Max Lucado Daily: CONSEQUENCES OF ENVY - May 11, 2018
What are the consequences of envy? Loneliness tops the list. Solomon says, “Anger is cruel and destroys like a flood, but no one can put up with jealousy!” (Proverbs 27:4) Who wants to hang out with a jealous fool? In a cemetery in England stands a grave marker with the inscription, “She died for want of things.” Alongside that one is another, “He died trying to give them to her!”
Jews used one word for jealousy, qua-nah. It meant “to be intensely red.” Have you seen red-faced jealousy? God withholds what we desire in order to give us what we need. Would you exchange the lesser gifts for the higher gift of knowing God? If you would, then your envy will pass. Jealousy has no fire when true love is received!
Read more A Love Worth Giving
Mark 13:1-20
Doomsday Deceivers
As he walked away from the Temple, one of his disciples said, “Teacher, look at that stonework! Those buildings!”
2 Jesus said, “You’re impressed by this grandiose architecture? There’s not a stone in the whole works that is not going to end up in a heap of rubble.”
3-4 Later, as he was sitting on Mount Olives in full view of the Temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew got him off by himself and asked, “Tell us, when is this going to happen? What sign will we get that things are coming to a head?”
5-8 Jesus began, “Watch out for doomsday deceivers. Many leaders are going to show up with forged identities claiming, ‘I’m the One.’ They will deceive a lot of people. When you hear of wars and rumored wars, keep your head and don’t panic. This is routine history, and no sign of the end. Nation will fight nation and ruler fight ruler, over and over. Earthquakes will occur in various places. There will be famines. But these things are nothing compared to what’s coming.
9-10 “And watch out! They’re going to drag you into court. And then it will go from bad to worse, dog-eat-dog, everyone at your throat because you carry my name. You’re placed there as sentinels to truth. The Message has to be preached all across the world.
11 “When they bring you, betrayed, into court, don’t worry about what you’ll say. When the time comes, say what’s on your heart—the Holy Spirit will make his witness in and through you.
12-13 “It’s going to be brother killing brother, father killing child, children killing parents. There’s no telling who will hate you because of me.
“Stay with it—that’s what is required. Stay with it to the end. You won’t be sorry; you’ll be saved.
Run for the Hills
14-18 “But be ready to run for it when you see the monster of desecration set up where it should never be. You who can read, make sure you understand what I’m talking about. If you’re living in Judea at the time, run for the hills; if you’re working in the yard, don’t go back to the house to get anything; if you’re out in the field, don’t go back to get your coat. Pregnant and nursing mothers will have it especially hard. Hope and pray this won’t happen in the middle of winter.
19-20 “These are going to be hard days—nothing like it from the time God made the world right up to the present. And there’ll be nothing like it again. If he let the days of trouble run their course, nobody would make it. But because of God’s chosen people, those he personally chose, he has already intervened.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, May 11, 2018
Read: Psalm 3
A David Psalm, When He Escaped for His Life from Absalom, His Son
3 1-2 God! Look! Enemies past counting!
Enemies sprouting like mushrooms,
Mobs of them all around me, roaring their mockery:
“Hah! No help for him from God!”
3-4 But you, God, shield me on all sides;
You ground my feet, you lift my head high;
With all my might I shout up to God,
His answers thunder from the holy mountain.
5-6 I stretch myself out. I sleep.
Then I’m up again—rested, tall and steady,
Fearless before the enemy mobs
Coming at me from all sides.
7 Up, God! My God, help me!
Slap their faces,
First this cheek, then the other,
Your fist hard in their teeth!
8 Real help comes from God.
Your blessing clothes your people!
INSIGHT
In addition to the Psalms, the New Testament has a lot to say about perseverance through trials. The book of Acts tells the account of the apostle Peter who was preparing to stand trial after being unjustly imprisoned by King Herod for eight days. Undoubtedly he would be executed. But Peter didn’t lose any sleep over his impending death. In fact “the night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep” (Acts 12:6 nlt). Peter experienced peace—peace that can come only through trusting God—because the church was earnestly praying for him (vv. 5, 12).
The apostle Paul wrote about tranquility in his letter to the Philippians: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7).
When we can’t sleep because we’re troubled by the trials of life, instead of counting sheep we can talk to our Good Shepherd. Jesus promised, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you” (John 14:27).
What worries keep you awake at night? Ask God to help you find the peace you need. - K. T. Sim
Persevering with Peace
By Xochitl Dixon
I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. Psalm 3:5
As I continue trusting God through my struggles with chronic pain, even the simplest setback can feel like a fierce enemy attacker. Problem One jabs me from the right. Problem Two shoves me from behind. Problem Three punches me square in the nose. During these times, when my strength wanes and immediate relief evades me, running and hiding can seem like a good idea. But since I can’t escape my pain, change my circumstances, or ignore my emotions, I’m learning slowly to rely on God to carry me through.
When I need encouragement, comfort, and courage, I prayerfully read through the songs of the psalmists, who honestly bring their situations to God. In one of my favorite psalms, King David flees from Absalom, his son who wanted to kill him and take his kingdom. Though David lamented his painful situation (Psalm 3:1–2), he trusted God’s protection and expected Him to answer his prayers (vv. 3–4). The king didn’t lose sleep worrying or fearing what could happen, because he trusted God to sustain and save him (vv. 5–8).
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Physical and emotional pain can often feel like aggressive adversaries. We may be tempted to give up or wish we could escape when we’re weary and can’t see the end of our current battle. But, like David, we can learn to trust that God will hold us up and help us rest in His constant and loving presence.
Lord, thanks for giving us rest in the peace of Your constant presence and assuring us of the victory You’ve already won.
God offers us peace as He holds us up and carries us through every trial.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, May 11, 2018
“Love One Another”
…add to your…brotherly kindness love. —2 Peter 1:5, 7
Love is an indefinite thing to most of us; we don’t know what we mean when we talk about love. Love is the loftiest preference of one person for another, and spiritually Jesus demands that this sovereign preference be for Himself (see Luke 14:26). Initially, when “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5), it is easy to put Jesus first. But then we must practice the things mentioned in 2 Peter 1 to see them worked out in our lives.
The first thing God does is forcibly remove any insincerity, pride, and vanity from my life. And the Holy Spirit reveals to me that God loved me not because I was lovable, but because it was His nature to do so. Now He commands me to show the same love to others by saying, “…love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). He is saying, “I will bring a number of people around you whom you cannot respect, but you must exhibit My love to them, just as I have exhibited it to you.” This kind of love is not a patronizing love for the unlovable— it is His love, and it will not be evidenced in us overnight. Some of us may have tried to force it, but we were soon tired and frustrated.
“The Lord…is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish…” (2 Peter 3:9). I should look within and remember how wonderfully He has dealt with me. The knowledge that God has loved me beyond all limits will compel me to go into the world to love others in the same way. I may get irritated because I have to live with an unusually difficult person. But just think how disagreeable I have been with God! Am I prepared to be identified so closely with the Lord Jesus that His life and His sweetness will be continually poured out through Me? Neither natural love nor God’s divine love will remain and grow in me unless it is nurtured. Love is spontaneous, but it has to be maintained through discipline.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The great word of Jesus to His disciples is Abandon. When God has brought us into the relationship of disciples, we have to venture on His word; trust entirely to Him and watch that when He brings us to the venture, we take it.
Studies in the Sermon on the Mount
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, May 11, 2018
Intervening Love - #8175
Norma Jean was born on a cold, snowy day after a battle just to get into this world. Norma Jean - a little white calf whose mother wouldn't have anything to do with her, and she lay out in the snow and the cold for many hours, actually, before her owner realized her predicament. That newborn was in pretty bad shape, with her hind legs not even supporting her when she tried to stand. Her attempts to get up were, well, they were pitiful. Kenny is a teenager, and he doesn't live on the farm where that calf was born. But when he saw her, he offered to take her and try to pull her through. The farmer was pretty pessimistic about the calf making it, but Kenny arranged for her to stay in a stall in a friend's barn. Every morning, he drove to that barn before school, and he faithfully fed Norma Jean a big bottle of milk substitute, and he slowly nursed her back to health. You know what? Eventually, that calf who had been on her last legs literally was now bouncing all over the place on four good legs!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Intervening Love."
That calf started out being rejected by her own mother. She would have limped her whole life, maybe even died. But she ended up alive and kicking! The difference? Intervening love. Someone saw her predicament, refused to give up on her, adopted her, and loved her back to health.
For some of us, that's our autobiography. We were rescued by someone who didn't reject us. One who wouldn't let us die; who rescued us and loved us back to life. That's what Jesus has done for so many people for so many years. It's what He's done for me. It's what He wants to do for you.
When you get certain tests from the doctor, you're able to see what's really going on inside you, including maybe a condition you didn't know you had, but if it's untreated, you'll die from it. That's what our word for today from the Word of God does for us. Romans 5, beginning with verse 6, shows us our true spiritual condition, even though we might look fine on the outside. But with the bad news comes the good news of what will save us. It's intervening love.
The Bible says, "When we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly." Powerless. That's like that crippled little calf. Our sin - our refusal to let God run the life that He gave us - has left us absolutely powerless spiritually, with no chance of entering the perfect heaven of a perfect God. No chance, until the Cross. The Bible says, "God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners" – that's while we were still rebels against Him, while we were still under that hellish death penalty for our sins, it says that is when "Christ died for us."
Picture in your mind Jesus hanging, suspended by nails, on a bloody cross, as He takes on Himself all the agony of all the sin of all the world. At that moment He is going to your hell in your place so you don't ever have to.
However rejected you may have been in your life, however damaged you are, however dirty you've gotten, Jesus loves you, no strings attached. He didn't give up on you. He stands ready to adopt you, to love you, to open the door of eternal life to you. You don't begin to know what love is until you've been loved by Jesus Christ. He's waiting to intervene in the sin and the guilt, and the hurt, and the hell of your sin with His love; the love that changes everything, including where you spend eternity. But you have to open up to His love. You have to put your trust in Him to rescue you.
That's what I invite you to do today. To say, "Jesus, I'm yours." And let me extend an invitation to you to go visit our website as soon as you can today. It is all about beginning this relationship - ANewStory.com. That's the website.
Your only hope is the intervening love of the One who loves you most. Which means your only hope is Jesus. You've lived enough days without Him haven't you? Well, let this be your first day of belonging to Him.
