Some of the saddest words on earth are “We don’t have room for you.” Jesus knew the sound of those words. He was still in Mary’s womb when the innkeeper said, “We don’t have room for you” (Luke 2:7).
And when he was hung on the cross, wasn’t the message one of utter rejection? “We don’t have room for you in our world.”
Even today Jesus is given the same treatment. He goes from heart to heart, asking if he might enter. Every so often, he’s welcomed. Someone throws open the door of his or her heart and invites him to stay. And to that person Jesus gives this great promise, “In my Father’s house are many rooms” (John 14:2).
What a delightful promise he makes us! We make room for him in our hearts….And he makes room for us in his house!
From Grace for the Moment
Zechariah 4
The Gold Lampstand and the Two Olive Trees
Then the angel who talked with me returned and woke me up, like someone awakened from sleep. 2 He asked me, “What do you see?”
I answered, “I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven channels to the lamps. 3 Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.”
4 I asked the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”
5 He answered, “Do you not know what these are?”
“No, my lord,” I replied.
6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.
7 “What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’”
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.
10 “Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone[f] in the hand of Zerubbabel?”
11 Then I asked the angel, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?”
12 Again I asked him, “What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?”
13 He replied, “Do you not know what these are?”
“No, my lord,” I said.
14 So he said, “These are the two who are anointed to[g] serve the Lord of all the earth.”
Zechariah 4:10 Or the plumb line
Zechariah 4:14 Or two who bring oil and
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Proverbs 18:1-10
An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends
and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.
2 Fools find no pleasure in understanding
but delight in airing their own opinions.
3 When wickedness comes, so does contempt,
and with shame comes reproach.
4 The words of the mouth are deep waters,
but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.
5 It is not good to be partial to the wicked
and so deprive the innocent of justice.
6 The lips of fools bring them strife,
and their mouths invite a beating.
7 The mouths of fools are their undoing,
and their lips are a snare to their very lives.
8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they go down to the inmost parts.
9 One who is slack in his work
is brother to one who destroys.
10 The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.
Taking Refuge
December 20, 2013 — by Dennis Fisher
The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. —Proverbs 18:10
In the medieval world, farmers would care for their crops until an enemy appeared on the horizon. Then they would flee with their families to their fortified city for protection from the marauders.
The city of Carcassonne has been a refuge for generations. Built in the 5th century bc, this stone fortress has provided protection for Romans, Gauls, Visigoths, Franks, and French. Its sprawling size and majestic watchtowers and battlements gave confidence to those hiding inside its protective walls.
As believers, we can take refuge in the presence of the living God. The book of Proverbs tells us: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Prov. 18:10). “The name of the Lord” refers to God’s character—abounding with faithfulness, power, and mercy. The term safe means “set on high out of danger.”
We all face threats at times that make us want to run for cover. Some seek security in material wealth or relationships. But the Christ-follower has a more secure refuge. Because of who God is and what He can do for us, our best protection ultimately rests in Him. If you are facing a threat today, go to the Lord, who is a strong tower. You will find refuge in His care.
In the times of greatest struggle,
When the angry billows roll,
I can always find my Savior,
Christ, the Refuge of my soul. —Woodruff
In good times and bad, God is our safe resting place.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
December 20, 2013
The Right Kind of Help
And I, if I am lifted up . . . will draw all peoples to Myself —John 12:32
Very few of us have any understanding of the reason why Jesus Christ died. If sympathy is all that human beings need, then the Cross of Christ is an absurdity and there is absolutely no need for it. What the world needs is not “a little bit of love,” but major surgery.
When you find yourself face to face with a person who is spiritually lost, remind yourself of Jesus Christ on the cross. If that person can get to God in any other way, then the Cross of Christ is unnecessary. If you think you are helping lost people with your sympathy and understanding, you are a traitor to Jesus Christ. You must have a right-standing relationship with Him yourself, and pour your life out in helping others in His way— not in a human way that ignores God. The theme of the world’s religion today is to serve in a pleasant, non-confrontational manner.
But our only priority must be to present Jesus Christ crucified— to lift Him up all the time (see 1 Corinthians 2:2). Every belief that is not firmly rooted in the Cross of Christ will lead people astray. If the worker himself believes in Jesus Christ and is trusting in the reality of redemption, his words will be compelling to others. What is extremely important is for the worker’s simple relationship with Jesus Christ to be strong and growing. His usefulness to God depends on that, and that alone.
The calling of a New Testament worker is to expose sin and to reveal Jesus Christ as Savior. Consequently, he cannot always be charming and friendly, but must be willing to be stern to accomplish major surgery. We are sent by God to lift up Jesus Christ, not to give wonderfully beautiful speeches. We must be willing to examine others as deeply as God has examined us. We must also be sharply intent on sensing those Scripture passages that will drive the truth home, and then not be afraid to apply them.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
A Manger and a Messed Up World - #7030
Friday, December 20, 2013
I love all the "joy to the world"; all the Christmas electricity in the air. But just down from the manger last Christmas was a flag at half-staff for 26 Connecticut funerals; for all those little children gunned down so brutally just eleven days before Christmas. Look, we live in a violent time, an angry time, conflicted, confusing time. But it's still Christmas; the "most wonderful time of the year."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "A Manger And A Messed Up World."
The dueling joy and sadness of Christmas 2012 is not new. It was there in Christmas 1864 when Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" in some of the darkest days of the Civil War that sundered a nation and bathed it in blood. Longfellow knew the Christmas angels had announced that Jesus' birth would bring "peace on earth." But the battlefield news sang another song. So he wrote, "And in despair I bowed my head: 'There is no peace on earth,' I said; for hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good-will to men.'"
You know, with so much sadness in the news, with the Middle East always seeming to be a boiling cauldron, with anger and polarization paralyzing our nation and its leaders, what ever happened to that peace on earth? I've concluded you can't understand the peace promise of Christmas without the angelic announcement that precedes it. "For to you is born this day...a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11).
See, the coming of Jesus isn't just history or theology, it's profoundly personal. This Savior is born "to you." And when you've asked Him to "Savior" you, He brings into your heart an inner peace that only He can give. Peace in your soul on an earth like this. It turns out there really is no ultimate contradiction between the joy of Christmas and our brokenhearted grieving, because the God-invasion of this planet, birthed in a Bethlehem stable, has added a profound new dimension to this thing called "life."
Jesus added the word that changes everything-eternal. The end of life here is not the end after all. Our word for today from the Word of God, John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him has eternal life." But it took a Savior to make life everlasting. Because human sin - our personal rebellion against God's rule over our life - has placed each of us, and all of us, under a penalty of eternal death with no way to reach a holy God, no hope for a heaven that would be beyond the hurt of earth.
It was with good reason that the heavens exploded with celebration the night that the Son of God became a man, because only God could come here and live without sin. But only a man could take our place and die for our sin - the God-Man; that baby in the manger. And He could bring us the peace that can finally calm the storm in the human soul. Peace with God.
In the words of an Army chaplain on the front lines in Afghanistan: "It's the peace that means the long war between the heart and its Maker is over. It's a peace treaty offered in Bethlehem and signed in blood on Calvary." A peace that floods into a human heart when the Savior of the world becomes "to you a Savior."
On the day you go to that manger, and then when you go to that cross and say "For me." In the Bible's words, when you stake your life and your eternity on the fact that "He loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20), because this peace with God is unloseable and it anchors your soul no matter how violent the storm; it's an anchor that holds. Glory to God in the highest! Merry Christmas!
Christmas - the time we celebrate Christ coming into our world. What a time to have Him come into your life! Born in Bethlehem then, born in you this Christmas. I hope you'll spend a few moments at our website - ANewStory.com and find out how you can get started today with this amazing, personal Savior.