May 14, 2023 – Our Daily Bread Devotional, Sunday ODB Message
May 14, 2023 – Our Daily Bread Devotional, ODB Devotional Message for Sunday written by Lisa M. Samra
BIBLE IN A YEAR: 2 Kings 19–21; John 4:1–30
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KEY VERSE: For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 1 Thessalonians 2:11
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
1 Thessalonians 2:7–12
INSIGHT FOR OUR DAILY BREAD 12TH MAY 2023 BY JED OSTOICH
As both a Jew and a Roman citizen, Paul understood how to live in different cultural environments, taking the message of Jesus to as many people as possible. In 1 Thessalonians, he mentioned how careful he and his partners in ministry were to avoid becoming entangled in cultural obligations that might hurt their ministry or the fledgling church. They didn’t take advantage of the people by putting the new believers in an awkward debt to Paul (2:3–5). But neither did they ask the congregation to financially support them (v. 9), which, in those days, would have put the burden of debt on Paul instead.
In both situations, Paul made every effort to preserve the freedom of the new church to grow unhindered while also preserving his own freedom in ministry. Likewise, we do well to focus our efforts—personally and corporately—on the expansion of Jesus’ mission.
OUR DAILY BREAD DEVOTIONAL 14TH MAY 2023 MESSAGE:
A viral video of a mama bear trying to get her four energetic little cubs across a busy street brought a knowing smile to my face. It was delightfully relatable to watch her pick up her cubs one-by-one and carry them across the road—only to have the cubs wander back to the other side. After many seemingly frustrating attempts, the mama bear finally corralled all four of her cubs, and they made it safely across the road.
The tireless work of parenting symbolized in the video matches imagery used by Paul to describe his care for the people in the church of Thessalonica. Instead of emphasizing his authority, the apostle compared his work among them to a mother and father caring for young children (1 Thessalonians 2:7, 11). It was deep love for the Thessalonians (v. 8) that motivated Paul’s ongoing efforts to encourage, comfort, and urge them “to live lives worthy of God” (v. 12). This impassioned call to godly living was borne out of his loving desire to see them honor God in all areas of their lives.
Paul’s example can serve as a guide for us in all our leadership opportunities—especially when the responsibilities make us weary. Empowered by God’s Spirit, we can gently and persistently love those under our care as we encourage and guide them toward Jesus.
OUR DAILY BREAD DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY 14 MAY 2023:
REFLECT: How have you experienced leadership motivated by love? How might you encourage those under your care?
PRAY: Heavenly Father, help me to extend to others the loving care You graciously show to me.
Our Daily Bread Devotional 14th May 2023 || ODB for Sunday 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
