Max Lucado Daily: A Fire Burning
“The Lord hates what evil people do, but He loves those who do what is right.” Proverbs 15:9
Without forgiveness, bitterness is all that’s left.
Maybe it’s an old wound. A parent abused you. A mate betrayed you. And you’re angry.
Perhaps the wound is fresh. The friend who owes you money just drove by in a new car. The boss who hired you with promises of promotions has forgotten how to pronounce your name.
And you’re hurt! There’s a fire burning in your heart. It’s the fire of anger. And you’re left with a decision.
Do I get over it or get even? Do I let my hurts heal, or do I let hurt turn into hate?
Proverbs 15:9 says “The Lord hates what evil people do, but He loves those who do what is right.”
2 Samuel 5
David Becomes King Over Israel
1 All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. 2 In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the LORD said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’”
3 When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel.
4 David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. 5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.
David Conquers Jerusalem
6 The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, “You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off.” They thought, “David cannot get in here.” 7 Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion—which is the City of David.
8 On that day David had said, “Anyone who conquers the Jebusites will have to use the water shaft to reach those ‘lame and blind’ who are David’s enemies.[b]” That is why they say, “The ‘blind and lame’ will not enter the palace.”
9 David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the terraces[c] inward. 10 And he became more and more powerful, because the LORD God Almighty was with him.
11 Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David. 12 Then David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.
13 After he left Hebron, David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him. 14 These are the names of the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 16 Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet.
David Defeats the Philistines
17 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold. 18 Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; 19 so David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?”
The LORD answered him, “Go, for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hands.”
20 So David went to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, “As waters break out, the LORD has broken out against my enemies before me.” So that place was called Baal Perazim.[d] 21 The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them off.
22 Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; 23 so David inquired of the LORD, and he answered, “Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the poplar trees. 24 As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly, because that will mean the LORD has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.” 25 So David did as the LORD commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon[e] to Gezer.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Lamentations 3:25-33
25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.
27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is young.
28 Let him sit alone in silence,
for the LORD has laid it on him.
29 Let him bury his face in the dust—
there may yet be hope.
30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,
and let him be filled with disgrace.
31 For no one is cast off
by the Lord forever.
32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.
33 For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to anyone.
Grieving From A To Z
November 14, 2011 — by Dennis Fisher
Though He causes grief, yet He will show compassion. —Lamentations 3:32
Jerusalem was engulfed in flames, and the prophet Jeremiah wept. His prediction of divine judgment had largely gone unheeded. Now his terrible prophecy had come to pass with horrifying vividness. The short book of Lamentations records the prophet’s grieving process over the destruction of Jerusalem.
Jeremiah organized the book around the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, using a technique of alphabetic acrostics to aid the reader in memorizing the passages more easily. But using this technique also shows that he didn’t cut short his grieving process. He took deliberate and intentional time to reflect upon and even to write down his heartbreak. You might say he was learning to grieve from A to Z.
In the midst of his grief, the comfort of God surfaced. Reminders of God’s sovereignty and goodness gave the prophet hope as he faced the future: “The Lord will not cast off forever. Though He causes grief, yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies” (Lam. 3:31-32).
If you’ve recently experienced a painful loss, remember to take adequate time to grieve and to reflect upon God’s goodness. Then you will be able to experience His comfort and hope for the future.
To experience God’s comfort
While you’re suffering with grief,
Try to focus on God’s goodness,
And He’ll bring your heart relief. —Sper
God allows sorrows and tears today
to open our hearts to the joys of tomorrow.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, November 14, 2011
Discovering Divine Design
As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me . . . —Genesis 24:27
We should be so one with God that we don’t need to ask continually for guidance. Sanctification means that we are made the children of God. A child’s life is normally obedient, until he chooses disobedience. But as soon as he chooses to disobey, an inherent inner conflict is produced. On the spiritual level, inner conflict is the warning of the Spirit of God. When He warns us in this way, we must stop at once and be renewed in the spirit of our mind to discern God’s will (see Romans 12:2). If we are born again by the Spirit of God, our devotion to Him is hindered, or even stopped, by continually asking Him to guide us here and there. “. . . the Lord led me . . .” and on looking back we see the presence of an amazing design. If we are born of God we will see His guiding hand and give Him the credit.
We can all see God in exceptional things, but it requires the growth of spiritual discipline to see God in every detail. Never believe that the so-called random events of life are anything less than God’s appointed order. Be ready to discover His divine designs anywhere and everywhere.
Beware of being obsessed with consistency to your own convictions instead of being devoted to God. If you are a saint and say, “I will never do this or that,” in all probability this will be exactly what God will require of you. There was never a more inconsistent being on this earth than our Lord, but He was never inconsistent with His Father. The important consistency in a saint is not to a principle but to the divine life. It is the divine life that continually makes more and more discoveries about the divine mind. It is easier to be an excessive fanatic than it is to be consistently faithful, because God causes an amazing humbling of our religious conceit when we are faithful to Him.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
A Funeral For a Ghost - #6481
Monday, November 14, 2011
We've always found our family in the comic strips. Yeah, frequently one of the kids would come to me with some cartoon in the newspaper and say, "Here we are, Dad!" And we were, sure enough. And it was often that comic strip--maybe you've seen it--Family Circus. The man behind it obviously has had children of his own. For example, whenever the parents find a mess, or something eaten or missing, they of course start asking the children who did it. Needless to say, no one ever takes responsibility. The parents always end up concluding that it was "The Ghost of 'Not Me.'" Does he live at your house--The Ghost of "Not Me"? Oh listen, I know a Father who has a hard time getting His kids to say, "It was my fault." Yeah, the kids are you and me.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "A Funeral For a Ghost."
I want to have A Word With You today about this man who buried The Ghost of "Not Me." It was King David. Well, you remember the David in the middle of a glorious serving time in his life glorifying the Lord, commits this ugly sin with Bathsheba; the sin of adultery. Now he could have offered excuses. He could have said, "I was lonely that night. I couldn't help myself. I was vulnerable." He could have said, "Hey, she was tempting. She was willing. She could have said no." Or he could have said, "Well, you know, I was under a lot of stress from being king and all those battles I was in. Yeah, it's really hard being the King of Israel."
But listen to what he says in our word for today from the Word of God in Psalm 51:2-4, 7. It shows us how he handles his responsibility for what he did. "Wash away all my iniquity, Lord, and cleanse me from my sin, for I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight." Boy, he knows who's responsible. Verse 7 - he says, "Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow."
Now, contrast that, just for example, with the public statement that was issued after the disclosure of the adulterous activity of a prominent Christian leader. Here's what he said to the newspaper, "After seven years in an isolated incident, I was wickedly manipulated by treacherous former friends, and then colleagues who victimized me with the aid of a female confederate. They conspired to betray me into a sexual encounter at a time of great stress in my marital life." Excuse me, but did you notice the verbs, "I was manipulated," "victimized," "conspired against," "betrayed"? Hello! Sounds a little different than King David doesn't it? Not, "I'm a sinner." "I'm a victim."
Okay, now before you're too quick to condemn that leader and say, "Shame on him!", let's look in the mirror. Aren't we quick to rationalize our sin; to blame our upbringing, our parents, our husband, our wife, our friends, blame our school, blame our office, the atmosphere around us, the environment, this awful temptation? God says, "Who's to blame for what you're doing?" You say, "Not me!" There he is, The Ghost of "Not Me." That started in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. "It's her fault!" "No, it's his fault!" "No, it's the serpent's fault!"
See, there's no healing, there's no forgiveness, there's no peace until you join David in saying, "I am without excuse, Lord. It's sin. I call it what You call it, and I accept full responsibility for it. I quit blaming anything or anyone around me. I'm dirty, Lord. I need to be clean by the blood of Christ."
You know, He is willing to do that for an entire lifetime of sinning, if you will make the Savior, who died for the sin of the world your Savior, who died for your personal sin. Say, "Jesus, I'm Yours!" I would love to help you do that. There's information that will help you get that forgiveness from Him today. Go to our website - it's YoursForLife.net.
Hey, maybe you've been dodging your responsibility for what you've done. Well, you're only compounding the damage of that sin. Confession contains the damage. That ghost of "not me" is keeping you from the peace you need so desperately. "It's me, Lord!" Let's have a funeral for that ghost.
