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Max Lucado Daily: The Prison of Want
Come with me to the most populated prison in the world. It’s name is WANT—the prison of want. You’ve seen her prisoners. They want something bigger. Nicer. Faster. Thinner. They want a new job. A new house. A new spouse. If you feel better when you have more and worse when you have less—you’re in the prison of want. If your happiness comes from something you deposit, drive, drink, or digest, then face it—you’re in the prison of want!
The good news is, you have a visitor. It is the psalmist, David. “I have a secret to tell you,” he whispers, “the secret of satisfaction.” From Psalm 23:1, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” David has found where discontent goes to die. It’s as if he’s saying, “What I have in God is greater than what I don’t have in this life.” Oh, that you and I could learn to say the same!
From Traveling Light
2 Chronicles 34
Josiah’s Reforms
34 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.
3 In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David. In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles and idols. 4 Under his direction the altars of the Baals were torn down; he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them, and smashed the Asherah poles and the idols. These he broke to pieces and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5 He burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and so he purged Judah and Jerusalem. 6 In the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and in the ruins around them, 7 he tore down the altars and the Asherah poles and crushed the idols to powder and cut to pieces all the incense altars throughout Israel. Then he went back to Jerusalem.
8 In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, to purify the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah and Maaseiah the ruler of the city, with Joah son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the temple of the Lord his God.
9 They went to Hilkiah the high priest and gave him the money that had been brought into the temple of God, which the Levites who were the gatekeepers had collected from the people of Manasseh, Ephraim and the entire remnant of Israel and from all the people of Judah and Benjamin and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 Then they entrusted it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the Lord’s temple. These men paid the workers who repaired and restored the temple. 11 They also gave money to the carpenters and builders to purchase dressed stone, and timber for joists and beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to fall into ruin.
12 The workers labored faithfully. Over them to direct them were Jahath and Obadiah, Levites descended from Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, descended from Kohath. The Levites—all who were skilled in playing musical instruments— 13 had charge of the laborers and supervised all the workers from job to job. Some of the Levites were secretaries, scribes and gatekeepers.
The Book of the Law Found
14 While they were bringing out the money that had been taken into the temple of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord that had been given through Moses. 15 Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan.
16 Then Shaphan took the book to the king and reported to him: “Your officials are doing everything that has been committed to them. 17 They have paid out the money that was in the temple of the Lord and have entrusted it to the supervisors and workers.” 18 Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.
19 When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes. 20 He gave these orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah,[c] Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant: 21 “Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger that is poured out on us because those who have gone before us have not kept the word of the Lord; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book.”
22 Hilkiah and those the king had sent with him[d] went to speak to the prophet Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath,[e] the son of Hasrah,[f] keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the New Quarter.
23 She said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, 24 ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people—all the curses written in the book that has been read in the presence of the king of Judah. 25 Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and aroused my anger by all that their hands have made,[g] my anger will be poured out on this place and will not be quenched.’ 26 Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: 27 Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard what he spoke against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before me and tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the Lord. 28 Now I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place and on those who live here.’”
So they took her answer back to the king.
29 Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 He went up to the temple of the Lord with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the Levites—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord. 31 The king stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord—to follow the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book.
32 Then he had everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin pledge themselves to it; the people of Jerusalem did this in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors.
33 Josiah removed all the detestable idols from all the territory belonging to the Israelites, and he had all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. As long as he lived, they did not fail to follow the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Psalm 119:97-104
Mem
97 Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
98 Your commands are always with me
and make me wiser than my enemies.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.
100 I have more understanding than the elders,
for I obey your precepts.
101 I have kept my feet from every evil path
so that I might obey your word.
102 I have not departed from your laws,
for you yourself have taught me.
103 How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path.
Savor Every Bite
June 11, 2013 — by Joe Stowell
How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! —Psalm 119:103
My wife Martie often tells me, “Joe, you eat too fast! Slow down and enjoy your meal.” I’m usually done long before she is, because she takes the time to savor every bite.
I wonder how many of us rush through reading God’s Word without really savoring it. The psalmist said about it, “How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Ps. 119:103). That sounds good to me!
What are the benefits of delighting in the rich food of Scripture? A daily meal of God’s Word helps to keep anxiety, pride, fear, and temptation from plaguing our undernourished hearts, and strengthens us for a victorious journey. The Word gives us wisdom and understanding (vv.98-100). And it helps restrain our feet from evil (v.101). Just as our digestive system distributes nutrients to our bodies, God’s Word, when digested, nourishes our minds, our emotions, and our will.
Rather than grabbing the Word on the run just before dashing out the door, it’s important to read it at a time and in a place where we can really fellowship with God.
Take the time and enjoy savoring the richness of God’s Word.
Thank You, Father, for the gift of Your Word. Please
forgive us for the times when we’ve rushed through
reading without taking the time to savor the richness
of its meaning. Help us to listen to Your voice.
God’s Word provides the ingredients we need to thrive spiritually.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
June 11, 2013
Getting There (1)
Come to Me . . . —Matthew 11:28
Where sin and sorrow stops, and the song of the saint starts. Do I really want to get there? I can right now. The questions that truly matter in life are remarkably few, and they are all answered by these words— “Come to Me.” Our Lord’s words are not, “Do this, or don’t do that,” but— “Come to me.” If I will simply come to Jesus, my real life will be brought into harmony with my real desires. I will actually cease from sin, and will find the song of the Lord beginning in my life.
Have you ever come to Jesus? Look at the stubbornness of your heart. You would rather do anything than this one simple childlike thing— “Come to Me.” If you really want to experience ceasing from sin, you must come to Jesus.
Jesus Christ makes Himself the test to determine your genuineness. Look how He used the word come. At the most unexpected moments in your life there is this whisper of the Lord— “Come to Me,” and you are immediately drawn to Him. Personal contact with Jesus changes everything. Be “foolish” enough to come and commit yourself to what He says. The attitude necessary for you to come to Him is one where your will has made the determination to let go of everything and deliberately commit it all to Him.
“. . . and I will give you rest”— that is, “I will sustain you, causing you to stand firm.” He is not saying, “I will put you to bed, hold your hand, and sing you to sleep.” But, in essence, He is saying, “I will get you out of bed— out of your listlessness and exhaustion, and out of your condition of being half dead while you are still alive. I will penetrate you with the spirit of life, and you will be sustained by the perfection of vital activity.” Yet we become so weak and pitiful and talk about “suffering” the will of the Lord! Where is the majestic vitality and the power of the Son of God in that?
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
The Gnats of Sin - #6892
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Where are these gnats coming from? Not in the studio. I mean every family member - one after another - was asking that around our house. We had this sudden outbreak of pesky little bugs floating around through the air. Have you seen them? And you'd see every one of us swatting back and forth. We couldn't imagine where they were coming from. Where do these guys come from? We killed as many as we could.
One day my wife, who is no doubt the smartest member of the family, decided that we had to answer the original question, "Where are these gnats coming from?" One theory was that maybe they were coming from that flower pot in the corner in the living room. See we forgot that we had left a little water in that pot, and sure enough that turned out to be a lovely breeding ground. And as I looked in the water, there were all these little larvae waiting to become tomorrow's gnats for us to swat. So, I carried that pot outside. You know, I felt like we had won the battle because we got to the source.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Gnats of Sin."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Mark 2:4-5, and maybe you remember the story of these four friends who had a paralyzed friend. When Jesus came to their town of Capernaum, they decided that the best hope for their friend to ever get well was to take him to Jesus. It says, "Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus, and after digging through it, lowered the mat that the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven.'"
Later it says in verse 11, "He said to the paralytic, 'I tell you, get up! Take up your mat and go home.' He got up, took his mat, and walked out in full view of them all." Can you imagine the reaction of these friends when they go to all this trouble literally coming through the roof, dropping their friend in front of Jesus to get his paralysis taken care of, and Jesus says, "Your sins are forgiven"? Sin? Was that even an issue?
It always is, because Jesus knows what our deepest problem is. And He knows that paralysis isn't the ultimate problem this young man has. He goes first to the much more difficult issue of dealing with the barrier between a man and God. He's concerned about what cripples us, and He'll deal with that. But He's more concerned about the cancer of sin that's killing us on the inside.
I was meeting with Bill. He was a championship high school football player, but he was in rehab the second time for cocaine addiction. He learned about God's help through the 12-step Narcotics Anonymous Program. I asked him, "Bill, did you learn how Jesus could be your helper with your addiction?" He said, "Yeah." I said, "Did you know that addiction is not your problem?" He said, "It isn't?" I said, "No. Sin is your problem. Addiction is your symptom. You need now to find out how He can be your Savior from your sin."
See, the gnats keep coming out in various ways until you get at the source of the gnats in your life, and that's sin. You say, "Well, my problem is my loneliness, or my relationships, or my family, or this frustrating obstacle." See, the fact is the symptom isn't the problem. At the root we're trying to handle life without the help of a Savior. We're trying to figure out the future without the personal leading of the One who designed us. We're trying every self-improvement plan we can; trying every smart idea. But the gnats keep coming.
We've got to remove the source of the problem, and only a Savior can do that. You cannot carry it out. He carried it in His body on a cross. All those problems, and hurts, and frustrations have been trying to bring you to the fact that you need a Savior. You have a Savior if you'll make Him yours.
If you're tired of the struggle, bring all your burdens, all your sin to the cross. You'll be forever forgiven. You will be changed. Please, if you want to begin a relationship with Him, meet me at our website and let me show you how to get started with Him. YoursForLife.net. Jesus being your helper with your hassles just isn't enough. You need Jesus to be the Savior from your sin.