Max Lucado Daily: SET FREE FROM GUILT
We are incarcerated by our past. We have been found guilty! Our executioner’s footsteps echo against stone walls. We sit on the floor of the dusty cell, awaiting our final moment. We don’t look up as he opens the door. We know what he’s going to say.
“Time to pay for your sins.” But we hear something else!
“You’re free to go. They took Jesus instead of you!”
The door swings open, the guard barks, “Get out.”
And we find ourselves shackles gone, crimes pardoned, wondering what just happened? Grace just happened! Christ took away your sins. Romans 3:24 says, “God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us.” What happened? Grace happened!
Read more GRACE
1 Kings 12
Rehoboam traveled to Shechem where all Israel had gathered to inaugurate him as king. Jeroboam had been in Egypt, where he had taken asylum from King Solomon; when he got the report of Solomon’s death he had come back.
3-4 Rehoboam assembled Jeroboam and all the people. They said to Rehoboam, “Your father made life hard for us—worked our fingers to the bone. Give us a break; lighten up on us and we’ll willingly serve you.”
5 “Give me three days to think it over, then come back,” Rehoboam said.
6 King Rehoboam talked it over with the elders who had advised his father when he was alive: “What’s your counsel? How do you suggest that I answer the people?”
7 They said, “If you will be a servant to this people, be considerate of their needs and respond with compassion, work things out with them, they’ll end up doing anything for you.”
8-9 But he rejected the counsel of the elders and asked the young men he’d grown up with who were now currying his favor, “What do you think? What should I say to these people who are saying, ‘Give us a break from your father’s harsh ways—lighten up on us’?”
10-11 The young turks he’d grown up with said, “These people who complain, ‘Your father was too hard on us; lighten up’—well, tell them this: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist. If you think life under my father was hard, you haven’t seen the half of it. My father thrashed you with whips; I’ll beat you bloody with chains!’”
12-14 Three days later Jeroboam and the people showed up, just as Rehoboam had directed when he said, “Give me three days to think it over, then come back.” The king’s answer was harsh and rude. He spurned the counsel of the elders and went with the advice of the younger set, “If you think life under my father was hard, you haven’t seen the half of it. My father thrashed you with whips; I’ll beat you bloody with chains!”
15 Rehoboam turned a deaf ear to the people. God was behind all this, confirming the message that he had given to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah of Shiloh.
16-17 When all Israel realized that the king hadn’t listened to a word they’d said, they stood up to him and said,
Get lost, David!
We’ve had it with you, son of Jesse!
Let’s get out of here, Israel, and fast!
From now on, David, mind your own business.
And with that, they left. But Rehoboam continued to rule those who lived in the towns of Judah.
18-19 When King Rehoboam next sent out Adoniram, head of the workforce, the Israelites ganged up on him, pelted him with stones, and killed him. King Rehoboam jumped in his chariot and fled to Jerusalem as fast as he could. Israel has been in rebellion against the Davidic regime ever since.
20 When the word was out that Jeroboam was back and available, the assembled people invited him and inaugurated him king over all Israel. The only tribe left to the Davidic dynasty was Judah.
21 When Rehoboam got back to Jerusalem, he called up the men of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, a 180,000 of their best soldiers, to go to war against Israel and recover the kingdom for Rehoboam son of Solomon.
22-24 At this time the word of God came to Shemaiah, a man of God: “Tell this to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, along with everyone in Judah and Benjamin and anyone else who is around: This is God’s word: Don’t march out; don’t fight against your brothers the Israelites; go back home, every last one of you; I’m in charge here.” And they did it; they did what God said and went home.
25 Jeroboam made a fort at Shechem in the hills of Ephraim, and made that his headquarters. He also built a fort at Penuel.
26-27 But then Jeroboam thought, “It won’t be long before the kingdom is reunited under David. As soon as these people resume worship at The Temple of God in Jerusalem, they’ll start thinking of Rehoboam king of Judah as their ruler. They’ll then kill me and go back to King Rehoboam.”
28-30 So the king came up with a plan: He made two golden calves. Then he announced, “It’s too much trouble for you to go to Jerusalem to worship. Look at these—the gods who brought you out of Egypt!” He put one calf in Bethel; the other he placed in Dan. This was blatant sin. Think of it—people traveling all the way to Dan to worship a calf!
31-33 And that wasn’t the end of it. Jeroboam built forbidden shrines all over the place and recruited priests from wherever he could find them, regardless of whether they were fit for the job or not. To top it off, he created a holy New Year festival to be held on the fifteenth day of the eighth month to replace the one in Judah, complete with worship offered on the Altar at Bethel and sacrificing before the calves he had set up there. He staffed Bethel with priests from the local shrines he had made. This was strictly his own idea to compete with the feast in Judah; and he carried it off with flair, a festival exclusively for Israel, Jeroboam himself leading the worship at the Altar.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, July 15, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
1 Timothy 6:6–10
But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and[a] we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
Insight
Paul invested heavily in training young men for ministry, including Timothy. He was the son of a believing Jewish mother, Eunice, and a Greek father. His grandmother Lois was also a follower of Christ (Acts 16:1; 2 Timothy 1:5). We’re not told how Timothy came to faith, but it apparently was through the influence of his mother and grandmother, for 2 Timothy 3:14–15 says that he had from childhood been taught the Scriptures “which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” Nevertheless, Paul viewed Timothy as one of his own, calling him “my true son in the faith” (1 Timothy 1:2). Paul was so concerned for Timothy that, although he was in a Roman prison awaiting death (2 Timothy 4:6), he took the time to write to him to encourage him in his ministry at Ephesus.
Out of the Trap
I have learned the secret of being content. Philippians 4:12
The Venus flytrap was first discovered in a small area of sandy wetlands not far from our home in North Carolina. These plants are fascinating to watch because they’re carnivorous.
Venus flytraps release a sweet-smelling nectar into colorful traps that resemble open flowers. When an insect crawls inside, triggering sensors along the outer rim, the trap clamps shut in less than a second—capturing its victim. The trap then closes further and emits enzymes that consume its prey over time, giving the plant nutrients not provided by the sandy soil.
God’s Word tells of another trap that can capture unexpectedly. The apostle Paul warned his protégé Timothy: “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” And “some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:9–10).
Money and material things may promise happiness, but when they take first place in our lives, we walk on dangerous ground. We avoid this trap by living with thankful, humble hearts focused on God’s goodness to us through Jesus: “godliness with contentment is great gain” (v. 6).
The temporary things of this world never satisfy like God can. True, lasting contentment is found only through our relationship with Him. By James Banks
Reflect & Pray
Which do you think more about—money or your relationship with God? How can you give Him the highest priority today?
Loving Lord, You are the greatest blessing of my life! Help me to live contentedly with all that You are today.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, July 15, 2019
My Life’s Spiritual Honor and Duty
I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians… —Romans 1:14
Paul was overwhelmed with the sense of his indebtedness to Jesus Christ, and he spent his life to express it. The greatest inspiration in Paul’s life was his view of Jesus Christ as his spiritual creditor. Do I feel that same sense of indebtedness to Christ regarding every unsaved soul? As a saint, my life’s spiritual honor and duty is to fulfill my debt to Christ in relation to these lost souls. Every tiny bit of my life that has value I owe to the redemption of Jesus Christ. Am I doing anything to enable Him to bring His redemption into evident reality in the lives of others? I will only be able to do this as the Spirit of God works into me this sense of indebtedness.
I am not a superior person among other people— I am a bondservant of the Lord Jesus. Paul said, “…you are not your own…you were bought at a price…” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Paul sold himself to Jesus Christ and he said, in effect, “I am a debtor to everyone on the face of the earth because of the gospel of Jesus; I am free only that I may be an absolute bondservant of His.” That is the characteristic of a Christian’s life once this level of spiritual honor and duty becomes real. Quit praying about yourself and spend your life for the sake of others as the bondservant of Jesus. That is the true meaning of being broken bread and poured-out wine in real life.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The Christian Church should not be a secret society of specialists, but a public manifestation of believers in Jesus. Facing Reality, 34 R
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, July 15, 2019
Stat Living - #8481
Okay, here is one of my un-favorite sentences: "I guess we have to go to the emergency room!" Well, I mean, I'm glad the emergency room is there, but I hate to go there. I remember one time our son had a mild stomach disorder and we knew it had to be checked out. Well, we went late at night when it really gets really busy. I guess it was rush hour for sure that day when we were there. We'd already waited for a while and finally they noticed us. They began to give some attention to our son, and then suddenly all the doctors and nurses vanished. I'll tell you why. There was a word that had been sounded across that emergency room - "STAT" - and everybody came running to an accident victim. It was a severe situation. It was life-or-death. Stat means it's time to drop everything.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Stat Living."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Ephesians 5, and I'll begin reading at verse 15. "Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is."
Now, some of these words about how you live come out a little differently in the King James when it talks about "walking circumspectly." In other words, you're looking around looking, you're looking at everything carefully, and it says if you are doing that you'll live smart. You'll be wise, you won't be unwise. What does it mean to live wisely? Well, it's buying up the time, redeeming the time, and making the most of every opportunity. Why? Because the days are evil.
You can tell how smart a person is by how they use their time. There's no time to waste. That's the attitude of a truly wise person. Why? Because the days are evil. That word "evil" in the original Greek language of the New Testament means sick and in poor rotting condition. We are living in a sick and dying world. If you'll look around, if you're wise, you'll be able to see that the people around you are dying people unless they know Jesus. Your school is an emergency room, your workplace, your neighborhood - it's an emergency room, and people are terminal there without Christ.
Some years ago, there was a Gospel song "People Need the Lord." You know what? You ought to put some names in a song like that. I think it's time we say, "Jimmy needs the Lord. Jennifer needs the Lord. Sue needs the Lord. My boss needs the Lord." You put names in there!
I think when you look at the Biblical predictions, it doesn't look like there's a whole lot of time left on God's clock. Besides, God gives you only like 70 years to live a life that will count for a hundred million years. You might not even have the seventy, so you can't waste a day. Our attitude is to be one of living urgently. Not making everyone else tense around us, but having a sense of the importance of every day. "Numbering our days," as the Bible says, "to apply our heart to wisdom." So each conversation needs to count for something - each opportunity, each relationship. Buying up the time is what the Greeks said, like a shopper who would grab the last item on sale.
I remember a lady who said to me, "Ron, I have to make up for a lot of lost time." She said, "I wasted 30 years on soap operas." But now she wants to buy up the time. She's thinking wisely now. It's time to evaluate. What are the time wasters in your life? This is war! You can't mess around with trivial pursuits when the bullets are flying.
God is looking at your world, the people around you, and He's yelling, "Stat!" throughout the emergency room. There's a life-or-death situation here! It requires an immediate response. It's time to live not casually but urgently.
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