Max Lucado Daily: Pure in Heaven
Pure in Heaven
Posted: 23 Feb 2010 10:01 PM PST
“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” Colossians 3:2, NASB
As Christ dominates your thoughts, he changes you from one degree of glory to another until—hang on!—you are ready to live with him.
Heaven is the land of sinless minds . . . Absolute trust. No fear or anger . . . Heaven will be wonderful, not because the streets are gold, but because our thoughts will be pure.
Hosea 1
1 This is God's Message to Hosea son of Beeri. It came to him during the royal reigns of Judah's kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. This was also the time that Jeroboam son of Joash was king over Israel. This Whole Country Has Become a Whorehouse
2 The first time God spoke to Hosea he said:
"Find a whore and marry her.
Make this whore the mother of your children.
And here's why: This whole country
has become a whorehouse, unfaithful to me, God."
3 Hosea did it. He picked Gomer daughter of Diblaim. She got pregnant and gave him a son.
4-5 Then God told him:
"Name him Jezreel. It won't be long now before
I'll make the people of Israel pay for the massacre at Jezreel.
I'm calling it quits on the kingdom of Israel.
Payday is coming! I'm going to chop Israel's bows and arrows
into kindling in the valley of Jezreel."
6-7 Gomer got pregnant again. This time she had a daughter. God told Hosea:
"Name this one No-Mercy. I'm fed up with Israel.
I've run out of mercy. There's no more forgiveness.
Judah's another story. I'll continue having mercy on them.
I'll save them. It will be their God who saves them,
Not their armaments and armies,
not their horsepower and manpower."
8-9 After Gomer had weaned No-Mercy, she got pregnant yet again and had a son. God said:
"Name him Nobody. You've become nobodies to me,
and I, God, am a nobody to you.
10-11 "But down the road the population of Israel is going to explode past counting, like sand on the ocean beaches. In the very place where they were once named Nobody, they will be named God's Somebody. Everybody in Judah and everybody in Israel will be assembled as one people. They'll choose a single leader. There'll be no stopping them—a great day in Jezreel!"
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
2 Corinthians 6
Staying at Our Post
1-10Companions as we are in this work with you, we beg you, please don't squander one bit of this marvelous life God has given us. God reminds us,
I heard your call in the nick of time;
The day you needed me, I was there to help.
Well, now is the right time to listen, the day to be helped. Don't put it off; don't frustrate God's work by showing up late, throwing a question mark over everything we're doing. Our work as God's servants gets validated—or not—in the details. People are watching us as we stay at our post, alertly, unswervingly . . . in hard times, tough times, bad times; when we're beaten up, jailed, and mobbed; working hard, working late, working without eating; with pure heart, clear head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love; when we're telling the truth, and when God's showing his power; when we're doing our best setting things right; when we're praised, and when we're blamed; slandered, and honored; true to our word, though distrusted; ignored by the world, but recognized by God; terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead; beaten within an inch of our lives, but refusing to die; immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep joy; living on handouts, yet enriching many; having nothing, having it all.
11-13Dear, dear Corinthians, I can't tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn't fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren't small, but you're living them in a small way. I'm speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!
February 24, 2010
Being Real
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READ: 2 Corinthians 6:3-11
In all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses. —2 Corinthians 6:4
An antique dealer thought the wrinkled old baseball card she found might be worth $10. After posting it on eBay, she began to wonder if it might be more valuable than she had thought. She removed the posting and consulted a professional evaluator who confirmed that the photo on the 1869 card showed the Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first professional baseball team in the US. The card sold for more than $75,000.
Mike Osegueda’s article in The Fresno Bee said that even though the card was creased and discolored, the most important thing was its authenticity—it was real.
Paul and his companions suffered greatly while spreading the gospel. In 2 Corinthians 6, he listed their outward trials, their inward traits, and their spiritual resources (vv.4-7). Try to imagine the circumstances in which all these things interacted—beatings, patience, prison, kindness, distresses, love. Although broken physically, depleted emotionally, and tested spiritually, the authenticity of their faith in Christ clearly shone through. “As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things” (v.10).
In our walk with Christ, there’s no substitute for spiritual authenticity—being real. — David C. McCasland
O to be like Thee! O to be like Thee,
Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart. —Chisholm
There’s no substitute for being real.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
February 24, 2010
The Delight of Sacrifice
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READ:
I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls . . . —2 Corinthians 12:15
Once "the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit," we deliberately begin to identify ourselves with Jesus Christ’s interests and purposes in others’ lives (Romans 5:5 ). And Jesus has an interest in every individual person. We have no right in Christian service to be guided by our own interests and desires. In fact, this is one of the greatest tests of our relationship with Jesus Christ. The delight of sacrifice is that I lay down my life for my Friend, Jesus (see John 15:13 ). I don’t throw my life away, but I willingly and deliberately lay it down for Him and His interests in other people. And I do this for no cause or purpose of my own. Paul spent his life for only one purpose— that he might win people to Jesus Christ. Paul always attracted people to his Lord, but never to himself. He said, "I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some" ( 1 Corinthians 9:22 ).
When someone thinks that to develop a holy life he must always be alone with God, he is no longer of any use to others. This is like putting himself on a pedestal and isolating himself from the rest of society. Paul was a holy person, but wherever he went Jesus Christ was always allowed to help Himself to his life. Many of us are interested only in our own goals, and Jesus cannot help Himself to our lives. But if we are totally surrendered to Him, we have no goals of our own to serve. Paul said that he knew how to be a "doormat" without resenting it, because the motivation of his life was devotion to Jesus. We tend to be devoted, not to Jesus Christ, but to the things which allow us more spiritual freedom than total surrender to Him would allow. Freedom was not Paul’s motive at all. In fact, he stated, "I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren . . ." ( Romans 9:3 ). Had Paul lost his ability to reason? Not at all! For someone who is in love, this is not an overstatement. And Paul was in love with Jesus Christ.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
When Your Transformer's Out - #6033
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
There was this violent thunderstorm, and about 18 hours followed without electricity. Fortunately, my wife is never without candles, so we had a nice candlelit dinner at home. I read the newspaper by flashlight. We easily survived without our television. We even played a board game by candlelight, but there sure was no electric power in the house. Not after that huge lightning bolt found its target in our yard - the transformer that sets on a telephone pole not far from our house. My wife saw it, and apparently it was a pretty impressive hit. But there's no way you're going to have power when the transformer's down. It's what brings all that power in those wires down to where we can use it to run our house.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When Your Transformer's Out."
It could be that the power's been out where you live - I mean, in your life. You're facing some issues that just can't seem to be resolved, some problems that are defying solution, some mountains that just aren't moving, that just aren't getting answered, maybe there's an overload that is absolutely overwhelming you. It could be in your family, or at church, or at work, or in your personal life - there just doesn't seem to be anything powerful enough to meet the need, to handle these demands. Maybe the transformer's down.
For those of us who belong to Jesus Christ, there is something called prayer that brings all the power of God Himself down to where we can use it to change our everyday lives. Prayer is your spiritual transformer. And it's possible that it's gotten lost in the storm that you've been going through.
There's a vivid picture of both powerlessness and power in our word for today from the Word of God. In Mark 5, beginning in verse 24, the Bible says, "A large crowd followed and pressed around [Jesus]. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better, she grew worse."
This woman has tried all the earth-solutions she can think of, but the need was just much too great for anyone on earth to meet. She had thrown money at the problem - nothing happened. She went to all the human experts - nothing happened. But as the Bible continues, it says, "when she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched the cloak, because she thought, 'If I just touch His clothes, I'll be healed.' Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering."
Only one thing brought a solution: desperately lunging for Jesus, believing that His authority and power were greater than her massive need. That's going to be the only place you'll find a solution, too. By getting back to the one weapon that can prevail in your battle, coming in desperate faith to your all-powerful Lord, waging war with prayer. Maybe you've been scurrying around, trying everything to find a solution except fervent, frequent, faith-filled praying. You don't need a planning meeting; you need a prayer meeting. You don't need a program; you need to pray. You don't need a fund-raising strategy or a new methodology or a human expert. Although God might use that, you need to pray as you've never prayed before, believing God for something so big, only He could do it!
You've been so overwhelmed with your situation, maybe, that you've neglected the only power source that can possibly change things - releasing the power of Almighty God through intense and intensive prayer. The storm isn't the reason you don't have the power you need. It's the transformer of prayer that brings God's power to where you live. Get your "transformer" back on line, and you'll have all the power you need!
