Numbers 5 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Relief Is Coming - December 31, 2021

You know, despair can be a dangerous season. But it can also be a developing time. A time in which we learn to trust God, to lean into his Word, to rely on his ways. The choice is ours.

And to help us choose the wise path, God gave the story of Esther. For fear of the death of his people, Mordecai cries out to Esther to intervene. He said, “If you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place…who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14).

Relief will come! This is God’s message for you. Feeling undone by the struggle? Then let God unleash the power within you to face it. Shift your focus away from the challenges. Ponder the power of your almighty God.

Numbers 5

The Purity of the Camp

The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone who has a defiling skin disease[a] or a discharge of any kind, or who is ceremonially unclean because of a dead body. 3 Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them.” 4 The Israelites did so; they sent them outside the camp. They did just as the Lord had instructed Moses.
Restitution for Wrongs

5 The Lord said to Moses, 6 “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any man or woman who wrongs another in any way[b] and so is unfaithful to the Lord is guilty 7 and must confess the sin they have committed. They must make full restitution for the wrong they have done, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the person they have wronged. 8 But if that person has no close relative to whom restitution can be made for the wrong, the restitution belongs to the Lord and must be given to the priest, along with the ram with which atonement is made for the wrongdoer. 9 All the sacred contributions the Israelites bring to a priest will belong to him. 10 Sacred things belong to their owners, but what they give to the priest will belong to the priest.’”
The Test for an Unfaithful Wife

11 Then the Lord said to Moses, 12 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him 13 so that another man has sexual relations with her, and this is hidden from her husband and her impurity is undetected (since there is no witness against her and she has not been caught in the act), 14 and if feelings of jealousy come over her husband and he suspects his wife and she is impure—or if he is jealous and suspects her even though she is not impure— 15 then he is to take his wife to the priest. He must also take an offering of a tenth of an ephah[c] of barley flour on her behalf. He must not pour olive oil on it or put incense on it, because it is a grain offering for jealousy, a reminder-offering to draw attention to wrongdoing.

16 “‘The priest shall bring her and have her stand before the Lord. 17 Then he shall take some holy water in a clay jar and put some dust from the tabernacle floor into the water. 18 After the priest has had the woman stand before the Lord, he shall loosen her hair and place in her hands the reminder-offering, the grain offering for jealousy, while he himself holds the bitter water that brings a curse. 19 Then the priest shall put the woman under oath and say to her, “If no other man has had sexual relations with you and you have not gone astray and become impure while married to your husband, may this bitter water that brings a curse not harm you. 20 But if you have gone astray while married to your husband and you have made yourself impure by having sexual relations with a man other than your husband”— 21 here the priest is to put the woman under this curse—“may the Lord cause you to become a curse[d] among your people when he makes your womb miscarry and your abdomen swell. 22 May this water that brings a curse enter your body so that your abdomen swells or your womb miscarries.”

“‘Then the woman is to say, “Amen. So be it.”

23 “‘The priest is to write these curses on a scroll and then wash them off into the bitter water. 24 He shall make the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and this water that brings a curse and causes bitter suffering will enter her. 25 The priest is to take from her hands the grain offering for jealousy, wave it before the Lord and bring it to the altar. 26 The priest is then to take a handful of the grain offering as a memorial[e] offering and burn it on the altar; after that, he is to have the woman drink the water. 27 If she has made herself impure and been unfaithful to her husband, this will be the result: When she is made to drink the water that brings a curse and causes bitter suffering, it will enter her, her abdomen will swell and her womb will miscarry, and she will become a curse. 28 If, however, the woman has not made herself impure, but is clean, she will be cleared of guilt and will be able to have children.

29 “‘This, then, is the law of jealousy when a woman goes astray and makes herself impure while married to her husband, 30 or when feelings of jealousy come over a man because he suspects his wife. The priest is to have her stand before the Lord and is to apply this entire law to her. 31 The husband will be innocent of any wrongdoing, but the woman will bear the consequences of her sin.’”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Friday, December 31, 2021

Today's Scripture
Philippians 3:15–21
(NIV)

Following Paul’s Example

15 All of us, then, who are matures should take such a view of things.t And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.u 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

17 Join together in following my example,v brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.w 18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears,x many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.y 19 Their destinyz is destruction, their god is their stomach,a and their glory is in their shame.b Their mind is set on earthly things.c 20 But our citizenshipd is in heaven.e And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,f 21 who, by the powerg that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodiesh so that they will be like his glorious body.

Insight

Paul lived such an exemplary life that he asked the Philippian believers to imitate him—to use him as a model of living the life of a believer in Jesus (Philippians 3:17; see 1 Corinthians 4:16). They were to follow Paul’s mindset and actions. He dared to ask believers to follow his example because he himself had “[followed] the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Paul’s mindset and actions were that of Jesus’—self-denial, unquestioned obedience, and humble service (Philippians 2:5–11). They were to imitate Paul in his relentless pursuit of Christ and Christlikeness (3:7–14). In fact, the Philippian believers were encouraged not only to imitate Paul, but to imitate any believer whose life was undeniably modeled upon Christ’s (3:17). On the other hand, Paul warns of following the wrong models—those who profess faith but “live as enemies of the cross of Christ”; those who live a worldly and immoral life (vv. 18–19).
By: K. T. Sim

One Day Closer to Christmas

Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 3:20

“I can’t believe Christmas is over,” my dejected daughter said.

I know how she feels: The aftermath of Christmas can feel dreary. Presents have been opened. The tree and lights must come down. Listless January—and, for many, the need to shed holiday pounds—awaits. Christmas—and the breathless anticipation that comes with it—suddenly feels eons away.

A few years ago, as we were putting Christmas stuff away, I realized: no matter what the calendar says, we’re always one day closer to the next Christmas. It’s become something I say frequently.

But far more important than our temporal celebration of Christmas is the spiritual reality behind it: the salvation Jesus brought into our world and our hope for His return. Scripture talks repeatedly about watching, waiting, and longing for Christ’s second coming. I love what Paul says in Philippians 3:15–21. He contrasts the world’s way of living—with “mind[s] set on earthly things” (v. 19)—with a lifestyle shaped by hope in Jesus’ return: “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 20).

The reality that our “citizenship is in heaven” changes everything, including what we hope for and how we live. That hope is fortified by the knowledge that with every passing day, we’re indeed one day closer to Jesus’ return. By:  Adam Holz

Reflect & Pray

What are some of the things you hope for in this world? How do you think your hope in Jesus influences and affects the earthly things you long and hope for?

Father, thank You for the hope that I have in Jesus and in His return. When lesser hopes compete for my heart’s affection and attention, help me to lift my eyes to You.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, December 31, 2021

Yesterday

You shall not go out with haste,…for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard. —Isaiah 52:12

Security from Yesterday. “…God requires an account of what is past” (Ecclesiastes 3:15). At the end of the year we turn with eagerness to all that God has for the future, and yet anxiety is apt to arise when we remember our yesterdays. Our present enjoyment of God’s grace tends to be lessened by the memory of yesterday’s sins and blunders. But God is the God of our yesterdays, and He allows the memory of them to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual growth for our future. God reminds us of the past to protect us from a very shallow security in the present.

Security for Tomorrow. “…the Lord will go before you….” This is a gracious revelation— that God will send His forces out where we have failed to do so. He will keep watch so that we will not be tripped up again by the same failures, as would undoubtedly happen if He were not our “rear guard.” And God’s hand reaches back to the past, settling all the claims against our conscience.

Security for Today. “You shall not go out with haste….” As we go forth into the coming year, let it not be in the haste of impetuous, forgetful delight, nor with the quickness of impulsive thoughtlessness. But let us go out with the patient power of knowing that the God of Israel will go before us. Our yesterdays hold broken and irreversible things for us. It is true that we have lost opportunities that will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ.

Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

The great thing about faith in God is that it keeps a man undisturbed in the midst of disturbance. Notes on Isaiah, 1376 R

Bible in a Year: Malachi 1-4; Revelation 22

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, December 31, 2021
Moving Toward That Door - #9125
I'd rather not have to use one of those carts to carry my groceries out to the parking lot. If you take it out there, you should be nice and return it to where it goes. Right? No, I'd rather use the mule approach, carrying every possible bag I can in my arms, my hands, hanging from my shoulders. So here I am, moving precariously toward the door of the store, with every appendage committed. Problem: how am I going to open that door that goes to the parking lot? If I start walking toward it, it remains closed, threatening my bodily welfare and my new treasures when I walk into the door. But if I just stand there, it won't open either. Well, thankfully, you know. Stores have automatic doors. The door remains closed, though, if I stand still, and it remains closed if I only walk part of the way toward it. But as I walk steadily toward it until I'm close to it - voila! - the door opens just before I need to go through it! What a world!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Moving Toward That Door."

Funniest thing - God opens doors the same way. To help us understand how His path opens up for us, He gave us that revealing story in our word for today from the Word of God. Joshua and the Israelites are camped on the east side of the Jordan River, looking across at Canaan, the rich land that God has promised to give them. But there's a major obstacle between them and what God wants to give them - the Jordan River at flood stage. There's no way they can get what God has for them without crossing that river, and apparently there's no way to do that.

Then, as recorded in Joshua 3, beginning with verse 8, God tells Joshua, "'Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: 'When you reach the edge of Jordan's waters, go and stand in the river.'" Joshua then tells the people: "As soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord - the Lord of all the earth - set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap."

The Bible goes on to show the amazing result of this step of total faith: "Now the Jordan is at flood stage during the harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing...so the people crossed over...the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on the dry ground in the middle of the Jordan." Wow!

There's an amazing scene here, but a dialog that has been, in essence, often repeated over the centuries as a child of God stands at their own Jordan River, facing a closed door or an impossible obstacle between them and what they knew God wanted them to do. And it might be one of those times in your life right now. Like the Jews of old, you're being told by God, "It's time to move out." He's leading you out of your comfort zone. He's leading you into something bigger, better, and yes, more challenging. You're standing at the river's edge, and you've gone as far as you can go safely; as far as you can go with what you can do.

If I were one of those priests with the ark, marching toward a river overflowing its banks, I think I'd say, "Lord, how about this? As soon as you part the water, I'll walk into it. How's that?" And He might be saying to you right now, "No, as soon as you walk into the water, I'll make a way."

Maybe you've been waiting for God to move before you do. But He's waiting for you to move in the direction He's leading, and then He'll part the waters, He'll open the door, He'll make a way for you. You move steadfastly in the direction of the impossible for one reason - God is going there and He's asking you to follow Him. And that's all you need to know.

That door isn't going to open until you start walking toward it. Don't just stand there any more. Get moving toward your miracle!

Mark 12:28-44 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: God’s Good Plan - December 30, 2021

Satan’s scheme to kill the Son of God was defeated on the cross he designed for Christ. Had Satan known that the death of the Messiah would mean death for him and life for us, he never would have crucified the King. He never saw it coming. And so that we would never forget, Jesus gave us our own celebration: “He took the bread, he gave thanks and he broke it, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you;’ …He also took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.’” (Luke 22:19-20).

A broken body? Spilled blood? Can good come from this? Communion says, “Yes.” You have a good God, who has a good plan, and that plan is revealed in his good book. Today’s confusion and crisis will be tomorrow’s conquest.

Mark 12:28-44

The Most Important Commandment

28 One of the religion scholars came up. Hearing the lively exchanges of question and answer and seeing how sharp Jesus was in his answers, he put in his question: “Which is most important of all the commandments?”

29-31 Jesus said, “The first in importance is, ‘Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.’ And here is the second: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ There is no other commandment that ranks with these.”

32-33 The religion scholar said, “A wonderful answer, Teacher! So clear-cut and accurate—that God is one and there is no other. And loving him with all passion and intelligence and energy, and loving others as well as you love yourself. Why, that’s better than all offerings and sacrifices put together!”

34 When Jesus realized how insightful he was, he said, “You’re almost there, right on the border of God’s kingdom.”

After that, no one else dared ask a question.

* * *

35-37 While he was teaching in the Temple, Jesus asked, “How is it that the religion scholars say that the Messiah is David’s ‘son,’ when we all know that David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said,

God said to my Master,
    “Sit here at my right hand
    until I put your enemies under your feet.”

“David here designates the Messiah ‘my Master’—so how can the Messiah also be his ‘son’?”

The large crowd was delighted with what they heard.

38-40 He continued teaching. “Watch out for the religion scholars. They love to walk around in academic gowns, preening in the radiance of public flattery, basking in prominent positions, sitting at the head table at every church function. And all the time they are exploiting the weak and helpless. The longer their prayers, the worse they get. But they’ll pay for it in the end.”

41-44 Sitting across from the offering box, he was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection. Many of the rich were making large contributions. One poor widow came up and put in two small coins—a measly two cents. Jesus called his disciples over and said, “The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together. All the others gave what they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Thursday, December 30, 2021

Today's Scripture
Proverbs 3:13–18
(NIV)

 Blessed are those who find wisdom,

those who gain understanding,

14 for she is more profitable than silver

and yields better returns than gold.t

15 She is more precious than rubies;u

nothing you desire can compare with her.v

16 Long life is in her right hand;w

in her left hand are riches and honor.x

17 Her ways are pleasant ways,

and all her paths are peace.y

18 She is a tree of lifez to those who take hold of her;

those who hold her fast will be blessed.

Insight

Many of us believe that more material possessions—or at the very least, fewer financial burdens—will bring us happiness. Solomon, who compiled most of the book of Proverbs, understood that such happiness is fleeting. What good is great wealth if we squander it? How much better to have wisdom! By wisdom we can learn how to better manage what we have, how to navigate the relational conflicts we face, and what the true source of fulfillment is.

But what’s wisdom and where do we find it? Our search takes us to the Source of all wisdom. The first chapter of Proverbs tells us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (1:7). Solomon echoes this later in the book when he tells us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (9:10). By: Tim Gustafson

Better Than Gold

[Wisdom] is a tree of life to those who take hold of her.
Proverbs 3:18

When gold seeker Edward Jackson set out for California during the Great Gold Rush in the US, his diary entry on May 20, 1849, lamented his grueling wagon journey, marked by disease and death. “O do not leave my bones here,” he wrote. “If possible let them lay at home.” Another gold-seeker named John Walker penned, “It is the most complete lottery that you can imagine . . . . I cannot advise any person to come.”

Walker, in fact, returned home and succeeded at farming, ranching, and state politics. When a family member took Walker’s yellowing letters to the American TV program Antiques Roadshow, they were valued at several thousand dollars. Said the TV host, “So he did get something valuable out of the Gold Rush. The letters.”

Even more, both Walker and Jackson returned home after gaining wisdom that caused them to take hold of a more practical life. Consider these words about wisdom from King Solomon, “Blessed are those who find wisdom . . . . She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her” (Proverbs 3:13, 18). A wise choice is “more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold” (v. 14)—making wisdom more precious than any earthly desire (v. 15).

“Long life is in her right hand . . . and all her paths are peace” (vv. 16–17). Our challenge, therefore, is to hold tight to wisdom, not shiny wishes. It’s a path God will bless. By:  Patricia Raybon

Reflect & Pray

What shiny wishes have you been chasing in life? Where could the path of wisdom take you instead?

Heavenly Father, when I’m blinded by the lure of shiny wishes, inspire me to take hold of wiser choices, walking the path of wisdom back to Your blessed peace.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, December 30, 2021
“And Every Virtue We Possess”

…All my springs are in you. —Psalm 87:7

Our Lord never “patches up” our natural virtues, that is, our natural traits, qualities, or characteristics. He completely remakes a person on the inside— “…put on the new man…” (Ephesians 4:24). In other words, see that your natural human life is putting on all that is in keeping with the new life. The life God places within us develops its own new virtues, not the virtues of the seed of Adam, but of Jesus Christ. Once God has begun the process of sanctification in your life, watch and see how God causes your confidence in your own natural virtues and power to wither away. He will continue until you learn to draw your life from the reservoir of the resurrection life of Jesus. Thank God if you are going through this drying-up experience!

The sign that God is at work in us is that He is destroying our confidence in the natural virtues, because they are not promises of what we are going to be, but only a wasted reminder of what God created man to be. We want to cling to our natural virtues, while all the time God is trying to get us in contact with the life of Jesus Christ— a life that can never be described in terms of natural virtues. It is the saddest thing to see people who are trying to serve God depending on that which the grace of God never gave them. They are depending solely on what they have by virtue of heredity. God does not take our natural virtues and transform them, because our natural virtues could never even come close to what Jesus Christ wants. No natural love, no natural patience, no natural purity can ever come up to His demands. But as we bring every part of our natural bodily life into harmony with the new life God has placed within us, He will exhibit in us the virtues that were characteristic of the Lord Jesus.

And every virtue we possess
Is His alone.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

The Bible is a relation of facts, the truth of which must be tested. Life may go on all right for a while, when suddenly a bereavement comes, or some crisis; unrequited love or a new love, a disaster, a business collapse, or a shocking sin, and we turn up our Bibles again and God’s word comes straight home, and we say, “Why, I never saw that there before.” Shade of His Hand, 1223 L

Bible in a Year: Zechariah 13-14; Revelation 21

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, December 30, 2021
Beautiful Brokenness - #9124

For Christmas, I bought the ladies in the family these necklaces with a beautiful colored glass charm on them. And the Japanese word "nozomi." There's a story behind those necklaces.

In 2011 a tsunami virtually leveled the Japanese coastal city of Ishinomaki. All that was left was fields of debris where homes and tearooms once stood. Sue Takamoto was helping to clear away some of the debris one day when she noticed all these colorful shards of broken pottery that were everywhere. They were everywhere she stepped. It was all that remained of the tearooms and kitchens that had been swept out to sea.

Sue and her friends collected and washed those shards, because they saw in those broken pieces a way to help some broken lives. They began the Nozomi Project - Japanese for "hope." The tsunami had left a lot of single mothers without a job or income. The Nozomi Project enables them to create rings and necklaces and earrings from all those broken pieces. Then it's sold online - to people like me.

Sue Takamoto said: "Many of these women lost their community and their neighbors are all gone. Their homes are washed away, and they're living in scattered places. But God has taken broken pottery and broken women who think that life is over for them and do what He wants. We are in the midst of seeing amazing things. In the rubble of our storm, we all have lots of broken pieces. We can leave them broken (she said), or with God's grace and help, make them into something beautiful. Something called hope."

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Beautiful Brokenness."

There's a lot of "broken" today. Broken hearts, broken dreams, broken families, broken health, broken relationships. For me, the tsunami was the sudden death of my Karen, the love of my life.

Our word for today from the Word of God is a word of hope for all of us who have some broken in our life. It's in Isaiah 61:1-3 and it's about Jesus: "The Lord...has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to provide for those who grieve, to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes." Did you get that, "Beauty from ashes." Nozomi. Hope.

A broken heart is an open heart. It's open in places that may have never been open before. And Jesus moves into those places with His transforming love and comfort and healing. For 2,000 years, He's been making beautiful things in people's lives from broken pieces.

I know He's been keeping the "beauty from ashes" promise for me. Something's been happening to me that's hard to describe. My heart's more tender toward other people and toward God than it's ever been before. It's like a new compassion.

I value each day more than ever. I live with a re-fired sense of urgency. I'm thinking legacy more than ever, being intentional about passing on to my children and grandchildren and young leaders what God has taught me in a lifetime. And there's just something very special going on between me and God. He seems closer, seems more real to me than ever. Beautiful things when I just had broken pieces.

My prayer for you is that you'll bring all your broken pieces to Jesus, lay them at His feet and open your hands to receive what He wants to give you. He loved you enough to die for you. He was powerful enough to crush death and walk out of His grave. He can be trusted.

You don't have to stay broken. Jesus stands ready to lead you into a new season where you'll make a greater difference than ever before. He knows broken. He was broken for you and me on a cross. And the Bible says, "By His wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5).

You could find out more about beginning your own personal relationship with Him at our website, and I would encourage you to go there. This would be a great day for you to do it - ANewStory.com.

He's waiting to do for you the miracle described in a little Gospel song that says, "Something beautiful, something good. All my confusion, He understood. All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife, but He made something beautiful of my life."

Numbers 4, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

 
Max Lucado Daily: A Lifetime of Hope - December 29, 2021

Bethlehem was just the beginning. Jesus has promised a repeat performance. Bethlehem, Act 2. No silent night this time, however. The skies will open, the trumpets will blast, and a new kingdom will begin. He will empty the tombs and melt the winter of death. The manger invites, even dares us, to believe the best is yet to be. And it could all begin today. But if it doesn’t, there’s a reason. No day is accidental or incidental.

The heart-shaping promises of Christmas. Long after the guests have left and the carolers have gone home and the lights have come down, these promises endure. Perhaps you could use some Christmas this Christmas? Let’s turn on the lamp, curl up in a comfortable spot, and look into the odd, wonderful story of Christmas. May you find what I have found: a lifetime of hope.

Numbers 4

Duties of the Kohathites

 God spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said, “Number the Kohathite line of Levites by clan and family. Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age, all who enter the ministry to work in the Tent of Meeting.

4 “This is the assigned work of the Kohathites in the Tent of Meeting: care of the most holy things.

5-6 “When the camp is ready to set out, Aaron and his sons are to go in and take down the covering curtain and cover the Chest of The Testimony with it. Then they are to cover this with a dolphin skin, spread a solid blue cloth on top, and insert the poles.

7-8 “Then they are to spread a blue cloth on the Table of the Presence and set the Table with plates, incense dishes, bowls, and jugs for drink offerings. The bread that is always there stays on the Table. They are to cover these with a scarlet cloth, and on top of that spread the dolphin skin, and insert the poles.

9-10 “They are to use a blue cloth to cover the light-giving Lampstand and the lamps, snuffers, trays, and the oil jars that go with it. Then they are to wrap it all in a covering of dolphin skin and place it on a carrying frame.

11 “They are to spread a blue cloth over the Gold Altar and cover it with dolphin skins and place it on a carrying frame.

12 “They are to take all the articles used in ministering in the Sanctuary, wrap them in a blue cloth, cover them with dolphin skins, and place them on a carrying frame.

13-14 “They are to remove the ashes from the Altar and spread a purple cloth over it. They are to place on it all the articles used in ministering at the Altar—firepans, forks, shovels, bowls; everything used at the Altar—place them on the Altar, cover it with the dolphin skins, and insert the poles.

15 “When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy furnishings and all the holy articles, and the camp is ready to set out, the Kohathites are to come and do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy things or they will die. The Kohathites are in charge of carrying all the things that are in the Tent of Meeting.

16 “Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, is to be in charge of the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the regular Grain-Offering, and the anointing oil. He is to be in charge of the entire Dwelling and everything in it, including its holy furnishings and articles.”

17-20 God spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Don’t let the tribal families of the Kohathites be destroyed from among the Levites. Protect them so they will live and not die when they come near the most holy things. To protect them, Aaron and his sons are to precede them into the Sanctuary and assign each man his task and what he is to carry. But the Kohathites themselves must not go in to look at the holy things, not even a glance at them, or they will die.”
Duties of the Gershonites

21-23 God spoke to Moses: “Number the Gershonites by tribes according to their ancestral families. Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who enter the ministry of work in the Tent of Meeting.

24-28 “The Gershonites by family and clan will serve by carrying heavy loads: the curtains of the Sanctuary and the Tent of Meeting; the covering of the Tent and the outer covering of dolphin skins; the screens for the entrance to the Tent; the cords; and all the equipment used in its ministries. The Gershonites have the job of doing the work connected with these things. All their work of lifting and carrying and moving is to be done under the supervision of Aaron and his sons. Assign them specifically what they are to carry. This is the work of the Gershonite clans at the Tent of Meeting. Ithamar son of Aaron the priest is to supervise their work.
Duties of the Merarites

29-30 “Number the Merarites by their ancestral families. Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who enter the ministry of work at the Tent of Meeting.

31-33 “This is their assigned duty as they go to work at the Tent of Meeting: to carry the frames of The Dwelling, its crossbars, posts, and bases, as well as the posts of the surrounding Courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, cords, and all the equipment related to their use. Assign to each man exactly what he is to carry. This is the ministry of the Merarite clans as they work at the Tent of Meeting under the supervision of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.”

* * *

34-37 Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of the congregation counted the Kohathites by clan and family. All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work in the Tent of Meeting, counted by clans, were 2,750. This was the total from the Kohathite clans who served in the Tent of Meeting. Moses and Aaron counted them just as God had commanded through Moses.

38-41 The Gershonites were counted by clan and family. All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work in the Tent of Meeting, counted by clan and family, were 2,630. This was the total from the Gershonite clans who served in the Tent of Meeting. Moses and Aaron counted them just as God had commanded.

42-45 The Merarites were counted by clan and family. All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work in the Tent of Meeting, counted by clan, were 3,200. This was the total from the Merarite clans. Moses and Aaron counted them just as God had commanded through Moses.

46-49 So Moses and Aaron and the leaders of Israel counted all the Levites by clan and family. All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to do the work of serving and carrying the Tent of Meeting numbered 8,580. At God’s command through Moses, each man was assigned his work and told what to carry.

And that’s the story of their numbering, as God commanded Moses.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Today's Scripture
Revelation 5:1–7
(NIV)

The Scroll and the Lamb

5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throneo a scroll with writing on both sidesp and sealedq with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angelr proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lions of the tribe of Judah,t the Root of David,u has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

6 Then I saw a Lamb,v looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creaturesw and the elders.x The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes,y which are the seven spiritsa z of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne.

Insight

In Revelation 5:1–7, we see Jesus depicted as both a lion and a lamb, seemingly polar opposites. Yet in Jesus, they’re not. He’s a Lion to conquer Satan (Revelation 20:10) and a Lamb to satisfy God’s justice by being sacrificed for our sins (John 1:29). And He’s no ordinary lamb. Though slain, this Lamb is still standing, bearing the wounds of His sacrifice, and He has seven horns and seven eyes (Revelation 5:6). Commentator Matthew Henry states that this series of seven (the perfect number) signifies “perfect power to execute all the will of God and perfect wisdom to understand it all and to do it in the most effectual manner.” Why? Because He has seven spirits of God: “He has received the Holy Spirit without measure, in all perfection of light, and life, and power, by which he is able to teach and rule all the earth.”  By: Alyson Kieda

Lion, Lamb, Savior!

he Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.
Revelation 5:5

Two stately stone lions watch over the entrance to the New York Public Library. Hewn from marble, they’ve stood there proudly since the library’s dedication in 1911. They were first nicknamed Leo Lenox and Leo Astor to honor the library’s founders. But during the Great Depression, New York’s Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia renamed them Fortitude and Patience, virtues he thought New Yorkers should demonstrate in those challenging years. The lions are still called Fortitude and Patience today.

The Bible describes a living, powerful Lion who also gives encouragement in trouble and is known by other names. In his vision of heaven, the apostle John wept when he saw that no one was able to open the sealed scroll containing God’s plan of judgment and redemption. Then John was told, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah . . . has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals” (Revelation 5:5).

Yet in the very next verse, John describes something else entirely: “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne” (v. 6). The Lion and the Lamb are the same person: Jesus. He’s the conquering King and “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Through His strength and His cross, we receive mercy and forgiveness so that we may live in joy and wonder at all He is forever! By:  James Banks

Reflect & Pray

What’s your favorite name for Jesus? What aspects of His character make you want to praise Him most?

Beautiful Savior, I could praise You for all eternity and never come to the end of all that You are. Thank You for giving Yourself for me, so that I may live in Your love forever!

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, December 29, 2021
Deserter or Disciple?

From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. —John 6:66

When God, by His Spirit through His Word, gives you a clear vision of His will, you must “walk in the light” of that vision (1 John 1:7). Even though your mind and soul may be thrilled by it, if you don’t “walk in the light” of it you will sink to a level of bondage never envisioned by our Lord. Mentally disobeying the “heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19) will make you a slave to ideas and views that are completely foreign to Jesus Christ. Don’t look at someone else and say, “Well, if he can have those views and prosper, why can’t I?” You have to “walk in the light” of the vision that has been given to you. Don’t compare yourself with others or judge them— that is between God and them. When you find that one of your favorite and strongly held views clashes with the “heavenly vision,” do not begin to debate it. If you do, a sense of property and personal right will emerge in you— things on which Jesus placed no value. He was against these things as being the root of everything foreign to Himself— “…for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15). If we don’t see and understand this, it is because we are ignoring the underlying principles of our Lord’s teaching.

Our tendency is to lie back and bask in the memory of the wonderful experience we had when God revealed His will to us. But if a New Testament standard is revealed to us by the light of God, and we don’t try to measure up, or even feel inclined to do so, then we begin to backslide. It means your conscience does not respond to the truth. You can never be the same after the unveiling of a truth. That moment marks you as one who either continues on with even more devotion as a disciple of Jesus Christ, or as one who turns to go back as a deserter.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

Jesus Christ reveals, not an embarrassed God, not a confused God, not a God who stands apart from the problems, but One who stands in the thick of the whole thing with man.  Disciples Indeed, 388 L

Bible in a Year: Zechariah 9-12; Revelation 20

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, December 29, 2021

The Cleanup Imperative - #9123

If you don't like to wash your hands, don't ever become a doctor or a nurse. You have to wash your hands a lot! Scrubbing up is a routine procedure for people in the medical profession. I don't think any of us wants to be opened up by some doc who hasn't washed his hands all day! Right? Actually, a loved one of ours had a major heart surgery a few years ago, which she made it through. What she didn't make it through was the staph infection that she picked up in the hospital. It's avoiding that kind of thing that's at the heart of a hospital's insistence that healers and caregivers get really clean before they touch you. If they carry infection, they can do a lot of damage.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Cleanup Imperative."

It isn't just doctors and nurses that have to be clean for what they do. It's a requirement that God makes of everyone He's going to use to do His work on earth, from teaching a class to working in ministry, to raising a family in His ways.

Listen to His uncompromising words, for example, in Isaiah 52:11, our word for today from the Word of God. "Depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the vessels of the Lord." Listen, when you're doing anything for God, you're touching the holy, whether you realize it or not. And you'd better not be handling the holy with dirty hands, with a dirty mind, a dirty motive, or a dirty attitude. God says, "Get rid of that infectious junk! You're carrying the 'vessels' of Almighty God!"

No one who is serving the holy, holy, holy God should dare to do it without "scrubbing up" on a regular basis, knowing that we get polluted some each day. When you're dealing with holy things day after day, frankly it's easy but deadly to become casual about it; and about sin that you're allowing to just creep into your life. You're just slowly drifting. But the judgment is greater for those who know what you know. Who bring infection into the spiritual "hospital" where He's trying to heal lives.

In 2 Timothy 2:20-21 - Paul makes very clear what God is looking for when He decides who He's going to use for great things. He describes a house with gold and silver vessels, which are used for special things, and with wood and clay vessels, which are used for dirty and gross things. He concludes, "If a man cleanses himself...he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master, and prepared to do any good work."

God's not impressed with our abilities, or our great résumé, our connections, our education, our credentials. He doesn't care about your cash. He doesn't care about your charisma. All He cares about is your character! He's looking for clean; getting rid of the dirt, staying clean. That's how you qualify to be an instrument in the hands of Almighty God.

Maybe you've let your hands, your mind, your spirit get dirty. You've gotten careless about sin that killed your Savior. Don't defile the work of a holy, holy God. Bow before Him. Let Him forgive you. Let Him cleanse you. Let Him purify you again. He has great work for you to do, many lives for you to touch with His healing love. But only if you're clean!

Numbers 3 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: You Need a Little Christmas - December 28, 2021

We live in anxious times. Terrorism is living up to its name—terror. Violence hangs over our planet like a dark cloud. Think about the images on the news: the senseless attacks, the bloodshed, the random acts of cruelty. And there is the fear of another recession. We seem to teeter on the edge of the financial world going down. And there’s more…the tumor you can’t diagnose, the marriage you can’t fix, the boss you can’t please.

Are you scared? May I suggest that you need a little Christmas? You see, Christmas is about Christ. And Christ-mas is not Christ-mas unless—or until—you receive the message of Bethlehem. In the hurry and scurry of the season, have you taken time to receive the promise of the season? God gets us, God saves us, and God is always near us.

Numbers 3

The Levites

 This is the family tree of Aaron and Moses at the time God spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.

2-4 The names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar—anointed priests ordained to serve as priests. But Nadab and Abihu fell dead in the presence of God when they offered unauthorized sacrifice to him in the Wilderness of Sinai. They left no sons, and so only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father, Aaron.

5-10 God spoke to Moses. He said, “Bring forward the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron so they can help him. They shall work for him and the whole congregation at the Tent of Meeting by doing the work of The Dwelling. Their job is to be responsible for all the furnishings of The Dwelling, ministering to the affairs of The Dwelling as the People of Israel come to perform their duties. Turn the Levites over to Aaron and his sons; they are the ones assigned to work full time for him. Appoint Aaron and his sons to minister as priests; anyone else who tries to elbow his way in will be put to death.”

11-13 God spoke to Moses: “I have taken the Levites from among the People of Israel as a stand-in for every Israelite mother’s firstborn son. The Levites belong to me. All the firstborn are mine—when I killed all the firstborn in Egypt, I consecrated for my own use every firstborn in Israel, whether human or animal. They belong to me. I am God.”

14-16 God spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai: “Count the Levites by their ancestral families and clans. Count every male a month old and older.” Moses counted them just as he was instructed by the mouth of God.

17 These are the names of the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

18 These are the names of the Gershonite clans: Libni and Shimei.

19 The sons of Kohath by clan: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

20 The sons of Merari by clan: Mahli and Mushi.

These are the clans of Levi, family by family.

21-26 Gershon was ancestor to the clans of the Libnites and Shimeites, known as the Gershonite clans. All the males who were one month and older numbered 7,500. The Gershonite clans camped on the west, behind The Dwelling, led by Eliasaph son of Lael. At the Tent of Meeting the Gershonites were in charge of maintaining The Dwelling and its tent, its coverings, the screen at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the hangings of the Courtyard, the screen at the entrance to the Courtyard that surrounded The Dwelling and Altar, and the cords—in short, everything having to do with these things.

27-32 Kohath was ancestor to the clans of the Amramites, Izharites, Hebronites, and Uzzielites. These were known as the Kohathite clans. All the males who were one month and older numbered 8,600. The Kohathites were in charge of the Sanctuary. The Kohathite clans camped on the south side of The Dwelling, led by Elizaphan son of Uzziel. They were in charge of caring for the Chest, the Table, the Lampstand, the Altars, the articles of the Sanctuary used in worship, and the screen—everything having to do with these things. Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, supervised the leaders of the Levites and those in charge of the Sanctuary.

33-37 Merari was ancestor to the clans of the Mahlites and the Mushites, known as the Merarite clans. The males who were one month and older numbered 6,200. They were led by Zuriel son of Abihail and camped on the north side of The Dwelling. The Merarites were in charge of the frames of The Dwelling, its crossbars, posts, bases, and all its equipment—everything having to do with these things, as well as the posts of the surrounding Courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, and cords.

38 Moses and Aaron and his sons camped to the east of The Dwelling, toward the rising sun, in front of the Tent of Meeting. They were in charge of maintaining the Sanctuary for the People of Israel and the rituals of worship. Anyone else who tried to perform these duties was to be put to death.

39 The sum total of Levites counted at God’s command by Moses and Aaron, clan by clan, all the males one month and older, numbered 22,000.

40-41 God spoke to Moses: “Count all the firstborn males of the People of Israel who are one month and older. List their names. Then set apart for me the Levites—remember, I am God—in place of all the firstborn among the People of Israel, also the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock. I am God.”

42-43 So, just as God commanded him, Moses counted all the firstborn of the People of Israel. The total of firstborn males one month and older, listed by name, numbered 22,273.

44-48 Again God spoke to Moses. He said, “Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn of Israel and the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock. The Levites are mine, I am God. Redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites who exceed the number of Levites by collecting five shekels for each one, using the Sanctuary shekel (the shekel weighing twenty gerahs). Give that money to Aaron and his sons for the redemption of the excess number of Israelites.”

49-51 So Moses collected the redemption money from those who exceeded the number redeemed by the Levites. From the 273 firstborn Israelites he collected silver weighing 1,365 shekels according to the Sanctuary shekel. Moses turned over the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, as he was commanded by the word of God.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Tuesday, December 28, 2021
Today's Scripture
Jude 1:17–23
(NIV)

A Call to Persevere

17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostlest of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.u 18 They said to you, “In the last timesv there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.”w 19 These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.x

20 But you, dear friends, by building yourselves upy in your most holy faithz and praying in the Holy Spirit,a 21 keep yourselves in God’s love as you waitb for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.c

22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them from the fire;d to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

Insight

Written by Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, the book of Jude opens and closes with a charge or calling for believers to stand firmly in their faith (“contend for the faith,” v. 3). They are to build themselves up in “most holy faith” (v. 20). The context of Jude’s concern is false teachers whose primary failure is an ungodly way of life. The false teachers are unapologetic about their immoral choices, using the truth of God’s grace as “a license for immorality” (v. 4). Speaking to an audience presumably familiar with Jewish Scriptures, Jude recounts cautionary tales of the consequences of an immoral lifestyle, drawing from both Hebrew Scriptures and the book of 1 Enoch (vv. 14–15). First Enoch, while not part of our scriptural canon, would have been held in high regard by a Jewish audience. By: Monica La Ro

Great Wisdom

Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear.
Jude 1:22–23

“The shepherd needs great wisdom and a thousand eyes,” wrote the beloved church father John Chrysostom, “to examine the soul’s condition from every angle.” Chrysostom wrote these words as part of a discussion on the complexity of caring well for others spiritually. Since it’s impossible to force anyone to heal, he emphasized, reaching others’ hearts requires great empathy and compassion.

But that doesn’t mean never causing pain, Chrysostom cautioned, because “if you behave too leniently to one who needs deep surgery, and do not make a deep incision in one who requires it, you mutilate yet miss the cancer. But if you make the needed incision without mercy, often the patient, in despair at his sufferings, throws all aside . . . and promptly throws himself over a cliff.”

There’s a similar complexity in how Jude describes responding to those led astray by false teachers, whose behavior he describes starkly (1:12–13, 18–19). Yet when Jude turns to how to respond to such grave threats, he doesn’t suggest reacting with harsh anger.

Instead, he taught that believers should respond to threats by rooting themselves even more deeply in God’s love (vv. 20–21). For it’s only when we’re deeply anchored in God’s unchanging love that we can find the wisdom to help others with appropriate urgency, humility, and compassion (vv. 22–23)—the way most likely to help them find healing and rest in God’s boundless love. By:  Monica La Rose

Reflect & Pray

Why is it crucial to “[build yourself] up . . . in the Holy Spirit” (v. 20) before you respond to perceived threats? What examples have you seen of great wisdom and compassion used in helping someone in great pain?

God of love, when I’m faced with evil and hate, help me not to respond in kind but anchor myself in Your love.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, December 28, 2021
Continuous Conversion

…unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. —Matthew 18:3

These words of our Lord refer to our initial conversion, but we should continue to turn to God as children, being continuously converted every day of our lives. If we trust in our own abilities, instead of God’s, we produce consequences for which God will hold us responsible. When God through His sovereignty brings us into new situations, we should immediately make sure that our natural life submits to the spiritual, obeying the orders of the Spirit of God. Just because we have responded properly in the past is no guarantee that we will do so again. The response of the natural to the spiritual should be continuous conversion, but this is where we so often refuse to be obedient. No matter what our situation is, the Spirit of God remains unchanged and His salvation unaltered. But we must “put on the new man…” (Ephesians 4:24). God holds us accountable every time we refuse to convert ourselves, and He sees our refusal as willful disobedience. Our natural life must not rule— God must rule in us.

To refuse to be continuously converted puts a stumbling block in the growth of our spiritual life. There are areas of self-will in our lives where our pride pours contempt on the throne of God and says, “I won’t submit.” We deify our independence and self-will and call them by the wrong name. What God sees as stubborn weakness, we call strength. There are whole areas of our lives that have not yet been brought into submission, and this can only be done by this continuous conversion. Slowly but surely we can claim the whole territory for the Spirit of God.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

We can understand the attributes of God in other ways, but we can only understand the Father’s heart in the Cross of Christ.  The Highest Good—Thy Great Redemption, 558 L

Bible in a Year: Zechariah 5-8; Revelation 19

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Two Broken Men, One Big Difference - #9122

Whenever we passed a park, when I was a kid, I shifted into nagging mode to get my dad to stop, because I loved the swings. Didn't do that spinning carousel thing. No, never did enjoy throwing up. Then, the seesaw. That was fun. Yeah.

Of course, there was little Ronnie and big Daddy, it didn't work too well. I kept ending up somehow with my end of the seesaw suspended in the air as my dad thought it was funny just to sit there with his end on the ground for a while. Yeah, he thought that was fun. Now here's what was really not fun - having no one on the other end. You just sit there with your end of that thing on the ground and nothing on the other end to lift you up. That's what happened to my dad the night of the greatest loss of his life.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Two Broken Men, One Big Difference."

Whenever you lose someone or something important to you, it triggers one of the most intense, potentially most destructive emotions there is. Grief. I was overwhelmed with it on the day in May when that became the worst day of my life. That's the day my Karen, the love of my life since I was 19, was suddenly gone. How could I have known the night before when I told her I loved her as I left for a trip, that I'd never be able to tell her that again?

For my dad, it was that night when I was four, when he and my mom left our little apartment in a panic to get my baby brother to the hospital. I never saw him again. The doctors couldn't do anything for little Steven. Six months old - he was gone.

I saw my dad totally crushed and devastated. Unable to recover. Crying all the time. Today I'd say he was inconsolable.

In my dad's unspeakable loss - and years later in mine - we were both broken men. Both with many tears. But as I compare my grief to what I saw in my dad, there's one massive difference. Hope. Because in my darkest hour, I had my relationship with Jesus. My dad had nowhere to turn.

He was "on the ground" with nothing on the other side to lift him up. But, praise God, the day I lost the love of my life, Jesus was there with His unloseable love enveloping my wounded heart.

That's the difference in knowing Jesus, spelled out in 1 Thessalonians 4:13. It's our word for today from the Word of God. Where Paul says to some grieving people who belong to Jesus: "You do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope." He goes on to say "for we believe that Jesus died and rose again."

Eventually, in his grief, my dad started dropping me off to go to Sunday School at a nearby church. That's where I learned how much Jesus loved me. So much that He died on an awful cross to pay for every bad thing I've ever done or that you've ever done. And then three days later He crushed death as He walked out of His grave! One Sunday I came running out to the car and I gushed, "Daddy, today I asked Jesus in my heart." I know he didn't understand. But a few months later he did, and he came with all his sin and his brokenness to the only One who could forgive and heal - Jesus.

Here's the difference between someone who's listening right now who's begun a relationship with Jesus and someone who hasn't. With Jesus, yes, you grieve. But there's something on the other side of the scale - hope. Jesus. With His love, with His heaven, without Jesus, it's just the agony of grief with nothing on the other side to lift you up. Hurt with hope or hurt without hope.

If you're doing life; if you're doing heartbreak and death without Jesus in your heart, I pray today will be the day you reach out to Him and say, "Jesus, I'm Yours." I would love to help you get that settled. Just go and check out our website with this life-giving information there. Go to ANewStory.com.

So much loss. So much hurt. But, oh, there's hope. And hope has a name. His name is Jesus.

Mark 12:1-27, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: God Where We Are - December 27, 2021

God didn’t tell me, “Clean up before you come in.” He offered, “Come in and I’ll clean you up.” It’s not my grip on him that matters but his grip on me. And his grip is sure. So is his presence in my life. Christmas presents from Santa? That’s nice. But the perpetual presence of Christ? That’s life changing.

God is always near us. Always for us. Always in us. We may forget him, but God will never forget us. We are forever on his mind and in his plans. He called himself “‘Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’)” (Matthew 1:23).

Not just “God made us.” Not just “God thinks of us.” But God with us. God where we are: at the office, in the kitchen, on the plane. He breathed our air and walked this earth. God…with…us!

Mark 12:1-27

The Story About a Vineyard

Then Jesus started telling them stories. “A man planted a vineyard. He fenced it, dug a winepress, erected a watchtower, turned it over to the farmhands, and went off on a trip. At the time for harvest, he sent a servant back to the farmhands to collect his profits.

3-5 “They grabbed him, beat him up, and sent him off empty-handed. So he sent another servant. That one they tarred and feathered. He sent another and that one they killed. And on and on, many others. Some they beat up, some they killed.

6 “Finally there was only one left: a beloved son. In a last-ditch effort, he sent him, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’

7-8 “But those farmhands saw their chance. They rubbed their hands together in greed and said, ‘This is the heir! Let’s kill him and have it all for ourselves.’ They grabbed him, killed him, and threw him over the fence.

9-11 “What do you think the owner of the vineyard will do? Right. He’ll come and get rid of everyone. Then he’ll assign the care of the vineyard to others. Read it for yourselves in Scripture:

That stone the masons threw out
    is now the cornerstone!
This is God’s work;
    we rub our eyes—we can hardly believe it!”

12 They wanted to lynch him then and there but, intimidated by public opinion, held back. They knew the story was about them. They got away from there as fast as they could.
Paying Taxes to Caesar

13-14 They sent some Pharisees and followers of Herod to bait him, hoping to catch him saying something incriminating. They came up and said, “Teacher, we know you have integrity, that you are indifferent to public opinion, don’t pander to your students, and teach the way of God accurately. Tell us: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

15-16 He knew it was a trick question, and said, “Why are you playing these games with me? Bring me a coin and let me look at it.” They handed him one.

“This engraving—who does it look like? And whose name is on it?”

“Caesar,” they said.

17 Jesus said, “Give Caesar what is his, and give God what is his.”

Their mouths hung open, speechless.
Our Intimacies Will Be with God

18-23 Some Sadducees, the party that denies any possibility of resurrection, came up and asked, “Teacher, Moses wrote that if a man dies and leaves a wife but no child, his brother is obligated to marry the widow and have children. Well, there once were seven brothers. The first took a wife. He died childless. The second married her. He died, and still no child. The same with the third. All seven took their turn, but no child. Finally the wife died. When they are raised at the resurrection, whose wife is she? All seven were her husband.”

24-27 Jesus said, “You’re way off base, and here’s why: One, you don’t know what God said; two, you don’t know how God works. After the dead are raised up, we’re past the marriage business. As it is with angels now, all our ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God. And regarding the dead, whether or not they are raised, don’t you ever read the Bible? How God at the bush said to Moses, ‘I am—not was—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? The living God is God of the living, not the dead. You’re way, way off base.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Monday, December 27, 2021

Today's Scripture
Isaiah 41:8–13
(NIV)

“But you, Israel, my servant,k

Jacob, whom I have chosen,l

you descendants of Abrahamm my friend,n

9 I took you from the ends of the earth,o

from its farthest corners I calledp you.

I said, ‘You are my servant’;q

I have chosenr you and have not rejected you.

10 So do not fear,s for I am with you;t

do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthenu you and helpv you;

I will uphold youw with my righteous right hand.x

11 “All who ragey against you

will surely be ashamed and disgraced;z

those who opposea you

will be as nothing and perish.b

12 Though you search for your enemies,

you will not find them.c

Those who wage war against you

will be as nothingd at all.

13 For I am the Lord your God

who takes hold of your right hande

and says to you, Do not fear;

I will helpf you.

Insight

Isaiah, whose name means “the Lord saves,” prophesied for about fifty years (740–685 bc). He warned an unrepentant, idolatrous Judah that God would use the Assyrians and the Babylonians to discipline her for her covenantal unfaithfulness (chs. 1–39). But Isaiah also speaks of God’s grace for those who repent and a future glorious restoration (chs. 11; 40–66). In Isaiah 41:8–13, God reminds His people that they have a special relationship with Him—they’ve been sovereignly “chosen” to be “his treasured possession” (Deuteronomy 7:6–8); they’re “the apple of his eye” (32:10). They were the descendants of Abraham, whom God affectionately called “my friend” (Isaiah 41:8). Only Abraham and Moses (Exodus 33:11) were privileged to be called God’s friend. Judah is accorded a special status as “my servant” (Isaiah 41:8–9)—the same honorific name given to Moses (Malachi 4:4) and David (1 Kings 11:13). By: K. T. Sim

God’s Right Hand

I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
Isaiah 41:13

I helped my elderly dog, Wilson, out to the grass and in the process, I released the leash of our younger dog, Coach, for just a minute. As I bent to pick up Coach’s lead, he spied a bunny. Off he went, ripping the leash from my right hand and corkscrewing my ring finger in the process. I fell to the grass and cried out in pain.

After returning from urgent care and learning I’d need surgery, I begged God for help. “I’m a writer! How will I type? What about my daily duties?” As God sometimes does, He spoke to me from my daily Bible reading. “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you” (Isaiah 41:13). I scanned the context, which indicated that God’s people in Judah, to whom Isaiah was communicating His message, enjoyed a special relationship with Him. He promised His presence, strength, and help through His own righteous standing, symbolized by His right hand (v. 10). Elsewhere in Scripture, God’s right hand is used to secure victories for His people (Psalm 17:7; 98:1).

During my weeks of recovery, I experienced encouragement from God as I learned to dictate on my computer and trained my left hand in household and grooming functions. From God’s righteous right hand to our broken and needy right hands, God promises to be with us and to help us.

By:  Elisa Morgan

Reflect & Pray

How do you need God’s help today? How have you experienced His help in the past?

Healing God, I need Your help! Please use Your righteous right hand to take hold of my broken, weary hands and help me, I pray.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, December 27, 2021
Where the Battle is Won or Lost

"If you will return, O Israel," says the Lord… —Jeremiah 4:1

Our battles are first won or lost in the secret places of our will in God’s presence, never in full view of the world. The Spirit of God seizes me and I am compelled to get alone with God and fight the battle before Him. Until I do this, I will lose every time. The battle may take one minute or one year, but that will depend on me, not God. However long it takes, I must wrestle with it alone before God, and I must resolve to go through the hell of renunciation or rejection before Him. Nothing has any power over someone who has fought the battle before God and won there.

I should never say, “I will wait until I get into difficult circumstances and then I’ll put God to the test.” Trying to do that will not work. I must first get the issue settled between God and myself in the secret places of my soul, where no one else can interfere. Then I can go ahead, knowing with certainty that the battle is won. Lose it there, and calamity, disaster, and defeat before the world are as sure as the laws of God. The reason the battle is lost is that I fight it first in the external world. Get alone with God, do battle before Him, and settle the matter once and for all.

In dealing with other people, our stance should always be to drive them toward making a decision of their will. That is how surrendering to God begins. Not often, but every once in a while, God brings us to a major turning point— a great crossroads in our life. From that point we either go toward a more and more slow, lazy, and useless Christian life, or we become more and more on fire, giving our utmost for His highest— our best for His glory.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

There is nothing, naturally speaking, that makes us lose heart quicker than decay—the decay of bodily beauty, of natural life, of friendship, of associations, all these things make a man lose heart; but Paul says when we are trusting in Jesus Christ these things do not find us discouraged, light comes through them.
The Place of Help


Bible in a Year: Zechariah 1-4; Revelation 18

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, December 27, 2021

A Very Expensive House - #9121

It was one of those great night-night conversations that a father can have when he's with his son or daughter at bedtime. Our son-in-law tried to prepare our four-year-old grandson for sleeping by saying, "You know you don't have to worry at night because Jesus is with you." Our grandson, ever the thinker, said, "How do I know that Jesus can see me?" Dad told him, "Well, Jesus is up in heaven, watching everything we do. And He also lives inside each of us and He can see everything." Oh, ponder time! And then, "So that means I'm Jesus' house!" (We knew that he had asked Jesus into his heart.) Dad affirmed him, "Actually, that's exactly how the Bible describes it!" Then came our grandson's application questions, "Is Mommy Jesus' house?" "Yes." And you're Jesus' house?" "Yes." "And my little brother is Jesus' house?" (Well, his little brother then was too young to give his heart to Jesus yet.) Daddy said, "Well, not yet." Good. Sounds like Daddy passed the theology test.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "A Very Expensive House."

It's amazing how little kids figure out what we big kids tend to forget or don't ever get. Our grandson; he got it there. If you've asked Jesus to come into your life and be your personal Savior, you are "Jesus' house." Which is going to guide, or should guide, a lot of the choices you make.

One of the Bible's most radical truths is spelled out today in our word for today from the Word of God in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. In a world filled with massive temples to many different gods, Paul says, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

Wow! If you know Jesus, that body of yours - whatever you or other people may think of it, it's a temple where God Himself lives! I saw a teenager once with a shirt that simply said, "Property of God." That's the truth! Imagine how it might change things if every believer had that indelibly stamped on their forehead "property of God." Some couples wouldn't be messing around with each other the way they are if they remembered they were messing around with God's property. We'd think twice about some of the garbage we put in our body; some of the junk we allow ourselves to watch or listen to if we realized that we're dragging trash into the "property of God."

The pagans of old? Oh, they knew that you dared not pollute, or abuse, or dishonor the place where they believed their god lived. But the one true God really does live in you and me if we belong to Jesus. And He comes in in the form of the Holy Spirit. Notice, that's Holy Spirit. Who must be saying to some of us, "What are you doing bringing that stuff into the temple of Almighty God?!"

In a sense, you drag God into everything you do with your body. It's not your body to do what you please with, to drink what you want, eat what you want, watch what you want, listen to what you want. You don't eat what you want, do what feels good with it, put poison into it, and use it for things God hates. It's God's temple!

This house of yours was bought at a very expensive price; in fact, the highest price ever paid - the life of the sinless Son of God. And now you've invited Him to move into this house that He paid for with His life. Treat your body like what it really is. Like the shirt said, like the Bible says, it's the property of God!

Numbers 2, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: The Secret of Forgiveness

You will never forgive anyone more than God has already forgiven you. Is it still hard to consider the thought of forgiving the one who hurt you? If so, go one more time to the room. Watch Jesus as he goes from disciple to disciple. Can you see him? Can you hear the water splash? Can you hear him shuffle on the floor to the next person? Keep that image.
John 13:12 says, "When he had finished washing their feet. . ." Please note, he finished washing their feet. That means he left no one out. Why is that important? Because that means he washed the feet of Judas. Jesus washed the feet of his betrayer. That's not to say it was easy for Jesus, and that's not to say it's easy for you. It IS to say, God will never call you to do what he hasn't already done!
From Inspirational Reader

Numbers 2

Marching Orders

 God spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said, “The People of Israel are to set up camp circling the Tent of Meeting and facing it. Each company is to camp under its distinctive tribal flag.”

3-4 To the east toward the sunrise are the companies of the camp of Judah under its flag, led by Nahshon son of Amminadab. His troops number 74,600.

5-6 The tribe of Issachar will camp next to them, led by Nethanel son of Zuar. His troops number 54,400.

7-8 And the tribe of Zebulun is next to them, led by Eliab son of Helon. His troops number 57,400.

9 The total number of men assigned to Judah, troop by troop, is 186,400. They will lead the march.

10-11 To the south are the companies of the camp of Reuben under its flag, led by Elizur son of Shedeur. His troops number 46,500.

12-13 The tribe of Simeon will camp next to them, led by Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. His troops number 59,300.

14-15 And the tribe of Gad is next to them, led by Eliasaph son of Deuel. His troops number 45,650.

16 The total number of men assigned to Reuben, troop by troop, is 151,450. They are second in the order of the march.

17 The Tent of Meeting with the camp of the Levites takes its place in the middle of the march. Each tribe will march in the same order in which they camped, each under its own flag.

18-19 To the west are the companies of the camp of Ephraim under its flag, led by Elishama son of Ammihud. His troops number 40,500.

20-21 The tribe of Manasseh will set up camp next to them, led by Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. His troops number 32,200.

22-23 And next to him is the camp of Benjamin, led by Abidan son of Gideoni. His troops number 35,400.

24 The total number of men assigned to the camp of Ephraim, troop by troop, is 108,100. They are third in the order of the march.

25-26 To the north are the companies of the camp of Dan under its flag, led by Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. His troops number 62,700.

27-28 The tribe of Asher will camp next to them, led by Pagiel son of Ocran. His troops number 41,500.

29-30 And next to them is the tribe of Naphtali, led by Ahira son of Enan. His troops number 53,400.

31 The total number of men assigned to the camp of Dan number 157,600. They will set out, under their flags, last in the line of the march.

32-33 These are the People of Israel, counted according to their ancestral families. The total number in the camps, counted troop by troop, comes to 603,550. Following God’s command to Moses, the Levites were not counted in with the rest of Israel.

34 The People of Israel did everything the way God commanded Moses: They camped under their respective flags; they marched by tribe with their ancestral families.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Sunday, December 26, 2021
Today's Scripture
Matthew 5:21–26
(NIV)

Murder

 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,a e and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angryf with a brother or sisterb,c will be subject to judgment.g Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’d is answerable to the court.h And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.i

23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

Insight

The Greek word translated “quickly” in Matthew 5:25 (“settle matters quickly”) is takh-oo. This adverb means “speedily,” “shortly,” “with haste,” “without delay.” The noun form is included in the root of the word tachometer, an instrument that measures speed. Jesus commanded His disciples to make things right with others as soon as possible. He wasn’t alone in teaching this principle. Paul wrote, “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold” (Ephesians 4:26–27). Similarly, the author of Hebrews wrote, “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone . . . . See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many” (Hebrews 12:14–15). By: Arthur Jackson

Timely Resolution

Settle matters quickly with your adversary.
Matthew 5:25

The unresolved hurt between Simon and Geoffrey had persisted for years, and Simon’s attempts to reenter the relationship had been resisted. Upon hearing the news of the death of Geoffrey’s mother, Simon traveled “up country” in Kenya to attend her funeral service. Simon reflected on their encounter: “I had no expectations at all in terms of how the whole thing would turn out, [but] after the service, we opened up and had a fruitful talk. We hugged, shared the moment, prayed together, and planned to meet again.” If only Simon and Geoffrey had been able to reconcile earlier, so much ongoing pain could have been avoided.

The words of Jesus in Matthew 5:21–26 help to put unresolved relational tensions in perspective. The anger that can lead to such rifts is a serious matter (v. 22). Furthermore, getting things in order relationally is a fitting prelude to worshiping God (vv. 23–24). The wise words of Jesus to “settle matters quickly with your adversary” (v. 25) remind us that the sooner we do what we can to work toward reconciliation the better for all.

Relationships are risky; they demand work—in our families, in the workplace, in educational settings, and among people who share our faith in Christ. But as those who represent Him, the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6), may we find ourselves going out of our way to extend our hearts and hands to those with whom we have unresolved conflict. By:  Arthur Jackson

Reflect & Pray

Who comes to mind when you think of someone you need to reach out to so that relational healing might begin? What’s keeping you from doing so?

Father, You know where the relational fissures are in my life. Forgive me for my slowness to attempt resolution. Give me the strength to take the next steps.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, December 26, 2021

“Walk in the Light”

If we walk in the light as He is in the light…the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. —1 John 1:7

To mistake freedom from sin only on the conscious level of our lives for complete deliverance from sin by the atonement through the Cross of Christ is a great error. No one fully knows what sin is until he is born again. Sin is what Jesus Christ faced at Calvary. The evidence that I have been delivered from sin is that I know the real nature of sin in me. For a person to really know what sin is requires the full work and deep touch of the atonement of Jesus Christ, that is, the imparting of His absolute perfection.

The Holy Spirit applies or administers the work of the atonement to us in the deep unconscious realm as well as in the conscious realm. And it is not until we truly perceive the unrivaled power of the Spirit in us that we understand the meaning of 1 John 1:7 , which says, “…the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” This verse does not refer only to conscious sin, but also to the tremendously profound understanding of sin which only the Holy Spirit in me can accomplish.

I must “walk in the light as He is in the light…”— not in the light of my own conscience, but in God’s light. If I will walk there, with nothing held back or hidden, then this amazing truth is revealed to me: “…the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses [me] from all sin” so that God Almighty can see nothing to rebuke in me. On the conscious level it produces a keen, sorrowful knowledge of what sin really is. The love of God working in me causes me to hate, with the Holy Spirit’s hatred for sin, anything that is not in keeping with God’s holiness. To “walk in the light” means that everything that is of the darkness actually drives me closer to the center of the light.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

The message of the prophets is that although they have forsaken God, it has not altered God. The Apostle Paul emphasizes the same truth, that God remains God even when we are unfaithful (see 2 Timothy 2:13). Never interpret God as changing with our changes. He never does; there is no variableness in Him.  Notes on Ezekiel, 1477 L

Bible in a Year: Haggai 1-2; Revelation 17

Numbers 1 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Come and Behold Him

The world was different this week. We forgot our compulsion with winning, wooing, and warring. We looked outward toward the star of Bethlehem. More than in any other season, His name was on our lips. And the result? For a few precious hours our heavenly yearnings intermeshed and we became a chorus. “Come and behold Him” we sang, stirring even the sleepiest of shepherds and pointing them toward the Christ-child. Immanuel. He is with us. God came near.

In a few hours lights will come down and trees will be thrown out. Soon December’s generosity will become January’s payments and the magic will begin to fade. I want to savor the spirit just a bit more. To pray that those who beheld Him today will look for Him next August. How much more could He do if we thought of Him every day!

From In the Manger

Numbers 1

Census in the Wilderness of Sinai

God spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai at the Tent of Meeting on the first day of the second month in the second year after they had left Egypt. He said, “Number the congregation of the People of Israel by clans and families, writing down the names of every male. You and Aaron are to register, company by company, every man who is twenty years and older who is able to fight in the army. Pick one man from each tribe who is head of his family to help you. These are the names of the men who will help you:

from Reuben: Elizur son of Shedeur

6 from Simeon: Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai

7 from Judah: Nahshon son of Amminadab

8 from Issachar: Nethanel son of Zuar

9 from Zebulun: Eliab son of Helon

10 from the sons of Joseph,

from Ephraim: Elishama son of Ammihud

from Manasseh: Gamaliel son of Pedahzur

11 from Benjamin: Abidan son of Gideoni

12 from Dan: Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai

13 from Asher: Pagiel son of Ocran

14 from Gad: Eliasaph son of Deuel

15 from Naphtali: Ahira son of Enan.”

16 These were the men chosen from the congregation, leaders of their ancestral tribes, heads of Israel’s military divisions.

17-19 Moses and Aaron took these men who had been named to help and gathered the whole congregation together on the first day of the second month. The people registered themselves in their tribes according to their ancestral families, putting down the names of those who were twenty years old and older, just as God commanded Moses. He numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai.

20-21 The line of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by tribes according to their ancestral families. The tribe of Reuben numbered 46,500.

22-23 The line of Simeon: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families. The tribe of Simeon numbered 59,300.

24-25 The line of Gad: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families. The tribe of Gad numbered 45,650.

26-27 The line of Judah: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families. The tribe of Judah numbered 74,600.

28-29 The line of Issachar: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families. The tribe of Issachar numbered 54,400.

30-31 The line of Zebulun: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families. The tribe of Zebulun numbered 57,400.

32-33 The line of Joseph: From son Ephraim the men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families. The tribe of Ephraim numbered 40,500.

34-35 And from son Manasseh the men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families. The tribe of Manasseh numbered 32,200.

36-37 The line of Benjamin: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families. The tribe of Benjamin numbered 35,400.

38-39 The line of Dan: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families. The tribe of Dan numbered 62,700.

40-41 The line of Asher: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families. The tribe of Asher numbered 41,500.

42-43 The line of Naphtali: The men were counted off head by head, every male twenty years and older who was able to fight in the army, registered by clans and families. The tribe of Naphtali numbered 53,400.

44-46 These are the numbers of those registered by Moses and Aaron, registered with the help of the leaders of Israel, twelve men, each representing his ancestral family. The sum total of the People of Israel twenty years old and over who were able to fight in the army, counted by ancestral family, was 603,550.

47-51 The Levites, however, were not counted by their ancestral family along with the others. God had told Moses, “The tribe of Levi is an exception: Don’t register them. Don’t count the tribe of Levi; don’t include them in the general census of the People of Israel. Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of The Dwelling of The Testimony—over all its furnishings and everything connected with it. Their job is to carry The Dwelling and all its furnishings, maintain it, and camp around it. When it’s time to move The Dwelling, the Levites will take it down, and when it’s time to set it up, the Levites will do it. Anyone else who even goes near it will be put to death.

52-53 “The rest of the People of Israel will set up their tents in companies, every man in his own camp under its own flag. But the Levites will set up camp around The Dwelling of The Testimony so that wrath will not fall on the community of Israel. The Levites are responsible for the security of The Dwelling of The Testimony.”

54 The People of Israel did everything that God commanded Moses. They did it all.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Saturday, December 25, 2021

Today's Scripture
Philippians 2:6–11
(NIV)

Who, being in very naturea God,c

did not consider equality with Godd something to be used to his own advantage;

7 rather, he made himself nothinge

by taking the very natureb of a servant,f

being made in human likeness.g

8 And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

by becoming obedient to deathh—

even death on a cross!i

9 Therefore God exalted himj to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name,k

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,l

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,m

11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,n

to the glory of God the Father.

Insight

Along with Jesus’ ultimate and horrific sacrifice of death on the cross to pay the debt we owed for our sins (Philippians 2:8), Jesus also sacrificed by coming to earth as a man. Why was this a sacrifice? Philippians 2:7 says, “he made himself nothing.” Although still God (and possessing His attributes, such as omniscience and omnipotence), Jesus didn’t cling to the privileges of deity. Instead, He gave them up (including heavenly communion with the Father) to become a man subject to pain, suffering, temptation, thirst, hunger, and a need for sleep. And though He could have come as a king with a palace full of servants, He instead was born to a poor couple in a lowly manger. He suffered pain, betrayal, and desertion; He humbly served as a healer and teacher; and He was obedient to God—even to death—so that we could be reconciled to Him (Romans 3:23–26). By: Alyson Kieda

Christmas Child

He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Philippians 2:7

Imagine the One who made cedars spring from seeds starting life over as an embryo; the One who made the stars submitting Himself to a womb; the One who fills the heavens becoming what would be in our day a mere dot on an ultrasound. Jesus, in very nature God, making Himself nothing (Philippians 2:6–7). What an astonishing thought!

Imagine the scene as He’s born in a plain peasant village, among shepherds and angels and bright lights in the sky, with the bleating of animals His first lullabies. Watch as He grows in favor and stature: as a youngster, astounding teachers with answers to grand questions; as a young man at the Jordan, getting His Father’s approval from heaven; and in the wilderness, as He wrestles in hunger and prayer.

Watch next as He launches His world-changing mission—healing the sick, touching lepers, forgiving the impure. Watch as He kneels in a garden in anguish and as they arrest Him while His closest friends flee. Watch as He is spat on and nailed to two wooden posts, the world’s sins on His shoulders. But watch, yes watch, as the stone rolls away, an empty tomb ringing hollow, because He is alive!

Watch as He is lifted to the highest place (v. 9). Watch as His name fills heaven and earth (vv. 10–11).

This Maker of the stars who became a dot on an ultrasound. This, our Christmas Child. By:  Sheridan Voysey

Reflect & Pray

What would life and history be like had Jesus never been born? What prayer or poem can you offer God to thank Him?

Jesus, thank You for making Yourself nothing so I could be forgiven.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, December 25, 2021
His Birth and Our New Birth

"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." —Matthew 1:23

His Birth in History. “…that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35). Jesus Christ was born into this world, not from it. He did not emerge out of history; He came into history from the outside. Jesus Christ is not the best human being the human race can boast of— He is a Being for whom the human race can take no credit at all. He is not man becoming God, but God Incarnate— God coming into human flesh from outside it. His life is the highest and the holiest entering through the most humble of doors. Our Lord’s birth was an advent— the appearance of God in human form.

His Birth in Me. “My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you…” (Galatians 4:19). Just as our Lord came into human history from outside it, He must also come into me from outside. Have I allowed my personal human life to become a “Bethlehem” for the Son of God? I cannot enter the realm of the kingdom of God unless I am born again from above by a birth totally unlike physical birth. “You must be born again” (John 3:7). This is not a command, but a fact based on the authority of God. The evidence of the new birth is that I yield myself so completely to God that “Christ is formed” in me. And once “Christ is formed” in me, His nature immediately begins to work through me.

God Evident in the Flesh. This is what is made so profoundly possible for you and for me through the redemption of man by Jesus Christ.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One Who is leading.  My Utmost for His Highest, March 19, 761 L

Bible in a Year: Zephaniah 1-3; Revelation 16

Mark 11:19-33 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Christmas Is About Christ - December 24, 2021

My dad, a man of few words, told my brother and me, “Boys, Christmas is about Christ.” I thought about what he said. I began asking the Christmas questions; and, in one way or another, I’ve been asking them ever since. And I love the answers I have found.

Like this one: God knows what it is like to be a human. When I talk to him about deadlines or long lines or tough times, he understands. He’s been there. He’s been here. Because of Bethlehem, I have a friend in heaven.

And because of Bethlehem, I have a Savior in heaven. Christmas begins what Easter celebrates. The child in the cradle became the King on the cross. And because he did, there are no marks on my record. Just grace. His offer has no fine print. Christmas is about our precious Christ.

Mark 11:19-33

 At evening, Jesus and his disciples left the city.

20-21 In the morning, walking along the road, they saw the fig tree, shriveled to a dry stick. Peter, remembering what had happened the previous day, said to him, “Rabbi, look—the fig tree you cursed is shriveled up!”

22-25 Jesus was matter-of-fact: “Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you. This mountain, for instance: Just say, ‘Go jump in the lake’—no shuffling or hemming and hawing—and it’s as good as done. That’s why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you’ll get God’s everything. And when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that it’s not all asking. If you have anything against someone, forgive—only then will your heavenly Father be inclined to also wipe your slate clean of sins.”
His Credentials

27-28 Then when they were back in Jerusalem once again, as they were walking through the Temple, the high priests, religion scholars, and leaders came up and demanded, “Show us your credentials. Who authorized you to speak and act like this?”

29-30 Jesus responded, “First let me ask you a question. Answer my question and then I’ll present my credentials. About the baptism of John—who authorized it: heaven or humans? Tell me.”

31-33 They were on the spot, and knew it. They pulled back into a huddle and whispered, “If we say ‘heaven,’ he’ll ask us why we didn’t believe John; if we say ‘humans,’ we’ll be up against it with the people because they all hold John up as a prophet.” They decided to concede that round to Jesus. “We don’t know,” they said.

Jesus replied, “Then I won’t answer your question either.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Friday, December 24, 2021

Today's Scripture
Isaiah 9:1–7
(NIV)

Nevertheless, there will be no more gloomw for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,x but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

2 The people walking in darknessy

have seen a great light;z

on those living in the land of deep darknessa

a light has dawned.b

3 You have enlarged the nationc

and increased their joy;d

they rejoice before you

as people rejoice at the harvest,

as warriors rejoice

when dividing the plunder.e

4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,f

you have shatteredg

the yokeh that burdens them,

the bar across their shoulders,i

the rod of their oppressor.j

5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle

and every garment rolled in blood

will be destined for burning,k

will be fuel for the fire.

6 For to us a child is born,l

to us a son is given,m

and the governmentn will be on his shoulders.o

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor,p Mighty God,q

Everlastingr Father,s Prince of Peace.t

7 Of the greatness of his governmentu and peacev

there will be no end.w

He will reignx on David’s throne

and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it

with justicey and righteousnessz

from that time on and forever.a

The zealb of the Lord Almighty

will accomplish this.

Insight

The prophet Isaiah lived during the reign of four kings of Judah—Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah—around 740 years before Jesus’ birth. According to tradition, Isaiah was sawn in half, and thus many believe Hebrews 11:37 refers to him. In Isaiah’s beautiful prophecy of the coming Messiah, this child to be born (God incarnate) would be called the “Prince of Peace” (9:6). Elsewhere, Isaiah offers a glimpse of the peace He’ll bring (11:1–9; 65:25). Jesus, the Prince of Peace, will usher in this peace with His second coming and millennial reign, and “of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end” (9:7; Revelation 11:15). By: Alyson Kieda

The Prince of Peace

And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

When John’s cold turned into pneumonia, he ended up in the hospital. At the same time, his mother was being treated for cancer a few floors above him, and he felt overwhelmed with worries about her and about his own health. Then on Christmas Eve, when the radio played the carol “O Holy Night,” John was flooded with a deep sense of God’s peace. He listened to the words about it being the night of the dear Savior’s birth: “A thrill of hope the weary soul rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!” In that moment, his worries about himself and his mother vanished.

This “dear Savior” born to us, Jesus, is the “Prince of Peace,” as Isaiah prophesied (Isaiah 9:6). Jesus fulfilled this prophecy when He came to earth as a baby, bringing light and salvation to “those living in the land of the shadow of death” (Matthew 4:16; see Isaiah 9:2). He embodies and gives peace to those He loves, even when they face hardship and death.

There in the hospital, John experienced the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7) as he pondered the birth of Jesus. This encounter with God strengthened his faith and sense of gratitude as he lay in that sterile room away from his family at Christmas. May we too receive God’s gift of peace and hope. By:  Amy Boucher Pye

Reflect & Pray

How have you experienced God’s peace in the midst of a difficult situation? Which aspect of God in Isaiah 9:6 do you most need today? Why?

God of peace, when I’m anxious and fretting about many things, help me to turn to You and receive Your gift of peace

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, December 24, 2021
The Hidden Life

…your life is hidden with Christ in God. —Colossians 3:3

The Spirit of God testifies to and confirms the simple, but almighty, security of the life that “is hidden with Christ in God.” Paul continually brought this out in his New Testament letters. We talk as if living a sanctified life were the most uncertain and insecure thing we could do. Yet it is the most secure thing possible, because it has Almighty God in and behind it. The most dangerous and unsure thing is to try to live without God. For one who is born again, it is easier to live in a right-standing relationship with God than it is to go wrong, provided we heed God’s warnings and “walk in the light” (1 John 1:7).

When we think of being delivered from sin, being “filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18), and “walk[ing] in the light,” we picture the peak of a great mountain. We see it as very high and wonderful, but we say, “Oh, I could never live up there!” However, when we do get there through God’s grace, we find it is not a mountain peak at all, but a plateau with plenty of room to live and to grow. “You enlarged my path under me, so my feet did not slip” (Psalm 18:36).

When you really see Jesus, I defy you to doubt Him. If you see Him when He says, “Let not your heart be troubled…” (John 14:27), I defy you to worry. It is virtually impossible to doubt when He is there. Every time you are in personal contact with Jesus, His words are real to you. “My peace I give to you…” (John 14:27)— a peace which brings an unconstrained confidence and covers you completely, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. “…your life is hidden with Christ in God,” and the peace of Jesus Christ that cannot be disturbed has been imparted to you.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

We are not to preach the doing of good things; good deeds are not to be preached, they are to be performed. So Send I You, 1330 L
Bible in a Year: Habakkuk 1-3; Revelation 15

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, December 24, 2021

Homeless No More - #9120

Over the years, we've always tried to keep the real mission and meaning of Christmas in front of our children. Taking food and clothes into New York City, for example, to give to homeless people there. It put a whole new face on Christmas. Only a few miles from our home we were face-to-face with the tragedy of people without any place to call home. I remember the time when I went into the city to talk with some homeless people for my youth broadcast - to try to open my listeners eyes and hearts to a needy world. One man was living on the street, near a major bus terminal. His house was a large, tattered cardboard box. He actually allowed me to crawl inside that box with him, and it was heartbreaking that a box was home. At Christmastime - well, at any time. Wow! It's just a tragic thing to be without a home.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Homeless No More."

You know it's possible to be living in a mansion this Christmas, and still be homeless in your heart. You see, in our hearts, there's this homing instinct that keeps us looking for a love that will fill the hole in our heart, a relationship that will give us one safe and secure place in this lonely, and often disappointing world. But our lives are littered with the temporary "boxes" that we hoped would give our heart a home but never did.

But Christmas is so very much about finally finding home. It's only possible because the Son of God, in the words of the Bible, "became flesh and lived among us." (John 1:14). When He came, there was "no room" for Him to be born. In a sense, Jesus entered the little "box" we live in - for one incredible reason. He left His home to bring us home. First, to the relationship we were made for, that we've been looking for all these years. As the Bible says, you were "created by Him and for Him." We're homeless because He's our home and we're away from Him.

In reality, we're spiritually homeless by our own choice. We've chosen to live our lives our own way instead of His way. Maybe you've tried to find shelter where you could, but every other "home" has let you down - whether it's a relationship, an experience, an accomplishment - even a religion. It took the greatest act of love and sacrifice in history to make it possible for you and me to find home - including our eternal home in heaven when we die.

It's described in 1 Peter 3:18. That's our word for today from the Word of God: "Christ died for sins...the righteous (that's Jesus) for the unrighteous (that's you and me), to bring you to God." Home at last, because Jesus died to pay for every sin of our life, the sins that have cut us off from home and left us homeless in our heart. But, oh, what it cost Him. He loves you too much to lose you. He wants you to be with Him forever. So He gave everything He had to bring you home to God.

Jesus didn't leave His home just to relate to you or me, or even to reach us. He came here to rescue you. To save us all from a spiritually homeless life and a spiritually hopeless eternity. And this Christmas season, you can finally be home if you'll respond to what Jesus did to rescue you by putting all your trust in Him to be your personal Savior from your personal sin. He died for you. Isn't it time you gave Him what He died for? Isn't it time you stopped looking for home and finally found home; the home that your heart is starved for?

Reach out to Jesus. Tell Him, "Jesus, it's Your way, not my way, from now on. I'm grabbing You as my rescuer from my sin with all the faith I've got." You want that? Well, then check out our website as soon as you can today. You'll find a description of how you can be sure you belong to Jesus Christ. That website is ANewStory.com, where your new story could begin.

Now, you may have been very far from Jesus all these years - or you may have been very close, full of Christianity, but missing Christ. But at Christmastime - the time He left home to bring you home - you could finally experience the love you were made for. And finally, you'll be homeless no more.

I hope this will be for you not just a Merry Christmas, but your first Christmas with Christ in your heart.