Max Lucado Daily: WHEN THE DISCIPLES SAW JESUS
John 20:19 says, “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jews…” Did you know that the church of Jesus Christ began with a group of frightened men in a second-floor room in Jerusalem? Upper-room futility….a little bit of faith but very little fire.
How many congregations today have just enough religion to come together, but not enough passion to go out? What is needed to get us out is exactly what got the apostles out. They saw Jesus. The stone of the tomb couldn’t keep him in. The walls of the room couldn’t keep him out. He came to commission them to remember. To remember that he who was dead is alive; and they, who were guilty, have been forgiven.
Read more Six Hours One Friday
Psalm 110
A David Prayer
110 1-3 The word of God to my Lord:
“Sit alongside me here on my throne
until I make your enemies a stool for your feet.”
You were forged a strong scepter by God of Zion;
now rule, though surrounded by enemies!
Your people will freely join you, resplendent in holy armor
on the great day of your conquest,
Join you at the fresh break of day,
join you with all the vigor of youth.
4-7 God gave his word and he won’t take it back:
you’re the permanent priest, the Melchizedek priest.
The Lord stands true at your side,
crushing kings in his terrible wrath,
Bringing judgment on the nations,
handing out convictions wholesale,
crushing opposition across the wide earth.
The King-Maker put his King on the throne;
the True King rules with head held high!
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight: Psalm 23
A David Psalm
23 1-3 God, my shepherd!
I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction.
4 Even when the way goes through
Death Valley,
I’m not afraid
when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook
makes me feel secure.
5 You serve me a six-course dinner
right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
my cup brims with blessing.
6 Your beauty and love chase after me
every day of my life.
I’m back home in the house of God
for the rest of my life.
Insight
In the ancient Near East, shepherding was not only a familiar image but also had royal connotations, sometimes used metaphorically to describe the role of gods and kings in leading and caring for their people. Psalm 23, therefore, is not only an intimate description of a vibrant relationship with God, but a bold proclamation that the psalmist trusts in and is committed to following only “the Lord” (YHWH), not earthly rulers.
At the very center of Psalm 23 are the words “you are with me” (v. 4), echoing the repeated scriptural theme of God’s comforting and guiding presence with us as the reason we need not fear (see Genesis 15:1; Joshua 1:9). When Jesus came, He emphasized that He was the Good Shepherd, the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise to be with us (Matthew 1:23; John 10:11).
Through the Valley
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Psalm 23:4
Hae Woo (not her real name) was imprisoned in a North Korean labor camp for crossing the border into China. The days and nights were torture, she said, with brutal guards, backbreaking work, and little sleep on an ice-cold floor with rats and lice. But God helped her daily, including showing her which prisoners to befriend and share her faith with.
After she was released from the camp and living in South Korea, Woo reflected on her time of imprisonment, saying that Psalm 23 summed up her experience. Although she’d been trapped in a dark valley, Jesus was her Shepherd who gave her peace: “Even though it felt as if I was literally in a valley full of the shadow of death, I wasn’t afraid of anything. God comforted me every day.” She experienced God’s goodness and love as He reassured her that she was His beloved daughter. “I was in a terrible place, but I knew . . . I would experience God’s goodness and love.” And she knew she’d stay in the Lord’s presence forever.
We can find encouragement in Woo’s story. Despite her dire circumstances, she felt God’s love and leading; and He sustained her and took away her fear. If we follow Jesus, He will lead us gently through our times of trouble. We need not fear, for “[we] will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (23:6). By Amy Boucher Pye
Today's Reflection
When have you experienced God’s presence in a dark valley? Who can you encourage today?
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Complete and Effective Decision About Sin
…our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. —Romans 6:6
Co-Crucifixion. Have you made the following decision about sin—that it must be completely killed in you? It takes a long time to come to the point of making this complete and effective decision about sin. It is, however, the greatest moment in your life once you decide that sin must die in you– not simply be restrained, suppressed, or counteracted, but crucified— just as Jesus Christ died for the sin of the world. No one can bring anyone else to this decision. We may be mentally and spiritually convinced, but what we need to do is actually make the decision that Paul urged us to do in this passage.
Pull yourself up, take some time alone with God, and make this important decision, saying, “Lord, identify me with Your death until I know that sin is dead in me.” Make the moral decision that sin in you must be put to death.
This was not some divine future expectation on the part of Paul, but was a very radical and definite experience in his life. Are you prepared to let the Spirit of God search you until you know what the level and nature of sin is in your life— to see the very things that struggle against God’s Spirit in you? If so, will you then agree with God’s verdict on the nature of sin— that it should be identified with the death of Jesus? You cannot “reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin” (Romans 6:11) unless you have radically dealt with the issue of your will before God.
Have you entered into the glorious privilege of being crucified with Christ, until all that remains in your flesh and blood is His life? “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…” (Galatians 2:20).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We must keep ourselves in touch, not with theories, but with people, and never get out of touch with human beings, if we are going to use the word of God skilfully amongst them. Workmen of God, 1341 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Making Sure the Family's There - #8413
The military has roll call - reading out the names to see if everybody's there. Family get-together? Well, you know who you've got. You've got Mom, Dad, Grandma, Granddad, and grandchildren. You don't usually have roll call. Now, there was a point where we had one three-year-old grandson who took roll in his own little way. While we're all busy in the usual chatter and bustle of everyone catching up, our grandson was obviously evaluating who's there and who isn't. You could tell. Before very long, he would pipe up, "Where's Grandma?" or "Where's Daddy?" or whoever happens to be MIA at the moment. And he wanted answers about where they were and why they weren't there. He wanted every person in the family to be there!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Making Sure the Family's There."
If you belong to Jesus Christ, and you know your sins are forgiven, when all of God's family gets together in heaven, you know you'll be there. But what about your family on earth? Will they be there and are you doing what you need to do to help them be there?
It's easier to tell almost anyone else about Jesus isn't it, than it is to tell someone from your family? You can go to Mexico on a missions trip and tell people there about what Jesus did for them...you can say a word to someone at work or in a restaurant or in your neighborhood. You can be real involved in Christian activities that are aimed at helping people be in heaven with us and seldom if ever explain to your own family members what Christ has done for you and what Christ did on the cross for them. Probably because it's just plain hard.
The priority of Jesus for us as His ambassadors shows up in a story recorded in Mark 5, beginning at verse 18. It's our word for today from the Word of God. The Bible says, "As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with Him." Jesus had just set this man free from years of spiritual bondage. "Jesus did not let Him, but said, 'Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you.' So the man went away and began to tell in all the Decapolis (which was his home area) how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed."
It would have been easier for this man to go with Jesus and run around serving Him everywhere but home. Just like some of us. And we should be spreading the Good News about Jesus, of course, to people that God brings into our life and we should be a part of His mission to reach every lost person. But it should start at home. Maybe Jesus is saying to you today, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you."
How do you do that? First, pray by name every day for the lost members of your family. Second, evaluate what about you might be making them think less of Jesus - maybe your temper, your selfishness, your mouth. Whatever it is, take some time to let Jesus change it. Your family needs to see a difference in you that will mean something to them.
Thirdly, let them know how much they mean to you. Sometimes a letter might be the best way to do that - a letter with four main parts. Here they are: "I love you," "Thank you for," "I'm sorry for," and "I wish we could." In that last part, talk about how you hope your relationship can be from now on. And let them know how much you want to be in heaven with them forever.
Sometimes, our family members think we're condemning them, but you may need to say, "If being good could get anybody to heaven, you'd probably be on that list. But I found out that our only hope isn't how good we are. It's what Jesus did and what we do with what He did for us."
Don't nag them. Don't argue religion with them, please. It's not about religion. It's all about Jesus. It's all about His cross. So stick to that. Pray for an open door to their heart and then for God's courage and words to go in when He opens the door. God rescued you so the people you love could have Jesus within their reach, living in someone they know. So, please, do all God wants you to do to help everyone you love be in heaven with you forever.
