Daily Devotional by Max Lucado
“the One who came still comes and the One who spoke still speaks”
August 14
Listening for God
A rule here, a rule there. A little lesson here, a little lesson there.
Isaiah 28:10 (NCV)
Equipped with the right tools, we can learn to listen to God. What are those tools? Here are the ones I have found helpful.
A regular time and place. Select a slot on your schedule and a corner of your world, and claim it for God. For some it may be the best to do this in the morning.... Others prefer the evening....
A second tool you need [is] an open Bible. God speaks to us through his Word. The first step in reading the Bible is to ask God to help you understand it.... Don't go to Scripture looking for your own idea; go searching for God's. . . .
There is a third tool.... Not only do we need a regular time and an open Bible, we also need a listening heart.... If you want to be just like Jesus, let God have you. Spend time listening for him until you receive your lesson for the day--then apply it.
1 Thessalonians 5
1Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
4But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 7For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Final Instructions
12Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.
16Be joyful always; 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
19Do not put out the Spirit's fire; 20do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22Avoid every kind of evil.
23May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
25Brothers, pray for us. 26Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. 27I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.
28The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
John 21:15-17
Jesus Reinstates Peter
15When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"
"Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."
16Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"
He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."
17 The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.
August 14, 2008
Feed My Sheep
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READ: John 21:15-17
Do you love Me? . . . Feed My sheep. —John 21:17
Just before Jesus left this earth, He instructed Simon Peter to care for the dearest object of His love—His sheep. How could anyone care for them as Jesus cares? Only out of love for Him. There is no other way.
Three times Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love Me?” Peter answered, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” Each time, Jesus answered, “Feed My sheep.”
Was Jesus unaware of Peter’s love? Of course not. His threefold question was not for Himself, but for Peter. He asked His questions to underscore the essential truth that only love for Christ would sustain Peter in the work that lay ahead—that arduous, demanding work of caring for people’s souls—perhaps the hardest work of all.
Jesus did not ask Peter if he loved His sheep, but if he loved Him. Affection for God’s people in itself will not sustain us. His sheep can be unresponsive, unappreciative, and harshly critical of our efforts to love and to serve them. In the end, we will find ourselves defeated and discouraged.
The “love of Christ”—our love for Him—is the only sufficient motivation that will enable us to stay the course, to continue to feed the flock of God. Thus Jesus asks you and me, “Do you love Me? Feed My sheep.” — David H. Roper
More about Jesus would I know,
More of His grace to others show,
More of His saving fullness see,
More of His love who died for me. —Hewitt
It is love for Christ that will enable us to love His children.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
August 14, 2008
"The Discipline of the Lord"
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READ:
My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him —Hebrews 12:5
It is very easy to grieve the Spirit of God; we do it by despising the discipline of the Lord, or by becoming discouraged when He rebukes us. If our experience of being set apart from sin and being made holy through the process of sanctification is still very shallow, we tend to mistake the reality of God for something else. And when the Spirit of God gives us a sense of warning or restraint, we are apt to say mistakenly, "Oh, that must be from the devil."
"Do not quench the Spirit" ( 1 Thessalonians 5:19 ), and do not despise Him when He says to you, in effect, "Don’t be blind on this point anymore— you are not as far along spiritually as you thought you were. Until now I have not been able to reveal this to you, but I’m revealing it to you right now." When the Lord disciplines you like that, let Him have His way with you. Allow Him to put you into a right-standing relationship before God.
". . . nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him." We begin to pout, become irritated with God, and then say, "Oh well, I can’t help it. I prayed and things didn’t turn out right anyway. So I’m simply going to give up on everything." Just think what would happen if we acted like this in any other area of our lives!
Am I fully prepared to allow God to grip me by His power and do a work in me that is truly worthy of Himself? Sanctification is not my idea of what I want God to do for me— sanctification is God’s idea of what He wants to do for me. But He has to get me into the state of mind and spirit where I will allow Him to sanctify me completely, whatever the cost (see 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 ).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
The View From Down Below - #5634 - August 14, 2008
Category: Your Relationships
Thursday, August 14, 2008
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When our Native American outreach team went to Alaska, our only means of getting to remote Eskimo villages was by missionary aircraft. Oh, man, our pilots were the best! Many days we had to fly through low cloud ceilings and low visibility. On a day like that, our pilots were checking every hour on the weather at our end and at our destination. There was finally a break where we could fly, but it all looked pretty dismal when we took off. The pilot of the plane I was in was instrument-rated, which enabled him to go to a higher altitude. The pilot of the plane accompanying us wasn't able to take the high road. So, my pilot kept in radio contact with the other pilot, but believe me, our planeload and the other planeload were seeing two totally different views. From where the other plane was flying, it was dark, it was dismal, and it was very overcast. But we were above all that. We were enjoying a beautiful, sunny day with all those clouds beneath us.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The View From Down Below."
When your view is under the clouds, under the weather, everything looks dark and dismal. If you didn't know better, you could assume that the sun was gone. But the view from higher up tells the real story - that the sun is still shining and the clouds aren't nearly as big a deal.
When you have important decisions to make, the view from down below can cause you to make some serious mistakes. God talks about both perspectives in what may be some of the most cherished verses on God's guidance in all the Bible. In fact, I can almost guarantee that these are the favorite verses of someone who's listening. But for all their familiarity, they may be exactly what you need for this time when you really need some guidance.
Our word for today from the Word of God is from Proverbs 3:5-6. Two perspectives: one which leads to right conclusions, and one which leads to wrong conclusions. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight" or, as it says in the King James version "He will direct your paths."
Now, the way to know God's way is to passionately "trust in the Lord." Notice what the opposite of trusting in the Lord is - "leaning on your own understanding." In other words, "This is what looks right from what I can see." But the word "understanding" tells you what's wrong with that. You're standing under the situation; yeah, your under-standing. You're seeing only what you can see from the ground, but that's not the whole picture. With a decision like you may be facing right now, you need over-standing - the view from over the whole situation - the big picture. What may look right from underneath may be an incomplete or distorted perspective.
The enemy of God's will, according to the verses, is "my own understanding." I need to submit that to the view from above - to what God says. And how do you "trust in the Lord with all your heart?" You "acknowledge Him" in all your ways. In other words, you declare many times a day, "Jesus is Lord of this." Like the centurion with the dying servant - the soldier whose faith, the Bible says, amazed Jesus. You say, "Jesus, You have the final say in this situation. I acknowledge Your total authority over what seems so hard and so impossible to me."
And you keep submitting to His Lordship, trusting in Him with everything you've got, whether you can see His working or not. But you refuse to run ahead, to force it, to fix it yourself, or to try to make it happen. Why? Because you have asked your Pilot to let you see what He sees: the big picture view from up above.