Max Lucado: KEEP LISTENING - October 10, 2022
The phrase “led by the Spirit of God” is such a happy one. The Spirit gently leads us as a shepherd would lead a flock. He is more committed to leading us than we are to following him. So relax! And if you don’t sense his guidance, ask again.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5 NKJV). He is completely capable to lead you where he wants you to go. He might use a nudge, a prick of the conscience, a reminder of Scripture. The Spirit first speaks through the verse. He may complement the verse with a voice. Go first to the verse. His will never contradicts his Word. When you open your Bible, God opens his mouth. The verse and the voice. God is calling. Keep listening.
The phrase “led by the Spirit of God” is such a happy one. The Spirit gently leads us as a shepherd would lead a flock. He is more committed to leading us than we are to following him. So relax! And if you don’t sense his guidance, ask again.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5 NKJV). He is completely capable to lead you where he wants you to go. He might use a nudge, a prick of the conscience, a reminder of Scripture. The Spirit first speaks through the verse. He may complement the verse with a voice. Go first to the verse. His will never contradicts his Word. When you open your Bible, God opens his mouth. The verse and the voice. God is calling. Keep listening.
Psalm 22
God, God . . . my God! Why did you dump me miles from nowhere? Doubled up with pain, I call to God all the day long. No answer. Nothing. I keep at it all night, tossing and turning.
3-5
And you! Are you indifferent, above it all, leaning back on the cushions of Israel’s praise? We know you were there for our parents: they cried for your help and you gave it; they trusted and lived a good life.
6-8
And here I am, a nothing—an earthworm, something to step on, to squash. Everyone pokes fun at me; they make faces at me, they shake their heads: “Let’s see how God handles this one; since God likes him so much, let him help him!”
9-11
And to think you were midwife at my birth, setting me at my mother’s breasts! When I left the womb you cradled me; since the moment of birth you’ve been my God. Then you moved far away and trouble moved in next door. I need a neighbor.
12-13
Herds of bulls come at me, the raging bulls stampede, Horns lowered, nostrils flaring, like a herd of buffalo on the move.
14-15
I’m a bucket kicked over and spilled, every joint in my body has been pulled apart. My heart is a blob of melted wax in my gut. I’m dry as a bone, my tongue black and swollen. They have laid me out for burial in the dirt.
16-18
Now packs of wild dogs come at me; thugs gang up on me. They pin me down hand and foot, and lock me in a cage—a bag Of bones in a cage, stared at by every passerby. They take my wallet and the shirt off my back, and then throw dice for my clothes.
19-21
You, God—don’t put off my rescue! Hurry and help me! Don’t let them cut my throat; don’t let those mongrels devour me. If you don’t show up soon, I’m done for—gored by the bulls, meat for the lions.
22-24
Here’s the story I’ll tell my friends when they come to worship, and punctuate it with Hallelujahs: Shout Hallelujah, you God-worshipers; give glory, you sons of Jacob; adore him, you daughters of Israel. He has never let you down, never looked the other way when you were being kicked around. He has never wandered off to do his own thing; he has been right there, listening.
25-26
Here in this great gathering for worship I have discovered this praise-life. And I’ll do what I promised right here in front of the God-worshipers. Down-and-outers sit at God’s table and eat their fill. Everyone on the hunt for God is here, praising him. “Live it up, from head to toe. Don’t ever quit!”
27-28
From the four corners of the earth people are coming to their senses, are running back to God. Long-lost families are falling on their faces before him. God has taken charge; from now on he has the last word.
29
All the power-mongers are before him —worshiping! All the poor and powerless, too —worshiping! Along with those who never got it together —worshiping!
30-31
Our children and their children will get in on this As the word is passed along from parent to child. Babies not yet conceived will hear the good news— that God does what he says.
Our Daily Bread
Read : Philippians 4:4-7
Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life
Insight:
Paul frequently used a literary device in his writing known as asyndeton—a deliberate omission of conjunctions to be as concise and persuasive as possible. He employed this device at the end of his letter to the church in Philippi (Philippians 4:4–7), where he gives four admonitions: “rejoice” (twice); “let your gentleness be evident to all”; “do not be anxious,” and “present your requests to God.” While on the surface these instructions may seem disconnected, the meaning of the words gentleness and anxious points to the context of the persecution the Philippians were suffering. The use of asyndeton adds a motivating force to his words. From his own circumstances of being persecuted, Paul was writing with as much force and emphasis as he could muster to encourage the Philippian believers to hold on to Jesus and express their faith well.
Happy Thanksgiving
By Elisa Morgan
In every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6
A study by psychologist Robert Emmons divided volunteers into three groups that each made weekly entries in journals. One group wrote five things they were grateful for. One described five daily hassles. And a control group listed five events that had impacted them in a small way. The results of the study revealed that those in the gratitude group felt better about their lives overall, were more optimistic about the future, and reported fewer health problems.
Giving thanks has a way of changing the way we look at life. Thanksgiving can even make us happier.
The Bible has long extolled the benefits of giving thanks to God, as doing so reminds us of His character. The Psalms repeatedly call God’s people to give Him thanks because “the Lord is good and his love endures forever” (Psalm 100:5) and to thank Him for His unfailing love and wonderful deeds (107:8, 15, 21, 31).
As the apostle Paul closed his letter to the Philippians—the letter itself a kind of thank-you note to a church that had supported him—he linked thankful prayers with the peace of God “which transcends all understanding” (4:7). When we focus on God and His goodness, we find that we can pray without anxiety, in every situation, with thanksgiving. Giving thanks brings us a peace that uniquely guards our hearts and minds and changes the way we look at life. A heart full of gratitude nurtures a spirit of joy.
Reflect-
What threatens your sense of gratitude? How is God calling you to a “happy thanksgiving” as you bring your needs before Him?
Pray-
Father in heaven, where I see problems, grant me a spirit of gratitude and grateful praise.
Our Utmost for His Highest
How Will I Know?
By Oswald Chambers
Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father…that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes." —Matthew 11:25
We do not grow into a spiritual relationship step by step— we either have a relationship or we do not. God does not continue to cleanse us more and more from sin— “But if we walk in the light,” we are cleansed “from all sin” (1 John 1:7). It is a matter of obedience, and once we obey, the relationship is instantly perfected. But if we turn away from obedience for even one second, darkness and death are immediately at work again.
All of God’s revealed truths are sealed until they are opened to us through obedience. You will never open them through philosophy or thinking. But once you obey, a flash of light comes immediately. Let God’s truth work into you by immersing yourself in it, not by worrying into it. The only way you can get to know the truth of God is to stop trying to find out and by being born again. If you obey God in the first thing He shows you, then He instantly opens up the next truth to you. You could read volumes on the work of the Holy Spirit, when five minutes of total, uncompromising obedience would make things as clear as sunlight. Don’t say, “I suppose I will understand these things someday!” You can understand them now. And it is not study that brings understanding to you, but obedience. Even the smallest bit of obedience opens heaven, and the deepest truths of God immediately become yours. Yet God will never reveal more truth about Himself to you, until you have obeyed what you know already. Beware of becoming one of the “wise and prudent.” “If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know…” (John 7:17).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The root of faith is the knowledge of a Person, and one of the biggest snares is the idea that God is sure to lead us to success. My Utmost for His Highest, March 19, 761 L
Bible in a Year: Isaiah 34-36; Colossians 2
A Word with You by Ron Hutchcraft
BEYOND OUR SYMPTOMS TO OUR DISEASE - #9326
Where are those gnats coming from? Not in the studio. I mean every family member - one after another - was asking that around our house. We had this sudden outbreak of pesky little bugs floating around through the air. Have you ever seen them? And you'd see every one of us swatting back and forth. We couldn't imagine where they were coming from. Where do these guys come from? We killed as many as we could.
One day my wife, who was no doubt the smartest member of the family, decided that we had to answer the original question, "Where are these gnats coming from?" One theory was that maybe they were coming from that flower pot in the corner in the living room. See we forgot that we had left a little water in that pot, and sure enough that turned out to be a lovely breeding ground. So, I carried that pot outside, and I felt like we had won the battle because we got to the source.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Beyond Our Symptoms to Our Disease."
Our word for today from the Word of God, Mark 2:4-5, and maybe you remember the story. There's four friends who had a paralyzed friend. When Jesus came to their town of Capernaum, they decided that the best hope for their friend to ever get well was to take him to Jesus. It says, "Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus, and after digging through it, lowered the mat that the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven.'"
Later it says in verse 11, "He said to the paralytic, 'I tell you, get up! Take up your mat and go home.' He got up, took his mat, and walked out in full view of them all." Can you imagine the reaction of these friends when they go to all this trouble literally coming through the roof, dropping their friend in front of Jesus to get his paralysis taken care of, and Jesus says, "Your sins are forgiven"? Sin? Was that even an issue?
It always is, because Jesus knows what our deepest problem is. And He knows that paralysis isn't the ultimate problem this young man has. He goes first to the much more difficult issue of dealing with the barrier between a man and his God. He's concerned about what cripples us, and He'll deal with that. But He's more concerned about the cancer of sin that's killing us on the inside.
I was meeting with Bill. He was a championship high school football player, but he was in rehab the second time for cocaine addiction. He learned about God's help through the 12-step Narcotics Anonymous Program. I asked him, "Bill, did you learn how Jesus could be your helper with your addiction?" He said, "Yeah." I said, "Did you know that addiction is not your problem?" He said, "It isn't?" I said, "No. Sin is your problem. Addiction is your symptom. You need now to find out how He can be your Savior from your sin."
See, the gnats keep coming out in various ways until you get at the source of the gnats in your life, and that's sin. You say, "Well, my problem is my loneliness, my relationships, my family, this frustrating obstacle." See, the fact is the symptom isn't the problem. At the root we're trying to handle life without the help of a Savior. We're trying to figure out the future without the personal leading of the One who designed us. We're trying every self-improvement plan we can; trying every smart idea. But the gnats keep coming.
We've got to remove the source of the problem, and only the Savior can do that. You can't carry it out. He carried it in His body on a cross. All those problems, and hurts, and frustrations have been trying to bring you to the fact that you need a Savior. You have a Savior if you'll make Him yours.
If you're tired of the struggle, bring all those burdens, all that sin to the cross. You'll be forgiven forever. You'll be changed. Why not begin your relationship with Jesus today? Our website can tell you how. It's ANewStory.com. Jesus being your helper with your hassles just isn't enough. You need Jesus to be the Savior from your sin. phrase “led by the Spirit of God” is such a happy one. The Spirit gently leads us as a shepherd would lead a flock. He is more committed to leading us than we are to following him. So relax! And if you don’t sense his guidance, ask again.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5 NKJV). He is completely capable to lead you where he wants you to go. He might use a nudge, a prick of the conscience, a reminder of Scripture. The Spirit first speaks through the verse. He may complement the verse with a voice. Go first to the verse. His will never contradicts his Word. When you open your Bible, God opens his mouth. The verse and the voice. God is calling. Keep listening.
Psalm 22
God, God . . . my God! Why did you dump me miles from nowhere? Doubled up with pain, I call to God all the day long. No answer. Nothing. I keep at it all night, tossing and turning.
3-5
And you! Are you indifferent, above it all, leaning back on the cushions of Israel’s praise? We know you were there for our parents: they cried for your help and you gave it; they trusted and lived a good life.
6-8
And here I am, a nothing—an earthworm, something to step on, to squash. Everyone pokes fun at me; they make faces at me, they shake their heads: “Let’s see how God handles this one; since God likes him so much, let him help him!”
9-11
And to think you were midwife at my birth, setting me at my mother’s breasts! When I left the womb you cradled me; since the moment of birth you’ve been my God. Then you moved far away and trouble moved in next door. I need a neighbor.
12-13
Herds of bulls come at me, the raging bulls stampede, Horns lowered, nostrils flaring, like a herd of buffalo on the move.
14-15
I’m a bucket kicked over and spilled, every joint in my body has been pulled apart. My heart is a blob of melted wax in my gut. I’m dry as a bone, my tongue black and swollen. They have laid me out for burial in the dirt.
16-18
Now packs of wild dogs come at me; thugs gang up on me. They pin me down hand and foot, and lock me in a cage—a bag Of bones in a cage, stared at by every passerby. They take my wallet and the shirt off my back, and then throw dice for my clothes.
19-21
You, God—don’t put off my rescue! Hurry and help me! Don’t let them cut my throat; don’t let those mongrels devour me. If you don’t show up soon, I’m done for—gored by the bulls, meat for the lions.
22-24
Here’s the story I’ll tell my friends when they come to worship, and punctuate it with Hallelujahs: Shout Hallelujah, you God-worshipers; give glory, you sons of Jacob; adore him, you daughters of Israel. He has never let you down, never looked the other way when you were being kicked around. He has never wandered off to do his own thing; he has been right there, listening.
25-26
Here in this great gathering for worship I have discovered this praise-life. And I’ll do what I promised right here in front of the God-worshipers. Down-and-outers sit at God’s table and eat their fill. Everyone on the hunt for God is here, praising him. “Live it up, from head to toe. Don’t ever quit!”
27-28
From the four corners of the earth people are coming to their senses, are running back to God. Long-lost families are falling on their faces before him. God has taken charge; from now on he has the last word.
29
All the power-mongers are before him —worshiping! All the poor and powerless, too —worshiping! Along with those who never got it together —worshiping!
30-31
Our children and their children will get in on this As the word is passed along from parent to child. Babies not yet conceived will hear the good news— that God does what he says.
Our Daily Bread
Read : Philippians 4:4-7
Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life
Insight:
Paul frequently used a literary device in his writing known as asyndeton—a deliberate omission of conjunctions to be as concise and persuasive as possible. He employed this device at the end of his letter to the church in Philippi (Philippians 4:4–7), where he gives four admonitions: “rejoice” (twice); “let your gentleness be evident to all”; “do not be anxious,” and “present your requests to God.” While on the surface these instructions may seem disconnected, the meaning of the words gentleness and anxious points to the context of the persecution the Philippians were suffering. The use of asyndeton adds a motivating force to his words. From his own circumstances of being persecuted, Paul was writing with as much force and emphasis as he could muster to encourage the Philippian believers to hold on to Jesus and express their faith well.
Happy Thanksgiving
By Elisa Morgan
In every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6
A study by psychologist Robert Emmons divided volunteers into three groups that each made weekly entries in journals. One group wrote five things they were grateful for. One described five daily hassles. And a control group listed five events that had impacted them in a small way. The results of the study revealed that those in the gratitude group felt better about their lives overall, were more optimistic about the future, and reported fewer health problems.
Giving thanks has a way of changing the way we look at life. Thanksgiving can even make us happier.
The Bible has long extolled the benefits of giving thanks to God, as doing so reminds us of His character. The Psalms repeatedly call God’s people to give Him thanks because “the Lord is good and his love endures forever” (Psalm 100:5) and to thank Him for His unfailing love and wonderful deeds (107:8, 15, 21, 31).
As the apostle Paul closed his letter to the Philippians—the letter itself a kind of thank-you note to a church that had supported him—he linked thankful prayers with the peace of God “which transcends all understanding” (4:7). When we focus on God and His goodness, we find that we can pray without anxiety, in every situation, with thanksgiving. Giving thanks brings us a peace that uniquely guards our hearts and minds and changes the way we look at life. A heart full of gratitude nurtures a spirit of joy.
Reflect-
What threatens your sense of gratitude? How is God calling you to a “happy thanksgiving” as you bring your needs before Him?
Pray-
Father in heaven, where I see problems, grant me a spirit of gratitude and grateful praise.
Our Utmost for His Highest
How Will I Know?
By Oswald Chambers
Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father…that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes." —Matthew 11:25
We do not grow into a spiritual relationship step by step— we either have a relationship or we do not. God does not continue to cleanse us more and more from sin— “But if we walk in the light,” we are cleansed “from all sin” (1 John 1:7). It is a matter of obedience, and once we obey, the relationship is instantly perfected. But if we turn away from obedience for even one second, darkness and death are immediately at work again.
All of God’s revealed truths are sealed until they are opened to us through obedience. You will never open them through philosophy or thinking. But once you obey, a flash of light comes immediately. Let God’s truth work into you by immersing yourself in it, not by worrying into it. The only way you can get to know the truth of God is to stop trying to find out and by being born again. If you obey God in the first thing He shows you, then He instantly opens up the next truth to you. You could read volumes on the work of the Holy Spirit, when five minutes of total, uncompromising obedience would make things as clear as sunlight. Don’t say, “I suppose I will understand these things someday!” You can understand them now. And it is not study that brings understanding to you, but obedience. Even the smallest bit of obedience opens heaven, and the deepest truths of God immediately become yours. Yet God will never reveal more truth about Himself to you, until you have obeyed what you know already. Beware of becoming one of the “wise and prudent.” “If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know…” (John 7:17).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The root of faith is the knowledge of a Person, and one of the biggest snares is the idea that God is sure to lead us to success. My Utmost for His Highest, March 19, 761 L
Bible in a Year: Isaiah 34-36; Colossians 2
A Word with You by Ron Hutchcraft
BEYOND OUR SYMPTOMS TO OUR DISEASE - #9326
Where are those gnats coming from? Not in the studio. I mean every family member - one after another - was asking that around our house. We had this sudden outbreak of pesky little bugs floating around through the air. Have you ever seen them? And you'd see every one of us swatting back and forth. We couldn't imagine where they were coming from. Where do these guys come from? We killed as many as we could.
One day my wife, who was no doubt the smartest member of the family, decided that we had to answer the original question, "Where are these gnats coming from?" One theory was that maybe they were coming from that flower pot in the corner in the living room. See we forgot that we had left a little water in that pot, and sure enough that turned out to be a lovely breeding ground. So, I carried that pot outside, and I felt like we had won the battle because we got to the source.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Beyond Our Symptoms to Our Disease."
Our word for today from the Word of God, Mark 2:4-5, and maybe you remember the story. There's four friends who had a paralyzed friend. When Jesus came to their town of Capernaum, they decided that the best hope for their friend to ever get well was to take him to Jesus. It says, "Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus, and after digging through it, lowered the mat that the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven.'"
Later it says in verse 11, "He said to the paralytic, 'I tell you, get up! Take up your mat and go home.' He got up, took his mat, and walked out in full view of them all." Can you imagine the reaction of these friends when they go to all this trouble literally coming through the roof, dropping their friend in front of Jesus to get his paralysis taken care of, and Jesus says, "Your sins are forgiven"? Sin? Was that even an issue?
It always is, because Jesus knows what our deepest problem is. And He knows that paralysis isn't the ultimate problem this young man has. He goes first to the much more difficult issue of dealing with the barrier between a man and his God. He's concerned about what cripples us, and He'll deal with that. But He's more concerned about the cancer of sin that's killing us on the inside.
I was meeting with Bill. He was a championship high school football player, but he was in rehab the second time for cocaine addiction. He learned about God's help through the 12-step Narcotics Anonymous Program. I asked him, "Bill, did you learn how Jesus could be your helper with your addiction?" He said, "Yeah." I said, "Did you know that addiction is not your problem?" He said, "It isn't?" I said, "No. Sin is your problem. Addiction is your symptom. You need now to find out how He can be your Savior from your sin."
See, the gnats keep coming out in various ways until you get at the source of the gnats in your life, and that's sin. You say, "Well, my problem is my loneliness, my relationships, my family, this frustrating obstacle." See, the fact is the symptom isn't the problem. At the root we're trying to handle life without the help of a Savior. We're trying to figure out the future without the personal leading of the One who designed us. We're trying every self-improvement plan we can; trying every smart idea. But the gnats keep coming.
We've got to remove the source of the problem, and only the Savior can do that. You can't carry it out. He carried it in His body on a cross. All those problems, and hurts, and frustrations have been trying to bring you to the fact that you need a Savior. You have a Savior if you'll make Him yours.
If you're tired of the struggle, bring all those burdens, all that sin to the cross. You'll be forgiven forever. You'll be changed. Why not begin your relationship with Jesus today? Our website can tell you how. It's ANewStory.com. Jesus being your helper with your hassles just isn't enough. You need Jesus to be the Savior from your sin.
