Max Lucado Daily: God So Loved Us
God So Loved Us
Posted: 30 May 2010 11:01 PM PDT
“If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:11, NKJV
Jesus humbled himself. He went from commanding angels to sleeping in the straw. From holding stars to clutching Mary’s finger. The palm that held the universe took the nail of a soldier.
Why? Because that’s what love does. It puts the beloved before itself.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: 1 Cor. 11:23-34
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,
24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."
25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."
26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.
29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.
30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.
31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.
32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other.
34 If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment. And when I come I will give further directions.
Remember The Sacrifice
Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me. —1 Corinthians 11:24
May 31, 2010 — by Bill Crowder
Every Memorial Day, we remember those who have died in the service of their country. In the United States, a place where such remembrances carry a deep and emotional significance is Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, DC. Arlington is a serious place where, due to the passing of aging war veterans and the ongoing conflicts around the world, there are currently about 25 military funerals every day.
This is particularly difficult for The Old Guard—members of the 3rd US Infantry Regiment who serve at Arlington. It is their task to bear the bodies of the fallen and honor their sacrifice. The members of The Old Guard never forget the price of liberty—for they are reminded of it every day.
Believers in Christ have been given the Lord’s Supper as a reminder of what our freedom from sin cost the Lord Jesus Christ. As we partake of the bread and the cup, we fulfill His command to “do this in remembrance of Me” (1 Cor. 11:24). But in the sober celebration of the sacrifice of Christ there is joy. For we need not leave our remembrances at the Lord’s Table. Living our lives for the Savior can show the world that we will never forget the sacrifice He has made for us.
Thank You, Lord, for dying for me
On the cross of Calvary;
Help me always to remember
What You did to set me free. —Sper
Remembering Christ’s death for us should cause us to live for Him.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
May 31, 2010
Put God First
"Jesus did not commit Himself to them ... for He knew what was in man" (John 2:24-25).
Put Trust in God First. Our Lord never put His trust in any person. Yet He was never suspicious, never bitter, and never lost hope for anyone, because He put His trust in God first. He trusted absolutely in what God's grace could do for others. If I put my trust in human beings first, the end result will be my despair and hopelessness toward everyone. I will become bitter because I have insisted that people be what no person can ever be-absolutely perfect and right. Never trust anything in yourself or in anyone else, except the grace of God.
Put God's Will First. "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God" (Hebrews 10:9).
A person's obedience is to what he sees to be a need-our Lord's obedience was to the will of His Father. The rallying cry today is, "We must get to work! The heathen are dying without God. We must go and tell them about Him." But we must first make sure that God's "needs" and His will in us personally are being met. Jesus said, "... tarry ... until you are endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). The purpose of our Christian training is to get us into the right relationship to the "needs" of God and His will. Once God's "needs" in us have been met, He will open the way for us to accomplish His will, meeting His "needs" elsewhere.
Put God's Son First. "Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me" (Matthew 18:5).
God came as a baby, giving and entrusting Himself to me. He expects my personal life to be a "Bethlehem." Am I allowing my natural life to be slowly transformed by the indwelling life of the Son of God? God's ultimate purpose is that His Son might be exhibited in me.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Why God Sends the Storm - #6101
Monday, May 31, 2010
It was another one of those unforgettable summers with an amazing group of Native American young people. This particular summer, we had traveled to 14 Indian reservations to tell about the hope that those young men and women found in Jesus Christ. One village we were in was typical of so many - so much violence that we were actually advised not to sleep overnight there with the team; a lot of gang activity and a ton of despair. In most places, we're there for multiple nights, but in this particular village we could only do a single night outreach event. Usually, we're outside on a basketball court where the basketball events, the contemporary Christian music and the powerful Hope Stories of the team members convene and hold the attention of a very large crowd. But this night we had to be in a gym, and when team members began to talk about the Savior who had changed their lives, we had an unusual - and very distracting - exodus from the building that was led by several big gang members.
As they gathered outside, a strong wind suddenly roared in, blowing some of their caps into a nearby field. They stayed outside. Then a heavy rain suddenly opened up. A few drenched young people pushed back into the gym, but most of them still chose to stay outside. That's when the little hailstones started. Still, they didn't come in. Then the serious hail began. Big hail; the kind that just pelts your skin! That was it! Everyone pushed inside the gym just in time for an opportunity to begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ; which a number of them chose to do.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Why God Sends the Storm."
Just in case someone might have missed who was behind the stormy events that night, God left His signature: a giant rainbow that actually arced from behind the gym and over our bus. God had done what He has done so many times. He sent a storm to drive people to Him. That might be what He's doing in your life right now.
Our word for today from the Word of God provides a classic example of what part a storm in your life may play in your finding God's love. Jonah, one of God's prophets, didn't like what God had asked him to do, so according to Jonah 1:3, "Jonah ran away from the Lord." He boarded a ship going the opposite direction from his divine orders. And the Bible says, "The Lord sent a great wind on the sea and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up." Ultimately, Jonah confesses that God has sent this storm and it was there because of him, and he told them to throw him overboard to save their own lives. Later, inside the great fish the Bible says God sent to rescue Jonah, he says, "When my life was ebbing away, I remembered You, Lord, and my prayer rose to You...salvation comes from the Lord."
Could it be that the storm that's hit you lately - the storm that even threatens to break up your ship - is God's tool to drive you into His arms? Not because He's mad at you, but because He loves you...enough to send His Son, Jesus, to take all the punishment for all your sin. But you've been running from the man who died for you. But God loves you too much to lose you. He doesn't want you to keep running from His love until time suddenly runs out - forever. So He has sent this storm; something you can't control and you can't fix, so you'd finally realize how very much you need Him. So you'd finally grab the hand of Jesus that's been reaching out to you for a long time.
Don't miss this opportunity to have every sin of your life forgiven, to have the hole in your heart finally filled, to trade hell for heaven. This is the only opportunity you can be sure of. In the midst of your storm, won't you grab Jesus' hand? Not just to save you from the storm, but to save your soul. It happens when you tell Him, "Jesus, I've run my life long enough. I resign. I drop the junk in my hand and grab You like you're my only hope. You died for me. You came back from your grave. I want to belong to you."
If that's what you want, I would encourage you to visit our website. You'll find there in a way that you can read, or listen to, or watch a little information about how to be sure you belong to Jesus Christ. The website is YoursForLife.net.
When you finally let Jesus into that stormy heart, He brings something wonderful with Him. It's called peace.
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