Max Lucado Daily: PREPARING A PLACE
God’s purpose from all eternity is to prepare a family to indwell the kingdom of God. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). God is plotting for our good. In all the setbacks, He’s ordaining the best for our future. Every event of our day is designed to draw us toward our God and our destiny.
When people junk you in the pit, God can use it for good. When family members sell you out, God will recycle the pain. Falsely accused? Utterly abandoned? You may stumble but you will not fall. You will get through this! Not because you are strong, but because God is. Not because you are big, but because God is. Not because you are good, but because God is. He has a place prepared for you!
Romans 12
Place Your Life Before God
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
3 I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.
4-6 In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.
6-8 If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.
9-10 Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
11-13 Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
14-16 Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.
17-19 Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”
20-21 Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, June 18, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
2 Kings 22:1–2, 8–13
The Book of the Law Found
Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.
Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Laws in the temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan, who read it. 9 Then Shaphan the secretary went to the king and reported to him: “Your officials have paid out the money that was in the temple of the Lord and have entrusted it to the workers and supervisors at the temple.” 10 Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.t
11 When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law,u he tore his robes. 12 He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikamv son of Shaphan, Akbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant:w 13 “Go and inquirex of the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s angery that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.”
Insight
The young king Josiah isn’t the only one in the Bible who was so internally moved that “he tore his robes” (2 Kings 22:11). This practice, which is foreign to the modern West, was an indication of great anxiety and distress. The first incident in the Bible of tearing one’s clothing is found in Genesis 37:29 where Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn son, tore his clothes when he discovered that his father’s favored son, Joseph, was missing. Not long afterwards, a grief-stricken Jacob “tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days” (v. 34).
Straight Ahead
He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord . . . , not turning aside to the right or to the left. 2 Kings 22:2
It used to take the steady eye and the firm hand of a farmer to drive a tractor or combine down straight rows. But even the best eyes would overlap rows, and by end of day even the strongest hands would be fatigued. But now there’s autosteer—a GPS-based technology that allows for accuracy to within one inch when planting, cultivating, and spraying. It’s incredibly efficient and hands-free. Just imagine sitting in a mammoth combine and instead of gripping the wheel, you’re gripping a roast beef sandwich. An amazing tool to keep you moving straight ahead.
You may recall the name Josiah. He was crowned king when he was only “eight years old” (2 Kings 22:1). Years later, in his mid-twenties, Hilkiah the high priest found “the Book of the Law” in the temple (v. 8). It was then read to the young king, who tore his robes in sorrow due to his ancestors’ disobedience to God. Josiah set about to do what was “right in the eyes of the Lord” (v. 2). The book became a tool to steer the people so there would be no turning to the right or left. God’s instructions were there to set things straight.
Allowing the Scriptures to guide us day by day keeps our lives in line with knowing God and His will. The Bible is an amazing tool that, if followed, keeps us moving straight ahead. By: John Blase
Reflect & Pray
How is Bible reading a part of your daily routine? What Scriptures has God been using to keep your life on track?
God, the Scriptures are a gift that brings truth and freedom to our lives. Help me to hunger and thirst for Your words.
To gain a high-level perspective of what the Bible is about, visit bit.ly/2ksifCp.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, June 18, 2020
Beware of Criticizing Others
Judge not, that you be not judged. —Matthew 7:1
Jesus’ instructions with regard to judging others is very simply put; He says, “Don’t.” The average Christian is the most piercingly critical individual known. Criticism is one of the ordinary activities of people, but in the spiritual realm nothing is accomplished by it. The effect of criticism is the dividing up of the strengths of the one being criticized. The Holy Spirit is the only one in the proper position to criticize, and He alone is able to show what is wrong without hurting and wounding. It is impossible to enter into fellowship with God when you are in a critical mood. Criticism serves to make you harsh, vindictive, and cruel, and leaves you with the soothing and flattering idea that you are somehow superior to others. Jesus says that as His disciple you should cultivate a temperament that is never critical. This will not happen quickly but must be developed over a span of time. You must constantly beware of anything that causes you to think of yourself as a superior person.
There is no escaping the penetrating search of my life by Jesus. If I see the little speck in your eye, it means that I have a plank of timber in my own (see Matthew 7:3-5). Every wrong thing that I see in you, God finds in me. Every time I judge, I condemn myself (see Romans 2:17-24). Stop having a measuring stick for other people. There is always at least one more fact, which we know nothing about, in every person’s situation. The first thing God does is to give us a thorough spiritual cleaning. After that, there is no possibility of pride remaining in us. I have never met a person I could despair of, or lose all hope for, after discerning what lies in me apart from the grace of God.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
If there is only one strand of faith amongst all the corruption within us, God will take hold of that one strand. Not Knowing Whither, 888 L
Bible in a Year: Nehemiah 7-9; Acts 3
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, June 18, 2020
The Boss Is Never Away - #8724
The saying is about as old as dirt, "While the cat's away, the mice will play." To the extent that's true, the mice don't usually announce that they're planning to exploit the cat's absence, but not so with one business in our town. Where we were living back then, I drove by there. I saw a new display on the big sign that was in front of the business. The sign said, "The boss is away, so we will play." Let's hope the boss didn't come back early. Or maybe we should hope he did.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Boss Is Never Away."
The Bible provides that interesting perspective on life as it really is; the God who is the Boss that we all answer to is never away. Which ought to make us think twice about "playing."
It's something Joseph understood very well in the face of unbelievably strong temptation to take a major detour from God's path. The story is told in Genesis 39, beginning with verse 2, and it's our word for today from the Word of God. Joseph's jealous brothers have conspired to have him sold into slavery in Egypt. By God's grace, the man who buys Joseph is Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's royal guard. Joseph gets a great job in a very nice place. The kind of situation many of us would have compromised to hang onto. Not Joseph.
The Bible says, "The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered...when his master saw that the Lord was with him...he put him in charge of his household and entrusted to his care everything he owned." Then comes a very powerful temptation. "Now Joseph was well built and handsome." I think the word in Hebrew is "hunk" here. Then it says, "And after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, 'Come to bed with me!' But he refused. 'My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?' And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her."
We're looking at a pretty tempting temptation here. You've got a lonely guy, attractive woman throwing herself at him, and he's so trusted probably no one would ever know except his Boss. No, not Potiphar - the Lord God. Though God is nowhere to be seen, Joseph refuses on the basis that he cannot do "such a wicked thing and sin against God."
Temptation's strong at times when we think we're anonymous, when we think no one will know, where sin offers an attractive way to meet some deep need we have. Some tragic, life-scarring mistakes have been made when a person was away from home, or on vacation, with their guard down, enjoying some "downtime," or when they were drunk or when they were high. The lie is that what we do when nobody's looking, when we're "off-duty" doesn't really count, right? Yeah, it does, because God's still watching.
His calculator is always running, and the consequences are always coming. And God blows away our "I'll get away with it" fantasy with one solemn Biblical guarantee, "Be sure your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23). Just ask David. He took a brief vacation from God. He said yes to the temptation to sleep with Bathsheba, and he brought misery to himself and his family for the rest of his life.
Message: sin is never worth it. And the Boss you will give account to is never away. The measure of a truly great man or woman of God is what they're like when it seems no one will know. There's a little plaque in our daughter's home, and I think it sums it up brilliantly in five little words that you can base a life on: "Live innocently. God is watching."
