Max Lucado Daily: MORE THAN JOB EVER DREAMED
If you underline any passage in the book of Job, underline this verse: “I had heard about you before, but now I have seen you” (Job 42:5). Job sees God—and that is enough. But it isn’t enough for God. The years to come find Job with his health restored. His lap is once again full of children and grandchildren. A new beginning indeed.
If Job ever wonders why God doesn’t bring back the children he has taken away, he doesn’t ask. Maybe he knows that his children could never be happier than they are in the presence of this One he has seen so briefly. Something tells me that Job would do it all again if that’s what it would take to hear God’s voice and stand in his presence. For God gave Job more than Job ever dreamed. God gave Job himself.
Revelation 3
To Sardis
Write this to Sardis, to the Angel of the church. The One holding the Seven Spirits of God in one hand, a firm grip on the Seven Stars with the other, speaks:
“I see right through your work. You have a reputation for vigor and zest, but you’re dead, stone-dead.
2-3 “Up on your feet! Take a deep breath! Maybe there’s life in you yet. But I wouldn’t know it by looking at your busywork; nothing of God’s work has been completed. Your condition is desperate. Think of the gift you once had in your hands, the Message you heard with your ears—grasp it again and turn back to God.
“If you pull the covers back over your head and sleep on, oblivious to God, I’ll return when you least expect it, break into your life like a thief in the night.
4 “You still have a few followers of Jesus in Sardis who haven’t ruined themselves wallowing in the muck of the world’s ways. They’ll walk with me on parade! They’ve proved their worth!
5 “Conquerors will march in the victory parade, their names indelible in the Book of Life. I’ll lead them up and present them by name to my Father and his Angels.
6 “Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches.”
To Philadelphia
7 Write this to Philadelphia, to the Angel of the church. The Holy, the True—David’s key in his hand, opening doors no one can lock, locking doors no one can open—speaks:
8 “I see what you’ve done. Now see what I’ve done. I’ve opened a door before you that no one can slam shut. You don’t have much strength, I know that; you used what you had to keep my Word. You didn’t deny me when times were rough.
9 “And watch as I take those who call themselves true believers but are nothing of the kind, pretenders whose true membership is in the club of Satan—watch as I strip off their pretensions and they’re forced to acknowledge it’s you that I’ve loved.
10 “Because you kept my Word in passionate patience, I’ll keep you safe in the time of testing that will be here soon, and all over the earth, every man, woman, and child put to the test.
11 “I’m on my way; I’ll be there soon. Keep a tight grip on what you have so no one distracts you and steals your crown.
12 “I’ll make each conqueror a pillar in the sanctuary of my God, a permanent position of honor. Then I’ll write names on you, the pillars: the Name of my God, the Name of God’s City—the new Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven—and my new Name.
13 “Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches.”
To Laodicea
14 Write to Laodicea, to the Angel of the church. God’s Yes, the Faithful and Accurate Witness, the First of God’s creation, says:
15-17 “I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You’re not cold, you’re not hot—far better to be either cold or hot! You’re stale. You’re stagnant. You make me want to vomit. You brag, ‘I’m rich, I’ve got it made, I need nothing from anyone,’ oblivious that in fact you’re a pitiful, blind beggar, threadbare and homeless.
18 “Here’s what I want you to do: Buy your gold from me, gold that’s been through the refiner’s fire. Then you’ll be rich. Buy your clothes from me, clothes designed in Heaven. You’ve gone around half-naked long enough. And buy medicine for your eyes from me so you can see, really see.
19 “The people I love, I call to account—prod and correct and guide so that they’ll live at their best. Up on your feet, then! About face! Run after God!
20-21 “Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I’ll come right in and sit down to supper with you. Conquerors will sit alongside me at the head table, just as I, having conquered, took the place of honor at the side of my Father. That’s my gift to the conquerors!
22 “Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, February 15, 2021
Read: Colossians 1:15–23
The Supremacy of the Son of God
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of[a] your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Footnotes
Colossians 1:21 Or minds, as shown by
INSIGHT
In Colossians 1:15–23, Paul affirms the deity and the supremacy of Christ over all creation. Man is created “in the image of God” (Genesis 1:27), but Jesus “is the image [Greek eikon] of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). Eikon carries the meaning of “portrait” or “exact likeness,” which is how the New Living Translation renders it in 2 Corinthians 4:4. The writer of Hebrews describes Jesus as “the exact representation of [God’s] being” (Hebrews 1:3); “the Son . . . expresses the very character of God” (nlt). The apostle John says Jesus “has made [God] known” (John 1:18); “has revealed God to us” (nlt). Jesus Himself says, “I and the Father are one. . . . Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (10:30; 14:9).
Spitting Image -By Xochitl Dixon
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Colossians 1:15
During an outing, we met a woman who had known my husband’s family since he was a child. She looked from Alan to our son, Xavier. “He’s the spitting image of his daddy,” she said. “Those eyes. That smile. Yep. Looks just like him.” As the woman delighted in acknowledging such a strong resemblance between father and son, she even noted similarities in their personalities. Still, though they are alike in many ways, my son doesn’t reflect his father perfectly.
There’s only one Son—Jesus—who reflects His Father completely. Christ is the “image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15). In Him and through Him and for Him all things were created (v. 16). “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (v. 17).
We can spend time in prayer and Bible study, discovering the Father’s character by looking at Jesus—God in the flesh. He invites us to witness His love in action by examining how He interacts with others in Scripture and in our day-to-day living. After surrendering our lives to Christ and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, we can grow in knowing and trusting our loving Father. He transforms us to reflect His character, so we can live for Him.
What a joy it would be if others could say we look just like Jesus!
What character trait of Jesus have you seen cultivated in your life over the last year? What trait would you like to cultivate in the coming year?
Jesus, please help me know You more as You make me more like You!
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, February 15, 2021
“Am I My Brother’s Keeper?”
None of us lives to himself… —Romans 14:7
Has it ever dawned on you that you are responsible spiritually to God for other people? For instance, if I allow any turning away from God in my private life, everyone around me suffers. We “sit together in the heavenly places…” (Ephesians 2:6). “If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it…” (1 Corinthians 12:26). If you allow physical selfishness, mental carelessness, moral insensitivity, or spiritual weakness, everyone in contact with you will suffer. But you ask, “Who is sufficient to be able to live up to such a lofty standard?” “Our sufficiency is from God…” and God alone (2 Corinthians 3:5).
“You shall be witnesses to Me…” (Acts 1:8). How many of us are willing to spend every bit of our nervous, mental, moral, and spiritual energy for Jesus Christ? That is what God means when He uses the word witness. But it takes time, so be patient with yourself. Why has God left us on the earth? Is it simply to be saved and sanctified? No, it is to be at work in service to Him. Am I willing to be broken bread and poured-out wine for Him? Am I willing to be of no value to this age or this life except for one purpose and one alone— to be used to disciple men and women to the Lord Jesus Christ. My life of service to God is the way I say “thank you” to Him for His inexpressibly wonderful salvation. Remember, it is quite possible for God to set any of us aside if we refuse to be of service to Him— “…lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27).
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: Leviticus 17-18; Matthew 27:27-50
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, February 15, 2021
Needless Pain - #8896
Our friends got a very unsettling phone call. Their 33-year-old son had some fairly severe mental disabilities - severe enough that years ago they made the painful decision that he required the kind of care that only a trained staff and a professional facility could provide. The call came that told them that their son just had a very serious fall, and the injuries could have been fatal. Thank God he recovered, but needless to say, the close call shook his parents who love him very much. His mom told me that from the time he was first walking as a young child, they have told him over and over again, "Slow down. Slow down, son!" She said if they had a nickel for every time they've said, "Slow down," they'd be wealthy. And the reason for his fall? You probably guessed it. He was going faster than he could safely walk. He didn't "slow down."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Needless Pain."
This man's mom couldn't help thinking that if her son could just get the idea of obeying what he's been told so many times, he would have a lot less pain, he'd have fewer scars, and those around him would have a lot less stress. That's got to be how God looks at you and me sometimes. He's saying, "If only you would do what I've told you over and over, you'd have a lot less pain, fewer scars, and so would the people around you."
The most needless pain in the world is the pain that comes from not obeying, especially not obeying God. In Deuteronomy 28, beginning with verse 1, our word for today from the Word of God, the Lord spells out the core issue that determines whether our life works right or doesn't work right.
God says, "If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all His commands...all these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God." Then God goes on and lists many good outcomes His people will experience in their work, their family, their battles.
A few verses later, God says, "However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all His commands...all these curses will come upon you and overtake you." What follows then is a list of bad outcomes in their work, their family, their battles. Same arenas, same people, same issues - opposite outcomes. The only difference: whether or not God's people are doing what He said to do in the way He said to do it.
That is still true today. And it just might explain some of the struggle and the pain that you've been going through - needless pain. Because there's something or some things that you're just not doing God's way; with your money, with your family, in your relationships, your love life, what you're doing with your life. Maybe you're harboring resentment and disobeying your Lord's command to forgive. Or maybe you're just going down a sinful road, hanging onto some sinful choices, trying to justify them all the way. But bottom line, you're disobeying God. And things are not going to work until you turn from your way and surrender to doing it God's way.
You know what's the right thing to do. And now Jesus is saying to you, as He said to His disciples in John 13:17, "Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." So much pain, so much grief, so much stress just because you're not obeying your Lord who bought you with His blood. Relief isn't going to come when your circumstances change. No, relief will come when you change.