Daily Devotional by Max Lucado
“the One who came still comes and the One who spoke still speaks”
June 29
The Greenhouse of the Heart
People harvest only what they plant.
Galatians 6:7 (NCV)
Think for a moment of your heart as a greenhouse....And your heart, like a greenhouse, has to be managed.
Consider for a moment your thoughts as seed. Some thoughts become flowers. Others become weeds. Sow seeds of hope and enjoy optimism. Sow seeds of doubt and expect insecurity....
The proof is everywhere you look. Ever wonder why some people have the Teflon capacity to resist negativism and remain patient, optimistic, and forgiving? Could it be that they have diligently sown seeds of goodness and are enjoying the harvest?
Ever wonder why others have such a sour outlook? Such a gloomy attitude? You would, too, if your heart were a greenhouse of weeds and thorns.
John 16
1 "I have told you all of this so that you will not go down the wrong path. 2 You will be thrown out of the synagogue. In fact, a time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing God a favor. 3 They will do things like that because they do not know the Father or me.
4 "Why have I told you this? So that when the time comes, you will remember that I warned you. I didn't tell you this at first because I was with you.
What the Holy Spirit Will Do
5 "Now I am going to the One who sent me. But none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' 6 Because I have said these things, you are filled with sadness.
7 "But what I'm about to tell you is true. It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Friend will not come to help you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove that the world's people are guilty. He will prove their guilt concerning sin and godliness and judgment.
9 "The world is guilty as far as sin is concerned. That is because people do not believe in me. 10 The world is guilty as far as godliness is concerned. That is because I am going to the Father, where you can't see me anymore. 11 The world is guilty as far as judgment is concerned. That is because the devil, the prince of this world, has already been judged.
12 "I have much more to say to you. It is more than you can handle right now. 13 But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own. He will speak only what he hears. And he will tell you what is still going to happen.
14 "He will bring me glory by receiving something from me and showing it to you. 15 Everything that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Holy Spirit will receive something from me and show it to you.
16 "In a little while, you will no longer see me. Then after a little while, you will see me."
The Disciples' Sadness Will Turn Into Joy
17 Some of his disciples spoke to one another. They said, "What does he mean by saying, 'In a little while, you will no longer see me. Then after a little while, you will see me'? And what does he mean by saying, 'I am going to the Father'?" 18 They kept asking, "What does he mean by 'a little while'? We don't understand what he is saying."
19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about those things. So he said to them, "Are you asking one another what I meant? Didn't you understand when I said, 'In a little while, you will no longer see me. Then after a little while, you will see me'? 20 What I'm about to tell you is true. You will cry and be full of sorrow while the world is full of joy. You will be sad, but your sadness will turn into joy.
21 "A woman giving birth to a baby has pain. This is because her time to give birth has come. But when her baby is born, she forgets the pain. She forgets because she is so happy that a baby has been born into the world.
22 "That's the way it is with you. Now it's your time to be sad. But I will see you again. Then you will be full of joy. And no one will take your joy away.
23 "When that day comes, you will no longer ask me for anything. What I'm about to tell you is true. My Father will give you anything you ask for in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask, and you will receive what you ask for. Then your joy will be complete.
25 "I have not been speaking to you plainly. But a time is coming when I will speak clearly. Then I will tell you plainly about my Father. 26 When that day comes, you will ask for things in my name. I am not saying I will ask the Father instead of you asking him. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me. He also loves you because you have believed that I came from God.
28 "I came from the Father and entered the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father."
29 Then Jesus' disciples said, "Now you are speaking plainly. You are using examples that are clear. 30 Now we can see that you know everything. You don't even need anyone to ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God."
31 "At last you believe!" Jesus said. 32 "But a time is coming when you will be scattered and go to your own homes. In fact, that time is already here. You will leave me all alone. But I am not really alone. My Father is with me.
33 "I have told you these things, so that you can have peace because of me. In this world you will have trouble. But cheer up! I have won the battle over the world."
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Isaiah 6
The Lord Appoints Isaiah to Speak for Him
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He was seated on his throne. His long robe filled the temple. He was highly honored.
2 Above him were seraphs. Each of them had six wings. With two wings they covered their faces. With two wings they covered their feet. And with two wings they were flying. 3 They were calling out to one another. They were saying,
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord who rules over all.
The whole earth is full of his glory."
4 The sound of their voices caused the stone doorframe to shake. The temple was filled with smoke.
5 "How terrible it is for me!" I cried out. "I'm about to be destroyed! My mouth speaks sinful words. And I live among people who speak sinful words. Now I have seen the King with my own eyes. He is the Lord who rules over all."
6 A seraph flew over to me. He was holding a hot coal. He had used tongs to take it from the altar. 7 He touched my mouth with the coal. He said, "This has touched your lips. Your guilt has been taken away. Your sin has been paid for."
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord. He said, "Who will I send? Who will go for us?"
I said, "Here I am. Send me!"
June 29, 2009
Macauley
ODB RADIO: Listen Now | Download
READ: Isaiah 6:1-8
I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” —Isaiah 6:8
Macauley Rivera, one of my dearest friends in Bible college, had a passion for the Savior. His heart’s desire was to graduate, marry his fiancée Sharon, return to the inner city of Washington, DC, and plant a church to reach his friends and family for Christ.
That dream ended, however, when Mac and Sharon were tragically killed in an accident, leaving the student body stunned at the loss. At Mac’s memorial service, the challenge was issued: “Mac is gone. Who will serve in his place?” As evidence of the impact of Mac’s example, more than 200 students stood to take up the mantle of Christ’s fallen servant.
The response of those students echoes the commitment of Isaiah. In a time of fear and insecurity, the prophet was summoned into the throne room of God, where he heard Him say, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Isaiah responded, “Here am I! Send me” (Isa. 6:8).
God still calls men and women to be His ambassadors today. He challenges us to serve Him—sometimes close to home, sometimes in distant lands. The question for us is, How will we respond to His call? May God give us the courage to say, “Here am I! Send me.” — Bill Crowder
Take the task He gives you gladly;
Let His work your pleasure be;
Answer quickly when He calleth,
“Here am I, send me, send me.” —March
Whom God calls, He qualifies; whom He qualifies, He sends.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
June 29, 2009
The Strictest Discipline
ODB RADIO: | Download
READ:
If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell —Matthew 5:30
Jesus did not say that everyone must cut off his right hand, but that "if your right hand causes you to sin" in your walk with Him, then it is better to "cut it off." There are many things that are perfectly legitimate, but if you are going to concentrate on God you cannot do them. Your right hand is one of the best things you have, but Jesus says that if it hinders you in following His precepts, then "cut it off." The principle taught here is the strictest discipline or lesson that ever hit humankind.
When God changes you through regeneration, giving you new life through spiritual rebirth, your life initially has the characteristic of being maimed. There are a hundred and one things that you dare not do— things that would be sin for you, and would be recognized as sin by those who really know you. But the unspiritual people around you will say, "What’s so wrong with doing that? How absurd you are!" There has never yet been a saint who has not lived a maimed life initially. Yet it is better to enter into life maimed but lovely in God’s sight than to appear lovely to man’s eyes but lame to God’s. At first, Jesus Christ through His Spirit has to restrain you from doing a great many things that may be perfectly right for everyone else but not right for you. Yet, see that you don’t use your restrictions to criticize someone else.
The Christian life is a maimed life initially, but inMatthew 5:48 Jesus gave us the picture of a perfectly well-rounded life— "You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
A Man's Lasting Legacy - #5861
Monday, June 29, 2009
My dad was a great man, and I still miss him, even though he's been gone for a lot of years now. I'll often think about his laugh, his favorite sayings, his great personality, his fun sense of humor, his unconditional love and support for me. Because he's buried in a place where I don't often get to go, it's been quite a while since I've been able to visit his grave. But I did not too long ago. And I was impressed with the simplicity of what, besides the dates of his birth and death, is engraved on his gravestone. It just says, "John Hutchcraft, husband and father."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "A Man's Lasting Legacy."
I guess standing at my father's grave after all these years was sort of a values clarification reminder for me, and maybe for you. My dad held many titles in his life; he was chairman of our church board, chairman of the board of a youth ministry, foreman, and plant manager. But other people held those titles before him and after him. He's the only husband my Mom ever had. He's the only father I ever had. His tombstone honors him accurately; it's what he did as a husband and a father that is the most lasting legacy of his life. That's something for any man to consider.
God seems to put a pretty high priority on those life-roles. You can see it even in His list of requirements for those who aspire to positions of spiritual leadership. In 1 Timothy 3, beginning with verse 2, our word for today from the Word of God, He says, "An overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife...He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity, (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?)." God seems to be saying here, "If he isn't being the right kind of husband and father, please don't spread the infection to the church!" But this isn't just about leadership credentials. It's obviously a statement about what God values in a man.
Tragically, too many of us men have fallen for lies about what will give our lives significance. We go after comparatively trivial pursuits: a promotion at work, the next rung on the ladder, an award, a higher income, the acclaim of our organization, our church, or some important person, or just that bigger title. But there is no bigger title than husband or dad.
I have friends that I respect greatly because they've been offered some great promotions in their company, but they turned them down because they realized that it would hurt their family and it would make them less of a husband and less of a father. To be a hero at work or a hero at church and a zero at home is a price too high to pay. Sadly, even many women in our day have now fallen for the lies about significance that have literally been killing their men. They have been chasing the same pursuits and finding the same lack of fulfillment we did there. God says there is nothing more significant, there is nothing more lasting, or there is nothing more profitable you can do than the mark you make at home.
Those lives that you mark at home; whether it's by your involvement positively or your neglect negatively, that is the lasting legacy of your life. There is no greater legacy you can leave them than to introduce them to the Father, the God who gave up His one and only Son so we could be His sons and daughters. Give your best to the legacy that will truly define the impact of your life.
From my daily reading of the bible, Our Daily Bread Devotionals, My Utmost for His Highest and Ron Hutchcraft "A Word with You" and occasionally others.
Monday, June 29, 2009
John 15, daily reading and devotions
Daily Devotional by Max Lucado
“the One who came still comes and the One who spoke still speaks”
June 28
Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation.
1 Thessalonians 5:8 (THE MESSAGE)
Don't put your hope into things that change--relationships, money
talents, beauty, even health.
Set your sights on the one thing that can never change: trust
in your heavenly Father.
John 15
The Vine and the Branches
1 "I am the true vine. My Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch joined to me that does not bear fruit. He trims every branch that does bear fruit. Then it will bear even more fruit.
3 "You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain joined to me, and I will remain joined to you. No branch can bear fruit by itself. It must remain joined to the vine. In the same way, you can't bear fruit unless you remain joined to me.
5 "I am the vine. You are the branches. If anyone remains joined to me, and I to him, he will bear a lot of fruit. You can't do anything without me. 6 If anyone does not remain joined to me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and dries up. Branches like those are picked up. They are thrown into the fire and burned.
7 "If you remain joined to me and my words remain in you, ask for anything you wish. And it will be given to you. 8 When you bear a lot of fruit, it brings glory to my Father. It shows that you are my disciples.
9 "Just as the Father has loved me, I have loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love. In the same way, I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy will be in you. I also want your joy to be complete.
12 "Here is my command. Love each other, just as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than the one who gives his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command.
15 "I do not call you servants anymore. Servants do not know their master's business. Instead, I have called you friends. I have told you everything I learned from my Father.
16 "You did not choose me. Instead, I chose you. I appointed you to go and bear fruit. It is fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you anything you ask for in my name.
17 "Here is my command. Love each other.
The World Hates the Disciples
18 "Does the world hate you? Remember that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you like one of its own. But you do not belong to the world. I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
20 "Remember the words I spoke to you. I said, 'A servant is not more important than his master.'—(John 13:16) If people hated me and tried to hurt me, they will do the same to you. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you like that because of my name. They do not know the One who sent me.
22 "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Those who hate me hate my Father also.
24 "I did miracles among them that no one else did. If I hadn't, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen those miracles. And still they have hated both me and my Father. 25 This has happened so that what is written in their Law would come true. It says, 'They hated me without any reason.'—(Psalms 35:19; 69:4)
26 "I will send the Friend to you from the Father. He is the Spirit of truth, who comes out from the Father. When the Friend comes to help you, he will give witness about me.
27 "You also must give witness. This is because you have been with me from the beginning.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Acts 13
Barnabas and Saul Are Sent Off
1 In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers. Among them were Barnabas, Simeon, and Lucius from Cyrene. Simeon was also called Niger. Another was Manaen. He had been brought up with Herod, the ruler of Galilee. Saul was among them too. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit spoke. "Set apart Barnabas and Saul for me," he said. "I have appointed them to do special work." 3 The prophets and teachers fasted and prayed. They placed their hands on Barnabas and Saul. Then they sent them off.
Events on Cyprus
4 Barnabas and Saul were sent on their way by the Holy Spirit. They went down to Seleucia. From there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 They arrived at Salamis. There they preached God's word in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.
June 28, 2009
Are You Ready?
ODB RADIO: Listen Now | Download
READ: Acts 13:1-5
As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work.” —Acts 13:2
Three months before a planned missions trip, a friend and I were talking about the upcoming event. He said to me, “If anyone can’t go, I’d be willing to step in and join you.” This was not going to be an easy 8 days, for we would be painting, repairing, and fixing stuff in the July heat of Jamaica. Yet my friend seemed eager to go.
About 6 weeks before we were scheduled to leave, there was an opening. I e-mailed my friend—whom I hadn’t seen in the interim—and asked if he was still interested. He immediately responded, “Sure! And I got a passport just in case you asked.” He had made sure he was ready—just in case he got the call to go.
My friend’s preparation reminds me of what happened back in the first century at Antioch. Paul and Barnabas were among a number of people getting themselves ready spiritually for whatever God might ask them to do, or wherever He might send them. They didn’t prepare by getting a passport, but they “ministered to the Lord and fasted” (Acts 13:2). And when the Holy Spirit said, “Separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work” (v.2), they were all set for the journey.
Are you preparing for what God might want you to do? When the Spirit says, “Go,” will you be ready? — Dave Branon
Available for God to use me,
Available, if God should choose me;
Should it be here or there, it doesn’t matter where;
My waiting heart prepare. —Anthony
© 1971, Dick Anthony.
Keep your tools ready—God will find work for you.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
June 28, 2009
Held by the Grip of God
ODB RADIO: | Download
READ:
I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me —Philippians 3:12
Never choose to be a worker for God, but once God has placed His call on you, woe be to you if you "turn aside to the right hand or to the left" ( Deuteronomy 5:32 ). We are not here to work for God because we have chosen to do so, but because God has "laid hold of" us. And once He has done so, we never have this thought, "Well, I’m really not suited for this." What you are to preach is also determined by God, not by your own natural leanings or desires. Keep your soul steadfastly related to God, and remember that you are called not simply to convey your testimony but also to preach the gospel. Every Christian must testify to the truth of God, but when it comes to the call to preach, there must be the agonizing grip of God’s hand on you— your life is in the grip of God for that very purpose. How many of us are held like that?
Never water down the Word of God, but preach it in its undiluted sternness. There must be unflinching faithfulness to the Word of God, but when you come to personal dealings with others, remember who you are— you are not some special being created in heaven, but a sinner saved by grace.
"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do. . . I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" ( Philippians 3:13-14 ).
“the One who came still comes and the One who spoke still speaks”
June 28
Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation.
1 Thessalonians 5:8 (THE MESSAGE)
Don't put your hope into things that change--relationships, money
talents, beauty, even health.
Set your sights on the one thing that can never change: trust
in your heavenly Father.
John 15
The Vine and the Branches
1 "I am the true vine. My Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch joined to me that does not bear fruit. He trims every branch that does bear fruit. Then it will bear even more fruit.
3 "You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain joined to me, and I will remain joined to you. No branch can bear fruit by itself. It must remain joined to the vine. In the same way, you can't bear fruit unless you remain joined to me.
5 "I am the vine. You are the branches. If anyone remains joined to me, and I to him, he will bear a lot of fruit. You can't do anything without me. 6 If anyone does not remain joined to me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and dries up. Branches like those are picked up. They are thrown into the fire and burned.
7 "If you remain joined to me and my words remain in you, ask for anything you wish. And it will be given to you. 8 When you bear a lot of fruit, it brings glory to my Father. It shows that you are my disciples.
9 "Just as the Father has loved me, I have loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love. In the same way, I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy will be in you. I also want your joy to be complete.
12 "Here is my command. Love each other, just as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than the one who gives his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command.
15 "I do not call you servants anymore. Servants do not know their master's business. Instead, I have called you friends. I have told you everything I learned from my Father.
16 "You did not choose me. Instead, I chose you. I appointed you to go and bear fruit. It is fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you anything you ask for in my name.
17 "Here is my command. Love each other.
The World Hates the Disciples
18 "Does the world hate you? Remember that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you like one of its own. But you do not belong to the world. I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
20 "Remember the words I spoke to you. I said, 'A servant is not more important than his master.'—(John 13:16) If people hated me and tried to hurt me, they will do the same to you. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you like that because of my name. They do not know the One who sent me.
22 "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Those who hate me hate my Father also.
24 "I did miracles among them that no one else did. If I hadn't, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen those miracles. And still they have hated both me and my Father. 25 This has happened so that what is written in their Law would come true. It says, 'They hated me without any reason.'—(Psalms 35:19; 69:4)
26 "I will send the Friend to you from the Father. He is the Spirit of truth, who comes out from the Father. When the Friend comes to help you, he will give witness about me.
27 "You also must give witness. This is because you have been with me from the beginning.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Acts 13
Barnabas and Saul Are Sent Off
1 In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers. Among them were Barnabas, Simeon, and Lucius from Cyrene. Simeon was also called Niger. Another was Manaen. He had been brought up with Herod, the ruler of Galilee. Saul was among them too. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit spoke. "Set apart Barnabas and Saul for me," he said. "I have appointed them to do special work." 3 The prophets and teachers fasted and prayed. They placed their hands on Barnabas and Saul. Then they sent them off.
Events on Cyprus
4 Barnabas and Saul were sent on their way by the Holy Spirit. They went down to Seleucia. From there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 They arrived at Salamis. There they preached God's word in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.
June 28, 2009
Are You Ready?
ODB RADIO: Listen Now | Download
READ: Acts 13:1-5
As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work.” —Acts 13:2
Three months before a planned missions trip, a friend and I were talking about the upcoming event. He said to me, “If anyone can’t go, I’d be willing to step in and join you.” This was not going to be an easy 8 days, for we would be painting, repairing, and fixing stuff in the July heat of Jamaica. Yet my friend seemed eager to go.
About 6 weeks before we were scheduled to leave, there was an opening. I e-mailed my friend—whom I hadn’t seen in the interim—and asked if he was still interested. He immediately responded, “Sure! And I got a passport just in case you asked.” He had made sure he was ready—just in case he got the call to go.
My friend’s preparation reminds me of what happened back in the first century at Antioch. Paul and Barnabas were among a number of people getting themselves ready spiritually for whatever God might ask them to do, or wherever He might send them. They didn’t prepare by getting a passport, but they “ministered to the Lord and fasted” (Acts 13:2). And when the Holy Spirit said, “Separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work” (v.2), they were all set for the journey.
Are you preparing for what God might want you to do? When the Spirit says, “Go,” will you be ready? — Dave Branon
Available for God to use me,
Available, if God should choose me;
Should it be here or there, it doesn’t matter where;
My waiting heart prepare. —Anthony
© 1971, Dick Anthony.
Keep your tools ready—God will find work for you.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
June 28, 2009
Held by the Grip of God
ODB RADIO: | Download
READ:
I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me —Philippians 3:12
Never choose to be a worker for God, but once God has placed His call on you, woe be to you if you "turn aside to the right hand or to the left" ( Deuteronomy 5:32 ). We are not here to work for God because we have chosen to do so, but because God has "laid hold of" us. And once He has done so, we never have this thought, "Well, I’m really not suited for this." What you are to preach is also determined by God, not by your own natural leanings or desires. Keep your soul steadfastly related to God, and remember that you are called not simply to convey your testimony but also to preach the gospel. Every Christian must testify to the truth of God, but when it comes to the call to preach, there must be the agonizing grip of God’s hand on you— your life is in the grip of God for that very purpose. How many of us are held like that?
Never water down the Word of God, but preach it in its undiluted sternness. There must be unflinching faithfulness to the Word of God, but when you come to personal dealings with others, remember who you are— you are not some special being created in heaven, but a sinner saved by grace.
"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do. . . I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" ( Philippians 3:13-14 ).