Max Lucado Daily: THE PLACES HE WENT - December 2, 2022
The God of the Universe was born into the poverty of a peasant and spent his first night in the cow’s feed trough. He left the glory of heaven and moved into our neighborhood. Who could have imagined he would do such a thing?
What a world he left. Our classiest mansion would be a tree trunk to him. God became a one-celled embryo and entered the womb of Mary. He became like us.
Just look at the places he was willing to go: feed troughs, carpentry shops, badlands, and cemeteries. The places he went to reach us show how far he will go to touch us. He loves to be with the ones he loves!
1 Kings 4
King Solomon was off to a good start ruling Israel.
These were the leaders in his government:
2-6 Azariah son of Zadok—the priest;
Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha—secretaries;
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud—historian;
Benaiah son of Jehoiada—commander of the army;
Zadok and Abiathar—priests;
Azariah son of Nathan—in charge of the regional managers;
Zabud son of Nathan—priest and friend to the king;
Ahishar—manager of the palace;
Adoniram son of Abda—manager of the slave labor.
7-19 Solomon had twelve regional managers distributed throughout Israel. They were responsible for supplying provisions for the king and his administration. Each was in charge of bringing supplies for one month of the year. These are the names:
Ben-Hur in the Ephraim hills;
Ben-Deker in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Bethhanan;
Ben-Hesed in Arubboth—this included Socoh and all of Hepher;
Ben-Abinadab in Naphoth Dor (he was married to Solomon’s daughter Taphath);
Baana son of Ahilud in Taanach and Megiddo, all of Beth Shan next to Zarethan below Jezreel, and from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah over to Jokmeam;
Ben-Geber in Ramoth Gilead—this included the villages of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead and the region of Argob in Bashan with its sixty large walled cities with bronze-studded gates;
Ahinadab son of Iddo in Mahanaim;
Ahimaaz in Naphtali (he was married to Solomon’s daughter Basemath);
Baana son of Hushai in Asher and Aloth;
Jehoshaphat son of Paruah in Issachar;
Shimei son of Ela in Benjamin;
Geber son of Uri in Gilead—this was the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and also of Og king of Bashan; he managed the whole district by himself.
Solomon’s Prosperity
20-21 Judah and Israel were densely populated—like sand on an ocean beach! All their needs were met; they ate and drank and were happy. Solomon was sovereign over all the kingdoms from the River Euphrates in the east to the country of the Philistines in the west, all the way to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and were vassals of Solomon all his life.
22-23 One day’s food supply for Solomon’s household was:
185 bushels of fine flour
375 bushels of meal
10 grain-fed cattle
20 range cattle
100 sheep
and miscellaneous deer, gazelles, roebucks, and choice fowl.
24-25 Solomon was sovereign over everything, countries and kings, west of the River Euphrates from Tiphsah to Gaza. Peace reigned everywhere. Throughout Solomon’s life, everyone in Israel and Judah lived safe and sound, all of them from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south—content with what they had.
26-28 Solomon had forty thousand stalls for chariot horses and twelve thousand horsemen. The district managers, each according to his assigned month, delivered food supplies for King Solomon and all who sat at the king’s table; there was always plenty. They also brought to the designated place their assigned quota of barley and straw for the horses.
29-34 God gave Solomon wisdom—the deepest of understanding and the largest of hearts. There was nothing beyond him, nothing he couldn’t handle. Solomon’s wisdom outclassed the vaunted wisdom of wise men of the East, outshone the famous wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than anyone—wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, wiser than Heman, wiser than Calcol and Darda the sons of Mahol. He became famous among all the surrounding nations. He created 3,000 proverbs; his songs added up to 1,005. He knew all about plants, from the huge cedar that grows in Lebanon to the tiny hyssop that grows in the cracks of a wall. He understood everything about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. Sent by kings from all over the earth who had heard of his reputation, people came from far and near to listen to the wisdom of Solomon.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, December 02, 2022
Today's Scripture
1 Timothy 4:12–16
Get the word out. Teach all these things. And don’t let anyone put you down because you’re young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity. Stay at your post reading Scripture, giving counsel, teaching. And that special gift of ministry you were given when the leaders of the church laid hands on you and prayed—keep that dusted off and in use.
15-16 Cultivate these things. Immerse yourself in them. The people will all see you mature right before their eyes! Keep a firm grasp on both your character and your teaching. Don’t be diverted. Just keep at it. Both you and those who hear you will experience salvation.
Insight
Timothy was a protégé of the apostle Paul (1 Timothy 1:2). As one of his most trusted associates, Paul affectionately called him “my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 4:17). On many occasions, Paul sent Timothy to several churches as his personal representative (Acts 19:22; 1 Corinthians 4:17; 16:10–11; Philippians 2:19–23; 1 Thessalonians 3:2–6). He’d left Timothy in Ephesus, the richest commercial city in Asia Minor, to deal with the various problems in the cosmopolitan church, including confronting false teachers (1 Timothy 1:3–7) and disorderly worship (2:8–15), appointing elders and deacons, and challenging materialism and greed (3:1–13). Here in 1 Timothy 4, Paul encourages Timothy to live an exemplary life and to grow and excel in his teaching ministry (vv. 15–16). Timothy is to lead by being “an example for the believers” (v. 12). By: K. T. Sim
Who You Are
Set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12
In 2011, after a decade of childlessness, my wife and I chose to start afresh in a new country. Exciting as the move was, it required my leaving a broadcast career, which I missed. Feeling lost, I asked my friend Liam for advice.
“I don’t know what my calling is anymore,” I told Liam dejectedly.
“You’re not broadcasting here?” he asked. I said I wasn’t.
“And how is your marriage?”
Surprised at his change of topic, I told Liam that Merryn and I were doing well. We’d faced heartbreak together but emerged closer through the ordeal.
“Commitment is the core of the gospel,” he said, smiling. “Oh, how the world needs to see committed marriages like yours! You may not realize the impact you’re having already, beyond what you do, simply by being who you are.”
When a difficult work situation left Timothy dejected, the apostle Paul didn’t give him career goals. Instead, he encouraged Timothy to live a godly life, setting an example through his speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity (1 Timothy 4:12–13, 15). He would best impact others by living faithfully.
It’s easy to value our lives based on our career success when what matters most is our character. I had forgotten that. But a word of truth, a gracious act, even a committed marriage can bring great change—because through them something of God’s own goodness touches the world. By: Sheridan Voysey
Reflect & Pray
Who has touched your life and what qualities did they have? How can you set an example of faithfulness today?
Dear God, help me to remember that the work I do isn’t as important as the person I become. Please make me more like You.
Discover more about who you are in Christ.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, December 02, 2022
Christian Perfection
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfect… —Philippians 3:12
It is a trap to presume that God wants to make us perfect specimens of what He can do— God’s purpose is to make us one with Himself. The emphasis of holiness movements tends to be that God is producing specimens of holiness to put in His museum. If you accept this concept of personal holiness, your life’s determined purpose will not be for God, but for what you call the evidence of God in your life. How can we say, “It could never be God’s will for me to be sick”? If it was God’s will to bruise His own Son (Isaiah 53:10), why shouldn’t He bruise you? What shines forth and reveals God in your life is not your relative consistency to an idea of what a saint should be, but your genuine, living relationship with Jesus Christ, and your unrestrained devotion to Him whether you are well or sick.
Christian perfection is not, and never can be, human perfection. Christian perfection is the perfection of a relationship with God that shows itself to be true even amid the seemingly unimportant aspects of human life. When you obey the call of Jesus Christ, the first thing that hits you is the pointlessness of the things you have to do. The next thought that strikes you is that other people seem to be living perfectly consistent lives. Such lives may leave you with the idea that God is unnecessary— that through your own human effort and devotion you can attain God’s standard for your life. In a fallen world this can never be done. I am called to live in such a perfect relationship with God that my life produces a yearning for God in the lives of others, not admiration for myself. Thoughts about myself hinder my usefulness to God. God’s purpose is not to perfect me to make me a trophy in His showcase; He is getting me to the place where He can use me. Let Him do what He wants.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We never enter into the Kingdom of God by having our head questions answered, but only by commitment.
Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 42-44; 1 John 1
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, December 02, 2022
WAITING TOO LONG TO SETTLE ETERNITY - #9365
My friend, Gary, was flying with a friend in a World War II vintage airplane. In fact, this man was a former WWII pilot. And my friend, Gary, was full of questions. He said, "What's this dial for?" And, "What does that light do?" And, "What's this stick do?" Well, fortunately he didn't grab for the stick when he was asking. And then Gary said, "Now, what's this red mark on the fuel gauge?" The pilot said, "Well, when we reached the point back in WWII days in which there was only enough fuel to get back, but the mission wasn't completed, we had a decision to make. And at that mark, we had to decide, shall we turn back or shall we go on? And then pretty soberly, and like he was bringing up some memories, the pilot said, "That mark is called 'the point of no return'." Believe it or not, you could be at that point right now and not even know it.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Waiting Too Long to Settle Eternity."
Now, our word for today from the Word of God comes from John 12. I'll be reading at verse 37, and then verse 39. Jesus is entering His last week of His ministry before His crucifixion. And here's what it says, "Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in Him." One verse later it says, "For this reason, they could not believe." Now, as far as I'm concerned, those are some of the most chilling words in the New Testament. "They would not believe..." You caught that? And then what does it say? "Because of this, they could not believe."
Spiritually speaking, they had passed that red mark. They had passed the point of no return, and they didn't even know they had. Why? Well, in Genesis 6, back in the early days of the human race, verse 3, God says, "My spirit will not always strive with man." In other words, I won't keep after you indefinitely, and you can't come to the Lord unless His Spirit is after you.
Isaiah 55:6 cautions us to, "Seek the Lord while He may be found" implying that He won't always be able to be found. See, you have to come to God when He's ready…when He's drawing you; not when you're ready. And every time you've heard God's voice and maybe just sat there, another layer has crusted over your heart in the hardening of the heart process. There literally comes a time when you cannot respond to the Lord any more. "They could not believe." And the people in the greatest danger are the people, maybe like you, who have heard the message over and over again.
Could it be you've been around the voice of Jesus many times, but you've never really given you to Him? Oh, you may know the verse. You may know the songs. You may even be holding some position in His service, but you don't belong to Him. I don't know how much longer God's Spirit will say to you, "Come to Jesus." But if you can still feel that tug today, there's still some time. There's still some life inside. There's still an opportunity. You still can believe.
Is that stirring there? Is that tug there? Even as you hear the words, "Come to Jesus." Well then, it's not too late today. Tomorrow might be. It's an awful thing to go into eternity with your sins unforgiven. You can say "no" once too often.
If you're not absolutely sure you've committed yourself to Jesus, would you do it today? Right where you are, say, "Jesus, I'm done running my life. I believe that some of those sins you were dying for were mine. I believe You're alive today, and I'm putting all my trust in You. For all I know about You, I've missed giving me to You. But today, Jesus, I'm putting all my trust and all my hope in You to be my rescuer from my sin. Beginning today, I'm yours."
We kind of set up our website for a moment like this, where you want to be sure you belong to Jesus. And if you do, well, I'd encourage you to go check out our site. A lot of people have, and I think you'll find there some help and some encouragement in being sure you belong to Him. The website - ANewStory.com.
And, you know, if today you could make this the day when you give yourself consciously to the man who gave His life for you, you will never pass the point of no return.
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