Max Lucado Daily: OUR PRAYERS ARE NOT GRADED
Jesus downplayed the importance of words in prayers. We tend to do the opposite. The more words the better! We emphasize the appropriate prayer language, the latest prayer trend, the holiest prayer terminology. Against all this emphasis on syllables and rituals, Jesus says in Matthew 6:7, “Don’t ramble like heathens who talk a lot.”
There’s no panel of angelic judges with numbered cards. “Wow, Lucado, that prayer was a ten. God will certainly hear you!” or… “Oh, Lucado, you scored a two this morning. Go home and practice.”
Prayers aren’t graded according to style. If prayer depends on how I pray, I’m sunk. But if the power of prayer depends on the One who hears the prayer, then I have hope.
Psalm 132
A Pilgrim Song
O God, remember David,
remember all his troubles!
And remember how he promised God,
made a vow to the Strong God of Jacob,
“I’m not going home,
and I’m not going to bed,
I’m not going to sleep,
not even take time to rest,
Until I find a home for God,
a house for the Strong God of Jacob.”
6-7 Remember how we got the news in Ephrathah,
learned all about it at Jaar Meadows?
We shouted, “Let’s go to the shrine dedication!
Let’s worship at God’s own footstool!”
8-10 Up, God, enjoy your new place of quiet repose,
you and your mighty covenant ark;
Get your priests all dressed up in justice;
prompt your worshipers to sing this prayer:
“Honor your servant David;
don’t disdain your anointed one.”
11-18 God gave David his word,
he won’t back out on this promise:
“One of your sons
I will set on your throne;
If your sons stay true to my Covenant
and learn to live the way I teach them,
Their sons will continue the line—
always a son to sit on your throne.
Yes—I, God, chose Zion,
the place I wanted for my shrine;
This will always be my home;
this is what I want, and I’m here for good.
I’ll shower blessings on the pilgrims who come here,
and give supper to those who arrive hungry;
I’ll dress my priests in salvation clothes;
the holy people will sing their hearts out!
Oh, I’ll make the place radiant for David!
I’ll fill it with light for my anointed!
I’ll dress his enemies in dirty rags,
but I’ll make his crown sparkle with splendor.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Psalm 92:12–15
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
13 planted in the house of the Lord,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
15 proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”
Insight
Psalm 92 has this superscription: “A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day.” This tells us the Israelites sang this praise song in public worship on the Sabbath day (vv. 1–3). According to the New Living Translation Study Bible, “Jewish tradition assigned one psalm to each day of the week: Sunday (Psalm 24), Monday (Psalm 48), Tuesday (Psalm 82), Wednesday (Psalm 94), Thursday (Psalm 81), Friday (Psalm 93), and the Sabbath (Psalm 92).” The Sabbath was a day God set apart for His people to rest and participate in community worship—celebrating His greatness in creation (Exodus 20:8–11; Leviticus 23:3) and remembering their deliverance from slavery in Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:6, 15). For the Israelites, long life was considered a reward and blessing from God (Deuteronomy 4:40; 5:33; 30:20). Psalm 92 celebrates that blessing, capturing the gratitude of those who’ve experienced a lifetime of walking with Him (vv. 5–15).
Fruitful to the End
They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green. Psalm 92:14
Although Lenore Dunlop was ninety-four years young, her mind was sharp, her smile was bright, and her contagious love for Jesus was felt by many. It wasn’t uncommon to find her in the company of the youth of our church; her presence and participation were sources of joy and encouragement. Lenore’s life was so vibrant that her death caught us off guard. Like a powerful runner, she sprinted across life’s finish line. Her energy and zeal were such that, just days before her death, she completed a sixteen-week course that focused on taking the message of Jesus to the peoples of the world.
The fruitful, God-honoring life of Lenore illustrates what’s seen in Psalm 92:12–15. This psalm describes the budding, blossoming, and fruit-bearing of those whose lives are rooted in a right relationship with God (vv. 12–13). The two trees pictured were valued for their fruit and wood, respectively; with these the psalmist captures a sense of vitality, prosperity, and usefulness. When we see in our lives the budding and blossoming fruit of loving, sharing, helping, and leading others to Christ, we should rejoice.
Even for those who may be labeled “senior” or “seasoned,” it’s never too late to take root and bear fruit. Lenore’s life was deeply rooted in God through Jesus and testifies to this and to God’s goodness (v. 15). Ours can too. By: Arthur Jackson
Reflect & Pray
How does your life reflect the fruit found in a growing relationship with Jesus? What can you add or eliminate to help you grow?
Father, give me the strength to bear fruit that clearly demonstrates that my life is rooted in the life of Jesus, Your Son.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
The Forgiveness of God
In Him we have…the forgiveness of sins… —Ephesians 1:7
Beware of the pleasant view of the fatherhood of God: God is so kind and loving that of course He will forgive us. That thought, based solely on emotion, cannot be found anywhere in the New Testament. The only basis on which God can forgive us is the tremendous tragedy of the Cross of Christ. To base our forgiveness on any other ground is unconscious blasphemy. The only ground on which God can forgive our sin and reinstate us to His favor is through the Cross of Christ. There is no other way! Forgiveness, which is so easy for us to accept, cost the agony at Calvary. We should never take the forgiveness of sin, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and our sanctification in simple faith, and then forget the enormous cost to God that made all of this ours.
Forgiveness is the divine miracle of grace. The cost to God was the Cross of Christ. To forgive sin, while remaining a holy God, this price had to be paid. Never accept a view of the fatherhood of God if it blots out the atonement. The revealed truth of God is that without the atonement He cannot forgive— He would contradict His nature if He did. The only way we can be forgiven is by being brought back to God through the atonement of the Cross. God’s forgiveness is possible only in the supernatural realm.
Compared with the miracle of the forgiveness of sin, the experience of sanctification is small. Sanctification is simply the wonderful expression or evidence of the forgiveness of sins in a human life. But the thing that awakens the deepest fountain of gratitude in a human being is that God has forgiven his sin. Paul never got away from this. Once you realize all that it cost God to forgive you, you will be held as in a vise, constrained by the love of God.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
God engineers circumstances to see what we will do. Will we be the children of our Father in heaven, or will we go back again to the meaner, common-sense attitude? Will we stake all and stand true to Him? “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” The crown of life means I shall see that my Lord has got the victory after all, even in me. The Highest Good—The Pilgrim’s Song Book, 530 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Nagged to Death - #8573
Motivation - that's the art of getting a person to do something. We're all in the motivating business. You may be motivating people to go somewhere, or to do a job, to correct a weakness in their life, to change their ways, to finish what they start, to do what you want them to do. Motivation comes in a lot of forms. You can inspire people to do it. You can threaten them if they don't do it. You can love them into doing it; put an arm around them and say, "Come on, Buddy." You can help them do it. You could pitch in and show them how and be willing to do your part.
But the number one selection on the motivation hit parade is that tried and true method called nagging. Just keep bringing it up; just keep pushing for it; keep talking about it. Eventually you'll wear them down and they'll do it just to get you off their back. That might get the job done, but it may not do much to enhance your relationship. Unfortunately, nagging often works with very damaging results.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Nagged to Death."
I guess I'd have to define nagging as motivation by erosion; just wear them down. That's what Delilah did to Sampson. You remember the story that the Philistines had not been able to defeat the supernatural strength of Sampson. Of course his secret was that it was in his hair, and his hair should never be cut, and he had never told anyone. The Philistines paid beautiful Delilah to fall in love with Sampson and to find the secret of his strength. Three times she asked in a very cozy romantic situation, and three times he gave her a misleading answer that proved the Philistines could not conquer him. He had not given his secret.
But you know what? He finally told her, and the result was his capture, his humiliation by the Philistines and ultimately his death as their prisoner. How did she do it? Judges 16:16 - "With much nagging she prodded him day after day until he was tired to death. So he told her everything." Sampson was worn down, and he ended up doing something he was sure he would never do. Well, he's not the only one.
Could that be happening to you right now? Maybe you've got your own Delilahs - people in your life who want you to live as they do, to lower your standards, to compromise what you believe. And they're after you day after day to do it. Right? And you have been sure you would never do that. But maybe you're weakening. You're about to be nagged to death.
Sampson was nagged to his death literally. Don't cave in. You think you've got pressure now? Wait until you give in to sin; wait until you compromise. You ain't seen nothin' yet! Maybe you need to get away from the people who are wearing you down. Maybe that's not possible.
Okay, then, seek the Lord for daily supernatural strength to stand strong as His man, His woman. This is a day-by-day battle; one day at a time. Determine to be the one who is the changer, not the changee. You are the make-a-difference person. You're going to represent Christ to them. There's too much at stake if they don't see Jesus in you. You're their best hope of heaven possibly. Now, listen, they're not going to change you if you make that kind of a commitment. You're going to do your very best to change them.
Anchor yourself every morning in Jesus' expectation for your life. Anchor yourself to His lordship over your life. Spend some quality time with Jesus at the beginning of your day. And, again, offer yourself to be all his. You've got to be with him so He's real for You for that day.