Max Lucado Daily: HERE BY GRACE - November 27, 2023
When I realized my daughter and I weren’t seated together, I asked the fellow sitting next to her to swap seats with me. Surely he’ll understand, I thought. But he didn’t.
And so I was left separated for a long, transatlantic flight from my daughter. I began to plot how I’d trip him if he dared walk to the restroom during the flight. I turned to intimidate him with a snarl and saw, much to my surprise, Jenna offering him a pretzel. What? My daughter fraternizing the enemy! As if the pretzel were an olive branch, he accepted her gift and they both leaned their seats back and dozed off.
I learned the lesson God had used my daughter to teach me. All of us are here by grace and, at some point, all of us have to share some grace. So the next time you find yourself next to a questionable character, don’t give him a hard time—give him a pretzel!
Isaiah 18
People Mighty and Merciless
1–2 18 Doom to the land of flies and mosquitoes
beyond the Ethiopian rivers,
Shipping emissaries all over the world,
down rivers and across seas.
Go, swift messengers,
go to this people tall and handsome,
This people held in respect everywhere,
this people mighty and merciless,
from the land crisscrossed with rivers.
3 Everybody everywhere,
all earth-dwellers:
When you see a flag flying on the mountain, look!
When you hear the trumpet blown, listen!
4–6 For here’s what God told me:
“I’m not going to say anything,
but simply look on from where I live,
Quiet as warmth that comes from the sun,
silent as dew during harvest.”
And then, just before harvest, after the blossom
has turned into a maturing grape,
He’ll step in and prune back the new shoots,
ruthlessly hack off all the growing branches.
He’ll leave them piled on the ground
for birds and animals to feed on—
Fodder for the summering birds,
fodder for the wintering animals.
7 Then tribute will be brought to God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
brought from this people tall and handsome,
This people once held in respect everywhere,
this people once mighty and merciless,
From the land crisscrossed with rivers,
to Mount Zion, God’s place.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, November 27, 2023
Today's Scripture
Numbers 3:5–9
God spoke to Moses. He said, “Bring forward the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron so they can help him. They shall work for him and the whole congregation at the Tent of Meeting by doing the work of The Dwelling. Their job is to be responsible for all the furnishings of The Dwelling, ministering to the affairs of The Dwelling as the People of Israel come to perform their duties. Turn the Levites over to Aaron and his sons; they are the ones assigned to work full time for him.
Insight
Who were the Levites? Levi was the third son of Jacob (Genesis 29:34). The Levites were his descendants through his sons Gershon, Kohath, and Merari (46:11). What was special about this tribe? They were a sacred “special forces” group within the nation who were assigned tabernacle duties. Because of their role in Israel, they were exempt from military service (Numbers 1:44–49). During the period of history that included the portable tabernacle, the Levites alone were tasked with its set up, take down, transport, and protection (vv. 50–54). Numbers 4:1–33 provides a breakdown of their specific tasks. What considerations were given to the Levites for their services? “I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting” (18:21). By: Arthur Jackson
Serving for God’s Sake
They are to . . . [fulfill] the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle. Numbers 3:8
When England’s Queen Elizabeth passed away in September 2022, thousands of soldiers were deployed to march in the funeral procession. Their individual roles must have been almost unnoticeable in the large crowd, but many saw it as the greatest honor. One soldier said it was “an opportunity to do our last duty for Her Majesty.” For him, it was not what he did, but whom he was doing it for that made it an important job.
The Levites assigned to take care of the tabernacle furnishings had a similar aim. Unlike the priests, the Gershonites, Kohathites, and Merarites were assigned seemingly mundane tasks: cleaning the furniture, lampstands, curtains, posts, tent pegs, and ropes (Numbers 3:25–26, 28, 31, 36–37). Yet their jobs were specifically assigned by God, constituted “doing the work of the tabernacle” (v. 8), and are recorded in the Bible for posterity.
What an encouraging thought! Today, what many of us do at work, at home, or in church may seem insignificant to a world that values titles and salaries. But God sees it differently. If we work and serve for His sake—seeking excellence and doing so for His honor, even in the smallest task—then our work is important because we’re serving our great God. By: Leslie Koh
Reflect & Pray
How might knowing that you’re ultimately serving God change the way you work? How can you do it with pride and excellence for His sake?
Father, thank You for giving me this opportunity to serve You. Help me to be faithful with the talents and strength You’ve given me to work for You.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, November 27, 2023
The Consecration of Spiritual Power
…by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. —Galatians 6:14
If I dwell on the Cross of Christ, I do not simply become inwardly devout and solely interested in my own holiness— I become strongly focused on Jesus Christ’s interests. Our Lord was not a recluse nor a fanatical holy man practicing self-denial. He did not physically cut Himself off from society, but He was inwardly disconnected all the time. He was not aloof, but He lived in another world. In fact, He was so much in the common everyday world that the religious people of His day accused Him of being a glutton and a drunkard. Yet our Lord never allowed anything to interfere with His consecration of spiritual power.
It is not genuine consecration to think that we can refuse to be used of God now in order to store up our spiritual power for later use. That is a hopeless mistake. The Spirit of God has set a great many people free from their sin, yet they are experiencing no fullness in their lives— no true sense of freedom. The kind of religious life we see around the world today is entirely different from the vigorous holiness of the life of Jesus Christ. “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15). We are to be in the world but not of it— to be separated internally, not externally (see John 17:16).
We must never allow anything to interfere with the consecration of our spiritual power. Consecration (being dedicated to God’s service) is our part; sanctification (being set apart from sin and being made holy) is God’s part. We must make a deliberate determination to be interested only in what God is interested. The way to make that determination, when faced with a perplexing problem, is to ask yourself, “Is this the kind of thing in which Jesus Christ is interested, or is it something in which the spirit that is diametrically opposed to Jesus is interested?”
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We are not fundamentally free; external circumstances are not in our hands, they are in God’s hands, the one thing in which we are free is in our personal relationship to God. We are not responsible for the circumstances we are in, but we are responsible for the way we allow those circumstances to affect us; we can either allow them to get on top of us, or we can allow them to transform us into what God wants us to be. Conformed to His Image, 354 L
Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 30-32; 1 Peter 4
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, November 27, 2023
Chased By The Past - #9621
Over the years, there were two words that could really stir up some action at our house. They go like this, "Let's romp!" Yeah, you have to understand I was a father of two sons, and that meant that Dad is ready for some "rough housing" with one or maybe two sons. But I learned I had to be careful, because then one day they got to be my size. So I didn't say that much any more. No.
That was a key to a lot of fun though, "Let's romp!" And when they were small, I'd sort of antagonize them until they took after me. Uh-huh. And they'd pursue me through the house. And much to my wife's dismay, I can hear her yelling three words, "Save the furniture!" Well, the boys would jump me, and they'd make loud noises and growl and try to keep me down. Of course I acted real scared and I acted like I was almost beat, but it was no contest. They were after me, but they couldn't really hurt me. Just like some attackers who may be chasing you right now.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Chased By The Past."
Our word for today from the Word of God; we are in Exodus 14. It's a story about people who are being chased. They are the Jews who have just gotten out of Egypt. The Egyptians are not really happy that they've just lost their entire slave workforce, so this familiar story finds the Egyptians pursuing them until the Israelites have their back against the Red Sea. So the pursuers are people who used to be their masters. It's going to be important for you to remember that in just a minute.
Let's read from Exodus 14, beginning with verse 23 right now. "The Egyptians pursued them, and all of Pharaoh's chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. He made the wheels of the chariots come off so they had difficulty driving." (I guess you would.) "And the Egyptians said, 'Let's get away from the Israelites. The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.'" And the rest is history, as the waters of the Red Sea swallowed the Egyptian army.
Now, I think we're looking, not just at a historical picture here; there's a spiritual picture. See, you and I used to be slaves, but you are, if you know Christ, no longer a slave to something that used to own you - that used to control you. But you know what? I'll bet it's still chasing you. See, our old slave masters always pursue us. The difference is that you have Christ in control of that area in your life right now. You can say to that old slave master, "Hey, you can chase me, but you can't have me." Just like when my boys were little, chasing me. Yeah, they could chase me, but they couldn't conquer me.
Think of what used to be your Egypt. Was it that habit that once mastered you? Was it that depressed way of thinking, that temptation, a destructive attitude maybe? Or was it a sexual sin, or an uncontrollable temper. It could have been some selfish way of getting your own way. But that was all B.C. - before Christ - before that came under the all-powerful lordship of a risen Christ.
But that old master hasn't given up has he? No, just like Pharaoh in the Old Testament, the old master's pursuing you right now, trying to bring you back to that old slavery. Well, you go to your new Master and once again you give Him that part of you that was the enslaved part. Turn Him loose to fight for you. You've lived in Egypt long enough; you don't ever have to go back to that slavery again. Oh, you'll be pursued, but in Christ you don't ever need to be a prisoner again.
You'll hear the noise of the chariots, you'll feel the pressure. But turn and face your enemy and tell him, "Because of Jesus, you can chase me, but you can't have me."