’s law. Suddenly, untying your donkey on the Sabbath was considered a sin. The people were frustrated at the difficulty of knowing God. It was all so complex. Jesus’ message simplified their lives greatly. Know Jesus, know the father. Simple. Try it.
How does this apply to my life?
Today’s prayer: Lord, help me to understand the simplicity of your message. Help me to love the Son as well as the Father. Help me to be like the Son. Amen
Doug Mead
Parenting Solo
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 87
This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/july.asp?version=51
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