Max Lucado Daily: YOU BEAR A RESEMBLANCE TO HIM
Pop psychology is wrong when it tells you to look inside yourself and find your value! According to the Bible you are good simply because God made you in his image. Period. He cherishes you because you bear a resemblance to him. And you will only be satisfied when you engage in your role as an image bearer of God. Such was the view of King David. “As for me,” he said, “I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness” (Psalm 17:15).
How much sadness would evaporate if every person simply chose to believe this: I was made for God’s glory and am being made into his image. Why does God love you with an everlasting love? It has everything to do with whose you are. You are his. And because God’s promises are unbreakable, our hope is unshakable.
Read more Unshakable Hope
Luke 5:1-16
Push Out into Deep Water
5 1-3 Once when he was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret, the crowd was pushing in on him to better hear the Word of God. He noticed two boats tied up. The fishermen had just left them and were out scrubbing their nets. He climbed into the boat that was Simon’s and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Sitting there, using the boat for a pulpit, he taught the crowd.
4 When he finished teaching, he said to Simon, “Push out into deep water and let your nets out for a catch.”
5-7 Simon said, “Master, we’ve been fishing hard all night and haven’t caught even a minnow. But if you say so, I’ll let out the nets.” It was no sooner said than done—a huge haul of fish, straining the nets past capacity. They waved to their partners in the other boat to come help them. They filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch.
8-10 Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell to his knees before Jesus. “Master, leave. I’m a sinner and can’t handle this holiness. Leave me to myself.” When they pulled in that catch of fish, awe overwhelmed Simon and everyone with him. It was the same with James and John, Zebedee’s sons, coworkers with Simon.
10-11 Jesus said to Simon, “There is nothing to fear. From now on you’ll be fishing for men and women.” They pulled their boats up on the beach, left them, nets and all, and followed him.
Invitation to a Changed Life
12 One day in one of the villages there was a man covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus he fell down before him in prayer and said, “If you want to, you can cleanse me.”
13 Jesus put out his hand, touched him, and said, “I want to. Be clean.” Then and there his skin was smooth, the leprosy gone.
14-16 Jesus instructed him, “Don’t talk about this all over town. Just quietly present your healed self to the priest, along with the offering ordered by Moses. Your cleansed and obedient life, not your words, will bear witness to what I have done.” But the man couldn’t keep it to himself, and the word got out. Soon a large crowd of people had gathered to listen and be healed of their ailments. As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, August 09, 2018
Read: Psalm 63
My Soul Thirsts for You
A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
6 when I remember you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7 for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
8 My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
9 But those who seek to destroy my life
shall go down into the depths of the earth;
10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword;
they shall be a portion for jackals.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God;
all who swear by him shall exult,
for the mouths of liars will be stopped.
INSIGHT
Do you ever wonder whether your faith could endure during hard times? Psalm 63 describes a relationship with God that is deep enough to sustain times so difficult that—literally or metaphorically—we experience life as a “dry and parched land where there is no water” (v. 1).
A faith that is long-lasting is one in which experiencing God’s love is so precious it’s “better than life” (v. 3). Such an intimate relationship is sustained through ongoing communication “through the watches of the night” (v. 6)—a time which in the psalms points to vulnerable communication with God (see, for example, 4:4; 16:7; 119:55).
Through cultivating such a relationship with God, when hard times come we will have a rich history to remember and cherish (63:2, 6). In this way we can trust God enough to cling to Him (vv. 7–8), confident that He’ll deliver us once more (vv. 9–11). - Monica Brands
A Good Daddy
By Xochitl Dixon
On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Psalm 63:6
When our son, Xavier, was younger, business trips often pulled my husband away from home. Though his father called often, there were rough nights when the calls alone didn’t comfort Xavier. To help soothe our son when he felt he needed his dad, I’d pull out our photo albums as he prepared for bedtime. I’d point out the images that showed them spending time together and ask, “Do you remember this?”
Memory after memory encouraged our son, who often said, “I have a good daddy.”
I understood Xavier’s need to be reminded of his father’s love when he couldn’t see him. Whenever I’m going through tough or lonely times, I too long to know I’m loved, especially by my heavenly Father.
David proclaimed his deep yearning for God as he hid from his enemies in the desert (Psalm 63:1). Remembering his personal encounters with God’s limitless power and satisfying love led him to praise (vv. 2–5). Through his most difficult nights, David could still rejoice in his dependable Father’s loving care (vv. 6–8).
During our dark times, when we feel as if God’s not there for us, we need reminders of who God is and how He’s demonstrated His love. Reflecting on our personal experiences with Him, as well as His actions recorded in Scripture, can affirm the countless ways our good Abba Father loves us.
Lord, thanks for demonstrating Your endless love to Your people, in our lives and through the words You preserved in Scripture.
Remembering God’s works, which reveal His character, reassures us of His love.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, August 09, 2018
Prayer in the Father’s Hearing
Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me." —John 11:41
When the Son of God prays, He is mindful and consciously aware of only His Father. God always hears the prayers of His Son, and if the Son of God has been formed in me (see Galatians 4:19) the Father will always hear my prayers. But I must see to it that the Son of God is exhibited in my human flesh. “…your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit…” (1 Corinthians 6:19), that is, your body is the Bethlehem of God’s Son. Is the Son of God being given His opportunity to work in me? Is the direct simplicity of His life being worked out in me exactly as it was worked out in His life while here on earth? When I come into contact with the everyday occurrences of life as an ordinary human being, is the prayer of God’s eternal Son to His Father being prayed in me? Jesus says, “In that day you will ask in My name…” (John 16:26). What day does He mean? He is referring to the day when the Holy Spirit has come to me and made me one with my Lord.
Is the Lord Jesus Christ being abundantly satisfied by your life, or are you exhibiting a walk of spiritual pride before Him? Never let your common sense become so prominent and forceful that it pushes the Son of God to one side. Common sense is a gift that God gave to our human nature— but common sense is not the gift of His Son. Supernatural sense is the gift of His Son, and we should never put our common sense on the throne. The Son always recognizes and identifies with the Father, but common sense has never yet done so and never will. Our ordinary abilities will never worship God unless they are transformed by the indwelling Son of God. We must make sure that our human flesh is kept in perfect submission to Him, allowing Him to work through it moment by moment. Are we living at such a level of human dependence upon Jesus Christ that His life is being exhibited moment by moment in us?
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Beware of isolation; beware of the idea that you have to develop a holy life alone. It is impossible to develop a holy life alone; you will develop into an oddity and a peculiarism, into something utterly unlike what God wants you to be. The only way to develop spiritually is to go into the society of God’s own children, and you will soon find how God alters your set. God does not contradict our social instincts; He alters them. Biblical Psychology, 189 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, August 09, 2018
Eight Questions To Get It Right - #8239
Our sons both played lineman positions on their high school football team – which means they had to take their share of jokes about being big and dumb. Linemen's numbers are usually like seventy-something, and they were number 75 and 76. You know what the word was? Yeah, that the linemen wore their I. Q. on their jerseys. (Yeah, my apologies. Some linemen listening; listen, this is a joke. I didn't say this. I don't believe this. No, no, no.) It's probably a good thing most of us were never told what our Intelligence Quotient is and it's really a good thing it wasn't advertised on our jersey! But after all is said and done, there's a measurement of your capabilities that's far more important anyway.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Eight Questions To Get It Right."
Your W.Q. is so much more important than your I.Q. That's your Wisdom Quotient! Intelligence is about how much information you have. Wisdom is about how much insight you have. In simple words, Biblical wisdom is God-think – the ability to see what He sees in a situation or a person.
And all you need to do is download God's wisdom upon request. His promise is in James 1:5, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all." And then it adds: "When he asks, he must believe and not doubt..." (vs. 6) As a parent, a leader, a friend, just as a daily decision-maker, you need so much wisdom, and here's how you get it.
First, be desperate for it. You've got to confess how much you need it. That's a desperate admission that you don't have the resources to figure it out, so you're totally depending on God giving you His insight. Secondly, beg for it. That's actually the sense of that word "ask" in this verse. Ask Him for it. Beg for it. Finally, believe for it. Proceed with the confidence that God will keep His promise and you'll be directed what to do.
Then in our word for today from the Word of God, He tells us what wisdom looks like. Here's how you can measure how wise you really are by the eight characteristics of wisdom spelled out in James 3:17. I'm going to turn them into questions that we need to be asking about any choice we need to make. Let's call it eight questions to get it right.
James says, "The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure..." So ask yourself, "What's the pure, uncompromised thing to do?" Then it says heaven's wisdom is "peace-loving." So, "What will lead to peace instead of conflict?" Choices that continually result in conflict are probably not God-think. Next, God's wisdom it says is "considerate" Question 3, "How will this affect other people?"
Considering others when you decide. That's an important step. And God's wisdom it says is "submissive," or "easy to be entreated." This is about being teachable and approachable. So here's the question, "Have I considered the input of others?"
Then that wisdom is "Full of mercy and good fruit" – that's what this verse says about real wisdom. Two more questions then – "What's the merciful thing to do?" and "Is this getting results?" God also says His wisdom is "impartial." That leads us to ask, "What's most fair to everybody here?" Finally, that wisdom is "sincere." That means without hypocrisy. So the last "get it right" question is: "What's the honest and transparent thing to do?" Eight questions that lead us to decisions that are wise in heaven's eyes
Ultimately, there's one trait that looms large in a truly wise man or woman. James 3:13 talks about "the humility that comes from wisdom." When you go for God's insight, when you have God's insight, it produces a truly humble person, not a proud person. No looking down on others, no putting down others, no proceeding in arrogance and self-reliance. Wise people are very unimpressed with themselves and totally impressed with God and their need of Him.
So go for the wisdom that gives you God's perspective on what's going on. And for all those you influence, you will be a personal agent of the ways of God in their lives!