Max Lucado Daily: OPEN YOUR DOOR
Hospitality and hospital come from the same Latin word, for they both lead to the same result– healing. When you open your door to someone, you are sending this message: “You matter to me and to God.”
Do you know people who need this message? Your hospitality can be their hospital. All you need are a few basic practices.
Issue a genuine invitation. Let your guests know you want them to come.
Make a big deal of their arrival. One of God’s children is coming to your house!
Address the needs of your guests. Modern-day hospitality includes the sharing of food and drink along with time to talk and listen.
Send them out with a blessing. Make it clear you are glad your guests came. Offer a prayer for their safety and a word of encouragement for their travel.
Open your table. Even more, open your circle.
1 Chronicles 22
David ordered all the resident aliens in the land to come together; he sent them to the stone quarries to cut dressed stone to build The Temple of God. He also stockpiled a huge quantity of iron for nails and bracings for the doors of the gates, more bronze than could be weighed, and cedar logs past counting (the Sidonians and Tyrians shipped in huge loads of cedar logs for David).
5-6 David was thinking, “My son Solomon is too young to plan ahead for this. But the sanctuary that is to be built for God has to be the greatest, the talk of all the nations; so I’ll get the construction materials together.” That’s why David prepared this huge stockpile of building materials before he died. Then he called in Solomon his son and commanded him to build a sanctuary for the God of Israel.
7-10 David said to Solomon, “I wanted in the worst way to build a sanctuary to honor my God. But God prevented me, saying, ‘You’ve killed too many people, fought too many wars. You are not the one to honor me by building a sanctuary—you’ve been responsible for too much killing, too much bloodshed. But you are going to have a son and he will be a quiet and peaceful man, and I will calm his enemies down on all sides. His very name will speak peace—that is, Solomon, which means Peace—and I’ll give peace and rest under his rule. He will be the one to build a sanctuary in my honor. He’ll be my royal adopted son and I’ll be his father; and I’ll make sure that the authority of his kingdom over Israel lasts forever.’
11-16 “So now, son, God be with you. God-speed as you build the sanctuary for your God, the job God has given you. And may God also give you discernment and understanding when he puts you in charge of Israel so that you will rule in reverent obedience under God’s Revelation. That’s what will make you successful, following the directions and doing the things that God commanded Moses for Israel. Courage! Take charge! Don’t be timid; don’t hold back. Look at this—I’ve gone to a lot of trouble to stockpile materials for the sanctuary of God: a hundred thousand talents (3,775 tons) of gold, a million talents (37,750 tons) of silver, tons of bronze and iron—too much to weigh—and all this timber and stone. And you’re free to add more. And workers both plentiful and prepared: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, artisans in gold and silver, bronze and iron. You’re all set—get to work! And God-speed!”
17-19 David gave orders to all of Israel’s leaders to help his son Solomon, saying, “Isn’t it obvious that your God is present with you; that he has given you peaceful relations with everyone around? My part in this was to put down the enemies, subdue the land to God and his people; your part is to give yourselves, heart and soul, to praying to your God. So get moving—build the sacred house of worship to God! Then bring the Chest of the Covenant of God and all the holy furnishings for the worship of God into the sanctuary built in honor of God.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, January 17, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Psalm 107:23–32
Some went out on the seaa in ships;b
they were merchants on the mighty waters.
24 They saw the works of the Lord,c
his wonderful deeds in the deep.
25 For he spoked and stirred up a tempeste
that lifted high the waves.f
26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
in their perilg their courage meltedh away.
27 They reeledi and staggered like drunkards;
they were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they criedj out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.k
29 He stilled the storml to a whisper;
the wavesm of the seab were hushed.n
30 They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided themo to their desired haven.
31 Let them give thanksp to the Lord for his unfailing loveq
and his wonderful deedsr for mankind.
32 Let them exalts him in the assemblyt of the people
and praise him in the council of the elders.
Insight
The author of Psalm 107 is unknown. Many scholars believe it was written sometime after a remnant of Jews returned to Israel following their seventy-year exile in Babylon. The psalm features four types of people in distress and how God rescued them. They include those in the wilderness (vv. 4–9), people in captivity (vv. 10–16), those who are sick (vv. 17–22), and those in distress (vv. 23–32). In each section we find the refrain: “Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress” (vv. 6, 13, 19, 28). And each time after God graciously delivers them, the people are exhorted: “Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind” (vv. 8, 15, 21, 31). By: Alyson Kieda
Storm Chasers
He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. Psalm 107:29
Chasing tornadoes,” says Warren Faidley, “is often like a giant game of 3D-chess played out over thousands of square miles.” The photojournalist and storm-chaser adds: “Being in the right place at the right time is a symphony of forecasting and navigation while dodging everything from softball-sized hailstones to dust storms and slow-moving farm equipment.”
Faidley’s words make my palms sweat and heart beat faster. While admiring the raw courage and scientific hunger storm chasers display, I balk at throwing myself into the middle of potentially fatal weather events.
In my experience, however, I don’t have to chase storms in life—they seem to be chasing me. That experience is mirrored by Psalm 107 as it describes sailors trapped in a storm. They were being chased by the consequences of their wrong choices but the psalmist says, “They cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm” (Psalm 107:28–30).
Whether the storms of life are of our own making or the result of living in a broken world, our Father is greater. When we are being chased by storms, He alone is able to calm them—or to calm the storm within us. By: Bill Crowder
Reflect & Pray
When facing difficulties, where do you turn for help? How might you trust your heavenly Father today, who is greater than your storms?
Thank You, Father, that You’re with me in my struggles and Your power is greater than any storm on my horizon.
To learn about why suffering occurs, visit christianuniversity.org/CA211.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, January 17, 2020
The Call of the Natural Life
When it pleased God…to reveal His Son in me… —Galatians 1:15-16
The call of God is not a call to serve Him in any particular way. My contact with the nature of God will shape my understanding of His call and will help me realize what I truly desire to do for Him. The call of God is an expression of His nature; the service which results in my life is suited to me and is an expression of my nature. The call of the natural life was stated by the apostle Paul— “When it pleased God…to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him [that is, purely and solemnly express Him] among the Gentiles….”
Service is the overflow which pours from a life filled with love and devotion. But strictly speaking, there is no call to that. Service is what I bring to the relationship and is the reflection of my identification with the nature of God. Service becomes a natural part of my life. God brings me into the proper relationship with Himself so that I can understand His call, and then I serve Him on my own out of a motivation of absolute love. Service to God is the deliberate love-gift of a nature that has heard the call of God. Service is an expression of my nature, and God’s call is an expression of His nature. Therefore, when I receive His nature and hear His call, His divine voice resounds throughout His nature and mine and the two become one in service. The Son of God reveals Himself in me, and out of devotion to Him service becomes my everyday way of life.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The life of Abraham is an illustration of two things: of unreserved surrender to God, and of God’s complete possession of a child of His for His own highest end.
Not Knowing Whither
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, January 17, 2020
Four-Way Theft - #8615
Remember the old days? Yeah, with hotels, you know, and the keys? Yeah, the keys; not the little card they give you that opens the door. In those days I had a little problem. I don't remember when a guy asked me when I checked out of a hotel one day, "Ron did you turn in your key?" I thought somewhere along the way he talked to my wife, because see was the one who got to mail all those keys back. It's true, I have been known to own a hotel key collection. I mean, everybody needs a hobby, right? Some people collect stamps, coins, you get the idea! Well, actually it's never my intention to walk off with hotel keys, but sometimes I end up taking what I never meant to take. When I didn't even know I was taking it.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Four-Way Theft."
Now our word for today from the Word of God comes from 1 Thessalonians 4:3. These are some revealing words for people who are living in a sex-saturated culture. I mean, let's face it, it's everywhere. And here is some insight from the inventor of sex, on invisible tragedy that takes place when people have sex premaritally or extramaritally. Here's what he says, "It is God's will that you should be sanctified, that you should avoid sexual immorality. Each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable. Not in passionate lust like the heathen who do not know God. And in this matter, none should wrong his brother, or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins."
Now notice here it says first of all that it is God's will that we keep sex pure. I mean, this is like a destiny thing. And he says I want him to be sanctified which means kept special, not diminished by sex with anyone but your lifetime partner. He says the way to do that is to "avoid sexual immorality." In other words, don't be anywhere near where you could mess this up. And then he says you do it by controlling your own body. Don't let your body, don't let your mind get to a point where your passions are controlling you... Then there's this sudden tack about not wronging or taking advantage of your brother. What's this all about? Well obviously there is a third person being hurt when two people are physically involved outside of marriage. What's happening is really four-way theft.
First, sex outside of marriage boundaries hurt you, and then it hurts your partner. You're robbing yourselves of the enjoyment of sex that is guilt free, regret free, judgment free, inside of marriage. This unique love gift is no longer unique because you've given it to someone else which in tum robs two other people - both your future partners, or both of your present partners if you're married.
Four-way theft, four people - two of them innocent parties - lose what could be so special because someone could not control their hormones. In reality it's total selfishness, probably masquerading as love. Like my key problem, you may not know what you're taking, you may not even mean to be taking it, but it's gone. However, it's not easy to return what you've taken in this case.
If you are in the middle of a sexual relationship with anyone other than your marriage partne
r whether it's your present or future partner - please take this program as a warning from God. He stands ready to forgive you if you'll honestly repent at the cross where Jesus died for every sin now that you wish you could take back. And He'll strengthen you as you face whatever fall out there might be. And if you're on the edge of a sexual mistake or just flirting with fantasies, would you run from it now! The bill's going to last longer than the thrill.
And if all of this has just reminded you of which you wish you had not done, but it seems to be an indelible ink in your soul, I can tell you this, Jesus died for it. He died to pay for every wrong thing, every dirty thing, every angry thing, every forget God thing you've ever done. And today He offers to erase that from God's Book once and for all. You will be forgiven and clean.
If you want that, tell Him, "Jesus, I'm yours." Go to our website and get the information you need to begin your relationship with Him. That's ANewStory.com.
Sexual sin? It's a four-way robbery! It costs so many people, so very much.