“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6”
Healing begins when you do something. God’s help is near and always available, but it’s given to those who seek it. Healing starts when you take a step. God honors radical, risk-taking faith.
When arks are built, lives are saved. When soldiers march, Jerichos tumble.
When staffs are raised, seas still open. When a lunch is shared, thousands are fed.
And when a garment is touched by the hand of an anemic woman in Galilee—Jesus stops!
He stops and responds.
Compared to God’s part, our part is minuscule—but necessary. We don’t have to do much, but we do have to do something! Faith with no effort is not faith at all!
Write a letter. Ask forgiveness.
Call a counselor. Call a mom!
Visit a doctor. Be baptized.
Feed a hungry person.
Pray. Teach. Go.
God honors radical, risk-taking faith. And He will respond.
1 Kings 4
Solomon’s Officials and Governors
1 So King Solomon ruled over all Israel. 2 And these were his chief officials:
Azariah son of Zadok—the priest;
3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha—secretaries;
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud—recorder;
4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada—commander in chief;
Zadok and Abiathar—priests;
5 Azariah son of Nathan—in charge of the district governors;
Zabud son of Nathan—a priest and adviser to the king;
6 Ahishar—palace administrator;
Adoniram son of Abda—in charge of forced labor.
7 Solomon had twelve district governors over all Israel, who supplied provisions for the king and the royal household. Each one had to provide supplies for one month in the year. 8 These are their names:
Ben-Hur—in the hill country of Ephraim;
9 Ben-Deker—in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh and Elon Bethhanan;
10 Ben-Hesed—in Arubboth (Sokoh and all the land of Hepher were his);
11 Ben-Abinadab—in Naphoth Dor (he was married to Taphath daughter of Solomon);
12 Baana son of Ahilud—in Taanach and Megiddo, and in all of Beth Shan next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah across to Jokmeam;
13 Ben-Geber—in Ramoth Gilead (the settlements of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead were his, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan and its sixty large walled cities with bronze gate bars);
14 Ahinadab son of Iddo—in Mahanaim;
15 Ahimaaz—in Naphtali (he had married Basemath daughter of Solomon);
16 Baana son of Hushai—in Asher and in Aloth;
17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah—in Issachar;
18 Shimei son of Ela—in Benjamin;
19 Geber son of Uri—in Gilead (the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and the country of Og king of Bashan). He was the only governor over the district.
Solomon’s Daily Provisions
20 The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy. 21 And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought tribute and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.
22 Solomon’s daily provisions were thirty cors[a] of the finest flour and sixty cors[b] of meal, 23 ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl. 24 For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and had peace on all sides. 25 During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree.
26 Solomon had four[c] thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses.[d]
27 The district governors, each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king’s table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking. 28 They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.
Solomon’s Wisdom
29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33 He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.[e]
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Micah 6:1-8
The LORD’s Case Against Israel
1 Listen to what the LORD says:
“Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;
let the hills hear what you have to say.
2 “Hear, you mountains, the LORD’s accusation;
listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.
For the LORD has a case against his people;
he is lodging a charge against Israel.
3 “My people, what have I done to you?
How have I burdened you? Answer me.
4 I brought you up out of Egypt
and redeemed you from the land of slavery.
I sent Moses to lead you,
also Aaron and Miriam.
5 My people, remember
what Balak king of Moab plotted
and what Balaam son of Beor answered.
Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal,
that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD.”
6 With what shall I come before the LORD
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly[a] with your God.
Acts Of Gratitude
March 9, 2012 — by Randy Kilgore
What does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? —Micah 6:8
Few people knew me better as a boy than Francis Allen, the pastor who led me to Jesus Christ. A fire-and-brimstone preacher in the pulpit, he was a near-perfect example of the gentleness of God’s love outside of it.
Early on, Francis recognized a tendency in me to try to “buy” approval by working harder than expected and doing more than people asked. “These are good traits to give as gifts to others,” he would tell me, “but you should never use them to buy acceptance and love from people—or from God.”
To help me understand this, he told me to read Jesus’ promise in Matthew 11:30 that His “yoke is easy”—a statement that sometimes seems too simple to be true. Then, pointing to Micah 6:6-8, he said: “Now read this and ask yourself if there are any gifts you can give God that He doesn’t already have.” The answer, of course, is no.
Then he went on to explain that God cannot be bought—the gift of grace is free. Since this is true, what should be our response? “To do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (v.8). I learned that these were acts of gratitude—not of purchase.
Let Micah 6 be a reminder that grace is free and that faithful living is our grateful response.
We’re saved by grace through faith alone,
Good works can have no part;
But God rewards each loving deed
That’s done with all our heart. —D. De Haan
Good works are not the means of salvation but the result.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, March 09, 2012
Turning Back or Walking with Jesus?
Do you also want to go away? —John 6:67
What a penetrating question! Our Lord’s words often hit home for us when He speaks in the simplest way. In spite of the fact that we know who Jesus is, He asks, “Do you also want to go away?” We must continually maintain an adventurous attitude toward Him, despite any potential personal risk.
“From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more” (John 6:66). They turned back from walking with Jesus; not into sin, but away from Him. Many people today are pouring their lives out and working for Jesus Christ, but are not really walking with Him. One thing God constantly requires of us is a oneness with Jesus Christ. After being set apart through sanctification, we should discipline our lives spiritually to maintain this intimate oneness. When God gives you a clear determination of His will for you, all your striving to maintain that relationship by some particular method is completely unnecessary. All that is required is to live a natural life of absolute dependence on Jesus Christ. Never try to live your life with God in any other way than His way. And His way means absolute devotion to Him. Showing no concern for the uncertainties that lie ahead is the secret of walking with Jesus.
Peter saw in Jesus only someone who could minister salvation to him and to the world. But our Lord wants us to be fellow laborers with Him.
In John 6:70 Jesus lovingly reminded Peter that he was chosen to go with Him. And each of us must answer this question for ourselves and no one else: “Do you also want to go away?”
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tim Tebow's Really Bad Day - #6565
Friday, March 9, 2012
I like Tim Tebow. So this Broncos/Patriots playoff game hurt to watch a few months ago. There were no last-quarter or last-minute miracles. Tebow's team lost and they lost bad. Final score...45-10! They weren't just beaten, they were crushed.
Well, so much for anybody who thought Jesus is a ticket to the Super Bowl, or even a league championship! Because without preaching - just by living it - Tim's got us thinking of Jesus when we think of him. The media's been all over the Tim Tebow story. But Tim Tebow seems to want to redirect the attention to Jesus.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Tim Tebow's Really Bad Day."
Yeah, I really wanted to see Tim and his Broncos pull out another stunning, odds-defying victory. But for those who've tended to think that Jesus was somehow validated by winning, I'd suggest the losing did it even more. And it's shown us why belonging to Jesus is a faith that wins even when you lose. Especially when you lose.
I was anxious to see how this media-bombarded quarterback would react after losing what was arguably the most important game of his career so far. Plus, it was after being the object of derisive chanting from Patriot fans.
He talked about his opponents. He said, "They played well...you've got to give them a lot of credit." He talked about his teammates: "I just want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and thank my teammates for the effort they put forth." And this season he said, "A very special opportunity for me; something I'm very thankful for and very thankful for the opportunity to build so many great relationships with teammates and coaches."
Oh yeah, then there was losing. He said, "Any time you're getting beaten like that, you just continue to fight. Every time I step on the field, I'm going to give my whole heart regardless of the score...I need to work and improve."
I'll tell you, Zack McLeod will never forget that game. Before each game, Tim Tebow spends some time with a child or young person who's living with serious disability. This week it was Zack, who used to play football, but suffered a massive brain injury. Tim said, "It was a good day because I got to spend time with Zack McLeod and make him smile...I got to make a kid's day...and that's more important than winning a game."
Wow! Grace, encouragement, big picture perspective, humility, taking responsibility, inner peace: That's what we heard from this Jesus-follower in the wake of a crushing defeat.
There's a reason for that; one that compels every one of us to think about Jesus being, as Tebow says, "my Lord and Savior." See, when you have Jesus, you're complete. The Bible literally says in our word for today from the Word of God in Colossians 2:10, "we are complete in Him." With Jesus, we've got an "unloseable" identity. Whether you win or lose. Whether they're cheering or booing. When somebody loves you and when somebody drops you. When you've got a job; when you lose your job. When there's money in the bank, and when you're broke.
Let's face it, just about any belief works when you're winning. The test is when you lose "big time." And we all do, in one way or another. But when life is the worst, Jesus is at His best. The Bible says "nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39 - NLT). See, we were, in God's words, "created by Him and for Him" (Colossians 1:16), and when you've got Him, you're still together, no matter what falls apart.
I can be totally sure of Jesus in the moments when there's nothing else I can be sure of. "We have this hope as an anchor, (the Bible says) firm and secure" (Hebrews 6:19). I'm safe in His love because of how far His love reached for me. It went all the way to the cross where He poured our His life-blood to pay the price for my sin and for yours, and tear down the wall between God and us. You can belong today to the One who loved you enough to die for you, who was powerful enough to walk out of His grave. So whatever you lose, you'll never lose Him. Or actually, He'll never lose you.
If you've never begun your relationship with Him, grab this one sure thing that there is; this man who loved you enough to die for you. Say, "Jesus, I am Yours beginning today." Let us help you begin your relationship with Him. Go to our website. Let me meet you there by way of video. It's YoursForLife.net. See, with Jesus you can lose it all and you can still have what matters most or Who matters most.
