Max Lucado Daily: WHEN SEASONS CHANGE - July 24, 2023
God dispenses life the way he manages his cosmos: through seasons. “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV). When it comes to the earth, we understand God’s management strategy. Nature needs winter to rest and spring to awaken. Earthly seasons don’t upset us, but unexpected personal ones certainly do. Heaven’s message for you is clear: when everything else changes, God’s presence never does.
Change is not just a part of life; change is a necessary part of God’s strategy. To use us to change the world, he sometimes redirects our assignments. Mary, from peasant girl to the mother of Christ. Paul, from local rabbi to world evangelist. God may call you to a new season, but he wants you to know: you’ll never face the future without his help.
Calm Moments for Anxious Days
Read more Calm Moments for Anxious Days
1 Chronicles 8
The Family of Benjamin (Continued)
1-5Benjamin’s firstborn son was Bela, followed by Ashbel, Aharah, Nohah, and Rapha—five in all. Bela’s sons were Addar, Gera, Abihud, Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah, Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram.
6-7These are the families of Ehud that lived in Geba and were exiled to Manahath: Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera, who led them to exile and had Uzza and Ahihud.
8-12In the land of Moab, Shaharaim had children after he divorced his wives Hushim and Baara. From his new wife Hodesh he had Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam, Jeuz, Sakia, and Mirmah—sons who became heads of families. From his earlier wife Hushim he had Abitub and Elpaal. Elpaal’s sons were Eber, Misham, and Shemed, who built Ono and Lod with all their villages.
13-28Beriah and Shema were family chiefs who lived at Aijalon. They drove out the citizens of Gath. Their brothers were Shashak and Jeremoth. The sons of Beriah were Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, Michael, Ishpah, and Joha. The sons of Elpaal were Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber, Ishmerai, Izliah, and Jobab. The sons of Shimei were Jakim, Zicri, Zabdi, Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel, Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath. The sons of Shashak were Ishpan, Eber, Eliel, Abdon, Zicri, Hanan, Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah, Iphdeiah, and Penuel. The sons of Jeroham were Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah, Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zicri. These were the chiefs of the families as listed in their family tree. They lived in Jerusalem.
29-32Jeiel the father of Gibeon lived in Gibeon. His wife’s name was Maacah. Abdon was his firstborn son, followed by Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab, Gedor, Ahio, Zeker, and Mikloth. Mikloth had Shimeah. They lived in the neighborhood of their extended families in Jerusalem.
33-40Ner had Kish, Kish had Saul, and Saul had Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal. Jonathan had Merib-Baal, and Merib-Baal had Micah. Micah’s sons were Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz. Ahaz had Jehoaddah and Jehoaddah had Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri had Moza and Moza had Binea. Raphah was his son, Eleasah his son, and Azel his son. Azel had six sons named Azrikam, Bokeru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. His brother Eshek’s sons were Ulam his firstborn, followed by Jeush and Eliphelet. Ulam’s sons were warriors well known as archers. They had lots of sons and grandsons—at least 150. These were all in Benjamin’s family tree.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, July 24, 2023
Today's Scripture
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18Therefore encourage each other with these words.
Insight
Our passage today isn’t suggesting believers in Jesus shouldn’t grieve. Grieving the loss of a loved one is a natural and necessary process that takes time. With death can come gut-wrenching pain and heartache. But here we’re instructed to not grieve like “the rest of mankind”—nonbelievers—“who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Our grief is made more bearable because the Holy Spirit, our Comforter, is with us (John 14:15–17); and we have the assurance of being reunited with our believing loved ones and of enjoying our Savior together, forever. Believers in Jesus know this life is not all there is. We have the promise of eternal life (3:16). Our loved ones are safe in Christ’s arms, and one day we’ll be reunited in that place where “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4) and where “death has been swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54). By: Alyson Kieda
Hope in Grief
Do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 1 Thessalonians 4:13
Louise was a lively, playful girl who brought smiles to all she met. At the age of five, she tragically succumbed to a rare disease. Her sudden passing was a shock to her parents, Day Day and Peter, and to all of us who worked with them. We grieved along with them.
Yet, Day Day and Peter have found the strength to keep going. When I asked Day Day how they were coping, she said they drew strength from focusing on where Louise was—in Jesus’ loving arms. “We rejoice for our daughter whose time is up to go into eternal life,” she said. “By God’s grace and strength, we can navigate through the grief and continue to do what He has entrusted us to do.”
Day Day’s comfort is found in her confidence in the heart of God who revealed Himself in Jesus. Biblical hope is much more than mere optimism; it’s an absolute certainty based on God’s promise, which He will never break. In our sadness, we can cling to this powerful truth, as Paul encouraged those grieving over departed friends: “We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him” (1 Thessalonians 4:14). May this certain hope give us strength and comfort today—even in our grief. By: Leslie Koh
Reflect & Pray
How can you draw strength from God’s promises to those who follow Him? How can you comfort someone grieving over a loved one or friend?
Father, thank You for Your hope and comfort today. Strengthen me today so I can encourage others too.
For further study, read Clinging to Hope in the Storm.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, July 24, 2023
His Nature and Our Motives
…unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. —Matthew 5:20
The characteristic of a disciple is not that he does good things, but that he is good in his motives, having been made good by the supernatural grace of God. The only thing that exceeds right-doing is right-being. Jesus Christ came to place within anyone who would let Him a new heredity that would have a righteousness exceeding that of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus is saying, “If you are My disciple, you must be right not only in your actions, but also in your motives, your aspirations, and in the deep recesses of the thoughts of your mind.” Your motives must be so pure that God Almighty can see nothing to rebuke. Who can stand in the eternal light of God and have nothing for Him to rebuke? Only the Son of God, and Jesus Christ claims that through His redemption He can place within anyone His own nature and make that person as pure and as simple as a child. The purity that God demands is impossible unless I can be remade within, and that is exactly what Jesus has undertaken to do through His redemption.
No one can make himself pure by obeying laws. Jesus Christ does not give us rules and regulations— He gives us His teachings which are truths that can only be interpreted by His nature which He places within us. The great wonder of Jesus Christ’s salvation is that He changes our heredity. He does not change human nature— He changes its source, and thereby its motives as well.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Sincerity means that the appearance and the reality are exactly the same. Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, 1449 L
Bible in a Year: Psalms 35-36; Acts 25
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, July 24, 2023
The Most Powerful Prayer You'll Ever Pray - #9531
When you've been sick in bed for six weeks, you are pretty desperate for things to do. That's probably why my wife spent so long just watching a frustrated lady bug one day during an illness. My wife had been sick long enough to be almost at that point of desperation.
The kids and I were at a conference where I was speaking. I had booked it two years in advance and my wife insisted that we still should do it. It just so happened, unbeknownst to all of us, that all of my wife's closest friends were out of town that same weekend - nobody knew that was going to happen. So, she was struggling a little bit with her situation.
And then along came the lady bug. Yeh, the lady bug was trying to climb up our bedroom window, and she came to this little metal strip. And my wife was watching this little drama play itself out. The lady bug tried to come at it from every direction. She couldn't get over that little tiny obstacle - even the most heroic efforts no matter how she approached it didn't work. And my wife kept thinking, "Why can't you get over this little thing?" And then she told me how she began to see herself through God's eyes in a lady bug perspective. And then she told me about the wonderful moments that followed.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Most Powerful Prayer You'll Ever Pray."
Our word for today from the Word of God - Mark 5, and we'll get to it in just a moment. I told you about my wife watching that lady bug, and she was struggling with her attitude on that lonely, bedridden weekend. And she saw herself in that frustrated lady bug. It was as if God was saying to her what she was saying to that insect, "Why can't you get over this little thing?" At least that's how my wife told it to me. And at that moment, she said, she just gave up the fight to the Lord. And minutes later, a beautiful bouquet of yellow roses arrived at the door. It was like God delivered them.
Okay, now our word for today from the Word of God - Mark 5, begins at verse 24, "And Jesus had a large crowd following Him, and a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for 12 years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had. Yet instead of getting better, she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in a crowd and touched His cloak. Because she thought, 'If I could just touch His clothes I'll be healed.' And immediately her bleeding stopped." Well she was healed that day. She'd tried everything she knew. She'd given up on the doctors. She gave up on buying a cure. She was desperate. All she could do was lunge for Jesus.
Do you know it's that desperation that gives birth to a miracle, which leads us to the most powerful prayer you can ever pray: Three little words, "I give up." I talked to a girl whose depression had led to a suicide attempt, and now she was finally enjoying a whole new peace she found in Christ. I said, "What turned the tide?" She said, "Well I finally just said, 'Lord, I give up.'" It could be those three words are all that's keeping you from a supernatural answer.
The Lord says, "You've tried everything my child. None of your schemes, none of your dreams, have done it. You've got your fingerprints all over everything from trying to make it happen. Now you're tired and frustrated and you're out of options. Are you ready for Me to take over?" Yeah you've been praying about it, but maybe not the prayer of desperation - not the prayer of total surrender. Desperation: that's the heart condition with which God can do the most.
So get out of the way of what God wants to do through you and for you. Sample His greatest power. You know where it comes from? Yeah, right after "I give up." That could turn out to very well be the most powerful prayer you will ever pray.