Max Lucado Daily: GOD IS UNCONTAINED
Most people have small thoughts about God. In an effort to see God as our friend, we have lost his immensity. In our desire to understand him, we have sought to contain him. The God of the Bible cannot be contained. With a word he called Adam out of dust and Eve out of a bone. He consulted no committee. He sought no counsel. He has authority over the world and…He has authority over your world. He is never surprised. He has never, ever uttered the phrase, “How did that happen?”
God’s goodness is a major headline in the Bible. If He were only mighty, we would salute Him. But since He is merciful and mighty, we can approach Him. If God is at once Father and Creator, holy—unlike us—and high above us, then we at any point are only a prayer away from help!
Read more Before Amen
Exodus 21
“These are the laws that you are to place before them:
2-6 “When you buy a Hebrew slave, he will serve six years. The
seventh year he goes free, for nothing. If he came in single he leaves single. If he came in married he leaves with his wife. If the master gives him a wife and she gave him sons and daughters, the wife and children stay with the master and he leaves by himself. But suppose the slave should say, ‘I love my master and my wife and children—I don’t want my freedom,’ then his master is to bring him before God and to a door or doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl, a sign that he is a slave for life.
7-11 “When a man sells his daughter to be a handmaid, she doesn’t go free after six years like the men. If she doesn’t please her master, her family must buy her back; her master doesn’t have the right to sell her to foreigners since he broke his word to her. If he turns her over to his son, he has to treat her like a daughter. If he marries another woman, she retains all her full rights to meals, clothing, and marital relations. If he won’t do any of these three things for her, she goes free, for nothing.
12-14 “If someone hits another and death results, the penalty is death. But if there was no intent to kill—if it was an accident, an ‘act of God’—I’ll set aside a place to which the killer can flee for refuge. But if the murder was premeditated, cunningly plotted, then drag the killer away, even if it’s from my Altar, to be put to death.
15 “If someone hits father or mother, the penalty is death.
16 “If someone kidnaps a person, the penalty is death, regardless of whether the person has been sold or is still held in possession.
17 “If someone curses father or mother, the penalty is death.
18-19 “If a quarrel breaks out and one hits the other with a rock or a fist and the injured one doesn’t die but is confined to bed and then later gets better and can get about on a crutch, the one who hit him is in the clear, except to pay for the loss of time and make sure of complete recovery.
20-21 “If a slave owner hits a slave, male or female, with a stick and the slave dies on the spot, the slave must be avenged. But if the slave survives a day or two, he’s not to be avenged—the slave is the owner’s property.
22-25 “When there’s a fight and in the fight a pregnant woman is hit so that she miscarries but is not otherwise hurt, the one responsible has to pay whatever the husband demands in compensation. But if there is further damage, then you must give life for life—eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.
26-27 “If a slave owner hits the eye of a slave or handmaid and ruins it, the owner must let the slave go free because of the eye. If the owner knocks out the tooth of the male or female slave, the slave must be released and go free because of the tooth.
28-32 “If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox must be stoned. The meat cannot be eaten but the owner of the ox is in the clear. But if the ox has a history of goring and the owner knew it and did nothing to guard against it, then if the ox kills a man or a woman, the ox is to be stoned and the owner given the death penalty. If a ransom is agreed upon instead of death, he must pay it in full as a redemption for his life. If a son or daughter is gored, the same judgment holds. If it is a slave or a handmaid the ox gores, thirty shekels of silver is to be paid to the owner and the ox stoned.
33-34 “If someone uncovers a cistern or digs a pit and leaves it open and an ox or donkey falls into it, the owner of the pit must pay whatever the animal is worth to its owner but can keep the dead animal.
35-36 “If someone’s ox injures a neighbor’s ox and the ox dies, they must sell the live ox and split the price; they must also split the dead animal. But if the ox had a history of goring and the owner knew it and did nothing to guard against it, the owner must pay an ox for an ox but can keep the dead animal.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, February 23, 2018
Read: James 2:1–13
Favoritism Forbidden
My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?
8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”[a] you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,”[b] also said, “You shall not murder.”[c] If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Footnotes:
James 2:8 Lev. 19:18
James 2:11 Exodus 20:14; Deut. 5:18
James 2:11 Exodus 20:13; Deut. 5:17
INSIGHT
Growing up under Roman oppression and the religious legalism of Israel’s rulers, James valued mercy and forgiveness, which was the fruit of his relationship with Christ.
For further study on mercy and forgiveness, see “Forgiven Debt” at ourdailyjourney.org/2017/05/12/forgiven-debt.
Mercy over Judgment
By Kirsten Holmberg
Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom. James 2:12
When my children were squabbling and came to me to tattle on one another, I took each child aside separately to hear their account of the problem. Since both were guilty, at the end of our chat I asked them each what they felt would be an appropriate, fair consequence for their sibling’s actions. Both suggested swift punishment for the other. To their surprise, I instead gave them each the consequence they had intended for their sibling. Suddenly, each child lamented how “unfair” the sentence seemed now that it was visited upon them—despite having deemed it appropriate when it was intended for the other.
My kids had shown the kind of “judgment without mercy” that God warns against (James 2:13). James reminds us that instead of showing favoritism to the wealthy, or even to one’s self, God desires that we love others as we love ourselves (v. 8). Instead of using others for selfish gain, or disregarding anyone whose position doesn’t benefit us, James instructs us to act as people who know how much we’ve been given and forgiven—and to extend that mercy to others.
God’s mercy prompts us to be merciful.
God has given generously of His mercy. In all our dealings with others, let’s remember the mercy He’s shown us and extend it to others.
Lord, I’m grateful for the great mercy You’ve shown me. Help me to offer similar mercy to others as a measure of my gratitude to You.
God’s mercy prompts us to be merciful.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, February 23, 2018
The Determination to Serve
The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve… —Matthew 20:28
Jesus also said, “Yet I am among you as the One who serves” (Luke 22:27). Paul’s idea of service was the same as our Lord’s— “…ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5). We somehow have the idea that a person called to the ministry is called to be different and above other people. But according to Jesus Christ, he is called to be a “doormat” for others— called to be their spiritual leader, but never their superior. Paul said, “I know how to be abased…” (Philippians 4:12). Paul’s idea of service was to pour his life out to the last drop for others. And whether he received praise or blame made no difference. As long as there was one human being who did not know Jesus, Paul felt a debt of service to that person until he did come to know Him. But the chief motivation behind Paul’s service was not love for others but love for his Lord. If our devotion is to the cause of humanity, we will be quickly defeated and broken-hearted, since we will often be confronted with a great deal of ingratitude from other people. But if we are motivated by our love for God, no amount of ingratitude will be able to hinder us from serving one another.
Paul’s understanding of how Christ had dealt with him is the secret behind his determination to serve others. “I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man…” (1 Timothy 1:13). In other words, no matter how badly others may have treated Paul, they could never have treated him with the same degree of spite and hatred with which he had treated Jesus Christ. Once we realize that Jesus has served us even to the depths of our meagerness, our selfishness, and our sin, nothing we encounter from others will be able to exhaust our determination to serve others for His sake.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Am I learning how to use my Bible? The way to become complete for the Master’s service is to be well soaked in the Bible; some of us only exploit certain passages. Our Lord wants to give us continuous instruction out of His word; continuous instruction turns hearers into disciples. Approved Unto God, 11 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, February 23, 2018
A Safe Place For Your Child - #8120
It's one of life's passages-taking your first child to college. You drive off, leaving your firstborn there, knowing your life and theirs will never be quite the same. When we left our daughter at the Christian college she had chosen, her two younger brothers were sure they knew how their mother would react. In fact, without announcing it, they just kept watching her all the way home, waiting for her to cry. Well, she never did, and our boys were baffled. They finally asked, " Mom, why didn't you cry?" (What is this to kind of watch Mom cry?) Well, see, the college had given us parents two days of very reassuring orientation, and my wife and I had been very impressed with how they had thought through their students' needs. So why didn't Mom cry? She said, "I don't cry about leaving my child when I know they're in good hands."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "A Safe Place For Your Child."
Our word for today from the Word of God is one of the strongest promises in the Bible if you're a parent or a grandparent. It is found in Isaiah 40:11. I love this verse. Talking about the one Isaiah calls "the Sovereign Lord," it says, "He tends His flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads those that have young."
If you're a parent, you have at least one of those "lambs" that the Lord carries in His arms close to His heart. Maybe your lamb is pretty big now-maybe all grown up-but whatever their age, they're still your lambs. And you could put their name in that verse, where it says, "The shepherd's carrying them. God assures us that He is with them when we can't be, where we can't go, holding and guarding them as we never could. Beyond that, He says that if you "have young," He is there to gently lead you in your parenting. That's an awesome promise, huh?
When we left our daughter at college, my wife said she could be at peace because she knew she was in good hands. I heard a similar confidence expressed recently by some dear friends who were experiencing one of life's most heartbreaking hurts-the sudden death of their son. But through their tears, that Mom said, "I have this unshakable confidence. God has assured me my son is safe. And I'm OK."
Now that's the ultimate expression of a confidence that can sustain a parent through all the joys and the heartaches of raising a son or daughter. He or she is in good hands. They're in God's hands. It just could be that you need to totally release your son or daughter into those very strong hands, because you've been holding onto them too much.
When you don't release your child to God's hands consciously and regularly, you tend to nag too much, push too much, intrude too much, talk too much, listen too little. Some of us are control freaks, and the more we see something in our child we don't like, the more we try to control them. And the more they rebel. When you don't trust your son or daughter to God, you tend to be a parent who is full of stress and full of tension, instead of the relaxed kind of parent who makes good decisions and avoids polarized relationships.
When our kids were babies, we held them in our arms in a church service and dedicated each one of them to the Lord. They're way too big to do that with physically now, but I've realized how often we need to do it spiritually and emotionally-on a daily basis. Each new morning, hold your child, however old they are, before the Lord and give them back to the One who gave them to you in the first place.
No matter where your child is, no matter what they're going through, you can have that unexplainable sense of well-being. You can relax if you know they're in good hands. And if you've released them, they're in the best of hands. They're in the hands of Almighty God!