Max Lucado Daily: BREAD OF LIFE - April 10, 2024
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again” (John 6:35 NLT).
You know, the grain-to-bread process is a demanding one. Bread is the end result of planting, harvesting, and heating. Jesus endured an identical process. He was born into this world. And then he was cut down, bruised, and beaten on the threshing floor of Calvary. He passed through the fire of God’s wrath, for our sake. Jesus “suffered because of others’ sins…He went through it all—was put to death and then made alive—to bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18 MSG).
Bread of Life? Jesus lived up to the title. But you know, an unopened loaf does a person no good. Have you received the bread? Have you received God’s forgiveness?
Jeremiah 18
To Worship the Big Lie
1–2 18 God told Jeremiah, “Up on your feet! Go to the potter’s house. When you get there, I’ll tell you what I have to say.”
3–4 So I went to the potter’s house, and sure enough, the potter was there, working away at his wheel. Whenever the pot the potter was working on turned out badly, as sometimes happens when you are working with clay, the potter would simply start over and use the same clay to make another pot.
5–10 Then God’s Message came to me: “Can’t I do just as this potter does, people of Israel?” God’s Decree! “Watch this potter. In the same way that this potter works his clay, I work on you, people of Israel. At any moment I may decide to pull up a people or a country by the roots and get rid of them. But if they repent of their wicked lives, I will think twice and start over with them. At another time I might decide to plant a people or country, but if they don’t cooperate and won’t listen to me, I will think again and give up on the plans I had for them.
11 “So, tell the people of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem my Message: ‘Danger! I’m shaping doom against you, laying plans against you. Turn back from your doomed way of life. Straighten out your lives.’
12 “But they’ll just say, ‘Why should we? What’s the point? We’ll live just the way we’ve always lived, doom or no doom.’ ”
13–17 God’s Message:
“Ask around.
Survey the godless nations.
Has anyone heard the likes of this?
Virgin Israel has become a slut!
Does snow disappear from the Lebanon peaks?
Do alpine streams run dry?
But my people have left me
to worship the Big Lie.
They’ve gotten off the track,
the old, well-worn trail,
And now bushwhack through underbrush
in a tangle of roots and vines.
Their land’s going to end up a mess—
a fool’s memorial to be spit on.
Travelers passing through
will shake their heads in disbelief.
I’ll scatter my people before their enemies,
like autumn leaves in a high wind.
On their day of doom, they’ll stare at my back as I walk away,
catching not so much as a glimpse of my face.”
18 Some of the people said, “Come on, let’s cook up a plot against Jeremiah. We’ll still have the priests to teach us the law, wise counselors to give us advice, and prophets to tell us what God has to say. Come on, let’s discredit him so we don’t have to put up with him any longer.”
19–23 And I said to God:
“God, listen to me!
Just listen to what my enemies are saying.
Should I get paid evil for good?
That’s what they’re doing. They’ve made plans to kill me!
Remember all the times I stood up for them before you,
speaking up for them,
trying to soften your anger?
But enough! Let their children starve!
Let them be massacred in battle!
Let their wives be childless and widowed,
their friends die and their proud young men be killed.
Let cries of panic sound from their homes
as you surprise them with war parties!
They’re all set to lynch me.
The noose is practically around my neck!
But you know all this, God.
You know they’re determined to kill me.
Don’t whitewash their crimes,
don’t overlook a single sin!
Round the bunch of them up before you.
Strike while the iron of your anger is hot!”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Today's Scripture
Isaiah 42:5-9
The God Who Makes Us Alive with His Own Life
5–9 God’s Message,
the God who created the cosmos, stretched out the skies,
laid out the earth and all that grows from it,
Who breathes life into earth’s people,
makes them alive with his own life:
“I am God. I have called you to live right and well.
I have taken responsibility for you, kept you safe.
I have set you among my people to bind them to me,
and provided you as a lighthouse to the nations,
To make a start at bringing people into the open, into light:
opening blind eyes,
releasing prisoners from dungeons,
emptying the dark prisons.
I am God. That’s my name.
I don’t franchise my glory,
don’t endorse the no-god idols.
Take note: The earlier predictions of judgment have been fulfilled.
I’m announcing the new salvation work.
Before it bursts on the scene,
I’m telling you all about it.”
Insight
Isaiah 42:1-4 is the first of four “Servant Songs” in Isaiah (see also 49:1-6; 50:4-9; 52:13–53:12). Various passages in Isaiah point to Israel, God’s chosen people, as the servant (41:8; 44:21; 45:4; 48:20). While many of those prophetic songs do deal with Israel in the nation’s circumstances at that time, New Testament scholars believe other passages find their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus the Messiah (42:1; see 11:2; 49:3, 5-7; 50:10; 52:13; 53:11), the one who came in the very form and essence of a servant (Philippians 2:5-8)—obeying to the point of death on the cross. This servant’s heart was also displayed in Christ the night before the cross when He took the place of the lowest slave and washed His disciples’ feet in the upper room (John 13:1-17). This striking example of the heart of the divine Servant was an example to teach us how to serve both God and one another. By: Bill Crowder
Eyes to See
I . . . will make you to be a covenant for the people and . . . to open eyes that are blind. Isaiah 42:6-7
Genevieve had to be the “eyes” for her three children, each born with congenital cataracts. Whenever she took them into their village in the Republic of Benin of western Africa, she strapped the baby onto her back and held on to the arm and hand of her older two, always looking for danger. In a culture where blindness was thought to be caused by witchcraft, Genevieve despaired and cried out to God for help.
Then a man from her village told her about Mercy Ships, a ministry that provides vital surgeries to honor Jesus’ model of bringing hope and healing to the poor. Uncertain if they could help, she approached them. When the children woke up after their surgeries, they could see!
God’s story has always been about coming alongside those shrouded in darkness and bringing His light. The prophet Isaiah declared that God would be “a light for the Gentiles” (Isaiah 42:6). He would “open eyes that are blind” (v. 7), restoring not only physical sight but spiritual vision as well. And He promised to “take hold” of His people’s hand (v. 6). He restored sight to the blind and brought light to those living in the darkness.
If you feel overcome by darkness, cling to hope as you embrace the promises of our loving Father while asking for His light to bring illumination.
By: Amy Boucher Pye
Reflect & Pray
How has God opened your eyes, physically or spiritually? How can He remove the blinders you may have?
Heavenly Father, You desire that no one would live in darkness. Release Your love on those who are blinded in any way, that they might see.
Learn more about having a personal relationship with God.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Moral Decision about Sin
For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. — Romans 6:6
Have I decided that sin will be killed in me? It takes a long time to come to a moral decision about sin, but when I do it is the great moment of my life. In this moment, I decide that just as Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world, so sin will be put to death in me. Sin won’t simply be curbed or suppressed or counteracted in me; it will be outright crucified.
No one can bring anyone else to this decision. We may think that getting rid of sin is a good idea. We may agree that it’s what our religion asks of us. But what we must do is come to the decision Paul forces us to in Romans 6. Paul doesn’t describe something he hopes God will bring about in the future; he recounts a radical and definite experience: “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1–2).
Am I prepared to let the Spirit of God search me until I see what it means to have a sinful disposition—to have something inside me that wars against the Spirit of God? Will I agree with God’s verdict on that disposition, that it must be identified with the death of Jesus? Have I entered into the glorious privilege of being crucified with Christ, until the only life remaining in my body is the life of Christ? “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).
If you haven’t done it already, make the moral decision about sin. Take time alone with God and tell him what you want. Say to him, “Lord, identify me with your death until sin is dead in me.” Only when we’ve been through this radical moment of decision can we consider ourselves dead to sin.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Flowers But No Fruit - #9718
In much of America, spring announces its arrival with an explosion of color. Those yellow forsythia flowers start popping out on bushes, the daffodils start to poke their heads through the ground, and the trees around our headquarters suddenly color the landscape with those delicate white flowers. Now, my wife, who I think was a certified plantologist, told me that those are ornamental pear trees. When I asked her about the "ornamental" part, she pointed out to me that they produce beautiful flowers, but these pear trees don't produce any pears. I guess that's why they're ornamental.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Flowers But No Fruit."
You know, God has people in His family who are like those pear trees. They look good, but they don't produce fruit. And fruit is what Jesus is interested in, not just spiritual decorations on the outside.
That's pretty obvious in our word for today from the Word of God in Luke 13, beginning with verse 6. "And Jesus told this parable: 'A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?' 'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.'"
Now, Jesus is the owner who comes looking for fruit. He is not interested in all our spiritual flowers that impress other people. Oh, it's nice that we can sing His songs, go to His meetings, give to His causes, do some things in His service, and put Him in our busy schedule. But that's obviously not what really matters to Him. He's looking for a life that's producing lasting fruit, not just parading impressive "flowers."
So, when Jesus looks at you, does He see a follower who is fruitful or mostly decorative? When Jesus looks at your ministry, your church, does He see the fruit of changed lives or just the flowers of a busy program and some smoothly running religious machine?
Jesus wants to know what lives you're touching for Him, what lost people you're introducing to Him, how you're investing the talents He gave you in the work He wants done, whether you're living to make an impression or to make money, or whether you're living to make a difference. Including the ultimate difference you can make in anybody's life - pouring yourself into the lives of lost people around you so you can help some of them be in heaven with you.
What if Jesus came to you like it says here in the parable and He said, "I've been coming to look for fruit here for a long time and I haven't found any." I wonder if He would say to you, "One more year. Let's see what you do with these next few months ahead. I'll be back then to see what kind of fruit you have to show for all that I have poured into your life."
You can't have any of the fruitless years back. They're gone - they're over. But you can decide today that you're going to make a far greater difference with the rest of your life than you have ever made before!