Max Lucado Daily Devotional: THE JOY OF GOD - December 26, 2022
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).
No man had more reason to be miserable than Jesus, yet no one was more joyful. He was ridiculed. Those who didn’t ridicule him, wanted favors. They wanted to kill him. He was accused of a crime he had never committed. Witnesses were hired to lie. They crucified him. He left as he came—penniless.
He should have been miserable and bitter, but he wasn’t. He was joyful! He possessed a joy that possessed him. I call it a sacred delight. Sacred because it’s not of the earth, delight because it is just that: the joy of God. He offers it to you, my friend: a sacred delight!
Proverbs 17
A Whack on the Head of a Fool
Proverbs 17
A meal of bread and water in contented peace
is better than a banquet spiced with quarrels.
2
A wise servant takes charge of an unruly child
and is honored as one of the family.
3
As silver in a crucible and gold in a pan,
so our lives are refined by God.
4
Evil people relish malicious conversation;
the ears of liars itch for dirty gossip.
5
Whoever mocks poor people insults their Creator;
gloating over misfortune is a punishable crime.
6
Old people are distinguished by grandchildren;
children take pride in their parents.
7
We don’t expect eloquence from fools,
nor do we expect lies from our leaders.
8
Receiving a gift is like getting a rare gemstone;
any way you look at it, you see beauty refracted.
9
Overlook an offense and bond a friendship;
fasten on to a slight and—good-bye, friend!
10
A quiet rebuke to a person of good sense
does more than a whack on the head of a fool.
11
Criminals out looking for nothing but trouble
won’t have to wait long—they’ll meet it coming and going!
12
Better to meet a grizzly robbed of her cubs
than a fool hellbent on folly.
13
Those who return evil for good
will meet their own evil returning.
14
The start of a quarrel is like a leak in a dam,
so stop it before it bursts.
15
Whitewashing bad people and throwing mud on good people
are equally abhorrent to God.
16
What’s this? Fools out shopping for wisdom!
They wouldn’t recognize it if they saw it!
One Who Knows Much Says Little
17
Friends love through all kinds of weather,
and families stick together in all kinds of trouble.
18
It’s stupid to try to get something for nothing,
or run up huge bills you can never pay.
19
The person who courts sin marries trouble;
build a wall, invite a burglar.
20
A bad motive can’t achieve a good end;
double-talk brings you double trouble.
21
Having a fool for a child is misery;
it’s no fun being the parent of a dolt.
22
A cheerful disposition is good for your health;
gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.
23
The wicked take bribes under the table;
they show nothing but contempt for justice.
24
The perceptive find wisdom in their own front yard;
fools look for it everywhere but right here.
25
A surly, stupid child is sheer pain to a father,
a bitter pill for a mother to swallow.
26
It’s wrong to penalize good behavior,
or make good citizens pay for the crimes of others.
27
The one who knows much says little;
an understanding person remains calm.
28
Even dunces who keep quiet are thought to be wise;
as long as they keep their mouths shut, they’re smart.
Our Daily Bread Devotional
Today's Scripture:
Judges 7:8−15
The Parable of the Trees
7 Now when they told Jotham, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim, and lifted his voice and cried out. And he said to them:
“Listen to me, you men of Shechem,
That God may listen to you!
8
“The trees once went forth to anoint a king over them.
And they said to the olive tree,
‘Reign over us!’
9
But the olive tree said to them,
‘Should I cease giving my oil,
With which they honor God and men,
And go to sway over trees?’
10
“Then the trees said to the fig tree,
‘You come and reign over us!’
11
But the fig tree said to them,
‘Should I cease my sweetness and my good fruit,
And go to sway over trees?’
12
“Then the trees said to the vine,
‘You come and reign over us!’
13
But the vine said to them,
‘Should I cease my new wine,
Which cheers both God and men,
And go to sway over trees?’
14
“Then all the trees said to the bramble,
‘You come and reign over us!’
15
And the bramble said to the trees,
‘If in truth you anoint me as king over you,
Then come and take shelter in my shade;
But if not, let fire come out of the bramble
And devour the cedars of Lebanon!’
When You’re Afraid
When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”
Judges 6:12
I had a medical checkup scheduled, and although I’d had no recent health concerns, I dreaded the visit. I was haunted by memories of an unexpected diagnosis long ago. While I knew God was with me and I should simply trust Him, I still felt afraid.
I was disappointed in my fear and lack of faith. If God was always with me, why was I feeling such anxiety? Then one morning I believe He led me to the story of Gideon.
Called “mighty warrior” (Judges 6:12), Gideon was fearful over his assignment to attack the Midianites. Although God had promised him His presence and victory, Gideon still sought multiple reassurances (vv. 16−23, 36−40).
However, God didn’t condemn Gideon for his fear. He understood him. On the night of the attack, He assured Gideon again of victory, even giving him a way to assuage his fears (7:10−11).
God understood my fear too. His reassurance gave me the courage to trust Him. I experienced His peace, knowing that He was with me regardless of the outcome. In the end, my checkup was uneventful.
We have a God who understands our fears and who reassures us through the Scriptures and the Spirit (Psalm 23:4; John 14:16−17). May we worship Him in thankfulness, just as Gideon did (Judges 7:15).
By: Karen Huang
Reflect & Pray
What fears or challenges are you facing? How does it help to know that God is with you and wants to help you?
Dear God, thank You for not condemning my fears, but always reassuring me of Your presence. Help me to turn to You when I’m afraid and trust in You.
For further study, read Clinging to Hope in the Storm.
My Utmost for His Highest
Walk in the Light”
By Oswald Chambers
If we walk in the light as He is in the light…the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. —1 John 1:7
To mistake freedom from sin only on the conscious level of our lives for complete deliverance from sin by the atonement through the Cross of Christ is a great error. No one fully knows what sin is until he is born again. Sin is what Jesus Christ faced at Calvary. The evidence that I have been delivered from sin is that I know the real nature of sin in me. For a person to really know what sin is requires the full work and deep touch of the atonement of Jesus Christ, that is, the imparting of His absolute perfection.
The Holy Spirit applies or administers the work of the atonement to us in the deep unconscious realm as well as in the conscious realm. And it is not until we truly perceive the unrivaled power of the Spirit in us that we understand the meaning of 1 John 1:7 , which says, “…the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” This verse does not refer only to conscious sin, but also to the tremendously profound understanding of sin which only the Holy Spirit in me can accomplish.
I must “walk in the light as He is in the light…”— not in the light of my own conscience, but in God’s light. If I will walk there, with nothing held back or hidden, then this amazing truth is revealed to me: “…the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses [me] from all sin” so that God Almighty can see nothing to rebuke in me. On the conscious level it produces a keen, sorrowful knowledge of what sin really is. The love of God working in me causes me to hate, with the Holy Spirit’s hatred for sin, anything that is not in keeping with God’s holiness. To “walk in the light” means that everything that is of the darkness actually drives me closer to the center of the light.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The message of the prophets is that although they have forsaken God, it has not altered God. The Apostle Paul emphasizes the same truth, that God remains God even when we are unfaithful (see 2 Timothy 2:13). Never interpret God as changing with our changes. He never does; there is no variableness in Him. Notes on Ezekiel, 1477 L
A Word With You
By Ron Hutchcraft
WHY A LIFE COLLAPSES - #9381
The dam broke. Those are words no one wants to hear if they live downriver from a dam. But that's exactly what happened near some small towns in southeast Missouri. It was just before daybreak when a dam on Taum Sauk Lake collapsed, sending a billion-gallon torrent of water streaming down the mountain and washing away homes and vehicles. When inspectors began to probe the reason for the collapse, they were dumbfounded by what they discovered. Instead of the granite that they had assumed for decades was the main material keeping the water in the reservoir, they found that the broken portion appeared to consist entirely of just soil and small rock. The breach occurred when an automated system mistakenly pumped too much water into the reservoir. But the reason for the disaster was a dam that was made of material that just couldn't stand the pressure.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Why a Life Collapses."
I've seen lives collapse like that dam did. When the pressure was on, they folded. Not so much because of the pressure, but because their life was built from materials that couldn't stand the pressure. Sometimes it was a flood of temptation, a flood of bad news and tragedy, sometimes getting hammered by spiritual attacks. But whatever it was, it showed that whatever they were building their life on wasn't strong enough to stand the test.
Since none of us wants to be the one who caves in, we need to hear what Jesus had to say about how to be a storm-proof, flood-proof person. It's in Luke 6:46-49, and it's our word for today from the Word of God. Jesus says: "Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to Me and hears My words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears My words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."
Did you catch what's the same and what's different about the person who withstands the storm and the person who is brought down by it? Both of them hear what Jesus says. They both know what the Bible says, but the survivor does what he knows Jesus says. The "collapser" knows but he doesn't do it. Each new day, anchor yourself to something God says to you in His Word as you spend time with Him, and then immediately make what He says the governing factor in that day. In other words, open His book and ask two questions: "What is God saying here, in my own words?" and then "What am I going to do differently today because He said it?"
Unfortunately, too many of us try to build our relationship with Christ on dirt and stones. We're event Christians, living from one Christian event to the next. Like a drug addict, we live from high to high with long stretches of spiritual wilderness in between. We depend on other believers to be our strength. We govern our Christian life by our feelings and our surroundings rather than by the words God has spoken to us.
No child can go on depending indefinitely on someone else feeding him. Eventually, he's got to learn to feed himself. Right? Maybe you keep stumbling because you've been depending on others to feed you spiritually and you can't be with them all the time. You've got to start feeding yourself from God's Word each new day if you want to be strong for the storms.
Christian meetings, Christian people, they're all good, but they're not enough to build a life on. Christ has got to be your identity. Christ has got to be your strength, your passion. Learning, and obeying, and leaning on what He says must be how you do each day. You don't have to keep caving in when the pressure hits if you will build your life on the storm-proof, flood-proof words of Jesus Christ, the Rock.