Max Lucado Daily: It May Not Be Easy
It May Not Be Easy
Posted: 18 May 2011 11:01 PM PDT
“When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and sat down again.” John 13:12
Please note, he finished washing their feet.
That means he left no one out . . . He washed the feet of Judas. Jesus washed the feet of his betrayer. He gave this traitor equal attention. In just a few hours Judas’ feet would guide the Roman guard to Jesus. But at this moment they are caressed by Christ . . .
That’s not to say it was easy . . . That is to say that God will never call you to do what he hasn’t already done.
Numbers 32
The Transjordan Tribes
1 The Reubenites and Gadites, who had very large herds and flocks, saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were suitable for livestock. 2 So they came to Moses and Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the community, and said, 3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo and Beon— 4 the land the LORD subdued before the people of Israel—are suitable for livestock, and your servants have livestock. 5 If we have found favor in your eyes,” they said, “let this land be given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.”
6 Moses said to the Gadites and Reubenites, “Should your fellow Israelites go to war while you sit here? 7 Why do you discourage the Israelites from crossing over into the land the LORD has given them? 8 This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look over the land. 9 After they went up to the Valley of Eshkol and viewed the land, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land the LORD had given them. 10 The LORD’s anger was aroused that day and he swore this oath: 11 ‘Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of those who were twenty years old or more when they came up out of Egypt will see the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob— 12 not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the LORD wholeheartedly.’ 13 The LORD’s anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone.
14 “And here you are, a brood of sinners, standing in the place of your fathers and making the LORD even more angry with Israel. 15 If you turn away from following him, he will again leave all this people in the wilderness, and you will be the cause of their destruction.”
16 Then they came up to him and said, “We would like to build pens here for our livestock and cities for our women and children. 17 But we will arm ourselves for battle[b] and go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them to their place. Meanwhile our women and children will live in fortified cities, for protection from the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return to our homes until each of the Israelites has received their inheritance. 19 We will not receive any inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan, because our inheritance has come to us on the east side of the Jordan.”
20 Then Moses said to them, “If you will do this—if you will arm yourselves before the LORD for battle 21 and if all of you who are armed cross over the Jordan before the LORD until he has driven his enemies out before him— 22 then when the land is subdued before the LORD, you may return and be free from your obligation to the LORD and to Israel. And this land will be your possession before the LORD.
23 “But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the LORD; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. 24 Build cities for your women and children, and pens for your flocks, but do what you have promised.”
25 The Gadites and Reubenites said to Moses, “We your servants will do as our lord commands. 26 Our children and wives, our flocks and herds will remain here in the cities of Gilead. 27 But your servants, every man who is armed for battle, will cross over to fight before the LORD, just as our lord says.”
28 Then Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun and to the family heads of the Israelite tribes. 29 He said to them, “If the Gadites and Reubenites, every man armed for battle, cross over the Jordan with you before the LORD, then when the land is subdued before you, you must give them the land of Gilead as their possession. 30 But if they do not cross over with you armed, they must accept their possession with you in Canaan.”
31 The Gadites and Reubenites answered, “Your servants will do what the LORD has said. 32 We will cross over before the LORD into Canaan armed, but the property we inherit will be on this side of the Jordan.”
33 Then Moses gave to the Gadites, the Reubenites and the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan—the whole land with its cities and the territory around them.
34 The Gadites built up Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, 35 Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 Beth Nimrah and Beth Haran as fortified cities, and built pens for their flocks. 37 And the Reubenites rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh and Kiriathaim, 38 as well as Nebo and Baal Meon (these names were changed) and Sibmah. They gave names to the cities they rebuilt.
39 The descendants of Makir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, captured it and drove out the Amorites who were there. 40 So Moses gave Gilead to the Makirites, the descendants of Manasseh, and they settled there. 41 Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, captured their settlements and called them Havvoth Jair.[c] 42 And Nobah captured Kenath and its surrounding settlements and called it Nobah after himself.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Philippians 4:2-7
2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.
Final Exhortations
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Broken Relationships
May 19, 2011 — by C. P. Hia
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit. —Philippians 2:3
I watched from my balcony as a 20-story apartment building was demolished. The demolition took barely a week to complete. In its place a new building is being constructed. It’s been months now, and despite construction activities going on nights and weekends, it is still incomplete. How much easier it is to tear down than to build up!
What is true for demolition and construction of buildings is also true for personal relationships. In Philippians 4:2, Paul wrote to two women in the church, saying, “I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.” The quarrel between these two women threatened to tear down the witness of the Philippian church if left unresolved. So Paul urged a “true companion” (v.3) to help rebuild that relationship.
Sadly, Christians do quarrel, but we should seek to “live peaceably” with all (Rom. 12:18). Unless our conflicts are resolved, the Christian witness so painstakingly built up can be destroyed. It takes much effort and time to reconcile broken relationships. But it is worth it. Like a new building rising from the ruins, reconciled believers can emerge stronger.
May we seek to build each other up through our words and actions today!
We have a common enemy
Who wants to scar the life
Of Jesus’ precious bride, the church,
Through worldliness and strife. —Sper
Two Christians are better than one— when they’re one.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
May 19th, 2011
Out of the Wreck I Rise
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? —Romans 8:35
God does not keep His child immune from trouble; He promises, “I will be with him in trouble . . .” (Psalm 91:15). It doesn’t matter how real or intense the adversities may be; nothing can ever separate him from his relationship to God. “In all these things we are more than conquerors . . .” (Romans 8:37). Paul was not referring here to imaginary things, but to things that are dangerously real. And he said we are “super-victors” in the midst of them, not because of our own ingenuity, nor because of our courage, but because none of them affects our essential relationship with God in Jesus Christ. I feel sorry for the Christian who doesn’t have something in the circumstances of his life that he wishes were not there.
“Shall tribulation . . . ?” Tribulation is never a grand, highly welcomed event; but whatever it may be— whether exhausting, irritating, or simply causing some weakness— it is not able to “separate us from the love of Christ.” Never allow tribulations or the “cares of this world” to separate you from remembering that God loves you (Matthew 13:22).
“Shall . . . distress . . . ?” Can God’s love continue to hold fast, even when everyone and everything around us seems to be saying that His love is a lie, and that there is no such thing as justice?
“Shall . . . famine . . . ?” Can we not only believe in the love of God but also be “more than conquerors,” even while we are being starved?
Either Jesus Christ is a deceiver, having deceived even Paul, or else some extraordinary thing happens to someone who holds on to the love of God when the odds are totally against him. Logic is silenced in the face of each of these things which come against him. Only one thing can account for it— the love of God in Christ Jesus. “Out of the wreck I rise” every time.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
The Bottom Line Question - #6354
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Well, it happened three times at the Hutchcraft house. Yep, a teenager learning to drive. With all of the angst that goes with that. Not for them; for us! And three times we'd come around to that question happening again and again, "Dad, can I have the car?" I have to tell you, I had real mixed emotions about that, and I had a lot of questions about "How far are you going to go?" "How long will you be gone?" "Where are you driving?" "Who are you going with?" I was apprehensive about turning over that ton of deadly metal to a teenage son. And probably all reasons, right?
Now, my wife often asks for my car, and when she does, I give her the keys - no questions asked. Oh, I have no fear of my wife driving my car. I've seen her drive, and she does real well; at least as well as I do. Probably better.
Of course, turning over the keys comes down to one bottom line issue: can I trust you with something this big? Maybe for you right now that's the most decisive choice you have.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Bottom Line Question."
Now, our word for today from the Word of God comes from Romans 8:32. Paul comes up with this equation, "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all - how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?" Paul's logic is petty simply here. God's already given the most expensive thing He could give. He gave His Son for you. Now, if He would give His Son, you can have confidence to come to Him with any need. You can trust Him with anything.
Now, that statement actually answers the bottom line question about being a follower of Christ. After all the smoke clears away, you can sum up your choices in the Christian life in four words - can Jesus be trusted? That's what it all comes down to. That's really the bottom line question for you in you've never given yourself to Jesus, "Can He be trusted?"
It may well be that right now your hand is pretty tightly clinched around one very important part of your life that you've not been able to release to His lordship and His leadership. You know you need to, but you just can't. Within the last couple of days I had a young woman say, "Ron, I love the Lord with all my heart. I'd go anywhere He asks me to go, but I cannot give Him...Don." This guy was very important to her.
What's your Don right now? Oh, you've opened up many areas to His control, but this one, this last one, this bottom line one is particularly scary. This relationship, or maybe your career, or your location, your dream. And the issue is, "Who's going to get the keys?" You see, if you can't let it go, then it's become an idol.
Remember the question, "Can Jesus be trusted even with this?" One guy answered that for himself in a conference I was at a while back. He said, "Ron, I can give the Lord everything but one thing - basketball. It's my identity, it's my future." At the end of the week he came back and said, "Ron, I've given Him everything. I've given Him basketball." I said, "Whoa! How did you decide to do that?" He said, "Ron, I just settled it. If He loved me enough to die for me, He would never do me wrong." Well, in the Bible's words, if "He delivered up His Son for all of us," won't He give us all the other things? Yes, He can be trusted with it.
Here's the scene: Your hand is tightly closed, and His hand is open saying, "Trust Me with it." Aren't you tired of this battle? Trade in the struggle of resisting Christ for the peace of trusting Christ. Your hands are too shaky to hold something that important.
And maybe for all your religion and all the Christianity you've had; all the Christian things you've been involved in, maybe you have never actually put your life, your soul, your eternity, your sin in the hands of Jesus. And today He says, "Come to Me and I will give you rest." He died for you. You can trust Him. It's time to give you to Him. You say, "Jesus, I'm Yours. Anyone who loved me enough to die for me will never do me wrong."
I hope you'll go to our website today, because I think you'll find a lot of help there for this moment in your decision making and this very important moment in your life. It's YoursForLife.net.
You can put whatever matters most to you in the hands of Jesus. In fact, His hands are the only hands that can be trusted.
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