Max Lucado Daily: I Choose
It's quiet. It's early. For the next 12 hours I'll be exposed to the day's demands. It's now that I must make a choice. And so I choose-love. I will love God and what God loves.
I choose joy.
I choose peace. I will live forgiven.
I choose patience-Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I'll thank God for a moment to pray.
I choose kindness-for that's how God has treated me.
I choose goodness.
I choose faithfulness. Today I'll keep my promises. My wife will not question my love.
I choose gentleness. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.
I choose self-control. I will be impassioned only by my faith and influenced only by God.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When this day is done, I'll place my head on my pillow and rest.
From When God Whispers Your Name
Genesis 46
Jacob Goes to Egypt
So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
2 And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, “Jacob! Jacob!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
3 “I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. 4 I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.”
5 Then Jacob left Beersheba, and Israel’s sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. 6 So Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt, taking with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan. 7 Jacob brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.
8 These are the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt:
Reuben the firstborn of Jacob.
9 The sons of Reuben:
Hanok, Pallu, Hezron and Karmi.
10 The sons of Simeon:
Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.
11 The sons of Levi:
Gershon, Kohath and Merari.
12 The sons of Judah:
Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez and Zerah (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan).
The sons of Perez:
Hezron and Hamul.
13 The sons of Issachar:
Tola, Puah,[a] Jashub[b] and Shimron.
14 The sons of Zebulun:
Sered, Elon and Jahleel.
15 These were the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram,[c] besides his daughter Dinah. These sons and daughters of his were thirty-three in all.
16 The sons of Gad:
Zephon,[d] Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.
17 The sons of Asher:
Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah.
Their sister was Serah.
The sons of Beriah:
Heber and Malkiel.
18 These were the children born to Jacob by Zilpah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah—sixteen in all.
19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel:
Joseph and Benjamin. 20 In Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.[e]
21 The sons of Benjamin:
Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard.
22 These were the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob—fourteen in all.
23 The son of Dan:
Hushim.
24 The sons of Naphtali:
Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem.
25 These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel—seven in all.
26 All those who went to Egypt with Jacob—those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons’ wives—numbered sixty-six persons. 27 With the two sons[f] who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family, which went to Egypt, were seventy[g] in all.
28 Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When they arrived in the region of Goshen, 29 Joseph had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father[h] and wept for a long time.
30 Israel said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive.”
31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household, who were living in the land of Canaan, have come to me. 32 The men are shepherds; they tend livestock, and they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.’ 33 When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 you should answer, ‘Your servants have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Psalm 121
A song of ascents.
I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
Insight
The superscription for Psalm 121 is “A Song of Ascents.” This designation is actually given to the collection of psalms that includes Psalms 120–134. Called “a psalter within the psalter” by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, these songs were sung by Jewish pilgrims making their way to Jerusalem for the three primary feast times of the year. The reason for calling them songs of “ascent” is that Jerusalem is the highest point in Israel, so people going to Jerusalem were always going up.
Look To The Hills
By Bill Crowder
I will lift up my eyes to the hills—from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. —Psalm 121:1-2
Atop Corcovado Mountain overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, stands Christ the Redeemer, one of the tallest statues of Christ in the world. Standing 30 meters tall, with arms spreading 28 meters, this sculpture weighs 635 metric tons. It can be seen day or night from almost anywhere in the city. One look to the hills brings this figure of Christ the Redeemer into view.
The New Testament tells us that Christ is not only the Redeemer, but He is also the Creator of the universe, and that Creator is in view in Psalm 121. There the psalmist challenges us to lift our eyes to the hills to see God, for our “help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (vv.1-2). He alone is sufficient to be our strength and to guide our steps as we make our way through a dangerous and troubled world.
We lift our eyes to the One who keeps us (v.3), guards us (vv.5-6), and overshadows us in the face of all types of danger. He preserves us from evil and keeps us safely in His care for all eternity (vv.7-8).
In faith, we lift our eyes to the One who is our Redeemer and Creator. He is our help and our hope and our eternal home.
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home! —Watts
Christ was lifted up that He might lift us up.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, July 10, 2014
The Spiritually Lazy Saint
Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together . . . —Hebrews 10:24-25
We are all capable of being spiritually lazy saints. We want to stay off the rough roads of life, and our primary objective is to secure a peaceful retreat from the world. The ideas put forth in these verses from Hebrews 10 are those of stirring up one another and of keeping ourselves together. Both of these require initiative— our willingness to take the first step toward Christ-realization, not the initiative toward self-realization. To live a distant, withdrawn, and secluded life is diametrically opposed to spirituality as Jesus Christ taught it.
The true test of our spirituality occurs when we come up against injustice, degradation, ingratitude, and turmoil, all of which have the tendency to make us spiritually lazy. While being tested, we want to use prayer and Bible reading for the purpose of finding a quiet retreat. We use God only for the sake of getting peace and joy. We seek only our enjoyment of Jesus Christ, not a true realization of Him. This is the first step in the wrong direction. All these things we are seeking are simply effects, and yet we try to make them causes.
“Yes, I think it is right,” Peter said, “. . . to stir you up by reminding you . . .” (2 Peter 1:13). It is a most disturbing thing to be hit squarely in the stomach by someone being used of God to stir us up— someone who is full of spiritual activity. Simple active work and spiritual activity are not the same thing. Active work can actually be the counterfeit of spiritual activity. The real danger in spiritual laziness is that we do not want to be stirred up— all we want to hear about is a spiritual retirement from the world. Yet Jesus Christ never encourages the idea of retirement— He says, “Go and tell My brethren . . .” (Matthew 28:10).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Big Ears - #7174
I recently heard a story about a farmer who was suing for damages that he had incurred in an automobile accident. A truck hit his pickup truck, and
his pickup was totaled. Well, he was being cross-examined in court by the insurance company attorney who said, "Sir, the report that was taken at
the scene said you told the officer you were fine. Can you explain that?" In other words, why was he suing? And I understand the farmer said, "Me
and my old cow, Bessy, was driving down the road in my pickup truck."
Well, the attorney objected. He said, "Your Honor, wait a minute! He's not answering the question." And the judge said, "Sir, you do have to answer
the question. Would you please?" "Me and my old cow, Bessy, was driving down the road in my pickup truck." Well, now the attorney is a little more
ticked. He said, "He is evading the question, your Honor. I object! Make him answer the question."
The judge said, "Well, maybe we ought to hear everything he has to say." "Me and my..." You want to say it with me now? "Me and my old cow, Bessy,
was driving down the road in my pickup truck, when suddenly this big old semi came across the road and hit us and threw me out of the truck; landed
on the highway. Pretty soon I saw this big old officer standing over me, and I said, 'How is Bessy?' And he said, 'Well, I went over and Bessy
wasn't doing well at all, so I took out my gun and I shot her.' Then he asked me, 'Now, how are you doing?'" I guess he was fine. See, hearing the
rest of the story can make a very big difference.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Big Ears."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from James 1:19. In a way it's a big ears verse. Here's what it says, "Everyone should be quick to
listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry." I remember Warren Wiersbe saying one time, "People get most of their exercise jumping to
conclusions." Well, it's true. It's like the attorney with that farmer. If you'd be silent long enough to hear the whole story, it might change
everything.
That's probably why it says in this verse that people who are quick to listen are slow to become angry. Because they get the rest of the story, and
that often makes the difference. Now, listening makes a big difference in whether or not you understand the other person. You've got to be willing
to hear their whole paragraph, not just the opening sentence and you think you know the rest of it.
A lot of times we just impatiently think, "Yeah, I know what you're going to say." But listen! Hear their heart, not just their words. I mean, this
is basic to a married couple being able to grow into oneness. Or people in a church or a business who have different viewpoints. It's essential to
listen to find some middle ground.
Listening also makes a big difference in whether or not you are listened to. Nowhere is this more important than between parents and kids. When a
parent speaks without listening, which we so often do, that parent has forfeited a lot of authority when they speak. You cut off the communication
that every parent so desperately wants. Our children need to hear our wisdom about their friends, their school work, their music, and their love
life. But they're not going to hear it if we don't win the right to be heard by listening.
And when you're sharing Jesus with someone, don't be a gospel machine gun. Listen! Find out where their need is first. Find out about their
background. One way to show a person you really care is to have big ears. It's very hard for someone to talk into a big mouth. Listen aggressively
with your eyes, with your hands. Ask that second or third question that shows you really care. "How are you doing?" "Fine." "Really? Are you
really?" You can't imagine how much your relationship could be improved by heeding this simple advice from the Word of God, "be quick to listen."
So here's the question for today. When I ask it, I want you to think about the people around you in your personal universe. Would they call me a
good listener? If you haven't been listening, tell them you're sorry you haven't and that you're asking God to help you change.
Beginning today, give the people around you that great gift of your big ears.