Daily Devotional by Max Lucado
“the One who came still comes and the One who spoke still speaks”
June 27
He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole.
Job 5:18 (NKJV)
Oh, the hands of Jesus.
Hands of incarnation at his birth.
Hands of liberation as he healed.
Hands of inspiration as he taught.
Hands of dedication as he served.
And hands of salvation as he died....
The same hand that cleansed the Temple cleanses your heart.
The hand is the hand of God.
John 14
Jesus Comforts His Disciples
1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God. Trust in me also.
2 "There are many rooms in my Father's house. If this were not true, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and do that, I will come back. And I will take you to be with me. Then you will also be where I am.
4 "You know the way to the place where I am going."
Jesus Is the Way to the Father
5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going. So how can we know the way?"
6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father also. From now on, you do know him. And you have seen him."
8 Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father. That will be enough for us."
9 Jesus answered, "Don't you know me, Philip? I have been among you such a long time! Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. So how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
10 "Don't you believe that I am in the Father? Don't you believe that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. The Father lives in me. He is the One who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say I am in the Father. Also believe that the Father is in me. Or at least believe what the miracles show about me.
12 "What I'm about to tell you is true. Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. In fact, he will do even greater things. That is because I am going to the Father.
13 "And I will do anything you ask in my name. Then the Son will bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name. I will do it.
The Father Will Send the Holy Spirit
15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16 I will ask the Father. And he will give you another Friend to help you and to be with you forever. 17 The Friend is the Spirit of truth. The world can't accept him. That is because the world does not see him or know him. But you know him. He lives with you, and he will be in you.
18 "I will not leave you like children who don't have parents. I will come to you.
19 "Before long, the world will not see me anymore. But you will see me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father. You will know that you are in me, and I am in you.
21 "Anyone who has my commands and obeys them loves me. My Father will love the one who loves me. I too will love him. And I will show myself to him."
22 Then Judas spoke. "Lord," he said, "why do you plan to show yourself only to us? Why not also to the world?" The Judas who spoke those words was not Judas Iscariot.
23 Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love him. We will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. The words you hear me say are not my own. They belong to the Father who sent me.
25 "I have spoken all these things while I am still with you. 26 But the Father will send the Friend in my name to help you. The Friend is the Holy Spirit. He will teach you all things. He will remind you of everything I have said to you.
27 "I leave my peace with you. I give my peace to you. I do not give it to you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be troubled. And do not be afraid.
28 "You heard me say, 'I am going away. And I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad I am going to the Father. The Father is greater than I am. 29 I have told you now before it happens. Then when it does happen, you will believe.
30 "I will not speak with you much longer. The prince of this world is coming. He has no power over me. 31 But the world must learn that I love the Father. They must also learn that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me to do.
"Come now. Let us leave.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Proverbs 1
Purpose
1 These are the proverbs of Solomon. He was the son of David and the king of Israel.
2 Proverbs teach you wisdom and train you.
They help you understand wise sayings.
3 They provide you with training and help you live wisely.
They lead to what is right and honest and fair.
4 They give understanding to childish people.
They give knowledge and good sense to those who are young.
5 Let wise people listen and add to what they have learned.
Let those who understand what is right get guidance.
6 What I'm teaching also helps you understand proverbs and stories.
It helps you understand the sayings and riddles of those who are wise.
Main Point
7 If you really want to gain knowledge, you must begin by having respect for the Lord.
But foolish people hate wisdom and training.
Think and Live Wisely
A Warning Against a Life of Crime
8 My son, listen to your father's advice.
Don't turn away from your mother's teaching.
9 What they teach you will be like a beautiful crown on your head.
It will be like a chain to decorate your neck.
June 27, 2009
Advice For The Groom
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READ: Proverbs 1:1-9
My son, hear the instruction of your father. —Proverbs 1:8
The custom of a bachelor party before a wedding is often characterized by drunkenness and carousing. The party-hearty attitude seems driven by the belief that the groom will soon be married and have to settle down to a life of domestic boredom.
Not long ago, one of my nephews got married. The best man planned a get-together for Joel, but with a refreshing difference. Those invited were asked to bring some thoughts to share that would help him in this new chapter of life.
When I arrived at the informal breakfast, I found a cheerful spirit of camaraderie. Fathers, uncles, brothers, and friends were animated in lively discussion. The father of the bride and the father of the groom were asked to share their advice on what they had learned in their own Christian marriage. Their thoughts were personal, realistic, and biblical.
The book of Proverbs mirrors this kind of mentoring in facing life’s challenges and rewards. “My son, hear the instruction of your father . . . for [it] will be a graceful ornament on your head” (Prov. 1:8-9).
How God-honoring it would be if more couples began their marriage with an attitude that heeded the wisdom of those who walked the path before them. — Dennis Fisher
Lord, give us ears to hear advice
From loved ones wise and humble,
So when life’s challenges appear
We will not have to stumble. —Sper
He is truly wise who gains his wisdom from the experience of others.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
June 27, 2009
The Overshadowing of God’s Personal Deliverance
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READ:
. . . I am with you to deliver you,’ says the Lord —Jeremiah 1:8
God promised Jeremiah that He would deliver him personally— ". . . your life shall be as a prize to you . . ." (Jeremiah 39:18 ). That is all God promises His children. Wherever God sends us, He will guard our lives. Our personal property and possessions are to be a matter of indifference to us, and our hold on these things should be very loose. If this is not the case, we will have panic, heartache, and distress. Having the proper outlook is evidence of the deeply rooted belief in the overshadowing of God’s personal deliverance.
The Sermon on the Mount indicates that when we are on a mission for Jesus Christ, there is no time to stand up for ourselves. Jesus says, in effect, "Don’t worry about whether or not you are being treated justly." Looking for justice is actually a sign that we have been diverted from our devotion to Him. Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it. If we look for justice, we will only begin to complain and to indulge ourselves in the discontent of self-pity, as if to say, "Why should I be treated like this?" If we are devoted to Jesus Christ, we have nothing to do with what we encounter, whether it is just or unjust. In essence, Jesus says, "Continue steadily on with what I have told you to do, and I will guard your life. If you try to guard it yourself, you remove yourself from My deliverance." Even the most devout among us become atheistic in this regard— we do not believe Him. We put our common sense on the throne and then attach God’s name to it. We do lean to our own understanding, instead of trusting God with all our hearts (see Proverbs 3:5-6 ).
