Daily Devotional by Max Lucado
“the One who came still comes and the One who spoke still speaks”
September 17
In the Beginning
“In him there was life, and that life was the light of all people.”
John 1:4 (NCV)
I’ve always perceived the apostle John as a fellow who viewed life simply. “Right is right and wrong is wrong, and things aren’t nearly as complicated as we make them out to be.”
For example, defining Jesus would be a challenge to the best of writers, but John handles the task with casual analogy. The Messiah, in a word, was “the Word.” A walking message. A love letter. Be he a fiery verb or a tender adjective, he was, quite simply, a word.
And life? Well, life is divided into two sections, light and darkness. If you are one, you are not in the other and vice versa.
Next question?
James 5
Warning to Rich Oppressors
1Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. 2Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.[a] 6You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.
Patience in Suffering
7Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. 8You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. 9Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
10Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
12Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned.
The Prayer of Faith
13Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
17Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. 19My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, 20remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Isaiah 45:18-25
18 For this is what the LORD says—
he who created the heavens,
he is God;
he who fashioned and made the earth,
he founded it;
he did not create it to be empty,
but formed it to be inhabited—
he says:
"I am the LORD,
and there is no other.
19 I have not spoken in secret,
from somewhere in a land of darkness;
I have not said to Jacob's descendants,
'Seek me in vain.'
I, the LORD, speak the truth;
I declare what is right.
20 "Gather together and come;
assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood,
who pray to gods that cannot save.
21 Declare what is to be, present it—
let them take counsel together.
Who foretold this long ago,
who declared it from the distant past?
Was it not I, the LORD ?
And there is no God apart from me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
there is none but me.
22 "Turn to me and be saved,
all you ends of the earth;
for I am God, and there is no other.
23 By myself I have sworn,
my mouth has uttered in all integrity
a word that will not be revoked:
Before me every knee will bow;
by me every tongue will swear.
24 They will say of me, 'In the LORD alone
are righteousness and strength.' "
All who have raged against him
will come to him and be put to shame.
25 But in the LORD all the descendants of Israel
will be found righteous and will exult.
September 17, 2008
He’s There All The Time
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READ: Isaiah 45:18-25
I did not say . . . , “Seek Me in vain.” —Isaiah 45:19
I’ll never forget my frustrating experience when I went to Chicago’s Union Station early one morning to pick up an elderly relative who was arriving by train. When I got there, she wasn’t where I thought she would be. With increasing anxiety I scoured the place—to no avail. Thinking she had missed her train, I was about to leave when I glanced down a hallway toward the baggage area. There she was, luggage at her feet, patiently waiting for me to arrive. She had been there all the time. And, to my chagrin, she was right where she was supposed to be.
It’s that way with God. He’s there, patiently waiting for us. He assures us, “I did not say . . . , ‘Seek Me in vain’” (Isa. 45:19). Why, then, do we often have trouble finding Him? Probably because we are looking in all the wrong places.
You’ll find Him right where He is supposed to be—in His Word, in prayer, and in the voice of the Holy Spirit who lives within you. The God who says “seek, and you will find” (Matt. 7:7) also promises that “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). So, you can rejoice that God is right where He is supposed to be, and He’s waiting for you right now. — Joe Stowell
The Lord is near to all who call;
He promised in His holy Word
That if we will draw near to Him,
Our faintest heartcry will be heard. —Hess
Have we been looking for God in all the wrong places?
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
September 17, 2008
Is There Good in Temptation?
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READ:
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man . . . —1 Corinthians 10:13
The word temptation has come to mean something bad to us today, but we tend to use the word in the wrong way. Temptation itself is not sin; it is something we are bound to face simply by virtue of being human. Not to be tempted would mean that we were already so shameful that we would be beneath contempt. Yet many of us suffer from temptations we should never have to suffer, simply because we have refused to allow God to lift us to a higher level where we would face temptations of another kind.
A person’s inner nature, what he possesses in the inner, spiritual part of his being, determines what he is tempted by on the outside. The temptation fits the true nature of the person being tempted and reveals the possibilities of his nature. Every person actually determines or sets the level of his own temptation, because temptation will come to him in accordance with the level of his controlling, inner nature.
Temptation comes to me, suggesting a possible shortcut to the realization of my highest goal— it does not direct me toward what I understand to be evil, but toward what I understand to be good. Temptation is something that confuses me for a while, and I don’t know whether something is right or wrong. When I yield to it, I have made lust a god, and the temptation itself becomes the proof that it was only my own fear that prevented me from falling into the sin earlier.
Temptation is not something we can escape; in fact, it is essential to the well-rounded life of a person. Beware of thinking that you are tempted as no one else--what you go through is the common inheritance of the human race, not something that no one has ever before endured. God does not save us from temptations--He sustains us in the midst of them (see Hebrews 2:18 and Hebrews 4:15-16 ).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Storm Peace - #5658 - September 17, 2008
Category: Your Personal Power
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
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Sometimes I'll throw out a word to an audience of teenagers, and I'll ask them to draw a picture that represents that word for them. Later they'll describe their picture. Now what if I did that with you and the word was peace. How do you draw peace?
That was the challenge, actually, for artists in one community where there was an art contest. The painters were asked to enter a painting that represented peace. There was one that spectators were sure would win. It was this beautiful pastoral scene, a rolling green meadow, punctuated with these colorful flowers, there was a deep blue sky with little puffy white clouds, and a boy walking through the field with a fishing pole. Well, that came in second. First place went to a painting that portrayed a storm! The sky was dark, it was angry, the ocean was slamming into the cliffs, and lightning was flashing in the sky. At first look the spectators said, "What does this have to do with peace?" Then they looked again...
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Storm Peace."
On that second look they saw a cleft in the rock of the cliff and a mother bird with her babies all nestled under her wings, and they were sleeping. Now that's peace. Not the absence of the storm, but peace in the middle of the storm. Maybe the kind of peace you need right now?
That peace is graphically portrayed for us in an incident in the life of Paul, recorded in Acts 27. Paul is being transported to Rome for trial on this large ship that's carrying grain to the Emperor, and they're hit by a massive storm that is so violent and strong that it batters them for two weeks. During that time they have no idea where they are because they can't see the sun, the moon, or the stars. They get so desperate they even jettison their cargo and even the ships' tackle. In verse 20 it says, "We finally gave up all hope of being saved." Even Paul seems to have despaired, he says "we." But then, there is a sudden change in Paul and he becomes the one man under control in an out-of-control situation. Would you like that to be you?
Here's our word for today from the Word of God in Acts 27:22, Paul says this, "Now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.' So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me." Now, suddenly, Paul goes from hopeless to hopeful! He's in control. What's the secret? A personal visit from God in the midst of your storm. In the words of the Psalmist, "He is a very present help in time of trouble." You can touch, and feel, and experience your Lord's power and love during a storm as at no other time in your life. And His message for you is the same as it was for Paul, He wants to use the storm to clarify what really matters. He says, "Hey, the ship won't make it, but it's the people that matter." God is saying, "Focus on the people around you right now, maybe people you've been neglecting because you've been so busy with the ship." Use this time to be sure that the people in your life are O.K. Get close to them during this storm, maybe get back to them.
Then God also focuses Paul on the mission he was on. He says, "Hey, I told you I want you to represent me in Rome, you'll get there. It's your mission that matters, man!" Well, maybe in your business, in your stress you've neglected the work of God that He's asked you to do for Him: serving Him, using your gifts for His work, telling lost people about the Savior. And God wants to use the storm to re-focus you on what He wants you to do for Him. In the middle of the storm your Lord wants to move in very close to you. He's saying, 'Don't worry about the storm. Don't worry about the ship. It's expendable.' Take care of the people and stay focused on your mission. Nestle beneath the protection of your Savior, the God whose you are and whom you serve. Remember, peace is not the absence of a storm. It is peace in the middle of your storm.