Max Lucado Daily: A Radical Reconstruction
God promises a special blessing. A sacred delight. It’s not a gimmick to give goose bumps or a mental attitude that has to be pumped up. No, Matthew 5 describes God’s radical reconstruction of the heart. Observe the sequence in the Beatitudes. We recognize we are in need—we’re poor in spirit. Next, we repent of our self-sufficiency—we mourn. We quit calling the shots—we’re meek. We are so grateful for his presence that we yearn for more—we hunger and thirst. We forgive others—we’re merciful. We change our outlook—we’re pure in heart. We love others—we’re peacemakers. We endure injustice—we’re persecuted.
It’s no casual shift of attitude. It is a demolition of the old and a creation of the new. The more radical the change, the greater the joy. And it is worth every effort, for this is the joy of God! A special blessing….a sacred delight.
From The Applause of Heaven
Psalm 26
A psalm of David.
1 Declare me innocent, O Lord,
for I have acted with integrity;
I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
2 Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me.
Test my motives and my heart.
3 For I am always aware of your unfailing love,
and I have lived according to your truth.
4 I do not spend time with liars
or go along with hypocrites.
5 I hate the gatherings of those who do evil,
and I refuse to join in with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands to declare my innocence.
I come to your altar, O Lord,
7 singing a song of thanksgiving
and telling of all your wonders.
8 I love your sanctuary, Lord,
the place where your glorious presence dwells.
9 Don’t let me suffer the fate of sinners.
Don’t condemn me along with murderers.
10 Their hands are dirty with evil schemes,
and they constantly take bribes.
11 But I am not like that; I live with integrity.
So redeem me and show me mercy.
12 Now I stand on solid ground,
and I will publicly praise the Lord.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Read: John 16:1-11
“I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith. 2 For you will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God. 3 This is because they have never known the Father or me. 4 Yes, I’m telling you these things now, so that when they happen, you will remember my warning. I didn’t tell you earlier because I was going to be with you for a while longer.
The Work of the Holy Spirit
5 “But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. 6 Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. 7 But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate[a] won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. 9 The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. 10 Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. 11 Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.
Footnotes:
16:7 Or Comforter, or Encourager, or Counselor. Greek reads Paraclete.
INSIGHT:
Today’s passage is part of the Upper Room Discourse (John 13–17)—the conversation Jesus had with His disciples the last time He was with them before His death. At several points Jesus tells His disciples that they will be misunderstood and hated by “the world.” He also tells them that although He is leaving them, it is for their benefit because when He leaves He will send the Holy Spirit (v. 7). We are not alone or abandoned in this world. Jesus has given us the gift of His Spirit to be our helper. J.R. Hudberg
Debits and Credits
By Julie Ackerman Link
In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. —John 16:33 NIV
When my husband was teaching an accounting class at a local college, I took one of the tests just for fun to see how well I could do. The results were not good. I answered every question wrong. The reason for my failure was that I started with a faulty understanding of a basic banking concept. I reversed debits and credits.
We sometimes get our debits and credits confused in the spiritual realm as well. When we blame Satan for everything that goes wrong—whether it’s bad weather, a jammed printer, or financial trouble—we’re actually giving him credit that he doesn’t deserve. We are ascribing to him the power to determine the quality of our lives, which he does not have. Satan is limited in time and space. He has to ask God’s permission before he can touch us (Job 1:12; Luke 22:31).
However, as the father of lies and prince of this world (John 8:44; 16:11), Satan can cause confusion. Jesus warned of a time when people would be so confused that they wouldn’t know right from wrong (16:2). But He added this assurance: “The prince of this world now stands condemned” (v. 11 niv).
Problems will disrupt our lives, but they cannot defeat us. Jesus has already overcome the world. To Him goes all the credit.
Thank You, Father, for being Lord over everything in our lives. We praise You for overcoming the world through Your Son.
While Satan accuses and confuses, God controls.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
This Experience Must Come
August 11, 2015
Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha…saw him no more. —2 Kings 2:11-12
It is not wrong for you to depend on your “Elijah” for as long as God gives him to you. But remember that the time will come when he must leave and will no longer be your guide and your leader, because God does not intend for him to stay. Even the thought of that causes you to say, “I cannot continue without my ‘Elijah.’ ” Yet God says you must continue.
Alone at Your “Jordan” (2 Kings 2:14). The Jordan River represents the type of separation where you have no fellowship with anyone else, and where no one else can take your responsibility from you. You now have to put to the test what you learned when you were with your “Elijah.” You have been to the Jordan over and over again with Elijah, but now you are facing it alone. There is no use in saying that you cannot go— the experience is here, and you must go. If you truly want to know whether or not God is the God your faith believes Him to be, then go through your “Jordan” alone.
Alone at Your “Jericho” (2 Kings 2:15). Jericho represents the place where you have seen your “Elijah” do great things. Yet when you come alone to your “Jericho,” you have a strong reluctance to take the initiative and trust in God, wanting, instead, for someone else to take it for you. But if you remain true to what you learned while with your “Elijah,” you will receive a sign, as Elisha did, that God is with you.
Alone at Your “Bethel” (2 Kings 2:23). At your “Bethel” you will find yourself at your wits’ end but at the beginning of God’s wisdom. When you come to your wits’ end and feel inclined to panic— don’t! Stand true to God and He will bring out His truth in a way that will make your life an expression of worship. Put into practice what you learned while with your “Elijah”— use his mantle and pray (see 2 Kings 2:13-14). Make a determination to trust in God, and do not even look for Elijah anymore.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The root of faith is the knowledge of a Person, and one of the biggest snares is the idea that God is sure to lead us to success. My Utmost for His Highest, March 19, 761 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Too Many Goodbyes - and One Unloseable Love - #7457
Missy hated suitcases. Our Shih Tzu puppy, she had great radar. I should explain that Missy had multiple masters. There was our youngest son, who was her first master. He lived in Arizona and Missy only got to see him occasionally. But he was still an important person in her life. Then there was my sister-in-law who often picked up Missy's care where my son left off. And then our daughter also really bonded with the dog.
Oh, about the radar. It went off whenever Missy started to see suitcases in the hall. She learned what that meant; that someone who loved her was going away. So, poor Missy just disappeared. She would literally run and hide under this cabinet in the kitchen whenever it looked like someone she counted on was leaving her.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about 'Too Many Goodbyes - and One Unloseable Love.'
Chances are you've never tried to hide under a cabinet in the kitchen. You probably wouldn't fit! But it could be that you know that awful feeling of having someone that you've counted on leave. And maybe you have felt like going and hiding.
I don't know what the 'leavings' may have been in your life; someone you needed who died, or a marriage partner you pledged your life to who's gone, maybe friends who let you down or just moved away. But somebody who's listening right now, the pain of being left has been one of the great hurts of your life. Out of it can come some deep feelings of insecurity and distrust, and even worthlessness. And ultimately that hurt can become a deep-down fear of abandonment; the fear that loving again will just mean losing again.
Every one of us needs some stable, count-on-able relationship where there will never be a goodbye, and there is one. You might be ready for it. Here's our word for today from the Word of God from Isaiah 49:15-16. God says, 'Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Well, though she may forget, I will not forget you. See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.'
If you're tired of goodbyes, this promise from your Creator is loaded with hope for a 'never say goodbye' relationship. He says, 'I will not forget you.' Jesus made this promise to those who belong to Him. 'I am with you always, even to the very end of the age.' And He said, 'I will never leave you or forsake you.' Can you actually depend on His commitment to never abandon you? Yes, because you're engraved on the palms of His hands in nail prints.
Without Christ we have no hope of a love relationship with God. Our sin is an eternal wall that separates us from God. And the Bible says, 'Sin carries a death penalty which Jesus loved you enough to take for you when He died on that cross. And today He's reminded of you every time He looks at His hands. You're engraved there in the marks left by the price He paid to bring you to Him. No, Jesus will never leave you. He already had his chance in a garden called Gethsemane where the night before He died He agonized over the cross He knew was coming. But He didn't turn His back on you.
If He was ever going to, it would have been then or it would have been on that cross. But He did not. He's sure not going to turn His back on you now if you belong to Him. And that's up to you. Your relationship with Jesus Christ begins the moment you open your heart to Him and say, 'Lord, I'm sorry for the sin of my life. I want to change. I'm putting my total trust in You to forgive me and bring me into God's family.
Aren't you ready for this unloseable love; for this totally secure relationship? If you are, tell Him, 'Jesus, I'm yours.' Go to our website and check out there a very clear path to be sure you belong to Him. It's ANewStory.com. Or you can text us at 442-244-WORD.
Haven't there been too many goodbyes? Well, you have within your reach right now the ultimate