Max Lucado Daily: TIMELY HELP
When we traveled with our young daughters, I carried our plane tickets in my briefcase. When it came time to board, I’d stand between the attendant and the child. As each daughter passed, I placed a ticket in her hand. She, in turn, gave the ticket to the attendant. Each one received the ticket in the nick of time!
What I did for my daughters God does for you. He places himself between you and the need. And at the right time, he gives you the ticket. Wasn’t this the promise he gave his disciples? “When you are arrested and judged, don’t worry ahead of time about what you should say. Say whatever is given you to say at that time; because it will not really be you speaking, it will be the Holy Spirit” (Mark 13:11). God leads us! He will do the right thing at the right time!
Read more Grace for the Moment II
1 Samuel 9
Rejecting God as the King
8 1-3 When Samuel got to be an old man, he set his sons up as judges in Israel. His firstborn son was named Joel, the name of his second, Abijah. They were assigned duty in Beersheba. But his sons didn’t take after him; they were out for what they could get for themselves, taking bribes, corrupting justice.
4-5 Fed up, all the elders of Israel got together and confronted Samuel at Ramah. They presented their case: “Look, you’re an old man, and your sons aren’t following in your footsteps. Here’s what we want you to do: Appoint a king to rule us, just like everybody else.”
6 When Samuel heard their demand—“Give us a king to rule us!”—he was crushed. How awful! Samuel prayed to God.
7-9 God answered Samuel, “Go ahead and do what they’re asking. They are not rejecting you. They’ve rejected me as their King. From the day I brought them out of Egypt until this very day they’ve been behaving like this, leaving me for other gods. And now they’re doing it to you. So let them have their own way. But warn them of what they’re in for. Tell them the way kings operate, just what they’re likely to get from a king.”
10-18 So Samuel told them, delivered God’s warning to the people who were asking him to give them a king. He said, “This is the way the kind of king you’re talking about operates. He’ll take your sons and make soldiers of them—chariotry, cavalry, infantry, regimented in battalions and squadrons. He’ll put some to forced labor on his farms, plowing and harvesting, and others to making either weapons of war or chariots in which he can ride in luxury. He’ll put your daughters to work as beauticians and waitresses and cooks. He’ll conscript your best fields, vineyards, and orchards and hand them over to his special friends. He’ll tax your harvests and vintage to support his extensive bureaucracy. Your prize workers and best animals he’ll take for his own use. He’ll lay a tax on your flocks and you’ll end up no better than slaves. The day will come when you will cry in desperation because of this king you so much want for yourselves. But don’t expect God to answer.”
19-20 But the people wouldn’t listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We will have a king to rule us! Then we’ll be just like all the other nations. Our king will rule us and lead us and fight our battles.”
21-22 Samuel took in what they said and rehearsed it with God. God told Samuel, “Do what they say. Make them a king.”
Saul—Head and Shoulders Above the Crowd
9 1-2 There was a man from the tribe of Benjamin named Kish. He was the son of Abiel, grandson of Zeror, great-grandson of Becorath, great-great-grandson of Aphiah—a Benjaminite of stalwart character. He had a son, Saul, a most handsome young man. There was none finer—he literally stood head and shoulders above the crowd!
3-4 Some of Kish’s donkeys got lost. Kish said to his son, “Saul, take one of the servants with you and go look for the donkeys.” Saul took one of the servants and went to find the donkeys. They went into the hill country of Ephraim around Shalisha, but didn’t find them. Then they went over to Shaalim—no luck. Then to Jabin, and still nothing.
5 When they got to Zuph, Saul said to the young man with him, “Enough of this. Let’s go back. Soon my father is going to forget about the donkeys and start worrying about us.”
6 He replied, “Not so fast. There’s a holy man in this town. He carries a lot of weight around here. What he says is always right on the mark. Maybe he can tell us where to go.”
7 Saul said, “If we go, what do we have to give him? There’s no more bread in our sacks. We’ve nothing to bring as a gift to the holy man. Do we have anything else?”
8-9 The servant spoke up, “Look, I just happen to have this silver coin! I’ll give it to the holy man and he’ll tell us how to proceed!” (In former times in Israel, a person who wanted to seek God’s word on a matter would say, “Let’s visit the Seer,” because the one we now call “the Prophet” used to be called “the Seer.”)
10 “Good,” said Saul, “let’s go.” And they set off for the town where the holy man lived.
11 As they were climbing up the hill into the town, they met some girls who were coming out to draw water. They said to them, “Is this where the Seer lives?”
12-13 They answered, “It sure is—just ahead. Hurry up. He’s come today because the people have prepared a sacrifice at the shrine. As soon as you enter the town, you can catch him before he goes up to the shrine to eat. The people won’t eat until he arrives, for he has to bless the sacrifice. Only then can everyone eat. So get going. You’re sure to find him!”
14 They continued their climb and entered the city. And then there he was—Samuel!—coming straight toward them on his way to the shrine!
15-16 The very day before, God had confided in Samuel, “This time tomorrow, I’m sending a man from the land of Benjamin to meet you. You’re to anoint him as prince over my people Israel. He will free my people from Philistine oppression. Yes, I know all about their hard circumstances. I’ve heard their cries for help.”
17 The moment Samuel laid eyes on Saul, God said, “He’s the one, the man I told you about. This is the one who will keep my people in check.”
18 Saul came up to Samuel in the street and said, “Pardon me, but can you tell me where the Seer lives?”
19-20 “I’m the Seer,” said Samuel. “Accompany me to the shrine and eat with me. In the morning I’ll tell you all about what’s on your mind, and send you on your way. And by the way, your lost donkeys—the ones you’ve been hunting for the last three days—have been found, so don’t worry about them. At this moment, Israel’s future is in your hands.”
21 Saul answered, “But I’m only a Benjaminite, from the smallest of Israel’s tribes, and from the most insignificant clan in the tribe at that. Why are you talking to me like this?”
22-23 Samuel took Saul and his servant and led them into the dining hall at the shrine and seated them at the head of the table. There were about thirty guests. Then Samuel directed the chef, “Bring the choice cut I pointed out to you, the one I told you to reserve.”
24 The chef brought it and placed it before Saul with a flourish, saying, “This meal was kept aside just for you. Eat! It was especially prepared for this time and occasion with these guests.”
Saul ate with Samuel—a memorable day!
25 Afterward they went down from the shrine into the city. A bed was prepared for Saul on the breeze-cooled roof of Samuel’s house.
26 They woke at the break of day. Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get up and I’ll send you off.” Saul got up and the two of them went out in the street.
27 As they approached the outskirts of town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell your servant to go on ahead of us. You stay with me for a bit. I have a word of God to give you.”Then Samuel dismissed the men of Israel: “Go home, each of you to your own city.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Read: Ezekiel 34:7–16
“Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 As I live, declares the Lord God, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 10 Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.
The Lord God Will Seek Them Out
11 “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. 16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy.[a] I will feed them in justice.
Footnotes:
Ezekiel 34:16 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate I will watch over
Dumb Sheep, Good Shepherd
By Amy Peterson
As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. Ezekiel 34:12
My friend Chad spent a year as a shepherd in Wyoming. “Sheep are so dumb that they’ll only eat what is right in front of them,” he told me. “Even if they’ve eaten all the grass in front of them, they won’t turn to look for a fresh patch—they’ll just start eating dirt!”
We laughed, and I couldn’t help but think about how often the Bible compares humans to sheep. No wonder we need a shepherd! But since sheep are so dumb, not just any shepherd will do. Sheep need a shepherd who cares about them. When the prophet Ezekiel wrote to God’s people in exile, captives in Babylon, he compared them to sheep led by bad shepherds. Instead of caring for the flock, Israel’s leaders had exploited them, profiting from them (v. 3) and then leaving them for the wild animals to devour (v. 5).
But they were not without hope. God, the Good Shepherd, promised to rescue them from the leaders who exploited them. He promised to bring them home, put them in lush pastures, and give them rest. He would heal the injured and go after the lost (vv. 11–16). He would banish wild animals, so that His flock would be safe (v. 28).
Members of God’s flock are in need of tender care and direction. How blessed we are to have a Shepherd who is always leading us to green pastures! (v.14).
For more on the topic of spiritual growth, see christianuniversity.org/SF212.
Am I listening for the voice of my Shepherd?
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Faith or Experience?
…the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. —Galatians 2:20
We should battle through our moods, feelings, and emotions into absolute devotion to the Lord Jesus. We must break out of our own little world of experience into abandoned devotion to Him. Think who the New Testament says Jesus Christ is, and then think of the despicable meagerness of the miserable faith we exhibit by saying, “I haven’t had this experience or that experience”! Think what faith in Jesus Christ claims and provides— He can present us faultless before the throne of God, inexpressibly pure, absolutely righteous, and profoundly justified. Stand in absolute adoring faith “in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God— and righteousness and sanctification and redemption…” (1 Corinthians 1:30). How dare we talk of making a sacrifice for the Son of God! We are saved from hell and total destruction, and then we talk about making sacrifices!
We must continually focus and firmly place our faith in Jesus Christ— not a “prayer meeting” Jesus Christ, or a “book” Jesus Christ, but the New Testament Jesus Christ, who is God Incarnate, and who ought to strike us dead at His feet. Our faith must be in the One from whom our salvation springs. Jesus Christ wants our absolute, unrestrained devotion to Himself. We can never experience Jesus Christ, or selfishly bind Him in the confines of our own hearts. Our faith must be built on strong determined confidence in Him.
It is because of our trusting in experience that we see the steadfast impatience of the Holy Spirit against unbelief. All of our fears are sinful, and we create our own fears by refusing to nourish ourselves in our faith. How can anyone who is identified with Jesus Christ suffer from doubt or fear! Our lives should be an absolute hymn of praise resulting from perfect, irrepressible, triumphant belief.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Jesus Christ is always unyielding to my claim to my right to myself. The one essential element in all our Lord’s teaching about discipleship is abandon, no calculation, no trace of self-interest.
Disciples Indeed
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Unexplainable Changes - #8307
I was in the room when my friend Bob went up to the speaker for the day and made a fairly startling statement. He took his three young children with him, pointed to them, and said to this speaker, “If it weren’t for you, these children wouldn’t be here.” Needless to say, the gentleman looked at him curiously. But that was not an overstatement. And it attested to a dramatic miracle that my friend had experienced.
I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about “Unexplainable Changes.”
Bob went on to explain what had happened the night this speaker spoke at a men’s rally that he had attended. The speaker had presented the difference that Jesus Christ can make when he comes into a person’s life, and that night Bob decided to commit his life to this Jesus.
Well, Bob and his wife would tell you—they had been headed for a divorce. There was really little hope that their marriage was going to have a future. But something miraculous began that night of Bob’s spiritual commitment. His wife got a new husband! Oh, he looked a lot like the old one, but he acted like a new man. He started becoming the selfless husband he had never been able to be before and their love was reborn. And speaking of born, three children come along after that—born from a love that had been on the verge of dying. If you ask Bob how his marriage was saved and transformed, he’d probably give you a simple, one-word answer—Jesus.
This Jesus is the same person who can bring into your life a miraculous change; a change that only He can make. The story of a blind man Jesus healed is the story of millions of people across the centuries. It’s my story. It’s a story of many people I know.
Our word for today from the Word of God tells about it - John 9:25. This now healed blind man is being interrogated by religious leaders who hate Jesus and are trying to smear Him for healing on the Sabbath day. As they press the healed man for his opinion of Jesus, he answers with these compelling words, “One thing I know. I was blind but now I see!” Like my friend Bob, this man said, “Look, I can’t answer all your questions about Jesus. All I can tell you is there are changes in my life that unexplainable—except for Jesus!”
I know so many people who would tell you the same thing, including me. My friends whose addictions and appetite for what once addicted them were gone overnight, the people who were victims of serious hurt or abuse who don’t see themselves as victims anymore—they’re healers of other wounded people, those who were once sexually irresponsible who are living pure today, the volcanic tempers that Jesus has tamed, the sins of previous generations that have been miraculously stopped in this generation by Jesus.
Maybe it’s finally time for you to experience this miraculous, life-changing power of Jesus Christ. You’re missing so much when you’re missing Jesus. You see, you belong to Him when you acknowledge to Him that you’ve run you own life long enough, and when you put all your trust in Jesus and His death for your sins on the cross. And the fact that He is alive today and ready to walk into your life upon your invitation. At that moment, He comes into your life and He changes what no one else could ever change.
Are you ready to begin a relationship like this with Jesus? Would you tell Him that? Say, “Jesus, I’m Yours. I believe You died for me. I believe You walked out of Your grave under your own power to give me eternal life, and I want to be your man (your woman) beginning today.”
Our website is there with the information that will help you at this crossroads moment to be sure you’ve begun this relationship, and to learn there how this life-change can actually take place. What the Bible describes as becoming “a new creation in Christ”. The website is ANewStory.com. It’s a good name for it.
You’ve probably heard that old hymn, Amazing Grace, “I once was lost but now am found—was blind but now I see.” That could be you—today.
