Psalm 72, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: GOD’S FORMULA FOR FATIGUE

The futility of life zaps strength from life.  Do you know the wait of futility?  Is it worth it?  When I get what I want, will it be worth the price I paid?

Such weariness makes the words of Jesus so compelling, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” People brought him the burdens of their existence, and he gave them not religion, not doctrines, not systems, but rest. As a result, they called him Lord. As a result, they called him Savior.  And they all found rest.  My prayer is that you, too, my friend, will find rest.

Read more Six Hours One Friday

Psalm 72

A Solomon Psalm
72 1-8 Give the gift of wise rule to the king, O God,
    the gift of just rule to the crown prince.
May he judge your people rightly,
    be honorable to your meek and lowly.
Let the mountains give exuberant witness;
    shape the hills with the contours of right living.
Please stand up for the poor,
    help the children of the needy,
    come down hard on the cruel tyrants.
Outlast the sun, outlive the moon—
    age after age after age.
Be rainfall on cut grass,
    earth-refreshing rain showers.
Let righteousness burst into blossom
    and peace abound until the moon fades to nothing.
Rule from sea to sea,
    from the River to the Rim.

9-14 Foes will fall on their knees before God,
    his enemies lick the dust.
Kings remote and legendary will pay homage,
    kings rich and resplendent will turn over their wealth.
All kings will fall down and worship,
    and godless nations sign up to serve him,
Because he rescues the poor at the first sign of need,
    the destitute who have run out of luck.
He opens a place in his heart for the down-and-out,
    he restores the wretched of the earth.
He frees them from tyranny and torture—
    when they bleed, he bleeds;
    when they die, he dies.

15-17 And live! Oh, let him live!
    Deck him out in Sheba gold.
Offer prayers unceasing to him,
    bless him from morning to night.
Fields of golden grain in the land,
    cresting the mountains in wild exuberance,
Cornucopias of praise, praises
    springing from the city like grass from the earth.
May he never be forgotten,
    his fame shine on like sunshine.
May all godless people enter his circle of blessing
    and bless the One who blessed them.

18-20 Blessed God, Israel’s God,
    the one and only wonder-working God!
Blessed always his blazing glory!
    All earth brims with his glory.
Yes and Yes and Yes.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Tuesday, April 02, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight: John 13:31-35

When he had left, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is seen for who he is, and God seen for who he is in him. The moment God is seen in him, God’s glory will be on display. In glorifying him, he himself is glorified—glory all around!

33 “Children, I am with you for only a short time longer. You are going to look high and low for me. But just as I told the Jews, I’m telling you: ‘Where I go, you are not able to come.’

34-35 “Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”

Insight
The key word in today’s passage is glory (glorified) and is used five times in verses 31–32. Jesus describes His glory (being glorified), the glory of God (the Father), and the relationship between the two. The relationship is reciprocal: when Jesus is glorified, God is glorified; when God is glorified, Jesus is glorified.

According to Strong’s concordance, glorify means “to ascribe weight by recognizing real substance (value). ‘Glorifying God’ means valuing Him for who He really is. For example, ‘giving (ascribing) glory to God’ personally acknowledges God in His true character (essence).”

Jesus was revealed for who He really is; when He was revealed, He revealed the Father. By: J.R. Hudberg

Unexplainable Love
As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34

Our small congregation decided to surprise my son on his sixth birthday. The church members decorated his Sunday school classroom with balloons and set up a small table with a cake on it. When my son opened the door, everyone shouted, “Happy birthday!”

Later on, as I was cutting the cake, my son came over and whispered in my ear, “Mom, why does everyone here love me?” I had the same question! These people had known us for only six months but were treating us as longtime friends.

Their love for my son reflected God’s love for us. We can’t understand why He loves us, but He does—and His love is freely given. We’ve done nothing to deserve His love, and yet He lavishly loves us. Scripture tells us: “God is love” (1 John 4:8). It’s part of who He is.

God has poured out His love on us so we can show this same love to others. Jesus told His disciples, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34–35).

The people in our small church community love us because God’s love is in them. It shines through and identifies them as followers of Jesus. We can’t comprehend God’s love fully, but we can pour it out on others—being examples of His unexplainable love. By Keila Ochoa

Today's Reflection
How have you recently experienced God’s love through others? What can you do to reveal His compassionate ways to others today?

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, April 02, 2019
The Glory That’s Unsurpassed
…the Lord Jesus…has sent me that you may receive your sight… —Acts 9:17

When Paul received his sight, he also received spiritual insight into the Person of Jesus Christ. His entire life and preaching from that point on were totally consumed with nothing but Jesus Christ— “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). Paul never again allowed anything to attract and hold the attention of his mind and soul except the face of Jesus Christ.

We must learn to maintain a strong degree of character in our lives, even to the level that has been revealed in our vision of Jesus Christ.

The lasting characteristic of a spiritual man is the ability to understand correctly the meaning of the Lord Jesus Christ in his life, and the ability to explain the purposes of God to others. The overruling passion of his life is Jesus Christ. Whenever you see this quality in a person, you get the feeling that he is truly a man after God’s own heart (see Acts 13:22).

Never allow anything to divert you from your insight into Jesus Christ. It is the true test of whether you are spiritual or not. To be unspiritual means that other things have a growing fascination for you.

Since mine eyes have looked on Jesus,
I’ve lost sight of all beside,
So enchained my spirit’s vision,
Gazing on the Crucified.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

We never enter into the Kingdom of God by having our head questions answered, but only by commitment. The Highest Good—Thy Great Redemption, 565 R

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, April 02, 2019
Worth More Than You Ever Imagined - #8407

Now, I had never been to a quilt auction before. And I probably never would have been to one except for the fact that I had been invited to speak at an outreach at a Mennonite Relief Sale, where thousands come to bid on items made by Mennonite and Amish craftspeople. All the funds go toward worldwide relief efforts. That's cool! It was amazing to hear the spiraling bids shouted out for some exquisitely designed quilts. While I was there, one went for $2,000. Last year, they told me that one quilt had gone for $4,000. They even had sold two handmade dolls for almost $1,000. I was there long enough to see what gave great value to an auction item. See, those dolls were made by a Ugandan refugee. The quilt that went for $4,000 was made laboriously by a severely handicapped woman, and it was the last one she made before she died. When we were told who made it, and when we were told the effort they went to make it, it was suddenly worth a whole lot more.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Worth More Than You Ever Imagined."

Something takes on great value when it's a handmade original. That's why you're worth so much. Something takes on great value when the creator sacrificed a lot for it. Maybe you don't feel like you're worth much; not after the things you've been called, the way you've been treated, the abuse, the abandonment, the rejection you've experienced. But none of that has anything to do with how much you're worth. Your value is based on Who made you and how much your Creator sacrificed for you. No one on earth gave you your worth and no one on earth can take it away!

The Bible clearly says you are "God's workmanship" (Ephesians 2:10), His handmade, masterpiece creation. You are a divine original! Let's settle once and for all how much you're worth to the One who made you. 1 John 4:9-10, our word for today from the Word of God says this: "This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

God thought you were worth the life of His one and only Son! At the auction I attended, people expressed how much they valued what was available by how much they were willing to spend on it. There's no question Who has made the highest bid for you by far. At the cross, Jesus offered His life as the price to bring you back to God, which may be why you've questioned your value, why you've felt you're not worth much.

You're away from the One who made you, you're away from the God who gave you your worth! You've run the life that He was supposed to run, and your sin, the Bible says, has put a wall between you and Him. But it doesn't have to stay that way - not after the bid Jesus made for you on a cross. Your sin-penalty has been paid there. That wall can come down like today!

If you've never begun your personal relationship with the One who loves you most, this could be the day you finally experience the love you've been looking for your whole life. Would you tell Jesus right now you're ready to turn from running your own life; that you're committing yourself completely to Him? You know, He didn't stay dead. He came out of his grave under his own power. So, he's ready to walk into your life upon your invitation.

You could stop right where you are and say, "Jesus, I've been running my life. I know that's wrong. I know there's a death penalty for that, but I resign from running my life as of today. I believe you died on the cross to pay for every wrong thing I've ever done. I believe you walked out of your grave under your own power so you could give me eternal life like You have. Jesus, today I want to begin my relationship with You. Today I'm Yours."

Look, if you're at that point where you want to experience that love for yourself, you need to get to our website which is ANewStory.com. You'll find there the biblical information that will help you be sure you have actually begun this most important relationship you will ever have.

You've been paid for with the life of God's one and only Son. You are so precious to Him. Now, It's time you belong to Him.