Max Lucado Daily: Middle C
Middle C
Posted: 01 Sep 2010 11:01 PM PDT
“From everlasting to everlasting you are God.” Psalm 90:2
You and I need a middle C. Haven’t you had enough change in your life? Relationships change. Health changes. The weather changes. But the Yahweh who ruled the earth last night is the same Yahweh who rules it today. Same convictions. Same plan. Same mood. Same love. He never changes. You can no more alter God than a pebble can alter the rhythm of the Pacific. Yahweh is our Middle C. A still point in a turning world.
Genesis 11
The Tower of Babel
1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As men moved eastward, [m] they found a plain in Shinar [n] and settled there.
3 They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 6 The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."
8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel [o] —because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
From Shem to Abram
10 This is the account of Shem.
Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father [p] of Arphaxad. 11 And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.
12 When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah. 13 And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters. [q]
14 When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber. 15 And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
16 When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg. 17 And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.
18 When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu. 19 And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.
20 When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug. 21 And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.
22 When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor. 23 And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.
24 When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah. 25 And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.
26 After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.
27 This is the account of Terah.
Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. 28 While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. 29 Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. 30 Now Sarai was barren; she had no children.
31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.
32 Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
8 Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire.
10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
11 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
Silence, Please!
September 2, 2010 — by Dennis Fisher
Be still, and know that I am God. —Psalm 46:10
Our world has become increasingly noisy. But according to a news report, science has found a way to achieve absolute silence: “Scientists have shown off the blueprint for an ‘acoustic cloak,’ which could make objects impervious to sound waves. The technology, outlined in the New Journal of Physics, could be used to build sound-proof homes, advanced concert halls, or stealth warships.”
When we seek out a quiet place for devotional time with God, we may wish we had an “acoustic cloak.” But even if we could silence all external sound, the internal noises of worry would still reverberate in our minds. We are told: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10). But how do we calm our hearts in practical terms?
God understands our dilemma and has provided His own “acoustic cloak” to quiet our hearts. It involves exchanging our cares for His peace. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7).
As we place our concerns in God’s capable hands, we find a quietness that only He can provide.
Be still and know that He is God
For pathways steep and rough;
Not what He brings but what
He is Will always be enough. —Anon.
God gives peace to those who are quiet before Him.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
September 2nd, 2010
A Life of Pure and Holy Sacrifice
He who believes in Me . . . out of his heart will flow . . . —John 7:38
Jesus did not say, “He who believes in Me will realize all the blessings of the fullness of God,” but, in essence, “He who believes in Me will have everything he receives escape out of him.” Our Lord’s teaching was always anti-self-realization. His purpose is not the development of a person— His purpose is to make a person exactly like Himself, and the Son of God is characterized by self-expenditure. If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain but what He pours through us that really counts. God’s purpose is not simply to make us beautiful, plump grapes, but to make us grapes so that He may squeeze the sweetness out of us. Our spiritual life cannot be measured by success as the world measures it, but only by what God pours through us— and we cannot measure that at all.
When Mary of Bethany “broke the flask . . . of very costly oil . . . and poured it on [Jesus’] head,” it was an act for which no one else saw any special occasion; in fact, “. . . there were some who . . . said, ’Why was this fragrant oil wasted?’ ” (Mark 14:3-4 ). But Jesus commended Mary for her extravagant act of devotion, and said, “. . . wherever this gospel is preached . . . what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her” ( Mark 14:9 ). Our Lord is filled with overflowing joy whenever He sees any of us doing what Mary did— not being bound by a particular set of rules, but being totally surrendered to Him. God poured out the life of His Son “that the world through Him might be saved” ( John 3:17 ). Are we prepared to pour out our lives for Him?
“He who believes in Me . . . out of his heart will flow rivers of living water”— and hundreds of other lives will be continually refreshed. Now is the time for us to break “the flask” of our lives, to stop seeking our own satisfaction, and to pour out our lives before Him. Our Lord is asking who of us will do it for Him?
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
A Father You Can Count On - #6169
Thursday, September 2, 2010
They called it the "perfect storm." The remains of a hurricane combined with some storm fronts over New England to create a weather monster. The movie, The Perfect Storm, tells the story of one fishing crew's heroic but unsuccessful battle to survive that storm. Author Peter Hiett tells of another battle for survival that took place to the south, just off the New Jersey shore. John had taken his six-year-old daughter sailing that same day, but he didn't check the weather report. Six miles out, he found himself suddenly in trouble as a major storm seemed to come from nowhere. It wasn't long before their boat capsized, and John and his daughter were in the water and their life preservers were swept out to sea with their boat.
Now, John knew he couldn't possibly swim the six miles to shore and hold on to his little girl. Back home, in the family swimming pool, little Mary had learned to float on her back, and that's what her dad told her to do until he could get back. He said, "Mary, you float on your back and I'll swim to shore. And I'll be back for you." Three hours later, the Coast Guard found John, and they started looking with him for his little girl, amid 20-to-30-foot swells. Miraculously, their spotlight found her. She'd been floating for nearly five hours. Later, the rescuers asked her, "How did you do that, Mary?" And her answer was amazing. She said, "My daddy said I could float on my back as long as I wanted to, and that he would come back for me. My daddy always does what he says."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "A Father You Can Count On."
For one little girl, faith in her father helped her to survive one of the storms of the century. See, that's what you and I need, too, to make it through the storms that could sink us. We need a "daddy" who always does what he says. For someone listening today, the word "father" just carries a lot of hurt and disappointment. And no earthly father, no matter how good he is, can always do what he says.
Every dad dies someday - except one. He's the God who made you; the God who has asked us to call Him our "Heavenly Father." He's not the father you had on earth; He's the Father we all wished we had and so much more. He's the Father your heart has been yearning for your whole life.
And here's what the Bible says about this God who wants to bring you into His family so He can be your Father. It's our word for today from the Word of God in Hebrews 6, beginning with verse 18. It says, "It is impossible for God to lie...We who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." This anchor hope is actually a personal relationship with the God of the universe through what His Son did on the cross for us. Jesus poured out His life as your substitute, to pay your death penalty for every wrong thing you've ever done. So your sins could be forgiven and so you could belong to God forever.
And He's the Father who always does what He says. Here's what He promised to those who accept the gift His Son died to give us: "'I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters,' says the Lord Almighty" (2 Corinthians 6:18) Look, you need Him. You were made for Him. And He wants you so much that He sacrificed His one and only Son to remove what stood between you and Him.
It's your move now, to reach out to God in faith and say, "God, I've been running my own life, and that's wrong. I'm ready to live Your way now, and I believe Jesus is my only hope of having my sins forgiven because He died for me. So, Lord, I'm Yours." See, that's how you begin your personal relationship with the Father that you were made by and made for. We're actually here to help you do that if you'll take a few moments and just check out our website. It's yoursforlife.net. There's a brief, non-religious explanation there of how to get started with Jesus. Or I could send you my booklet about that. It's called "Yours For Life" and you can call and ask for it at 877-741-1200.
There's a father who will not abandon you, and who will never, never stop loving you.
