Max Lucado Daily: Nothing to Be Proud About
Do art critics give awards to the canvas? Can you imagine a scalpel growing smug after a successful heart transplant? Of course not. And the message of the Twenty-Third Psalm is that we have nothing to be proud about either. We have rest, salvation, blessings, and a home in heaven-and we did nothing to earn any of it. Who did the work? The answer threads through the Psalm. . .
He makes me. . .
He leads me. . .
He restores my soul. . .
You are with me. . .
Your rod and staff comfort me. . .
You prepare a table. . .
You anoint my head. . .
And just to make sure we get the point, right in the middle of the poem, David declares, the shepherd leads his sheep, not for our names' sake, but for "His name's sake!"
From Traveling Light
1 Samuel 27
David among the Philistines
But David kept thinking to himself, “Someday Saul is going to get me. The best thing I can do is escape to the Philistines. Then Saul will stop hunting for me in Israelite territory, and I will finally be safe.”
2 So David took his 600 men and went over and joined Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath. 3 David and his men and their families settled there with Achish at Gath. David brought his two wives along with him—Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal’s widow from Carmel. 4 Word soon reached Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he stopped hunting for him.
5 One day David said to Achish, “If it is all right with you, we would rather live in one of the country towns instead of here in the royal city.”
6 So Achish gave him the town of Ziklag (which still belongs to the kings of Judah to this day), 7 and they lived there among the Philistines for a year and four months.
8 David and his men spent their time raiding the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites—people who had lived near Shur, toward the land of Egypt, since ancient times. 9 David did not leave one person alive in the villages he attacked. He took the sheep, goats, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothing before returning home to see King Achish.
10 “Where did you make your raid today?” Achish would ask.
And David would reply, “Against the south of Judah, the Jerahmeelites, and the Kenites.”
11 No one was left alive to come to Gath and tell where he had really been. This happened again and again while he was living among the Philistines. 12 Achish believed David and thought to himself, “By now the people of Israel must hate him bitterly. Now he will have to stay here and serve me forever!”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, May 22, 2015
Read: Proverbs 3:1-18
Trusting in the Lord
My child,[a] never forget the things I have taught you.
Store my commands in your heart.
2 If you do this, you will live many years,
and your life will be satisfying.
3 Never let loyalty and kindness leave you!
Tie them around your neck as a reminder.
Write them deep within your heart.
4 Then you will find favor with both God and people,
and you will earn a good reputation.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
7 Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.
Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
8 Then you will have healing for your body
and strength for your bones.
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the best part of everything you produce.
10 Then he will fill your barns with grain,
and your vats will overflow with good wine.
11 My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline,
and don’t be upset when he corrects you.
12 For the Lord corrects those he loves,
just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.[b]
13 Joyful is the person who finds wisdom,
the one who gains understanding.
14 For wisdom is more profitable than silver,
and her wages are better than gold.
15 Wisdom is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 She offers you long life in her right hand,
and riches and honor in her left.
17 She will guide you down delightful paths;
all her ways are satisfying.
18 Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her;
happy are those who hold her tightly.
Footnotes:
3:1 Hebrew My son; also in 3:11, 21.
3:12 Greek version reads loves, / and he punishes those he accepts as his children. Compare Heb 12:6.
Wisdom Seekers
By Joe Stowell
Blessed are those who find wisdom. —Proverbs 3:13 niv
Every spring colleges and universities hold commencement ceremonies to celebrate the success of students who have completed their studies and earned their degrees. After the students cross the stage, these graduates will enter a world that will challenge them. Just having academic knowledge won’t be good enough. The key to success in life will be in wisely applying everything they have learned.
Throughout Scripture, wisdom is celebrated as a treasure that is worth seeking. It is better than riches (Prov. 3:13-18). Its source is God, who alone is perfectly wise (Rom. 16:27). And it is found in the actions and attitude of Jesus, in whom “all the treasures of wisdom” are found (Col. 2:3). Wisdom comes from reading and applying the Scripture. We have an example of this in the way Jesus applied His knowledge when He was tempted (Luke 4:1-13). In other words, the truly wise person tries to see life from God’s point of view and chooses to live according to His wisdom.
What’s the payoff for this kind of life? Proverbs tells us that wisdom is like sweetness of honey on the tongue (Prov. 24:13-14). “Blessed are those who find wisdom” (3:13 niv). So seek wisdom, for it is more profitable than silver or gold!
Lord, strengthen my resolve to live by the wisdom that comes only from You. Give me the discernment to live all of life from Your point of view that I might know the blessings of a life lived wisely.
Blessing comes from seeking wisdom and living by it.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, May 22, 2015
The Explanation For Our Difficulties
…that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us… —John 17:21
If you are going through a time of isolation, seemingly all alone, read John 17 . It will explain exactly why you are where you are— because Jesus has prayed that you “may be one” with the Father as He is. Are you helping God to answer that prayer, or do you have some other goal for your life? Since you became a disciple, you cannot be as independent as you used to be.
God reveals in John 17 that His purpose is not just to answer our prayers, but that through prayer we might come to discern His mind. Yet there is one prayer which God must answer, and that is the prayer of Jesus— “…that they may be one just as We are one…” (John 17:22). Are we as close to Jesus Christ as that?
God is not concerned about our plans; He doesn’t ask, “Do you want to go through this loss of a loved one, this difficulty, or this defeat?” No, He allows these things for His own purpose. The things we are going through are either making us sweeter, better, and nobler men and women, or they are making us more critical and fault-finding, and more insistent on our own way. The things that happen either make us evil, or they make us more saintly, depending entirely on our relationship with God and its level of intimacy. If we will pray, regarding our own lives, “Your will be done” (Matthew 26:42), then we will be encouraged and comforted by John 17, knowing that our Father is working according to His own wisdom, accomplishing what is best. When we understand God’s purpose, we will not become small-minded and cynical. Jesus prayed nothing less for us than absolute oneness with Himself, just as He was one with the Father. Some of us are far from this oneness; yet God will not leave us alone until we are one with Him— because Jesus prayed, “…that they all may be one….”
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, May 22, 2015
Unprepared for God - #7400
Patty's true love, Tom, was coming to visit in a few days. She was excited, but not excited enough to clean her room of course. See, Tom lives in Ohio. Patty's a friend of ours who lived down the street from us in New Jersey. All week long Mom had gotten on to Patty for not cleaning her room, at least so she could find the floor.
Well, Patty put it off, and put it off until the day before Tom's scheduled arrival. Well, let me say, I mean, this was a job! She got on her grubby clothes. She decided not to shower until she was through with this ordeal. And she began tearing into her room and the phone rang. It was Tom. He said, "Hey, I just called to say I'm looking forward to seeing you soon." Cool!
Well, they exchanged some sweet nothings, and Patty hung up and got back to work. Not more than a minute later (You with me now?) there was a knock on the door of her room. The door opened and you guessed it! There stood Prince Charming! He had called from downstairs. He'd come early to surprise her, and surprise her he did. There she stood in a mountain of mess with matted hair, sweating in her grubbiest clothes. She was not ready for him!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Unprepared for God."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew 25, beginning at verse 1. It's a parable Jesus told. This particular story is rooted in the Jewish wedding customs of Jesus' day, when a wedding and the celebrations attached to it actually went on for days. There were interesting customs involving the dramatic arrival of the bridegroom, often at a time when he would surprise those who were waiting for him.
It says, "The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps, but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil and jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight the cry rang out, 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'"
Well, the story goes on to tell us that the lamps of the foolish women were running out of oil and they went back to get more. The groom arrived right then, and it says, "The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet and the door was shut." Then it says. "Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said, 'Open the door for us.' But he replied, 'I don't know you.'" It's an unsettling story when you realize who the characters really are and what it could mean. The bridegroom is Jesus. The banquet is eternal life – it's heaven.
All ten of those women wanted to be there just like you and I want to be there where Jesus is in heaven some day. But just like Patty on the day when her beloved arrived, some of us are going to be totally unprepared when Jesus comes. And the result: the door of heaven is shut forever. And some people who thought they would be there will be outside. That picture's throughout the New Testament.
The arrival of Jesus could be His personal return to this earth, which according to the signs accompanying His coming could happen very soon. But in a sense, it's also that moment when your heart stops beating and Jesus comes for you, in a sense, then.
Here's a question you can't risk being wrong about, "Are you ready?" John 3:36 will decide it. "Whoever believes in the Son..." What does that mean? Putting your total trust in what Jesus did on the cross to remove the death penalty for your sins. "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. But whoever rejects the Son..." In other words, someone who never gets around to making Jesus their personal Savior, that person "will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."
Are you ready for that time when Jesus comes one way or the other? You want to be? Why don't you take care of that today? Let's get this done. Just say, "Jesus, I understand now what happened on that cross was for me, and beginning right now I am yours." There's some great information on our website to help you be sure you know this Jesus, that you're ready for Him. Just go to ANewStory.com.
The knock could come any time when you don't expect it, and it will be Jesus. Everything depends on whether or not you're ready. Right now you have time to make sure you are.
