Our Daily Bread

Topic:Unexpected Ways September 21, 2018 Read: 1 Kings 19:1–12 | Bible in a Year: Ecclesiastes 7–9; 2 Corinthians 13 Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. John 14:9 In 1986, five-year-old Levan Merritt fell twenty feet into the gorilla enclosure of England’s Jersey zoo. As parents and onlookers cried out for help, a full-grown male silverback, named Jambo, …

Topic:Where to Find Hope September 20, 2018 Read: Romans 5:1–11 Bible in a Year: Ecclesiastes 4–6; 2 Corinthians 12 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:5 Elizabeth struggled for a long time with drug addiction, and when …

Topic:A Fitting Time September 19, 2018 Read: Ecclesiastes 3:1–14 Bible in a Year: Ecclesiastes 1–3; 2 Corinthians 11:16–33 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:11 Yesterday I purchased an airline ticket to send my firstborn child to college. I’m surprised the keyboard on my computer still functions, given the waterworks my eyes unleashed on it during the …

Topic:Engraved on His Hands September 18, 2018 Read: Isaiah 49:14–18 Bible in a Year: Proverbs 30–31; 2 Corinthians 11:1–15 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. Isaiah 49:16 In Charles Spurgeon’s many years at his London church during the 1800s, he loved to preach on the riches of Isaiah 49:16, which says that God engraves us …

Topic:Legacies of Love September 17, 2018 Read: 2 Timothy 1:1–5 Bible in a Year: Proverbs 27–29; 2 Corinthians 10 Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 I was paging through my great-grandmother’s Bible when a treasure fell into my lap. On a small scrap of paper, …

Topic:The Right Way to Pray September 16, 2018 Read: Matthew 6:5–15 Bible in a Year: Proverbs 25–26; 2 Corinthians 9 When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Matthew 6:6 I admire people who record prayer requests in journals tattered from daily handling, those who keep track of every prayer …

Topic:Good for You? September 15, 2018 Read: Psalm 119:65–72 | Bible in a Year: Proverbs 22–24; 2 Corinthians 8 You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees. Psalm 119:68 Because I like dark chocolate, I once Googled “Is dark chocolate good for you?” I got a variety of results—some good, some bad. You can do …

Topic:The Ultimate Satisfaction September 14, 2018 Read: Isaiah 55:1–7 | Bible in a Year: Proverbs 19–21; 2 Corinthians 7 Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Isaiah 55:1 As we distributed snacks for children at a Bible School program, we noticed a little boy who devoured his …

Topic:What’s in a Name? September 13, 2018 Read: Matthew 1:18–25 | Bible in a Year: Proverbs 16–18; 2 Corinthians 6 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. Matthew 1:21 “Gip” Hardin, a Methodist preacher, named his son after the famous preacher John Wesley, reflecting Gip’s hopes and aspirations for his baby …

Topic:Is There Wi-Fi? September 12, 2018 Read: Proverbs 15:9–21 Bible in a Year: Proverbs 13–15; 2 Corinthians 5 A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash. Proverbs 15:14 nlt As I was preparing to go on a mission trip with some young people, the most frequently asked question was, “Is there Wi-Fi?” And I assured …