Max Lucado Daily: Guard Your Attitude
It's easy to forget who is the servant and who is to be served. The tool of distortion is one of Satan's slyest. When the focus is on yourself, you worry that your co-workers won't appreciate you or your leaders will overwork you. With time, your agenda becomes more important than God's. You're more concerned with presenting self than pleasing Him. You may even find yourself doubting God's judgment.
Remember Martha criticizing her sister Mary, "Lord don't you care that my sister has left me alone to do all the work? Tell her to help me" (Luke 10:40). What had Mary chosen? She'd chosen to sit at the feet of Christ. God is more pleased with the quiet attention of a sincere servant than the noisy service of a sour one!
Guard your attitude. If you concern yourself with your neighbor's talents, you'll neglect your own. But if you concern yourself with yours, you could inspire both!
from He Still Moves Stones
Exodus 28
The Priestly Garments
“Have Aaron your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, so they may serve me as priests. 2 Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honor. 3 Tell all the skilled workers to whom I have given wisdom in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so he may serve me as priest. 4 These are the garments they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban and a sash. They are to make these sacred garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so they may serve me as priests. 5 Have them use gold, and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.
The Ephod
6 “Make the ephod of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen—the work of skilled hands. 7 It is to have two shoulder pieces attached to two of its corners, so it can be fastened. 8 Its skillfully woven waistband is to be like it—of one piece with the ephod and made with gold, and with blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and with finely twisted linen.
9 “Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel 10 in the order of their birth—six names on one stone and the remaining six on the other. 11 Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings 12 and fasten them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear the names on his shoulders as a memorial before the Lord. 13 Make gold filigree settings 14 and two braided chains of pure gold, like a rope, and attach the chains to the settings.
The Breastpiece
15 “Fashion a breastpiece for making decisions—the work of skilled hands. Make it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. 16 It is to be square—a span[i] long and a span wide—and folded double. 17 Then mount four rows of precious stones on it. The first row shall be carnelian, chrysolite and beryl; 18 the second row shall be turquoise, lapis lazuli and emerald; 19 the third row shall be jacinth, agate and amethyst; 20 the fourth row shall be topaz, onyx and jasper.[j] Mount them in gold filigree settings. 21 There are to be twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.
22 “For the breastpiece make braided chains of pure gold, like a rope. 23 Make two gold rings for it and fasten them to two corners of the breastpiece. 24 Fasten the two gold chains to the rings at the corners of the breastpiece, 25 and the other ends of the chains to the two settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front. 26 Make two gold rings and attach them to the other two corners of the breastpiece on the inside edge next to the ephod. 27 Make two more gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the seam just above the waistband of the ephod. 28 The rings of the breastpiece are to be tied to the rings of the ephod with blue cord, connecting it to the waistband, so that the breastpiece will not swing out from the ephod.
29 “Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the Lord. 30 Also put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.
Other Priestly Garments
31 “Make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, 32 with an opening for the head in its center. There shall be a woven edge like a collar[k] around this opening, so that it will not tear. 33 Make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them. 34 The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe. 35 Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the Lord and when he comes out, so that he will not die.
36 “Make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: holy to the Lord. 37 Fasten a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban; it is to be on the front of the turban. 38 It will be on Aaron’s forehead, and he will bear the guilt involved in the sacred gifts the Israelites consecrate, whatever their gifts may be. It will be on Aaron’s forehead continually so that they will be acceptable to the Lord.
39 “Weave the tunic of fine linen and make the turban of fine linen. The sash is to be the work of an embroiderer. 40 Make tunics, sashes and caps for Aaron’s sons to give them dignity and honor. 41 After you put these clothes on your brother Aaron and his sons, anoint and ordain them. Consecrate them so they may serve me as priests.
42 “Make linen undergarments as a covering for the body, reaching from the waist to the thigh. 43 Aaron and his sons must wear them whenever they enter the tent of meeting or approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they will not incur guilt and die.
“This is to be a lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants.
Exodus 28:16 That is, about 9 inches or about 23 centimeters
Exodus 28:20 The precise identification of some of these precious stones is uncertain.
Exodus 28:32 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Read: Psalm 119:97-106
h, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
98 Your commands are always with me
and make me wiser than my enemies.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.
100 I have more understanding than the elders,
for I obey your precepts.
101 I have kept my feet from every evil path
so that I might obey your word.
102 I have not departed from your laws,
for you yourself have taught me.
103 How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path.
? Nun
105 Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.
106 I have taken an oath and confirmed it,
that I will follow your righteous laws.
Insight
In today’s reading, we find a portion of the psalmist’s great homage to the Word of God. The verses describe the Word as commandments (v.98), testimonies (v.99), precepts (vv.100,104), and judgments (vv.102,106). He also pictures the Word as honey (v.103) and a lamp (v.105). One idea repeated in this text is that of the singer’s response to the Word, which is meditation (vv.97,99). The word meditate means “to reflect on.” It is a common theme in psalms that speak of the Scriptures—beginning with Psalm 1, which describes the blessed person as the one who meditates on the Word “day and night” (v.2). The word for meditate comes from the Hebrew word habah, which means “to be preoccupied with,” and is also used of a cow chewing its cud in order to more readily absorb the nutrients.
Spiritual Navigation
By David C. McCasland
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. —Psalm 119:105
Dava Sobel’s award-winning book Longitude describes a dilemma faced by early sailors. They could readily determine their latitude north or south of the equator by the length of the day or height of the sun. Calculating east/west longitude, however, remained complex and unreliable until English clockmaker John Harrison invented the marine chronometer. This was “a clock that would carry the true time from the home port . . . to any remote corner of the world,” thus enabling sailors to determine longitude.
As we navigate the seas of life, we also have a reliable source of spiritual direction—the Bible. The psalmist wrote, “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Ps. 119:97). Rather than occasionally glancing at God’s Word, he spoke of pondering the Lord’s directions throughout each day: “Your testimonies are my meditation” (v.99). This was coupled with a commitment to obey the Author: “I have sworn and confirmed that I will keep Your righteous judgments” (v.106).
Like the mariners of old, we need a constant guide to help us find our way and stay on course. That’s what happens when we seek the Lord day by day with an open heart and a willing spirit that says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
We need God’s guidance from above,
His daily leading and His love;
As we trust Him for direction,
To our course He’ll give correction. —Fitzhugh
With God as your navigator, you’re headed in the right direction.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Are You Ever Troubled?
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you . . . —John 14:27
There are times in our lives when our peace is based simply on our own ignorance. But when we are awakened to the realities of life, true inner peace is impossible unless it is received from Jesus. When our Lord speaks peace, He creates peace, because the words that He speaks are always “spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). Have I ever received what Jesus speaks? “. . . My peace I give to you. . .”— a peace that comes from looking into His face and fully understanding and receiving His quiet contentment.
Are you severely troubled right now? Are you afraid and confused by the waves and the turbulence God sovereignly allows to enter your life? Have you left no stone of your faith unturned, yet still not found any well of peace, joy, or comfort? Does your life seem completely barren to you? Then look up and receive the quiet contentment of the Lord Jesus. Reflecting His peace is proof that you are right with God, because you are exhibiting the freedom to turn your mind to Him. If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself. Allowing anything to hide the face of Jesus Christ from you either causes you to become troubled or gives you a false sense of security.
With regard to the problem that is pressing in on you right now, are you “looking unto Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2) and receiving peace from Him? If so, He will be a gracious blessing of peace exhibited in and through you. But if you only try to worry your way out of the problem, you destroy His effectiveness in you, and you deserve whatever you get. We become troubled because we have not been taking Him into account. When a person confers with Jesus Christ, the confusion stops, because there is no confusion in Him. Lay everything out before Him, and when you are faced with difficulty, bereavement, and sorrow, listen to Him say, “Let not your heart be troubled . . .” (John 14:27).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
The California Rampage: 3 Life-Twisting Ideas About Love - #7207
"We may never know why this happened." That's the usual reaction when another "senseless" shooting leaves its trail of death and heartbreak. Not this time.
This vengeful gunman in the horrific rampage near Santa Barbara, California left this hate-filled, 141-page manifesto to explain it. As one student's
self-described "day of retribution" he called it.
"My Twisted World" his manifesto was called. And in part, it's a journal of growing romantic and sexual frustration. Girls went for other guys but not for him. Others were having sex while he was an unintentional virgin. Frustration morphed into loneliness, then into desperation, and then a hellish personal agenda of destroying what he thought had hurt him.
In the midst of the subsequent discussions about gun control and mental illness, few were addressing his convoluted ideas about love and sex and women;lies that permeate our culture, our hopes, our expectations.
They're lies I'm all too familiar with. From knowing so many who've bought these lies, who feel worthless, and who feel rejected. Who are often driven towithdrawal, bitterness, or self-pity. Some lash out. Some just decide to die. They are wrong ideas that need to be exposed because they're hurting too many people.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The California Rampage: 3 Life-Twisting Ideas About Love."
Here's the first one: sex and love give you worth. That seems to be what the California mass shooter believed. Along with millions of people who've been bombarded with a Hollywood story line that holds up romantic love as the ultimate happy ending; the ultimate validation that, "Yes, you are worth
something."
But, as many can attest, they got used, not loved. Like the teenage girl who called for advice about whether to give in to her boyfriend's pressure to have sex. She hadn't dated much. She was a virgin. She really didn't want to lose this guy though. I told her she'd probably lose him anyway once she gave in and lose something she could never get back. But he made her feel valuable. She gave him what he wanted. He moved on. She said, "I thought I'd feel worth more if I did it. I don't. I feel more worth-less than ever."
Secondly, a man proves his manhood by conquering a woman. Boy, there's another lie. The Bible says we're all "made in the image of God" (Genesis 1:27).
It actually commands young men to "treat the younger women as sisters, with absolute purity" (1 Timothy 5:2). So using them for your pleasure diminishes both you and her. A guy doesn't prove his manhood by conquering a woman. He proves it by being a man women are safe with, respected, protected, un-violated. He conquers himself. And then a third life-twisting idea out there is that love and sex will make you fulfilled. The most passionate love, the greatest sex still leave you with this haunting whisper in your soul, Someone's missing." Yeah, well, Someone is. That's Someone with a capital S.A boyfriend, a girlfriend, a lover, a husband or wife; they don't fill that hole in your heart because they can't. God says He has "planted eternity (These are the Bible's words.) in the human heart" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). And nobody on earth can fill that eternity vacuum.
Which leads us to our word for today from the Word of God in Colossians 1:16 that talks about the relationship you were made for. It says, "All things were made by Him and for Him." It's talking about Jesus. You could put your name in there. "______ was created by Him and for Him." It takes God Himself
inhabiting the human heart. He's the One who gave you your worth before you were born.
He's the One who restored the worth that your sin had stolen by sending His Son, Jesus, to build a bridge to get to Him; a bridge in the shape of a cross. If you've never begun that relationship you were made for and found the fulfillment and love that only He can give, can I invite you to go to our website and meet me there? I would love to help you get started in this relationship this very day - ANewStory.com. The deep hunger of a restless heart can only be satisfied one way. By the Love that heart was made for.
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