Daily Devotional by Max Lucado
“the One who came still comes and the One who spoke still speaks”
August 12
God’s Will…Be Done
May your kingdom come and what you want be done, here on earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10 (NCV)
To pray, "Thy will be done" is to seek the heart of God. The word will means "strong desire."... [So] what is his heart? His passion? He wants you to know it.
Shall God hide from us what he is going to do? Apparently not, for he has gone to great lengths to reveal his will to us. Could he have done more than send his Son to lead us? Could he have done more than give his word to teach us? Could he have done more than orchestrate events to awaken us? Could he have done more than send his Holy Spirit to counsel us?
God is not the God of confusion, and wherever he sees sincere seekers with confused hearts, you can bet your sweet December that he will do whatever it takes to help them see his will.
Romans 8
Life Through the Spirit
1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,[i] 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature,[j] God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.[k] And so he condemned sin in sinful man,[l] 4in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
5Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6The mind of sinful man[m] is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7the sinful mind[n] is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
9You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
12Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.[o] And by him we cry, "Abba,[p] Father." 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Future Glory
18I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that[q] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
22We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
More Than Conquerors
28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,[r] who[s] have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."[t] 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[u] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Matthew 14:22-33 (New International Version)
Jesus Walks on the Water
22Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24but the boat was already a considerable distance[a] from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
25During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.
27But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
28"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."
29"Come," he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"
31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"
32And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."
August 12, 2009
He Is Enough
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READ: Matthew 14:22-33
Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” —Matthew 14:27
Sometimes we are overwhelmed by life. The crushing waves of disappointment, endless debt, debilitating illness, or trouble with people can cause hopelessness, depression, or despair. It happened to Jesus’ disciples. And it has happened to me.
Three statements by the Lord beginning with the words “It is . . .” offer us comfort, reassurance, and hope that Jesus is enough. The first is in Matthew 4 and is repeated three times: “It is written” (vv.4,7,10). In responding to the three temptations of Satan, Jesus gave us proof enough that the Word of God is true and overcomes the most powerful forms of temptation and pressure.
The second statement, “It is I” (Matt. 14:27), was spoken when Jesus told His terrified disciples that He Himself was presence enough to stop the howling storm and calm the raging seas.
Jesus spoke the third “It is” from the cross: “It is finished!” (John 19:30). He assured us that His death was provision enough to pay the debt for our sins and set us free.
Whatever our circumstances, Jesus is present with His love, compassion, and grace. He is proof, presence, and provision enough to carry us safely through. — David C. Egner
When trials overwhelm our souls
And tempt us to despair,
We need to reach out to the Lord
And trust His tender care. —Sper
God’s love does not keep us from trials; it helps us get through them.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
August 12, 2009
The Theology of Resting in God
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READ:
Why are you fearful, O you of little faith? —Matthew 8:26
When we are afraid, the least we can do is pray to God. But our Lord has a right to expect that those who name His name have an underlying confidence in Him. God expects His children to be so confident in Him that in any crisis they are the ones who are reliable. Yet our trust is only in God up to a certain point, then we turn back to the elementary panic-stricken prayers of those people who do not even know God. We come to our wits’ end, showing that we don’t have even the slightest amount of confidence in Him or in His sovereign control of the world. To us He seems to be asleep, and we can see nothing but giant, breaking waves on the sea ahead of us.
". . . O you of little faith!" What a stinging pain must have shot through the disciples as they surely thought to themselves, "We missed the mark again!" And what a sharp pain will go through us when we suddenly realize that we could have produced complete and utter joy in the heart of Jesus by remaining absolutely confident in Him, in spite of what we were facing.
There are times when there is no storm or crisis in our lives, and we do all that is humanly possible. But it is when a crisis arises that we instantly reveal upon whom we rely. If we have been learning to worship God and to place our trust in Him, the crisis will reveal that we can go to the point of breaking, yet without breaking our confidence in Him.
We have been talking quite a lot about sanctification, but what will be the result in our lives? It will be expressed in our lives as a peaceful resting in God, which means a total oneness with Him. And this oneness will make us not only blameless in His sight, but also a profound joy to Him.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Moving Day Without Notice - #5893
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
The title song of the musical "Oklahoma" celebrates that state as the place "where the wind comes whippin' o'er the plains." Yeah, I guess so! Would you believe tornadoes that come whippin' o'er the plains? That's not quite as poetic, but it sure has been true in recent years. It seems like Oklahoma has had more than its share of severe weather. I saw an interview with some folks whose homes had been hit by one tornado that moved along the northern edge of Oklahoma City. It was amazing to see many people who faced their loss with a determination to rebuild. Some even faced it with a sense of humor, believe it or not. One man described what had happened pretty creatively. He said, "Well, it was sort of moving day without notice!"
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Moving Day Without Notice."
You know, we're all going to have one of those, no matter what the weather's like. On God's calendar is the day that we will all breathe our last and will keep our appointment with Him. As the Bible says, "Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). No reincarnation. No second chance. No do-over. Death - then judgment. For each of us it will be "moving day" without notice.
That's why the Bible gives this advice in Proverbs 27:1, our word for today from the Word of God, "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth." And we have plenty of proof of the wisdom of that statement, don't we? We all know people who were literally here today and then gone tomorrow: one car crossing the center line, one deadly spasm in your heart, one deadly surprise. We live as if tomorrow's a sure thing. It is not.
And nowhere is it more foolhardy or more potentially fatal to postpone what we need to do than in our relationship with Almighty God, or the fact that we really don't have a personal relationship with God. You may have seen this Bible verse on a highway billboard and laughed it off, but listen, its way too serious to take lightly. The Bible simply says, "Prepare to meet your God" (Amos 4:12). We prepare for an exam, we prepare for company, for a vacation, or for retirement. We don't prepare for eternity. It's a fatal mistake.
And the Bible makes it clear there's only one way you can prepare to meet your God; to prepare for that day when you will move without notice, either to heaven or to hell. The most urgent issue in our lives is to get all the sins of our life somehow forgiven, because without that, we don't stand a chance with a holy God. And the only One who can forgive your sins is the One who died to pay for your sins in your place. That's Jesus. The Bible couldn't be more clear, "He that has the Son (that's Jesus) has life; he that does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5:12). Either you have Jesus because you've consciously given yourself to Him, or you don't have Jesus. In which case, you don't have eternal life.
It just doesn't make sense to risk one more day without Him. God puts it this way, "Now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation" (1 Corinthians 6:2). If you have never reached out to Jesus and given yourself to Him, please don't wait any longer. Today - what a day to tell Him, "Jesus, I am Yours. You died for me. I want to belong to you. I want to put all my trust in you." If that's what you want, this can be the day you actually begin your relationship with Him; have every sin forgiven and trade hell for heaven.
Our website is a place that a lot of people have gone when they have been at the threshold of beginning a relationship with Jesus. There's some great information from the Bible there. Not from a religion, but from the Bible as to how to get started with Jesus. And I want to encourage you to check it out today. It's YoursForLife.net. Or I'd be glad to send you my booklet Yours For Life. You can call for it toll free if you call this number: 877-741-1200.
See, today's all that you've got for sure. And there's just too much at stake to wait.