Max Lucado Daily: THE UPPER ROOM OF MERCY
Jesus has seen every backstreet, back-seat, backhanded moment of our lives. And he has resolved, “My grace is enough. I can cleanse these people. I will wash away their betrayals.” For that reason we must make the Upper Room of Mercy our home address.
Jesus said, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you” (John 13:14–15).
You are the creation of a good God, made in his image. You are destined to reign in an eternal kingdom. Secure in who you are, you can do what Jesus did. Throw aside the robe of rights and expectation and make the most courageous of moves. Wash feet. This is how happiness happens
Psalm 112
Hallelujah!
Blessed man, blessed woman, who fear God,
Who cherish and relish his commandments,
Their children robust on the earth,
And the homes of the upright—how blessed!
Their houses brim with wealth
And a generosity that never runs dry.
Sunrise breaks through the darkness for good people—
God’s grace and mercy and justice!
The good person is generous and lends lavishly;
No shuffling or stumbling around for this one,
But a sterling and solid and lasting reputation.
Unfazed by rumor and gossip,
Heart ready, trusting in God,
Spirit firm, unperturbed,
Ever blessed, relaxed among enemies,
They lavish gifts on the poor—
A generosity that goes on, and on, and on.
An honored life! A beautiful life!
Someone wicked takes one look and rages,
Blusters away but ends up speechless.
There’s nothing to the dreams of the wicked. Nothing.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
James 3:7–12
All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
Insight
James’s strong warning on the danger of misusing our words comes in the context of a focus on the influence of teachers (3:1). Because our language is capable of causing great division and harm, especially when wielded by those with power and influence, James is emphasizing how essential humility is for true wisdom (vv. 2, 13). In that context, when he claims that “no human being can tame the tongue” (v. 8), he’s not excusing harmful language (as though since failing is inevitable we might as well give up), but once again emphasizing the need for humility. By: Monica Brands
This Is Me
Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. James 3:10
The powerful song “This Is Me” is an unforgettable show tune featured in The Greatest Showman, the smash movie musical loosely based on the life of P. T. Barnum and his traveling circus. The lyrics, sung by characters in the film who’d suffered verbal taunts and abuse for failing to conform to societal norms, describe words as destructive bullets and knives that leave scars.
The song’s popularity points to how many people bear the invisible, but real, wounds caused by weaponized words.
James understood the potential danger of our words to cause destructive and long-lasting harm, calling the tongue “a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:8). By using this surprisingly strong comparison, James emphasized the urgent need for believers to recognize the immense power of their words. Even more, he highlighted the inconsistency of praising God with one breath and then injuring people who are made in God’s image with the next (vv. 9–10).
The song “This Is Me” similarly challenges the truth of verbal attacks by insisting that we’re all glorious—a truth the Bible affirms. The Bible establishes the unique dignity and beauty of each human being, not because of outward appearance or anything we have done, but because we are each beautifully designed by God—His unique masterpieces (Psalm 139:14). And our words to each other and about each other have the power to reinforce that reassuring reality. By: Lisa M. Samra
Reflect & Pray
Whose forgiveness might you need to seek for using damaging words? How might you encourage someone today?
Creator God, thank You for creating each of us. Help us to use our words both in praise of You and to encourage the people You expertly designed.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Nothing of the Old Life!
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. —2 Corinthians 5:17
Our Lord never tolerates our prejudices— He is directly opposed to them and puts them to death. We tend to think that God has some special interest in our particular prejudices, and are very sure that He will never deal with us as He has to deal with others. We even say to ourselves, “God has to deal with other people in a very strict way, but of course He knows that my prejudices are all right.” But we must learn that God accepts nothing of the old life! Instead of being on the side of our prejudices, He is deliberately removing them from us. It is part of our moral education to see our prejudices put to death by His providence, and to watch how He does it. God pays no respect to anything we bring to Him. There is only one thing God wants of us, and that is our unconditional surrender.
When we are born again, the Holy Spirit begins to work His new creation in us, and there will come a time when there is nothing remaining of the old life. Our old gloomy outlook disappears, as does our old attitude toward things, and “all things are of God” (2 Corinthians 5:18). How are we going to get a life that has no lust, no self-interest, and is not sensitive to the ridicule of others? How will we have the type of love that “is kind…is not provoked, [and] thinks no evil”? (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). The only way is by allowing nothing of the old life to remain, and by having only simple, perfect trust in God— such a trust that we no longer want God’s blessings, but only want God Himself. Have we come to the point where God can withdraw His blessings from us without our trust in Him being affected? Once we truly see God at work, we will never be concerned again about the things that happen, because we are actually trusting in our Father in heaven, whom the world cannot see.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
God created man to be master of the life in the earth and sea and sky, and the reason he is not is because he took the law into his own hands, and became master of himself, but of nothing else. The Shadow of an Agony, 1163 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Fat Birds - #8553
Once upon a time, a father and mother bird decided to build a nest in the vent in our kitchen range exhaust fan. We were on vacation, and the nest got so huge it made the fan unworkable. We learned it was there as we saw spiders hanging down from the hood over the stove. We really didn't want to kill a nest full of babies. By the way, we couldn't see them. No, we could just hear them when they were hungry.
So we waited until we saw mom and dad take the babies out one day. A couple of weeks later, after we were sure they were all gone, my wife and I got a long stick and we proceeded to rake out the nest from out of the exhaust fan. As the nest came out, we discovered much to our surprise the fattest baby bird we had ever seen seated in the nest! Well, we got some gloves and we got a box. And by the time we got back, he had gotten away. See, the problem was he was so fat, he wasn't able to get out of the nest.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Fat Birds."
Now, our word for today from the Word of God comes from 2 Kings 7:9. It's a pretty intriguing story. The capital city is under siege, and no food has gone into the city for a long time. They're starving to death, people have even turned to cannibalism to stay alive, and God is about to rescue them. Oh, they don't even know it, because He has taken the attacking army and scattered them miraculously. They have even left their camp and all their food behind.
But there were four lepers who lived outside the wall of the city, and they lived on whatever scraps the people threw over the wall, and there weren't any scraps now. They're really starving. So they figure, "Well, our best chance to survive is to give up to the other army and hope they don't kill us. That's the worst that could happen; we could die either way."
They get to the camp. The camp is empty! They say, "I can't believe this!" And they begin to gorge themselves on the food there. And then they reach this conclusion: "They said to each other, 'We're not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let's go at once.'"
Okay, now look, they had an abundance of food that everybody else was starving for, and they just sat around and kept stuffing themselves. Whoa! Could that be a picture of you and me and our Savior? We stuff ourselves with all the Christian stuff: the concerts, the seminars, the sermons, the websites, recordings, radio, books, Christian magazines, and Christian meetings. You get fat on the events, you hunker down in the Christian nest and kind of say, "Let's just keep nesting till Jesus comes."
Okay, let's go back to the story of the lepers. Hearing the cries of dying people coming from that city, how can we sit on all this food?" Well, how can we be focusing most of our Christian effort on just - can we put it this way - fattening up birds who are already overfed? Isn't it time you get out of this nest and begin flying into the world where your lost neighbors and friends are? You have what they need.
It's time we pray for lost friends to know Christ, and lots of other lost people. Isn't it time to turn our resources outward to save the dying instead of spending it all inwardly to feed us some more? People are dying. They go to an unthinkable eternity. Can't you hear God saying, "My Son gave His life for these lost people. Will someone leave the Christian nest and start telling them about that; start giving their lives to the lost ones?" Maybe you're the one who will say, 'Well, Lord, I will."
Ask Him to break your heart for those lost people around you. "Go ahead, God, break my heart." Ask Him to take a piece of His heart and put it into yours, because there are dying people within your reach. Don't be that fat bird just staying in the nest.
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