Today's Bible Minute [Archive] - Cyber Recovery Social Network Forums

View Full Version : Today's Bible Minute

Scooby Doo

07-16-2007, 10:23 AM

We're happy to provide The Bible Minute studies to you at no cost. But to keep providing this resource, we need your help. Would you please consider a donation to provide The Bible Minute? Thank you for your help and your support!

Daily Bible Study

Date: Jul 16, 2007
Topic: Christian Living/Situational

You can get the daily Bible Minute Radio program via podcasting, rss, pda and e-mail.

Find out more information here.

Being Patient

When Jesus walked the earth, He never had a public relations manager--not that Jesus would have taken his or her advice anyway. Jesus came with a specific mission, and He had the perfect plan to carry it out. He didn't need someone to enhance His image or promote His preaching.

But for just a moment, let's place ourselves in the shoes of a PR (Public Relations) person alongside Jesus at the scene of one of His miracles. As we look at the way Jesus acts, we'll learn a little about what it means to be patient and to trust in God's timing.

What Does God Say?

Read Mark 7:31-37 and picture yourself walking with Jesus to the Sea of Galilee after spending time in the region of Tyre. This is what happens somewhere along the way:

"And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him" (Mark 7:32, ESV). Now, put on your PR shoes. Here's a man both deaf and unable to speak. You know Jesus can heal Him, and you know people will be amazed by the miracle. So, your first instinct tells you to congregate as many people as possible and then wow the crowd with the sensational healing. But that's not Jesus' plan.

"And taking him aside from the crowd privately" (Mark 7:33, ESV). Privately? Jesus healed the man, but no one saw. No one was amazed. No one went to tell his or her neighbor about the miracle man. (Well, people did, but that came as a result of the next part). But it gets worse (from a PR perspective).

"And Jesus charged them to tell no one." (Mark 7:36, ESV). Talk about a public relations nightmare! Jesus just healed a man, and He wants to keep it secret? At this point, you may very well throw your hands up and say, "I quit!"

My Thoughts

Today in the 21st century, we have the advantage of knowing the whole story. Jesus knew that He would die on the cross; He knew that Judas would betray Him and hand Him over to the Romans. And more importantly, He knew when all this had to happen.

Jesus exercised patience in waiting for the right time to make Himself known. He trusted that God's plan was the right one.

My Part

Patience is more than just a virtue; patience is the way to let God work out His plan in your life. Look at your life and find the areas where you are prone to impatience. Ask God to help you see why He might be holding things back in those areas. Pray that He would help you see the wisdom in waiting for His timing.

Scooby Doo

07-17-2007, 10:42 AM

We're happy to provide The Bible Minute studies to you at no cost. But to keep providing this resource, we need your help. Would you please consider a donation to provide The Bible Minute? Thank you for your help and your support!

Daily Bible Study

Date: Jul 17, 2007
Topic: Faith/Trust

You can get the daily Bible Minute Radio program via podcasting, rss, pda and e-mail.

Find out more information here.

Patience & Trust

If you see patience as a "grit-your-teeth, put-up-with-your-problems" sort of burden, it's time to adjust your perspective. According to God's Word, it's really more about persevering, not giving up, and trusting God even when you don't know or understand what He's doing. That's probably why we need patience--not so we don't "lose our cool," but so we learn to trust God.

What Does God Say?

Job is someone often held up as an example of patience. But that didn't stop him from questioning God or struggling to understand when trouble came into his life:

"Why did I not die at birth,
come out from the womb and expire?...
I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;
I have no rest, but trouble comes" (Job 3:11, 26, ESV).

In Job 6:11, Job even wonders why he should be patient:

"What is my strength, that I should wait?
And what is my end, that I should be patient?" (ESV).

However, even when pushed to limit, Job chose to keep trusting God no matter what.

"Though he slay me, I will hope in him" (Job 13:15, ESV).

Job didn't know what was really going on and why God allowed him to be tested. Read Job 1:6-2:10 for those details. But he did learn to trust God to be God--to be faithful in His character, His love, His mercy, His justice and His compassion.

My Thoughts

Frequently, our lack of patience comes because we're not sure God will be God, or that He knows what He's doing. Maybe we even think it would be better if we were in control. While the context is waiting for Christ's return (when He will make all things right), James 5:7-11 offers a picture of patience.

What do we wait for?
How do these verses describe the process of patience?
How can you "establish your heart" (verse 8)?
How did the prophets exercise patience?
What else do you learn about Job's patience here (verse 11)?

My Part

Now, why do you need patience? Jot down your thoughts on the situations (or people) that require your patience or perseverance.

Are you not sure God will answer you or take care of your difficulties?
Does it make you anxious, frustrated or even angry with Him?
Do you find yourself wondering if you can trust God to be God and do what He knows is best in this situation?
Take a few minutes to review your thoughts. Then turn them into a prayer: be frank with God about your need, confess any anger, anxiety or disappointment, acknowledge any problems you have trusting Him; and then ask for His help in placing your confidence in Him. Don't simply grit your teeth and wish for patience, but ask God to help you trust Him more today.

Scooby Doo

07-18-2007, 01:52 PM

Scooby Doo

07-19-2007, 06:12 PM

We're happy to provide The Bible Minute studies to you at no cost. But to keep providing this resource, we need your help. Would you please consider a donation to provide The Bible Minute? Thank you for your help and your support!

Daily Bible Study

Date: Jul 19, 2007
Topic: God/Jesus

You can get the daily Bible Minute Radio program via podcasting, rss, pda and e-mail.

Find out more information here.

Our Eternally Reliable God

Earl Riney said, "God writes with a pen that never blots, speaks with a tongue that never slips, and acts with a hand that never fails."

That is another way of saying that God is reliable. He never lies. He won't change. He is faithful. He is totally and eternally trustworthy.

What if you woke one morning to find that God had changed, that His character was not the same as it was the day before? Yesterday He was a God of love, but today He is angry and hateful. Yesterday, you could trust every word He spoke; today, you discover that many of His promises are lies. Yesterday, your fellowship with Him was warm; now He is cold and distant.

Praise the Lord! That can't happen! The Bible assures you that God's character is completely reliable and His promises are firm:

["The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works."] (Psalm 145:13, ESV).

Here are some more biblical thoughts about God's reliability. Read them carefully.

What Does God Say?

Your eternal hope rests on God's character.
"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:23, ESV).

Your eternal life is anchored in God's reliability.
"God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:9, ESV).

Assurance of God's eternal love is yours because of His faithfulness, according to the shortest chapter in the Bible!
Praise the Lord, all nations!
Extol him, all peoples!
For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord! (Psalm 117:1-2, ESV).

My Thoughts

As a believer, you should respond thankfully to the awesome reliability and faithfulness of your Lord. Each of the three verses below speaks of a response that the psalm writer experienced. Look up the verses, write down the psalmist's response, then meditate on your own life. Ask yourself, How am I responding to God's faithfulness?

Psalm 26:3
Psalm 40:10
Psalm 71:22

How does the truth of God faithfulness serve as a warning to those who reject Him? See Psalm 96:11-13.

My Part

Memorize Lamentations 3:22-23. You'll then have one of the greatest promises of God's faithfulness laid up in your mind and heart!

Scooby Doo

07-23-2007, 10:47 AM

We're happy to provide The Bible Minute studies to you at no cost. But to keep providing this resource, we need your help. Would you please consider a donation to provide The Bible Minute? Thank you for your help and your support!

Daily Bible Study

Date: Jul 23, 2007
Topic: Christian Living/Situational

You can get the daily Bible Minute Radio program via podcasting, rss, pda and e-mail.

Find out more information here.

Compassion, Part 1

If you say, "I care about him" or "I care about her" are you saying exactly the same thing as if you said, "I have compassion for him or her?" Do the two words--caring and compassion--mean the same thing? Actually, compassion has much deeper connotations. The Bible gives numerous examples of genuine compassion.

What Does God Say?

"Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous" (1 Peter 3:8, KJV).

Why does Peter say both to have compassion and to love each other?

Might it have to do with the fact that compassion has to be something that is done, not just felt? It's important to feel it, but if we don't do something about what we feel, the result is that we will not show compassion. Nobody is better off if we simply say we love him or her. People are better off if we demonstrate that we love them.

Read the following Scriptures to see how Jesus felt about certain people and situations. Put a check by any of them in which He felt compassion.

"And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick" (Matthew 14:14, KJV)

"Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. And He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled" (Matthew 15:32, 35-36 KJV) .

"So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him" (Matthew 20:34, KJV).

"They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him" (Matthew 20:33-34, KJV)

"And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother" (Luke 7:13-15 KJV).

My Thoughts

When we see someone in need or suffering; and we're moved from tears to action, we're being like the Lord. For God did not just love the world, compassion moved Him to send Jesus to the cross.

Do you care about hurting people? Does it break your heart? Do the tears flow? Do you feel pity? If you're going to be like Jesus, then you must not only feel--you must also act to do whatever you can to help. That's compassion.

My Part

Ask God to help you be sensitive to people with needs, especially those who need the Lord. Then pray that He would help you have the willingness and the courage to do something. Or simply ask God to give you the compassion of Jesus.

Scooby Doo

07-24-2007, 09:07 AM

We're happy to provide The Bible Minute studies to you at no cost. But to keep providing this resource, we need your help. Would you please consider a donation to provide The Bible Minute? Thank you for your help and your support!

Daily Bible Study

Date: Jul 24, 2007
Topic: Christian Living/Situational

You can get the daily Bible Minute Radio program via podcasting, rss, pda and e-mail.

Find out more information here.

Learning Compassion

"He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous" (Psalm 112:4 NKJV) Wouldn't you love to hear someone describe you like that? In more conversational language, someone might say, "She's kind and caring, a woman who always does the right thing." Either way, it's much better than being told, "You're a selfish jerk!"

Becoming this kind, compassionate person is something we should all aspire to. Not only does it speak well of us, it speaks volumes about the God we serve. It should be no surprise then that God tells us in His Word how to become compassionate.

What Does God Say?

Psalm 112 starts out with some very practical advice: "Praise the Lord!" (Psalm 112:1 NKJV). This phrase isn't just a shout of joy like you might exclaim when you get your paycheck. When the Bible says, "Praise the Lord!" it's a command, a directive, a call to action. Becoming a compassionate, caring person begins with giving praise to God. It begins when you acknowledge God's greatness and take joy in it.

"Blessed is the man who fears the Lord" (Psalm 112:1 NKJV). It seems like a contradiction to advise fear right after calling us to praise. But fear in this sense doesn't mean terror or fright. Fearing God means respecting Him and His authority while also drawing near to Him as a Father.

We see the third element of learning compassion in the last part of the verse: "Who delights greatly in his commandments" (Psalm 112:1). We sometimes think of Bible reading as benefiting our minds--we learn more about God by reading. But more than that, Bible reading affects our whole person.

The key to learning compassion is a regular time at the feet of God.

My Thoughts

As you read Psalm 112:1-4, think about the following questions:

What would the type of praise described in this study look like in your life?
Can you think of any other relationships that have the same element of "fear" in them?
What do you think it means to "delight" in God's commandments?

My Part

In the classic book The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, the lion, Aslan, makes the comment, "Once the feet are put right, the rest of him will follow." Another way to put that would be to say, "Your heart will follow where your feet lead." Your heart may not feel the emotions of compassion and delight today, but don't let that keep your feet from walking that way. Today, set your feet right by spending time in prayer and reading the Word. Pray that God would take hold of your heart and give you the compassion which burns in His heart.

Scooby Doo

07-25-2007, 10:54 AM

We're happy to provide The Bible Minute studies to you at no cost. But to keep providing this resource, we need your help. Would you please consider a donation to provide The Bible Minute? Thank you for your help and your support!

Daily Bible Study

Date: Jul 25, 2007
Topic: God's Love

You can get the daily Bible Minute Radio program via podcasting, rss, pda and e-mail.

Find out more information here.

A Heart like God's

When Robert Louis Stevenson retired to the Samoan Islands for his health, he became a kind and generous friend to the natives of his island. Stevenson was concerned that there was only a dirt path leading from the harbor of the island to the interior. His new friends had to walk that path in order to take provisions to their homes. Using his own money and with great personal effort, Stevenson had a good road constructed for the people. In gratitude the Samoans called it "the road of a loving heart."

As Christians, compassion is a sign of God's love flowing through us. Do people see Him and His love--in you?

What Does God Say?

"Their children will be successful everywhere;
an entire generation of godly people will be blessed.
They themselves will be wealthy,
and their good deeds will last forever.
Light shines in the darkness for the godly.
They are generous, compassionate, and righteous"(Psalm 112:2-4, NLT).

"O God, insolent people rise up against me;
a violent gang is trying to kill me.
You mean nothing to them.
But you, O Lord,
are a God of compassion and mercy,
slow to get angry
and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness"(Psalm 86:14-15, NLT).

"If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion--how can God's love be in that person"(1 John 3:17, NLT).

How do these verses describe God?
What characteristics do the godly have according to Psalm 112:2-4?
What is a sign that someone has God's love?

My Thoughts

We're not born with hearts like God's, so it's important that we ask Him to give us a compassionate heart. Once we have a heart full of compassion, we have to take it one step further. We must have intentional compassion. We have to intentionally look for ways to express that compassion. Am I too busy in life to see the needs of others?

Is compassion a lifestyle for me, or is it something I do a few times a year?

What are some ways that I can show compassion each day?

My Part

Take some time today to ask God to give you a compassionate heart. Ask Him to show you skills He's given you that you can use to help others.

Slow down long enough to see people's needs. Who is in your life that needs compassion? What are some practical ways that you can help them? Write it down. Let your compassion be intentional.

Scooby Doo

07-26-2007, 10:47 AM

We're happy to provide The Bible Minute studies to you at no cost. But to keep providing this resource, we need your help. Would you please consider a donation to provide The Bible Minute? Thank you for your help and your support!

Daily Bible Study

Date: Jul 26, 2007
Topic: Faith/Trust

You can get the daily Bible Minute Radio program via podcasting, rss, pda and e-mail.

Find out more information here.

God Is Truthful

Have you ever been lied to? Who hasn't? Each time someone lies to us, we trust that person less and less. It complicates relationships when you're never sure whether or not you're hearing the truth. You don't have to worry about that with God. He is always truthful.

What Does God Say?

Why is God always truthful? Well, He cannot lie. In Titus 1:1-2, the apostle Paul drops in this amazing fact: "Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago" (NASB, emphasis added).

Notice it doesn't say He will not lie but that He cannot. It's completely impossible for the perfectly holy God to ever even try to lie. He defines and embodies truth because He is the "LORD God of truth" (Psalm 31:15 , NKJV). God always speaks total truth: no lies, no exaggerations, no half-truths, innuendos or embellishments. He doesn't "spin it" to make it sound better.

"I the LORD speak the truth;
I declare what is right" (Isaiah 45:19, ESV).

What's true of God the Father is also true of God the Son. John 1:14 describes Jesus as "the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth" ( ESV). And Jesus told us about the Holy Spirit in John 16:13: "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come" ( ESV).

Lies and half-truths come from the devil. In John 8:44, Jesus points out that Satan "has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies" ( ESV). Satan is a master of the slippery stuff and the lies that look good, and he loves to lie about God--as you see in Genesis 3.

My Thoughts

What's made you question God's truthfulness? Where did it come from? Remember, Satan loves to lie about God or to get you to believe God isn't truthful or can't be trusted. Read through Genesis 3 and jot down the lies he told. Review Genesis 2 and see what God really said.

Since God is truthful with us, He expects us, His children, to be the same. Read Ephesians 4:17-32 and describe what kind of person you were, and what kind of person you are becoming with the help of Christ.

What role does truth have in that?
What do you do with lies and other unfit speech?

My Part

Take some time to evaluate truth in your life.

What kind of lies do you slip into telling? Half-truths, spins? "Little white lies"? Do you like to exaggerate or embellish the truth?
What usually prompts you to lie? Secret habits, failures, mistakes, a desire for power or popularity?
Do people trust you to tell the truth? Has lying wrecked some of your relationships?
What needs to change? Your view of God's truthfulness or how you speak truth?
Being truthful with yourself about lying or believing lies about God is not easy. However, the Holy Spirit "will guide you into all the truth" (John 16:13, ESV). The Spirit shows you how to understand and trust God with the truth and how to deal with lies and a lack of truthfulness in your own life. Ask for His help today.

Scooby Doo

07-27-2007, 10:43 AM

We're happy to provide The Bible Minute studies to you at no cost. But to keep providing this resource, we need your help. Would you please consider a donation to provide The Bible Minute? Thank you for your help and your support!

Daily Bible Study

Date: Jul 27, 2007
Topic: Holiness

You can get the daily Bible Minute Radio program via podcasting, rss, pda and e-mail.

Find out more information here.

Called to be Different

What comes to your mind when you hear the word holy? Do you picture a huge cathedral with tall, stained glass windows? Maybe you see a choir singing hymns while dressed in long, white robes. Our idea of holiness can be a little intimidating, so it's no wonder that when we're told to be holy we get a little nervous. What does it mean to be holy? And more importantly, how are we to live holy lives when we are imperfect people? Let's see what God's Word has to say.

What Does God Say?

"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect" (Romans 12:1-2, NLT).

"Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes" (Ephesians 1:4, NLT).

"For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time--to show us his grace through Christ Jesus"(2 Timothy 1:9, NLT).

"But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, 'You must be holy because I am holy'" ( 1 Peter 1:15-16, NLT).

What kind of life has God called us to?
Why does God tell us we should be holy?
How does being holy set us apart from the world?

My Thoughts

When we see the word holiness in the Bible, it means "to be set apart--distinct." It doesn't mean that we're to be perfect or sinless because only God can be those things. God wants us to be holy in that we are separate from the world. We desire to be like Him and not those around us. Ask yourself these questions:

When others see me, do they see someone who has been transformed by God?
Do my actions show that I desire to be like God and not the world?
Am I living the holy life that God has called me to?

My Part

If you are a Christian, then you have been called to live a holy life, to be set apart by God as belonging to Him. We have to take a good look at our lives and hearts to see if we are truly living holy lives.

If there are things in your life that you need to change, now is the time to do it.