Max Lucado Daily: SATURATED IN GOD’S LOVE - July 28, 2023
“Where God’s love is there is no fear, because God’s perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18 NCV).
We fear rejection, so we follow the crowd. We fear not fitting in, so we take the drugs. For fear of standing out, we wear what everyone else wears. For fear of blending in, we wear what no one else wears. But those saturated in God’s love don’t sell out to win the love of others. They don’t even sell out to win the love of God.
We all need improvement, but we don’t need to woo God’s love. We change because we already have God’s perfect love. Perfect love is just that—a perfect knowledge of the past and perfect vision of the future. God knows your entire story, from first words to final breath, and with clear assessment he declares, “You are mine.”
Calm Moments for Anxious Days
Read more Calm Moments for Anxious Days
1 Chronicles 11
Jerusalem Captured
(2 Sam 5:6–10)
4 David and all Israel marched to Jerusalem, that is Jebus, where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. 5 The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You will not come in here.” Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion, now the city of David. 6 David had said, “Whoever attacks the Jebusites first shall be chief and commander.” And Joab son of Zeruiah went up first, so he became chief. 7 David resided in the stronghold; therefore it was called the city of David. 8 He built the city all around, from the Millo in complete circuit; and Joab repaired the rest of the city. 9 And David became greater and greater, for the Lord of hosts was with him.
David’s Mighty Men and Their Exploits
(2 Sam 23:8–39)
10 Now these are the chiefs of David’s warriors, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel. 11 This is an account of David’s mighty warriors: Jashobeam, son of Hachmoni,a was chief of the Three;b he wielded his spear against three hundred whom he killed at one time.
12 And next to him among the three warriors was Eleazar son of Dodo, the Ahohite. 13 He was with David at Pas-dammim when the Philistines were gathered there for battle. There was a plot of ground full of barley. Now the people had fled from the Philistines, 14 but he and David took their stand in the middle of the plot, defended it, and killed the Philistines; and the Lord saved them by a great victory.
15 Three of the thirty chiefs went down to the rock to David at the cave of Adullam, while the army of Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim. 16 David was then in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. 17 David said longingly, “O that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” 18 Then the Three broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and they brought it to David. But David would not drink of it; he poured it out to the Lord, 19 and said, “My God forbid that I should do this. Can I drink the blood of these men? For at the risk of their lives they brought it.” Therefore he would not drink it. The three warriors did these things.
20 Now Abishai,c the brother of Joab, was chief of the Thirty.d With his spear he fought against three hundred and killed them, and won a name beside the Three. 21 He was the most renownede of the Thirty,f and became their commander; but he did not attain to the Three.
22 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant mang of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds; he struck down two sons ofh Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. 23 And he killed an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits tall. The Egyptian had in his hand a spear like a weaver’s beam; but Benaiah went against him with a staff, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear. 24 Such were the things Benaiah son of Jehoiada did, and he won a name beside the three warriors. 25 He was renowned among the Thirty, but he did not attain to the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.
26 The warriors of the armies were Asahel brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 27 Shammoth of Harod,i Helez the Pelonite, 28 Ira son of Ikkesh of Tekoa, Abiezer of Anathoth, 29 Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, 30 Maharai of Netophah, Heled son of Baanah of Netophah, 31 Ithai son of Ribai of Gibeah of the Benjaminites, Benaiah of Pirathon, 32 Hurai of the wadis of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, 33 Azmaveth of Baharum, Eliahba of Shaalbon, 34 Hashemj the Gizonite, Jonathan son of Shagee the Hararite, 35 Ahiam son of Sachar the Hararite, Eliphal son of Ur, 36 Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, 37 Hezro of Carmel, Naarai son of Ezbai, 38 Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar son of Hagri, 39 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai of Beeroth, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah, 40 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 41 Uriah the Hittite, Zabad son of Ahlai, 42 Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, a leader of the Reubenites, and thirty with him, 43 Hanan son of Maacah, and Joshaphat the Mithnite, 44 Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel sons of Hotham the Aroerite, 45 Jediael son of Shimri, and his brother Joha the Tizite, 46 Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai and Joshaviah sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite, 47 Eliel, and Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, July 28, 2023
Today's Scripture
Exodus 5:1-9
Moses and Aaron and Pharaoh
1 5 After that Moses and Aaron approached Pharaoh. They said, “God, the God of Israel, says, ‘Free my people so that they can hold a festival for me in the wilderness.’ ”
2 Pharaoh said, “And who is God that I should listen to him and send Israel off? I know nothing of this so-called ‘God’ and I’m certainly not going to send Israel off.”
3 They said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness so we can worship our God lest he strike us with either disease or death.”
4–5 But the king of Egypt said, “Why on earth, Moses and Aaron, would you suggest the people be given a holiday? Back to work!” Pharaoh went on, “Look, I’ve got all these people bumming around, and now you want to reward them with time off?”
6–9 Pharaoh took immediate action. He sent down orders to the slave-drivers and their underlings: “Don’t provide straw for the people for making bricks as you have been doing. Make them get their own straw. And make them produce the same number of bricks—no reduction in their daily quotas! They’re getting lazy. They’re going around saying, ‘Give us time off so we can worship our God.’ Crack down on them. That’ll cure them of their whining, their god-fantasies.”
Insight
Scripture gives us the reasons God commissioned Moses to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian servitude: “so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness” (Exodus 5:1), so they may “offer sacrifices to the Lord” (3:18), and so they “may worship [Hebrew ‘avad] me” (4:23; 7:16; 8:1, 20; 9:1, 13; 10:3). ‘Avad can also be translated “to serve” or “to be a slave,” as in the ESV: “Let my people go, that they may serve me” (7:16). To worship God is to serve Him. Having been forced to serve as slaves to the Egyptians, Israel was now set free to serve Yahweh. By: K. T. Sim
The Long Game
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh.” Exodus 6:1
When believers in Jesus in David's country suffered oppression, their farm animals were killed. Having lost their livelihood, David's family scattered to various countries. For nine years, he existed in a refugee camp far from his family. He knew God was with him, but during the separation, two family members died. He grew despondent.
Long ago, another people group faced brutal oppression. So God appointed Moses to lead those people—the Israelites—out of Egypt. Moses reluctantly agreed. But when he approached Pharaoh, the Egyptian ruler only intensified the oppression (Exodus 5:6–9). “I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go,” he said (v. 2). The people complained to Moses, who complained to God (vv. 20–23).
In the end, God freed the Israelites and they got the freedom they wanted—but in His way and timing. He plays a long game, teaching us about His character and preparing us for something greater.
David made good use of his years in a refugee camp, earning a master’s degree from a New Delhi seminary. Now he’s a pastor to his own people—refugees like him who have found a new home. “My story as a refugee forms the crucible for leading as a servant,” he says. In his testimony, David cites Moses’ song in Exodus 15:2: “The Lord is my strength and my defense.” And today, He’s ours as well.
By: Tim Gustafson
Reflect & Pray
What questions do you have for God? How will you trust Him to keep His word?
Heavenly Father, I can always rely on You. Forgive me when I lose sight of that truth.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, July 28, 2023
God’s Purpose or Mine?
He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side… —Mark 6:45
We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God’s purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.
What is my vision of God’s purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish— His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see “Him walking on the sea” with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see “Him walking on the sea” (Mark 6:49). It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God.
God’s training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.
God’s purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Defenders of the faith are inclined to be bitter until they learn to walk in the light of the Lord. When you have learned to walk in the light of the Lord, bitterness and contention are impossible. Biblical Psychology, 199 R
Bible in a Year: Psalms 46-48; Acts 28
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, July 28, 2023
WHY FAILURE DOESN'T HAVE TO BE FINAL - #9535
Some years ago, I took my second trip on behalf of a youth ministry to South Africa. On the first trip, I remember how very lost I felt when I got to the airport. I'd been on an airplane for 18 wonderful hours. I got there late at night, I had no car, no directions. I didn't know anything about anywhere in the nation of South Africa.
Well, I'm glad to report to you that someone met me there at the airport. They didn't just leave me saying, "Hey, listen, if you can get out to where we are we'll take care of you once you get there." That's a good thing. They'd have never seen me. I went as far as I could go, and they met me there. I know someone who does that for people all the time. And if you understand how He works, well you might just be willing to risk the trip.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Why Failure Doesn't Have to Be Final."
Now, our word for today from the Word of God is found in John 21, and I'll begin reading at verse 15. Let me put this in context: Jesus has risen from the dead. Not long before, Peter had said to Him, "Lord, I will follow you to prison and to the death." You remember that Jesus said, "No, you'll betray Me three times." And sure enough he did. He denied the Lord three times. He even said, "I never knew Him." What an embarrassment now. He's about to face the Lord, knowing he has failed Him.
Well, Jesus meets Peter as he's out on a fishing trip. It looks like Peter's about to go back to that same old mediocrity. He's returning to fishing, it appears, but Jesus says, "I want to meet you privately." And you can imagine Peter. I don't know, maybe he thinks, "Oh-oh. Are we going to talk about that night?"
Here's what Jesus said, "When they finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, do you truly love Me more than these?' 'Yes, Lord, he said, You know that I love You.' Jesus said, 'Feed my lambs.' Again Jesus said, 'Simon, son of John, do you truly love me?' He answered, 'Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.' Jesus said, 'Take care of my sheep.' The third time He said to him, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, 'Do you love me?' But he said, 'Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you.'"
Now, with the backdrop of a major failure, all Jesus wants to know is, "Peter, do you love me?" Maybe you have failed Him recently. Do you know what He wants to know? "Do you love me?" Now, there are two very different love words used here. Phileo, which is a friendship kind of love, and agapao which is "I will love you, no strings attached." The first two times Jesus says, "Do you love me, no strings attached?" Peter says, "Yes, Lord, I phileo - I friendship love you." Finally Jesus says, "Okay, Peter, do you phileo - do you friendship love me?" And Peter says, "I do love you."
Do you know what's interesting here? Jesus meets Peter where he is. He wants to do the same with you. He says, "Let's start with the little love that you have - let's start with the little faith that you have. You can get back to Me. You can begin again." And one day Peter will die for Christ. But right now He's just got that little, but growing love.
So, would you bring Jesus the little love you have, but would you bring Him all you have? You can begin again. You don't have to get all the way there, because Jesus...He's the Savior who's waiting to meet you where you are.