Max Lucado Daily: He’s Here
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He’s Here
Posted: 14 Feb 2010 10:01 PM PST
“The moment I called out, you stepped in; you made my life large with strength.” Psalm 138:3, The Message
Where is God when we hurt? Where is he when sleep won’t come? Where is he when we awaken in a hospital bed with pain that won’t subside? He’s right here! He hung on the gallows to prove once and for all, with pierced hands and blood-stained face—that he’s here—that he didn’t create the hurt, but he came to take it away.
When you hurt, God hurts with you.
2 Chronicles 26
Uzziah King of Judah
1 Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, [j] who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. 2 He was the one who rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah after Amaziah rested with his fathers.
3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother's name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem. 4 He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done. 5 He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear [k] of God. As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success.
6 He went to war against the Philistines and broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh and Ashdod. He then rebuilt towns near Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines. 7 God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabs who lived in Gur Baal and against the Meunites. 8 The Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the border of Egypt, because he had become very powerful.
9 Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate and at the angle of the wall, and he fortified them. 10 He also built towers in the desert and dug many cisterns, because he had much livestock in the foothills and in the plain. He had people working his fields and vineyards in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil.
11 Uzziah had a well-trained army, ready to go out by divisions according to their numbers as mustered by Jeiel the secretary and Maaseiah the officer under the direction of Hananiah, one of the royal officials. 12 The total number of family leaders over the fighting men was 2,600. 13 Under their command was an army of 307,500 men trained for war, a powerful force to support the king against his enemies. 14 Uzziah provided shields, spears, helmets, coats of armor, bows and slingstones for the entire army. 15 In Jerusalem he made machines designed by skillful men for use on the towers and on the corner defenses to shoot arrows and hurl large stones. His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful.
16 But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. 17 Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the LORD followed him in. 18 They confronted him and said, "It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the LORD God."
19 Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the LORD's temple, leprosy [l] broke out on his forehead. 20 When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the LORD had afflicted him.
21 King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house [m] —leprous, and excluded from the temple of the LORD. Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.
22 The other events of Uzziah's reign, from beginning to end, are recorded by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. 23 Uzziah rested with his fathers and was buried near them in a field for burial that belonged to the kings, for people said, "He had leprosy." And Jotham his son succeeded him as king.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Hebrews 11:24-34 (New International Version)
24By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. 25He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
29By faith the people passed through the Red Sea[a] as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
30By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.
31By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.[b]
32And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.
February 15, 2010
Defining Failure
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READ: Hebrews 11:24-34
Who through faith . . . out of weakness were made strong. —Hebrews 11:33-34
During the Great Depression, many people in the US lived in shantytowns made up of plywood, tarps, and blankets. These decrepit dwellings, known as “Hoovervilles,” housed those who had been evicted from their homes. Many blamed President Herbert Hoover for the economic woes.
Ironically, Hoover’s apparent ineffectiveness as a leader was in sharp contrast to his previous record. Earlier, Hoover’s expertise in geological engineering led to successful mining projects in Australia and China. He also effectively spearheaded humanitarian efforts. But when the stock market crashed in October 1929, President Hoover was in circumstances beyond his control. He would be forever tied with the economic depression of the 1930s.
One major fiasco, however, does not mean one’s whole life is a failure. What if we remembered Abraham only as a deceiver (Gen. 12:10-20), Moses as disobedient to God (Num. 20:1-13), or David as a murderer? (2 Sam. 11). Despite their sins, these men are remembered for their persevering faith: “who through faith . . . out of weakness were made strong” (Heb. 11:33-34).
Our life is not a failure if we’ve repented of our sins. God can still use us to serve Him. — Dennis Fisher
The lessons we learn from our failures
Are lessons that help us succeed,
And if we are wise and we heed them,
Then failure is just what we need. —D. De Haan
Success often rises out of the ashes of failure
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
February 15, 2010
"Am I My Brother’s Keeper?"
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READ:
None of us lives to himself . . . —Romans 14:7
Has it ever dawned on you that you are responsible spiritually to God for other people? For instance, if I allow any turning away from God in my private life, everyone around me suffers. We "sit together in the heavenly places . . ." ( Ephesians 2:6 ). "If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it . . ." ( 1 Corinthians 12:26 ). If you allow physical selfishness, mental carelessness, moral insensitivity, or spiritual weakness, everyone in contact with you will suffer. But you ask, "Who is sufficient to be able to live up to such a lofty standard?" "Our sufficiency is from God . . ." and God alone (2 Corinthians 3:5 ).
"You shall be witnesses to Me . . ." ( Acts 1:8 ). How many of us are willing to spend every bit of our nervous, mental, moral, and spiritual energy for Jesus Christ? That is what God means when He uses the word witness. But it takes time, so be patient with yourself. Why has God left us on the earth? Is it simply to be saved and sanctified? No, it is to be at work in service to Him. Am I willing to be broken bread and poured-out wine for Him? Am I willing to be of no value to this age or this life except for one purpose and one alone— to be used to disciple men and women to the Lord Jesus Christ. My life of service to God is the way I say "thank you" to Him for His inexpressibly wonderful salvation. Remember, it is quite possible for God to set any of us aside if we refuse to be of service to Him— ". . . lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified" ( 1 Corinthians 9:27 ).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
The Proof You Are Loved - #6026
Monday, February 15, 2010
The Valentine our four-year-old grandson got from his grandparents must have meant a lot to him. He doesn't get to see these grandparents real often, so it's nice to get their love in the mail. When his Valentine arrived, his mom read it to him. Several times that day, he asked her to read it to him again. Later, as they were driving around town, he actually began repeating verbatim the love words from that Valentine! They meant so much to him, he had memorized them, and he just kept going over them!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Proof You Are Loved."
A little boy heard words that described how much somebody loves him, and he moved those words from the card they came in to his heart. In a world where real love is so hard to come by and so easy to lose, we could use some words of love to hang onto couldn't we?
And the person who loves you most has given you words like that. They may be words you've heard a thousand times before, or they might be words you've never heard. But they are the proof of how very much you are loved by the God of the universe. They are, in fact, our word for today from the Word of God in John 3:16 - just 26 words. Listen to these 26 words of love as if your life depends on them. It does. "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." Those are words worth having in your heart. They are a reason to make sure today that the Christ they talk about is in your heart.
However others may have treated you, however you may think God feels about you, God loves you. So much that He sent His one and only Son all the way from heaven to die this horrible death for you on a rugged cross. It was the only way you could have every wrong thing you have ever done forgiven by God. Sin has to be paid for with a death penalty. God's love for you is so great that He sacrificed the only One who could die in your place - His sinless Son, Jesus. So when you open your heart to Jesus, you're opening your heart to the greatest love in the universe. When your heart remains closed to Him, you're turning your back on the greatest love in the universe.
Some years ago a noted photographer decided to make a photo journal of people that he photographed visiting the Vietnam Wall in Washington, D. C. One morning he got there very early and he noticed this little memorial that hadn't been there the day before. It displayed a picture of a soldier, a picture of Jesus, a service medal, and a simple, three-word inscription. As he knelt to snap a picture of it, he felt a hand on his shoulder and he heard this elderly man saying, "Do you like it?" He explained that's why he was photographing it. The old man said, "I'm glad. I put it there." Suddenly, that three-word inscription took on deep meaning for that photographer. It simply said "Only one Son."
On the cross, God sacrificed His "only one Son" for you. Now He's asking, "What do you think of what He did for you?" Your eternity hinges on your answer. John 3:16 says that if you "believe in Him," you will not die for your sin but instead you'll live with Him in heaven forever. When you think "believe" in the Bible sense, think of a drowning person hanging onto a lifeguard with everything he's got. When you do that with Jesus - trusting completely in His death for you - you are saved; you are rescued by Him.
I can't think of a greater tragedy, a greater mistake for you to make, than for you to miss what Jesus gave His life for you to have - for you to end up paying the eternal price that Jesus already paid for you. How does that happen? If you don't reach out and take by faith what He died to give you. If you want to do that, you can talk to Him about it in words something like this: "Lord, thank You for Your love for me, for the sacrifice You made to pay for my sin on the cross. I realize that's my only hope of having my sins forgiven - of going to heaven. So, right now, "I am Yours."
We've actually set up our website to help you make that kind of beginning with Jesus Christ. Would you visit us there as soon as you can today? It's yoursforlife.net.
This is the love you were made for; it's the love you've been looking for. His name is Jesus, and you're one prayer away from belonging to Him.