Max Lucado Daily: HIS POWER BECOMES OUR POWER
We look at other believers and ask, “Why is her life so fruitful and mine so barren?” “Why is his life so powerful and mine so weak?” “Aren’t we saved by the same Christ?” The answer may be found in the first chapter of the Book of Acts where Jesus told Peter and the other followers, “Wait here to receive the promise from the Father. John baptized people with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5).
During Jesus’ earthly ministry Jesus lived near the disciples. The Holy Spirit, however, would live in the disciples. The Holy Spirit is a year-round resident in the hearts of God’s children. As God’s story becomes our story, his power becomes our power! Heed the invitation of Jesus to “Wait for the Holy Spirit.”
From More to Your Story
1 Chronicles 7
Descendants of Issachar
The four sons of Issachar were Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron.
2 The sons of Tola were Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Shemuel. Each of them was the leader of an ancestral clan. At the time of King David, the total number of mighty warriors listed in the records of these clans was 22,600.
3 The son of Uzzi was Izrahiah. The sons of Izrahiah were Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah. These five became the leaders of clans. 4 All of them had many wives and many sons, so the total number of men available for military service among their descendants was 36,000.
5 The total number of mighty warriors from all the clans of the tribe of Issachar was 87,000. All of them were listed in their genealogical records.
Descendants of Benjamin
6 Three of Benjamin’s sons were Bela, Beker, and Jediael.
7 The five sons of Bela were Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri. Each of them was the leader of an ancestral clan. The total number of mighty warriors from these clans was 22,034, as listed in their genealogical records.
8 The sons of Beker were Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth. 9 Each of them was the leader of an ancestral clan. The total number of mighty warriors and leaders from these clans was 20,200, as listed in their genealogical records.
10 The son of Jediael was Bilhan. The sons of Bilhan were Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Kenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar. 11 Each of them was the leader of an ancestral clan. From these clans the total number of mighty warriors ready for war was 17,200.
12 The sons of Ir were Shuppim and Huppim. Hushim was the son of Aher.
Descendants of Naphtali
13 The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel,[a] Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.[b] They were all descendants of Jacob’s concubine Bilhah.
Descendants of Manasseh
14 The descendants of Manasseh through his Aramean concubine included Asriel. She also bore Makir, the father of Gilead. 15 Makir found wives for[c] Huppim and Shuppim. Makir had a sister named Maacah. One of his descendants was Zelophehad, who had only daughters.
16 Makir’s wife, Maacah, gave birth to a son whom she named Peresh. His brother’s name was Sheresh. The sons of Peresh were Ulam and Rakem. 17 The son of Ulam was Bedan. All these were considered Gileadites, descendants of Makir son of Manasseh.
18 Makir’s sister Hammoleketh gave birth to Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah.
19 The sons of Shemida were Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.
Descendants of Ephraim
20 The descendants of Ephraim were Shuthelah, Bered, Tahath, Eleadah, Tahath, 21 Zabad, Shuthelah, Ezer, and Elead. These two were killed trying to steal livestock from the local farmers near Gath. 22 Their father, Ephraim, mourned for them a long time, and his relatives came to comfort him. 23 Afterward Ephraim slept with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Ephraim named him Beriah[d] because of the tragedy his family had suffered. 24 He had a daughter named Sheerah. She built the towns of Lower and Upper Beth-horon and Uzzen-sheerah.
25 The descendants of Ephraim included Rephah, Resheph, Telah, Tahan, 26 Ladan, Ammihud, Elishama, 27 Nun, and Joshua.
28 The descendants of Ephraim lived in the territory that included Bethel and its surrounding towns to the south, Naaran to the east, Gezer and its villages to the west, and Shechem and its surrounding villages to the north as far as Ayyah and its towns. 29 Along the border of Manasseh were the towns of Beth-shan,[e] Taanach, Megiddo, Dor, and their surrounding villages. The descendants of Joseph son of Israel[f] lived in these towns.
Descendants of Asher
30 The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah. They had a sister named Serah.
31 The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malkiel (the father of Birzaith).
32 The sons of Heber were Japhlet, Shomer, and Hotham. They had a sister named Shua.
33 The sons of Japhlet were Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath.
34 The sons of Shomer were Ahi,[g] Rohgah, Hubbah, and Aram.
35 The sons of his brother Helem[h] were Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal.
36 The sons of Zophah were Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah, 37 Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran,[i] and Beera.
38 The sons of Jether were Jephunneh, Pispah, and Ara.
39 The sons of Ulla were Arah, Hanniel, and Rizia.
40 Each of these descendants of Asher was the head of an ancestral clan. They were all select men—mighty warriors and outstanding leaders. The total number of men available for military service was 26,000, as listed in their genealogical records.
Footnotes:
7:13a As in parallel text at Gen 46:24; Hebrew reads Jahziel, a variant spelling of Jahzeel.
7:13b As in some Hebrew and Greek manuscripts (see also Gen 46:24; Num 26:49); most Hebrew manuscripts read Shallum.
7:15 Or Makir took a wife from. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
7:23 Beriah sounds like a Hebrew term meaning “tragedy” or “misfortune.”
7:29a Hebrew Beth-shean, a variant spelling of Beth-shan.
7:29b Israel is the name that God gave to Jacob.
7:34 Or The sons of Shomer, his brother, were.
7:35 Possibly another name for Hotham; compare 7:32.
7:37 Possibly another name for Jether; compare 7:38.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, May 16, 2016
Read: Genesis 3:1-8
The Man and Woman Sin
The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
2 “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3 “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”
4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man[a] and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.
Footnotes:3:8 Or Adam, and so throughout the chapter.
INSIGHT:
Today’s reading unveils one of the central strategies of our enemy, Satan. In addition to suppressing God’s truth, Satan uses Scripture for his own evil ends by tempting the believer to doubt its truth. When we experience doubts concerning the Word of God, we can follow our Lord’s example and cite Scripture with confidence (Matt. 4). Scripture is an offensive weapon against our enemy (Eph. 6:10–18).
Is He Good?
By Anne Cetas
He said to the woman, “Did God really say . . . ?” Genesis 3:1
“I don’t think God is good,” my friend told me. She had been praying for years about some difficult issues, but nothing had improved. Her anger and bitterness over God’s silence grew. Knowing her well, I sensed that deep down she believed God is good, but the continual pain in her heart and God’s seeming lack of interest caused her to doubt. It was easier for her to get angry than to bear the sadness.
Doubting God’s goodness is as old as Adam and Eve (Gen. 3). The serpent put that thought in Eve’s mind when he suggested that God was withholding the fruit from her because “God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (v. 5). In pride, Adam and Eve thought they, rather than God, should determine what was good for them.
Let's help each other see the truth that God is good.
Years after losing a daughter in death, James Bryan Smith found he was able to affirm God’s goodness. In his book The Good and Beautiful God, Smith wrote, "God's goodness is not something I get to decide upon. I am a human being with limited understanding." Smith’s amazing comment isn’t naïve; it arises out of years of processing his grief and seeking God’s heart.
In times of discouragement, let’s listen well to each other and help each other see the truth that God is good.
Lord, we will praise You in our difficult times like the psalmist did. You know us, and we turn to You because we know You are good.
For more on this topic, read Why Doesn't God Answer Me from Discovery Series.
The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. Psalm 145:9
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, May 16, 2016
The Habit of Recognizing God’s Provision
…you may be partakers of the divine nature… —2 Peter 1:4
We are made “partakers of the divine nature,” receiving and sharing God’s own nature through His promises. Then we have to work that divine nature into our human nature by developing godly habits. The first habit to develop is the habit of recognizing God’s provision for us. We say, however, “Oh, I can’t afford it.” One of the worst lies is wrapped up in that statement. We talk as if our heavenly Father has cut us off without a penny! We think it is a sign of true humility to say at the end of the day, “Well, I just barely got by today, but it was a severe struggle.” And yet all of Almighty God is ours in the Lord Jesus! And He will reach to the last grain of sand and the remotest star to bless us if we will only obey Him. Does it really matter that our circumstances are difficult? Why shouldn’t they be! If we give way to self-pity and indulge in the luxury of misery, we remove God’s riches from our lives and hinder others from entering into His provision. No sin is worse than the sin of self-pity, because it removes God from the throne of our lives, replacing Him with our own self-interests. It causes us to open our mouths only to complain, and we simply become spiritual sponges— always absorbing, never giving, and never being satisfied. And there is nothing lovely or generous about our lives.
Before God becomes satisfied with us, He will take everything of our so-called wealth, until we learn that He is our Source; as the psalmist said, “All my springs are in You” (Psalm 87:7). If the majesty, grace, and power of God are not being exhibited in us, God holds us responsible. “God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you…may have an abundance…” (2 Corinthians 9:8)— then learn to lavish the grace of God on others, generously giving of yourself. Be marked and identified with God’s nature, and His blessing will flow through you all the time.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Beware of bartering the Word of God for a more suitable conception of your own. Disciples Indeed, 386 R
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, May 16, 2016
Refusing To Move, Losing It All - #7656
La Conchita, California – a community sitting on this narrow strip of land between the Pacific Coast Highway and a steep cliff. In 1995, 600,000 tons of mud collapsed and buried nine houses there. Well, thankfully it moved slowly enough that everybody was able to get out alive. Well, not this time. In January of 2005, a chunk of the 300-foot bluff that towered over the town collapsed with a loud roar. In moments this sea of mud had crushed 15 homes and damaged 16 others. One man who missed the mudslide because of a quick trip for ice cream ran back to his buried home and began frantically digging for his wife and family with the rescuers. Tragically, they were some of those who died in the mudslide. It had been such a nice place to live; such a deadly place to live.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Refusing To Move, Losing It All."
Many people who live in potentially dangerous places in America refuse to move, and that certainly is their choice. It's understandable. "This is where I'm from. This is home." But there is a question to be seriously considered: is any place so nice to live that it's worth dying for?
That question becomes life's most important question when it comes to the eternal future of a person because so many are facing a deadly spiritual future. Not because there isn't a safe place, but because they refuse to move. And unlike a geographical area where disaster is possible, it is, for those in the spiritual danger zone, inevitable.
There is no escaping the Bible's clear decree that "man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). That' "judgment", well, that's facing the consequences of a life lived putting me first instead of my Creator, of living out-of-bounds, breaking God's laws, of doing and saying and thinking so many things that ultimately defy the God who made me.
Thankfully, though, the catastrophe of an unthinkable hell is not inevitable if you're willing to move. Because the Bible explains that Jesus Christ, God's Son, "carried our sins in his body on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24), loving us so much He absorbed the hell that we deserve, so we could have the heaven that we could never deserve. In God's words, though "the wages" of our sin "is death, the gift of God is eternal life" (Romans 6:23).
Now, how does a person still end up paying that eternal death penalty for their sin when Jesus already did? By refusing to move; refusing to let go of something or someone that is fatally important to them. Like the irresistible ring in the "Lord of the Rings" that inevitably destroys the one who holds onto it, some earth-person or earth-thing becomes our "Precious" – the thing we refuse to let go of, even though hanging onto it will cost us forever.
In Mark 10:17-22, our word for today from the Word of God, a rich young ruler comes to Jesus, asking how to go to heaven. Their conversation reveals that he's led a righteous life. But when Jesus asks him to let go of his wealth, because it's his god, the Bible says, "He went away sad, because he had great wealth." (vs. 22) As far as we know, he went away lost. I wonder what your "Precious" is – the thing that keeps you from moving to Jesus; a relationship, friends, a lifestyle, a favorite sin, even your stubborn trust in your religion rather than in Christ alone. Maybe it's control you don't want to give up. Because you're not willing to move, you stand in the path of the awful judgment of God that Jesus died to save you from.
But is any place in life worth holding onto when it's going to cost you your life – eternal life? Don't miss Jesus because you won't move. He left heaven and went to that horrible cross for you. And because of that, He's your only chance at heaven and at the life you were made for here on earth. Let this be the day you finally move to Jesus.
I would love to help you do that. A whole website is set up for that. So I'm going to invite you to check out ANewStory.com. Would you go there today and let me walk you through how you could be sure today that you will no longer face the penalty of your sin because you have Jesus?
None of us knows when we'll keep our appointment with God. What we do know is how to be sure we're ready for it whenever it comes, by moving to the only safe place there is, and that's in the arms of Jesus Christ.