Jeremiah 26 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: You Are His

God's grace defines you! Society labels you like a can on an assembly line. Stupid. Unproductive. Slow learner. Fast talker. Quitter. But as grace infiltrates, criticism disintegrates. You know you aren't who they say you are. You are who God says you are.  Spiritually alive; heavenly positioned…"seated with him in the heavenly realms" and "one with Jesus Christ."

Of course, not all labels are negative. Some people regard you as clever, successful. But it doesn't compare with being "seated with him in the heavenly realms!" God creates the Christian's resume! Grace defines who you are. The parent you can't please is as mistaken as the doting uncle you can't disappoint.

Listen, God wrote your story. He cast you in his drama. You hang as God's work of art, a testimony in his gallery of grace. According to Him, you are His. Period.

From Cast of Characters

Jeremiah 26

Change the Way You’re Living

1  26 At the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this Message came from God to Jeremiah:

2–3  “God’s Message: Stand in the court of God’s Temple and preach to the people who come from all over Judah to worship in God’s Temple. Say everything I tell you to say to them. Don’t hold anything back. Just maybe they’ll listen and turn back from their bad lives. Then I’ll reconsider the disaster that I’m planning to bring on them because of their evil behavior.

4–6  “Say to them, ‘This is God’s Message: If you refuse to listen to me and live by my teaching that I’ve revealed so plainly to you, and if you continue to refuse to listen to my servants the prophets that I tirelessly keep on sending to you—but you’ve never listened! Why would you start now?—then I’ll make this Temple a pile of ruins like Shiloh, and I’ll make this city nothing but a bad joke worldwide.’ ”

7–9  Everybody there—priests, prophets, and people—heard Jeremiah preaching this Message in the Temple of God. When Jeremiah had finished his sermon, saying everything God had commanded him to say, the priests and prophets and people all grabbed him, yelling, “Death! You’re going to die for this! How dare you preach—and using God’s name!—saying that this Temple will become a heap of rubble like Shiloh and this city be wiped out without a soul left in it!”

All the people mobbed Jeremiah right in the Temple itself.

10  Officials from the royal court of Judah were told of this. They left the palace immediately and came to God’s Temple to investigate. They held court on the spot, at the New Gate entrance to God’s Temple.

11  The prophets and priests spoke first, addressing the officials, but also the people: “Death to this man! He deserves nothing less than death! He has preached against this city—you’ve heard the evidence with your own ears.”

12–13  Jeremiah spoke next, publicly addressing the officials before the crowd: “God sent me to preach against both this Temple and city everything that’s been reported to you. So do something about it! Change the way you’re living, change your behavior. Listen obediently to the Message of your God. Maybe God will reconsider the disaster he has threatened.

14–15  “As for me, I’m at your mercy—do whatever you think is best. But take warning: If you kill me, you’re killing an innocent man, and you and the city and the people in it will be liable. I didn’t say any of this on my own. God sent me and told me what to say. You’ve been listening to God speak, not Jeremiah.”

16  The court officials, backed by the people, then handed down their ruling to the priests and prophets: “Acquittal. No death sentence for this man. He has spoken to us with the authority of our God.”

17–18  Then some of the respected leaders stood up and addressed the crowd: “In the reign of Hezekiah king of Judah, Micah of Moresheth preached to the people of Judah this sermon: This is God-of-the-Angel-Armies’ Message for you:

“ ‘Because of people like you,

Zion will be turned back into farmland,

Jerusalem end up as a pile of rubble,

and instead of the Temple on the mountain,

a few scraggly scrub pines.’

19  “Did King Hezekiah or anyone else in Judah kill Micah of Moresheth because of that sermon? Didn’t Hezekiah honor him and pray for mercy from God? And then didn’t God call off the disaster he had threatened?

“Friends, we’re at the brink of bringing a terrible calamity upon ourselves.”

20–23  (At another time there had been a man, Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim, who had preached similarly in the name of God. He preached against this same city and country just as Jeremiah did. When King Jehoiakim and his royal court heard his sermon, they determined to kill him. Uriah, afraid for his life, went into hiding in Egypt. King Jehoiakim sent Elnathan son of Achbor with a posse of men after him. They brought him back from Egypt and presented him to the king. And the king had him killed. They dumped his body unceremoniously outside the city.

24  But in Jeremiah’s case, Ahikam son of Shaphan stepped forward and took his side, preventing the mob from lynching him.)

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Sunday, March 31, 2024

Today's Scripture

Matthew 28:1–10

Risen from the Dead

1–4  28 After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God’s angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it. Shafts of lightning blazed from him. His garments shimmered snow-white. The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened, they couldn’t move.

5–6  The angel spoke to the women: “There is nothing to fear here. I know you’re looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed.

7  “Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.’ That’s the message.”

8–10  The women, deep in wonder and full of joy, lost no time in leaving the tomb. They ran to tell the disciples. Then Jesus met them, stopping them in their tracks. “Good morning!” he said. They fell to their knees, embraced his feet, and worshiped him. Jesus said, “You’re holding on to me for dear life! Don’t be frightened like that. Go tell my brothers that they are to go to Galilee, and that I’ll meet them there.”

Insight

Matthew’s resurrection account is stunning, particularly in its honesty. In addition to the joy of the women upon seeing the risen Jesus (28:8), we’re also told of the disciples’ unbelief (v. 17). When you weave together the resurrection accounts in the various gospels (and 1 Corinthians 15), it’s clear that Jesus had appeared to His disciples several times at this point, yet some still doubted. We might find a small measure of comfort in that. In spite of all Christ has done for us and the ways He’s proven Himself merciful and faithful, we still can struggle with doubts as they did. Like the father of the demonized boy, we find ourselves praying, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). By: Bill Crowder

Jesus Christ Is Risen Today!

He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Matthew 28:6

Before Charles Simeon attended university in Cambridge, England, he loved horses and clothes, spending a huge sum on his attire yearly. But because his college required him to attend regular Communion services, he started to explore what he believed. After reading books written by believers in Jesus, he experienced a dramatic conversion on Easter Sunday. Awaking early on April 4, 1779, he cried out, “Jesus Christ is risen today! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!” As he grew in his faith in God, he devoted himself to Bible study, prayer, and attending chapel services.

On the first Easter, life changed for the two women who arrived at Jesus’ tomb. There they witnessed a violent earthquake as an angel rolled back the stone. He said to them, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said” (Matthew 28:5–6). Overjoyed, the women worshiped Jesus and ran back to tell their friends the good news.

Encountering the risen Christ isn’t something reserved for ancient times—He promises to meet us here and now. We might experience a dramatic encounter, such as the women at the tomb or as Charles Simeon did, but we might not. In whatever way Jesus reveals Himself to us, we can trust that He loves us. By:  Amy Boucher Pye

Reflect & Pray

How has God shown Himself to you? How have you changed because of your encounter with Him?

Risen Jesus, thank You for coming and dying on the cross that I might have life eternal. I worship You.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Sunday, March 31, 2024

Heedfulness or Hypocrisy in Ourselves?

If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. —1 John 5:16

If we are not heedful and pay no attention to the way the Spirit of God works in us, we will become spiritual hypocrites. We see where other people are failing, and then we take our discernment and turn it into comments of ridicule and criticism, instead of turning it into intercession on their behalf. God reveals this truth about others to us not through the sharpness of our minds but through the direct penetration of His Spirit. If we are not attentive, we will be completely unaware of the source of the discernment God has given us, becoming critical of others and forgetting that God says, “…he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death.” Be careful that you don’t become a hypocrite by spending all your time trying to get others right with God before you worship Him yourself.

One of the most subtle and illusive burdens God ever places on us as saints is this burden of discernment concerning others. He gives us discernment so that we may accept the responsibility for those souls before Him and form the mind of Christ about them (see Philippians 2:5). We should intercede in accordance with what God says He will give us, namely, “life for those who commit sin not leading to death.” It is not that we are able to bring God into contact with our minds, but that we awaken ourselves to the point where God is able to convey His mind to us regarding the people for whom we intercede.

Can Jesus Christ see the agony of His soul in us? He can’t unless we are so closely identified with Him that we have His view concerning the people for whom we pray. May we learn to intercede so wholeheartedly that Jesus Christ will be completely and overwhelmingly satisfied with us as intercessors.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

We have no right to judge where we should be put, or to have preconceived notions as to what God is fitting us for. God engineers everything; wherever He puts us, our one great aim is to pour out a whole-hearted devotion to Him in that particular work. “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.” My Utmost for His Highest, April 23, 773 L

Bible in a Year: Judges 11-12; Luke 6:1-26

Jeremiah 8, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: On Behalf Of Jesus

“This man has done nothing wrong.” Luke 23:41

Finally someone is defending Jesus. Peter fled. The disciples hid. The Jews accused. Pilate washed his hands. Many could have spoken on behalf of Jesus, but none did. Until now.

Kind words from the lips of a thief. He makes his request. “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42).

The Savior turns his heavy head toward the prodigal child and promises, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

Jeremiah 8

 “And when the time comes”—God’s Decree!—“I’ll see to it that they dig up the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of the princes and priests and prophets, and yes, even the bones of the common people. They’ll dig them up and spread them out like a congregation at worship before sun, moon, and stars, all those sky gods they’ve been so infatuated with all these years, following their ‘lucky stars’ in doglike devotion. The bones will be left scattered and exposed, to re-enter the soil as fertilizer, like manure.

3  “Everyone left—all from this evil generation unlucky enough to still be alive in whatever godforsaken place I will have driven them to—will wish they were dead.” Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.

To Know Everything but God’s Word

4–7  “Tell them this, God’s Message:

“ ‘Do people fall down and not get up?

Or take the wrong road and then just keep going?

So why does this people go backward,

and just keep on going—backward!

They stubbornly hold on to their illusions,

refuse to change direction.

I listened carefully

but heard not so much as a whisper.

No one expressed one word of regret.

Not a single “I’m sorry” did I hear.

They just kept at it, blindly and stupidly

banging their heads against a brick wall.

Cranes know when it’s time

to move south for winter.

And robins, warblers, and bluebirds

know when it’s time to come back again.

But my people? My people know nothing,

not the first thing of God and his rule.

8–9  “ ‘How can you say, “We know the score.

We’re the proud owners of God’s revelation”?

Look where it’s gotten you—stuck in illusion.

Your religion experts have taken you for a ride!

Your know-it-alls will be unmasked,

caught and shown up for what they are.

Look at them! They know everything but God’s Word.

Do you call that “knowing”?

10–12  “ ‘So here’s what will happen to the know-it-alls:

I’ll make them wifeless and homeless.

Everyone’s after the dishonest dollar,

little people and big people alike.

Prophets and priests and everyone in between

twist words and doctor truth.

My dear Daughter—my people—broken, shattered,

and yet they put on Band-Aids,

Saying, “It’s not so bad. You’ll be just fine.”

But things are not “just fine”!

Do you suppose they are embarrassed

over this outrage?

Not really. They have no shame.

They don’t even know how to blush.

There’s no hope for them. They’ve hit bottom

and there’s no getting up.

As far as I’m concerned,

they’re finished.’ ” God has spoken.

13  “ ‘I went out to see if I could salvage anything’ ”

—God’s Decree—

“ ‘but found nothing:

Not a grape, not a fig,

just a few withered leaves.

I’m taking back

everything I gave them.’ ”

14–16  So why are we sitting here, doing nothing?

Let’s get organized.

Let’s go to the big city

and at least die fighting.

We’ve gotten God’s ultimatum:

We’re damned if we do and damned if we don’t—

damned because of our sin against him.

We hoped things would turn out for the best,

but it didn’t happen that way.

We were waiting around for healing—

and terror showed up!

From Dan at the northern borders

we hear the hooves of horses,

Horses galloping, horses neighing.

The ground shudders and quakes.

They’re going to swallow up the whole country.

Towns and people alike—fodder for war.

17  “ ‘What’s more, I’m dispatching

poisonous snakes among you,

Snakes that can’t be charmed,

snakes that will bite you and kill you.’ ”

God’s Decree!

Advancing from One Evil to the Next

18–22  I drown in grief.

I’m heartsick.

Oh, listen! Please listen! It’s the cry of my dear people

reverberating through the country.

Is God no longer in Zion?

Has the King gone away?

Can you tell me why they flaunt their plaything-gods,

their silly, imported no-gods before me?

The crops are in, the summer is over,

but for us nothing’s changed.

We’re still waiting to be rescued.

For my dear broken people, I’m heartbroken.

I weep, seized by grief.

Are there no healing ointments in Gilead?

Isn’t there a doctor in the house?

So why can’t something be done

to heal and save my dear, dear people?

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Saturday, March 30, 2024

Today's Scripture

Isaiah 53:4–7, 10–12

But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—

our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.

We thought he brought it on himself,

that God was punishing him for his own failures.

But it was our sins that did that to him,

that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!

He took the punishment, and that made us whole.

Through his bruises we get healed.

We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost.

We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way.

And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong,

on him, on him.

7–9  He was beaten, he was tortured,

but he didn’t say a word.

Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered

and like a sheep being sheared,

he took it all in silence.

 Yet it was the Lord’s willc to crushd him and cause him to suffer,e

and though the Lord makesc his life an offering for sin,f

he will see his offspringg and prolong his days,

and the will of the Lord will prosperh in his hand.

11 After he has suffered,i

he will see the lightj of lifed and be satisfiede;

by his knowledgef my righteous servantk will justifyl many,

and he will bear their iniquities.m

12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,g n

and he will divide the spoilso with the strong,h

because he poured out his life unto death,p

and was numbered with the transgressors.q

For he borer the sin of many,s

and made intercessiont for the transgressors.

Insight

The Song of the Suffering Servant we most often associate with Isaiah 53 actually begins in the previous chapter at verse 13. There, the servant is introduced as one who is wise and who will be “raised and lifted up and highly exalted” (52:13). If that final phrase sounds familiar, that’s because it’s one of Isaiah’s favorite ways to describe his encounters with Yahweh (God) Himself.

In Isaiah 6:1, the prophet recounts seeing the God of Israel in His temple “high [rum] and exalted [nasa’]”; in 52:13, the niv translates the same two Hebrew words as “raised and lifted up.” Isaiah associates the exaltation of the Suffering Servant with the very person of Yahweh, looking ahead to the Son Himself, Jesus. By: Jed Ostoich

The Passion of Christ

The punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

Before Jim Caviezel played Jesus in the film The Passion of the Christ, director Mel Gibson warned that the role would be extremely difficult and could negatively impact his career in Hollywood. Caviezel took on the role anyway, saying, “I think we have to make it, even if it is difficult.”

During the filming, Caviezel was struck by lightning, lost forty-five pounds, and was accidentally whipped during the flogging scene. Afterwards, he stated, “I didn’t want people to see me. I just wanted them to see Jesus. Conversions will happen through that.” The film deeply affected Caviezel and others on the set, and only God knows how many of the millions who watched it experienced changed lives.

The passion of Christ refers to the time of Jesus’ greatest suffering, from His triumphal entry on Palm Sunday and including His betrayal, mocking, flogging, and crucifixion. Accounts are found in all four gospels.

In Isaiah 53, His suffering and its outcome are foretold: “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (v. 5). All of us, “like sheep, have gone astray” (v. 6). But because of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, we can have peace with God. His suffering opened the way for us to be with Him. By:  Alyson Kieda

Reflect & Pray

What aspect of Christ’s life most impacts you? How does His suffering affect you?

Precious Savior, it’s hard to express how grateful I am that You suffered, died, and rose again for me. Thank You.

For further study, read I Am the Way: The Amazing Claims of Jesus.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Saturday, March 30, 2024

Holiness or Hardness Toward God?

He…wondered that there was no intercessor… —Isaiah 59:16

The reason many of us stop praying and become hard toward God is that we only have an emotional interest in prayer. It sounds good to say that we pray, and we read books on prayer which tell us that prayer is beneficial— that our minds are quieted and our souls are uplifted when we pray. But Isaiah implied in this verse that God is amazed at such thoughts about prayer.

Worship and intercession must go together; one is impossible without the other. Intercession means raising ourselves up to the point of getting the mind of Christ regarding the person for whom we are praying (see Philippians 2:5). Instead of worshiping God, we recite speeches to God about how prayer is supposed to work. Are we worshiping God or disputing Him when we say, “But God, I just don’t see how you are going to do this”? This is a sure sign that we are not worshiping. When we lose sight of God, we become hard and dogmatic. We throw our petitions at His throne and dictate to Him what we want Him to do. We don’t worship God, nor do we seek to conform our minds to the mind of Christ. And if we are hard toward God, we will become hard toward other people.

Are we worshiping God in a way that will raise us up to where we can take hold of Him, having such intimate contact with Him that we know His mind about the ones for whom we pray? Are we living in a holy relationship with God, or have we become hard and dogmatic?

Do you find yourself thinking that there is no one interceding properly? Then be that person yourself. Be a person who worships God and lives in a holy relationship with Him. Get involved in the real work of intercession, remembering that it truly is work— work that demands all your energy, but work which has no hidden pitfalls. Preaching the gospel has its share of pitfalls, but intercessory prayer has none whatsoever.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The place for the comforter is not that of one who preaches, but of the comrade who says nothing, but prays to God about the matter. The biggest thing you can do for those who are suffering is not to talk platitudes, not to ask questions, but to get into contact with God, and the “greater works” will be done by prayer (see John 14:12–13).  Baffled to Fight Better, 56 R

Bible in a Year: Judges 9-10; Luke 5:17-39

Jeremiah 7, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: ACCURATE THINKING - March 29, 2024

Everyone has assumptions about life. Many are useful and constructive. Some assumptions, however, are toxic.  Even worse, they are contrary to the truth. A sample of unhealthy assumptions include: I’m unworthy. People abandon me. It’s all my fault. The world feels dangerous.

False assumptions create an anxiety-ridden life. God’s solution is truth. Bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 ASV). Correct faulty thinking with accurate thoughts. I matter to God. He made me, he knows me, he has a plan for my life. I’ve made mistakes, but I’m forgiven by God. I’m protected. I serve a mighty God who knows me and loves me. Suggestions for your thinking. Clean your life lens.

Jeremiah 7

The Nation That Wouldn’t Obey God

1–2  7 The Message from God to Jeremiah: “Stand in the gate of God’s Temple and preach this Message.

2–3  “Say, ‘Listen, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship God. God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel’s God, has this to say to you:

3–7  “ ‘Clean up your act—the way you live, the things you do—so I can make my home with you in this place. Don’t for a minute believe the lies being spoken here—“This is God’s Temple, God’s Temple, God’s Temple!” Total nonsense! Only if you clean up your act (the way you live, the things you do), only if you do a total spring cleaning on the way you live and treat your neighbors, only if you quit exploiting the street people and orphans and widows, no longer taking advantage of innocent people on this very site and no longer destroying your souls by using this Temple as a front for other gods—only then will I move into your neighborhood. Only then will this country I gave your ancestors be my permanent home, my Temple.

8–11  “ ‘Get smart! Your leaders are handing you a pack of lies, and you’re swallowing them! Use your heads! Do you think you can rob and murder, have sex with the neighborhood wives, tell lies nonstop, worship the local gods, and buy every novel religious commodity on the market—and then march into this Temple, set apart for my worship, and say, “We’re safe!” thinking that the place itself gives you a license to go on with all this outrageous sacrilege? A cave full of criminals! Do you think you can turn this Temple, set apart for my worship, into something like that? Well, think again. I’ve got eyes in my head. I can see what’s going on.’ ” God’s Decree!

12  “ ‘Take a trip down to the place that was once in Shiloh, where I met my people in the early days. Take a look at those ruins, what I did to it because of the evil ways of my people Israel.

13–15  “ ‘So now, because of the way you have lived and failed to listen, even though time and again I took you aside and talked seriously with you, and because you refused to change when I called you to repent, I’m going to do to this Temple, set aside for my worship, this place you think is going to keep you safe no matter what, this place I gave as a gift to your ancestors and you, the same as I did to Shiloh. And as for you, I’m going to get rid of you, the same as I got rid of those old relatives of yours around Shiloh, your fellow Israelites in that former kingdom to the north.’

16–18  “And you, Jeremiah, don’t waste your time praying for this people. Don’t offer to make petitions or intercessions. Don’t bother me with them. I’m not listening. Can’t you see what they’re doing in all the villages of Judah and in the Jerusalem streets? Why, they’ve got the children gathering wood while the fathers build fires and the mothers make bread to be offered to ‘the Queen of Heaven’! And as if that weren’t bad enough, they go around pouring out libations to any other gods they come across, just to hurt me.

19  “But is it me they’re hurting?” God’s Decree! “Aren’t they just hurting themselves? Exposing themselves shamefully? Making themselves ridiculous?

20  “Here’s what the Master God has to say: ‘My white-hot anger is about to descend on this country and everything in it—people and animals, trees in the field and vegetables in the garden—a raging wildfire that no one can put out.’

21–23  “The Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel’s God: ‘Go ahead! Put your burnt offerings with all your other sacrificial offerings and make a good meal for yourselves. I sure don’t want them! When I delivered your ancestors out of Egypt, I never said anything to them about wanting burnt offerings and sacrifices as such. But I did say this, commanded this: “Obey me. Do what I say and I will be your God and you will be my people. Live the way I tell you. Do what I command so that your lives will go well.”

24–26  “ ‘But do you think they listened? Not a word of it. They did just what they wanted to do, indulged any and every evil whim and got worse day by day. From the time your ancestors left the land of Egypt until now, I’ve supplied a steady stream of my servants the prophets, but do you think the people listened? Not once. Stubborn as mules and worse than their ancestors!’

27–28  “Tell them all this, but don’t expect them to listen. Call out to them, but don’t expect an answer. Tell them, ‘You are the nation that wouldn’t obey God, that refused all discipline. Truth has disappeared. There’s not a trace of it left in your mouths.

29  “ ‘So shave your heads.

Go bald to the hills and lament,

For God has rejected and left

this generation that has made him so angry.’

30–31  “The people of Judah have lived evil lives while I’ve stood by and watched.” God’s Decree. “In deliberate insult to me, they’ve set up their obscene god-images in the very Temple that was built to honor me. They’ve constructed Topheth altars for burning babies in prominent places all through the valley of Ben-hinnom, altars for burning their sons and daughters alive in the fire—a shocking perversion of all that I am and all I command.

32–34  “But soon, very soon”—God’s Decree!—“the names Topheth and Ben-hinnom will no longer be used. They’ll call the place what it is: Murder Meadow. Corpses will be stacked up in Topheth because there’s no room left to bury them! Corpses abandoned in the open air, fed on by crows and coyotes, who have the run of the place. And I’ll empty both smiles and laughter from the villages of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. No wedding songs, no holiday sounds. Dead silence.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Friday, March 29, 2024

Today's Scripture

1 Peter 3:13–18

If with heart and soul you’re doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you’re still better off. Don’t give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They’ll end up realizing that they’re the ones who need a bath. It’s better to suffer for doing good, if that’s what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. That’s what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others’ sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all—was put to death and then made alive—to bring us to God.

Insight

In 1 Peter 3:13-14, the apostle encourages believers in Jesus to “do good,” even if they suffer for it. Believers in Christ aren’t to fear but are to trust in God and be prepared to witness for Him. Peter reminds us that Jesus suffered unjustly and died for our sins, “the righteous for the unrighteous” (v. 18). His was a once-for-all sacrifice. Whoever believes in Him as their Savior and repents of their sins receives His forgiveness. Our salvation doesn’t guarantee we won’t suffer; today’s passage and other Scripture passages tell us something quite different. Jesus said, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18); also, “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (v. 20). And Paul tells us, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).  By: Alyson Kieda

Jesus, Our Substitute

Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18

A wealthy twenty-year-old was drag-racing with his friends when he struck and killed a pedestrian. Although the young man received a three-year prison sentence, some believe that the man who appeared in court (and who subsequently served a prison sentence) was a hired surrogate for the driver who committed the crime. This type of thing has been known to occur in some countries where people hire body doubles to avoid paying for their crimes.

This may sound scandalous and outrageous, but more than two thousand years ago, Jesus became our substitute and “suffered once for [our] sins, the righteous for the unrighteous” (1 Peter 3:18). As God’s sinless sacrifice, Christ suffered and died once and for all (Hebrews 10:10), for all who believe in Him. He took the penalty for all our sins in His own body on the cross. Unlike a person today who chooses to be a substitute for a criminal to get some cash, Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross provided “hope” for us as He freely, willingly gave His life for us (1 Peter 3:15, 18; John 10:15). He did so to bridge the chasm between us and God.

May we rejoice and find comfort and confidence in this profound truth: Only by the substitutionary death of Jesus can we—sinners in need—have a relationship with and complete spiritual access to our loving God. By:  Marvin Williams

Reflect & Pray

How has Christ’s substitutionary death changed your life? What does it mean for you to have access to God and eternal life because of Jesus' death on the cross?

Dear Jesus, thank You for dying in my place so that I might have access to God.

Learn more about having a personal relationship with God.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Friday, March 29, 2024

Our Lord’s Surprise Visits

You also be ready… —Luke 12:40

A Christian worker’s greatest need is a readiness to face Jesus Christ at any and every turn. This is not easy, no matter what our experience has been. This battle is not against sin, difficulties, or circumstances, but against being so absorbed in our service to Jesus Christ that we are not ready to face Jesus Himself at every turn. The greatest need is not facing our beliefs or doctrines, or even facing the question of whether or not we are of any use to Him, but the need is to face Him.

Jesus rarely comes where we expect Him; He appears where we least expect Him, and always in the most illogical situations. The only way a servant can remain true to God is to be ready for the Lord’s surprise visits. This readiness will not be brought about by service, but through intense spiritual reality, expecting Jesus Christ at every turn. This sense of expectation will give our life the attitude of childlike wonder He wants it to have. If we are going to be ready for Jesus Christ, we have to stop being religious. In other words, we must stop using religion as if it were some kind of a lofty lifestyle— we must be spiritually real.

If you are avoiding the call of the religious thinking of today’s world, and instead are “looking unto Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2), setting your heart on what He wants, and thinking His thoughts, you will be considered impractical and a daydreamer. But when He suddenly appears in the work of the heat of the day, you will be the only one who is ready. You should trust no one, and even ignore the finest saint on earth if he blocks your sight of Jesus Christ.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The attitude of a Christian towards the providential order in which he is placed is to recognize that God is behind it for purposes of His own.  Biblical Ethics, 99 R

Bible in a Year: Judges 7-8; Luke 5:1-16

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Friday, March 29, 2024

Good Friday - What the Jesus Movies Miss - #9710

You can always tell when Easter's on its way. All the Jesus shows start popping up on TV. And that's a good thing. I remember a few years ago there was one that was pretty good called A.D. - The Bible Continues. That's the sequel to a series called The Bible.

When that series The Bible showed the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus, it was amazing. The social media lit up with shocked viewers who were saying, "I had no idea what Jesus went through." I'm glad they got an idea. The brutalizing of Jesus was so violent that Hollywood had to make The Passion of the Christ movie R-rated. But for all the realism and all the effects that Hollywood has brought to its' portrayal of Jesus' death, there's something very important they haven't shown, because they can't.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Good Friday - What the Jesus Movies Miss."

You see, what they miss revolves around that heart-wrenching moment before Jesus breathes His last. When He cries out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken Me?" Because, you see, that was the decisive moment in the eternal mission of Jesus - the moment when God the Father abandoned the One the Bible calls "His one and only Son." Rending that holy relationship that had never been broken throughout all the ages of eternity until that horrific but holy moment when my sin forced God to turn His back on His Son so He wouldn't have to turn His back on me or on you.

I'm the rebel, the hijacker of the throne made for God to reign in my soul. I'm the one who pushed the God of 100 billion galaxies to the margins of a life that He gave me. If I harbored any illusions that I could ever get into God's heaven by doing some good things, that illusion dies at the foot of Jesus' bloody cross. That's where the price of human sin is spelled out in blood for all to see. That's what it takes to pay for a lifetime of rebellion against God.

That's why the Bible says, "The wages of sin is death." Death as in forever being cut off from a holy God, who cannot touch sin. He's the source of everything good. You see, that penalty can only be paid by me, the sinner, who earned those wages or unthinkably, by a sinless substitute, Jesus. Who in that unfathomable moment of unspeakable, soul agony was going to my hell - taking on himself all the eternal torment of a world of sinners.

It is a love I cannot comprehend. It is a love I can't resist. Those much-traveled Bible words well up in me every time I visit that cross. Like a million-voice choir in my soul, and those words are our word for today from the Word of God from John 3:16, "God so loved the world..." God loved me. "...so much that He gave His one and only Son that whoever (even me)... whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Have you ever grabbed the hand of the Savior who died for you as if you were a drowning person grabbing a lifeguard? As if He's your only hope? Because He is. The only response to that sacrifice is to say, "Jesus, I'm yours. You bought me. You've got me. Here's my life. Here's my heart. Here's the throne of my life."

If you've never done that, you tell Him today, "Jesus, I'm yours." And I would love to give you all the information you need to begin that relationship and be sure you have it. If you'll just go to our website - ANewStory.com.

You can go to His heaven because He took your hell. That Good Friday was an awful Friday. Oh, but it was such a good Friday.

Jeremiah 12, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: THE TRANQUIL SOUL - March 28, 2024

Paul gave his guilt to Jesus. As a result, Paul would later write, “…Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us up to heaven because of what Christ Jesus did for us” (Philippians 3:13-14 TLB).

What would the apostle say to the guilt-laden person? Simply this: “Rejoice in the Lord’s mercy. Trust in his ability to forgive. Cast yourself upon the grace of Christ and Christ alone.”

A happy saint is one who is, at the same time, aware of the severity of sin and the immensity of grace. The saint dwells in grace, not guilt. This is the tranquil soul.

Jeremiah 12

What Makes You Think You Can Race Against Horses?

1–4  12 You are right, O God, and you set things right.

I can’t argue with that. But I do have some questions:

Why do bad people have it so good?

Why do con artists make it big?

You planted them and they put down roots.

They flourished and produced fruit.

They talk as if they’re old friends with you,

but they couldn’t care less about you.

Meanwhile, you know me inside and out.

You don’t let me get by with a thing!

Make them pay for the way they live,

pay with their lives, like sheep marked for slaughter.

How long do we have to put up with this—

the country depressed, the farms in ruin—

And all because of wickedness, these wicked lives?

Even animals and birds are dying off

Because they’ll have nothing to do with God

and think God has nothing to do with them.

5–6  “So, Jeremiah, if you’re worn out in this footrace with men,

what makes you think you can race against horses?

And if you can’t keep your wits during times of calm,

what’s going to happen when troubles break loose

like the Jordan in flood?

Those closest to you, your own brothers and cousins,

are working against you.

They’re out to get you. They’ll stop at nothing.

Don’t trust them, especially when they’re smiling.

7–11  “I will abandon the House of Israel,

walk away from my beloved people.

I will turn over those I most love

to those who are her enemies.

She’s been, this one I held dear,

like a snarling lion in the jungle,

Growling and baring her teeth at me—

and I can’t take it anymore.

Has this one I hold dear become a preening peacock?

But isn’t she under attack by vultures?

Then invite all the hungry animals at large,

invite them in for a free meal!

Foreign, scavenging shepherds

will loot and trample my fields,

Turn my beautiful, well-cared-for fields

into vacant lots of tin cans and thistles.

They leave them littered with junk—

a ruined land, a land in lament.

The whole countryside is a wasteland,

and no one will really care.

12–13  “The barbarians will invade,

swarm over hills and plains.

The judgment sword of God will take its toll

from one end of the land to the other.

Nothing living will be safe.

They will plant wheat and reap weeds.

Nothing they do will work out.

They will look at their meager crops and wring their hands.

All this the result of God’s fierce anger!”

14–17  God’s Message: “Regarding all the bad neighbors who abused the land I gave to Israel as their inheritance: I’m going to pluck them out of their lands, and then pluck Judah out from among them. Once I’ve pulled the bad neighbors out, I will relent and take them tenderly to my heart and put them back where they belong, put each of them back in their home country, on their family farms. Then if they will get serious about living my way and pray to me as well as they taught my people to pray to that god Baal, everything will go well for them. But if they won’t listen, then I’ll pull them out of their land by the roots and cart them off to the dump. Total destruction!” God’s Decree.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Today's Scripture

John 13:3–5, 12–15, 31–35

Jesus knew that the Father had put him in complete charge of everything, that he came from God and was on his way back to God. So he got up from the supper table, set aside his robe, and put on an apron. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, drying them with his apron.

After he had finished washing their feet, he took his robe, put it back on, and went back to his place at the table.

12–17  Then he said, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as ‘Teacher’ and ‘Master,’ and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other’s feet. I’ve laid down a pattern for you. What I’ve done, you do.

A New Command

31–32  When he had left, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is seen for who he is, and God seen for who he is in him. The moment God is seen in him, God’s glory will be on display. In glorifying him, he himself is glorified—glory all around!

33  “Children, I am with you for only a short time longer. You are going to look high and low for me. But just as I told the Jews, I’m telling you: ‘Where I go, you are not able to come.’

34–35  “Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”

Insight

What does it mean that Jesus gave a “new” command to love (John 13:34)? A command to love was already central in Jewish faith (Leviticus 19:18). But what seems “new” is to love “as I have loved you” (John 13:34). Through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, the disciples would be given a new example of self-giving love that should shape their lives. But far more than just an example, Jesus would also give them the ability to love this way. Through the gift of Christ’s Spirit, they could experience and share the love Jesus shared with the Father (17:22-24). By: Monica La Rose

A New Command to Love

A new command I give you: Love one another. John 13:34

In a tradition starting as early as the thirteenth century, members of the royal family in the United Kingdom give gifts to people in need on Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday. The practice is rooted in the meaning of the word maundy, which comes from the Latin mandatum, “command.” The command being commemorated is the new one that Jesus gave to His friends on the night before He died: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34).

Jesus was a leader who took on the role of a servant as He washed His friends’ feet (v. 5). He then called them to do the same: “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (v. 15). And in an even greater act of sacrifice, He lay down His life, dying on the cross (19:30). Out of mercy and love, He gave Himself that we might enjoy the fullness of life.

The tradition of the British royal family serving people in need continues as a symbol of following Jesus’ great example. We may not have been born into a place of privilege, but when we place our faith in Jesus, we become members of His family. And we too can show our love by living out His new command. As we depend on God’s Spirit to change us from within, we can reach out to others with care, affirmation, and grace. By:  Amy Boucher Pye

Reflect & Pray

How have you observed or embodied servant leadership? In what ways could you “love one another” today?

My great Savior, what a gift of love You give! Thank You for being the ultimate Servant, laying down Your life for me.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Isn’t There Some Misunderstanding?

"Let us go to Judea again." The disciples said to Him, "…are You going there again?" —John 11:7-8

Just because I don’t understand what Jesus Christ says, I have no right to determine that He must be mistaken in what He says. That is a dangerous view, and it is never right to think that my obedience to God’s directive will bring dishonor to Jesus. The only thing that will bring dishonor is not obeying Him. To put my view of His honor ahead of what He is plainly guiding me to do is never right, even though it may come from a real desire to prevent Him from being put to an open shame. I know when the instructions have come from God because of their quiet persistence. But when I begin to weigh the pros and cons, and doubt and debate enter into my mind, I am bringing in an element that is not of God. This will only result in my concluding that His instructions to me were not right. Many of us are faithful to our ideas about Jesus Christ, but how many of us are faithful to Jesus Himself? Faithfulness to Jesus means that I must step out even when and where I can’t see anything (see Matthew 14:29). But faithfulness to my own ideas means that I first clear the way mentally. Faith, however, is not intellectual understanding; faith is a deliberate commitment to the Person of Jesus Christ, even when I can’t see the way ahead.

Are you debating whether you should take a step of faith in Jesus, or whether you should wait until you can clearly see how to do what He has asked? Simply obey Him with unrestrained joy. When He tells you something and you begin to debate, it is because you have a misunderstanding of what honors Him and what doesn’t. Are you faithful to Jesus, or faithful to your ideas about Him? Are you faithful to what He says, or are you trying to compromise His words with thoughts that never came from Him? “Whatever He says to you, do it” (John 2:5).

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The great point of Abraham’s faith in God was that he was prepared to do anything for God.  Not Knowing Whither, 903 R

Bible in a Year: Judges 4-6; Luke 4:31-44

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Thursday, March 28, 2024

A Tragic Collapse, An Empty Grave - #9709

It started with an almost unthinkable radio transmission to an emergency number.

"The entire Key Bridge has fallen into the harbor."

Unbelievable, I mean, and then the video - like something from a sci-fi movie. One minute the heavily-traveled Outer Harbor Bridge in Baltimore, stood there majestically. The next minute it was gone, in pieces in the river. And then the deep sadness of knowing the workers on the bridge had gone with it.

As I awoke to that heartbreaking scene on the news, I immediately had two reactions.

One was to go to God for all the people who were hurt, or lost, or missing, grieving, or helping. Because He is, as the Bible says, "The God of all comfort and the Father of all compassion" (2 Corinthians 1:3).

My second thought was, "The 'always be there' things in our life are like that bridge aren't they can be there one minute, then so suddenly be gone." That collapsing bridge, I thought, is a picture of what happens in so many grieving hearts.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You about "A Tragic Collapse, and an Empty Grave."

You know each day, all around us, people watch a piece of their life infrastructure crumble before their eyes. That marriage that was supposed to bring so much happiness, not so much pain. The future that is suddenly threatened by health issues that may change everything. The plans that just blew up... the relationship on the rocks... the child in trouble... the return of a ghost from the past.

The Bible bluntly calls out how insecure our security really is. In Job it says, "What they trust in is fragile; what they rely on is a spider's web. They lean on the web, but it gives way" (Job 8:14-15).

A fire. A tornado. A drunk driver crossing the line. A heart attack. It can collapse in a moment.

Like the day I suddenly lost the love of my life. The day before was filled with the joy of our first grandchild's graduation. My Karen was so alive. The next afternoon, she was gone. My mirror, my cheerleader, my wise counselor, my very best friend - a lot came crashing down that day. One thing did not.

In one of Jesus' many parables, He tells about two houses - one built on sand, one on rock. It's our word for the day from the Word of God, from Luke 6:48-49. He said they both look good until a violent storm comes. And then He described, when it hits the house "without a foundation" the verse says "the floods sweep down against that house, and it will collapse in a heap of ruins." Jesus goes on to say, "But when the floodwaters break against the house with its "foundation on solid rock... it stands firm because it is well built" (Luke 6:48-49).

The storms, the crashes, the collapses, they're actually reminders that we were never meant to build everything on life's shifting sand. We need the "solid rock."

And God reveals where our restless, fearful hearts can find it. In the words of Scripture, "He has planted eternity in the human heart" (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

We're created for something that's indestructible. That lasts forever.

Which is why so many searching hearts turn to Jesus. Because He put a transforming word in front of the word "life." The word "eternal." The Bible tells us "that God has given us eternal life, quote, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son, has life!" (1 John 5:11-12).

There's only one Man who can give us unshakable, unlosable life - the one Man who proved He has it. Of the estimated 100 billion people who have lived on this planet, only one has ever walked out of His grave under His own power. And that's Jesus. The One who, on Good Friday, loved me so much that He poured out His life on a cross to pay for the sin that had cut me off from God.

On a dark May day, I lost the love of my life. But not the One who loves me most. And who promises, "Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5).

Unending life. Unlosable love. Finally, the eternity hole in my heart filled by the One it was made for.

This is the glory of Easter. For when the Savior who walked out of His grave walks into your life, something transforming happens.

You're safe. Forever.

Jeremiah 11, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: THE GREAT POET OF GRACE - March 27, 2024

No one had more reason to feel the burden of guilt than did the apostle Paul. He was an ancient version of a terrorist, taking believers into custody and then spilling their blood. In addition, he was a legalist to the core. Before he knew Christ, Paul had spent a lifetime trying to save himself. But then came the Damascus road moment – Jesus appeared! Once Paul saw Jesus, he couldn’t see value in his résumé anymore. And he couldn’t see any option except to spend the rest of his life talking less about himself and more about Jesus.

He became the great poet of grace. “But all these things that I once thought very worthwhile—now I’ve thrown them all away so that I can put my trust and hope in Christ alone” (Philippians 3:7 TLB).

 Jeremiah 11

The Terms of This Covenant

1  11 The Message that came to Jeremiah from God:

2–4  “Preach to the people of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem. Tell them this: ‘This is God’s Message, the Message of Israel’s God to you. Anyone who does not keep the terms of this covenant is cursed. The terms are clear. I made them plain to your ancestors when I delivered them from Egypt, out of the iron furnace of suffering.

4–5  “ ‘Obey what I tell you. Do exactly what I command you. Your obedience will close the deal. You’ll be mine and I’ll be yours. This will provide the conditions in which I will be able to do what I promised your ancestors: to give them a fertile and lush land. And, as you know, that’s what I did.’ ”

“Yes, God,” I replied. “That’s true.”

6–8  God continued: “Preach all this in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. Say, ‘Listen to the terms of this covenant and carry them out! I warned your ancestors when I delivered them from Egypt and I’ve kept up the warnings. I haven’t quit warning them for a moment. I warned them from morning to night: “Obey me or else!” But they didn’t obey. They paid no attention to me. They did whatever they wanted to do, whenever they wanted to do it, until finally I stepped in and ordered the punishments set out in the covenant, which, despite all my warnings, they had ignored.’ ”

9–10  Then God said, “There’s a conspiracy among the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem. They’ve plotted to reenact the sins of their ancestors—the ones who disobeyed me and decided to go after other gods and worship them. Israel and Judah are in this together, mindlessly breaking the covenant I made with their ancestors.”

11–13  “Well, your God has something to say about this: Watch out! I’m about to visit doom on you, and no one will get out of it. You’re going to cry for help but I won’t listen. Then all the people in Judah and Jerusalem will start praying to the gods you’ve been sacrificing to all these years, but it won’t do a bit of good. You’ve got as many gods as you have villages, Judah! And you’ve got enough altars for sacrifices to that impotent sex god Baal to put one on every street corner in Jerusalem!”

14  “And as for you, Jeremiah, I don’t want you praying for this people. Nothing! Not a word of petition. Indeed, I’m not going to listen to a single syllable of their crisis-prayers.”

Promises and Pious Programs

15–16  “What business do the ones I love have figuring out

how to get off the hook? And right in the house of worship!

Do you think making promises and devising pious programs

will save you from doom?

Do you think you can get out of this

by becoming more religious?

A mighty oak tree, majestic and glorious—

that’s how I once described you.

But it will only take a clap of thunder and a bolt of lightning

to leave you a shattered wreck.

17  “I, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, who planted you—yes, I have pronounced doom on you. Why? Because of the disastrous life you’ve lived, Israel and Judah alike, goading me to anger with your continuous worship and offerings to that sorry god Baal.”

18–19  God told me what was going on. That’s how I knew.

You, God, opened my eyes to their evil scheming.

I had no idea what was going on—naive as a lamb

being led to slaughter!

I didn’t know they had it in for me,

didn’t know of their behind-the-scenes plots:

“Let’s get rid of the preacher.

That will stop the sermons!

Let’s get rid of him for good.

He won’t be remembered for long.”

20  Then I said, “God-of-the-Angel-Armies,

you’re a fair judge.

You examine and cross-examine

human actions and motives.

I want to see these people shown up and put down!

I’m an open book before you. Clear my name.”

21–23  That sent a signal to God, who spoke up: “Here’s what I’ll do to the men of Anathoth who are trying to murder you, the men who say, ‘Don’t preach to us in God’s name or we’ll kill you.’ Yes, it’s God-of-the-Angel-Armies speaking. Indeed! I’ll call them to account: Their young people will die in battle, their children will die of starvation, and there will be no one left at all, none. I’m visiting the men of Anathoth with doom. Doomsday!”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Today's Scripture

Mark 11:12–20

The Cursed Fig Tree

12–14  As they left Bethany the next day, he was hungry. Off in the distance he saw a fig tree in full leaf. He came up to it expecting to find something for breakfast, but found nothing but fig leaves. (It wasn’t yet the season for figs.) He addressed the tree: “No one is going to eat fruit from you again—ever!” And his disciples overheard him.

15–17  They arrived at Jerusalem. Immediately on entering the Temple Jesus started throwing out everyone who had set up shop there, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of the bankers and the stalls of the pigeon merchants. He didn’t let anyone even carry a basket through the Temple. And then he taught them, quoting this text:

My house was designated a house of prayer for the nations;

You’ve turned it into a hangout for thieves.

18  The high priests and religion scholars heard what was going on and plotted how they might get rid of him. They panicked, for the entire crowd was carried away by his teaching.

19  At evening, Jesus and his disciples left the city.

20–21  In the morning, walking along the road, they saw the fig tree, shriveled to a dry stick.

Insight

The barren and withered fig tree, representing an unfaithful nation soon to be overrun by its enemies, is a common Old Testament image (Isaiah 28:4; 34:4; Jeremiah 8:13; Hosea 2:12; Joel 1:7, 12; Amos 4:9; Nahum 3:12; Habakkuk 3:17). Quite often, the center of Israel’s faithlessness was its abuse of the temple services, and the prophets used a withered fig tree as a warning of the temple’s destruction. In fact, the passage quoted in Mark 11:17 is just such a text. Jesus quotes the prophet Jeremiah who condemns Judah for hypocritically thinking that temple attendance would expunge the guilt of her idolatry (see Jeremiah 7:2–4, 8, 11).

Adapted from Moving Mountains: The Practice of Persistent Prayer.

Fruitful Believers in Christ

Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. Mark 11:13

Cindy was excited for her new job in a nonprofit company. What an opportunity to make a difference! She soon discovered her coworkers didn’t share her enthusiasm. They mocked the company’s mission and made excuses for their poor performance as they looked elsewhere for more lucrative positions. Cindy wished she’d never applied for this job. What looked great from afar was disappointing up close.

This was Jesus’ problem with the fig tree mentioned in today’s story (Mark 11:13). It was early in the season, yet the tree’s leaves signaled it might have early figs. Nope. The tree had sprouted leaves, but it hadn’t yet produced fruit. Disappointed, Jesus cursed the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again” (v. 14). By the next morning the tree had entirely withered (v. 20).

Christ once fasted forty days, so He knew how to go without food. Cursing the fig tree was not about His appetite. It was an object lesson. The tree represented Israel, which had the trappings of true religion but had lost the point. They were about to kill their Messiah, the Son of God. How more barren could they be?

We may look good from afar, but Jesus comes near, looking for fruit that only His Spirit can produce. Our fruit need not be spectacular. But it must be supernatural, such as love, joy, and peace in hard times (Galatians 5:22). Relying on the Spirit, we can bear fruit even then for Jesus. By:  Mike Wittmer

Reflect & Pray

What fruit do others see in you? How might you be more fruitful?

Holy Spirit, prune me so I might bear more fruit.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Spiritual Vision Through Personal Character

Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place… —Revelation 4:1

A higher state of mind and spiritual vision can only be achieved through the higher practice of personal character. If you live up to the highest and best that you know in the outer level of your life, God will continually say to you, “Friend, come up even higher.” There is also a continuing rule in temptation which calls you to go higher; but when you do, you only encounter other temptations and character traits. Both God and Satan use the strategy of elevation, but Satan uses it in temptation, and the effect is quite different. When the devil elevates you to a certain place, he causes you to fasten your idea of what holiness is far beyond what flesh and blood could ever bear or achieve. Your life becomes a spiritual acrobatic performance high atop a steeple. You cling to it, trying to maintain your balance and daring not to move. But when God elevates you by His grace into heavenly places, you find a vast plateau where you can move about with ease.

Compare this week in your spiritual life with the same week last year to see how God has called you to a higher level. We have all been brought to see from a higher viewpoint. Never allow God to show you a truth which you do not instantly begin to live up to, applying it to your life. Always work through it, staying in its light.

Your growth in grace is not measured by the fact that you haven’t turned back, but that you have an insight and understanding into where you are spiritually. Have you heard God say, “Come up higher,” not audibly on the outer level, but to the innermost part of your character?

“Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing…?” (Genesis 18:17). God has to hide from us what He does, until, due to the growth of our personal character, we get to the level where He is then able to reveal it.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The Christian Church should not be a secret society of specialists, but a public manifestation of believers in Jesus.  Facing Reality, 34 R

Bible in a Year: Judges 1-3; Luke 4:1-30

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Spring is Never Sudden - #9708

First, the forsythia exploded - those little yellow flowers that announced to our area where we were living that spring was finally springing. Then the dogwood explosion detonated. It was really hard to be in a bad mood when those beautiful pink and white blossoms suddenly appeared everywhere. Happens probably where you live too, maybe just at different times. Actually, the word "suddenly" needs a little work. The coming of the forsythia and the dogwood, and all the other stars of the Spring Extravaganza - they've been getting ready to happen for a long time. We couldn't see it, but there's been this invisible process of nourishing and growth, and those nubby little buds start to peek out. And then, one day you start down the street and it's blazing with color that wasn't even there the day before. But sudden? Not really.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Spring is Never Sudden."

You might be waiting for spring in some part of your life right now. But things right now still appear to be pretty brown and lifeless.

Well, our word for today from the Word of God comes from Mark 4:26-29. You might need that today. It's an important description of the processes of God - processes that are probably at work right now in those very areas of your life that seem like they will never see spring. Here's what God says, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain; first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come."

Okay, here's how God operates: First, there's the seed of what He wants to do, placed in the ground by faith. And then, as far as we can see, nothing is happening. Just ask any farmer you know. But there is, in fact, invisible growth going on the whole time. It would be a very damaging mistake to keep digging up that seed wouldn't it. You know, "I got to see if anything is happening here." You're going to ruin it that way. The invisible growing time is then followed by some first signs of life. And ultimately, the long-awaited crop appears...but not really suddenly. Just like those beautiful flowers of spring.

Often when God is answering our prayer or preparing a great work, it looks for a long time as if nothing is happening. You might need to remember that right now. Think about what you've worked so hard for, prayed so hard for, and there's little or no visible result. A family member or friend you've tried to reach - or who's spiritually wandering. Maybe it's a medical or financial or spiritual breakthrough you need, or just a long-standing need of some other kind. Some days it looks as if the prayer, the cry, the dream of your heart will never happen. And you feel like asking, as Mary and Martha must have asked when Jesus did not arrive in time to heal their dying brother Lazarus, "Where are You, Lord?" He would answer quietly and invisibly, "I'm preparing the answer." By the way, Mary and Martha got more than they could have ever dreamed. They didn't get a healing - they got a resurrection!

So, don't give up now, don't panic, don't try to figure out your own solution, don't push too hard or don't keep digging up the seed. Slowly, but surely, the processes of God will blossom and you will reap what you have sown. Just remain faithful in the part He's asked you to play.

Just because you can't see God working doesn't mean He isn't working. Just think of all those spectacular spring blossoms. They were a long time in coming, but they came. And so will your spring.

Jeremiah 6, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: SELECTIVE LISTENING - March 26, 2024

Two types of thoughts continuously vie for your attention. One says, “Yes, you can.” The other says, “No, you can’t.” One says, “God will help you.” The other lies, “God has left you.” One proclaims God’s strengths; the other lists your failures.

Here’s the great news: you select the voice you hear. Why give ear to pea-brains and scoffers when you can, with the same ear, listen to the voice of God?

Turn a deaf ear to the old voices. Open a wide eye to the new choices. The scripture says, “God’s power is very great for us who believe. That power is the same as the great strength God used to raise Christ from the dead and put him at his right side in the heavenly world” (Ephesians 1:19-20 NCV).

Jeremiah 6

A City Full of Lies

1–5  6 “Run for your lives, children of Ben-jamin!

Get out of Jerusalem, and now!

Give a blast on the ram’s horn in Blastville.

Send up smoke signals from Smoketown.

Doom pours out of the north—

massive terror!

I have likened my dear daughter Zion

to a lovely meadow.

Well, now ‘shepherds’ from the north have discovered her

and brought in their flocks of soldiers.

They’ve pitched camp all around her,

and plan where they’ll ‘graze.’

And then, ‘Prepare to attack! The fight is on!

To arms! We’ll strike at noon!

Oh, it’s too late? Day is dying?

Evening shadows are upon us?

Well, up anyway! We’ll attack by night

and tear apart her defenses stone by stone.’ ”

6–8  God-of-the-Angel-Armies gave the orders:

“Chop down her trees.

Build a siege ramp against Jerusalem,

A city full of brutality,

bursting with violence.

Just as a well holds a good supply of water,

she supplies wickedness nonstop.

The streets echo the cries: ‘Violence! Rape!’

Victims, bleeding and moaning, lie all over the place.

You’re in deep trouble, Jerusalem.

You’ve pushed me to the limit.

You’re on the brink of being wiped out,

being turned into a ghost town.”

9  More orders from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:

“Time’s up! Harvest the grapes for judgment.

Salvage what’s left of Israel.

Go back over the vines.

Pick them clean, every last grape.

Is Anybody Listening?

10–11  “I’ve got something to say. Is anybody listening?

I’ve a warning to post. Will anyone notice?

It’s hopeless! Their ears are stuffed with wax—

deaf as a post, blind as a bat.

It’s hopeless! They’ve tuned out God.

They don’t want to hear from me.

But I’m bursting with the wrath of God.

I can’t hold it in much longer.

11–12  “So dump it on the children in the streets.

Let it loose on the gangs of youth.

For no one’s exempt: Husbands and wives will be taken,

the old and those ready to die;

Their homes will be given away—

all they own, even their loved ones—

When I give the signal

against all who live in this country.”

God’s Decree.

13–15  “Everyone’s after the dishonest dollar,

little people and big people alike.

Prophets and priests and everyone in between

twist words and doctor truth.

My people are broken—shattered!—

and they put on Band-Aids,

Saying, ‘It’s not so bad. You’ll be just fine.’

But things are not ‘just fine’!

Do you suppose they are embarrassed

over this outrage?

No, they have no shame.

They don’t even know how to blush.

There’s no hope for them. They’ve hit bottom

and there’s no getting up.

As far as I’m concerned,

they’re finished.”

God has spoken.

Death Is on the Prowl

16–20  God’s Message yet again:

“Go stand at the crossroads and look around.

Ask for directions to the old road,

The tried-and-true road. Then take it.

Discover the right route for your souls.

But they said, ‘Nothing doing.

We aren’t going that way.’

I even provided watchmen for them

to warn them, to set off the alarm.

But the people said, ‘It’s a false alarm.

It doesn’t concern us.’

And so I’m calling in the nations as witnesses:

‘Watch, witnesses, what happens to them!’

And, ‘Pay attention, Earth!

Don’t miss these bulletins.’

I’m visiting catastrophe on this people, the end result

of the games they’ve been playing with me.

They’ve ignored everything I’ve said,

had nothing but contempt for my teaching.

What would I want with incense brought in from Sheba,

rare spices from exotic places?

Your burnt sacrifices in worship give me no pleasure.

Your religious rituals mean nothing to me.”

21  So listen to this. Here’s God’s verdict on your way of life:

“Watch out! I’m putting roadblocks and barriers

on the road you’re taking.

They’ll send you sprawling,

parents and children, neighbors and friends—

and that will be the end of the lot of you.”

22–23  And listen to this verdict from God:

“Look out! An invasion from the north,

a mighty power on the move from a faraway place:

Armed to the teeth,

vicious and pitiless,

Booming like sea storm and thunder—tramp, tramp, tramp—

riding hard on war horses,

In battle formation

against you, dear Daughter Zion!”

24–25  We’ve heard the news,

and we’re as limp as wet dishrags.

We’re paralyzed with fear.

Terror has a death grip on our throats.

Don’t dare go outdoors!

Don’t leave the house!

Death is on the prowl.

Danger everywhere!

26  “Dear Daughter Zion: Dress in black.

Blacken your face with ashes.

Weep most bitterly,

as for an only child.

The countdown has begun …

six, five, four, three …

The Terror is on us!”

27–30  God gave me this task:

“I have made you the examiner of my people,

to examine and weigh their lives.

They’re a thick-headed, hard-nosed bunch,

rotten to the core, the lot of them.

Refining fires are cranked up to white heat,

but the ore stays a lump, unchanged.

It’s useless to keep trying any longer.

Nothing can refine evil out of them.

Men will give up and call them ‘slag,’

thrown on the slag heap by me, their God.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Today's Scripture

Matthew 22:23–33

That same day, Sadducees approached him. This is the party that denies any possibility of resurrection. They asked, “Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies childless, his brother is obligated to marry his widow and get her with child. Here’s a case where there were seven brothers. The first brother married and died, leaving no child, and his wife passed to his brother. The second brother also left her childless, then the third—and on and on, all seven. Eventually the wife died. Now here’s our question: At the resurrection, whose wife is she? She was a wife to each of them.”

29–33  Jesus answered, “You’re off base on two counts: You don’t know your Bibles, and you don’t know how God works. At the resurrection we’re beyond marriage. As with the angels, all our ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God. And regarding your speculation on whether the dead are raised or not, don’t you read your Bibles? The grammar is clear: God says, ‘I am—not was—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.’ The living God defines himself not as the God of dead men, but of the living.” Hearing this exchange the crowd was much impressed.

Insight

Matthew 22 contains one of the many examples in the Gospels of a “shame/honor contest.” Much of the Eastern world today is still rooted in the concept of shame and honor because those cultures are more defined by community expectations than by individual rights. In Western culture, however, the individual is more prominent. In a shame/honor contest, the goal is to take honor from someone and bring shame on them. This requires an audience—the community.

In Matthew 22, the religious leaders attack Jesus in front of the crowds with a series of questions intended to dishonor Him in the eyes of the people (v. 15). Christ answers with irrefutable wisdom, and the religious leaders fail in their attempts to shame Him. By: Bill Crowder

Missing the Basics

You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. Matthew 22:29

For decades, McDonald’s ruled fast food with their Quarter Pounder burger. In the 1980s, a rival chain cooked up an idea to dethrone the company with the golden arches. A&W offered the Third Pound Burger—larger than McDonald’s—and sold it for the same price. Even more, A&W’s burger won numerous blind taste tests. But the burger bombed. Nobody bought it. Eventually, they dropped it from the menu. Research revealed that consumers misunderstood the math and thought the Third Pound Burger was smaller than the Quarter Pounder. A grand idea failed because people missed the basics.

Jesus warned of how easy it is to miss the basics. Religious leaders, scheming to trap and discredit Him during the week He was crucified, posed a strange, hypothetical scenario about a woman who was widowed seven times (Matthew 22:23–28). Jesus responded, insisting that this knotty dilemma wasn’t a problem at all. Rather, their problem was how they didn’t “know the Scriptures or the power of God” (v. 29). The Scriptures, Jesus insisted, aren’t first intended to answer logical or philosophical puzzles. Rather, their primary aim is to lead us to know and love Jesus and to “have eternal life” in Him (John 5:39). These are the basics the leaders missed.

We often miss the basics too. The Bible’s main aim is an encounter with the living Jesus. It would be heartbreaking to miss it. By:  Winn Collier

Reflect & Pray

How do you miss Scripture’s basics? How can you return to the basics . . . to Jesus?

Dear God, sometimes I get lost even amid good things. Please help me.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Spiritual Vision Through Personal Purity

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. —Matthew 5:8

Purity is not innocence— it is much more than that. Purity is the result of continued spiritual harmony with God. We have to grow in purity. Our life with God may be right and our inner purity unblemished, yet occasionally our outer life may become spotted and stained. God intentionally does not protect us from this possibility, because this is the way we recognize the necessity of maintaining our spiritual vision through personal purity. If the outer level of our spiritual life with God is impaired to the slightest degree, we must put everything else aside until we make it right. Remember that spiritual vision depends on our character— it is “the pure in heart” who “see God.”

God makes us pure by an act of His sovereign grace, but we still have something that we must carefully watch. It is through our bodily life coming in contact with other people and other points of view that we tend to become tarnished. Not only must our “inner sanctuary” be kept right with God, but also the “outer courts” must be brought into perfect harmony with the purity God gives us through His grace. Our spiritual vision and understanding is immediately blurred when our “outer court” is stained. If we want to maintain personal intimacy with the Lord Jesus Christ, it will mean refusing to do or even think certain things. And some things that are acceptable for others will become unacceptable for us.

A practical help in keeping your personal purity unblemished in your relations with other people is to begin to see them as God does. Say to yourself, “That man or that woman is perfect in Christ Jesus! That friend or that relative is perfect in Christ Jesus!”

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

There is nothing, naturally speaking, that makes us lose heart quicker than decay—the decay of bodily beauty, of natural life, of friendship, of associations, all these things make a man lose heart; but Paul says when we are trusting in Jesus Christ these things do not find us discouraged, light comes through them.

The Place of Help

Bible in a Year: Joshua 22-24; Luke 3

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Avoiding Life's Biggest Mistake - #9707

When my wife got a headache I would try to be sympathetic. But occasionally I'd just say, "Well, honey, you know pain always attacks at the weakest point." Sensitive guy, huh? Well, one time my wife was having headaches every day, and burning eyes, and stinging eyes and I really was sympathetic. And she attributed it to the long hours that she'd been working, and she had been. She barely even noticed that her vision was slowly becoming worse. Some time went by. She finally took the time to go to the optometrist, and he said, "Lady, you need glasses." She said that was the day her eyes stopped burning. The headaches stopped, and the road signs suddenly cleared up. She only had one regret. She said, "Why did I wait so long?"

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Avoiding Life's Biggest Mistake."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from this incredible incident in Exodus 8:9-10. Let me give you the scene: God's people, the Jews, have been slaves in Egypt for centuries. God sends Moses to give Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, this message, "Let my people go!" Pharaoh resists God's mandate, and God has sent a series of plagues on Egypt as a result.

As we enter these verses, Egypt has been overrun with frogs everywhere. Finally, he's had enough. Here's what he said, "Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, 'Pray to the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people and I'll let your people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.' Moses said to Pharaoh, 'I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs.'" Listen to Pharaoh's answer, "Tomorrow." What?

Pharaoh chooses another night with the frogs! He's not alone. Many, many people over the years have had an offer from God in front of them and they have said, "Tomorrow." They have, in essence, chosen another night, another month, another year with the frogs.

Listen to Jesus, "Come to Me all you who are weary and heavily burdened and I will give you rest." It could be that Jesus has knocked on the door of your heart so many times and He's been saying, "Give your life to Me, and you'll finally have that peace that has eluded you for so long." And you've just said, "Tomorrow."

Jesus stands ready to fill that hole in your heart with the relationship with Him that you were made for. He stands ready to replace the death penalty of hell that we all deserve with eternal life in heaven that none of us deserves. It's just like Moses of old, Jesus says, "You pick the time. I will do all of that this day if you will open the door of your heart to let Me in - to trust Me as your personal Savior from your personal sin." And over and over you have picked the time, "Later."

So many who have said "yes" to Jesus have only one regret. "Why didn't I do this sooner?" Why postpone the relief that only Dr. Jesus can give you? One warning here: Pharaoh rejected several more times until the Bible says, "His heart was hardened and he could no longer respond to God's mercy." That's the deadly outcome of saying over and over again to Jesus, "Tomorrow."

If you've never given yourself to the man who gave His life to take you to heaven, to erase the sin that will keep you out of heaven, I hope today you will say, "Jesus, I am yours." I want to invite you to visit our website. There you will be able to find out how you can be sure you belong to Jesus and know that, this day, when He died on the cross it was to give you life forever. That website is ANewStory.com.

God's command is clear. Listen to God's word: "Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart." Are you hearing His voice? You feeling the tug? Don't let your heart get harder with one more "no." One more tomorrow could be one too many.

Acts 27:1-26, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: NEVERTHELESS - March 25, 2024

“If our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart and knows all things” (1 John 3:20 NKJV). When you feel unforgiven, evict the feelings. Emotions don’t get a vote. God’s Word holds rank over self-criticism and self-doubt.

Satan loves to dump buckets of diminishment and discouragement on us.  He taunts us with the lie that we’ll never overcome our bad habits and our addictions. He specializes in telling us what we’ll never do.

But then God comes along, offering freedom with an even more powerful word: nevertheless. “Didn’t read the Bible until retirement age, nevertheless he came to a deep and abiding faith.” We all need a nevertheless. And God has plenty to go around.

Acts 27:1-26

A Storm at Sea

1–2  27 As soon as arrangements were complete for our sailing to Italy, Paul and a few other prisoners were placed under the supervision of a centurion named Julius, a member of an elite guard. We boarded a ship from Adramyttium that was bound for Ephesus and ports west. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, went with us.

3  The next day we put in at Sidon. Julius treated Paul most decently—let him get off the ship and enjoy the hospitality of his friends there.

4–8  Out to sea again, we sailed north under the protection of the northeast shore of Cyprus because winds out of the west were against us, and then along the coast westward to the port of Myra. There the centurion found an Egyptian ship headed for Italy and transferred us on board. We ran into bad weather and found it impossible to stay on course. After much difficulty, we finally made it to the southern coast of the island of Crete and docked at Good Harbor (appropriate name!).

9–10  By this time we had lost a lot of time. We had passed the autumn equinox, so it would be stormy weather from now on through the winter, too dangerous for sailing. Paul warned, “I see only disaster ahead for cargo and ship—to say nothing of our lives!—if we put out to sea now.”

12,11  But it was not the best harbor for staying the winter. Phoenix, a few miles further on, was more suitable. The centurion set Paul’s warning aside and let the ship captain and the shipowner talk him into trying for the next harbor.

13–15  When a gentle southerly breeze came up, they weighed anchor, thinking it would be smooth sailing. But they were no sooner out to sea than a gale-force wind, the infamous nor’easter, struck. They lost all control of the ship. It was a cork in the storm.

16–17  We came under the lee of the small island named Clauda, and managed to get a lifeboat ready and reef the sails. But rocky shoals prevented us from getting close. We only managed to avoid them by throwing out drift anchors.

18–20  Next day, out on the high seas again and badly damaged now by the storm, we dumped the cargo overboard. The third day the sailors lightened the ship further by throwing off all the tackle and provisions. It had been many days since we had seen either sun or stars. Wind and waves were battering us unmercifully, and we lost all hope of rescue.

21–22  With our appetite for both food and life long gone, Paul took his place in our midst and said, “Friends, you really should have listened to me back in Crete. We could have avoided all this trouble and trial. But there’s no need to dwell on that now. From now on, things are looking up! I can assure you that there’ll not be a single drowning among us, although I can’t say as much for the ship—the ship itself is doomed.

23–26  “Last night God’s angel stood at my side, an angel of this God I serve, saying to me, ‘Don’t give up, Paul. You’re going to stand before Caesar yet—and everyone sailing with you is also going to make it.’ So, dear friends, take heart. I believe God will do exactly what he told me. But we’re going to shipwreck on some island or other.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Monday, March 25, 2024

Today's Scripture

Matthew 25:31–40

The Sheep and the Goats

31–33  “When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.

34–36  “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:

I was hungry and you fed me,

I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,

I was homeless and you gave me a room,

I was shivering and you gave me clothes,

I was sick and you stopped to visit,

I was in prison and you came to me.’

37–40  “Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’

Insight

In the parable typically referred to as “the sheep and the goats,” Jesus describes separating people when He returns as one would separate “the sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:32). The two groups are separated based on their care of others. The group identified as “righteous” (v. 37) and the other group both address Jesus as “Lord” (vv. 37, 44). This would have reminded hearers of Christ’s words in Matthew 7:21—that “not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” By: Monica La Rose

Love God by Loving Others

Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. Matthew 25:40

The Alba family experienced the rare occurrence of birthing two sets of identical twins just thirteen months apart. How did they juggle their parental responsibilities as well as their jobs? Their community of friends and family stepped in. Grandparents on both sides took a set of twins during the day so the parents could work and pay for health insurance. One company gave a year’s supply of diapers. The couple’s coworkers donated their personal sick days. “We couldn’t have done it without our community,” they agreed. In fact, during a live interview, the cohost removed her mic and ran after one renegade toddler, continuing the communal investment!

In Matthew 25:31–46, Jesus tells a parable to make the point that when we serve others, we serve God. After listing acts of service, including providing food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, lodging for the homeless, clothes for the naked, and healing for the sick (vv. 35–36), Jesus concludes, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (v. 40).

Imagining Jesus as the ultimate recipient of our kindness is true motivation to serve in our neighborhoods, families, churches, and world. When He prompts us to sacrificially invest in the needs of others, we serve Him. When we love others, we love God. By:  Elisa Morgan

Reflect & Pray

How might you serve Jesus in your community today? How can you love God by loving others in your path?

Loving God, please open my eyes to the needs of others around me so I can help meet them and love You better.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Monday, March 25, 2024

Maintaining the Proper Relationship

…the friend of the bridegroom… —John 3:29

Goodness and purity should never be traits that draw attention to themselves, but should simply be magnets that draw people to Jesus Christ. If my holiness is not drawing others to Him, it is not the right kind of holiness; it is only an influence which awakens undue emotions and evil desires in people and diverts them from heading in the right direction. A person who is a beautiful saint can be a hindrance in leading people to the Lord by presenting only what Christ has done for him, instead of presenting Jesus Christ Himself. Others will be left with this thought— “What a fine person that man is!” That is not being a true “friend of the bridegroom”— I am increasing all the time; He is not.

To maintain this friendship and faithfulness to the Bridegroom, we have to be more careful to have the moral and vital relationship to Him above everything else, including obedience. Sometimes there is nothing to obey and our only task is to maintain a vital connection with Jesus Christ, seeing that nothing interferes with it. Only occasionally is it a matter of obedience. At those times when a crisis arises, we have to find out what God’s will is. Yet most of our life is not spent in trying to be consciously obedient, but in maintaining this relationship— being the “friend of the bridegroom.” Christian work can actually be a means of diverting a person’s focus away from Jesus Christ. Instead of being friends “of the bridegroom,” we may become amateur providences of God to someone else, working against Him while we use His weapons.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The measure of the worth of our public activity for God is the private profound communion we have with Him.… We have to pitch our tents where we shall always have quiet times with God, however noisy our times with the world may be. My Utmost for His Highest, January 6, 736 R

Bible in a Year: Joshua 19-21; Luke 2:25-52

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Monday, March 25, 2024

Surprises in the Storm - #9706

It was some years ago, but I remember when they closed our local airport. There was a violent storm at Newark airport, and thousands of people had their plans suddenly changed. Storms have a way of doing that, don't they? There's a snow storm, for example, and schools and businesses oh, they all had their plans made for the day, and suddenly all those plans are out the window. Meetings that had to be today are amazingly rescheduled. Planes and ships are diverted or blown off course. You see, a storm is a classic embodiment of that familiar phrase, "Due to circumstances beyond our control..." Maybe you're in the middle of a storm right now. Your life, your plans are being blown around, and it seems like everything is out of control. I've got good news for you today.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Surprises in the Storm."

Now, our word for today from the Word of God is going to come from Acts 27. It's about surprises in the storm. Now, I don't know where your storm is right now, but maybe there's something that is just blowing your life out of control. By the way, if you're not in a storm, well just stay tuned - you'll have yours pretty soon. That's just the way life is. Now maybe in your life right now things are just suddenly out of control financially or at work. Or there's a family situation that you just can't seem to change. Or it could be that your health has suddenly become turbulent. Somehow there's an out-of-control time in your life. Well, you'll be able to relate to Paul's storm in Acts 27.

What was happening was that he was being taken by Roman soldiers on a grain ship from Israel to Rome. They had a lot of water to cross to get from where Israel is and to cross the ocean and to get over to Italy where they needed to be, and in the middle of all this they encountered a terrible storm that lasted for 14 days. Hurricane strength, we're told in Acts 27:20, "When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved."

Now, if you've ever felt like all your points of reference were gone, you couldn't see the sun, the moon, the stars - all the things you usually count on, the storm was that bad. The things you were able to hang on to before, they're not there. Well, maybe you're there right now, and you know what, it is easy to give up hope. Well the outcome of the story you need to take note of. It says, "Everyone reached land in safety." They were blown into the rocks after two weeks, but it says they were on an island. And in chapter 28 we found out the island was called Malta. Do you know where Malta is? It's on the southern coast of Italy.

It's right where they had been heading all the time. Oh, they'd been out of control for two weeks or so it seemed, but the whole time they had been out of control they had been right on course and so are you. Nahum 1:3 says, "The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and the storm."

It may feel like you're either going nowhere right now or you're on the verge of disaster - maybe on the verge of being blown on the rocks. But remember, the surprise in the storm is this: that God uses these out-of-control times. He uses them to blow His children right where they were supposed to go all along. I know it feels like your life is out of control, but you know what? You're really right on course.