Max Lucado Daily: Focus First and Most on God
Giants. We must face them. Yet we need not face them alone. Focus first, and most, on God. Read 1 Samuel 17 and list the observations David made about Goliath. I find only two. One to Saul and one to Goliath's face, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God" (1 Samuel 17:26). David asks nothing about Goliath's skill, age, or the weight of the spear, the size of his shield. But he gives much thought to God. The armies of the living God; The Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel. In all, the God-thoughts outnumber Goliath-thoughts nine to two.
How does this ratio compare with yours? Is your list of blessings four times as long as your list of complaints? Are you four times as likely to describe the strength of God as you are the demands of your day? That's how you face a giant.
From Facing Your Giants
Psalm 5
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by the flute.
O Lord, hear me as I pray;
pay attention to my groaning.
2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God,
for I pray to no one but you.
3 Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.
Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.
4 O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness;
you cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked.
5 Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence,
for you hate all who do evil.
6 You will destroy those who tell lies.
The Lord detests murderers and deceivers.
7 Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house;
I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe.
8 Lead me in the right path, O Lord,
or my enemies will conquer me.
Make your way plain for me to follow.
9 My enemies cannot speak a truthful word.
Their deepest desire is to destroy others.
Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.
Their tongues are filled with flattery.[a]
10 O God, declare them guilty.
Let them be caught in their own traps.
Drive them away because of their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them sing joyful praises forever.
Spread your protection over them,
that all who love your name may be filled with joy.
12 For you bless the godly, O Lord;
you surround them with your shield of love.
Footnotes:
5:9 Greek version reads with lies. Compare Rom 3:13.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, July 17, 2015
Read: Romans 9:1-5
God’s Selection of Israel
With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it. 2 My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief 3 for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters.[a] I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them. 4 They are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children.[b] God revealed his glory to them. He made covenants with them and gave them his law. He gave them the privilege of worshiping him and receiving his wonderful promises. 5 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.[c]
Footnotes:
9:3 Greek my brothers.
9:4 Greek chosen for sonship.
9:5 Or May God, the one who rules over everything, be praised forever. Amen
Insight:
The book of Romans is unique in Paul’s New Testament writings. While the rest of his letters are to those with whom he had an existing relationship (either individuals or churches), Romans is written to a group of people that Paul has not yet met. This may explain some of the deep theological themes that he covers. Although Paul was hoping to visit the Christians in Rome in person, one of the reasons he wrote this letter was to ensure they had a solid foundation of belief.
Tears of a Teen
By Dave Branon
I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. —Romans 9:2
As I sat with four teenagers and a 20-something homeless man at a soup kitchen in Alaska, I was touched by the teens’ compassion for him. They listened as he talked about what he believed and then they gently presented the gospel to him—lovingly offering him hope in Jesus. Sadly, the man refused to seriously consider the gospel.
As we were leaving, one of the girls, Grace, expressed through her tears how much she didn’t want the man to die without knowing Jesus. From the heart, she grieved for this young man who, at least at this point, was rejecting the love of the Savior.
The tears of this teen remind me of the apostle Paul who served the Lord humbly and had great sorrow in his heart for his countrymen, desiring that they trust in Christ (Rom. 9:1-5). Paul’s compassion and concern must have brought him to tears on many occasions.
If we care enough for others who have not yet accepted God’s gift of forgiveness through Christ, we will find ways to share with them. With the confidence of our own faith and with tears of compassion, let’s take the good news to those who need to know the Savior.
Is there someone you need to talk to about Jesus today?
Sharing the gospel is one person telling another good news.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, July 17, 2015
The Miracle of Belief
My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom… —1 Corinthians 2:4
Paul was a scholar and an orator of the highest degree; he was not speaking here out of a deep sense of humility, but was saying that when he preached the gospel, he would veil the power of God if he impressed people with the excellency of his speech. Belief in Jesus is a miracle produced only by the effectiveness of redemption, not by impressive speech, nor by wooing and persuading, but only by the sheer unaided power of God. The creative power of redemption comes through the preaching of the gospel, but never because of the personality of the preacher.
Real and effective fasting by a preacher is not fasting from food, but fasting from eloquence, from impressive diction, and from everything else that might hinder the gospel of God being presented. The preacher is there as the representative of God— “…as though God were pleading through us…” (2 Corinthians 5:20). He is there to present the gospel of God. If it is only because of my preaching that people desire to be better, they will never get close to Jesus Christ. Anything that flatters me in my preaching of the gospel will result in making me a traitor to Jesus, and I prevent the creative power of His redemption from doing its work.
“And I, if I am lifted up…, will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:32).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, July 17, 2015
Why You Can Do What You Thought You Couldn't - #7440
All right, let's start with a little magic trick today. I need your imagination if you don't mind. Sitting on this table in front of me is this a paper bag, okay? Next to it is a glove. Here's the trick. My glove is going to pick up the paper bag. I have laid down the glove right next to the paper bag. Okay, "Glove, pick up the paper bag! Ah, Glove! Pick up the paper bag!" Are you surprised? Nothing is happening. Now it doesn't matter what I do, doesn't matter if I baptize this glove, get it confirmed or dedicated or rededicated. It's not ever going to pick up the paper bag!
But watch this. Here we go. Actually, listen to this. The glove is moving and it is moving toward the paper bag. Listen! (Sound of paper bag moving) There! Look! You've got to trust me, it literally is... the glove picking up the paper bag. Are you amazed or what? I can hear your applause. Well, there is one little factor I forgot to mention. I put my hand in the glove before I picked up the paper bag. It's amazing! All of a sudden that glove could do what, otherwise, gloves could never do!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Why You Can Do What You Thought You Couldn't."
Our word for today from the Word of God is one of the most amazing statements in the New Testament I think, Philippians 4:13, you may have heard it. "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength" Through Christ who gives me strength. Now, Paul has just been talking about the extremes of our life's circumstances. He talks about being in need and having plenty. He says I can do it, either one, whatever season through Christ. He talks about being well fed or hungry. "I can do it," He says through Christ. He talks about being in plenty or in want. "I can do it," through Christ. Now you may be facing a challenge right now that looks a lot bigger than your resources to meet it. Well, think about how this affirmation changes that equation! "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."
A lot of people live with this negative voice that has been planted there by others their entire life. Maybe you can hear it inside of you. I call it the "can't chant," even though the story of the little engine taught us to say, "I think I can, I think I can." We have this voice that keeps whispering, "I think I can't, I think I can't." And maybe you struggle with feelings of inferiority, inadequacy, and it's held you down. It's held you back many times.
I remember seeing this refrigerator magnet. It was a picture of a dog and the dog was saying, "My name's No, No, Bad Dog. What's yours?" See, a lot of us have had that kind of negative input in our lives and we think that's who we are! It's torn down our confidence and diminished our sense of worth. Consequently, we miss a lot of mighty things God wants to do in us and through us because we think we can't.
Which brings us to the amazing glove trick! The glove is powerless to pick up anything. But the power of my hand in that glove changes everything. It empowers that glove to do what it never could do on its own power. Now, what God is asking you to be, (You ready?) is His glove. Recognizing that yes, you are powerless to do what He's asking you to do. You can't. You're right. But then trusting that Jesus can! He wants to put His hand in your life, your personality, your life experience, your abilities, your relationships, and do things you alone could never do!
Now, it doesn't say, "I can do everything." No. It says, "I can do everything through Christ who gives me (the) strength" It is not my strength. So the question is, "Are you willing to be God's glove?" If so, you'll go for what maybe you've been running from. You'll risk what you've been shrinking from. You'll run toward that challenge instead of running from it.
God wants to do His amazing glove miracle through you. He's just waiting for you to be willing.
