Our Daily Bread Podcast | Our Daily Bread

There was no mention made of the stuff we often spend our lives chasing. That’s what palliative care nurse Bronnie Ware discovered as she sat with the dying. She intentionally questioned them: “Would you do anything differently if you could do it again?” Common themes surfaced, and she compiled a list of the top five regrets of the dying: 1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself. 2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard. 3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings. 4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends. And 5. I wish I’d let myself be happier.    

Ware’s list brings to mind the parable Jesus tells in Luke 12. A rich man decides to build bigger barns to store his great harvest, after which he tells himself he will retire in style, sit back and relax, and live until he dies (vv. 18-19). But in that moment, God demands his life with a rather harsh address: “You fool!”—followed by a haunting question: in essence, “And what will become of all your stuff?” (v. 20).

Is it possible to die with zero regrets? That’s hard to know for certain. But what we do know is clearly expressed in scripture—storing up stuff for ourselves is a dead-end. True riches come from a life invested in God. 

“I really didn’t like Mother’s Day,” said Donna, a mom of three. “It brought back to me all the inadequacies and failures I felt and feel as a mother.”

Donna started her parenting life with high expectations. Reality lowered the bar. “Being a mother was really the hardest thing I ever did,” she said. And one particular child “pushed every button I had.”

When God chose Leah to be a matriarch of Israel, no doubt she had high expectations for each of her children. She gave her first four sons names with relevance to her difficult situation (Genesis 29:32–35). Yet when it comes to dark stories in the Bible, these sons have starring roles as the bad guys. They were guilty of murder (34:24-30) and of selling their half-brother Joseph into slavery (37:17-28). Leah’s son Judah is the villain in one of the uglier accounts in Scripture (ch. 38).

How like God to bring the Messiah through Leah’s descendants—including Judah. In the most difficult circumstances and through the most unexpected people, God works redemption.

Donna learned this too. As she faced all her parenting challenges, she never found an answer “except to keep going and keep praying.” And that kid who pushed all her buttons? He’s grown now, and he loves and respects his mom. Looking back, Donna says, “Perhaps he was sent to me to teach me something about myself and something about my God.”

Thousands of people around the world prayed for Sethie’s three-year-old son, who’d been hospitalized for months. When doctors said Shiloh had “no meaningful brain activity,” Sethie called me. “Sometimes, I’m scared I’m not living with full faith,” she said. “I know God can heal Shiloh and let him come home with us. I’m also at peace if God heals him by taking him to heaven.” Assuring her that God understands like no one else can, I said, “You’ve surrendered to God. That is full faith!” A few days later, God took her precious son to heaven. Though struggling with the grief of losing him, Sethie thanked God and the many people who prayed. She said, “I believe God is still good and still God.”

In this world, until Jesus comes again, we’ll “suffer grief in all kinds of trials” (1 Peter 1:6). We’ll need to process real emotions caused by real pain. However, everyone who experiences “new birth” in Christ (v. 3) can be anchored in life by love for Christ and be “filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (v. 8). The end result of our faith in Jesus is this: “the salvation of [our] souls” (v. 9).

The Holy Spirit empowers us to have full faith—living with our prayers and our situations confidently surrendered to Christ.

In the classic sports fantasy film Field of Dreams, the character Ray Kinsella encounters his late father as an athletic younger man. Upon seeing him for the first time, Ray comments to his wife, Annie, “I only saw him years later when he was worn down by life. Look at him . . . What do I say to him?” The scene raises a question: What would it be like to see someone we loved and knew had died, vital and strong again?

Mary Magdalene had that experience when she first met Jesus after He rose from the dead. Mary was weeping beside the empty tomb when she turned “and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus” (John 20:14). Why didn’t she recognize Him? Perhaps because of the tears in her eyes or because it “was still dark” (v. 1). More likely, it was because when she last saw Him, He’d been bloodied and beaten and tortured to death. She never expected to see Him alive again; He was so alive that it took time for the magnificent truth to sink in.

Yet there Jesus stood, “raised imperishable” (1 Corinthians 15:42)! And the moment He called her by name, Mary recognized Him, not only as her faithful Friend and “Teacher” (John 20:16), but also as the risen Lord of life. God always has ways of astounding us with His wonders. His conquering death for us is the greatest surprise of all.

Beloved pastor Andrew Murray (1828-1917) shared how in his native South Africa, various diseases affect the orange trees there. To the unpracticed eye all may seem fine, but an expert arborist can spot the rot that heralds the tree’s slow death. The only way to save the diseased tree is to remove the stem and branches from the root and graft them onto a new one. Then the tree can thrive, producing fruit.

Murray connected this illustration to the apostle Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians. From prison in Rome, Paul wrote a letter that wonderfully summarizes the gospel of Jesus Christ. His pastoral heart shines through when he prayed that the believers would be strengthened with power through Christ’s Spirit in their inner being so that He would dwell in their hearts by faith (Ephesians 3:16-17). Paul longed that they’d be “rooted and established in love” and would grasp the full measure of God’s abundant love (vv. 17-18).

As believers in Jesus, our roots sink deeply into the rich soil of God’s love, where the nutrients fortify us and help us grow. And as we’re grafted onto Jesus, His Spirit helps us to produce fruit. We may have to weather storms that bend us one way or another, but we can withstand them when we’re rooted in the Source of life and love.

There’s a new game in high school sports, and it’s one of the most uplifting experiences you’ll ever see.

It has many of the same elements of the game known for cheering fans, referees, and a scoreboard. But there’s an essential twist: Each five-person team on the court consists of two nondisabled players and three players who have some form of disability. The activity on the court is heart-warming as players assist, encourage, and cheer for each other—no matter what team they’re on. The game is all about lifting up students who wouldn’t otherwise experience the joy of competitive sports.

 It takes deliberate, wise leadership for schools to honor students in this way. And their efforts reflect an example set for us in Scripture by King David.

A common saying in David’s day was that “the ‘blind and lame’ will not enter the palace” (2 Samuel 5:8)—used metaphorically in reference to his enemies. David, however, did choose to take Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth, who had two lame feet, into his palace and honor him with a place to “eat at [his] table” (9:7).

Paul presents a clear guideline for how we’re to treat others. “Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other” (Romans 12:10 nlt).

Let’s practice unified life—making sure to honor, in Jesus’ love, everyone we encounter.

As an elementary school teacher, my friend often escorted her students to various other classrooms for subjects such as music or art. When asked to line up to make their way to another room, the fifth-grade students would jockey for position, some scrambling for the coveted spot at the head of the line. One day, Jenni surprised them by having everyone turn around and lead them from what had been—just seconds before—the end of the line. Their shock was audible, “Whaaattt??”

When Jesus observed similar jockeying for position at a dinner table, He responded by telling a parable that undoubtedly surprised His fellow guests. Using a story about a wedding feast, He instructed them to “not take the place of honor” but instead “take the lowest place” (Luke 14:8–10). Christ confounded their social norms by saying that “those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (v. 11).

This kingdom principle can be a difficult one to adapt, especially because our human temptation will be to still focus on “winning” somehow—choosing the last position now so we'll be first later. But Jesus urges us to follow His example and look to Him for help in reorienting our thinking to see being humble, last, and lowly as truly being in the place of honor.

“The Merchant of Death is Dead!” That was the  headline for an obituary that may have caused Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, to make a course correction in his life. But the newspaper made a mistake—Alfred was very much alive. It was his brother Ludvig who had died.  When Alfred realized he’d be remembered for a dangerous invention that claimed many lives, he decided to donate most of his significant wealth to establishing an award for those who had benefitted humanity. It became known as the Nobel Prize.

More than two thousand years earlier, another powerful man had a change of heart. Manasseh, king of Judah, rebelled against God. As a result, he was taken captive to Babylon. But “in his distress he sought the favor of the Lord,” and “when he prayed,” God “brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom” (2 Chronicles 33:12-13). Manasseh spent the rest of his rule in peace, serving God and doing his best to undo the wrongs he’d done before.

“The Lord was moved” by Manasseh’s prayer (v. 13). God responds to humility. When we realize we need to make a change in the way we’re living and turn to Him, He never turns us away. He meets us with grace we don’t deserve and renews us with the self-giving love He poured out at the cross. New beginnings begin with Him.

In 2014, residents of a village in Norway erected a traffic sign that encouraged people crossing the street to do so in a silly manner. The intent was to bring a few moments of humor—for “silly walkers” and onlookers alike—to brighten one another’s days. These brief glimpses of silliness were a momentary encouragement to downcast spirits.

The Bible acknowledges that we’ll have seasons of difficulty and hardship, causing us to feel demoralized and sad. The book of Lamentations and many Psalms give voice to such pain. Yet the Scriptures also point us to what can bring us lasting joy in all circumstances: the presence of the Lord. David penned the words of Psalm 16 with an eye to an eternal future with God. Those of us alive today—after the death and resurrection of Jesus—know God’s presence even now through the Holy Spirit.

Though they may only last a short time, humor and levity can lift our spirits in times of difficulty. However, to experience the lasting joy that sustains us through the most painful seasons of our lives, we must “take refuge” in God who counsels and instructs us (vv. 1, 7). He’ll never abandon us; instead He’ll “make known to [us] the path of life” and “fill [us] with joy” (vv. 10–11). 

In 2018, pastor Tan Flippin had a cycling accident that landed him in the hospital with fractures to his hip. When the doctors ordered a CT scan to check for a concussion, they discovered a large malignant tumor on the front of his brain. The discovery led to a long medical journey with more masses found and extensive treatments performed—including a bone marrow transplant. Flippin believes that “God allowed the accident for my brain tumor to be found.”

Paul told the Philippians that God can use accidents and other adversities for His glory. The apostle was under Roman house arrest, awaiting trial for a capital offense before the emperor Nero. Rather than being sad, Paul rejoiced. How could he be joyful? He counted being in chains for Christ as a privilege (v. 13). Next, looking at his adversity from God’s perspective, Paul said, “What has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel” (Philippians 1:12). He used his incarceration as an opportunity to share the gospel with the guards chained to him. Finally, as he preached the good news of Jesus while in bondage, his example encouraged other believers “to proclaim the gospel without fear” (v. 14). 

When adversity comes, let’s trust God’s perspective and believe that—even from what’s difficult—He can bring something good.