June 15, 2023 – Our Daily Bread Devotional, Thursday ODB Message
Read June 15, 2023 – Our Daily Bread Devotional, ODB Devotional Message for Thursday
TOPIC: Putting the Pieces Together
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BIBLE IN A YEAR: Nehemiah 1–3; Acts 2:1–21
KEY VERSE: He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. – Philippians 1:6
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Philippians 1:3–6
INSIGHT FOR OUR DAILY BREAD 15TH JUNE 2023 BY BILL CROWDER
Paul’s exuberance over the church at Philippi is made more remarkable by the fact that he wrote these words from prison (see Philippians 1:13–14). Amid confinement and, no doubt, a certain amount of mistreatment, he found joy and celebration as he considered his friends at Philippi. Why? Primarily because of their partnership with him in the work of the gospel (v. 5). The Greek word translated “partnership” is koinōnia—the word normally translated “fellowship.” This is a reminder that fellowship in the body of Christ is much more than just enjoying being together or building strong friendships with other believers in Jesus. It means to share something in common. Not only do we share a family relationship with one another through being part of God’s family, we also have a shared mission—to take the message of His love and forgiveness to the world (Matthew 28:18–20).
OUR DAILY BREAD DEVOTIONAL 15TH JUNE 2023 MESSAGE:
While our family quarantined due to the global pandemic, we took on an ambitious project—an eighteen-thousand-piece puzzle! Even though we worked on it almost daily, often we felt like we weren’t making much progress. Five months after we began, we finally celebrated adding the final piece to the nine-by-six-foot puzzle that covered our dining room floor.
Sometimes my life feels a bit like a giant puzzle—many pieces in place, but a whole lot more still lying in a jumble on the floor. While I know that God is at work transforming me to be more and more like Jesus, sometimes it can be hard to see much progress.
I take great comfort in Paul’s encouragement in his letter to the Philippians when he said he prayed for them with joy because of the good work they were doing (1:3–4). But his confidence came not in their abilities but in God, believing that “he who began a good work . . . [would] carry it on to completion” (v. 6).
God has promised to finish His work in us. Like a puzzle, there may be sections that still need our attention, and there are times when we don’t seem to make much progress. But we can have confidence that our faithful God is still putting the pieces together.
REFLECTION: How do you believe God is currently at work? What are some of the beautiful areas of your life He’s pieced together?
PRAY: Heavenly Father, please give me eyes of faith to see how You’re at work in my life.
Our Daily Bread Devotional 15 June 2023 || ODB for Thursday Message . Our Daily Bread Ministries (ODB) is a Christian organization founded by Dr. Martin De Haan in 1938. It is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with over 600 employees. It produces several devotional publications, including Our Daily Bread. our daily bread devotional for today audio our daily bread booklet
READ MORE TOPICS: OPEN HEAVENS, OUR DAILY BREAD, IN TOUCH, SEEDS OF DESTINY, STREAMS OF JOY, JOEL OSTEEN, MOUNTAIN TOP LIFE, DCLM DAILY MANNA, UCB WORD FOR TODAY
