Max Lucado Daily: Mis-use of the Mouth
There are those in God's family who find a controversy and stake their claim to it. Every church has at least one stubborn soul who has mastered a minutiae of the message and made a mission out of it.
As long as Christians split hairs, Christians will split churches. Religious leaders thought they could manipulate Jesus with their controversies. But they were wrong. He was not trapped by their trickery, flattered by their flattery, or fooled by their hypotheses.
Perhaps we should take note. I'd like to say to you what I need someone to say to me when I get territorial about my opinions. I challenge you to look around you. Let go of your territory for a while. Scout some new regions. Explore some new reefs. Much is gained by closing your mouth and opening your eyes every so often.
From And the Angels Were Silent
Matthew 1
New International Version (NIV)
The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah
1 This is the genealogy[a] of Jesus the Messiah[b] the son of David, the son of Abraham:
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
4 Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
6 and Jesse the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,
7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asa,
8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,
Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
9 Uzziah the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,
11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah[c] and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
12 After the exile to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,
Abihud the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
14 Azor the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Akim,
Akim the father of Elihud,
15 Elihud the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.
17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.
Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son
18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about[d]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet[e] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[f] because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[g] (which means “God with us”).
24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Footnotes:
Matthew 1:1 Or is an account of the origin
Matthew 1:1 Or Jesus Christ. Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) both mean Anointed One; also in verse 18.
Matthew 1:11 That is, Jehoiachin; also in verse 12
Matthew 1:18 Or The origin of Jesus the Messiah was like this
Matthew 1:19 Or was a righteous man and
Matthew 1:21 Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means the Lord saves.
Matthew 1:23 Isaiah 7:14
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Matthew 24:3-14
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Insight
In today’s reading, Jesus predicts events that will accompany His imminent return. The Lord Jesus Christ ministers in the offices of Prophet (Mark 6:4), Priest (Heb. 4:14), and King (Luke 1:32). What a comfort it is to know that Jesus speaks God’s Word, represents us to the Father, and is sovereign over heaven and earth.
The Eleventh Hour
February 19, 2014 — by Dennis Fisher
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. —Isaiah 2:4
World War I has been ranked by many as one of the deadliest conflicts in human history. Millions lost their lives in the first global modern war. On November 11, 1918, a ceasefire was observed on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. During that historic moment, millions around the world observed moments of silence while they reflected upon the war’s terrible cost—the loss of life and suffering. It was hoped that “the Great War,” as it was called, would truly be “the war that would end all wars.”
Despite the many deadly military conflicts that have followed, the hope for lasting peace has not faded. And the Bible offers a hopeful and realistic promise that someday wars will finally end. When Christ returns, Isaiah’s prophecy will come true: “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isa. 2:4). Then the eleventh hour will pass and the first hour of lasting peace in a new heaven and new earth will begin.
Until that day comes, those who follow Christ are to be people who represent the Prince of Peace in the way we conduct our lives and in the way we make a difference in our world.
Only in Christ can true peace be realized.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Taking the Initiative Against Drudgery
Arise, shine . . . —Isaiah 60:1
When it comes to taking the initiative against drudgery, we have to take the first step as though there were no God. There is no point in waiting for God to help us— He will not. But once we arise, immediately we find He is there. Whenever God gives us His inspiration, suddenly taking the initiative becomes a moral issue— a matter of obedience. Then we must act to be obedient and not continue to lie down doing nothing. If we will arise and shine, drudgery will be divinely transformed.
Drudgery is one of the finest tests to determine the genuineness of our character. Drudgery is work that is far removed from anything we think of as ideal work. It is the utterly hard, menial, tiresome, and dirty work. And when we experience it, our spirituality is instantly tested and we will know whether or not we are spiritually genuine. Read John 13. In this chapter, we see the Incarnate God performing the greatest example of drudgery— washing fishermen’s feet. He then says to them, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14). The inspiration of God is required if drudgery is to shine with the light of God upon it. In some cases the way a person does a task makes that work sanctified and holy forever. It may be a very common everyday task, but after we have seen it done, it becomes different. When the Lord does something through us, He always transforms it. Our Lord takes our human flesh and transforms it, and now every believer’s body has become “the temple of the Holy Spirit”
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Soot in the Line - #7073
Wednesday February 19, 2014
Our oldest son was working with young people on an Indian reservation in Arizona. One of his first challenges was to find a place to live on the reservation. And that was pretty difficult. But God provided him with a lot and a trailer to put on that lot, and that was great! Second challenge, how to work everything on the trailer. Now, we're talking about a son here who shares his father's mechanical aptitude. I taught him everything I knew. It took about 30 seconds.
Now, he rose to those challenges, but one problem was particularly baffling. The hot water heater wouldn't work! The weather was getting colder; cold showers were getting more and more exciting, and he'd tried everything. Even friends came in and worked on it. This hot water heater wouldn't heat water. And everybody's going, "What's wrong?" Finally one friend returned. He said, "Let me try one more thing." He checked the fuel line from the propane tanks to the heater, and then he started poking around in the line with a screw driver. Our son said, "What are you doing?" And the guy said, "This is clogged with soot, Man! I'm getting the soot out of the line." Guess what? Next morning, hot shower!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Soot in the Line."
Maybe my son's question about his hot water heater is a question you're asking about your situation right now, "What's wrong?" Have you considered that there may be soot in the line? Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Psalm 66, beginning at verse 16, "Come and listen to all who fear God. Let me tell you what He's done for me. I cried out to Him with my mouth. His praise was on my tongue." Verse 18, "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld His love for me."
Now, these verses suggest a scenario something like this: You're praying about something important. Nothing's happening. You're frustrated, you're trying everything to fix it, and you're asking, "God, where are You?" Maybe God's coming along side of you today and saying, "Have you checked for soot; for some sin in the line between you and Me?" That's usually the last place we look for the answer to the question, "What's wrong?" We blame people, we blame circumstances, we blame the economy, the church, a family member, and then God says, "No, you see, the problem is you're cherishing sin in your heart. I can't send My answer while you're still holding on to that dirt."
So consider the possibility that God is trying to get you to look in the mirror for an answer to what's wrong. Is there maybe a bitterness or an angry spot that you've allowed to lodge in your heart? Is there a compromise you've allowed to creep in? You're compromising the truth, or maybe you're compromising a relationship, or maybe with what you watch or you listen to. It could be you've compromised your integrity or your principles. Could it be that you're letting some old sin or habit or wrong motive start to creep back into your life? Maybe there's pride or lust or unbelief that's blocking God's blessing.
It's time for some confessing, don't you think; some serious apologizing to your Savior and some serious repenting? Repenting means abandoning that sin, drawing on the power of Jesus to conquer what's been conquering you. And then don't be surprised if some answers start to come once you've unblocked the line.
Well, our son ended up enjoying the hot water that wouldn't come for a while. He just had to get the soot out of the line, and so do you. God wants to make it warm again. But you have to remove the dirt that is blocking the blessing of Almighty God.
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