Max Lucado Daily: WHY DID JESUS RAISE ONLY A FEW?
I’ve often thought it curious how few people Jesus raised from the dead. He healed hundreds, fed thousands, but as far as we know He only raised three: the daughter of Jairus, the boy near Nain, and Lazarus. Why so few?
Could it be because He knew He’d be doing them no favors?
Could it be because He couldn’t get any volunteers?
Could it be that once someone is there, the last place they want to return to is here?
Isaiah said: “The good men perish; the godly die before their time and no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to realize that God is taking them away from the evil days ahead. For the godly who die will rest in peace.” Isaiah 57:1-2
What a thought. Could death be God’s grace? God’s protection from the future? Trust in God, Jesus urges, and trust in Me!
From A Gentle Thunder
Luke 13:23-35 The Message (MSG)
23-25 A bystander said, “Master, will only a few be saved?”
He said, “Whether few or many is none of your business. Put your mind on your life with God. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires your total attention. A lot of you are going to assume that you’ll sit down to God’s salvation banquet just because you’ve been hanging around the neighborhood all your lives. Well, one day you’re going to be banging on the door, wanting to get in, but you’ll find the door locked and the Master saying, ‘Sorry, you’re not on my guest list.’
26-27 “You’ll protest, ‘But we’ve known you all our lives!’ only to be interrupted with his abrupt, ‘Your kind of knowing can hardly be called knowing. You don’t know the first thing about me.’
28-30 “That’s when you’ll find yourselves out in the cold, strangers to grace. You’ll watch Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets march into God’s kingdom. You’ll watch outsiders stream in from east, west, north, and south and sit down at the table of God’s kingdom. And all the time you’ll be outside looking in—and wondering what happened. This is the Great Reversal: the last in line put at the head of the line, and the so-called first ending up last.”
31 Just then some Pharisees came up and said, “Run for your life! Herod’s on the hunt. He’s out to kill you!”
32-35 Jesus said, “Tell that fox that I’ve no time for him right now. Today and tomorrow I’m busy clearing out the demons and healing the sick; the third day I’m wrapping things up. Besides, it’s not proper for a prophet to come to a bad end outside Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killer of prophets,
abuser of the messengers of God!
How often I’ve longed to gather your children,
gather your children like a hen,
Her brood safe under her wings—
but you refused and turned away!
And now it’s too late: You won’t see me again
until the day you say,
‘Blessed is he
who comes in
the name of God.’”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Read: Mark 14:16–26
And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.
17 And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. 18 And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” 19 They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, “Is it I?” 20 He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me. 21 For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”
Institution of the Lord's Supper
22 And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” 23 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24 And he said to them, “This is my blood of the[a] covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
Jesus Foretells Peter's Denial
26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Footnotes:
Mark 14:24 Some manuscripts insert new
INSIGHT
It has been said that our songs are essentially our sung prayers. After having been severely beaten and unjustly arrested, Paul and Silas “were praying and singing hymns to God” in prison! (Acts 16:25). In Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church he exhorts them to “[sing] psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and [make] music to the Lord in your hearts” (Ephesians 5:19 nlt).
Are you going through a difficult time? Ask God to encourage you as you sing your favorite hymn or song. - K. T. Sim
Singing to the Firing Squad
By Amy Peterson
I trusted in the Lord when I said, “I am greatly afflicted.” Psalm 116:10
Two men convicted of drug trafficking had been on death row for a decade. While in prison, they learned of God’s love for them in Jesus, and their lives were transformed. When it came time for them to face the firing squad, they faced their executioners reciting the Lord’s Prayer and singing “Amazing Grace.” Because of their faith in God, through the power of the Spirit they were able to face death with incredible courage.
They followed the example of faith set by their Savior, Jesus. When Jesus knew that His death was imminent, He spent part of the evening singing with friends. It’s remarkable that He could sing under such circumstances, but what’s even more remarkable is what He sang. On that night, Jesus and His friends had a Passover meal, which always ends with a series of Psalms known as the Hallel, Psalms 113–118. Facing death, that night Jesus sang about the “cords of death” entangling Him (Psalm 116:3). Yet He praised God’s faithful love (117:2) and thanked Him for salvation (118:14). Surely these Psalms comforted Jesus on the night before His crucifixion.
Jesus’s trust in God was so great that even as He approached His own death—a death He had done nothing to deserve!—He chose to sing of God’s love. Because of Jesus, we too can have confidence that whatever we face, God is with us.
God, strengthen our faith in You so that when we face trials, or even approach death, we can sing with confidence about Your love.
How sweet is the sound of God’s amazing grace!
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
How Will I Know?
Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father…that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes." —Matthew 11:25
We do not grow into a spiritual relationship step by step— we either have a relationship or we do not. God does not continue to cleanse us more and more from sin— “But if we walk in the light,” we are cleansed “from all sin” (1 John 1:7). It is a matter of obedience, and once we obey, the relationship is instantly perfected. But if we turn away from obedience for even one second, darkness and death are immediately at work again.
All of God’s revealed truths are sealed until they are opened to us through obedience. You will never open them through philosophy or thinking. But once you obey, a flash of light comes immediately. Let God’s truth work into you by immersing yourself in it, not by worrying into it. The only way you can get to know the truth of God is to stop trying to find out and by being born again. If you obey God in the first thing He shows you, then He instantly opens up the next truth to you. You could read volumes on the work of the Holy Spirit, when five minutes of total, uncompromising obedience would make things as clear as sunlight. Don’t say, “I suppose I will understand these things someday!” You can understand them now. And it is not study that brings understanding to you, but obedience. Even the smallest bit of obedience opens heaven, and the deepest truths of God immediately become yours. Yet God will never reveal more truth about Himself to you, until you have obeyed what you know already. Beware of becoming one of the “wise and prudent.” “If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know…” (John 7:17).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Am I getting nobler, better, more helpful, more humble, as I get older? Am I exhibiting the life that men take knowledge of as having been with Jesus, or am I getting more self-assertive, more deliberately determined to have my own way? It is a great thing to tell yourself the truth. The Place of Help, 1005 R
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Positioned to Save a Life - #8283
Somehow the driver lost control on a small California bridge. In an instant, the car with a family of four in it catapulted through the railing and into the water. Immediately, that car, of course, began to disappear beneath the water. There was this frantic moment that followed, and the two parents emerged from the car, and they were able to swim to the top. Mom had actually been able to free one of her children and help her get out, but their little boy was trapped in the car at the bottom. Meanwhile, a few passersby had gathered on the bridge above, and one man, who heard the mother's screams for help for her son, dove from that bridge and into the water. A nurse was actually one of those who happened to be on the bridge that day. Realizing that the boy was going to need immediate CPR if he was rescued, she shook off her fear and she also plunged into the water. After a short time, the man surfaced-carrying that boy with him. The nurse immediately began working on him, right there in the water. His life was saved that day by two people who certainly had not planned to rescue anyone that day.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Positioned to Save a Life."
It was really moving to see the mother of that rescued little boy tearfully trying to put her gratitude into words. Someone had cared enough to take the risks to save a life just because they happened to be in the right place at the right time to make the difference.
If you belong to Jesus Christ, I hope you see yourself in that picture. Like that man on the bridge, you're in a position to do something about a person who's dying-spiritually dying, that is. The Bible describes people without Christ as "those being led away to death" (Proverbs 24:11). And it adds a command, "Rescue those who are being led away to death." Who should rescue them? Whoever is in a position to reach them. The Bible uses another example to describe those we know who don't know our Savior. It says they are "in the fire." And, again, it gives a command. "Snatch others from the fire and save them" (Jude 23). Don't just let them die without a chance. Do something to rescue them.
As you think about the people at work today, at school, in your neighborhood, maybe in your family or the place you shop or you recreate–among those people must be those who have probably never been to the cross of Jesus to have their sins forgiven. The only One who can forgive their sins is the One who died to pay for them. And if they die with their sins unforgiven, they have no chance of getting into God's heaven. You know that. You know Christ. You know them–which means you're responsible.
Living a Christ-honoring life before them is important, but it's not enough. You have to tell them about Jesus' death for their sins. They're not going to guess that because you're a nice person. See, the reason you haven't told them so far, I know, it's probably your fear.
Jesus said in Mark 10:45, which is our word for today from the Word of God, "Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." Our fears, let's face it, they're all about "me"-what might happen to me if I tell them about Jesus; how I might mess it up. But Jesus abandoned Himself to save us. Rescuers always do that. They have a greater fear than what might happen to them. It's what might happen to the dying person if they don't try to rescue them.
Years ago, God spoke to Moses about His enslaved people and He said, "I have come down to rescue them...I am sending you" (Exodus 3:8, 10). He's saying that to you about the lost people within your reach. It's no accident you are where you are, who you are, doing what you do, being interested in what you're interested in. God's used all that to put you in a position to help save some lives and help some people be in heaven with you. It's the most important thing you have to do; the most important difference you can possibly make with the rest of your life.
