Max Lucado Daily: Universal Strategy of Impunity
It's the universal strategy of impunity. Even kids use it. If I can get my dad more angry at my brother than me, I'm off scot-free. So I accuse…I compare. Rather than admit my own faults, I find faults in others. The easiest way to justify the mistakes in my house is to find worse ones in my neighbor's house.
Such scams don't work with God! God isn't so easily diverted. He sees through all smoke screens and holds you to what you've done. Did you think just because he is such a nice God, he would let you off the hook? God is kind, but he's not soft. He takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life change. We aren't good enough to judge. Can the sick mock the ill? Can the blind judge the deaf? Can the sinner condemn the sinner? No. Only One can judge…it is God.
From In the Grip of Grace
Exodus 39
The Priestly Garments
From the blue, purple and scarlet yarn they made woven garments for ministering in the sanctuary. They also made sacred garments for Aaron, as the Lord commanded Moses.
The Ephod
2 They[a] made the ephod of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. 3 They hammered out thin sheets of gold and cut strands to be worked into the blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen—the work of skilled hands. 4 They made shoulder pieces for the ephod, which were attached to two of its corners, so it could be fastened. 5 Its skillfully woven waistband was like it—of one piece with the ephod and made with gold, and with blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and with finely twisted linen, as the Lord commanded Moses.
6 They mounted the onyx stones in gold filigree settings and engraved them like a seal with the names of the sons of Israel. 7 Then they fastened them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses.
The Breastpiece
8 They fashioned the breastpiece—the work of a skilled craftsman. They made it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. 9 It was square—a span[b] long and a span wide—and folded double. 10 Then they mounted four rows of precious stones on it. The first row was carnelian, chrysolite and beryl; 11 the second row was turquoise, lapis lazuli and emerald; 12 the third row was jacinth, agate and amethyst; 13 the fourth row was topaz, onyx and jasper.[c] They were mounted in gold filigree settings. 14 There were 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.
15 For the breastpiece they made braided chains of pure gold, like a rope. 16 They made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and fastened the rings to two of the corners of the breastpiece. 17 They fastened the two gold chains to the rings at the corners of the breastpiece, 18 and the other ends of the chains to the two settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front. 19 They made two gold rings and attached them to the other two corners of the breastpiece on the inside edge next to the ephod. 20 Then they made two more gold rings and attached 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. 21 They tied the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod with blue cord, connecting it to the waistband so that the breastpiece would not swing out from the ephod—as the Lord commanded Moses.
Other Priestly Garments
22 They made the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth—the work of a weaver— 23 with an opening in the center of the robe like the opening of a collar,[d] and a band around this opening, so that it would not tear. 24 They made pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen around the hem of the robe. 25 And they made bells of pure gold and attached them around the hem between the pomegranates. 26 The bells and pomegranates alternated around the hem of the robe to be worn for ministering, as the Lord commanded Moses.
27 For Aaron and his sons, they made tunics of fine linen—the work of a weaver— 28 and the turban of fine linen, the linen caps and the undergarments of finely twisted linen. 29 The sash was made of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn—the work of an embroiderer—as the Lord commanded Moses.
30 They made the plate, the sacred emblem, out of pure gold and engraved on it, like an inscription on a seal: holy to the Lord. 31 Then they fastened a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban, as the Lord commanded Moses.
Moses Inspects the Tabernacle
32 So all the work on the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was completed. The Israelites did everything just as the Lord commanded Moses. 33 Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses: the tent and all its furnishings, its clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; 34 the covering of ram skins dyed red and the covering of another durable leather[e] and the shielding curtain; 35 the ark of the covenant law with its poles and the atonement cover; 36 the table with all its articles and the bread of the Presence; 37 the pure gold lampstand with its row of lamps and all its accessories, and the olive oil for the light; 38 the gold altar, the anointing oil, the fragrant incense, and the curtain for the entrance to the tent; 39 the bronze altar with its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils; the basin with its stand; 40 the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard; the ropes and tent pegs for the courtyard; all the furnishings for the tabernacle, the tent of meeting; 41 and the woven garments worn for ministering in the sanctuary, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when serving as priests.
42 The Israelites had done all the work just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 43 Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them.
Exodus 39:2 Or He; also in verses 7, 8 and 22
Exodus 39:9 That is, about 9 inches or about 23 centimeters
Exodus 39:13 The precise identification of some of these precious stones is uncertain.
Exodus 39:23 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Exodus 39:34 Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Read: Mark 10:35-45
The Request of James and John
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”
36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”
38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”
39 “We can,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 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.”
41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Insight
James and John’s request to be allowed to sit on Jesus’ right and left hand in the kingdom, followed by their audacious claim that they could indeed “drink the cup” that awaited Jesus (Mark 10:38), reveals that they failed to fully understand the gravity of what that cup entailed—Christ’s upcoming crucifixion.
Born To Rescue
By Dennis Fisher
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. —Mark 10:45
After the terrorist attack and the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York City on September 11, 2001, Cynthia Otto took care of the search-and-rescue dogs. Years later she established a Working Dog Center where young pups are put through specialized training to prepare them to help victims of disaster.
Otto made this comment about these rescue animals: “There are so many jobs now that dogs are being used for . . . and they can save lives.” Otto said that these puppies will one day give vital aid to people in life-threatening circumstances. They are “born” to rescue others.
The Bible tells us of the Messiah who was born to rescue humanity from the penalty of sin. What He did rises above all earthly comparison. Two thousand years ago, God Himself became human in order to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. When Jesus became a man, He understood and proclaimed that He was born to rescue (John 12:27). “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
Let us praise our wonderful Savior—Jesus Christ—who was born to save all who will accept His offer of salvation.
Use us, Lord, and make us humble,
Rescue us from foolish pride;
And when we begin to stumble,
Turn our thoughts to Christ who died. —Sper
Christ came to seek and to save the lost.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Missionary Weapons (2)
If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet —John 13:14
Ministering in Everyday Opportunities. Ministering in everyday opportunities that surround us does not mean that we select our own surroundings— it means being God’s very special choice to be available for use in any of the seemingly random surroundings which He has engineered for us. The very character we exhibit in our present surroundings is an indication of what we will be like in other surroundings.
The things Jesus did were the most menial of everyday tasks, and this is an indication that it takes all of God’s power in me to accomplish even the most common tasks in His way. Can I use a towel as He did? Towels, dishes, sandals, and all the other ordinary things in our lives reveal what we are made of more quickly than anything else. It takes God Almighty Incarnate in us to do the most menial duty as it ought to be done.
Jesus said, “I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you” (13:15). Notice the kind of people that God brings around you, and you will be humiliated once you realize that this is actually His way of revealing to you the kind of person you have been to Him. Now He says we should exhibit to those around us exactly what He has exhibited to us.
Do you find yourself responding by saying, “Oh, I will do all that once I’m out on the mission field”? Talking in this way is like trying to produce the weapons of war while in the trenches of the battlefield–you will be killed while trying to do it.
We have to go the “second mile” with God (see Matthew 5:41). Yet some of us become worn out in the first ten steps. Then we say, “Well, I’ll just wait until I get closer to the next big crisis in my life.” But if we do not steadily minister in everyday opportunities, we will do nothing when the crisis comes.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, September 11, 2014
A Tower They Can't Blow Up - #7219
I was flying into another city one early Saturday morning, and as I'm getting off in the lounge I see the TV crew. I thought, "Oh, somebody important must be on the plane." I looked around and wondered who I'd missed in first class as I went through. And suddenly there was a microphone in my face. Obviously it had nothing to do with somebody important, so why are they talking to me?
This happened to be the day after the first World Trade Center bombing. I lived in the New York area. I was a passenger on a flight from the New York area the morning after, so they wanted a comment on the evening news from somebody who was from there, and we were the first flight in. Well, a man who was picking me up told them that I was a speaker. I was coming to town to speak, and I would be a good one to talk to. Thank you very much, sir.
They stuck this microphone in my face and they said, "Well, how does this explosion right in the heart of New York City make New Yorkers feel?" As a matter of fact, I've been in that parking lot where that bomb actually went off a number of times. And so I gave them the first word that came to my mind-vulnerable. We feel vulnerable all of a sudden. That's how a lot of people feel these days. Because a lot of things we've counted on are blowing up.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "A Tower They Can't Blow Up."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Proverbs 18:10. Here is some big-time security. "The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run to it and are safe." Maybe you're one of those people who say, "You know, I'm going to get with the Lord some day, and I really mean to settle things with Him some day." Well, this says, "Run to the Lord." "The name of the Lord is a strong tower." You don't wait. You don't postpone. You run to it when you've got the opportunity.
And the more unstable things become, the more urgent it seems to be to get into right relationship with God doesn't it? To be depending on some power that can't be blown up, that can't be affected by a recession, or a depression, or the rise and fall of the Stock Market, or terrorism, or a layoff, or a takeover, politics, an illness. See, a lot of us feel vulnerable these days because of what's been happening to the towers that have always been there for us.
You can't be sure if your company's going to be there, or your job, or your retirement. The property you own, what's happening to its value? Is your medical care going to be there? Is your family going to be there? Maybe you've been in a relationship that once looked like a strong tower for you, and it's gone. See, this is no time to be running your own life; no time to be depending on some earth stuff for security; some earth tower. This is run to the Lord time.
There is an example I use with young people. I give them four 3x5 cards and ask them to write on those the most important things in their life. And then one by one I say, "Now, you need to drop one of those. There's a tragedy that hits your life and you have to lose one of the most important things in your life. Which one is it going to be?" And painfully they throw a card to the ground.
Then they're down to three. And I ask them to drop one more. Finally, when they're down to two, they look at me like, "I can't drop either of these." But I say, "You can keep one, but only one." Finally, with great reluctance, they drop the second most important thing in their life to the ground. I say, "Now, look. You've got that one card; it's the most important thing in your life. You're holding it in your hand. Now, I just want to ask you one question about it. Is it something you can lose?"
I think I'd ask you the same question. Maybe this is the day you finally face what God's been trying to tell you, that you're away from Him. Isaiah 59:2 says, "Your sin (the running of your own life) has separated you from God." But Romans 10:13 says, "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Remember we read, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower." Well, that is Jesus. When He was named, "We will call him Jesus, (it says) because He will save His people from their sins."
That's what you need; someone to save you from the wall between you and God; to get you to Him so you could be anchored to Him in these unstable times. Surrender your life to Jesus and that indestructible power of God is open to you day or night. If you've never begun that relationship, or you want to be sure you belong to Him, then we're here for you. Would you go to our website as soon as you can - AnewStory.com.
Go to the one place where you can be safe no matter what else blows up.
