Isaiah 12 Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

(Has God spoken to you lately if not click to listen to God's teaching?)

Max Lucado Daily: What Are We Missing?

Jesus declared:  “I am in the father and the Father is in me.”  (John 14:10).  It was as if he heard a voice others were missing.

I witnessed something similar on an airplane.  I kept hearing outbursts of laughter.  The flight was turbulent, hardly a reason for humor.  But some fellow behind me was cracking up.  I turned to see what was so funny.  He was wearing headphones. Because he could hear what I could not, he acted differently than I did.

The same was true with Jesus.  Remember when everyone was distraught about Lazarus’s illness?  Jesus wasn’t.  Rather than hurry to his friends’ bedside, he said,  “This sickness will not end in death. It is for the glory of God.” (John 11:4).

Jesus knew something no one else did.  He had unbroken communion with his Father.  Do you suppose the Father desires the same for us?  God desires the same abiding intimacy with you that he has with his Son.

From Just Like Jesus

Isaiah 12

Songs of Praise

12 In that day you will say:

“I will praise you, Lord.
    Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away
    and you have comforted me.
2 Surely God is my salvation;
    I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense[e];
    he has become my salvation.”
3 With joy you will draw water
    from the wells of salvation.
4 In that day you will say:

“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
    make known among the nations what he has done,
    and proclaim that his name is exalted.
5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;
    let this be known to all the world.
6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,
    for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion


Read: 2 Corinthians 4:7-15

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”[a] Since we have that same spirit of[b] faith, we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. 15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

Jars of Clay

February 21, 2013 — by Joe Stowell

We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. —2 Corinthians 4:7

When you buy a nice piece of jewelry, it is often tucked into a setting of black- or dark-colored velvet. I think it’s designed that way so that your attention is immediately drawn to the beauty of the jewelry. If the packaging were highly decorated, it would compete with the beauty of the treasure.

It reminds me of Paul’s comments about the ministry of Jesus through us, when he said, “We have this treasure in jars of clay” (2 Cor. 4:7 niv). It’s easy to forget that we are the packaging and His work is the treasure. So we adorn our jars of clay, taking credit for the things we do to serve Christ. We seek to bring glory to ourselves when we’ve forgiven someone, or shown mercy, or given generously. The problem is, when we start seeking affirmation and praise for good deeds, we compete with the brilliance of the treasure of God working through us.

When we do things for Christ, it’s not about us but about His glory. The less obvious we are, the more brilliant He becomes. Which is why, Paul says, the treasure has been put in jars of clay so that God would be the one to be glorified. Besides, since when are jars of clay significant? It’s what’s inside that counts!

Help us not to cloud God’s glory
Nor with self His light to dim;
May each thought to Christ be captive,
Emptied to be filled with Him. —Anon.
Let the brilliance of the treasure of Christ shine through you as you live for Him.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
February 21, 2013

Do You Really Love Him?

She has done a good work for Me —Mark 14:6

If what we call love doesn’t take us beyond ourselves, it is not really love. If we have the idea that love is characterized as cautious, wise, sensible, shrewd, and never taken to extremes, we have missed the true meaning. This may describe affection and it may bring us a warm feeling, but it is not a true and accurate description of love.

Have you ever been driven to do something for God not because you felt that it was useful or your duty to do so, or that there was anything in it for you, but simply because you love Him? Have you ever realized that you can give things to God that are of value to Him? Or are you just sitting around daydreaming about the greatness of His redemption, while neglecting all the things you could be doing for Him? I’m not referring to works which could be regarded as divine and miraculous, but ordinary, simple human things— things which would be evidence to God that you are totally surrendered to Him. Have you ever created what Mary of Bethany created in the heart of the Lord Jesus? “She has done a good work for Me.”

There are times when it seems as if God watches to see if we will give Him even small gifts of surrender, just to show how genuine our love is for Him. To be surrendered to God is of more value than our personal holiness. Concern over our personal holiness causes us to focus our eyes on ourselves, and we become overly concerned about the way we walk and talk and look, out of fear of offending God. “. . . but perfect love casts out fear . . .” once we are surrendered to God (1 John 4:18). We should quit asking ourselves, “Am I of any use?” and accept the truth that we really are not of much use to Him. The issue is never of being of use, but of being of value to God Himself. Once we are totally surrendered to God, He will work through us all the time.

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

The Last Stronghold - #6814

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Five beaches that became bloody battlefields, and that became the turning point of World War II. It was D-Day, June 6, 1944 when the allied forces invaded those beaches on the coast of France and began to move against and tore Germany. Of course Nazi stronghold after Nazi stronghold fell to those advancing allied troops, but the war still dragged on. Finally, the allies smashed into Berlin; the war still was on. Eventually, it came down to a few blocks around Hitler's bunker, and finally only after Hitler's death, the surrender came. Then the war was over. There had been a lot of victories along the way, but the war wasn't over until the last stronghold surrendered.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Last Stronghold."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes right out of the life of Abraham. He has walked with God many years at the time this happens. And now in Genesis chapter 22, the ultimate test of his faith. "Some time later, God tested Abraham, He said to him, 'Abraham!' 'Here I am,' he replied. Then God said, 'Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

Man! Imagine this! This is the son God promised; this makes no sense. And yet, Abraham, with the son he deeply loves, marches up Mount Moriah with the knife in his hand, with the wood for the sacrifice altar. In fact it says, "Early the next morning Abraham got up, saddled his donkey, and took with him his son, Isaac." Now, as I pointed out, when this happens, Abraham has walked with God many years. He's sacrificed his security back in his homeland. He's taken many risks for the Lord. He's fought battles for the Lord. He's believed God over and over again. And now God takes him to the edge of faith and asks him to surrender the dearest treasure he's got - Isaac - the last stronghold.

Here is Abraham with his love for God on one hand and his love for something earthly on the other hand, and he must choose. Do you see what he does? He's up early the next morning. I would at least slept till noon. But he's up early the next morning; instant, immediate obedience.

Look, you've walked awhile with the Lord, and maybe you've fought battles for him and you've sacrificed some security for Him, you've taken some risks, you've believed Him. But now the Lord is coming to you to ask you to surrender your Isaac; to do whatever He chooses to do with it. God supplied a ram in the thicket for Abraham, and it did not cost him his son. But he didn't know that when he made this walk.

What's your Isaac? A lifetime ambition, a dream of being married, your career, a position you really want, some material expectations, maybe a child that's really too important to you, your ministry. God is looking for you to take back that contract you've asked Him to sign. At the bottom, you know, you've got the things the way you want them and at the bottom GOD? No. No, He wants a blank piece of paper that you have signed. He'll write on it. Are you going to obey Him? He'll never do you wrong. It's a crisis in Lordship.

Today He's asking you to lower that flag that says "Mine" on the last stronghold and raise the flag that says "His", because if He can have this, He can have anything. Once you release to God what you love the most, God will release to you power and peace like you have never known before.