God says, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you!” That’s the promise God gave Joshua. And he gives you the same promise. The writer of Hebrews quoted those same words in Hebrews 13:5-6 and then concluded by saying, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?”
What can anyone do to me? You know the answers. Lie to me. Deceive me. Bully me. But the Scripture asks a different question. The Greek word for helper in this passage means “to shout, to run.” When you need help, God runs with a shout, “I’m coming!” He never leaves you. Ever! Since God is strong, you will be strong. Since he is able, you will be able. Since he has no limits, you have no limits.
The Lord is my helper! What can man do to me?
From God is With You Every Day
1 Chronicles 29
Gifts for Building the Temple
29 Then King David said to the whole assembly: “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the Lord God. 2 With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God—gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise,[a] stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble—all of these in large quantities. 3 Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple: 4 three thousand talents[b] of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents[c] of refined silver, for the overlaying of the walls of the buildings, 5 for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is willing to consecrate themselves to the Lord today?”
6 Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly. 7 They gave toward the work on the temple of God five thousand talents[d] and ten thousand darics[e] of gold, ten thousand talents[f] of silver, eighteen thousand talents[g] of bronze and a hundred thousand talents[h] of iron. 8 Anyone who had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the temple of the Lord in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9 The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly.
David’s Prayer
10 David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,
“Praise be to you, Lord,
the God of our father Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, Lord, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.
12 Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.
13 Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name.
14 “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. 15 We are foreigners and strangers in your sight, as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. 16 Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. 17 I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. 18 Lord, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you. 19 And give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to keep your commands, statutes and decrees and to do everything to build the palatial structure for which I have provided.”
20 Then David said to the whole assembly, “Praise the Lord your God.” So they all praised the Lord, the God of their fathers; they bowed down, prostrating themselves before the Lord and the king.
Solomon Acknowledged as King
21 The next day they made sacrifices to the Lord and presented burnt offerings to him: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams and a thousand male lambs, together with their drink offerings, and other sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. 22 They ate and drank with great joy in the presence of the Lord that day.
Then they acknowledged Solomon son of David as king a second time, anointing him before the Lord to be ruler and Zadok to be priest. 23 So Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king in place of his father David. He prospered and all Israel obeyed him. 24 All the officers and warriors, as well as all of King David’s sons, pledged their submission to King Solomon.
25 The Lord highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him royal splendor such as no king over Israel ever had before.
The Death of David
26 David son of Jesse was king over all Israel. 27 He ruled over Israel forty years—seven in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. 28 He died at a good old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth and honor. His son Solomon succeeded him as king.
29 As for the events of King David’s reign, from beginning to end, they are written in the records of Samuel the seer, the records of Nathan the prophet and the records of Gad the seer, 30 together with the details of his reign and power, and the circumstances that surrounded him and Israel and the kingdoms of all the other lands.
Footnotes:
1 Chronicles 29:2 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
1 Chronicles 29:4 That is, about 110 tons or about 100 metric tons
1 Chronicles 29:4 That is, about 260 tons or about 235 metric tons
1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 190 tons or about 170 metric tons
1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 185 pounds or about 84 kilograms
1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 380 tons or about 340 metric tons
1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 675 tons or about 610 metric tons
1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 3,800 tons or about 3,400 metric tons
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Read: John 10:1–11
The Good Shepherd and His Sheep
10 “I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! 2 But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. 5 They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”
6 Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, 7 so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me[a] were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. 9 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved.[b] They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. 10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.
Footnotes:
10:8 Some manuscripts do not include before me.
10:9 Or will find safety.
INSIGHT:
In our relativistic age, some believe that many roads lead to God. In our passage for today, however, Jesus says He is the only way to God. Jesus uses the metaphor of the Good Shepherd to show how He leads and cares for those who know Him by faith. He also uses the symbol of a gate to show that He is the only means by which we can have eternal life. The one who seeks and saves the lost is the one who laid down His life for all who believe.
Called by Name
By Dave Branon
He calls his own sheep by name. John 10:3
When I first meet a new group of students in the college composition class I teach, I already know their names. I take the time to familiarize myself with their names and photos on my student roster, so when they walk into my classroom I can say, “Hello, Jessica,” or “Welcome, Trevor.” I do this because I know how meaningful it is when someone knows and calls us by name.
Yet to truly know someone, we need to know more than that person’s name. In John 10, we can sense the warmth and care Jesus, the Good Shepherd, has for us when we read that He “calls his own sheep by name” (v. 3). He knows even more than our name. He knows our thoughts, longings, fears, wrongs, and deepest needs. Because He knows our deepest needs, He has given us our very life—our eternal life—at the cost of His own. As He says in verse 11, He “lays down his life for the sheep.”
Give thanks to Jesus! He knows your name and your needs.
You see, our sin separated us from God. So Jesus, the Good Shepherd, became the Lamb and sacrificed Himself, taking our sin on Himself. When He gave His life for us and then was resurrected, He redeemed us. As a result, when we accept His gift of salvation through faith, we are no longer separated from God.
Give thanks to Jesus! He knows your name and your needs!
Dear Lord, thank You for knowing my name and for knowing exactly what I need. Thank You for dying for my sin and for rising from the grave to defeat death and give me eternal life with You.
God’s knowledge of us knows no bounds.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Do It Now!
Agree with your adversary quickly… —Matthew 5:25
In this verse, Jesus Christ laid down a very important principle by saying, “Do what you know you must do— now. Do it quickly. If you don’t, an inevitable process will begin to work ‘till you have paid the last penny’ (Matthew 5:26) in pain, agony, and distress.” God’s laws are unchangeable and there is no escape from them. The teachings of Jesus always penetrate right to the heart of our being.
Wanting to make sure that my adversary gives me all my rights is a natural thing. But Jesus says that it is a matter of inescapable and eternal importance to me that I pay my adversary what I owe him. From our Lord’s standpoint it doesn’t matter whether I am cheated or not, but what does matter is that I don’t cheat someone else. Am I insisting on having my own rights, or am I paying what I owe from Jesus Christ’s standpoint?
Do it quickly— bring yourself to judgment now. In moral and spiritual matters, you must act immediately. If you don’t, the inevitable, relentless process will begin to work. God is determined to have His child as pure, clean, and white as driven snow, and as long as there is disobedience in any point of His teaching, He will allow His Spirit to use whatever process it may take to bring us to obedience. The fact that we insist on proving that we are right is almost always a clear indication that we have some point of disobedience. No wonder the Spirit of God so strongly urges us to stay steadfastly in the light! (see John 3:19-21).
“Agree with your adversary quickly….” Have you suddenly reached a certain place in your relationship with someone, only to find that you have anger in your heart? Confess it quickly— make it right before God. Be reconciled to that person— do it now!
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
If there is only one strand of faith amongst all the corruption within us, God will take hold of that one strand. Not Knowing Whither, 888 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Indestructible Truth - #7689
The crews assigned to the recovery effort after the September 11th attack on the Pentagon had an awful job to do. They were working in 120-degree heat; they were making their way through the wreckage left behind when terrorists flew Flight 757 into the Pentagon. They didn't find any survivors. They did find a mass of concrete and metal debris; the metal too hot to touch. But the news reported that they had found a sign of hope as they looked into that black chasm inside. On a second floor, right next to where the jet sheared off a section of the building, was an undisturbed stool. On it was a thick, open book – a Bible. It wasn't burned. Neither was anything around it or on the two floors above it. The leader of the recovery team was quoted as saying, "I'm not as religious as some, but that would have me thinking. I just can't explain it."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Indestructible Truth".
I was moved when I read that – because the Bible has been for me, and for millions of people, the one thing that has survived every fire in our life. Everything else might be taken away, but God's words are still true, always surviving life's fires. Jesus said it in Luke 21:33, our word for today from the Word of God – "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away."
If you want to anchor your life to truth that will never let you down, the Bible is that anchor. It's the only book God ever wrote. As 2 Timothy 3:16 says, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." It's authored by God and it's life-changing!
The Bible doesn't just claim to be God's own words – the evidence for that claim is overwhelming. The Bible was written by 40 different authors over 2000 years in three different languages – imagine the changing ideas of truth or the changing cultures over that span. And yet the Bible has a unified message – same God, same concept of sin, same concept of forgiveness, of heaven, of morality. Imagine getting forty different people from the same city and the same generation together right now in one room and asking them to write their ideas on those subjects. You'd be lucky to get two of them to agree! But the Bible, written over so many years with such diversity in the authors and the cultures, reads like it had one author. It did – God.
Every time the archeologists have dug up something described in the Bible, it has proven the Bible to be true – even if the Bible was the only book that talked about it. And hundreds of Biblical prophecies, most of them 200 to 2,000 years in advance, have been fulfilled to the finest detail. No Biblical prophecy has ever been wrong. That's God, folks.
But for most of us, what matters most is that this book has proven to be God's words in our own lives, over and over again. His promises have been proven true, His warnings have been proven right, His directions work. The Bible is that rock that never moves, the compass that's never wrong, and the life preserver that never sinks. And though it is an anvil that has been hammered against for centuries, the hammers are gone, the anvil remains.
And right now, as so much in your life may be burning down, as so much in our world and our culture may be changing, go to this Book, trust this Book, stake everything on this Book. These are God's words, and you'll make it if you hang onto them with everything you've got. Jeremiah 23:29 says it so well – "'Is not My word like fire,' declares the Lord, 'and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?'"
