Hurricane Florence slammed the east coast of North Carolina and left behind devastating flood waters. Cleanup crews arrived from other states to help residents who experienced loss of property and loved ones. The Disaster Relief Team from Balboa Baptist Church in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas prayed with each homeowner before leaving the property and going to the next address on the list. One man said he didn’t go to church but planned to start soon. When asked what changed his mind, he said he’d lost everything. He was present when his house was torn down, and he saw these words written on the frame of his house: “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 10:7). Jesus’ words were a light in this man’s storm.  

The disciples experienced fierce winds and high waves out on the Sea of Galilee. Yet, Jesus was sleeping in the stern of the boat. Seasoned fishermen panicked and woke Jesus. “Don’t you care if we drown?” they said. “[Jesus] got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm” (Mark 4:39).

Think About It
Fear overwhelmed me in a scuba diving accident that nearly took my life. Like the man in North Carolina, I promised God I would go back to church and get my life right with Him. I am thankful God used seven strong men to rescue me that day. I cannot imagine what it's like to lose everything, and I sympathize with people who survive the storms and endure great loss. 

Pray About It
Thank you, O Lord, for your faithfulness, that you promise never to leave or forsake us. In the storms of life, help us to look up and see your light shining through the loss and destruction. In Jesus' name, Amen.
 
            

Jesus said, "Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are my  friends if you do what I command" (John 15:13-14 NLT). 

How did Jesus love? He had compassion on people. He healed the sick, made the blind to see and the deaf to hear. He cleansed the lepers and raised the dead. We are not all doctors or miracle workers. But we can tell people what God has done for us. We can forgive as Jesus forgave. We can show hospitality in our homes and visit those in prison or hospitals. We can speak encouraging words or share a smile with someone having a stressful day. We can offer a helping hand to those in need. If loving others is important to God, it's important to us.

Have you witnessed a person's last words before he died? What he said--what you heard is important. Jesus' last will and testament was: "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20 NLT).

Think About It
When we are intentional about loving others, we are doing what God asks us to do. We might be tempted to be served instead of serve, or receive instead of give. We might think that the love burden falls on pastors. But God says we are a kingdom of priests. We can share the good news and baptize. I know of a man who baptized new believers in a swimming pool to obey Jesus' last command. 

Pray About It
Heavenly Father, help us to teach, baptize and disciple new believers. Open our hearts to the needs of others. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Jesus had compassion on the crowds. He said they were like sheep without a shepherd. He healed the sick and spent a day with them. At the end of the day He did not send them into the nearby towns to get food to eat. A young boy offered the Lord his lunch of five loaves and two fish. Jesus thanked the Father for it and multiplied it so all ate and were satisfied. The next day people followed Jesus across the lake, and He confronted them about following Him for monetary reasons. He said, "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you." The people asked what God required of them. Jesus answered, "Believe in the one he has sent." Can you believe the people then asked Jesus for a miraculous sign? The day before He fed a crowd with a boy's lunch. That was a miracle! The people then talked about the about bread from heaven that came to their forefathers in the wilderness. Jesus said, "It is not Moses who gave you bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. . . I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."

Think About It
What do you hunger for? Food for your body or nourishment for your soul. As bread is food for the body, Jesus is food for our souls. He said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6). When Jesus is our desire, He gives us the desires of our hearts. Although this is a hard concept to believe and accept, Jesus' followers learn they can trust Him with whatever concerns them. He becomes a True Friend.

Pray About It
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the Bread of Life that came down from Heaven. Help our unbelief and teach us how to live fulfilled lives pleasing to You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

James, the brother of Jesus, didn't understand the ministry or the passion of Christ until after the crucifixion and resurrection. Yet, he became a great teacher/preacher in the early church. I like to call him No Games James, because he said it like it was and like it is today. In the second chapter of his book (James), he said, "My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing fine clothes and gold jewelry, and a poor man comes in dirty and scroungy. Don't be the usher who seats the well dressed man in a place of prominence and the poor man on the floor in a corner." This prejudice disappoints God. Instead Jesus said, "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39).

Think About It
James said, "If you keep the law found in Scripture, 'Love your neighbor as yourself,' you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." The key to loving others as you love yourself is to treat other people the way you would like to be treated. It's referred to as the Golden Rule.

Pray About It
Father God, thank you for Jesus and help us to be more like Him. Teach us how to show compassion and respect for the people around us and not to show prejudice. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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