Our Daily Bread

Topic:Officer Miglio’s Heart September 1, 2018 Read: Matthew 18:1–10 Bible in a Year: Psalms 135–136; 1 Corinthians 12 See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. Matthew 18:10 Back at the police station, Officer Miglio slumped wearily against a …

Topic:Call for Help August 31, 2018 Read: Acts 2:14–21 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 132–134; 1 Corinthians 11:17–34 Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Acts 2:21 After five deaths and fifty-one injuries in elevator accidents in 2016, New York City launched an ad campaign to educate people on how to stay calm and …

Topic:The House on the Rock August 30, 2018 Read: Luke 6:46–49 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 129–131; 1 Corinthians 11:1–16 When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. Luke 6:48 After living in their house for several years, my friends realized that their living room was sinking—cracks appeared …

Topic:You Love Me? August 29, 2018 Read: Malachi 1:1–5 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 126–128; 1 Corinthians 10:19–33 How have you loved us? Malachi 1:2 As a teenager, I went through the typical season of rebellion against my mother’s authority. My father died before I entered adolescence, so my mom had to navigate these turbulent parenting waters without his …

Topic:Learning to Trust August 28, 2018 Read: Matthew 6:25–34 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 123–125; 1 Corinthians 10:1–18 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17   When I was a teenager I sometimes challenged my mother when she tried to …

Topic:Serve Continually August 27, 2018 Read: Daniel 6:10–22 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 120–122; 1 Corinthians 9 Has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you? Daniel 6:20 When educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom, researching how to develop talent in young people, examined the childhoods of 120 elite performers—athletes, artists, scholars—he found that all of them had …

Topic:Unfrozen August 26, 2018 Read: Galatians 2:11–16 | Bible in a Year: Psalm 119:89–176; 1 Corinthians 8 When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face. Galatians 2:11 At a roundtable discussion about reconciliation, one participant wisely said, “Don’t freeze people in time.” He observed how we tend to remember mistakes people make and never grant them the …

Topic:Generous Givers August 25, 2018 Read: 1 Chronicles 29:1–14 | Bible in a Year: Psalm 119:1–88; 1 Corinthians 7:20–40 Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. 1 Chronicles 29:14 After reviewing all God had already done throughout our church’s history, leaders presented the congregation with a proposal for a new gym to …

Topic:We Would See Jesus August 24, 2018 Read: John 12:20–26 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 116–118; 1 Corinthians 7:1–19 They came to Philip . . . with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” John 12:21 As I looked down at the pulpit where I was sharing prayers at a funeral, I glimpsed a brass …

Topic:An Enduring Happiness August 23, 2018 Read: Psalm 34:1–14 Bible in a Year: Psalms 113–115; 1 Corinthians 6 Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days . . . . Turn from evil and do good. Psalm 34:12,14 Often we hear that happiness comes from doing things our own way. That, however, is not true. That …