Max Lucado Daily: Pure in Heaven
Pure in Heaven
“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” Colossians 3:2, NASB
As Christ dominates your thoughts, he changes you from one degree of glory to another until—hang on!—you are ready to live with him.
Heaven is the land of sinless minds . . . Absolute trust. No fear or anger . . . Heaven will be wonderful, not because the streets are gold, but because our thoughts will be pure.
Psalm 91
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[b]
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he[c] loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
Read: Matthew 16:21-28
Matthew 16:21-28 (New International Version, ©2010)
Jesus Predicts His Death
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
What Really Matters
For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? —Matthew 16:26
February 24, 2011 — by Joe Stowell
Several years ago a friend of mine visited an exhibit of relics from the infamous Titanic voyage. Exhibit visitors were given a replica ticket with the name of an actual passenger or crew member who, decades earlier, had embarked on the trip of a lifetime. After the tour group walked through the exhibit viewing pieces of silver dinnerware and other artifacts, the tour ended with an unforgettable twist.
A large board listed the names of all the passengers, including their status—first class, second class, crew. As my friend looked for the name of the person whose ticket he was holding, he noticed a line across the board dividing the names. Above the line were the names of those who were “saved” and below the line all those who were “lost.”
The parallel to our life on earth is profound. It really doesn’t make any difference how the world ranks your status. The only thing that ultimately matters is whether you are “saved” or “lost.” As Jesus said, “What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Matt. 16:26). Perhaps you’ve already trusted in Christ for your salvation. But what about your fellow passengers? Instead of sizing them up by the externals, talk to them about their ultimate destination.
It’s not what I achieve that qualifies,
It matters not if I gain wealth or fame;
The only thing I must be certain of
Is “Have I put my trust in Jesus’ name?” —Hess
In light of eternity, what one believes is far more important than what one achieves.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
February 24th, 2011
The Delight of Sacrifice
I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls . . . —2 Corinthians 12:15
Once “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit,” we deliberately begin to identify ourselves with Jesus Christ’s interests and purposes in others’ lives (Romans 5:5). And Jesus has an interest in every individual person. We have no right in Christian service to be guided by our own interests and desires. In fact, this is one of the greatest tests of our relationship with Jesus Christ. The delight of sacrifice is that I lay down my life for my Friend, Jesus (see John 15:13). I don’t throw my life away, but I willingly and deliberately lay it down for Him and His interests in other people. And I do this for no cause or purpose of my own. Paul spent his life for only one purpose— that he might win people to Jesus Christ. Paul always attracted people to his Lord, but never to himself. He said, “I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22).
When someone thinks that to develop a holy life he must always be alone with God, he is no longer of any use to others. This is like putting himself on a pedestal and isolating himself from the rest of society. Paul was a holy person, but wherever he went Jesus Christ was always allowed to help Himself to his life. Many of us are interested only in our own goals, and Jesus cannot help Himself to our lives. But if we are totally surrendered to Him, we have no goals of our own to serve. Paul said that he knew how to be a “doormat” without resenting it, because the motivation of his life was devotion to Jesus. We tend to be devoted, not to Jesus Christ, but to the things which allow us more spiritual freedom than total surrender to Him would allow. Freedom was not Paul’s motive at all. In fact, he stated, “I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren . . .” (Romans 9:3). Had Paul lost his ability to reason? Not at all! For someone who is in love, this is not an overstatement. And Paul was in love with Jesus Christ.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
A 3-D Savior - #6294
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Now, if we get together regularly by radio, we have sort of a strange relationship, you and I, don't we? I mean it's very possible you only know me by radio, and that could be a break for you. Probably some folks who know me would say, "Yeah, that's probably better we just know him by radio." You only know my voice; sort of a one-dimensional relationship. Now, it's always amusing when people find out how I look. Yeah, they have a mental image. They'll be somewhere where I'm speaking and say, "Oh, this is it? We thought you looked different."
Now, occasionally I've had an opportunity to be on TV. And maybe when I did a guest appearance on Wild Kingdom, maybe you saw me there. But, when I am on television, and if you were to see me there, you'd know me two dimensionally. You'd be able to see me and hear me. Frankly, what I enjoy most is meeting listeners in person, as I've had the opportunity maybe with you. And I do have that chance many times. We can shake hands, we can look each other in the eye, we can interact with each other instead of just being in a one-way conversation like today. And when you meet someone that you've only seen or heard before, you've got a 3-D, a three-dimensional relationship. And that's the best kind.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "A 3-D Savior."
Now, our word for today from the Word of God is found in John chapter 12, and I'll begin reading in verse 1. "Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with Him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume."
Did you notice there are three levels in this passage of being around Jesus? See, we have a Savior who can only be really known three-dimensionally. The problem is that usually one of these dimensions is missing in a Christian's life. And following and knowing Christ is like a three-legged stool. If you take one leg away, the stool keeps falling over - the Christian life keeps falling over. Maybe yours is because, well one of these three legs is missing.
First it says here that Martha served. Well, that's the first dimension of knowing Jesus - working. She's busy for the Lord. Now, it's important to be sure that it's Him that you're busy for; not the church, not some human leader. The question is, "Are you actively serving your Lord in some capacity?" There are things you can only know about Him that way. As you work for Jesus, you find out how much you need Him. Because you say, "Boy, I've got to have some resources to serve Him with." And then you...you really reach out for Him.
Now, Lazarus, well, he isn't working. He demonstrates "withness." He's spending time with Jesus listening to Him. The way you listen to Him today is through what He wrote - the Bible. So are you regularly meeting with Jesus around His Word? Often the people who are working hard for the Lord, neglect their "with" time. And the "with" people who are spending time with Jesus often aren't busy enough for the Lord. As you're consciously with Jesus, you find out what He wants you to do.
Now, Mary? She's the worshipper. She worships lavish worship, extravagant appreciation, sincere humility, time to just stand back and see how big and loving and how in control your Lord is. Now, are you allowing regular time just to worship His majesty...to be awed by who He is? As you worship Jesus, you find out how awesome He really is. Some who have work time and with time are just cranking it out because they're missing time just to worship.
Those are three dimensions of knowing Jesus. The problem might be that one dimension is out of focus for you, or maybe not even in the picture. So why not go for it all?
Work for Him, be with Him, worship Him.
