Today Daily Devotional

NAKED BEFORE GOD

2010-09-03T05:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: Genesis 3:10-24
[Adam] answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
Genesis 3:10

Have you ever had a dream about being undressed in a public place? I have. In my dream I wanted to hide myself, as Adam did when he discovered he was naked before God. But Adam’s shame was not merely physical—it was deeply spiritual.

Adam realized that by his sin he had broken the bond with God that was sustained in his daily walk with him. This time, when God walked in the garden, Adam was afraid and hid from God. He knew that God’s penetrating gaze would see through to his guilt and failure.

When God confronted Adam with his sin, he refused to accept responsibility and tried to excuse himself by blaming Eve. In fact, Adam also tried to pass the blame along to God by saying, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree.” Then Eve, in turn, blamed the serpent. Once fellowship is broken by sin, the “blame game” begins.

We do the same, don’t we? We blame others for our own failures. Children learn that early in life: “I didn’t do it. Jimmy did.”

We do not like others to see us as we really are.

But escape from our shame is possible only when we come out of the shadows and stand in the light of God’s forgiving love and grace.

Prayer:

Lord, I am ashamed to reveal myself to you. Yet you know me as I really am. You know my sinfulness. Forgive me and help me to enjoy fellowship with you and my neighbor. Amen.

Adrian A. Helleman

HIDING FROM GOD

2010-09-02T05:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: Genesis 3:6-10
Adam and Eve] hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
Genesis 3:8

When I was a teenager, I accidentally damaged the family car. Nothing too serious—a broken taillight—but I was so ashamed that I tried to hide what I had done wrong.

We all try to do that sometimes, don’t we?

From the beginning, God walked in the garden to have fellowship with Adam and Eve. Today’s passage tells us they hid from God. What was going on? Why did they want to hide from the Lord? The answer is simple: as we learned from yesterday’s reading, they had disobeyed God and were ashamed.

Sin is disobedience, and the result of sin is separation from God. Disobedience builds a wall between us and our Creator. Because of sin, we are afraid and hide ourselves from him. We inherited this tendency to disobey God from our first parents. Because of their sin, we are unable to live the way God wants us to.

Yet God still wants to have fellowship with us and to walk with us each day! He wants that walk so deeply that he went to extraordinary lengths to restore what we had broken. In his Son, Jesus Christ, the Father will go the extra grace-filled mile to bring us back to his side.

How’s it going in your walk with the Lord?

Prayer:

God, our first parents disobeyed you, and so do we—again and again. Seek us out by your grace and bring us back into fellowship with you. Help us to obey you always. In Jesus, Amen.

Adrian A. Helleman

GOD WALKS IN THE GARDEN

2010-09-01T05:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: Genesis 3:1-8
The man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day.
Genesis 3:8

God enjoys walking. Did you know that? In Genesis we learn that God walked in the garden he had made, especially in the cool of the early evening.

Walking is my favorite form of exercise. My wife and I walk every morning in our neighborhood, weather permitting. We go out as soon as it is light. After I get home, I have my devotions. Then I also meditate on what God is doing in my life, and I commit the day to him.

God created human beings to have fellowship with him. That’s why he was walking in the garden: he wanted to meet with Adam and Eve and spend time with them. Personal fellowship with God is at the very heart of our purpose for being!

This month we will look at Bible texts from Genesis to Revelation to reflect on what it means to walk with God. And we’ll discover that today God wants to have fellowship with us too.

To enjoy fellowship with God, we must pursue faithful obedience. Although he no longer walks in Eden since Adam and Eve sinned, God still meets us regularly through his Word and Spirit. By his Word, God speaks to us and gives us wisdom for the challenges of each day. And through his Spirit, we find new strength to stick close beside the Lord as we live according to his will.

Prayer:

Lord, you have created us to have fellowship with you. We pray that you will meet us today. Help us this month to understand what it means to walk with you. In Jesus, Amen.

Adrian A. Helleman

TO WORK

2010-08-31T05:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: Luke 10:1-4, 17-24
“Ask the Lord of the harvest … to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Luke 10:2

In our journey through life, as we follow the Lord’s call, Christians are a sent people. Before his ascension into heaven, Jesus told us, through the apostles, to go into the world with a gospel that has the power to change lives. These marching orders have had a profound impact on the history of the world.

In our reading today we catch a glimpse of what it means to be “sent out”: “The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two …” We do not know who these people were, but they were not the twelve apostles. Not only pastors and missionaries are called to spread the gospel; all of us have a role to play.

Notice Jesus’ comment: “The harvest is plentiful.” In many ways this is a surprising observation. Many people were intrigued by Jesus’ miracles, but when it came to following him, they often turned away. Many of them eventually joined the crowds calling for his crucifixion. Even so, Jesus saw that behind their anger, frustration, and rebelliousness they were people who desperately needed salvation.

As we go into the world of education, care-giving, science, business, construction, manufacturing, farming, or wherever the Lord calls us to be, may our eyes be open to the plentiful harvest. May we find ways to spread the good news of Jesus, our ascended Lord and King.

Prayer:

Lord, “use even me, just as you will, and when, and where until your blessed face I see, your rest, your joy, your glory share.” Amen.

Gerrit J. Bomhof

HOME

2010-08-30T05:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: Philippians 3:15-4:1
Our citizenship is in heaven.
Philippians 3:20

What is the place you come home to? If you’ve been away on a trip—even if you’ve had a great time—it can feel good to get back home again, where you can unwind and settle into everyday routines. Home is where things are familiar: sights, sounds, and smells; neighbors, family, community; work, shopping, banking—and of course bills and laundry.

Do you see what I see in the familiarity of home? The Bible makes clear that Christ’s followers are in the world but not of the world. In today’s reading, Paul reminds us that our citizenship is in heaven. That’s where we will truly have the feeling of “being home.” Heaven is the place where God dwells and where we as believers will go after we die. But, in Jesus, heaven has come to earth. He taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). As we follow the pattern for a way of life Paul received from the Lord, we have an experience of heaven here on earth, and thus that “finally home” feeling.

Paul warns us not to put our minds “on earthly things.” God does not want us to feel “at home” where self-centered appetites and pleasures come first. Rather, we are called to live as people who pass along the love, forgiveness, compassion, and obedience received through Christ’s sacrifice. And one day we will be transformed to have bodies that will be like Christ’s. We’ll truly be home!

Prayer:

Lord, teach us to do your will here on earth. Help us to live as you call us to, and to serve as faithfully as the angels in heaven. Amen.

Gerrit J. Bomhof

ALBUM

2010-08-29T05:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: Luke 24:13-35
He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
Luke 24:27

If we’re on a trip or a special outing, we often take a camera along. Photos help us to remember places we’ve been and times that we’ve shared together. Saving the photos in an album also helps us remember the story of our time together.

In our reading today we meet Cleopas and his friend walking sadly home to their village of Emmaus. They had witnessed the terrible event of Jesus’ death, and they were deeply disappointed, saddened, and confused.

Suddenly they were joined by the resurrected Jesus, though they didn’t recognize him. He told them that the picture they had in their mind about Jesus of Nazareth was all wrong. Then he opened up the “album” of the Scriptures for them, and he explained all kinds of snapshots and events that pointed to Jesus as the Messiah, the one they had been hoping for. His death was not a failure but rather the victorious fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation.

Later, when they discovered who their traveling companion was, they said, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he … opened the Scriptures to us?”

Today in countless churches and mission stations the same album is opened, and the story of Jesus, the Savior of the world, is told and retold.

Prayer:

Lord, may our hearts burn within us as the Scriptures are opened through the preaching of your Word. Help us to make it a part of our life story. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Gerrit J. Bomhof

MONUMENT

2010-08-28T05:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: Joshua 4:1-9
“Tell [your children] that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD.”
Joshua 4:7

When our family is on vacation, we often stop at historic sites. Many of these have monuments or statues of famous people to remind us of important events in history.

Our reading today in the book of Joshua relates an important event for the people of Israel. After forty years of wandering through the wilderness, they were ready to cross the Jordan River to enter the promised land. But the river was at flood stage, so it seemed impossible to cross. Of course, this was no obstacle to the Creator God. So, in a way that resembled his parting the waters of the Red Sea on the journey out of Egypt (Exodus 14), the Lord stopped the flow of the Jordan and caused it to “stand up in a heap” (see Joshua 3). At the center of this story is the ark of the covenant, symbolizing God’s presence with his covenant people. God clearly wanted future generations to know what he had done for the people that day. So he also ordered them to set up a monument of stone.

God’s children still need reminders of their place in the bigger story of his redemptive love through his Son, Jesus Christ. So let the Word of God, the Bible, be a monument to remind us all of the Lord’s amazing acts in history. The story of salvation needs to be told again and again so that coming generations may find their place in the ongoing work of the Lord of all the earth.

Prayer:

Forgive us, Lord, for getting wrapped up in our own pursuits. Open our eyes to the work of your kingdom and help us contribute to its coming. Amen.

Gerrit J. Bomhof

WIND

2010-08-27T05:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: John 3:1-8
“You cannot tell where [the wind] comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
John 3:8

A refreshing breeze can make a hot summer day enjoyable. Even though we can’t see the wind, we can feel it, hear it, and watch what it does.

Jesus calls us to think of the Spirit of God as a kind of wind.

In Genesis 1 we read of the Spirit/wind hovering over the waters, creating order where once there was chaos. Human beings are but “dust of the ground” until God blows his wind into us, making us living beings (Genesis 2:7).

As the Spirit breathed original life, so the Spirit gives us rebirth, new life. Jesus says, “No one can see the kingdom of God without being born again.” We do not have to re-enter our mother’s wombs to experience rebirth. Yet the results will be obvious and visible. Reborn people humbly value others above themselves (Philippians 2:3); are quick to forgive, patient, kind, gentle, faithful, good, and self-controlled (Galatians 5:22-23); have a peace that goes beyond understanding (Philippians 4:7); and have an infectious joy and desire to share the good news of salvation (Luke 2:10, 17-18; Acts 5:41-42).

There have been many powerful and moving testimonies of the Spirit blowing where it pleases. Why not share with neighbors and friends your own personal story of the Spirit’s wind blowing in and through your life?

Prayer:

“Breathe on me, Breath of God, fill me with life anew, that I may love the way you love, and do what you would do.” Amen.

Gerrit J. Bomhof

AN ANCHOR

2010-08-26T05:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 6:13-20
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.
Hebrews 6:19

If we’re at the seashore or walking by a lake in summer, it’s common to see a boat bobbing in the water, anchored down while its occupants are fishing or just lounging in the sunshine. All is safe and secure as the anchor holds the boat from drifting in the winds and waves.

In our verse from Hebrews today, the anchor is a symbol of hope. It is sad to encounter people who have lost all hope. They may be reeling from broken relationships or economic or medical crises. But in the midst of any trouble, we can offer good news: in Jesus Christ there is hope.

What is hope? Is it a simply an emotion or feeling that we may or may not have? What role do circumstances play in being hopeful? Our reading for today tells us that hope is much more than a feeling. It’s a reality secured by Jesus in the saving work he did for us.

An anchor does nothing for a boat unless it is tied with a rope. The same applies to us. We need to be firmly attached to the anchor of hope with a rope called “faith.”

Jesus came into our sin-ravaged world, defeated the power of evil, and entered the sanctuary of God’s presence, where he serves on our behalf as he rules over all things (Hebrews 1:1-4; 7:25). Indeed, we have been blessed with the gift of hope.

Prayer:

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of hope. Please bring our needs to the Father as we serve in your kingdom. Grant us joy, strength, and courage to face the challenges of each day in hope. Amen.

Gerrit J. Bomhof

WATER

2010-08-25T05:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 11:1-9
The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 11:9

If we travel to the seashore or drive out to the beach, it’s fun to go swimming or just to wade in the cool water as the incoming tide laps at our ankles. Looking out, we see the great expanse of the waters. Geographers tell us that three quarters of the earth’s surface is covered with water.

Through the lens of Isaiah 11 we see how the sea can remind us of the earth being filled with “the knowledge of the Lord.” And what can we know about the Lord? Everything that the Word of God teaches.

Isaiah summarizes that teaching as he talks about a shoot “from the stump of Jesse.” This is a reference to Jesus, who became the One on whom the Spirit of the Lord rests. He has the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and might, of the knowledge and fear of the Lord. His judgments are right and just, and his rule is faithful and true. In his kingdom all God’s creatures will live together in perfect peace, so that all may enjoy God’s blessing and full life as God intends. In this way the earth will be filled to overflowing with the knowledge of the Lord—in a way like the waters cover the sea.

In Jesus, this kingdom is present and growing. And here is more good news! As the Spirit rested on that vulnerable shoot, so Jesus sends the same Spirit into our lives, to enlighten us with wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, and knowledge and fear of the Lord.

Prayer:

Sovereign Lord, we do not always understand your ways. Assure us again that you are bringing about a new world filled with your righteousness and full life. In Jesus, Amen.

Gerrit J. Bomhof

AGRICULTURE

2010-08-24T05:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 28:23-29
Their God instructs them and teaches them the right way.
Isaiah 28:26

If you live near or travel through farmland in warm weather, you’ll see farmers in their fields. Depending on the season, they’ll be plowing, planting, fertilizing, harvesting, or possibly haying. Their experience in farming helps them know how and when to do their tasks to raise a good crop.

In Isaiah’s day, God was angry with his people because they did not want to follow his revealed will. They staggered from wine and mocked the Word of the Lord. If trouble came, they thought they could save themselves by making alliances with other nations (Isaiah 28:1-22). God directed them to look to the way of farmers, who knew there was a right way and a wrong way to do their work. There was a right time to plough and a certain way to harvest. Farmers paid attention to the instructions of God, who teaches the right way. By following God’s way, they would enjoy a rich harvest.

Is the world we live in today much different? Many people do not take God into consideration in their personal and business affairs. Books applauding atheism become bestsellers, and people mock God’s Word by insisting that the world would be a better place without the Bible.

Following the truth, integrity, love, and faithfulness of Jesus Christ, however, is the way to full, abundant life. All this comes from the Lord, whose wisdom is supreme.

Prayer:

Lord, open our lives to the work of your Spirit leading us in the way everlasting. Help us to understand your teaching. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Gerrit J. Bomhof

WHEAT

2010-08-23T05:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: John 12:20-29
“If [a kernel of wheat] dies, it produces many seeds.”
John 12:24

In many farm areas toward the end of the growing season, we can see wheat fields ready for harvest. But before the next crop can grow, a death process has to occur. Kernels of wheat must die and be buried in the earth to produce more seeds.

In today’s passage some Greeks want to see Jesus. And Jesus replies, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” He is referring to his own death, which will result in people from Greece and every other nation coming into the family of God. Jesus’ death will produce many seeds.

But there’s more. Jesus calls his followers also to die in order to rise to new life and produce many seeds. Whenever you see a rich harvest—in a family, church, mission field, or business—you can be sure that there have been people who sacrificed (gave of themselves) in their service. Think of Christian parents with children: 2:00 a.m. feedings, careers on hold, teaching and modeling the love of Jesus, and lovingly giving of themselves for the sake of their little ones. Similarly, behind every church are those who have given time, talents, and money to produce many seeds.

Let’s not tire of giving of ourselves. Instead, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, “the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

Prayer:

“Make me a channel of your peace,” Lord. In all situations let me bring your love. Wherever I am called to honor you, help me do so. Amen.

Gerrit J. Bomhof

COMMUNICATION

2010-08-22T05:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 1:1-4
In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son …
Hebrews 1:2

When we are away from family and friends, it’s good to keep in touch with them. Today we can do that by phone, text message, e-mail, Facebook—and even by the old method of sending postcards or letters.

God’s message comes to us in his Word, the Bible. And the Word of God has become flesh in the person of Jesus Christ (John 1:1-5, 9-14). As believers today, we can now hear and receive and live by the Word of God, and we experience something of the life God intended for us when he created the universe.

In the Old Testament God spoke through the prophets, but that communication was often limited to the situations of the people in those days. Prophets were spokespeople for God; Jesus is the Son of God. Prophets grasped part of the mind of God; Jesus is the mind of God. What more can be said than what God has spoken to us through his Son?

There are many ways in which God continues to communicate to us through Jesus, by the power of his Spirit. Today God’s Word is proclaimed all over the world. May people receive it for what it really is: good news that opens us to new life with God. Daily we read Scripture not simply for information but to hear how God is directing and sustaining us through his Son. As we follow Jesus, we also learn to pray and work, spreading the good news of salvation to build up the kingdom of God.

Prayer:

“Lord, speak to me that I may speak in living echoes of your tone.” Bring your Word to reach into all our hearts, that we may live by the truth. Amen.

Gerrit J. Bomhof

SIGNS

2010-08-21T05:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: Matthew 12:38-42; 16:1-4
“You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.”
Matthew 16:3

Whether we travel on roadways or by planes, trains, or buses, we need to keep an eye out for signs that tell us which way to go. Of course, many of us can probably tell stories of times when we missed a sign and got lost or delayed.

In our readings for today, the Jewish religious leaders asked Jesus for a sign that he was their Messiah, the Son of God, the Savior of God’s people. But Jesus knew their hearts were already against him. They were trying to find a way to kill him (see Matt. 12:14). So he said the only sign they needed was the sign of Jonah, which pointed to his death and resurrection.

The Scriptures included many signs that pointed to the coming of the Messiah. But the leaders of the people had become corrupt, so they didn’t read the signs accurately. They had convinced themselves to look for certain signs, but those didn’t include a carpenter from Galilee. They also weren’t open to signs that pointed to the suffering and death of the Lord’s servant, who would lead the people in righteousness and whose kingdom would include people of all other nations. (See Jeremiah 23:5-6; Isaiah 9:1-7; 49:1-53:12.)

Still today, Jesus’ followers need to be open to all of the signs that point to him as their Savior and King. And he reveals those in his Word, the Bible, through the power of his Spirit. So let’s make sure we have our eyes and hearts of faith open.

Prayer:

Father in heaven, enable us to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him we may have life in his name. Amen.

Gerrit J. Bomhof

COLLATERAL DAMAGE

2010-08-20T05:00:00Z

Scripture Reading: James 3:13-4:3
Where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
James 3:16

In our world today, we don’t have to look far to find pollution and all kinds of collateral damage from our modern “civilization.” Besides making our water, land, and air hazardous for ourselves, we damage wetlands and fertile forests, threatening and destroying many species of plants and animals in God’s world. Even in a place like Banff National Park in Canada, where special efforts are made to protect plant and animal life, the damage is alarming. Damage to creation tends to be a price of human “progress.”

Today’s passage from James speaks of the foolishness of worldly “wisdom,” noting that wherever there is “envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” Abuse, broken relationships, economic woes, wars, pollution, and other damage to God’s world—all find their root cause in selfish ambition.

What can we do to minimize these casualties? James points us to another wisdom, “the wisdom that comes from heaven.” This wisdom is “first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” With the mind of Christ we can grow in this wisdom.

Our world can be a much better place if we sincerely embrace the wisdom that comes from the Lord.

Prayer:

Forgive us, Lord, for the selfish ambition that so often entangles our motives and actions. Help us to embrace the wisdom shown to us in your Son, our Savior, Jesus. Amen.

Gerrit J. Bomhof