Max Lucado Daily: PREPARING FOR WORSHIP
Do you prepare for church worship? We’re sadly casual when it comes to meeting God. Suppose you were invited to a Sunday morning breakfast at the White House? How would you spend Saturday night? Would you think about your questions and requests? Should we prepare any less for an encounter with the Holy God?
Come to worship prepared to worship. Pray and read the Word before you come, and come expecting God to speak. Then you’ll discover the purpose of worship—to change the face of the worshiper. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “Our faces, then, are not covered. We all show the Lord’s glory, and we are being changed to be like him.” God wipes away our tears, softens our furrowed brows and touches our cheeks. He changes our faces as we worship.
Read more Just Like Jesus
Psalm 12
A David Psalm
12 1-2 Quick, God, I need your helping hand!
The last decent person just went down,
All the friends I depended on gone.
Everyone talks in lie language;
Lies slide off their oily lips.
They doubletalk with forked tongues.
3-4 Slice their lips off their faces! Pull
The braggart tongues from their mouths!
I’m tired of hearing, “We can talk anyone into anything!
Our lips manage the world.”
5 Into the hovels of the poor,
Into the dark streets where the homeless groan, God speaks:
“I’ve had enough; I’m on my way
To heal the ache in the heart of the wretched.”
6-8 God’s words are pure words,
Pure silver words refined seven times
In the fires of his word-kiln,
Pure on earth as well as in heaven.
God, keep us safe from their lies,
From the wicked who stalk us with lies,
From the wicked who collect honors
For their wonderful lies.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight: Proverbs 15:30-33
A twinkle in the eye means joy in the heart,
and good news makes you feel fit as a fiddle.
31 Listen to good advice if you want to live well,
an honored guest among wise men and women.
32 An undisciplined, self-willed life is puny;
an obedient, God-willed life is spacious.
33 Fear-of-God is a school in skilled living—
first you learn humility, then you experience glory.
Insight
In Proverbs, the righteous are the wise, and the foolish are the wicked (for example, see 10:1–3). A wise person is one who obeys God and His Word, thus avoiding moral pitfalls and failures. In contrast, a fool is one who says, “There is no God” (Psalm 14:1). Solomon contrasts the wise and the foolish (Proverbs 10–15), comparing their attitudes, actions, and speech. Proverbs 15 describes the wise person as one who is discerning (v. 21), seeks godly counsel (v. 22), speaks graciously (v. 23), lives cautiously (v. 24), is humble (v. 25), pure (v. 26), honest (v. 27), self-controlled (v. 28), prayerful (v. 29), teachable (vv. 31–32), and fears God (v. 33). The foundation for such a godly life is stated at the beginning of Proverbs in 1:7, repeated in 9:10, and reiterated again in 15:33: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. By: K. T. Sim
Shelve Them and Move On
Whoever heeds life-giving correction will be at home among the wise. Proverbs 15:31
I’m reminded of some wise advice a radio broadcaster friend once gave me. Early on in his career, as my friend struggled to know how to deal with both criticism and praise, he felt that God was encouraging him to shelve both. What’s the essence of what he took to heart? Learn what you can from criticism and accept praise. Then shelve both and humbly move on in God’s grace and power.
Criticism and praise stir in us powerful emotions that, if left unchecked, can lead to either self-loathing or an overinflated ego. In Proverbs we read of the benefits of encouragement and wise counsel: “Good news gives health to the bones. . . .Those who disregard discipline despise themselves, but the one who heeds correction gains understanding” (15:30, 32).
If we’re on the receiving end of a rebuke, may we choose to be sharpened by it. Proverbs states, “Whoever heeds life-giving correction will be at home among the wise” (v. 31). And if we’re blessed with words of praise, may we be refreshed and filled with gratitude. As we walk humbly with God, He can help us learn from both criticism and praise, shelve them, and then move on in Him (v. 33). By Ruth O'Reilly-Smith
Today's Reflection
Father God, thank You for the gift of praise and criticism. As I humbly surrender to You, may I grow and be sharpened by both.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Taking the Initiative Against Drudgery
Arise, shine… —Isaiah 60:1
When it comes to taking the initiative against drudgery, we have to take the first step as though there were no God. There is no point in waiting for God to help us— He will not. But once we arise, immediately we find He is there. Whenever God gives us His inspiration, suddenly taking the initiative becomes a moral issue— a matter of obedience. Then we must act to be obedient and not continue to lie down doing nothing. If we will arise and shine, drudgery will be divinely transformed.
Drudgery is one of the finest tests to determine the genuineness of our character. Drudgery is work that is far removed from anything we think of as ideal work. It is the utterly hard, menial, tiresome, and dirty work. And when we experience it, our spirituality is instantly tested and we will know whether or not we are spiritually genuine. Read John 13. In this chapter, we see the Incarnate God performing the greatest example of drudgery— washing fishermen’s feet. He then says to them, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14). The inspiration of God is required if drudgery is to shine with the light of God upon it. In some cases the way a person does a task makes that work sanctified and holy forever. It may be a very common everyday task, but after we have seen it done, it becomes different. When the Lord does something through us, He always transforms it. Our Lord takes our human flesh and transforms it, and now every believer’s body has become “the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
When you are joyful, be joyful; when you are sad, be sad. If God has given you a sweet cup, don’t make it bitter; and if He has given you a bitter cup, don’t try and make it sweet; take things as they come. Shade of His Hand, 1226 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Hummingbird Wars - #8377
My wife and I always enjoyed the helicopter of the animal kingdom. Yep, the hummingbird. On our vacation we hung out a hummingbird feeder and we filled it with this sweet red liquid that they love and we sat down on the porch and just sort of swung back and forth, and settled back to watch those cute little guys come to drink. Turns out they're not as cute as we thought. No sooner would one land on the feeder and begin to drink, another hummingbird would swoop down and knock him off. Then another bird would swoop down and knock that bird off. Eventually, we had as many as five hummingbirds at a time hovering and darting around that feeder fighting with each other, dive-bombing each other. When one managed to finally win a spot on the feeder, he couldn't even enjoy what was there; he was so busy looking around for his next attacker. As the provider of all these goodies, I was frustrated. I was irritated. These dumb birds were so busy fighting over it, they couldn't enjoy it.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have "A Word With You" today about "Hummingbird Wars."
As we watched those hummingbirds, I said to my wife, "Honey, I think I know how we Christians must make God feel." Could it be that we're attacking each other so much, we're so busy positioning ourselves, we can't even enjoy what the Father's prepared for us? Our word for today from the Word of God is from Psalm 133:1. "How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity. For there the Lord bestows His blessing, even life forevermore." God blesses where His kids have laid aside turf and strife and ego and are coming together in unity. He wants your church, your family, your organization, your marriage to be together - not divided. He has so much prepared for you, so much He wants to do for you and through you.
It's wrapped up in those words "His blessing," but we displease Him so much. When He watches us getting into our little groups, attacking each other, judging each other, there's just like so much ego, so much pride often concealed under righteous-sounding Christian words and causes. We let God's work be poisoned by competition as we try to get the best spot on the feeder for our ministry, our group, our advancement. And while we're protecting our doctrinal and lifestyle purity (which we should), we slander, we condemn, we verbally assassinate those we perceive as "them." We put our way, we put our turf above the greater work of the kingdom and we lose the very love by which Jesus said people would recognize Him and recognize us.
Something is very wrong at the feeding place of God. There's too much fighting and we are missing what the Father has prepared for us. It's time we ask our Lord for the humility, the gentleness, the love, and the self-sacrifice that He always showed. He was the Son of God.
When I was watching those hummingbird wars, I really felt I was watching a heartbreaking picture of much of God's family. And maybe I was feeling in some infinitesimal way, the disappointment and the pain that our Heavenly Father must feel. It's time we live together in unity isn't it? For there is where the Lord bestows His blessing.
