1 Corinthians 16 bible reading and devotionals.

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Max Lucado Daily: God Stakes His Claim

I heard the announcement, “Your name is on the standby list!”  Groan!  The dreaded standby list.  Possibility but no guarantee.

Oh, to be numbered among the confirmed!  To have my own seat and departure time.  How can you rest if you aren’t assured passage on the final flight home?

Many live with a deep-seated anxiety about eternity.  They think they’re saved, but they still doubt, wondering, “Am I really saved?” Jesus promised a new life that could not be forfeited or terminated.  He says “whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned.” God stakes his claim on us.  Bridges are burned, and the transfer is accomplished.  Ups and downs may mark our days, but they will never ban us from his kingdom.  Jesus bottom-lines our lives with His grace!

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.  John 5:24?

From GRACE

1 Corinthians 16
New International Version (NIV)
The Collection for the Lord’s People

16 Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 3 Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.

Personal Requests

5 After I go through Macedonia, I will come to you—for I will be going through Macedonia. 6 Perhaps I will stay with you for a while, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. 8 But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.

10 When Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am. 11 No one, then, should treat him with contempt. Send him on his way in peace so that he may return to me. I am expecting him along with the brothers.

12 Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity.

13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 14 Do everything in love.

15 You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the Lord’s people. I urge you, brothers and sisters, 16 to submit to such people and to everyone who joins in the work and labors at it. 17 I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you. 18 For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition.

Final Greetings

19 The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla[a] greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house. 20 All the brothers and sisters here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

21 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.

22 If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed! Come, Lord[b]!

23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

24 My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.[c]


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: Mark 10:46-52

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus

46 And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50 And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.

Be Specific

December 19, 2012 — by Cindy Hess Kasper

What do you want Me to do for you? —Mark 10:51

On the day before a major surgery, I shared with my friend that I was really scared about the procedure. “What part scares you?” she inquired. “I’m just so afraid that I won’t wake up from the anesthesia,” I replied. Immediately, Anne prayed: “Father, you know all about Cindy’s fear. Please calm her heart and fill her with Your peace. And, Lord, please wake her up after surgery.”

I think God likes that kind of specificity when we talk to Him. When Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, called out to Jesus for help, Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the blind man said, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight!” Jesus said, “Go your way; your faith has made you well” (Mark 10:51-52).

We don’t need to beat around the bush with God. While there may be a time to pray poetically as David did, there are also times to say bluntly, “God, I’m so sorry for what I just said,” or to say simply, “Jesus, I love You because . . . .” Being specific with God can even be a sign of faith because we are acknowledging that we know we’re not talking to a far-off Being but to a real Person who loves us intimately.

God is not impressed by a flurry of fanciful words. He is listening for what our heart is saying.

Poetic prose in prayer to God
Is not what He requires;
Instead, specific heartfelt pleas
Are what the Lord desires. —Sper
The heart of prayer is prayer from the heart.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
December 19, 2012

The Focus Of Our Message

I did not come to bring peace but a sword —Matthew 10:34

Never be sympathetic with a person whose situation causes you to conclude that God is dealing harshly with him. God can be more tender than we can conceive, and every once in a while He gives us the opportunity to deal firmly with someone so that He may be viewed as the tender One. If a person cannot go to God, it is because he has something secret which he does not intend to give up— he may admit his sin, but would no more give up that thing than he could fly under his own power. It is impossible to deal sympathetically with people like that. We must reach down deep in their lives to the root of the problem, which will cause hostility and resentment toward the message. People want the blessing of God, but they can’t stand something that pierces right through to the heart of the matter.

If you are sensitive to God’s way, your message as His servant will be merciless and insistent, cutting to the very root. Otherwise, there will be no healing. We must drive the message home so forcefully that a person cannot possibly hide, but must apply its truth. Deal with people where they are, until they begin to realize their true need. Then hold high the standard of Jesus for their lives. Their response may be, “We can never be that.” Then drive it home with, “Jesus Christ says you must.” “But how can we be?” “You can’t, unless you have a new Spirit” (see Luke 11:13).

There must be a sense of need created before your message is of any use. Thousands of people in this world profess to be happy without God. But if we could be truly happy and moral without Jesus, then why did He come? He came because that kind of happiness and peace is only superficial. Jesus Christ came to “bring . . . a sword” through every kind of peace that is not based on a personal relationship with Himself.


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Wanting to be King - #6768

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

There's nothing quite so precious as a little child screaming on an airplane. You're a captive group; what are you going to do? A couple of people might have a suggestion for what to do with the child, but you're stuck. It happened to me on a plane not long ago. Actually we hadn't taken off yet; I guess we could have left. But here's this little five-year-old and his mother's trying to get him to sit down.

He is screaming, and hollering, and having a tantrum in the aisle, stamping his feet, and they're trying to get him seated so we could take off. And she said, "Harvey! Will you please sit down!" And he just screamed at the top of his lungs, "No! I want to drive!"

No way, baby. No way he's going to drive. There's a man up front who knows what to do with that plane. I'll let him scream all the way, but I have no interest in letting him drive. Of course, you and I probably sound like that obnoxious little kid, and Christmas brings it all to a head.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Wanting to Be King."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew 2, and I'm going to begin reading at verse 1. "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea during the time of King Herod, magi came from the East to Jerusalem and asked, 'Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star in the East and have come to worship him.' When King Herod heard this he was disturbed and all Jerusalem with him."

Now, we know later that he was more than disturbed; he turned his anger on all those newborn babies to destroy a threat to his rule. He said, "No one else is going to be king, I'll tell you that!" You know what he was saying? "I want to drive! I'm going to stay in charge here."

Before you file King Herod away under "N" for "Not Me," consider this: most of us are willing to give Jesus everything but the one thing that matters. Oh, you'll give Him time; you'll give Him money, "Jesus, I'll give You my allegiance." "I pledge my allegiance to You! I'll go by most of Your rules." We'll give Him everything except control. In fact, we learn about King Herod in Matthew 2:8, that he said, "Tell me when you find Him that I may go and worship Him." Look, he's talking religious talk! He's got a religious exterior, but underneath he's saying, "As long as I can still be king. I want to drive."

As we count down to our annual visit to the manger, let me ask you, "Who's king in your life?" "Who's driving?" We don't mind the baby in a manger; that's kind of sweet. We don't even mind the Savior on the cross, but king on the throne; king of my life? Him driving? That's another story.

It may be that because you've run your life, you're missing the greatest word in the Christmas Story in your own heart, "Peace on earth." I had a teenager tell one of our staff, as he pointed to his heart, "It's empty in here; there's nothing there." Can you feel that this Christmas? Peace has always supposedly been over that next hill for you, but it's never come has it? Well, peace actually does begin at the top of a hill; a cross on that hill. Christ is dying there for you.

That little baby; that Jewish baby in the manger, those little hands; they made the tree He died on. It was all for you. This Christmas could be the one where you go beyond religion - Herod was religious. This can be the time when you finally walk to the cross and say, "I'm Yours, Lord." Oh, you've felt His tug on your heart recently; He's calling you to come home to Him now. It all begins when you say, "Jesus, I'm giving You what You came here for. I'm giving You me." Would you tell Him just before Christmas, "I'm Yours."

Our website is all about how to begin that relationship with Him. I urge you to go check it out today and get this settled. Get it done! YoursForLife.net is where you can go.

Like that song says, you will finally be "Home for Christmas."