Study from God’s Word… Acts, Chapters 27 – 28 … Passage for Reflection: Acts 27: 35 – 36 … NIV 35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. 36 They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves.
My Journal for Today: Today’s highlighted text by Dr. Smith in his devotional will have little meaning unless you know or have studied the context from which it is taken. So, I exhort you to go back and read Acts, Chapter 27, where Dr. Luke recounts the voyage in an Egyptian vessel where the Apostle Paul and his Roman guard, along with Luke, were making as Paul was being taken to Rome to stand trial there. As you will read, the ship encounters a horrible storm, into which Paul had forewarned the ship should not set sail. However, they did; and Paul has an opportunity – by God’s divine intervention in the storm – to save all the men aboard IF they follow his lead and stay on board even though the ship is going to be destroyed.
You know, I’ve read that account before; and I’ve read the highlight passage before; but until, with Dr. Smith’s help, today, I had never seen how the meal Paul shared with the ship’s crew was a picture of the “last supper” with all the spiritual ramifications involved in that meal of remembrance and cleansing. It’s really a wonderful picture of how all of us are in the vessel of life where The Lord is our Captain. And our life vessel is going to go through storms at some point on our voyage; but how our ship traverses the storm will have everything to do with how we feed daily on the Bread of Life.
And we need to take heart, as Christians on God’s vessel of life, that God is going to bring us through the storms of life - IF and when we’re willing to remember our Lord’s way and partake of His Bread of Life [i.e., His word]. It’s easy for us to forgetfully or fearfully avoid doing this daily, just as the men on the Egyptian ship had done on the fateful voyage into their storm. But Paul reminded them to remember to follow God’s way and to take the “bread of life” in remembrance of The Lord. And they did; and they were saved.
Dr. Smith’s discipleship question for today is as follows: ”How can I survive life’s storms if I do not partake regularly of both the Bread of Life and the memorial by which I remember Him?” And I don’t think that question refers to how often we, as Christians, take communion as much as it reflects on how much and how regularly we feed on God’s truth from His word. If we do not seek a remembrance of God by partaking of the “Bread of Life” daily, how can we expect to weather the storms of life?
I’m going to leave it there today. It’s a lot to take in; and I personally was edified greatly by today’s message. I hope you were too.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, as I take in your “Daily Bread,” You keep me on course on this journey through life’s storms. Amen
Showing posts with label Communion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Communion. Show all posts
Monday, December 13, 2010
Sunday, May 03, 2009
2009 – Day 122.May 03 – from The Daily Bread - In Remembrance of Me
2009 – Day 122.May 03 – from The Daily Bread - In Remembrance of Me
Blogger’s Note: On vacation with family, when I left home, traveling to East TN, I left the Swindoll devotional book at home. Therefore, I’ve chosen to use the devotions from the classic book, The Daily Bread, for my devotionals while I’m on vacation. The online version was available for me to use during my travels.
Daily Bread Passage for May 3: Luke 22: 7 - 22 ... Passage linked for your study …
My Journal for Today: The author of today’s devotional in The Daily Bread uses a common scenario to help us identify with the Last Supper scene from today’s passage in Luke 22. The scene had two parents leaving pictures of themselves at the eye level of their toddler when they left the child with a baby sitter to help the child remember that the parents would be there for the child in their absence.
And here we have Jesus, knowing that He would not physically be with His Disciples very soon; and so He takes a ritual very familiar to them, the Passover Supper, and gives them a picture in remembrance of Him. I’ve always felt that the sensitivity and love shown in this scene, as we read about it in the New Testament, here in Luke and in the Upper Room Discourse of John 13 – 16, illustrates just how far God will go with His love to reinforce the truth that He will never leave us nor forsake us, a message we can read over and over again in His word (see Deut. 31: 6, Joshua 1: 5, and Hebrews 13: 5).
As the sheep of His flock, Jesus knew His disciples (including you and me) would feel separated at times from our Good Shepherd. So, He gave us a poignant and powerful reminder that would help reinforce the Good Shepherd’s promise that He would die so that we will live forever. As His sheep, we need the truth of Isaiah 53: 6 [linked] bored into our minds and hearts; and our Communion was/is one of God’s way of doing that.
I hope you have ways, like the sharing of Communion, to remember the Good Shepherd in your life. As the sheep of His flock, it’s pretty easy for us to fall prey to letting the circumstances of life dampen or deter our vision of our Shepherd. However, every time I come back to His word every morning – like I am here with this journaling – I’m given a picture at my eye level to remind me that my Good Shepherd is right here with me. And as I write this, I do so in remembrance of Him.
My Prayer for Today: Oh, my Good Shepherd, thank You for giving me remembrances from Your word of Your presence. Amen
PS NOTE: The timing and imagery of the Daily Bread author today using a “baby sitter” scenario to illustrate God’s desire to comfort His children with His New Covenant Communion was not lost on me today since I had left my “security blanket” (i.e., my daily devotional book) when I left home. It was as if God was saying to this little wayward lamb, “Don’t worry, Bill, … My word from The Daily Bread will bring Me close to you.” And it did just that!
Blogger’s Note: On vacation with family, when I left home, traveling to East TN, I left the Swindoll devotional book at home. Therefore, I’ve chosen to use the devotions from the classic book, The Daily Bread, for my devotionals while I’m on vacation. The online version was available for me to use during my travels.
Daily Bread Passage for May 3: Luke 22: 7 - 22 ... Passage linked for your study …
My Journal for Today: The author of today’s devotional in The Daily Bread uses a common scenario to help us identify with the Last Supper scene from today’s passage in Luke 22. The scene had two parents leaving pictures of themselves at the eye level of their toddler when they left the child with a baby sitter to help the child remember that the parents would be there for the child in their absence.
And here we have Jesus, knowing that He would not physically be with His Disciples very soon; and so He takes a ritual very familiar to them, the Passover Supper, and gives them a picture in remembrance of Him. I’ve always felt that the sensitivity and love shown in this scene, as we read about it in the New Testament, here in Luke and in the Upper Room Discourse of John 13 – 16, illustrates just how far God will go with His love to reinforce the truth that He will never leave us nor forsake us, a message we can read over and over again in His word (see Deut. 31: 6, Joshua 1: 5, and Hebrews 13: 5).
As the sheep of His flock, Jesus knew His disciples (including you and me) would feel separated at times from our Good Shepherd. So, He gave us a poignant and powerful reminder that would help reinforce the Good Shepherd’s promise that He would die so that we will live forever. As His sheep, we need the truth of Isaiah 53: 6 [linked] bored into our minds and hearts; and our Communion was/is one of God’s way of doing that.
I hope you have ways, like the sharing of Communion, to remember the Good Shepherd in your life. As the sheep of His flock, it’s pretty easy for us to fall prey to letting the circumstances of life dampen or deter our vision of our Shepherd. However, every time I come back to His word every morning – like I am here with this journaling – I’m given a picture at my eye level to remind me that my Good Shepherd is right here with me. And as I write this, I do so in remembrance of Him.
My Prayer for Today: Oh, my Good Shepherd, thank You for giving me remembrances from Your word of Your presence. Amen
PS NOTE: The timing and imagery of the Daily Bread author today using a “baby sitter” scenario to illustrate God’s desire to comfort His children with His New Covenant Communion was not lost on me today since I had left my “security blanket” (i.e., my daily devotional book) when I left home. It was as if God was saying to this little wayward lamb, “Don’t worry, Bill, … My word from The Daily Bread will bring Me close to you.” And it did just that!
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