Max Lucado Daily: THE PRAYERS HE ANSWERS - July 12, 2023
Jesus said, “If you believe, you will get anything you ask for in prayer” (Mark 11:24). Don’t reduce this grand statement to the category of new cars and paychecks. The fruit God assures is far greater than earthly wealth. God wants you to fly free of yesterday’s guilt, free of today’s fears, free of tomorrow’s grave. Sin, fear, and death. These are the mountains he has moved. These are the prayers he will answer. That is the fruit he will grant. This is what he longs to do.
Let’s not limit our prayers to the things of this world. Let’s reach out with open hearts and open hands to ask for true treasures: a freedom from worry and fear, a greater trust in him, and a peace that far exceeds our understanding. Let’s dare to ask and to believe he will answer.
Calm Moments for Anxious Days
Read more Calm Moments for Anxious Days
1 Corinthians 4
Don’t imagine us leaders to be something we aren’t. We are servants of Christ, not his masters. We are guides into God’s divine secrets, not security guards posted to protect them. The requirements for a good guide are reliability and accurate knowledge. It matters very little to me what you think of me, even less where I rank in popular opinion. I don’t even rank myself. Comparisons in these matters are pointless. I’m not aware of anything that would disqualify me from being a good guide for you, but that doesn’t mean much. The Master makes that judgment.
5 So don’t get ahead of the Master and jump to conclusions with your judgments before all the evidence is in. When he comes, he will bring out in the open and place in evidence all kinds of things we never even dreamed of—inner motives and purposes and prayers. Only then will any one of us get to hear the “Well done!” of God.
6 All I’m doing right now, friends, is showing how these things pertain to Apollos and me so that you will learn restraint and not rush into making judgments without knowing all the facts. It’s important to look at things from God’s point of view. I would rather not see you inflating or deflating reputations based on mere hearsay.
7-8 For who do you know that really knows you, knows your heart? And even if they did, is there anything they would discover in you that you could take credit for? Isn’t everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what’s the point of all this comparing and competing? You already have all you need. You already have more access to God than you can handle. Without bringing either Apollos or me into it, you’re sitting on top of the world—at least God’s world—and we’re right there, sitting alongside you!
9-13 It seems to me that God has put us who bear his Message on stage in a theater in which no one wants to buy a ticket. We’re something everyone stands around and stares at, like an accident in the street. We’re the Messiah’s misfits. You might be sure of yourselves, but we live in the midst of frailties and uncertainties. You might be well-thought-of by others, but we’re mostly kicked around. Much of the time we don’t have enough to eat, we wear patched and threadbare clothes, we get doors slammed in our faces, and we pick up odd jobs anywhere we can to eke out a living. When they call us names, we say, “God bless you.” When they spread rumors about us, we put in a good word for them. We’re treated like garbage, the leftovers that nobody wants. And it’s not getting any better.
14-16 I’m not writing all this as a neighborhood scold to shame you. I’m writing as a father to you, my children. I love you and want you to grow up well, not spoiled. There are a lot of people around who can’t wait to tell you what you’ve done wrong, but there aren’t many fathers willing to take the time and effort to help you grow up. It was as Jesus helped me proclaim God’s Message to you that I became your father. I’m not, you know, asking you to do anything I’m not already doing myself.
17 This is why I sent Timothy to you earlier. He is also my dear son, and true to the Master. He will refresh your memory on the instructions I regularly give all the churches on the way of Christ.
18-20 I know there are some among you who are so full of themselves they never listen to anyone, let alone me. They don’t think I’ll ever show up in person. But I’ll be there sooner than you think, God willing, and then we’ll see if they’re full of anything but hot air. God’s Way is not a matter of mere talk; it’s an empowered life.
21 So how should I prepare to come to you? As a severe disciplinarian who makes you walk the line? Or as a good friend and counselor who wants to share heart-to-heart with you? You decide.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Today's Scripture
Psalm 51:1-7
Generous in love—God, give grace!
Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record.
Scrub away my guilt,
soak out my sins in your laundry.
I know how bad I’ve been;
my sins are staring me down.
4-6 You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen
it all, seen the full extent of my evil.
You have all the facts before you;
whatever you decide about me is fair.
I’ve been out of step with you for a long time,
in the wrong since before I was born.
What you’re after is truth from the inside out.
Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.
7-15 Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean,
scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life.
Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,
set these once-broken bones to dancing.
Don’t look too close for blemishes,
give me a clean bill of health.
God, make a fresh start in me,
shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
Don’t throw me out with the trash,
or fail to breathe holiness in me.
Bring me back from gray exile,
put a fresh wind in my sails!
Give me a job teaching rebels your ways
so the lost can find their way home.
Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,
and I’ll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.
Unbutton my lips, dear God;
I’ll let loose with your praise.
Insight
Psalm 51 is David’s prayer of confession for his sins. Regarding his sin with Bathsheba, there’s important cultural background that Westerners may miss. First, as king, David had absolute authority and could do whatever he wanted with impunity (except for the ever-watching God). So, Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, would have had no voice or rights in this matter. Second, the primary theme of the event is a shame-honor contest between David and Uriah. Shame-honor contests always took place publicly, hence Uriah’s public refusal to go home and give apparent legitimacy to his wife’s pregnancy. Third, after Bathsheba is introduced (2 Samuel 11:3), she’s no longer named until the conception of Solomon (12:24). In between, she’s always referred to as “the wife of Uriah”—no doubt underlining the author’s intent of exposing the heinous nature of David’s actions both with her and with Uriah. By: Bill Crowder
Wash Me!
Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Psalm 51:7
“Wash me!” Though those words weren’t written on my vehicle, they could have been. So, off to the car wash I went, and so did other drivers who wanted relief from the grimy leftovers from salted roads following a recent snowfall. The lines were long, and the service was slow. But it was worth the wait. I left with a clean vehicle and, for compensation for service delay, the car wash was free of charge!
Getting cleaned at someone else’s expense—that’s the gospel of Jesus Christ. God, through the death and resurrection of Jesus, has provided forgiveness for our sins. Who among us hasn’t felt the need “to bathe” when the “dirt and grime” of life have clung to us? When we’re stained by selfish thoughts or actions that harm ourselves or others and rob us of peace with God? Psalm 51 is the cry of David when temptation had triumphed in his life. When confronted by a spiritual mentor about his sin (see 2 Samuel 12), he prayed a “Wash me!” prayer: “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow” (v. 7). Feeling dirty and guilty? Make your way to Jesus and remember these words: ”If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). By: Arthur Jackson
Reflect & Pray
What does it mean for you to cry out to God, “Wash me”? What’s keeping you from asking for His free forgiveness and cleansing through Jesus now?
God of heaven, You see every stain in my life that needs to be dealt with. Wash me, forgive me, and help me to honor You.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, July 12, 2023
The Spiritually Self-Seeking Church
…till we all come…to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ… —Ephesians 4:13
Reconciliation means the restoring of the relationship between the entire human race and God, putting it back to what God designed it to be. This is what Jesus Christ did in redemption. The church ceases to be spiritual when it becomes self-seeking, only interested in the development of its own organization. The reconciliation of the human race according to His plan means realizing Him not only in our lives individually, but also in our lives collectively. Jesus Christ sent apostles and teachers for this very purpose— that the corporate Person of Christ and His church, made up of many members, might be brought into being and made known. We are not here to develop a spiritual life of our own, or to enjoy a quiet spiritual retreat. We are here to have the full realization of Jesus Christ, for the purpose of building His body.
Am I building up the body of Christ, or am I only concerned about my own personal development? The essential thing is my personal relationship with Jesus Christ— “…that I may know Him…” (Philippians 3:10). To fulfill God’s perfect design for me requires my total surrender— complete abandonment of myself to Him. Whenever I only want things for myself, the relationship is distorted. And I will suffer great humiliation once I come to acknowledge and understand that I have not really been concerned about realizing Jesus Christ Himself, but only concerned with knowing what He has done for me.
My goal is God Himself, not joy nor peace,
Nor even blessing, but Himself, my God.
Am I measuring my life by this standard or by something less?
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Wherever the providence of God may dump us down, in a slum, in a shop, in the desert, we have to labour along the line of His direction. Never allow this thought—“I am of no use where I am,” because you certainly can be of no use where you are not! Wherever He has engineered your circumstances, pray. So Send I You, 1325 L
Bible in a Year: Psalms 4-6; Acts 17:16-34
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Staying Close To the Cross - #9523
It was a spiritual, well, "golden moment." The closing night of our Warrior Leadership Summit. And it was our privilege, as it is every summer, to bring together Native American young people, representing scores of Indian nations across North America. I mean, we realize that only an estimated 4% of Native people know Christ after some 400 years of mission work, this conference is almost historic. The mission each year is to help Native young people choose Christ, follow Christ and be a warrior for Christ in some very difficult places. That moment, that golden moment, came when 20 young people, representing some 20 Indian nations, each stood to declare their commitment to go back to reach their people for Christ. Then they bowed at the foot of the old rugged cross at the front of the auditorium.
Then, as hundreds of Native young people began to sing "Our God Is an Awesome God," those 20 young warriors lifted the cross above their heads. They reverently carried it through the audience and out the door to a world whose only hope is that cross. It was a powerful moment. A few minutes after the meeting ended, a leader came to me and said, "Ron, there's something beautiful going on out in front of the auditorium. Those young warriors? They don't want to leave the cross."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Staying Close To the Cross."
I haven't been able to get those words out of my mind, "They don't want to leave the cross." What a powerful way to prioritize your life - staying close to the cross where Jesus gave His life to save yours. That cross should be the centerpiece of what matters to me, what I love, what I hate, what I spend on, what I do with my life. It's the centerpiece of the plan of God for this whole planet and for your life.
The sacrifice of countless lambs to atone for the sins of God's people pointed to the one ultimate sin sacrifice - God's Lamb, on the cross. Jesus continually called His death on that cross "the hour for which I have come." And the constant song of heaven for all eternity is, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain." They're always celebrating the cross. Shouldn't we be doing the same thing on this side of heaven? Without that cross, we have no life; we have no hope.
A few years ago, I was stunned when my name was announced at a conference as the winner of an alumni award. When they asked me to say something, and you're going to find this hard to believe, I was speechless. All I could finally say was a Bible verse, and it's our word for today from the Word of God in Galatians 6:14. In the New Living Translation it says, "May I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in the world has been crucified, and the world's interest in me has also died."
Let the price that Jesus paid for you define your priorities. Live for the One who loves you the most, who gave His life for you. Let the cross inspire your humility, no matter how smart you are, how applauded and how appreciated you may be. Don't ever forget you're nothing except for that cross. Let the cross help you say no to sin. Jesus died for that sin! And let the cross be your message. Don't just talk generally about God or "your faith." Talk about that cross.
Charles Spurgeon said that whenever he preached he made "a straight pathway to the cross." He called the cross "God's magnificent magnet." Whenever you have an opportunity to say something about your Lord, don't be ashamed of the cross. Show them how much Jesus loves them.
The old hymn says it pretty well: "Jesus, keep me near the cross." Carry His cross to a world around you whose only hope is what Jesus did there. Begin your days remembering that cross. May it be said of you, "He/she doesn't want to leave that cross."