Max Lucado Daily: Paul, a Hero - July 28, 2022
Paul was a Christian-killer before he was a Christian leader. In Romans 7:25 (NCV) he wrote: “I thank God for saving me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
One day Paul was preaching; the next he was in prison. Look at him in prison – what you see shuffling around the jail cell isn’t too much. But what I lean over and tell you is: “That man, that very man, will shape the course of history. Within two hundred years his thoughts will influence the teaching of every school on this continent. Those letters scribbled on parchment? They’ll be read in thousands of languages and impact every major creed and constitution of the future. Every major figure will read them.”
You know, we seldom see history in the making. We seldom recognize heroes. Which is just as well, for if we knew either we might mess up both.
Luke 23:26-56
Skull Hill
26-31 As they led him off, they made Simon, a man from Cyrene who happened to be coming in from the countryside, carry the cross behind Jesus. A huge crowd of people followed, along with women weeping and carrying on. At one point Jesus turned to the women and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t cry for me. Cry for yourselves and for your children. The time is coming when they’ll say, ‘Lucky the women who never conceived! Lucky the wombs that never gave birth! Lucky the breasts that never gave milk!’ Then they’ll start calling to the mountains, ‘Fall down on us!’ calling to the hills, ‘Cover us up!’ If people do these things to a live, green tree, can you imagine what they’ll do with deadwood?”
32 Two others, both criminals, were taken along with him for execution.
33 When they got to the place called Skull Hill, they crucified him, along with the criminals, one on his right, the other on his left.
34-35 Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they’re doing.”
Dividing up his clothes, they threw dice for them. The people stood there staring at Jesus, and the ringleaders made faces, taunting, “He saved others. Let’s see him save himself! The Messiah of God—ha! The Chosen—ha!”
36-37 The soldiers also came up and poked fun at him, making a game of it. They toasted him with sour wine: “So you’re King of the Jews! Save yourself!”
38 Printed over him was a sign: this is the king of the jews.
39 One of the criminals hanging alongside cursed him: “Some Messiah you are! Save yourself! Save us!”
40-41 But the other one made him shut up: “Have you no fear of God? You’re getting the same as him. We deserve this, but not him—he did nothing to deserve this.”
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom.”
43 He said, “Don’t worry, I will. Today you will join me in paradise.”
44-46 By now it was noon. The whole earth became dark, the darkness lasting three hours—a total blackout. The Temple curtain split right down the middle. Jesus called loudly, “Father, I place my life in your hands!” Then he breathed his last.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, July 28, 2022
Today's Scripture
Revelation 5:8–14
The moment he took the scroll, the Four Animals and Twenty-four Elders fell down and worshiped the Lamb. Each had a harp and each had a bowl, a gold bowl filled with incense, the prayers of God’s holy people. And they sang a new song:
Worthy! Take the scroll, open its seals.
Slain! Paying in blood, you bought men and women,
Bought them back from all over the earth,
Bought them back for God.
Then you made them a Kingdom, Priests for our God,
Priest-kings to rule over the earth.
11–14 I looked again. I heard a company of Angels around the Throne, the Animals, and the Elders—ten thousand times ten thousand their number, thousand after thousand after thousand in full song:
The slain Lamb is worthy!
Take the power, the wealth, the wisdom, the strength!
Take the honor, the glory, the blessing!
Then I heard every creature in Heaven and earth, in underworld and sea, join in, all voices in all places, singing:
To the One on the Throne! To the Lamb!
The blessing, the honor, the glory, the strength,
For age after age after age.
The Four Animals called out, “Oh, Yes!” The Elders fell to their knees and worshiped.
Insight
The central picture in Revelation 5 is the moving image of a slain yet living Lamb (v. 6) worshiped by all creation (v. 13). God’s people had long looked for the prophesied Messiah, the Lion of Judah (v. 5; Isaiah 11:1–9) to powerfully deliver them. Most assumed this Messiah, much like a lion, would conquer through force and vengeful violence. Instead, the Messiah, the Lion of Judah, was revealed to be a gentle Lamb, willing to give everything, even His own life, for the salvation of others. It’s only that Lamb who is found worthy to establish God’s justice and bring history to its long-awaited goal. By: Monica La Rose
When the Whole World Sings
They sang a new song, saying . . . with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
Revelation 5:9
A commercial jingle of the 1970s inspired a generation. Created as part of Coca Cola’s “The Real Thing” ad campaign, a British group called The New Seekers eventually sang it as a full-length song that climbed to the top of music charts around the world. But many will never forget the original television version sung by young people on a hilltop outside of Rome. Whimsical as it was, with visions of honeybees and fruit trees, we resonated with a songwriter’s desire to teach the world to sing with the heart and harmony of love.
The apostle John describes something like that idealized dream, only vastly greater. He envisioned a song sung by “every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them” (Revelation 5:13). There’s nothing whimsical about this anthem. Nothing could be more realistic than the price paid by the One to whom this song is sung. Neither could there be anything more foreboding than the visions of war, death, and consequence that His sacrifice of love would have to overcome.
Yet this is what it took for the Lamb of God to bear our sin and defeat death, overcome our fear of death, and teach all heaven and earth to sing—in perfect harmony.
Reflect & Pray
What gives you cause to sing? What happens to your heart and mind when you embrace John’s vision of every created being singing in united praise of the Lamb and His love?
Father in heaven, please help me to sense the wonder of what You’ve done to give me a song that can be sung in joy by everyone and every living creature.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, July 28, 2022
God’s Purpose or Mine?
He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side… —Mark 6:45
We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God’s purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.
What is my vision of God’s purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish— His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see “Him walking on the sea” with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see “Him walking on the sea” (Mark 6:49). It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God.
God’s training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.
God’s purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.
Wisdom From Oswald Chambers
The great word of Jesus to His disciples is Abandon. When God has brought us into the relationship of disciples, we have to venture on His word; trust entirely to Him and watch that when He brings us to the venture, we take it.
Studies in the Sermon on the Mount
Bible in a Year: Psalms 46-48; Acts 28
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, July 28, 2022
Peace That Stands the Test - #9274
I was on an airplane flight from Chicago to Newark, and suddenly the pilot came on and he said, "You may have noticed that we are not going East any more, we're headed North. We're going to have to make an emergency landing in Detroit."
Well, I want to tell you; those words didn't thrill everybody particularly. Not because there's anything wrong with Detroit. It's fine, but emergency landings aren't real exciting. No. He went on to say, "We're having a little problem with our hydraulic system." Then the next thing we knew, before the landing, the flight attendants came through and three times they checked to see how tight our seat belts were. Of course, everybody on the plane is starting to speculate about, "Do we have a problem with our wing flaps, or our landing gear?" This could be pretty serious!
Now, my immediate neighbor was a very sweet grandma. She was really anxious. The next guy down said, "You know what? I'll bet our wheels aren't down. This could be really bad." Oh, that helped! Thank you.
Now, we had a very shaky approach to the airport, but I've got to tell you, thank God we had a smooth landing. Then I saw the welcoming party; fire engines and emergency equipment all over!
Now, who knows how close a call it really was? But I'll tell you this, the possibility of a crash squeezed out the inner emotional contents from all the passengers. And it was a good test for me. You know, actually I tried to lighten up the grandma's anxiety with a little humor. I told her we were going to get a trip to Detroit for no extra charge, and I kind of kept on doing my work. I honestly felt pretty much as safe as if I would in my living room.
And that's when grandma asked the question, and I'll tell you what I told her.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Peace That Stands the Test."
Now, our word for today from the Word of God comes from John 14:27. It's a good word for a man whose plane may have trouble landing. "Peace I leave with you." Now, can you think of a sweeter word? "My peace I give you" Jesus said. "I do not give you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid." You know what? I wasn't.
Grandma said to me, "You know, you were so calm. You were totally calm. I was glad I was sitting next to you. That other man didn't help very much, but I'm glad I was sitting next to you." And I said, "Well, can I tell you why I was calm?" She said, "Yeah, why?" I said, "It's because of Christ in my life. See, the peace doesn't come from what's going on around me. The peace comes from who is going on inside me."
Jesus said He doesn't give you peace like the world gives. World peace-the world's kind, you're okay if the surroundings are pleasant, the situation is stable, and if your life or security isn't in danger. That's external, therefore it's 'loseable'.
I know a couple and one is facing lymphatic cancer, the other, bypass surgery at the same time. And they're giving a simple testimony. The Lord has virtually said to them almost verbally, "I will never leave you or forsake you." And I said to them, "You are facing death and suffering with God's peace and it has stood the test." See, that's peace that nothing can take from you - a peace that you might desperately need right now.
Well, you know, peace is a person. The person is Jesus. He forgives your sin, He guarantees heaven, He promises His powerful care, He'll be the constant no matter what changes. That's peace! My life isn't in the hands of a pilot, or a surgeon, or an adversary. It's in my Savior's hands. When you make your peace with God, you have God's peace. The worst can happen, the best remains. What a rock solid calm you can have at the center of your soul if you'll make the Prince of Peace, your Prince.
If you've never opened your heart to this forgiver of sins, this giver of peace, this guarantee-er of heaven, Jesus Christ, let this be the day you say, "Lord, I stop running my life. You pilot my life from here on. I'm giving myself to the One who died for me."
There's more about this at our website. I encourage you to go there - ANewStory.com. Ask anyone who's been to the edge with Christ in their heart. This peace - His peace stands the test.
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.