La Roca Ministerio Internacional

James Banks Our Daily Bread Ministries https://odb.org/ All rights reserved-Published with permission A New Beginning with God Bible in a Year : Genesis 36-38 Matthew 10:21-42 While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 Today's Scripture & Insight : Romans 5:6-11 “Did your sin also put Jesus on the cross?” That’s the question Dutch painter Rembrandt seems to be asking in his 1633 masterpiece,  The Raising of the Cross.  Jesus appears in the center of the picture as His cross is lifted and put in place. Four men are doing the lifting, but one stands out in the light surrounding Jesus. His clothing is different; he’s dressed in the style of Rembrandt’s day, wearing a cap the painter often wore. A closer look at his face reveals that Rembrandt has put himself into the painting, as if to say, “My sins had a part in Jesus’ death.” But there’s another who also stands out. He’s on horseback, looking directly out of the painting. Some see this as a second...

Leslie Koh Our Daily Bread Ministries https://odb.org/ All rights reserved-Published with permission God Will Act Bible in a Year : Genesis 29-30 Matthew 9:1-17 Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. 2 Timothy 4:11 Today's Scripture & Insight : Acts 15:36-41 A hardworking clerk, Erin always did her job well. But after she was accused of dishonesty, Erin was put on leave while being investigated. She felt like quitting in protest but was advised to wait it out. “Leaving suggests you’re guilty,” she was told. So Erin stayed, praying for God to give her justice. Sure enough, months later, she was cleared. John Mark may have felt the same when Paul dropped him from the mission team. To be sure, the young man had left them earlier ( Acts 15:37-38 ). But perhaps he’d regretted this and was hoping to be included this time. He must have felt unfairly judged by Paul; only Barnabas believed in him. Years later, Paul would change his mind. “Get M...

Poh Fang Chia Our Daily Bread Ministries https://odb.org/ All rights reserved-Published with permission Why Me, God? Bible in a Year : Zechariah 13-14 Revelation 21 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? Psalm 13:1 Today's Scripture & Insight : Psalm 13 Jim has been battling a motor neuron disease for more than a year. The neurons in his muscles are breaking down, and his muscles are wasting away. He’s lost his fine-motor skills and is losing his ability to control his limbs. He can no longer button his shirt or tie his shoelaces, and using a pair of chopsticks has become impossible. Jim struggles with his situation and asks,  Why is God allowing this to happen? Why me? He’s in good company with many other believers in Jesus who have brought their questions to God. In  Psalm 13 , David cries out, “How long,  Lord ? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow...

Karen Huang Our Daily Bread Ministries https://odb.org/ All rights reserved-Published with permission Fear of the Unknown Bible in a Year : Genesis 7-9 Matthew 3 In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33 Today's Scripture & Insight : John 16:31-33 Fear woke me at 3 a.m. on the first day of the new year. The year ahead weighed heavily on me, overwhelming me with dread. Illness in the family had long wearied me, and now, thoughts of the future made me afraid.  Will more bad things happen?  I wondered. Jesus’ disciples understood the fear of bad things happening. Even though their Master had prepared and reassured them the day before He died, they were still afraid. They fled when He was arrested ( Matthew 26:56 ); Peter denied Him ( John 18:15-17 ,  25-27 ), and they went into hiding (20:19). Their fear during the upheaval of Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion, as well as of persecution, led them to act contrary to H...

Matt Lucas Our Daily Bread Ministries https://odb.org/ All rights reserved-Published with permission Building What Lasts Bible in a Year : Zechariah 9-12 Revelation 20 They said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, . . . so that we may make a name for ourselves.” Genesis 11:4 Today's Scripture & Insight : Genesis 11:1-8 When I was a young boy in Ohio, we lived near several construction sites. Inspired by them, my friends and I gathered leftover scraps to build a fort. Borrowing tools from our parents, we hauled wood and spent days trying to make our material serve our purposes. It was fun, but our attempts were poor reflections of the well-constructed buildings around us. They didn’t last long. In  Genesis 11 , we encounter a major building construction project. “Let us build ourselves a city,” said the people, “with a tower that reaches to the heavens” (v. 4). A big problem with this effort was that the people did it to “make a name for ourselves” (v. 4). This has ...

Lisa M. Samra Our Daily Bread Ministries https://odb.org/ All rights reserved-Published with permission The Spirit of Christmas Bible in a Year : Daniel 3-4 1 John 5 Whatever you did for one of the least of these . . . you did for me. Matthew 25:40 Today's Scripture & Insight : Matthew 25:34-40 At a Christmas dinner held at our church to celebrate the cultures of the international guests, I joyfully clapped along to the sound of the darbuka (a type of drum) and the oud (a guitar-like instrument) as a band played the traditional Middle Eastern carol, “Laylat Al-Milad.” The band’s singer explained the title means “Nativity Night.” The lyrics remind hearers that the spirit of Christmas is found in serving others, in ways like offering a thirsty person water or comforting someone weeping. This carol likely draws from a parable where Jesus commends His followers for deeds they’d done for Him: providing food when He was hungry, drink when He was thirsty, and companionship and ca...

Nancy Gavilanes Our Daily Bread Ministries https://odb.org/ All rights reserved-Published with permission The Perfect Gift Bible in a Year : Hosea 1-4 Revelation 1 Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. Acts 3:6 Today's Scripture & Insight : Acts 3:1-10 While I was on an outreach during a short-term mission trip to Peru, a young man asked me for money. For security reasons, my team had been instructed not to give out money, so how could I help him? Then I recalled the response of the apostles Peter and John to the lame man in  Acts 3 . I explained to him that I couldn’t give him money, but I could share the good news of God’s love with him. When he said that he was an orphan, I told him that God wants to be his Father. That brought him to tears. I connected him with a member of our host church for follow-up. Sometimes our words can feel so insufficient, but the Holy Spirit can empower us as we share Jesus with others. When Peter and John came acr...

Tim Gustafson Our Daily Bread Ministries https://odb.org/ All rights reserved-Published with permission When Life Appeared Bible in a Year : Ezekiel 47-48 1 John 3 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it. 1 John 1:2 Today's Scripture & Insight : 1 John 1:1-10 n 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine dominated the world’s attention. As the magnitude of the catastrophe became apparent, officials scrambled to the critically essential task of containing the radiation. Lethal gamma rays from highly radioactive debris kept destroying the robots deployed to clean up the mess. So they had to use “bio robots”—human beings! Thousands of heroic individuals became “Chernobyl liquidators,” disposing of the hazardous material in “shifts” of ninety seconds or less. People did what technology could not, at great personal risk. Long ago, our rebellion against God introduced a catastrophe that led to all other catastrophes (see  Genesis 3 ). Through Adam and Eve, ...

Kenneth Petersen Our Daily Bread Ministries https://odb.org/ All rights reserved-Published with permission Restraining Order Bible in a Year : Ezekiel 35-36 2 Peter 1 I want to argue my case with God himself. Job 13:3 Today's Scripture & Insight : Job 13:1-12 A man in court filed a restraining order against God. He claimed God had been “particularly unkind” to him and had exhibited a “seriously negative attitude.” The presiding judge dismissed the suit, saying the man needed help not from the court but for his mental health. A true story: humorous, but also sad. But are we so different? Don’t we sometimes want to say, “Stop, God, please, I’ve had enough!” Job did. He put God on trial. After enduring unspeakable personal tragedies, Job says, “I want to argue my case with God himself” ( Job 13:3   nlt ) and imagines taking “God to court” (9:3  nlt ). He even puts forth a restraining order: “Withdraw your hand far from me, and stop frightening me” (13:21). Job’s pro...

Adam R. Holz Our Daily Bread Ministries https://odb.org/ All rights reserved-Published with permission Agents of Shalom Bible in a Year : Ezekiel 20-21 James 5 Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Jeremiah 29:7 Today's Scripture & Insight : Jeremiah 29:1-7 In 2015, local ministries in Colorado Springs, Colorado, teamed up to serve the city, and COSILoveYou was born. Each fall, in an event called CityServe, the group sends believers in Jesus out to serve the community. Several years ago, my children and I were assigned to a downtown elementary school during CityServe. We cleaned. We pulled weeds. And we worked on an art project, lacing colored plastic tape through a chain-link fence in a way that approximated mountains. Simple, but surprisingly beautiful. Whenever I drive past the school, our humble art project reminds me of  Jeremiah 29 . There, God instructed His people to settle down and serve the city they were in. He co...