Max Lucado Daily: THE TOUCH OF GOD
People longed for the compassionate touch of Jesus. And each one who came was touched. And each one touched was changed. But none was touched or changed more than the unnamed leper described in the first four verses of Matthew 8. He bowed before Jesus and said, “Lord, you can heal me if you will. And Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man and said, ‘I will. Be healed! And immediately the man was healed from his disease.’”
In New Testament times, leprosy was the most dreaded disease. In Scripture, the leper is symbolic of the ultimate outcast. A person doesn’t have to have leprosy to feel quarantined. The divorced, handicapped, unemployed, depressed, and terminally ill know this feeling. Jesus touched the untouchables of the world. Will you do the same?
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Psalm 5
A David Psalm
5 1-3 Listen, God! Please, pay attention!
Can you make sense of these ramblings,
my groans and cries?
King-God, I need your help.
Every morning
you’ll hear me at it again.
Every morning
I lay out the pieces of my life
on your altar
and watch for fire to descend.
4-6 You don’t socialize with Wicked,
or invite Evil over as your houseguest.
Hot-Air-Boaster collapses in front of you;
you shake your head over Mischief-Maker.
God destroys Lie-Speaker;
Blood-Thirsty and Truth-Bender disgust you.
7-8 And here I am, your invited guest—
it’s incredible!
I enter your house; here I am,
prostrate in your inner sanctum,
Waiting for directions
to get me safely through enemy lines.
9-10 Every word they speak is a land mine;
their lungs breathe out poison gas.
Their throats are gaping graves,
their tongues slick as mudslides.
Pile on the guilt, God!
Let their so-called wisdom wreck them.
Kick them out! They’ve had their chance.
11-12 But you’ll welcome us with open arms
when we run for cover to you.
Let the party last all night!
Stand guard over our celebration.
You are famous, God, for welcoming God-seekers,
for decking us out in delight.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, February 11, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight: Jeremiah 9:23-26
God’s Message:
“Don’t let the wise brag of their wisdom.
Don’t let heroes brag of their exploits.
Don’t let the rich brag of their riches.
If you brag, brag of this and this only:
That you understand and know me.
I’m God, and I act in loyal love.
I do what’s right and set things right and fair,
and delight in those who do the same things.
These are my trademarks.”
God’s Decree.
25-26 “Stay alert! It won’t be long now”—God’s Decree!—“when I will personally deal with everyone whose life is all outside but no inside: Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab. All these nations are big on performance religion—including Israel, who is no better.”
Insight
The words of Jeremiah 9:23–26 occur in the context of Israel’s refusal to repent of their sin, particularly unjust practices that exploited the poor. The situation was so bad that the supposedly “wise” religious leaders used God’s law to justify their unjust behavior (8:8–12).
In chapter 9, Jeremiah identifies the issue at the root of Israel’s corruption: tragically misguided cultural values and misplaced loyalties. Instead of the quiet humility of true wisdom, even the supposedly wise saw power and wealth as values deserving of boasting (v. 23).
Jeremiah responded to this crisis of morality by saying ironically that if they must boast, their “boasting” could only be valid if their lives flowed from God, the only source of true wisdom. Only if their lives showed His love and justice could they have any claim to a lifestyle worth valuing (v. 24). By: Monica Brands
Giving Credit
Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:31
In the early 1960s, some unusual paintings featuring a person or animal with huge, sad eyes became popular. Some considered the work “kitschy”—or tacky—but others delighted in it. As the artist’s husband began to promote his wife’s creations, the couple grew quite prosperous. But the artist’s signature—Margaret Keane—didn’t appear on her work. Instead, Margaret’s husband presented his wife’s work as his own. Margaret fearfully remained silent about the fraud for twenty years until the couple’s marriage ended. It took a courtroom “paint-off” between them to prove the true artist’s identity.
The man’s deception was clearly wrong, but even as followers of Jesus, we may find it easy to take credit for talents we possess, leadership skills we display, or even for our kind deeds to others. But those qualities are possible only because of God’s grace. In Jeremiah 9, we find the prophet lamenting the lack of humility and the unrepentant hearts of the people. He wrote that the Lord says we shouldn’t boast of our wisdom, our strength, or our riches, but only that we might understand and know that He is the Lord “who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth” (v. 24).
Our hearts fill with gratitude as we realize the identity of the true Artist. “Every good and perfect gift is . . . from the Father” (James 1:17). All of the credit, all of the praise belongs to the Giver of good gifts. By Cindy Hess Kasper
Today's Reflection
Dear Father, thank You for all the good gifts You so graciously give.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, February 11, 2019
Is Your Mind Stayed on God?
You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. —Isaiah 26:3
Is your mind stayed on God or is it starved? Starvation of the mind, caused by neglect, is one of the chief sources of exhaustion and weakness in a servant’s life. If you have never used your mind to place yourself before God, begin to do it now. There is no reason to wait for God to come to you. You must turn your thoughts and your eyes away from the face of idols and look to Him and be saved (see Isaiah 45:22).
Your mind is the greatest gift God has given you and it ought to be devoted entirely to Him. You should seek to be “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10:5). This will be one of the greatest assets of your faith when a time of trial comes, because then your faith and the Spirit of God will work together. When you have thoughts and ideas that are worthy of credit to God, learn to compare and associate them with all that happens in nature— the rising and the setting of the sun, the shining of the moon and the stars, and the changing of the seasons. You will begin to see that your thoughts are from God as well, and your mind will no longer be at the mercy of your impulsive thinking, but will always be used in service to God.
“We have sinned with our fathers…[and]…did not remember…” (Psalm 106:6-7). Then prod your memory and wake up immediately. Don’t say to yourself, “But God is not talking to me right now.” He ought to be. Remember whose you are and whom you serve. Encourage yourself to remember, and your affection for God will increase tenfold. Your mind will no longer be starved, but will be quick and enthusiastic, and your hope will be inexpressibly bright.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The Bible is a relation of facts, the truth of which must be tested. Life may go on all right for a while, when suddenly a bereavement comes, or some crisis; unrequited love or a new love, a disaster, a business collapse, or a shocking sin, and we turn up our Bibles again and God’s word comes straight home, and we say, “Why, I never saw that there before.” Shade of His Hand, 1223 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, February 11, 2019
Glimpses Of Daddy - #8371
One day our little grandson was running around the living room, enjoying his own miniature toy store. He had his Veggie Tales toys out, his ball, his stuffed animals, and that little plastic ball you put the different geometric shapes in. He even had his grandfather! Well, okay, he was 14-month old then; it should have kept him occupied. Right? Yes, until he saw a certain person moving back and forth past the window on the front porch.
It was his father! As soon as this little guy saw his Dad outside, forget all the toys, man, including this toy right here. He dropped the one in his hand, and he ran to the window squealing and shouting, "Dah-y! Dah-y!" No toy got a reaction like that! No, seeing his Dad was better than anything else he had!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Glimpses Of Daddy."
It's exciting to see the great delight like in a grandchild whenever he gets a glimpse of Daddy. It's worth dropping everything for.
Psalm 37:4 talks about what should light you up if you're a child of God. It says, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Get excited about seeing the Lord, like a certain baby I knew got excited about seeing his earthly father. A glimpse of Daddy is worth dropping everything for.
In our word for today from the Word of God, the Lord describes how you can keep getting exciting glimpses of Him. 1 Chronicles 16:10-11, "Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always." The ones who see the Lord all the time are the ones who seek the Lord all the time; who are looking for Him all day...every day. And those who seek the Lord "rejoice." In other words, they're having a good time!
The fact is that your Lord is working around you all the time, creating beauty for you to enjoy. Did you see some today? He's creating opportunities for you, He's positioning people to be just the right person at just the right time in your life, He's keeping you from something that could have hurt you or sending you encouragement. He's moving obstacles. He's providing something you need. He's giving you this breakthrough insight where you didn't know what to do – the list is endless. But God loves you so much. He's got a lot invested in you. I mean, He gave His only Son's life for you. And He's pouring out His love on you every day, even the days when it looks totally dark. Remember, "His mercies are new every morning."
Your Heavenly Daddy is passing back and forth by your window all day long. Are you seeing Him? Or have you been so busy with your toys, so busy with your problems, so self-occupied, that you are missing God's activity right in front of you. You won't see Him if you don't seek Him. That means waking up each morning and declaring today another God-Hunt. You begin your day saying, "Good morning, Lord! Please give me eyes to see You throughout the day today – even in the things I may not like or understand; in the big things – in the little things."
Your daily God-sightings become the core of your praises to Him, and they build your confidence and they remind your heart that, no matter how things look, your Father is all over your life, and your Father is in control.
Don't forget the picture of that little guy catching a glimpse of his Daddy, running his direction, and then squealing with delight. That should be you and me throughout this day...throughout every day. "I'm excited! I just got another glimpse of Daddy!"
