Max Lucado Daily: The State of Your Heart ·
Luke 6:45 says, “. . .out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” That is why the state of the heart is so critical. So what’s the state of your heart?
When your to-do list is too long, do you lose your cool or keep it? Well, that depends on the state of your heart. When you’re offered gossip marinated in slander, do you turn it down or pass it on? That depends on the state of your heart. Do you see the bag lady as a burden on society or as an opportunity for God? That too depends on the state of your heart.
No wonder the wise man in Proverbs begs, “Above all else, guard your heart” (Proverbs 4:23). David’s prayer should be ours: “Create in me a pure heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10).
And Jesus’ statement rings true, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).
From The Applause of Heaven
Psalm 107
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
3 those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.[a]
4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle.
5 They were hungry and thirsty,
and their lives ebbed away.
6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
to a city where they could settle.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
9 for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,
prisoners suffering in iron chains,
11 because they rebelled against God’s commands
and despised the plans of the Most High.
12 So he subjected them to bitter labor;
they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,
and broke away their chains.
15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
16 for he breaks down gates of bronze
and cuts through bars of iron.
17 Some became fools through their rebellious ways
and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
18 They loathed all food
and drew near the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them;
he rescued them from the grave.
21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings
and tell of his works with songs of joy.
23 Some went out on the sea in ships;
they were merchants on the mighty waters.
24 They saw the works of the Lord,
his wonderful deeds in the deep.
25 For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
that lifted high the waves.
26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
in their peril their courage melted away.
27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards;
they were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.
29 He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea[b] were hushed.
30 They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.
31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
and praise him in the council of the elders.
33 He turned rivers into a desert,
flowing springs into thirsty ground,
34 and fruitful land into a salt waste,
because of the wickedness of those who lived there.
35 He turned the desert into pools of water
and the parched ground into flowing springs;
36 there he brought the hungry to live,
and they founded a city where they could settle.
37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards
that yielded a fruitful harvest;
38 he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,
and he did not let their herds diminish.
39 Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled
by oppression, calamity and sorrow;
40 he who pours contempt on nobles
made them wander in a trackless waste.
41 But he lifted the needy out of their affliction
and increased their families like flocks.
42 The upright see and rejoice,
but all the wicked shut their mouths.
43 Let the one who is wise heed these things
and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.
Footnotes:
Psalm 107:3 Hebrew north and the sea
Psalm 107:29 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text / their waves
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Exodus 6:1-13
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.”
2 God also said to Moses, “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty,[a] but by my name the Lord[b] I did not make myself fully known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.
6 “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’”
9 Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor.
10 Then the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country.”
12 But Moses said to the Lord, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips[c]?”
Family Record of Moses and Aaron
13 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he commanded them to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.
Footnotes:
Exodus 6:3 Hebrew El-Shaddai
Exodus 6:3 See note at 3:15.
Exodus 6:12 Hebrew I am uncircumcised of lips; also in verse 30
Insight
Today’s reading anticipates that Pharaoh will pit himself against the living God. Inevitably, when a human heart stubbornly rebels against the sovereign God, conflict ensues. Fallen human beings still continue their rebellion against Him. Yet there is hope through the offer of redemption to all who repent and believe (John 1:12).
Bricks Without Straw
January 22, 2014 — by Jennifer Benson Schuldt
I will rescue you . . . , and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm. —Exodus 6:6
Many of us face the challenge of working with limited resources. Equipped with less money, less time, dwindling energy, and fewer helpers, our workload may remain the same. Sometimes, it even increases. There’s a saying that sums up this predicament: “More bricks, less straw.”
This phrase refers to the Israelites’ hardship as slaves in Egypt. Pharaoh decided to stop supplying them with straw, yet he required them to make the same number of bricks each day. They scoured the land to find supplies, while Pharaoh’s overseers beat them and pressured them to work harder (Ex. 5:13). The Israelites became so discouraged that they didn’t listen when God said through Moses, “I will rescue you . . . , and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm” (6:6).
Although the Israelites refused to hear God’s message, God was still guiding and directing Moses, preparing him to speak to Pharaoh. God remained firmly on Israel’s side—at work behind the scenes. Like the Israelites, we can become so downhearted that we ignore encouragement. In dark times, it’s comforting to remember that God is our deliverer (Ps. 40:17). He is always at work on our behalf, even if we can’t see what He is doing.
Lord, please help me to trust You despite my
discouragement. I invite You to fill me with
hope through the power of Your Holy Spirit.
Let my life testify of Your faithfulness.
Times of trouble are times for trust.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
January 22, 2014
Am I Looking To God?
Look to Me, and be saved . . . —Isaiah 45:22
Do we expect God to come to us with His blessings and save us? He says, “Look to Me, and be saved . . . .” The greatest difficulty spiritually is to concentrate on God, and His blessings are what make it so difficult. Troubles almost always make us look to God, but His blessings tend to divert our attention elsewhere. The basic lesson of the Sermon on the Mount is to narrow all your interests until your mind, heart, and body are focused on Jesus Christ. “Look to Me . . . .”
Many of us have a mental picture of what a Christian should be, and looking at this image in other Christians’ lives becomes a hindrance to our focusing on God. This is not salvation— it is not simple enough. He says, in effect, “Look to Me and you are saved,” not “You will be saved someday.” We will find what we are looking for if we will concentrate on Him. We get distracted from God and irritable with Him while He continues to say to us, “Look to Me, and be saved . . . .” Our difficulties, our trials, and our worries about tomorrow all vanish when we look to God.
Wake yourself up and look to God. Build your hope on Him. No matter how many things seem to be pressing in on you, be determined to push them aside and look to Him. “Look to Me . . . .” Salvation is yours the moment you look.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Instant EKG - #7053
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Once a year, it's gets to be that time again-annual physical checkup. I know it's important, but that doesn't mean I have to get excited about it. I mean, they're going to poke me, and they're going to take my blood, and they're going to analyze me, and they're going to weigh me, and they're going to test me and hook me up to machines. Of course one of those is especially important in light of my family's cardiac history. Sometimes they give me an electrocardiogram; otherwise known as an EKG. And in a sense, that EKG gives information you couldn't get without it. It's sort of a picture of what's really going on inside my heart.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Instant EKG."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew 12:34. It's very revealing. It says this, "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." Long before EKGs God gives a way to find out what's going on in a person's heart. Listen to what they talk about a lot. Your mouth will talk about what your heart is full of, which suggests an interesting use for a voice recorder. What if a recording of your conversations was running all week long; everything you said-at home, at work, at school, on the phone, when your guard is down, in your casual moments, and you could play that back and count the number of times certain subjects came up? You know what you'd have? An instant spiritual EKG.
I wonder how often money comes up, or something else material that really is important to you? I wonder how many times there are comments about the opposite sex? Or recreation, or sports, or problems you're having? How much of what your mouth speaks is complaining or self-pity, negative stuff. Maybe you just talk about yourself a lot.
Jesus taught us that our lives should be full of two loves. Remember, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength." And, "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love for the Lord and love for the people around you. Now, if we're really living in obedience to the two great commandments, then the recurring themes of our conversation will be Jesus and the needs of other people.
That's more than just sprinkling some spiritual words into the conversation every once in a while. This is the overflow of your heart. It comes naturally. By the way, this is one good way to find out what a person is really like behind their image. Just take note of what he or she talks about most of the time, especially in their unguarded moments.
Maybe you don't like what's overflowing out of your mouth a lot of the time. Well, Jesus gives us one clue as to what we can do about that. The verse says, "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him." It's what you store up, that your heart fills up on, that's what then comes out of your mouth.
See, we're talking here about the input that you allow into your mental bank. If you don't like the output, change the input. Change what you watch, change what you listen to, change what you laugh at, change who you spend time with. Load up on input that's about loving Jesus and loving other people. And the recording will start to change because your heart is starting to change.
Listen to your heart. You can find out what's really going on there by listening to the things you talk about most. You actually can listen to your heart. Your daily conversation is the ultimate EKG of the condition of your heart.
That's why David prayed, and it could be your prayer and mine, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight O Lord."
