Max Lucado Daily: God’s Sovereign Hand - November 29, 2021
“The Lord directs the king’s thoughts. He turns them wherever he wants to” (Proverbs 21:1 TLB).
Who’s to say God doesn’t have a reversal in your future? Don’t be thrown off by the prosperity of the wicked. Instead, set your eyes on the author of your salvation. No individual, institution, organization, society, or country is beyond the influence of God. No one is beyond his sovereign hand.
God still hears the prayers of the exiles and still uses the faithful to reach them. Are you in need of rescue? Are you available to rescue someone else? Either way, keep praying. Keep trusting. Your story is not finished. Reversals happen.
But you have to stay in the game. Mordecai did. Esther did. And their stories took a turn for the better. So will yours, my friend. So will yours.
Mark 6:30-56
Supper for Five Thousand
30-31 The apostles then rendezvoused with Jesus and reported on all that they had done and taught. Jesus said, “Come off by yourselves; let’s take a break and get a little rest.” For there was constant coming and going. They didn’t even have time to eat.
32-34 So they got in the boat and went off to a remote place by themselves. Someone saw them going and the word got around. From the surrounding towns people went out on foot, running, and got there ahead of them. When Jesus arrived, he saw this huge crowd. At the sight of them, his heart broke—like sheep with no shepherd they were. He went right to work teaching them.
35-36 When his disciples thought this had gone on long enough—it was now quite late in the day—they interrupted: “We are a long way out in the country, and it’s very late. Pronounce a benediction and send these folks off so they can get some supper.”
37 Jesus said, “You do it. Fix supper for them.”
They replied, “Are you serious? You want us to go spend a fortune on food for their supper?”
38 But he was quite serious. “How many loaves of bread do you have? Take an inventory.”
That didn’t take long. “Five,” they said, “plus two fish.”
39-44 Jesus got them all to sit down in groups of fifty or a hundred—they looked like a patchwork quilt of wildflowers spread out on the green grass! He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread to the disciples, and the disciples in turn gave it to the people. He did the same with the fish. They all ate their fill. The disciples gathered twelve baskets of leftovers. More than five thousand were at the supper.
Walking on the Sea
45-46 As soon as the meal was finished, Jesus insisted that the disciples get in the boat and go on ahead across to Bethsaida while he dismissed the congregation. After sending them off, he climbed a mountain to pray.
47-49 Late at night, the boat was far out at sea; Jesus was still by himself on land. He could see his men struggling with the oars, the wind having come up against them. At about four o’clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them, walking on the sea. He intended to go right by them. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and screamed, scared to death.
50-52 Jesus was quick to comfort them: “Courage! It’s me. Don’t be afraid.” As soon as he climbed into the boat, the wind died down. They were stunned, shaking their heads, wondering what was going on. They didn’t understand what he had done at the supper. None of this had yet penetrated their hearts.
53-56 They beached the boat at Gennesaret and tied up at the landing. As soon as they got out of the boat, word got around fast. People ran this way and that, bringing their sick on stretchers to where they heard he was. Wherever he went, village or town or country crossroads, they brought their sick to the marketplace and begged him to let them touch the edge of his coat—that’s all. And whoever touched him became well.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, November 29, 2021
Today's Scripture
Daniel 3:13–18, 25–27 (NIV)
Furiousg with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my godsh or worship the imagei of gold I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what godj will be able to rescuek you from my hand?”
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednegol replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliverm us from it, and he will delivern usc from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.
He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God,s come out! Come here!”
So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal adviserst crowded around them.u They saw that the firev had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
Insight
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3:12) were no strangers to adversity. Ripped from their homes in Judah and dragged into exile, they may have seen family members abused and killed. They’d likely suffered abuse themselves, and now they resided in a culture hostile to the one true God. Yet all this adversity seemed only to strengthen their faith. When they respectfully defied the king (vv. 16–18), Nebuchadnezzar took their refusal personally, intensifying his anger. Yet the three remained resolute, revering God alone. By: Tim Gustafson
Trusting God in Opposition
But even if he does not . . . we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.
Daniel 3:18
Raised in a tribe in the Philippines opposed to belief in Christ, Esther received salvation through Jesus after an aunt prayed for her during Esther’s battle with a life-threatening illness. Today, Esther leads Bible studies in her local community in spite of threats of violence and even death. She serves joyfully, saying, “I can’t stop telling people about Jesus because I’ve experienced the power, love, goodness, and faithfulness of God in my life.”
Serving God in the face of opposition is a reality for many today just as it was for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, three young Israelites living in captivity in Babylon. In the book of Daniel, we learn that they refused to pray to a large golden image of King Nebuchadnezzar even when threatened with death. The men testified that God was capable of protecting them, but they chose to serve Him “even if” He didn’t rescue them (Daniel 3:18). When they were thrown into the fire, God actually joined them in their suffering (v. 25). To everyone’s amazement, they survived without even “a hair of their heads singed” (v. 27).
If we face suffering or persecution for an act of faith, ancient and modern examples remind us that God’s Spirit is present with us to strengthen and sustain us when we choose to obey Him, “even if” things turn out differently than we hope. By: Lisa M. Samra
Reflect & Pray
What are some ways you’ve chosen to follow God “even if”? What are ways He’s been with you?
God, thank You for loving me so generously. Help me to follow You with joy even in the face of opposition.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, November 29, 2021
The Supremacy of Jesus Christ
He will glorify Me… —John 16:14
The holiness movements of today have none of the rugged reality of the New Testament about them. There is nothing about them that needs the death of Jesus Christ. All that is required is a pious atmosphere, prayer, and devotion. This type of experience is not supernatural nor miraculous. It did not cost the sufferings of God, nor is it stained with “the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 12:11). It is not marked or sealed by the Holy Spirit as being genuine, and it has no visual sign that causes people to exclaim with awe and wonder, “That is the work of God Almighty!” Yet the New Testament is about the work of God and nothing else.
The New Testament example of the Christian experience is that of a personal, passionate devotion to the Person of Jesus Christ. Every other kind of so-called Christian experience is detached from the Person of Jesus. There is no regeneration— no being born again into the kingdom in which Christ lives and reigns supreme. There is only the idea that He is our pattern. In the New Testament Jesus Christ is the Savior long before He is the pattern. Today He is being portrayed as the figurehead of a religion— a mere example. He is that, but He is infinitely more. He is salvation itself; He is the gospel of God!
Jesus said, “…when He, the Spirit of truth, has come,…He will glorify Me…” (John 16:13-14). When I commit myself to the revealed truth of the New Testament, I receive from God the gift of the Holy Spirit, who then begins interpreting to me what Jesus did. The Spirit of God does in me internally all that Jesus Christ did for me externally.
Wisdom From Oswald Chambers
There is no condition of life in which we cannot abide in Jesus. We have to learn to abide in Him wherever we are placed. Our Brilliant Heritage, 946 R
Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 35-36; 2 Peter 1
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, November 29, 2021
The Bills Keep Coming - #9101
Plastic money. Yep, a credit card - great convenience. But it could also be a great trap, right? I mean, just ask any of the millions of Americans who have credit card bills that are chasing them every month. Now, some people decide to take radical action to bring this spending part of their lives under control. They've actually cut up their credit cards! And for many people, that has represented a genuine turning point in their personal finances. They've finally declared their independence from this slave master called Credit. Yes, they've changed, but unfortunately, there's still one problem.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Bills Keep Coming."
It's great to move beyond the years of deeper and deeper debt. The good news is, you've changed and it's not going to be the same again. The bad news is, you still have to deal with the bills that accumulated before you changed.
That's something a lot of people don't calculate about the sinful choices we make. It's the sobering truth of our word for today from the Word of God in Galatians 6:7, and a familiar principle. It says, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." You know, it's one of those laws of the universe - the law of sowing and reaping. Sometimes the harvest continues even after you've stopped sowing the seed.
You could be on one of two sides of this issue. Maybe you're still sowing sinful seed or maybe you've repented, you've accepted Christ's forgiveness, and you're trying to live new. Well, if you're in the Sin Zone right now, you may be counting on what I call "grace abuse." Grace abuse sounds like this: "Well, I know what I'm doing is wrong, but hey, God will always forgive me, right?" And you've gone for that forgiveness a lot of times, knowing in the back of your mind that you'd probably go back and sin again, knowing you could always come back for some more forgiveness, right?
Here's what you might be forgetting. You can get forgiven, but the consequences of your sin will keep scarring your life long after you've been forgiven by God. The credit cards of sin may be gone, but the bills just keep coming. Whether it's a pattern of lying, sexual sins, pornography, maybe it's angry outbursts, or selfishness, backstabbing. Sin will always take you farther than you ever planned to go, it will keep you longer than you ever planned to stay, and it will cost you more than you ever dreamed you'd pay. Sin pursues you with ongoing consequences, reputation consequences, health consequences, legal consequences, or the long battle to rebuild your reputation, or the long battle to rebuild broken trust.
But you may have been to the cross of Jesus with all that sin, and you really are becoming what the Bible describes as "a new creation in Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:17). But you're still paying some of those "bills" from the old you. And Satan is trying to use those to discourage you and divert you. Don't fall for his lies. God's promise to you is in indelible ink, "I will remember their sins no more" (Hebrews 8:12). Your sins are forever forgiven; forever gone!
If you're still experiencing some of the consequences of sin that's gone, don't fall for Satan's discouragement trap. You're a new person and the old bills don't change that. Let those consequences strengthen your commitment to never go back there again and to keep everyone else possible from ever going there.
The bill that really matters, the eternal death penalty for the sins of your past, that bill was ripped up by Jesus the moment you met Him at the foot of His cross. Maybe you still have that death penalty hanging over you because your sins have never been erased from God's book by the man who died for them. Let this be the day you say, "Jesus, would you erase all my sins from God's book? I'm prepared to change the leadership of my life to You. I am yours."
You want to begin this relationship with Jesus today? Well, then, it's a day to be clean once and for all. I think we can help with that. Go to our website. It's ANewStory.com. Please go there today.
If you've never had your sins forgiven by Him at that cross, take care of that today and let the new story of your life begin.
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.