Thank you for faithfully listening to the audio version of Our Daily Bread.
I'm Matt Lucas, President of Our Daily Bread Ministries. Although the ministry has always been focused on making the life-changing wisdom of the Bible understandable and accessible to all, we have a renewed commitment to helping you develop a deeper and more meaningful relationship with Jesus as you listen and read scripture with Our Daily Bread. To do that, we're making some changes to the audio format that we believe will encourage you to have a more thoughtful and reflective devotional time. You'll notice these changes starting the 1st of January, and we pray that they are beneficial as you read and listen and then reflect and respond to the message. Your friendship, prayers, and generosity allow us to make the Bible a vital part of everyday life for more people around the world.
Thank you. And I've called today's reading Acts of Grace. In the novel About Grace, David Winkler longs to find his estranged daughter, and Hermann Scheler is the only person who can help him, but there's a hitch. David's daughter was born from David's affair with Hermann's wife, and Hermann had warned him never to contact them again. Decades pass before David writes to Hermann, apologising for what he's done.
I have a hole in my life because I know so little about my daughter, he adds, begging for information about her. He waits to see if Hermann will help him. How should we treat those who've wronged us? In 2 Kings 6, the king of Israel faced this question after his enemies were miraculously delivered into his hands. Shall I kill them? He asks the prophet Elisha.
No, Elisha says. Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master. Through this act of grace, Israel finds peace with its enemies. Hermann replies to David's letter, invites him to his home, and cooks him a meal.
Lord Jesus, he prays before they eat. Thank you for watching over me and David all these years. He helps David find his daughter, and David later saves his life.
In God's hands, our acts of grace toward those who've wronged us often result in a blessing to us. Today's scripture reading is from 2 Kings chapter 6, verses 18 to 23. As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord. Strike this army with blindness. So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked. Elisha told them, This is not the road and this is not the city.
Follow me and I will lead you to the man you were looking for. And he led them to Samaria. After they entered the city, Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men so they can see.
Then the Lord opened their eyes and they looked, and there they were inside Samaria. When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, Shall I kill them, my father? Shall I kill them? Do not kill them, he answered.
Would you kill those you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them, so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master. So he prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away and they returned to their master.
So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel's territory. Let's pray. Lord, it is just so hard to do what Herman does in that novel. Not only forgive the person who's wronged him, but bless him with hospitality. Stories like we read in 2 Kings chapter 6 show us just how close these acts of grace are to your heart. And so because of that, we pray, Lord, by the power of your Holy Spirit, would you give us the wisdom and the power to offer that kind of grace to those who have wronged us today too. We pray it in Jesus' powerful name. Amen. Thanks for listening today. I'm Sheridan Voisey and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.
Whisper: medium.en / 2024-12-26 20:27:16 / 2024-12-26 20:29:13 / 2