Daily Devotional by Max Lucado
“the One who came still comes and the One who spoke still speaks”
July 4
We do not know how to pray as we should. But the Spirit himself speaks to God for us.
Romans 8:26 (NCV)
You know, we really don't know what to pray for, do we?
What if God had answered every prayer that you ever prayed?
Just think who you'd be married to.
Just think where you'd be living.
Just think what you'd be doing.
God loves us so much that sometimes he gives us what we need and not what we ask.
Mark 15
Jesus Is Brought to Pilate
1 It was very early in the morning. The chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law, and the whole Sanhedrin, made a decision. They tied Jesus up and led him away. Then they handed him over to Pilate.
2 "Are you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate.
"Yes. It is just as you say," Jesus replied.
3 The chief priests brought many charges against him. 4 So Pilate asked him again, "Aren't you going to answer? See how many things they charge you with."
5 But Jesus still did not reply. Pilate was amazed.
6 It was the usual practice at the Passover Feast to let one prisoner go free. The people could choose the one they wanted. 7 A man named Barabbas was in prison. He was there with some other people who had fought against the country's rulers. They had committed murder while they were fighting against the rulers. 8 The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.
9 "Do you want me to let the king of the Jews go free?" asked Pilate. 10 He knew that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him because they were jealous. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd. So the crowd asked Pilate to let Barabbas go free instead.
12 "Then what should I do with the one you call the king of the Jews?" Pilate asked them.
13 "Crucify him!" the crowd shouted.
14 "Why? What wrong has he done?" asked Pilate.
But they shouted even louder, "Crucify him!"
15 Pilate wanted to satisfy the crowd. So he let Barabbas go free. He ordered that Jesus be whipped. Then he handed him over to be nailed to a cross.
The Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus
16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace. It was called the Praetorium. They called together the whole company of soldiers.
17 The soldiers put a purple robe on Jesus. Then they twisted thorns together to make a crown. They placed it on his head. 18 They began to call out to him, "We honor you, king of the Jews!" 19 Again and again they hit him on the head with a stick. They spit on him. They fell on their knees and pretended to honor him.
20 After they had made fun of him, they took off the purple robe. They put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him out to nail him to a cross.
Jesus Is Nailed to a Cross
21 A man named Simon from Cyrene was passing by. He was the father of Alexander and Rufus. Simon was on his way in from the country. The soldiers forced him to carry the cross.
22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha. The word Golgotha means The Place of the Skull. 23 Then they gave him wine mixed with spices. But he did not take it.
24 They nailed him to the cross. Then they divided up his clothes. They cast lots to see what each of them would get.
25 It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified him. 26 They wrote out the charge against him. It read, ~the king of the jews.=
27-28They crucified two robbers with him. One was on his right and one was on his left.
29 Those who passed by shouted at Jesus and made fun of him. They shook their heads and said, "So you are going to destroy the temple and build it again in three days? 30 Then come down from the cross! Save yourself!"
31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law made fun of him among themselves. "He saved others," they said. "But he can't save himself! 32 Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross! When we see that, we will believe."
Those who were being crucified with Jesus also made fun of him.
Jesus Dies
33 At noon, darkness covered the whole land. It lasted three hours. 34 At three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? " This means "My God, my God, why have you deserted me?"—(Psalm 22:1)
35 Some of those standing nearby heard Jesus cry out. They said, "Listen! He's calling for Elijah."
36 One of them ran and filled a sponge with wine vinegar. He put it on a stick. He offered it to Jesus to drink. "Leave him alone," he said. "Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down."
37 With a loud cry, Jesus took his last breath.
38 The temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom.
39 A Roman commander was standing there in front of Jesus. He heard his cry and saw how Jesus died. Then he said, "This man was surely the Son of God!"
40 Not very far away, some women were watching. Mary Magdalene was among them. Mary, the mother of the younger James and of Joses, was also there. So was Salome. 41 In Galilee those women had followed Jesus. They had taken care of his needs.
Many other women were also there. They had come up with him to Jerusalem.
Jesus Is Buried
42 It was the day before the Sabbath. That day was called Preparation Day. As evening approached, 43 Joseph went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Joseph was from the town of Arimathea. He was a leading member of the Jewish Council. He was waiting for God's kingdom.
44 Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead. So he called for the Roman commander. He asked him if Jesus had already died. 45 The commander said it was true. So Pilate gave the body to Joseph.
46 Then Joseph bought some linen cloth. He took the body down and wrapped it in the linen. He put it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb.
47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where Jesus' body had been placed.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Galatians 5
Christ Sets Us Free
1 Christ has set us free. He wants us to enjoy freedom. So stand firm. Don't let the chains of slavery hold you again.
2 Here is what I, Paul, say to you. Don't let yourselves be circumcised. If you do, Christ won't be of any value to you. 3 I say it again. Every man who lets himself be circumcised must obey the whole law.
4 Some of you are trying to be made right with God by obeying the law. You have been separated from Christ. You have fallen away from God's grace.
5 But we expect to be made completely holy because of our faith in Christ. Through the Holy Spirit we wait in hope. 6 Circumcision and uncircumcision aren't worth anything to those who believe in Christ Jesus. The only thing that really counts is faith that shows itself through love.
Galatians 5:16-21
Living by the Holy Spirit's Power
16 So I say, live by the Holy Spirit's power. Then you will not do what your sinful nature wants you to do.
17 The sinful nature does not want what the Spirit delights in. And the Spirit does not want what the sinful nature delights in. The two are at war with each other. That's what makes you do what you don't want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the authority of the law.
19 What the sinful nature does is clear. It enjoys sexual sins, impure acts and wild living. 20 It worships statues of gods. It also worships evil powers. It is full of hatred and fighting. It is full of jealousy and fits of anger. It is interested only in getting ahead. It stirs up trouble. It separates people into their own little groups. 21 It wants what others have. It gets drunk and takes part in wild parties. It does many things of that kind. I warn you now as I did before. People who live like that will not receive God's kingdom.
July 4, 2009
Dangerous Freedom
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READ: Galatians 5:1-6,16-21
Do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. —Galatians 5:13
Freedom is dangerous in the hands of those who don’t know how to use it. That’s why criminals are confined in prisons with barbed wire, steel bars, and concrete barriers. Or consider a campfire that is allowed to spread in a dry forest. It quickly becomes a blazing inferno. Unchecked freedom can create chaos.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the Christian life. Believers are free from the law’s curse, its penalty, and its guilt-producing power. Fear, anxiety, and guilt are replaced by peace, forgiveness, and liberty. Who could be more free than one who is free in the depths of his soul? But here is where we often fail. We use freedom’s luxury to live selfishly, or we claim ownership of what God has merely entrusted to us. We slip into patterns of self-indulgent living, especially in affluent societies.
The proper use of freedom is “faith working through love” to serve one another (Gal. 5:6,13). When we rely on the Spirit and expend our energies on loving God and helping others, the destructive works of the flesh will be restrained by God (vv.16-21). So let’s always use our liberty to build up, not to tear down.
Like a raging fire, freedom without limits is dangerous. But when controlled, it is a blessing to all. — Dennis J. De Haan
Christ came to give us liberty
By dying in our place;
Now with new freedom we are bound
To share His love and grace. —D. De Haan
Freedom doesn’t give us the right to do what we please, but to do what pleases God.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
July 4, 2009
One of God’s Great "Don’ts"
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READ:
Do not fret— it only causes harm —Psalm 37:8
Fretting means getting ourselves "out of joint" mentally or spiritually. It is one thing to say, "Do not fret," but something very different to have such a nature that you find yourself unable to fret. It’s easy to say, "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him" ( Psalm 37:7 ) until our own little world is turned upside down and we are forced to live in confusion and agony like so many other people. Is it possible to "rest in the Lord" then? If this "Do not" doesn’t work there, then it will not work anywhere. This "Do not" must work during our days of difficulty and uncertainty, as well as our peaceful days, or it will never work. And if it will not work in your particular case, it will not work for anyone else. Resting in the Lord is not dependent on your external circumstances at all, but on your relationship with God Himself.
Worrying always results in sin. We tend to think that a little anxiety and worry are simply an indication of how wise we really are, yet it is actually a much better indication of just how wicked we are. Fretting rises from our determination to have our own way. Our Lord never worried and was never anxious, because His purpose was never to accomplish His own plans but to fulfill God’s plans. Fretting is wickedness for a child of God.
Have you been propping up that foolish soul of yours with the idea that your circumstances are too much for God to handle? Set all your opinions and speculations aside and "abide under the shadow of the Almighty" ( Psalm 91:1 ). Deliberately tell God that you will not fret about whatever concerns you. All our fretting and worrying is caused by planning without God.
