Max Lucado Daily: IN GOD WE (NEARLY) TRUST
Drink deeply from God’s Lordship. He authors all itineraries. He knows what is best. No struggle will come your way apart from His purpose, presence, and permission. What encouragement this brings. You are never the victim of nature or the prey of fate. Chance is eliminated.
You are more than a weathervane whipped about by the winds of fortune. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, he promises. And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched; nor will the flame burn you. “For I am the Lord your God.” (Isaiah 43:2-3).
We live beneath the protective palm of the sovereign king who super intends every circumstance of our lives, and delights in doing us good. Be encouraged. God’s ways are always right.
Acts 7:22-43
“In just such a time Moses was born, a most beautiful baby. He was hidden at home for three months. When he could be hidden no longer, he was put outside—and immediately rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter, who mothered him as her own son. Moses was educated in the best schools in Egypt. He was equally impressive as a thinker and an athlete.
23-26 “When he was forty years old, he wondered how everything was going with his Hebrew kin and went out to look things over. He saw an Egyptian abusing one of them and stepped in, avenging his underdog brother by knocking the Egyptian flat. He thought his brothers would be glad that he was on their side, and even see him as an instrument of God to deliver them. But they didn’t see it that way. The next day two of them were fighting and he tried to break it up, told them to shake hands and get along with each other: ‘Friends, you are brothers, why are you beating up on each other?’
27-29 “The one who had started the fight said, ‘Who put you in charge of us? Are you going to kill me like you killed that Egyptian yesterday?’ When Moses heard that, realizing that the word was out, he ran for his life and lived in exile over in Midian. During the years of exile, two sons were born to him.
30-32 “Forty years later, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to him in the guise of flames of a burning bush. Moses, not believing his eyes, went up to take a closer look. He heard God’s voice: ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Frightened nearly out of his skin, Moses shut his eyes and turned away.
33-34 “God said, ‘Kneel and pray. You are in a holy place, on holy ground. I’ve seen the agony of my people in Egypt. I’ve heard their groans. I’ve come to help them. So get yourself ready; I’m sending you back to Egypt.’
35-39 “This is the same Moses whom they earlier rejected, saying, ‘Who put you in charge of us?’ This is the Moses that God, using the angel flaming in the burning bush, sent back as ruler and redeemer. He led them out of their slavery. He did wonderful things, setting up God-signs all through Egypt, down at the Red Sea, and out in the wilderness for forty years. This is the Moses who said to his congregation, ‘God will raise up a prophet just like me from your descendants.’ This is the Moses who stood between the angel speaking at Sinai and your fathers assembled in the wilderness and took the life-giving words given to him and handed them over to us, words our fathers would have nothing to do with.
39-41 “They craved the old Egyptian ways, whining to Aaron, ‘Make us gods we can see and follow. This Moses who got us out here miles from nowhere—who knows what’s happened to him!’ That was the time when they made a calf-idol, brought sacrifices to it, and congratulated each other on the wonderful religious program they had put together.
42-43 “God wasn’t at all pleased; but he let them do it their way, worship every new god that came down the pike—and live with the consequences, consequences described by the prophet Amos:
Did you bring me offerings of animals and grains
those forty wilderness years, O Israel?
Hardly. You were too busy building shrines
to war gods, to sex goddesses,
Worshiping them with all your might.
That’s why I put you in exile in Babylon.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Daniel 3:26-30
Nebuchadnezzar went to the door of the roaring furnace and called in, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the High God, come out here!”
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walked out of the fire.
27 All the important people, the government leaders and king’s counselors, gathered around to examine them and discovered that the fire hadn’t so much as touched the three men—not a hair singed, not a scorch mark on their clothes, not even the smell of fire on them!
28 Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel and rescued his servants who trusted in him! They ignored the king’s orders and laid their bodies on the line rather than serve or worship any god but their own.
29 “Therefore I issue this decree: Anyone anywhere, of any race, color, or creed, who says anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be ripped to pieces, limb from limb, and their houses torn down. There has never been a god who can pull off a rescue like this.”
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
Insight
In Daniel 3, it’s interesting to note the contrasting proclamations about God’s power. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were about to be thrown into the fiery furnace, Nebuchadnezzar didn’t believe their God could save them and said, “What god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” (v. 15). But the three men boldly declared the power of God and their commitment to Him, responding that “the God we serve is able to deliver us” (v. 17). Then when they exited the furnace and stood before the king and his officials unharmed—without “a hair of their heads singed” (v. 27)—it was Nebuchadnezzar who made the bold declaration about the power and glory of God: “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants!” (v. 28).
Rescuing Villains
Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! Daniel 3:28
The comic book hero is as popular as ever. In 2017 alone, six superhero movies accounted for more than $4 billion (US) in box office sales. But why are people so drawn to big action flicks?
Maybe it’s because, in part, such stories resemble God’s Big Story. There’s a hero, a villain, a people in need of rescue, and plenty of riveting action.
In this story, the biggest villain is Satan, the enemy of our souls. But there are lots of “little” villains as well. In the book of Daniel, for example, one is Nebuchadnezzar, the king of much of the known world, who decided to kill anyone who didn’t worship his giant statue (Daniel 3:1–6). When three courageous Jewish officials refused (vv. 12–18), God dramatically rescued them from a blazing furnace (vv. 24–27).
But in a surprising twist, we see this villain’s heart begin to change. In response to this spectacular event, Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego” (v. 28).
But then he threatened to kill anyone who defied God (v. 29), not yet understanding that God didn’t need his help. Nebuchadnezzar would learn more about God in chapter 4—but that’s another story.
What we see in Nebuchadnezzar isn’t just a villain, but someone on a spiritual journey. In God’s story of redemption, our hero, Jesus, reaches out to everyone needing rescue—including the villains among us. By Tim Gustafson
Reflect & Pray
Who do you know in need of God’s rescue? What can you do to help?
Jesus prayed for those who persecuted Him. We can do the same.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Keep Recognizing Jesus
…Peter…walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid… —Matthew 14:29-30
The wind really was boisterous and the waves really were high, but Peter didn’t see them at first. He didn’t consider them at all; he simply recognized his Lord, stepped out in recognition of Him, and “walked on the water.” Then he began to take those things around him into account, and instantly, down he went. Why couldn’t our Lord have enabled him to walk at the bottom of the waves, as well as on top of them? He could have, yet neither could be done without Peter’s continuing recognition of the Lord Jesus.
We step right out with recognition of God in some things, then self-consideration enters our lives and down we go. If you are truly recognizing your Lord, you have no business being concerned about how and where He engineers your circumstances. The things surrounding you are real, but when you look at them you are immediately overwhelmed, and even unable to recognize Jesus. Then comes His rebuke, “…why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31). Let your actual circumstances be what they may, but keep recognizing Jesus, maintaining complete reliance upon Him.
If you debate for even one second when God has spoken, it is all over for you. Never start to say, “Well, I wonder if He really did speak to me?” Be reckless immediately— totally unrestrained and willing to risk everything— by casting your all upon Him. You do not know when His voice will come to you, but whenever the realization of God comes, even in the faintest way imaginable, be determined to recklessly abandon yourself, surrendering everything to Him. It is only through abandonment of yourself and your circumstances that you will recognize Him. You will only recognize His voice more clearly through recklessness— being willing to risk your all.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
If there is only one strand of faith amongst all the corruption within us, God will take hold of that one strand. Not Knowing Whither, 888 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Play-Doh or Rock? - #8462
Our kids played with it when they were little. Our grandkids have been playing with it since they were little. I play with it every once in a while. It's that colorful clay in the round can - it's Play-Doh! You can squeeze that Play-Doh into something flat, something round, something long. You can turn it into any shape you want it to be. Which is OK for a toy - it's not OK for people.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Play-Doh or Rock?"
Unfortunately, there are way too many people who are just like Play-Doh - they keep changing shape emotionally. You never know if they're going to be up or down, happy or miserable, negative or positive, loving or selfish. As long as you run your life based on how you're feeling right now, you're going to be Play-Doh, constantly changing the shape you're in.
Then there are those people you can count on, people who are thermostats. I mean they set the climate instead of thermometers just reacting to the climate around them. Those are the rock people. Rocks are always the same shape, no matter how tightly they're squeezed. And you are one or the other - you're Play-Doh or rock, depending on what you base your responses on - the facts or your feelings.
In Luke 6, beginning in verse 47, this is our word for today from the Word of God, Jesus described the person who "hears My words and puts them into practice" as being "like a man building a house" who "laid the foundation on rock." Jesus said the storm could not shake that house. Then He described a man who "hears My words and does not put them into practice" as "like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."
Those who run their life on their emotions are vulnerable to major mistakes. They are even collapsible. But those who know what God says, who base their responses on what God says no matter how they're feeling, they are strong, stable, and they're storm proof. It's your choice. You can go by your feelings or you can go by the facts.
Maybe you've been going way too much on your feelings lately, and Satan loves that. He can twist and distort your feelings but he can't change the Word of God. You can choose to have your feelings overrule what God says or what God says overrule your feelings. Maybe even your spiritual life is run by your feelings without being anchored much in what God says in His Word. Maybe you're not even sure whether you belong to Jesus Christ, because you're going on your ever-changing feelings instead of the promises of God Himself like 1 John 5:13 - "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know you have eternal life." That's know you have, not feel like you have. If you're married, you know you are because you made a conscious commitment to your spouse. If you don't know you got married, then you didn't.
If you've committed yourself to Jesus Christ as your only hope of having your sins forgiven and of going to heaven, then you belong to Him. If there's never been a time you did that, you don't belong to Him, but you could today. This could be your Jesus day, the day that changes everything including your eternal destination. Right where you are, why don't you talk to Him like this, "Jesus, I resign from running my own life. It took your life to pay for my sins, and then you came out of your grave, and I'm asking you to come into my life. Beginning today, Jesus, I am yours." If you prayed a prayer like that then you can be welcomed today into God's family forever.
That's exactly why our website exists. It's to help you, at this crossroads moment, know exactly how to be sure you belong to Jesus Christ from this day on. That website is ANewStory.com and I think you'll be glad you went there.
It's just so good to know that you belong to Jesus. It's so good to know you're going to heaven when you die. Not because you feel it. Because you know you belong to Him. You know you're going to heaven and here's why: because God says so!
