Max Lucado Daily: HE CALLS YOUR NAME - July 25, 2023
Our faith is not in religion; our faith is in God. A hardy, daring faith that believes God will do what is right, every time. And that God will do what it takes—whatever it takes—to bring his children home.
In Luke 15:10 (NCV) Jesus said, “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God when one sinner changes his heart and life.” He is the shepherd in search of his lamb. His legs are scratched, his feet are sore, and his eyes are burning. He cups his hands to his mouth, and he calls into the canyon. And the name he calls is yours. He is the housewife in search of the lost coin. The coin is of great value to him. He owns it, and he will not stop until he finds it. And the coin he seeks is you.
Calm Moments for Anxious Days
Read more Calm Moments for Anxious Days
1 Chronicles 9
This is the complete family tree for all Israel, recorded in the Royal Annals of the Kings of Israel and Judah at the time they were exiled to Babylon because of their unbelieving and disobedient lives.
The Back-from-Exile Community in Jerusalem
2The first Israelites to return from exile to their homes and cities were the priests, the Levites, and the temple support staff.
3-6Returning to Jerusalem from the families of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh were the following: Uthai son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, from the line of Perez son of Judah; from the Shilonites were Asaiah the firstborn and his sons; from the family of Zerah there was Jeuel. There were 690 in the Judah group.
7-9From the family of Benjamin were Sallu son of Meshullam, the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah, and Ibneiah son of Jeroham, and Elah son of Uzzi, the son of Micri, and Meshullam son of Shephatiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah. There were 956 in the Benjamin group. All these named were heads of families.
10-13From the company of priests there were Jedaiah; Jehoiarib; Jakin; Azariah son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, who was in charge of taking care of the house of God; Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malkijah; also Maasai son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer. The priests, all of them heads of families, numbered 1,760, skilled and seasoned servants in the work of worshiping God.
14-16From the Levites were Shemaiah son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, a Merarite; then Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal, Mattaniah son of Mica, the son of Zicri, the son of Asaph; also Obadiah son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun; and finally Berekiah son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites.
17-18The security guards were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their brothers. Shallum was the chief and up to now the security guard at the King’s Gate on the east. They also served as security guards at the camps of Levite families.
19-25Shallum son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, along with his brothers in the Korahite family, were in charge of the services of worship as doorkeepers of the Tent, as their ancestors had guarded the entrance to the camp of God. In the early days, Phinehas son of Eleazar was in charge of the security guards—God be with him! Now Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was the security guard at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. The number of those who had been chosen to be security guards was 212—they were officially registered in their own camps. David and Samuel the seer handpicked them for their dependability. They and their sons had the permanent responsibility for guarding the gates of God’s house, the house of worship; the main security guards were posted at the four entrances, east, west, north, and south; their brothers in the villages were scheduled to give them relief weekly—the four main security guards were responsible for round-the-clock surveillance.
26-32Being Levites, they were responsible for the security of all supplies and valuables in the house of God. They kept watch all through the night and had the key to open the doors each morning. Some were in charge of the articles used in The Temple worship—they counted them both when they brought them in and when they took them out. Others were in charge of supplies in the sanctuary—flour, wine, oil, incense, and spices. And some of the priests were assigned to mixing the oils for the perfume. The Levite Mattithiah, the firstborn son of Shallum the Korahite, was responsible for baking the bread for the services of worship. Some of the brothers, sons of the Kohathites, were assigned to preparing the bread set out on the table each Sabbath.
33-34And then there were the musicians, all heads of Levite families. They had permanent living quarters in The Temple; because they were on twenty-four-hour duty, they were exempt from all other duties. These were the heads of Levite families as designated in their family tree. They lived in Jerusalem.
The Family of Saul
35-38Jeiel the father of Gibeon lived at Gibeon; his wife was Maacah. His firstborn son was Abdon, followed by Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth. Mikloth had Shimeam. They lived in the same neighborhood as their relatives in Jerusalem.
39-44Ner had Kish, Kish had Saul, Saul had Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal. Merib-Baal was the son of Jonathan and Merib-Baal had Micah. Micah’s sons were Pithon, Melech, and Tahrea. Ahaz had Jarah, Jarah had Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri; Zimri had Moza, Moza had Binea, Rephaiah was his son, Eleasah was his son, and Azel was his son. Azel had six sons: Azrikam, Bokeru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan—the sons of Azel.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, July 25, 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
Tuesday, July 25, 2023
Am I Blessed Like This?
Blessed are… —Matthew 5:3-11
When we first read the statements of Jesus, they seem wonderfully simple and unstartling, and they sink unnoticed into our subconscious minds. For instance, the Beatitudes initially seem to be merely soothing and beautiful precepts for overly spiritual and seemingly useless people, but of very little practical use in the rigid, fast-paced workdays of the world in which we live. We soon find, however, that the Beatitudes contain the “dynamite” of the Holy Spirit. And they “explode” when the circumstances of our lives cause them to do so. When the Holy Spirit brings to our remembrance one of the Beatitudes, we say, “What a startling statement that is!” Then we must decide whether or not we will accept the tremendous spiritual upheaval that will be produced in our circumstances if we obey His words. That is the way the Spirit of God works. We do not need to be born again to apply the Sermon on the Mount literally. The literal interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount is as easy as child’s play. But the interpretation by the Spirit of God as He applies our Lord’s statements to our circumstances is the strict and difficult work of a saint.
The teachings of Jesus are all out of proportion when compared to our natural way of looking at things, and they come to us initially with astonishing discomfort. We gradually have to conform our walk and conversation to the precepts of Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit applies them to our circumstances. The Sermon on the Mount is not a set of rules and regulations— it is a picture of the life we will live when the Holy Spirit is having His unhindered way with us.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
There is no allowance whatever in the New Testament for the man who says he is saved by grace but who does not produce the graceful goods. Jesus Christ by His Redemption can make our actual life in keeping with our religious profession.
Bible in a Year: Psalms 37-39; Acts 26
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, July 25, 2023
The Chief and the Thief - #9532
For many years now I've spent most of my summer working with Native American young people. So I was especially interested when I heard the touching story of an Indian chief who was chief during the time when tribes were still wandering tribes. He had a reputation for being a really great leader. In fact it was said that he was always just, but he was always loving. That was about to be severely tested, though, in a way he could have never dreamed.
There had been some theft in his tribe and he needed to get to the bottom of it. So he actually set a trap with some goods that were left out, and he hoped that those would trap the thief. He only told two braves, and then those two braves waited. At dawn they came to the chief's teepee. One brave entered, and he said, "We have caught the thief." The chief said, "Good! We will sentence him to 20 lashes with the whip. Bring him in." And they did to the shock and horror of the chief. The hours that followed would never be forgotten by that tribe.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Chief and the Thief."
When those braves brought in the thief who had been caught in the act, they brought in the chief's mother. Well, word spread very quickly through the tribe, because there was to be a punishment of 20 lashes with the whip. And the people began to say, "Well, now we'll find out which is greater, his justice or his love." At noon his mother was tied to a stake in the middle of the encampment, her garment was loosened to expose her back, and a warrior drew back his arm with the whip. And suddenly there was an order that came from the chief, "Stop!"
The people began to talk to each other and say, "You know, he's setting aside his justice for his love isn't he? His love's greater than his justice." And that's when something happened that no one there would ever forget. The chief took off his robe so that his back was exposed, placed his body between his mother and the whip and gave a two-word order, "The whip!" And that day the punishment fell - 20 lashes, not on the one who deserved it, but on one who loved her enough to take the punishment that she deserved. That is what God's one and only Son did for you and for me.
Our word for today from the Word of God, 1 Peter 2:24, "He carried our sins in His own body on the tree so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed." The penalty for sinning had been set from the beginning of time, from the Garden of Eden, "You will surely die."
We've all broken God's laws; we've all broken God's heart by running the life He gave us to live for Him. There's a death penalty for that. I deserve the whip of God and so do you. But He said, "Take Me instead." When Jesus went to that cross, the punishment of God fell not on the one who deserved it (that's me), but on the one who loved you and loved me enough to take the punishment we deserved. God's love sent His one and only Son to die in your place.
If you thought your good deeds or your religion could pay your bill with God, look at that cross. It takes someone dying to pay a death penalty. But that sacrifice only rescues you if you put your total trust in what Jesus did and embrace Him as the Rescuer from your sin.
John 3:16 says, "Whoever believes in Him will not die but will have everlasting life." Have you ever done that? Have you ever believed in the sense of like grabbing Jesus consciously like a drowning person would grab a lifeguard? If you're not sure you've done that with Jesus, make sure today. Tell Him, "Lord, I believe some of those sins you died for were mine. I'm putting all my trust in You today.
I'd love to help you get started with Him. So I want to invite you to our website where there's a lot of information that will help you get started with Him. ANewStory.com. That's the website. It could be the beginning of your new story.
The Son of God has stood between you and the punishment of God. Now He stands in front of you with outstretched hands, nail-pierced hands. He's waiting for you to respond to His love. Please don't wait another day.