Daily Devotional by Max Lucado
“the One who came still comes and the One who spoke still speaks”
September 29
A Place for the Weary
Do not lose the courage you had in the past, which has a great reward.
Hebrews 10:35 (NCV)
Is there anything more frail than a bruised reed? Look at the bruised reed at the water's edge. A once slender and tall stalk of sturdy river grass, it is now bowed and bent.
Are you a bruised reed? Was it so long ago that you stood so tall, so proud?...
Then something happened. You were bruised...
by harsh words
by a friend's anger
by a spouse's betrayal ....
The bruised reed .... Society knows what to do with you .... The world will break you off; the world will snuff you out.
But the artists of Scripture proclaim that God won't. Painted on canvas after canvas is the tender touch of a Creator who has a special place for the bruised and weary of the world. A God who is the friend of the wounded heart.
1 John 4
Test the Spirits
1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
4You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
God's Love and Ours
7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son[b] into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for[c] our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
13We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19We love because he first loved us. 20If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
James 1
1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:
Greetings.
Trials and Temptations
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
September 29, 2008
Ask Me Now
ODB RADIO: Listen Now | Download
READ: James 1:1-8
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. —James 1:5
Whether you need a weather forecast for Singapore or driving directions to a restaurant in Chicago, the answer may be just a cell-phone call away. A California-based mobile service called AskMeNow utilizes Internet content sources to send text-message replies to queries from registered users on just about any subject. In many cases, a text-message reply may be received within minutes of submitting a question.
In a sense, the invitation to ask anything, anytime, anywhere mirrors God’s call to all who follow Jesus: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach” (James 1:5). But this is more than a mobile information service. It is our heavenly Father’s promise to provide the guidance we need, especially during trying times.
All we need is a sincere desire to follow God’s direction and faith that His way is best. Because the Lord “gives generously to all men without making them feel foolish or guilty,” we can ask in faith without doubting (vv.5-6 Phillips).
The Internet is a great place to find helpful information, but there is only one source of divine wisdom to direct our steps each day. The Father invites our sincere requests anytime, anywhere. — David C. McCasland
My Lord is ever with me
Along life’s busy way;
I trust in Him completely
For guidance day by day. —Anon.
Be smart—ask for God’s wisdom.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
September 29, 2008
The Awareness of the Call
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READ:
. . . for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! —1 Corinthians 9:16
We are inclined to forget the deeply spiritual and supernatural touch of God. If you are able to tell exactly where you were when you received the call of God and can explain all about it, I question whether you have truly been called. The call of God does not come like that; it is much more supernatural. The realization of the call in a person’s life may come like a clap of thunder or it may dawn gradually. But however quickly or slowly this awareness comes, it is always accompanied with an undercurrent of the supernatural— something that is inexpressible and produces a "glow." At any moment the sudden awareness of this incalculable, supernatural, surprising call that has taken hold of your life may break through— "I chose you . . ." ( John 15:16 ). The call of God has nothing to do with salvation and sanctification. You are not called to preach the gospel because you are sanctified; the call to preach the gospel is infinitely different. Paul describes it as a compulsion that was placed upon him.
If you have ignored, and thereby removed, the great supernatural call of God in your life, take a review of your circumstances. See where you have put your own ideas of service or your particular abilities ahead of the call of God. Paul said, ". . . woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!" He had become aware of the call of God, and his compulsion to "preach the gospel" was so strong that nothing else was any longer even a competitor for his strength.
If a man or woman is called of God, it doesn’t matter how difficult the circumstances may be. God orchestrates every force at work for His purpose in the end. If you will agree with God’s purpose, He will bring not only your conscious level but also all the deeper levels of your life, which you yourself cannot reach, into perfect harmony.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Impressive on the Outside, Nothing on the Inside - #5666 - September 29, 2008
Category: Your Most Important Relationship
Monday, September 29, 2008
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Hollywood is a world of illusions. If you didn't know that already, you learn it for sure when you tour one of the major movie studios. I toured one where they have a lot of our movies and TV shows filmed, and I saw this old Western town, there was a World War II vintage French village, and a 1930s neighborhood in Chicago - some really impressive buildings. Until you open a door and go inside any of those buildings. There's nothing there. It's all just a set!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Impressive on the Outside, Nothing on the Inside."
Unfortunately, that describes more than just a Hollywood studio set. It describes a lot of people's lives. Maybe, if you're honest, it could describe yours.
Our word for today from the Word of God, 2 Timothy 3:5, describes people who have "a form of godliness" (that means they look good on the outside), but they are "denying its power." Then it talks about people who are "always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth." So, the Bible says there are people with impressive exteriors, but behind the set, there's emptiness. They have religion, but no real spiritual power. Do you ever feel that way? They have education, but no real answers.
Back in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon described the great "set" that he had up in his life. He had massive wealth, fabulous entertainment, and great accomplishments. But in his own words, he described it all as "meaningless, a chasing after the wind" (Ecclesiastes 1:14). Behind an impressive set, he was feeling empty. Look, I've had a state champion high school athlete ask me, after having all his dreams come true, "Why do I feel so empty?" A couple of days later a community leader, active in his church, asked me almost the exact same question.
Maybe your life has a great set for people to see, success, friends, and a sense of humor, but you know that behind the act there's no power, there are no answers, and there is no peace even after years of wearing the right mask and saying all the right things. Clearly, behind the set, something is missing. Solomon figured out what it is. He said, "God has set eternity in the hearts of men" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). You need something eternal, something forever to fill that hole in your heart.
What's missing is that vital relationship that you were made for. Speaking of Jesus, Colossians 1:16 says that you were "created by Him and for Him." You're missing Jesus in your heart. Even religious people can miss Him. Your Christian exterior may actually have allowed you to believe that you have Jesus when, in reality, you've never consciously given yourself to the Man who died to pay for all your sin.
If you're tired of just repainting the scenery of your life and improving the exterior, why not open the door of that set and let Jesus into the emptiness inside. If you want to begin for real, finally, your personal relationship with Him, tell Him that right now. "Jesus, I was made by you and for you, but I've lived pretty much for me. And today I turn from that. I believe you died to pay the death penalty for every wrong thing I've ever done, and today I am giving myself totally to you because you gave yourself totally for me." He's alive! He walked out of His grave. He's ready to come into your life this very day.
A lot of people have found encouragement and even the way home at our website YoursForLife.net. I'd encourage you to go there if you're at the point of saying, "I want to be sure I have this relationship with Jesus Christ. Or I'd be glad to send you my booklet Yours For Life at no cost, if you'll just call toll free 877-741-1200.
You see, Jesus is the One who goes in that hole in your heart. And He can take a life that has been just a "set" and make it a home that you can really live in.
