Max Lucado Daily: All Things
All Things
Posted: 13 Feb 2011 10:01 PM PST
“Love . . . bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” I Corinthians 13:4-7, NKJV
The apostle is looking for a ribbon to wrap around one of the sweetest paragraphs in Scripture. I envision the leathery-faced saint pausing in his dictation . . . Checking off his fingers, he reviews his list. “Let’s see, patience, kindness, envy, arrogance. We’ve mentioned rudeness, selfishness and anger, forgiveness, evil, and truth. Have I covered all things? Ah, that’s it—all things. Here, write this down. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
Exodus 35
Sabbath Regulations
1 Moses assembled the whole Israelite community and said to them, “These are the things the LORD has commanded you to do: 2 For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a day of sabbath rest to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it is to be put to death. 3 Do not light a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day.”
Materials for the Tabernacle
4 Moses said to the whole Israelite community, “This is what the LORD has commanded: 5 From what you have, take an offering for the LORD. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the LORD an offering of gold, silver and bronze; 6 blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; 7 ram skins dyed red and another type of durable leather; acacia wood; 8 olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; 9 and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.
10 “All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the LORD has commanded: 11 the tabernacle with its tent and its covering, clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; 12 the ark with its poles and the atonement cover and the curtain that shields it; 13 the table with its poles and all its articles and the bread of the Presence; 14 the lampstand that is for light with its accessories, lamps and oil for the light; 15 the altar of incense with its poles, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; the curtain for the doorway at the entrance to the tabernacle; 16 the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils; the bronze basin with its stand; 17 the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard; 18 the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard, and their ropes; 19 the woven garments worn for ministering in the sanctuary—both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests.”
20 Then the whole Israelite community withdrew from Moses’ presence, 21 and everyone who was willing and whose heart moved them came and brought an offering to the LORD for the work on the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments. 22 All who were willing, men and women alike, came and brought gold jewelry of all kinds: brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments. They all presented their gold as a wave offering to the LORD. 23 Everyone who had blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen, or goat hair, ram skins dyed red or the other durable leather brought them. 24 Those presenting an offering of silver or bronze brought it as an offering to the LORD, and everyone who had acacia wood for any part of the work brought it. 25 Every skilled woman spun with her hands and brought what she had spun—blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen. 26 And all the women who were willing and had the skill spun the goat hair. 27 The leaders brought onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. 28 They also brought spices and olive oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense. 29 All the Israelite men and women who were willing brought to the LORD freewill offerings for all the work the LORD through Moses had commanded them to do.
Bezalel and Oholiab
30 Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the LORD has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— 32 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 33 to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts. 34 And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. 35 He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: John 15:9-17
John 15:9-17 (NIV)Jn 9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
Friending
February 14, 2011 — by David C. McCasland
You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. —John 15:14
The social networking Web site Facebook.com was launched in 2004 as a way for college students to connect with each other online. It is now open to people of all ages, and currently there are an estimated 500 million users. Each user has an individual page with photos and personal details that can be viewed by “friends.” To “friend” a person means opening the door to communication and information about who you are, where you go, and what you do. Facebook friendships may be casual or committed, but each one is “by invitation only.”
Just before Jesus was crucified, He told His disciples: “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you” (John 15:14-15).
Unselfishness, oneness of purpose, and confident trust are the hallmarks of true friendship, especially in our relationship with the Lord. Christ has taken the initiative by giving His life for us and inviting us to know and follow Him.
Have we responded to the Lord Jesus’ invitation of friendship by opening our hearts to Him with nothing held back?
Friendship with Jesus,
Fellowship divine;
O what blessed, sweet communion—
Jesus is a Friend of mine. —Ludgate
Jesus longs to be our Friend.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
February 14th, 2011
The Discipline of Hearing
Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops —Matthew 10:27
Sometimes God puts us through the experience and discipline of darkness to teach us to hear and obey Him. Song birds are taught to sing in the dark, and God puts us into “the shadow of His hand” until we learn to hear Him (Isaiah 49:2). “Whatever I tell you in the dark. . .”— pay attention when God puts you into darkness, and keep your mouth closed while you are there. Are you in the dark right now in your circumstances, or in your life with God? If so, then remain quiet. If you open your mouth in the dark, you will speak while in the wrong mood— darkness is the time to listen. Don’t talk to other people about it; don’t read books to find out the reason for the darkness; just listen and obey. If you talk to other people, you cannot hear what God is saying. When you are in the dark, listen, and God will give you a very precious message for someone else once you are back in the light.
After every time of darkness, we should experience a mixture of delight and humiliation. If there is only delight, I question whether we have really heard God at all. We should experience delight for having heard God speak, but mostly humiliation for having taken so long to hear Him! Then we will exclaim, “How slow I have been to listen and understand what God has been telling me!” And yet God has been saying it for days and even weeks. But once you hear Him, He gives you the gift of humiliation, which brings a softness of heart— a gift that will always cause you to listen to God now.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
The Point of No Return - #6286
Monday, February 14, 2011
My friend, Gary, was flying with a friend in a World War II vintage airplane. In fact, this man was a former World War II pilot. And my friend, Gary, was full of questions. He said, "What's this dial for?" And, "What does that light do?" And, "What's this stick do?" Fortunately he didn't grab for the stick when he was asking. And then Gary said, "Now, what's this red mark on the fuel gauge?" The pilot said, "Well, when we reached the point back in World War II days in which there was only enough fuel to get back, but the mission was not completed, we had a decision to make. And at that mark, we had to decide, shall we turn back? Because we had just enough fuel to get back. Or shall we go on?" And then pretty soberly, and if he were bringing back some memories, the pilot said, "That mark is called 'the point of no return.'" Believe it or not, you could be at that point right now and not even know it.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Point of No Return."
Now, our word for today from the Word of God comes from John chapter 12. I'll be reading at verse 37, and then verse 39. Jesus is entering His last week of His ministry before His crucifixion. And here's what it says, "Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in Him." One verse later it says, "For this reason, they could not believe." Now, as far as I'm concerned, those are some of the most chilling words in the New Testament. "They would not believe..." Did you catch that? And then what did it say? "Because of this, they could not believe."
Spiritually speaking, they had passed that red mark. They had passed the point of no return, and they didn't even know they had. Why? Well, in Genesis chapter 6, back in the early days of the human race, verse 3, God says, "My spirit will not always strive with man." In other words, I won't keep after you indefinitely, and you can't come to the Lord unless His Spirit is after you.
Isaiah 55:6 cautions us to, "Seek the Lord while He may be found" implying that He won't always be able to be found. See, you have to come to God when He's ready...when He is drawing you; not when you're ready. And every time you've heard God's voice and maybe just sat there, another layer has crusted over your heart in the hardening of the heart process. There literally comes a time when you cannot respond to the Lord any more. "They could not believe." And the people in the greatest danger are the people, maybe like you, who have heard the message over and over again.
Could it be you've been around the voice of Jesus many times, but you've never really given you to Him? Oh, you may know the verses, and the songs. You may even be holding some position in His service, but you don't belong to Him. I don't know how much longer God's Spirit will say to you, "Come to Jesus." But if you can still feel that tug today, then there's still some life inside. There still is an opportunity. You still can believe.
Is that stirring there? Is that tug there? Even as you hear the words, "Come to Jesus." Well then, it's not too late today. Tomorrow might be. And it is an awful thing to go into eternity with your sins unforgiven. You can say no once too often.
If you're not absolutely sure you've committed yourself to Jesus, would you do it today? Right where you are say, "Jesus, I'm done running my life. I believe that some of those sins you were dying for were mine. I believe You're alive today, and I am putting all my trust in You. For all I know about You, I've missed giving me to You. But today, Jesus, I'm putting all my trust and all my hope in You to be my rescuer from my sin. I am Yours beginning this day."
We kind of set up our website for a moment like this, where you want to be sure you belong to Jesus. And if you do, I would encourage you to go check it out, as many have. And I think you'll find there some help and some encouragement in being sure you belong to Him. It's YoursForLife.net.
And, you know, if today you could make this the day when you give yourself consciously to the man who gave His life for you, you will never pass the point of no return.
