Max Lucado Daily: WHAT WE CANNOT DO, CHRIST DOES!
The crowd followed Jesus around the Sea of Galilee. The fifteen thousand people (five thousand men plus women and children) were hungry. Philip and Andrew counted the hungry people, they counted the money in their bag, and they counted the amount of fish and bread.
They did not, however, count on Christ. And he was standing right there! Yet the idea of soliciting his help did not dawn on them. Even so, Jesus went right to work. “Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated, and as much fish as they were wanting, too” (John 6:11). The impossible task of feeding “all these people” became the unforgettable miracle of all these people fed.
What we cannot do, Christ does! The problems we face are opportunities for Christ to prove this point. Remember, friends, You are never alone.
Jeremiah 43
Death! Exile! Slaughter!
When Jeremiah finished telling all the people the whole Message that their God had sent him to give them—all these words—Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah, backed by all the self-important men, said to Jeremiah, “Liar! Our God never sent you with this message telling us not to go to Egypt and live there. Baruch son of Neriah is behind this. He has turned you against us. He’s playing into the hands of the Babylonians so we’ll either end up being killed or taken off to exile in Babylon.”
4 Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers, and the people along with them, wouldn’t listen to God’s Message that they stay in the land of Judah and live there.
5-7 Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers gathered up everyone who was left from Judah, who had come back after being scattered all over the place—the men, women, and children, the king’s daughters, all the people that Nebuzaradan captain of the bodyguard had left in the care of Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and last but not least, Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah. They entered the land of Egypt in total disobedience of God’s Message and arrived at the city of Tahpanhes.
8-9 While in Tahpanhes, God’s Word came to Jeremiah: “Pick up some large stones and cover them with mortar in the vicinity of the pavement that leads up to the building set aside for Pharaoh’s use in Tahpanhes. Make sure some of the men of Judah are watching.
10-13 “Then address them: ‘This is what God-of-the-Angel-Armies says: Be on the lookout! I’m sending for and bringing Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon—my servant, mind you!—and he’ll set up his throne on these very stones that I’ve had buried here and he’ll spread out his canopy over them. He’ll come and absolutely smash Egypt, sending each to his assigned fate: death, exile, slaughter. He’ll burn down the temples of Egypt’s gods. He’ll either burn up the gods or haul them off as booty. Like a shepherd who picks lice from his robes, he’ll pick Egypt clean. And then he’ll walk away without a hand being laid on him. He’ll shatter the sacred obelisks at Egypt’s House of the Sun and make a huge bonfire of the temples of Egypt’s gods.’”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Colossians 3:5–16
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[a] 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
Footnotes
Colossians 3:6 Some early manuscripts coming on those who are disobedient
Insight
In Colossians, Paul combats “hollow and deceptive philosophy” (2:8) by positively expounding on the amazing reality that believers die and rise with Christ into a new body and a new family unified in Him (v. 20; 3:1).
To explain how to live according to their new identity in Jesus, Paul uses the metaphor of taking off and putting on clothing. They were to “rid [themselves] of” (3:8, literally, “take off”) their old identities and habits and instead “put on” or “clothe [themselves]” through the Spirit with the beautiful qualities of their new identities in Christ (vv. 10, 12).
Thriving Together
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. Colossians 3:15
My husband, Alan, stood below the towering lights illuminating the athletic field, as a member of the opposing team hit a ball into the air. With his eyes fixed on the ball, Alan ran full speed toward the darkest corner of the field—and slammed into the chain link fence.
Later that night, I handed him an ice pack. “Are you feeling okay?” I asked. He rubbed his shoulder. “I’d feel better if my buddies had warned me that I was getting near the fence,” he said.
Teams function best when they work together. Alan’s injury could have been avoided, if only one of his teammates had yelled out a warning as he approached the fence.
Scripture reminds us that members of the church are designed to work together and watch out for each other like a team. The apostle Paul tells us that God cares about how we interact with each other, because the actions of one person can impact the whole community of believers (Colossians 3:13–14). When we all embrace opportunities to serve each other, fully devoted to unity and peace, the church flourishes (v. 15).
Paul instructed his readers to “let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit” (v. 16). In this way we can inspire and protect one another through loving and honest relationships, obeying and praising God with grateful hearts—thriving together. By: Xochitl Dixon
Reflect & Pray
How can you share Scripture this week with others to encourage unity and love in the body of Christ? What does it mean for you to have “the message of Christ [dwelling] among you richly”?
Father God, thank You for using Scripture to instruct me, Your Spirit to guide me, and Your people to keep me focused and accountable.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
The Key to the Missionary’s Work
Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…" —Matthew 28:18-19
The key to the missionary’s work is the authority of Jesus Christ, not the needs of the lost. We are inclined to look on our Lord as one who assists us in our endeavors for God. Yet our Lord places Himself as the absolute sovereign and supreme Lord over His disciples. He does not say that the lost will never be saved if we don’t go— He simply says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations….” He says, “Go on the basis of the revealed truth of My sovereignty, teaching and preaching out of your living experience of Me.”
“Then the eleven disciples went…to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them” (Matthew 28:16). If I want to know the universal sovereignty of Christ, I must know Him myself. I must take time to worship the One whose name I bear. Jesus says, “Come to Me…”— that is the place to meet Jesus— “all you who labor and are heavy laden…” (Matthew 11:28)— and how many missionaries are! We completely dismiss these wonderful words of the universal Sovereign of the world, but they are the words of Jesus to His disciples meant for here and now.
“Go therefore….” To “go” simply means to live. Acts 1:8 is the description of how to go. Jesus did not say in this verse, “Go into Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria,” but, “…you shall be witnesses to Me in [all these places].” He takes upon Himself the work of sending us.
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you…” (John 15:7)— that is the way to keep going. Where we are placed is then a matter of indifference to us, because God sovereignly engineers our goings.
“None of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus…” (Acts 20:24). That is how to keep going until we are gone from this life.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Civilization is based on principles which imply that the passing moment is permanent. The only permanent thing is God, and if I put anything else as permanent, I become atheistic. I must build only on God (John 14:6). The Highest Good—Thy Great Redemption, 565 L
Bible in a Year: Isaiah 43-44; 1 Thessalonians 2
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
It's Past Halftime! - #8808
So after that Super Bowl everybody wanted to talk about the commercials. Great! I wanted to talk about the New York Giants. Yeah, my team that year won the Super Bowl! Who cares about the commercials? Answer: the news, the blogosphere, social networks, gazillions of people at the water cooler! Of course, what did it cost - $4-$5 million a pop for a 30-second ad. Advertisers were hoping we would talk about their commercial and buying what they were selling.
I didn't see all the commercials, but one of them that year blew the others away. It wasn't funny, it wasn't suggestive, it was just compelling. A still photo from, what is in fact, the first thing I saw on the front page of a USA Today.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "It's Past Halftime!"
It actually aired as halftime was beginning, and it featured the iconic actor, Clint Eastwood (you might remember it), walking in the shadows of a big-city alley (very different from all the other commercials), and intoning, "It's halftime in America." Now, in reality, the commercial was sponsored by a major automobile company trumpeting their recovery and the comeback of the city of Detroit. But the message transcended its sponsor. And while it might be subject to political interpretation or manipulation, there was a reason it was all the buzz.
It had scenes capturing America's economic and political "downturn," and Eastwood's hoarsely commanding commentary talking about how Detroit had rallied around what was right; they came together and turned things around. And he called on Americans to do the same as a country. Then, with the camera focusing on the actor's leathery face, he said, "It's halftime, America, and the second half is about to begin." Now, I remember that one.
Now, I'm looking at a little different game clock. This one is ticking down to a time the Bible talks about over and over again; it's called "the last days." Those days that will culminate with the personal return of Jesus Christ to this planet. Jesus said He would die on the cross for our sins, and He did. He predicted He would rise from the dead three days after He died, and He did. As He returned to heaven, He promised "If I go...I will come back" (John 14:3). And He will.
He also told us how to tell time - His time. He said to look for signs that would precede His return: Natural disasters increasing in frequency and intensity, dangerous days in the Middle East, terror, people yearning for a messianic leader, a climate of uncertainty and fear. Our word for today from the Word of God is in John 9:4. Jesus said, "...as long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work."
Now, comparing headlines to the Bible, there's a lot of folks who are concluding that God's game clock might be running down; that it's way past halftime in our world. In fact, it could be that our world and our generation are hearing God's two-minute warning.
When football players hear that warning, they throw caution to the wind, they make every second count, they do whatever it takes to get points on the board. It seems to me that Team Jesus - all of us who claim to follow Him - should be doing no less. Don't you think we should be moving beyond maintenance mode to taking new ground?
We should be giving like there may not be a lot more tomorrows. Forget turf, forget territory! Let's wage a united battle for the lost souls in our town! Let's refuse to let our fear keep us any longer from telling that lost friend about our Jesus. Abandon the tentativeness that's bred by uncertain times like these, and trade it in for the boldness that times like these demand.
This is no time to settle for being on the sidelines or in the stands, or hiding out in some holy huddle. This is no time to be heading for the locker room or sitting on the ball. This game is too big to forfeit, and it's too costly to lose.
From my daily reading of the bible, Our Daily Bread Devotionals, My Utmost for His Highest and Ron Hutchcraft "A Word with You" and occasionally others.