Max Lucado Daily: REMEMBER WHO HOLDS YOU
Frightening thing, this pride. Doesn’t it sneak up on us? We begin spiritual journeys as small people. The act of conversion is a humbling one. We confess sins, beg for mercy, bend our knees. We come to God humbly. No swagger, no boasts. And God works. He works the miracle of salvation. He immerses us in mercy. He stitches together our shredded souls. He deposits his Spirit in our hearts and implants heavenly gifts. Our big God blesses our small faith.
Gradually our big God changes us. People notice the difference. They applaud. They admire us. And kudos become ladder rungs, and we begin to elevate ourselves. We forget. We forget who brought us here. Take time to remember. “Look at what you were when God called you” (1 Corinthians 1:26 NCV). Remember who held you in the beginning. And remember who holds you today.
2 Chronicles 2
Solomon gave orders to begin construction on the house of worship in honor of God and a palace for himself.
2 Solomon assigned seventy thousand common laborers, eighty thousand to work the quarries in the mountains, and thirty-six hundred foremen to manage the workforce.
3-4 Then Solomon sent this message to King Hiram of Tyre: “Send me cedar logs, the same kind you sent David my father for building his palace. I’m about to build a house of worship in honor of God, a holy place for burning perfumed incense, for setting out holy bread, for making Whole-Burnt-Offerings at morning and evening worship, and for Sabbath, New Moon, and Holy Day services of worship—the acts of worship required of Israel.
5-10 “The house I am building has to be the best, for our God is the best, far better than competing gods. But who is capable of building such a structure? Why, the skies—the entire cosmos!—can’t begin to contain him. And me, who am I to think I can build a house adequate for God—burning incense to him is about all I’m good for! I need your help: Send me a master artisan in gold, silver, bronze, iron, textiles of purple, crimson, and violet, and who knows the craft of engraving; he will supervise the trained craftsmen in Judah and Jerusalem that my father provided. Also send cedar, cypress, and algum logs from Lebanon; I know you have lumberjacks experienced in the Lebanon forests. I’ll send workers to join your crews to cut plenty of timber—I’m going to need a lot, for this house I’m building is going to be absolutely stunning—a showcase temple! I’ll provide all the food necessary for your crew of lumberjacks and loggers: 130,000 bushels of wheat, 120,000 gallons of wine, and 120,000 gallons of olive oil.”
11 Hiram king of Tyre wrote Solomon in reply: “It’s plain that God loves his people—he made you king over them!”
12-14 He wrote on, “Blessed be the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, and who gave King David a son so wise, so knowledgeable and shrewd, to build a temple for God and a palace for himself. I’ve sent you Huram-Abi—he’s already on his way—he knows the construction business inside and out. His mother is from Dan and his father from Tyre. He knows how to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, in purple, violet, linen, and crimson textiles; he is also an expert engraver and competent to work out designs with your artists and architects, and those of my master David, your father.
15-16 “Go ahead and send the wheat, barley, olive oil, and wine you promised for my work crews. We’ll log the trees you need from the Lebanon forests and raft them down to Joppa. You’ll have to get the timber up to Jerusalem yourself.”
17-18 Solomon then took a census of all the foreigners living in Israel, using the same census-taking method employed by his father. They numbered 153,600. He assigned 70,000 of them as common laborers, 80,000 to work the quarries in the mountains, and 3,600 as foremen to manage the work crews.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, January 30, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Isaiah 35:1–4
Joy of the Redeemed
35 The deserth and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.i
Like the crocus,j 2 it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.k
The glory of Lebanonl will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmelm and Sharon;n
they will see the gloryo of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.p
3 Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the kneesq that give way;
4 sayr to those with fearful hearts,s
“Be strong, do not fear;t
your God will come,u
he will come with vengeance;v
with divine retribution
he will come to savew you.”
Insight
Isaiah 35 follows six woes in chapters 28–33 that proclaim judgment on sinful nations, and chapter 34 that declares judgment on those oppressing God’s people. Chapter 35 stands in stark contrast because it talks of future blessings of a restored Zion; this chapter is peace in chaos as chapters 36–39 transition to focus on the threat of the Babylonian exile, which stood as judgment for Israel’s sin.
In contrast to the theme of God’s anger and coming judgment leading to destruction, chapter 35 promises that God’s people will be heirs of a new age and speaks of nature’s restoration and a salvation that includes freedom from their enemies. Even though the nations, including Israel, would be judged, ultimately God in His goodness would redeem the land. By: Julie Schwab
Strengthening Weak Knees
Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way. Isaiah 35:3
When I was a kid, I thought the song title “He Looked Beyond My Fault and Saw My Need,” written by Dottie Rambo in 1967, was “He Looked Beyond My Faults and Saw My Knees.” Employing the logic of a child, I wondered why God would look at knees. Was it because they were weak? I knew that weak-kneed meant “afraid.” I later discovered that Dottie had written the song about God’s unconditional love in response to her brother Eddie’s belief that he was unlovable because of the wrong things he’d done. Dottie assured him that God saw his weakness but loved him anyway.
God’s unconditional love is apparent throughout the many weak-kneed moments of the people of Israel and Judah. He sent prophets like Isaiah with messages for His wayward people. In Isaiah 35, the prophet shares the hope of God’s restoration. The encouragement that would come as a result of embracing hope would “strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way” (v. 3). Through the encouragement they received, God’s people would in turn be able to encourage others. This is why Isaiah instructs in verse 4, “Say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear.’ ”
Feeling weak-kneed? Talk to your heavenly Father. He strengthens weak knees through the truth of the Scriptures and the power of His presence. You’ll then be able to encourage others. By: Linda Washington
Reflect & Pray
What are some of the ways you’ve been encouraged recently? How will you encourage someone who’s facing hard times?
Father, I need Your strength and Your grace today.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, January 30, 2020
The Dilemma of Obedience
Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision. —1 Samuel 3:15
God never speaks to us in dramatic ways, but in ways that are easy to misunderstand. Then we say, “I wonder if that is God’s voice?” Isaiah said that the Lord spoke to him “with a strong hand,” that is, by the pressure of his circumstances (Isaiah 8:11). Without the sovereign hand of God Himself, nothing touches our lives. Do we discern His hand at work, or do we see things as mere occurrences?
Get into the habit of saying, “Speak, Lord,” and life will become a romance (1 Samuel 3:9). Every time circumstances press in on you, say, “Speak, Lord,” and make time to listen. Chastening is more than a means of discipline— it is meant to bring me to the point of saying, “Speak, Lord.” Think back to a time when God spoke to you. Do you remember what He said? Was it Luke 11:13, or was it 1 Thessalonians 5:23? As we listen, our ears become more sensitive, and like Jesus, we will hear God all the time.
Should I tell my “Eli” what God has shown to me? This is where the dilemma of obedience hits us. We disobey God by becoming amateur providences and thinking, “I must shield ‘Eli,’ ” who represents the best people we know. God did not tell Samuel to tell Eli— he had to decide that for himself. God’s message to you may hurt your “Eli,” but trying to prevent suffering in another’s life will prove to be an obstruction between your soul and God. It is at your own risk that you prevent someone’s right hand being cut off or right eye being plucked out (see Matthew 5:29-30).
Never ask another person’s advice about anything God makes you decide before Him. If you ask advice, you will almost always side with Satan. “…I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood…” (Galatians 1:16).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We all have the trick of saying—If only I were not where I am!—If only I had not got the kind of people I have to live with! If our faith or our religion does not help us in the conditions we are in, we have either a further struggle to go through, or we had better abandon that faith and religion. The Shadow of an Agony, 1178 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, January 30, 2020
What to Ask a King For - #8624
A local pastor told me about an incident that reportedly happened when a world-famous professional golfer was playing in Saudi Arabia. Apparently, the King was so impressed with this man's playing that he said to him, "I'd like to give you a gift of appreciation." This renowned golfer told the King that no gift was necessary; he just appreciated the opportunity to play in his country. But the King was insistent, not only that the golfer receive a gift, but that he could name any gift he wanted.
Well, after just a brief moment to think about it, he just said, "A golf club." He thought maybe the King would give him a golf club that had some gold or maybe even a jewel in it. A few days later, a representative of the King came to the golfer's hotel to present the King's gift - an object that was only about a foot long, carried inside a leather pouch. Well, apparently this was going to be a fairly small golf club. Then the golfer opened the pouch only to discover inside a deed - a deed that made him the owner of a golf club, as in the hundreds of acres that made up the beautiful golf club he had been given!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "What to Ask a King For."
Now this famous golfer had one observation to make after this overwhelming response to his request. He said, "In the presence of a great king, you do not ask for small gifts!" How right he is.
Listen to our word for today from the Word of God. It's about the King who made all the other kings! Jeremiah 33:2-3 - "This is what the Lord says, He who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it - the Lord is His name." Those are our King's incredible credentials. Now, based on who He is, God says, "Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."
I'm reminded of a companion promise in the New Testament. Ephesians 3:20 identifies our Lord as "Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us." Now I hate to say it, but in light of the kind of King we have and the kind of promises He's made to us, most of our prayers are pretty lame. We come into the Throne Room from which the universe is governed with our little "Dear God" ditties: "Dear God, thank You for this day, thank You for Your many blessings, forgive us our many sins, help us with our many problems, and bless the missionaries, whoever they may be. Amen." Oh, man!
Our praying is often just so predictable, so routine, so small. It's an insult to the God who's invited us to come to Him for "no small gifts." When's the last time you really believed God for some things that are so big only God could do them? Or have you been praying you-sized prayers, man-sized prayers, earth-sized prayers? We're guilty of under-praying and under-trusting!
When you pray, take a little time to focus on the God whose incredible, awesome presence you've just entered - the One who controls billions of galaxies! Do you pray like that? Let yourself be overwhelmed...not by your problems or your questions, but by the size of your Lord! Then pray in ways that are worthy of the great God you're with!
The hymn writer had it right, "O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer."
Remember, when you pray, you are in the presence of the King of all kings. Don't ask for small gifts!