Max Lucado Daily: Questions for Joseph - December 10, 2021
You’ll find knotholes and snapshots and “I wonders” in every chapter of the Bible about every person. But nothing stirs so many questions as does the birth of Jesus Christ. Characters appear and disappear before we can ask them anything. I’ve got some questions. I’ve got questions for Joseph.
Did you and Jesus arm wrestle? Did he ever let you win? Did you ever look up from your prayers and see Jesus listening? What ever happened to the wise men? What ever happened to you?
We don’t know. We don’t know what happened to Joseph. With the exception of a short scene with twelve-year-old Jesus in Jerusalem, he never reappears. The rest of his life is left to speculation, and we are left with our questions. But of all my questions, my first would be about Bethlehem. What was Joseph thinking while Jesus was being born?
Leviticus 17
Holy Living: Sacrifices and Blood
God spoke to Moses: “Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the Israelites. Tell them, This is what God commands: Any and every man who slaughters an ox or lamb or goat inside or outside the camp instead of bringing it to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting to offer it to God in front of The Dwelling of God—that man is considered guilty of bloodshed; he has shed blood and must be cut off from his people. This is so the Israelites will bring to God the sacrifices that they’re in the habit of sacrificing out in the open fields. They must bring them to God and the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and sacrifice them as Peace-Offerings to God. The priest will splash the blood on the Altar of God at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and burn the fat as a pleasing fragrance to God. They must no longer offer their sacrifices to goat-demons—a kind of religious orgy. This is a perpetual decree down through the generations.
8-9 “Tell them, Any Israelite or foreigner living among them who offers a Whole-Burnt-Offering or Peace-Offering but doesn’t bring it to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting to sacrifice it to God, that person must be cut off from his people.
10-12 “If any Israelite or foreigner living among them eats blood, I will disown that person and cut him off from his people, for the life of an animal is in the blood. I have provided the blood for you to make atonement for your lives on the Altar; it is the blood, the life, that makes atonement. That’s why I tell the People of Israel, ‘Don’t eat blood.’ The same goes for the foreigner who lives among you, ‘Don’t eat blood.’
13-14 “Any and every Israelite—this also goes for the foreigners—who hunts down an animal or bird that is edible, must bleed it and cover the blood with dirt, because the life of every animal is its blood—the blood is its life. That’s why I tell the Israelites, ‘Don’t eat the blood of any animal because the life of every animal is its blood. Anyone who eats the blood must be cut off.’
15-16 “Anyone, whether native or foreigner, who eats from an animal that is found dead or mauled must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he remains unclean until evening and is then clean. If he doesn’t wash or bathe his body, he’ll be held responsible for his actions.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, December 10, 2021
Today's Scripture
2 Samuel 22:17–20
(NIV)
“He reached down from on highe and took hold of me;
he drewf me out of deep waters.
18 He rescuedg me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support.h
20 He brought me out into a spaciousi place;
he rescuedj me because he delightedk in me.
Insight
Second Samuel 23:8–39 describes King David’s special forces of heroic soldiers who fought his battles and risked their lives for him. In addition, he had more than a million able-bodied men he could have drafted for battle (24:9). But as expressed by his song in chapter 22, it was God who deserved the credit for David’s rescues and reputation. Even as his nation’s most celebrated son, he was far from perfect. Although his last words make no mention of his mistakes (23:1–7), the biblical account does. In addition to his affair with Bathsheba (chs. 11–12), he insisted, in another thoughtless moment, on a census to assess his nation’s military strength (see 24:10). Even a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14) could forget that his strength was always in his merciful God—never in the numbers. By: Mart DeHaan
Rescued from Powerful Enemies
[God] rescued me from my powerful enemy.
2 Samuel 22:18
In 2010, at the age of ninety-four, George Vujnovich was awarded the bronze star for organizing what the New York Times called “one of the greatest rescue efforts of World War II.” Vujnovich, son of Serbian immigrants to the US, had joined the US Army. When word arrived that downed American airmen were being protected by rebels in Yugoslavia, Vujnovich returned to his family’s homeland, parachuting into the forest to locate the pilots. Dividing the soldiers into small groups, he taught them how to blend in with the Serbs (wearing Serbian clothes and eating Serbian food). Then, over months, he walked each small group out one at a time to C-47 transport planes waiting at a landing strip they’d cut out of the woods. Vujnovich rescued 512 elated, joyful men.
David described the elation of being rescued by God from enemies who’d hemmed him in with no escape. God “reached down from on high and took hold of me,” David said, “he drew me out of deep waters” (2 Samuel 22:17). King Saul, enraged with jealousy, hounded David, ruthlessly seeking blood. But God had other plans. “He rescued me from my powerful enemy,” David recounted, “from my foes, who were too strong for me” (v. 18).
God rescued David from Saul. He rescued Israel from Egypt. And in Jesus, God came to rescue all of us. Jesus rescues us from sin, evil, and death. He’s greater than every powerful enemy. By: Winn Collier
Reflect & Pray
Where do you feel hemmed in, with no escape from lies you believe or sin that binds you? How do you see Jesus coming to rescue you?
All-powerful God, I need to be rescued. If You don’t help me, I’m finished. I have no escape. So I’m turning to You. Please help me.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, December 10, 2021
The Offering of the Natural
It is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. —Galatians 4:22
Paul was not dealing with sin in this chapter of Galatians, but with the relation of the natural to the spiritual. The natural can be turned into the spiritual only through sacrifice. Without this a person will lead a divided life. Why did God demand that the natural must be sacrificed? God did not demand it. It is not God’s perfect will, but His permissive will. God’s perfect will was for the natural to be changed into the spiritual through obedience. Sin is what made it necessary for the natural to be sacrificed.
Abraham had to offer up Ishmael before he offered up Isaac (see Genesis 21:8-14). Some of us are trying to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God before we have sacrificed the natural. The only way we can offer a spiritual sacrifice to God is to “present [our] bodies a living sacrifice…” (Romans 12:1). Sanctification means more than being freed from sin. It means the deliberate commitment of myself to the God of my salvation, and being willing to pay whatever it may cost.
If we do not sacrifice the natural to the spiritual, the natural life will resist and defy the life of the Son of God in us and will produce continual turmoil. This is always the result of an undisciplined spiritual nature. We go wrong because we stubbornly refuse to discipline ourselves physically, morally, or mentally. We excuse ourselves by saying, “Well, I wasn’t taught to be disciplined when I was a child.” Then discipline yourself now! If you don’t, you will ruin your entire personal life for God.
God is not actively involved with our natural life as long as we continue to pamper and gratify it. But once we are willing to put it out in the desert and are determined to keep it under control, God will be with it. He will then provide wells and oases and fulfill all His promises for the natural (see Genesis 21:15-19).
Wisdom From Oswald Chambers
The great word of Jesus to His disciples is Abandon. When God has brought us into the relationship of disciples, we have to venture on His word; trust entirely to Him and watch that when He brings us to the venture, we take it. Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, 1459 R
Bible in a Year: Hosea 1-4; Revelation 1
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, December 10, 2021
You Didn't Know When You Were Born? - #9110
Birthdays have changed for me over the years. When I was little, my parents always made it a big deal with a party, and friends, and hats, and cake with candles and all the rest. Today my birthday just isn't a big "hoopla" like it used to be. Many times we have a quiet kind with cards, a couple of gifts, nice family dinner together. Actually, it was getting to the point where my wife was hesitant to put candles on my cake. Yeah, she said there were so many she was afraid it was going to like set off the smoke detectors in our house. Come on! But it is getting tougher. The observance varies from year to year, but one thing is for sure. I always know when it's my birthday. You say, "Well, congratulations! Most people do." In fact, I have to write it on a lot of forms many times a year. And then I know when I was married, too. Did you know that? Aren't you proud of me? Yeah, I can even remember that. And I'd better remember the anniversary, you know, it was always important to remember that. Yeah. See, those are important beginnings. You know when they were (or you should).
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "You Didn't Know When You Were Born?"
Now, when you go flying; that is in an airplane, you don't try to talk your way on board. I do a lot of flying. You don't say, "Listen, don't you think I'm good looking? Don't you think I'm a nice guy? Would you let me on board?" They'd say, "No, sir. Where is your ticket?"
Did you know it's the same thing when it comes to getting into God's heaven? One day you and I are going to stand before God and hope that we'll spend forever in that wonderful place. You got your ticket? Well, where's your ticket?
John 3:3 - basically Jesus says, "Here's the ticket." He says, "I tell you the truth. No one can see the Kingdom of God..." Whoa! That's serious. "...unless he is born again." Wait! How do you do that? If that's the only ticket to get into God's heaven, you want to make sure that you are born again. So how does that happen? When does it happen?
Our word for today from the Word of God, John 1:12 says this, "To all who received Christ, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become the children of God." In other words, to get born into His family. Now, my first birthday, I was born into the Hutchcraft family. I know when that happened. On your second birth, you get born into God's family when you place your total trust in Christ and tell him you want him to enter the control room of your life.
There's no way to do that without knowing you did it. Now, do you know when you were born into God's family? Look, you may not remember a date; a lot of people don't. But you've got to remember that you did it to know that you did. If not, you might not be in God's family.
You say, "Well, I've been around Him for years. I must have picked Him up somewhere." Well, you don't get Jesus by osmosis. "Well, I believe it all." Well, see, agreement is not commitment. "Well, I can't remember not knowing about Him." Well, that doesn't mean you've given yourself to Him any more than knowing and even loving a person for fifty years means you married them.
Like birth, there's a day when no life becomes life. Choosing Christ is a conscious choice. You know you did it. You may have Christian beliefs, a Christian pedigree, a Christian reputation, even a Christian position and not have Christ. When were you born? If you don't know, if you're not sure that there was a day you began to be in God's family, well, maybe you're not in it.
But you know what? You could consciously today receive Him and get this settled for sure. Just don't be so proud that you won't make sure. Religious pride is going to cost a lot of people heaven. If you're not sure you belong to Him, why not have a day when you make sure? Why not let this be the day? The Bible says, "Today is the day of your salvation." Reach out and say, "Jesus, beginning today, consciously I give myself to you. I am yours."
Look, this would be a good time to check out our website. A lot of people go there. You can find there how to be sure you belong to Him. It's ANewStory.com. You let Christ in today, and your Heavenly Father will be the first to wish you "Happy Birthday!"
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.