Max Lucado Daily: THE HEART OF THE HUMAN PROBLEM
The sinful nature is the stubborn, self-centered attitude that says, “My way or the highway.” The sinful nature is all about self: pleasing self, promoting self, preserving self. I have a sin nature! So do you. Under the right circumstances you will do the wrong thing. You’ll try not to, but you will. You have a sin nature. You were born with it. The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart!
Christmas commemorates the day and the way God saved us from ourselves. The angel speaking to Mary in Matthew 1:21 says, “. . .you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Each of us entered the world with a sin nature. God entered the world to take it away!
From Because of Bethlehem
Micah 3
Haters of Good, Lovers of Evil
1-3 Then I said:
“Listen, leaders of Jacob, leaders of Israel:
Don’t you know anything of justice?
Haters of good, lovers of evil:
Isn’t justice in your job description?
But you skin my people alive.
You rip the meat off their bones.
You break up the bones, chop the meat,
and throw it in a pot for cannibal stew.”
4 The time’s coming, though, when these same leaders
will cry out for help to God, but he won’t listen.
He’ll turn his face the other way
because of their history of evil.
5-7 Here is God’s Message to the prophets,
the preachers who lie to my people:
“For as long as they’re well paid and well fed,
the prophets preach, ‘Isn’t life wonderful! Peace to all!’
But if you don’t pay up and jump on their bandwagon,
their ‘God bless you’ turns into ‘God damn you.’
Therefore, you’re going blind. You’ll see nothing.
You’ll live in deep shadows and know nothing.
The sun has set on the prophets.
They’ve had their day; from now on it’s night.
Visionaries will be confused,
experts will be all mixed up.
They’ll hide behind their reputations and make lame excuses
to cover up their God-ignorance.”
8 But me—I’m filled with God’s power,
filled with God’s Spirit of justice and strength,
Ready to confront Jacob’s crime
and Israel’s sin.
9-12 The leaders of Jacob and
the leaders of Israel are
Leaders contemptuous of justice,
who twist and distort right living,
Leaders who build Zion by killing people,
who expand Jerusalem by committing crimes.
Judges sell verdicts to the highest bidder,
priests mass-market their teaching,
prophets preach for high fees,
All the while posturing and pretending
dependence on God:
“We’ve got God on our side.
He’ll protect us from disaster.”
Because of people like you,
Zion will be turned back into farmland,
Jerusalem end up as a pile of rubble,
and instead of the Temple on the mountain,
a few scraggly scrub pines.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, December 12, 2016
Read: Matthew 6:24–34
24 “You can’t worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you’ll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can’t worship God and Money both.
25-26 “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.
27-29 “Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
30-33 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
34 “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
INSIGHT:
One of the most remarkable aspects of today’s reading is the harmony our Lord maintains between a heavenly perspective and the practical issues of daily life. He uses examples in nature to show how our heavenly Father tenderly cares for animal and plant life. Since we are of far more value than they are, Christ counsels us to trust Him to care for us one day at a time (v. 34).
The Money
By Tim Gustafson
You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:24
Early in my career while doing work that I saw as more of a mission than a job, another company offered me a position that would give a significant increase in pay. Our family could surely have benefited financially from such a move. There was one problem. I hadn’t been looking for another job because I loved my current role, which was growing into a calling.
But the money . . .
Lord, help us not to see the obstacles but to see what You are teaching us.
I called my father, then in his seventies, and explained the situation. Though his once-sharp mind had been slowed by strokes and the strain of years, his answer was crisp and clear: “Don’t even think about the money. What would you do?”
In an instant, my mind was made up. The money would have been my only reason for leaving the job I loved! Thanks, Dad.
Jesus devoted a substantial section of His Sermon on the Mount to money and our fondness for it. He taught us to pray not for an accumulation of riches but for “our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11). He warned against storing up treasures on earth and pointed to the birds and flowers as evidence that God cares deeply about His creation (vv. 19–31). “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,” Jesus said, “and all these things will be given to you as well” (v. 33).
Money matters. But money shouldn’t rule our decision-making process. Tough times and big decisions are opportunities to grow our faith in new ways. Our heavenly Father cares for us.
Never confuse temptation with opportunity.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, December 12, 2016
Personality
…that they may be one just as We are one… —John 17:22
Personality is the unique, limitless part of our life that makes us distinct from everyone else. It is too vast for us even to comprehend. An island in the sea may be just the top of a large mountain, and our personality is like that island. We don’t know the great depths of our being, therefore we cannot measure ourselves. We start out thinking we can, but soon realize that there is really only one Being who fully understands us, and that is our Creator.
Personality is the characteristic mark of the inner, spiritual man, just as individuality is the characteristic of the outer, natural man. Our Lord can never be described in terms of individuality and independence, but only in terms of His total Person— “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). Personality merges, and you only reach your true identity once you are merged with another person. When love or the Spirit of God come upon a person, he is transformed. He will then no longer insist on maintaining his individuality. Our Lord never referred to a person’s individuality or his isolated position, but spoke in terms of the total person— “…that they may be one just as We are one….” Once your rights to yourself are surrendered to God, your true personal nature begins responding to God immediately. Jesus Christ brings freedom to your total person, and even your individuality is transformed. The transformation is brought about by love— personal devotion to Jesus. Love is the overflowing result of one person in true fellowship with another.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Am I getting nobler, better, more helpful, more humble, as I get older? Am I exhibiting the life that men take knowledge of as having been with Jesus, or am I getting more self-assertive, more deliberately determined to have my own way? It is a great thing to tell yourself the truth. The Place of Help, 1005 R
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, December 12, 2016
Rain When There's No Clouds - #7806
It was a beautiful day for sailing, and our friend Dave had invited us to go out on Long Island Sound with him and his wife. It was not hard to decide whether to go, believe me. The Sound was actually relatively calm that day. There was a very gentle breeze and not a cloud in the sky, but suddenly Dave announced to us, "We're heading in." I couldn't think of a single, rational reason to waste the rest of such an idyllic afternoon. I said, "Why Dave?" He said, "To beat the storm." Right?
I checked the sky again - no clouds. Well, we headed for the harbor and pretty soon Dave was lowering his sails and we went the rest of the way propelled by his motor, and sure enough it started sprinkling as we entered the harbor! As we tied the last canvas around those folded sails, the skies just opened up and dumped! I was impressed and dry, thanks to Dave hearing some static on the radio. That's all, and he knew where that station transmitted from and he sensing that rain was on the way. He saw no clouds, but he expected the rain.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Rain When There's No Clouds."
The prophet Elijah is an extraordinary character in the Bible. He got carried away in a chariot of fire at the end of his life. He appears from Heaven with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, but James tells us that he was a man just like us, except for one thing -the way he prayed. James 5 says, "A man just like us (but) he prayed earnestly that it would not rain and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the Heavens gave rain..." And just before that it says, "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." So there was something about the way that Elijah prayed that made him extraordinary, even though he was a man just like us.
Well, let's rewind the tape to our word for today from the Word, right back to the Old Testament. 1 Kings 18 - Elijah summons all the prophets of the idol Baal to Mount Carmel for a showdown and he defies them to have their God send fire to consume a sacrifice they lay on their alter. They scream to Baal all day - no answer. Then Elijah puts a sacrifice on God's alter, drenches it with water and then he prays. Verse 37, "Oh, Lord, answer me, answer me so these people will know that You, oh Lord, are God, and that you are turning your heart back again."
Well, the fire falls and the people fall on the ground in worship of Jehovah God. Then comes an incredible example of the kind of faith and prayer that God answers with miracles. First Kings 18:41, "And Elijah said to King Ahab, 'Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.'" It hadn't rained for three and a half years. "So Ahab went off to eat and drink but Elijah went to the top of Mount Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. 'Go back and look toward the sea,' he told his servant and he went up and looked. 'There is nothing there,' he said. Seven times Elijah said, 'Go back!' The seventh time the servant reported, 'A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea.' So Elijah said, 'Go and tell Ahab to get up his chariot and go down before the rain stops him.' Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose and a heavy rain came."
Okay, here's what happened. It reminds me of my sailor friend, Dave. He announces the rain before there is even a cloud! What does Hebrews 11 say, "Faith is being sure of what we hope for..." God pleasing faith believes that the answer will come when there is no apparent source from which it could come. There's no clouds, but I believe God is going to send it! Sound like anything you're dealing with right now? So what is it about Elijah's praying that makes him so powerful? He prays desperately, "Oh, Lord!" He prays dependently, "Only you can, God," and he prays defiantly against all the odds, against all the enemies of God, and all the visible circumstances.
I love this scene. He prays and then he checks for an answer. He prays and then he checks for the clouds. You're on your knees right now believing God for something only He could do and you keep checking to see if there is any sign of the miracle and there's nothing there.
Here's the question: Will you trust your Heavenly Father so completely that you will hear the sound of a heavy rain when there's no cloud the rain could come from? Well, then grab your umbrella! What you see isn't what you're going to get! The downpour is on its way.
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