Daily Bread Pastor Mike Anderson

  Click Here to Read or Listen to the One Year Bible Readings One of the greatest proofs for the truth of the bible lies within the bible itself. And specifically how the Old Testament predicts the coming of Jesus. What he would look like? How he would be punished? Why he died. How he died. What his death accomplished  Today's reading is from Isaiah 52-53, commonly called the "Suffering Servant" passages. They were written 700-800 years before Jesus was born. I have listed the prophecies predicted by Isaiah, and then their fulfiillment, as reported by the gospel writers, and the apostle Paul's letters. These were written about 30-40 years after Jesus' death. Therefore Paul and the apostles could not have written things that were historically untrue, or the Christian faith could have been easily called a hoax.  Old Testament Prediction 1. "B ut many were amazed when they saw him.  His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human,  and from his appearance, one

Click Here To Read or Listen to the One Year Bible Readings "And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil." - Ephesians 4:26-27 Anger is a natural human emotion. We all experience it, but today's passage explains why it doesn't make sense to allow to anger to take control of your life. When we experience anger, we have a choice as to how to handle it. You can let it control you, which will lead you into sin. Anger expressed in unhealthy ways can ONLY harm a human relationship. Or, we can let it go and trust God to justify our cause.  Being around an angry person is not fun. We probably all know someone addicted to anger, who can be triggered to become angry at the drop of the hat. People tiptoe around this person to try not to set them off. When someone is not in control of their anger in time it becomes more destructive and sometimes abusive.  Paul gives a great antidote

Click Here to Listen to Or Read the One Year Bible   Ephesians 2:4-10 " But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good t things he planned for us long ago." We talk about death in a lot of ways. When y

Click Here to Read or Listen to the One Year Bible Lessons Spiritual Blessings 3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins I remember when I was younger, when I played basketball or football in the neighborhood or after school, and it came time to choose teams. The best two players were usually chosen to be the captains, and they got to make their picks one by one. If you weren't the c

Click Here to Listen to or Read the One Year Bible Daily Lessons Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Here is the proof that what I say is true: “This year you will eat only what grows up by itself, and next year you will eat what springs up from that. But in the third year you will plant crops and harvest them; you will tend vineyards and eat their fruit. And you who are left in Judah, who have escaped the ravages of the siege, will put roots down in your own soil and grow up and flourish. For a remnant of my people will spread out from Jerusalem, a group of survivors from Mount Zion. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen ! Isaiah 37:30-22 The word "remnant" is used in the bible a lot and can often be misunderstood. The term simply means "what is left over". If you didn't finish your pizza last night there would be a remnant of it left to eat tomorrow. In Isaiah over the last couple of days, he has used to the term "remna

Click Here To Listen to Or Read the One Year Bible Lessons I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken. Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:1-2, 5-8 One thing most of us do not like is waiting, We now have instant gratification through our smart phone, texting, and the ability to buy and sell on amazon anytime day or night. We still don't like to wait even with the advent of these time savers.  To wait 2 or 3 minutes feels like an eternity. The other day I was at the check out line at the my local grocery and an older lady took out her checkbook and starting writing a check ... slowly.  Part o

In that day, everyone in the land of Judah will sing this song: Our city is strong! We are surrounded by the walls of God’s salvation. Open the gates to all who are righteous; allow the faithful to enter. You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock. He humbles the proud and brings down the arrogant city. He brings it down to the dust. The poor and oppressed trample it underfoot, and the needy walk all over it. Isaiah 46:1-6 I don't think I have met many people who don't in some way struggle with "worry". Some say, "I inherited the worry gene". Some describe themselves as "professional worriers". I think worry is innate to the human condition. We worry when we expect a negative outcome and feel powerless to do anything about it.  The people of Israel had plenty to worry about. They had been invaded by a foreign super power in Assyria. They ha

Click Here to Listen To or Read the One Year Bible Daily Lessons “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” Galatians 2:19-21 " Paul realized that on the cross, a great exchange occurred. He gave Jesus his old, try-to-be-right-before-God-by-the-law life, and it was crucified on the cross. Then Jesus gave Paul His life – Christ came to live in him. So Paul’s life wasn’t his own anymore, it belonged to Jesus Christ! Paul didn’t own his own life (that life died); he simply managed the new life Jesus gave him ." - Guzik These verses are a perfect summary of Paul's understanding of the Christian life. His understanding came about as he experienced God

Click Here to Listen To or Read the One Year Bible Daily Readings I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ.You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed. Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant . Galatians 1:6-10 What makes the Christian faith different than any other faith? Answer, the Gospel. The Good News is that Jesus has done for us what we could not do for ourselves. Jesus opened the way for us to hav

Click Here to LIsten to Or Read the Daily Bible Readings   Out of the stump of David’s family [ e ]  will grow a shoot—      yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. 2  And the Spirit of the  Lord  will rest on him—      the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might,      the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the  Lord . 3  He will delight in obeying the  Lord .      He will not judge by appearance      nor make a decision based on hearsay. 4  He will give justice to the poor      and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word,      and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked. 5  He will wear righteousness like a belt      and truth like an undergarment. I saiah 11:1-6 When I was in high school, I worked in a landscaping business in the summer. I learned how to use a chain saw to cut down trees. But it was one thing to cut down a tree and quite another to remove the stump, especially if the tree h

Click Here to LIsten or Read the Daily One Year Bible Lessons " Even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. " 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 If you remember Paul was writing this letter to the Corinthians for a couple of reasons. One is that since they experienced so many of the supernatural gifts like speaking in tongues, they began to get spiritually prideful. They started to judge other people in their midst based on whether they spo

Click Here to Listen or Read the One Year Bible Lessons 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 23 Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. 24 Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. 26 I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. 27 I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing

  Click Here to Read and Listen to the One Year Bible Lessons for the Day The quick answer to the above question is "Fake Worship". People who claim know God, but their worship is empty and in vain as evidenced by how they live their lives.   This commentator says it well,  " This is a sobering thought. We can offer God all kinds of religious rituals and ceremonies, all kinds of religious service, and He may hate it and consider it an abomination! Perhaps, in the midst of all their calamity (described in Isaiah 1:5-9), Judah thought the answer was in religious ceremonies, in their ancient version of “church attendance” and a few dollars in the offering. But if their heart wasn’t changed, and humbled, and surrendered to the LORD it made no difference. Without the right heart, God hated their religious ceremony and service. " - Guzik Here is what Isaiah says to the people of Judah speaking on behalf of the Lord,  “ What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?” say

  Click Here to Listen To or Read the One Year Bible Lessons for Today " Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 1 Corinthians 9:6-8 Why is it that generous people always seem to have more than enough, whereas cheap and stingy people never seem to have enough? Today's scripture sheds some light upon this universal truth.  The context is that the apostle Paul was sending men to Corinth to collect the gift they had pledged to help the poor in the church in Jerusalem. In the previous chapter he had praised the church in Macedonia (the Philippians) for their generosity. For they gave even though they did

Click Here to Listen to Or Read the One Year Bible Lessons for Today “O my people, listen as I speak. Here are my charges against you, O Israel: I am God, your God! 8 I have no complaint about your sacrifices or the burnt offerings you constantly offer. 9 But I do not need the bulls from your barns or the goats from your pens. 10 For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are mine. 12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for all the world is mine and everything in it. 13 Do I eat the meat of bulls? Do I drink the blood of goats? 14 Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. 15 Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.” Psalm 50:7-15 We need to be careful not to misread this passage. It does not nullify the idea of sacrifice in the Old Testament. Even the passage says, ' I ha

  Click Here to LIsten to or Read the Readings 2 Corinthians 7:8-10 I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while. 9 Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way. 10 For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. We have all been in situations where someone says they are sorry but it is disigenuous. Why? Because there is no intention of changing the behavior they are saying they are sorry for. After a while their "sorry" doesn't mean much of anything.  If that is true for human beings, how much more is it true for God. We may be able to fool the people around