Max Lucado Daily: REJOICE, GOD IS ALWAYS SOVEREIGN
Paul urges us to “rejoice in the Lord always!” (Philippians 4:4). Not just on paydays, good days, or birthdays. But rejoice in the Lord always. Rejoice in the Lord always? Yeah, right, mumbles the person from the hospital bed. How? sighs the unemployed dad. Always? questions the mother of the baby born with a disability.
It’s one thing to rejoice in the Lord when life is good, but when the odds are against you? It’s not easy, but it is possible. Lay claim to the promise of God in Colossians 1:17: “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Rejoice in the sovereignty of God. His throne is still occupied; his will is still perfect. Rejoice in the Lord always. God uses everything to accomplish his will!
Isaiah 18
Doom to the land of flies and mosquitoes
beyond the Ethiopian rivers,
Shipping emissaries all over the world,
down rivers and across seas.
Go, swift messengers,
go to this people tall and handsome,
This people held in respect everywhere,
this people mighty and merciless,
from the land crisscrossed with rivers.
3 Everybody everywhere,
all earth-dwellers:
When you see a flag flying on the mountain, look!
When you hear the trumpet blown, listen!
4-6 For here’s what God told me:
“I’m not going to say anything,
but simply look on from where I live,
Quiet as warmth that comes from the sun,
silent as dew during harvest.”
And then, just before harvest, after the blossom
has turned into a maturing grape,
He’ll step in and prune back the new shoots,
ruthlessly hack off all the growing branches.
He’ll leave them piled on the ground
for birds and animals to feed on—
Fodder for the summering birds,
fodder for the wintering animals.
7 Then tribute will be brought to God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
brought from this people tall and handsome,
This people once held in respect everywhere,
this people once mighty and merciless,
From the land crisscrossed with rivers,
to Mount Zion, God’s place.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, April 13, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight: Psalm 63:1–8
You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,m
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.n
2 I have seen you in the sanctuaryo
and beheld your power and your glory.p
3 Because your love is better than life,q
my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,r
and in your name I will lift up my hands.s
5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;t
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.u
7 Because you are my help,v
I sing in the shadow of your wings.w
8 I cling to you;x
your right hand upholds me.
Insight
Cause and effect. That’s what forms the pattern of Psalm 63:1–8, which traces David’s inner spiritual journey while in the wilderness of Judah. Verse 1 is the acknowledgment of his need for the presence and power of God. David’s need is deep and fundamental. Like water in the desert, God is the one thing he needs for survival. In verse 2, he has found this “water.” He’s discovered the power and glory of God. With the need and discovery expressed, verses 3–8 now chronicle the psalmist’s response: praise, satisfaction, singing, thinking about God, and clinging to Him. David shares his desire for God, which leads to his discovery of God, and results in his declarations about God.
Seeking God
You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you. Psalm 63:1
It’s inspiring to watch people’s passion and dedication in pursuing their dreams. A young woman I know recently graduated from college in just three years—a task that took total commitment. A friend wanted a particular car, so he worked diligently baking and selling cakes until he reached his goal. Another person who’s in sales seeks to meet one hundred new people every week.
While it can be good to earnestly seek something of earthly value, there’s a more important kind of seeking that we must consider.
In desperation, struggling in a desert, King David wrote, “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you” (Psalm 63:1). As David cried out to Him, God drew close to the weary king. David’s deep spiritual thirst for God could only be satisfied in His presence.
The king remembered meeting with God in His “sanctuary” (v. 2), experiencing His all-conquering love (v. 3), and praising Him day after day—finding true satisfaction in Him that’s not unlike enjoying a full and satisfying meal (vv. 4–5). Even during the night he contemplated God’s greatness, recognizing His help and protection (vv. 6–7).
Today the Holy Spirit convicts us to earnestly seek after God. As we cling to Him, in power and love God holds us up with His strong right hand. By the leading of the Spirit, may we draw close to the Maker of all good things. By: Dave Branon
Reflect & Pray
How has the Holy Spirit been prompting you to seek God? What are some things you can do this week to grow closer to Him?
Thank You, God, for drawing me to seek after You. To know You better. To love You more. To recognize Your greatness. I’m so grateful for Your presence in my life.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, April 13, 2020
What To Do When Your Burden Is Overwhelming
Cast your burden on the Lord… —Psalm 55:22
We must recognize the difference between burdens that are right for us to bear and burdens that are wrong. We should never bear the burdens of sin or doubt, but there are some burdens placed on us by God which He does not intend to lift off. God wants us to roll them back on Him— to literally “cast your burden,” which He has given you, “on the Lord….” If we set out to serve God and do His work but get out of touch with Him, the sense of responsibility we feel will be overwhelming and defeating. But if we will only roll back on God the burdens He has placed on us, He will take away that immense feeling of responsibility, replacing it with an awareness and understanding of Himself and His presence.
Many servants set out to serve God with great courage and with the right motives. But with no intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ, they are soon defeated. They do not know what to do with their burden, and it produces weariness in their lives. Others will see this and say, “What a sad end to something that had such a great beginning!”
“Cast your burden on the Lord….” You have been bearing it all, but you need to deliberately place one end on God’s shoulder. “…the government will be upon His shoulder” (Isaiah 9:6). Commit to God whatever burden He has placed on you. Don’t just cast it aside, but put it over onto Him and place yourself there with it. You will see that your burden is then lightened by the sense of companionship. But you should never try to separate yourself from your burden.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
There is no allowance whatever in the New Testament for the man who says he is saved by grace but who does not produce the graceful goods. Jesus Christ by His Redemption can make our actual life in keeping with our religious profession.
Studies in the Sermon on the Mount
Bible in a Year: 1 Samuel 22-24; Luke 12:1-31
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, April 13, 2020
Sandcastles and Our Sudden Storm - #8676
Ocean City, N.J. - actually "memory City" for our family. Like the large, annual youth conference I used to speak for there. One of the favorite activities of the week was a sandcastle competition where delegations from all over competed to see who could win the coveted prize for best sandcastle. And you should have seen the masterpieces they created! They were massive, creative, detailed - little empires made of sand. Of course, they made them at low tide. It was kind of depressing to go back there a few hours later at high tide. Because no matter how elaborate, how imaginative, how brilliantly designed they were, they were gone. They just couldn't survive the onslaught of high tide.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Sandcastles and Our Sudden Storm."
Man, has high tide hit the world recently! I mean it has a suddenness and destructive power that's felt more like a tsunami. The coronavirus has slammed into an economy we've built...businesses we've built...retirements we've built...relationships we've built...lives we've built. And almost overnight, a lot that was there was suddenly going or gone.
It's been pretty traumatic to see how little control we really have over our lives. How insecure our security is. How quickly everything can change. It's left us shell-shocked...afraid...depressed...lonely...feeling lost. It turns out that the security, the little kingdom we've been trying to construct was basically a sandcastle. Something in which you invest a lot of effort that turns out not to last.
Maybe in a way this viral storm, though, has done us a favor. It's revealed how fragile the things we've pinned our hopes on really are. And given us a desire in our soul to find something that we can really count on. And depend on. One time, Jesus told a story about two men who were each building a house. One on rock, the other on sand. Side by side, I imagine they looked pretty much alike. Until the storm came. In our word for today from the Word of God in Luke 6:47-49, Jesus said one man represented the person who builds his life on something other than Jesus. He said, "He is 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." Maybe that captures a little of how you've been feeling since the corona storm hit.
But, according to Jesus, the man who built his life around Jesus had a different outcome: "When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built." Honestly, that's what happened on the worst day of my life - the day my wife, the love of my life, was suddenly gone. And while the storm was brutal, the Jesus who I've entrusted my life to was the anchor that held. The Bible says this, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure" (Hebrews 6:19). I want that kind of security and peace for you. God wants it for you even more.
So much that He sent His one and only Son to literally die for you and for me. For every wrong thing we've ever done. For us hijacking our life from the God who gave us our life. The Bible says, "He was crushed for our sins...and the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him" (Isaiah 53:5). But this is not a religion that worships a dead Savior. This is about a relationship with the only Man who ever conquered death by blasting out of His grave - and that's Jesus.
If you're ready for the relationship with Him that will forgive your sin, guarantee you heaven and never fail you, no matter how brutal your storm is, this is your day to tell Jesus, "Jesus, I'm Yours." I've set up our website to help you do just that - I hope you'll head there soon today and check it out. It's ANewStory.com.
I've stood on the massive boulders at Ocean City that stick out into the raging tide. The storms have come and gone. But the rock still stands. For you, that rock is Jesus. Your one safe place.
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