Max Lucado Daily:God Shapes His Servants
Compassion matters to God. This is the time for service, not self-centeredness. Cancel the pity party. Love the people God brings to you. This test will be your testimony.
2 Corinthians 1:4 reminds us God comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, He brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.
You didn’t sign up for this crash course in single parenting or caring for a disabled spouse, did you? No, God enrolled you. Why? So you can teach others what He has taught you. Rather than say, “God, why?” ask, “God, what?” What can I learn from this experience? Your mess can become His message!
From You’ll Get Through This
John 4:1-26
Jesus and the Samaritan Woman
Jesus[a] knew the Pharisees had heard that he was baptizing and making more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus himself didn’t baptize them—his disciples did). 3 So he left Judea and returned to Galilee.
4 He had to go through Samaria on the way. 5 Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. 7 Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” 8 He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.
9 The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans.[b] She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”
10 Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”
11 “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? 12 And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”
13 Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”
15 “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”
16 “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her.
17 “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied.
Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband— 18 for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. 20 So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim,[c] where our ancestors worshiped?”
21 Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. 23 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. 24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
25 The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus told her, “I am the Messiah!”[d]
Footnotes:
4:1 Some manuscripts read The Lord.
4:9 Some manuscripts do not include this sentence.
4:20 Greek on this mountain.
4:26 Or “The ‘I am’ is here”; or “I am the Lord”; Greek reads “I am, the one speaking to you.” See Exod 3:14.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Read: Matthew 14:22-33
Jesus Walks on Water
Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. 23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.
24 Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. 25 About three o’clock in the morning[a] Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”
27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here![b]”
28 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”
29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said.
So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strong[c] wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.
31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
32 When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.
Footnotes:
14:25 Greek In the fourth watch of the night.
14:27 Or The ‘I am’ is here; Greek reads I am. See Exod 3:14.
14:30 Some manuscripts do not include strong.
INSIGHT:
The Sea of Galilee is partially ringed with a series of hills and valleys, which makes it vulnerable to sudden storms. With little warning, winds can whip through these ravines in such a way that they lash the waters of the Galilee quite violently, causing what might otherwise be a typical storm to be deadly and threatening to anyone on the water. This could explain why seasoned fishermen who made their living on the Sea of Galilee could be periodically caught in potentially life-threatening storms.
Walking on Water
By Marion Stroud
Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid. —Matthew 14:27
When I learned to sail, I had to walk along a very unsteady floating platform to reach the little boats in which we had our lessons. I hated it. I don’t have a good sense of balance and was terrified of falling between the platform and the boat as I attempted to get in. I nearly gave up. “Fix your eyes on me,” said the instructor. “I’m here, and I’ll catch you if you slip.” I did what he said, and I am now the proud possessor of a basic sailing proficiency certificate!
Do you avoid taking risks at all costs? Many of us are reluctant to step out of our comfort zones in case we fail, get hurt, or look stupid. But if we allow that fear to bind us, we’ll end up afraid to do anything.
The story of Peter’s water-walking adventure and why it supposedly failed is a popular choice for preachers (Matt. 14:22-33). But I don’t think I’ve ever heard any of them discuss the behavior of the rest of the disciples. In my opinion, Peter was a success. He felt the fear but responded to the call of Jesus anyway. Maybe it was those who never tried at all who failed.
Jesus risked everything for us. What are we prepared to risk for Him?
Father, thank You for stretching out Your hand and saying, “Come.” Help me to get out of the boat, knowing that it is totally safe to walk on water with You.
“Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” Helen Keller
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Reconciling Yourself to the Fact of Sin
This is your hour, and the power of darkness. —Luke 22:53
Not being reconciled to the fact of sin— not recognizing it and refusing to deal with it— produces all the disasters in life. You may talk about the lofty virtues of human nature, but there is something in human nature that will mockingly laugh in the face of every principle you have. If you refuse to agree with the fact that there is wickedness and selfishness, something downright hateful and wrong, in human beings, when it attacks your life, instead of reconciling yourself to it, you will compromise with it and say that it is of no use to battle against it. Have you taken this “hour, and the power of darkness” into account, or do you have a view of yourself which includes no recognition of sin whatsoever? In your human relationships and friendships, have you reconciled yourself to the fact of sin? If not, just around the next corner you will find yourself trapped and you will compromise with it. But if you will reconcile yourself to the fact of sin, you will realize the danger immediately and say, “Yes, I see what this sin would mean.” The recognition of sin does not destroy the basis of friendship— it simply establishes a mutual respect for the fact that the basis of sinful life is disastrous. Always beware of any assessment of life which does not recognize the fact that there is sin.
Jesus Christ never trusted human nature, yet He was never cynical nor suspicious, because He had absolute trust in what He could do for human nature. The pure man or woman is the one who is shielded from harm, not the innocent person. The so-called innocent man or woman is never safe. Men and women have no business trying to be innocent; God demands that they be pure and virtuous. Innocence is the characteristic of a child. Any person is deserving of blame if he is unwilling to reconcile himself to the fact of sin.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
PAVING OVER YOUR SIN - #7423
https://hutchcraft.com/a-word-with-you/
I have no official statistics on what I'm about to say; just a personal impression. But I believe the State of Pennsylvania might be the road kill capitol of the Northeast; especially for deer population. I have seen many more dead deer by the side of the road there than any state in that region. Of course, there's a lot more of Pennsylvania, too. But I read an article about the outraged mayor of a small town in Pennsylvania. The Interstate runs through his community. This is a true story! The reason for his outrage? A paving crew was working on that road one summer, and they came upon a dead deer with much of its carcass lying on the road. Want to try to guess what they did next? They went right ahead and paved right over the deer! "Honey, I just hit a bump in the road. I think it's a deer!"
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Paving Over Your Sin."
It's hard to believe you can have this major obstacle - this major bump in the road - and your solution would be to just pave over it. It seems obvious. But a lot of us have opted for the "pave over it" approach when it comes to the biggest problem in our way.
The diaries of King David - that's where we find our word for today from the Word of God. David is an intensely passionate, intensely honest man, and it shows up in a part of his diary we call Psalm 32. He starts by announcing something he has learned from personal experience. "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sin the Lord does not count against him."
That sounds like a liberating possibility, right? I mean, all the mistakes of your life, all the things you're not proud of, all the sins, all the hurts you've inflicted, forgiven; forgotten by God. But first David tried paving over the carcass. Here's how he puts it, "When I kept silent my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me." He's talking to God. "My strength was sapped as in the heat of summer."
See, David's life story is the life story of many of us. We don't deal with the sins of our life. We "keep silent." We're experts at ignoring the biggest problem we have; the sin that is breaking our relationship with our Creator and probably damaging our other relationships. We rationalize, we blame others, we compare ourselves with others who are worse off, and we do our best to cover it up. It feels as if we're getting away with living outside the walls of God. I assure you we're not.
We keep hitting the bumps of what we paved over, and God's hand is heavy upon us. We feel drained, or dirty, or incomplete, and guilty, and the thought of God's inevitable judgment haunts us. Well, David finally found peace in the only way he could; the only way you can. He says, "Then I acknowledged my sin to you and I did not cover up my iniquities." No more paving over, no more running from God. You know what happens when you do that? Listen to what David said, "And You forgave the guilt of my sin." Finally guilt free, clean, and ready to meet God.
If you don't face your sin now, you'll face it on Judgment Day and receive its eternal death sentence. But there's a way to have every sin you've ever done removed from God's book forever. You face the facts of a life that you have run instead of God running it. And you bring all that sin to the cross of Jesus Christ where He took the penalty for your sin so you don't have to. You can walk up that crucifixion hill in your heart today. You come with a lifetime of sin and with the death penalty of hell, and you leave with every sin forgiven and a guaranteed eternity in heaven.
Are you ready for that? Well, tell God that right now, "Jesus, I want to belong to you. I put all my hope in you." If you go to ANewStory.com - that's our website - I think I can help you be sure you belong to Him.
Our biggest problem of all is the sin that haunts our past, poisons our present and threatens our future. Covering it? That's not going to work. Removing it will, and only Jesus can do that, and He's waiting right now for you to ask Him.