Max Lucado Daily: God's Answer
The wasted years of life. The poor choices. God answers the mess of life with one word-grace.
We talk as though we understand the term. Preachers explain it. Hymns proclaim it. Seminaries teach it. But do we really understand it? Have you been changed by grace? Strengthened by grace? Grace is God as heart surgeon, cracking open your chest, removing your heart, and replacing it with his own. Rather than tell you to change, he creates the change. Do you clean up so he can accept you? No, he accepts you and begins cleaning you up.
To be saved by grace is to be saved by him-not by an idea, doctrine, or church membership, but by Jesus himself, who will sweep into heaven anyone who so much as gives him the nod. God can do something with the mess of your life. Grace is what you need.
From GRACE
Joshua 15
The Land Given to the Tribe of Judah
The allotment for the clans of the tribe of Judah reached southward to the border of Edom, as far south as the wilderness of Zin.
2 The southern boundary began at the south bay of the Dead Sea,[d] 3 ran south of Scorpion Pass[e] into the wilderness of Zin, and then went south of Kadesh-barnea to Hezron. Then it went up to Addar, where it turned toward Karka. 4 From there it passed to Azmon until it finally reached the Brook of Egypt, which it followed to the Mediterranean Sea.[f] This was their[g] southern boundary.
5 The eastern boundary extended along the Dead Sea to the mouth of the Jordan River.
The northern boundary began at the bay where the Jordan River empties into the Dead Sea, 6 went up from there to Beth-hoglah, then proceeded north of Beth-arabah to the Stone of Bohan. (Bohan was Reuben’s son.) 7 From that point it went through the valley of Achor to Debir, turning north toward Gilgal, which is across from the slopes of Adummim on the south side of the valley. From there the boundary extended to the springs at En-shemesh and on to En-rogel. 8 The boundary then passed through the valley of Ben-Hinnom, along the southern slopes of the Jebusites, where the city of Jerusalem is located. Then it went west to the top of the mountain above the valley of Hinnom, and on up to the northern end of the valley of Rephaim. 9 From there the boundary extended from the top of the mountain to the spring at the waters of Nephtoah,[h] and from there to the towns on Mount Ephron. Then it turned toward Baalah (that is, Kiriath-jearim). 10 The boundary circled west of Baalah to Mount Seir, passed along to the town of Kesalon on the northern slope of Mount Jearim, and went down to Beth-shemesh and on to Timnah. 11 The boundary then proceeded to the slope of the hill north of Ekron, where it turned toward Shikkeron and Mount Baalah. It passed Jabneel and ended at the Mediterranean Sea.
12 The western boundary was the shoreline of the Mediterranean Sea.[i]
These are the boundaries for the clans of the tribe of Judah.
The Land Given to Caleb
13 The Lord commanded Joshua to assign some of Judah’s territory to Caleb son of Jephunneh. So Caleb was given the town of Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), which had been named after Anak’s ancestor. 14 Caleb drove out the three groups of Anakites—the descendants of Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the sons of Anak.
15 From there he went to fight against the people living in the town of Debir (formerly called Kiriath-sepher). 16 Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage to the one who attacks and captures Kiriath-sepher.” 17 Othniel, the son of Caleb’s brother Kenaz, was the one who conquered it, so Acsah became Othniel’s wife.
18 When Acsah married Othniel, she urged him[j] to ask her father for a field. As she got down off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What’s the matter?”
19 She said, “Give me another gift. You have already given me land in the Negev; now please give me springs of water, too.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.
The Towns Allotted to Judah
20 This was the homeland allocated to the clans of the tribe of Judah.
21 The towns of Judah situated along the borders of Edom in the extreme south were Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, 22 Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, 23 Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, 24 Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, 25 Hazor-hadattah, Kerioth-hezron (that is, Hazor), 26 Amam, Shema, Moladah, 27 Hazar-gaddah, Heshmon, Beth-pelet, 28 Hazar-shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah, 29 Baalah, Iim, Ezem, 30 Eltolad, Kesil, Hormah, 31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, 32 Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon—twenty-nine towns with their surrounding villages.
33 The following towns situated in the western foothills[k] were also given to Judah: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, 34 Zanoah, En-gannim, Tappuah, Enam, 35 Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, 36 Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah, and Gederothaim—fourteen towns with their surrounding villages.
37 Also included were Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal-gad, 38 Dilean, Mizpeh, Joktheel, 39 Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, 40 Cabbon, Lahmam, Kitlish, 41 Gederoth, Beth-dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah—sixteen towns with their surrounding villages.
42 Besides these, there were Libnah, Ether, Ashan, 43 Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, 44 Keilah, Aczib, and Mareshah—nine towns with their surrounding villages.
45 The territory of the tribe of Judah also included Ekron and its surrounding settlements and villages. 46 From Ekron the boundary extended west and included the towns near Ashdod with their surrounding villages. 47 It also included Ashdod with its surrounding settlements and villages and Gaza with its settlements and villages, as far as the Brook of Egypt and along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
48 Judah also received the following towns in the hill country: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, 49 Dannah, Kiriath-sannah (that is, Debir), 50 Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, 51 Goshen, Holon, and Giloh—eleven towns with their surrounding villages.
52 Also included were the towns of Arab, Dumah, Eshan, 53 Janim, Beth-tappuah, Aphekah, 54 Humtah, Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior—nine towns with their surrounding villages.
55 Besides these, there were Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, 56 Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, 57 Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah—ten towns with their surrounding villages.
58 In addition, there were Halhul, Beth-zur, Gedor, 59 Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon—six towns with their surrounding villages.
60 There were also Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim) and Rabbah—two towns with their surrounding villages.
61 In the wilderness there were the towns of Beth-arabah, Middin, Secacah, 62 Nibshan, the City of Salt, and En-gedi—six towns with their surrounding villages.
63 But the tribe of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites, who lived in the city of Jerusalem, so the Jebusites live there among the people of Judah to this day.
15:2 Hebrew the Salt Sea; also in 15:5.
15:3 Hebrew Akrabbim.
15:4a Hebrew the sea; also in 15:11.
15:4b Hebrew your.
15:9 Or the spring at Me-nephtoah.
15:12 Hebrew the Great Sea; also in 15:47.
15:18 Some Greek manuscripts read he urged her.
15:33 Hebrew the Shephelah.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Read: Genesis 39:1-6,20-23
Joseph in Potiphar’s House
When Joseph was taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased by Potiphar, an Egyptian officer. Potiphar was captain of the guard for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.
2 The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. 3 Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. 4 This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned. 5 From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the Lord began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake. All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished. 6 So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat!
Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man,
Whose Will?
By C. P. Hia
“O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” —Matthew 26:39
“May all things happen according to your will,” is a greeting frequently exchanged during Chinese New Year. As wonderful as that may sound, events turn out best when God’s will plays out and not mine.
Given a choice, Joseph would not have wished to be a slave in Egypt (Gen. 39:1). But despite his captivity, he was “successful” because “the Lord was with [him]” (v.2). The Lord even blessed his master’s home “for Joseph’s sake” (v.5).
Joseph would never have chosen to go to prison in Egypt. But he did when falsely accused of sexual assault. However, for the second time we read: “the Lord was with Joseph” (v.21). There, he gained the trust of the warden (v.22) so that “whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper” (v.23). His downward spiral into prison turned out to be the start of his rise to the top position in Egypt. Few people would choose to be promoted the way God promoted Joseph. But Joseph’s God blesses, despite, and even through, adverse circumstances.
God had a purpose for bringing Joseph to Egypt, and He has a purpose for placing us where we are. Instead of wishing that all things happened according to our will, we could say, as our Savior did before going to the cross, “Not as I will, but as You will” (Matt. 26:39).
Lord, it is far too easy to chase my own desires and
passions. Forgive me for my selfish wants and pursuit of
self-centered activities. Help me to place You first and to
look for what You are doing and want to do in my life.
Patient waiting is often the highest way of doing God’s will.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Taking the Initiative Against Drudgery
Arise, shine… —Isaiah 60:1
When it comes to taking the initiative against drudgery, we have to take the first step as though there were no God. There is no point in waiting for God to help us— He will not. But once we arise, immediately we find He is there. Whenever God gives us His inspiration, suddenly taking the initiative becomes a moral issue— a matter of obedience. Then we must act to be obedient and not continue to lie down doing nothing. If we will arise and shine, drudgery will be divinely transformed.
Drudgery is one of the finest tests to determine the genuineness of our character. Drudgery is work that is far removed from anything we think of as ideal work. It is the utterly hard, menial, tiresome, and dirty work. And when we experience it, our spirituality is instantly tested and we will know whether or not we are spiritually genuine. Read John 13. In this chapter, we see the Incarnate God performing the greatest example of drudgery— washing fishermen’s feet. He then says to them, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14). The inspiration of God is required if drudgery is to shine with the light of God upon it. In some cases the way a person does a task makes that work sanctified and holy forever. It may be a very common everyday task, but after we have seen it done, it becomes different. When the Lord does something through us, He always transforms it. Our Lord takes our human flesh and transforms it, and now every believer’s body has become “the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, February 19, 2015
When Giving is Fun! - #7334
You know McDonald's, the hamburger people? Over the years they have built quite a juggernaut. They have had some of the most brilliant marketers in history I think. I mean, they have advertised McDonald's as a warm, friendly, fun place. And they kind of make every child in America want to eat there. Sometimes it has seemed like we were lousy parents if you didn't take them to Ronald's place to get a Happy Meal. You know, to pick up the toys, the cups from the hottest new movie, to play under the Golden Arches.
The other day I was in a McDonald's doing research, and I saw another side of their marketing genius. They wanted to get donations for their hospital where families with young cancer victims can stay. It's a great thing, and it's hard to get people to cough up money to give sometimes. So, what do you think they did? They made it fun. Near the counter they stationed this brightly colored plastic container. It was funnel shaped with a hole at the bottom, and the money would go down to the bottom and into a bank. But if you threw a coin into it, it went into these wide spirals around and around, down and down the funnel. It was kind of neat watching your donation spin and spin its way to its destination.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When Giving is Fun!"
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 2 Corinthians 9:7 where God describes how He wants us to feel about giving to Him. "Each man (it says) should give what he has decided in his heart to give, for God loves a cheerful giver." That word in the Greek is actually the word we get our word hilarious from. God's saying, "Give hilariously!"
Now, what I watched that day was McDonald's making it fun to give. They weren't pressuring or guilt-tripping us into giving to their cause. They just provided an opportunity to contribute and they made it fun. Now, I'm not recommending that we trade in offering plates for brightly colored funnels that slowly swirl your offering into a bank at the bottom. But I am suggesting that God intends for it to be pleasurable and exciting to give to His work.
Paul encourages us not to give like it's some spiritual tax you've got to pay or dues for being in God's club. He says to do it with a big smile. "I can't wait for the next chance to give. I love to give some of what I have to the work of Christ." That's what He wants our attitude to be. Is that what you feel?
How can giving be fun as God intended it to be? Well, first, give it to Jesus. Don't give it to a ministry, or a church, or an organization. You know, on that day the disciples were challenged by Jesus to find a way to feed those 5,000 people, they got a little boy to give his lunch, which, of course, Jesus multiplied miraculously. I think the only reason that boy gave up his lunch was because it was for Jesus. He actually handed it to one of Jesus' helpers, but he knew it was going to go to Jesus.
That's how we ought to give in any offering. When you see the offering plate coming, when you're considering your response to that request from one of God's servants, don't give it unless it's Jesus you're actually giving it to. You might be putting it in the hands of one of His workers, but it really is going to Jesus. You can lose the joy for giving if it's to a Christian organization. They might disappoint you and let you down. But it's always exciting to put it into the nail-scarred hands of Jesus, your Savior; an expression of your love to the one who withheld nothing for you.
Another factor that makes giving fun is thinking about the return on what you're going to give. In the verse before the "hilarious giving" verse, Paul says, "Remember this. Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. Whoever sows generously will also reap generously." You're building a reward account in heaven, and you can enjoy that forever and it will be huge compared to whatever you give.
Plus, for all eternity you are going to be celebrating with those people who were reached for Christ with the gifts you gave. So who needs a gimmick to make giving to God's work fun? Think about the Savior it's for and the returns it will bring. You won't be able to give without a smile.
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