Max Lucado Daily: GOD UNDERSTANDS YOU
Jesus was undiluted deity. No wonder no one argued when he declared, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18). He has authority over everything. And he has it forever! Yet in spite of this lofty position, Jesus was willing for a time to forgo the privileges of divinity and enter humanity.
Are you troubled in spirit? He was too. (John 12:27)
Are you so anxious you could die? He was too. (Matthew 26:38)
Are you overwhelmed with grief? He was too. (John 11:35)
So human he could touch people. So mighty he could heal people. So heavenly he spoke with authority. So human he could blend in unnoticed for thirty years. So mighty he could change history and be unforgotten for two thousand years. Because Jesus was human, He understands you. And because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable!
Read more Unshakable Hope
Luke 8:1-25
He continued according to plan, traveled to town after town, village after village, preaching God’s kingdom, spreading the Message. The Twelve were with him. There were also some women in their company who had been healed of various evil afflictions and illnesses: Mary, the one called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out; Joanna, wife of Chuza, Herod’s manager; and Susanna—along with many others who used their considerable means to provide for the company.
The Story of the Seeds
4-8 As they went from town to town, a lot of people joined in and traveled along. He addressed them, using this story: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. Some of it fell on the road; it was tramped down and the birds ate it. Other seed fell in the gravel; it sprouted, but withered because it didn’t have good roots. Other seed fell in the weeds; the weeds grew with it and strangled it. Other seed fell in rich earth and produced a bumper crop.
“Are you listening to this? Really listening?”
9 His disciples asked, “Why did you tell this story?”
10 He said, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom—you know how it works. There are others who need stories. But even with stories some of them aren’t going to get it:
Their eyes are open but don’t see a thing,
Their ears are open but don’t hear a thing.
11-12 “This story is about some of those people. The seed is the Word of God. The seeds on the road are those who hear the Word, but no sooner do they hear it than the Devil snatches it from them so they won’t believe and be saved.
13 “The seeds in the gravel are those who hear with enthusiasm, but the enthusiasm doesn’t go very deep. It’s only another fad, and the moment there’s trouble it’s gone.
14 “And the seed that fell in the weeds—well, these are the ones who hear, but then the seed is crowded out and nothing comes of it as they go about their lives worrying about tomorrow, making money, and having fun.
15 “But the seed in the good earth—these are the good-hearts who seize the Word and hold on no matter what, sticking with it until there’s a harvest.
Misers of What You Hear
16-18 “No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a washtub or shoves it under the bed. No, you set it up on a lamp stand so those who enter the room can see their way. We’re not keeping secrets; we’re telling them. We’re not hiding things; we’re bringing everything out into the open. So be careful that you don’t become misers of what you hear. Generosity begets generosity. Stinginess impoverishes.”
19-20 His mother and brothers showed up but couldn’t get through to him because of the crowd. He was given the message, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside wanting to see you.”
21 He replied, “My mother and brothers are the ones who hear and do God’s Word. Obedience is thicker than blood.”
22-24 One day he and his disciples got in a boat. “Let’s cross the lake,” he said. And off they went. It was smooth sailing, and he fell asleep. A terrific storm came up suddenly on the lake. Water poured in, and they were about to capsize. They woke Jesus: “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”
Getting to his feet, he told the wind, “Silence!” and the waves, “Quiet down!” They did it. The lake became smooth as glass.
25 Then he said to his disciples, “Why can’t you trust me?”
They were in absolute awe, staggered and stammering, “Who is this, anyway? He calls out to the winds and sea, and they do what he tells them!”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, August 30, 2018
Read: Luke 6:46–49
Build Your House on the Rock
46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? 47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.[a] 49 But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”
Footnotes:
Luke 6:48 Some manuscripts founded upon the rock
INSIGHT
In the parable about the wise and foolish builders, Jesus isn’t teaching that we can be saved by our good works. Rather, because we are saved, we will do good works—we will obey God’s Word. The apostle Paul, using the same metaphor of a solid foundation, makes it clear that “no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11). Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done.
We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. But, as theologian John Calvin reminded us, “We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone” (see Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:14; 3:8, 14).
How have you, through the power of the Holy Spirit, been building on the solid foundation we have in Jesus? - K. T. Sim
The House on the Rock
By Amy Boucher Pye
When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. Luke 6:48
After living in their house for several years, my friends realized that their living room was sinking—cracks appeared on the walls and a window would no longer open. They learned that this room had been added without a foundation. Rectifying the shoddy workmanship would mean months of work as builders laid a new foundation.
They had the work done, and when I visited them afterwards, I couldn’t see much difference (although the cracks were gone and now the window opened). But I understood that a solid foundation matters.
This is true in our lives as well.
Jesus shared a parable about wise and foolish builders to illustrate the folly of not listening to Him (Luke 6:46–49). Those who hear and obey His words are like the person who builds a house on a firm foundation, unlike those who hear but ignore His words. Jesus assured His listeners that when the storms come, their house would stand. Their faith would not be shaken.
We can find peace knowing that as we listen to and obey Jesus, He forms a strong foundation for our lives. We can strengthen our love for Him through reading the Bible, praying, and learning from other Christians. Then when we face the torrents of rain lashing against us—whether betrayal, pain, or disappointment—we can trust that our foundation is solid. Our Savior will provide the support we need.
Lord God, I want to build my house on a rock. Help me to know that my solid foundation rests in You, with Your Word giving me wisdom and strength.
Hearing and obeying Jesus gives our lives a strong foundation.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, August 30, 2018
Usefulness or Relationship?
Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven. —Luke 10:20
Jesus Christ is saying here, “Don’t rejoice in your successful service for Me, but rejoice because of your right relationship with Me.” The trap you may fall into in Christian work is to rejoice in successful service— rejoicing in the fact that God has used you. Yet you will never be able to measure fully what God will do through you if you do not have a right-standing relationship with Jesus Christ. If you keep your relationship right with Him, then regardless of your circumstances or whoever you encounter each day, He will continue to pour “rivers of living water” through you (John 7:38). And it is actually by His mercy that He does not let you know it. Once you have the right relationship with God through salvation and sanctification, remember that whatever your circumstances may be, you have been placed in them by God. And God uses the reaction of your life to your circumstances to fulfill His purpose, as long as you continue to “walk in the light as He is in the light” (1 John 1:7).
Our tendency today is to put the emphasis on service. Beware of the people who make their request for help on the basis of someone’s usefulness. If you make usefulness the test, then Jesus Christ was the greatest failure who ever lived. For the saint, direction and guidance come from God Himself, not some measure of that saint’s usefulness. It is the work that God does through us that counts, not what we do for Him. All that our Lord gives His attention to in a person’s life is that person’s relationship with God— something of great value to His Father. Jesus is “bringing many sons to glory…” (Hebrews 2:10).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Jesus Christ can afford to be misunderstood; we cannot. Our weakness lies in always wanting to vindicate ourselves.
The Place of Help
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, August 30, 2018
Parent Power - #8254
You never know what your kid's memories are going to be. You know? Our son was like 20 years old, he was in college, and they asked him to write about a childhood memory. You know that's when they are in these family classes and you get to pay for them analyzing you and their family relationships. Great! Well he picked the day that he and I played wiffle ball together for the first time. He couldn't have been more than 4 or 5 years old. You know wiffle ball, it's that little plastic ball. It's got enough holes in it to keep it from going far, and he had this little plastic yellow bat, and I was pitching to him from a few feet away in the backyard. The first time he ever tried to hit a ball, and strike 1 - he chopped it instead of hitting right and he missed it. I threw it again real gently - strike 2. So I stopped and I went over and I reviewed with him, you know, keep your eye on the ball - don't chop - swing evenly. And then I said one more thing that I hadn't said the first two times. I said, "I really believe you can do it." The next time, BAM! He hit that thing way over Daddy's head.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Parent Power."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 1 Thessalonians Chapter 2, beginning at verse 7, " We were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her young children." Verses 11 and 12 he says, "You know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting, and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory." Now Paul's talking here about spiritual parenting, but it's really very good for those of us who are involved in the whole gamut of parenting our physical children. It talks about a mom's gentle acceptance; you know the gentle love of a mother, like caring for her little children. Now a father, let's say, he tends to have I call it expectation love. Dads want you to get the job done, to do well.
You know it's kind of like tough love, and you got one who's a little more the lover and one a little more the tougher. It's good to put the two together. Now Paul's fathering had great results. Most dads would start, of course, with urging. They like that word - "As a father, I urge you to live as you should." But it also says dads are to encourage and to comfort. That's called alongside to help is the word there in the Bible, a comfort word.
My experience with my son in the yard tells us a lot about how our kids are wired. You don't just push them, nag them and point out when they're wrong, "Hey, man, you missed it." But you tell them that you believe in them. That's what worked. Kids need to know that.
See, as a dad or a mom, we need to see the good points in our kids. Praise them often for those good points. Express what we see, in terms of their potential, what they could be. Not just their strong abilities but like their strong qualities like gentleness, sensitivity, leadership, their sense of humor, their caring, their compassion. We tend to see what needs work instead of what they're really good at. They have a lot of people telling them what's wrong with them. You've got to be the one who holds up a mirror and says, "Look what God made when He made you, man."
God fathers like that. He called Abram, Abraham, Father of Many Nations, before he was father of anything. He called Gideon, Mighty Soldier, before he was ever much of a soldier. He called Simon, The Rock, long before he was. Jesus sees what you could be, not what you are. We need to do that with our kids. Maybe they're swinging and missing, but we got to tell them we believe they can hit. When we see weaknesses and failures, we got to say, "Man, I know you could do better than this. You're too good for this, I know who you are."
A parent has awesome power to build or to tear down, and my son taught me what Paul told us and what God has modeled, that there is incredible parent power in encouraging and comforting and telling your child, "I believe in you."
