Max Lucado Daily: The Sign on Christ's Cross
John 19:19 says, "Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews." Why is a sign placed over the head of Jesus? Could it be that this piece of wood is a picture of God's devotion? A symbol of his passion to tell the world about his Son? Pilate intended the sign to threaten and mock the Jews. But God had another purpose. Every passerby could read the sign for every passerby could read Hebrew, Latin or Greek. In the language of culture, Christ was declared King in them all!
There is no language he will not speak. Which leads us to the delightful question: What language is he speaking to you?
I'm referring to the day-to-day drama of your life. God does speak, you know. He speaks in any language we will understand.
From On Calvary's Hill
Psalm 105
Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
2 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
3 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
4 Look to the Lord and his strength;
seek his face always.
5 Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
6 you his servants, the descendants of Abraham,
his chosen ones, the children of Jacob.
7 He is the Lord our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
8 He remembers his covenant forever,
the promise he made, for a thousand generations,
9 the covenant he made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac.
10 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
11 “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as the portion you will inherit.”
12 When they were but few in number,
few indeed, and strangers in it,
13 they wandered from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.
14 He allowed no one to oppress them;
for their sake he rebuked kings:
15 “Do not touch my anointed ones;
do my prophets no harm.”
16 He called down famine on the land
and destroyed all their supplies of food;
17 and he sent a man before them—
Joseph, sold as a slave.
18 They bruised his feet with shackles,
his neck was put in irons,
19 till what he foretold came to pass,
till the word of the Lord proved him true.
20 The king sent and released him,
the ruler of peoples set him free.
21 He made him master of his household,
ruler over all he possessed,
22 to instruct his princes as he pleased
and teach his elders wisdom.
23 Then Israel entered Egypt;
Jacob resided as a foreigner in the land of Ham.
24 The Lord made his people very fruitful;
he made them too numerous for their foes,
25 whose hearts he turned to hate his people,
to conspire against his servants.
26 He sent Moses his servant,
and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
27 They performed his signs among them,
his wonders in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness and made the land dark—
for had they not rebelled against his words?
29 He turned their waters into blood,
causing their fish to die.
30 Their land teemed with frogs,
which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers.
31 He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,
and gnats throughout their country.
32 He turned their rain into hail,
with lightning throughout their land;
33 he struck down their vines and fig trees
and shattered the trees of their country.
34 He spoke, and the locusts came,
grasshoppers without number;
35 they ate up every green thing in their land,
ate up the produce of their soil.
36 Then he struck down all the firstborn in their land,
the firstfruits of all their manhood.
37 He brought out Israel, laden with silver and gold,
and from among their tribes no one faltered.
38 Egypt was glad when they left,
because dread of Israel had fallen on them.
39 He spread out a cloud as a covering,
and a fire to give light at night.
40 They asked, and he brought them quail;
he fed them well with the bread of heaven.
41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed like a river in the desert.
42 For he remembered his holy promise
given to his servant Abraham.
43 He brought out his people with rejoicing,
his chosen ones with shouts of joy;
44 he gave them the lands of the nations,
and they fell heir to what others had toiled for—
45 that they might keep his precepts
and observe his laws.
Praise the Lord.[c]
Footnotes:
Psalm 105.
Psalm 105:45 Hebrew Hallelu Yah
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Read: Colossians 3:1-11
Living the New Life
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your[a] life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.[b] 7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. 11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile,[c] circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized,[d] slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.
Footnotes:
3:4 Some manuscripts read our.
3:6 Some manuscripts read is coming on all who disobey him.
3:11a Greek a Greek.
3:11b Greek Barbarian, Scythian.
INSIGHT:
When a person believes in Christ, he is joined to Him in His death and resurrection (Rom. 6:3–8; Col. 2:12–13; 3:1). Paul reminds the Colossian believers that their priority—their whole outlook on life—is to consistently focus on the resurrected, ascended, and exalted Christ (3:1); to diligently strive and pursue things that are eternal (v. 2); and to continuously put to death whatever belongs to their earthly nature (vv. 3–5). Paul not only lists the practices that should no longer characterize the life of the believer, but he asks followers of Christ to embrace the virtues that should clothe God’s chosen people (vv. 12-17).
The Best Is Yet to Come
By Joe Stowell
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2
In our family, March means more than the end of winter. It means that the college basketball extravaganza called “March Madness” has arrived. As avid fans, we watch the tournament and enthusiastically root for our favorite teams. If we tune in early we get a chance to listen to the broadcasters talk about the upcoming game and to enjoy some of the pre-game drills where players shoot practice shots and warm up with teammates.
Our life on earth is like the pre-game in basketball. Life is interesting and full of promise, but it doesn’t compare to what lies ahead. Just think of the pleasure of knowing that even when life is good, the best is yet to come! Or that when we give cheerfully to those in need, it’s an investment in heavenly treasure. In times of suffering and sorrow, we can find hope as we reflect on the truth that a pain-free, tearless eternity awaits us. It’s no wonder that Paul exhorts: “Set your minds on things above” (Col. 3:2).
The future God has promised us enables us to see all of life in new dimensions. While this may be a great life, the best life is still to come. It is a wonderful privilege to live here in the light of there.
Let us then be true and faithful, trusting, serving every day; just one glimpse of Him in glory will the toils of life repay. When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be! Eliza E. Hewitt
For more information on our hope for heaven, check out the Discovery Series, Life to Come.
Living for the future puts today in perspective.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
The Burning Heart
Did not our heart burn within us…? —Luke 24:32
We need to learn this secret of the burning heart. Suddenly Jesus appears to us, fires are set ablaze, and we are given wonderful visions; but then we must learn to maintain the secret of the burning heart— a heart that can go through anything. It is the simple, dreary day, with its commonplace duties and people, that smothers the burning heart— unless we have learned the secret of abiding in Jesus.
Much of the distress we experience as Christians comes not as the result of sin, but because we are ignorant of the laws of our own nature. For instance, the only test we should use to determine whether or not to allow a particular emotion to run its course in our lives is to examine what the final outcome of that emotion will be. Think it through to its logical conclusion, and if the outcome is something that God would condemn, put a stop to it immediately. But if it is an emotion that has been kindled by the Spirit of God and you don’t allow it to have its way in your life, it will cause a reaction on a lower level than God intended. That is the way unrealistic and overly emotional people are made. And the higher the emotion, the deeper the level of corruption, if it is not exercised on its intended level. If the Spirit of God has stirred you, make as many of your decisions as possible irrevocable, and let the consequences be what they will. We cannot stay forever on the “mount of transfiguration,” basking in the light of our mountaintop experience (see Mark 9:1-9). But we must obey the light we received there; we must put it into action. When God gives us a vision, we must transact business with Him at that point, no matter what the cost.
We cannot kindle when we will
The fire which in the heart resides,
The spirit bloweth and is still,
In mystery our soul abides;
But tasks in hours of insight willed
Can be through hours of gloom fulfilled.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The fiery furnaces are there by God’s direct permission. It is misleading to imagine that we are developed in spite of our circumstances; we are developed because of them. It is mastery in circumstances that is needed, not mastery over them. The Love of God—The Message of Invincible Consolation, 674 R
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Combat Medals - #7617
Okay, word association test! Fruit salad. What did you think of? Well, it depends on whether or not you've been in the military. You see, if you haven't been in the military, you probably thought of some little pieces of apple, or melon in a bowl together. But if you've been in the military, maybe you think of something less edible than that kind of fruit salad. I heard from a Desert Storm veteran. I said, "What do you think of when I say "fruit salad"? He said, "Oh, ribbons and medals."
To the military it's all those medals - that kind of "fruit salad" matters a lot to people in the military. They are the record that all of the world can see of your achievements, your service to your country. When one of America's top military leaders committed suicide, it was believed that a controversy over his medals contributed to the tragedy. He was wearing a medal that was only supposed to be worn by those who have been in direct combat. His wartime service on a ship apparently didn't qualify according to his critics. When you've served your country, your service awards are serious business. There are some soon-to-be-issued awards that will go to some very surprising and surprised people.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Combat Medals."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Colossians 3:23, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Hey, God says rewards for service are coming. In fact, 1 Corinthians 3:8 says, "...each will be rewarded according to his own labor." But God's eternal medals are awarded on a basis that's very different from men's.
You see, God rewards effort, not result. "Well done good and faithful, (not good and successful) servant." In God's army, He's looking for people who are found faithful. He wants to know if you did what He had you to do with all your heart, whether it was big or small. People here may have considered you a loser because you didn't get a great result. But the One you report to for all eternity says it's your total effort that matters to Him.
So a lot of people who have been earth losers maybe are going to be heaven's winners! Maybe you say, "Well, I've never been in any real combat for the Lord. I pray for the people who are on the front lines, I support them, I volunteer to help with some little jobs in the ministry." Boy, are you in for a surprise when the medals are given out!
There is a principal drawn from an Old Testament battle situation in 1 Samuel 30:22. The men who fought with David said, "Because (these people here) did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder." Wrong! "David said, 'The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.'" You see, your part behind the scenes, seemingly unimportant, well God says you're a combat hero as much as the person who is actually out there preaching or teaching or leading. Again, some surprising and surprised people are going to be getting some incredible service awards.
There's another surprising aspect of God's medals. They are widely disproportionate to what we actually did. He says, "You have been faithful in a few things, I will make you ruler over many things." Paid off for serving Jesus faithfully is so much greater than the pay out! If you feel like giving it up right now, don't! Stay with it. It is worth it!
The important thing to remember is who you are doing these things for, who is the commanding officer? It is the Lord Christ you are serving; not the church, not the organization, not that human leader, not even the people you're trying to help. They may or may not give you the appreciation you deserve, but do it for Jesus. He will never let you down.
The service awards are coming! Work with all your heart for General Jesus and prepare yourself for a lot of exciting, eternal surprises the day that Christ gives His awards.