Daily Bread Pastor Mike Anderson

Click Here to Listen to or Read the One Year Bible Lessons Jesus Christ Is God’s Son 1 Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. 2 And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. 3 The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. 4 This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names. Today we begin studying the book of Hebrews. We don't know who the author is. Some say it is the apostle Paul, but the way the book is written does not reflect his style of writing or way of thinking. What is clear is that the book of Hebrews was written to the Jewish Christian...

  Click Here to Listen to or Read the One Year Bible Readings Paul’s Appeal for Onesimus 8 That is why I am boldly asking a favor of you. I could demand it in the name of Christ because it is the right thing for you to do. 9 But because of our love, I prefer simply to ask you. Consider this as a request from me—Paul, an old man and now also a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus.  10 I appeal to you to show kindness to my child, Onesimus. I became his father in the faith while here in prison. 11 Onesimus hasn’t been of much use to you in the past, but now he is very useful to both of us. 12 I am sending him back to you, and with him comes my own heart.  13 I wanted to keep him here with me while I am in these chains for preaching the Good News, and he would have helped me on your behalf. 14 But I didn’t want to do anything without your consent. I wanted you to help because you were willing, not because you were forced. 15 It seems you lost Onesimus for a little while so ...

Click Here to Read or Listen To the One Year Bible Readings 2 As for you, Titus, promote the kind of living that reflects wholesome teaching. 2 Teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely. They must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience. 3 Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers. Instead, they should teach others what is good. 4 These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, 5 to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God. 6 In the same way, encourage the young men to live wisely. 7 And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. 8 Teach the truth so that your teaching can’t be criticized. Then...

Click Here to Listen to or Read the One Year Daily Bible Readings 4 I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he comes to set up his Kingdom: 2 Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.  3 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will reject the truth and chase after myths. 2 Timothy 4:1-4 Sometimes when a pastor is preaching someone will yell out, " Preach it brother !" What does it mean to "preach it". What is "it"? And why is "it" so important? As Paul continues to encourage and exhort his mentor Timothy, he tells him to "Preach the word of God!" The phrase "the word of God" i...

Click Here to Listen to or Read the One Year Bible Lessons 14 Remind everyone about these things, and command them in God’s presence to stop fighting over words. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them.16 Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior. 17 This kind of talk spreads like cancer, as in the case of Hymenaeus and Philetus. 18 They have left the path of truth, claiming that the resurrection of the dead has already occurred; in this way, they have turned some people away from the faith. 2 Timothy 2:14, 16-18 Have you ever wondered why there are so many arguments in the church over things that seem meaningless in the long run. We have seen churches split over the preference of a particular pastor's personality. The type of music. I.e. Traditional vs Contemporary. Hard rock vs. soft rock. You get the point. Church members have even ended their friendship because of a difference of opinion on the color of the pews. Or, some t...

Click Here to Listen to or Read the One Year Bible Readings 5 I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. 6 This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:5-7 Grandmothers are some of the most important and impactful people in our lives. My grandma Tiggleman was an amazing lady. She loved her kids and grandkids. She was always sweet, kind, and generous. My Grandpa worshipped her (in a good way!). She helped fund my seminary education, and was there when I graduated from Fuller Seminary in 1994.  Shortly thereafter, I received word that she would probably not live much longer, so I took a "redeye" plane flight to Michigan. I went straight to her apartment when I got there. She was lyi...

  Click Here to Listen and Read the One Year Bible Daily Readings 6 Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. 7 After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. 8 So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.  9 But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. 1 Timothy 6:1-10 "Whenever we are deeply grieved at material loss, we lack this contentment. Whenever we get an inordinate pleasure from buying or having some material thing, we lack this contentment."- Guzik The bible talks quite a bit about money. There is nothing wrong with money itself, but Paul tells Timothy that the "love of money" is the root...

  Click Here to LIsten to or Read the One Year Bible Daily Lessons 12 Then the Lord gave this message to Jeremiah: 13 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: Go and say to the people in Judah and Jerusalem, ‘Come and learn a lesson about how to obey me. 14 The Recabites do not drink wine to this day because their ancestor Jehonadab told them not to. But I have spoken to you again and again, and you refuse to obey me. 15 Time after time I sent you prophets, who told you, “Turn from your wicked ways, and start doing things right. Stop worshiping other gods so that you might live in peace here in the land I have given to you and your ancestors.” But you would not listen to me or obey me. 16  Jeremiah 35:12-16 I had never heard much about the Recabites, so this passage is interesting. They came from the Kenites and through Jethro, the father in law of Moses. Here are a few notes about them.  “The Rechabites, these Spartan characters, saw themselves...

  Click Here to Listen to or Read the One Year Bible Lessons 1 Timothy 2:1-5 "I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. 5 For, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus." Over the last several years the public view of our govermental leaders has become very pessimistic. This is true on whatever side you lean to, the left or the right. Most of the news is laced with vitriol toward one's political opponents. There seems to be no voice of moderation, or anyone seeking common ground. As a result I believe our country and we the people have suffered. We have grown more pessimistic about the ability of the governmen...

 Warnings against False Teachings Jeremiah 29:8 -9 " This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams, because they are telling you lies in my name. I have not sent them,” says the Lord. " 1 Timonthy 1:3-4   "When I left for Macedonia, I urged you to stay there in Ephesus and stop those whose teaching is contrary to the truth. 4 Don’t let them waste their time in endless discussion of myths and spiritual pedigrees. These things only lead to meaningless speculations,[a] which don’t help people live a life of faith in God ." Sometimes the reading from the Old Testament matches up with the reading from the New Testament. Such is the case today. Jeremiah warns the people that the false prophets in their midst are telling lies in the name of the Lord. They are claiming to receive messages from the Lord in their dreams, but they ...

Click Here to Read or Listen to the One Year Bible Daily Lessons 7 The priests, the prophets, and all the people listened to Jeremiah as he spoke in front of the Lord’s Temple. 8 But when Jeremiah had finished his message, saying everything the Lord had told him to say, the priests and prophets and all the people at the Temple mobbed him. “Kill him!” they shouted. 9 “What right do you have to prophesy in the Lord’s name that this Temple will be destroyed like Shiloh? What do you mean, saying that Jerusalem will be destroyed and left with no inhabitants?” And all the people threatened him as he stood in front of the Temple.Jeremiah 26:7-9  Jeremiah is one of the most faithful prophets in Israel's history. He prophesied to the priests and leaders before God sent the Babylonians to invade the Southern Kingdom, with its capital in Jerusalem. Jeremiah was faithful to deliver God's Word, even when he knew it might cost him his life. He had an "Audience of One."  The animosi...

Click Here to Listen to or Read the One Year Bible Readings 2 Thessalonians 2:11 So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. 12 Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ. In modern day parlance we think of enabling as a bad thing. I.e. Parents shouldn't enable their kids to continue bad behavior. Or, enabling the behavior of an alcoholic. But, in today's passage we see the good kind of enabling. It is the divine enablement of God to empower us to live a life worthy of our calling.  Though we are not passive or uninvolved in the process of growing to be more Christ-like, as Paul says in Philippians 1:6, " He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it!"  It is ...

  Click Here to Listen to or Read the One Year Bible Readings The Hope of the Resurrection 13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died[f] so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.  15 We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.[g] 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died[h] will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these wo...

  Click Here to Listen to or Read the One Year Bible Readings Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God—which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe.  1 Thessalonians 2:13 There is power in words. Words we say can build others up or tear them down. Words can heal and reveal. Words can inform us and warn us. Words have meaning to us that can cause deep emotions like joy, anger, sadness, and jubilation. Most of the history we have of our world comes from words that were written down and passed on.  In ancient cultures, stories were passed on orally, or by images and carvings expressing events that had happened. By Paul's time written letters couild be circulated, which is where we get our gospels, and other letters of the New Testament. In this case Paul is referring to the words he, Silas, and Timothy ha...

  Click Here to LIsten to or Read the One Year Bible Lessons Instructions for Christian Households 18 Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. 22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.  This is a passage that is often misunderstood to the deteriment of many and the societal view of the Christian church. Some think this passage means the bible condones slavery. Others, think it could be interp...

  Click Here to Listen to or Read the Daily Lessons 3 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Colossians 3:1-17 has been dubbed a "curriculum for Christ-likeness". Recently I have memorized those verses, when I was on a spiritual retreat. It is a handful, but even memorizing three or four verses, like those above, is worth your while.  Verses 5-17 will talk about what our new life in Christ looks like, and specifically how we are to "take off" our old sinful nature, and "put on" on our new nature. So clearly we have a role in our growth as a believer as we seek to become more Christ-like. But everything we are called to do is prefaced by our "position...

Click Here to Listen to or Read the One Year Bible Lessons Colossians 1:3 We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, 5 which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News. 6 This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace. The one thing we can all agree on is that we don't get enough Good News anymore. The news we usually hear on our tv sets, computer screens, or iphones is usually depressing. It doesn't matter if the network is politically on the "left" or "right", it usually focuses on the bad things happening around us rather than th...

The Lord says,  “I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help.  I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me.  I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’  to a nation that did not call on my name.  2 All day long I opened my arms to a rebellious people.  But they follow their own evil paths  and their own crooked schemes.  3 All day long they insult me to my face  by worshiping idols in their sacred gardens.  They burn incense on pagan altars.  4 At night they go out among the graves,  worshiping the dead.  They eat the flesh of pigs  and make stews with other forbidden foods.  5 Yet they say to each other,  ‘Don’t come too close or you will defile me!  I am holier than you!’  These people are a stench in my nostrils,  an acrid smell that never goes away. Someone once said, " The Christian life is not so much been tried and found wanting, but wanting to be tried ." In this passage, the pro...