Max Lucado Daily: YOUR PRAYERS ARE HEARD - July 17, 2023
God never gives up. When Joseph was dropped into a pit by his own brothers, God didn’t give up. When the delivered Israelites wanted Egyptian slavery instead of milk and honey, God didn’t give up. When Peter worshiped him at the supper and cursed him at the fire, he didn’t give up. And when human hands fastened the divine hands to a cross, it was God who held the hands of Jesus steady. God, who would give up his only son before he’d give up on you.
God took the crucifixion of Friday and turned it into the celebration of Sunday. Can he not do a reversal for you? When you wonder if God has heard your prayers, don’t give up. You have been heard in heaven. Angelic armies have been dispatched. God promises, “I will contend with him who contends with you” (Isaiah 49:25 NKJV).
Calm Moments for Anxious Days
Read more Calm Moments for Anxious Days
1 Chronicles 2
The Family of Israel (Jacob)
Israel’s (that is, Jacob’s) sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
3-9 Judah had Er, Onan, and Shelah; their mother was Bathshua the Canaanite. Er, Judah’s firstborn, was so bad before God that God killed him. Judah also had Perez and Zerah by his daughter-in-law Tamar—a total of five sons. Perez had Hezron and Hamul; Zerah had Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Darda—five sons. Carmi had Achar, who brought doom on Israel when he violated a holy ban. Ethan’s son was Azariah. And Hezron had Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai.
10-17 Ram had Amminadab and Amminadab had Nahshon, a prominent leader in the Judah family. Nahshon had Salmon and Salmon had Boaz. Boaz had Obed and Obed had Jesse. Jesse’s firstborn was Eliab, followed by Abinadab, Shimea, Nethanel, Raddai, Ozem, and finally David; David was the seventh. Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. Zeruiah gave birth to three sons: Abishai, Joab, and Asahel; Abigail was the mother of Amasa (the father was Jether the Ishmaelite).
The Family of Caleb
18-24 Caleb son of Hezron had children by his wife Azubah and also by Jerioth. Azubah’s sons were Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. After Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, who gave birth to Hur. Hur had Uri and Uri had Bezalel. Some time later Hezron married the daughter of Makir the father of Gilead; he was sixty years old when he married her; she gave birth to Segub. Then Segub had Jair who owned twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead. Geshur and Aram captured the nomadic villages of Jair and Kenath and their satellite settlements—sixty towns. These all belonged to Makir the father of Gilead. After the death of Hezron, Caleb married Ephrathah the wife of his father Hezron; she then gave birth to Ashhur the father of Tekoa.
The Family of Jerahmeel
25-26 The sons of Jerahmeel, Hezron’s firstborn: Ram his firstborn, followed by Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. Jerahmeel had another wife whose name was Atarah; she gave birth to Onam.
27 The sons of Ram, Jerahmeel’s firstborn: Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.
28-29 The sons of Onam: Shammai and Jada.
The sons of Shammai: Nadab and Abishur. Abishur’s wife was Abihail; she gave birth to Ahban and Molid.
30 Nadab had Seled and Appaim. Seled died leaving no sons.
31 Appaim had Ishi; Ishi had Sheshan; and Sheshan had Ahlai.
32 Jada, Shammai’s brother, had Jether and Jonathan. Jether died leaving no sons.
33 Jonathan had Peleth and Zaza.
This is the family tree of the sons of Jerahmeel.
* * *
34-41 Sheshan had no sons, only daughters. But Sheshan had an Egyptian servant, Jarha. Sheshan married his daughter to Jarha and she gave birth to Attai. Attai had Nathan, Nathan had Zabad, Zabad had Ephlal, Ephlal had Obed, Obed had Jehu, Jehu had Azariah, Azariah had Helez, Helez had Eleasah, Eleasah had Sismai, Sismai had Shallum, Shallum had Jekamiah, and Jekamiah had Elishama.
* * *
42 Jerahmeel’s brother Caleb had a son, his firstborn, named Mesha; Mesha had Ziph; Ziph’s son was Mareshah the father of Hebron.
43-44 The sons of Hebron: Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema. Shema had Raham the father of Jorkeam; Rekem had Shammai.
45 Shammai’s son was Maon and Maon was the father of Beth Zur.
46 Caleb’s concubine Ephah gave birth to Haran, Moza, and Gazez; Haran had Gazez.
47 The sons of Jahdai: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph.
48-50 Another concubine of Caleb, Maacah, gave birth to Sheber and Tirhanah. She also bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah and Sheva the father of Macbenah and Gibea. Caleb’s daughter was Acsah. These made up the Caleb branch of the family tree.
50-51 The sons of Hur, Ephrathah’s firstborn: Shobal who had Kiriath Jearim, Salma who had Bethlehem, and Hareph father of Beth Gader.
52-53 The family of Shobal, father of Kiriath Jearim: Haroeh, half of the population of Manahath, the families of Kiriath Jearim, the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites. The Zorathites and Eshtaolites also came from this line.
54-55 The sons of Salma: Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth Beth Joab, half of the Manahathites, the Zorites, and the families of Sopherim who lived at Jabez—the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and the Sucathites. They made up the Kenites who came from Hammath the father of the house of Recab.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, July 17, 2023
Today's Scripture
2 Timothy 1:1-5
I, Paul, am on special assignment for Christ, carrying out God’s plan laid out in the Message of Life by Jesus. I write this to you, Timothy, the son I love so much. All the best from our God and Christ be yours!
To Be Bold with God’s Gifts
3-4 Every time I say your name in prayer—which is practically all the time—I thank God for you, the God I worship with my whole life in the tradition of my ancestors. I miss you a lot, especially when I remember that last tearful good-bye, and I look forward to a joy-packed reunion.
5-7 That precious memory triggers another: your honest faith—and what a rich faith it is, handed down from your grandmother Lois to your mother Eunice, and now to you! And the special gift of ministry you received when I laid hands on you and prayed—keep that ablaze! God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible.
Insight
God has given parents the responsibility to teach the Scriptures to their children. Timothy was of mixed parentage—a gentile father and Jewish mother (Acts 16:1). However, he was taught by his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5) “the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make [us] wise for salvation” (3:15).
In the Old Testament, God made clear to Abraham and Sarah their parenting responsibility. After assuring the childless couple that they’d soon have a son (Genesis 18:10), Abraham was to “direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just” (v. 19). This parenting duty and privilege was later entrenched in the law when God commanded parents and grandparents to teach the Scriptures to the next generation—“to your children and to their children after them” (Deuteronomy 4:9; see also 6:7; Psalm 78:3–6).
Discover your calling in life. By: K. T. Sim
What’s My Purpose?
I am reminded of your sincere faith which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice. 2 Timothy 1:5
“I felt so useless,” Harold said. “Widowed and retired, kids busy with their own families, spending quiet afternoons watching shadows on the wall.” He’d often tell his daughter, “I’m old and have lived a full life. I have no purpose anymore. God can take me any time.”
One afternoon, however, a conversation changed Harold’s mind. “My neighbor had some problems with his kids, so I prayed for him,” Harold said. “Later, I shared the gospel with him. That’s how I realized I still have a purpose! As long as there are people who haven’t heard of Jesus, I must tell them about the Savior.”
When Harold responded to an everyday, ordinary encounter by sharing his faith, his neighbor’s life was changed. In 2 Timothy 1, the apostle Paul mentions two women who’d likewise been used by God to change another person’s life: the life of Paul’s young coworker, Timothy. Lois, Timothy’s grandmother, and Eunice, his mother, had a “sincere faith” which they’d passed on to him (v. 5). Through everyday events in an ordinary household, young Timothy learned a genuine faith that was to shape his growth into a faithful disciple of Jesus and, eventually, his ministry as leader of the church at Ephesus.
No matter what our age, background, or circumstances, we have a purpose—to tell others about Jesus. By: Karen Huang
Reflect & Pray
Whom can you encourage to believe in Jesus? What opportunities to share the gospel can you pray for?
Dear Jesus, open my eyes and heart to people around me who need to hear of Your love. Please give me the opportunity to share the gospel with them.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, July 17, 2023
The Miracle of Belief
My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom… —1 Corinthians 2:4
Paul was a scholar and an orator of the highest degree; he was not speaking here out of a deep sense of humility, but was saying that when he preached the gospel, he would veil the power of God if he impressed people with the excellency of his speech. Belief in Jesus is a miracle produced only by the effectiveness of redemption, not by impressive speech, nor by wooing and persuading, but only by the sheer unaided power of God. The creative power of redemption comes through the preaching of the gospel, but never because of the personality of the preacher.
Real and effective fasting by a preacher is not fasting from food, but fasting from eloquence, from impressive diction, and from everything else that might hinder the gospel of God being presented. The preacher is there as the representative of God— “…as though God were pleading through us…” (2 Corinthians 5:20). He is there to present the gospel of God. If it is only because of my preaching that people desire to be better, they will never get close to Jesus Christ. Anything that flatters me in my preaching of the gospel will result in making me a traitor to Jesus, and I prevent the creative power of His redemption from doing its work.
“And I, if I am lifted up…, will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:32).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The vital relationship which the Christian has to the Bible is not that he worships the letter, but that the Holy Spirit makes the words of the Bible spirit and life to him. The Psychology of Redemption, 1066 L
Bible in a Year: Psalms 18-19; Acts 20:17-38
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, July 17, 2023
A 21st Century Ark - #9526
Every once in a while Hollywood will get your hopes up, and then... you know. Yeah, like a few years ago they were going to make a movie about Noah and Noah's Ark. Yeah, Noah's Ark Rides Again! They were hoping it would bring in a flood of money. Well, the word was that the telling of this iconic story started with the Bible account, and then it added a very heavy dose of Hollywood imagination with great special effects. Probably no match, though, for the original. Now, with Noah showing up in TV ads, it kind of made me go back to the non-fiction, original narrative - I mean Bible-style.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "A 21st Century Ark"
I found more than a story. I found insights as current as today's news. If old Noah showed up today, he'd be blown away by all that's changed. And all that hasn't. Like the five game-changers I found for any generation.
1. God still has His Noahs.
The original Story says, "Noah was a righteous man...and he walked in close fellowship with God." The moral heroes in any generation are the ones who stand for what's right when no one else is, even when they stand alone. They're rare, but they're like uncommon collectibles, they're really valuable. And "Noah (maybe like you if you're standing for the right thing), found favor in the eyes of the Lord."
2. God still has boundaries.
In the Bible's words, "The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth...that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence." He'd set boundaries. They didn't care. Sounds familiar. The culture doesn't decide what's right. Polls or politicians may tell us what's politically correct, but not what's wrong. That's up to the One who put us here. Like Noah's contemporaries, we can always find a way to justify our "I don't care what You say, God." But His boundaries don't move. He's God. And I'm pretty sure He reacts to our rebellion the same way He did in Noah's time. The Bible says, "It broke His heart."
3. God still has penalties for going out of bounds.
God promised Noah He wouldn't do the flood thing again. But there must be a Judgment Day. The Bible says, "It is appointed to man to die once, and after this the judgment." (Hebrews 9:27). I'll bet the Noah Gen folks told Noah, "We're getting away with it, old man." They were wrong.
4. God still has an Ark.
A safe place. Noah and his family, it says, "went on board the boat to escape the flood." Like countless people over 2,000 years, I ran to the haven that God has provided from His judgment. It's not a ship. It's a Savior. The Bible says in our word for today from the Word of God in Romans 8:1, "There is now no condemnation (that means I'm safe!) for those who are in Christ Jesus." How can God say that when I've rebelled against Him? I've done a lot of wrong things. I've broken His laws. I've defied His rulership of my life.
There's a death penalty for that. How can He say there's no condemnation? Because Christ Jesus, His Son, paid the penalty that I deserve. And when you open up your life to Him and put your life in His hands, you are in essence entering the ark of safety where you will be eternally safe with Him forever. If you've never opened your heart to Him, do it today. I'd love to help you be sure you belong to Him. And we'll do that at our website. Just check it out. It's ANewStory.com.
By the way, one other factor: 5. God still has a "rainbow."
In the biblical account, God says, "The rainbow is a sign...Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life." That's a guaranteed future anchored to a promise. I know that feeling. The Bible says, "Anyone who believes in God's Son has eternal life" (John 3:36). It doesn't get any better than that. Check out that original story of Noah. It's a mirror to see our time - to see ourselves. And to see only hope is God's safe place.