Max Lucado Daily:A Heartfelt Conversation with God
Prayer is to a privilege for the pious, nor the art of a chosen few. Prayer is simply a heartfelt conversation between God and His child. When we invite God into our world, He brings a host of gifts: joy, patience, resilience. Anxieties come, but they don't stick. Fears surface and then depart. I'm completing my sixth decade, yet I'm wired with energy. Happier, healthier, and more hopeful! Struggles come, for sure. But so does God.
My friend, He wants to talk with you. Even now as you hear these words, He taps at the door. Open it. Welcome Him in…and let the conversation begin!
Here's my prayer challenge to you! Every day for 4 weeks, pray 4 minutes with the simple prayer at BeforeAmen.com. Then get ready to connect with God like never before!
Leviticus 16
The Day of Atonement
The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the Lord. 2 The Lord said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.
3 “This is how Aaron is to enter the Most Holy Place: He must first bring a young bull for a sin offering[c] and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on. 5 From the Israelite community he is to take two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.
6 “Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household. 7 Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 8 He is to cast lots for the two goats—one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat.[d] 9 Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin offering. 10 But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the wilderness as a scapegoat.
11 “Aaron shall bring the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household, and he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. 12 He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the Lord and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain. 13 He is to put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and the smoke of the incense will conceal the atonement cover above the tablets of the covenant law, so that he will not die. 14 He is to take some of the bull’s blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover.
15 “He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bull’s blood: He shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of it. 16 In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the tent of meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness. 17 No one is to be in the tent of meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he comes out, having made atonement for himself, his household and the whole community of Israel.
18 “Then he shall come out to the altar that is before the Lord and make atonement for it. He shall take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on all the horns of the altar. 19 He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and to consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.
20 “When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. 21 He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. 22 The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness.
23 “Then Aaron is to go into the tent of meeting and take off the linen garments he put on before he entered the Most Holy Place, and he is to leave them there. 24 He shall bathe himself with water in the sanctuary area and put on his regular garments. Then he shall come out and sacrifice the burnt offering for himself and the burnt offering for the people, to make atonement for himself and for the people. 25 He shall also burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.
26 “The man who releases the goat as a scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp. 27 The bull and the goat for the sin offerings, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp; their hides, flesh and intestines are to be burned up. 28 The man who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp.
29 “This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves[e] and not do any work—whether native-born or a foreigner residing among you— 30 because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins. 31 It is a day of sabbath rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance. 32 The priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest is to make atonement. He is to put on the sacred linen garments 33 and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, for the tent of meeting and the altar, and for the priests and all the members of the community.
34 “This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites.”
And it was done, as the Lord commanded Moses.
Leviticus 16:3 Or purification offering; here and throughout this chapter
Leviticus 16:8 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain; also in verses 10 and 26.
Leviticus 16:29 Or must fast; also in verse 31
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, October 08, 2014
Read: Psalm 62:1-8
Truly my soul finds rest in God;
my salvation comes from him.
2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
3 How long will you assault me?
Would all of you throw me down—
this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
4 Surely they intend to topple me
from my lofty place;
they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
but in their hearts they curse.[b]
5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God[c];
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
Psalm 62:1 In Hebrew texts 62:1-12 is numbered 62:2-13.
Psalm 62:4 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 8.
Psalm 62:7 Or / God Most High is my salvation and my honor
Insight
This psalm is divided into two sections (vv.1-4 and vv.5-8) with almost identical wording in both (vv.2,6). Each section begins with the affirmation that David’s soul waits silently for God (vv.1,5), and in both David describes Him as a rock. Because of God, David will not be moved (vv.2,6-7). Though David speaks to himself in the opening verses of each section, he moves on to address others in later verses. In verses 3-4, he addresses those who stand against him with a warning that they will be defeated. And in verse 8, he encourages the people of God to trust Him for refuge and protection.
Learn To Wait On God
By C. P. Hia
My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. —Psalm 62:5
Cha Sa-soon, a 69-year-old Korean woman, finally received her driving license after 3 years of trying to pass the written test. She wanted the license so she could take her grandchildren to the zoo.
She was persistent in what is normally an instant world. When we want something and cannot get it, we often complain and demand. At other times, we give up and move on if what we want cannot be quickly gratified. “Wait” is a word we hate to hear! Yet, many times the Bible tells us that God wants us to wait on Him for the right timing.
Waiting on God means patiently looking to Him for what we need. David recognized why he had to wait on the Lord. First, his salvation came from Him (Ps. 62:1). He learned that no one else could deliver him. His only hope was in God (v.5), for God alone hears our prayers (v.8).
Our prayers often revolve around asking God to hurry up and bless what we want to do. What if God’s answer to us is simply, “Be patient. Wait upon Me”? We can pray with David: “Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly” (Ps. 5:3 nlt). We can trust His response, even if it doesn’t come in the time we expect.
When we call out to You, O Lord,
And wait for answers to our prayer,
Give us the patience that we need
And help us sense Your love and care. —Sper
The bottom line of every prayer should be, “Your will be done.”
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, October 08, 2014
Coming to Jesus
Come to Me . . . —Matthew 11:28
Isn’t it humiliating to be told that we must come to Jesus! Think of the things about which we will not come to Jesus Christ. If you want to know how real you are, test yourself by these words— “Come to Me . . . .” In every dimension in which you are not real, you will argue or evade the issue altogether rather than come; you will go through sorrow rather than come; and you will do anything rather than come the last lap of the race of seemingly unspeakable foolishness and say, “Just as I am, I come.” As long as you have even the least bit of spiritual disrespect, it will always reveal itself in the fact that you are expecting God to tell you to do something very big, and yet all He is telling you to do is to “Come . . . .”
“Come to Me . . . .” When you hear those words, you will know that something must happen in you before you can come. The Holy Spirit will show you what you have to do, and it will involve anything that will uproot whatever is preventing you from getting through to Jesus. And you will never get any further until you are willing to do that very thing. The Holy Spirit will search out that one immovable stronghold within you, but He cannot budge it unless you are willing to let Him do so.
How often have you come to God with your requests and gone away thinking, “I’ve really received what I wanted this time!” And yet you go away with nothing, while all the time God has stood with His hands outstretched not only to take you but also for you to take Him. Just think of the invincible, unconquerable, and untiring patience of Jesus, who lovingly says, “Come to Me. . . .”
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, October 08, 2014
Goodbye Sick Stuff - #7238
When I get sick it's a rare event in our family. I've been blessed with a pretty healthy life. But there was a time a while back when I got hit with the flu. I mean, "hit" with the flu. And it's enough to say I wasn't moving. I was too weak to talk. I honestly think I was too weak to even turn over for about 24 hours. And then I gradually started to improve. When I began to feel better, man, I tell you what I wanted most. I wanted a shower. It was my first physical triumph after the battle with the flu. I very happily piled in a corner what was the symbol of that long, dark day I had just had; those blue flannel pajamas. I'd been wearing them the whole time. They'd been sweated out several times, and they didn't smell very nice. I could give you more details, but you don't want them. They probably should have been burned, but we couldn't afford that. So, here I was showered with fresh, clean clothes on. I could tell you one thing I wasn't about to do. I wasn't about to put those rotten, old pajamas back on for anything.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Goodbye Sick Stuff."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from John 11, beginning in verse 38. Here we find Jesus facing a great challenge of His ministry. His good friend, Lazarus, has died. There are weeping friends and family all around Lazarus' tomb. And the Bible says this: "Jesus, deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 'Take away the stone' He said. They did, although Martha objected. 'By this time there was a bad odor, for he has been there four days.'"
Verse 43 says, "Jesus called in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!' And the dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, cloth around his face. And Jesus said to them, 'Take off the grave clothes and let him go.'" Now, can you imagine Lazarus going back a little later after this resurrection, looking for his old grave clothes, going, "Now, where are those things? I want to put those back on!" That would be like me going back to my flu pajamas. I'm sure he would not return to the stuff that was wrapped around him while he was dead.
But, you know, we do that. See, we're all Lazarus, because we've all been raised from the living death of trying to make it without Christ. According to 2 Corinthians 5:17, "We are a new creation in Christ. The old is gone; a new life has begun." And there are old grave clothes to leave once and for all.
Could it be that maybe you've drifted back to some of the old you? That habit you had beaten, but now you're flirting with it again? That compromising relationship you finally put behind you, but now you're running around the edges of that relationship again? That dark temper that Jesus had started to take control of, but is it coming back, rearing its head again? You letting it take control again?
Maybe it's that tendency to use people, to hurt people, or to walk over people. Or there could be a side of you that takes matters into your own hands. You're a self-reliant person. I know how that is. And instead of trusting God to do it, you're taking over again. All of us have these empty, corrupt ways of living. And Christ comes and He says, "Let him go! Let her go! Take off the grave clothes!" And we can be free of that forever.
Yeah, we battle it one day at a time, but we can be free because of Jesus. Have you taken back your grave clothes? Would you just remember what dead felt like? You turn to that cross where you were freed in the first place and let Jesus say it again, "Let him go! Let her go!"
Maybe you've never experienced the freedom, the release, the clean inside that comes when you go to Jesus and begin a relationship with Him as your Savior from your sin. Not just a Savior of the world. But to say, "Jesus, some of the sin You died for on that cross was mine." And you pin all your hopes on Him to forgive you and change you, and make you what the Bible promises you will be – a new creation in Christ.
If you're ready for new; you're tired of dirty and you're ready for clean, make this your Jesus day. You say, "Ron, I don't know how." I hope you'll go to our website and let me help you begin that relationship. It's ANewStory.com so you can have a new story.
And if you're finally getting well, there's just no reason in the world to go back to that sick stuff.