Max Lucado Daily: Calvary
Come with me to the hill of Calvary. Watch as the soldiers shove the carpenter to the ground and stretch his arms against the beams. Jesus turns his face toward the nail just as the soldier lifts the hammer to strike it!
Couldn't Jesus have stopped him? With a flex of bicep, a clench of the fist, he could have resisted. But the moment isn't aborted. Why? Why didn't Jesus resist? As the soldier pressed his arm, Jesus saw a nail-yes. The soldier's hand-yes.
But he saw something else. A long list of our lusts and lies and greedy moments and prodigal years. A list of our sins. He knew the price of those sins was death. He knew the source of those sins was you. And he couldn't bear the thought of eternity without you. He chose the nails!
From On Calvary's Hill
1 Thessalonians 1
Paul, Silas[a] and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace and peace to you.
Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians’ Faith
2 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
4 For we know, brothers and sisters[b] loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
Footnotes:
1 Thessalonians 1:1 Greek Silvanus, a variant of Silas
1 Thessalonians 1:4 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in 2:1, 9, 14, 17; 3:7; 4:1, 10, 13; 5:1, 4, 12, 14, 25, 27.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Read: Hebrews 9:11-15
Christ Is the Perfect Sacrifice
So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come.[a] He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. 12 With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.
13 Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. 14 Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds[b] so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. 15 That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.
Footnotes:
9:11 Some manuscripts read that are about to come.
9:14 Greek from dead works.
INSIGHT:
In the Old Testament, covenants were binding agreements between humans or between humans and God. Covenants between God and man were important markers for the Jewish people. For example, the people of Israel were brought into a special relationship with God through His covenant with Abraham (Gen. 17). The tribes of Israel became a people of God in the covenant reached at Mount Sinai (Ex. 34). David had a special covenant with God that ensured the throne to David’s offspring (2 Sam. 7). The idea of covenant would resonate with the Jewish recipients of Hebrews—for Jesus has established His new covenant with us through His sacrifice. By accepting the gift of this covenant, we receive eternal life (9:15).
Stories in a Cabin
By Tim Gustafson
[Christ] went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands. Hebrews 9:11
The vintage cabin, expertly constructed from hand-hewn logs, was worthy of a magazine cover. But the structure itself was only half the treasure. Inside, family heirlooms clung to the walls, infusing the home with memories. On the table sat a hand-woven egg basket, an ancient biscuit board, and an oil lamp. A weathered pork pie hat perched over the front door. “There’s a story behind everything,” the proud owner said.
When God gave Moses instructions for constructing the tabernacle, there was a “story” behind everything (Ex. 25–27). The tabernacle had only one entrance, just as we have only one way to God (see Acts 4:12). The thick inner curtain separated the people from the Most Holy Place where God’s presence dwelt: Our sin separates us from God. Inside the Most Holy Place was the ark of the covenant, which symbolized God’s presence. The high priest was a forerunner of the greater Priest to come—Jesus Himself. The blood of the sacrifices foreshadowed Christ’s perfect sacrifice: “He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption” (Heb. 9:12).
All these things told the story of Christ and the work He would accomplish on our behalf. He did it so that “those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance” (v. 15). Jesus invites us to be a part of His story.
What items have special meaning for me and why? What stories do I tell about them? How can they help point people to Jesus?
Jesus took our sin that we might have salvation.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Am I Carnally Minded?
Where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal…? —1 Corinthians 3:3
The natural man, or unbeliever, knows nothing about carnality. The desires of the flesh warring against the Spirit, and the Spirit warring against the flesh, which began at rebirth, are what produce carnality and the awareness of it. But Paul said, “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). In other words, carnality will disappear.
Are you quarrelsome and easily upset over small things? Do you think that no one who is a Christian is ever like that? Paul said they are, and he connected these attitudes with carnality. Is there a truth in the Bible that instantly awakens a spirit of malice or resentment in you? If so, that is proof that you are still carnal. If the process of sanctification is continuing in your life, there will be no trace of that kind of spirit remaining.
If the Spirit of God detects anything in you that is wrong, He doesn’t ask you to make it right; He only asks you to accept the light of truth, and then He will make it right. A child of the light will confess sin instantly and stand completely open before God. But a child of the darkness will say, “Oh, I can explain that.” When the light shines and the Spirit brings conviction of sin, be a child of the light. Confess your wrongdoing, and God will deal with it. If, however, you try to vindicate yourself, you prove yourself to be a child of the darkness.
What is the proof that carnality has gone? Never deceive yourself; when carnality is gone you will know it— it is the most real thing you can imagine. And God will see to it that you have a number of opportunities to prove to yourself the miracle of His grace. The proof is in a very practical test. You will find yourself saying, “If this had happened before, I would have had the spirit of resentment!” And you will never cease to be the most amazed person on earth at what God has done for you on the inside.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Always keep in contact with those books and those people that enlarge your horizon and make it possible for you to stretch yourself mentally. The Moral Foundations of Life, 721 R
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Jesus' Question About Your Prayer - #7618
There's one kind of nice trait that seems to have infected every member of our family. It's how much we enjoy trying to just get the right gift for each other. So over the years you'd often hear the question, "What would you like for your birthday, or your anniversary, or for graduation, or Christmas?" And the least appreciated answer goes something like this, "I don't know. Anything is fine." That's usually what I would say. Great! I was hoping for something a little more specific. I need some guidance.
Now, that did not apply to our boys. Oh, no! They were always very helpful when it came to Christmas gifts. I want you to envision a full page list with model numbers, colors, sizes, brand names, at least a month in advance! Yeah, it was pretty direct, but at least we knew what they wanted.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Jesus' Question About Your Prayer."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew 20, and I'll begin reading at verse 30, "Two blind men were sitting by the roadside when they heard that Jesus was going by. They shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!' The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet but they shouted all the louder, 'Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!' Jesus stopped and called them, 'What do you want Me to do for you?' He asked. 'Lord,' they answered, 'We want our sight'. Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed Him."
I love this. The first face they ever saw was Jesus' and they followed Him from then on. As we hear this story, we are actually looking at three secrets of prayer that get a miracle response. You might be able to use that, right? First of all, when you make a request to the Lord and you want to get a miracle it needs to be persistent. Notice, they said, "Lord have mercy on us," and when they were told to be quiet they just kept at it. They're stubborn in their request. Persistent prayer brings miracles.
Verse 33 gives us a second secret because they were very bold. When the Lord said, "What do you want Me to do," they said, "We want our sight." This is something so big only God could do it! I wonder, when's the last time you asked God for something so big; trusting God for something so big only He could do it? He loves those kind of prayers: persistent, bold, miracle-getting prayer.
But let's focus on the one secret of prayer that we miss all too often. In verse 32 Jesus says, "What do you want Me to do for you?" It seems like such an obvious question. Here's two blind men. Jesus heals blind people. They say, "Lord, have mercy on us." But Jesus says, "Well, tell Me exactly what you want Me to do?" The third characteristic of prayer that gets miracles is that it's specific. See, these guys had already made a general request, "Lord, have mercy," but Jesus insists that they narrow down their request and tell Him exactly what they want, specifically. And when they do, Jesus responds with a miracle.
See, too often our prayers are like those vague answers to my family's gift giving questions, "Anything will be fine, anything." We talk to God about "give me a blessing," "I need an answer," "send help!" or some general spiritual request. And I wonder if Jesus is standing there asking, "Well, like what? What are you asking for?" In fact it's really expanded my praying to imagine Jesus standing there as I pray, saying, "Okay, Ron, what do you want Me to do for you?" It's a Bible question.
Now it isn't that He doesn't know what the need is. He wants us to know what we're believing Him for. Philippians 4:6, "Present your requests to God." God honors specific faith! Not demands, but requests that are always under the umbrella under which Jesus Himself prayed, "Not My will but Yours, Lord." Coming to God persistently, daring to believe Him for bold, specific requests touches His heart.
I know the frustration of someone giving me a general answer when I ask "What do you want me to give you?" Now Jesus is looking for specifics. Listen to Him asking you, "So, what do you want Me to do for you?"
