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DailyBreadWords for Life

Online at www.scriptureunion.org.uk/bible On cassette and DAISY CD in the UK and Eire for the sole use of those with a visual impairment worse than N12, or who are registered blind. For details please contact Torch Trust for the Blind, Torch House, Torch Way, Northampton Road, Market Harborough, Leics LE16 9HL Tel: 01858 438 260 Email: [email protected] Web: www.torchtrust.org In large type format For a Braille version please contact Torch Trust for the Blind (see above for contact details) Please recycle Daily Bread

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www.scriptureunion.org.ukDaily Bread January–March 14

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Price £3.99 UK

Matthew 5–7 Walk the talk! Andrew Knowles

Leviticus 1–23 Laws of love Anna Caroe

1 Corinthians 8–10 No compromise Melody Briggs

Jeremiah 1–5 Preparing for exile David Dewey

Matthew 8–10 Does it matter? Penny Boshoff

Jeremiah 6–10 Clear warning Andrew Clark

Acts 20–23 No guts, no glory Jude Mason

2 Samuel 1–15 A class in ethics Sam Ennis

Matthew 11,12 A challenging adventure Penelope Swithinbank

Proverbs 10 Wisdom to steer by Steve Brady

The Bible guide for every day

Jan–Mar 2012

God’s great planMike Hawthorne on Genesis

Enough is enoughPenny Boshoff on Jonah & Nahum

Bring it on!David Tolputt on Mark

DailyBread

The Bible guide for every day

Jan–Mar 2014

No guts, no gloryJude Mason on Acts

Does it matter?Penny Boshoff on Matthew

A class in ethicsSam Ennis on 2 Samuel

Words for Life

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Contents

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Introduction

Matthew 5–7

Leviticus 1–23

1 Corinthians 8–10

Jeremiah 1–5

Matthew 8–10

Jeremiah 6–10

Acts 20–23

2 Samuel 1–15

Matthew 11,12

Proverbs 10–18

Features

Living dangerously

Spotlight on Absalom

Walk the talk!

Laws of love

No compromise

Preparing for exile

Does it matter?

Clear warning

No guts, no glory

A class in ethics

A challenging adventure

Wisdom to steer by

How to use Daily Bread

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Way in

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A day’s note

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Prepare

Read

Explore

Respond

Bible in a year

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Are you the sort of person who loves to stand out from the crowd? Or do you spend all your life trying to blend into the wallpaper? Many of us, if we are honest, are more like this second group – we simply don’t like being different. And we certainly don’t want to stand out in a way that brands us as fanatics, or ‘nutters’!

We are in for a few challenges, then, as we open the pages of Daily Bread this quarter. Simon Guillebaud’s article on pages 4 to 6 kicks off the theme, describing his own move from the comfort of the UK to a radically different (and dangerous) lifestyle serving God in Burundi. It’s quite a read – and you can find out more by following the links to his website. Then as we move through the quarter, there’s Jesus’ teaching in Matthew’s Gospel which calls us all to ‘upside-down living’; there’s the insistence on holiness in Leviticus and 1 Corinthians; there’s Jeremiah’s urging of God’s people to stand out against corruption; and finally there’s Paul’s own example in Acts of being ‘all out for Christ’. It all builds up a picture, challenging us to live lives that stand out from the world around us.

We may balk at the challenge that this sets us. But, as we enter 2014, perhaps this new year is an opportunity to rethink our commitment to Christ, to take some new steps of faith, and – yes! – to live a bit more radically. It might not be easy, or comfortable, but it will delight God’s heart.

Happy New Year!

Jenny Hyatt Editor

Standing out

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Lizzie Evans Content Manager

2

Way in

This page introduces both the notes and the writer. It sets the scene and tells you what you need to know to get into each series.

A day’s note

The notes for each day include five key elements: Prepare, Read (the Bible passage for the day), Explore, Respond and Bible in a year. These are intended to provide a helpful way of meeting God in his Word.

Prepare

Read

Explore

Respond

Bible in a year

yourself to meet with God and pray that the Holy Spirit will help you to understand and respond to what you read.

the Bible passage, taking time to absorb and simply enjoy it. A verse or two from the Bible text is usually included on each page, but it's important to read the whole passage.

the meaning of the passage, listening for what God may be saying to you. Before you read the comment, ask yourself: what’s the main point of this passage? What is God showing me about himself or about my life? Is there a promise or a command, a warning or example to take special notice of?

to what God has shown you in the passage in worship and pray for yourself and others. Decide how to share your discoveries with others.

If your aim is to know God and his Word more deeply, why not follow this plan to read the whole Bible in one year?

How to use Daily Bread

3

dangerously

I became a Christian at the age of 15. My mum had packed me off on a Scripture Union holiday, saying I’d never have to do another one if I didn’t like it. In the end I loved it, and did Easter and summer camps every year for the next decade.

During one of those early holidays, I prayed a simple prayer to receive Christ into my life, but doubted my conversion because I didn’t see flashes of lightning across the sky! Over time, I came to realise that conversion didn’t need to involve a dramatic experience, but was simply about having peace in my heart, knowing that God’s presence in my life was real.

In 1998, God called me to go and work for him in Burundi, which at the time was the most dangerous country in the

world. My family knew that area of Africa well. My grandfather, Peter Guillebaud, had set up Scripture Union in Rwanda, and had spent years working on the new Kinyarwanda Bible translation together with my grandmother Elizabeth. Other members of my family had also spent

Living

4

Simon Guillebaud comes from a Christian family with a long history of missionary service in Africa and close links with Scripture Union. Here he tells us about his call to serve God in Burundi, and his passion for radical Christian living.

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years of missionary service in that region. But Burundi was nowhere on my own radar at the time, so my initial call to go was an amazing story in itself. It was during my last week at Bible College and I was still clueless as to what would happen next. I prayed: ‘Lord, please! I’m 25, single, available, have no ties, and I’m willing to go anywhere and do anything. I beg you, reveal your purposes for my life!’

Later that day someone passed me a note with a name and telephone number scribbled on it. A man had been trying to track me down. I rang him and we arranged to meet the next day. His first words were: ‘Simon, the Lord has laid your name on my heart. How would you feel about working in Burundi?’

He explained the great needs among the youth in Burundi and how the church there was desperate for trained personnel. My heart was beating faster. I told him at the end of

our meeting that I would ‘pray about it’, and that I would get back to him in due course.

I began praying that if this was what God wanted me to do, he would give me a sign to confirm his will. The following Monday found me sitting at a desk in front of a computer at my old job, which my former employers had kept open for me. As I stared at the screen I wrestled with the Burundi question. ‘God,’ I prayed silently, ‘if you want me to go to Burundi, then please give me a sign. I know it’s a war zone, and it will mean leaving everything – family, friends, money, security – and making radical changes in my life. But, I trust you. Just give me a sign!’

It was a specific prayer request, seeking a specific answer. Just to be clear, the nation of Burundi had no connection whatsoever with my job, so yes, I was asking God to do

something extraordinary. If he answered clearly, then I’d go.

A few minutes after praying, I took a phone call. A voice on the other end of the line asked me a question out of the blue which took my breath away: ‘Do you know anyone who wants to work in Burundi?’ It was all I needed. This was my call. I was off…

That was 15 years ago. I’ve worked for Scripture Union all that time, and seen thousands of people come to know Jesus. Nine years ago I set up Great Lakes Outreach, a charity that works in Central Africa with local partners such as SU Burundi to share God’s message and transform lives (see www.greatlakesoutreach.org for more information about our work). With my team, we’ve seen witchdoctors burn their charms publicly and surrender to God, we’ve seen cripples healed, blind people see, deaf people hear, and more. I’ve been threatened with death on more than one

occasion, and nearly been blown to bits by a grenade. But God has kept us all safe throughout.

Having come to know him as a 15-year-old on a Scripture Union camp one summer, I now get to work for Scripture Union on camps with very different kinds of teenagers in Central Africa! I love the way God has worked his plans out for me and for each one of us.

So, whoever you are, and wherever God calls you to serve him, go for it! Live wholeheartedly and radically for him, and your life will never be the same again!

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ËxHSLIOEy277278zISBN 978 1 84427 727 8

40

/ 40

40 D

AYS TO REN

EW YO

UR M

IND

, TRAN

SFORM

YOU

R LIFEPH

IL GREEN

What are your thoughts like? True, noble, right, pure, lovely,

admirable, excellent, praiseworthy? Always? Or … maybe not.

Phil Green encourages you to face the battle of your thought-life

as you take a 40-day Bible challenge: to let God’s Word renew your

mind and transform your life.

• 40 daily short Bible reflections for mornings and evenings

• Space for journaling

• Group discussion questions

• A challenge for any season of the year – Lent, Easter, holidays,

New Year

Are you ready?

‘…BE CHANGED … BY A NEW WAY OF THINKING.’

Romans 12:2

40/ 4040 DAYS TO RENEW YOUR MIND,

TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE

PHIL GREEN

‘…BE CHANGED … BY A NEW WAY OF THINKING.’

Romans 12:2

40/ 4040 DAYS TO RENEW YOUR MIND,

TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE

PHIL GREEN

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11/01/2012 11:03

‘…BE CHANGED ... BY A NEW WAY OF THINKING.' Romans 12:2

Phil Green encourages you to face up to the battle of your thought-life as you take a 40-day Bible challenge: to let God’s Word renew your mind and transform your life.

• 40 daily Bible refl ections for mornings and evenings• Space for journaling• Group discussion questions• A challenge for any season – Lent, holidays, New Year...

Are you ready?

What are your thoughts like?

Walk the talk!

Way in to Matthew 5–7

Writer

Andrew KnowlesAndrew is a writer and theologian who lives in Cumbria, England. His books include, The Bible Guide (Lion Publishing, 2001). He is retired now but was Canon Theologian at Chelmsford Cathedral.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Jesus himself could give us a short, practical course on how to live the Christian life? Here, in the ‘Sermon on the Mount’, we have the very teaching he gave his first followers. We might like to imagine ourselves among the close circle of Jesus’ disciples, standing or sitting around him as he speaks.

Many people talk of the Sermon on the Mount as though it is an easy, obvious and straightforward set of principles. In fact it is the very opposite! As Jesus opens up the great themes of Christian living, we find ourselves searched and stretched by his radical insights and commands. But whenever Jesus makes these extraordinary challenges, he first assures us of God’s fatherly love. When Jesus says to a wealthy man, ‘Sell everything you have and give to the poor, then come, follow me’, Mark tells us that first, ‘Jesus looked at him and loved him’ (Mark 10:21).

The Sermon on the Mount is one of the Bible’s greatest treasures. Here Jesus tells us how we can change the world for good, by our peace-making, forgiveness and secret, generous relationship with God. He teaches us how to pray simply and directly, and he urges us to trust our heavenly Father for our everyday needs. Above all, it is not the words on Jesus’ lips that count, nor the print on these pages in our Bibles, but whether we prove the truth of what we read by living it; by ‘walking the talk’.

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Bible in a Year 9

Wednesday 1 January

Matthew 5:1–12

Prepare How are you feeling about the people in your life, and your circumstances? Ask God for his grace in the face of any difficulties, so that you may give yourself in love and service today.

Read Matthew 5:1–12

Explore The word ‘blessed’ (‘happy’) wins our attention, because we all hope for happiness in this life. Google ‘secret of happiness’ and you will be offered nearly 100 million entries! But the happiness Jesus describes here is the very opposite of what we might expect.

While many people imagine that happiness comes from fame and fortune, Jesus lists the qualities of the world’s losers. He teaches his followers that they will appear to lack self-esteem and to be sad and weak (vs 3–5). In a world where egotism and self-promotion are admired, those who live like Jesus will be regarded as a push-over, lacking in ambition, and far too quick to apologise (vs 6–9). His followers will even be frustrated with themselves, because they long to live a godly life, but find it almost impossible to do so (v 10).

Jesus’ description of us, his followers, as ‘happy’ only makes sense because we are living by the values and joys of God’s kingdom – which is ‘not of this world’ (John 18:36). Jesus assures us we are absolutely on the right track when we find ourselves sharing his self-emptying humility (Philippians 2:5–8) and his sufferings (John 15:20).

Respond ‘Lord, share with me your kind of happiness today: the joy and pain of living for heaven on earth.’

‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’

Matthew 5:3 (NIV)

Genesis 1,2; Matthew 1

Happiness is …

Bible in a Year10

PrepareWhat’s on your heart, as you come before God today? ‘Father, despite all I want you to do for me, may I seek rather what I can do for you.’


Explore When Jesus describes his followers as ‘salt’ and ‘light’, he has a single strategy in mind: that we should actively engage with the society and world in which we live. Salt not only flavours food, but is also a preservative, fertiliser and disinfectant. We are ‘salt’ when we promote good and hinder evil. Light is only useful when it shines out, and Jesus says that we, too, must show God’s love to all by our acts of generosity and self-sacrifice (v 16). We mustn’t be like ships that never put to sea, or soldiers who only work from home!

The first and best way to change the world is by keeping God’s law. It gives guidance for all our relationships: with God himself, with other people, and with the whole of creation. God’s law is inspired, wonderful and good (Romans 7:12), guiding us in ways of wisdom, harmony and safety. Without it we are like a train without rails.

In Jesus’ time there was no shortage of people who observed God’s law. What do you think he means by saying we should ‘surpass’ their efforts?

‘You are the salt of the earth … You are the light of the world.’

Matthew 5:13,14 (NIV)


Agents for change

Matthew 5:13–20Thursday

2 January

Respond When Desmond Tutu was a boy, he saw a white priest doff his hat to his mother, who was a black domestic cleaner. That small courtesy changed his life. ‘Lord, take even my smallest actions and use them to change the world.’

Bible in a Year 11

Friday 3 January

Matthew 5:21–32

Prepare Jesus is the brilliant teacher whose truth will set us free (John 8:32). ‘Lord, show me the secrets of my heart and set me truly free today.’


Explore We have said that the best way to change the world is by keeping God’s law. Here Jesus addresses two well-known commandments: ‘You shall not murder’ and ‘You shall not commit adultery’ (Exodus 20:13,14). Murder is the taking of a God-given life and adultery is the breaking of a God-given bond. Untold damage is done by such behaviour. Sadly, when it doesn’t affect us personally, we too easily enjoy it as gossip.

Before we declare ourselves ‘not guilty’, Jesus shows how the seeds of disobedience are common and close. Murder, he says, springs from the slightest anger; adultery unfolds from the merest glance. It’s a first thought that kindles an eventual inferno.

To show us the urgency of the danger, Jesus suggests drastic remedies (vs 29,30). Mending a relationship is more important than any church-going. If tempted to adultery, we had better disable ourselves rather than proceed. Jesus makes us wince with the extreme humour of his examples, but his point was never more serious.

Jesus holds us responsible for dealing with our anger and lust. But only he can enable us to live the life he commands (Romans 7:24,25). Is self-control down to us, or does God work within us (Galatians 5:22,23)?

Respond ‘Jesus, my only Saviour, guide my heart, my mind, my eyes, my hands, in the way that leads to life.’

‘You have heard that it was said … “You shall not murder” … But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgement.’



Straight to the heart

Bible in a Year12

Prepare The teaching of Jesus reaches into every part of our lives – and there is always more to discover and learn. Ask God to help you to know him better and to share his life more fully today.


Explore ‘The best way to change the world is by keeping God’s law’; but that sounds rather narrow and rigid. Doesn’t Jesus set us free from being legalistic? Yes, indeed he does!

Jesus looks at the swearing of oaths (vs 33–37), the right to revenge (vs 38–42) and the limits of love (vs 43–48). Jewish teaching is clear. You can seal your oath by binding it to God, or something to do with God. You can exact compensation for a crime committed against you (but no more and no less). You must care for your ‘neighbour’ (someone of the same race and religion), but are free to neglect or reject everyone else.

Now Jesus, the liberator who sets us free, demolishes the walls of these narrow-focused rules. He dismisses ‘sacred’ oaths by saying our own character will prove our word. He irrigates the desert of legalism with rivers of grace. He dismantles the barriers between neighbour and stranger, friend and foe, by declaring that our Father God loves all equally and immeasurably; and so must we.

‘But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.’


Genesis 7,8; Psalms 1,2

Breaking the mould

Matthew 5:33–48Saturday

4 January

RespondWhat excites you most about this landscape of relationships, transformed by God’s generous love? How might it free up your attitude to a particular person or situation today?

Bible in a Year 13

Sunday 5 January

Psalm 99

Prepare Place yourself quietly in the presence of God. He is holy and majestic, beyond all that we can imagine. Yet he is here with you now: more loving than any parent; closer than any friend.

Read Psalm 99

Explore Do you ever feel shut in by your problems; your vision narrow and your faith weak? Perhaps this was the starting point for our psalmist – yet look where he arrives!

He begins, not with his own sense of inadequacy or gloom, but with the supreme and wonderful reign of God (vs 1–5). He reflects that God has engaged, in the past, with real people and situations (vs 6–8). He, too, can respond to this living God and take his place in the company of worshipping believers (v 9).

He thinks of Moses and Aaron from the days of the Exodus and Samuel from the days of the kings. They weren’t perfect people, but God spoke with them, enlisted them in his service, and persevered with them in friendship. They witnessed God’s power in action, but learned even more from his endless mercy.

So the psalmist has found a place to stand; a vantage point from which he can survey God’s grace in history; a view from which he can praise God in his own day.

Respond This God of old is our God and we know him even more completely, through Jesus his Son. God is King and Jesus is Lord, not only ‘there and then’, but here and now, and everywhere and for ever (Revelation 1:17,18). ‘At your feet we fall, mighty risen Lord.’

‘Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy.’

Psalm 99:5 (NIV)

Genesis 9–11; Matthew 4

A new vantage point

Bible in a Year14

Prepare Early in the morning, or late at night, Jesus prayed. He prays still – for us and with us. ‘Lord Jesus, think on me – and make me pure within’ (Synesius of Cyrene, ad 430, translated by Allen W Chatfield, 1876, Lutheran Hymnal).


Explore Today Jesus teaches us about two expressions of a righteous life: giving (6:2,3) and praying (6:5–15). With each, he emphasises that our true relationship with God is something essentially private, which only God sees.

In verses 2 and 5 Jesus paints a hilarious portrait of ‘hypocrites’ (people who wear a mask), performing their good deeds before an admiring public. Their reward is a reputation for generosity and piety. But to his disciples Jesus urges the utmost secrecy and promises rewards found only in heaven.

The prayer Jesus teaches (vs 9–13) begins with God’s concerns and then flows on to our own. It is a surprisingly intimate prayer, as Jesus shares with his friends his understanding of God as ‘Father’. What is your favourite part of this prayer; and is there anything you would like to add?

After teaching his prayer, Jesus again emphasises the importance of a forgiving life (vs 14,15). Before ever we ask God to forgive us our own sins, we must already have forgiven others theirs.

‘But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father … who sees what is done in secret.’

Matthew 6:6 (NIV)


SecretsMatthew 6:1–15

Monday 6 January

Respond What will be my secrets with God today: a confidential gift to someone and a quiet moment for prayer? And who is God showing me I must forgive, as an absolute priority? How did Jesus manage this himself (Luke 23:34)?

Bible in a Year 15

Tuesday 7 January

Matthew 6:16–24

Prepare New Year is a time for resolutions: about things we intend to change, or hope to achieve. ‘Lord, help me to learn what you want me to know and to become what you want me to be.’


Explore Jesus continues to challenge us with his teaching about the good life. After secret ‘giving’ and secret ‘praying’, he talks about secret ‘fasting’ (vs 16–18). He assumes that his followers will go without food or sleep at times, in order to focus on prayer. But this is to be a hidden activity, centred only on God, and quite different from a New Year diet!

Bit by bit, Jesus is outlining a life which is in orbit around God. The only possible explanation of a generous spirit, cheerful and contented, is that we have a single priority in our lives: to know God’s love and to do God’s will.

The great enemy of our Christian well-being is greed. Jesus calls it ‘Mammon’ – the god of materialism, money and gain. As with every other aspect of our behaviour, Jesus makes us responsible for the choices we make. Why does money hold such an attraction for us (1 Timothy 6:10) and why does Jesus see it as a dangerous rival to the living God?

Respond What are the priorities in your life, as expressed by your time and money, enthusiasms and goals? Is there a secret ‘fast’ you can offer for a while (from television, or social media sites, for example) so that you can focus (‘clear-eyed’, v 22) on what God really wants?

‘Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven … for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’


Genesis 14,15; Psalms 3,4

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