Max Lucado Daily: Full Victory
n all these things we have full victory through God who showed his love for us. Romans 8:37
When it comes to healing our spiritual condition, we don’t have a chance. We might as well be told to pole-vault the moon.
Romans 8:37 says: “In all these things we have full victory through God who showed his love for us.”
We don’t have what it takes to be healed. Our only hope is that God will step into our hurt and helplessness and do it for us!
Which is exactly what he’s done!
I wish we would take him at his word. When he says we’re forgiven, let’s unload the guilt. When he says we’re valuable, let’s believe him. When he says we’re provided for, let’s stop worrying.
God’s efforts are strongest when our efforts are useless!
2 Samuel 13
Amnon and Tamar
1 In the course of time, Amnon son of David fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of Absalom son of David.
2 Amnon became so obsessed with his sister Tamar that he made himself ill. She was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for him to do anything to her.
3 Now Amnon had an adviser named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David’s brother. Jonadab was a very shrewd man. 4 He asked Amnon, “Why do you, the king’s son, look so haggard morning after morning? Won’t you tell me?”
Amnon said to him, “I’m in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”
5 “Go to bed and pretend to be ill,” Jonadab said. “When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘I would like my sister Tamar to come and give me something to eat. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I may watch her and then eat it from her hand.’”
6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to him, “I would like my sister Tamar to come and make some special bread in my sight, so I may eat from her hand.”
7 David sent word to Tamar at the palace: “Go to the house of your brother Amnon and prepare some food for him.” 8 So Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, who was lying down. She took some dough, kneaded it, made the bread in his sight and baked it. 9 Then she took the pan and served him the bread, but he refused to eat.
“Send everyone out of here,” Amnon said. So everyone left him. 10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food here into my bedroom so I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the bread she had prepared and brought it to her brother Amnon in his bedroom. 11 But when she took it to him to eat, he grabbed her and said, “Come to bed with me, my sister.”
12 “No, my brother!” she said to him. “Don’t force me! Such a thing should not be done in Israel! Don’t do this wicked thing. 13 What about me? Where could I get rid of my disgrace? And what about you? You would be like one of the wicked fools in Israel. Please speak to the king; he will not keep me from being married to you.” 14 But he refused to listen to her, and since he was stronger than she, he raped her.
15 Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred. In fact, he hated her more than he had loved her. Amnon said to her, “Get up and get out!”
16 “No!” she said to him. “Sending me away would be a greater wrong than what you have already done to me.”
But he refused to listen to her. 17 He called his personal servant and said, “Get this woman out of my sight and bolt the door after her.” 18 So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. She was wearing an ornate[a] robe, for this was the kind of garment the virgin daughters of the king wore. 19 Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the ornate robe she was wearing. She put her hands on her head and went away, weeping aloud as she went.
20 Her brother Absalom said to her, “Has that Amnon, your brother, been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister; he is your brother. Don’t take this thing to heart.” And Tamar lived in her brother Absalom’s house, a desolate woman.
21 When King David heard all this, he was furious. 22 And Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad; he hated Amnon because he had disgraced his sister Tamar.
Absalom Kills Amnon
23 Two years later, when Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal Hazor near the border of Ephraim, he invited all the king’s sons to come there. 24 Absalom went to the king and said, “Your servant has had shearers come. Will the king and his attendants please join me?”
25 “No, my son,” the king replied. “All of us should not go; we would only be a burden to you.” Although Absalom urged him, he still refused to go but gave him his blessing.
26 Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon come with us.”
The king asked him, “Why should he go with you?” 27 But Absalom urged him, so he sent with him Amnon and the rest of the king’s sons.
28 Absalom ordered his men, “Listen! When Amnon is in high spirits from drinking wine and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ then kill him. Don’t be afraid. Haven’t I given you this order? Be strong and brave.” 29 So Absalom’s men did to Amnon what Absalom had ordered. Then all the king’s sons got up, mounted their mules and fled.
30 While they were on their way, the report came to David: “Absalom has struck down all the king’s sons; not one of them is left.” 31 The king stood up, tore his clothes and lay down on the ground; and all his attendants stood by with their clothes torn.
32 But Jonadab son of Shimeah, David’s brother, said, “My lord should not think that they killed all the princes; only Amnon is dead. This has been Absalom’s express intention ever since the day Amnon raped his sister Tamar. 33 My lord the king should not be concerned about the report that all the king’s sons are dead. Only Amnon is dead.”
34 Meanwhile, Absalom had fled.
Now the man standing watch looked up and saw many people on the road west of him, coming down the side of the hill. The watchman went and told the king, “I see men in the direction of Horonaim, on the side of the hill.”[b]
35 Jonadab said to the king, “See, the king’s sons have come; it has happened just as your servant said.”
36 As he finished speaking, the king’s sons came in, wailing loudly. The king, too, and all his attendants wept very bitterly.
37 Absalom fled and went to Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. But King David mourned many days for his son.
38 After Absalom fled and went to Geshur, he stayed there three years. 39 And King David longed to go to Absalom, for he was consoled concerning Amnon’s death.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: 1 Peter 1:3-5,13-21
Praise to God for a Living Hope
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:13-21
New International Version (NIV)
Be Holy
13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”[a]
17 Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
Advent Themes
December 1, 2011 — by Julie Ackerman Link
Rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. —1 Peter 1:13
I believe that all Scripture is related and all Scripture is relevant. Nevertheless, I was surprised when my November reading in the book of 1 Peter touched on all four themes of Advent—that period of time on the church calendar when many Christians prepare to celebrate the first coming of Christ while looking forward to His second coming. During Advent, we emphasize hope, peace, joy, and love, which God sent with Christ.
HOPE. We have an inheritance reserved in heaven, a living hope through the resurrection of Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3-5).
PEACE. We will love life and see good days if we turn from evil and do good and if we seek peace, for the Lord watches over the righteous and hears their prayers (3:10-12).
JOY. We have inexpressible joy even though we have trials because our faith is being tested and proven genuine. The end of this faith is the salvation of our souls (1:6-9).
LOVE. We can love one another with a pure heart because we have been born again through the Word of God which lives and abides forever (1:22-23).
Because Christ came the first time, we can live with hope, peace, joy, and love till He comes again.
The hope we have in Jesus Christ
Brings joy into our heart;
And when we know the love of God,
His peace He will impart. —Sper
If you’re looking for hope, peace, joy, and love this Christmas season, look to God.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, December 01, 2011
The Law and the Gospel
Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all —James 2:10
The moral law does not consider our weaknesses as human beings; in fact, it does not take into account our heredity or infirmities. It simply demands that we be absolutely moral. The moral law never changes, either for the highest of society or for the weakest in the world. It is enduring and eternally the same. The moral law, ordained by God, does not make itself weak to the weak by excusing our shortcomings. It remains absolute for all time and eternity. If we are not aware of this, it is because we are less than alive. Once we do realize it, our life immediately becomes a fatal tragedy. “I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died” (Romans 7:9). The moment we realize this, the Spirit of God convicts us of sin. Until a person gets there and sees that there is no hope, the Cross of Christ remains absurd to him. Conviction of sin always brings a fearful, confining sense of the law. It makes a person hopeless— “. . . sold under sin” (Romans 7:14). I, a guilty sinner, can never work to get right with God— it is impossible. There is only one way by which I can get right with God, and that is through the death of Jesus Christ. I must get rid of the underlying idea that I can ever be right with God because of my obedience. Who of us could ever obey God to absolute perfection!
We only begin to realize the power of the moral law once we see that it comes with a condition and a promise. But God never coerces us. Sometimes we wish He would make us be obedient, and at other times we wish He would leave us alone. Whenever God’s will is in complete control, He removes all pressure. And when we deliberately choose to obey Him, He will reach to the remotest star and to the ends of the earth to assist us with all of His almighty power.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Just Wearing the Shirt - #6494
Thursday, December 1, 2011
I have two adult friends who own Princeton University sweatshirts. Now, Al has one because he put in four very challenging years at that university and he graduated from there. And the other day I met a friend, Dave, at the grocery store, and he had his Princeton University sweatshirt on. I said, "I didn't know you went to Princeton?" Well, you know me; I get most of my exercise jumping to conclusions. No, he informed me that he had bought that shirt at a discount store for $12. He said, "Oh, I didn't go to Princeton, I just wear the shirt!"
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Just Wearing the Shirt."
Now, in Luke 6:46 Jesus is talking to believers, I think, and He says, "Why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord' and do not do the things that I say?" Now, you know, these folks had the right vocabulary; they knew to say, "Lord." In fact they knew to even say it twice, "Lord, Lord." But something had happened to their commitment. It was just words.
My friend, Dave, who had just bought the shirt at the discount store, hadn't really paid the price that goes with identifying with Princeton. Now, when Al, who graduated from there, wears the shirt, it's backed up by years of sacrifice and work. Maybe you're proud to wear Jesus' shirt, but you're not paying the price of living consistently for Him. You've got the shirt; you've not got the life that backs it up.
You know, Alexander the Great was trying a young soldier in his tent who had been accused of cowardice, and he brought this young man in and he said, "Now, young man, what were you accused of?" And the soldier said, "Sir, desertion in battle." And Alexander leaned forward a little bit. He said, "What is your name?" The young man hesitantly said, "Alexander, Sir." And at that point the General leaped to his feet, he grabbed that young man by his collar, and he pulled him up nose to nose and he said, "Young man, either you change your life, or you change your name!"
Now you are carrying, as a Christian, the name of Christ - the holy name of Christ - on your life. Make sure your life backs up the name you wear.
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew 7:21-23. I have to tell you, for me these are some of the most unsettling verses in the Bible. Jesus is speaking: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Oh, many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in your name, and in your name drive out demons, and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you.'" Wow, those have to be some of the most chilling words in the Bible, "I never knew you."
Now, if we want to go back to my friend who was just wearing the Princeton shirt, we might say spiritually here that these are people who are not only wearing the shirt; they have a complete Christian wardrobe. In fact, it sounds like these may be Christian leaders who are before the Great White Throne Judgment, and they're going before the Lord. Some of them have worked for Him; they've been activists for Him, they've preached, they've done miracles. These aren't just back pew sitters. Yet, Jesus is basically saying here that it isn't the one who says all the right words, "Lord, Lord." It's the one who does His will. And later He will say, "It is the will of my Father in heaven that everyone comes to Him through Me."
It's possible you have Christianity and you've missed Christ; there's never been that moment when you have made Him personally yours, when you personalized what He did on the cross. And every day you wait puts you deeper and deeper into the spiritual danger zone.
Someone listening today, you've got all the right words, you've got all the right beliefs, and maybe you've said it even publicly. But you have never surrendered your heart and your will to Jesus Christ. That reality can be concealed until you see your Lord.
Today tell Him, "Jesus, finally I want to move You from my head to my heart. I don't want to just believe about You, I want to believe in You; I want to commit myself to You. Go to our website. There's so much there to help you. Make sure you belong to Jesus. It's YoursForLife.net.
Is it possible you're wearing the shirt; you're encouraging others to wear the shirt that says Found, but your heart is still lost? I encourage you to put aside just wearing the shirt and let Jesus become part of your heart, not just your spiritual wardrobe.
