Max Lucado Daily: God Sent a Savior
Christmas cards. Punctuated promises. On this special day, can I share words from my favorite Christmas cards?
“He became like us, so we could become like Him.”
“Angels still sing and the star still beckons.”
“God has given a Son to us. His name will be Wonderful Counselor, Powerful God, Prince of Peace.” (Is. 9:6)
And my favorite…
“If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator.
If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist.
If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist.
But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior.”
Merry Christmas everybody!
From In the Manger
Proverbs 16
Everything with a Place and a Purpose
16
Mortals make elaborate plans,
but God has the last word.
2
Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good;
God probes for what is good.
3
Put God in charge of your work,
then what you’ve planned will take place.
4
God made everything with a place and purpose;
even the wicked are included—but for judgment.
5
God can’t stomach arrogance or pretense;
believe me, he’ll put those braggarts in their place.
6
Guilt is banished through love and truth;
Fear-of-God deflects evil.
7
When God approves of your life,
even your enemies will end up shaking your hand.
8
Far better to be right and poor
than to be wrong and rich.
9
We plan the way we want to live,
but only God makes us able to live it.
It Pays to Take Life Seriously
10
A good leader motivates,
doesn’t mislead, doesn’t exploit.
11
God cares about honesty in the workplace;
your business is his business.
12
Good leaders abhor wrongdoing of all kinds;
sound leadership has a moral foundation.
13
Good leaders cultivate honest speech;
they love advisors who tell them the truth.
14
An intemperate leader wreaks havoc in lives;
you’re smart to stay clear of someone like that.
15
Good-tempered leaders invigorate lives;
they’re like spring rain and sunshine.
16
Get wisdom—it’s worth more than money;
choose insight over income every time.
17
The road of right living bypasses evil;
watch your step and save your life.
18
First pride, then the crash—
the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.
19
It’s better to live humbly among the poor
than to live it up among the rich and famous.
20
It pays to take life seriously;
things work out when you trust in God.
21
A wise person gets known for insight;
gracious words add to one’s reputation.
22
True intelligence is a spring of fresh water,
while fools sweat it out the hard way.
23
They make a lot of sense, these wise folks;
whenever they speak, their reputation increases.
24
Gracious speech is like clover honey—
good taste to the soul, quick energy for the body.
25
There’s a way that looks harmless enough;
look again—it leads straight to hell.
26
Appetite is an incentive to work;
hunger makes you work all the harder.
27
Mean people spread mean gossip;
their words smart and burn.
28
Troublemakers start fights;
gossips break up friendships.
29
Calloused climbers betray their very own friends;
they’d stab their own grandmothers in the back.
30
A shifty eye betrays an evil intention;
a clenched jaw signals trouble ahead.
31
Gray hair is a mark of distinction,
the award for a God-loyal life.
32
Moderation is better than muscle,
self-control better than political power.
33
Make your motions and cast your votes,
but God has the final say.
Our Daily Bread devotional
Today's Scripture:
Isaiah 55:6–13
6 Seekb the Lord while he may be found;c
calld on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsakee their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.f
Let them turng to the Lord, and he will have mercyh on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.i
8 “For my thoughtsj are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”k
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,l
so are my ways higher than your ways
Insight
In Isaiah 55, God invites His people to avail themselves of the salvation He offers. In verses 6–7, God calls the wicked to seek Him, saying that those who repent will find mercy and pardon. This section is connected to the next section (vv. 8–13) with the simple word for (v. 8), which signals a relationship between the two; the second section explains the first. The people can rest in the promise of deliverance and forgiveness because God’s thoughts are higher than theirs. He’s reminding them that even if they don’t understand how He’s working, they can trust Him to provide salvation to those who repent.
By: J.R. Hudberg
The Power of God’s Word
[My word] will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire.
Isaiah 55:11
On Christmas Eve 1968, the Apollo 8 astronauts—Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders—became the first humans to enter lunar orbit. As they circled the moon ten times, they shared images of the moon and the Earth. During a live broadcast, they took turns reading from Genesis 1. At the fortieth anniversary celebration, Borman said, “We were told that on Christmas Eve we would have the largest audience that had ever listened to a human voice. And the only instructions that we got from NASA was to do something appropriate.” The Bible verses spoken by the Apollo 8 astronauts still plant seeds of truth into the listening hearts of people who hear the historical recording.
Through the prophet Isaiah, God says, “Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live” (Isaiah 55:3). Revealing His free offer of salvation, He invites us to turn from our sin and receive His mercy and forgiveness (vv. 6–7). He declares the divine authority of His thoughts and His actions, which are too vast for us to truly understand (vv. 8–9). Still, God gives us opportunity to share His life-transforming words of Scripture, which point to Jesus, and affirm that He is responsible for the spiritual growth of His people (vv. 10–13).
The Holy Spirit helps us share the gospel as the Father fulfills all His promises according to His perfect plan and pace.
By: Xochitl Dixon
Reflect & Pray
Who will you share Scripture with today? Who first shared the Bible with you?
Almighty Creator and Sustainer of the world, please give me opportunities daily to share Your wisdom.
For further study, read Knowing God through the Whole Bible.
My Utmost for His Highest By Oswald Chambers
The Hidden Life
…your life is hidden with Christ in God. —Colossians 3:3
The Spirit of God testifies to and confirms the simple, but almighty, security of the life that “is hidden with Christ in God.” Paul continually brought this out in his New Testament letters. We talk as if living a sanctified life were the most uncertain and insecure thing we could do. Yet it is the most secure thing possible, because it has Almighty God in and behind it. The most dangerous and unsure thing is to try to live without God. For one who is born again, it is easier to live in a right-standing relationship with God than it is to go wrong, provided we heed God’s warnings and “walk in the light” (1 John 1:7).
When we think of being delivered from sin, being “filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18), and “walk[ing] in the light,” we picture the peak of a great mountain. We see it as very high and wonderful, but we say, “Oh, I could never live up there!” However, when we do get there through God’s grace, we find it is not a mountain peak at all, but a plateau with plenty of room to live and to grow. “You enlarged my path under me, so my feet did not slip” (Psalm 18:36).
When you really see Jesus, I defy you to doubt Him. If you see Him when He says, “Let not your heart be troubled…” (John 14:27), I defy you to worry. It is virtually impossible to doubt when He is there. Every time you are in personal contact with Jesus, His words are real to you. “My peace I give to you…” (John 14:27)— a peace which brings an unconstrained confidence and covers you completely, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. “…your life is hidden with Christ in God,” and the peace of Jesus Christ that cannot be disturbed has been imparted to you.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Am I getting nobler, better, more helpful, more humble, as I get older? Am I exhibiting the life that men take knowledge of as having been with Jesus, or am I getting more self-assertive, more deliberately determined to have my own way? It is a great thing to tell yourself the truth.
The Place of Help
Bible in a Year: Habakkuk 1-3; Revelation 15
