Max Lucado Daily: Love Covers a Multitude of Sins
If people love you at 6:00 a.m. one thing is sure. They love you! No makeup. No power tie. No status jewelry. No layers of images. Just unkempt honesty. Just you. "Love," wrote one forgiven soul, "covers over a multitude of sins."
Sounds like God's love. Hebrews 10:14 says, "He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." Note that the word is not improving. God doesn't improve; he perfects. He doesn't enhance; he completes. When it comes to our position before God, we are perfect. When he sees each of us, he sees one who has been made perfect through the One who is perfect-Jesus Christ. He sees perfection. Not perfection earned by us, mind you, but perfection paid by him.
Scripture says, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21 NCV).
From In the Eye of the Storm
Mark 1:23-45
Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26 The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.
27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” 28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.
Jesus Heals Many
29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.
32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.
Jesus Prays in a Solitary Place
35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”
38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy
40 A man with leprosy[a] came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”
41 Jesus was indignant.[b] He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.
43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.
Footnotes:
Mark 1:40 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
Mark 1:41 Many manuscripts Jesus was filled with compassion
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Read: 1 Kings 19:1-8
Elijah Flees to Horeb
Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”
3 Elijah was afraid[a] and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
Footnotes:
1 Kings 19:3 Or Elijah saw
Insight
Elijah, deemed Israel’s greatest prophet, was highly revered and well spoken of by the Jews, by the Lord Jesus Himself, and by the apostles (Matt. 17:10-11; Luke 1:17; Rom. 11:2-4, James 5:17-18). He appeared with Moses at the transfiguration of Jesus (Matt. 17:3). Because Elijah did not die (2 Kings 2:1), the Jews believed he would come back again (Mal. 4:5). Many scholars believe that Elijah will be one of the two witnesses mentioned in Revelation 11.
Life’s Darkest Moments
By Randy Kilgore
An angel touched [Elijah], and said to him, “Arise and eat.” —1 Kings 19:5
Charles Whittlesey was a hero’s hero. Leader of the so-called “Lost Battalion” in World War I, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery when his unit was trapped behind enemy lines. When the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was dedicated, Charles was chosen to serve as pallbearer for the first soldier laid to rest there. Two weeks later, it is presumed that he ended his own life by stepping off a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean.
Like Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-7), Charles was publicly strong, but in the quiet, post-public moments, his feelings of despair set in. People today frequently face situations bigger than they can handle. Sometimes it’s temporary despair brought on by fatigue, as in Elijah’s case. He had been part of a great victory over the prophets of Baal (18:20-40), but then he feared for his life and ran into the wilderness (19:1-3). But often, it’s more than despair and it’s more than temporary. That’s why it is imperative that we talk about depression openly and compassionately.
God offers His presence to us in life’s darkest moments, which enables us, in turn, to be His presence to the hurting. Crying out for help—from others and from God—may be the strongest moment of our lives.
Father, grant us the candor to admit to each
other that sometimes life overwhelms us. And
grant us the courage to help others find
help—and to seek it when we need it.
Hope comes with help from God and others.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Living Your Theology
Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you . . . —John 12:35
Beware of not acting upon what you see in your moments on the mountaintop with God. If you do not obey the light, it will turn into darkness. “If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:23). The moment you forsake the matter of sanctification or neglect anything else on which God has given you His light, your spiritual life begins to disintegrate within you. Continually bring the truth out into your real life, working it out into every area, or else even the light that you possess will itself prove to be a curse.
The most difficult person to deal with is the one who has the prideful self-satisfaction of a past experience, but is not working that experience out in his everyday life. If you say you are sanctified, show it. The experience must be so genuine that it shows in your life. Beware of any belief that makes you self-indulgent or self-gratifying; that belief came from the pit of hell itself, regardless of how beautiful it may sound.
Your theology must work itself out, exhibiting itself in your most common everyday relationships. Our Lord said, “. . . unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). In other words, you must be more moral than the most moral person you know. You may know all about the doctrine of sanctification, but are you working it out in the everyday issues of your life? Every detail of your life, whether physical, moral, or spiritual, is to be judged and measured by the standard of the atonement by the Cross of Christ.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
The Compare Snare - #7208
I remember the summer that I trained two teams of young people for ministry. I went as a speaker with the South Team. The other team was the North Team. Now, both teams had been sleeping on the floor at training camp-these are tough kids. But things changed when they got on the road. Our team stayed in private homes with real beds. They were happy campers...or happy not-campers I guess. What they didn't know was where the North Team was staying. Someone who had just come from one of their meetings said to me, "Ron, you should see where they're staying. It's this beautiful camp. It's got beds and cabins, they're swimming in the river, they've got a lounge, they've got a great basketball court. It's like a resort. I guess you could call the accommodations "luxurious". My response was pretty simple, and in a way it was a request built in, "My team is happy." I wanted them to stay that way.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Compare Snare."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 2 Corinthians 10:12. When I heard that the other team was living more luxuriously than our team, I thought, "Well, what our team doesn't know won't hurt them...or me." There's a sin in the Bible called coveting. It's serious enough to be included in the Ten Commandments. It occurred to me that our kids wouldn't covet if they didn't compare, right? Well, neither will you and I.
2 Corinthians 10:12, "We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves, and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. The simple message here from God, "It's not wise to compare." Our team was content all week because they were comparing where they were to where they had been on those floors; not comparing themselves to where someone else was.
We can have this wonderful peace the Bible calls contentment if we live that same way. It says in the Bible, "Godliness with contentment is great gain." Comparison is the exit ramp to the sin of coveting. Maybe you're restless and a little bit negative in your spirit right now because you've started to fall into the compare sin. You could compare your house with someone else's, or your mate, or your income, or your job, or your looks.
Maybe you're comparing your ministry to someone else's ministry, or your opportunities. But you could be comparing your singleness to the married people you're with. Or you're looking at your standard of living compared to those of people around you. You're comparing, you're probably coveting. And you're probably anything but content. Right?
John 21, Jesus was telling Peter about his future, including that he would ultimately die for the Lord. Peter turns around and looks at John and says, "When he saw him, he asked, 'Lord, what about him?' Jesus answered, 'If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow Me." He basically said to Peter, "What I'm going to do with John is none of your business, so don't compare yourself to him. You follow Me."
When you try to compare you with someone else, would you listen to Jesus? He says, "I've got a unique plan for each life. My plan for that person's life would not fit you. I created you. I know exactly what you need. I know when you need it. I am your Shepherd, "You shall not want. Would you please relax and enjoy the trip and let me do my unique thing with you?"
I watched the contented group of teenagers live without comparing and therefore without coveting. We know how the others are living, so we have to choose contentment. Comparing is a road that only leads to certain destinations: unhappiness and disobedience. God is doing something one-of-a-kind with you. So, you just can't be compared.
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