FOCUS OF THE MONTH (FOM)
WE ARE CHOSEN OF GOD
SCRIPTURE OF THE WEEK (SOW)
But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel. — Acts 9:15 KJV
But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. — Acts 9:15 ESV
Wednesday Corporate Fasting Scripture – Isaiah 58 (ESV); Isaiah 58 (KJV)
Friday End of Week Scripture – Ephesians 3:20-21 (KJV)
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ESV Translation Philosophy
The ESV is an “essentially literal” translation that seeks as far as possible to reproduce the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer. As such, its emphasis is on “word-for-word” correspondence, at the same time taking full account of differences in grammar, syntax, and idiom between current literary English and the original languages. Thus it seeks to be transparent to the original text, letting the reader see as directly as possible the structure and exact force of the original.
In contrast to the ESV, some Bible versions have followed a “thought-for-thought” rather than “word-for-word” translation philosophy, emphasizing “dynamic equivalence” rather than the “essentially literal” meaning of the original. A “thought-for-thought” translation is of necessity more inclined to reflect the interpretive views of the translator and the influences of contemporary culture.
Every translation is at many points a trade-off between literal precision and readability, between “formal equivalence” in expression and “functional equivalence” in communication, and the ESV is no exception. Within this framework, we have sought to be “as literal as possible” while maintaining clarity of expression and literary excellence. Therefore, to the extent that plain English permits and the meaning in each case allows, we have sought to use the same English word for important recurring words in the original; and, as far as grammar and syntax allow, we have rendered Old Testament passages cited in the New in ways that show their correspondence. Thus in each of these areas, as well as throughout the Bible as a whole, we have sought to capture all the echoes and overtones of meaning that are so abundantly present in the original texts.
As an essentially literal translation, taking into account grammar and syntax, the ESV thus seeks to carry over every possible nuance of meaning in the original words of Scripture into our own language. As such, the ESV is ideally suited for in-depth study of the Bible. Indeed, with its commitment to literary excellence, the ESV is equally well suited for public reading and preaching, for private reading and reflection, for both academic and devotional study, and for Scripture memorization.
PRAISE & WORSHIP
DAILY DEVOTIONALS
Sunday, May 18, 2025 – GOD’S GRACIOUS ABUNDANCE – Genesis 1:1-13
Our Daily Bread Focus(es): Creation; God’s love & care
Today’s Insights
Genesis 1 describes the activity of God the Father (v. 1) and the Holy Spirit (v. 2) in the creation event. The New Testament makes it clear, however, that the second person of the Godhead—Jesus Christ—was also actively involved in creation. John 1:3 tells us, “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” Colossians 1:16 adds, “In him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible . . . ; all things have been created through him and for him.” And Jesus even now sustains the universe He created (v. 17) as a demonstration of His grace!
Today’s Devotional
At the age of fifty-one, Ynes Mexia (1870-1938) decided to study botany, enrolling as a college freshman. Over her thirteen-year career, she traveled across Central and South America, discovering five hundred new species of plants. She’s not alone in her quest. Scientists discover nearly two thousand new plants each year.
In Genesis 1, God took a formless, empty, and dark earth (v. 2) and created a place full of abundance. On the third day, God separated the waters to create dry land and began making it hospitable for humans by having “the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit” (v. 11). These were seed-bearing plants and fruit trees from which we could eat. God didn’t create just one type of fruit tree but an abundance.
God isn’t only the Creator (v. 1); He’s also creative. He enjoys making different types of plants and animals and stars. If God cared only about giving us food, He could have made just one kind of seed-bearing plant. But God is extravagant and never does things in half measures.
God’s abundance isn’t limited to His creation. He’s also generous with His grace. As Paul said, “The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 1:14). As with God’s creation, His grace is more than we need and offered with us in mind.
Reflect & Pray
How is creation a demonstration of God’s good and abundant grace? What stories of His grace can you share?
Father, thank You for creating a beautiful world.
Learn more about God’s creation by reading Where We Begin.
Today’s Insights
Ecclesiastes portrays the sobering realism about life on earth “under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:3; 4:1)—that is, life experienced within the limits of our humanity. “The Teacher” (1:1) exposes the futility of “chasing after the wind” (4:4, 6, 16)—the vapor of what we often assume will bring fulfillment—work, wealth, power, prestige, pleasure, learning, and more.
He’s resigned to our powerlessness in the face of oppression, poverty, illness, and death. In today’s passage, the Teacher contrasts the harsh reality of those who are utterly alone in this “meaningless” existence with those who have a helpful companion on life’s journey (4:9-12). On this side of eternity, a true friend can make all the difference. From end to end, the Bible instructs us to care for our neighbor as ourselves, even if that neighbor is someone we don’t know or one we might view as unworthy of our help (Deuteronomy 22:1-3; Luke 10:25-37).
Visit ODBU.org/OT022 to further study in Ecclesiastes.
Today’s Devotional
Meggie’s ten years of drug use kept her in and out of jail. Without a life change, she’d soon return. Then she met Hans, a former addict who almost lost his hand when a vein ruptured due to his substance abuse. “That was the first time I cried out to God,” Hans said. God’s answer prepared him to be a peer specialist for an organization that coordinates recovery for jailed addicts.
Called Stone Soup, the program is helping an American jail provide formerly imprisoned people with support to reenter their communities. Through the plan, Meggie moved into a sober-living house and has stayed sober. Hans now helps her and others with job placement, educational options, treatment, and family resources—a coordinated approach.
The Bible describes the strength of wise partnering: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). However, “pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up” (v. 10).
Like the “Stone Soup” folktale, where a hungry traveler invites townspeople to each share one ingredient to make a delicious soup for all, the Bible confirms we’re stronger and better together (v. 12). God’s plan is for us to live in community, helping others and receiving help in return. That’s no fairy tale; it’s truth for life.
Reflect & Pray
How can pooling our resources help us serve people better? What can you give to make a “stone soup” for your community?
Please bless me, dear God, to join others to help well.
Learn how to be a better neighbor by listening to Me and My Neighbor from Discover the Word.
Today’s Insights
Isaiah 41 starts with God warning “islands” and “nations” (v. 1). He asks a rhetorical question: “Who has stirred up one from the east?” (v. 2). It is God Himself who has stirred up this “one.” He is Cyrus, the great Persian king who wouldn’t be born for another 150 years, yet Isaiah introduces him by name (44:28-45:1). God calls this future Persian monarch “his anointed” (45:1)—anointed in the sense that God will use Cyrus to vanquish those who’d conquered His people. He’ll do this “for the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen” (v. 4).
Isaiah 41:8-20 comprises a shift in tone from the first seven verses of the chapter: “But you, Israel, my servant . . .” (v. 8). God comforts a people long persecuted: “I have chosen you and have not rejected you” (v. 9). And He grieves with us and extends His comfort to us today.
Today’s Devotional
In the aftermath of Turkey’s devastating earthquake in February 2023, a haunting photo came across newswires: a father sitting amid ruins holding a hand extending from the rubble—the hand of his daughter. We see the edge of the mattress where his daughter had been sleeping, and we see her lifeless fingers that he now holds. His face is grim; his grief is profound.
In this father’s gritted face, I see a semblance of our own heavenly Father. Genesis tells us that God was grieved by the devastation of sin in His creation: “It broke his heart” (6:6 nlt). Isaiah, speaking of the future Messiah, says, “He was . . . a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief” (53:3 nlt). God grieves for us, and with us, and sits at the edge of the rubble of our lives, reaching for us: “I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand” (41:13).
Whatever devastation you currently face—a tragic circumstance, the loss of a dear one, or maybe even the effects of your own sin—know that God grieves with you. Whatever earthquake has shaken your life, see that God is reaching for your hand. Whatever your current sorrow, hear the God of love saying to you, “Do not fear; I will help you” (v. 13).
Reflect & Pray
In what ways has your life, current or past, been shaken to the core? What does it mean to you that God grieves with you?
Father God, who grieves with me and for me, thank You for Your “righteous right hand.”
Jesus shares our grief. Learn more by reading Crying for Us All.
Today’s Insights
The posture of God’s redeemed people toward the “foreigner” (outsiders) is the focus of today’s text. The grounds for the instructions were that the Israelites belonged to the God who’d redeemed them: “I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:10, 34). This relational reality was to guide their conduct both negatively and positively. Relative to the gathering of their produce, they were not to “reap to the very edges of [their] field” or “go over [their] vineyard a second time” (vv. 9-10). Foreigners were not to be mistreated (v. 33); rather, they were to be “treated as your native-born” and loved “as yourself” (v. 34).
Guidelines like these also help believers in Jesus to think proactively about what can be done for “the outsider.” Peter says that “once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:10).
Today’s Devotional
A friend’s wife, a master seamstress, made a loving plan before she passed away from a long illness. She donated all her sewing equipment to our town’s sewing guild, providing sewing machines, cutting tables, and more for classes teaching newly arrived immigrants. “I counted twenty-eight boxes of fabric alone,” her husband told us. “Six women came by to pick up everything. Their students are hard workers, eager to learn a skill.”
Others describe such newcomers in less flattering ways. The plight of immigrants has become a divisive issue.
Moses, however, issued God’s view: “Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners” (Exodus 23:9). He further shared God’s decree regarding strangers. “When you reap the harvest of your land . . . do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:9-10).
God also declared, “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God” (vv. 33-34).
God set the standard. May He bless our hearts to show love to the strangers among us.
Reflect & Pray
How can you help those in your church or neighborhood from other countries or who speak another language? Where can you find opportunities to help someone from another culture?
Dear Father, please give me a heart that welcomes others.
Learn some practical ways to evangelize in the 21st century by reading chapter six of Discovery Series‘ Evangelism: Reaching Out Through Relationships.
Thursday, May 22, 2025 – LOVE WORTHY OF OUR LIFE – Matthew 16:21-28
Daily Bread Focus: Union with Christ
Scripture(s): Acts 20:23-24; Revelation 12:11; John 12:25
Today’s Insights
After Peter’s confession that Jesus is “the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16), Christ speaks plainly about His imminent suffering, death, burial, and resurrection (v. 21; 17:22-23; 20:17-19; 26:2). Peter rejected a Messiah who would suffer and die, but he was severely rebuked by Jesus (16:22-23).
In the wilderness temptations at the start of Christ’s ministry, Satan offered to make Him king without the suffering (4:8-10). Peter’s idea of the kingly Messiah was the same as Satan’s—the crown without the cross. But going to the cross to die for sinful humanity was the primary reason Jesus came. To prevent His crucifixion is what Satan wanted. Jesus recognized that the same satanic source was behind Peter’s rejection of the cross (16:23).
Today’s Devotional
William Temple, a twentieth-century English bishop, once concluded a sermon to Oxford students with the words of the hymn “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” But he cautioned against taking the song lightly. “If you mean [the words] with all your hearts, sing them as loud as you can,” Temple said. “If you don’t mean them at all, keep silent. If you mean them even a little, and want to mean them more, sing them very softly.” The crowd went quiet as everyone eyed the lyrics. Slowly, thousands of voices began to sing in a whisper, mouthing the final lines with gravity: “Love so amazing, so divine / Demands my soul, my life, my all.”
Those Oxford students understood the reality that believing in and following Jesus is a serious choice, because it means saying yes to a radical love that demands everything from us. Following Christ requires our entire life, our whole being. He plainly told His disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). No one should make this choice flippantly.
Yet following Jesus is also the way to our deepest joy. Life with Him, we’ll discover, is the life we truly desire. It appears to be a great paradox. However, if we respond to God’s love, believe in Christ, and relinquish our selfish, shortsighted demands, we’ll find the life our soul craves (v. 25).
Reflect & Pray
What will believing in and following Jesus cost you? What will you gain?
Dear God, following You isn’t easy, but I want to give You my life and my all.
For further study, read Keeping the Faith—The Cost of Following Christ
Today’s Insights
Embracing the truth is essential for believers in Jesus, for He’s the one who is the truth (see John 14:6). Judas Iscariot is a classic example of one who had the opportunity to fully follow Christ but didn’t. The life of Judas and the teaching of 2 Thessalonians have several things in common. First, Satan is at work in both. Luke 22:3 says that “Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot,” and 2 Thessalonians 2:9 notes that “the coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works.”
Furthermore, John 17:12 refers to Judas as “the son of destruction” (esv), a term also found in 2 Thessalonians 2:3: “Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction” (esv). Satan’s agenda is deception that leads to destruction. We can avoid his deceiving ways by loving Jesus and embracing His truth.
Today’s Devotional
Jack hates school. The lectures on algebra, grammar, and the periodic table bore him. But he loves building houses. His father takes him to work in the summer, and Jack can’t get enough. He’s only sixteen, but he knows about cement, shingles, and how to frame a wall. What’s the difference between school and construction? Love. Jack loves one and not the other. His love fuels knowledge.
As believers in Jesus, we’re to “love the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:10). Paul says a satanic figure will use “signs and wonders” (v. 9) to deceive “those who are perishing” (v. 10). Why are they perishing? “They refused to love the truth and so be saved” (v. 10). Their failure to love the truth blinds them from knowing it. They’ll be duped (v. 11).
What do we know? That important question depends on a more basic one: What do we love? Our passions incline our heart and direct our mind. We cherish what we love. We protect it and seek more of it. If we love truth and wisdom, we’ll search for them as precious gold (Proverbs 3:13-14; 4:7-9). They’ll guard us. “Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you” (4:6).
What is true wisdom? Jesus says it’s Him. “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Our most important question is who do we love? Love Jesus and you’ll learn His way. He’ll guard your life by guiding you into His
Reflect & Pray
Why is it important to love the truth? Why does Jesus say He is the truth?
Dear Father, please fill my heart with love for You and what’s true.
Learn more about the astonishing claims Jesus makes about himself by reading I Am the Way.
Saturday, May 24, 2025 – LEAP OF FAITH – Hebrews 11:1-8
Our Daily Bread Focus(es): Trust in God
Today’s Insights
Jewish believers in Jesus suffered under severe persecution and were at risk of reverting back to Judaism. The author of Hebrews wrote to encourage them to live by faith and to persevere, for the “righteous ones will live by faith” (10:38 nlt). Here in Hebrews 11’s “Hall of Faith,” he gives examples of many people who had lived by faith (vv. 4-38) and shows what unwavering faith looks like (see vv. 39-40). He uses the phrase “by faith” more than twenty times in this chapter to emphasize that this is the only way to please God “because anyone who comes to [God] must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (v. 6). In love, He also disciplines His children for their good.
Today’s Devotional
About seven hundred emperor penguins in West Antarctica, only six months old, huddled together at the edge of a towering icy cliff fifty feet above the frigid water. Finally one penguin leaned forward and took “a leap of faith,” diving into the icy water below and swimming away. Soon scores of penguins took the plunge.
Young penguins typically jump just a couple of feet into the water for their first swim. This group’s death-defying leap was the first to be caught on camera.
Some people would say that the blind leap into the unknown by those penguins is similar to what happens when a person trusts in Jesus for salvation. However, faith in Him is just the opposite. The author of Hebrews said, “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).
Enoch’s faith pleased God: “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (v. 6). The world hadn’t seen anything like the great flood, and yet Noah “in holy fear built an ark to save his family” (v. 7) because he trusted in God. By faith Abraham followed God “even though he did not know where he was going” (v. 8).
When we first put our trust in Jesus, it’s by faith. As we continue following Him and our faith is tested, we can remember how God came through for these men. Even when we don’t know the whys and hows, we can trust God with the outcome.
Reflect & Pray
When has your faith resulted in God’s hand of protection? How do you see God working in your life because of your faith in Him?
Dear Jesus, thank You for being so faithful.
Watch this video for insights on God’s power and love for us all.
THIS WEEK’S INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT BY SISTER CLOVIA
GOD’S LOVE
God did not make us walk through life alone, but with the ones we love and care about. To love others and experience their love in return is the highest expression of God’s love through us, His children. We reach out to others in friendship and find that we are never as alone as we thought.
Love may seem elusive at times, but God reminds us that once we open our hearts to love, we find it waiting for us in those who come into our lives, ready to give of themselves. God brings the people we need into our lives to make us the best we can be and opens our hearts when we are afraid to trust.
Love of others is a reflection of love of self, and in the eyes of those we love, we see ourselves as we want to be: filled with the joy of knowing that we are surrounded by the blessings of others who love us as much as we love them. We give love and receive it in return, which is how God intended us to live.
A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. — John 13:34
CHRISTIAN-BASED MOVIE OF THE MONTH
***The Daily Devotionals are taken from Our Daily Bread Ministries and the Scriptures are from the BibleGateway.***
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