Max Lucado Daily: To Be Saved By Grace
To Be Saved By Grace
Posted: 16 Jun 2010 11:01 PM PDT
“God gives us a free gift—life forever in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
One of the hardest things to do is to be saved by grace. There’s something in us that reacts to God’s free gift. We have some weird compulsion to create laws, systems, and regulations that will make us “worthy” of our gift.
Why do we do that? The only reason I can figure is pride. To accept grace means to accept its necessity, and most folks don’t like to do that. To accept grace also means that one realizes his despair, and most people aren’t too keen on doing that either.
Acts 12
Peter Under Heavy Guard
1-4 That's when King Herod got it into his head to go after some of the church members. He murdered James, John's brother. When he saw how much it raised his popularity ratings with the Jews, he arrested Peter—all this during Passover Week, mind you—and had him thrown in jail, putting four squads of four soldiers each to guard him. He was planning a public lynching after Passover.
5All the time that Peter was under heavy guard in the jailhouse, the church prayed for him most strenuously.
6Then the time came for Herod to bring him out for the kill. That night, even though shackled to two soldiers, one on either side, Peter slept like a baby. And there were guards at the door keeping their eyes on the place. Herod was taking no chances!
7-9Suddenly there was an angel at his side and light flooding the room. The angel shook Peter and got him up: "Hurry!" The handcuffs fell off his wrists. The angel said, "Get dressed. Put on your shoes." Peter did it. Then, "Grab your coat and let's get out of here." Peter followed him, but didn't believe it was really an angel—he thought he was dreaming.
10-11Past the first guard and then the second, they came to the iron gate that led into the city. It swung open before them on its own, and they were out on the street, free as the breeze. At the first intersection the angel left him, going his own way. That's when Peter realized it was no dream. "I can't believe it—this really happened! The Master sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's vicious little production and the spectacle the Jewish mob was looking forward to."
12-14Still shaking his head, amazed, he went to Mary's house, the Mary who was John Mark's mother. The house was packed with praying friends. When he knocked on the door to the courtyard, a young woman named Rhoda came to see who it was. But when she recognized his voice—Peter's voice!—she was so excited and eager to tell everyone Peter was there that she forgot to open the door and left him standing in the street.
15-16But they wouldn't believe her, dismissing her, dismissing her report. "You're crazy," they said. She stuck by her story, insisting. They still wouldn't believe her and said, "It must be his angel." All this time poor Peter was standing out in the street, knocking away.
16-17Finally they opened up and saw him—and went wild! Peter put his hands up and calmed them down. He described how the Master had gotten him out of jail, then said, "Tell James and the brothers what's happened." He left them and went off to another place.
18-19At daybreak the jail was in an uproar. "Where is Peter? What's happened to Peter?" When Herod sent for him and they could neither produce him nor explain why not, he ordered their execution: "Off with their heads!" Fed up with Judea and Jews, he went for a vacation to Caesarea.
The Death of Herod
20-22But things went from bad to worse for Herod. Now people from Tyre and Sidon put him on the warpath. But they got Blastus, King Herod's right-hand man, to put in a good word for them and got a delegation together to iron things out. Because they were dependent on Judea for food supplies, they couldn't afford to let this go on too long. On the day set for their meeting, Herod, robed in pomposity, took his place on the throne and regaled them with a lot of hot air. The people played their part to the hilt and shouted flatteries: "The voice of God! The voice of God!"
23That was the last straw. God had had enough of Herod's arrogance and sent an angel to strike him down. Herod had given God no credit for anything. Down he went. Rotten to the core, a maggoty old man if there ever was one, he died.
24Meanwhile, the ministry of God's Word grew by leaps and bounds.
25Barnabas and Saul, once they had delivered the relief offering to the church in Jerusalem, went back to Antioch. This time they took John with them, the one they called Mark.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Matthew 5:1-12
1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him,
2 and he began to teach them, saying:
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Why Suffer?
June 17, 2010 — by Philip Yancey
Blessed are the poor in spirit. —Matthew 5:3
Jesus taught that the world seen from God’s viewpoint is tilted in favor of the oppressed. This teaching emerges in the Sermon on the Mount and other statements of Jesus: the first will be last (Matt. 19:30; Mark 10:31; Luke 13:30), and he who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 14:11; 18:14). But why would God single out the oppressed for special attention?
1. Suffering helps us realize our urgent need for redemption.
2. Suffering helps us experience our dependence on God and our interdependence with one another.
3. Suffering helps us distinguish between necessities and luxuries.
4. Suffering helps us respond to the call of the gospel because we may have become so desperate that we cry out to God.
The poor, the hungry, the mourners, and those who suffer are blessed (Matt. 5:3-6) because their lack of self-sufficiency is obvious to them every day. They must turn somewhere for strength. People who are rich, successful, and beautiful may go through life relying on their natural gifts. But people who are needy, dependent, and dissatisfied with life are more likely to welcome God’s free gift of love.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Why? Because “theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3).
The hardships we experience,
The trials that we face,
Will teach us that we’re strongest when
We’re trusting in God’s grace. —Sper
The weaker we feel, the harder we lean on God.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
June 17, 2010
Beware of Criticizing Others
Judge not, that you be not judged —Matthew 7:1
Jesus’ instructions with regard to judging others is very simply put; He says, “Don’t.” The average Christian is the most piercingly critical individual known. Criticism is one of the ordinary activities of people, but in the spiritual realm nothing is accomplished by it. The effect of criticism is the dividing up of the strengths of the one being criticized. The Holy Spirit is the only one in the proper position to criticize, and He alone is able to show what is wrong without hurting and wounding. It is impossible to enter into fellowship with God when you are in a critical mood. Criticism serves to make you harsh, vindictive, and cruel, and leaves you with the soothing and flattering idea that you are somehow superior to others. Jesus says that as His disciple you should cultivate a temperament that is never critical. This will not happen quickly but must be developed over a span of time. You must constantly beware of anything that causes you to think of yourself as a superior person.
There is no escaping the penetrating search of my life by Jesus. If I see the little speck in your eye, it means that I have a plank of timber in my own (see Matthew 7:3-5 ). Every wrong thing that I see in you, God finds in me. Every time I judge, I condemn myself (see Romans 2:17-24 ). Stop having a measuring stick for other people. There is always at least one more fact, which we know nothing about, in every person’s situation. The first thing God does is to give us a thorough spiritual cleaning. After that, there is no possibility of pride remaining in us. I have never met a person I could despair of, or lose all hope for, after discerning what lies in me apart from the grace of God.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Always Beyond Your Reach - #6114
Thursday, June 17, 2010
There is this age where a toddler just starts exploding with words they're learning and hour-by-hour discoveries they're making. Those "discoveries" quickly teach new parents a survival skill. It's called "baby-proofing" - as in removing anything that little person could get their hands on that might do them harm or vice versa. The way you discover what needs to be removed is usually by the toddler getting their hands on it. Suddenly, parents are playing defense against a strong, and suddenly very independent, toddler offense. I've watched this time-honored human drama being acted out in our son and daughter-in-law's home when our one-year-old granddaughter started exploring each new day. When she wanted something she couldn't reach, she made sure that they knew that. Our son explained our little angel's frame of mind this way: "All she ever wants is just beyond her reach."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Always Beyond Your Reach."
Let's face it, fellow grownup babies - that toddler's reach syndrome is not limited to little people. It's a fact of life for many of us; all we want always seems to be just beyond our reach. I call it the "as soon as" syndrome: I'll be satisfied as soon as I graduate, as soon as I get that job, get that better job, get that house, get that bigger house, get a boyfriend or girlfriend, or get a little more money. I'll be content as soon as I'm married, as soon as I'm divorced, have children, have grandchildren, lose weight, get a makeover, feel better, as soon as I move, or as soon as I retire. It's life's never-ending cycle of "never enough."
And therein, is one of life's brutal truths - more is never enough. John D. Rockefeller was asked how much money is enough money. His answer was classic: "A little bit more." Well, in spite of its futility, many of us are driven to do whatever it takes to get more of what we think we need. But what we want is always just beyond our reach. Our "reach" syndrome condemns us to a life sentence called discontentment; never at peace, never able to rest, never satisfied.
After passionately pursuing more of almost everything in his life, King Solomon wisely concluded in Ecclesiastes 4:6 - "Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind." What a great word picture for always wanting more. It's like chasing the wind. The Bible says it's much better to settle for less; one handful and have some peace and sanity, than to constantly push for more; two handfuls with a life that's basically out of control.
Which brings us to the liberating perspective of our word for today from the Word of God in 1 Timothy 6:6, "Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that." In other words, I will go with whatever God gives me, trusting Him to provide what He knows I need. We're talking 23rd Psalm here, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." We're talking the wisdom of Job: "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." Praise is the language of contentment and the key to a peaceful heart. The Greek philosopher Plato said: "Contentment is not getting everything you always wanted to have; it's realizing how much you already have."
For every child of God, what you already have is the wise and adequate provision of your all-loving, all-knowing, all-powerful Heavenly Father. And you don't have to be a slave to that frustrating drive for more.
Celebrate everything you do have. Focus on all the good things your Father has done for you, and let Him turn praise for Him into blessed contentment for you. Because this stubborn push to always get what we don't have - well, it's for babies.