Max Lucado Daily: A Passion for the Forgotten
A day late and a dollar short. One brick short of a load. You pick the phrase-the result is the same. Get told enough times that only the rotten fruit gets left in the bin, and you begin to believe it. You begin to believe you are "too little, too late."
God has a peculiar passion for the forgotten. Have you noticed? See his hand on the skin of the leper? See the face of the prostitute cupped in Jesus' hands? See him with his arm around little Zacchaeus? God wants us to get the message: What society puts out, God puts in. What the world writes off, God picks up.
Why did He pick you? He wanted to. After all, you are his, and he made you. No matter how long you've waited or how much time you've wasted, you are his and he has a place for you.
From And The Angels Were Silent
Esther 5
Esther’s Request to the King
On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance. 2 When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.
3 Then the king asked, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you.”
4 “If it pleases the king,” replied Esther, “let the king, together with Haman, come today to a banquet I have prepared for him.”
5 “Bring Haman at once,” the king said, “so that we may do what Esther asks.”
So the king and Haman went to the banquet Esther had prepared. 6 As they were drinking wine, the king again asked Esther, “Now what is your petition? It will be given you. And what is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.”
7 Esther replied, “My petition and my request is this: 8 If the king regards me with favor and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for them. Then I will answer the king’s question.”
Haman’s Rage Against Mordecai
9 Haman went out that day happy and in high spirits. But when he saw Mordecai at the king’s gate and observed that he neither rose nor showed fear in his presence, he was filled with rage against Mordecai. 10 Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home.
Calling together his friends and Zeresh, his wife, 11 Haman boasted to them about his vast wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honored him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials. 12 “And that’s not all,” Haman added. “I’m the only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave. And she has invited me along with the king tomorrow. 13 But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.”
14 His wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a pole set up, reaching to a height of fifty cubits,[c] and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai impaled on it. Then go with the king to the banquet and enjoy yourself.” This suggestion delighted Haman, and he had the pole set up.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Romans 14:1-13
The Weak and the Strong
Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister[a]? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written:
“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’”[b]
12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.
Footnotes:
Romans 14:10 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family; also in verses 13, 15 and 21.
Romans 14:11 Isaiah 45:23
Insight
The judgment seat of Christ (Rom. 14:10; 2 Cor. 5:9-10) is believed to speak of a time in the future when followers of Christ will be held accountable by the Savior for their lives lived in His name—resulting in either receiving rewards or losing rewards.
Resolve To Resolve
February 3, 2014 — by Julie Ackerman Link
Resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way. —Romans 14:13
I haven’t made any New Year’s resolutions since 1975. I haven’t needed any new ones—I’m still working on old ones like these: write at least a short note in my journal every day; make a strong effort to read my Bible and pray each day; organize my time; try to keep my room clean (this was before I had a whole house to keep clean).
This year, however, I am adding a new resolution that I found in Paul’s letter to the Romans: “Let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way” (14:13). Although this resolution is old (about 2,000 years), it is one that we should renew annually. Like believers in Rome centuries ago, believers today sometimes make up rules for others to follow and insist on adherence to certain behaviors and beliefs that the Bible says little or nothing about. These “stumbling blocks” make it difficult for followers of Jesus to continue in the way of faith that He came to show us—that salvation is by grace not works (Gal. 2:16). It requires only that we trust in His death and resurrection for forgiveness.
We can celebrate this good news of Christ in the coming year by resolving not to set up hurdles that cause people to stumble.
Thank You, Lord, that You sent the Holy Spirit
to do the work of convincing and convicting.
May I be content with my own assignment:
to do what leads to peace and edification.
Faith is the hand that receives God’s gift, then faith is the feet that walk with God.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
February 3, 2014
Becoming the “Filth of the World”
We have been made as the filth of the world . . . —1 Corinthians 4:13
These words are not an exaggeration. The only reason they may not be true of us who call ourselves ministers of the gospel is not that Paul forgot or misunderstood the exact truth of them, but that we are too cautious and concerned about our own desires to allow ourselves to become the refuse or “filth of the world.” “Fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ . . .” (Colossians 1:24) is not the result of the holiness of sanctification, but the evidence of consecration-being “separated to the gospel of God . . .” (Romans 1:1).
“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you . . .” (1 Peter 4:12). If we do think the things we encounter are strange, it is because we are fearful and cowardly. We pay such close attention to our own interests and desires that we stay out of the mire and say, “I won’t submit; I won’t bow or bend.” And you don’t have to— you can be saved by the “skin of your teeth” if you like. You can refuse to let God count you as one who is “separated to the gospel . . . .” Or you can say, “I don’t care if I am treated like ’the filth of the world’ as long as the gospel is proclaimed.” A true servant of Jesus Christ is one who is willing to experience martyrdom for the reality of the gospel of God. When a moral person is confronted with contempt, immorality, disloyalty, or dishonesty, he is so repulsed by the offense that he turns away and in despair closes his heart to the offender. But the miracle of the redemptive reality of God is that the worst and the vilest offender can never exhaust the depths of His love. Paul did not say that God separated him to show what a wonderful man He could make of him, but “to reveal His Son in me. . .” (Galatians 1:16).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Nelson Mandela - And How To Be Free - #7061
It was on virtually every newscast, here and around the world - the death of Nelson Mandela. He, of course, was the first black president in South Africa, where the 90% black majority had never had the right to vote. Or many other basic human rights for that matter.
Four American Presidents, the head of the United Nations, the leaders of scores of nations; I mean, they all attended the memorial service to honor him.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Nelson Mandela - And How To Be Free."
Beyond all the tributes of those powerful people, Nelson Mandela actually has a message for me, and maybe for you, about how to be truly free. Because what changed his nation can help change ours. It can change our family. It could change a feud; a fractured relationship.
I remember when Nelson Mandela was considered a terrorist by our government. But now, he is lauded as one of the great - maybe the greatest - leaders of our time. He was imprisoned when he finally resorted to violence to end apartheid; a policy that empowered 10% of the population to suppress the 90%. I visited South Africa during that time and, I'll tell you, it felt like a nation at war.
And, I was there after a worldwide outcry brought about Nelson Mandela's release after 27 years of crippling imprisonment. Within four years, the walls of apartheid came crashing down. And stunningly, Nelson Mandela had been elected the leader of his nation.
But the Mandela that came out of prison wasn't the same one who went in. The younger Mandela was full of hate and bitterness for what had been done to his people. But something happened; something that changed him - and ultimately saved a nation. He forgave. He said, "As I walked out the door toward that gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison."
That's powerful! See, unforgiveness means the very person who hurt us, in a sense, controls us with our permission. We can't stop thinking about them. We continually replay what they did to us, and then we insure that it will poison our present and our future. But forgiving cuts the rope that ties us to the hurts and the hurters of the past. As President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela was suddenly in the power position. He had the power to get even, to punish. But instead, he reached out to those who had been his "enemies", speaking their language, including them in his government, embracing one of the most despised symbols of the white-dominated past - the national rugby team.
And a nation that was poised to explode into a race war became a beacon of reconciliation. Nelson Mandela's journey to forgiveness was played out on a global stage. Mine isn't. But the stakes for me and my little personal world are just as high. Will I keep letting unforgiveness make me a prisoner of the pain of my past? Will I continue to risk poisoning the people close to me with the bitterness I'm harboring? Will I let the healing begin by trying to build a bridge where there's been a wall for a long time?
Poet Maya Angelou said in an interview, "It is a gift to yourself to forgive and I would say that Nelson Mandela's gift to the world was his ability to forgive." That's a gift we need to reach out for - and then we need to start giving it.
One man's forgiving may have saved a nation. You know, it can help save a marriage, a relationship with a parent or a child, a group, a church, an organization. See, forgiving is hard. Not forgiving is even harder. Unforgiveness is a prison. Forgiveness sets people free; most of all, the forgiver. I know the power of forgiveness, because I am the forgiven by someone I have sinned against over and over again. His name is Jesus. He paid a price for what I've done that went far beyond a prison sentence. He paid my death sentence.
The Bible says "He was pierced...crushed...His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man" (Isaiah 53:5, 6; 52:14). Beyond that was what happened in His soul when He was cut off from God the Father so I would never have to be. And "everyone who believes in Him (the Bible says) receives forgiveness of sins through His name" (Acts 10:43). That could happen for you today, if you would reach out and say, "Jesus, I claim you as my only possible rescuer from my sin. Would you erase from God's book every wrong thing I've ever done?" And then you experience the power of our word for today from the Word of God in Colossians 3:13, that says "forgive as the Lord forgave you."
You could be clean inside today. See, that's the new beginning miracle Jesus does for anyone who takes for themselves what He did on the cross. I'd love to help you meet the Great Forgiver today. Would you join me at ANewStory.com and find out how the new life starts.
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