Max Lucado Daily: The cross
The cross. Can you turn any direction without seeing one? Engraved on a ring or suspended on a chain? The cross is the universal symbol of Christianity. An odd choice, don’t you think?
It’s strange that a tool of torture embodies a movement of hope. Its design couldn’t be simpler. One beam horizontal, the other vertical. One reaches out like God’s love. The other reaches up as does God’s holiness. One represents the width of his love; the other the height of his holiness. The cross is the intersection. The cross is where God forgave his children without lowering his standards.
God put our sin on his Son and punished it there. Your sins have been placed on Jesus. Jesus receives the blow. And since Christ is between you and God, you don’t. The sin is punished, but you are safe—safe in the shadow of the cross!
Read more On Calvary’s Hill
Leviticus 1
Whole-Burnt-Offering
1-2 God called Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting: “Speak to the People of Israel. Tell them, When anyone presents an offering to God, present an animal from either the herd or the flock.
3-9 “If the offering is a Whole-Burnt-Offering from the herd, present a male without a defect at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting that it may be accepted by God. Lay your hand on the head of the Whole-Burnt-Offering so that it may be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you. Slaughter the bull in God’s presence. Aaron’s sons, the priests, will make an offering of the blood by splashing it against all sides of the Altar that stands at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Next, skin the Whole-Burnt-Offering and cut it up. Aaron’s sons, the priests, will prepare a fire on the Altar, carefully laying out the wood, and then arrange the body parts, including the head and the suet, on the wood prepared for the fire on the Altar. Scrub the entrails and legs clean. The priest will burn it all on the Altar: a Whole-Burnt-Offering, a Fire-Gift, a pleasing fragrance to God.
10-13 “If the Whole-Burnt-Offering comes from the flock, whether sheep or goat, present a male without defect. Slaughter it on the north side of the Altar in God’s presence. The sons of Aaron, the priests, will throw the blood against all sides of the Altar. Cut it up and the priest will arrange the pieces, including the head and the suet, on the wood prepared for burning on the Altar. Scrub the entrails and legs clean. The priest will offer it all, burning it on the Altar: a Whole-Burnt-Offering, a Fire-Gift, a pleasing fragrance to God.
14-17 “If a bird is presented to God for the Whole-Burnt-Offering it can be either a dove or a pigeon. The priest will bring it to the Altar, wring off its head, and burn it on the Altar. But he will first drain the blood on the side of the Altar, remove the gizzard and its contents, and throw them on the east side of the Altar where the ashes are piled. Then rip it open by its wings but leave it in one piece and burn it on the Altar on the wood prepared for the fire: a Whole-Burnt-Offering, a Fire-Gift, a pleasing fragrance to God.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, March 26, 2018
Read: Luke 12:22–34
Do Not Worry
22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life[a]? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Footnotes:
Luke 12:25 Or single cubit to your height
INSIGHT
God already lovingly rules. Yet in a fallen world, believers also pray for His kingdom to come (Matthew 6:10), for evil to be gone forever. How do we live in that tension?
Instead of living in fear of loss, Jesus taught His followers to live as if God’s kingdom was already here in full. Worrying is powerless, but courageously seeking Him leads to priceless, eternal riches (Luke 12:31–34).
The Point of Being Alive
By Monica Brands
Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions. Luke 12:15
Lately, as I’ve been skimming financial advice books, I’ve noticed an interesting trend. While almost all such books have good advice, many imply that the primary reason to cut costs is to live like millionaires later. But one book offered a refreshingly different perspective, arguing that living simply is essential for a rich life. If you need more or fancier stuff to feel joy, the book suggested, “You’re missing the point of being alive.”
Those insightful words brought to mind Jesus’s response when a man asked Him to urge his brother to divide an inheritance with him. Instead of sympathizing, Jesus dismissed him abruptly before warning sternly about “all kinds of greed”—because “life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:14–15). He then described a wealthy person’s plans to store his crops and enjoy a luxurious lifestyle—the first-century version of retirement planning—with a blistering conclusion. His wealth did him no good, since he died that night (vv. 16–20).
Our hearts should be focused on pursuing God's kingdom.
Although we are responsible to use our resources wisely, Jesus’s words remind us to check our motivation. Our hearts should be focused on pursuing God’s kingdom—knowing Him and serving others—not on securing our own futures (vv. 29–31). As we live for Him and freely share with others, we can fully enjoy a rich life with Him now—in the kingdom that gives meaning to all of life (vv. 32–34).
Lord, thank You for all You’ve so generously provided. Teach us how to enjoy what You’ve given and to share it with others. Help us to rest in You.
We don’t need to wait to enjoy a rich life in God’s kingdom.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, March 26, 2018
Spiritual Vision Through Personal Purity
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. —Matthew 5:8
Purity is not innocence— it is much more than that. Purity is the result of continued spiritual harmony with God. We have to grow in purity. Our life with God may be right and our inner purity unblemished, yet occasionally our outer life may become spotted and stained. God intentionally does not protect us from this possibility, because this is the way we recognize the necessity of maintaining our spiritual vision through personal purity. If the outer level of our spiritual life with God is impaired to the slightest degree, we must put everything else aside until we make it right. Remember that spiritual vision depends on our character— it is “the pure in heart” who “see God.”
God makes us pure by an act of His sovereign grace, but we still have something that we must carefully watch. It is through our bodily life coming in contact with other people and other points of view that we tend to become tarnished. Not only must our “inner sanctuary” be kept right with God, but also the “outer courts” must be brought into perfect harmony with the purity God gives us through His grace. Our spiritual vision and understanding is immediately blurred when our “outer court” is stained. If we want to maintain personal intimacy with the Lord Jesus Christ, it will mean refusing to do or even think certain things. And some things that are acceptable for others will become unacceptable for us.
A practical help in keeping your personal purity unblemished in your relations with other people is to begin to see them as God does. Say to yourself, “That man or that woman is perfect in Christ Jesus! That friend or that relative is perfect in Christ Jesus!”
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The measure of the worth of our public activity for God is the private profound communion we have with Him.… We have to pitch our tents where we shall always have quiet times with God, however noisy our times with the world may be. My Utmost for His Highest, January 6, 736 R
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, March 26, 2018
Hungry To Be Held - #8141
People who know me know that I'm a very focused person when I'm working on something. Except when it comes to the most distracting people I know-my grandchildren. I remember when my granddaughter was pretty little. She was just one-plus-year-old, there was just no way to resist her when she came my way. She'd pull herself up by my pant leg, she'd stretch her arms my direction, and then she'd make these cute little noises and irresistible faces-virtually begging me to pick her up. I'm not the only one who's gotten nothing done when she was around. No, she was that way with other family members; reaching out to be held. And I'll tell you this: our arms were always open.People who know me know that I'm a very focused person when I'm working on something. Except when it comes to the most distracting people I know-my grandchildren. I remember when my granddaughter was pretty little. She was just one-plus-year-old, there was just no way to resist her when she came my way. She'd pull herself up by my pant leg, she'd stretch her arms my direction, and then she'd make these cute little noises and irresistible faces-virtually begging me to pick her up. I'm not the only one who's gotten nothing done when she was around. No, she was that way with other family members; reaching out to be held. And I'll tell you this: our arms were always open.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Hungry To Be Held."
Sadly, my granddaughter's quest for someone to hold her is a picture of someone who's listening today, except open arms have been hard to find. And when you do, it seems like sooner or later you lose even those who do give you some of the love and attention that you need. Sometimes, you pay a price that's too high to get someone to be there for you; making you vulnerable to being used and being hurt-a mistake that might be all too familiar to you.
I can't forget these children we met at a hospital in Haiti. They were hospitalized early in life because they have tuberculosis or AIDS. We played with them, we sang with them, and we read to them; knowing that they probably didn't understand a word of our English. But as we got ready to leave, the children surrounded us and called out, over and over again, two words they did know in English-words I've never forgotten, "Hold me. Hold me." We gave one last hug, but we couldn't hold them. We had to move on.
The cry of those precious Haitian children is a fundamental cry of every human heart, "Hold me!" But there aren't many hugs that last. Even for those of us who have had someone who really has loved us and made us feel secure, there is still this strange love deficit inside. There's never enough love.
We need someone who will always hold us, who will never let us go, who will never go away. We were made for that kind of love, but we've reached the wrong direction to find the one hug that will always be there. We've been reaching around us to other people. But to find the one we were made to be held by, we need to look up.
Listen to God's words, describing the kind of relationship He wants to have with you. "The Lord your God is with you...He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing" (Zephaniah 3:17). That's intimate love. That's infinite love. That's expensive love. God paid the price for that love.
In Isaiah 49:15-16, our word for today from the Word of God, He says: "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands."
For Jesus, that engraving is the nail prints in His hands from the day He died to pay for your sins so you could be forgiven; so you could belong to the one whose love you were made for. Because He walked out of His grave, He's alive. He's offering the greatest love in the universe. But one-way love doesn't make a relationship. He's waiting to hold you, but you have to reach for Him.
God says that means putting your total trust in Jesus to be your personal rescuer from the death penalty for your sins. The wall that's between you and God comes down when you tell Him, "Jesus, I'm Yours." Ultimately, your hunger to be held all this time it's been a hunger for Him. He's reaching your direction. It's time to reach back. He'll hold you and never let you go.
If you want to experience that love for yourself today, there's a lot of information at our website that I've put there to help you know how to belong to Him and make sure you finally do. It's called ANewStory.com - our website. I hope you'll land there quickly sometimes today.
You are very, very close to experiencing the love that you have been looking for so very long.
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