Daily Bread Pastor Mike Anderson

Click Here to Listen to the Readings Click Here to Read the Lessons Romans 12:1-2 is one of my life verses. The Lord had me memorize it at a time in my spiritual journey where I was conforming more to the world than to Him. In some ways this verse has everything you need to know about how to lead a life worthy of your calling to follow Christ. It is also the best life you can live where will you will find real fulflilment and joy by doing His will not your own.  A Living Sacrifice to God 12 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. There are several important aspects of this verse I would ...

Click Here To Listen to the Lessons Click Here to Read Lessons In chapter 11 Paul talks about the relationship of Israel and the Gentiles in regard to the offer of salvation God the Father has given us through God the Son. Salvation came from the Jews in the sense of God's original promise was given to Abraham, through whom all people would be blessed. Also, the promised Messiah, Jesus, came through the line of David.  But the plan even in the Old Testament was that the Jews would be a blessing to all nations (i.e. the Gentiles). In Genesis 17 God tells Abraham that they were blessed so they could be a blessing to all nations. Paul uses the analogy of an olive tree. The natural branches he compares to Israel. They were grafted in naturally. But when Israel was disobedient they were broken off, and the Gentiles were grafted in as they came to believe in Jesus not reject him.  Though the opportunity of the gospel came to Gentiles through the rejection of the Jews, God's plan all...

Click Here to Listen to the Audio Readings Click Here to Read the Lessons This is a great story about good leadership and bad leadership. King Ahab the king of the Israel and King Jehoshaphat is the king of Judah. King Ahab a long history with prophets who call out his evil practices starting with Elijah, who predicts a drought for King Ahab's sins. He also worshipped Baal.  Meanwhile King Jehoshaphat was generally a good king, but his alliance with King Ahab distorted his judgment.  Ahab asked him to attack Ramoth-Gilead with him, which was a leftover city from Syria that the king of Syria never gave to Ahab. Jehosphaphat wisely asks,  "Then Jehoshaphat added, “But first let’s find out what the Lord says.” 18:4 So Ahab invites 400 prophets to give him advice. The only problem is they are not prophets of the Lord, or at least they are not true to what the Lord asks them to say. True to form, all of the prophets tell Ahab to go invade and he will be victorious. They were a...

Click Here to Listen to the Readings Click Here to Read the Lessons Romans 9:6-9 "6 Well then, has God failed to fulfill his promise to Israel? No, for not all who are born into the nation of Israel are truly members of God’s people! 7 Being descendants of Abraham doesn’t make them truly Abraham’s children. For the Scriptures say, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted,” though Abraham had other children, too. 8 This means that Abraham’s physical descendants are not necessarily children of God. Only the children of the promise are considered to be Abraham’s children. 9 For God had promised, “I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” In chapters 9-11 Paul  In chapters 1-8, Paul lays the foundation of how both Jews and Gentiles are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and how nothing can separate them from God's love in Christ Jesus.  Now, in Romans 9 through 11, Paul deals with the problem associated with the conditio...

Click Here to Listen to the Readings Click Here to Read the Lessons 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.  Romans 8:28-30 This verse points to the sovereignty of God, as though God allows bad things to happen to us, He can turn them into good. Of course, the classic example is Jesus being put to death on the cross order to die for the sins of the world and then be raised from the dead. Paul was a persecutor of Christians, and God used his zeal for good, the conversion of many Gentiles. Peter denied three times, but Jesus turned it into good and told him three times to feed his sheep, which he did until his life was taken from him.  This verse applies Christians, who have been called according to God's purpose. And we know this purpose was g...

Click Here to Listen to the Readings Click Here to Read the Lessons At the end of chapter 7, Paul shared is own instense struggle with his sinful nature. He admits he knows the right thing to do, but the problem is that he doesn't have the power to carry it out. In fact, he not only does not do the right thing but often does the very opposite the wrong thing. He concludes saying, " What a wretched man I am! "   How many of us have felt like this. But, in chapter 8, Paul gives the secret to living a Christ-like life and doing the things Jesus would do if he were you. He says it is all about control. Or who or what is controlling you. For a Christian there are really only two options. Are you being controlled by the sinful nature, or by the Holy Spirit?  The sinful nature is hostile to God and rebels against God's laws. But we have the Spirit living in us, which is the Spirit of Christ. God's Spirit leads us to submit to God's will and enjoy the fellowship we sh...

Click Here to Listen to the Readings and Commentary   Click Here to Read the Lessons If you want to really impress your friends at the next cocktail party try to start a conversation about what it means to be an "antinomian". I am sure it will be a barrel of laughs. But it was actually a issue in Martin Luther's day and other times during church history.  If you are really interested you can read more about antinomianism and its history here Basically the term means "against the Law". The Law, also called the Law of Moses, which is summarized by the Ten Commandments, was given by Moses to the Jewish people in the wilderness.   As we have talked about, the role of the Law was a big focus in Paul's letter to the Romans, because he was writing to the Jewish Christians in Rome. They did not know what role the Law should play after they were saved. Many of the Jewish Christians had a hard time being freed from the restrictions of the Law, which could not be kept ...

Click Here to Listen to the Readings Click Here to Read Psalm 16 (RSV) This psalm has special significance to me because I asked God to give me a psalm that I could make my own. God led me to this psalm and I memorized it. Memorizing scripture is so powerful because it hids God's word in your heart. When you are in the car, at work, talking a walk, you can recite the verse in your head and meditate on its meaning.  " I have hidden your word in my heart so that I might not sin against thee! " Psalm 119:11 So here is the psalm. I really like the RSV version because that is the version I remembered it in and was the first bible given to me when I was confirmed in the Lutheran church in 8th grade. Preserve me, O God, for in thee I take refuge.  I say to the Lord, “Thou art my Lord;  I have no good apart from thee.”  As for the saints in the land, they are the noble,  in whom is all my delight.  Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows;  their li...

Click Here to Listen to the Readings Click Here to Read the Lessons You will often hear the term "cheap grace" thrown around in Christian circles. In some ways it is an oxymoron, especially as it relates to the grace of God we have received in Christ Jesus. After all, the grace God gave to us through His Son was not cheap at all. In fact, it cost Jesus his life. It cost him everything. When God offered his only Son to us for our salvation through his innocent suffering and death, it was anything but cheap. It was quite expensive.  But is there another way in which might say, " We can cheapen God's grace by the way we respond to it, as evidenced by the fruit produced in our lives. I.e. Is there any Christ-like quality in our lives which is experienced by others who know us well ." Paul addresses the issue for the Roman church in chapter 6. He has spent five chapters making a careful case that we are justified by faith alone, not by works of the law. We could neve...

Click Here to Listen to the Readings Click Here to Read the Lessons Many of us think of grace only in terms of the free and unmerited gift, which led to our salvation through Jesus' death on the cross for us. And, of course, this is where God's grace begins as he offers us the free gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.  But grace doesn't end there.  In Leon Morris' commentary on Romans he says this which I think captures this idea.  " Grace (God’s undeserved favor towards us) is not only the way salvation comes to us, it is also a description of our present standing before God. It is not only the beginning principle of the Christian life, it is also the continuing principle of the Christian life. “We stand translates a perfect tense, used in this sense of the present, and with the thought of a continuing attitude. ”  Many Christians start with grace and then go back to the Law and continue to get stuck in shame and guilt all the time. Standing in grace m...

Listen to Audio Readings Read One Year Bible for Today A lot of people wonder if people God used in the Old Testament will go to heaven. After all, the only we can be saved is through Jesus Christ, and they hadn't met him yet.  While the passage specifically talks about how Abraham's faith justified him before God, the quoting of King David's words in the psalm also seemed to indicate that he was saved by the same faith Abraham had.  We all know Abraham and David were sinners like us. Abraham lied twice in fear about Sarah being his sister, not his wife. And we all know David's famous sin, when he cheated on his wife and committed adultery with Uriah the Hittite's wife Bathsheba. To make matters worse, he sent Uriah out in the battle and arranged to have him killed to try to cover his sin. It doesn't get much worse than that.  But importantly both men had what the bible describes is the only thing that can save us, "faith". Probably THE most important ...

Click Here To Listen to the Readings Click Here to Read the 4 Readings When Paul says "we", he is referring to he and his fellow Jews. His main point is that whether one is a Jew, from another religion, or even an atheist or agnostic, we all have one thing in common. We are sinners. A lot of people think this is a negative message, or meant to shame or guilt someone. And while historically it has been used in that way, the important thing is it is true  Why?  Because we all fall short of the only true standard there is God and his goodness.  Lest you think this is only a New Testament concept, Paul quotes from many passages in the Old Testament including Psalm 14:1-3 " Only fools say in their hearts,  “There is no God.”  They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good!  2 The Lord looks down from heaven  on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise,  if anyone seeks God.  But no, all have turned aw...

Click Here to Listen to the Readings and Commentary Click Here to Read All of the Daily Readings Why Did David Sin While Taking A Census of the Israelites The first thought when I read this passage was why was it so wrong for David to take a census of his people?  Here is where it is helpful to do some cross referencing. The principle for the census is found in Exodus 30:12, When you take the census of the children of Israel for their number, then every man shall give a ransom for himself to the LORD, when you number them, that there may be no plague among them when you number them. David's sin was one of a pride.  The principle of Exodus 30:12 speaks to God’s ownership of His people. In the thinking of these ancient cultures, a man only had the right to count or number what belonged to him. Israel didn’t belong to David; Israel belonged to God. It was up to the LORD to command a counting, and if David counted he should only do it at God’s command and should receive ransom mon...

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Listen to the Readings Read 1 Chronicles 9:1-10:14 The Returning Exiles The tribes of Judah: Benjamin, Judah and Manasseh were allowed to return after being exiled into Babylon in 586 B.C.  But Judah was carried away captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness : In one sentence, the Chronicler reminds us that it was not the clash of empires or the intrigues of the geopolitical scene that doomed the kingdom of Judah. It was their unfaithfulness to God. If they had remained faithful, God would have protected them amid the rise and fall of a hundred powerful empires. - Guzik The Returning Priests Priests, Levites, and the Nethinim: These were three categories of workers at the temple, who had the work of restoring the temple and its worship in the days of Ezra. · Priests were the descendants of Aaron who had the right to offer sacrifice and take care of the Holy Place in the temple. · The Nethinim were special servants given to the temple. - Guzik The Returning Levites  Le...

Audio Readings 1 Chronicles 7:1-8:40 Descendants  of Issachar Thirty-six thousand troops ready for war: “For Israhiah and his four sons, even with ‘many wives,’ to have ‘36,000’ warriors seems unlikely, as does the total (1 Chronicles 7:2-5) of 145,600 for just one tribe of the Twelve. This appears to be the first of nine passages in Chronicles where elep (‘thousand’) might be better interpreted as allup (‘chief’).” (Payne) Descendants of Benjamin The son of Aher: Many believe that is better rendered the sons of Aher and is a veiled reference to the tribe of Dan, who is not otherwise mentioned in this genealogy. (Guzik) Descendants of Naphtali The next verse (1 Chronicles 7:13) mentions the sons of Bilhah, who was mother to both Dan and Naphtali, also mentioned in that verse. (Guzik) Descendants of Manasseh But Zelophehad begot only daughters: Zelophehad is the one mentioned in Numbers 26:33, 27:1-11 and 36:1-12 when the question came to Moses about female inheritance rights. Desce...

Audio Readings   1 Chronicles 5:18-6:81 The Tribes East of the Jordan The Army of God cried out to the Lord in battle showing their trust in Him.  As these men of Gad did what God called them to do, they trusted in Him in the midst of the battle. Because they put their trust in Him, God delivered them in the battle. Guzik These original settlers of the eastern tribe of Manasseh were godly and bold men. Their desire to settle east of the Jordan River did not reflect an ungodly desire on their part. Unfortunately this generation, though it had a good start, were unfaithful to the Lord and God allowed the king of Assyria to invade the land and take the people away as exiled prisoners.  Chapter 6 The Priestly Line This chapter describes the descendants of Levi and Aaron. The entire tribe of Levi had a special place in Israel, given over to the service of God generally. Within the tribe of Levi was a special priestly family descended from Aaron. All priests were therefore Levi...

Audio Readings 1 Chronicles 4:5-5:17 In chapter 4, we read of man named Jabez. There is hardly any commentary given for anyone in these genealogical lists. But for Jabez we read he was " more honorable than his brothers ". You have probably heard of the prayer called the " Prayer of Jabez" , which comes from these verses.  The specific prayer was, " And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, 'Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain. ' So God granted him what he requested. " While this is a great prayer there is always a danger of thinking the specific words of a prayer will automatically cause God to answer one's prayers. This led to some excesses.  Some within the movement took it to excess, using the prayer in an almost superstitious way, believing it to be a harbinger of prosperity, good fortune, wealth, health and happin...

Audio Readings 1 Chronicles 2:18-4:4 Most of the names in the genealogy in chapter 2 are names we don't recognize. Most of these name trace a side-line in the tribe of Judah, separate from the line that culminated in David. 1 Chronicles 3 The first nine verses deal with notating David's wives nad his sons. Some of these sons were born in Hebron, when he reigned there. And some in Jerusalem, where he reigned 33 years.  The reign of David can be divided into these two parts; before he made Jerusalem his capital city and after. In verses 10-16, we see the royal line of Judah after David.  This section traces the descent of the line of David from Solomon to the time after the exile, when Chronicles seems to have been written. Finally, we the reign of David after the time of exile (586 B.C.).  These were the descendants of the line of David born after the fall of Judah. They carried on the royal line of David. 1 Chronicles 4 Since the focus of these genealogies is the dynastic...

Audio Readings 1 Chronicles 1:1-2:17 You will see many of the same stories from 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings within the next two books we will read, 1 and 2 Chronicles. Here is a brief overview of the purpose of these two historical books in the Old Testament.  The Books of 1 and 2 Chronicles were originally one book, and focus historically on King David and his dynasty after him. The actual history begins with the death of Saul, but the stage is set with these genealogical tables. The story continues until the return of the exiles from the Babylonian captivity, leading many to think that the Books were written by Ezra or at least in his time. We can imagine the importance of these genealogical lists for the returning exiles. The message of the continuity of God’s work through the generations was important for them, as well as helping them to affirm their own place in that flow of God’s work through the ages. - Guzik After the genealogy starts with Noah's three sons, Japeth, Ha...

Audio Readings 2 Kings 23:31-25:30 Jehoahaz Rules in Judah Jehoahaz reigned only 3 months in Judah and was put in prison by Pharaoh Neco. Pharaoh was able to dominate Judah and make it effectively a vassal kingdom and a buffer against the growing Babylonian Empire. He imposed on the land a tribute and put on the throne of Judah a puppet king, a brother of Jehoahaz (Eliakim, renamed Jehoiakim). Jehoiakim Rules in Judah Jehoiakim reigned for 11 years in Jerusalem and did what was evil in the Lord's sight. He had to pay tribute to the Pharaoh, which required him to tax the people of Judah. During his reign, King Nebuchadnezer of Babylon invaded and took over Judah, as the prophet had predicted. When Jehoiakim died, his on Jehoiachin took over.  Jehoiachin Rules in Judah Jehoiachin only ruled in Jerusalem for three month, as King Nebuchadnezer continued to take over the capital city. We see here a summary of the complete ransacking of Judah and how all of the most treasured possessions...