Max Lucado Daily: God's No-Tolerance Policy
Hypocrisy turns people against God, so he has a no-tolerance policy. Let's take hypocrisy as seriously as God does. For starters, expect no credit for good deeds. None! If no one notices, you aren't disappointed. If someone does, you give the credit to God. If no one knew of the good you do, would you still do it? If not, you're doing it to be seen by people.
Give financial gifts in secret. We like to be seen earning money. And we like to be seen giving it. Matthew 6:3 says, "So when you give to someone in need, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."
Don't fake spirituality. Nothing nauseates more than a fake, "Praise the Lord," or a shallow "Hallelujah" or an insincere "Glory be to God."
Bottom line: Don't make a theater production out of your faith!
From Max on Life
Joshua 3
Crossing the Jordan
Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. 2 After three days the officers went throughout the camp, 3 giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. 4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits[c] between you and the ark; do not go near it.”
5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”
6 Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them.
7 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. 8 Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”
9 Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. 10 This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. 11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. 12 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”
14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.
Joshua 3:4 That is, about 3,000 feet or about 900 meters
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, February 03, 2015
Read: 2 Timothy 2:1-6
A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus
Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. 2 You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.
3 Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. 5 And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. 6 And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor.
INSIGHT: Timothy is first introduced in Acts 16:1. Paul and Silas had been working their way through the provinces of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) sharing the gospel of Christ. When Paul and Silas arrived in Lystra, they met Timothy (a follower of Christ) and Paul invited this young man to join them. Timothy became a student of Paul’s and a pastor who, according to tradition, shepherded the church at Ephesus. Eventually, he received the two letters from Paul that bear his name. Each of those letters was intended to instruct and encourage the young pastor in his work with the congregation he served.
Chinese Proverbs
By Poh Fang Chia
Always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. —1 Corinthians 15:58
Chinese proverbs are common and often have stories behind them. The proverb “pulling up a crop to help it grow” is about an impatient man in the Song Dynasty. He was eager to see his rice seedlings grow quickly. So he thought of a solution. He would pull up each plant a few inches. After a day of tedious work, the man surveyed his paddy field. He was happy that his crop seemed to have “grown” taller. But his joy was short-lived. The next day, the plants had begun to wither because their roots were no longer deep.
In 2 Timothy 2:6, the apostle Paul compares the work of being a minister of the gospel to that of a farmer. He wrote to encourage Timothy that, like farming, making disciples can be continuous, hard labor. You plow, you sow, you wait, you pray. You desire to see the fruits of your labor quickly, but growth takes time. And as the Chinese proverb so aptly illustrates, any effort to hurry the process won’t be helpful. Commentator William Hendriksen states: “If Timothy . . . exerts himself to the full in the performance of his God-given spiritual task, he . . . will see in the lives of others . . . the beginnings of those glorious fruits that are mentioned in Galatians 5:22, 23.”
As we labor faithfully, we wait patiently on the Lord, who makes things grow (1 Cor. 3:7).
Dear Lord of the harvest, help us to work faithfully as
we wait patiently on You for the fruit. Encourage us
when we are discouraged and strengthen us when we
are weary. Help us to persevere, for You are faithful.
We sow the seed—God produces the harvest.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, February 03, 2015
We have been made as the filth of the world… —1 Corinthians 4:13
These words are not an exaggeration. The only reason they may not be true of us who call ourselves ministers of the gospel is not that Paul forgot or misunderstood the exact truth of them, but that we are too cautious and concerned about our own desires to allow ourselves to become the refuse or “filth of the world.” “Fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ…” (Colossians 1:24) is not the result of the holiness of sanctification, but the evidence of consecration— being “separated to the gospel of God…” (Romans 1:1).
“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you…” (1 Peter 4:12). If we do think the things we encounter are strange, it is because we are fearful and cowardly. We pay such close attention to our own interests and desires that we stay out of the mire and say, “I won’t submit; I won’t bow or bend.” And you don’t have to— you can be saved by the “skin of your teeth” if you like. You can refuse to let God count you as one who is “separated to the gospel….” Or you can say, “I don’t care if I am treated like ‘the filth of the world’ as long as the gospel is proclaimed.” A true servant of Jesus Christ is one who is willing to experience martyrdom for the reality of the gospel of God. When a moral person is confronted with contempt, immorality, disloyalty, or dishonesty, he is so repulsed by the offense that he turns away and in despair closes his heart to the offender. But the miracle of the redemptive reality of God is that the worst and the vilest offender can never exhaust the depths of His love. Paul did not say that God separated him to show what a wonderful man He could make of him, but “to reveal His Son in me…” (Galatians 1:16).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, February 03, 2015
HOW TO BEAT THE FATAL DISTRACTIONS - #7322
American's are pretty passionate about their sports. And, you know, like which one is the one that takes the most brains, the most brawn, the most talent. I actually think my two sons might vote for basketball as the most exciting sport of all. And basketball action is pretty physical. It's constantly changing, it's intense, it's unpredictable. There's this one point where it does slows down a little, much to the relief of the players probably. If a player is fouled by someone from the other team, he gets to shoot one or two free throws.
And that down time is a time when nobody on the court is bothering you, trying to defend against you. Actually I really shouldn't say no one's bothering you, especially if you're the visiting team. Because when you're facing that basket trying to make your free throw, you're also facing all the local fans who, of course, want you to miss. They're jumping up and down, they're making noise, they're waving their arms, and they're waving signs in your face. If you're going to try to score some points, you've got to concentrate.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How to Beat the Fatal Distractions."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Hebrews 12:1-2. "Since we are surrounded" it says "by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith."
This passage from the Bible suggests an idea that's pretty common in modern athletics. You hear this word a lot - focus. Just like that basketball player. He's got to focus on making that basket; what it takes to sink it when you've got a thousand nuts out there trying to get you to look somewhere else. That player has all kinds of sights and sounds trying to get his attention. But he's got to tune it all out. His eye is fixed on the basket.
The Bible says, "We have a race marked out for us." The Lord has set the course for your life. You've got gifts to use for Him, you've got people to influence for Him, you have work to get done for Him, you have days that are yours with which to glorify Him and read His letter, and keep striving toward His prize. All that matters is getting to that finish line.
That player could look at the crowd. He could look at the competitors all around him. He could look down. But a champion, of course, always focuses on the goal. Now, as you're running your next lap for Jesus, there are plenty of distractions, right? It's easy to have your attention drawn away to a problem person, or your finances, or making more money, or a thousand little annoyances. You can be distracted by temptation, or as I often am, by an overwhelming "to do" list.
Maybe your attention is drawn to this conflict or to something you're afraid of, or something you're worried about. Whatever it is, it's yelling, "Look at me instead!" We have sure thrown away enough days by letting ourselves become frustrated, allowing ourselves to worry and panic and feel sorry for ourselves. What's the answer? Here we go again, focus, focus, focus. It begins when your day begins. You fill up with Jesus in the waking moments. That's a conscious choice you make. You listen to worship music, Christian radio, go to Christian websites. You take time to listen to the Lord in His Word, and then you refocus on Him several times during the day consciously.
That's why I actually get a practical benefit from giving thanks for my meals during the day. That's not just a ritual. Those actually, again, allow me to acknowledge His presence and His provision in my life and to stay in touch with Him. Determine that you're going to look for the Lord at work. In your day, thank Him every time you spot Him doing something. We call them "God sightings" in our family.
How many times have you seen Jesus in your day and thanked Him consciously? Whisper His name as you answer the phone, as you answer a letter or email, as you look at Facebook, as you answer the door, as you answer a question. And when you feel the urge for you to take over, think about the cross, about you at the cross, about Jesus being worshiped in heaven by a hundred million angels.
Refocus on Jesus. All the distracters will always be there waving, shouting, and screaming for your attention. But a champion knows they've got to make the difference. They've got to make the basket. They've got to make the goal.
Make sure your eyes are stubbornly focused on the Christ who is Lord over every distraction.
