Max Lucado Daily: SIMPLE OIL CHANGES
When I was 15 years old, I inherited a Rambler station wagon from my big brother. It wasn’t much to look at—but it was mine! “You have to keep gas in the tank,” my Dad advised. “I know,” I quickly replied. “Can you change the oil and keep the car washed?” he asked. “Of course I can,” I lied.
My ineptness surfaced the following Saturday. “You want me to help you?” Dad asked. Nah! I spent an hour looking for the oil pan; another wrestling with the plug. But I finally finished and Dad was waiting for me. “All done?” he asked. “All done,” I answered. “Then what is that?” he asked as he pointed to a stream of oil running down the driveway. I’d forgotten to replace the plug. My dad said, “Son, what is hard for you is simple to me. Let me help you. I’m a mechanic. And, besides, I’m your dad.”
Here’s what I think! Our toughest challenges are simple oil changes to God!
From God is With You Every Day
Romans 9:1-18
God Is Calling His People
At the same time, you need to know that I carry with me at all times a huge sorrow. It’s an enormous pain deep within me, and I’m never free of it. I’m not exaggerating—Christ and the Holy Spirit are my witnesses. It’s the Israelites . . . If there were any way I could be cursed by the Messiah so they could be blessed by him, I’d do it in a minute. They’re my family. I grew up with them. They had everything going for them—family, glory, covenants, revelation, worship, promises, to say nothing of being the race that produced the Messiah, the Christ, who is God over everything, always. Oh, yes!
6-9 Don’t suppose for a moment, though, that God’s Word has malfunctioned in some way or other. The problem goes back a long way. From the outset, not all Israelites of the flesh were Israelites of the spirit. It wasn’t Abraham’s sperm that gave identity here, but God’s promise. Remember how it was put: “Your family will be defined by Isaac”? That means that Israelite identity was never racially determined by sexual transmission, but it was God-determined by promise. Remember that promise, “When I come back next year at this time, Sarah will have a son”?
10-13 And that’s not the only time. To Rebecca, also, a promise was made that took priority over genetics. When she became pregnant by our one-of-a-kind ancestor, Isaac, and her babies were still innocent in the womb—incapable of good or bad—she received a special assurance from God. What God did in this case made it perfectly plain that his purpose is not a hit-or-miss thing dependent on what we do or don’t do, but a sure thing determined by his decision, flowing steadily from his initiative. God told Rebecca, “The firstborn of your twins will take second place.” Later that was turned into a stark epigram: “I loved Jacob; I hated Esau.”
14-18 Is that grounds for complaining that God is unfair? Not so fast, please. God told Moses, “I’m in charge of mercy. I’m in charge of compassion.” Compassion doesn’t originate in our bleeding hearts or moral sweat, but in God’s mercy. The same point was made when God said to Pharaoh, “I picked you as a bit player in this drama of my salvation power.” All we’re saying is that God has the first word, initiating the action in which we play our part for good or ill.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Read: Matthew 5:1–16
You’re Blessed
When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:
3 “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
4 “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
5 “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
6 “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.
7 “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.
8 “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
9 “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
10 “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.
11-12 “Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.
Salt and Light
13 “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.
14-16 “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
INSIGHT:
Today’s reading deals with the Beatitudes in our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount. Those who recognize their own spiritual bankruptcy will be helped as they “seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness” (Matt. 6:33). The gift of God’s grace in our lives manifests itself in doing good to others, which brings glory to God (5:16). We are blessed by God so we can bless others.
Mending Hearts
By Dennis Fisher
You are the light of the world. Matthew 5:14
Not long ago I went to a seamstress to have some clothing altered. As I entered her shop I was encouraged by what I saw on the walls. One sign read, “We can mend your clothes but only God can mend your heart.” Near it was a painting of Mary Magdalene weeping in anguish as the risen Christ was about to reveal Himself to her. Another sign asked, “Need prayer? Let us pray with you.”
The owner told me that she had run this small business for fifteen years. “We’ve been surprised how the Lord has worked here through the statements of faith we have posted in different places. A while back someone trusted Christ as their Savior right here. It is amazing to watch God work.” I told her I too was a Christian and commended her for telling others about Christ in her workplace.
God pours His love into our hearts to flow out to others’ lives.
Not all of us are able to be so bold in our workplace, but we can find many creative and practical ways of showing others unexpected love, patience, and kindness wherever we are. Since leaving that shop, I’ve been thinking about how many ways there are to live out our Lord’s statement: “You are the light of the world” (Matt. 5:14).
Dear Father, use me to be a light today to the world around me. I love You and want others to know and love You too.
How can you be a light in your world? Read Truth With Love: Sharing the Story of Jesus by Ajith Fernando at discoveryseries.org/hp141.
God pours His love into our hearts to flow out to others’ lives.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
What is a Missionary?
Jesus said to them again, "…As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." —John 20:21
A missionary is someone sent by Jesus Christ just as He was sent by God. The great controlling factor is not the needs of people, but the command of Jesus. The source of our inspiration in our service for God is behind us, not ahead of us. The tendency today is to put the inspiration out in front— to sweep everything together in front of us and make it conform to our definition of success. But in the New Testament the inspiration is put behind us, and is the Lord Jesus Himself. The goal is to be true to Him— to carry out His plans.
Personal attachment to the Lord Jesus and to His perspective is the one thing that must not be overlooked. In missionary work the great danger is that God’s call will be replaced by the needs of the people, to the point that human sympathy for those needs will absolutely overwhelm the meaning of being sent by Jesus. The needs are so enormous, and the conditions so difficult, that every power of the mind falters and fails. We tend to forget that the one great reason underneath all missionary work is not primarily the elevation of the people, their education, nor their needs, but is first and foremost the command of Jesus Christ— “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matthew 28:19).
When looking back on the lives of men and women of God, the tendency is to say, “What wonderfully keen and intelligent wisdom they had, and how perfectly they understood all that God wanted!” But the keen and intelligent mind behind them was the mind of God, not human wisdom at all. We give credit to human wisdom when we should give credit to the divine guidance of God being exhibited through childlike people who were “foolish” enough to trust God’s wisdom and His supernatural equipment.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
There is no condition of life in which we cannot abide in Jesus. We have to learn to abide in Him wherever we are placed. Our Brilliant Heritage
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
All-Season Comfort - #7773
When you drive into Missouri and Arkansas, you are entering cave country. And the tourist signs prove it...believe me. You could spend an entire vacation just touring all the caverns, using your imagination to see how that stalagmite looks like Snoopy or an Indian chief. As we were roaring down the Interstate one very chilly day, we saw this sign that said, "Fantastic Caverns – a warm 60 degrees." In winter, 60 sounds pretty warm. In summer, 60 sounds pretty cool. So, seasons change and the temperatures change, the cave never does.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "All-Season Comfort."
You have a place like that to go where the climate never changes no matter how the seasons of your life change. David knew that place. He found it when King Saul wanted him dead and chased him across the countryside to kill him. Now delivered by God, David writes about the all-season comfort he has found.
It's in our word for today from the Word of God in Psalm 18:1-2. "I love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, in whom I take refuge." Notice, a rock which never moves, never changes. "The Lord is my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield...my stronghold." David is just like thinking up every analogy he can to try to describe what stability, what safety, what comfort he has found in his relationship with his Lord, no matter how cold or hot the weather of his life may have been.
Just like that cave where you can always depend on the climate, the Lord you belong to, if you know Christ, is always your dependable place. You know how quickly the seasons of your life can change. Maybe there's someone you thought was your refuge just isn't there for you anymore, or a place or position you thought would always be there and it changed.
It could be that your body is letting you down, or your family, or your co-workers. Maybe your church, maybe your spiritual leader has let you down. Life really is like the weather – if you don't like it, hang on, it'll change soon. If you do like it, it will change eventually, too. But your anchor relationship will never, never change.
So run to your Jesus when sin is strong, when no one can help, when you're wounded and bleeding. Run to Him when you're angry, when you're very afraid, when the burden is just unbearable, or when the need is un-meetable. Sometimes we're hesitant to run to the Lord when we're feeling or acting ugly. In fact, we feel like running from Him. But that's when we need Him most, and His arms are open to you, no matter what. The cross proves that.
What a Savior we have! You will never hit a season – including the valley of the shadow of death – where your Lord will not be enough. Like those caverns, He is your place to cool off when you're hot. He is your place to get warm when it's cold.
I still remember the night my now grown son was just a little boy snuggling in my lap, his nose buried in my chest. After a few minutes, I heard his little voice say, "Daddy, when I'm in your arms, I feel so safe." For you – for me – the arms of Jesus are that always safe place. No matter what the season, His love and His power never, never change.