Max Lucado Daily: CONVERSATION FROM THE HEART
Prayer isn’t a privilege for the pious, nor the art of a chosen few. Prayer is simply a heartfelt conversation between God and His child. When we invite God into our world, He brings a host of gifts: joy, patience, and resilience. Anxieties come, but they don’t stick. Fears surface and then depart. I’m completing my sixth decade, yet I’m wired with energy… happier, healthier, and more hopeful! Struggles come, for sure, but so does God.
My friend, He wants to talk with you. Even now as you hear these words, He taps at the door. Open it. Welcome Him in and let the conversation begin. Here’s my challenge to you! Every day for 4 weeks, pray 4 minutes. Then get ready to connect with God like never before!
Read more Before Amen
Exodus 10
Strike Eight: Locusts
1-2 God said to Moses: “Go to Pharaoh. I’ve made him stubborn, him and his servants, so that I can force him to look at these signs and so you’ll be able to tell your children and grandchildren how I toyed with the Egyptians, like a cat with a mouse; you’ll tell them the stories of the signs that I brought down on them, so that you’ll all know that I am God.”
3-6 Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “God, the God of the Hebrews, says, ‘How long are you going to refuse to knuckle under? Release my people so that they can worship me. If you refuse to release my people, watch out; tomorrow I’m bringing locusts into your country. They’ll cover every square inch of ground; no one will be able to see the ground. They’ll devour everything left over from the hailstorm, even the saplings out in the fields—they’ll clear-cut the trees. And they’ll invade your houses, filling the houses of your servants, filling every house in Egypt. Nobody will have ever seen anything like this, from the time your ancestors first set foot on this soil until today.’”
Then he turned on his heel and left Pharaoh.
7 Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long are you going to let this man harass us? Let these people go and worship their God. Can’t you see that Egypt is on its last legs?”
8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. He said to them, “Go ahead then. Go worship your God. But just who exactly is going with you?”
9 Moses said, “We’re taking young and old, sons and daughters, flocks and herds—this is our worship-celebration of God.”
10-11 He said, “I’d sooner send you off with God’s blessings than let you go with your children. Look, you’re up to no good—it’s written all over your faces. Nothing doing. Just the men are going—go ahead and worship God. That’s what you want so badly.” And they were thrown out of Pharaoh’s presence.
12 God said to Moses: “Stretch your hand over Egypt and signal the locusts to cover the land of Egypt, devouring every blade of grass in the country, everything that the hail didn’t get.”
13 Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt. God let loose an east wind. It blew that day and night. By morning the east wind had brought in the locusts.
14-15 The locusts covered the country of Egypt, settling over every square inch of Egypt; the place was thick with locusts. There never was an invasion of locusts like it in the past, and never will be again. The ground was completely covered, black with locusts. They ate everything, every blade of grass, every piece of fruit, anything that the hail didn’t get. Nothing left but bare trees and bare fields—not a sign of green in the whole land of Egypt.
16-17 Pharaoh had Moses and Aaron back in no time. He said, “I’ve sinned against your God and against you. Overlook my sin one more time. Pray to your God to get me out of this—get death out of here!”
18-19 Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to God. God reversed the wind—a powerful west wind took the locusts and dumped them into the Red Sea. There wasn’t a single locust left in the whole country of Egypt.
20 But God made Pharaoh stubborn as ever. He still didn’t release the Israelites.
Strike Nine: Darkness
21 God said to Moses: “Stretch your hand to the skies. Let darkness descend on the land of Egypt—a darkness so dark you can touch it.”
22-23 Moses stretched out his hand to the skies. Thick darkness descended on the land of Egypt for three days. Nobody could see anybody. For three days no one could so much as move. Except for the Israelites: they had light where they were living.
24 Pharaoh called in Moses: “Go and worship God. Leave your flocks and herds behind. But go ahead and take your children.”
25-26 But Moses said, “You have to let us take our sacrificial animals and offerings with us so we can sacrifice them in worship to our God. Our livestock has to go with us with not a hoof left behind; they are part of the worship of our God. And we don’t know just what will be needed until we get there.”
27 But God kept Pharaoh stubborn as ever. He wouldn’t agree to release them.
28 Pharaoh said to Moses: “Get out of my sight! And watch your step. I don’t want to ever see you again. If I lay eyes on you again, you’re dead.”
29 Moses said, “Have it your way. You won’t see my face again.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, February 08, 2018
Read: Proverbs 16:16–22
How much better to get wisdom than gold,
to get insight rather than silver!
17 The highway of the upright avoids evil;
those who guard their ways preserve their lives.
18 Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed
than to share plunder with the proud.
20 Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers,[a]
and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.
21 The wise in heart are called discerning,
and gracious words promote instruction.[b]
22 Prudence is a fountain of life to the prudent,
but folly brings punishment to fools.
Footnotes:
Proverbs 16:20 Or whoever speaks prudently finds what is good
Proverbs 16:21 Or words make a person persuasive
INSIGHT
The account of King Nebuchadnezzar is an example of how pride can lead to a fall. The prophet Daniel reminded him that God had given him “dominion and power and might and glory” (Daniel 2:37). Nebuchadnezzar initially acknowledged Yahweh was “the God of gods and Lord of kings” (v. 47), but pride got the better of him when he ordered everyone to worship a ninety-foot-tall gold statue of himself (3:1–6). Ignoring God’s warning, he persisted in his pride and said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built . . . by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” (4:30). Just as he was boasting about this, he was suddenly struck down by an illness, believed to be boanthropy, a rare mental disorder where a person believes he is a cow or ox (vv. 31–33). After seven years, God restored Nebuchadnezzar’s sanity. Then he humbly confessed, “Now I . . . praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven. . . . Those who walk in pride he is able to humble” (v. 37). The arrogant king learned that “when pride comes, then comes disgrace” (Proverbs 11:2) and “pride brings a person low” (29:23).
When have you seen pride lead to disgrace? - K. T. Sim
The Problem with Pride
By David C. McCasland
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18
People who achieve an extraordinary level of fame or reputation while they are still alive are often called “a legend in their own time.” A friend who played professional baseball says he met many people in the world of sports who were only “a legend in their own mind.” Pride has a way of distorting how we see ourselves while humility offers a realistic perspective.
The writer of Proverbs said, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (16:18). Viewing ourselves in the mirror of self-importance reflects a distorted image. Self-elevation positions us for a fall.
Lord Jesus, may we honor You in all we do and say.
The antidote to the poison of arrogance is true humility that comes from God. “Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud” (v. 19).
Jesus told His disciples, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:26–28).
There is nothing wrong with receiving accolades for achievement and success. The challenge is to stay focused on the One who calls us to follow Him saying, “for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (11:29).
Lord Jesus, give us Your humility as we interact with others today. May we honor You in all we do and say.
True humility comes from God.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, February 08, 2018
The Cost of Sanctification
May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely… —1 Thessalonians 5:23
When we pray, asking God to sanctify us, are we prepared to measure up to what that really means? We take the word sanctification much too lightly. Are we prepared to pay the cost of sanctification? The cost will be a deep restriction of all our earthly concerns, and an extensive cultivation of all our godly concerns. Sanctification means to be intensely focused on God’s point of view. It means to secure and to keep all the strength of our body, soul, and spirit for God’s purpose alone. Are we really prepared for God to perform in us everything for which He separated us? And after He has done His work, are we then prepared to separate ourselves to God just as Jesus did? “For their sakes I sanctify Myself…” (John 17:19). The reason some of us have not entered into the experience of sanctification is that we have not realized the meaning of sanctification from God’s perspective. Sanctification means being made one with Jesus so that the nature that controlled Him will control us. Are we really prepared for what that will cost? It will cost absolutely everything in us which is not of God.
Are we prepared to be caught up into the full meaning of Paul’s prayer in this verse? Are we prepared to say, “Lord, make me, a sinner saved by grace, as holy as You can”? Jesus prayed that we might be one with Him, just as He is one with the Father (see John 17:21-23). The resounding evidence of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life is the unmistakable family likeness to Jesus Christ, and the freedom from everything which is not like Him. Are we prepared to set ourselves apart for the Holy Spirit’s work in us?
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
“I have chosen you” (John 15:16). Keep that note of greatness in your creed. It is not that you have got God, but that He has got you. My Utmost for His Highest, October 25, 837 R
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, February 08, 2018
Trapped By The Baggage - #8109
Ten suitcases and two trunks. Yep, that's what our daughter took to college with her that first year. Using some of my frequent flyer free tickets, we all flew to Chicago to take her to college. And her two brothers - oh, they were just thrilled to help move their sister's whole life. But something very strange happened when we landed at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. They closed the airport. Record-breaking rain had flooded the airport approaches so no one could come or go, including flight crews and people picking up passengers. And as we joined thousands of other passengers trying to find some food, a phone, a room, we had a distinct disadvantage. Mount Luggage! Yeah, it was very hard to go anywhere with all that baggage!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Trapped By The Baggage."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 1 Samuel 10. Israel has just discovered God's choice to be the first king they have ever had - this shy but impressive young man named Saul. Problem: according to 1 Samuel 10:21, "when they looked for him, he was not to be found. So they inquired further of the Lord, 'Has the man come here yet?' And the Lord said, 'Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage.'"
Here God has great plans for Saul, but he's not there for them because he's hiding in all this baggage. Over the years, many of God's children have missed God's plan because they were buried in their baggage. Like us that chaotic day at the airport, a lot of us can't move ahead because we've got all this baggage to deal with.
I read a book some years ago by a respected author describing Americans as "A Nation of Victims." And, frankly, "victim" may be a word that describes how you've felt about much of your life. There's been a lot of pain, dysfunction, divorce, addiction, maybe neglect or abuse, abandonment, bad relationships, lost love. There's a long list of pain factors in our lives these days that can leave some really deep scars. I have no idea of the pain you've experienced, but I know that any of life's monsters can leave you with self-doubt, bitterness, anger, a sense of worthlessness, or even despair.
You probably had little or no choice about the pain you've experienced. But you can decide whether or not you're going to let yourself be defined by the pain, whether you're going to live the rest of your life, as it were, "hiding in the baggage." As long as Saul stayed under that baggage, he couldn't experience the powerful future God had for him. And neither can you.
If you belong to Jesus Christ, then you don't ever have to identify yourself as "victim" again. You are now a son or daughter of the Most High God! You have royal identity. You have royal worth. No one on earth gave you your worth, and no one on earth can take it away. It's time to bring all the baggage of your past to the cross of Jesus, where He became the ultimate Victim, absorbing all the guilt and all the shame of all our sin. And let the healing begin there.
Even though we hate the hurt of the past, we're strangely attached to it. It's been part of who we are for so long. But the Lord wants to miraculously recycle that pain into compassion for other hurting people, to turn you from your self-focus to focusing on people who need you. Instead of living to make it through, Jesus wants you to live to make a difference!
That baggage has limited you long enough. It's your past. Don't carry it into one more day. You'll never go anywhere until you let go of your baggage.
