September 16, 2006

“They”

I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants . . . to be God to you. —Genesis 17:7

A self-employed inventor from Branson, Missouri, decided to change his name to “They.” He said he did it for fun to address the common reference that people make to “they.” He remarked, “People say, ‘They do this,’ or ‘They’re to blame for that.’ ‘They’ accomplish such great things. Somebody had to be responsible.” When his friends call his home, they ask, “Is They there?” His new name must drive grammarians crazy.

Abram’s name was changed, but not on a whim. The Lord changed it. In biblical times, God often changed a person’s name to indicate what He was going to do through that person.

Abram’s name (“exalted father”) was changed to Abraham (“father of many”) because God had promised to make him a father of many nations (Gen. 17:5) through whom “all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (12:3).

In fulfillment of God’s promise, Jesus came from the line of Abraham and blessed the nations by giving His life for our sins. When we believe in Him, we are blessed and are promised eternal life with Him. God now calls us by new names: “My people” and “sons of the living God” (Rom. 9:25-26). As His people, we can be used by Him to bless others. —Anne Cetas

Bless me, Lord, and make me a blessing;
I’ll gladly your message convey;
Use me to help some poor needy soul,
And make me a blessing today. —Anon.

God gives blessings to us so that we can give blessings to others.

Bible in One Year: Bible in One Year; Proverbs 25-26; 2 Corinthians 9

September 17, 2006

Scattered!

READ: Acts 8:1-8

Those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the Word. —Acts 8:4

In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the US Gulf Coast and displaced an estimated 1.3 million households. With cities and towns evacuated, homes destroyed, and jobs gone, people relocated to communities in every state including Alaska and Hawaii. Because Christians are not immune to the storms of life, it’s likely that thousands of people who love the Lord found themselves in places they never expected to live.

Yet many of those same people whose hopes and plans were shattered by Katrina would also bring God’s love to others across the US. Like the early Christians who were forced out of Jerusalem by persecution, it could be said of them: “Those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the Word” (Acts 8:4).

While none of us would choose this kind of financial loss and disruption, would we see it as an opportunity to share the hope Jesus Christ has given us?

The apostle Peter’s letter reminded Christians who had been scattered among the nations to “be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15).

If we are uprooted, we can scatter the seeds of the gospel wherever we go. —David C. McCasland

We’re always sowing seeds in life
By everything we do and say,
So let’s make sure we sow God’s Word
Among the ones we meet each day. —Hess

There’s no wrong place to share the gospel.

Bible in One Year: Bible in One Year; Proverbs 27-29; 2 Corinthians 10