Daily Devotional by Max Lucado
“the One who came still comes and the One who spoke still speaks”
April 22
A Heart Like His
From this time on we do not think of anyone as the world does.
2 Corinthians 5:16 (NCV)
Ask God to help you have his eternal view of the world. His view of humanity is starkly simple. From his perspective every person is either:
Entering through the small gate or the wide gate (Matt. 7:13-14)...
Heaven called or hell bound (Mark 16:15-16)....
Our ledger, however, is cluttered with unnecessary columns. Is he rich? Is she pretty? What work does he do? What color is her skin? Does she have a college degree? These matters are irrelevant to God....
To have a heart like his is to look into the faces of the saved and rejoice! They are just one grave away from being just like Jesus. To have a heart like his is to look into the faces of the lost and pray. For unless they turn, they are one grave away from torment.
Zephaniah 3
Jerusalem’s Rebellion and Redemption
1 What sorrow awaits rebellious, polluted Jerusalem,
the city of violence and crime!
2 No one can tell it anything;
it refuses all correction.
It does not trust in the Lord
or draw near to its God.
3 Its leaders are like roaring lions
hunting for their victims.
Its judges are like ravenous wolves at evening time,
who by dawn have left no trace of their prey.
4 Its prophets are arrogant liars seeking their own gain.
Its priests defile the Temple by disobeying God’s instructions.
5 But the Lord is still there in the city,
and he does no wrong.
Day by day he hands down justice,
and he does not fail.
But the wicked know no shame.
6 “I have wiped out many nations,
devastating their fortress walls and towers.
Their streets are now deserted;
their cities lie in silent ruin.
There are no survivors—
none at all.
7 I thought, ‘Surely they will have reverence for me now!
Surely they will listen to my warnings.
Then I won’t need to strike again,
destroying their homes.’
But no, they get up early
to continue their evil deeds.
8 Therefore, be patient,” says the Lord.
“Soon I will stand and accuse these evil nations.
For I have decided to gather the kingdoms of the earth
and pour out my fiercest anger and fury on them.
All the earth will be devoured
by the fire of my jealousy.
9 “Then I will purify the speech of all people,
so that everyone can worship the Lord together.
10 My scattered people who live beyond the rivers of Ethiopia[a]
will come to present their offerings.
11 On that day you will no longer need to be ashamed,
for you will no longer be rebels against me.
I will remove all proud and arrogant people from among you.
There will be no more haughtiness on my holy mountain.
12 Those who are left will be the lowly and humble,
for it is they who trust in the name of the Lord.
13 The remnant of Israel will do no wrong;
they will never tell lies or deceive one another.
They will eat and sleep in safety,
and no one will make them afraid.”
14 Sing, O daughter of Zion;
shout aloud, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 For the Lord will remove his hand of judgment
and will disperse the armies of your enemy.
And the Lord himself, the King of Israel,
will live among you!
At last your troubles will be over,
and you will never again fear disaster.
16 On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be,
“Cheer up, Zion! Don’t be afraid!
17 For the Lord your God is living among you.
He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
With his love, he will calm all your fears.[b]
He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”
18 “I will gather you who mourn for the appointed festivals;
you will be disgraced no more.[c]
19 And I will deal severely with all who have oppressed you.
I will save the weak and helpless ones;
I will bring together
those who were chased away.
I will give glory and fame to my former exiles,
wherever they have been mocked and shamed.
20 On that day I will gather you together
and bring you home again.
I will give you a good name, a name of distinction,
among all the nations of the earth,
as I restore your fortunes before their very eyes.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Genesis 17:15-22 (New Living Translation)
Sarai Is Named Sarah
15 Then God said to Abraham, “Regarding Sarai, your wife—her name will no longer be Sarai. From now on her name will be Sarah.[a] 16 And I will bless her and give you a son from her! Yes, I will bless her richly, and she will become the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will be among her descendants.”
17 Then Abraham bowed down to the ground, but he laughed to himself in disbelief. “How could I become a father at the age of 100?” he thought. “And how can Sarah have a baby when she is ninety years old?” 18 So Abraham said to God, “May Ishmael live under your special blessing!”
19 But God replied, “No—Sarah, your wife, will give birth to a son for you. You will name him Isaac,[b] and I will confirm my covenant with him and his descendants as an everlasting covenant. 20 As for Ishmael, I will bless him also, just as you have asked. I will make him extremely fruitful and multiply his descendants. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But my covenant will be confirmed with Isaac, who will be born to you and Sarah about this time next year.” 22 When God had finished speaking, he left Abraham.
April 22, 2009
Too Old?
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READ: Genesis 17:15-22
My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. —Genesis 17:4
When God promised Abraham and his wife Sarah that they would have a son, Abraham laughed in unbelief and replied, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” (Gen. 17:17).
Later, Sarah laughed for the same reason: “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” (18:12).
We too grow old and wonder if the Lord can fulfill His promises to us. We no longer have prominence or status. Our minds are not as nimble as they once were. We’re hampered by physical problems that limit our mobility and keep us close to home. Every day we seem to lose more of the things we have spent a lifetime acquiring. Robert Frost underscores something that we sometimes ask ourselves: “The question . . . is what to make of a diminished thing.”
Not much—if we are left to ourselves. But God is able to do more with us than we can imagine. He asks us, as He asked Sarah, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (18:14). Of course not!
We’re never too old to be useful if we make ourselves available to God for His purposes. — David H. Roper
Growing old but not retiring,
For the battle still is on;
Going on without relenting
Till the final victory’s won. —Anon.
As God adds years to your life, ask Him to add life to your years.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
April 22, 2009
The Light That Never Fails
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READ:
We all, with unveiled face, beholding . . . the glory of the Lord . . . —2 Corinthians 3:18
A servant of God must stand so very much alone that he never realizes he is alone. In the early stages of the Christian life, disappointments will come— people who used to be lights will flicker out, and those who used to stand with us will turn away. We have to get so used to it that we will not even realize we are standing alone. Paul said, ". . . no one stood with me, but all forsook me . . . . But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me . . ." (2 Timothy 4:16-17 ). We must build our faith not on fading lights but on the Light that never fails. When "important" individuals go away we are sad, until we see that they are meant to go, so that only one thing is left for us to do— to look into the face of God for ourselves.
Allow nothing to keep you from looking with strong determination into the face of God regarding yourself and your doctrine. And every time you preach make sure you look God in the face about the message first, then the glory will remain through all of it. A Christian servant is one who perpetually looks into the face of God and then goes forth to talk to others. The ministry of Christ is characterized by an abiding glory of which the servant is totally unaware— ". . . Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him" ( Exodus 34:29 ).
We are never called on to display our doubts openly or to express the hidden joys and delights of our life with God. The secret of the servant’s life is that he stays in tune with God all the time.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
The Setting Without the Stones - #5813
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
My wife isn't really very big on jewelry, but she takes special joy in pieces that are family heirlooms, like an engagement ring that originally belonged to my grandmother. Over the years, the three small diamonds that had been in that ring had been removed. So, all that was left was a gold band with three empty settings. Well, my wife managed to get a great deal on some stones that she could have set in that ring. It wasn't particularly beautiful before. It's really beautiful now.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Setting Without the Stones."
The setting by itself wasn't really very attractive. But it was those gems that made all the difference. In today's world where a woman's desire to be "beautiful" drives so much of the marketing that is directed to women, it's easy for a woman to believe some very big lies about herself. The models in the magazines and the stars on the screen are supposed to define beauty. Well, they don't, at least not according to the Creator. And He should know. Much of what we think is beauty is really a setting without the stones.
God's idea of beautiful, therefore the final word on the subject, is part of our word for today from the Word of God. In 1 Peter 3, beginning in verse 2, God calls women to be known and noticed for "the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."
What God says is worth little is worth little. What God says is worth a lot is worth a lot. And He's saying that the outward stuff - your face, your figure, your clothes, your makeup, your hair - those are not what beauty is all about, no matter how many times our culture bombards you with the message that it is. Your outward appearance is at best the setting, but it's not the gems that make the setting come to life. Those are on the inside.
God says the real jewels are things like being a woman who's pure, who's gentle, making people feel special and safe, who conveys a calm spirit, who's poised and peaceful under pressure. Those things just never wrinkle or they never fade. Many a woman who spends hours on how she looks is missing this inner glow that makes a woman radiant. Just think about the women who have made a difference in your own life, who have been beautiful for you. It probably had everything to do with what they were, and almost nothing to do with how they looked.
Do you know where a woman finds her true worth? She finds it when she meets Jesus Christ. When all but one of Jesus' disciples had abandoned Him, do you know who was still at His cross? The women; women whose lives had been changed by Him. If you've never been to that cross where Jesus died for every wrong thing you've ever done, I want to invite you to join the millions of women over the centuries who have found in Jesus Christ the love they have looked for their whole life. He is the one person with whom you are totally safe, whom you can totally trust, who knows all about you and takes you just as you are and loves you just as you are but doesn't leave you there. It makes you into a women you'd otherwise never could have been except for His beauty inside you.
If you've never opened your heart to this One who loves you the most, would you do that today just by saying, "Jesus, beginning this day I am yours."
Our website, YoursForLife.net, is actually set up to help you know how to begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It's all about life's most important relationship. Let me encourage you at your first convenience today to go there - YoursForLife.net. I think you'll be encouraged. Or I'd be glad to send you my little booklet Yours for Life is you'll just call the toll free number and let me know you want it. The number is 877-741-1200.
Every woman who has ever come to Jesus has found in him that love that no one else has ever been able to give them.