Daily Bread Bible Notes 4

Resolutions
READ: Nehemiah 10:28-31
In 1722, Jonathan Edwards drew up a list of 70 resolutions, dedicating himself to live in harmony with God and others. The following resolutions give a picture of the serious purpose with which Edwards approached his relationship with God. He resolved:
• To do whatever is most to God’s glory.
• To do my duty, for the good of mankind in general.
• Never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.
• To study the Scriptures steadily, constantly, and frequently.
• To ask myself at the end of every day, week, month, and year if I could possibly have done better.
• Until I die, not to act as if I were my own, but entirely and altogether God’s.
In Nehemiah 10, God’s people made an oath, vowing to follow all the commands, laws, and regulations of the Lord. This oath was so serious that they were willing to accept the curse of God if they failed to keep these commands.
Our resolutions need not be so serious as that. But any resolution to follow God is not a casual promise. Rather, it is a solemn and serious declaration that—with the help of the Holy Spirit—we can renew every day.

The Belayers
READ: 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17
I have high respect for brave men and women who climb rugged mountain peaks. They have to take serious precautions as they scale sheer cliffs. One safety feature is a line that’s always connected to a person below, who is called the “belayer.” If the climber loses his balance or falls, the belayer holds him securely until he can regain his footing and continue his ascent or descent. Thus, “to belay” is to anchor, to hold securely, to keep safe.
Hope Church, near Cincinnati, has an adult fellowship group called “The Belayers.” Its members are committed to giving one another help and support in their daily walk with Christ and promise to uphold one another in prayer. They provide assistance as needed, they encourage one another, and they come alongside in times of spiritual danger. They “hold the ropes” for each other.
I think that the apostle Paul was a belayer for many churches, including the Thessalonian church. The believers there were undergoing persecution and were troubled. He reminded them that they were chosen and still loved by God (2 Thess. 2:13). And he encouraged them to continue trusting the Lord, and prayed for them (vv.15-17).
Whose “rope” is God encouraging you to hold?
A word of encouragement can make the difference between giving up or going on.

Dying To Live
Read: Matthew 16:28
In Matthew 16:25, Jesus said, “Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” That doesn’t sound right. To save your life, you have to lose it? That seems like saying, “To dry something, you wet it down!” Yet, it is absolutely true. Only as we die to self, entrusting ownership of our lives to Christ, can we learn what it means to really live.
“Dying to live” may seem counter-intuitive, but it is the heart of the Christian experience.

The Blessing Tree
Read: Luke 1:46-55
I read about a young couple whose business had failed, and they had little money to spend at Christmas. They were going to have to move out of their house after the new year. But they didn’t want their holiday season to be spoiled because of it. So they decided to throw a party. When the guests arrived, they saw a cedar tree decorated with one string of lights and small rolled-up pieces of paper tied to the limbs with ribbon.
“Welcome to our ‘blessing tree’!” they said, beaming. “In spite of hard times, God has blessed us in so many ways that we decided to dedicate our tree to Him. Each piece of paper describes a blessing He has given us this year.”
This couple has faced more trials since then, but they have chosen to stay focused on the Lord. They often remark that the Christmas with the “blessing tree” was one of their most beautiful, because they could testify as Mary did: “My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. . . . He who is mighty has done great things for me” (Luke 1:47-49).
Whatever your difficulties, they needn’t spoil Christmas, for nothing can spoil Christ! Stay focused on Jesus and seek ways to share His blessings with others—perhaps through your own “blessing tree.”
To give meaning to Christmas, give Christ first place.

Promises of God
Read: 1 Peter 1:3-12
The apostle Peter’s words: “[God] has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5).
What is reserved for us? Our inheritance—heaven, and a legacy beyond description that rests on the certainty of eternal life, “which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began” (Titus 1:2).
A Christian’s future is as bright as the promises of God.

God’s Surprising Answer
Read: Isaiah 42:1-9
Rend the heavens!” and “come down!” pleaded the prophet Isaiah. Make Your name known by making the mountains shake and the nations tremble, he advised the Lord (Isa. 64:1-3).
Isaiah wanted God to behave as He had in the past. Recalling the Scripture about God’s visit with Moses on Mt. Sinai, Isaiah longed for a repeat performance.
But God had already told Isaiah that He would be doing something new. “Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them” (42:9).
The “something new” was Jesus! God did indeed come down. But not in Isaiah’s lifetime. And not in the dramatic fashion he longed for. “He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street” (42:2). He came in the unassuming form of an infant.
Many of us can remember a situation when God was amazingly timely in His response to our need. Like Isaiah, we want God to do the same thing again. But perhaps He has something else in mind. As you celebrate God’s humble descent to earth, be aware that He came to change our hearts, not just our circumstances.
God’s answers to our prayers may exceed our expectations.

Count Your Many Blessings
Read: 1 Timothy 6:6-16
God didn’t give us the Bible as a guidebook for happiness. Yet it tells us how we can be eternally joyful and how we can experience joy on our way to that eternal happiness. So it’s enlightening to compare biblical truth with common-sense advice.
“Godliness with contentment is great gain,” Paul wrote to Timothy (1 Tim. 6:6). The apostle wanted his protégé to understand that being grateful for the basics of life would help keep him from the trap of covetousness.
So let’s focus on the wonders of God’s grace, training ourselves to make a spirit of gratitude pervade our lives. That’s the way to experience joy today and to be forever joyful.

Pay It Backward
Read: Luke 6:27-36
Would you pay the bill for the people in the car behind you at a fast-food drive-thru—even if you didn’t know them?
That was the challenge given by a local Christian radio station to change their community. It was called “The Drive-Thru Difference.” The goal was to do a Christlike act of kindness for people who didn’t expect it and to leave a note saying you did it because of your love for Christ.
Why do this? Why spend money for someone else’s food—especially someone we don’t know and who may be hostile to the faith? Why give without any hope of return? It sounds countercultural, but the idea has strong biblical basis.
Notice what Jesus said as He addressed a large crowd: “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?” (Luke 6:32-33). Clearly, Jesus wants us to do good to people who can in no way pay us back.
Whether we’re paying someone’s bill at Taco Bell or dropping change into the Salvation Army kettle, our concern should be selfless giving—whether we get credit for it or not. In Jesus’ name, who can you bless today?
The motive of giving reveals the character of the giver more than the gift itself.