Max Lucado Daily: God’s Heart for Parents
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32
God has a heart for hurting parents. Should we be surprised? No, after all, God himself is a Father!
Are you separated from your child? So was God. Is someone mistreating your child? They mocked and bullied his.
Is someone taking advantage of your children? The Son of God was set up and betrayed by a greedy follower. Are you forced to watch while your child suffers? God watched his son on the cross.
But because of his great love for us, “he did not spare his own son but gave him for us all. So with Jesus, God will surely give us all things!” All things must include courage and hope!
Your child may not be in your arms—but your child is safely in his!
Psalm 35
Of David.
1 Contend, LORD, with those who contend with me;
fight against those who fight against me.
2 Take up shield and armor;
arise and come to my aid.
3 Brandish spear and javelin[a]
against those who pursue me.
Say to me,
“I am your salvation.”
4 May those who seek my life
be disgraced and put to shame;
may those who plot my ruin
be turned back in dismay.
5 May they be like chaff before the wind,
with the angel of the LORD driving them away;
6 may their path be dark and slippery,
with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.
7 Since they hid their net for me without cause
and without cause dug a pit for me,
8 may ruin overtake them by surprise—
may the net they hid entangle them,
may they fall into the pit, to their ruin.
9 Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD
and delight in his salvation.
10 My whole being will exclaim,
“Who is like you, LORD?
You rescue the poor from those too strong for them,
the poor and needy from those who rob them.”
11 Ruthless witnesses come forward;
they question me on things I know nothing about.
12 They repay me evil for good
and leave me like one bereaved.
13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth
and humbled myself with fasting.
When my prayers returned to me unanswered,
14 I went about mourning
as though for my friend or brother.
I bowed my head in grief
as though weeping for my mother.
15 But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee;
assailants gathered against me without my knowledge.
They slandered me without ceasing.
16 Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked;[b]
they gnashed their teeth at me.
17 How long, Lord, will you look on?
Rescue me from their ravages,
my precious life from these lions.
18 I will give you thanks in the great assembly;
among the throngs I will praise you.
19 Do not let those gloat over me
who are my enemies without cause;
do not let those who hate me without reason
maliciously wink the eye.
20 They do not speak peaceably,
but devise false accusations
against those who live quietly in the land.
21 They sneer at me and say, “Aha! Aha!
With our own eyes we have seen it.”
22 LORD, you have seen this; do not be silent.
Do not be far from me, Lord.
23 Awake, and rise to my defense!
Contend for me, my God and Lord.
24 Vindicate me in your righteousness, LORD my God;
do not let them gloat over me.
25 Do not let them think, “Aha, just what we wanted!”
or say, “We have swallowed him up.”
26 May all who gloat over my distress
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who exalt themselves over me
be clothed with shame and disgrace.
27 May those who delight in my vindication
shout for joy and gladness;
may they always say, “The LORD be exalted,
who delights in the well-being of his servant.”
28 My tongue will proclaim your righteousness,
your praises all day long.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Psalm 18:30-36
30 As for God, his way is perfect:
The LORD’s word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him.
31 For who is God besides the LORD?
And who is the Rock except our God?
32 It is God who arms me with strength
and keeps my way secure.
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he causes me to stand on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You make your saving help my shield,
and your right hand sustains me;
your help has made me great.
36 You provide a broad path for my feet,
so that my ankles do not give way.
Hidden In The Rock
January 27, 2012 — by Dave Branon
The Lord is my rock and my fortress. —Psalm 18:2
The story is told of a young preacher named Augustus Toplady, who was taking a walk through the English countryside when a sudden storm swept across the landscape. Toplady spotted a wide rock formation with an opening—a cleft—where he sought shelter until the storm passed. As he sat out the deluge, he contemplated the connection between his shelter and God’s help in life’s storms.
He had no paper to write on but found a playing card on the floor of the cavelike structure and began to write the words to the beloved hymn “Rock of Ages.”
Written on that stormy day in 1775, this hymn has been a source of strength for Christians ever since.
Rock of ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure,
Save from wrath and make me pure.
Think of your struggles. Do you need a place to hide? Do you need Someone to shelter you from life’s assaults? Do you need the assurance that you’ve been forgiven? As Toplady experienced, we can find shelter and assurance in God.
Don’t stand out in life’s storms alone. Seek God’s shelter. Ask Him to protect you. Make sure you have received His forgiveness. Get close to the Rock of Ages. It’s life’s safest spot.
When the world around you is crumbling,
God is the rock on which you can stand.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, January 27, 2012
Look Again and Think
Do not worry about your life . . . —Matthew 6:25
A warning which needs to be repeated is that “the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches,” and the lust for other things, will choke out the life of God in us (Matthew 13:22). We are never free from the recurring waves of this invasion. If the frontline of attack is not about clothes and food, it may be about money or the lack of money; or friends or lack of friends; or the line may be drawn over difficult circumstances. It is one steady invasion, and these things will come in like a flood, unless we allow the Spirit of God to raise up the banner against it.
“I say to you, do not worry about your life . . . .” Our Lord says to be careful only about one thing-our relationship to Him. But our common sense shouts loudly and says, “That is absurd, I must consider how I am going to live, and I must consider what I am going to eat and drink.” Jesus says you must not. Beware of allowing yourself to think that He says this while not understanding your circumstances. Jesus Christ knows our circumstances better than we do, and He says we must not think about these things to the point where they become the primary concern of our life. Whenever there are competing concerns in your life, be sure you always put your relationship to God first.
“Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34). How much trouble has begun to threaten you today? What kind of mean little demons have been looking into your life and saying, “What are your plans for next month— or next summer?” Jesus tells us not to worry about any of these things. Look again and think. Keep your mind on the “much more” of your heavenly Father (Matthew 6:30).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Nuisance or Need - #6535
Friday, January 27, 2012
A lot of life's disrupting sounds you can learn to ignore: sirens screaming, telephones ringing, TVs blasting, trains rumbling by. It is almost impossible to ignore a baby crying. If there's a baby in your house and he starts crying, what should you do?
You say, "What a nuisance!" So what do you do? You could close the door and pretend it isn't there. You could turn up the music real loud. Maybe you could yell back at him like he's yelling at you. Obviously, if you do any of those, you are showing your inexperience. That's not going to do anything. He's just going to keep crying.
See, behind the cry is a need, and the crying isn't going to stop until he gets his tummy filled, or the relief that only a burp can give, or until you get him out of his mess shall we say. Of course, we don't stop crying just because we grow up; we just find grownup ways to do it. Maybe there's someone crying around you right now. I wonder how you're responding.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Nuisance or Need."
Our word for today from the Word of God? It's in Luke 18:35-43. I'm going to begin reading at verse 35. "As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging." Now, we're told in other gospels that his name was Bartimaeus. "When he heard the crowd going by he asked what was happening. They told him Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. He called out, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.' Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet. But he shouted all the more, 'Son of David have mercy on me!' Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to Him, and he came near and Jesus asked him, 'What do you want Me to do for you?' 'Oh, Lord, I want to see' he replied. Jesus said to him, 'Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.' Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus praising God."
Now, it's interesting the two different ways people looked at Bartimaeus in this story. When the people of Jericho saw Bartimaeus, they saw a nuisance. "Will you stop crying? Stop making so much noise! You're an embarrassment." When Jesus saw Bartimaeus, He saw a need.
Now, in your life there are probably some obnoxious people. Can you think of one or two? Some mean people; maybe folks who demand a lot of your time and attention. Maybe there's a complainer around you. You know, in all of our lives, there are people who are for one reason or another folks you'd just like to close the door on like almost everyone else has. And you will unless you see them through the eyes of Jesus, and then you'll see the need.
Like a mother who looks past a baby's annoying cry to find out where it hurts. People are nuisances because they have needs; needs that no one has stopped to meet. I wonder, if like Jesus, you'd stop for them? Maybe they need a listener; they need someone who sees the good in them...someone who notices them; someone who affirms that they matter. Maybe they need someone to reach inside and find out what's really making them bleed; someone who will include them in the group.
See, that crying person, they're a wounded person. And you can be part of God's healing in that person's life. We're here to do what Jesus would do if He were here in person, and that means when others see a nuisance, you'll see a need and you'll do something about it.