Max Lucado Daily: Don’t Be Afraid
“Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe.’ Mark 5:36”
Sometimes what we need is just a word of encouragement, isn’t it?
And God gives a word—to the overwhelmed. To the downcast. To us. He urges, “Don’t’ be afraid; just believe.”
Believe that He can. Believe that He cares. Believe that He comes.
Mark it down. You will never go where God is not. You may be transferred, enlisted, commissioned, re-assigned, or hospitalized….But brand this truth on your heart—Jesus promised, “I am with you always.” Don’t be afraid, just believe!
Make your fear a visitor and not a resident. Hasn’t fear taken enough? Enough smiles? Enough restful nights? Enough exuberant days?
Make it a day changer to meet your fears with faith. Choose to make every day—a great day!
Psalm 140[b]
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 Rescue me, LORD, from evildoers;
protect me from the violent,
2 who devise evil plans in their hearts
and stir up war every day.
3 They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent’s;
the poison of vipers is on their lips.[c]
4 Keep me safe, LORD, from the hands of the wicked;
protect me from the violent,
who devise ways to trip my feet.
5 The arrogant have hidden a snare for me;
they have spread out the cords of their net
and have set traps for me along my path.
6 I say to the LORD, “You are my God.”
Hear, LORD, my cry for mercy.
7 Sovereign LORD, my strong deliverer,
you shield my head in the day of battle.
8 Do not grant the wicked their desires, LORD;
do not let their plans succeed.
9 Those who surround me proudly rear their heads;
may the mischief of their lips engulf them.
10 May burning coals fall on them;
may they be thrown into the fire,
into miry pits, never to rise.
11 May slanderers not be established in the land;
may disaster hunt down the violent.
12 I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor
and upholds the cause of the needy.
13 Surely the righteous will praise your name,
and the upright will live in your presence.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Galatians 3:19-29
19 Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. 20 A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one.
21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22 But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
Children of God
23 Before the coming of this faith,[a] we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Not My Kind
February 27, 2012 — by Joe Stowell
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. —Galatians 3:28
In the Star Wars trilogy there’s a scene that reminds me of some church people I know. At an establishment somewhere in a remote corner of the galaxy, grotesque-looking creatures socialize over food and music. When Luke Skywalker enters with his two droids, C3PO and R2D2 (who are more “normal” than anyone else there), he is surprisingly turned away with a curt rebuff: “We don’t serve their kind here!”
That strange scene captures the malady that we all struggle with in our relationships here on planet Earth. We are always more comfortable with people who are just like us. But think of where you would be if Jesus had felt that way. He was divine, perfect in every way, which makes Him far different from us. Yet He came to dwell among us and to die for us.
Those of us who follow Christ shouldn’t have “they’re not my kind” in our vocabulary. As Paul reminds us, in Him “there is neither Jew nor Greek, . . . slave nor free, . . . male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). So, whether others are different in attitude, perspective, race, class, political slant, or social standing, it should make no difference to those of us who call ourselves by Jesus’ name.
Find someone who is not your kind and share Jesus’ love with them today!
I pray, O Lord, reveal to me
If I have caused disunity,
For You would have Your children one
In praise and love for Your dear Son. —Branon
Love your neighbor— even if they aren’t your kind!
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, February 27, 2012
The Impoverished Ministry of Jesus
Where then do You get that living water? —John 4:11
“The well is deep”— and even a great deal deeper than the Samaritan woman knew! (John 4:11). Think of the depths of human nature and human life; think of the depth of the “wells” in you. Have you been limiting, or impoverishing, the ministry of Jesus to the point that He is unable to work in your life? Suppose that you have a deep “well” of hurt and trouble inside your heart, and Jesus comes and says to you, “Let not your heart be troubled . . .” (John 14:1). Would your response be to shrug your shoulders and say, “But, Lord, the well is too deep, and even You can’t draw up quietness and comfort out of it.” Actually, that is correct. Jesus doesn’t bring anything up from the wells of human nature— He brings them down from above. We limit the Holy One of Israel by remembering only what we have allowed Him to do for us in the past, and also by saying, “Of course, I cannot expect God to do this particular thing.” The thing that approaches the very limits of His power is the very thing we as disciples of Jesus ought to believe He will do. We impoverish and weaken His ministry in us the moment we forget He is almighty. The impoverishment is in us, not in Him. We will come to Jesus for Him to be our comforter or our sympathizer, but we refrain from approaching Him as our Almighty God.
The reason some of us are such poor examples of Christianity is that we have failed to recognize that Christ is almighty. We have Christian attributes and experiences, but there is no abandonment or surrender to Jesus Christ. When we get into difficult circumstances, we impoverish His ministry by saying, “Of course, He can’t do anything about this.” We struggle to reach the bottom of our own well, trying to get water for ourselves. Beware of sitting back, and saying, “It can’t be done.” You will know it can be done if you will look to Jesus. The well of your incompleteness runs deep, but make the effort to look away from yourself and to look toward Him.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Feeling Invisible - #6556
Monday, February 27, 2012
I've got a grandson who loves to play "hide and seek." I haven't told him I'm pretty much onto his favorite places to hide in our house. But he has figured out the best places to become totally invisible when I'm looking for him.
But being invisible isn't always fun, you know. There are people, including someone who told me just this week, who have basically felt invisible their whole lives. Oh, you can feel invisible in your family, at school, where you work, even in your marriage. It's awful feeling like no one seems to know or care that you're there.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Feeling Invisible."
I read something from the life of Jesus a few days ago that carries real hope for people who feel marginalized, ignored, passed over. Our word for today from the Word of God; it's Luke 8. This woman, who's been battling an incurable condition for 12 years, has run out of hope. There are no doctors left to see, there are no dollars left to pay one anyway. She's desperate, she pushes her way through the masses that are thronging around Jesus, believing she'll be healed if she could just touch His robe...which she does, and she gets her miracle.
Jesus, who is mobbed by people, says, "Somebody touched Me." Then comes this wonderful footnote to the story: "Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed...fell at His feet" (Luke 8:47). Obviously, this woman was used to no one noticing her. I'm thinking, "Who is there around me like that? And shouldn't I be looking for those very people and making them feel important?"
This desperate woman discovered that day what millions have discovered since then. Nobody goes unnoticed by Jesus! For Jesus, there are no invisible people. How could there be? The Bible says that each and every one of us was "created by Him and for Him" (Colossians 1:16 ). Put your name in that. Yeah, "______ was created by Him and for Him." You are not just some random protoplasm, wandering across this planet. You were created by Jesus as a divine, one-of-a-kind original, created for a love relationship with the God who made a hundred billion galaxies. He knows you. He loves you. He has a plan for you.
All those people who've overlooked you, made you feel so small, don't know who you are! In the words of the Bible, you are "God's workmanship" (Ephesians 2:10). But that's only the beginning. Jesus thinks that you are so valuable that you were worth dying for. He was nailed to a cross, paying for every wrong thing you've ever done. Why? Because He does not want to lose you! So He died to make it possible for the sins of a lifetime to be erased from God's book. He wants you with Him forever.
Listen to God's Word, "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever (and you can put your name here!) believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life" (John 3:16). He became the ultimate victim so you would never have to live like a victim again. Because no matter how you're treated, you know you're loved and cared for by the God who runs it all. When you open up to His love, you can spend the rest of your life handing out His love to a world of "invisible" people.
I hope today will be for you the beginning of this love relationship with Jesus Christ. If there's never been a day like that, let this be the day. Why live another day without this unloseable, unconditional love that changes everything? Tell Him, "Jesus, thank You for loving me enough to die for me. Thank You for being powerful enough to walk out of Your grave. Come into my life today."
Go to our website, because there you will find how to be sure you belong to Jesus. It's YoursForLife.net.
You're not unnoticed, you're not invisible. Jesus never stops thinking of you. Especially when He looks at the nail prints in His hand.