John 18:19-40, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: WORRY DOESN’T WORK - November 30, 2022

Worry has more questions than answers, more work than energy, and thinks often about giving up. Not enough time, luck, credit, wisdom, intelligence. We’re running out of everything it seems, and so we worry. But worry doesn’t work. You can dedicate a decade of anxious thoughts to the brevity of life and not extend it by one minute. Worry accomplishes nothing.

God doesn’t condemn legitimate concern for responsibilities, but rather the continuous mindset that dismisses God’s presence. Destructive anxiety subtracts God from the future, tallies up the challenges of the day without entering God into the equation.

Jesus gives us this challenge: “Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:32-33 NLT).

John 18:19-40

The Interrogation

19-21 Annas interrogated Jesus regarding his disciples and his teaching. Jesus answered, “I’ve spoken openly in public. I’ve taught regularly in meeting places and the Temple, where the Jews all come together. Everything has been out in the open. I’ve said nothing in secret. So why are you treating me like a traitor? Question those who have been listening to me. They know well what I have said. My teachings have all been aboveboard.”

22 When he said this, one of the policemen standing there slapped Jesus across the face, saying, “How dare you speak to the Chief Priest like that!”

23 Jesus replied, “If I’ve said something wrong, prove it. But if I’ve spoken the plain truth, why this slapping around?”

24 Then Annas sent him, still tied up, to the Chief Priest Caiaphas.

25 Meanwhile, Simon Peter was back at the fire, still trying to get warm. The others there said to him, “Aren’t you one of his disciples?”

He denied it, “Not me.”

26 One of the Chief Priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?”

27 Again, Peter denied it. Just then a rooster crowed.

The King of the Jews

28-29 They led Jesus then from Caiaphas to the Roman governor’s palace. It was early morning. They themselves didn’t enter the palace because they didn’t want to be disqualified from eating the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and spoke. “What charge do you bring against this man?”

30 They said, “If he hadn’t been doing something evil, do you think we’d be here bothering you?”

31-32 Pilate said, “You take him. Judge him by your law.”

The Jews said, “We’re not allowed to kill anyone.” (This would confirm Jesus’ word indicating the way he would die.)

33 Pilate went back into the palace and called for Jesus. He said, “Are you the ‘King of the Jews’?”

34 Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own, or did others tell you this about me?”

35 Pilate said, “Do I look like a Jew? Your people and your high priests turned you over to me. What did you do?”

36 “My kingdom,” said Jesus, “doesn’t consist of what you see around you. If it did, my followers would fight so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But I’m not that kind of king, not the world’s kind of king.”

37 Then Pilate said, “So, are you a king or not?”

Jesus answered, “You tell me. Because I am King, I was born and entered the world so that I could witness to the truth. Everyone who cares for truth, who has any feeling for the truth, recognizes my voice.”

38-39 Pilate said, “What is truth?”

Then he went back out to the Jews and told them, “I find nothing wrong in this man. It’s your custom that I pardon one prisoner at Passover. Do you want me to pardon the ‘King of the Jews’?”

40 They shouted back, “Not this one, but Barabbas!” Barabbas was a Jewish freedom fighter.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Today's Scripture

Proverbs 15:1–7

God Doesn’t Miss a Thing

A gentle response defuses anger,

    but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire.

2 Knowledge flows like spring water from the wise;

    fools are leaky faucets, dripping nonsense.

3 God doesn’t miss a thing—

    he’s alert to good and evil alike.

4 Kind words heal and help;

    cutting words wound and maim.

5 Moral dropouts won’t listen to their elders;

    welcoming correction is a mark of good sense.

6 The lives of God-loyal people flourish;

    a misspent life is soon bankrupt.

7 Perceptive words spread knowledge;

    fools are hollow—there’s nothing to them.

Insight

The power of our words is a common theme of Scripture. Four of today’s seven proverbs (Proverbs 15:1–7) address the importance of how we use our tongues. Many of the statements contrast the positive and negative use of words. Solomon noted that our words reflect what’s in our hearts: words of knowledge reveal that a person is wise, but a “fool gushes folly” (v. 2).

Jesus repeated this wisdom in Matthew 15:1–20. In discussing what makes a person unclean, He said it isn’t what goes into a person but rather what comes out of the mouth that makes one unclean, for that which comes out of the mouth reveals what’s in the heart. Defiled speech reveals a defiled heart (vv. 11, 18–20). By: J.R. Hudberg

Warning Sounds

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1

Ever had a close encounter with a rattlesnake? If so, you might have noticed that the sound of the rattle seemed to get more intense as you moved nearer to the viper. Research in the scientific journal Current Biology reveals that the snakes do increase their rattling rate when a threat is approaching. This “high-frequency mode” can cause us to think they’re closer than they are. As one researcher put it, “The misinterpretation of distance by the listener . . . creates a distance safety margin.”

People can sometimes use increasing volume with harsh words that push others away during a conflict—exhibiting anger and resorting to shouting. The writer of Proverbs shares some wise advice for times like these: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). He goes on to say that “soothing” and “wise” words can be “a tree of life” and a source of “knowledge” (vv. 4, 7).

Jesus provided the ultimate reasons for gently appealing to those with whom we enter into conflict: extending love that reveals us to be His children (Matthew 5:43–45) and seeking reconciliation—“[winning] them over” (18:15). Instead of raising our voice or using unkind words during conflicts, may we show civility, wisdom, and love to others as God guides us by His Spirit. By:  Tom Felten

Reflect & Pray

Why can it be difficult to be gentle and loving in a conflict? How can the Holy Spirit help you carefully choose your words and actions?

Heavenly Father, help me to lovingly address issues with those with whom I disagree.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

“By the Grace of God I Am What I Am”

By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain… —1 Corinthians 15:10

The way we continually talk about our own inabilities is an insult to our Creator. To complain over our incompetence is to accuse God falsely of having overlooked us. Get into the habit of examining from God’s perspective those things that sound so humble to men. You will be amazed at how unbelievably inappropriate and disrespectful they are to Him. We say things such as, “Oh, I shouldn’t claim to be sanctified; I’m not a saint.” But to say that before God means, “No, Lord, it is impossible for You to save and sanctify me; there are opportunities I have not had and so many imperfections in my brain and body; no, Lord, it isn’t possible.” That may sound wonderfully humble to others, but before God it is an attitude of defiance.

Conversely, the things that sound humble before God may sound exactly the opposite to people. To say, “Thank God, I know I am saved and sanctified,” is in God’s eyes the purest expression of humility. It means you have so completely surrendered yourself to God that you know He is true. Never worry about whether what you say sounds humble before others or not. But always be humble before God, and allow Him to be your all in all.

There is only one relationship that really matters, and that is your personal relationship to your personal Redeemer and Lord. If you maintain that at all costs, letting everything else go, God will fulfill His purpose through your life. One individual life may be of priceless value to God’s purposes, and yours may be that life.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

It is perilously possible to make our conceptions of God like molten lead poured into a specially designed mould, and when it is cold and hard we fling it at the heads of the religious people who don’t agree with us.

Disciples Indeed

Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 37-39; 2 Peter 2

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

HOW YOU CAN MAKE IT THROUGH YOUR WRECKAGE - #9363

There's one vacation spot our family has always wanted to go back to - Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. As you walk through this bustling, restored Colonial capital, suddenly you say, "Whoa, it's not "now" anymore." You feel like you're in the 1770s again. I mean the buildings, the gardens, and the elegant rooms carry this charm that even children can sense. But it wasn't always that way.

This was the capitol of Virginia in Revolutionary War times, but over 150 years a lot of buildings changed, deteriorated and were torn down. Then along came the Rockefellers in the 1930s. A local minister had dreamed of the town being restored to its former beauty and to the glory it once had. And that was the beginning of a whole new episode in the history of Colonial Williamsburg. It was really something rundown until someone committed his resources to restoring it.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How You Can Make It Through Your Wreckage."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from the Old Testament prophet Joel. It's in chapter 1, verse 4. "What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left other locusts have eaten." What we're getting here is an image here of like total destruction in the land.

It's symbolic, because verse 6 says, "A nation has invaded my land, powerful and without number; it has the teeth of a lion, the fangs of a lioness. It has laid waste my vines and ruined my fig trees. It has stripped off their bark and thrown it away, leaving their branches white." So the Bible is talking about something here that is a devastating past. And maybe that can be applied to your past.

And then comes the hope. Chapter 2, verse 25: "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten - the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm." Then he says, "Then you will know that I am in Israel; that I am the Lord your God and there is no other. Never again will my people be ashamed." Now, for sure, this is specific to that time and this people, but also in a secondary world we can apply it to many when you need a great restoring work is your only hope.

Time and neglect had done a lot of damage to old Colonial Williamsburg. The locusts had done the job. But then someone with a lot of resources committed themselves to restoring it. And that commitment made all the difference. In many ways that's Joel's picture here. God has seen the wreckage of the past. He knows sometimes maybe that you have sort of that Humpty-Dumpty feeling: all the kings horses and all the kings men can't put you together again. But the King can.

A Christian psychiatrist once told me, "Ron, I think only a Christian can dare to truly face his or her past." Yes, because you're not facing it alone. You're facing it with a Savior, the healer, the carpenter who rebuilds what others have given up on. There is a Savior who will walk with you through those memories and help heal them, who will put them in perspective, who can loosen their grip on you. That Savior can give you a brand new identity; not being the victim any more, but the victor. He can turn your pain into sensitivity and compassion for the pain of others. And then He can make you a make-a-difference person for those who are walking through that same valley. Something deeply healing happens when you take Jesus Christ into each painful episode from your past. The Bible says, "He's carried all our grief and sorrows."

You don't have to be trapped in the wreckage of the past any longer. Jesus stands poised with His infinite resources to tackle the damage that you could never fix and to restore a new beauty that you never thought possible.

And listen with me to the words from a hymn that captures that restoring miracle. It says, "Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter, feelings lie buried that grace can restore. Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness, cords that are broken will vibrate once more." That's what Jesus could do for you this very day.

1 Kings 2, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: THE CHOICE TO LOVE - November 29, 2022

We don’t like to talk about hell, do we? In intellectual circles the topic of hell is regarded as primitive and foolish. It’s not logical.  “A loving God wouldn’t send people to hell.” So we dismiss it.

The doctrine of hell, however, is not one developed by Paul, Peter, or John. It is taught primarily by Jesus himself. And to dismiss it is to dismiss the presence of a loving God and the privilege of a free choice. He leaves the choice to us. He invites us to love him. He urges us to love Him. He came that we might love Him. To take that choice from each of us, for him to force us to love him, would be less than love. God explains the benefits, outlines the promises, and articulates very clearly the consequences. And then, in the end, he leaves the choice to us.

1 Kings 2

When David’s time to die approached, he charged his son Solomon, saying, “I’m about to go the way of all the earth, but you—be strong; show what you’re made of! Do what God tells you. Walk in the paths he shows you: Follow the life-map absolutely, keep an eye out for the signposts, his course for life set out in the revelation to Moses; then you’ll get on well in whatever you do and wherever you go. Then God will confirm what he promised me when he said, ‘If your sons watch their step, staying true to me heart and soul, you’ll always have a successor on Israel’s throne.’

5-6 “And don’t forget what Joab son of Zeruiah did to the two commanders of Israel’s army, to Abner son of Ner and to Amasa son of Jether. He murdered them in cold blood, acting in peacetime as if he were at war, and has been stained with that blood ever since. Do what you think best with him, but by no means let him get off scot-free—make him pay.

7 “But be generous to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite—extend every hospitality to them; that’s the way they treated me when I was running for my life from Absalom your brother.

8-9 “You also will have to deal with Shimei son of Gera the Benjaminite from Bahurim, the one who cursed me so viciously when I was on my way to Mahanaim. Later, when he welcomed me back at the Jordan, I promised him under God, ‘I won’t put you to death.’ But neither should you treat him as if nothing ever happened. You’re wise, you know how to handle these things. You’ll know what to do to make him pay before he dies.”

* * *

10-12 Then David joined his ancestors. He was buried in the City of David. David ruled Israel for forty years—seven years in Hebron and another thirty-three in Jerusalem. Solomon took over on the throne of his father David; he had a firm grip on the kingdom.

Solomon

13-14 Adonijah son of Haggith came to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. She said, “Do you come in peace?”

He said, “In peace.” And then, “May I say something to you?”

“Go ahead,” she said, “speak.”

15-16 “You know that I had the kingdom right in my hands and everyone expected me to be king, and then the whole thing backfired and the kingdom landed in my brother’s lap—God’s doing. So now I have one request to ask of you; please don’t refuse me.”

“Go ahead, ask,” she said.

17 “Ask King Solomon—he won’t turn you down—to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”

18 “Certainly,” said Bathsheba. “I’ll speak to the king for you.”

19 Bathsheba went to King Solomon to present Adonijah’s request. The king got up and welcomed her, bowing respectfully, and returned to his throne. Then he had a throne put in place for his mother, and she sat at his right hand.

20 She said, “I have a small favor to ask of you. Don’t refuse me.”

The king replied, “Go ahead, Mother; of course I won’t refuse you.”

21 She said, “Give Abishag the Shunammite to your brother Adonijah as his wife.”

22 King Solomon answered his mother, “What kind of favor is this, asking that Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah? Why don’t you just ask me to hand over the whole kingdom to him on a platter since he is my older brother and has Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah on his side!”

23-24 Then King Solomon swore under God, “May God do his worst to me if Adonijah doesn’t pay for this with his life! As surely as God lives, the God who has set me firmly on the throne of my father David and has put me in charge of the kingdom just as he promised, Adonijah will die for this—today!”

25 King Solomon dispatched Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he struck Adonijah and he died.

26 The king then told Abiathar the priest, “You’re exiled to your place in Anathoth. You deserve death but I’m not going to kill you—for now anyway—because you were in charge of the Chest of our ruling God in the company of David my father, and because you shared all the hard times with my father.”

27 Solomon stripped Abiathar of his priesthood, fulfilling God’s word at Shiloh regarding the family of Eli.

28-29 When this news reached Joab, this Joab who had conspired with Adonijah (although he had remained loyal in the Absalom affair), he took refuge in the sanctuary of God, seizing the horns of the Altar and holding on for dear life. King Solomon was told that Joab had escaped to the sanctuary of God and was clinging to the Altar; he immediately sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada with orders, “Kill him.”

30 Benaiah went to the sanctuary of God and said, “King’s orders: Come out.”

He said, “No—I’ll die right here.”

Benaiah went back to the king and reported, “This was Joab’s answer.”

31-33 The king said, “Go ahead then, do what he says: Kill him and bury him. Absolve me and my father’s family of the guilt from Joab’s senseless murders. God is avenging those bloody murders on Joab’s head. Two men he murdered, men better by far than he ever was: Behind my father’s back he brutally murdered Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army. Responsibility for their murders is forever fixed on Joab and his descendants; but for David and his descendants, his family and kingdom, the final verdict is God’s peace.”

34-35 So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went back, struck Joab, and killed him. He was buried in his family plot out in the desert. The king appointed Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in place of Joab, and replaced Abiathar with Zadok the priest.

36-37 The king next called in Shimei and told him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but you are not to leave the area. If you so much as cross the Brook Kidron, you’re as good as dead—you will have decreed your own death sentence.”

38 Shimei answered the king, “Oh, thank you! Your servant will do exactly as my master the king says.” Shimei lived in Jerusalem a long time.

39-40 But it so happened that three years later, two of Shimei’s slaves ran away to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. Shimei was told, “Your slaves are in Gath.” Shimei sprang into action, saddled his donkey, and went to Achish in Gath looking for his slaves. And then he came back, bringing his slaves.

41 Solomon was told, “Shimei left Jerusalem for Gath, and now he’s back.”

42-43 Solomon then called for Shimei and said, “Didn’t I make you promise me under God, and give you a good warning besides, that you would not leave this area? That if you left you would have decreed your own death sentence? And didn’t you say, ‘Oh, thank you—I’ll do exactly as you say’? So why didn’t you keep your sacred promise and do what I ordered?”

44-45 Then the king told Shimei, “Deep in your heart you know all the evil that you did to my father David; God will now avenge that evil on you. But King Solomon will be blessed and the rule of David will be a sure thing under God forever.”

46 The king then gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he went out and struck Shimei dead.

The kingdom was now securely in Solomon’s grasp.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Today's Scripture

Matthew 25:34–40

 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:

I was hungry and you fed me,

I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,

I was homeless and you gave me a room,

I was shivering and you gave me clothes,

I was sick and you stopped to visit,

I was in prison and you came to me.’

37-40 “Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’

Insight

Matthew describes a life of service devoted to the “least of these” who are “brothers and sisters of mine” (Matthew 25:40). The idea of serving those in need being a way of serving God indirectly is also captured in Proverbs 19:17, which says, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.”

Since elsewhere in Matthew, Jesus’ “family” is defined as those who do “the will of my Father in heaven” (12:50), Matthew here seems focused primarily on the treatment of believers in Jesus who were vulnerable and in need due to taking great risks in service to Him. Since Jesus was sending His followers to do dangerous work on behalf of His kingdom, His words here would have assured them that He was with them in their struggles. By: Monica La Rose

A Hot Meal

Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. Matthew 25:40

Barbecue chicken, green beans, spaghetti, rolls. On a cool day in October, at least fifty-four homeless people received this hot meal from a woman celebrating fifty-four years of life. The woman and her friends decided to forgo her usual birthday dinner in a restaurant, choosing instead to cook and serve meals to people on the streets of Chicago. On social media, she encouraged others to also perform a random act of kindness as a birthday gift.

This story reminds me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 25: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (v. 40). He said these words after declaring that His sheep will be invited into His eternal kingdom to receive their inheritance (vv. 33–34). At that time, Jesus will acknowledge that they’re the people who fed and clothed Him because of their genuine faith in Him, unlike the proud religious people who did not believe in Him (see 26:3–5). Although the “righteous” will question when they fed and clothed Jesus (25:37), He'll assure them that what they did for others was also done for Him (v. 40).

Feeding the hungry is just one way God helps us care for His people—showing our love for Him and relationship with Him. May He help us meet others’ needs today. By:  Katara Patton

Reflect & Pray

What acts of kindness can you do today to show God’s love to others? How are you also caring for Him when you help meet their needs?

Gracious God, please help me to show Your love through my actions today.

For further study, read Loving the Neighbor Next Door.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

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

Jesus Christ is always unyielding to my claim to my right to myself. The one essential element in all our Lord’s teaching about discipleship is abandon, no calculation, no trace of self-interest.

Disciples Indeed

Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 35-36; 2 Peter 1

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

TAKING BACK WHAT THE ENEMY STOLE - #9362

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I've been privileged to have a lot of friends in law enforcement over the years. Not because I was in their custody. Let me make that clear. Some of them have the intriguing, and harrowing, assignment of being involved with both a SWAT team and a Hostage Negotiating Team. Needless to say, they're specialists who are called in when there's an especially dangerous situation; often involving people who are being held hostage by a felon. Their mission, one way or another, is to do whatever it takes to bring out those who have been taken captive.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Taking Back What the Enemy Stole."

Do you know that could be the mission God's asking you to go on right now? There's something, or someone, that our enemy Satan has stolen. And your Lord wants you to fight to get back what your enemy has no right to have.

There's a memorable picture of this in our word for today from the Word of God in 1 Samuel 30, beginning with verse 3. While David and his warriors have been out on a military mission, their mortal enemies, the Amalekites, launch a sneak attack on David's camp and take prisoners. The Bible says, "the women and all who were in it. When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive." The Bible says they wept until "they had no strength left to weep." It's a heartbreaking scene.

But those tears turned to bitterness. It says, "Each one was bitter in his spirit." The Bible says, "But David found strength in the Lord his God." So, "David," it says, "inquired of the Lord," and as a result of God's direction, he led his men to take back what the enemy had stolen. And the Bible says, "David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken...nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back."

Well, now, that could be God's word to you today, because your enemy has stolen something or someone he has no right to. Maybe he's stolen a child of yours or the love that was once in your marriage. Maybe he's stolen the joy you once had in serving your Lord, or the love and unity your church once knew, or the sense of calling you once had. Satan also steals reputations...even years of your life, by keeping you from Jesus. Now when you've lost something to an enemy ambush, it's easy, like David's men, to succumb to bitterness and feel like surrendering. But, like David, you can "find strength in the Lord your God" instead of finding discouragement in what you've lost.

Then you pray for God's strategy for fighting back to recover what the enemy has stolen. Declare war on whatever has been keeping you from recovering what you should never forfeit to the darkness. Maybe you've been accepting a loss that you never should have surrendered to. You know what God is saying? It's time to fight back, and realize that the Messiah, Jesus, who descended from David, has the power to, as the Bible says, "bring everything back." You're no match for this enemy from hell, but he's no match for your Jesus!

And Jesus told us that we could pray and bind that strong man, and one stronger than he is (speaking of Jesus himself) will come and overpower him and take away his possessions. Those are possessions he never should have had in the first place. The enemy may have his hand on something or someone right now that he has no right to. It's time for you to follow General Jesus into the battle to take back what the enemy has stolen!

1 Kings 1, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: THE SURPRISE OF GOD’S LOVE - Nov

The supreme surprise of God’s love? It has nothing to do with you. Others love you because of you, because your dimples dip when you smile or your rhetoric charms when you flirt.

Some people love you because of you, but not God. He loves you because He is He. He loves you because He decides to. Self-generated, uncaused, and spontaneous, his constant-level love depends on his choice to give it. Deuteronomy 7:7 and 8 says, “The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you.”

You don’t influence God’s love. You can’t impact the tree-ness of a tree, the sky-ness of the sky or the rock-ness of a rock. Nor can you affect the love of God.

1 Kings 1

David

King David grew old. The years had caught up with him. Even though they piled blankets on him, he couldn’t keep warm. So his servants said to him, “We’re going to get a young virgin for our master the king to be at his side and look after him; she’ll get in bed with you and arouse our master the king.” So they searched the country of Israel for the most ravishing girl they could find; they found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king. The girl was stunningly beautiful; she stayed at his side and looked after the king, but the king did not have sex with her.

5-6 At this time Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, puffed himself up saying, “I’m the next king!” He made quite a splash, with chariots and riders and fifty men to run ahead of him. His father had spoiled him rotten as a child, never once reprimanding him. Besides that, he was very good-looking and the next in line after Absalom.

7-8 Adonijah talked with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they threw their weight on his side. But neither the priest Zadok, nor Benaiah son of Jehoiada, nor Nathan the prophet, nor Shimei and Rei, nor David’s personal bodyguards supported Adonijah.

9-10 Next Adonijah held a coronation feast, sacrificing sheep, cattle, and grain-fed heifers at the Stone of Zoheleth near the Rogel Spring. He invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and everyone in Judah who had position and influence—but he did not invite the prophet Nathan, Benaiah, the bodyguards, or his brother Solomon.

11-14 Nathan went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Did you know that Adonijah, Haggith’s son, has taken over as king, and our master David doesn’t know a thing about it? Quickly now, let me tell you how you can save both your own life and Solomon’s. Go immediately to King David. Speak up: ‘Didn’t you, my master the king, promise me, “Your son Solomon will be king after me and sit on my throne”? So why is Adonijah now king?’ While you’re there talking with the king, I’ll come in and corroborate your story.”

15-16 Bathsheba went at once to the king in his palace bedroom. He was so old! Abishag was at his side making him comfortable. As Bathsheba bowed low, honoring the king, he said, “What do you want?”

17-21 “My master,” she said, “you promised me in God’s name, ‘Your son Solomon will be king after me and sit on my throne.’ And now look what’s happened—Adonijah has taken over as king, and my master the king doesn’t even know it! He has thrown a huge coronation feast—cattle and grain-fed heifers and sheep—inviting all the king’s sons, the priest Abiathar, and Joab head of the army. But your servant Solomon was not invited. My master the king, every eye in Israel is watching you to see what you’ll do—to see who will sit on the throne of my master the king after him. If you fail to act, the moment you’re buried my son Solomon and I are as good as dead.”

22-23 Abruptly, while she was telling the king all this, Nathan the prophet came in and was announced: “Nathan the prophet is here.” He came before the king, honoring him by bowing deeply, his face touching the ground.

24-27 “My master the king,” Nathan began, “did you say, ‘Adonijah shall be king after me and sit on my throne’? Because that’s what’s happening. He’s thrown a huge coronation feast—cattle, grain-fed heifers, sheep—inviting all the king’s sons, the army officers, and Abiathar the priest. They’re having a grand time, eating and drinking and shouting, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ But I wasn’t invited, nor was the priest Zadok, nor Benaiah son of Jehoiada, nor your servant Solomon. Is this something that my master the king has done behind our backs, not telling your servants who you intended to be king after you?”

28 King David took action: “Get Bathsheba back in here.” She entered and stood before the king.

29-30 The king solemnly promised, “As God lives, the God who delivered me from every kind of trouble, I’ll do exactly what I promised in God’s name, the God of Israel: Your son Solomon will be king after me and take my place on the throne. And I’ll make sure it happens this very day.”

31 Bathsheba bowed low, her face to the ground. Kneeling in reverence before the king she said, “Oh, may my master, King David, live forever!”

32 King David said, “Call Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.” They came to the king.

33-35 Then he ordered, “Gather my servants, then mount my son Solomon on my royal mule and lead him in procession down to Gihon. When you get there, Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet will anoint him king over Israel. Then blow the ram’s horn trumpet and shout, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ You will then accompany him as he enters and takes his place on my throne, succeeding me as king. I have named him ruler over Israel and Judah.”

36-37 Benaiah son of Jehoiada backed the king: “Yes! And may God, the God of my master the king, confirm it! Just as God has been with my master the king, may he also be with Solomon and make his rule even greater than that of my master King David!”

38-40 Then Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the king’s personal bodyguard (the Kerethites and Pelethites) went down, mounted Solomon on King David’s mule, and paraded with him to Gihon. Zadok the priest brought a flask of oil from the sanctuary and anointed Solomon. They blew the ram’s horn trumpet and everyone shouted, “Long live King Solomon!” Everyone joined the fanfare, the band playing and the people singing, the very earth reverberating to the sound.

41 Adonijah and his retinue of guests were just finishing their “coronation” feast when they heard it. When Joab heard the blast of the ram’s horn trumpet he said, “What’s going on here? What’s all this uproar?”

42 Suddenly, in the midst of the questioning, Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest, showed up. Adonijah said, “Welcome! A brave and good man like you must have good news.”

43-48 But Jonathan answered, “Hardly! Our master King David has just made Solomon king! And the king has surrounded him with Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, with the Kerethites and Pelethites; and they’ve mounted Solomon on the royal mule. Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon and the parade is headed up this way singing—a great fanfare! The city is beside itself! That’s what you’re hearing. Here’s the crowning touch—Solomon is seated on the throne of the kingdom! And that’s not all: The king’s servants have come to give their blessing to our master King David saying, ‘God make Solomon’s name even more honored than yours, and make his rule greater than yours!’ On his deathbed the king worshiped God and prayed, ‘Blessed be God, Israel’s God, who has provided a successor to my throne, and I’ve lived to see it!’”

49-50 Panicked, Adonijah’s guests got out of there, scattering every which way. But Adonijah himself, afraid for his life because of Solomon, fled to the sanctuary and grabbed the horns of the Altar.

51 Solomon was told, “Adonijah, fearful of King Solomon, has taken sanctuary and seized the horns of the Altar and is saying, ‘I’m not leaving until King Solomon promises that he won’t kill me.’”

52-53 Solomon then said, “If he proves to be a man of honor, not a hair of his head will be hurt; but if there is evil in him, he’ll die.” Solomon summoned him and they brought him from the Altar. Adonijah came and bowed down, honoring the king. Solomon dismissed him, “Go home.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Monday, November 28, 2022

Today's Scripture

Titus 2:11–14

God’s readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation’s available for everyone! We’re being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life. This new life is starting right now, and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, appears. He offered himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people he can be proud of, energetic in goodness.

Insight

Titus was one of many young protégés that the apostle Paul had mentored in ministry. In addition to traveling and serving with him, Titus also carried messages back and forth between Paul and the troubled church in Corinth (2 Corinthians 7:6–9). A gentile who had come to faith in Christ (Galatians 2:3), Titus eventually was entrusted with leading the work of the gospel in the church of Crete (Titus 1:5). The theme of grace is a regular one for Paul in many of his letters (see especially Galatians and Ephesians), and it’s at the heart of today’s text: “The grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people” (Titus 2:11). Paul was continually drawing people away from a faith rooted in religious works and focusing instead on God’s free gift to us in Christ. By: Bill Crowder

Walk with Me

The grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. Titus 2:11

A few years ago, a popular song hit the charts, with a gospel choir singing the chorus, “Jesus walks with me.” Behind the lyrics lies a powerful story.

The choir was started by jazz musician Curtis Lundy when he entered a treatment program for cocaine addiction. Drawing fellow addicts together and finding inspiration in an old hymnal, he wrote that chorus as a hymn of hope for those in rehab. “We were singing for our lives,” one choir member says of the song. “We were asking Jesus to save us, to help us get out of the drugs.” Another found that her chronic pain subsided when she sang the song. That choir wasn’t just singing words on a sheet but offering desperate prayers for redemption.

Today’s Scripture reading describes their experience well. In Christ, our God has appeared to offer salvation to all people (Titus 2:11). While eternal life is part of this gift (v. 13), God is working on us now, empowering us to regain self-control, say no to worldly passions, and redeem us for life with Him (vv. 12, 14). As the choir members found, Jesus doesn’t just forgive our sins—He frees us from destructive lifestyles.

Jesus walks with me. And you. And anyone who cries out to Him for help. He’s with us, offering hope for the future and salvation now. By:  Sheridan Voysey

Reflect & Pray

What do you need Jesus to change in you today? How desperate are you for Him to do it?

Dear Jesus, I need You. Forgive my sins, free me from destructive habits, and change me from the inside out.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Monday, November 28, 2022

The Riches of the Destitute

…being justified freely by His grace… —Romans 3:24

The gospel of the grace of God awakens an intense longing in human souls and an equally intense resentment, because the truth that it reveals is not palatable or easy to swallow. There is a certain pride in people that causes them to give and give, but to come and accept a gift is another thing. I will give my life to martyrdom; I will dedicate my life to service— I will do anything. But do not humiliate me to the level of the most hell-deserving sinner and tell me that all I have to do is accept the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.

We have to realize that we cannot earn or win anything from God through our own efforts. We must either receive it as a gift or do without it. The greatest spiritual blessing we receive is when we come to the knowledge that we are destitute. Until we get there, our Lord is powerless. He can do nothing for us as long as we think we are sufficient in and of ourselves. We must enter into His kingdom through the door of destitution. As long as we are “rich,” particularly in the area of pride or independence, God can do nothing for us. It is only when we get hungry spiritually that we receive the Holy Spirit. The gift of the essential nature of God is placed and made effective in us by the Holy Spirit. He imparts to us the quickening life of Jesus, making us truly alive. He takes that which was “beyond” us and places it “within” us. And immediately, once “the beyond” has come “within,” it rises up to “the above,” and we are lifted into the kingdom where Jesus lives and reigns (see John 3:5).

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

We are not fundamentally free; external circumstances are not in our hands, they are in God’s hands, the one thing in which we are free is in our personal relationship to God. We are not responsible for the circumstances we are in, but we are responsible for the way we allow those circumstances to affect us; we can either allow them to get on top of us, or we can allow them to transform us into what God wants us to be.  Conformed to His Image, 354 L

Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 33-34; 1 Peter 5

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Monday, November 28, 2022

WHEN THE MISSING PERSON IS YOU - #9361

For years, I flew out of Newark Airport a lot. And I was usually in a hurry when I was there. And because I was in a hurry, I was focused on getting to my gate. I wasn't real observant of the little changes at the airport. But one day I was flying down the concourse when a little poster grabbed my attention. It was a picture of a smiling, attractive teenage girl, and there were two words in bold, black letters that grabbed me - "STILL MISSING." Now the smaller print revealed that she lived more than a thousand miles away, but someone who loves this girl has spread the word all over the place. Those two words on that poster just went straight to my heart.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When the Missing Person Is You."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Luke 15. There are posters in many places with a picture and the name of some lost child aren't there? Somewhere that means that there's a parent desperately hoping that "Still Missing" will somehow come home. I want you to know God knows that feeling.

Here we go! Luke 15:3 - "Then Jesus told them this parable. Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the 99 in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me. I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you, in that same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who do not need to repent."

Wow, this is a good news story, because Jesus is saying here that the shepherd notices every missing sheep. And he not only hopes that the sheep will come home, he goes looking for him or her. Now, the Shepherd is really our Heavenly Father, and the sheep are His children. And some of them are gone.

Could it be that, in a sense, there's a poster in heaven with your name and your picture on it with those two words, "Still Missing"? Today through this visit your Father is trying to bring you home. See, most of God's children who get away from Him didn't plan to.

The Bible says all of us have wandered away like sheep. You don't run away from Him usually; you wander away. Little steps at a time, and suddenly you realize you're away from the One that you used to be so close to. Or maybe you realize you've never really been close to Him.

Maybe others can't even tell. Maybe you haven't done anything terribly rebellious outwardly. In fact, you're doing the same things, going to the same meetings, saying the same religious words maybe. But in your heart, if not in your lifestyle, you know you're away. Maybe the question is, "How do I start home?" First of all, you tell Jesus, "I want to come home." See, He's come after you. Lost sheep never find their way back to the shepherd. The shepherd comes looking for them. And tell Jesus you're sorry you got away. Retrace your steps back to that first detour. Where did you start to leave Him? Then go back and ask for His forgiveness beginning right there, that first step away from Him, and then each step after that.

And then think about the times you were closest to Jesus. What were you doing differently then? Would you do that again? Start with just one day with Him. Pray your real heart to Him. Look for something in His Word that you could apply to your life today, and then stay in touch with Him all day long. And tell some other believers that you need their help, you need their prayer so you can come home. Don't let pride stop you. Don't let stubbornness stop you. Don't let fear of failure stop you. Don't let any person stop you. They don't love you as much as He does. They can't. He loves you unconditionally.

Maybe you've never begun a personal relationship with this Jesus. You've never allowed Him to bring you home on His shoulders and say, "Rejoice! I've found my lost sheep." If you're a lost sheep, you probably know you are. If you'd like to come home to this love relationship with your Creator you were made for, that Jesus died to give you, would you tell Him that today?

Listen, if you go to our website, I can show you there how to be sure you belong to Him. Go to ANewStory.com.

You come home to Jesus, there'll be a party in heaven in your honor. Till now it's been saying "Still Missing" over your picture. But today it could say, "Found." Or better yet, "Home."

John 18:1-18, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: The Cure for Ingratitude

First Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to “give thanks in everything!” In everything? In trouble, in the hospital, in a fix, in a mess, in distress? Interruptions? Jesus did. When five thousand people interrupted his planned retreat, he took them out to lunch. Matthew 14:19 says, “He took the five loaves and the two fish and, looking to heaven, he thanked God for the food.”

Jesus was robustly thankful. He was thankful when Mary interrupted the party with perfume. When he hugged children and blessed babies and watched blind people look at their first sunsets, Jesus was thankful.

The cure for ingratitude? Look up. Look what God has done! Thank you, Jesus, for modeling gratitude. Thank you, King Jesus, for working all things together for your good. Thank you….for letting love happen.

From Before Amen

John 18:1-18

Seized in the Garden at Night

Jesus, having prayed this prayer, left with his disciples and crossed over the brook Kidron at a place where there was a garden. He and his disciples entered it.

2-4 Judas, his betrayer, knew the place because Jesus and his disciples went there often. So Judas led the way to the garden, and the Roman soldiers and police sent by the high priests and Pharisees followed. They arrived there with lanterns and torches and swords. Jesus, knowing by now everything that was imploding on him, went out and met them. He said, “Who are you after?”

They answered, “Jesus the Nazarene.”

5-6 He said, “That’s me.” The soldiers recoiled, totally taken aback. Judas, his betrayer, stood out like a sore thumb.

7 Jesus asked again, “Who are you after?”

They answered, “Jesus the Nazarene.”

8-9 “I told you,” said Jesus, “that’s me. I’m the one. So if it’s me you’re after, let these others go.” (This validated the words in his prayer, “I didn’t lose one of those you gave.”)

10 Just then Simon Peter, who was carrying a sword, pulled it from its sheath and struck the Chief Priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. Malchus was the servant’s name.

11 Jesus ordered Peter, “Put back your sword. Do you think for a minute I’m not going to drink this cup the Father gave me?”

12-14 Then the Roman soldiers under their commander, joined by the Jewish police, seized Jesus and tied him up. They took him first to Annas, father-in-law of Caiaphas. Caiaphas was the Chief Priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it was to their advantage that one man die for the people.

15-16 Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. That other disciple was known to the Chief Priest, and so he went in with Jesus to the Chief Priest’s courtyard. Peter had to stay outside. Then the other disciple went out, spoke to the doorkeeper, and got Peter in.

17 The young woman who was the doorkeeper said to Peter, “Aren’t you one of this man’s disciples?”

He said, “No, I’m not.”

18 The servants and police had made a fire because of the cold and were huddled there warming themselves. Peter stood with them, trying to get warm.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Sunday, November 27, 2022

Today's Scripture

Ephesians 2:1–10

He Tore Down the Wall

 It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.

7-10 Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

Insight

In Ephesians 1–2, Paul paints a beautiful picture of God’s wonderful plan of salvation. His original readers (the Ephesian church) were already believers in Jesus (1:1), who had received the Holy Spirit (v. 13). But they were at the beginning of their journey and were babes in Christ. Paul prayed that “the eyes of [their understanding] may be enlightened” (v. 18). According to pastor and writer D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (God’s Way of Reconciliation), Paul longed for them (and us) to be certain of “the [great] power of God toward all that believe. . . . Nothing is more vital than that we should be clear about the power of God that is manifested in this Christian salvation.” Because of God’s grace (2:5–10), nothing can separate us from Him (Romans 8:35–39). By: Alyson Kieda

So Beautiful

We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works. Ephesians 2:10

Ephesians 2:1–10

I was very young when I peered through a hospital nursery window and saw a newborn for the first time. In my ignorance, I was dismayed to see a tiny, wrinkly child with a hairless, cone-shaped head. The baby’s mother standing near us, however, couldn’t stop asking everyone, “Isn’t he gorgeous?” I was reminded of that moment when I saw a video of a young dad tenderly singing the song, “You Are So Beautiful” to his baby girl. To her enraptured daddy, the little girl was the most beautiful thing ever created.

Is that how God looks at us? Ephesians 2:10 says that we’re His “handiwork”—His masterpiece. Aware of our own failings, it may be hard for us to accept how much He loves us or to believe that we could ever be of value to Him. But God doesn’t love us because we deserve love (vv. 3–4); He loves us because He is love (1 John 4:8). His love is one of grace, and He showed the depth of it when, through Jesus’ sacrifice, He made us alive in Him when we were dead in our sins (Ephesians 2:5, 8).

God’s love isn’t fickle. It’s constant. He loves the imperfect, the broken, those who are weak and those who mess up. When we fall, He’s there to lift us up. We’re His treasure, and we’re so beautiful to Him. By:  Cindy Hess Kasper

Reflect & Pray

What does it mean to know that “God is love”? How can you accept the truth of God’s endless love for you when you feel undeserving of it?

Precious Father, thank You for Your love for me.

For further study, read How God Loves Us.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Sunday, November 27, 2022

The Consecration of Spiritual Power

…by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. —Galatians 6:14

If I dwell on the Cross of Christ, I do not simply become inwardly devout and solely interested in my own holiness— I become strongly focused on Jesus Christ’s interests. Our Lord was not a recluse nor a fanatical holy man practicing self-denial. He did not physically cut Himself off from society, but He was inwardly disconnected all the time. He was not aloof, but He lived in another world. In fact, He was so much in the common everyday world that the religious people of His day accused Him of being a glutton and a drunkard. Yet our Lord never allowed anything to interfere with His consecration of spiritual power.

It is not genuine consecration to think that we can refuse to be used of God now in order to store up our spiritual power for later use. That is a hopeless mistake. The Spirit of God has set a great many people free from their sin, yet they are experiencing no fullness in their lives— no true sense of freedom. The kind of religious life we see around the world today is entirely different from the vigorous holiness of the life of Jesus Christ. “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15). We are to be in the world but not of it— to be separated internally, not externally (see John 17:16).

We must never allow anything to interfere with the consecration of our spiritual power. Consecration (being dedicated to God’s service) is our part; sanctification (being set apart from sin and being made holy) is God’s part. We must make a deliberate determination to be interested only in what God is interested. The way to make that determination, when faced with a perplexing problem, is to ask yourself, “Is this the kind of thing in which Jesus Christ is interested, or is it something in which the spirit that is diametrically opposed to Jesus is interested?”

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

To live a life alone with God does not mean that we live it apart from everyone else. The connection between godly men and women and those associated with them is continually revealed in the Bible, e.g., 1 Timothy 4:10.  Not Knowing Whither, 867 L

Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 30-32; 1 Peter 4

Psalm 145, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Thank God—For Everything

A person never runs out of reasons to say “thanks.” Just the word lifts the spirit!  To say, “thanks” is to celebrate a gift. Something. Anything. In Scripture the idea of giving thanks is not a suggestion or a recommendation. It’s a command. It carries the same weight as “love your neighbor” and “give to the poor.” More than a hundred times, either by imperative or example, the Bible commands us to be thankful.

If quantity implies gravity, God takes thanksgiving seriously. Ingratitude is the original sin. Adam and Eve had a million reasons to give thanks. They lived in a perfect world. Then Satan slithered into the garden and, just like that, Eden wasn’t enough. Oh, the hissing we hear. “Don’t you want more?”

So thank God. Moment by moment. Day by day. Thank him…for everything!

From Before Amen

Psalm 145

I lift you high in praise, my God, O my King!

    and I’ll bless your name into eternity.

2 I’ll bless you every day,

    and keep it up from now to eternity.

3 God is magnificent; he can never be praised enough.

    There are no boundaries to his greatness.

4 Generation after generation stands in awe of your work;

    each one tells stories of your mighty acts.

5 Your beauty and splendor have everyone talking;

    I compose songs on your wonders.

6 Your marvelous doings are headline news;

    I could write a book full of the details of your greatness.

7 The fame of your goodness spreads across the country;

    your righteousness is on everyone’s lips.

8 God is all mercy and grace—

    not quick to anger, is rich in love.

9 God is good to one and all;

    everything he does is soaked through with grace.

10-11 Creation and creatures applaud you, God;

    your holy people bless you.

They talk about the glories of your rule,

    they exclaim over your splendor,

12 Letting the world know of your power for good,

    the lavish splendor of your kingdom.

13 Your kingdom is a kingdom eternal;

    you never get voted out of office.

God always does what he says,

    and is gracious in everything he does.

14 God gives a hand to those down on their luck,

    gives a fresh start to those ready to quit.

15 All eyes are on you, expectant;

    you give them their meals on time.

16 Generous to a fault,

    you lavish your favor on all creatures.

17 Everything God does is right—

    the trademark on all his works is love.

18 God’s there, listening for all who pray,

    for all who pray and mean it.

19 He does what’s best for those who fear him—

    hears them call out, and saves them.

20 God sticks by all who love him,

    but it’s all over for those who don’t.

21 My mouth is filled with God’s praise.

    Let everything living bless him,

    bless his holy name from now to eternity!

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Saturday, November 26, 2022

Today's Scripture

Hosea 14:1–4

Come Back! Return to Your God!

O Israel, come back! Return to your God!

    You’re down but you’re not out.

Prepare your confession

    and come back to God.

Pray to him, “Take away our sin,

    accept our confession.

Receive as restitution

    our repentant prayers.

Assyria won’t save us;

    horses won’t get us where we want to go.

We’ll never again say ‘our god’

    to something we’ve made or made up.

You’re our last hope. Is it not true

    that in you the orphan finds mercy?”

* * *

4-8 “I will heal their waywardness.

    I will love them lavishly. My anger is played out.

I will make a fresh start with Israel.

    He’ll burst into bloom like a crocus in the spring.

He’ll put down deep oak tree roots,

    he’ll become a forest of oaks!

He’ll become splendid—like a giant sequoia,

    his fragrance like a grove of cedars!

Those who live near him will be blessed by him,

    be blessed and prosper like golden grain.

Everyone will be talking about them,

    spreading their fame as the vintage children of God.

Ephraim is finished with gods that are no-gods.

    From now on I’m the one who answers and satisfies him.

I am like a luxuriant fruit tree.

    Everything you need is to be found in me.”

Insight

Hosea 1:1 provides the reader with something of a time stamp that opens the so-called Minor Prophets (not minor in significance or value, but books that tend to be smaller in size than the major—larger—prophetic books like Isaiah and Jeremiah). Hosea began his prophetic role during the reign of King Uzziah and continued even into the reign of King Hezekiah. This lets us know that Hosea served during the years prior to Israel’s exile to Assyria and Judah being taken into Babylonian captivity. The prophet’s primary message was to call the people of Israel back to covenant faithfulness and to remember the Deuteronomic laws that were given to guide them in walking with God. Nevertheless, the seeds of spiritual rebellion that would provoke Israel’s captivity are found throughout Hosea’s writings. In fact, the verses in today’s reading (Hosea 14:1–4) are the prophet’s recommended prayer of repentance for Israel’s repeated idolatry, which constituted spiritual adultery against God. By: Bill Crowder

Blessed Repentance

Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously. Hosea 14:2

“BROKE” was the street name Grady answered to and those five letters were proudly emblazoned on his license plates. Though not intended in a spiritual sense, the moniker fit the middle-aged gambler, adulterer, and deceiver. He was broken, bankrupt, and far from God. However, all that changed one evening when he was convicted by God’s Spirit in a hotel room. He told his wife, “I think I’m getting saved!” That evening he confessed sins he thought he’d take with him to the grave and came to Jesus for forgiveness. For the next thirty years, the man who didn’t think he’d live to see forty lived and served God as a changed believer in Jesus. His license plates changed too—from “BROKE” to “REPENT.”

Repent. That’s what Grady did and that’s what God called Israel to do in Hosea 14:1–2. “Return, Israel, to the Lord your God. . . . Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to him: ‘Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously.’ ” Big or small, few or many, our sins separate us from God. But the gap can be closed by turning from sin to God and receiving the forgiveness He’s graciously provided through the death of Jesus. Whether you’re a struggling believer in Christ or one whose life looks like Grady’s did, your forgiveness is only a prayer away. By:  Arthur Jackson

Reflect & Pray

What sins separate you from God? Are you ready to confess your need for Him and receive the forgiveness that He’s provided through His Son, Jesus?

Father, search my heart for anything that may contribute to my downfall and distance from you. Cleanse me, forgive me, and use me for Your honor.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Saturday, November 26, 2022

The Focal Point of Spiritual Power

…except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ… —Galatians 6:14

If you want to know the power of God (that is, the resurrection life of Jesus) in your human flesh, you must dwell on the tragedy of God. Break away from your personal concern over your own spiritual condition, and with a completely open spirit consider the tragedy of God. Instantly the power of God will be in you. “Look to Me…” (Isaiah 45:22). Pay attention to the external Source and the internal power will be there. We lose power because we don’t focus on the right thing. The effect of the Cross is salvation, sanctification, healing, etc., but we are not to preach any of these. We are to preach “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). The proclaiming of Jesus will do its own work. Concentrate on God’s focal point in your preaching, and even if your listeners seem to pay it no attention, they will never be the same again. If I share my own words, they are of no more importance than your words are to me. But if we share the truth of God with one another, we will encounter it again and again. We have to focus on the great point of spiritual power— the Cross. If we stay in contact with that center of power, its energy is released in our lives. In holiness movements and spiritual experience meetings, the focus tends to be put not on the Cross of Christ but on the effects of the Cross.

The feebleness of the church is being criticized today, and the criticism is justified. One reason for the feebleness is that there has not been this focus on the true center of spiritual power. We have not dwelt enough on the tragedy of Calvary or on the meaning of redemption.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

For the past three hundred years men have been pointing out how similar Jesus Christ’s teachings are to other good teachings. We have to remember that Christianity, if it is not a supernatural miracle, is a sham.  The Highest Good, 548 L

Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 27-29; 1 Peter 3

Psalm 144, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

 

Max Lucado Daily: WHAT TO DO WITH WORRY - November 25, 2022

Romans 8:32 says, “God did not keep back his own Son, but he gave him for us. If God did this, won’t he freely give us everything else?”

Take your anxieties to the cross—literally. Next time you’re worried about your health or house or finances or flights, take a mental trip up the hill. Run your thumb over the tip of the spear. Balance a spike in the palm of your hand. Read the wooden sign written in your own language. And as you do, touch the velvet dirt, moist with the blood of God. Blood he bled for you. The spear he took for you. The nails he felt for you. The sign he left for you. He did it all for you. All of this. Knowing this, knowing all he did for you there, don’t you think he will look out for you here?

Psalm 144

Blessed be God, my mountain,

    who trains me to fight fair and well.

He’s the bedrock on which I stand,

    the castle in which I live,

    my rescuing knight,

The high crag where I run for dear life,

    while he lays my enemies low.

3-4 I wonder why you care, God—

    why do you bother with us at all?

All we are is a puff of air;

    we’re like shadows in a campfire.

5-8 Step down out of heaven, God;

    ignite volcanoes in the hearts of the mountains.

Hurl your lightnings in every direction;

    shoot your arrows this way and that.

Reach all the way from sky to sea:

    pull me out of the ocean of hate,

    out of the grip of those barbarians

Who lie through their teeth,

    who shake your hand

    then knife you in the back.

9-10 O God, let me sing a new song to you,

    let me play it on a twelve-string guitar—

A song to the God who saved the king,

    the God who rescued David, his servant.

11 Rescue me from the enemy sword,

    release me from the grip of those barbarians

Who lie through their teeth,

    who shake your hand

    then knife you in the back.

12-14 Make our sons in their prime

    like sturdy oak trees,

Our daughters as shapely and bright

    as fields of wildflowers.

Fill our barns with great harvest,

    fill our fields with huge flocks;

Protect us from invasion and exile—

    eliminate the crime in our streets.

15 How blessed the people who have all this!

How blessed the people who have God for God!

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Friday, November 25, 2022

Today's Scripture

Revelation 21:1–8

Everything New

I saw Heaven and earth new-created. Gone the first Heaven, gone the first earth, gone the sea.

2 I saw Holy Jerusalem, new-created, descending resplendent out of Heaven, as ready for God as a bride for her husband.

3-5 I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: “Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They’re his people, he’s their God. He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone.” The Enthroned continued, “Look! I’m making everything new. Write it all down—each word dependable and accurate.”

6-8 Then he said, “It’s happened. I’m A to Z. I’m the Beginning, I’m the Conclusion. From Water-of-Life Well I give freely to the thirsty. Conquerors inherit all this. I’ll be God to them, they’ll be sons and daughters to me. But for the rest—the feckless and faithless, degenerates and murderers, sex peddlers and sorcerers, idolaters and all liars—for them it’s Lake Fire and Brimstone. Second death!”

Insight

One aid to understanding the book of Revelation is to recognize that it includes numerous Old Testament allusions. Prophetic echoes from Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Zechariah resound throughout the book. Consider two such reverberations from Revelation 21. Verse 1—“Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth’ ”—echoes Isaiah 65:17: “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth.” And Revelation 21:3—“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them”—sounds like Ezekiel 37:27: “My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.” By: Arthur Jackson

Enduring Hope

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. Revelation 21:4

Doctors diagnosed four-year-old Solomon with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a progressive muscle-degenerating disease. A year later, doctors discussed wheelchairs with the family. But Solomon protested that he didn’t want to have to use one. Family and friends prayed for him and raised funds for a professionally trained service dog to help keep him out of that wheelchair for as long as possible. Tails for Life, the organization that trained my service dog, Callie, is currently preparing Waffles to serve Solomon.

Though Solomon accepts his treatment, often bursting out in song to praise God, some days are harder. On one of those difficult days, Solomon hugged his mom and said, “I’m happy there’s no Duchenne’s in heaven.”

The degenerating effects of sickness affect all people on this side of eternity. Like Solomon, however, we have an enduring hope that can strengthen our resolve on those inevitable tough days. God gives us the promise of “a new heaven and a new earth” (Revelation 21:1). Our Creator and Sustainer will “dwell” among us by making His home with us (v. 3). He will “wipe every tear” from our eyes. “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (v. 4). When the wait feels “too hard” or “too long,” we can experience peace because God’s promise will be fulfilled. By:  Xochitl Dixon

Reflect & Pray

How has acknowledging God’s promise for a new heaven and a new earth comforted you? How can you encourage a hurting friend with the enduring hope of God’s promises?

Loving God, thank You for strengthening my resolve with the surety of my enduring hope.

For further study, read Prophetic Priorities: Wrestling with the End Times.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Friday, November 25, 2022

The Secret of Spiritual Consistency

God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ… —Galatians 6:14

When a person is newly born again, he seems inconsistent due to his unrelated emotions and the state of the external things or circumstances in his life. The apostle Paul had a strong and steady underlying consistency in his life. Consequently, he could let his external life change without internal distress because he was rooted and grounded in God. Most of us are not consistent spiritually because we are more concerned about being consistent externally. In the external expression of things, Paul lived in the basement, while his critics lived on the upper level. And these two levels do not begin to touch each other. But Paul’s consistency was down deep in the fundamentals. The great basis of his consistency was the agony of God in the redemption of the world, namely, the Cross of Christ.

State your beliefs to yourself again. Get back to the foundation of the Cross of Christ, doing away with any belief not based on it. In secular history the Cross is an infinitesimally small thing, but from the biblical perspective it is of more importance than all the empires of the world. If we get away from dwelling on the tragedy of God on the Cross in our preaching, our preaching produces nothing. It will not transmit the energy of God to man; it may be interesting, but it will have no power. However, when we preach the Cross, the energy of God is released. “…it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.…we preach Christ crucified…” (1 Corinthians 1:21, 23).

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

Both nations and individuals have tried Christianity and abandoned it, because it has been found too difficult; but no man has ever gone through the crisis of deliberately making Jesus Lord and found Him to be a failure. The Love of God—The Making of a Christian, 680 R

Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 24-26; 1 Peter 2

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Friday, November 25, 2022

YOUR WILL OF GOD UMPIRE - #9360

They take more abuse than anyone in professional baseball. More than the managers who make some dumb decisions. More than the players who mess up. No, it's those umpires that so many fans love to hate. Oh sure, they make some calls the fans don't like or agree with, but I'd hate to think of a ball game without some objective official deciding whether the pitch is a ball or a strike, or whether a hit is foul or fair. Let the players decide? I don't think so. It would be chaos without the umpire. Perhaps the place he's needed the most - and sometimes appreciated the least - is those close judgment calls when the runner and the ball arrive at the base at the same time. Everyone holds their breath as the umpire signals his verdict "Safe!" or "Out!"

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Your Will of God Umpire."

The umpire decides what's safe or out in baseball - a decision which should not be left to the players themselves. Of course, baseball is just a game. It's in the decisions we make in our everyday lives that we could use a good umpire - one who could make a call as to whether what we're considering is safe for us or out. From God's perspective, that is, the only perspective that is never wrong - that's always best.

If you've been around Christian things very long, you know about the importance of trying to find out what the "will of God" is in the decisions that define our life. Well, that's easier said than done. Not because God is trying to hide His plan for us, but because we have a hard time discerning what's His will and what's my will. We know His plans are better than ours. But we're pretty caught up in our own plans, and it's often confusing to figure out, "What is God's will for us"

But God has provided an umpire that will help make the call for us. He writes to us about it in Colossians 3:15-16, our word for today from the Word of God. "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts...and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." That word "rule" carries an interesting connotation in the original Greek language of the New Testament. It suggests someone officiating at an athletic contest. So it's kind of like, "Let the peace of Christ 'be the umpire' in your hearts." Or, let Christ's peace decide whether something is "safe" for you or "out" for you.

When you're struggling with a decision, one helpful guideline in getting it right is this: trust what you have peace about in the times when you are talking about it in God's presence. In other words, believe what you feel most consistently when you're praying fervently about that decision. That peace tends to get compromised when we get off our knees and start listening to all those other voices and to our roller coaster feelings. But the peace of Christ is clearest when we're closest to Him. It doesn't mean the absence of doubts or questions, but it's a sense of rightness about a certain course, especially when we're listening to Him alone.

That "peace of Christ" is, of course, tied directly to having the "word of Christ" permeating your life. The shaft of light shining on the right road comes as God illuminates a verse from His Word and makes it an arrow that points in His direction. Those who don't spend regular time in the Word of God, honestly are unlikely to recognize the will of God. As are those who come seeking God's direction, full of their own will. A lot of people have missed God's best because they tried to manipulate God or His Word so that their will would be God's will. It doesn't work that way. He's God; I'm not.

You'll never know what God wants if you come to Him with a contract containing what you want Him to sign for. No, You've got to come to God with a blank piece of paper, signed by you, accepting sight unseen what He writes there. The most powerful prayer in the Bible may be Jesus' eight words in the Garden of Gethsemane, "Yet not My will, but Yours be done" (Luke 22:42).

God promised that He would "instruct you and teach you in the way you should go" (Psalm 32:8). And if you believe Him for the answers He promised, you'll experience the peace of Christ over that road He wants you to take - God's infallible umpire to let you know if it's "safe" or "out."

Psalm 143, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: REST AND WORSHIP - November 24, 2022

God said, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work; you, nor your son, nor your daughter” (Exodus 20:9-10). God knows us so well. He can see the store owner thinking, Well, somebody needs to work that day. If God says I can’t then my son will. So God says, “Nor your son.” Well then my daughter will. “Nor your daughter.”

No, God says, one day of the week you will say no to work and yes to worship. You’ll slow down and sit down and lie down and rest. Still we object. We offer up one reason after the other. God’s message is plain: If creation didn’t crash when I rested, it won’t crash when you do. Repeat these words after me: It is not my job to run the world!

Psalm 143

Listen to this prayer of mine, God;

    pay attention to what I’m asking.

Answer me—you’re famous for your answers!

    Do what’s right for me.

But don’t, please don’t, haul me into court;

    not a person alive would be acquitted there.

3-6 The enemy hunted me down;

    he kicked me and stomped me within an inch of my life.

He put me in a black hole,

    buried me like a corpse in that dungeon.

I sat there in despair, my spirit draining away,

    my heart heavy, like lead.

I remembered the old days,

    went over all you’ve done, pondered the ways you’ve worked,

Stretched out my hands to you,

    as thirsty for you as a desert thirsty for rain.

7-10 Hurry with your answer, God!

    I’m nearly at the end of my rope.

Don’t turn away; don’t ignore me!

    That would be certain death.

If you wake me each morning with the sound of your loving voice,

    I’ll go to sleep each night trusting in you.

Point out the road I must travel;

    I’m all ears, all eyes before you.

Save me from my enemies, God—

    you’re my only hope!

Teach me how to live to please you,

    because you’re my God.

Lead me by your blessed Spirit

    into cleared and level pastureland.

11-12 Keep up your reputation, God—give me life!

    In your justice, get me out of this trouble!

In your great love, vanquish my enemies;

    make a clean sweep of those who harass me.

And why? Because I’m your servant.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Thursday, November 24, 2022

Today's Scripture

Proverbs 13:12–19

Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick,

    but a sudden good break can turn life around.

13 Ignore the Word and suffer;

    honor God’s commands and grow rich.

14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,

    so, no more drinking from death-tainted wells!

15 Sound thinking makes for gracious living,

    but liars walk a rough road.

16 A commonsense person lives good sense;

    fools litter the country with silliness.

17 Irresponsible talk makes a real mess of things,

    but a reliable reporter is a healing presence.

18 Refuse discipline and end up homeless;

    embrace correction and live an honored life.

19 Souls who follow their hearts thrive;

    fools bent on evil despise matters of soul.

Insight

Proverbs 13:12–19 includes two metaphors that concern life: “a longing fulfilled is a tree of life” (v. 12) and “the teaching of the wise is a fountain of life” (v. 14). The first mention of the “tree of life” in Scripture is in Genesis 2:9, a reference to a God-given resource for immortality. After the disobedience of our first parents, access to this life-source was denied (3:23–24). Revelation speaks of a time when access will be restored (22:2, 14). Proverbs uses the “tree of life” language metaphorically as a symbol of health and long life, success, and happiness (see Proverbs 3:18; 11:30; 13:12; 15:4). Similarly, the “fountain of life” (10:11; 13:14; 14:27; 16:22) refers to a resource from which something healthy and life-sustaining springs forth. Reverence for God is one of the blessed fountains from which we may drink (14:27). By: Arthur Jackson

Hopes and Longings

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12

When I moved to England, the American holiday of Thanksgiving became just another Thursday in November. Although I created a feast the weekend after, I longed to be with family and friends on the day. Yet I understood that my longings weren’t unique to me. We all yearn to be with people dear to us on special occasions and holidays. And even when we’re celebrating, we may miss someone who’s not with us or we may pray for our fractured family to be at peace.

During these times, praying and pondering the wisdom of the Bible has helped me, including one of King Solomon’s proverbs: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12). In this proverb, one of the pithy sayings through which Solomon shared his wisdom, he notes the effect that “hope deferred” can have: the delay of something much longed for can result in angst and pain. But when the desire is fulfilled, it’s like a tree of life—something that allows us to feel refreshed and renewed.

Some of our hopes and desires might not be fulfilled right away, and some might only be met through God after we die. Whatever our longing, we can trust in Him, knowing He loves us unceasingly. And, one day, we’ll be reunited with loved ones as we feast with Him and give thanks to Him (see Revelation 19:6–9). By:  Amy Boucher Pye

Reflect & Pray

When have you felt sick because of an unfulfilled longing? How did God meet you in your time of need?

God our Creator, You fulfill my deepest longings. I give You my hopes and my desires, asking You to grant them according to Your wisdom and love.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Thursday, November 24, 2022

Direction of Focus

Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters…, so our eyes look to the Lord our God… —Psalm 123:2

This verse is a description of total reliance on God. Just as the eyes of a servant are riveted on his master, our eyes should be directed to and focused on God. This is how knowledge of His countenance is gained and how God reveals Himself to us (see Isaiah 53:1). Our spiritual strength begins to be drained when we stop lifting our eyes to Him. Our stamina is sapped, not so much through external troubles surrounding us but through problems in our thinking. We wrongfully think, “I suppose I’ve been stretching myself a little too much, standing too tall and trying to look like God instead of being an ordinary humble person.” We have to realize that no effort can be too high.

For example, you came to a crisis in your life, took a stand for God, and even had the witness of the Spirit as a confirmation that what you did was right. But now, maybe weeks or years have gone by, and you are slowly coming to the conclusion— “Well, maybe what I did showed too much pride or was superficial. Was I taking a stand a bit too high for me?” Your “rational” friends come and say, “Don’t be silly. We knew when you first talked about this spiritual awakening that it was a passing impulse, that you couldn’t hold up under the strain. And anyway, God doesn’t expect you to endure.” You respond by saying, “Well, I suppose I was expecting too much.” That sounds humble to say, but it means that your reliance on God is gone, and you are now relying on worldly opinion. The danger comes when, no longer relying on God, you neglect to focus your eyes on Him. Only when God brings you to a sudden stop will you realize that you have been the loser. Whenever there is a spiritual drain in your life, correct it immediately. Realize that something has been coming between you and God, and change or remove it at once.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The Bible does not thrill; the Bible nourishes. Give time to the reading of the Bible and the recreating effect is as real as that of fresh air physically.  Disciples Indeed, 387 R

Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 22-23; 1 Peter 1

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Thursday, November 24, 2022

THE MESSAGE AT MACY'S PARADE - #9359

Well, I watched it as a kid, and then my kids watched it, and now my grandkids are watching it. Yep! Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has been around for a pretty long time! And those Rockettes, Well, the announcer said they've been around for over 50 years! That's just amazing they can still get their legs off the ground at that age isn't it?

Well, as the balloons float by on Thanksgiving, I kept seeing this one word on the store behind them, "Believe." I guess that's inspiring - vaguely. Actually, "Believe." That's a pretty popular message these days. Think positive thoughts. Have faith...in something.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Message at Macy's Parade."

Now, our "open-minded" culture thinks it's a good idea to believe, but it doesn't seem to matter much what you believe in. Believe in yourself. Believe in the future. Believe in the universe. Believe in a better world.

Actually, it really does matter what you believe. You can tell that from our word for today from the Word of God. Proverbs 14:12 throws up a serious "danger" sign when it says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." I read a few years ago about some young men fighting a wildfire out west, and the wind suddenly stoked that fire and it turned on the firefighters. Well, those rookies headed in the direction that they firmly believed was the road out. It was a dead-end road! They never made it out. They really believed in the wrong thing.

When it comes to the final outcome for our eternal soul, believing - well, now we're talking a life-or-death imperative. Acts 16:31 says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved." God emphatically says, "There is no other Name under heaven...by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Now, that's "saved" as in rescued from the forever death penalty of a lifetime of defying God. That's what sin is. It's doing what we want to do instead of what God wants us to do. And we've lost count; we could never add up the number of times in our life that we've done what we wanted instead of what God wanted.

And that lifetime of rebellion against God? It carries an eternal death penalty, and that death penalty can only be paid, of course, by someone dying...and someone did so you don't have to. But only one someone did, and that's Jesus.

I know there's all kinds of religions and moral philosophies and spiritualities. Listen, if a religion could have done it, if any spirituality could have done it, God would have never put His Son through the horror of that cross. No religion, including the Christian religion, can die for our sins; can get us to heaven. That's why "there's no other Name" but Jesus. It's not about there being only one religion. It's about there being only one Savior, only one rescuer, only one person who ever even claimed to die for our sins. There's only one person who backed up that claim by walking out of His grave under His own power, because only someone who has eternal life can give you eternal life. Jesus alone paid the price so you and I wouldn't have to.

So, we've got something... We've got someone to believe in who can make this life have meaning and the life after this life...eternal. You know, if you've never begun your relationship with this Jesus, if you've never taken all of your trust and put it in Him like a drowning person would put all their trust in a rescuer, let this be the day you do that. Maybe God has sent this message to you to move you beyond just believing in something, or even trusting in your religion, to trusting His Son, the Savior who died for you. Why don't you tell Him today, "Jesus, I'm yours. Starting this day, I am Yours."

Let me encourage you to go to our website. There's information there and encouragement that will help you get started with Jesus. Go to ANewStory.com. If you could begin a life with meaning and guarantee heaven forever with a commitment to Christ today, now that is a reason for a thanksgiving parade.