Max Lucado Daily: GRACE UPON GRACE
We dare to hang our hat and stake our hope on the gladdest news of all– if God permits the challenge, he will provide the grace to meet it. God has enough grace to solve every dilemma you face, wipe every tear you cry, and answer every question you ask.
Would we expect anything less from God? Would he send his Son to die for us and not send his power to sustain us? Paul found such logic impossible. Scripture says, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).
Is Jesus on my side? Just look at the wound in his. Having given the supreme and costliest gift, how can he fail to lavish upon us all he has to give? If God permits the challenge, he will provide the grace to meet it.
From God is With You Every Day
2 Chronicles 22
King Ahaziah
The people of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, Jehoram’s youngest son, king. Raiders from the desert, who had come with the Arabs against the settlement, had killed all the older sons. That’s how Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah became king. Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, but reigned only one year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, granddaughter of Omri. He lived and ruled just like the Ahab family had done, his mother training him in evil ways. God also considered him evil, related by both marriage and sin to the Ahab clan. After the death of his father, he attended the sin school of Ahab, and graduated with a degree in doom. He did what they taught him, went with Joram son of Ahab king of Israel in the war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. Joram, wounded by the Arameans, retreated to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received in Ramah in his war with Hazael king of Aram. Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah paid a visit to Joram son of Ahab on his sickbed at Jezreel.
7-9 The fate of Ahaziah when he went to visit was God’s judgment on him. When Ahaziah arrived at Jezreel, he and Joram met with Jehu son of Nimshi, whom God had already authorized to destroy the dynasty of Ahab. Jehu, already at work, executing doom on the dynasty of Ahab, came upon the captains of Judah and Ahaziah’s nephews, part of the Ahaziah delegation, and killed them outright. Then he sent out a search party looking for Ahaziah himself. They found him hiding out in Samaria and hauled him back to Jehu. And Jehu killed him.
They didn’t, though, just leave his body there. Out of respect for his grandfather Jehoshaphat, famous as a sincere seeker after God, they gave him a decent burial. But there was no one left in Ahaziah’s family capable of ruling the kingdom.
Queen Athaliah
10-12 When Ahaziah’s mother Athaliah saw that her son was dead, she took over. She began by massacring the entire royal family. Jehosheba, daughter of King Jehoram, took Ahaziah’s son Joash, and kidnapped him from among the king’s sons slated for slaughter. She hid him and his nurse in a private room away from Athaliah. So Jehosheba, daughter of King Jehoram and Ahaziah’s sister—she was also the wife of Jehoiada the priest—saved Joash from the murderous Queen Athaliah. He was there with her, hidden away for six years in The Temple of God. Athaliah, oblivious to his existence, ruled the country.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, August 04, 2016
Read: Romans 7:14–25
I can anticipate the response that is coming: “I know that all God’s commands are spiritual, but I’m not. Isn’t this also your experience?” Yes. I’m full of myself—after all, I’ve spent a long time in sin’s prison. What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can’t be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God’s command is necessary.
17-20 But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.
21-23 It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.
24 I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question?
25 The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.
INSIGHT:
When Paul says that the “law” is spiritual, he is likely referring to the Torah (meaning “instruction”), the first five books of the Old Testament. The Torah is a gift to teach us something about God’s holiness and our sin.
Not Perfect
By Jennifer Benson Schuldt
I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. Romans 7:18
In his book Jumping Through Fires, David Nasser tells the story of his spiritual journey. Before he began a relationship with Jesus, he was befriended by a group of Christian teens. Although most of the time his buddies were generous, winsome, and nonjudgmental, David witnessed one of them lie to his girlfriend. Feeling convicted, the young man later confessed and asked for her forgiveness. Reflecting on this, David said that the incident drew him closer to his Christian friends. He realized that they needed grace, just as he did.
We don’t have to act like we’re perfect with the people we know. It’s okay to be honest about our mistakes and struggles. The apostle Paul openly referred to himself as the worst of all sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). He also described his wrestling match with sin in Romans 7, where he said, “I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out” (v. 18). Unfortunately, the opposite was also true: “The evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing” (v. 19).
We don't have to be perfect. It’s okay to be honest about our mistakes and struggles.
Being open about our struggles puts us on the same level with every other human alive—which is right where we belong! However, because of Jesus Christ, our sin will not follow us into eternity. It’s like the old saying goes, “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.”
Dear Jesus, I worship You as the only perfect human ever to live. Thank You for making it possible for me to have victory over sin.
The only difference between Christians and everyone else is forgiveness.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, August 04, 2016
The Brave Friendship of God
He took the twelve aside… —Luke 18:31
Oh, the bravery of God in trusting us! Do you say, “But He has been unwise to choose me, because there is nothing good in me and I have no value”? That is exactly why He chose you. As long as you think that you are of value to Him He cannot choose you, because you have purposes of your own to serve. But if you will allow Him to take you to the end of your own self-sufficiency, then He can choose you to go with Him “to Jerusalem” (Luke 18:31). And that will mean the fulfillment of purposes which He does not discuss with you.
We tend to say that because a person has natural ability, he will make a good Christian. It is not a matter of our equipment, but a matter of our poverty; not of what we bring with us, but of what God puts into us; not a matter of natural virtues, of strength of character, of knowledge, or of experience— all of that is of no avail in this concern. The only thing of value is being taken into the compelling purpose of God and being made His friends (see 1 Corinthians 1:26-31). God’s friendship is with people who know their poverty. He can accomplish nothing with the person who thinks that he is of use to God. As Christians we are not here for our own purpose at all— we are here for the purpose of God, and the two are not the same. We do not know what God’s compelling purpose is, but whatever happens, we must maintain our relationship with Him. We must never allow anything to damage our relationship with God, but if something does damage it, we must take the time to make it right again. The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the surrounding influence and qualities produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to give our attention to, and it is the one thing that is continually under attack.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The root of faith is the knowledge of a Person, and one of the biggest snares is the idea that God is sure to lead us to success. My Utmost for His Highest, March 19, 761 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, August 04, 2016
Flood-proofing Your Family - #7714
Spring is nice. I mean, it means flowers! Spring is not nice. It also can mean floods! One North Dakota town some years ago, saw it coming; the floods, not the flowers. And they decided they weren't just going to sit there and float away. Because of a winter that had produced mountains of snow, they knew where that snow would go when it melted - right into their homes and businesses. So, while the snow was still deep, they started to make an island out of their town. Everyone pitched in to literally build an earthen dike around the town. Yes, they would be an island. Yes, they would be surrounded by a flood. But they made a wall so they would be safe in the middle of it!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Flood-proofing Your Family."
That's not just a good idea for a town; that is a good idea for a married couple, for a family! Because you can be sure that your marriage, your family is going to get hit by some flooding. Maybe it already is. There are just too many stresses and pressures and crises in our world today for any family to live flood-free. We're all in a flood zone!
Well, here's our word for today from the Word of God starting in Luke 6:47. Jesus is speaking, "I will show you what he is like who comes to Me and hears My words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built."
Let's apply that to your home. I mean the relationships, not just the building. If you build it Jesus' way, it won't collapse when the flood comes. Unfortunately, most of us build our family our way, or the way we grew up. But families that are built Jesus' way are ready for the flood.
Let me give you some words that describe a family that's building a flood-wall that in Jesus' words, is "well built". If you're already doing this, be encouraged. If you're not doing enough of these words, there's still time to work on it. Here are the words.
Listening. The Bible says to be "slow to speak and quick to listen." We tend to reverse that don't we? "Quick to speak, slow to listen." A relationship built Jesus' way is one in which you hold your tongue, you ask those second and third questions, and you listen for that person's heart, not just their words.
Talking. Or, as the Bible says, "speaking the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15). If you want to prevent a lot of floods, taking your family down, keep talking with each other. Don't stuff your feelings or let them build up. And don't expect people to understand what you're feeling if you're not explaining what you're feeling!
And then there's encouraging. Giving your spouse or parents or your children daily encouragements - telling them what's good about them. The only thing that should come out of your mouth according to Ephesians 4:29 is "what is useful for building others up." Hebrews 3:13 says, "Encourage one another daily."
Here's another flood-proofing word - loving. How are you doing on that one? See, that's the big one! I mean showing each family member love and affection in ways that make them feel loved in their language. If you're not saying it and you're not showing it, they're probably not sure of it.
And, of course, there's that other word - praying. The greatest strength of any relationship is that those people often come to God together - a couple, parents and kids. Things happen when you're in God's Throne Room together that just don't happen anywhere else. Remember, Psalm 127:1 says, "Unless the Lord builds the house, its laborers labor in vain."
You know floods are coming. Just don't wait for the floods to build that wall around your family. If you make each day a flood-proofing day, your family may be in the flood, but the flood won't be in your family.