Daily Devotional by Max Lucado
“the One who came still comes and the One who spoke still speaks”
March 4
Not Perfection, But Forgiveness
Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin so that in Christ we could become right with God.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NCV)
It wasn't the Romans who nailed Jesus to the cross. It wasn't spikes that held Jesus to the cross. What held him to that cross was his conviction that it was necessary that he become sin--that he who is pure become sin and that the wrath of God be poured down, not upon the creation, but upon the Creator.
When the one who knew no sin became sin for us, when the sinless one was covered with all the sins of all the world, God didn't call his army of angels to save him. He didn't, because he knew he would rather give up his Son than give up on us.
Regardless of what you've done, it's not too late. Regardless of how far you've fallen, it's not too late. It doesn't matter how low the mistake is, it's not too late to dig down, pull out that mistake, and then let it go--and be free.
What makes a Christian a Christian is not perfection but forgiveness.
2 Chronicles 14
1 And Abijah rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. Asa his son succeeded him as king, and in his days the country was at peace for ten years.
Asa King of Judah
2 Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God. 3 He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. [a] 4 He commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, and to obey his laws and commands. 5 He removed the high places and incense altars in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him. 6 He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the LORD gave him rest.
7 "Let us build up these towns," he said to Judah, "and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the LORD our God; we sought him and he has given us rest on every side." So they built and prospered.
8 Asa had an army of three hundred thousand men from Judah, equipped with large shields and with spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin, armed with small shields and with bows. All these were brave fighting men.
9 Zerah the Cushite marched out against them with a vast army [b] and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah. 10 Asa went out to meet him, and they took up battle positions in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.
11 Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, "LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O LORD, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you."
12 The LORD struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, 13 and Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar. Such a great number of Cushites fell that they could not recover; they were crushed before the LORD and his forces. The men of Judah carried off a large amount of plunder. 14 They destroyed all the villages around Gerar, for the terror of the LORD had fallen upon them. They plundered all these villages, since there was much booty there. 15 They also attacked the camps of the herdsmen and carried off droves of sheep and goats and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.
Ephesians 3:14-19 (New International Version)
A Prayer for the Ephesians
14For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15from whom his whole family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
March 4, 2009
An Ocean Of Ink
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READ: Ephesians 3:14-19
To know the love of Christ which passes knowledge. —Ephesians 3:19
The words of the hymn “The Love of God” capture in word pictures the breathtaking magnitude of divine love:
Could we with ink the ocean fill
And were the skies
of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry,
Nor could the scroll
contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky.
These marvelous lyrics echo Paul’s response to the love of God. The apostle prayed that believers might “be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge” (Eph. 3:18-19). In reflecting on these verses about God’s love, some Bible scholars believe “width” refers to its worldwide embrace (John 3:16); “length,” its existence through all ages (Eph. 3:21); “depth,” its profound wisdom (Rom. 11:33); and “height,” its victory over sin opening the way to heaven (Eph. 4:8).
We are admonished to appreciate this amazing love. Yet as we expand our awareness of God’s love, we soon realize that its full measure is beyond our understanding. Even if the ocean were filled with ink, using it to write about the love of God would drain it dry. — Dennis Fisher
God’s love cannot be explained—it can only be experienced.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
March 4, 2009
Is This True of Me?
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None of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself . . . —Acts 20:24
It is easier to serve or work for God without a vision and without a call, because then you are not bothered by what He requires. Common sense, covered with a layer of Christian emotion, becomes your guide. You may be more prosperous and successful from the world’s perspective, and will have more leisure time, if you never acknowledge the call of God. But once you receive a commission from Jesus Christ, the memory of what God asks of you will always be there to prod you on to do His will. You will no longer be able to work for Him on the basis of common sense.
What do I count in my life as "dear to myself"? If I have not been seized by Jesus Christ and have not surrendered myself to Him, I will consider the time I decide to give God and my own ideas of service as dear. I will also consider my own life as "dear to myself." But Paul said he considered his life dear so that he might fulfill the ministry he had received, and he refused to use his energy on anything else. This verse shows an almost noble annoyance by Paul at being asked to consider himself. He was absolutely indifferent to any consideration other than that of fulfilling the ministry he had received. Our ordinary and reasonable service to God may actually compete against our total surrender to Him. Our reasonable work is based on the following argument which we say to ourselves, "Remember how useful you are here, and think how much value you would be in that particular type of work." That attitude chooses our own judgment, instead of Jesus Christ, to be our guide as to where we should go and where we could be used the most. Never consider whether or not you are of use— but always consider that "you are not your own" ( 1 Corinthians 6:19 ). You are His.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
The Power of the Name - #5778
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
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My friend Margaret had just been to a family gathering in the Midwest, and she saw many loved ones there, including her deputy sheriff nephew. Now, as she started heading home, her foot got, shall we say, a little heavy. Or at least that's what the officer who pulled her over seemed to think. As he turned to go back to his car with her license and registration in hand, Margaret said, "Do you know Deputy _________?" and she mentioned her nephew's name. The officer did know him. After a few minutes of record checking and paperwork in his squad car, the officer returned to Margaret's car. "I'm just going to give you a warning," he said, followed by, "I checked with your nephew."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Power of the Name."
Now we could discuss the appropriateness of Margaret's invoking her nephew's name. But one thing is very clear. There can be decisive power in a name; even power that delivers you from what you deserve. And there is no name with more decisive power in all the universe than the name of Jesus. His name accomplishes things that nothing else can accomplish.
In John 14:14, Jesus said, "You may ask for anything in My name, and I will do it." The name of Jesus opens heaven's resources to meet your deepest need - not just used as some hollow mantra, but as an expression of complete reliance on your living Lord. Acts 4:12 makes clear that "there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." It's only the name of Jesus that opens heaven to us sinners who could only have our sins forgiven by the Man who died for them. When we come to God, calling on the name of His Son, we don't get the awful judgment we deserve. Jesus took it for us.
And nowhere is the power of that name expressed more boldly than in our word for today from the Word of God in Philippians 2:9-10. "God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." It is the name of Jesus that subdues all opposition, that intimidates, that paralyzes all the forces of hell.
That's the reason those who plotted the death of Jesus told His early followers to stop speaking what they called "the name." Hell has been trying to get Christians to stop saying the name that hell fears ever since. Now, maybe you've choked on that name, even though those who don't care about that name use it all the time. The old hymn writer said it pretty well, "Jesus! And shall it be a mortal man ashamed of Thee? Ashamed of Thee, whom angels praise, whose glories shine through endless days? Ashamed of Jesus, that dear Friend on whom my hopes of heaven depend? No; when I blush, be this my shame, that I no more revere His name."
Jesus: the name that opens heaven's resources to meet your every need, that makes heaven possible for you, that subdues every other being in the universe. How can we live ordinary, powerless lives? How can we surrender to hell and be ashamed to speak His name? And it may be that you have never called on that name of Jesus and asked Him to be your personal Rescuer from your personal sin. This could be your day to do that.
One day you will bow before Jesus. He will come then as judge. Today He offers himself to you as your personal Savior; your Rescuer. If you'll grab Him in total faith and say, "Jesus, I'm yours."
I want to invite you to go to our website, because a lot of people have found a lot of encouragement there in beginning a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Just go to YoursForLife.net. And I think you'll find there the information that will help you be sure you belong to Jesus Christ. The song writer said, "Kings and kingdoms will all pass away, but there is something about that Name!"