Max Lucado Daily: God’s Love is Eternal
Human love is convenient. It suits the needs of the person at the time and works into his schedule. God’s love is eternal. You are always on His itinerary. Human love is emotional. Hormones, sleeplessness, worry, past hurts, Mexican food—all complicate these emotions.
God’s love is committed. While God has feelings for us, his feelings do not dictate his love. His love is based on a decision to love us. Your actions don’t increase or decrease his commitment. In fact, if you never love God, he will still love you.
One thing human love has going for it– you can see it. God’s love is just as real but not quite as tangible. We will see it, in time and for eternity, as we gaze into the face of God and his Son, Jesus Christ, while we stand in the presence of God in heaven! And, oh, what a day that will be!
From Max On Life
Numbers 6
The Nazirite
The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of dedication to the Lord as a Nazirite, 3 they must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or other fermented drink. They must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins. 4 As long as they remain under their Nazirite vow, they must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins.
5 “‘During the entire period of their Nazirite vow, no razor may be used on their head. They must be holy until the period of their dedication to the Lord is over; they must let their hair grow long.
6 “‘Throughout the period of their dedication to the Lord, the Nazirite must not go near a dead body. 7 Even if their own father or mother or brother or sister dies, they must not make themselves ceremonially unclean on account of them, because the symbol of their dedication to God is on their head. 8 Throughout the period of their dedication, they are consecrated to the Lord.
9 “‘If someone dies suddenly in the Nazirite’s presence, thus defiling the hair that symbolizes their dedication, they must shave their head on the seventh day—the day of their cleansing. 10 Then on the eighth day they must bring two doves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 11 The priest is to offer one as a sin offering[f] and the other as a burnt offering to make atonement for the Nazirite because they sinned by being in the presence of the dead body. That same day they are to consecrate their head again. 12 They must rededicate themselves to the Lord for the same period of dedication and must bring a year-old male lamb as a guilt offering. The previous days do not count, because they became defiled during their period of dedication.
13 “‘Now this is the law of the Nazirite when the period of their dedication is over. They are to be brought to the entrance to the tent of meeting. 14 There they are to present their offerings to the Lord: a year-old male lamb without defect for a burnt offering, a year-old ewe lamb without defect for a sin offering, a ram without defect for a fellowship offering, 15 together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and a basket of bread made with the finest flour and without yeast—thick loaves with olive oil mixed in, and thin loaves brushed with olive oil.
16 “‘The priest is to present all these before the Lord and make the sin offering and the burnt offering. 17 He is to present the basket of unleavened bread and is to sacrifice the ram as a fellowship offering to the Lord, together with its grain offering and drink offering.
18 “‘Then at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the Nazirite must shave off the hair that symbolizes their dedication. They are to take the hair and put it in the fire that is under the sacrifice of the fellowship offering.
19 “‘After the Nazirite has shaved off the hair that symbolizes their dedication, the priest is to place in their hands a boiled shoulder of the ram, and one thick loaf and one thin loaf from the basket, both made without yeast. 20 The priest shall then wave these before the Lord as a wave offering; they are holy and belong to the priest, together with the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.
21 “‘This is the law of the Nazirite who vows offerings to the Lord in accordance with their dedication, in addition to whatever else they can afford. They must fulfill the vows they have made, according to the law of the Nazirite.’”
The Priestly Blessing
22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:
24
“‘“The Lord bless you
and keep you;
25
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
26
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”’
27 “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Saturday, January 01, 2022
Today's Scripture
John 1:1–14
(NIV)
The Word Became Flesh
1 In the beginning was the Word,a and the Word was with God,b and the Word was God.c 2 He was with God in the beginning.d 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.e 4 In him was life,f and that life was the lightg of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness,h and the darkness has not overcomea it.i
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John.j 7 He came as a witness to testifyk concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.l 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true lightm that gives light to everyonen was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him,o the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.p 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believedq in his name,r he gave the right to become children of Gods—13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.t
14 The Word became fleshu and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory,v the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of gracew and truth.
Insight
Theologian Darrell Bock describes the primary difference between John’s gospel and the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) as the Synoptics being written from the perspective of the earth up and John being written from heaven down. Matthew begins with Jesus’ earthly genealogy and a birth narrative. Mark begins with Jesus’ introduction and baptism. Luke begins with the birth announcements of Jesus and His forerunner, John the Baptist, and a birth narrative. In each case, the story begins with happenings on this planet. In John 1:1–14, however, we’re given a glimpse into the eternal, with Jesus and His Father together before Jesus arrives on earth (v. 14).
By: Bill Crowder
The Word and a New Year
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1
Michellan faced challenges while growing up in the Philippines, but she always loved words and found comfort in them. Then one day while attending university, she read the first chapter in the gospel of John, and her “stone heart stirred.” She felt like someone was saying, “Yes, you love words, and guess what? There is an Eternal Word, one who . . . can cut through the darkness, now and always. A Word who took on flesh. A Word who can love you back.”
She was reading the gospel that begins with words that would have reminded John’s readers of the opening of Genesis: “In the beginning . . .” (Genesis 1:1). John sought to show that Jesus was not only with God at the beginning of time but was God (John 1:1). And this living Word became a man “and made his dwelling among us” (v. 14). Further, those who receive Him, believing in His name, become His children (v. 12).
Michellan embraced God’s love that day and was “born of God” (v. 13). She credits God for saving her from her family’s pattern of addiction and now writes about the good news of Jesus, delighting in sharing her words about the Living Word.
If we’re believers in Christ, we too can share God’s message and His love. As we begin 2022, what grace-filled words can we speak this year? By: Amy Boucher Pye
Reflect & Pray
What does it mean that Jesus is the Word of God? What difference will this make to your life in this new year?
Jesus, give me the words to speak, that I might bless someone with Your grace and love today and in this new year.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, January 01, 2022
Let Us Keep to the Point
"…my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death." —Philippians 1:20
My Utmost for His Highest. “…my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed….” We will all feel very much ashamed if we do not yield to Jesus the areas of our lives He has asked us to yield to Him. It’s as if Paul were saying, “My determined purpose is to be my utmost for His highest— my best for His glory.” To reach that level of determination is a matter of the will, not of debate or of reasoning. It is absolute and irrevocable surrender of the will at that point. An undue amount of thought and consideration for ourselves is what keeps us from making that decision, although we cover it up with the pretense that it is others we are considering. When we think seriously about what it will cost others if we obey the call of Jesus, we tell God He doesn’t know what our obedience will mean. Keep to the point— He does know. Shut out every other thought and keep yourself before God in this one thing only— my utmost for His highest. I am determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and Him alone.
My Unstoppable Determination for His Holiness. “Whether it means life or death-it makes no difference!” (see Philippians 1:21). Paul was determined that nothing would stop him from doing exactly what God wanted. But before we choose to follow God’s will, a crisis must develop in our lives. This happens because we tend to be unresponsive to God’s gentler nudges. He brings us to the place where He asks us to be our utmost for Him and we begin to debate. He then providentially produces a crisis where we have to decide— for or against. That moment becomes a great crossroads in our lives. If a crisis has come to you on any front, surrender your will to Jesus absolutely and irrevocably.
Wisdom From Oswald Chambers
The sympathy which is reverent with what it cannot understand is worth its weight in gold. Baffled to Fight Better, 69 L
Bible in a Year: Genesis 1–3; Matthew 1
From my daily reading of the bible, Our Daily Bread Devotionals, My Utmost for His Highest and Ron Hutchcraft "A Word with You" and occasionally others.