Daily Devotional by Max Lucado
“the One who came still comes and the One who spoke still speaks”
September 16
Itemized Grace
The Lord knows those who belong to him.
2 Timothy 2:19 (NCV)
Imagine the event. You are before the judgment seat of Christ. The book is opened and the reading begins--each sin, each deceit, each occasion of destruction and greed. But as soon as the infraction is read, grace is proclaimed....
The result? God's merciful verdict will echo through the universe. For the first time in history, we will understand the depth of his goodness. Itemized grace. Catalogued kindness. Registered forgiveness. We will stand in awe as one sin after another is proclaimed, and then pardoned....
The devil will shrink back in defeat. The angels will step forward in awe. And we saints will stand tall in God's grace. As we see how much he has forgiven us, we will see how much he loves us. And we will worship him.
The result will be the first genuine community of forgiven people. Only one is worthy of the applause of heaven, and he's the one with the pierced hands and feet.
Revelation 21
The New Jerusalem
1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
5He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
6He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
9One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." 10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia[b]in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits[c] thick,[d] by man's measurement, which the angel was using. 18The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.[e] 21The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.
22I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Ephesians 4:25-32 (New International Version)
25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26"In your anger do not sin"[a]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold. 28He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
September 16, 2009
Things Said In Secret
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READ: Ephesians 4:25-32
The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious. —Ecclesiastes 10:12
Some say that anonymity is the last refuge for cowards. Judging from mail and comments I’ve read that have been submitted anonymously, I would agree. People hiding behind the screen of anonymity or a false identity feel the freedom to launch angry, hurtful tirades. Anonymity allows them to be unkind without having to take responsibility for their words.
Whenever I am tempted to write something anonymously because I don’t want to be identified with my own words, I stop and reconsider. If I don’t want my name attached to it, I probably shouldn’t be saying it. Then I do one of two things: I either toss it out or I rewrite it in a way that makes it helpful rather than hurtful.
According to Ephesians, our words should edify and impart grace (4:29). If I’m unwilling to use my name, there’s reason to believe that my motive is to hurt, not to help.
Whenever you’re tempted to say something in secret—perhaps to a family member, co-worker, or your pastor—consider why you don’t want your name to be identified with your words. After all, if you don’t want to be identified with your words, God probably doesn’t either. He is gracious and slow to anger (Ex. 34:6), and we should be the same. — Julie Ackerman Link
O Lord, help us to turn aside
From words that spring from selfish pride,
For You would have Your children one
In praise and love for Your dear Son. —D. De Haan
Anonymity can be a coward’s way of hiding behind hurtful words.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
September 16, 2009
Praying to God in Secret
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READ:
When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place . . . —Matthew 6:6
The primary thought in the area of religion is— keep your eyes on God, not on people. Your motivation should not be the desire to be known as a praying person. Find an inner room in which to pray where no one even knows you are praying, shut the door, and talk to God in secret. Have no motivation other than to know your Father in heaven. It is impossible to carry on your life as a disciple without definite times of secret prayer.
"When you pray, do not use vain repetitions . . ." ( Matthew 6:7 ). God does not hear us because we pray earnestly— He hears us solely on the basis of redemption. God is never impressed by our earnestness. Prayer is not simply getting things from God— that is only the most elementary kind of prayer. Prayer is coming into perfect fellowship and oneness with God. If the Son of God has been formed in us through regeneration (see Galatians 4:19 ), then He will continue to press on beyond our common sense and will change our attitude about the things for which we pray.
"Everyone who asks receives . . ." (Matthew 7:8 ). We pray religious nonsense without even involving our will, and then we say that God did not answer— but in reality we have never asked for anything. Jesus said, ". . . you will ask what you desire. . ." ( John 15:7 ). Asking means that our will must be involved. Whenever Jesus talked about prayer, He spoke with wonderful childlike simplicity. Then we respond with our critical attitude, saying, "Yes, but even Jesus said that we must ask." But remember that we have to ask things of God that are in keeping with the God whom Jesus Christ revealed.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
When the Container Lies to You - #5918
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
One of life's great treats is pumpkin pie with some Cool Whip on it. That's what I was after when I went to my son's refrigerator. I had cut my piece of pie, and all it was missing was that little white topping of Cool Whip. I foraged around in the fridge until I saw that familiar plastic container with a picture of exactly what I wanted my pumpkin pie to look like. Somewhat mindlessly, I opened that container, stuck my spoon in there, and then pulled out the contents. I was just about to decorate my pie with it when I looked at what was on my spoon. It wasn't Cool Whip. It was gravy, which doesn't do much for pumpkin pie.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When the Container Lies to You."
The container promised me one thing, but what was inside was very different. That's an experience every one of us has had when we reached for something based on what it was supposed to give us, only to be disappointed when we found out what was really inside. That deception is, in fact, the very nature of sin. And that's why we end up with scars and messes we never knew we were going to be a part of.
In fact, you may be looking at a temptation right now, or maybe you're even giving into it right now; a temptation that looks promising on the outside. But God is sending you a warning right now to let you know the heartache and the hurt that's on the inside. Sin conceals its ugliness and it conceals its destruction until you've already bitten the apple.
The temptation that looks good to you right now may say "pleasure" on the container - do this because it will feel good. Or maybe the package says "love" - do this and you'll get some love. The promise may be "relief" - a chance to escape from some hurt, or maybe it says "significance" - do this and you'll get ahead, you'll feel important.
But see, God believes in "truth-in-packaging." He clearly reveals what sin really offers in James 1:15, our word for today from the Word of God. "After desire has conceived" (that's the part where the container really looks inviting) "it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." That, of course, is not on the container. First, sin fascinates you, then sin assassinates you. It kills your self-respect, it kills people's trust in you, it kills your close relationships, it kills your freedom, and it kills your closeness to God; short benefit - long consequences. A sinful way to get something you need or want is never worth it and ultimately never delivers.
It's a prison that looks like a penthouse on the outside. You don't know that you're hooked until the cell door slams behind you. The thrill of sin lasts a short time; the bill for sin lasts a long time. There's a little good stuff and a whole lot of guilt; a rush that's brief and wreckage that can last a lifetime.
Don't fall for those lies on sin's package. Check its real contents, as exposed graphically in the Bible. If you've already opened sin's package, get out while you can. If you're looking at a compromise that God calls sin, run the other way. You haven't got time for the pain, for the scars, for the slavery, for the shame. Do it God's way, even if it's harder, even if it takes longer. Remember, it's the narrow road that leads to life. It's the wide road that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14).
