Max Lucado Daily: God Uses Failures
What was I thinking taking this job? I should have done better. It’s all my fault. The voices—you’ve heard them all. When you lost your job, flunked the exam, or when your marriage went south…when you failed. The voices began to howl, laughing at you. You heard them and you joined them. You disqualified yourself and berated yourself. You sentenced yourself to hard labor in the Leavenworth of poor self-worth. Oh, the voices of failure. Failure finds us all.
But God’s Word is written for failures. It’s full of folks who were foul-ups. David was a failure, yet God used him. Jonah was in the belly of a fish and God heard his prayer. Perfect people? No. Perfect messes? You bet! A surprising and welcome discovery of the Bible is this: God uses failures! Miss this truth and you miss your Glory Days. God’s grace is greater than your failures.
From Glory Days
Proverbs 21
The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord;
he guides it wherever he pleases.
2 People may be right in their own eyes,
but the Lord examines their heart.
3 The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just
than when we offer him sacrifices.
4 Haughty eyes, a proud heart,
and evil actions are all sin.
5 Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity,
but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.
6 Wealth created by a lying tongue
is a vanishing mist and a deadly trap.[f]
7 The violence of the wicked sweeps them away,
because they refuse to do what is just.
8 The guilty walk a crooked path;
the innocent travel a straight road.
9 It’s better to live alone in the corner of an attic
than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home.
10 Evil people desire evil;
their neighbors get no mercy from them.
11 If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded become wise;
if you instruct the wise, they will be all the wiser.
12 The Righteous One[g] knows what is going on in the homes of the wicked;
he will bring disaster on them.
13 Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor
will be ignored in their own time of need.
14 A secret gift calms anger;
a bribe under the table pacifies fury.
15 Justice is a joy to the godly,
but it terrifies evildoers.
16 The person who strays from common sense
will end up in the company of the dead.
17 Those who love pleasure become poor;
those who love wine and luxury will never be rich.
18 The wicked are punished in place of the godly,
and traitors in place of the honest.
19 It’s better to live alone in the desert
than with a quarrelsome, complaining wife.
20 The wise have wealth and luxury,
but fools spend whatever they get.
21 Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love
will find life, righteousness, and honor.
22 The wise conquer the city of the strong
and level the fortress in which they trust.
23 Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut,
and you will stay out of trouble.
24 Mockers are proud and haughty;
they act with boundless arrogance.
25 Despite their desires, the lazy will come to ruin,
for their hands refuse to work.
26 Some people are always greedy for more,
but the godly love to give!
27 The sacrifice of an evil person is detestable,
especially when it is offered with wrong motives.
28 A false witness will be cut off,
but a credible witness will be allowed to speak.
29 The wicked bluff their way through,
but the virtuous think before they act.
30 No human wisdom or understanding or plan
can stand against the Lord.
31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle,
but the victory belongs to the Lord.
Footnotes:
21:6 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads mist for those who seek death.
21:12 Or The righteous man.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Read: 1 Corinthians 13
Love Is the Greatest
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it;[a] but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages[b] and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! 10 But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.
11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.[c] All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
Footnotes:
13:3 Some manuscripts read sacrificed my body to be burned.
13:8 Or in tongues.
13:12 Greek see face to face.
INSIGHT:
First Corinthians 13 is often referred to as “the love chapter.” Jesus said that love would be the distinguishing characteristic of a Christian. Hours before He went to the cross He said: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35). Sim Kay Tee
You Missed the Chance
By Randy Kilgore
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:2
I heard the saddest words today. Two believers in Christ were discussing an issue about which they had differing opinions. The older of the two seemed smug as he wielded Scripture like a weapon, chopping away at the things he saw as wrong in the other’s life. The younger man just seemed weary of the lecture, weary of the other person, and discouraged.
As the exchange drew to a close, the older man commented on the other’s apparent disinterest. “You used to be eager,” he started, and then abruptly quit. “I don’t know what it is you want.”
Don't miss your chance to show the world Jesus' #love.
“You missed the chance to love me,” the young man said. “In all the time you’ve known me, what has seemed to matter most to you is pointing out what you think is wrong about me. What do I want? I want to see Jesus—in you and through you.”
Had this been said to me, I thought, I would have been devastated. In that moment I knew the Holy Spirit was telling me there had been people I had missed the chance to love. And I knew there were people who couldn’t see Jesus in me either.
The apostle Paul tells us that love must be the underlying motive in anything we do; in everything we do (1 Cor. 13:1-4). Let’s not miss the next chance to show love.
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you today who it is you’ve missed the chance to love. Then ask Him to give you another opportunity. Start your conversation with these words: “I’m sorry . . .”
Love beats lectures every time.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
The Method of Missions
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations… —Matthew 28:19
Jesus Christ did not say, “Go and save souls” (the salvation of souls is the supernatural work of God), but He said, “Go…make disciples of all the nations….” Yet you cannot make disciples unless you are a disciple yourself. When the disciples returned from their first mission, they were filled with joy because even the demons were subject to them. But Jesus said, in effect, “Don’t rejoice in successful service— the great secret of joy is that you have the right relationship with Me” (see Luke 10:17-20). The missionary’s great essential is remaining true to the call of God, and realizing that his one and only purpose is to disciple men and women to Jesus. Remember that there is a passion for souls that does not come from God, but from our desire to make converts to our point of view.
The challenge to the missionary does not come from the fact that people are difficult to bring to salvation, that backsliders are difficult to reclaim, or that there is a barrier of callous indifference. No, the challenge comes from the perspective of the missionary’s own personal relationship with Jesus Christ— “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” (Matthew 9:28). Our Lord unwaveringly asks us that question, and it confronts us in every individual situation we encounter. The one great challenge to us is— do I know my risen Lord? Do I know the power of His indwelling Spirit? Am I wise enough in God’s sight, but foolish enough according to the wisdom of the world, to trust in what Jesus Christ has said? Or am I abandoning the great supernatural position of limitless confidence in Christ Jesus, which is really God’s only call for a missionary? If I follow any other method, I depart altogether from the methods prescribed by our Lord— “All authority has been given to Me….Go therefore…” (Matthew 28:18-19).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Is He going to help Himself to your life, or are you taken up with your conception of what you are going to do? God is responsible for our lives, and the one great keynote is reckless reliance upon Him. Approved Unto God, 10 R
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
The Problem With Christian Gurus - #7512
I think I remember when I first heard the word "guru". That's g u r u. It was way back in the 1960's when the Beetles went to see that Hindu mystic. I think he was called the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Not someone I would want to trust with my future, but that's who they went to. Now the term is used a lot more broadly today of a spiritual leader that people listen to, and follow, and quote all the time. Guru - that's supposed to be a Hindu concept. Oh, Christians have theirs as well.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Problem With Christian Gurus."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from the book of 1 Samuel. I'm in chapter 8. Up to this point, the Jewish people have been ruled in a theocracy. In other words, they've been ruled by God through a group of men who reported directly to God and through whom God spoke to them. They were called the judges. And perhaps one of the most prominent of those judges was Samuel.
In his book, 1 Samuel, we read of a major change. The people are restless, they're discontent, and they're expressing that, "You know, having a judge be the one who speaks for God and who speaks to God" for them is just no longer satisfying to them. So, here's what it says, "Now appoint a king to lead us such as all the other nations have." So Samuel goes to God and says, "I don't want to be a part of this. I don't want to preside over them getting away from You and getting a king to listen to." But God says, "Now listen to them, but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do."
Well, that's exactly what Samuel does. He talks about the taxes, the sons going into the army, etc., etc. And finally it says, "When the day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen. And the Lord will not answer you in that day. But the people refused to listen. 'No' they said. 'We want a king over us!' Well, when Samuel heard all that the people said, he reported it to the Lord. And the Lord answered, 'Listen to them and give them a king.'"
It's interesting that the Jews had a king complex. We sort of have a king complex too. God's authority in our life is expressed through His Word and His Son. Sometimes that just doesn't seem to be enough. We like to have some human being as our spiritual authority. Now recently there's been an explosion of Christian heroes, celebrities, and stars - Christian gurus. And we swear by them.
We say, "Well, according to my Reverend... Doctor... According to my favorite preacher... Well, according to this great teacher... You know, the radio guy said..." Wait a minute! "This Christian author... I always read him." "Well, my pastor... the super pastor we have, he said..." And then we have our local heroes. They're not all national heroes. It may be some local leader we just go by. But see, there's such a narrow view of God's truth, because you're just getting what it seems to be He said to one man. You're just getting his view of it.
It goes like this: "If so-and-so says it, it must be true." How many times in recent years have we been let down by too much trust in a leader rather than in Jesus Himself. 1 John 4:1 says, "Test the spirits to see whether they are of God." Paul even said to the Bereans, "Check out what I said. Check it out in God's Word. Don't take it just because a great Apostle Paul says it." So God says, "Test what you hear. Don't let a person be your final authority. Let the Bible be your only measure and Christ the only star."
See, if you happen to be an influence over people, you have a heavy responsibility. You know what that is? Don't tie them to you. You keep pointing them toward Jesus.
We should submit to Christ and only to His authority. All these other heroes are just His servants - His channels. And they're imperfect. You've got the Word of God; you've got the Son of God. You don't need a Christian guru.