Daily Devotional by Max Lucado
“the One who came still comes and the One who spoke still speaks”
December 23
Love that Lasts Forever
Love never fails.
1 Corinthians 13:8 (NIV)
“Love,” Paul says, “never fails.”
The verb Paul uses for the word fail is used elsewhere to describe the demise of a flower as it falls to the ground, withers, and decays. It carries the meaning of death and abolishment. God's love, says the apostle, will never fall to the ground, wither, and decay. By its nature, it is permanent. It is never abolished.
Love “will last forever” (NLT).
It “never dies” (MSG).
It “never ends” (RSV).
Love “is eternal” (TEV).
God's love “will never come to an end” (NEB). . . .
Governments will fail, but God's love will last. Crowns are temporary, but love is eternal. Your money will run out, but his love never will.
From: A Love Worth Giving
Copyright (W Publishing Group, 2002)
Max Lucado
Psalm 19
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard. [a]
4 Their voice [b] goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.
7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.
11 By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
2 Corinthians 9:6-15 (New International Version)
Sowing Generously
6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9As it is written:
"He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever."[a] 10Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
12This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
December 23, 2009
Can You Spare A Dime?
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READ: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15
He who has mercy on the poor, happy is he. —Proverbs 14:21
In her insightful book The Forgotten Man, Amity Shlaes provides fascinating stories about what life was like during the Great Depression in the US. At the center of that economic drama was “the forgotten man,” a term used for the countless individuals who were thrown out of work.
A popular Depression-era song poignantly expresses their story:
They used to tell me I was building a dream, with peace and glory ahead.
Why should I be standing in line, just waiting for bread?
Once I built a railroad, I made it run, made it race against time.
Once I built a railroad; now it’s done. Brother, can you spare a dime?
As the lyrics remind us, an economic downturn changes everything for hard-working people who lose their jobs. When that happens, we as Christians should do what we can for people in need.
In Galatians 2, Paul and Barnabas were reminded to evangelize and to “remember the poor” (v.10). We can see that Paul did just that—preaching the gospel and encouraging financial aid to those in need (Acts 11:29-30; 1 Cor. 16:1-3).
During tough economic times, we too should help people in need—spiritually and physically. A dime doesn’t go far these days, but a generous attitude does. — Dennis Fisher
The poor and needy everywhere
Are objects of God’s love and care,
But they will always know despair
Unless His love with them we share. —D. De Haan
Good exercise for the heart is to bend down and help another person up.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
December 23, 2009
Sharing in the Atonement
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READ:
God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . —Galatians 6:14
The gospel of Jesus Christ always forces a decision of our will. Have I accepted God’s verdict on sin as judged on the Cross of Christ? Do I have even the slightest interest in the death of Jesus? Do I want to be identified with His death— to be completely dead to all interest in sin, worldliness, and self? Do I long to be so closely identified with Jesus that I am of no value for anything except Him and His purposes? The great privilege of discipleship is that I can commit myself under the banner of His Cross, and that means death to sin. You must get alone with Jesus and either decide to tell Him that you do not want sin to die out in you, or that at any cost you want to be identified with His death. When you act in confident faith in what our Lord did on the cross, a supernatural identification with His death takes place immediately. And you will come to know through a higher knowledge that your old life was "crucified with Him" (Romans 6:6 ). The proof that your old life is dead, having been "crucified with Christ" ( Galatians 2:20 ), is the amazing ease with which the life of God in you now enables you to obey the voice of Jesus Christ.
Every once in a while our Lord gives us a glimpse of what we would be like if it were not for Him. This is a confirmation of what He said— ". . . without Me you can do nothing" ( John 15:5 ). That is why the underlying foundation of Christianity is personal, passionate devotion to the Lord Jesus. We mistake the joy of our first introduction into God’s kingdom as His purpose for getting us there. Yet God’s purpose in getting us into His kingdom is that we may realize all that identification with Jesus Christ means.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
The Empty Chair at Christmas - #5988
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
This is going to be a tough Christmas for my friend Rob. This will be his first Christmas without the love of His life. She died just a few weeks ago. He's like a lot of people whose Christmas joy is bittersweet. I came very close to losing the love of my life, and I am very grateful God gave her back to me. But Christmas makes us think about the loves that we've lost - which can lead us to the greatest love of all.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Empty Chair at Christmas."
The loves we've lost are a powerful reminder of the one love we need most; the love the Bible speaks about in Romans 8:38-39. It's our word today from the Word of God, "I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, or anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Now, that is powerful! There's a love that cannot be taken away by death, by anything in heaven, by anything in hell, by anything happening right now, by anything that will happen, by your highs or by your lows. And just in case anything got missed - not by "anything else in all creation." This would sound too good to be true except its God who's promising it. A love you cannot lose - God's love.
We were made for God's love, but we've all missed God's love because we've lived our way instead of His way. And no other love has been able to fill His place in our life. It's not God's fault that we're living outside a deep, daily experience of His love. He didn't leave us. We've walked away with Him to do with our life what we wanted. We're lost. We're out of the orbit we were created for. We are away from the One whose love we were made for. That's why life has been an endless search for what would fill the hole in our hearts. How can anyone or anything that earth has ever fill the place in our soul that was made for God alone? And how can rebels like you and me - people who have over and over chosen our way instead of His way - ever get back to the God we were made for?
Those Bible verses said the love of God is "in Christ Jesus our Lord." Enter Christmas. Enter the Son of God on a mission to bring us back. A mission for which He will give His life - held by three nails to a bloody cross. There Jesus absorbed everything you and I deserve for our sin. And that sacrifice for you has cleared the way for you to have God's love for yourself from the moment you put your life in Jesus' hands. My friend Rob, who I talked about at the beginning, has lost the second greatest love of his life, but not the greatest. He is being held safely in the strong hands - the unloseable love of his Savior, Jesus Christ.
You don't need to live one more day without His love if you'll put your life where it's belonged all along - in Jesus' hands. Tell Him, "Jesus, I've looked for a long time for a love that only You can give - the love that took you to a cross for my sins, and I'm done running my life, Jesus. I'm Yours now."
His hand is reaching for your hand. He won't grab your hand. He won't force you to come. You need to reach out and grab the hand of Jesus. If that's what you want to do, I would love to help you be sure that you belong to Him. That's what our website is for. It's YoursForLife.net. Would you go there as soon as you can today and check it out and find there a simple roadmap; the information that has helped so many people begin their personal relationship with Jesus. That's YoursForLife.net, or maybe you would like the booklet Yours For Life. You can call and get it toll free at 877-741-1200.
The love that Jesus is offering you is the only love on earth that is terror-proof, divorce-proof, death-proof, and that love can be yours today.