Daily Devotions and More for Tuesday, July 14, 2020
MerkV814
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
* Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties. -- Erich Fromm
* The three great essentials to achieving anything worthwhile are; first, hard work, second, stick-to-it-iveness, and third, common sense. -- Thomas A. Edison (1847-1931) American Inventor
* The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own. -- Benjamin Disraeli
* When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound. Rebuild those plans and set sail once more toward your coveted goal. -- Napoleon Hill
* How far that little candle throws its beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world. -- William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English Playwright
* [A] key question in life is not 'How strong am I?' but rather 'How strong is God?' -- Max Lucado
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Gideon's Altar
Scripture Reading — Judges 6:1-24
We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. — 1 Corinthians 1:23
The Israelites had done it again. They had wandered from God and had worshiped the gods of the people around them.
These were Baals and Asherahs, made-up gods and goddesses that were supposed to give you abundant crops and herds if you worshiped them and slept with their sacred prostitutes. Altars to these gods were everywhere in the land. And, to Israel, it often looked as if the sacrifices to these gods worked. The rains came, the fields yielded rich harvests, and the herds multiplied.
But what did Israel do when enemies came and stole their harvests and livestock, ruined their fields, and trampled their vineyards? They cried out to the Lord. Canaan’s gods were defenseless against the invaders.
When an angel of the Lord came to visit, Gideon had no idea who it was, and he spoke doubtfully about God. But when Gideon’s eyes were opened and he feared he would die, he learned that God was not only real but also merciful. So he built an altar to the Lord. God had come to rescue his unfaithful people, so Gideon worshiped the Lord there.
Christians today know that the cruel cross on which Jesus died was the final altar from which all blessings flow. The message of the cross may seem like foolishness to others (1 Corinthians 1:23-25), like Gideon’s altar amid all the others in the land, but the gods of other altars have no power. Cry out to the Lord for rescue. He will save you.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for blessings that flow without end and with the power of your mercy. Amen.
Arie Leder
email: to...@thisistoday.net
TODAY is copyright © 2017, the BTGH
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Do
You Have Jesus?
From Chicken Soup for the
Soul: Laughter is the Best Medicine
By Joan Dubay
Simple moments with your grandchildren often become priceless moments. -- Author Unknown
"Grammy, do you have Jesus?"
The question came from the mouth of my two-year-old grandson. I paused, thinking of a correct way to answer him. I was especially concerned with the repercussions from his non-churchgoing parents. Avoidance was my immediate choice. (Keep reading)
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Every Move I Make
From
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Angels and Miracles
By Shereen Vinke
Hope is putting faith to work when doubting would be easier. -- Author Unknown
"Look! All of the supervillains are over there!" my six-year-old shouts, her ponytail swinging as she points dramatically down the hallway.
"Let's capture them!" her older brother declares. (Keep reading)
Reprinted by permission of Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC. In order to protect the rights of the copyright holder, no portion of this publication may be reproduced without prior written consent. All rights reserved.
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Son Followers
The seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. Luke 8:15
Scripture Reading: Luke 8:11–15
Sunflowers sprout in a carefree manner all over the world. Pollinated by bees, the plants spring up on the sides of highways, under bird feeders, and across fields, meadows, and prairies. To produce a harvest, however, sunflowers need good soil. Well-drained, slightly acidic, nutrient-rich soil “with organic matter or composted,” says the Farmer’s Almanac, finally produces tasty sunflower seeds, pure oil, and also a livelihood for hard-working sunflower growers.
We also need “good soil” for spiritual growth (Luke 8:15). As Jesus taught in His parable of the farmer scattering seed, God’s Word can sprout even in rocky or thorny soil (see vv. 6-7). It only thrives, however, in the soil of “honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest” (v. 15 nlt).
Young sunflowers are just as patient in their growth. Following the sun’s movement throughout the day, they turn sunward daily in a process called heliotropism. Mature sunflowers are just as deliberate. They turn eastward permanently, warming the face of the flower and increasing visits from pollinator bees. This in turn produces a greater harvest.
As with those who care for sunflowers, we can provide a rich medium for God’s Word to grow by clinging to His Word and following after His Son—developing honesty and a good heart for God’s Word to mature us. It’s a daily process. May we follow the Son and grow.
By Patricia Raybon
REFLECT & PRAY
What’s the condition of your spiritual soil? Rocky, thorny, or rich in spiritual “nutrients”? Why? When you follow the Son daily, how does this practice impact your honesty and heart?
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Luke’s gospel is different from the other three gospels—Matthew, Mark, and John—in several ways. First, Luke was written by the only gentile gospel writer (and the only gentile contributor to the New Testament). Also, while Matthew and John were eyewitnesses to the events they recorded, and it’s believed that Mark recorded Peter’s memoirs, Luke’s gospel was the result of careful research (Luke 1:1-4). Being a doctor (Colossians 4:14), Luke uniquely shows interest in medical matters. For instance, while all four gospels record Peter’s attack in the garden of Gethsemane on Malchus, the high priest’s servant, only Luke tells us that Jesus healed him (Luke 22:51). Luke also is interested in how women fit into the story (8:1-3). Finally, Luke’s gospel was volume one of a two-volume history (along with Acts). In Luke and Acts together, Luke provides more New Testament content than any other New Testament writer, including Paul. -- Bill Crowder
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Today’s Video: 'I'd Rather Have Jesus' Steven Curtis Chapman Sings With His Dad
“I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold
I'd rather be his than have riches untold
And I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands
I'd rather be led by his nail pierced hands”
“Than to be a king of a vast domain
Or be held in sin's dread sway
And I'd rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today”
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Today’s Verse: Hebrews 10:19-20 … 19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,
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Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 19:18 … 18 Discipline your children, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to their death.
Our Daily Bread
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Wings over the Mountains of Life
A MountainWings Moment
Do What Is Right!
Direct link: www.CoachB.tv/0200
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Have a Family Buffet Weekly
Put together a FUN buffet for your family. Instead of wasting money by tossing leftovers, put them all out on the dining room table. Let family members create their own dishes with all the food and they get to eat their food—just the way they want to!
Received from Heloise Hints
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Intentions
All the intentions in the world do not mean a thing until you have already accomplished what you intended to accomplish.
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Your Best Day Yet
You are here, on this day, with dreams, desires, challenges, opportunities, and the ability to successfully deal with it all. So give this day a solid, meaningful, positive purpose and claim the great value it offers.
Make the choice to make some progress in a direction of your choosing. Instead of merely letting the time pass, put life and love, substance and experience into that time.
Think of what a great opportunity you have with each day that comes your way. You have the opportunity to make a difference, to truly change the world, and to live your precious life in new and joyful ways.
Look back and recall the best day you’ve ever experienced, and make the choice to make this one even better. The quality of each day depends on what you put into it, so start right now to put your best into this day that you have.
Instead of merely wishing for what could be or complaining about what has been, you can do something much more powerful. You can act, right here and now, to significantly raise the quality of your life experience.
Today is happening, so take an active and positively supportive role. Feel your authentic purpose, live this day with that purpose, and make it the best day yet.
Copyright Ralph S. Marston, Jr. Used by permission. From The Daily Motivator® at www.dailymotivator.com
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FAITH
By Joseph Mazella
"What does faith feel like?" That was the question a friend sent me in a letter the other day. As I was thinking about how to answer him a single memory kept coming back into my mind. I was 5 years old and very sick. The doctors told my Mom that my tonsils were swollen, infected, and needed to come out. Surgery was scheduled for the next day and I spent the night in the hospital with my Mom sitting at my bedside. She told me gently not to be scared, that she was there for me and would be right here when I woke up after the operation.
The next morning the nurses gave me something to sleep before surgery and the last thing I remembered before going under was seeing my Mom's smiling face. That is until I suddenly woke up to find myself surrounded by strange adults wearing masks. I had come to just before the operation was to begin. My young heart was filled with terror and I sat straight up and screamed "Mommy!" as loud as my painful throat possibly could. The next thing I remembered was seeing my Mom's loving smile again in the recovery room. She held my hand, whispered words of comfort, and brought me a bowl of ice cream. Even though my throat still hurt I wasn't scared anymore. I felt loved and everything seemed right with the world again.
That is what faith feels like to me. It is feeling loved, cared for, and watched over. It is knowing that no matter how painful or scary life gets you need only to call out to God and He will be there for you. It is having the gentle touch of His hand on your spirit and the loving whisper of His voice in your heart. It is even enjoying the delicious, ice cream filled days of happiness that He gives you here. Most of all, though, it is knowing that you are His Child. Your Heavenly Father loves you joyously, powerfully, and perfectly. Have faith in His love then. Rejoice in your birthright. And share your love with the world.
Joe's a happily married father of three who lives in the mountains of Upper Glade, West Virginia.
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BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE
by Ron Tranmer
America, the beautiful,
home of the brave and free.
A land that God, our Father,
has given you and me.
He knows that in our world,
freedom always has it’s price,
and can easily be lost,
without fight and sacrifice.
So with a love of country
our bravest give their all,
Many even life itself…
We’re grateful to them all.
Our Army, Navy, National Guard,
Air Force and Marines.
Present and past…all have made
our bell of freedom ring.
We thank them for their sacrifice
and pray to God above,
that they may know the greatness
of our gratitude and love
Because of them, our nations flag
will ever proudly waive.
And we are still home of the free
because of them… The brave.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You that You have given so much.
Your love abounds.
I am so thankful for the salvation You provide for me.
I am so thankful for all that You have lovingly given to me and my loved ones.
I desire to give back to You.
I want to follow You, to do Your will, to do what is right and to do what You desire.
Living in a land of plenty, I have become accustomed to "having."
Although I have experienced struggles in my life, my sufferings do not compare to the many who have lost everything and who live from moment to moment not knowing where their provisions will come from…and even those who risk the loss of their lives to poverty or the evil around them.
Father, please bless those who truly suffer.
Please protect Your children and provide for them today and in the days to come.
And please, remind me to lovingly give my all to You and to those in need.
In Jesus' name I pray,
Amen.,
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Food
Read: John 6:1-14
Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. (v. 11)
Every Saturday at my community garden, we host a workday followed by a potluck meal. It was lovely for us to have extra help doing larger tasks and preparing Saturday’s produce boxes. My favorite part, though, was the meal. After our work was accomplished, we gathered around the table and took one another’s hands. As a group, we welcomed new members, shared significant events in our lives, and reflected on the day. That time, and the meal that followed, felt especially significant. At the garden, people who would have lived as neighbors but never met before held hands and shared a meal. In that space, friendships were forged, gifts were offered, and needs were met.
We have talked about how the ministry of reconciliation comes to us through the Communion meal. But every meal can be a mirror of Communion. Through welcoming one another to the table and sharing what we have, we can walk toward restoration of relationships with our neighbors. By choosing food that has been grown well, we can pursue reconciliation with our land. Our tables can reflect God’s work.
The meal on the mountain was one such meal. It was a miracle, both simple and profound. Jesus fed people. In doing so, he created a family out of a crowd and opened his followers’ imaginations to the radical abundance of God’s kingdom. This meal was a taste of new creation.
As you pray, ask God to give you a taste of new creation today.
—Amy Curran; Words of Hope
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Here’s to Your Health
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Are personal care products putting your kids at risk?
By Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.
The first baby shampoo debuted in the 1950s. Johnson & Johnson marketed the product with the slogan "no more tears." Decades later, it turned out there was something to cry about in the supposedly gentle shampoo: It contained trace amounts of a known carcinogen, formaldehyde, an unintended byproduct of its ingredients. The company changed the formula in 2014. But that doesn't mean the risk to kids from personal care products has vanished.
A new report, published in Clinical Pediatrics, finds that many such concoctions (especially those used for hair, skin and nails) sold by many different companies are landing kids in the emergency room. According to the researchers, 64,686 children younger than 5 visited ERs for care-product-related injuries caused by ingestion, contact with skin or eyes, poisoning and chemical burns from 2002 through 2012. That's about one child every two hours. Roughly 17% of those ER visits were from contact with nail polish remover. It contains flammable acetone, which is also used as paint thinner. Among kids who subsequently had to be hospitalized, relaxers and other chemical-based hair treatments were the most common hair-product culprits. These specialty products contain additives such as sodium hydroxide (lye), which is also used to break down animal carcasses, manufacture paper and clear clogged drains.
So Mom and Dad, keep personal care products of all types on hard-to-reach shelves or in a closed, childproof (locked) cabinet that's out of sight. Your wrinkle eraser might make you happy, but it could put a wrinkle in your child's health!
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Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic and Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of "The Dr. Oz Show," and. To live your healthiest, visit www.sharecare.com.
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Today’s Recipe …
Beef and Mushroom Meatloaf
Ingredients:
2 pounds lean ground beef
3/4 cup cream of mushroom soup
2/3 cup plain dried bread crumbs
2 eggs
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
To Prepare:
Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine beef, soup, bread crumbs, eggs, Parmesan, herbes de Provence and
pepper. With a wooden spoon, mix until
just blended. Spoon meat mixture into a 10-inch pie pan and gently press it into pan.
Bake meatloaf until firm to touch in center, 50 to 60 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting into
wedges. Serve with mashed sweet potatoes
(see recipe, below) and buttered peas. Makes 6 servings.
Nutritional Information Amount per serving
Calories: 367 Fat: 18g
Saturated fat: 7g Protein: 36g
Carbohydrate: 11g Fiber: 1g Cholesterol:
129mg Sodium: 501mg
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What’s on the Web?
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iMom Espresso Minute … 4 Questions to Ask When Your Relationships Are Falling Apart
"I've just learned to not trust
people. They always let me down." My client lamented as she explained why
she doesn't have any close relationships. She didn't understand that she had
created the problems that led her to a life of isolation. Over the course of
several visits, she began to realize how her own behaviors had caused the
breakdown of several key relationships.
Having strong and healthy relationships brings strength and well-roundedness to
our lives. Whether with a spouse, an ex, family members, or friends,
relationships help us better ourselves. Relationships require reciprocity,
sacrifice, and healthy boundaries. Here are 4 questions to ask yourself
if you are struggling in any of your relationships.
Pillow Talk: Ask your kids, “What makes you feel like someone is really listening to you?”
Word of the Day: tantamount
[ tan-tuh-mount ]
Part of Speech: adjective
Meaning: equivalent, as in value, force, effect, or signification: His angry speech was tantamount to a declaration of war.
How is tantamount used?
It was a daring move in those days; most men of the countryside feared the city, clung to what was safe and familiar, teaching their sons that leaving the land was tantamount to dying. -- Bina Shah, A Season for Martyrs, 2014
Recovering a diamond at Karowe is tantamount to finding a needle in a haystack, in a barn full of other haystacks without needles. -- Ed Caesar, "The Woman Shaking Up the Diamond Industry," The New Yorker, January 27, 2020
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All-Pro Dad Play of the Day … How to Honor Your Wife
What do you think of when you hear the word
"honor?" Some will think of our military brothers and sisters who are
fighting with honor. Others will think about their parents and how our lives
honor their hard work and energy to raise us. The word honor has much weight
and dignity attached to it. For those of us who are married, honoring our wives
should be the utmost priority.
To honor someone means you care deeply about and respect them. Sadly, many men
fail to honor their wives consistently. We talk badly about our wives to our
friends when we're upset. We look at other women online or in the real world.
At times, we dishonor and disrespect our wives without even knowing it. Using
the word itself, here are 5 ways we can honor our
wives.
Huddle up with your kids and ask, “Why do you think it is important to honor your parents?”
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BUILDING RESILIENCE FROM STRESS
God Hears Her Podcast
“God Hears You, Sees You, Loves You, because You are His”
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English as a Second Language
Improve Your Pronunciation With This Simple Trick
If you want to improve your pronunciation skills, start by learning the difference between content words and function words.
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What Do Countries With The Best Coronavirus Responses Have In Common? Women Leaders
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Tony Dungy: 'If You Visited Some Other Countries' You'd Be Thankful to 'Live in America'
Michael Foust
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Television commentator and former NFL coach Tony Dungy sparked a social media debate over the Independence Day weekend after urging Americans to “work to improve” the United States while also celebrating the “blessings” its citizens enjoy.
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Trusting God’s JudgmentsJudgment often has a negative connotation because people can be unfair or not have all the facts. But God’s judgments are perfect because He’s perfect. Let’s look at Psalm 67 where Elisa Morgan helps us see that we can celebrate because God is making all things right.
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Can we trust Jesus to rescue us?—Cape of Good Hope, South Africa-----
The MountainWings Power Minute 60 Seconds of Living PowerWe Need To Be Warriors
http://www.powerminute.com/p/pm2020-02-21.mp3
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Did you miss any of these recent podcasts?
• When Moms Teach Us about Gratitude
• Parenthood - The Best Way to Be Sure You're Embarrassed
• When Grandma Is an Inspiration
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Compiled by Marilyn L. Van Driesen
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