Max Lucado Daily: Enough
“He is able . . . to run to the cry of . . . those who are being . . . tested.” Hebrews 2:18 AMP
Jesus was angry enough to purge the temple, hungry enough to eat raw grain, distraught enough to weep in public, fun loving enough to be called a drunkard, winsome enough to attract kids, . . . radical enough to get kicked out of town, responsible enough to care for his mother, tempted enough to know the smell of Satan, and fearful enough to sweat blood . . .
Whatever you are facing, he knows how you feel.
Joshua 19
Allotment for Simeon
1 The second lot came out for the tribe of Simeon according to its clans. Their inheritance lay within the territory of Judah. 2 It included:
Beersheba (or Sheba),[a] Moladah, 3 Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem, 4 Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, 5 Ziklag, Beth Markaboth, Hazar Susah, 6 Beth Lebaoth and Sharuhen—thirteen towns and their villages;
7 Ain, Rimmon, Ether and Ashan—four towns and their villages— 8 and all the villages around these towns as far as Baalath Beer (Ramah in the Negev).
This was the inheritance of the tribe of the Simeonites, according to its clans. 9 The inheritance of the Simeonites was taken from the share of Judah, because Judah’s portion was more than they needed. So the Simeonites received their inheritance within the territory of Judah.
Allotment for Zebulun
10 The third lot came up for Zebulun according to its clans:
The boundary of their inheritance went as far as Sarid. 11 Going west it ran to Maralah, touched Dabbesheth, and extended to the ravine near Jokneam. 12 It turned east from Sarid toward the sunrise to the territory of Kisloth Tabor and went on to Daberath and up to Japhia. 13 Then it continued eastward to Gath Hepher and Eth Kazin; it came out at Rimmon and turned toward Neah. 14 There the boundary went around on the north to Hannathon and ended at the Valley of Iphtah El. 15 Included were Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah and Bethlehem. There were twelve towns and their villages.
16 These towns and their villages were the inheritance of Zebulun, according to its clans.
Allotment for Issachar
17 The fourth lot came out for Issachar according to its clans. 18 Their territory included:
Jezreel, Kesulloth, Shunem, 19 Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, 20 Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, 21 Remeth, En Gannim, En Haddah and Beth Pazzez. 22 The boundary touched Tabor, Shahazumah and Beth Shemesh, and ended at the Jordan. There were sixteen towns and their villages.
23 These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Issachar, according to its clans.
Allotment for Asher
24 The fifth lot came out for the tribe of Asher according to its clans. 25 Their territory included:
Helkath, Hali, Beten, Akshaph, 26 Allammelek, Amad and Mishal. On the west the boundary touched Carmel and Shihor Libnath. 27 It then turned east toward Beth Dagon, touched Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtah El, and went north to Beth Emek and Neiel, passing Kabul on the left. 28 It went to Abdon,[b] Rehob, Hammon and Kanah, as far as Greater Sidon. 29 The boundary then turned back toward Ramah and went to the fortified city of Tyre, turned toward Hosah and came out at the Mediterranean Sea in the region of Akzib, 30 Ummah, Aphek and Rehob. There were twenty-two towns and their villages.
31 These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Asher, according to its clans.
Allotment for Naphtali
32 The sixth lot came out for Naphtali according to its clans:
33 Their boundary went from Heleph and the large tree in Zaanannim, passing Adami Nekeb and Jabneel to Lakkum and ending at the Jordan. 34 The boundary ran west through Aznoth Tabor and came out at Hukkok. It touched Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west and the Jordan[c] on the east. 35 The fortified towns were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Kinnereth, 36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, 37 Kedesh, Edrei, En Hazor, 38 Iron, Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath and Beth Shemesh. There were nineteen towns and their villages.
39 These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali, according to its clans.
Allotment for Dan
40 The seventh lot came out for the tribe of Dan according to its clans. 41 The territory of their inheritance included:
Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir Shemesh, 42 Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah, 43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron, 44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, 45 Jehud, Bene Berak, Gath Rimmon, 46 Me Jarkon and Rakkon, with the area facing Joppa.
47 (When the territory of the Danites was lost to them, they went up and attacked Leshem, took it, put it to the sword and occupied it. They settled in Leshem and named it Dan after their ancestor.)
48 These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Dan, according to its clans.
Allotment for Joshua
49 When they had finished dividing the land into its allotted portions, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them, 50 as the LORD had commanded. They gave him the town he asked for—Timnath Serah[d] in the hill country of Ephraim. And he built up the town and settled there.
51 These are the territories that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the tribal clans of Israel assigned by lot at Shiloh in the presence of the LORD at the entrance to the tent of meeting. And so they finished dividing the land.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Psalm 19:7-14
7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the LORD are firm,
and all of them are righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the honeycomb.
11 By them your servant is warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Sharing The Word
August 4, 2011 — by David C. McCasland
More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold. —Psalm 19:10
Jerry McMorris began reading the Wall Street Journal 50 years ago as a student at the University of Colorado. His appreciation for that publication and for his alma mater led him to donate hundreds of WSJ subscriptions for CU’s business school students. McMorris told the Colorado Springs Gazette: “The Journal gave me a good, broad perspective of what was going on in the business world, and I got into the habit of reading it at the start of my business day. It helps get across to students real business-world issues.”
Many people enjoy introducing others to the writings that have shaped their lives. It’s not surprising, then, that followers of Christ enjoy sharing God’s Word with others. Some support Bible translation and distribution while others invite friends to study the Word with them. There are many ways to pass along God’s truth to people hungering for encouragement and help. Our goal is to enable others to experience the great benefit we’ve found in knowing Christ and being guided by His Word. The psalmist said, “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple” (19:7).
The Word of God, which guards our hearts and guides our steps, is worth sharing with others.
As we read Your Word, O Lord,
Our spirit will be fed;
We then can share with others
That precious living bread. —D. De Haan
The Bible: Know it in your head, stow it in your heart, show it in your life, sow it in the world.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
August 4th, 2011
The Brave Friendship of God
He took the twelve aside . . . —Luke 18:31
Oh, the bravery of God in trusting us! Do you say, “But He has been unwise to choose me, because there is nothing good in me and I have no value”? That is exactly why He chose you. As long as you think that you are of value to Him He cannot choose you, because you have purposes of your own to serve. But if you will allow Him to take you to the end of your own self-sufficiency, then He can choose you to go with Him “to Jerusalem” (Luke 18:31). And that will mean the fulfillment of purposes which He does not discuss with you.
We tend to say that because a person has natural ability, he will make a good Christian. It is not a matter of our equipment, but a matter of our poverty; not of what we bring with us, but of what God puts into us; not a matter of natural virtues, of strength of character, of knowledge, or of experience— all of that is of no avail in this concern. The only thing of value is being taken into the compelling purpose of God and being made His friends (see 1 Corinthians 1:26-31). God’s friendship is with people who know their poverty. He can accomplish nothing with the person who thinks that he is of use to God. As Christians we are not here for our own purpose at all— we are here for the purpose of God, and the two are not the same. We do not know what God’s compelling purpose is, but whatever happens, we must maintain our relationship with Him. We must never allow anything to damage our relationship with God, but if something does damage it, we must take the time to make it right again. The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the surrounding influence and qualities produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to give our attention to, and it is the one thing that is continually under attack.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
What the Quake Exposes - #6409
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Twice in a little over a year we were stunned by news of major earthquakes, and the images we won't soon forget. But they were in two very different parts of the world. The first one was in Haiti. When the ground was finished shaking...well, you remember. The homes, the businesses, even their President's palace were in total rubble. The second quake hit Japan, and for those areas that didn't get the tsunami--just got hit by the quake--most of their homes and businesses were left standing. What's the difference? The materials their structures were made of. You know, a quake has a way of exposing the strength or the weakness of what you're building on.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I wasn't to have A Word With You today about "What the Quake Exposes."
I saw my friend, Mike, not too long after the major tsunami that hit Wall Street two or three years ago. Mike's a dear brother and he's had a very long and successful career on Wall Street. But during those chaotic months in our economy, I think he felt like a Category 5 hurricane or an 8.0 earthquake had hit his life and his business. When I asked him how all the turbulence and uncertainty were affecting him, he responded with an answer that I had to think about. He said, "It exposed my idols."
Now, I'm pretty sure my friend does not have a graven image in his closet. But not all idols are carved out of stone. An idol is simply something we put our faith in to give us security, to give us identity, to give us significance, love. As Mike told me not long after that financial tsunami, "If you'd asked any of us marketplace Christians where our security was, we would have told you we were definitely trusting the Lord. But what has happened has shown us what we were really trusting in."
God will do what He has to do to "expose our idols" and show us what we're "really trusting in." It usually means shaking whatever we've trusted instead of trusting Him. In Old Testament times, the Philistines put their faith in a god they called Dagon.
Now, our word for today from the word of God tells us that when they captured the ark of God's covenant with Israel, Dagon had some problems. 1 Samuel 5, beginning in verse 1, says, "When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord!" Okay, they put old Dagon back in his place, but the next morning it says they found that "his head and hands had been broken off."
Now, you know what? Every "idol" will ultimately fall on its face. Every "idol" in our life will ultimately break. It doesn't matter if it's your career, a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a house, a bank account, a ministry. Even very good things can become idols. Yeah, your children, your church, the work you're doing for God. They're false gods when we need them to give us our worth, to give us our identity, to give us our security.
But many times we can't recognize an idol until it's shaken or until it's gone. And the First Commandment is still first. "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:3).
Jonah revealed the high price of diverting our trust from the true God to another god. He said, "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs" (Jonah 2:8). If we only knew all we could have from God...but for the idol.
