Max Lucado Daily: STOP BEING UNEASY ABOUT LIFE
Worry has more questions than answers, more work than energy, and thinks often about giving up. Not enough time…luck…credit…wisdom…intelligence…we’re running out of everything it seems, and so we worry. But worry doesn’t work. You can dedicate a decade of anxious thoughts to the brevity of life, and not extend it by one minute. Worry accomplishes nothing.
God doesn’t condemn legitimate concern for responsibilities but rather the continuous mind-set that dismisses God’s presence. Destructive anxiety subtracts God from the future, tallies up the challenges of the day without entering God into the equation. Jesus gives us this challenge: “Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:32-33).
Read more Grace for the Moment II
Psalm 23
A David Psalm
23 1-3 God, my shepherd!
I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction.
4 Even when the way goes through
Death Valley,
I’m not afraid
when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook
makes me feel secure.
5 You serve me a six-course dinner
right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
my cup brims with blessing.
6 Your beauty and love chase after me
every day of my life.
I’m back home in the house of God
for the rest of my life.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, November 30, 2018
Read: Psalm 50:8–15
“Are you listening, dear people? I’m getting ready to speak;
Israel, I’m about ready to bring you to trial.
This is God, your God,
speaking to you.
I don’t find fault with your acts of worship,
the frequent burnt sacrifices you offer.
But why should I want your blue-ribbon bull,
or more and more goats from your herds?
Every creature in the forest is mine,
the wild animals on all the mountains.
I know every mountain bird by name;
the scampering field mice are my friends.
If I get hungry, do you think I’d tell you?
All creation and its bounty are mine.
Do you think I feast on venison?
or drink draughts of goats’ blood?
Spread for me a banquet of praise,
serve High God a feast of kept promises,
And call for help when you’re in trouble—
I’ll help you, and you’ll honor me.”
INSIGHT
The legal language and setting in Psalm 50 are hard to miss. A universal summons is issued by God (v. 1) and the purpose of the gathering is clear—the judgment of His people (v. 4). In a manner reminiscent of the giving of the Law (Exodus 19:16–19), the Lord makes His grand entry (Psalm 50:2–3) as the righteous and just judge (v. 6). However, “judge” is not His only role; He is also witness (v. 7) and plaintiff (v. 8). Two groups of defendants enter the Lord’s courtroom and the Judge has indictments that match the transgressions of each group. The Lord’s charges against the first group (vv. 7–15) concerned their worship. Though a formal worship system was in place, the kind of worship the Lord desired was missing. Spiritual worship that included “thanksgiving” mattered to the Lord more than the flesh and blood of animals. The charges against the second group (vv. 16–23) concerned their hypocrisy. Though they were able to recite words that came from God, their actions demonstrated their hearts were far from Him (vv. 17–21). As with the first group, the Lord’s corrective included the reminder that “thank offerings” really matter to Him (v. 23). - Arthur Jackson
Honoring God with Thanks
By Patricia Raybon
Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me. Psalm 50:15
The doctor wasn’t frowning, despite talking to my husband about his recent cancer diagnosis. Smiling, she offered a suggestion: start each day by giving thanks. “For at least three things,” the doctor said. Dan agreed, knowing that gratitude opens our hearts to find encouragement in God’s goodness. Thus, Dan starts each day with words of praise. Thank You, God, for a good night’s sleep. For my clean bed. For sunshine. For breakfast on the table. For a smile on my lips.
Each word is heartfelt. But could it sound trivial? Does our praise in life’s small details matter to Almighty God? In Psalm 50, David’s chief musician, Asaph, offers a clear answer. God has “no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens” (v. 9). Instead of these once-formal Israelite sacrifices of gratitude, God wants His people to give Him our hearts and lives in gratitude (vv. 14, 23).
As my husband experienced, whole-hearted gratitude helps our spirits flourish. Then when we call on the Lord “in the day of trouble,” He will “deliver” us (v. 15). Does this mean Dan will be healed, spiritually and physically, during his two-year treatment? Or not until after this lifetime? We don’t know. But for now, Dan delights in showing God he’s grateful for His love, and for who God is: Redeemer. Healer. Friend. And friends delight to hear these beautiful words: Thank You.
What verses bring you comfort in trials? Share at Facebook.com/ourdailybread.
My gratitude to God is great to Him.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, November 30, 2018
“By the Grace of God I Am What I Am”
By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain… —1 Corinthians 15:10
The way we continually talk about our own inabilities is an insult to our Creator. To complain over our incompetence is to accuse God falsely of having overlooked us. Get into the habit of examining from God’s perspective those things that sound so humble to men. You will be amazed at how unbelievably inappropriate and disrespectful they are to Him. We say things such as, “Oh, I shouldn’t claim to be sanctified; I’m not a saint.” But to say that before God means, “No, Lord, it is impossible for You to save and sanctify me; there are opportunities I have not had and so many imperfections in my brain and body; no, Lord, it isn’t possible.” That may sound wonderfully humble to others, but before God it is an attitude of defiance.
Conversely, the things that sound humble before God may sound exactly the opposite to people. To say, “Thank God, I know I am saved and sanctified,” is in God’s eyes the purest expression of humility. It means you have so completely surrendered yourself to God that you know He is true. Never worry about whether what you say sounds humble before others or not. But always be humble before God, and allow Him to be your all in all.
There is only one relationship that really matters, and that is your personal relationship to your personal Redeemer and Lord. If you maintain that at all costs, letting everything else go, God will fulfill His purpose through your life. One individual life may be of priceless value to God’s purposes, and yours may be that life.
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, November 30, 2018
How To Be a Hero Where It Counts - #8320
Our sons had them when they were little-action figures of their TV heroes. Every new generation of kids has their action figures: GI Joe, Superman, Star Wars, X-Men. And now they've got a gazillion super heroes you can have as your action figure. Well, a while back I caught a story on TV news about the best action figure idea I've ever heard of. They were talking about a company, the name of which I didn't catch, who are making custom action figures dressed in contemporary combat dress. It's especially for the children of Americans who were serving in a war zone. Guess whose face is on their action figure? Your Dad! Wow!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How To Be a Hero Where It Counts."
What a cool idea: your soldier Dad as your action figure-your father as your hero. Actually, that ought to be the goal of every father in the world-to be his son or daughter's ultimate hero. And that's not so much about military exploits or what title or position he holds. No, the hardest place on earth to be a hero is at home. Not the office, not the club, not the community, not church-at home!
That's what really counts. That's where they really know the real you. Not your image at church or your image in the community, not your awards, your connections, your bank account. Kids don't care about all that stuff. They care about the kind of man you are, just like God does. Kids tend to care about what God cares about in a man-character. How he treats people most of the time. How unselfish he is.
King David seemed to understand where real heroism is demonstrated. In 1 Chronicles 16:43, our word for today from the Word of God, He has just come from some great military victories and spiritual milestones, but the Bible says, "David returned home to bless his family." That's good. The extent to which a man does that on a daily basis is the true measure of how much of a hero he really is.
And how can you be a hero where it counts the most? Let's start with the Five "A's" of a Great Dad. Let's start with attendance. You're there for the moments in their life that really matter to them. They're always taking attendance, and they're marking you present or absent for those times when they measure your love by your presence.
Then there's attention. A Dad is his son or daughter's hero when they offer their attention on a regular basis. Not when they have to do all kinds of contortions to get your attention, but when you offer it to them on a daily basis. That means focusing on them mentally and emotionally even before you walk in the door. Here's the goal: every member of your family gets all of you, gets your focused attention, at least once a day.
Here's a third "A" - authority: that's a big part of being a hero at home, too. Consistent authority; authority that's fair, impartial, that enforces consistent boundaries and consistent penalties. Authority that walks what it talks.
Then, of course, there's affection: a Dad whose son or daughter doesn't have to wonder if they're loved because he tells them all the time, even when they're pretty unlovable. Because the times when your child is the least loveable; that's when they need your love the most!
One other "A" of a great Dad is affirmation. You don't hammer them all the time with what's wrong with them. Believe me, they already know. What they need from their father is consistent praise for what's good about them; their personal strengths, their personal abilities, their positive qualities. If you can't see them, they never will. See, a Dad who raises a child who feels like they're never good enough is no hero at all.
The Apostle Paul sums up the mission of a great Dad in three action words in 1 Thessalonians 2:12. He talks about a father who deals with his children, (Here it is.) "...encouraging, comforting and urging..." That's what every child needs. That's what God created a father to be. When a man doesn't run from the hard work of a happy home, when he gives it his best, he deserves an action figure with him on it because he's a hero where it really counts-at home.