Max Lucado Daily: Ordinary People - July 14, 2022
“In the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1 NIV).
The baby Mary held was connected to the dawn of time. He saw the first ray of sunlight and heard the first crash of a wave. The baby was born, but the Word never was. Jesus: the Genesis Word. And then, what no rabbi dared to dream, God did. “The Word became flesh” (John 1:14 NIV). The Artist became oil on his own palette. God became an embryo in the belly of a village girl. Christ in Mary. God in Christ.
The Word of God entered the world with the cry of a baby. His family had no cash or connections or strings to pull. But God came through them. God writes his story with people, ordinary people like Joseph and Mary, in an ordinary place but a conduits of extraordinary grace. And in God’s story, ordinary matters.
Psalm 57
Be good to me, God—and now!
I’ve run to you for dear life.
I’m hiding out under your wings
until the hurricane blows over.
I call out to High God,
the God who holds me together.
He sends orders from heaven and saves me,
he humiliates those who kick me around.
God delivers generous love,
he makes good on his word.
4
I find myself in a pride of lions
who are wild for a taste of human flesh;
Their teeth are lances and arrows,
their tongues are sharp daggers.
5
Soar high in the skies, O God!
Cover the whole earth with your glory!
6
They booby-trapped my path;
I thought I was dead and done for.
They dug a mantrap to catch me,
and fell in headlong themselves.
7-8
I’m ready, God, so ready,
ready from head to toe,
Ready to sing, ready to raise a tune:
“Wake up, soul!
Wake up, harp! wake up, lute!
Wake up, you sleepyhead sun!”
9-10
I’m thanking you, God, out loud in the streets,
singing your praises in town and country.
The deeper your love, the higher it goes;
every cloud is a flag to your faithfulness.
11
Soar high in the skies, O God!
Cover the whole earth with your glory!
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, July 14, 2022
Today's Scripture
Psalm 46
For the choir director; a song by the descendants of Korah; according to alamoth.a
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in times of trouble.
2 That is why we are not afraid
even when the earth quakes
or the mountains topple into the depths of the sea.
3 Water roars and foams,
and mountains shake at the surging waves.
Selah
4 There is a river
whose streams bring joy to the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High lives.
5 God is in that city.
It cannot fall.
God will help it at the break of dawn.
6 Nations are in turmoil, and kingdoms topple.
The earth melts at the sound of ?God’s? voice.
7 The Lord of Armies is with us.
The God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Selah
8 Come, see the works of the Lord,
the devastation he has brought to the earth.
9 He puts an end to wars all over the earth.
He breaks an archer’s bow.
He cuts spears in two.
He burns chariots.
10 Let go ?of your concerns?!
Then you will know that I am God.
I rule the nations.
I rule the earth.
11 The Lord of Armies is with us.
The God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Insight
The final verse of Psalm 46 says, “The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (v. 11), providing an echo to verse 7. Perhaps it’s those references to our security in God’s protection that prompted Martin Luther to pen one of the church’s most enduring hymns, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” But the protective imagery isn’t limited to those statements. In verse 1, we see God as a “refuge,” “strength,” and “ever-present help.” The sons of Korah, who authored Psalm 46, described the only reasonable response to understanding; namely, that our safety is found in our Creator: “Therefore we will not fear” (v. 2). God Himself gives us this encouragement in verse 10: “Be still, and know that I am God.” In a world where there’s plenty to be afraid of, our God offers us His presence (v. 11), for He Himself is our safety. By: Bill Crowder
Flexing Faith Muscles
Be still, and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10
During a trip to the zoo, I stopped to rest near the sloth exhibit. The creature hung upside down. He seemed content being completely still. I sighed. Because of my health issues, I struggled with stillness and desperately wanted to move forward, to do something—anything. Resenting my limitations, I longed to stop feeling so weak. But while staring at the sloth, I observed how he stretched one arm, gripped a nearby branch, and stopped again. Being still required strength. If I wanted to be content with moving slowly or being as still as the sloth, I needed more than incredible muscle power. To trust God with every dragging moment of my life, I needed supernatural power.
In Psalm 46, the writer proclaims that God doesn’t just give us strength, He is our strength (v. 1). No matter what’s going on around us, the “Lord Almighty is with us” (v. 7). The psalmist repeats this truth with conviction (v. 11).
Like the sloth, our day-to-day adventures often require slow steps and extended periods of seemingly impossible stillness. When we rely on God’s unchanging character, we can depend on His strength no matter what plan and pace He determines is right for us.
Though we may continue to battle afflictions or struggle with waiting, God remains faithfully present. Even when we don’t feel strong, He’ll help us flex our faith muscles. By: Xochitl Dixon
Reflect & Pray
How have you experienced God’s strength empowering you through a season of stillness? How can reflecting on His unchanging character help you persevere?
God Almighty, thank You for giving me opportunities to flex my faith muscles by trusting You to be my strength.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, July 14, 2022
Suffering Afflictions and Going the Second Mile
I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. —Matthew 5:39
This verse reveals the humiliation of being a Christian. In the natural realm, if a person does not hit back, it is because he is a coward. But in the spiritual realm, it is the very evidence of the Son of God in him if he does not hit back. When you are insulted, you must not only not resent it, but you must make it an opportunity to exhibit the Son of God in your life. And you cannot imitate the nature of Jesus— it is either in you or it is not. A personal insult becomes an opportunity for a saint to reveal the incredible sweetness of the Lord Jesus.
The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is not, “Do your duty,” but is, in effect, “Do what is not your duty.” It is not your duty to go the second mile, or to turn the other cheek, but Jesus said that if we are His disciples, we will always do these things. We will not say, “Oh well, I just can’t do any more, and I’ve been so misrepresented and misunderstood.” Every time I insist on having my own rights, I hurt the Son of God, while in fact I can prevent Jesus from being hurt if I will take the blow myself. That is the real meaning of filling “up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ…” (Colossians 1:24). A disciple realizes that it is his Lord’s honor that is at stake in his life, not his own honor.
Never look for righteousness in the other person, but never cease to be righteous yourself. We are always looking for justice, yet the essence of the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is— Never look for justice, but never cease to give it.
Wisdom From Oswald Chambers
We are in danger of being stern where God is tender, and of being tender where God is stern. The Love of God—The Message of Invincible Consolation, 673 L
Bible in a Year: Psalms 10-12; Acts 19:1-20
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, July 14, 2022
The Message That Opens Hearts - #9264
You know, you can learn something from a cab driver, even if his vocabulary is R-rated-or maybe even X-rated in this case. I was on a trip to an airport in a cab a while back. And well, without even knowing it, I must have hit some trigger in this cab driver. Oh, man! All of a sudden I couldn't believe what started to come out of his mouth. He started to pour out all kinds of racial hatred, and he said, "I don't really care about anything in the world or anybody but myself, and let those starving people starve, and let those poor people be poor." Wow!
And then he started to cuss out just about everybody in the world. When he finished with most people, he turned his attention to the church, and he said, "All the church cares about is money, and they've got all this wealth, and they could help solve the problems." I want to tell you, the atmosphere in that cab was dark, and tense, and profane, and angry. I mean, this was a very bitter, cynical guy. To tell you the truth, I felt like sitting back and reading my magazine or getting out. But I mentioned one thing to him as we neared the airport, and suddenly the cab got calm and the cabby was smiling. And that moment reminded me of a focus that's just too easy to forget.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Message That Opens Hearts."
Now, our word for today from the Word of God is found in 1 Corinthians 2. Paul begins to talk about that wonder-working word. It is, in fact, the word that calms an angry, tense atmosphere in a taxi cab to the airport. "When I came to you, brothers," Paul said, "I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified."
Well, as I chatted with this cab driver and he let me get a word in, he had been attacking the church. And I said, "You know, I remember a sign that a demonstrator waved back in the '70s out in California. It said, "Jesus, yes; Christianity, no." I said, "You know, I can understand why you might be cynical about the church, or about some things in Christianity, even about Christians. But you know what? That's why I've staked my life on Jesus Christ. There's just no cause for cynicism there." You know there is something about that name, like the song says. Because beginning to talk about Jesus calmed this man down, seemed to lighten his load, and actually brought a smile to his face.
As you try to represent Christ in your family, or your school, or your job, your message is not Christianity, it is not church, it is not a religion. Paul said, "I came to you with a person-Jesus Christ." Your message is a person. Keep bringing folks back to Him. It's all about Jesus!
So many objections to being a Christian melt away when you turn the attention to Jesus. "Oh, Christians are hypocrites!" Well, is Jesus? "Christians are inconsistent." Is Jesus? "All the church cares about is money." Does Jesus? What is it about Jesus you don't like? See, He's the issue. We tend to get off on detours about doctrine, church, politics. This is a relationship with Jesus Christ-no more/no less. I'm so glad Jesus didn't say, "Follow my church." Or, "Follow my followers." Or, "Follow my leaders." What did He say? "Follow Me."
Every time you have an opportunity, even with an x-rated enemy of the Gospel, turn the attention to Jesus. Maybe you're the one who has had all the bad experiences; all the bad ideas about Christians and Christianity, and maybe for good reason. Can I direct your attention today to Jesus, the man who loved you enough to die on the cross for what you've done wrong? And who was powerful enough to walk out of His grave, and is ready to enter your life today and change it as only He can? Listen to the name: Jesus. I hope you know Him. If you don't, I'd invite you to visit our website. And let me explain to you there how you can. It's ANewStory.com.
And if you do belong to Him, don't be ashamed of His name. You'll discover when you speak His name, what angels and demons already know so well. There really is something about that name.
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.