Max Lucado Daily: A WEAPON OF THE SPIRIT - June 15, 2021
“His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what” (Hebrews 4:12–13 MSG).
Unsheathe God’s sword, the Word of God, and brandish its glimmering blade in the face of evil. When you read or quote Scripture in the face of pain or doubt or evil, you activate a weapon of the Spirit. Say, “I know a verse in the Bible that might help.” Or “A scripture that means much to me is…” My go-to list includes scriptures like these: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31 NIV); “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV). This is how happiness happens.
Job 17
“My spirit is broken,
my days used up,
my grave dug and waiting.
See how these mockers close in on me?
How long do I have to put up with their insolence?
3-5 “O God, pledge your support for me.
Give it to me in writing, with your signature.
You’re the only one who can do it!
These people are so useless!
You know firsthand how stupid they can be.
You wouldn’t let them have the last word, would you?
Those who betray their own friends
leave a legacy of abuse to their children.
6-8 “God, you’ve made me the talk of the town—
people spit in my face;
I can hardly see from crying so much;
I’m nothing but skin and bones.
Decent people can’t believe what they’re seeing;
the good-hearted wake up and insist I’ve given up on God.
9 “But principled people hold tight, keep a firm grip on life,
sure that their clean, pure hands will get stronger and stronger!
10-16 “Maybe you’d all like to start over,
to try it again, the bunch of you.
So far I haven’t come across one scrap
of wisdom in anything you’ve said.
My life’s about over. All my plans are shattered,
all my hopes are snuffed out—
My hope that night would turn into day,
my hope that dawn was about to break.
If all I have to look forward to is a home in the graveyard,
if my only hope for comfort is a well-built coffin,
If a family reunion means going six feet under,
and the only family that shows up is worms,
Do you call that hope?
Who on earth could find any hope in that?
No. If hope and I are to be buried together,
I suppose you’ll all come to the double funeral!”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, June 15, 2021
Read: Matthew 10:16–20, 26–31
“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you
“So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.[a] 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Footnotes
Matthew 10:29 Or will; or knowledge
INSIGHT
Matthew 10:2–4 lists the names of the twelve disciples who’d be trained to carry the work of the gospel forward. Each of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) has such a list. The names aren’t always in the same order, but they always appear in three groups of four, and the names in each group are the same in each list (see Mark 3:13–19; Luke 6:12–16). The remainder of Matthew 10 consists of Jesus preparing these disciples for their first outreach trip. This preparation readied them for two things: the opportunities to impact people through the power of Christ and the reality of opposition to the work of Christ.
By Our Daily Bread
Our Father’s Care
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. Matthew 10:29
Thwack! I looked up and craned my ear toward the sound. Spotting a smudge on the windowpane, I peered out onto the deck and discovered the still-beating body of a bird. My heart hurt. I longed to help the fragile feathered being.
In Matthew 10, Jesus described His Father’s care for sparrows in order to comfort the disciples as He warned of upcoming dangers. He offered instructions to the twelve as He “gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness” (v. 1). While the power to do such deeds might have seemed grand to the disciples, many would oppose them, including governing authorities, their own families, and the ensnaring grip of the evil one (vv. 16–28).
Then in 10:29–31, Jesus told them not to fear whatever they faced because they would never be out of their Father’s care. “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?” He asked. “Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. . . . So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
I checked on the bird throughout the day, each time finding it alive but unmoved. Then, late into the evening, it was gone. I prayed it had survived. Surely, if I cared this much about the bird, God cared even more. Imagine how much He cares for you and me!
How have you seen God care for you in the past? How can you gain courage for all you face by understanding that you’re never outside your Father’s care?
Dear Father, thank You for always watching over and caring for me.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, June 15, 2021
Get Moving! (2)
Also…add to your faith… —2 Peter 1:5
In the matter of drudgery. Peter said in this passage that we have become “partakers of the divine nature” and that we should now be “giving all diligence,” concentrating on forming godly habits (2 Peter 1:4-5). We are to “add” to our lives all that character means. No one is born either naturally or supernaturally with character; it must be developed. Nor are we born with habits— we have to form godly habits on the basis of the new life God has placed within us. We are not meant to be seen as God’s perfect, bright-shining examples, but to be seen as the everyday essence of ordinary life exhibiting the miracle of His grace. Drudgery is the test of genuine character. The greatest hindrance in our spiritual life is that we will only look for big things to do. Yet, “Jesus…took a towel and…began to wash the disciples’ feet…” (John 13:3-5).
We all have those times when there are no flashes of light and no apparent thrill to life, where we experience nothing but the daily routine with its common everyday tasks. The routine of life is actually God’s way of saving us between our times of great inspiration which come from Him. Don’t always expect God to give you His thrilling moments, but learn to live in those common times of the drudgery of life by the power of God.
It is difficult for us to do the “adding” that Peter mentioned here. We say we do not expect God to take us to heaven on flowery beds of ease, and yet we act as if we do! I must realize that my obedience even in the smallest detail of life has all of the omnipotent power of the grace of God behind it. If I will do my duty, not for duty’s sake but because I believe God is engineering my circumstances, then at the very point of my obedience all of the magnificent grace of God is mine through the glorious atonement by the Cross of Christ.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Beware of bartering the Word of God for a more suitable conception of your own. Disciples Indeed, 386 R
Bible in a Year: Nehemiah 1-3; Acts 2:1-21
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, June 15, 2021
Cameras Everywhere - #8982
Sometimes you've got to wonder whoever thought up cell phone cameras? Oh, they're nice. You know, if something suddenly pops up that you want to capture. But how many times have I been looking goofy or just plain ol' ugly and some smart aleck quietly "permanent-tizes" that moment with his cute little camera? Is there somewhere where we are safe from the lens that never forgets?
Apparently not! Just ask the politicians, the celebrities, even the royals who suddenly have been unpleasantly and even angrily surprised by photos they never even knew existed.
Recently a former paparazzi was in the news showing just how far the prying eye can reach. He set up his monster-lens camera across the river from where the reporter in this segment was standing in New York City. And he got amazing pictures of her - from half a mile away! The reporter's only comment: "Good thing I was dressed modestly." No kidding! Well, Mr. Ex-Paparazzi made this suggestion: "Always assume there's a camera."
I've been thinking about that "assume there's a camera" thing. It's actually pretty good advice, because God doesn't miss a thing.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Cameras Everywhere."
Now, the Bible makes sure that we're not surprised by that. Our word for today from the Word of God, Proverbs 5:21 says, "A man's ways are in full view of the Lord." Oh, and the Bible says, "nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight." And in Hebrews 4:13 it says, "Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."
Wow! Those last words are the disturbing part. "We must give account." There really will be a day when we will answer for our lives - including our darkest secrets. Romans 2 says, "God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ." Martin Luther said he had only two days on his calendar: today and Judgment Day. Not bad.
And it's not just our actions. No, God knows every word I speak, every thought I think. And the Bible says He will even "expose the motives of men's hearts" (1 Corinthians 4:5). First thought: do I - does anybody - stand a chance when God holds me accountable for everything I've ever said or thought or done? What about when all the closets are opened, all the secrets exposed, all the sin laid bare before His holy eyes?
I wouldn't stand a chance if Jesus hadn't died on a cross to erase it all. He absorbed all the guilt, all the punishment of all the sins of my life. The Bible says, "He carried our sins in His own body on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24). He chose to. Not because I, in any way, deserve that sacrifice. He simply loves me that much; He simply loves you that much.
And as the Bible says, "perfect love drives out fear" (1 John 4:18) - including my very well-founded fear of facing a holy God some day with all my sin laid bare before Him. Jesus has taken away that fear because of the Judgment Day that Jesus had in my place when He took my judgment all alone on a cross. And He did that for you. He does what no one else in the universe can do. He hits the delete button that erases a lifetime of sin. It's pretty awesome to know that every sin of your life is erased forever from God's book; to know you're finally clean, and you're safe.
You want to experience that wonderful forgiving miracle, that clean inside miracle that only Jesus can do? I encourage you to check out our website and find out there exactly how to begin your personal relationship with this amazing, sin-forgiving Savior. Go to ANewStory.com and find out how this cleansing miracle can happen to you.
Today can be the beginning of your new story.
From my daily reading of the bible, Our Daily Bread Devotionals, My Utmost for His Highest and Ron Hutchcraft "A Word with You" and occasionally others.