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Football and Shepherds

Read: John 10:11–15 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: Psalms 1–3; Acts 17:1–15

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I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11

An intriguing element of English football is the team anthem sung by the fans at the start of each match. These songs range from the fun (“Glad All Over”) to the whimsical (“I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles”) to the surprising. “Psalm 23,” for instance, is the anthem of the club from West Bromwich Albion. The words of that psalm appear on the façade inside the team’s stadium, declaring to everyone who comes to watch the “West Brom Baggies” the care of the good, great, and chief Shepherd.

In Psalm 23, David made his timeless statement, “The Lord is my shepherd” (v. 1). Later, the gospel writer Matthew would tell us, “When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). And in John 10, Jesus declared His love and concern for the human “sheep” of His generation. “I am the good shepherd,” He said. “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (v. 11). Jesus’s compassion drove His interactions with the crowds, His responses to their needs, and, ultimately, His sacrifice on their (and our) behalf.

“The Lord is my shepherd” is far more than an ancient lyric or a clever slogan. It’s the confident statement of what it means to be known and loved by our great God—and what it means to be rescued by His Son.

In what ways have you seen God’s care for you? Who can you tell about Him today?

What a gift our Shepherd is to us, Father! Help us to respond to His voice—and draw nearer to You.

Read The Lord Is My Shepherd at discoveryseries.org/hp952.

INSIGHT

In literature, when a phrase is repeated at the beginning and end of a section, it’s called an inclusio. We see this in John 10:11–15: “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (v. 11); “I lay down my life for the sheep” (v. 15). This inclusio provides an interesting picture of a shepherd.

When we think of a shepherd protecting his sheep, we may think of David’s statement about killing the lion and the bear who attacked the sheep (1 Samuel 17:34–36). But in today’s passage, instead of saying that the good shepherd defends the sheep against the wolf, the picture is more of offering Himself in place of the sheep. The good shepherd is one who is willing to sacrifice His life.

J. R. Hudberg

By |2019-07-10T13:16:16-04:00July 11th, 2019|
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Unseen Realities

Read: 2 Kings 6:8–17 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: Job 41–42; Acts 16:22–40

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Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.” 2 Kings 6:17

Stephen Cass, an editor at Discover magazine, was determined to investigate some of the invisible things that are part of his daily life. As he walked toward his office in New York City, he thought: “If I could see radio waves, the top of the Empire State Building [with its host of radio and TV antennas] would be lit like a kaleidoscopic flare, illuminating the entire city.” He realized he was surrounded by an invisible electromagnetic field of radio and TV signals, Wi-Fi, and more.

Elisha’s servant learned about another kind of unseen reality one morning—the invisible spiritual world. He awoke to find himself and his master surrounded by the armies of Aram. As far as his eyes could see, there were soldiers mounted on powerful warhorses (2 Kings 6:15)! The servant was afraid, but Elisha was confident because he saw the army of angels that surrounded them. He said: “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (v. 16). Then he asked the Lord to open his servant’s eyes so he too could see that the Lord had surrounded their enemy and He was in control (v. 17).

Do you feel overpowered and helpless? Remember that God is in control and fights for you. He “will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways” (Psalm 91:11). 

How can you learn to trust God’s supernatural help? How would trusting Him more change the way you face difficulties?

Fear not for God is with us and for us.

INSIGHT

In the Old Testament, Aram (2 Kings 6:8) was the territory that today is known as Syria. Its capital, Damascus, was one of the great cities of ancient times and continued to be prominent in the New Testament. It was the destination of Saul of Tarsus when on a mission to persecute believers in Jesus (Acts 9).

Bill Crowder

By |2019-07-10T13:16:25-04:00July 10th, 2019|
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No More Running

Read: Jonah 2:1–10 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: Job 38–40; Acts 16:1–21

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In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry. Jonah 2:2

On July 18, 1983, a US Air Force captain disappeared from Albuquerque, New Mexico, without a trace. Thirty-five years later, authorities found him in California. The New York Times reports that, “depressed about his job,” he’d simply run away.

Thirty-five years on the run! Half a lifetime spent looking over his shoulder! I have to imagine that anxiety and paranoia were this man’s constant companions.

But I have to admit, I also know a bit about being “on the run.” No, I’ve never abruptly fled something in my life . . . physically. But at times I know there’s something God wants me to do, something I need to face or confess. I don’t want to do it. And so, in my own way, I run too.

The prophet Jonah is infamous for literally running from God’s assignment to preach to the city of Nineveh (see Jonah 1:1–3). But, of course, he couldn’t outrun God. You’ve probably heard what happened (vv. 4,17): A storm. A fish. A swallowing. And, in the belly of the beast, a reckoning, in which Jonah faced what he’d done and cried to God for help (2:2).

Jonah wasn’t a perfect prophet. But I take comfort in his remarkable story, because, even despite Jonah’s stubbornness, God never let go of him. The Lord still answered the man’s desperate prayer, graciously restoring His reluctant servant (v. 2)—just as He does with us.

What, if anything, have you tried to run away from in your life? How can you grow in bringing to God the pressures that overwhelm you?

Loving God, thank You that I can bring my needs to You. Help me to be content in whatever paths and provisions You choose.

INSIGHT

Jonah initially ministered to the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:23–28). God reassigned him to minister to the Assyrian city of Nineveh and to warn them to repent or face God’s judgment (Jonah 1:1). After Jonah refused this new mission and instead fled in the opposite direction (v. 3), God disciplined him by causing him to be swallowed up by a big fish (vv. 4, 17). Jonah 2 records the prophet’s prayer of repentance when he was inside the fish. Jesus used this event to foreshadow His own burial and resurrection: “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40; Jonah 1:17).

K.T. Sim

By |2019-07-04T16:30:57-04:00July 9th, 2019|
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Sovereign Intervention

Read: Exodus 3:1–9 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: Job 36–37; Acts 15:22–41

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God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them. Exodus 2:25

Barbara grew up under the care of the British government in the 1960s, but when she turned sixteen, she and her newborn son, Simon, became homeless. The state was no longer obligated to provide for her at that age. Barbara wrote to the Queen of England for help and received a response! The Queen compassionately arranged for Barbara to be given a house of her own.

The Queen of England had the right resources to help Barbara, and her compassionate assistance can be seen as a small picture of God’s help. The King of heaven knows all of our needs and sovereignly works out His plans in our lives. As He does, however, He longs for us to come to Him—sharing our needs and other concerns—as part of our loving relationship with Him.

The Israelites brought their need for deliverance to God. They were suffering under the burden of Egyptian slavery and cried out for help. He heard them and remembered His promise: “God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them” (Exodus 2:25). He instructed Moses to bring liberty to His people and declared that He would once again release them “into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey” (3:8).

Our King loves it when we come to Him! He wisely provides what we need, not necessarily what we want. Let’s rest in His sovereign, loving provision.

Why is it important for us to bring our needs to God in prayer? How can you learn to rest in God’s provision—whatever that may be?

Loving God, thank You that I can bring my needs to You. Help me to be content in whatever paths and provisions You choose.

INSIGHT

When God introduced Himself to Moses from a burning bush, the bush didn’t burn up (Exodus 3:2). Later Moses would speak of the same God as a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24). Through both Testaments, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jesus uses the image of fire to reveal His resolve to consume what’s worthless—while lovingly protecting, preserving, and perfecting what’s good (1 Corinthians 3:11–15).

Mart DeHaan

By |2019-07-04T16:30:06-04:00July 8th, 2019|
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God Looms Larger

Read: 1 Samuel 17:41–50 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: Job 34–35; Acts 15:1–21

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You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty. 1 Samuel 17:45

Giles Kelmanson, a South African game ranger, described the incredible scene: two honey badgers battling a pride of six lions. Although outnumbered, the honey badgers refused to back down from ferocious predators ten times their size. The lions thought the kill would be simple, but video footage shows the badgers walking away with something like a swagger.

David and Goliath offer an even more improbable story. Young, inexperienced David confronted the fierce Philistine Goliath. Towering above his young combatant, Goliath possessed brute strength and unrivaled weaponry—bronze armor and a lethal, razor-edged javelin (1 Samuel 17:5–6). David, a fledgling shepherd, carried only a slingshot when he arrived at the battlefield with bread and cheeses for his brothers (vv. 17–18).

Goliath challenged Israel to engage in battle, but no one was willing to fight. King Saul and “all the Israelites were . . . terrified” (v. 11). Imagine the shock when David stepped into the fray. What gave him the courage none of Israel’s hardened warriors possessed? For most, Goliath dominated their vision. David, however, saw God. “The Lord will deliver [Goliath] into my hands,” he insisted (v. 46). While everyone else believed Goliath controlled the story, he believed God loomed larger. And, with a single stone to the giant’s forehead, David’s faith proved true.

We’re tempted to believe that “Goliath” (our troubles) directs the story. God is larger, however. He dominates the story of our lives.

What concerns threaten to overwhelm you these days? How does God’s reality, the fact that He’s larger, transform your perspective?

INSIGHT

The Philistines played a large part in Israelite history. Both Abraham and Isaac made treaties with Philistine kings (see Genesis 21 and 26). They oppressed the Israelites in the promised land and Samson delivered them (Judges 13–16). It was David’s defeat of Goliath (1 Samuel 17) that began the final delivery of Israel from Philistine oppression.

J. R. Hudberg

By |2019-07-04T16:29:31-04:00July 7th, 2019|
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Starting Now

Read: 1 Peter 4:7–11 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: Job 32–33; Acts 14

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Love each other deeply. 1 Peter 4:8

When my oldest sister’s biopsy revealed cancer in late February 2017, I remarked to friends, “I need to spend as much time with Carolyn as possible—starting now.” Some told me my feelings were an overreaction to the news. But she died within ten months. And even though I had spent hours with her, when we love someone there’s never enough time for our hearts to love enough.

The apostle Peter called Jesus’s followers in the early church to “love each other deeply” (1 Peter 4:8). They were suffering under persecution and needed the love of their brothers and sisters in their Christian community more than ever. Because God had poured His own love into their hearts, they would then want to love others in return. Their love would be expressed through praying, offering gracious hospitality, and gentle and truthful conversation—all in the strength God provided (vv. 9–11). Through His grace, God had gifted them to sacrificially serve each other for His good purposes. So that “in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ” (v. 11). This is God’s powerful plan that accomplishes His will through us.

We need others and they need us. Let’s use whatever time or resources we have received from God to love—starting now.

How have others loved you well? What have you received from God that you might use to serve someone today?

There is nothing small in the service of God.
– Francis de Sales

INSIGHT

Peter’s letter is intriguing in part because of its intended audience. First Peter 1:1 says he was writing to “exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia.” These were the five Roman provinces of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). This is interesting because Peter’s ministry was primarily to the Jews, and Paul was the apostle to the gentiles (Galatians 2:9). As such, much of Paul’s missionary activity took the gospel to the very places to which Peter now wrote. These same regions of Asia Minor had previously received a letter from Paul (Galatians 1:1–2). This shows that, although having distinct missions, Paul and Peter had a shared concern for the churches of Galatia, perhaps because the largely gentile congregations there had been infused with Jewish exiles who had fled Jerusalem—forming truly multi-ethnic churches. 

To learn more about how geography affects our understanding of the Bible visit christianuniversity.org/NT110.

Bill Crowder

By |2019-07-03T16:38:42-04:00July 6th, 2019|
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Practicing What We Preach

Read: 1 John 2:7–11 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: Job 30–31; Acts 13:26–52

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Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. 1 John 2:9

Pastor and writer Eugene Peterson had the opportunity to hear a lecture by Swiss physician and highly respected pastoral counselor Paul Tournier. Peterson had read the doctor’s works, and admired his approach to healing. The lecture left a deep impression on Peterson. As he listened, he had the feeling that Tournier lived what he spoke and spoke what he lived. Peterson chose this word to describe his experience: “Congruence. It is the best word I can come up with.”

Congruence—it’s what some refer to as “practicing what you preach” or “walking your talk.” The apostle John stresses that if any of us “claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister,” then we’re “still in the darkness” (1 John 2:9). In essence, our lives and our words simply don’t match up. John goes further to say such people “do not know where they are going” (v. 11). The word he chose to describe how incongruence leaves us? Blind.

Living closely aligned to God by allowing the light of His Word to illuminate our paths keeps us from living blind. The result is a godly vision that gives clarity and focus to our days—our words and actions match up. When others observe this, the impression is not necessarily that of someone who knows everywhere they’re going, but of someone who clearly knows who they’re following.

In what ways does the word congruence describe you? How can you grow to live a more consistent life?

Jesus, I want my words and actions to match up. There are times I fall short, but my desire is to grow more consistent each day. Help me, please, so that everyone listening and watching my life will be drawn to You.

INSIGHT

Part of John’s purpose in 1 John is to address those who were stirring up controversy in the Christian community. The exact situation is uncertain, but John confronts it by urging the church to assess whether a person confesses the truth about Christ in both words and lifestyle (3:7–9). And the primary way to assess someone’s way of life is whether or not their life is filled with Christlike love (v. 10).

In the Bible “hatred” and “love” are not seen as primarily referring to an emotional reaction to someone or something, but to an attitude reflected in actions. John teaches that true love is sacrificial like Christ’s (vv. 16–18). Living with Christ’s love is possible because we live “in him” (2:5–6). Through the Spirit, Christ’s power and light shines in believers, filling them with His self-giving love (vv. 8–10).

Monica Brands

By |2019-07-03T16:37:56-04:00July 5th, 2019|
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Every Story

Read: Luke 24:17–27 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: Job 28–29; Acts 13:1–25

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Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. Luke 24:27

I opened the whimsically illustrated children’s Bible and began to read to my grandson. Immediately we were enthralled as the story of God’s love and provision unfurled in prose. Marking our place, I turned the book over and read the title once again: The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name.

Every story whispers His name.

To be honest, sometimes the Bible, especially the Old Testament, is hard to understand. Why do those who don’t know God seem to triumph over God’s own? How can God permit such cruelty when we know that His character is pure and that His purposes are for our good?

After His resurrection, Jesus met two followers on the road to Emmaus who didn’t recognize Him and were struggling with disappointment over the death of their hoped-for Messiah (Luke 24:19–24). They had “hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel” (v. 21). Luke then records how Jesus reassured them: “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself” (v. 27).

Every story whispers His name, even the hard stories, because they reveal the comprehensive brokenness of our world and our need for a Rescuer. Every act, every event, every intervention points to the redemption God designed for His wayward loved ones: to bring us back to Himself.

How is God’s rescue at work in your life? What stories trouble you today? In what ways (however small) can you see God at work in them?

Dear God, help me listen as You whisper Your name through the stories of Scripture. Every story.

INSIGHT

Christ’s teaching in Luke 24 gives us insight as to how we should read the Old Testament—with Him at the center. In verse 27 Jesus referred to the Old Testament using the terms “Moses and all the Prophets.” Speaking of the same sacred writings in verse 44, He used the threefold division “the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms” and stated that these writings spoke of Him. John 5:39 essentially says the same thing, “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me.”

Arthur Jackson

By |2019-07-03T16:38:04-04:00July 4th, 2019|
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Honest to God

Read: Isaiah 1:12–18 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: Job 25–27; Acts 12

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Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. Psalm 32:5

My three-year-old grandson’s day was off to a rotten start. He couldn’t find his favorite shirt. The shoes he wanted to wear were too hot. He fussed and fumed at his grandmother and then sat down to cry.

“Why are you so upset?” I asked. We talked for a while and after he calmed down, I gently inquired, “Have you been good for Grandma?” He looked thoughtfully at his shoes and responded, “No, I was bad. I’m sorry.”

My heart went out to him. Instead of denying what he had done, he was honest. In the following moments we asked Jesus to forgive us when we do wrong and to help us do better.

In Isaiah 1, God confronts His people about wrongs they’d committed. Bribes and injustice were rampant in the courts, and orphans and widows were taken advantage of for material gain. Yet even then God responded mercifully, asking the people of Judah to confess what they’d done and turn from it: “Come now, let us settle the matter . . . . Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18).

God longs for us to be open with Him about our sins. He meets honesty and repentance with loving forgiveness: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Because our God is merciful, new beginnings await!

What sins have you not been honest with God about? What’s holding you back from confessing them to Him?

Abba, Father, help me to turn away from the sin in my life and make a new beginning with You today.

INSIGHT

The prophet Isaiah, whose name means “the Lord saves,” warned an unrepentant Judah of God’s impending judgment (Isaiah 1–12) through the Babylonian exile (39:6–7). He spoke of God’s grace (chs. 40–55) and a future glorious restoration for all who would repent (chs. 11; 56–66). Here in Isaiah 1, God calls His people to consider carefully their sinfulness (vv. 2–15). But He assures them that no matter how tainted and sinful they are (v. 18), God will cleanse, forgive, and bless them if they “are willing and obedient” (v. 19). He also warns of severe punishment if they fail to repent (v. 20).

K. T. Sim

By |2019-06-26T12:20:36-04:00July 3rd, 2019|
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How to Find Peace

Read: Colossians 3:12–17 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: Job 22–24; Acts 11

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Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. Colossians 3:15

“What do you think about peace?” my friend asked as we ate lunch together. “Peace?” I said, puzzled. “I’m not sure—why do you ask?” He answered, “Well, as you jiggled your foot during the church service I wondered if you’re agitated about something. Have you considered the peace God gives to those who love Him?”

That day some years ago, I was a bit hurt by my friend’s question, but it started me on a journey. I began exploring the Bible to see how God’s people embraced this gift of well-being, of peace, even in the midst of hardship. As I read Paul’s letter to the Colossians, I chewed over the apostle’s command to let the peace of Christ rule in their hearts (Colossians 3:15).

Paul was writing to a church he’d never visited but had heard about from his friend Epaphras. He was concerned that as they encountered false teaching, they were losing the peace of Christ. But instead of admonishing them, Paul encouraged them to trust Jesus, who would give them assurance and hope (v. 15).

We all will encounter times when we can choose to embrace or refuse the rule of Christ’s peace in our hearts. As we turn to Him, asking Jesus to dwell in us, He will gently release us from the anxiety and cares that weigh us down. As we seek His peace, we trust that He will meet us with His love.

What situations or relationships weigh on your mind and heart? How can you ask Jesus to bring you His peace?
Jesus, You give peace that passes all understanding. Help me embrace Your peace in every area of my life.

INSIGHT

Paul’s letter to the Colossians was one of four letters he wrote while being held as a prisoner in Rome. These four letters, commonly called the “Prison Epistles,” consist of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. The church letters went to three different destinations in two different regions of the ancient world. Philippians was directed to the church at Philippi, a city in Macedonia (ancient northern Greece), while Ephesians and Colossians were written to two cities (Ephesus, Colossae) in Asia Minor (modern Turkey). The personal letter to Philemon was also delivered to Colossae, where Philemon is believed to have lived, being actively involved in the church there. These letters were probably intended to be circular letters that were read and passed along to other churches.

K. T. Sim

By |2019-06-26T12:20:44-04:00July 2nd, 2019|
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