Psalm 67 bible reading and devotions.

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MaxLucado.com: Worth Saving

No one believed in people more than Jesus did. He saw something in Peter worth developing, in the adulterous woman worth forgiving, and in John worth harnessing.

He saw something in the thief on the cross, and what he saw was worth saving. And in the life of a wild-eyed, bloodthirsty extremist, He saw the apostle of grace.  He believed in Saul.

Don’t give up on your Saul. When others write him off, give him another chance. Stay strong.  Call him brother.  Call her sister. It’s too soon to throw in the towel. Talk to your Saul about Jesus, and pray.

God is at work behind the scenes. And remember this:  God never sends you where he hasn’t already been.  By the time you reach your Saul, who knows what you’ll find.

God used Saul, who became Paul, to touch the world.

Has God given you a Saul?

From Cast of Characters


Psalm 67[a]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
    and make his face shine on us—[b]
2 so that your ways may be known on earth,
    your salvation among all nations.
3 May the peoples praise you, God;
    may all the peoples praise you.
4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
    for you rule the peoples with equity
    and guide the nations of the earth.
5 May the peoples praise you, God;
    may all the peoples praise you.
6 The land yields its harvest;
    God, our God, blesses us.
7 May God bless us still,
    so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion


Read: Matthew 5:13-16

Salt and Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

14  “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that[a] they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

They Are Watching

August 17, 2012 — by Bill Crowder

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. —Matthew 5:16

A professional football player’s team was having a terrible season, losing week after week. A reporter asked him how he stayed motivated to play hard and give his best even though his team lost almost every game. He responded, “My dad is watching that game. My mom is watching that game. You better believe I’m going to do my best!” He recognized that there was more at stake than just winning or losing. People were watching, and that reality always drove him to do his best.

Jesus reminded us of this reality in the early portions of His Sermon on the Mount. We should live our lives with a recognition that what we do is observed by those around us—and this visible life makes a statement about our God. He said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). How does the light of our lives shine? By bringing the heart and character of Christ into the situations that engage us every day. By showing compassion as He did for the marginalized or forgotten. By displaying concern for the Father’s name and reputation.

People are watching us. The question is, What do they see?

Show me the way, Lord, let my light shine
As an example of good to mankind.
Help them to see the patterns of Thee,
Shining in beauty, lived out in me. —Neuer
Let your light shine—whether you’re a candle in a corner or a lighthouse on a hill.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
August 17, 2012

Are You Discouraged or Devoted?

. . . Jesus . . . said to him, ’You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have . . . and come, follow Me.’ But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich —Luke 18:22-23

Have you ever heard the Master say something very difficult to you? If you haven’t, I question whether you have ever heard Him say anything at all. Jesus says a tremendous amount to us that we listen to, but do not actually hear. And once we do hear Him, His words are harsh and unyielding.

Jesus did not show the least concern that this rich young ruler should do what He told him, nor did Jesus make any attempt to keep this man with Him. He simply said to him, “Sell all that you have . . . and come, follow Me.” Our Lord never pleaded with him; He never tried to lure him— He simply spoke the strictest words that human ears have ever heard, and then left him alone.

Have I ever heard Jesus say something difficult and unyielding to me? Has He said something personally to me to which I have deliberately listened— not something I can explain for the sake of others, but something I have heard Him say directly to me? This man understood what Jesus said. He heard it clearly, realizing the full impact of its meaning, and it broke his heart. He did not go away as a defiant person, but as one who was sorrowful and discouraged. He had come to Jesus on fire with zeal and determination, but the words of Jesus simply froze him. Instead of producing enthusiastic devotion to Jesus, they produced heartbreaking discouragement. And Jesus did not go after him, but let him go. Our Lord knows perfectly well that once His word is truly heard, it will bear fruit sooner or later. What is so terrible is that some of us prevent His words from bearing fruit in our present life. I wonder what we will say when we finally make up our minds to be devoted to Him on that particular point? One thing is certain— He will never throw our past failures back in our faces.


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

No Cinder Blocks Please - #6680

Friday, August 17, 2012

As married people, it's been sometimes amusing to watch the little "soap operas" of teenage romances that have gone on in our family. And, you know, we would watch knowingly, as young couples would go through the same struggles we did trying to figure out the opposite sex and what is love all about? Every once in a while, those young romances become a mirror, and some of us veterans learn something about how our older romances should be.

I've worked with a lot of young people over the years, and I heard a conversation between two teenagers; they were seniors in high school. They were dating each other pretty seriously. And the guy was reflecting on some of their past "discussions." And when he brought it up, well, he got a very somber expression on his face and a tone in his voice, because when his girlfriend would say, "It's time for us to have a "discussion," he ended up getting dumped on a whole lot! I thought he had a great quote. He said, "I'd rather have you throw a little sand on me than to be 'cinder blocked' all at once." You know what? A lot of guys feel that way.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "No Cinder Blocks Please."

Well, I love Ephesians 4-6. They contain this practical, do-able, down-to-earth Christianity. Chapter 4 describes what's new about a follower of Christ, and then it spotlights two arenas where this lifestyle needs to show up first: in your family and in your workplace.

Okay, our word for today from the Word of God is in Ephesians 4:26-27, "In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold." Two verses later, Paul was talking about marriage, which is perhaps the primary place to make sure the sun does not go down on your anger.

Now, both men and women have a tendency to postpone confrontation. But for today, let's look at the woman's temptation to let too many sundowns go by. That's what that teenage guy was expressing. He's saying, "Throw some sand on me; don't 'cinder block' me. Give me smaller doses of frustration to deal with."

I think a woman's emotional pattern might be like this: She gets hurt, or she's anxious, or she feels unheard or misunderstood. And she says, "Well, I don't want to bother my man; he's already carrying so much." And then she internalizes it. Pretty soon there's a pile of unexpressed wounds, unexpressed frustration, and then comes the avalanche that buries them both. She said, "I don't want to bother him." Well, she's going to bother him. You bet! Only by then it will be too big to deal with.

Guys bury it; the woman probably hasn't said it well or she hasn't been heard thoroughly. He's been "cinder blocked." A woman cannot let her wounds accumulate. Share them while they're small. If your man's already buried, maybe a brief postponement might be the caring thing. But then just set a time when you can talk about it when it won't be so tough for him.

And here's an important word for us guys. Don't wait until it's a crisis to give her your attention. She may be letting it build up, because she can't find a way into your life, you're so busy. You've always got something else to do other than listen to her. Listen to her needs; listen to her heart; listen to those frustrations and problems when they're small, when they're manageable; listen to her whispers, not just to her screams.

See, life's tensions were meant to be handled in bite-size chunks. Twenty-four-hour little sand piles are much less damaging than cinder blocks.