Max Lucado Daily: THE FINE ART OF SAYING “HELLO”
“Greet one another with a holy kiss.” Paul gave these instructions to the Romans and repeated them to other churches. Twice to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 16:20 and 2 Cor. 13:12); and then to the Thessalonians (1 Thess. 5:26). Peter flew the friendliness flag as well in his first epistle (1 Peter 5:14) when he said, “Greet one another with a kiss of love.”
We tend to overlook these passages. Why the big deal? Why should we be careful to greet one another? The answer is out of respect. Respect is a mindfulness of another person’s situation. Respect says “Hello” to the new kid in class. Respect says “Good afternoon” to the cashier at the checkout stand. A greeting in its purest sense is a gesture of goodwill. Simply greeting one another is not that hard. But it makes a significant difference. And this is how happiness happens.
Psalm 33
Good people, cheer God!
Right-living people sound best when praising.
Use guitars to reinforce your Hallelujahs!
Play his praise on a grand piano!
Invent your own new song to him;
give him a trumpet fanfare.
4-5 For God’s Word is solid to the core;
everything he makes is sound inside and out.
He loves it when everything fits,
when his world is in plumb-line true.
Earth is drenched
in God’s affectionate satisfaction.
6-7 The skies were made by God’s command;
he breathed the word and the stars popped out.
He scooped Sea into his jug,
put Ocean in his keg.
8-9 Earth-creatures, bow before God;
world-dwellers—down on your knees!
Here’s why: he spoke and there it was,
in place the moment he said so.
10-12 God takes the wind out of Babel pretense,
he shoots down the world’s power-schemes.
God’s plan for the world stands up,
all his designs are made to last.
Blessed is the country with God for God;
blessed are the people he’s put in his will.
13-15 From high in the skies God looks around,
he sees all Adam’s brood.
From where he sits
he overlooks all us earth-dwellers.
He has shaped each person in turn;
now he watches everything we do.
16-17 No king succeeds with a big army alone,
no warrior wins by brute strength.
Horsepower is not the answer;
no one gets by on muscle alone.
18-19 Watch this: God’s eye is on those who respect him,
the ones who are looking for his love.
He’s ready to come to their rescue in bad times;
in lean times he keeps body and soul together.
20-22 We’re depending on God;
he’s everything we need.
What’s more, our hearts brim with joy
since we’ve taken for our own his holy name.
Love us, God, with all you’ve got—
that’s what we’re depending on.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Mark 1:9–15
At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted[a] by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
Footnotes:
Mark 1:13 The Greek for tempted can also mean tested.
Insight
Why would Jesus go to John to be baptized? (Mark 1:9). Mark records that John came “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (v. 4), and Matthew records that John baptized “with water for repentance” (3:11). Jesus was the only sinless person to walk the earth, so He wasn’t in need of repentance or forgiveness. Some have argued that Christ’s baptism was part of His identification with humanity in its sinful state. Others have said it was the inauguration of His ministry. Perhaps Jesus was identifying with us in His surrender to God and to the Father’s will. That’s what those confessing their sins were doing—surrendering to God—and in that vein, Jesus was doing the same thing.
False Places of Safety
The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news! Mark 1:15
When our dog Rupert was a puppy, he was so afraid of going outside I’d have to drag him to the park. After getting him there one day, I foolishly let him off his leash. He sprinted home, back to his place of safety.
That experience reminded me of a man I met on a plane, who began apologizing to me as we taxied down the runway. “I’m going to get drunk on this flight,” he said. “It sounds like you don’t want to,” I replied. “I don’t,” he said, “but I always run back to the wine.” He got drunk, and the saddest part was watching his wife embrace him when he got off the plane, smell his breath, then push him away. Drink was his place of safety, but it was no safe place at all.
Jesus began His mission with the words, “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15). “Repent” means to reverse direction. The “kingdom of God” is His loving rule over our lives. Instead of running to places that entrap us, or being ruled by fears and addictions, Jesus says we can be ruled by God Himself, who lovingly leads us to new life and freedom.
Today Rupert runs to the park barking with joy. I pray the man on the plane finds that same joy and freedom, leaving behind his false place of safety. By: Sheridan Voysey
Reflect & Pray
What false place of safety do you run to in times of fear or stress? How will you leave it behind today and place yourself under God’s freeing rule?
Jesus, forgive me for running to anything but You in search of life and happiness. I turn away from those things now, and turn my life over to You. Lead me to real freedom.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
The “Go” of Relationship
Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. —Matthew 5:41
Our Lord’s teaching can be summed up in this: the relationship that He demands for us is an impossible one unless He has done a supernatural work in us. Jesus Christ demands that His disciple does not allow even the slightest trace of resentment in his heart when faced with tyranny and injustice. No amount of enthusiasm will ever stand up to the strain that Jesus Christ will put upon His servant. Only one thing will bear the strain, and that is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Himself— a relationship that has been examined, purified, and tested until only one purpose remains and I can truly say, “I am here for God to send me where He will.” Everything else may become blurred, but this relationship with Jesus Christ must never be.
The Sermon on the Mount is not some unattainable goal; it is a statement of what will happen in me when Jesus Christ has changed my nature by putting His own nature in me. Jesus Christ is the only One who can fulfill the Sermon on the Mount.
If we are to be disciples of Jesus, we must be made disciples supernaturally. And as long as we consciously maintain the determined purpose to be His disciples, we can be sure that we are not disciples. Jesus says, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you…” (John 15:16). That is the way the grace of God begins. It is a constraint we can never escape; we can disobey it, but we can never start it or produce it ourselves. We are drawn to God by a work of His supernatural grace, and we can never trace back to find where the work began. Our Lord’s making of a disciple is supernatural. He does not build on any natural capacity of ours at all. God does not ask us to do the things that are naturally easy for us— He only asks us to do the things that we are perfectly fit to do through His grace, and that is where the cross we must bear will always come.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
It is impossible to read too much, but always keep before you why you read. Remember that “the need to receive, recognize, and rely on the Holy Spirit” is before all else. Approved Unto God, 11 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Just Go - #8533
Boy, when our family was growing up, if you were planning to take our oldest son somewhere, you'd better have all your details or you may not go. See, he was never a great fan of surprises or mystery rides. No, in fact, ever since he was little he wanted a detailed itinerary before he could feel good about any trip.
Man, I would get so many questions, "Well, where are we going, Dad?" "How much money will I need?" "What will we do when we're there?" "What will we do when there's nothing to do?" "Where are we going to eat?" "How long will it take to get back?" Ahhh! He should have been a detective or a reporter with all those questions. I'm not sure he was all that unusual. I mean, most of us like to know a lot about our destination before we leave where we are. Right? But that information is often not available.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Just Go."
Well, our word for today from the Word of God comes from Acts 8. Let me begin reading out of the ministry of Philip here in verse 5. "Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there." Now, the ensuing verses go on to tell us that he was having some very dramatic results. And then in the middle of all that in verse 26, "Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, 'Go south to the road - the desert road - that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.' So he started out, and on his way he meets this Ethiopian eunuch, who is an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home he's sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. And the Spirit told Philip, 'Go to that chariot and stay near it.'"
Now, as you may remember, the rest of the story tells us that Philip went and had an opportunity to actually find a spiritually prepared man there. He led him to Christ, told him who Isaiah was speaking of, and this man went back and began the spread of the Gospel into Africa because of his very strategic position in the court of Ethiopia.
Now, Philip was in the middle of a great situation in Samaria, and suddenly he's told, "Go to the desert." That's it! No further instructions. You know what it says? "So he started out." There's a biblical pattern here. It happened to Abraham, "Go to the land I will show you." Not much detail. No brochure. He said to Saul of Tarsus in chapter 9, after Saul was accosted by Christ and met by Christ on that Damascus road, he says, "Go into the city and you will be told what you must do." Here we go again! No further instructions. See, God often asks you to be going without knowing. And we're just like my son, "Where? What about all the money I need? What are we going to do there? How long will I be there?" God says, "Just go."
A lot of people have missed God's best because they've limited themselves to safe obedience – must stay in my comfort zone. That's a great place to miss the will of God. Instead of saying, "Anywhere with Jesus I can safely go," they sing, "Anywhere with Jesus I can go safely." It wouldn't surprise me if God is right now saying "Go!" to you. Maybe to talk to someone who doesn't know Christ and you have never talked to them, or to go to a ministry assignment you feel unprepared for, or to go follow Him into Christian service, or to go obey Him in an area where that obedience might cost you something. But will you go? Will you pray about it? Will you study His Word?
Be sure it's His voice and then - here comes Nike - just do it! What happened when Philip did? He found a prepared heart, he found a mission that made a transforming difference, and you will too. But first, you're going to have to lay aside that caution and the rigidity that only goes when all the answers are there. After all, what is living by faith?
If the Lord is saying, "Just go," then just go.