Max Lucado Daily: He Gave a Donkey
I don't know his name or what he looks like. I only know what he gave. He gave a donkey for Jesus to use on the Sunday he entered Jerusalem. An interesting bit of history is found in Matthew 21:3. It is the story of the man who gave the donkey to Jesus. The scripture says, "If anyone asks you why you are taking the donkeys, say that the Master needs them, and he will send them at once."
Did the man have any idea his generosity would be used for such a noble purpose? Did it occur to him God was going to ride that donkey?
All of us have a donkey. Something that, if given to God, could move Jesus and His story further down the road. Maybe you sing or program a computer or speak Swahili or write a check. Whichever it may be…that's your donkey. Do you give it?
The guy who gave Jesus the donkey is just one in a long line of folks who gave little things to a big God.
From And the Angels Were Silent
Hosea 7
Despite All the Signs, Israel Ignores God
1–2 7 “Every time I gave Israel a fresh start,
wiped the slate clean and got them going again,
Ephraim soon filled the slate with new sins,
the treachery of Samaria written out in bold print.
Two-faced and double-tongued,
they steal you blind, pick you clean.
It never crosses their mind
that I keep account of their every crime.
They’re mud-spattered head to toe with the residue of sin.
I see who they are and what they’ve done.
3–7 “They entertain the king with their evil circus,
delight the princes with their acrobatic lies.
They’re a bunch of overheated adulterers,
like an oven that holds its heat
From the kneading of the dough
to the rising of the bread.
On the royal holiday the princes get drunk
on wine and the frenzy of the mocking mob.
They’re like wood stoves,
red-hot with lust.
Through the night their passion is banked;
in the morning it blazes up, flames hungrily licking.
Murderous and volcanic,
they incinerate their rulers.
Their kings fall one by one,
and no one pays any attention to me.
8–10 “Ephraim mingles with the pagans, dissipating himself.
Ephraim is half-baked.
Strangers suck him dry
but he doesn’t even notice.
His hair has turned gray—
he doesn’t notice.
Bloated by arrogance, big as a house,
Israel’s a public disgrace.
Israel lumbers along oblivious to God,
despite all the signs, ignoring God.
11–16 “Ephraim is bird-brained,
mindless, clueless,
First chirping after Egypt,
then fluttering after Assyria.
I’ll throw my net over them. I’ll clip their wings.
I’ll teach them to mind me!
Doom! They’ve run away from home.
Now they’re really in trouble! They’ve defied me.
And I’m supposed to help them
while they feed me a line of lies?
Instead of crying out to me in heartfelt prayer,
they whoop it up in bed with their whores,
Gash themselves bloody in their sex-and-religion orgies,
but turn their backs on me.
I’m the one who gave them good minds and healthy bodies,
and how am I repaid? With evil scheming!
They turn, but not to me—
turn here, then there, like a weather vane.
Their rulers will be cut down, murdered—
just desserts for their mocking blasphemies.
And the final sentence?
Ridicule in the court of world opinion.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Sunday, February 11, 2024
Today's Scripture
2 Samuel 22:1–4, 48–51
David prayed to God the words of this song after God saved him from all his enemies and from Saul.
2–3 God is bedrock under my feet,
the castle in which I live,
my rescuing knight.
My God—the high crag
where I run for dear life,
hiding behind the boulders,
safe in the granite hideout;
My mountaintop refuge,
he saves me from ruthless men.
4 I sing to God the Praise-Lofty,
and find myself safe and saved.
This God set things right for me
and shut up the people who talked back.
He rescued me from enemy anger.
You pulled me from the grip of upstarts,
You saved me from the bullies.
That’s why I’m thanking you, God,
all over the world.
That’s why I’m singing songs
that rhyme your name.
God’s king takes the trophy;
God’s chosen is beloved.
I mean David and all his children—
always.
Insight
It’s helpful to read 2 Samuel 22 along with Psalm 18. This long psalm (only three psalms are longer: 78, 89, 119) parallels David’s song in 2 Samuel when David praised God for His protection and deliverance from Saul so many years before, although with some slight modifications. Scholars speculate that those changes were made to adapt the song from personal to corporate use. Nevertheless, as he now moved toward the end of his life, David reflected on God’s rescue with clearer eyes than ever before, and he gave praise to God for that specific time when he experienced divine rescue. As such, David referred to Him as his rock, his fortress, and his deliverer. He also referred to Him as his horn (symbolic of power and authority) and shield (Psalm 18:2). Taken together, it’s little wonder that David reflected on the mighty God as his stronghold. By: Bill Crowder
I’ve Seen God’s Faithfulness
I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name. 2 Samuel 22:50
Throughout her historic seventy years as Britain’s ruler, Queen Elizabeth II only endorsed one biography about her life with a personal foreword, The Servant Queen and the King She Serves. Released in celebration of her ninetieth birthday, the book recounts how her faith guided her as she served her country. In the foreword, Queen Elizabeth expressed gratitude for everyone who’d prayed for her, and she thanked God for His steadfast love. She concluded, “I have indeed seen His faithfulness.”
Queen Elizabeth’s simple statement echoes the testimonies of men and women throughout history who’ve experienced the personal, faithful care of God in their lives. It’s this theme underlying a beautiful song King David wrote as he reflected on his life. Recorded in 2 Samuel 22, the song speaks of God’s faithfulness in protecting David, providing for him, and even rescuing him when his very life was in danger (vv. 3–4, 44). In response to his experience of God’s faithfulness, David wrote, “I will sing the praises of your name” (v. 50).
While there’s added beauty when God’s faithfulness is seen over a long lifetime, we don’t have to wait to recount His care in our lives. When we recognize that it’s not our own abilities that carry us through life but the faithful care of a loving Father, we’re moved to gratitude and praise. By: Lisa M. Samra
Reflect & Pray
How have you seen God’s faithfulness? How might you express your gratitude to Him?
Heavenly Father, I’m so grateful that in every season of life—sorrow or joy—I’ve seen Your faithfulness.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, February 11, 2024
Is Your Mind Stayed on God?
You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. —Isaiah 26:3
Is your mind stayed on God or is it starved? Starvation of the mind, caused by neglect, is one of the chief sources of exhaustion and weakness in a servant’s life. If you have never used your mind to place yourself before God, begin to do it now. There is no reason to wait for God to come to you. You must turn your thoughts and your eyes away from the face of idols and look to Him and be saved (see Isaiah 45:22).
Your mind is the greatest gift God has given you and it ought to be devoted entirely to Him. You should seek to be “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10:5). This will be one of the greatest assets of your faith when a time of trial comes, because then your faith and the Spirit of God will work together. When you have thoughts and ideas that are worthy of credit to God, learn to compare and associate them with all that happens in nature— the rising and the setting of the sun, the shining of the moon and the stars, and the changing of the seasons. You will begin to see that your thoughts are from God as well, and your mind will no longer be at the mercy of your impulsive thinking, but will always be used in service to God.
“We have sinned with our fathers…[and]…did not remember…” (Psalm 106:6-7). Then prod your memory and wake up immediately. Don’t say to yourself, “But God is not talking to me right now.” He ought to be. Remember whose you are and whom you serve. Encourage yourself to remember, and your affection for God will increase tenfold. Your mind will no longer be starved, but will be quick and enthusiastic, and your hope will be inexpressibly bright.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Wherever the providence of God may dump us down, in a slum, in a shop, in the desert, we have to labour along the line of His direction. Never allow this thought—“I am of no use where I am,” because you certainly can be of no use where you are not! Wherever He has engineered your circumstances, pray. So Send I You, 1325 L
Bible in a Year: Leviticus 11-12; Matthew 26:1-25
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