Stand Strong: 365 Devotions for Men by Men
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Stand Strong: 365 Devotions for Men by Men
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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781627079006 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Our Daily Bread Publishing |
| Publication date: | 10/01/2018 |
| Pages: | 384 |
| Sales rank: | 107,449 |
| Product dimensions: | 4.20(w) x 6.40(h) x 1.10(d) |
| Age Range: | 3 Months to 18 Years |
About the Author
Daniel Ryan Day is a family man, radio host, podcaster, and writer. He’s authored Ten Days Without, a book raising awareness for global social needs, and What’s Next, offering hope and practical wisdom for those struggling to figure out their next step in life. Daniel holds a Master’s Degree in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary and is the Director of YMI US and Podcasting at Our Daily Bread Ministries. He's married to his high school sweetheart, Rebecca, and they have three kiddos. He’s often found in the studio noodling around on the keyboard or at home chillin’ with their sheep.
Dave Branon retired in 2021 after a 40-year career as a writer and editor with Our Daily Bread Ministries. With more than 1,200 articles so far, Dave continues to write for the Our Daily Bread devotional. He has also written 20 books, which include Beyond the Valley: Finding Hope in Life's Losses and Lands of the Bible Today. He and his wife, Sue, have four children and eight grandchildren, and live in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Bill Crowder joined the Our Daily Bread Ministries staff in 2001 after more than 20 years in the pastorate stretching from West Virginia to southern California to west Michigan. Over the years, Bill has spent much of his time in a Bible-conference ministry around the world, serving ODBM offices and their outreach to their local communities.
Bill is a contributing writer for the Our Daily Bread devotional and has written many Bible study booklets for ODBM’s Discovery Series. He has also published a number of books with Our Daily Bread Publishing, including Wisdom for Our Worries. Bill also serves as cohost on Discover the Word, a podcast and daily radio program heard nationwide.
Now semiretired, Bill and his wife, Marlene, live in North Carolina. They have been married for over 45 years and have five adult children and a growing legion of grandchildren. To relax, Bill enjoys playing golf whenever possible, and following sports, especially the English Premier League’s Liverpool Football Club.
James Banks (D.Min, Gordon-Conwell) makes his home in Durham, North Carolina, with his wife, Cari, where James is the founding pastor of Peace Church. James’s adventure with writing started in 4th grade when his teacher discovered it was a great way to keep him out of trouble! He loves to encourage others to draw close to God through heartfelt prayer and fresh insight from Scripture. James’s books have been translated into many languages and have touched the lives of over half a million people. They include Prayers for Prodigals, Praying the Prayers of the Bible, Prayers for Your Children, Peace Through Prayer, Hope Lies Ahead (which he co-wrote with his son Geoffrey), and others. You can find teaching from James through Our Daily Bread University’s popular Prayer Basics series and the Praying with Jesus DVD. James is featured weekly on the Encouraging Prayer radio broadcast and podcast and is a much-loved speaker for churches and retreats. You can find out more about what James is up to lately by visiting JamesBanks.org.
Mike Wittmer is Professor of Systematic Theology at Cornerstone Theological Seminary and Senior Pastor of Cedar Springs Baptist Church in Michigan. His books include Heaven Is a Place on Earth (Zondervan), The Last Enemy (Discovery House Publishers), Despite Doubt (Discovery House Publishers), Becoming Worldly Saints (Zondervan), The Bible Explainer (Barbour), and Urban Legends of Theology (B & H). Mike and his wife, Julie, love serving their church together and making memories with their adult children.
Sheridan Voysey is an author, speaker, and broadcaster based in Oxford, United Kingdom. He is the author of eight books, including The Making of Us, Resurrection Year, Reflect with Sheridan, and the Our Daily Bread Publishing titles Resilient and Unseen Footprints. Sheridan is a presenter of Pause for Thought on BBC Radio 2’s Breakfast Show; is a regular guest on other broadcast networks across the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and beyond; and speaks at conferences and events around the world. Sheridan blogs and podcasts at www.sheridanvoysey.com
Marvin Williams is an associate Bible teacher for Our Daily Bread Ministries and a contributing writer for the Our Daily Bread devotional and Our Daily Journey online community. He is also the senior teaching pastor of Trinity Church in Lansing, Michigan. Educated at Bishop College in Dallas, Texas, and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois, he previously served in several pastoral positions in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He and his wife, Tonia, have three children.
David McCasland is a contributor to Our Daily Bread and the author of Eric Liddell: Pure Gold and Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God, which won the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association Gold Medallion for biography. He and his wife live in Colorado.
David Roper served as a pastor for many years. Now, he and his wife, Carolyn, offer encouragement and counsel to pastoral couples through Idaho Mountain Ministries. David is a former Our Daily Bread writer and author of more than a dozen books, including The God Who Walks Beside Us and Teach Us to Number Our Days. Nearly one million of his books are in print.
As a “third-culture kid” (parents from one culture who raised him in another), Tim Gustafson attended eight different schools in his first nine years of schooling, plus a “semester at sea” that comprised first grade. His adoptive parents were missionaries who traveled several times by ship. The penchant for traveling didn’t stop with adulthood, and it’s served him well as he continues his career as a writer and editor. A military veteran of three deployments, Tim and his wife, Leisa, have eight children—seven of whom are boys—and a granddaughter.
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
JANUARY 1
Stand Strong
2 TIMOTHY 4:1–8
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. — 2 TIMOTHY 4:7 Andrew Carroll has been urging people not to throw away letters written by family members or friends during war times. Carroll, director of the Center for American War Letters, says, "Younger generations are reading these letters, asking questions, and saying, 'Now I understand what you endured, what you sacrificed.'"
When Paul was imprisoned in Rome and knew his life would soon end, he wrote a letter to a young man he considered a "son in the faith," Timothy. Paul opened his heart to him: "The time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day" (2 TIMOTHY 4:6–8).
When we read the letters in the Bible from heroes of the Christian faith and grasp what they endured because of their love for Christ, we gain courage to follow their example and to stand strong for those who come after us. * David McCasland
JANUARY 2
Strength of a Man
1 CORINTHIANS 16:9–13
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. — 1 CORINTHIANS 16:13 Some years ago I found myself in an elevator with a couple of men. It was late at night, and we all looked weary. The elevator stopped, and a larger-than-life cowboy ambled in, wearing a battered hat, an old, stained sheepskin coat, and rundown logger boots. He looked us up and down and growled, "Good evening, men." All of us straightened up and squared our shoulders. We were trying to live up to the name.
Let's talk about living up to the name man. We try to be strong and macho, but often it's just a façade. Underneath the bravado we harbor a host of fears, insecurities, and shortcomings. Much of our manliness is pure bluff.
Paul was man enough to admit it: "We are weak," he said (2 CORINTHIANS 13:4). That's a humbling fact. Yet Paul also insisted that we are to "be courageous" (1 CORINTHIANS 16:13).
How can we be the strong person God meant for us to be? Only by putting ourselves in God's hands and asking Him to make us that way through His power and enablement. * David Roper
JANUARY 3
The Best Is Yet to Come
DEUTERONOMY 34
The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemies before you, saying, "Destroy them!" — DEUTERONOMY 33:27
Are the best days of your life in front of you? Our outlook on life — and our answer to that question — can change with time. When we're younger, we look ahead. Once we've grown older, we yearn for the past. But when we walk with God, whatever our age, the best is yet to come!
Over the course of his long life, Moses witnessed the amazing things God did, many of which happened when he was no longer young. Moses was eighty when he confronted Pharaoh and saw God miraculously set His people free from slavery (EXODUS 3–13). Moses saw the Red Sea part, saw manna fall from heaven, and even spoke with God "face to face" (14:21; 16:4; 33:11).
Moses lived expectantly, looking ahead to what God would do (HEBREWS 11:24–27). Even when he was one hundred twenty years old, he understood that his life with God was just getting started and that he would never see an end to God's greatness and love.
Regardless of our age, God's "everlasting arms" (DEUTERONOMY 33:27) faithfully carry us securely through each new day. * James Banks
JANUARY 4
As Is
2 CORINTHIANS 5:14–21
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
— 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17
The beat-up old car sits on the used-car lot, rusty and forsaken. Years of abuse and hard driving have taken their toll.
A man walks onto the lot and is attracted to this rust bucket. He plunks down cash, and the sales person hands over the keys while saying, "I'm selling you this car 'as is.'" The new owner just smiles. He knows his cars, and he's about to restore this castoff to its former beauty.
Across town, a troubled man sits in forlorn sadness, contemplating where he went wrong. Years of abuse and hard living have taken their toll. He's been rejected so many times he feels he has little value. After all that misery and pain, he's sure he will be left on life's junk heap forever.
Then someone tells him about Jesus. Someone mentions that Jesus specializes in castoffs and that He is waiting to transform anyone who trusts Him.
Someone tells him that Jesus will take him "as is." He believes. He trusts. And Jesus begins to restore another lost person to the abundant life He has promised. * Dave Branon
JANUARY 5
The Big Comeback
1 JOHN 1
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
— 1 JOHN 1:9
While playing in the NFL, Chad Pennington suffered multiple career-threatening type of injuries. Twice his injuries forced him to endure surgery, therapy, and extensive training to get back onto the field. He not only returned to playing but he also excelled so much he was twice named Comeback Player of the Year. Pennington's efforts were an expression of his determined spirit.
Spiritually, when sin and failure break our relationship with God and sideline our service, determination alone cannot restore us to rightness and usefulness. When we are sidelined by sin, the path to a comeback is confession. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 JOHN 1:9).
For us to be able to recover from our spiritual failings, we depend on the One who gave himself for us. He gives us hope. Christ, who died for us, loves us and will respond with grace as we confess our faults to Him. Through confession, we can find His gracious restoration — the greatest of all comebacks. * Bill Crowder
JANUARY 6
A Devoted Heart
2 CHRONICLES 17:1–11, 20:32
He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.
— 2 CHRONICLES 20:32
A successful Christian businessman shared his story at church. Candid about his struggles with faith and abundant wealth, he declared, "Wealth scares me!"
"But," the businessman stated, "I've learned a lesson from Solomon's verdict on the abundance of wealth. It's all 'meaningless'" (ECCLESIASTES 2:11). The man determined not to let wealth get in the way of his devotion to God. Rather, he wanted to serve God with his assets and help the needy.
Throughout the centuries, God has blessed some people materially. We read of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 17:5, "The Lord established the kingdom ... so that he had great wealth and honor." He did not become proud or bully others with his wealth. Instead, "his heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord" (V. 6). Also, "he followed the ways of his father Asa and did not stray from them; he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord" (20:32).
The Lord is not against wealth, but He is definitely against the unethical acquisition and wrong use of it. He is worthy of devotion from all His followers. * Lawrence Darmani
JANUARY 7
Windtalkers
2 PETER 1:19–21
For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. — 2 PETER 1:21
Their contribution to victory in World War II was enormous, but few people even knew about them. In 1942, the US Army trained twenty-nine young Navajo Indians and sent them to a secret base. These people, called "windtalkers," had been asked to use their native language to devise a special code the enemy couldn't break. They succeeded! The code was never broken. It secured and speeded up war communications.
By contrast, the Bible was not sent down to us in some unbreakable code impossible to understand. Although it contains rich imagery, vivid metaphors, and the record of magnificent visions, it was written by human authors to give people the message of God's love and salvation.
That message is clear and unmistakable. The biblical writers were moved by God's Spirit to record exactly what He wanted us to know. For centuries people have been freed from their sin and guilt by believing His message.
We owe a great debt to the writers of Scripture, who received God's Word and wrote it down. So let's read it often. * David Egner
JANUARY 8
The Power of Demonstration
2 TIMOTHY 3:10–17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.
— 2 TIMOTHY 3:16
My attempts at fixing things around the house usually lead to paying someone else to undo the damage. But recently I successfully repaired a home appliance by watching a YouTube video with step-by-step details.
Paul was a powerful example to his young protégé Timothy, who watched him in action. From prison in Rome, Paul wrote, "You ... know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings" (2 TIMOTHY 3:10–11). In addition, he urged Timothy to "continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures" (VV. 14–15).
Paul's life demonstrated the necessity of building our lives on God's Word. He reminded Timothy that the Bible is our powerful, God-given source.
As we thank God for everyone who helped us grow in faith, we are challenged to follow their example as we seek to teach and encourage others.
That's the power of demonstration. * David McCasland
JANUARY 9
By the Spirit's Power
ZECHARIAH 4:1–7
"What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of 'God bless it! God bless it!'" — ZECHARIAH 4:7
What do you do when there is a mountain in your way? The story of Dashrath Manjhi from India can inspire us. When his wife died because he couldn't get her to the hospital, Manjhi did what seemed impossible. He spent twenty-two years chiseling — by hand — a gap in a mountain so others could get medical help!
Rebuilding the temple must have looked impossible to Zerubbabel, one of Israel's leaders who returned from exile. The people were discouraged, faced enemy opposition, and lacked resources. But God sent Zechariah to remind Zerubbabel that the task would take something more powerful than military strength or manmade resources. It would take the Holy Spirit's power (ZECHARIAH 4:6). With the assurance of divine aid, Zerubbabel trusted that God would level any mountain of difficulty that stood in the way (V. 7).
When there's a "mountain" before us, we can either rely on our own strength or trust the Spirit's power. When we trust Him, He'll either level the mountain or help us climb over it. * Marvin Williams
JANUARY 10
Alone in Space
GENESIS 28:10–17
When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it."
— GENESIS 28:16
Apollo 15 astronaut Al Worden knew what it felt like to be completely isolated. For three days in 1971, he flew alone in his command module, Endeavor, while David Scott and James Irwin were miles below on the moon's surface. Worden's only companions were the stars overhead.
As the sun went down on Old Testament character Jacob's first night away from home, he too was alone, but for a different reason. He was on the run from his older brother — who wanted to kill him for stealing the family blessing. On falling asleep, Jacob dreamed of a staircase joining heaven and earth. As he watched angels ascending and descending, he heard God's voice promising to be with him and to bless the whole earth through his children. When Jacob woke he said, "Surely the Lord is in this place" (GENESIS 28:16).
Jacob had isolated himself because of his deceit. Yet he was in the presence of the One whose plans are always better and more far-reaching than our own. Heaven is closer than we think, and the "God of Jacob" is with us. * Mart DeHaan
JANUARY 11
Shaq and Me
PSALM 111
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. — PSALM 111:10
I'll never forget the time I had my picture taken with Shaquille O'Neal, one of the giants of professional basketball. I never thought of myself as short until I stood next to his 7'1" frame. With my head tucked under his arm, I suddenly realized that I wasn't as tall as I thought I was.
The psalmist wrote, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (111:10). Fearing God requires that we get things in the proper proportion, like the fact that He is so much greater in every way than we are. "The works of the Lord" (V. 2) are the outworking of His love, strength, wisdom, foresight, will, and faithfulness. Fearing God means coming to grips with this truth.
It's easy to miss the point when we don't stay close to God. The closer we get to Him, the more we realize how much we are lacking and how desperately we need His far greater wisdom to direct our lives.
Wise people realize how little they know and how much they need the great wisdom of God. * Joe Stowell
JANUARY 12
Drift
2 CORINTHIANS 6:14–7:1
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?
— 2 CORINTHIANS 6:14
Adrian Vasquez frantically waved from his tiny fishing boat. A cruise ship was within sight! After their boat's engine had failed, Adrian and two friends had been adrift for days on the ocean. Passengers aboard the cruise ship spotted the three and told crew members. Inexplicably, the ship didn't stop to help. When Adrian was finally rescued by a different ship two weeks later, both of his friends had perished.
The people in the church at Corinth seemed to be adrift, so Paul pled with them to turn back and take the "life ring" of true faith in Jesus. Some had been attending pagan religious services (1 CORINTHIANS 10:14–22). Embracing idolatry was a sign of drifting from true belief in God. So Paul asked, "What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?" (2 CORINTHIANS 6:15). Paul told his readers not to be of the world but to stick to the moorings of holy living in Jesus.
Do you know a believer who's starting to drift? Don't just cruise by. Throw out that life ring. * Tom Felten
January 13
Be Prepared to Tell
1 CHRONICLES 16:7–13
Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
— 1 CHRONICLES 16:8
When author Studs Terkel was looking for a topic for his next book, a friend suggested "death." While he resisted at first, the idea gradually began to take shape. Its voice became all too real when Terkel's wife of sixty years died. The book became a personal search: a yearning to know what lies beyond. Its pages are a poignant reminder of our own search for Jesus and our questions about eternity.
I'm thankful for the assurance that we will be with Jesus after we die if we have trusted in Him as Savior. There is no greater hope! It's our privilege to share that hope with others. First Peter 3:15 encourages us: "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." We have the opportunity from God to "proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done" (1 CHRONICLES 16:8).
The stories of so many people we love are not yet ended, and the privilege to tell them about the love of Jesus is a remarkable gift. * Randy Kilgore
JANUARY 14
The Fingerprint of God
EPHESIANS 2:1–10
For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
— EPHESIANS 2:10
Lygon Stevens loved to climb mountains with her brother Nick. They were experienced climbers and both had summited Alaska's Denali, the highest point in North America. But in January 2008, they were swept off a Colorado mountain by an avalanche, injuring Nick and killing twenty-year-old Lygon. When Nick later discovered his sister's journal, he was deeply comforted by its contents. She wrote: "I am a work of art, signed by God. But He's not done; in fact, He has just begun. ... I have on me the fingerprint of God. ... I have a job to do in this life that no other can do."
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Stand Strong"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Discovery House.
Excerpted by permission of Discovery House.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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