Max Lucado Daily: Remember the Sabbath Day
Could you use a reminder on how to slow your life down? One of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:8 says, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day to the Lord your God.”
What did Jesus do on that last Sabbath of his life? Look in the Gospel of Matthew. Find anything? Try Mark. Nothing there? What about Luke? Hmm…it looks like Jesus was quiet that day.
Do you mean that with one week left to live, Jesus observed the Sabbath? Are you telling me that Jesus thought worship was more important than work? That’s exactly what I’m telling you. If Jesus found time in the midst of a racing agenda to stop the rush and sit in the silence, do you think we could, too?
From And The Angels Were Silent
Esther 8
The King’s Edict in Behalf of the Jews
That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came into the presence of the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. 2 The king took off his signet ring, which he had reclaimed from Haman, and presented it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed him over Haman’s estate.
3 Esther again pleaded with the king, falling at his feet and weeping. She begged him to put an end to the evil plan of Haman the Agagite, which he had devised against the Jews. 4 Then the king extended the gold scepter to Esther and she arose and stood before him.
5 “If it pleases the king,” she said, “and if he regards me with favor and thinks it the right thing to do, and if he is pleased with me, let an order be written overruling the dispatches that Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, devised and wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces. 6 For how can I bear to see disaster fall on my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my family?”
7 King Xerxes replied to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Because Haman attacked the Jews, I have given his estate to Esther, and they have impaled him on the pole he set up. 8 Now write another decree in the king’s name in behalf of the Jews as seems best to you, and seal it with the king’s signet ring—for no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can be revoked.”
9 At once the royal secretaries were summoned—on the twenty-third day of the third month, the month of Sivan. They wrote out all Mordecai’s orders to the Jews, and to the satraps, governors and nobles of the 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush.[c] These orders were written in the script of each province and the language of each people and also to the Jews in their own script and language. 10 Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes, sealed the dispatches with the king’s signet ring, and sent them by mounted couriers, who rode fast horses especially bred for the king.
11 The king’s edict granted the Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves; to destroy, kill and annihilate the armed men of any nationality or province who might attack them and their women and children,[d] and to plunder the property of their enemies. 12 The day appointed for the Jews to do this in all the provinces of King Xerxes was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar. 13 A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.
14 The couriers, riding the royal horses, went out, spurred on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa.
The Triumph of the Jews
15 When Mordecai left the king’s presence, he was wearing royal garments of blue and white, a large crown of gold and a purple robe of fine linen. And the city of Susa held a joyous celebration. 16 For the Jews it was a time of happiness and joy, gladness and honor. 17 In every province and in every city to which the edict of the king came, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating. And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them.
Esther 8:9 That is, the upper Nile region
Esther 8:11 Or province, together with their women and children, who might attack them;
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Judges 3:7-11
Othniel
7 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. 8 The anger of the Lord burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim,[a] to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years. 9 But when they cried out to the Lord, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, who saved them. 10 The Spirit of the Lord came on him, so that he became Israel’s judge[b] and went to war. The Lord gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him. 11 So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.
Footnotes:
Judges 3:8 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
Judges 3:10 Or leader
Insight
The book of Judges gives the story of the people of Israel in the Promised Land, but without their great leaders of the past—Moses and Joshua—and before the first of the kings. This lack of leadership resulted in repeated seasons of rebellion and idolatry during which God would raise up judges to defeat the Israelites’ enemies and to guide the wayward people back to Himself. The story of this era is a difficult one, summarized in the words of Judges 21:25, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
Who’s That Hero?
February 7, 2014 — by Poh Fang chia
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. —Matthew 5:16
Reading the book of Judges, with its battles and mighty warriors, can sometimes feel like reading about comic book superheroes. We have Deborah, Barak, Gideon, and Samson. However, in the line of judges (or deliverers), we also find Othniel.
The account of his life is brief and straightforward (Judges 3:7-11). No drama. No display of prowess. But what we do see is what God did through Othniel: “The Lord raised up a deliverer” (v.9), “the Spirit of the Lord came upon him” (v.10), and “the Lord delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand” (v.10).
The Othniel account helps us focus on what is most important—the activity of God. Interesting stories and fascinating people can obscure that. We end up concentrating on those and fail to see what the Lord is doing.
When I was young, I wished I could be more talented so that I could point more people to Christ. But I was looking at the wrong thing. God often uses ordinary people for His extraordinary work. It is His light shining through our lives that glorifies God and draws others to Him (Matt. 5:16).
When others look at our life, it is more important that they see God—not us.
May the Word of God dwell richly
In my heart from hour to hour,
So that all may see I triumph
Only through His power. —Wilkinson
Our limited ability highlights God’s limitless power.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, February 07, 2014
Spiritual Dejection
We were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened —Luke 24:21
Every fact that the disciples stated was right, but the conclusions they drew from those facts were wrong. Anything that has even a hint of dejection spiritually is always wrong. If I am depressed or burdened, I am to blame, not God or anyone else. Dejection stems from one of two sources— I have either satisfied a lust or I have not had it satisfied. In either case, dejection is the result. Lust means “I must have it at once.” Spiritual lust causes me to demand an answer from God, instead of seeking God Himself who gives the answer. What have I been hoping or trusting God would do? Is today “the third day” and He has still not done what I expected? Am I therefore justified in being dejected and in blaming God? Whenever we insist that God should give us an answer to prayer we are off track. The purpose of prayer is that we get ahold of God, not of the answer. It is impossible to be well physically and to be dejected, because dejection is a sign of sickness. This is also true spiritually. Dejection spiritually is wrong, and we are always to blame for it.
We look for visions from heaven and for earth-shaking events to see God’s power. Even the fact that we are dejected is proof that we do this. Yet we never realize that all the time God is at work in our everyday events and in the people around us. If we will only obey, and do the task that He has placed closest to us, we will see Him. One of the most amazing revelations of God comes to us when we learn that it is in the everyday things of life that we realize the magnificent deity of Jesus Christ.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Saving Lives With the Newspaper - #7065
Friday, February 7, 2014
I love to read my newspaper; a bit of a news junkie. I have to confess it's one of life's simple pleasures, but it's an important part of my day. I've found out that a newspaper isn't finished though when you finish reading it. Oh, no, no! It's more than informative. A newspaper is useful! It's well worth the little money I spend for it. And, of course, today I can get a lot of that news online too. But what's in the news is useful for wrapping fragile items, or storing them or shipping them. We were just doing that the other day. And let's see, it's useful for killing flies. A newspaper is useful for lining pet cages. You need that. It's useful for building a fire. Oh yeah, and what's in the news or in the newspaper is useful for saving lives.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Saving Lives With the Newspaper."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Luke chapter 13, and I'll begin reading at verse 4. Jesus is speaking to a crowd, and He says, "Those eighteen who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them - do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."
Now, Jesus here is referring to what was probably the headline of that day - the collapse of this tower in Siloam. Today that tower disaster might be equivalent to, let's say, an earthquake where a number of people died, or a plane crash with a lot of fatalities. Jesus uses this headline to get people thinking about their lives and thinking about Him. He says, "Remember that disaster we just all heard about? Well, you know, those people are no different from you. It pays to be ready. What if that had happened to you? Have you repented? Are you right with God?"
You know what Jesus is doing here? He is modeling an approach to reaching people that honestly is just as relevant today. I call it "headline" evangelism; using the news to open a door to talk about Jesus. Now, if you're a follower of Christ, there are probably some people that you are spiritually burdened for, who you want to have in heaven with you someday. Some days you find yourself saying, "You know, there's got to be a way to open a conversation." And you wonder if some day they are going to say to you, "You know, we talked about everything, but you never told me about this Jesus you know." You want to, but you don't know how to get started. Well, here's a way. Ask God to show you attention getters in what's happening in the world, what's reported in the news; things that could help open a door to a spiritual conversation.
Larry and Pat were a couple we were very burdened for, and one day we were talking about the dramatic world changes that had been taking place. I said, "You know, it's amazing how much of that is predicted in the Bible." They said, "What do you mean? Like what?" Well, that led us into a discussion of prophecy, which led to a discussion that Jesus is Lord, that's why He knows what's going to happen, which led to a discussion of who Jesus can be to us.
Sometimes it might be a story of a sudden death that's in the headlines, a crash, an accident. And I find myself saying, "You know, it's good to know for sure where you're going to go when you die. It's so good that it's possible to know you're going to heaven." And somebody goes, "Really? How can you be sure you're going to heaven?"
See, that's when you can bring up the good news about Jesus. Maybe it will be all the struggles some successful public figure is going through, or struggles that show that success doesn't fill the hole inside.
Often the world's bad news gives you the golden opportunity to share God's good news. Today's headlines, consecrated to God, might just help point someone to Jesus Christ. So, you actually could be saving lives with the newspaper.