Daily Bible Verse

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Proverbs 25:21-22 KJV

21 If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:
22 For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee.


Heaping Coals on Enemies

Dan endured daily beatings from the same prison guard. He felt compelled by Jesus to love this man, so one morning, before the beating was about to begin, Dan said, “Sir, if I’m going to see you every day for the rest of my life, let’s become friends.” The guard said, “No sir. We can never be friends.” Dan insisted and reached out his hand.

The guard froze. He began to shake, then grabbed Dan’s hand and wouldn’t let go. Tears streamed down his face. He said, “Dan, my name is Rosoc. I would love to be your friend.” The guard didn’t beat Dan that day, or ever again.

Scripture tells us, “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you” (Proverbs 25:21–22). The “coals” imagery may reflect an Egyptian ritual in which a guilty person showed his repentance by carrying a bowl of hot coals on his head. Similarly, our kindness may cause our enemies to become red in the face from embarrassment, which may lead them to repentance.

Who is your enemy? Whom do you dislike? Dan discovered that the kindness of Christ was strong enough to change any heart—his enemy’s and his own. We can too.


Reflect & Pray
What kind act might you do today to “heap burning coals” on your enemy’s head? How might you pray specifically for them?

Dear Jesus, I praise You that Your kindness leads me to repentance and inspires me to be kind to my enemies.


Insight
The first verse of Proverbs 25 tells us that the proverbs in chapters 25–29 were “of Solomon, compiled by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah.” You may recall Hezekiah as the good king who fought against idolatry and the Assyrians and led the people in following God (2 Kings 18:1–8).

The various sections of the book of Proverbs (including today’s reading) usually don’t have an obvious theme. They’re simply “collections” of wise sayings by which we may live. So, it’s interesting to note that of the five proverbs in 25:18–23, four are warnings against the negative fallout of imprudent behavior (vv. 18, 19, 20, 23). Such evil actions are likely to create animosity. The proverb contained in verses 21–22 stands in contrast to the warnings against such unwise (or evil) actions.
 

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Mark 2:15 KJV

And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.


The Gospel in Unexpected Places

Recently, I found myself someplace I’d seen in movies and on TV more times than I could count: Hollywood, California. There, in the foothills of Los Angeles, those enormous white letters marched proudly across that famous hillside as I viewed them from my hotel window.

Then I noticed something else: down to the left was a prominent cross. I’d never seen that in a movie. And the moment I left my hotel room, some students from a local church began to share Jesus with me.

We might sometimes think of Hollywood as only the epicenter of worldliness, in utter contrast with God’s kingdom. Yet clearly Christ was at work there, catching me by surprise with His presence.

The Pharisees were consistently surprised by where Jesus turned up. He didn’t hang out with the people they expected. Instead, Mark 2:13–17 tells us He spent time with “tax collectors and sinners” (v. 15), people whose lives practically screamed, “Unclean!” Yet there Jesus was, among those who needed Him most (vv. 16–17).

More than two thousand years later, Jesus continues to plant His message of hope and salvation in unexpected places, among the most unexpected of people. And He’s called and equipped us to be a part of that mission.


Reflect & Pray

When have you noticed God at work in a place that surprised you? What adjustments might you make to be open to the Spirit leading you into unexpected places?

Heavenly Father, thank You for showing up even in places where I’m tempted to believe You’re absent. Thank You for calling me to be a part of Your mission.


Insight
The Pharisees accused Jesus of associating with two groups of “undesirable” people—tax collectors and sinners (Mark 2:16). Tax collectors were despised and hated by the Jews because they were regarded as greedy mercenaries and traitors working for the Roman conquerors. They also collected more money than the mandated Roman tax, pocketing the excess and enriching themselves at the expense of their own people (Luke 3:12–13). “Sinners,” in Jewish parlance, were the notoriously wicked; reprobates who rejected God’s law. The Pharisees also used “sinners” to denote anyone who didn’t meticulously maintain ceremonial purity or follow their rigid pharisaic standards. Tax collectors were deliberately lumped together with sinners to show how degenerate and wicked the tax-collectors were. Jesus was invited to dine with all sorts of people, even with the Pharisees (7:36; 11:37). He ate so often with social and religious outcasts—the scum of society—that He earned the reputation as “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (7:34).
 

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2 Peter 3:9 KJV

9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.


Parting Words

As he neared the end of his life, John M. Perkins had a message for the people he would leave behind. Perkins, known for advocating racial reconciliation, said, “Repentance is the only way back to God. Unless you repent, you will all perish.”

These words mirror the language of Jesus and many other people in the Bible. Christ said, “Unless you repent, you too will all perish” (Luke 13:3). The apostle Peter said, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out” (Acts 3:19).

Much earlier in Scripture, we read the words of yet another person who desired that his people would turn to God. In his farewell address “to all Israel” (1 Samuel 12:1), the prophet, priest, and judge Samuel said, “Do not be afraid. You have done . . . evil; yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart” (v. 20). This was his message of repentance—to turn from evil and follow God wholeheartedly.

We all sin and miss the mark of His standard. So we need to repent, which means to turn away from sin and turn to Jesus, who forgives us and empowers us to follow Him. Let’s heed the words of two men, John Perkins and Samuel, who recognized how God can use the power of repentance to change us into people He can use for His honor.


Reflect & Pray
Why is it vital to turn from sin and ask Christ for forgiveness? What does it mean for you to follow God with all your heart?

Dear God, guide me to true repentance. Please help me to recognize my sin and put my total trust in the saving power of Jesus.


Insight
When God freed the Israelites from Egyptian bondage to make them into “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6), He specifically commanded them not the follow the ways of her pagan neighbors or worship their gods (23:32; Deuteronomy 7:1–6). Israel was a theocratic monarchy—God was their Lawgiver and King (Isaiah 33:22; 43:15), and they were to live according to His law (Deuteronomy 26:16–19). God anticipated the day that Israel would ask for a king (17:14–19) so they’d be “like all the other nations” (1 Samuel 8:5, 20). Refusing to be God’s “holy nation” (Exodus 19:6), the Israelites rejected God’s ways and His rule over them to follow the ways of pagan nations and other gods (1 Samuel 8:7–8). God warned the Israelites of the consequences of asking for such a king (vv. 10–21).

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1 Thessalonians 5:19

Quinch not the Spirit


Connected to the Power Source

Despite knowing that the electricity wasn’t working in our house after a strong storm (an inconveniently common occurrence in our neighborhood), I instinctively flipped on the light switch when I entered the room. Of course, nothing happened. I was still enveloped in darkness.That experience—expecting light even when I knew the connection to the power source was broken—vividly reminded me of a spiritual truth. Too often we expect power even as we fail to rely on the Spirit.In 1 Thessalonians, Paul wrote of the way God caused the gospel message to come “not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction” (1:5). And when we accept God’s forgiveness, believers too have immediate access to the power of His Spirit in our lives. That power cultivates in us characteristics such as love, joy, peace, and patience (Galatians 5:22–23) and it empowers us with gifts to serve the church, including teaching, helping, and guiding (1 Corinthians 12:28).Paul warned his readers that it’s possible to “quench the spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19). We might restrict the power of the Spirit by ignoring God’s presence or rejecting His conviction (John 16:8). But we don’t have to live disconnected from Him. God’s power is always available to His children.


Reflect & Pray

When have you felt the Spirit’s power to be limited? How have you experienced the power of God’s Spirit?Almighty God, help me experience the power of Your Spirit in my life.


Insight

In Paul’s time, Thessalonica was the capital city of the Roman second district of Macedonia. It was a center of heavy commerce and the place the apostle transitioned to after his arrest and beatings in Philippi (Acts 16). With his coworkers Silas and Timothy, the church was established there after the gospel had been preached in the synagogue for three consecutive Sabbath days (17:1–9). While the Jewish population turned against Paul and his team, some of the “God-fearing Greeks” (gentile proselytes to Judaism, v. 4) embraced the gospel, apparently becoming the core of the new church assembly there.Most scholars are convinced that 1 Thessalonians was written by Paul in Corinth around the early 50s ad. Paul affectionately commended the believers in Jesus for their faithfulness and commitment to Christ (1:4–10). That commendation has caused some to refer to Thessalonica as the “ideal first-century church.”  
 
 

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Psalm 62:8 KJV
Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.


Our Refuge

A place where the buffalo roamed in North America. That’s truly what it was in the beginning. The Plains Indians followed bison there until settlers moved in with herds and crops. The land was later used as a chemical manufacturing site after Pearl Harbor during World War II, then even later for Cold War weapon demilitarization. But then one day a roost of bald eagles was discovered there, and soon the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge was born—a fifteen-thousand-acre expanse of prairie, wetland, and woodland habitat on the edges of the metropolis of Denver, Colorado. It’s now one of the largest urban refuges, or sanctuaries, in the country—a safe, protected home for more than three hundred species of animals, from black-footed ferrets to burrowing owls to bald eagles, and you guessed it: roaming buffalo.

The psalmist tells us that “God is our refuge” (62:8). Far greater than any earthly place of refuge, God is our true sanctuary, a safe, protected presence in whom “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). He’s our refuge in whom we can place our trust “at all times” (Psalm 62:8). And He’s our sanctuary where we can boldly bring all our prayers, pouring out our hearts.

God is our refuge. That’s who He was in the beginning, who He is now, and who He always will be.


Reflect & Pray
What does the phrase “God is our refuge” mean to you? What is one thing on your heart you’d like to pour out to Him?

Loving God, thank You for being my safe and protected dwelling place.


Insight
Many of David’s psalms came from a time of exile. Yahweh’s prophet Samuel had anointed him king over Israel (1 Samuel 16:13), but he waited years to experience many of the benefits. Later in life, he spent time on the run from his own son Absalom (2 Samuel 15).

David’s confidence in God as a rock, refuge, and fortress wasn’t new in those moments of his life. He understood in his debut battle with the Philistine warrior Goliath that Yahweh was a warrior-God. But back then, David could do something—he fought the giant on the field of battle.

However, Psalm 62 describes how he had to trust God when he couldn’t do something about his predicament. The psalm gives us a peek into David’s growing realization that even when he’s helpless, his God is not.
 

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James 1:12 KJV
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.


Unchanging God

An iconic photo shows the tread of a boot against a gray background. It’s astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s footprint, which he left on the moon in 1969. Scientists say that footprint is likely still there, unchanged after all these years. Without wind or water, nothing on the moon gets eroded, so what happens on the lunar landscape stays there.

It’s even more awesome to reflect on the constant presence of God Himself. James writes, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17). The apostle puts this in the context of our own struggles: “When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy” (v. 2 nlt). Why? Because we’re loved by a great and unchanging God!

In times of trouble, we need to remember God’s constant provision. Perhaps we might recall the words of the great hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”: “There is no shadow of turning with thee; / thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not; / as thou hast been thou forever wilt be.” Yes, our God has left His permanent footprint on our world. He will always be there for us. Great is His faithfulness.


Reflect & Pray
What kind of troubles are you facing today? How does understanding God’s unchanging presence help you in your struggles?

Dear God, I’m discouraged because of these hardships of late. I worry about how things will turn out. Yet I know You’re there and will provide. Help me to rest in that assurance.


Insight
The letter of James is written to “the twelve tribes scattered among the nations” (James 1:1). “Twelve tribes” alerts the reader that the recipients are Jewish. Everything we know about ancient Israelite culture, society, and identity applies to the readers. “Scattered among the nations,” identifies them as immigrants who were dispersed because of persecution. Perhaps forced, perhaps not. They were living in a place and among a people that were not their own. They were the minority group, culturally and religiously. Phrases like “trials of many kinds” (v. 2) take on new significance when we think about the kinds of trials an ethnic and religious minority might face.
 

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Romans 12:2 KJV
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

 A “master of disguise” lives in the waters of Indonesia and in the Great Barrier Reef. The mimic octopus, like other octopuses, can change its skin pigment to blend in with its surroundings. This intelligent creature also changes its shape, movement pattern, and behavior when threatened to mimic such creatures as the venomous lionfish and even deadly sea snakes.Unlike the mimic octopus, believers in Jesus are meant to stand out in the world that surrounds us. We may feel threatened by those who disagree with us and become tempted to blend in so we won’t be recognized as followers of Christ. The apostle Paul, however, urges us to offer our bodies as a “living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God” (Romans 12:1), representing Jesus in every aspect of our lives.Friends or family members may try to pressure us to conform to the “pattern of this world” (v. 2). But we can show who we serve by aligning our lives with what we say we believe as God’s children. When we obey the Scriptures and reflect His loving character, our lives can demonstrate that the rewards of obedience are always greater than any loss. How will you mimic Jesus today?


Reflect & Pray
When have you been tempted to become an unrecognizable believer in Jesus? When have you become alienated from family members or friends because you chose to represent Jesus through your words and actions?Loving Jesus, please give me courage and confidence to reflect You to others.


Insight

The Greek word translated “renewing” (Romans 12:2), anakainōsis, is used sparsely in the New Testament. It means “a renewal, renovation, complete change for the better.” Rather than surrendering to the normal patterns of this world—“the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16)—believers in Jesus are to constantly undergo “adjustment of moral and spiritual vision and thinking to the mind of God.” How so? By the Holy Spirit’s renewal (see Titus 3:5), which “is not a fresh bestowment of the Spirit but a revival of His power, developing the Christian life” (Vine's Expository Dictionary).
 

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Exodus 16:15

And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, ||It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, xThis is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.


Residents of Olten, Switzerland, were surprised by a shower of chocolate shavings covering the entire town. The ventilation system at a nearby chocolate factory had malfunctioned, sending cocoa into the air and dusting the area with confectionary goodness. The chocolate coating sounds like a dream come true for chocoholics!

While chocolate doesn’t adequately provide for one’s nutritional needs, God supplied the Israelites with heavenly showers that did. As they traveled through the desert, they began to grumble about the variety of food they’d left behind in Egypt. In response, God said He would “rain down bread from heaven” to sustain them (Exodus 16:4). When the morning dew dried up each day, a thin flake of food remained. Approximately two million Israelites were instructed to gather as much as they needed that day. For forty years of their desert wanderings, they were nourished by God’s supernatural provision in manna.

We know little about manna except that it was “white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey” (v. 31). Though manna may not sound as appealing as a steady diet of chocolate, the sweetness of God’s provision for His people is clear. Manna points us to Jesus who described Himself as the “bread of life” (John 6:48) that sustains us daily and assures us of life eternal (v. 51).


Reflect & Pray
How has God provided for you? How does Jesus being the “bread of life” encourage you to trust Him?

Father God, thank You for providing for my deepest need in Jesus and sustaining me every day.


Reflect & Pray
How has God provided for you? How does Jesus being the “bread of life” encourage you to trust Him?

Father God, thank You for providing for my deepest need in Jesus and sustaining me every day.


Insight
Having crossed the Red Sea, which was the final act of their liberation from Egypt, the Israelites transitioned on to Sinai. The elements of the transition include a season of worship at the Red Sea (15:1–21), cleansing the bitter waters at Marah (vv. 22–27), God’s provision of manna and quail (ch. 16) and water from the rock (17:1–7), a battle against the Amalekites (vv. 8–16), a leadership summit with Jethro (ch. 18), and their arrival at Sinai (ch. 19). At Sinai, God reintroduced Himself to His chosen people, and Israel further transitioned from being a massive extended family to becoming a nation with laws.