Max Lucado Daily: Succeed at Home First
Quiet heroes dot the landscape of our society. They don't make the headlines, but they do sew the hemlines and check the outlines and stand on the sidelines. You won't find their names on the Nobel Prize short list, but you'll find their names on the carpool, and Bible teacher lists. They are parents! Heroes! Their kids call them mom. Dad. And these moms and dads, more valuable than all the executives and lawmakers, quietly hold the world together.
Be numbered among them. Read books to your kids. Play ball while you can and they want you to. Make it your aim to watch every game they play, read every story they write, hear every recital in which they perform. Children spell love with four letters: T-I-M-E. Not just quality time, but hang time, downtime, anytime, all the time! Cherish the children who share your name. Succeed at home first!
From Dad Time
Genesis 39
Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.
2 The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, 4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. 5 From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. 6 So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.
Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7 and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”
8 But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. 9 No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” 10 And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.
11 One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. 12 She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.
13 When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, 14 she called her household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. 15 When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”
16 She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she told him this story: “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. 18 But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”
19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. 20 Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.
But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: 1 John 1
The Incarnation of the Word of Life
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our[a] joy complete.
Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[b] sin.
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
Footnotes:
1 John 1:4 Some manuscripts your
1 John 1:7 Or every
Insight
In today’s reading we see how God has provided a gracious means of cleansing us from our personal sins and reestablishing fellowship with God. It comes through confession of sin and redirecting our choices to the path of obedience (1 John 1:9).
The Big Comeback
By Bill Crowder
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. —1 John 1:9
Chad Pennington is a former American football player who has suffered multiple career-threatening injuries. Twice, his injuries forced him to endure surgery, months of physical therapy, and weeks of training to get back onto the field. Yet, both times he not only returned to playing but he also excelled at such a high level that he was named Comeback Player of the Year in the National Football League. For Pennington, his efforts were an expression of his determination to return to football.
Spiritually, when sin and failure break our relationship with God and sideline our service, determination alone is not what restores us to rightness with God and usefulness in His kingdom. When we are sidelined because of sin, the path to a comeback is confession as well. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
For us to be able to recover from our spiritual failings, we are absolutely dependent on the One who gave Himself for us. And that gives us hope. Christ, who died for us, loves us with an everlasting love and will respond with grace as we confess our faults to Him. Through confession, we can find His gracious restoration—the greatest of all comebacks.
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidd’st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come. —Elliott
Confession is the path that leads to restoration.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, June 30, 2014
Do It Now!
Agree with your adversary quickly . . . —Matthew 5:25
In this verse, Jesus Christ laid down a very important principle by saying, “Do what you know you must do— now. Do it quickly. If you don’t, an inevitable process will begin to work ’till you have paid the last penny’ (Matthew 5:26) in pain, agony, and distress.” God’s laws are unchangeable and there is no escape from them. The teachings of Jesus always penetrate right to the heart of our being.
Wanting to make sure that my adversary gives me all my rights is a natural thing. But Jesus says that it is a matter of inescapable and eternal importance to me that I pay my adversary what I owe him. From our Lord’s standpoint it doesn’t matter whether I am cheated or not, but what does matter is that I don’t cheat someone else. Am I insisting on having my own rights, or am I paying what I owe from Jesus Christ’s standpoint?
Do it quickly— bring yourself to judgment now. In moral and spiritual matters, you must act immediately. If you don’t, the inevitable, relentless process will begin to work. God is determined to have His child as pure, clean, and white as driven snow, and as long as there is disobedience in any point of His teaching, He will allow His Spirit to use whatever process it may take to bring us to obedience. The fact that we insist on proving that we are right is almost always a clear indication that we have some point of disobedience. No wonder the Spirit of God so strongly urges us to stay steadfastly in the light! (see John 3:19-21).
“Agree with your adversary quickly . . . .” Have you suddenly reached a certain place in your relationship with someone, only to find that you have anger in your heart? Confess it quickly— make it right before God. Be reconciled to that person— do it now!
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
The Life or Death Verb - #7166
Pete came to me with this very unusual request when we were freshmen in college together. He asked me who I thought were the five best girls to date in our class. (Just call me Dr. Love.) Well, I gave him my top five list; four of whom I had been out with on my mad "date them all" freshman rush.
The one on the list that I hadn't dated was this beautiful perky brunette. Well, after I gave Pete that list, I began to ask myself an obvious question, "Why haven't I dated her?" So I did, and I did it again, and again. In fact I still am. By the time we graduated, we were engaged to be married. Now, Pete was a New Englander, so he was a man of few words. He wrote only six words next to his picture in my senior yearbook: You believe in your product...Pete. Oh, yes I did! See, she and I got married one week later.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Life or Death Verb."
Now, my friend summed it up pretty well; I really believed in this girl. Not just intellectually. I mean, I believed in her with everything I had. Believe as in committing your whole life to. When it comes to God and where we spend the next hundred billion years, believe is the decisive action word. It's the life-or-death verb. Not in the official or intellectual sense like, "Pete, I believe this girl is a great catch for somebody." No, no! "I'm trusting my life to her."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Acts 16:30-31. A man is asking the great missionary, Paul, this timeless question, "What must I do to be saved?" Well, the answer is so clear and so unmistakable, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved." Now obviously saved is a life-or-death word. Just ask the people who were saved from the rubble of the World Trade Center on December 11, 2001, or someone who was saved by an emergency medical team. If the rescuer saved you, you lived. If he didn't, you died.
Now, the kind of saving the Bible talks about is being rescued from the death penalty we are all under with God. Why? Well, the Bible says "all of us have wandered like sheep. We have turned each one to his own way." That's my way instead of God's way. And that is ultimate rebellion against the ultimate authority of the One who gave me my life to live for Him.
The death we suffer in this life is trying to make it without God's love, without God's peace, without God's purpose for our days. And if we die still away from Him, the penalty is what Jesus called hell. But that's where believing in Jesus comes in, because He's the only Rescuer, the only Savior that can keep you from dying spiritually. Because He died on the cross to bear all the guilt and the penalty of the sins we've committed. That's how much He loves you. But you've got to believe in the Lord Jesus if you're going to be saved.
You say, "Well, I believe in Jesus." But did you know you can have Him in your head but not in your heart? The Bible says in Romans 10:10, "It is with your heart that you believe and are justified." That means made right with God. Believe, like committing yourself in total trust to the One who died in your place.
Now, here's a question on which your eternity could depend, "Has there ever been a time in your life when you've told Jesus, 'I'm pinning all my hopes on You and what You did on the cross to rescue me from my sin.'" If there's never been a time like that, you're not saved. You're in eternal danger.
But that could change in the next few minutes if you would just reach out to this Savior that you've known about but never really known. If you want to know Him for sure, would you go to our website, ANewStory.com. It's time to make the Savior your Savior.
One day I walked into a church not married. I walked out married, because I believed in someone. You need a day like that; a day to commit yourself to the One who loves you the most-Jesus Christ. A day like today.
From my daily reading of the bible, Our Daily Bread Devotionals, My Utmost for His Highest and Ron Hutchcraft "A Word with You" and occasionally others.
Monday, June 30, 2014
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Matthew 21:1-22, bible reading and devotionals.
MaxLucado.com: Come and Drink
On my list of things I wish I’d learned earlier, this truth hovers near the top. Grace came my way packaged in a church. Congregations and their leaders changed me. But then the churches struggled, even divided. Mature men acted less than that. The box ripped, the faucet clogged, and my heart, for a time, sank.
Not a moment too soon, I heard the invitation of the still-running fountain. “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.“ God describes himself as “the fountain of living water.” (John 7:37-38).
Thank him for the faucets, but don’t trust them to nourish you. Thank him for the boxes in which his gifts come, but don’t fail to open them. And most of all, don’t fail to read the note:
Dear child of mine. Are you thirsty? Come and drink. I delight in you. I will never fail or forsake you!
From Come Thirsty
Matthew 21:1-22
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5 “Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”[a]
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna[b] to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[c]
“Hosanna[d] in the highest heaven!”
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Jesus at the Temple
12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’[e] but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’[f]”
14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.
16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.
“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,
“‘From the lips of children and infants
you, Lord, have called forth your praise’[g]?”
17 And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.
Jesus Curses a Fig Tree
18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.
20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.
21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
Footnotes:
Matthew 21:5 Zech. 9:9
Matthew 21:9 A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15
Matthew 21:9 Psalm 118:25,26
Matthew 21:9 A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15
Matthew 21:13 Isaiah 56:7
Matthew 21:13 Jer. 7:11
Matthew 21:16 Psalm 8:2 (see Septuagint)
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: 2 Peter 1:2-11
Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Confirming One’s Calling and Election
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters,[a] make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Footnotes:
2 Peter 1:10 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family.
Insight
God has given us everything we need for living a holy life (2 Peter 1:3). Therefore, Peter exhorts us to respond diligently to these great promises and abundant provisions of divine power (vv.4-5) by making every effort to grow in faith, graciousness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, devotedness, kindness, and love (vv.5-7).
Focus On The Process
By David C. McCasland
If these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. —2 Peter 1:8
In William Zinsser’s book On Writing Well, he says that many writers suffer from “the tyranny of the final product.” They are so concerned with selling their article or book, they neglect learning the process of how to think, plan, and organize. A jumbled manuscript, Zinsser believes, is produced when “the writer, his eye on the finish line, never gave enough thought to how to run the race.”
Author and minister A. W. Tozer applies that principle to our spiritual lives. In his book The Root of the Righteous, Tozer describes our tendency to be “concerned only with the fruit . . . [and] ignore the root out of which the fruit sprang.”
The apostle Peter reminded first-century believers that Christlike living and effective service result from a process. He urged them to grow in eight areas of spiritual development: faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love (2 Peter 1:5-7). If you possess these qualities in increasing measure, Peter said, “you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v.8).
God calls us to a wonderful process of learning to know Him, with the assurance that it will lead to productive service in His name and for His honor.
Lord, so often we want complete and perfect
solutions here and now. But You work graciously in
Your good time. Let Your goodness and patience and
virtue shine through us so that we may bless others.
The Christian life is a process in which we learn complete dependence on God.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, June 29, 2014
The Strictest Discipline
If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell —Matthew 5:30
Jesus did not say that everyone must cut off his right hand, but that “if your right hand causes you to sin” in your walk with Him, then it is better to “cut it off.” There are many things that are perfectly legitimate, but if you are going to concentrate on God you cannot do them. Your right hand is one of the best things you have, but Jesus says that if it hinders you in following His precepts, then “cut it off.” The principle taught here is the strictest discipline or lesson that ever hit humankind.
When God changes you through regeneration, giving you new life through spiritual rebirth, your life initially has the characteristic of being maimed. There are a hundred and one things that you dare not do— things that would be sin for you, and would be recognized as sin by those who really know you. But the unspiritual people around you will say, “What’s so wrong with doing that? How absurd you are!” There has never yet been a saint who has not lived a maimed life initially. Yet it is better to enter into life maimed but lovely in God’s sight than to appear lovely to man’s eyes but lame to God’s. At first, Jesus Christ through His Spirit has to restrain you from doing a great many things that may be perfectly right for everyone else but not right for you. Yet, see that you don’t use your restrictions to criticize someone else.
The Christian life is a maimed life initially, but in Matthew 5:48 Jesus gave us the picture of a perfectly well-rounded life— “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
On my list of things I wish I’d learned earlier, this truth hovers near the top. Grace came my way packaged in a church. Congregations and their leaders changed me. But then the churches struggled, even divided. Mature men acted less than that. The box ripped, the faucet clogged, and my heart, for a time, sank.
Not a moment too soon, I heard the invitation of the still-running fountain. “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.“ God describes himself as “the fountain of living water.” (John 7:37-38).
Thank him for the faucets, but don’t trust them to nourish you. Thank him for the boxes in which his gifts come, but don’t fail to open them. And most of all, don’t fail to read the note:
Dear child of mine. Are you thirsty? Come and drink. I delight in you. I will never fail or forsake you!
From Come Thirsty
Matthew 21:1-22
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5 “Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”[a]
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna[b] to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[c]
“Hosanna[d] in the highest heaven!”
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Jesus at the Temple
12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’[e] but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’[f]”
14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.
16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.
“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,
“‘From the lips of children and infants
you, Lord, have called forth your praise’[g]?”
17 And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.
Jesus Curses a Fig Tree
18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.
20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.
21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
Footnotes:
Matthew 21:5 Zech. 9:9
Matthew 21:9 A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15
Matthew 21:9 Psalm 118:25,26
Matthew 21:9 A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15
Matthew 21:13 Isaiah 56:7
Matthew 21:13 Jer. 7:11
Matthew 21:16 Psalm 8:2 (see Septuagint)
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: 2 Peter 1:2-11
Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Confirming One’s Calling and Election
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters,[a] make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Footnotes:
2 Peter 1:10 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family.
Insight
God has given us everything we need for living a holy life (2 Peter 1:3). Therefore, Peter exhorts us to respond diligently to these great promises and abundant provisions of divine power (vv.4-5) by making every effort to grow in faith, graciousness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, devotedness, kindness, and love (vv.5-7).
Focus On The Process
By David C. McCasland
If these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. —2 Peter 1:8
In William Zinsser’s book On Writing Well, he says that many writers suffer from “the tyranny of the final product.” They are so concerned with selling their article or book, they neglect learning the process of how to think, plan, and organize. A jumbled manuscript, Zinsser believes, is produced when “the writer, his eye on the finish line, never gave enough thought to how to run the race.”
Author and minister A. W. Tozer applies that principle to our spiritual lives. In his book The Root of the Righteous, Tozer describes our tendency to be “concerned only with the fruit . . . [and] ignore the root out of which the fruit sprang.”
The apostle Peter reminded first-century believers that Christlike living and effective service result from a process. He urged them to grow in eight areas of spiritual development: faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love (2 Peter 1:5-7). If you possess these qualities in increasing measure, Peter said, “you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v.8).
God calls us to a wonderful process of learning to know Him, with the assurance that it will lead to productive service in His name and for His honor.
Lord, so often we want complete and perfect
solutions here and now. But You work graciously in
Your good time. Let Your goodness and patience and
virtue shine through us so that we may bless others.
The Christian life is a process in which we learn complete dependence on God.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, June 29, 2014
The Strictest Discipline
If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell —Matthew 5:30
Jesus did not say that everyone must cut off his right hand, but that “if your right hand causes you to sin” in your walk with Him, then it is better to “cut it off.” There are many things that are perfectly legitimate, but if you are going to concentrate on God you cannot do them. Your right hand is one of the best things you have, but Jesus says that if it hinders you in following His precepts, then “cut it off.” The principle taught here is the strictest discipline or lesson that ever hit humankind.
When God changes you through regeneration, giving you new life through spiritual rebirth, your life initially has the characteristic of being maimed. There are a hundred and one things that you dare not do— things that would be sin for you, and would be recognized as sin by those who really know you. But the unspiritual people around you will say, “What’s so wrong with doing that? How absurd you are!” There has never yet been a saint who has not lived a maimed life initially. Yet it is better to enter into life maimed but lovely in God’s sight than to appear lovely to man’s eyes but lame to God’s. At first, Jesus Christ through His Spirit has to restrain you from doing a great many things that may be perfectly right for everyone else but not right for you. Yet, see that you don’t use your restrictions to criticize someone else.
The Christian life is a maimed life initially, but in Matthew 5:48 Jesus gave us the picture of a perfectly well-rounded life— “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Genesis 38, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Suitcases of Guilt
Do you carry a load of guilt? So many do. If our spiritual baggage were visible, you know what you’d see? Suitcases of guilt, bulging with binges, blowups, and compromises. The kid with the baggy jeans and nose ring? He’d give anything to retract the words he said to his mother. But he can’t. So he tows them along. The woman in the business suit that looks like she could run for Senator? She can’t run at all. Not hauling that carpet bag wherever she goes. So what do we do?
In Psalm 23:3 David said it like this, “He leads me in the paths of righteousness.” The path of righteousness is a narrow, winding trail up a steep hill. At the top is a cross. At the base of the cross are bags, countless bags full of innumerable sins. Calvary is the compost pile for guilt. Would you like to leave yours there as well?
From Traveling Light
Genesis 38
Judah and Tamar
At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah. 2 There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He married her and made love to her; 3 she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er. 4 She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan. 5 She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah. It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him.
6 Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death.
8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.” 9 But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. 10 What he did was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death also.
11 Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s household until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “He may die too, just like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s household.
12 After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah, to the men who were shearing his sheep, and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went with him.
13 When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,” 14 she took off her widow’s clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife.
15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. 16 Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her by the roadside and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.”
“And what will you give me to sleep with you?” she asked.
17 “I’ll send you a young goat from my flock,” he said.
“Will you give me something as a pledge until you send it?” she asked.
18 He said, “What pledge should I give you?”
“Your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand,” she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him. 19 After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow’s clothes again.
20 Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get his pledge back from the woman, but he did not find her. 21 He asked the men who lived there, “Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?”
“There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here,” they said.
22 So he went back to Judah and said, “I didn’t find her. Besides, the men who lived there said, ‘There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here.’”
23 Then Judah said, “Let her keep what she has, or we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn’t find her.”
24 About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant.”
Judah said, “Bring her out and have her burned to death!”
25 As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. “I am pregnant by the man who owns these,” she said. And she added, “See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.”
26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not sleep with her again.
27 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 28 As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist and said, “This one came out first.” 29 But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said, “So this is how you have broken out!” And he was named Perez.[i] 30 Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist, came out. And he was named Zerah.[j]
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Colossians 4:2-6
Further Instructions
2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Insight
The Bible Knowledge Commentary says of Colosse, home of the church receiving this letter: “Colosse was in the Lycus Valley, about 100 miles east of Ephesus in Asia Minor. Its name is possibly derived from Colossus, a large statue, which in turn may have been named for the unusual shape of stony deposits there. Colosse is about 12 miles from Hierapolis and Laodicea, the other two cities of that valley. . . . The area was rich in mineral deposits and was also subject to frequent earthquakes. Rich pasturelands were nearby. Several references in Colossians indicate that Paul had not visited the city (Col. 1:7; 2:1; 4:12).”
Make It Attractive
By Dave Branon
Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. —Colossians 4:5
The story is told of a young boy who, during a bygone era, was aboard a passenger train attempting to make money selling apples. He made his way through the train car, saying, “Apples! Would you like to buy an apple?” When he got to the rear of the car, he still had a bagful of apples and no money.
A gentleman who noticed his plight took him aside and asked to see one of the apples. He proceeded to go to the front of the train, polish it conspicuously with a napkin, and then walk down the aisle eating the apple and commenting on how delicious and refreshing it was. Then he told the boy to try again. This time, he sold every apple. The difference? The apples had been made attractive to the potential customers.
This story can remind us of one way we can interest others in the gospel of Jesus Christ: Make it attractive to them—show them the difference it has made in our own lives. That is best done by following the words of Paul in Colossians 4:5. “Be wise,” he said, “in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity” (niv). If we show kindness, love, and compassion to others, those who observe us will wonder why, and that may give us an opening to tell them about the beauty of God’s love for them.
Dear God, You have given us so much by providing
our salvation. Help us to make the gospel
attractive to others by the way we shine
Jesus’ light on those we encounter each day.
The beauty of a changed life can attract others to the One who makes us beautiful.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Held by the Grip of God
I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me —Philippians 3:12
Never choose to be a worker for God, but once God has placed His call on you, woe be to you if you “turn aside to the right hand or to the left” (Deuteronomy 5:32). We are not here to work for God because we have chosen to do so, but because God has “laid hold of” us. And once He has done so, we never have this thought, “Well, I’m really not suited for this.” What you are to preach is also determined by God, not by your own natural leanings or desires. Keep your soul steadfastly related to God, and remember that you are called not simply to convey your testimony but also to preach the gospel. Every Christian must testify to the truth of God, but when it comes to the call to preach, there must be the agonizing grip of God’s hand on you— your life is in the grip of God for that very purpose. How many of us are held like that?
Never water down the Word of God, but preach it in its undiluted sternness. There must be unflinching faithfulness to the Word of God, but when you come to personal dealings with others, remember who you are— you are not some special being created in heaven, but a sinner saved by grace.
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do. . . I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
Do you carry a load of guilt? So many do. If our spiritual baggage were visible, you know what you’d see? Suitcases of guilt, bulging with binges, blowups, and compromises. The kid with the baggy jeans and nose ring? He’d give anything to retract the words he said to his mother. But he can’t. So he tows them along. The woman in the business suit that looks like she could run for Senator? She can’t run at all. Not hauling that carpet bag wherever she goes. So what do we do?
In Psalm 23:3 David said it like this, “He leads me in the paths of righteousness.” The path of righteousness is a narrow, winding trail up a steep hill. At the top is a cross. At the base of the cross are bags, countless bags full of innumerable sins. Calvary is the compost pile for guilt. Would you like to leave yours there as well?
From Traveling Light
Genesis 38
Judah and Tamar
At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah. 2 There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He married her and made love to her; 3 she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er. 4 She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan. 5 She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah. It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him.
6 Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death.
8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.” 9 But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. 10 What he did was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death also.
11 Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s household until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “He may die too, just like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s household.
12 After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah, to the men who were shearing his sheep, and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went with him.
13 When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,” 14 she took off her widow’s clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife.
15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. 16 Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her by the roadside and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.”
“And what will you give me to sleep with you?” she asked.
17 “I’ll send you a young goat from my flock,” he said.
“Will you give me something as a pledge until you send it?” she asked.
18 He said, “What pledge should I give you?”
“Your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand,” she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him. 19 After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow’s clothes again.
20 Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get his pledge back from the woman, but he did not find her. 21 He asked the men who lived there, “Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?”
“There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here,” they said.
22 So he went back to Judah and said, “I didn’t find her. Besides, the men who lived there said, ‘There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here.’”
23 Then Judah said, “Let her keep what she has, or we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn’t find her.”
24 About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant.”
Judah said, “Bring her out and have her burned to death!”
25 As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. “I am pregnant by the man who owns these,” she said. And she added, “See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.”
26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not sleep with her again.
27 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 28 As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist and said, “This one came out first.” 29 But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said, “So this is how you have broken out!” And he was named Perez.[i] 30 Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist, came out. And he was named Zerah.[j]
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Colossians 4:2-6
Further Instructions
2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Insight
The Bible Knowledge Commentary says of Colosse, home of the church receiving this letter: “Colosse was in the Lycus Valley, about 100 miles east of Ephesus in Asia Minor. Its name is possibly derived from Colossus, a large statue, which in turn may have been named for the unusual shape of stony deposits there. Colosse is about 12 miles from Hierapolis and Laodicea, the other two cities of that valley. . . . The area was rich in mineral deposits and was also subject to frequent earthquakes. Rich pasturelands were nearby. Several references in Colossians indicate that Paul had not visited the city (Col. 1:7; 2:1; 4:12).”
Make It Attractive
By Dave Branon
Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. —Colossians 4:5
The story is told of a young boy who, during a bygone era, was aboard a passenger train attempting to make money selling apples. He made his way through the train car, saying, “Apples! Would you like to buy an apple?” When he got to the rear of the car, he still had a bagful of apples and no money.
A gentleman who noticed his plight took him aside and asked to see one of the apples. He proceeded to go to the front of the train, polish it conspicuously with a napkin, and then walk down the aisle eating the apple and commenting on how delicious and refreshing it was. Then he told the boy to try again. This time, he sold every apple. The difference? The apples had been made attractive to the potential customers.
This story can remind us of one way we can interest others in the gospel of Jesus Christ: Make it attractive to them—show them the difference it has made in our own lives. That is best done by following the words of Paul in Colossians 4:5. “Be wise,” he said, “in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity” (niv). If we show kindness, love, and compassion to others, those who observe us will wonder why, and that may give us an opening to tell them about the beauty of God’s love for them.
Dear God, You have given us so much by providing
our salvation. Help us to make the gospel
attractive to others by the way we shine
Jesus’ light on those we encounter each day.
The beauty of a changed life can attract others to the One who makes us beautiful.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Held by the Grip of God
I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me —Philippians 3:12
Never choose to be a worker for God, but once God has placed His call on you, woe be to you if you “turn aside to the right hand or to the left” (Deuteronomy 5:32). We are not here to work for God because we have chosen to do so, but because God has “laid hold of” us. And once He has done so, we never have this thought, “Well, I’m really not suited for this.” What you are to preach is also determined by God, not by your own natural leanings or desires. Keep your soul steadfastly related to God, and remember that you are called not simply to convey your testimony but also to preach the gospel. Every Christian must testify to the truth of God, but when it comes to the call to preach, there must be the agonizing grip of God’s hand on you— your life is in the grip of God for that very purpose. How many of us are held like that?
Never water down the Word of God, but preach it in its undiluted sternness. There must be unflinching faithfulness to the Word of God, but when you come to personal dealings with others, remember who you are— you are not some special being created in heaven, but a sinner saved by grace.
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do. . . I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
Friday, June 27, 2014
Genesis 37, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Parents’ Number One Assignment
Proverbs 22:6 says, “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.”
Straight teeth, straight A’s, or straight posture cannot hold a candle compared to placing a child on the straight spiritual path. The highest privilege and purpose you have as a parent is to lead your child in the way of Christ. The towering questions for Christian parents are these:
Do my kids know Christ?
Have they tasted His grace and found comfort at His cross?
Do they know their death is defeated and their hearts are empowered?
Parents, assignment number one is discipleship. Help your child walk in the way of the Master. What a phenomenal privilege is yours! Imagine the joy you will feel when you stand before Christ, flanked by your wife and children—when your child says, “Thanks, Dad. Thanks for telling me about Christ.”
From Dad Time
Genesis 37
Joseph’s Dreams
Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.
2 This is the account of Jacob’s family line.
Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate[f] robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.
5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”
8 His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.
9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
Joseph Sold by His Brothers
12 Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, 13 and Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them.”
“Very well,” he replied.
14 So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.
When Joseph arrived at Shechem, 15 a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”
16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”
17 “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’”
So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. 18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.
19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. 20 “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”
21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. 22 “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.
23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing— 24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.
25 As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.
26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.
28 So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels[g] of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
29 When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. 30 He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?”
31 Then they got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 They took the ornate robe back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.”
33 He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”
34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave.” So his father wept for him.
36 Meanwhile, the Midianites[h] sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Romans 13:8-10
Love Fulfills the Law
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”[a] and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Footnotes:
Romans 13:9 Exodus 20:13-15,17; Deut. 5:17-19,21
Romans 13:9 Lev. 19:18
Insight
Paul’s words in today’s passage remind us of Jesus’ words to the young teacher of the law who asked what he needed to do to inherit eternal life (Luke 10:25-29). Love for God and neighbor is the epitome, fulfillment, and intention of all the laws of the Old Testament. In Luke, Jesus went on to say who our neighbor is and what love for that person should look like (vv.30-37). Paul does a similar thing for the people at the church in Rome. After telling them to love their neighbor in chapter 13, he goes on to tell them in chapter 14 to consider the effect their actions will have on their neighbor. Love is to guide all our actions.
Do No Harm
By Dennis Fisher
Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. —Romans 13:10
Many consider the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates as the father of Western medicine. He understood the importance of following moral principles in the practice of medicine, and is credited with writing the Hippocratic Oath, which still serves as an ethical guide for today’s medical doctors. One key concept of the oath is “to do no harm.” It implies that a physician will do only what he thinks will benefit his patients.
The principle of doing no harm extends to our relationships with others in everyday life. In fact, benevolence is central to New Testament teaching about loving others. In reflecting on the law of God, Paul sees that love is the intent behind many biblical commands: “Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom. 13:10).
Each day as we follow Jesus Christ our Savior, we are faced with choices that will affect the lives of others. When we choose a course of action, we should ask ourselves, “Does this reflect Christ’s concern for others, or am I only concerned for myself?” Such a sensitivity demonstrates the love of Christ that seeks to heal the broken and help those in need.
Lord, I admit that it is easy to be consumed with my
own wants and needs. Thank You that You showed
us how to be concerned for others too. Help me
to follow Your example in caring for others.
Caring for the burdens of others helps us to forget about our own.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, June 27, 2014
The Overshadowing of God’s Personal Deliverance
. . . I am with you to deliver you,’ says the Lord —Jeremiah 1:8
God promised Jeremiah that He would deliver him personally— “. . . your life shall be as a prize to you . . .” (Jeremiah 39:18). That is all God promises His children. Wherever God sends us, He will guard our lives. Our personal property and possessions are to be a matter of indifference to us, and our hold on these things should be very loose. If this is not the case, we will have panic, heartache, and distress. Having the proper outlook is evidence of the deeply rooted belief in the overshadowing of God’s personal deliverance.
The Sermon on the Mount indicates that when we are on a mission for Jesus Christ, there is no time to stand up for ourselves. Jesus says, in effect, “Don’t worry about whether or not you are being treated justly.” Looking for justice is actually a sign that we have been diverted from our devotion to Him. Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it. If we look for justice, we will only begin to complain and to indulge ourselves in the discontent of self-pity, as if to say, “Why should I be treated like this?” If we are devoted to Jesus Christ, we have nothing to do with what we encounter, whether it is just or unjust. In essence, Jesus says, “Continue steadily on with what I have told you to do, and I will guard your life. If you try to guard it yourself, you remove yourself from My deliverance.” Even the most devout among us become atheistic in this regard— we do not believe Him. We put our common sense on the throne and then attach God’s name to it. We do lean to our own understanding, instead of trusting God with all our hearts (see Proverbs 3:5-6).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
When They're Out of Your Hands - #7165
Friday, June 27, 2014
All eyes were on Mom. That would be my wife. See, we had just taken our daughter to college 800 miles from home. Her two younger brothers were also with us. Overall, we were pretty impressed at the way the college seemed to think of everything that might concern a parent. Actually, it seemed like they had all the bases covered.
So we started traveling home, and as I said, all eyes were on Mom. See, all three of the male Hutchcrafts expected Mom to cry when we said our final goodbye to her only daughter. My wife and daughter were very close; were then and still are. Well, we drove away and she didn't cry. We headed home and she didn't cry. No tears! Finally, after a while, I guess in frustration, the boys asked, "Why aren't you crying, Mom?" Typical teenage boys! I loved her answer.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When They're Out of Your Hands."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Isaiah 54:13 . Oh, by the way, when my wife was asked why she didn't cry, she said, "Well, I only cry when I feel as if I'm leaving one of my children in a situation where they're not in good hands. Now, my daughter's in good hands. She's fine, so I'm fine." Well, as a parent, she was saying she could relax if she knew her child was in good hands.
Well, that's the spirit of Isaiah 54:13 . Listen to this verse, "All your children will be taught of the Lord, and great will be the peace of your children." Isn't that great? If you belong to Christ, then your children are being watched over by Him. He echoes that in Isaiah 40:11 when it says, "He tends His flock like a shepherd. He gathers His lambs (that's your children) in His arms and carries them close to His heart."
See, Jesus goes where you cannot go with your kids. You wish you could, but He can. He provides for them what you cannot. He protects them when your arms can't reach that far. He brings them home when you don't even know where they are. You know what that means? You can let your children go. You can release them to the Lord.
So many parents are so afraid for their children that they over-manage their lives. They nag, they criticize, they smother them, second guess them and push them. And you can literally push a child into the very behavior you're trying to get them to avoid. Children who are over-pursued by a parent often become rebels to escape the pressure.
As a parent, my assignment is to hold up a mirror to my child so they can see the unique person God has created, and to see the weaknesses that could sink them. My mission is to discipline my child fairly and consistently so that they learn where life's boundaries are. And to present a relationship with Christ that is positive, exciting and practical as modeled in my everyday responses to situations. Gradually, to let them move toward independence; practicing freedom while they're still with me in growing increments. That was how my wife and I tried to make our home run.
You can only do that if you believe Isaiah 54:13 that "all your children will be taught by the Lord and great will be the peace of your children." Why not claim that promise for a child you love, for a grandchild you love? Pray it for them every day. And then, like my wife on the day she said goodbye to her daughter at college, you will have a very strange but very real sense of inner peace.
You'll know that your son or daughter is not in the hands of a school, or an employer, or a group of friends, or some hostile environment. Not when you trust that promise we gave you today. You can relax when you know you've left your child in the hands of God himself, because those are the hands you can totally trust.
Proverbs 22:6 says, “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.”
Straight teeth, straight A’s, or straight posture cannot hold a candle compared to placing a child on the straight spiritual path. The highest privilege and purpose you have as a parent is to lead your child in the way of Christ. The towering questions for Christian parents are these:
Do my kids know Christ?
Have they tasted His grace and found comfort at His cross?
Do they know their death is defeated and their hearts are empowered?
Parents, assignment number one is discipleship. Help your child walk in the way of the Master. What a phenomenal privilege is yours! Imagine the joy you will feel when you stand before Christ, flanked by your wife and children—when your child says, “Thanks, Dad. Thanks for telling me about Christ.”
From Dad Time
Genesis 37
Joseph’s Dreams
Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.
2 This is the account of Jacob’s family line.
Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate[f] robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.
5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”
8 His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.
9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
Joseph Sold by His Brothers
12 Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, 13 and Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them.”
“Very well,” he replied.
14 So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.
When Joseph arrived at Shechem, 15 a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”
16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”
17 “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’”
So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. 18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.
19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. 20 “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”
21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. 22 “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.
23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing— 24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.
25 As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.
26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.
28 So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels[g] of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
29 When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. 30 He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?”
31 Then they got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 They took the ornate robe back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.”
33 He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”
34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave.” So his father wept for him.
36 Meanwhile, the Midianites[h] sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Romans 13:8-10
Love Fulfills the Law
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”[a] and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Footnotes:
Romans 13:9 Exodus 20:13-15,17; Deut. 5:17-19,21
Romans 13:9 Lev. 19:18
Insight
Paul’s words in today’s passage remind us of Jesus’ words to the young teacher of the law who asked what he needed to do to inherit eternal life (Luke 10:25-29). Love for God and neighbor is the epitome, fulfillment, and intention of all the laws of the Old Testament. In Luke, Jesus went on to say who our neighbor is and what love for that person should look like (vv.30-37). Paul does a similar thing for the people at the church in Rome. After telling them to love their neighbor in chapter 13, he goes on to tell them in chapter 14 to consider the effect their actions will have on their neighbor. Love is to guide all our actions.
Do No Harm
By Dennis Fisher
Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. —Romans 13:10
Many consider the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates as the father of Western medicine. He understood the importance of following moral principles in the practice of medicine, and is credited with writing the Hippocratic Oath, which still serves as an ethical guide for today’s medical doctors. One key concept of the oath is “to do no harm.” It implies that a physician will do only what he thinks will benefit his patients.
The principle of doing no harm extends to our relationships with others in everyday life. In fact, benevolence is central to New Testament teaching about loving others. In reflecting on the law of God, Paul sees that love is the intent behind many biblical commands: “Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom. 13:10).
Each day as we follow Jesus Christ our Savior, we are faced with choices that will affect the lives of others. When we choose a course of action, we should ask ourselves, “Does this reflect Christ’s concern for others, or am I only concerned for myself?” Such a sensitivity demonstrates the love of Christ that seeks to heal the broken and help those in need.
Lord, I admit that it is easy to be consumed with my
own wants and needs. Thank You that You showed
us how to be concerned for others too. Help me
to follow Your example in caring for others.
Caring for the burdens of others helps us to forget about our own.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, June 27, 2014
The Overshadowing of God’s Personal Deliverance
. . . I am with you to deliver you,’ says the Lord —Jeremiah 1:8
God promised Jeremiah that He would deliver him personally— “. . . your life shall be as a prize to you . . .” (Jeremiah 39:18). That is all God promises His children. Wherever God sends us, He will guard our lives. Our personal property and possessions are to be a matter of indifference to us, and our hold on these things should be very loose. If this is not the case, we will have panic, heartache, and distress. Having the proper outlook is evidence of the deeply rooted belief in the overshadowing of God’s personal deliverance.
The Sermon on the Mount indicates that when we are on a mission for Jesus Christ, there is no time to stand up for ourselves. Jesus says, in effect, “Don’t worry about whether or not you are being treated justly.” Looking for justice is actually a sign that we have been diverted from our devotion to Him. Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it. If we look for justice, we will only begin to complain and to indulge ourselves in the discontent of self-pity, as if to say, “Why should I be treated like this?” If we are devoted to Jesus Christ, we have nothing to do with what we encounter, whether it is just or unjust. In essence, Jesus says, “Continue steadily on with what I have told you to do, and I will guard your life. If you try to guard it yourself, you remove yourself from My deliverance.” Even the most devout among us become atheistic in this regard— we do not believe Him. We put our common sense on the throne and then attach God’s name to it. We do lean to our own understanding, instead of trusting God with all our hearts (see Proverbs 3:5-6).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
When They're Out of Your Hands - #7165
Friday, June 27, 2014
All eyes were on Mom. That would be my wife. See, we had just taken our daughter to college 800 miles from home. Her two younger brothers were also with us. Overall, we were pretty impressed at the way the college seemed to think of everything that might concern a parent. Actually, it seemed like they had all the bases covered.
So we started traveling home, and as I said, all eyes were on Mom. See, all three of the male Hutchcrafts expected Mom to cry when we said our final goodbye to her only daughter. My wife and daughter were very close; were then and still are. Well, we drove away and she didn't cry. We headed home and she didn't cry. No tears! Finally, after a while, I guess in frustration, the boys asked, "Why aren't you crying, Mom?" Typical teenage boys! I loved her answer.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When They're Out of Your Hands."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Isaiah 54:13 . Oh, by the way, when my wife was asked why she didn't cry, she said, "Well, I only cry when I feel as if I'm leaving one of my children in a situation where they're not in good hands. Now, my daughter's in good hands. She's fine, so I'm fine." Well, as a parent, she was saying she could relax if she knew her child was in good hands.
Well, that's the spirit of Isaiah 54:13 . Listen to this verse, "All your children will be taught of the Lord, and great will be the peace of your children." Isn't that great? If you belong to Christ, then your children are being watched over by Him. He echoes that in Isaiah 40:11 when it says, "He tends His flock like a shepherd. He gathers His lambs (that's your children) in His arms and carries them close to His heart."
See, Jesus goes where you cannot go with your kids. You wish you could, but He can. He provides for them what you cannot. He protects them when your arms can't reach that far. He brings them home when you don't even know where they are. You know what that means? You can let your children go. You can release them to the Lord.
So many parents are so afraid for their children that they over-manage their lives. They nag, they criticize, they smother them, second guess them and push them. And you can literally push a child into the very behavior you're trying to get them to avoid. Children who are over-pursued by a parent often become rebels to escape the pressure.
As a parent, my assignment is to hold up a mirror to my child so they can see the unique person God has created, and to see the weaknesses that could sink them. My mission is to discipline my child fairly and consistently so that they learn where life's boundaries are. And to present a relationship with Christ that is positive, exciting and practical as modeled in my everyday responses to situations. Gradually, to let them move toward independence; practicing freedom while they're still with me in growing increments. That was how my wife and I tried to make our home run.
You can only do that if you believe Isaiah 54:13 that "all your children will be taught by the Lord and great will be the peace of your children." Why not claim that promise for a child you love, for a grandchild you love? Pray it for them every day. And then, like my wife on the day she said goodbye to her daughter at college, you will have a very strange but very real sense of inner peace.
You'll know that your son or daughter is not in the hands of a school, or an employer, or a group of friends, or some hostile environment. Not when you trust that promise we gave you today. You can relax when you know you've left your child in the hands of God himself, because those are the hands you can totally trust.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Genesis 36 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: She Called Me Daddy
When my daughter Sara was in the second grade, we took her desk hunting at a store that specializes in unpainted furniture. But when she learned we weren't taking the desk home that day, she was upset. "But, Daddy, I wanted to take it home today." Much to her credit, she didn't stomp her feet and demand her way. She did, however, set out on an urgent course to change her father's mind.
"Daddy, don't you think we could paint it ourselves?" "Daddy, please, let's take it home today." After a bit she disappeared, only to return, arms open wide, bubbling with a discovery. "Guess what, Daddy. It'll fit in the back of the car!" The fact that she'd measured the trunk with her arms softened my heart. The clincher, though, was the name she called me… Daddy. The Lucado family took a desk home that day.
From Dad Time
Genesis 36
Esau’s Descendants
This is the account of the family line of Esau (that is, Edom).
2 Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite— 3 also Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.
4 Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel, 5 and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam and Korah. These were the sons of Esau, who were born to him in Canaan.
6 Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the members of his household, as well as his livestock and all his other animals and all the goods he had acquired in Canaan, and moved to a land some distance from his brother Jacob. 7 Their possessions were too great for them to remain together; the land where they were staying could not support them both because of their livestock. 8 So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the hill country of Seir.
9 This is the account of the family line of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir.
10 These are the names of Esau’s sons:
Eliphaz, the son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel, the son of Esau’s wife Basemath.
11 The sons of Eliphaz:
Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam and Kenaz.
12 Esau’s son Eliphaz also had a concubine named Timna, who bore him Amalek. These were grandsons of Esau’s wife Adah.
13 The sons of Reuel:
Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath.
14 The sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon, whom she bore to Esau:
Jeush, Jalam and Korah.
15 These were the chiefs among Esau’s descendants:
The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau:
Chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, 16 Korah,[a] Gatam and Amalek. These were the chiefs descended from Eliphaz in Edom; they were grandsons of Adah.
17 The sons of Esau’s son Reuel:
Chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were the chiefs descended from Reuel in Edom; they were grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath.
18 The sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah:
Chiefs Jeush, Jalam and Korah. These were the chiefs descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah.
19 These were the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and these were their chiefs.
20 These were the sons of Seir the Horite, who were living in the region:
Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21 Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These sons of Seir in Edom were Horite chiefs.
22 The sons of Lotan:
Hori and Homam.[b] Timna was Lotan’s sister.
23 The sons of Shobal:
Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho and Onam.
24 The sons of Zibeon:
Aiah and Anah. This is the Anah who discovered the hot springs[c] in the desert while he was grazing the donkeys of his father Zibeon.
25 The children of Anah:
Dishon and Oholibamah daughter of Anah.
26 The sons of Dishon[d]:
Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran and Keran.
27 The sons of Ezer:
Bilhan, Zaavan and Akan.
28 The sons of Dishan:
Uz and Aran.
29 These were the Horite chiefs:
Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 30 Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These were the Horite chiefs, according to their divisions, in the land of Seir.
The Rulers of Edom
31 These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned:
32 Bela son of Beor became king of Edom. His city was named Dinhabah.
33 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah succeeded him as king.
34 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites succeeded him as king.
35 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, succeeded him as king. His city was named Avith.
36 When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah succeeded him as king.
37 When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the river succeeded him as king.
38 When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Akbor succeeded him as king.
39 When Baal-Hanan son of Akbor died, Hadad[e] succeeded him as king. His city was named Pau, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab.
40 These were the chiefs descended from Esau, by name, according to their clans and regions:
Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 41 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 43 Magdiel and Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements in the land they occupied.
This is the family line of Esau, the father of the Edomites.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Psalm 46
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth.[b] A song.
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.[c]
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields[d] with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Footnotes:
Psalm 46:1 In Hebrew texts 46:1-11 is numbered 46:2-12.
Psalm 46:1 Title: Probably a musical term
Psalm 46:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 7 and 11.
Psalm 46:9 Or chariots
Insight
Psalm 46 celebrates God as the supreme defender of His people. This particular psalm inspired Martin Luther to write: “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing. For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; his craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal.”
Roadside Assistance
By Joe Stowell
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. —Psalm 46:1
An acquaintance of mine was hunting with friends near Balmoral, the country estate of the queen of England. As they walked, he twisted his ankle so badly that he couldn’t go on, so he told his friends to continue and he would wait by the side of the road.
As he sat there, a car came down the road, slowed, and stopped. The woman driving rolled the window down and asked if he was okay. He explained and said he was waiting for his friends to return. She said, “Get in; I’ll take you back to where you are staying.” He limped to the car and opened the door only to realize that it was Queen Elizabeth!
As shocking as receiving help from the queen of England may be, we have an offer of help that is even more astounding. The Creator-God of the universe descends into our world, sees our trouble, and offers to marshal His resources to help us. As the psalmist confidently affirms, “God is . . . a very present help in trouble” (Ps. 46:1). Our Savior helps by giving us grace to endure, His Word to sustain us, friends to encourage and pray for us, and the confidence that He will ultimately work it all together for our spiritual good.
Next time you feel stranded along life’s road, look for your Helper.
Lord, I’m thankful that when I experience trouble
You are waiting and wanting to help. Teach
me to look to You and to rest in Your kind and
loving care until You deliver me safely home.
Rejoice! Your God is a helping King!
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Drawing on the Grace of God— Now
We . . . plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain —2 Corinthians 6:1
The grace you had yesterday will not be sufficient for today. Grace is the overflowing favor of God, and you can always count on it being available to draw upon as needed. “. . . in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses”— that is where our patience is tested (2 Corinthians 6:4). Are you failing to rely on the grace of God there? Are you saying to yourself, “Oh well, I won’t count this time”? It is not a question of praying and asking God to help you— it is taking the grace of God now. We tend to make prayer the preparation for our service, yet it is never that in the Bible. Prayer is the practice of drawing on the grace of God. Don’t say, “I will endure this until I can get away and pray.” Pray now — draw on the grace of God in your moment of need. Prayer is the most normal and useful thing; it is not simply a reflex action of your devotion to God. We are very slow to learn to draw on God’s grace through prayer.
“. . . in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors . . .” (2 Corinthians 6:5)— in all these things, display in your life a drawing on the grace of God, which will show evidence to yourself and to others that you are a miracle of His. Draw on His grace now, not later. The primary word in the spiritual vocabulary is now. Let circumstances take you where they will, but keep drawing on the grace of God in whatever condition you may find yourself. One of the greatest proofs that you are drawing on the grace of God is that you can be totally humiliated before others without displaying even the slightest trace of anything but His grace.
“. . . having nothing . . . .” Never hold anything in reserve. Pour yourself out, giving the best that you have, and always be poor. Never be diplomatic and careful with the treasure God gives you. “. . . and yet possessing all things”— this is poverty triumphant (2 Corinthians 6:10).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Close Because You Can't - #7164
Thursday, June 26, 2014
In his senior year, our son got a dog; a little shih tzu named Missy. Now our son went off to college and the dog stayed with us. So in the midst of our wall-to-wall schedules, we got to take care of Missy, too. Now, she was a fun dog, I have to admit that. She was smart, responsive, and she also needed food and water, and walking, etc. Now, I know a dog is man's best friend. In this case, Aunt Vicky, my wife's sister, was this dog's best friend. She was so faithful in caring for Missy's needs; especially when my wife and I were traveling or gone early or late.
Now, this dog greeted any of us who came in with enthusiasm. But it was usually on a scale of excitement that was roughly proportionate to the percentage of care she received from that person. Now, I got the dog equivalent of "Hi!" My wife got "Great to see you!" And Vicky, "Whoa! Jumping up and down dog, laughing, hugging (or the dog's equivalent)." This dog was not a dummy. She knew that it was time to eat, time to walk, time to play, anytime Vicky walked in. And she knew she couldn't get her own dog food! That's one thing the dog had figured out, "It's easy to be excited about the person who makes sure you're always cared for."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Close Because You Can't."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Psalm 37, verse 3. David says, "Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture." Now, this is written by a former shepherd, and he's giving shepherd imagery here; describing a life of living by faith as the sheep is totally dependant on the shepherd. Verses 4-5, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." This talks about enjoying the Lord and His taking care of you. Then it says, "Commit your way to the Lord. Trust in Him and He will do this."
David's talking about turning over what this day holds to the Lord. When he talks about "commit your way to the Lord", for me that means my date book, my to do list for today, my contacts, the places I'm going today, the people I'll be around. And the bottom line of this lifestyle is Psalm 37:25, "I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread." This is a man who's excited about his Lord. You know why? The same reason Missy is excited about Aunt Vicky. David knows who his primary care giver is.
Which leads us to something that just hit me the other day. Those who must live by faith are the ones who live closest to the heart of God. Did you notice I said, "must live by faith"? Because we seldom choose to do that. We always try to live by what we can see. Faith is kind of our last option. So we depend on things like paychecks, family, doctors, plans, retirement funds, savings, etc.
But into the life of every child of God comes challenges that leave us no one to lean on but Jesus. Maybe you're there right now; no option but to live by faith; totally dependent on what God is going to do each new day. It's got to be God or it isn't going to be. Do you know that's the most secure place you can live? Missy couldn't get her own food and water, and if she ever did I would let everybody know. No, she was totally dependent on someone else. She felt close to the person who did for her what she couldn't do for herself; who was always there to meet her needs. She was excited about her primary care giver.
Maybe the Lord has you facing a situation where the most realistic evaluation is, "I can't." Well, good! You're at the point where a person touches the love and power of God as nowhere else. The people who know God the best are those who have to depend on Him the most. Our need drives us deep into the heart and resources of a living God; the most secure, most excited place you can be. In essence, you get close to God because there's something you can't handle without Him.
So don't be afraid of a situation that creates total dependency on the Lord Jesus. Welcome! You'll never know Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you've got.
When my daughter Sara was in the second grade, we took her desk hunting at a store that specializes in unpainted furniture. But when she learned we weren't taking the desk home that day, she was upset. "But, Daddy, I wanted to take it home today." Much to her credit, she didn't stomp her feet and demand her way. She did, however, set out on an urgent course to change her father's mind.
"Daddy, don't you think we could paint it ourselves?" "Daddy, please, let's take it home today." After a bit she disappeared, only to return, arms open wide, bubbling with a discovery. "Guess what, Daddy. It'll fit in the back of the car!" The fact that she'd measured the trunk with her arms softened my heart. The clincher, though, was the name she called me… Daddy. The Lucado family took a desk home that day.
From Dad Time
Genesis 36
Esau’s Descendants
This is the account of the family line of Esau (that is, Edom).
2 Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite— 3 also Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.
4 Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel, 5 and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam and Korah. These were the sons of Esau, who were born to him in Canaan.
6 Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the members of his household, as well as his livestock and all his other animals and all the goods he had acquired in Canaan, and moved to a land some distance from his brother Jacob. 7 Their possessions were too great for them to remain together; the land where they were staying could not support them both because of their livestock. 8 So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the hill country of Seir.
9 This is the account of the family line of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir.
10 These are the names of Esau’s sons:
Eliphaz, the son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel, the son of Esau’s wife Basemath.
11 The sons of Eliphaz:
Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam and Kenaz.
12 Esau’s son Eliphaz also had a concubine named Timna, who bore him Amalek. These were grandsons of Esau’s wife Adah.
13 The sons of Reuel:
Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath.
14 The sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon, whom she bore to Esau:
Jeush, Jalam and Korah.
15 These were the chiefs among Esau’s descendants:
The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau:
Chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, 16 Korah,[a] Gatam and Amalek. These were the chiefs descended from Eliphaz in Edom; they were grandsons of Adah.
17 The sons of Esau’s son Reuel:
Chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were the chiefs descended from Reuel in Edom; they were grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath.
18 The sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah:
Chiefs Jeush, Jalam and Korah. These were the chiefs descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah.
19 These were the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and these were their chiefs.
20 These were the sons of Seir the Horite, who were living in the region:
Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21 Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These sons of Seir in Edom were Horite chiefs.
22 The sons of Lotan:
Hori and Homam.[b] Timna was Lotan’s sister.
23 The sons of Shobal:
Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho and Onam.
24 The sons of Zibeon:
Aiah and Anah. This is the Anah who discovered the hot springs[c] in the desert while he was grazing the donkeys of his father Zibeon.
25 The children of Anah:
Dishon and Oholibamah daughter of Anah.
26 The sons of Dishon[d]:
Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran and Keran.
27 The sons of Ezer:
Bilhan, Zaavan and Akan.
28 The sons of Dishan:
Uz and Aran.
29 These were the Horite chiefs:
Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 30 Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These were the Horite chiefs, according to their divisions, in the land of Seir.
The Rulers of Edom
31 These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned:
32 Bela son of Beor became king of Edom. His city was named Dinhabah.
33 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah succeeded him as king.
34 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites succeeded him as king.
35 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, succeeded him as king. His city was named Avith.
36 When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah succeeded him as king.
37 When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the river succeeded him as king.
38 When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Akbor succeeded him as king.
39 When Baal-Hanan son of Akbor died, Hadad[e] succeeded him as king. His city was named Pau, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab.
40 These were the chiefs descended from Esau, by name, according to their clans and regions:
Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 41 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 43 Magdiel and Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements in the land they occupied.
This is the family line of Esau, the father of the Edomites.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Psalm 46
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth.[b] A song.
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.[c]
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields[d] with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Footnotes:
Psalm 46:1 In Hebrew texts 46:1-11 is numbered 46:2-12.
Psalm 46:1 Title: Probably a musical term
Psalm 46:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 7 and 11.
Psalm 46:9 Or chariots
Insight
Psalm 46 celebrates God as the supreme defender of His people. This particular psalm inspired Martin Luther to write: “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing. For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; his craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal.”
Roadside Assistance
By Joe Stowell
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. —Psalm 46:1
An acquaintance of mine was hunting with friends near Balmoral, the country estate of the queen of England. As they walked, he twisted his ankle so badly that he couldn’t go on, so he told his friends to continue and he would wait by the side of the road.
As he sat there, a car came down the road, slowed, and stopped. The woman driving rolled the window down and asked if he was okay. He explained and said he was waiting for his friends to return. She said, “Get in; I’ll take you back to where you are staying.” He limped to the car and opened the door only to realize that it was Queen Elizabeth!
As shocking as receiving help from the queen of England may be, we have an offer of help that is even more astounding. The Creator-God of the universe descends into our world, sees our trouble, and offers to marshal His resources to help us. As the psalmist confidently affirms, “God is . . . a very present help in trouble” (Ps. 46:1). Our Savior helps by giving us grace to endure, His Word to sustain us, friends to encourage and pray for us, and the confidence that He will ultimately work it all together for our spiritual good.
Next time you feel stranded along life’s road, look for your Helper.
Lord, I’m thankful that when I experience trouble
You are waiting and wanting to help. Teach
me to look to You and to rest in Your kind and
loving care until You deliver me safely home.
Rejoice! Your God is a helping King!
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Drawing on the Grace of God— Now
We . . . plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain —2 Corinthians 6:1
The grace you had yesterday will not be sufficient for today. Grace is the overflowing favor of God, and you can always count on it being available to draw upon as needed. “. . . in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses”— that is where our patience is tested (2 Corinthians 6:4). Are you failing to rely on the grace of God there? Are you saying to yourself, “Oh well, I won’t count this time”? It is not a question of praying and asking God to help you— it is taking the grace of God now. We tend to make prayer the preparation for our service, yet it is never that in the Bible. Prayer is the practice of drawing on the grace of God. Don’t say, “I will endure this until I can get away and pray.” Pray now — draw on the grace of God in your moment of need. Prayer is the most normal and useful thing; it is not simply a reflex action of your devotion to God. We are very slow to learn to draw on God’s grace through prayer.
“. . . in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors . . .” (2 Corinthians 6:5)— in all these things, display in your life a drawing on the grace of God, which will show evidence to yourself and to others that you are a miracle of His. Draw on His grace now, not later. The primary word in the spiritual vocabulary is now. Let circumstances take you where they will, but keep drawing on the grace of God in whatever condition you may find yourself. One of the greatest proofs that you are drawing on the grace of God is that you can be totally humiliated before others without displaying even the slightest trace of anything but His grace.
“. . . having nothing . . . .” Never hold anything in reserve. Pour yourself out, giving the best that you have, and always be poor. Never be diplomatic and careful with the treasure God gives you. “. . . and yet possessing all things”— this is poverty triumphant (2 Corinthians 6:10).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Close Because You Can't - #7164
Thursday, June 26, 2014
In his senior year, our son got a dog; a little shih tzu named Missy. Now our son went off to college and the dog stayed with us. So in the midst of our wall-to-wall schedules, we got to take care of Missy, too. Now, she was a fun dog, I have to admit that. She was smart, responsive, and she also needed food and water, and walking, etc. Now, I know a dog is man's best friend. In this case, Aunt Vicky, my wife's sister, was this dog's best friend. She was so faithful in caring for Missy's needs; especially when my wife and I were traveling or gone early or late.
Now, this dog greeted any of us who came in with enthusiasm. But it was usually on a scale of excitement that was roughly proportionate to the percentage of care she received from that person. Now, I got the dog equivalent of "Hi!" My wife got "Great to see you!" And Vicky, "Whoa! Jumping up and down dog, laughing, hugging (or the dog's equivalent)." This dog was not a dummy. She knew that it was time to eat, time to walk, time to play, anytime Vicky walked in. And she knew she couldn't get her own dog food! That's one thing the dog had figured out, "It's easy to be excited about the person who makes sure you're always cared for."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Close Because You Can't."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Psalm 37, verse 3. David says, "Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture." Now, this is written by a former shepherd, and he's giving shepherd imagery here; describing a life of living by faith as the sheep is totally dependant on the shepherd. Verses 4-5, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." This talks about enjoying the Lord and His taking care of you. Then it says, "Commit your way to the Lord. Trust in Him and He will do this."
David's talking about turning over what this day holds to the Lord. When he talks about "commit your way to the Lord", for me that means my date book, my to do list for today, my contacts, the places I'm going today, the people I'll be around. And the bottom line of this lifestyle is Psalm 37:25, "I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread." This is a man who's excited about his Lord. You know why? The same reason Missy is excited about Aunt Vicky. David knows who his primary care giver is.
Which leads us to something that just hit me the other day. Those who must live by faith are the ones who live closest to the heart of God. Did you notice I said, "must live by faith"? Because we seldom choose to do that. We always try to live by what we can see. Faith is kind of our last option. So we depend on things like paychecks, family, doctors, plans, retirement funds, savings, etc.
But into the life of every child of God comes challenges that leave us no one to lean on but Jesus. Maybe you're there right now; no option but to live by faith; totally dependent on what God is going to do each new day. It's got to be God or it isn't going to be. Do you know that's the most secure place you can live? Missy couldn't get her own food and water, and if she ever did I would let everybody know. No, she was totally dependent on someone else. She felt close to the person who did for her what she couldn't do for herself; who was always there to meet her needs. She was excited about her primary care giver.
Maybe the Lord has you facing a situation where the most realistic evaluation is, "I can't." Well, good! You're at the point where a person touches the love and power of God as nowhere else. The people who know God the best are those who have to depend on Him the most. Our need drives us deep into the heart and resources of a living God; the most secure, most excited place you can be. In essence, you get close to God because there's something you can't handle without Him.
So don't be afraid of a situation that creates total dependency on the Lord Jesus. Welcome! You'll never know Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you've got.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Matthew 20:17-34, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Our Ability to Hear
When our daughter Jenna was five years old, I took her to get a bike. And Andrea, age three, decided she wanted one as well. I explained to her she was too young for a two-wheeler. That when she was older she would get a bike too. No luck. She still wanted a bike. She turned her head and said nothing. Finally I sighed and said this time her daddy knew best.
Her response? She screamed it loud enough for everyone in the store to hear…“Then I want a new daddy!” Andrea, with three-year-old reasoning powers, couldn’t believe that a new bike would be anything less than ideal for her. And the one to grant that bliss was sitting on his hands.
If you’ve heard the silence of God, you may learn that the problem is not as much in God’s silence as it is in your ability to hear and your capacity to understand!
From Dad Time
Matthew 20:17-34
Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time
17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18 “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”
A Mother’s Request
20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.
21 “What is it you want?” he asked.
She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”
22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”
“We can,” they answered.
23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”
24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Two Blind Men Receive Sight
29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
32 Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
33 “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”
34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: 1 Samuel 24:1-10
David Spares Saul’s Life
After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.” 2 So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats.
3 He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. 4 The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said[b] to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
5 Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. 6 He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” 7 With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.
8 Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. 9 He said to Saul, “Why do you listen when men say, ‘David is bent on harming you’? 10 This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on my lord, because he is the Lord’s anointed.’
Footnotes:
1 Samuel 24:1 In Hebrew texts 24:1-22 is numbered 24:2-23.
1 Samuel 24:4 Or “Today the Lord is saying
Wisdom From Above
By Jennifer Benson Schuldt
The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable. —James 3:17
If Kiera Wilmot had performed her experiment during her high school science class, it might have earned her an A. But instead she was charged with causing an explosion. Although she had planned to have her teacher approve the experiment, her classmates persuaded her to perform it outside the classroom. When she mixed chemicals inside a plastic bottle, it exploded and she unintentionally unsettled some fellow students.
The Old Testament tells the story of another case of peer pressure. David and his men were hiding from Saul in a cave when Saul entered (1 Sam. 24). David’s companions suggested that God had delivered Saul to them, and they urged David to kill him (vv.4,10). If David killed Saul, they thought they could stop hiding and David could become king. But David refused to harm Saul because he was “the Lord’s anointed” (v.6).
People in our lives may sometimes suggest we do what seems most gratifying or practical in the moment. But there is a difference between worldly and spiritual wisdom (1 Cor. 2:6-7). Wisdom from above “is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy” (James 3:17). When others are urging us to take a certain course of action, we can invite God to influence our response.
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Hold o’er my being absolute sway!
Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me. —Pollard
One is truly wise who gains his wisdom from above.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, June 23, 2014
Receiving Yourself in the Fires of Sorrow
. . . what shall I say? ’Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. ’Father, glorify Your name’ —John 12:27-28
As a saint of God, my attitude toward sorrow and difficulty should not be to ask that they be prevented, but to ask that God protect me so that I may remain what He created me to be, in spite of all my fires of sorrow. Our Lord received Himself, accepting His position and realizing His purpose, in the midst of the fire of sorrow. He was saved not from the hour, but out of the hour.
We say that there ought to be no sorrow, but there is sorrow, and we have to accept and receive ourselves in its fires. If we try to evade sorrow, refusing to deal with it, we are foolish. Sorrow is one of the biggest facts in life, and there is no use in saying it should not be. Sin, sorrow, and suffering are, and it is not for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them.
Sorrow removes a great deal of a person’s shallowness, but it does not always make that person better. Suffering either gives me to myself or it destroys me. You cannot find or receive yourself through success, because you lose your head over pride. And you cannot receive yourself through the monotony of your daily life, because you give in to complaining. The only way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrow. Why it should be this way is immaterial. The fact is that it is true in the Scriptures and in human experience. You can always recognize who has been through the fires of sorrow and received himself, and you know that you can go to him in your moment of trouble and find that he has plenty of time for you. But if a person has not been through the fires of sorrow, he is apt to be contemptuous, having no respect or time for you, only turning you away. If you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Buzzard Vision - #7163
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
I have a pastor friend who lives in a beautiful spot in the country. And he sees things there that I couldn't see where I lived for many years in an urban area. Like the bird life there was pretty much limited to sparrows, and there were a few rowdy crows, an occasional robin or blue jay. Oh, yeah, and then the parrot in our kitchen. But my friend, he was able to see and still is, all of those things with one of the classiest birds around-the hummingbird. You've seen them probably doing their amazing hovering thing and flying from one flower to the next. And they're always attracted to the most beautiful things in the yard. Now, my friend also gets to see one of the un-classiest birds around too-the buzzard. I mean, here's this amazing contrast. You've got the hummingbird and the buzzard flying over the same ground. But the hummingbird sees the meadow; the buzzard sees the carnage.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Buzzard Vision."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from the book of Lamentations, written by the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah, and really written out of a broken heart. His country is devastated, his personal life is devastated, and he talks about his feelings in chapter 3, verses 19-20. He says, "I remember my affliction and my wandering. I remember the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them. And my soul is downcast within me." We're talking about a depressed prophet here. And he's thinking about all of the negatives and the pain and the failures. Folks, that's buzzard vision! Looking at the ugly, looking at what's dying, or looking at what's dead.
But then he turns a corner in verse 21. He says this: "Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope." He's going from downcast to hope. What's making the difference? "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.'"
What a change here! Jeremiah starts looking at the hope factors instead of the hurt factors. Now, has the situation changed? No. But his focus is about to, because he talks first of all about the margin of difference when times are tough. He says, "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed." He is suddenly deciding to focus on the Lord's great love.
Then he talks about the Lord's compassions that are new every morning. Those compassions, I think, are like specific, customized actions of love from God that are in each 24-hour period of time. And you'll see them if you'll look for "God sightings" every day. They're God's little interventions; big interventions. And Jeremiah has decided to look at those instead. And because they're new every morning, God never misses a day. There's always some to see. He always supplies us with mercies for what this day will need. "Great is Your faithfulness" he says.
It's like that suffering saint one time said, "Jesus is enough." Now, he has just moved from buzzard vision, focusing on the carnage, to hummingbird vision, focusing on the beautiful - the evidences of God's love. Are you doing that? Maybe you've been dwelling on the pain, you've been kind of falling into the identity of being a victim. Maybe the monster of self-pity is consuming you. You've been focusing on your failures and building this wave of self-doubt and paralysis.
It's only Satan who focuses on the past, because it can't be changed. God points to the future that has yet to be written. Aren't you tired of just seeing the carnage, the ugly, the hurting, the negative? Why don't you choose to focus on what you can thank God for each morning? Look for His love. Review His interventions and His blessings and you'll feel wind start to rise under your wings instead of weights growing on them pulling you down. It's a daily, hourly choice. You decide what you want to focus on as you fly over today's ground.
And don't be a buzzard. Go for hummingbird vision. Look for the beauty. "His compassions never fail. Great is His faithfulness."
When our daughter Jenna was five years old, I took her to get a bike. And Andrea, age three, decided she wanted one as well. I explained to her she was too young for a two-wheeler. That when she was older she would get a bike too. No luck. She still wanted a bike. She turned her head and said nothing. Finally I sighed and said this time her daddy knew best.
Her response? She screamed it loud enough for everyone in the store to hear…“Then I want a new daddy!” Andrea, with three-year-old reasoning powers, couldn’t believe that a new bike would be anything less than ideal for her. And the one to grant that bliss was sitting on his hands.
If you’ve heard the silence of God, you may learn that the problem is not as much in God’s silence as it is in your ability to hear and your capacity to understand!
From Dad Time
Matthew 20:17-34
Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time
17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18 “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”
A Mother’s Request
20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.
21 “What is it you want?” he asked.
She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”
22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”
“We can,” they answered.
23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”
24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Two Blind Men Receive Sight
29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
32 Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
33 “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”
34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: 1 Samuel 24:1-10
David Spares Saul’s Life
After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.” 2 So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats.
3 He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. 4 The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said[b] to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
5 Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. 6 He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” 7 With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.
8 Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. 9 He said to Saul, “Why do you listen when men say, ‘David is bent on harming you’? 10 This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on my lord, because he is the Lord’s anointed.’
Footnotes:
1 Samuel 24:1 In Hebrew texts 24:1-22 is numbered 24:2-23.
1 Samuel 24:4 Or “Today the Lord is saying
Wisdom From Above
By Jennifer Benson Schuldt
The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable. —James 3:17
If Kiera Wilmot had performed her experiment during her high school science class, it might have earned her an A. But instead she was charged with causing an explosion. Although she had planned to have her teacher approve the experiment, her classmates persuaded her to perform it outside the classroom. When she mixed chemicals inside a plastic bottle, it exploded and she unintentionally unsettled some fellow students.
The Old Testament tells the story of another case of peer pressure. David and his men were hiding from Saul in a cave when Saul entered (1 Sam. 24). David’s companions suggested that God had delivered Saul to them, and they urged David to kill him (vv.4,10). If David killed Saul, they thought they could stop hiding and David could become king. But David refused to harm Saul because he was “the Lord’s anointed” (v.6).
People in our lives may sometimes suggest we do what seems most gratifying or practical in the moment. But there is a difference between worldly and spiritual wisdom (1 Cor. 2:6-7). Wisdom from above “is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy” (James 3:17). When others are urging us to take a certain course of action, we can invite God to influence our response.
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Hold o’er my being absolute sway!
Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me. —Pollard
One is truly wise who gains his wisdom from above.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, June 23, 2014
Receiving Yourself in the Fires of Sorrow
. . . what shall I say? ’Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. ’Father, glorify Your name’ —John 12:27-28
As a saint of God, my attitude toward sorrow and difficulty should not be to ask that they be prevented, but to ask that God protect me so that I may remain what He created me to be, in spite of all my fires of sorrow. Our Lord received Himself, accepting His position and realizing His purpose, in the midst of the fire of sorrow. He was saved not from the hour, but out of the hour.
We say that there ought to be no sorrow, but there is sorrow, and we have to accept and receive ourselves in its fires. If we try to evade sorrow, refusing to deal with it, we are foolish. Sorrow is one of the biggest facts in life, and there is no use in saying it should not be. Sin, sorrow, and suffering are, and it is not for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them.
Sorrow removes a great deal of a person’s shallowness, but it does not always make that person better. Suffering either gives me to myself or it destroys me. You cannot find or receive yourself through success, because you lose your head over pride. And you cannot receive yourself through the monotony of your daily life, because you give in to complaining. The only way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrow. Why it should be this way is immaterial. The fact is that it is true in the Scriptures and in human experience. You can always recognize who has been through the fires of sorrow and received himself, and you know that you can go to him in your moment of trouble and find that he has plenty of time for you. But if a person has not been through the fires of sorrow, he is apt to be contemptuous, having no respect or time for you, only turning you away. If you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Buzzard Vision - #7163
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
I have a pastor friend who lives in a beautiful spot in the country. And he sees things there that I couldn't see where I lived for many years in an urban area. Like the bird life there was pretty much limited to sparrows, and there were a few rowdy crows, an occasional robin or blue jay. Oh, yeah, and then the parrot in our kitchen. But my friend, he was able to see and still is, all of those things with one of the classiest birds around-the hummingbird. You've seen them probably doing their amazing hovering thing and flying from one flower to the next. And they're always attracted to the most beautiful things in the yard. Now, my friend also gets to see one of the un-classiest birds around too-the buzzard. I mean, here's this amazing contrast. You've got the hummingbird and the buzzard flying over the same ground. But the hummingbird sees the meadow; the buzzard sees the carnage.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Buzzard Vision."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from the book of Lamentations, written by the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah, and really written out of a broken heart. His country is devastated, his personal life is devastated, and he talks about his feelings in chapter 3, verses 19-20. He says, "I remember my affliction and my wandering. I remember the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them. And my soul is downcast within me." We're talking about a depressed prophet here. And he's thinking about all of the negatives and the pain and the failures. Folks, that's buzzard vision! Looking at the ugly, looking at what's dying, or looking at what's dead.
But then he turns a corner in verse 21. He says this: "Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope." He's going from downcast to hope. What's making the difference? "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.'"
What a change here! Jeremiah starts looking at the hope factors instead of the hurt factors. Now, has the situation changed? No. But his focus is about to, because he talks first of all about the margin of difference when times are tough. He says, "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed." He is suddenly deciding to focus on the Lord's great love.
Then he talks about the Lord's compassions that are new every morning. Those compassions, I think, are like specific, customized actions of love from God that are in each 24-hour period of time. And you'll see them if you'll look for "God sightings" every day. They're God's little interventions; big interventions. And Jeremiah has decided to look at those instead. And because they're new every morning, God never misses a day. There's always some to see. He always supplies us with mercies for what this day will need. "Great is Your faithfulness" he says.
It's like that suffering saint one time said, "Jesus is enough." Now, he has just moved from buzzard vision, focusing on the carnage, to hummingbird vision, focusing on the beautiful - the evidences of God's love. Are you doing that? Maybe you've been dwelling on the pain, you've been kind of falling into the identity of being a victim. Maybe the monster of self-pity is consuming you. You've been focusing on your failures and building this wave of self-doubt and paralysis.
It's only Satan who focuses on the past, because it can't be changed. God points to the future that has yet to be written. Aren't you tired of just seeing the carnage, the ugly, the hurting, the negative? Why don't you choose to focus on what you can thank God for each morning? Look for His love. Review His interventions and His blessings and you'll feel wind start to rise under your wings instead of weights growing on them pulling you down. It's a daily, hourly choice. You decide what you want to focus on as you fly over today's ground.
And don't be a buzzard. Go for hummingbird vision. Look for the beauty. "His compassions never fail. Great is His faithfulness."
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Genesis 35, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: A Song for Dad
Psalm 127:3 says: “Don’t you see that children are God’s best gift? . . .His generous legacy?”
I remember many years ago when I was at a conference. I called home and talked with Denalyn and the girls. Jenna was about five years old at the time and said she had a special treat for me. She took the phone over to the piano and began to play an original composition.
From a musical standpoint, everything was wrong with the song. She pounded more than she played. There was more random than rhythm in the piece. The lyrics didn’t rhyme. The syntax was sinful. Technically the song was a failure. But to me, the song was a masterpiece. Why? Because she wrote it for me.
You are a great daddy. I miss you so much.
When you’re away I’m very sad and I cry.
Please come home very soon.
What dad wouldn’t like that? Your heavenly Father feels the same when he hears you talk to him.
From Dad Time
Genesis 35
Jacob Returns to Bethel
Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.”
2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. 3 Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem. 5 Then they set out, and the terror of God fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.
6 Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. 7 There he built an altar, and he called the place El Bethel,[h] because it was there that God revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother.
8 Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak outside Bethel. So it was named Allon Bakuth.[i]
9 After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram,[j] God appeared to him again and blessed him. 10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob,[k] but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.[l]” So he named him Israel.
11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty[m]; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants. 12 The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.” 13 Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him.
14 Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. 15 Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.[n]
The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac
16 Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and had great difficulty. 17 And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife said to her, “Don’t despair, for you have another son.” 18 As she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named her son Ben-Oni.[o] But his father named him Benjamin.[p]
19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20 Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel’s tomb.
21 Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. 22 While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it.
Jacob had twelve sons:
23 The sons of Leah:
Reuben the firstborn of Jacob,
Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun.
24 The sons of Rachel:
Joseph and Benjamin.
25 The sons of Rachel’s servant Bilhah:
Dan and Naphtali.
26 The sons of Leah’s servant Zilpah:
Gad and Asher.
These were the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan Aram.
27 Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre, near Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. 28 Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years. 29 Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Genesis 35:8 Allon Bakuth means oak of weeping.
Genesis 35:9 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia; also in verse 26
Genesis 35:10 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he deceives.
Genesis 35:10 Israel probably means he struggles with God.
Genesis 35:11 Hebrew El-Shaddai
Genesis 35:15 Bethel means house of God.
Genesis 35:18 Ben-Oni means son of my trouble.
Genesis 35:18 Benjamin means son of my right hand.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Romans 6:1-14
Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
Footnotes:
Romans 6:6 Or be rendered powerless
Insight
In verse 1, the apostle Paul reminds us of the danger of presuming on the grace of God. It is possible that there were those in the church at Rome who were advocating an immoral lifestyle, believing that God overlooked such things because that is how grace operated. Such a view, however, fails to balance the grace of God with His holiness and can lead to lives that dishonor Him.
Veins Of Gold
By Julie Ackerman Link
If we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection. —Romans 6:5
While visiting the charming Cotswold area of England, I purchased some bone china mugs as souvenirs. I used them carefully, but eventually one fell into the sink and shattered. I thought about that mug recently when I learned about the Japanese art of Kintsugi.
Usually when something breaks we are happy to repair it enough to make it functional again. But several hundred years ago, a Japanese artist decided he would make broken china beautiful. So he started using golden resin to hold the fragments together. Pieces repaired by using his method have intricate veins of gold.
Early in the human story, sin entered the world (Gen. 3). Theologians refer to the event as “the fall.” The inevitable result is brokenness. Life is painful because we keep getting hurt and hurting others with our sharp, jagged edges. But God doesn’t want us to stay broken, and His repair work turns our brokenness into beauty.
Like a Kintsugi artist, God repairs us. But He uses something more precious than gold—the blood of His Son. Instead of having veins of gold, we are united by the very veins of Christ. “We have been united together in the likeness of His death” (Rom. 6:5). Nothing is more beautiful than that.
He shed His blood, poured out His life;
He gave His all at Calvary;
Oh what can we give in return
For love so rich, so full, so free? —Anon.
The price of our freedom from sin was paid by Jesus’ blood.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, June 23, 2014
Reconciling Yourself to the Fact of Sin
This is your hour, and the power of darkness —Luke 22:53
Not being reconciled to the fact of sin— not recognizing it and refusing to deal with it— produces all the disasters in life. You may talk about the lofty virtues of human nature, but there is something in human nature that will mockingly laugh in the face of every principle you have. If you refuse to agree with the fact that there is wickedness and selfishness, something downright hateful and wrong, in human beings, when it attacks your life, instead of reconciling yourself to it, you will compromise with it and say that it is of no use to battle against it. Have you taken this “hour, and the power of darkness” into account, or do you have a view of yourself which includes no recognition of sin whatsoever? In your human relationships and friendships, have you reconciled yourself to the fact of sin? If not, just around the next corner you will find yourself trapped and you will compromise with it. But if you will reconcile yourself to the fact of sin, you will realize the danger immediately and say, “Yes, I see what this sin would mean.” The recognition of sin does not destroy the basis of friendship— it simply establishes a mutual respect for the fact that the basis of sinful life is disastrous. Always beware of any assessment of life which does not recognize the fact that there is sin.
Jesus Christ never trusted human nature, yet He was never cynical nor suspicious, because He had absolute trust in what He could do for human nature. The pure man or woman is the one who is shielded from harm, not the innocent person. The so-called innocent man or woman is never safe. Men and women have no business trying to be innocent; God demands that they be pure and virtuous. Innocence is the characteristic of a child. Any person is deserving of blame if he is unwilling to reconcile himself to the fact of sin.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
When Your Checkbook Doesn't Balance - #7162
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Look, it's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it. And the bank does their part; they send you that photocopy of all the checks that you've written in the last month. And you get to compare those with what you've recorded in your checkbook. Don't you look forward to doing that? You get to participate in the necessary evil called balancing your checkbook.
Sometimes you can kick back and say, "Yep, it all adds up." But I remember a few times when it didn't. How about you? This is why I may not have as much hair as I used to. While you're pulling out your hair, you're thinking, "I'm spending an awful lot!" One college student said, "Hey, I must still have money, I still have checks!" Well, fortunately it's never been that bad for me, but I'll tell you this, "You dare not rest until your checkbook tells you exactly where you are and gives you the accurate picture."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When Your Checkbook Doesn't Balance."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew chapter 6, and we'll begin at verse 19. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy; where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Let me give you kind of an up-to-date version of what I think Jesus is saying here. "Show Me your checkbook, and I'll show you your heart." See, your checkbook is a history of your life. Did you ever think of it that way? If you went back over all the checks you've ever written in your lifetime, it's kind of like there's your life. Maybe you wrote a check for your wedding expenses one day, or the funeral home when you lost a loved one, or to the doctor when you had a baby or an illness.
There have been a lot of checks to the bank where you paid for that house that was your dream. Remember? Or for new clothes, or all those charges you built up-and most of that stuff is interest-new toys, your possessions, your vacations. You see, your checkbook is the history of your life. It's also a history of your heart. That's what Jesus was saying. He says your checkbook shows where your real love is; much more than saying your theology does.
So how does God say He finds out what's in our heart? Well, not by your vocabulary; not by your date book saying, "If you're really busy doing Christian things." Not by your reputation or asking all the other Christian folks. No, He says, "Show Me your checkbook." See where you're spending the biggest share of what you have. It tells you where your heart is. And for the most part, we're spending it on earth stuff. That's like putting your valuables on the Titanic. This planet, this world system is going down. Would you put your valuables on the Titanic?
See, some look at the unarguable evidence of their checkbook and finally they go, "You know what? This is out-of-balance. Not mathematically, but eternally. I'm spending way too much on earth stuff." What we spend on interest, what we spend on luxuries alone could probably pay for most of the ministry needs you've heard of in the world today.
The fact is, most of our checkbook entries point to ourselves; spending on me, spending on earth stuff. Isn't it time we balanced our checkbook in line with what will last; steadily decreasing the percentage we spend on our kingdom, and steadily increasing the amount we spend on Christ's forever kingdom?
Jesus is saying, "If I don't have your treasures, I don't have your heart." Your life could be so much more significant and so much more satisfying if you would just balance your checkbook with heaven in mind.
Psalm 127:3 says: “Don’t you see that children are God’s best gift? . . .His generous legacy?”
I remember many years ago when I was at a conference. I called home and talked with Denalyn and the girls. Jenna was about five years old at the time and said she had a special treat for me. She took the phone over to the piano and began to play an original composition.
From a musical standpoint, everything was wrong with the song. She pounded more than she played. There was more random than rhythm in the piece. The lyrics didn’t rhyme. The syntax was sinful. Technically the song was a failure. But to me, the song was a masterpiece. Why? Because she wrote it for me.
You are a great daddy. I miss you so much.
When you’re away I’m very sad and I cry.
Please come home very soon.
What dad wouldn’t like that? Your heavenly Father feels the same when he hears you talk to him.
From Dad Time
Genesis 35
Jacob Returns to Bethel
Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.”
2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. 3 Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem. 5 Then they set out, and the terror of God fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.
6 Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. 7 There he built an altar, and he called the place El Bethel,[h] because it was there that God revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother.
8 Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak outside Bethel. So it was named Allon Bakuth.[i]
9 After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram,[j] God appeared to him again and blessed him. 10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob,[k] but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.[l]” So he named him Israel.
11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty[m]; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants. 12 The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.” 13 Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him.
14 Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. 15 Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.[n]
The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac
16 Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and had great difficulty. 17 And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife said to her, “Don’t despair, for you have another son.” 18 As she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named her son Ben-Oni.[o] But his father named him Benjamin.[p]
19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20 Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel’s tomb.
21 Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. 22 While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it.
Jacob had twelve sons:
23 The sons of Leah:
Reuben the firstborn of Jacob,
Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun.
24 The sons of Rachel:
Joseph and Benjamin.
25 The sons of Rachel’s servant Bilhah:
Dan and Naphtali.
26 The sons of Leah’s servant Zilpah:
Gad and Asher.
These were the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan Aram.
27 Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre, near Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. 28 Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years. 29 Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Genesis 35:8 Allon Bakuth means oak of weeping.
Genesis 35:9 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia; also in verse 26
Genesis 35:10 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he deceives.
Genesis 35:10 Israel probably means he struggles with God.
Genesis 35:11 Hebrew El-Shaddai
Genesis 35:15 Bethel means house of God.
Genesis 35:18 Ben-Oni means son of my trouble.
Genesis 35:18 Benjamin means son of my right hand.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Romans 6:1-14
Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
Footnotes:
Romans 6:6 Or be rendered powerless
Insight
In verse 1, the apostle Paul reminds us of the danger of presuming on the grace of God. It is possible that there were those in the church at Rome who were advocating an immoral lifestyle, believing that God overlooked such things because that is how grace operated. Such a view, however, fails to balance the grace of God with His holiness and can lead to lives that dishonor Him.
Veins Of Gold
By Julie Ackerman Link
If we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection. —Romans 6:5
While visiting the charming Cotswold area of England, I purchased some bone china mugs as souvenirs. I used them carefully, but eventually one fell into the sink and shattered. I thought about that mug recently when I learned about the Japanese art of Kintsugi.
Usually when something breaks we are happy to repair it enough to make it functional again. But several hundred years ago, a Japanese artist decided he would make broken china beautiful. So he started using golden resin to hold the fragments together. Pieces repaired by using his method have intricate veins of gold.
Early in the human story, sin entered the world (Gen. 3). Theologians refer to the event as “the fall.” The inevitable result is brokenness. Life is painful because we keep getting hurt and hurting others with our sharp, jagged edges. But God doesn’t want us to stay broken, and His repair work turns our brokenness into beauty.
Like a Kintsugi artist, God repairs us. But He uses something more precious than gold—the blood of His Son. Instead of having veins of gold, we are united by the very veins of Christ. “We have been united together in the likeness of His death” (Rom. 6:5). Nothing is more beautiful than that.
He shed His blood, poured out His life;
He gave His all at Calvary;
Oh what can we give in return
For love so rich, so full, so free? —Anon.
The price of our freedom from sin was paid by Jesus’ blood.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, June 23, 2014
Reconciling Yourself to the Fact of Sin
This is your hour, and the power of darkness —Luke 22:53
Not being reconciled to the fact of sin— not recognizing it and refusing to deal with it— produces all the disasters in life. You may talk about the lofty virtues of human nature, but there is something in human nature that will mockingly laugh in the face of every principle you have. If you refuse to agree with the fact that there is wickedness and selfishness, something downright hateful and wrong, in human beings, when it attacks your life, instead of reconciling yourself to it, you will compromise with it and say that it is of no use to battle against it. Have you taken this “hour, and the power of darkness” into account, or do you have a view of yourself which includes no recognition of sin whatsoever? In your human relationships and friendships, have you reconciled yourself to the fact of sin? If not, just around the next corner you will find yourself trapped and you will compromise with it. But if you will reconcile yourself to the fact of sin, you will realize the danger immediately and say, “Yes, I see what this sin would mean.” The recognition of sin does not destroy the basis of friendship— it simply establishes a mutual respect for the fact that the basis of sinful life is disastrous. Always beware of any assessment of life which does not recognize the fact that there is sin.
Jesus Christ never trusted human nature, yet He was never cynical nor suspicious, because He had absolute trust in what He could do for human nature. The pure man or woman is the one who is shielded from harm, not the innocent person. The so-called innocent man or woman is never safe. Men and women have no business trying to be innocent; God demands that they be pure and virtuous. Innocence is the characteristic of a child. Any person is deserving of blame if he is unwilling to reconcile himself to the fact of sin.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
When Your Checkbook Doesn't Balance - #7162
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Look, it's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it. And the bank does their part; they send you that photocopy of all the checks that you've written in the last month. And you get to compare those with what you've recorded in your checkbook. Don't you look forward to doing that? You get to participate in the necessary evil called balancing your checkbook.
Sometimes you can kick back and say, "Yep, it all adds up." But I remember a few times when it didn't. How about you? This is why I may not have as much hair as I used to. While you're pulling out your hair, you're thinking, "I'm spending an awful lot!" One college student said, "Hey, I must still have money, I still have checks!" Well, fortunately it's never been that bad for me, but I'll tell you this, "You dare not rest until your checkbook tells you exactly where you are and gives you the accurate picture."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When Your Checkbook Doesn't Balance."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew chapter 6, and we'll begin at verse 19. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy; where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Let me give you kind of an up-to-date version of what I think Jesus is saying here. "Show Me your checkbook, and I'll show you your heart." See, your checkbook is a history of your life. Did you ever think of it that way? If you went back over all the checks you've ever written in your lifetime, it's kind of like there's your life. Maybe you wrote a check for your wedding expenses one day, or the funeral home when you lost a loved one, or to the doctor when you had a baby or an illness.
There have been a lot of checks to the bank where you paid for that house that was your dream. Remember? Or for new clothes, or all those charges you built up-and most of that stuff is interest-new toys, your possessions, your vacations. You see, your checkbook is the history of your life. It's also a history of your heart. That's what Jesus was saying. He says your checkbook shows where your real love is; much more than saying your theology does.
So how does God say He finds out what's in our heart? Well, not by your vocabulary; not by your date book saying, "If you're really busy doing Christian things." Not by your reputation or asking all the other Christian folks. No, He says, "Show Me your checkbook." See where you're spending the biggest share of what you have. It tells you where your heart is. And for the most part, we're spending it on earth stuff. That's like putting your valuables on the Titanic. This planet, this world system is going down. Would you put your valuables on the Titanic?
See, some look at the unarguable evidence of their checkbook and finally they go, "You know what? This is out-of-balance. Not mathematically, but eternally. I'm spending way too much on earth stuff." What we spend on interest, what we spend on luxuries alone could probably pay for most of the ministry needs you've heard of in the world today.
The fact is, most of our checkbook entries point to ourselves; spending on me, spending on earth stuff. Isn't it time we balanced our checkbook in line with what will last; steadily decreasing the percentage we spend on our kingdom, and steadily increasing the amount we spend on Christ's forever kingdom?
Jesus is saying, "If I don't have your treasures, I don't have your heart." Your life could be so much more significant and so much more satisfying if you would just balance your checkbook with heaven in mind.
Monday, June 23, 2014
Genesis 34 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: What Pleases a Father
When our daughters were young, Denalyn went away for a couple of days and left me alone with the girls. Though the time was not without the typical children’s quarrels and occasional misbehavior, it went fine.
“How were the girls?” Denalyn asked when she got home. “Good. No problem at all.” Jenna overheard me. “We weren’t good, Daddy,” she objected. “We fought once; we didn’t do what you said once. We weren’t good.”
Jenna and I had different perceptions of what pleases a father. She thought it depended on what she did. It didn’t. We think the same about God. We think His love rises and falls with our performance. It doesn’t. I didn’t love Jenna for what she did. I loved her—and love her still—for whose she is. She’s mine. God loves you for the same reason. He loves you for whose you are; and you are His child!
From Dad Time
Genesis 34
Dinah and the Shechemites
Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. 2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and raped her. 3 His heart was drawn to Dinah daughter of Jacob; he loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. 4 And Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me this girl as my wife.”
5 When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled, his sons were in the fields with his livestock; so he did nothing about it until they came home.
6 Then Shechem’s father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob. 7 Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked and furious, because Shechem had done an outrageous thing in[e] Israel by sleeping with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done.
8 But Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife. 9 Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves. 10 You can settle among us; the land is open to you. Live in it, trade[f] in it, and acquire property in it.”
11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and I will give you whatever you ask. 12 Make the price for the bride and the gift I am to bring as great as you like, and I’ll pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the young woman as my wife.”
13 Because their sister Dinah had been defiled, Jacob’s sons replied deceitfully as they spoke to Shechem and his father Hamor. 14 They said to them, “We can’t do such a thing; we can’t give our sister to a man who is not circumcised. That would be a disgrace to us. 15 We will enter into an agreement with you on one condition only: that you become like us by circumcising all your males. 16 Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves. We’ll settle among you and become one people with you. 17 But if you will not agree to be circumcised, we’ll take our sister and go.”
18 Their proposal seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. 19 The young man, who was the most honored of all his father’s family, lost no time in doing what they said, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter. 20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city to speak to the men of their city. 21 “These men are friendly toward us,” they said. “Let them live in our land and trade in it; the land has plenty of room for them. We can marry their daughters and they can marry ours. 22 But the men will agree to live with us as one people only on the condition that our males be circumcised, as they themselves are. 23 Won’t their livestock, their property and all their other animals become ours? So let us agree to their terms, and they will settle among us.”
24 All the men who went out of the city gate agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male in the city was circumcised.
25 Three days later, while all of them were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male. 26 They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword and took Dinah from Shechem’s house and left. 27 The sons of Jacob came upon the dead bodies and looted the city where[g] their sister had been defiled. 28 They seized their flocks and herds and donkeys and everything else of theirs in the city and out in the fields. 29 They carried off all their wealth and all their women and children, taking as plunder everything in the houses.
30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me obnoxious to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”
31 But they replied, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Insight
Today’s reading reminds us of two influences in our lives (vv.9-10). One is “the old man,” that is, the person we were before trusting Christ. The other is “the new man” who is becoming more like Christ. We are to “put off” the behavior patterns of our old ways and “put on” the new character qualities of Christ.
Restored By The Master
By David C. McCasland
[You] have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him. —Colossians 3:10
Over the centuries, many attempts have been made to restore damaged and time-worn masterpieces of art. While some of these efforts have skillfully preserved the original work of artists, others have actually damaged many works of genius, including ancient Greek statues and at least two paintings by da Vinci.
In Paul’s letter to the Christians at Colosse, he described a restoration process that is impossible in the world of art. It’s a restoration of God’s people. Paul wrote, “You have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him” (Col. 3:9-10). This is no attempt at renovating the work of a deceased artist. It is a spiritual renewal from the living God who created us and gave us new life in His Son, Jesus Christ. His forgiveness brightens the colors of our lives while His grace sharpens the lines of His purpose for us.
The canvas of our lives is in the skilled hands of our Lord who knows who and what He designed us to be. No matter how sin-damaged and dirty we may be, there is hope for renewal and restoration. The Master Artist is alive and at work within us.
Praise, my soul, the King of heaven,
To His feet thy tribute bring;
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Evermore His praises sing. —Lyte
Jesus specializes in restoration.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, June 23, 2014
He is . . . a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief —Isaiah 53:3
We are not “acquainted with grief” in the same way our Lord was acquainted with it. We endure it and live through it, but we do not become intimate with it. At the beginning of our lives we do not bring ourselves to the point of dealing with the reality of sin. We look at life through the eyes of reason and say that if a person will control his instincts, and educate himself, he can produce a life that will slowly evolve into the life of God. But as we continue on through life, we find the presence of something which we have not yet taken into account, namely, sin— and it upsets all of our thinking and our plans. Sin has made the foundation of our thinking unpredictable, uncontrollable, and irrational.
We have to recognize that sin is a fact of life, not just a shortcoming. Sin is blatant mutiny against God, and either sin or God must die in my life. The New Testament brings us right down to this one issue— if sin rules in me, God’s life in me will be killed; if God rules in me, sin in me will be killed. There is nothing more fundamental than that. The culmination of sin was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and what was true in the history of God on earth will also be true in your history and in mine— that is, sin will kill the life of God in us. We must mentally bring ourselves to terms with this fact of sin. It is the only explanation why Jesus Christ came to earth, and it is the explanation of the grief and sorrow of life.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Pursued By Love - #7161
Monday, June 23, 2014
If you want to ask me the five greatest victories in my life, I'm not sure I can tell you what two, three, four or five would be. But I could sure tell you what number one would be - my wife! See, she wasn't an easy conquest. She was dating this other guy, and I was after her long before she had any romantic thoughts about me. So I really had to work on this one. And I knew it would require almost a military campaign. So I plotted ways to be with her, I plotted ways to impress her. (Don't tell her all this, okay?) I plotted ways to try to help her. Of course this is all under the heading of "Oh, we have a brother and sister relationship."
After several months of this brother/sister thing, I blurted out to her one night, standing by a water fountain-I remember it. We were in college. I said, "I'm tired of this brother/sister thing. I want us to have more than that." See, I loved her before she loved me and I pursued her, and I got her.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Pursued By Love."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from John chapter 1 beginning at verse 45. It's a little known encounter in the life of Jesus, but it's actually loaded with revealing information about what Jesus might be doing in your life right now. Philip has just come to Christ. And it says, "Philip found Nathanael and told him, 'We have found the One Moses wrote about in the law and about whom the prophets also wrote-Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.' (Here's what Nathanael says.) 'Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?' 'Come and see' said Philip. When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, 'Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.' 'How do you know me?' Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, 'I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.' Then Nathanael declared, 'Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.'"
Okay, you notice here Nathanael's not initially interested in Jesus. But then Jesus says, "I saw you long before you saw me." Well that melted Nathanael's heart and it ultimately made him one of the disciples of Jesus Christ.
Actually, Jesus has had His eye on you for a long time. Here's what the Bible says in Ephesians 1:4 , "He chose us in Christ before the creation of the world." God has had His eye on you since before there was a world. And over the years of your life He's been pursuing you with His love whether you were paying any attention to Him or not. Like this guy I know who pursued this girl, and she was beautiful and attractive. The Bible says we're not beautiful and attractive to God. In fact it says, "While we were yet sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8 ).
God's love for you and me isn't romantic love. It isn't because we're lovable. In fact, we're sinners who've hijacked our life from Him - the life that He gave us. Listen to this description of God's love for you. "This is love. Not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (John 4:10 ).
Now, I know on a finite level what it means to love someone before that person responds; to pursue the one you love. Well, the God of the universe has been doing that with you. He's been waiting for you while you've been checking out all those other options for your heart. Today, again, He's knocking on the door of your heart saying, "Isn't it time you opened your heart; opened your life to Me?"
He won't wait forever. That's why the Bible says, "Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near." Today's really the only day you can be sure He'll still be found. Don't run from the love of Jesus any longer. He's pursued you one more time to find you right where you are right now.
See, you can't have a one-way love affair. You need to respond to God's love by committing yourself to Jesus Christ with all your heart. How I would love; how I would be honored to help you get that settled this very day. I want to encourage you to meet me at our website ANewStory.com. And there in just a very few minutes I think I can walk you through beginning your relationship with Jesus Christ.
Christ has loved you enough to sacrifice His life for yours; to pursue you with His love, and now to wait patiently for you to respond. Don't risk losing the love that your heart was made for.
When our daughters were young, Denalyn went away for a couple of days and left me alone with the girls. Though the time was not without the typical children’s quarrels and occasional misbehavior, it went fine.
“How were the girls?” Denalyn asked when she got home. “Good. No problem at all.” Jenna overheard me. “We weren’t good, Daddy,” she objected. “We fought once; we didn’t do what you said once. We weren’t good.”
Jenna and I had different perceptions of what pleases a father. She thought it depended on what she did. It didn’t. We think the same about God. We think His love rises and falls with our performance. It doesn’t. I didn’t love Jenna for what she did. I loved her—and love her still—for whose she is. She’s mine. God loves you for the same reason. He loves you for whose you are; and you are His child!
From Dad Time
Genesis 34
Dinah and the Shechemites
Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. 2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and raped her. 3 His heart was drawn to Dinah daughter of Jacob; he loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. 4 And Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me this girl as my wife.”
5 When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled, his sons were in the fields with his livestock; so he did nothing about it until they came home.
6 Then Shechem’s father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob. 7 Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked and furious, because Shechem had done an outrageous thing in[e] Israel by sleeping with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done.
8 But Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife. 9 Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves. 10 You can settle among us; the land is open to you. Live in it, trade[f] in it, and acquire property in it.”
11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and I will give you whatever you ask. 12 Make the price for the bride and the gift I am to bring as great as you like, and I’ll pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the young woman as my wife.”
13 Because their sister Dinah had been defiled, Jacob’s sons replied deceitfully as they spoke to Shechem and his father Hamor. 14 They said to them, “We can’t do such a thing; we can’t give our sister to a man who is not circumcised. That would be a disgrace to us. 15 We will enter into an agreement with you on one condition only: that you become like us by circumcising all your males. 16 Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves. We’ll settle among you and become one people with you. 17 But if you will not agree to be circumcised, we’ll take our sister and go.”
18 Their proposal seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. 19 The young man, who was the most honored of all his father’s family, lost no time in doing what they said, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter. 20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city to speak to the men of their city. 21 “These men are friendly toward us,” they said. “Let them live in our land and trade in it; the land has plenty of room for them. We can marry their daughters and they can marry ours. 22 But the men will agree to live with us as one people only on the condition that our males be circumcised, as they themselves are. 23 Won’t their livestock, their property and all their other animals become ours? So let us agree to their terms, and they will settle among us.”
24 All the men who went out of the city gate agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male in the city was circumcised.
25 Three days later, while all of them were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male. 26 They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword and took Dinah from Shechem’s house and left. 27 The sons of Jacob came upon the dead bodies and looted the city where[g] their sister had been defiled. 28 They seized their flocks and herds and donkeys and everything else of theirs in the city and out in the fields. 29 They carried off all their wealth and all their women and children, taking as plunder everything in the houses.
30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me obnoxious to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”
31 But they replied, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Insight
Today’s reading reminds us of two influences in our lives (vv.9-10). One is “the old man,” that is, the person we were before trusting Christ. The other is “the new man” who is becoming more like Christ. We are to “put off” the behavior patterns of our old ways and “put on” the new character qualities of Christ.
Restored By The Master
By David C. McCasland
[You] have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him. —Colossians 3:10
Over the centuries, many attempts have been made to restore damaged and time-worn masterpieces of art. While some of these efforts have skillfully preserved the original work of artists, others have actually damaged many works of genius, including ancient Greek statues and at least two paintings by da Vinci.
In Paul’s letter to the Christians at Colosse, he described a restoration process that is impossible in the world of art. It’s a restoration of God’s people. Paul wrote, “You have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him” (Col. 3:9-10). This is no attempt at renovating the work of a deceased artist. It is a spiritual renewal from the living God who created us and gave us new life in His Son, Jesus Christ. His forgiveness brightens the colors of our lives while His grace sharpens the lines of His purpose for us.
The canvas of our lives is in the skilled hands of our Lord who knows who and what He designed us to be. No matter how sin-damaged and dirty we may be, there is hope for renewal and restoration. The Master Artist is alive and at work within us.
Praise, my soul, the King of heaven,
To His feet thy tribute bring;
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Evermore His praises sing. —Lyte
Jesus specializes in restoration.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, June 23, 2014
He is . . . a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief —Isaiah 53:3
We are not “acquainted with grief” in the same way our Lord was acquainted with it. We endure it and live through it, but we do not become intimate with it. At the beginning of our lives we do not bring ourselves to the point of dealing with the reality of sin. We look at life through the eyes of reason and say that if a person will control his instincts, and educate himself, he can produce a life that will slowly evolve into the life of God. But as we continue on through life, we find the presence of something which we have not yet taken into account, namely, sin— and it upsets all of our thinking and our plans. Sin has made the foundation of our thinking unpredictable, uncontrollable, and irrational.
We have to recognize that sin is a fact of life, not just a shortcoming. Sin is blatant mutiny against God, and either sin or God must die in my life. The New Testament brings us right down to this one issue— if sin rules in me, God’s life in me will be killed; if God rules in me, sin in me will be killed. There is nothing more fundamental than that. The culmination of sin was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and what was true in the history of God on earth will also be true in your history and in mine— that is, sin will kill the life of God in us. We must mentally bring ourselves to terms with this fact of sin. It is the only explanation why Jesus Christ came to earth, and it is the explanation of the grief and sorrow of life.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Pursued By Love - #7161
Monday, June 23, 2014
If you want to ask me the five greatest victories in my life, I'm not sure I can tell you what two, three, four or five would be. But I could sure tell you what number one would be - my wife! See, she wasn't an easy conquest. She was dating this other guy, and I was after her long before she had any romantic thoughts about me. So I really had to work on this one. And I knew it would require almost a military campaign. So I plotted ways to be with her, I plotted ways to impress her. (Don't tell her all this, okay?) I plotted ways to try to help her. Of course this is all under the heading of "Oh, we have a brother and sister relationship."
After several months of this brother/sister thing, I blurted out to her one night, standing by a water fountain-I remember it. We were in college. I said, "I'm tired of this brother/sister thing. I want us to have more than that." See, I loved her before she loved me and I pursued her, and I got her.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Pursued By Love."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from John chapter 1 beginning at verse 45. It's a little known encounter in the life of Jesus, but it's actually loaded with revealing information about what Jesus might be doing in your life right now. Philip has just come to Christ. And it says, "Philip found Nathanael and told him, 'We have found the One Moses wrote about in the law and about whom the prophets also wrote-Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.' (Here's what Nathanael says.) 'Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?' 'Come and see' said Philip. When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, 'Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.' 'How do you know me?' Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, 'I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.' Then Nathanael declared, 'Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.'"
Okay, you notice here Nathanael's not initially interested in Jesus. But then Jesus says, "I saw you long before you saw me." Well that melted Nathanael's heart and it ultimately made him one of the disciples of Jesus Christ.
Actually, Jesus has had His eye on you for a long time. Here's what the Bible says in Ephesians 1:4 , "He chose us in Christ before the creation of the world." God has had His eye on you since before there was a world. And over the years of your life He's been pursuing you with His love whether you were paying any attention to Him or not. Like this guy I know who pursued this girl, and she was beautiful and attractive. The Bible says we're not beautiful and attractive to God. In fact it says, "While we were yet sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8 ).
God's love for you and me isn't romantic love. It isn't because we're lovable. In fact, we're sinners who've hijacked our life from Him - the life that He gave us. Listen to this description of God's love for you. "This is love. Not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (John 4:10 ).
Now, I know on a finite level what it means to love someone before that person responds; to pursue the one you love. Well, the God of the universe has been doing that with you. He's been waiting for you while you've been checking out all those other options for your heart. Today, again, He's knocking on the door of your heart saying, "Isn't it time you opened your heart; opened your life to Me?"
He won't wait forever. That's why the Bible says, "Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near." Today's really the only day you can be sure He'll still be found. Don't run from the love of Jesus any longer. He's pursued you one more time to find you right where you are right now.
See, you can't have a one-way love affair. You need to respond to God's love by committing yourself to Jesus Christ with all your heart. How I would love; how I would be honored to help you get that settled this very day. I want to encourage you to meet me at our website ANewStory.com. And there in just a very few minutes I think I can walk you through beginning your relationship with Jesus Christ.
Christ has loved you enough to sacrifice His life for yours; to pursue you with His love, and now to wait patiently for you to respond. Don't risk losing the love that your heart was made for.