Max Lucado Daily: YOU WILL NEVER GO WRONG DOING WHAT’S RIGHT
Dad, would you intentionally break the arm of your child? Of course not! Such an action violates every fiber of your moral being. Yet if you engage in sexual activity outside your marriage, you’ll bring more pain into the life of your child than a broken bone.
Mom, would you force your children to sleep outside on a cold night? By no means. Yet if you involve yourself in an affair, you’ll bring more darkness and chill into the lives of your children than a hundred winters.
Actions have consequences. Make this your rule of thumb: do what pleases God. Your classmates show you a way to cheat, the Internet provides pornography to watch. When these things happen, ask yourself the question, “How can I please God?” Psalm 4, verse 5 says, “Do what is right as a sacrifice to the Lord.” You will never go wrong doing what is right!
Isaiah 44
“But for now, dear servant Jacob, listen—
yes, you, Israel, my personal choice.
God who made you has something to say to you;
the God who formed you in the womb wants to help you.
Don’t be afraid, dear servant Jacob,
Jeshurun, the one I chose.
For I will pour water on the thirsty ground
and send streams coursing through the parched earth.
I will pour my Spirit into your descendants
and my blessing on your children.
They shall sprout like grass on the prairie,
like willows alongside creeks.
This one will say, ‘I am God’s,’
and another will go by the name Jacob;
That one will write on his hand ‘God’s property’—
and be proud to be called Israel.”
6-8 God, King of Israel,
your Redeemer, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, says:
“I’m first, I’m last, and everything in between.
I’m the only God there is.
Who compares with me?
Speak up. See if you measure up.
From the beginning, who else has always announced what’s coming?
So what is coming next? Anybody want to venture a try?
Don’t be afraid, and don’t worry:
Haven’t I always kept you informed, told you what was going on?
You’re my eyewitnesses:
Have you ever come across a God, a real God, other than me?
There’s no Rock like me that I know of.”
9-11 All those who make no-god idols don’t amount to a thing, and what they work so hard at making is nothing. Their little puppet-gods see nothing and know nothing—they’re total embarrassments! Who would bother making gods that can’t do anything, that can’t “god”? Watch all the no-god worshipers hide their faces in shame. Watch the no-god makers slink off humiliated when their idols fail them. Get them out here in the open. Make them face God-reality.
12 The blacksmith makes his no-god, works it over in his forge, hammering it on his anvil—such hard work! He works away, fatigued with hunger and thirst.
13-17 The woodworker draws up plans for his no-god, traces it on a block of wood. He shapes it with chisels and planes into human shape—a beautiful woman, a handsome man, ready to be placed in a chapel. He first cuts down a cedar, or maybe picks out a pine or oak, and lets it grow strong in the forest, nourished by the rain. Then it can serve a double purpose: Part he uses as firewood for keeping warm and baking bread; from the other part he makes a god that he worships—carves it into a god shape and prays before it. With half he makes a fire to warm himself and barbecue his supper. He eats his fill and sits back satisfied with his stomach full and his feet warmed by the fire: “Ah, this is the life.” And he still has half left for a god, made to his personal design—a handy, convenient no-god to worship whenever so inclined. Whenever the need strikes him he prays to it, “Save me. You’re my god.”
18-19 Pretty stupid, wouldn’t you say? Don’t they have eyes in their heads? Are their brains working at all? Doesn’t it occur to them to say, “Half of this tree I used for firewood: I baked bread, roasted meat, and enjoyed a good meal. And now I’ve used the rest to make an abominable no-god. Here I am praying to a stick of wood!”
20 This lover of emptiness, of nothing, is so out of touch with reality, so far gone, that he can’t even look at what he’s doing, can’t even look at the no-god stick of wood in his hand and say, “This is crazy.”
21-22 “Remember these things, O Jacob.
Take it seriously, Israel, that you’re my servant.
I made you, shaped you: You’re my servant.
O Israel, I’ll never forget you.
I’ve wiped the slate of all your wrongdoings.
There’s nothing left of your sins.
Come back to me, come back.
I’ve redeemed you.”
23 High heavens, sing!
God has done it.
Deep earth, shout!
And you mountains, sing!
A forest choir of oaks and pines and cedars!
God has redeemed Jacob.
God’s glory is on display in Israel.
24 God, your Redeemer,
who shaped your life in your mother’s womb, says:
“I am God. I made all that is.
With no help from you I spread out the skies
and laid out the earth.”
25-28 He makes the magicians look ridiculous
and turns fortunetellers into jokes.
He makes the experts look trivial
and their latest knowledge look silly.
But he backs the word of his servant
and confirms the counsel of his messengers.
He says to Jerusalem, “Be inhabited,”
and to the cities of Judah, “Be rebuilt,”
and to the ruins, “I raise you up.”
He says to Ocean, “Dry up.
I’m drying up your rivers.”
He says to Cyrus, “My shepherd—
everything I want, you’ll do it.”
He says to Jerusalem, “Be built,”
and to the Temple, “Be established.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Hebrews 1:8–12
But about the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy.”[a]
10 He also says,
“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
11 They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
12 You will roll them up like a robe;
like a garment they will be changed.
But you remain the same,
and your years will never end.”[b]
Insight
The letter to the Hebrews contains some of the most revealing Christology (the study of the person and work of Christ) in the New Testament. In Hebrews 1:8–12, God speaks about the role of the Son—understood to be the Messiah. This Son will have a just kingdom that lasts forever (v. 8), and because of the Son’s love for righteousness and hatred of wickedness, God anointed Him with “the oil of joy” (v. 9).
The oil of joy is a way to describe what Jesus faced while on earth. Yet joy is used of Jesus again in chapter 12. There the author says that it was because of the joy before Him (perhaps this anointing of the oil of joy?) that He endured the cross. Neither His ministry nor the cross were the joy; it was what followed that was so extraordinary that Jesus willingly suffered.
The Smiling Jesus
God . . . has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy. Hebrews 1:9
If you were to play the part of Jesus in a movie, how would you approach the role? That was the challenge faced by Bruce Marchiano, who played Jesus in the 1993 Visual Bible movie Matthew. Knowing that millions of viewers would draw conclusions about Jesus based on his work, the weight of getting Christ “right” felt overwhelming. He fell to his knees in prayer and begged Jesus for—well, for Jesus.
Bruce gained insight from the first chapter of Hebrews, where the writer tells us how God the Father set the Son apart by anointing Him “with the oil of joy” (1:9). This kind of joy is one of celebration—a gladness of connection to the Father expressed wholeheartedly. Such joy ruled in Jesus’ heart throughout His life. As Hebrews 12:2 describes it, “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Taking his cue from this scriptural expression, Bruce offered a uniquely joy-filled portrayal of his Savior. As a result, he became known as “the smiling Jesus.” We too can dare to fall to our knees and “beg Jesus for Jesus.” May He so fill us with His character that people around us see the expression of His love in us! By: Elisa Morgan
Reflect & Pray
What are your perceptions of Jesus and how might they need to change? How can you represent Him as you show His heart to the world?
Dear Jesus, we beg You for You. May Your heart be what others see in us today. May we radiate Your joy in all we say and do.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Taking Possession of Our Own Soul
By your patience possess your souls. —Luke 21:19
When a person is born again, there is a period of time when he does not have the same vitality in his thinking or reasoning that he previously had. We must learn to express this new life within us, which comes by forming the mind of Christ (see Philippians 2:5). Luke 21:19 means that we take possession of our souls through patience. But many of us prefer to stay at the entrance to the Christian life, instead of going on to create and build our soul in accordance with the new life God has placed within us. We fail because we are ignorant of the way God has made us, and we blame things on the devil that are actually the result of our own undisciplined natures. Just think what we could be when we are awakened to the truth!
There are certain things in life that we need not pray about— moods, for instance. We will never get rid of moodiness by praying, but we will by kicking it out of our lives. Moods nearly always are rooted in some physical circumstance, not in our true inner self. It is a continual struggle not to listen to the moods which arise as a result of our physical condition, but we must never submit to them for a second. We have to pick ourselves up by the back of the neck and shake ourselves; then we will find that we can do what we believed we were unable to do. The problem that most of us are cursed with is simply that we won’t. The Christian life is one of spiritual courage and determination lived out in our flesh.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We are apt to think that everything that happens to us is to be turned into useful teaching; it is to be turned into something better than teaching, viz. into character. We shall find that the spheres God brings us into are not meant to teach us something but to make us something. The Love of God—The Ministry of the Unnoticed, 664 L
Bible in a Year: 1 Chronicles 10-12; John 6:45-71
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Covering First Base - #8703
If you're a baseball fan, it seems like winter is going to last forever. Then you hear those wonderful words: "Opening Day!" Snowballs turn to fast balls, and you're happy again. You know, over the last years, one of the great stars in baseball has been Albert Pujols, who for many years made records on St. Louis Cardinals. And he has had some great seasons, acknowledged by many to be one of baseball's all-time greats.
Now, in his book called "More Than the Game," and it actually shows there's a lot more to this guy than uncommon athletic ability. He says that baseball is, for him, ultimately a God-given platform to elevate Jesus Christ. But wait, isn't that true of whatever position any Jesus-follower is in?
Now, Albert Pujols loved to see opposing players be out at first base, but apparently he can't stand the thought of them being out at the gates of heaven.
He revealed in his book that he has, on occasion, asked players an eternity question while they're standing on his base. He says, "Do you think you're going to heaven when you die? If you died today, where do you think you'd go?"
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Covering First Base."
That's fascinating! Now, you may or may not like Albert's approach, but I'll tell you what, there's no doubt he's a Jesus-follower who understands why he is where he is. Our word for today from the Word of God tells us that he is, like every believer, like you and me, "an ambassador for Christ." And in the Bible's words, "imploring people in Christ's stead, to be reconciled to God" (2 Corinthians 5:20); divinely positioned to help people be in heaven someday. That's why you are where you are!
Whatever your situation is, it's designed to situate you to be His face there, His voice there, His hands there, so those people there can have a chance at Jesus. So whether that's a hospital, or a funeral home, or an office, or a factory, a soccer field, a classroom, a community organization, or your neighborhood, wherever you are you are there to help people be in heaven.
Now, I wouldn't have chosen to see a child we love dearly spend trying days in the hospital, and the battle was pretty intense with some medical issues that were challenging. But I can tell you one reason I was there. It was the same reason God's all-star rep, Paul, was in prison. He said he was an "ambassador in chains" for the sake of Jesus' good news (Ephesians 6:20).
Well, I know why I was in that hospital. I'm thinking, "You know what? Wait a minute, I'm an ambassador in a hospital. I wouldn't be here except for a situation I really wish wasn't happening, but there were so many opportunities to represent the love and the peace of Jesus to hospital staff.
Now, Paul, ambassador in chains, he said, "I'm placed where I am, in this lousy situation, because Jesus needed someone to tell Caesar's Praetorian Guards about Him. And we know later that he said, "The Christians in Caesar's household salute you." He was an ambassador in chains so these guards that were chained to him and him to them for four hour shifts. He wanted the gospel, God did, to infiltrate the very world of Caesar himself.
Well, like Paul, we knew our situation had positioned us in a hospital to be Christ's "ambassadors" there. And I'm happy to say our loved one was eventually out and recovering. But you know what? That crisis meant that some doctors, nurses and other patients got to hear about Jesus. So, just like Albert Pujols in his "ambassador at first base" situation, we all get to be His ambassador at Wal-Mart, our kids' school, on Facebook, in our service club, at the gym, the club, the workplace.
And suddenly our "everyday stuff" isn't everyday anymore. It takes on eternal meaning. Because the people we know can't get to first base with God without our Jesus.