March 2021 - Our Daily Bread Ministries Canada

Wisely Weeding

Read: Psalm 139:1–6, 23–24 | Bible in a Year: Judges 11–12; Luke 6:1–26

Search me, God, and know my heart. Psalm 139:23

My grandchildren are running around my backyard. Playing games? No, pulling weeds. “Pulling them up by the roots!” the youngest says, showing me a hefty prize. Her delight as we tackled weeds that day was how much we enjoyed plucking the weedy roots—clearing away each pesky menace. Before the joy, however, came the choice to go after them.

Intentional weeding is also the first step in removing personal sin. Thus, David prayed: “Search me, God, and know my heart. . . . See if there is any offensive way in me” (Psalm 139:23–24).

What a wise approach, to go after our sin by asking God to show it to us. He above all knows everything about us. “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me,” wrote the psalmist. “You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar” (vv. 1–2).

“Such knowledge,” David added, “is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain” (v. 6). Even before a sin takes root, therefore, God can alert us to the danger. He knows our “landscape.” So when a sneaky sinful attitude tries to take root, He’s first to know and point it out.

“Where can I go from your Spirit,” wrote David. “Where can I flee from your presence?” (v. 7). May we closely follow our Savior to higher ground!

When you ask God to search your heart, what personal wrongs do you discover? How does intentional “weeding” help rid you of a relentless sin?

Loving God, when You show me my personal sin, point me to Your plan to pull those weeds.

INSIGHT

In the Bible we read of God’s omniscience—His knowledge of everything. In 1 Samuel 2:3, Hannah declares that He’s the “God who knows.” In Psalm 44:21, the psalmist says “he knows the secrets of the heart.”

In Psalm 139, David marvels that God knows his every move and thought (vv. 1–4). Yet instead of trembling with fear, David’s awestruck at the thought that God has such intimate knowledge of him (v. 6). Why? Because David has a close relationship with God—he loves and is loved by Him. As a result, he can ask God to search his heart and, if he’s found wanting, to lead him down the right path (vv. 23–24). Our all-seeing and all-knowing God “searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought” (1 Chronicles 28:9).

By Patricia Raybon|2021-03-31T09:06:04-04:00March 31st, 2021|

See other authors

Got Your Nose

Read: Exodus 12:12–19 | Bible in a Year: Judges 9–10; Luke 5:17–39

Download MP3

Subscribe to iTunes

I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. Exodus 12:12

“Why are the statues’ noses broken?” That’s the number one question visitors ask Edward Bleiberg, curator of Egyptian art at the Brooklyn Museum.

Bleiberg can’t blame it on normal wear and tear; even two-dimensional painted figures are missing noses. He surmises that such destruction must have been intentional. Enemies meant to kill Egypt’s gods. It’s as if they were playing a game of “got your nose” with them. Invading armies broke off the noses of these idols so they couldn’t breathe.

Really? That’s all it took? With gods like these, Pharaoh should have known he was in trouble. Yes, he had an army and the allegiance of a whole nation. The Hebrews were weary slaves led by a timid fugitive named Moses. But Israel had the living God, and Pharaoh’s gods were pretenders. Ten plagues later, their imaginary lives were snuffed out.

Israel celebrated their victory with the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when they ate bread without yeast for a week (Exodus 12:17; 13:7–9). Yeast symbolizes sin, and God wanted His people to remember their rescued lives belong entirely to Him.

Our Father says to idols, “Got your nose,” and to His children, “Got your life.” Serve the God who gives you breath, and rest in His loving arms.

What false god is suffocating your life? How might you show God you’re trusting only in Him?

Father of life, I give You my life. Help me recognize that any perceived “enemies” in my life are nothing compared to Your power.

INSIGHT

In preparation for the last plague on Egypt, God told His people to slaughter a lamb and sprinkle its blood on the doorposts of their houses (Exodus 12:1–13). God’s angel of death would move across Egypt and take the lives of all firstborn sons but would pass over any household with the sprinkled blood. The lamb was then roasted and eaten along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. The unleavened bread signified Israel’s haste to leave Egypt. When leaven was added to dough, it would take hours for the dough to rise before baking. The Israelites didn’t have time to wait for the dough to rise. The herbs symbolized the bitterness of slavery in Egypt.

By Mike Wittmer|2021-03-30T09:06:03-04:00March 30th, 2021|

See other authors

Facing the Battles with God

Read: Psalm 11 | Bible in a Year: Judges 7–8; Luke 5:1–16

Download MP3

Subscribe to iTunes

In the Lord I take refuge. Psalm 11:1

The heroic deeds of US Army soldier Desmond Doss are featured in the 2016 movie Hacksaw Ridge. While Doss’ convictions wouldn’t allow him to take human life, as an army medic he committed himself to preserving life even at the risk of his own. The citation read at Doss’ Medal of Honor ceremony on October 12, 1945, included these words: “Private First Class Doss refused to seek cover and remained in the fire-swept area with the many stricken, carrying them one by one to the edge of the escarpment. . . . He unhesitatingly braved enemy shelling and small arms fire to assist an artillery officer.”

In Psalm 11, David’s conviction that his refuge was in God compelled him to resist suggestions to flee rather than face his foes (vv. 2–3). Six simple words comprised his statement of faith: “In the Lord I take refuge” (v. 1). That well-rooted conviction would guide his conduct.

David’s words in verses 4–7 amplified God’s greatness. Yes, life can sometimes be like a battlefield, and hostile fire can send us scattering for cover when we’re bombarded with health challenges or financial, relational, and spiritual stresses. So, what should we do? Acknowledge that God is the king of the universe (v. 4); take delight in His amazing capacity to judge with precision (vv. 5–6); and rest in His delight in what’s right, fair, and equitable (v. 7). We can run swiftly to God for shelter!

When have you experienced life’s hostile fire and been tempted to find shelter in something other than God? Can you recall times when God came to your rescue and your hope in Him was renewed?

Father, help me to see You more clearly than any force that opposes me and run to You for true safety and security.

INSIGHT

In Psalm 11, the name “the Lord” is used for God five times. When “Lord” appears in English versions of the Bible in capital letters, it’s the translation of the Hebrew word Yahweh (Jehovah is an equivalent rendering). It’s rendered this way to distinguish it from other Hebrew words translated “Lord” or “lord.” Yahweh is the personal (or proper) name of Israel’s God and means “the eternal” or “self-existing One.” The noun comes from the Hebrew “to be” verb hâyâh. In the Old Testament, the name is often combined with other words to emphasize various aspects of God’s ability, care, or character. In Genesis 22:14 the Lord is revealed as Jehovah-jireh, “the Lord will provide.” God’s name, “the Lord,” speaks of His trustworthiness at all times, in all situations, in every battle.

By Arthur Jackson|2021-03-29T09:06:05-04:00March 29th, 2021|

See other authors

Watch Me!

Read: Matthew 21:12–17 | Bible in a Year: Judges 4–6; Luke 4:31–44

Download MP3

Subscribe to iTunes

From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise. Matthew 21:16

“Watch my fairy princess dance, Grandma!” my three-year-old granddaughter gleefully called as she raced around the yard of our cabin, a big grin on her face. Her “dancing” brought a smile; and her big brother’s glum, “She’s not dancing, just running,” didn’t squelch her joy at being on vacation with family.

The first Palm Sunday was a day of highs and lows. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, the crowds enthusiastically shouted, “Hosanna! . . . Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matthew 21:9). Yet many in the crowd were expecting a Messiah to free them from Rome, not a Savior who would die for their sins that same week.

Later that day, despite the anger of the chief priests who questioned Jesus’ authority, children in the temple expressed their joy by shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David” (v. 15), perhaps leaping and waving palm branches as they ran around the courtyard. They couldn’t help but worship Him, Jesus told the indignant leaders, for “from the lips of children and infants [God has] called forth [His] praise” (v. 16). They were in the presence of the Savior!

Jesus invites us to also see Him for who He is. When we do, like a child overflowing with joy, we can’t help but revel in His presence.

How do the daily distractions and discontent of others draw your focus away from God? What will help you to keep your eyes on Jesus?

Loving God, thank You for all You’ve done for me! I’m amazed at the great lengths You went to so that I could find joy in You. Help me to keep my focus firmly on You.

INSIGHT

Matthew’s gospel begins, “This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David” (Matthew 1:1). Such was the hope of the crowd that welcomed Christ into Jerusalem soon after He raised Lazarus from the dead (John 12:9–15). But Matthew moves quickly to an awkward moment. He describes how Jesus visited the temple to bare His heart and drive out the money-changers (Matthew 21:12–13), echoing the words of the prophets who spoke of a house of prayer that had become a den of thieves (Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11).

Tension must have been in the air as Jesus walked into the courtyard to heal those who couldn’t see or walk. For fear of the religious leaders, adults in the crowd probably realized this wasn’t the time or place to declare Him king. It was left to the little ones to celebrate, in all their innocence, the implications of Jesus’ miracles (Matthew 21:15)—in contrast to teachers of the law who were secretly planning to kill the Son of David.

By Alyson Kieda|2021-03-28T09:06:04-04:00March 28th, 2021|

See other authors

Hosting Royalty

Read: Galatians 3:26–29 | Bible in a Year: Judges 1–3; Luke 4:1–30

Download MP3

Subscribe to iTunes

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. Galatians 3:26

After meeting the Queen of England at a ball in Scotland, Sylvia and her husband received a message that the royal family would like to visit them for tea. Sylvia started cleaning and prepping, nervous about hosting the royal guests. Before they were due to arrive, she went outside to pick some flowers for the table, her heart racing. Then she sensed God reminding her that He’s the King of kings and that He’s with her every day. Immediately she felt peaceful and thought, “After all, it’s only the Queen!”

Sylvia is right. As the apostle Paul noted, God is the “King of kings and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15) and those who follow Him are “children of God” (Galatians 3:26). When we belong to Christ, we’re heirs of Abraham (v. 29). We no longer are bound by division—such as that of race, social class, or gender—for we’re “all one in Christ Jesus” (v. 28). We’re children of the King.

Although Sylvia and her husband had a marvelous meal with the Queen, I don’t anticipate receiving an invitation from the monarch anytime soon. But I love the reminder that the highest King of all is with me every moment. And that those who believe in Jesus wholeheartedly (v. 27) can live in unity, knowing they’re God’s children.

How could holding onto this truth shape the way we live today?

What does it mean to you to be an heir of Abraham? How could you invite others to become part of the family?

King of kings and Lord of lords, You are mighty and glorious. Thank You for stooping down to love me and for welcoming me as Your child.

INSIGHT

In Galatians, Paul explains the importance of the law given to Moses but also tells his readers the law is powerless to save anyone. He wrote, “A person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 2:16). Then he says, “If righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (v. 21). So what purpose does the law serve? Paul uses the analogy of a guardian appointed for orphans: “The law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we’re no longer under a guardian” (3:24–25). Paul concludes, “In Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith” (v. 26). This fits beautifully with Paul’s metaphor of adoption to depict our permanent relationship with our Father (see Romans 8:15, 23; 9:4; Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5).

By Amy Boucher Pye|2021-03-27T09:06:05-04:00March 27th, 2021|

See other authors

Slum Songs

Read: Isaiah 35 | Bible in a Year: Joshua 22–24; Luke 3

Download MP3

Subscribe to iTunes

They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Isaiah 35:10

Cateura is a small slum in Paraguay, South America. Desperately poor, its villagers survive by recycling items from its rubbish dump. But from these unpromising conditions something beautiful has emerged—an orchestra.

With a violin costing more than a house in Cateura, the orchestra had to get creative, crafting its own instruments from their garbage supply. Violins are made from oil cans with bent forks as tailpieces. Saxophones have come from drainpipes with bottle tops for keys. Cellos are made from tin drums with gnocchi rollers for tuning pegs. Hearing Mozart played on these contraptions is a beautiful thing. The orchestra has gone on tour in many countries, lifting the sights of its young members.

Violins from landfills. Music from slums. That’s symbolic of what God does. For when the prophet Isaiah envisions God’s new creation, a similar picture of beauty-from-poverty emerges, with barren lands bursting into blooming flowers (Isaiah 35:1–2), deserts flowing with streams (vv. 6–7), castaway war tools crafted into garden instruments (2:4), and impoverished people becoming whole to the sounds of joyful songs (35:5–6, 10).

“The world sends us garbage,” Cateura’s orchestra director says. “We send back music.” And as they do, they give the world a glimpse of the future, when God will wipe away the tears of every eye and poverty will be no more.

How have you seen God turn the “garbage” of your life into something beautiful? How might He wish to bring “music” out of your pain?

Holy Spirit, turn the poverty in my life into something beautiful.

INSIGHT

When we think of words like joy, gladness, and singing, the book of Psalms comes to mind. However, what we see in Isaiah 35—and the book as a whole—enables us to see that labeling Isaiah as the “prophet of praise” isn’t far-fetched. Isaiah 12, which includes two “songs of praise,” is another case in point. The prophet’s worship-leading words include exhortations to “Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things” (v. 5) and “Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you” (v. 6).

By Sheridan Voysey|2021-03-26T09:06:07-04:00March 26th, 2021|

See other authors

Know His Voice

Read: John 10:1–10 | Bible in a Year: Joshua 19–21; Luke 2:25–52

Download MP3

Subscribe to iTunes

I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me. John 10:14

One year for vacation Bible school, Ken’s church decided to bring in live animals to illustrate the Scripture. When he arrived to help, Ken was asked to bring a sheep inside. He had to practically drag the wooly animal by a rope into the church gymnasium. But as the week went on, it became less reluctant to follow him. By the end of the week, Ken didn’t have to hold the rope anymore; he just called the sheep and it followed, knowing it could trust him.

In the New Testament, Jesus compares Himself to a shepherd, stating that His people, the sheep, will follow Him because they know His voice (John 10:4). But those same sheep will run from a stranger or thief (v. 5). Like sheep, we (God’s children) get to know the voice of our Shepherd through our relationship with Him. And as we do, we see His character and learn to trust Him.

As we grow to know and love God, we’ll be discerning of His voice and better able to run from the “the thief [who] comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (v. 10)—from those who try to deceive and draw us away from Him. Unlike those false teachers, we can trust the voice of our Shepherd to lead us to safety.

What’s one thing you’ve learned about God’s character through reading Scripture? How did that impact you? What will help you to discern God’s voice?

Heavenly Father, thank You for being my loving Shepherd. Help me to recognize and follow Your voice only.

INSIGHT

At the time of Jesus, shepherds kept their flocks in two kinds of sheepfolds. In the villages, flocks were kept in stone-walled, gated, communal sheep-pens, guarded by gatekeepers (John 10:1–5). Out in the fields, sheepfolds were often makeshift enclosures made of stones, tree trunks, and branches, with the shepherd sleeping across a narrow opening in front. Twice, Jesus says He’s “the gate” for the sheep (vv. 7, 9). A “gate” or “door” (esv) symbolizes both protection and provision. The gate reminds us there’s an entrance and an exit: “Whoever enters through me will be saved” (v. 9). The Good Shepherd protects His sheep in a safe, secure place: “They will come in and go out, and find pasture” (v. 9; see Psalm 23:4). The Good Shepherd leads His sheep out to “green pastures . . . beside quiet waters” (Psalm 23:2).

By Julie Schwab|2021-03-25T09:06:07-04:00March 25th, 2021|

See other authors

Something Much Bigger

Read: 1 Corinthians 3:5–9 | Bible in a Year: Joshua 16–18; Luke 2:1–24

Download MP3

Subscribe to iTunes

We are co-workers in God’s service. 1 Corinthians 3:9

More than two hundred volunteers assisted October Books, a bookstore in Southampton, England, move its inventory to an address down the street. Helpers lined the sidewalk and passed books down a “human conveyor belt.” Having witnessed the volunteers in action, a store employee said, “It was . . . a really moving experience to see people [helping]. . . . They wanted to be part of something bigger.”

We can also be part of something much bigger than ourselves. God uses us to reach the world with the message of His love. Because someone shared the message with us, we can turn to another person and pass it on. Paul compared this—the building of God’s kingdom—to growing a garden. Some of us plant seeds while some of us water the seeds. We are, as Paul said, “co-workers in God’s service” (1 Corinthians 3:9).

Each job is important, yet all are done in the power of God’s Spirit. By His Spirit, God enables people to thrive spiritually when they hear that He loves them and sent His Son to die in their place so that they can be free from their sin (John 3:16).

God does much of His work on earth through “volunteers” like you and me. Although we’re part of a community that’s much bigger than any contribution we may make, we can help it grow by working together to share His love with the world.

Do you see yourself as a part of God’s plan or as someone who works alone in your service for Him? How does this affect the way in which you serve Him and others?

Dear God, thank You for including me in Your plan to tell everyone about Your love. Help me to represent You well with my words and actions.

INSIGHT

First Corinthians 3:9 says we’re “co-workers in God’s service.” Later in this book, Paul develops further the idea that believers are complementary co-workers. We may have “different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them” (12:4). Whatever our gifts, God is the gift-giver. And these different gifts lead to “different kinds of service,” which are offered to “the same Lord” (v. 5). Whatever services we may perform, they all serve the same God. Through the variety of “different kinds of working . . . in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work” (v. 6). We’re all working for the same team, and we’re all powered by the same leader of that team—God Himself. In this sense, we’re not only each other’s co-workers, we’re God’s co-workers too (3:9).

By Jennifer Benson Schuldt|2021-03-24T09:06:02-04:00March 24th, 2021|

See other authors

The Reason to Rest

Read: Ecclesiastes 2:17–26 | Bible in a Year: Joshua 13–15; Luke 1:57–80

Download MP3

Subscribe to iTunes

What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? Ecclesiastes 2:22

If you want to live longer, take a vacation! Forty years after a study of middle-aged, male executives who each had a risk of heart disease, researchers in Helsinki, Finland, followed up with their study participants. The scientists discovered something they hadn’t been looking for in their original findings: the death rate was lower among those who had taken time off for vacations.

Work is a necessary part of life—a part God appointed to us even before our relationship with Him was fractured in Genesis 3. Solomon wrote of the seeming meaninglessness of work experienced by those not working for God’s honor—recognizing its “anxious striving” and “grief and pain” (Ecclesiastes 2:22–23). Even when they’re not actively working, he says their “minds do not rest” because they’re thinking about what still needs to be done (v. 23).

We too might at times feel like we’re “chasing after the wind” (v. 17) and grow frustrated by our inability to “finish” our work. But when we remember that God is part of our labor—our purpose—we can both work hard and take time to rest. We can trust Him to be our Provider, for He’s the giver of all things. Solomon acknowledges that “without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?” (v. 25). Perhaps by reminding ourselves of that truth, we can work diligently for Him (Colossians 3:23) and also allow ourselves times of rest.

How can you invite God into your labors? How might you allow Him to be your satisfaction even when your work isn’t “finished”?

God, You bring meaning and purpose to all my labors.

INSIGHT

Ecclesiastes, penned by the “Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem” (1:1, 12), seeks to answer life’s greatest mystery. How can one live a meaningful and purposeful life? Trapped between birth and death (3:2), he explores area after area of life, all that humanity can pursue—intellectual pursuits, knowledge, pleasures, happiness, accomplishments, material possessions, work (chs. 1–3)—to show that a life without God—life “under the sun”—is “meaningless, a chasing after the wind” (1:14). In chapter 2, he discusses human labor, concluding that work without God is pointless, joyless, worrisome, insufferable, miserable, and grievous (vv. 17–26).

By Kirsten Holmberg|2021-03-23T09:06:03-04:00March 23rd, 2021|

See other authors

Sweeter than Honey

Read: Psalm 119:97–105 | Bible in a Year: Joshua 10–12; Luke 1:39–56

Download MP3

Subscribe to iTunes

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalm 119:103

On Chicago Day in October 1893, the city’s theaters shut down because the owners figured everyone would be attending the World’s Fair. Over seven hundred thousand people went, but Dwight Moody (1837–1899) wanted to fill a music hall at the other end of Chicago with preaching and teaching. His friend R. A. Torrey (1856–1928) was skeptical that Moody could draw a crowd on the same day as the fair. But by God’s grace, he did. As Torrey later concluded, the crowds came because Moody knew “the one Book that this old world most longs to know—the Bible.” Torrey longed for others to love the Bible as Moody did, reading it regularly with dedication and passion.

God through His Spirit brought people back to Himself at the end of the nineteenth century in Chicago, and He continues to speak today. We can echo the psalmist’s love for God and His Scriptures as he exclaims, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103). For the psalmist, God’s messages of grace and truth acted as a light for his path, a lamp for his feet (v. 105).

How can you grow more in love with the Savior and His message? As we immerse ourselves in Scripture, God will increase our devotion to Him and guide us, shining His light along the paths we walk.

In what ways does your life change when you read the Bible regularly? How could you ensure you don’t lose this practice in the busyness of your daily life?

Gracious God, You’ve given me the gift of Scripture. Help me to read it and digest it, that I might serve You faithfully.

INSIGHT

In the ancient Near East, lamps were made of clay bowls designed to support a wick and hold oil. Because oil could easily spill, the lamps were generally only used either indoors or in spaces of complete darkness such as a cave, where not even moonlight could be seen. Nighttime could be a particularly dangerous time in those days (Psalm 91:5), making a lamp a particularly powerful metaphor for hope and safety in what would otherwise be a desperately dangerous situation. Similar to Psalm 119:105’s comparison of Scripture to the illuminating guidance of a lamp, Psalm 18:28 praises God by saying, “You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.”

By Amy Boucher Pye|2021-03-22T09:06:03-04:00March 22nd, 2021|

See other authors

Wisely Weeding

INSIGHT

Got Your Nose

INSIGHT

Facing the Battles with God

INSIGHT

Watch Me!

INSIGHT

Hosting Royalty

INSIGHT

Slum Songs

INSIGHT

Know His Voice

INSIGHT

Something Much Bigger

INSIGHT

The Reason to Rest

INSIGHT

Sweeter than Honey

INSIGHT

Daily

Topics

Discover

Resources

Get Involved