Max Lucado Daily: No Deception
A woman stands before judge and jury, one hand on the Bible, the other in the air, and makes a pledge: to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. She's a witness. Her job is to tell the truth.
The Christian, too, is a witness. We, too, make a pledge to tell the truth. The bench may be absent, the judge unseen, but the Bible is present, the watching world the jury, and we're the primary witnesses-subpoenaed by no less than Jesus himself in Acts 1:8. "You will be my witnesses, in all of Judea, in Samaria, and in every part of the world."
The witness in court eventually steps down from the witness chair, but the witness for Christ never does. The claims of Christ are always on trial, and we remain under oath!
From Just Like Jesus
1 Samuel 17
Goliath Challenges the Israelites
The Philistines now mustered their army for battle and camped between Socoh in Judah and Azekah at Ephes-dammim. 2 Saul countered by gathering his Israelite troops near the valley of Elah. 3 So the Philistines and Israelites faced each other on opposite hills, with the valley between them.
4 Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was over nine feet[a] tall! 5 He wore a bronze helmet, and his bronze coat of mail weighed 125 pounds.[b] 6 He also wore bronze leg armor, and he carried a bronze javelin on his shoulder. 7 The shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver’s beam, tipped with an iron spearhead that weighed 15 pounds.[c] His armor bearer walked ahead of him carrying a shield.
8 Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. “Why are you all coming out to fight?” he called. “I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight me! 9 If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! 10 I defy the armies of Israel today! Send me a man who will fight me!” 11 When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken.
Jesse Sends David to Saul’s Camp
12 Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. Jesse was an old man at that time, and he had eight sons. 13 Jesse’s three oldest sons—Eliab, Abinadab, and Shimea[d]—had already joined Saul’s army to fight the Philistines. 14 David was the youngest son. David’s three oldest brothers stayed with Saul’s army, 15 but David went back and forth so he could help his father with the sheep in Bethlehem.
16 For forty days, every morning and evening, the Philistine champion strutted in front of the Israelite army.
17 One day Jesse said to David, “Take this basket[e] of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and carry them quickly to your brothers. 18 And give these ten cuts of cheese to their captain. See how your brothers are getting along, and bring back a report on how they are doing.[f]” 19 David’s brothers were with Saul and the Israelite army at the valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.
20 So David left the sheep with another shepherd and set out early the next morning with the gifts, as Jesse had directed him. He arrived at the camp just as the Israelite army was leaving for the battlefield with shouts and battle cries. 21 Soon the Israelite and Philistine forces stood facing each other, army against army. 22 David left his things with the keeper of supplies and hurried out to the ranks to greet his brothers. 23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel.
24 As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright. 25 “Have you seen the giant?” the men asked. “He comes out each day to defy Israel. The king has offered a huge reward to anyone who kills him. He will give that man one of his daughters for a wife, and the man’s entire family will be exempted from paying taxes!”
26 David asked the soldiers standing nearby, “What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?”
27 And these men gave David the same reply. They said, “Yes, that is the reward for killing him.”
28 But when David’s oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. “What are you doing around here anyway?” he demanded. “What about those few sheep you’re supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and deceit. You just want to see the battle!”
29 “What have I done now?” David replied. “I was only asking a question!” 30 He walked over to some others and asked them the same thing and received the same answer. 31 Then David’s question was reported to King Saul, and the king sent for him.
David Kills Goliath
32 “Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!”
33 “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.”
34 But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, 35 I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. 36 I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! 37 The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!”
Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the Lord be with you!”
38 Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. 39 David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before.
“I can’t go in these,” he protested to Saul. “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off again. 40 He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine.
41 Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, 42 sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. 43 “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods. 44 “Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled.
45 David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 47 And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!”
48 As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. 49 Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground.
50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword. 51 Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head.
Israel Routs the Philistines
When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they turned and ran. 52 Then the men of Israel and Judah gave a great shout of triumph and rushed after the Philistines, chasing them as far as Gath[g] and the gates of Ekron. The bodies of the dead and wounded Philistines were strewn all along the road from Shaaraim, as far as Gath and Ekron. 53 Then the Israelite army returned and plundered the deserted Philistine camp. 54 (David took the Philistine’s head to Jerusalem, but he stored the man’s armor in his own tent.)
55 As Saul watched David go out to fight the Philistine, he asked Abner, the commander of his army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?”
“I really don’t know,” Abner declared.
56 “Well, find out who he is!” the king told him.
57 As soon as David returned from killing Goliath, Abner brought him to Saul with the Philistine’s head still in his hand. 58 “Tell me about your father, young man,” Saul said.
And David replied, “His name is Jesse, and we live in Bethlehem.”
17:4 Hebrew 6 cubits and 1 span [which totals about 9.75 feet or 3 meters]; Dead Sea Scrolls and Greek version read 4 cubits and 1 span [which totals about 6.75 feet or 2 meters].
17:5 Hebrew 5,000 shekels [57 kilograms].
17:7 Hebrew 600 shekels [6.8 kilograms].
17:13 Hebrew Shammah, a variant spelling of Shimea; compare 1 Chr 2:13; 20:7.
17:17 Hebrew ephah [20 quarts or 22 liters].
17:18 Hebrew and take their pledge.
17:52 As in some Greek manuscripts; Hebrew reads a valley.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Read: Matthew 8:23-27
Jesus Calms the Storm
Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. 24 Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
26 Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.
27 The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”
INSIGHT: Today’s passage contains a beautiful story of Jesus’ power when He commands the winds and the waves to obey Him, giving further evidence that He is the Creator (see Col 1:16). Jesus’ question in Matthew 8:26 may seem harsh, but the disciples had been with Jesus long enough now that they should have had a better understanding of who He was. Immediately following the account of the calming of the wind and waves is the account of Jesus’ power over demons (vv. 28-34). This would have been another reminder that the disciples should have faith in Him.
In The Same Boat
By Cindy Hess Kasper
When He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. —Matthew 8:23
When the cruise ship pulled into port, the passengers got off as quickly as possible. They had spent the last few days enduring an outbreak of a virus, and hundreds of people had been sickened. One passenger, interviewed as he disembarked, said: “Well, I don’t mean to complain so much. I mean I know everybody was in the same boat.” His seemingly unintentional pun made the reporter smile.
In Matthew 8, we read about another trip on the water (vv.23-27). Jesus got into the boat and the disciples followed Him (v.23). Then a terrible storm arose, and Jesus’ disciples feared for their lives. They awakened a sleeping Jesus, who they assumed was unaware of the crisis.
While Jesus was literally in the same boat as His followers, He was unconcerned about the weather. As the all-powerful Creator, He had no fear of a storm. “He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm” (v.26).
But we are not all-powerful, and we are oh-so-prone to fear. So what are we to do when the storms of life rage around us? Whether they quickly blow over or last for a long time, we can be confident in this: We are in the same boat with the One whom even the winds and the sea obey.
Heavenly Father, this life is full of uncertainty. But You have promised us Your unfailing presence. May we see You today—especially when we are tempted to panic or to do things in our own strength.
No danger can come so near the Christian that God is not nearer.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
What You Will Get
I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go. —Jeremiah 45:5
This is the firm and immovable secret of the Lord to those who trust Him– “I will give your life to you….” What more does a man want than his life? It is the essential thing. “…your life…as a prize…” means that wherever you may go, even if it is into hell, you will come out with your life and nothing can harm it. So many of us are caught up in exhibiting things for others to see, not showing off property and possessions, but our blessings. All these things that we so proudly show have to go. But there is something greater that can never go– the life that “is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).
Are you prepared to let God take you into total oneness with Himself, paying no more attention to what you call the great things of life? Are you prepared to surrender totally and let go? The true test of abandonment or surrender is in refusing to say, “Well, what about this?” Beware of your own ideas and speculations. The moment you allow yourself to think, “What about this?” you show that you have not surrendered and that you do not really trust God. But once you do surrender, you will no longer think about what God is going to do. Abandonment means to refuse yourself the luxury of asking any questions. If you totally abandon yourself to God, He immediately says to you, “I will give your life to you as a prize….” The reason people are tired of life is that God has not given them anything— they have not been given their life “as a prize.” The way to get out of that condition is to abandon yourself to God. And once you do get to the point of total surrender to Him, you will be the most surprised and delighted person on earth. God will have you absolutely, without any limitations, and He will have given you your life. If you are not there, it is either because of disobedience in your life or your refusal to be simple enough.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Bitterness - The Poison In Your Soul - #7382
If my wife and I ever happen to be at your house for a meal, don't bother offering my wife milk. She will probably politely decline. You can tell her how good it is for her. It won't help. "No" is always the answer when it comes to milk. It has been that way since she was a girl, and it's all this cow's fault; the one who gave the milk with the bitter taste.
Maybe it's the fault of what the cow ate that gave the milk that taste. It's this weed they had on their farm. It's called appropriately "bitterweed". So, here's Bossy, just dining on what's growing in the pasture, and she includes in her menu a healthy serving of bitterweed. It gets into her system, then it gets into her milk, and then it gets into my wife's glass, and of course she's expected by her parents to drink all of her milk. So milk is ruined for her for a long time to come. It's amazing how feeding a little bit of that bitterweed can affect the flavor of things down the line.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Bitterness - The Poison In Your Soul."
When a cow feeds on something bitter, it affects more than just that cow. When a person feeds on their own bitterweed, it affects more than just one person. Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Hebrews 12:15. This is important insight for anyone who's been hurt, betrayed, maybe abandoned, insulted, neglected, abused. Most of us are in there somewhere.
Here's what it says, "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up." Wow! What's the problem with a bitter root growing up inside of you? Well, it goes on to say, "It grows up to cause trouble and defile many." Feeding on bitterweed - bitterness. It starts a chain of events that can ruin the flavor of your life and the lives of a lot of people close to you.
God reveals some of the ugly secrets about those hard feelings that you may be harboring inside. First He says bitterness never stays the same size; it grows, infecting more and more of your feelings, your moods, your attitudes.
Secondly, bitterness causes trouble, beginning with trouble for you. It actually ties you to the person you'd rather not have anything to do with. But as long as you carry anger, or bitterness, or hard feelings toward a person, you're carrying that person around with you all the time.
And it's just like the bitterweed that eventually ruined the taste of a little girl's milk. Bitterness starts to ruin your attitude. Without even realizing why, you slowly become more cynical, sarcastic, unforgiving, negative. So bitter feelings defile many; so many marriages, so many parent/child relationships, working relationships, church relationships, and friendships have been poisoned by a person's unresolved anger or hard feelings.
Those feelings spill out on others around you, and they didn't even do anything to you. And often the flavor of your closest relationships is ruined by the bitter weeds you've been feeding on. Worst of all, bitterness can cost you the help of God's grace in your situation. Bitterness and grace cannot co-exist in the same heart. One has to go. That's why it says, "See to it that no one misses the grace of God." You can do without the grudge. You can't do without the grace.
Isn't it time to pull up the bitter weed that's growing inside you before it takes over the whole garden? Emotional freedom, emotional cleansing starts when you make a choice to forgive the people who have hurt you. Not because they deserve it. Not because you feel like it. It's because Jesus says to do it.
Colossians 3:13, "Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Forgiving is a decision to treat that person, not as they treated you, but as Jesus treated you. You're declaring a new beginning in that relationship, a new declaration of emotional independence for yourself. When you stop feeding on the weed of bitterness, you can change the taste of your life so much. It's done enough damage.
Pull up the bitter weeds and let the rich diet of God's grace grow where those weeds once pushed it out.
