2/24/20-2/28/20 Devo Two - Unexpected Changes

This is the second devotional for the week of February 24-28. This is a devotional from Our Daily Bread on dealing with sudden change. It's a great reminder to keep faith in God in uncertain times. Read this devotional and let us know what you think by leaving a comment below the post. Three or four sentences would be good. Your comments give you devotion credit.

Unexpected Change

"You do not even know what will happen tomorrow"

James 4:14

In January 1943, warm Chinook winds hit Spearfish, South Dakota, quickly raising the temperatures from –4° to 45°F (–20° to 7°C). That drastic weather change—a swing of 49 degrees—took place in just two minutes. The widest temperature change recorded in the USA over a twenty-four-hour period is an incredible 103 degrees! On January 15, 1972, Loma, Montana, saw the temperature jump from −54° to 49°F (–48° to 9°C).

Sudden change, however, is not simply a weather phenomenon. It’s sometimes the very nature of life. James reminds us, “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow” (4:13–14). An unexpected loss. A surprise diagnosis. A financial reversal. Sudden changes.

Life is a journey with many unpredictable elements. This is precisely why James warns us to turn from “arrogant schemes” (v. 16) that do not take the Almighty into account. As he advised us, “You ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that’ ” (v. 15). The events of our lives may be uncertain, but one thing is sure: through all of life’s unexpected moments, our God will never leave us. He’s our one constant throughout life.

By:  Bill Crowder

Reflect & Pray

When facing sudden change, how do you respond?
What do you think an appropriate faith response to life’s surprises should look like?

Father, forgive me for the times I worry over things I couldn’t anticipate or can’t control, 
and help me to find my rest in You.

2/24/20-2/28/20 Devo One - The Missionary's Feet

This is the first devotional for the week of February 24-28. This video is a devotional about missionary Hudson Taylor. May these devotions be encouraging and inspiring for you. Watch this video and let us know what you think by leaving a few sentences as comment below the post. The comments are what give you credit. Here's a little background about James Hudson Taylor.

James Hudson Taylor (1832 – 1905) was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China and founder of the China Inland Mission (CIM, now OMF International). Taylor spent 51 years in China. The society that he began was responsible for bringing over 800 missionaries to the country who began 125 schools and directly resulted in 18,000 Christian conversions, as well as the establishment of more than 300 stations of work with more than 500 local helpers in all eighteen provinces.
Taylor was known for his sensitivity to Chinese culture and zeal for evangelism. He adopted wearing native Chinese clothing even though this was rare among missionaries of that time. Under his leadership, the CIM was singularly non-denominational in practice and accepted members from all Protestant groups, including individuals from the working class, and single women as well as multinational recruits. Primarily because of the CIM's campaign against the opium trade, Taylor has been referred to as one of the most significant Europeans to visit China in the 19th century. Historian Ruth Tucker summarizes the theme of his life:

No other missionary in the nineteen centuries since the Apostle Paul has had a wider vision and has carried out a more systematized plan of evangelizing a broad geographical area than Hudson Taylor.^[4]

Taylor was able to preach in several varieties of Chinese, including Mandarin, Chaozhou, and the Wu dialects of Shanghai and Ningbo. The last of these he knew well enough to help prepare a colloquial edition of the New Testament written in it.

The Missionary's Feet

2/10/20-2/15/20 Devo Two - In It Together

This is the second devotional for the week of February 10-15. This is a devotional from Our Daily Bread on showing empathy. It's a great reminder of how God can use the hard things we go through to help others. Read this devotional and let us know what you think by leaving a comment below the post. Three or four sentences would be good. Your comments give you devotion credit.

In It Together

"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn."

Romans 12:15

During a two-month period in 1994, as many as one million Tutsis were slain in Rwanda by Hutu tribe members bent on killing their fellow countrymen. In the wake of this horrific genocide, Bishop Geoffrey Rwubusisi approached his wife about reaching out to women whose loved ones had been slain. Mary’s reply was, “All I want to do is cry.” She too had lost members of her family. The bishop’s response was that of a wise leader and caring husband: “Mary, gather the women together and cry with them.” He knew his wife’s pain had prepared her to uniquely share in the pain of others.

The church, the family of God, is where all of life can be shared—the good and not-so-good. The New Testament words “one another” are used to capture our interdependence. “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. . . . Live in harmony with one another” (Romans 12:10, 16). The extent of our connectedness is expressed in verse 15: “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”

While the depth and scope of our pain may pale in comparison with those affected by genocide, it’s nonetheless personal and real. And, as with the pain of Mary, because of what God has done for us it can be embraced and shared for the comfort and good of others.

By: Arthur Jackson

Reflect & Pray

When have you allowed someone else to share your sorrow?
How does the body of Christ—the church—help you deal with the hard times in life?

Gracious God, forgive me for my reluctance to enter the pain of others. 

Help me to live more fully as a connected member of Your church.

2/10/20-2/15/20 Devo One - Compassion and Generosity

This is the first devotional for the week of February 10-15. This video is a devotional about being generous, compassionate, and kind. The world is watching and we are examples. It is by the pastor of Twin Lakes Church in Aptos, Rene Schlaepfer. It is a discussion starter for a small group Bible study called Richer Life. A clip by Francis Chan is included at the end. May these devotions be encouraging and inspiring for you. Watch this video and let us know what you think by leaving a few sentences as comment below the post. The comments are what give you credit.

Compassion & Generosity

2/3/20-2/7/20 Devo Two - Does What We Do Matter?

This is the second devotional for the week of February 3-7. This is a devotional from Our Daily Bread on giving God glory in all you do. It's a great reminder of how Jesus gives us the strength we need. Read this devotional and let us know what you think by leaving a comment below the post. Three or four sentences would be good. Your comments give you devotion credit.

Does What We Do Matter?

"Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God"

1 Corinthians 10:31

I dropped my forehead to my hand with a sigh, “I don’t know how I’m going to get it all done.” My friend’s voice crackled through the phone: “You have to give yourself some credit. You’re doing a lot.” He then listed the things I was trying to do—maintain a healthy lifestyle, work, do well in graduate school, write, and attend a Bible study. I wanted to do all these things for God, but instead I was more focused on what I was doing than how I was doing it—or that perhaps I was trying to do too much.

Paul reminded the church in Colossae that they were to live in a way that glorified God. Ultimately, what they specifically did on a day-to-day basis was not as important as how they did it. They were to do their work with “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12), to be forgiving, and above all to love (vv. 13–14) and to “do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (v. 17). Their work wasn’t to be separated from Christlike living.

What we do matters, but how we do it, why, and who we do it for matters more. Each day we can choose to work in a stressed-out way or in a way that honors God and seeks out the meaning Jesus adds to our work. When we pursue the latter, we find satisfaction.

By: Julie Schwab

Reflect & Pray

In what ways do you do things out of need or obligation rather than for God’s glory?
How do you think meaning is found in Christ rather than accomplishments?

Jesus, forgive me for the times I stress over what I’m trying to accomplish. 
Help me to instead seek to accomplish things for Your glory.

2/3/20-2/7/20 Devo One - Showing Kindness

This is the first devotional for the week of February 3-7. This video is a devotional about kindness. Watch as the camera tracks an act of kindness as its passed from one individual to the next and manages to boomerang back to the person who set it into motion. May these devotions be encouraging and inspiring for you. Watch this video and let us know what you think by leaving a few sentences as comment below the post. The comments are what give you credit.

Kindness