Max Lucado Daily: IT ONLY TAKES A PRAYER - October 29, 2024
You are valuable just because you exist! Remember that the next time some trickster tries to hang a bargain basement price tag on your self-worth. Just think about the way Jesus honors you, and smile. I do. I smile because I know I don’t deserve love like that. None of us do. When you get right down to it, any contribution any of us makes is pretty puny. All of us, even the purest of us, deserve heaven about as much as that crook on the cross did.
It makes me smile to think there’s a grinning thief walking the golden streets of heaven who knows more about grace than a thousand theologians. No one else would have given the thief on the cross a prayer. But in the end, that is all he had. And in the end, that’s all it took. No wonder they call Jesus a Savior.
Cast of Characters: Lost and Found
Revelation 1
A revealing of Jesus, the Messiah. God gave it to make plain to his servants what is about to happen. He published and delivered it by Angel to his servant John. And John told everything he saw: God’s Word—the witness of Jesus Christ!
3 How blessed the reader! How blessed the hearers and keepers of these oracle words, all the words written in this book!
Time is just about up.
His Eyes Pouring Fire-Blaze
4–7 I, John, am writing this to the seven churches in Asia province: All the best to you from The God Who Is, The God Who Was, and The God About to Arrive, and from the Seven Spirits assembled before his throne, and from Jesus Christ—Loyal Witness, Firstborn from the dead, Ruler of all earthly kings.
Glory and strength to Christ, who loves us,
who blood-washed our sins from our lives,
Who made us a Kingdom, Priests for his Father,
forever—and yes, he’s on his way!
Riding the clouds, he’ll be seen by every eye,
those who mocked and killed him will see him,
People from all nations and all times
will tear their clothes in lament.
Oh, Yes.
8 The Master declares, “I’m A to Z. I’m The God Who Is, The God Who Was, and The God About to Arrive. I’m the Sovereign-Strong.”
9–17 I, John, with you all the way in the trial and the Kingdom and the passion of patience in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of God’s Word, the witness of Jesus. It was Sunday and I was in the Spirit, praying. I heard a loud voice behind me, trumpet-clear and piercing: “Write what you see into a book. Send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea.” I turned and saw the voice.
I saw a gold menorah
with seven branches,
And in the center, the Son of Man,
in a robe and gold breastplate,
hair a blizzard of white,
Eyes pouring fire-blaze,
both feet furnace-fired bronze,
His voice a cataract,
right hand holding the Seven Stars,
His mouth a sharp-biting sword,
his face a perigee sun.
I saw this and fainted dead at his feet. His right hand pulled me upright, his voice reassured me:
17–20 “Don’t fear: I am First, I am Last, I’m Alive. I died, but I came to life, and my life is now forever. See these keys in my hand? They open and lock Death’s doors, they open and lock Hell’s gates. Now write down everything you see: things that are, things about to be. The Seven Stars you saw in my right hand and the seven-branched gold menorah—do you want to know what’s behind them? The Seven Stars are the Angels of the seven churches; the menorah’s seven branches are the seven churches.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Today's Scripture
Philippians 4:4-9
Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
6–7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
8–9 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
Insight
Paul’s teaching on prayer in Philippians 4:4-9 is a wonderful encouragement. But he did more than teach about prayer. The following verses are examples of how the great apostle also practiced prayer on behalf of himself and others: “God . . . is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times” (Romans 1:9-10). “Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved” (10:1). “We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is that you may be fully restored” (2 Corinthians 13:9). “In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy . . . that your love may abound more and more” (Philippians 1:4, 9). This is a small sampling of how Paul prayed for others—both those who believed in Jesus and those who didn’t yet know Him. What a marvelous example! By: Bill Crowder
Pause to Pray
In every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6
A meteorologist in Mississippi went viral for uttering six simple yet profound words during his weather forecast on March 24, 2023. Matt Laubhan was tracking a severe storm when he realized a catastrophic tornado was about to bear down on the town of Amory. That’s when Laubhan paused on live TV to say this prayer heard worldwide: “Dear Jesus, please help them. Amen.” Some viewers later said that prayer prompted them to take cover. His spontaneous and heartfelt prayer may have helped save countless lives.
Our prayers can make a difference too. They don’t have to be long-winded. They can be short and sweet and can be said at any time of the day. Whether we’re at work, running errands, or on vacation, we can “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
God loves to hear us pray throughout the day. The apostle Paul reminds us that we don’t have to be prisoners of worry or fear but can take all our cares and concerns to God: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
Whether we’re enjoying a sunny day or being hit by the literal or figurative storms of life, let’s remember to pause and pray throughout the day. By: Nancy Gavilanes
Reflect & Pray
How can you be more intentional about praying throughout the day? How has your prayer life grown over the years?
Heavenly Father, thank You that I can pray to You at any time.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Substitution
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. —2 Corinthians 5:21
The modern view of the death of Jesus is that he died for our sins out of sympathy. The New Testament view is that he bore our sins by substitution: God “made him . . . to be sin.” Our sins are removed because of the death of Jesus, and the explanation of his death is his obedience to his Father, not his sympathy with us. We are acceptable to God not because we’ve obeyed or promised to give up things but because of his Son’s death.
We say that Jesus came to reveal the loving-kindness of God. The New Testament says that Jesus came to take away the sins of the world. Jesus never spoke of himself as one who’d been sent to reveal the Father’s sympathy. Instead, he spoke of himself as a stumbling block, as someone who came to erect new standards and place new demands on all who heard his word: “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin” (John 15:22). The great stumbling blocks in modern spiritual life are our Lord’s character and the demands of the Spirit. We think we’d be happy if only God would stop demanding personal holiness. Maybe so, but we’d be happy on the way to hell. It is God who puts the stumbling blocks in our path, and the stumbling over them awakens us.
The idea that God died for me and therefore I go scot-free is never taught in the New Testament. What is taught is that “he died for all” (2 Corinthians 5:15) and that, by identification with his death, I can be freed from sin and have his righteousness imparted to me (Galatians 2:20–21). The substitution taught in the New Testament is twofold: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” It’s not Christ for me unless I am determined to have Christ formed in me.
Jeremiah 18-19; 2 Timothy 3
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
When you are joyful, be joyful; when you are sad, be sad. If God has given you a sweet cup, don’t make it bitter; and if He has given you a bitter cup, don’t try and make it sweet; take things as they come.
Shade of His Hand, 1226 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Hope for Your Long Night - #9862
It was another one of our marathon drives. It was a 20-hour trip and my wife and I were alternating at the wheel, and I was doing the night shift. And since it was an early winter trip, the night was a long night. I did my behind-the-wheel calisthenics, I sampled different radio stations, I played stimulating music, kept the temperature at a refreshing level - all those fun things you do when it's you against the night.
Frankly, by 6:00 A.M., I was tired of the darkness. Then, in my rear view mirror, I saw a beautiful sight. In the eastern sky, I could see this bright orange ball peeking over the horizon. The long night was over! The sun was coming up! And I could make the rest of the trip!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Hope for Your Long Night."
Maybe it's been a long night for you. And, like me on that marathon drive, you're tired of driving in the dark. It's been lonely in your long night. You've gotten hurt in the dark, and sometimes you've gotten lost in the dark. Maybe you're wondering if you can make the rest of the trip like this. You're where I was that long night. You are ready for the sunrise, except you may need to change one letter from s-u-n rise to S-o-n Sonrise - that's Son, as in the Son of God.
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from John 9:25, the story of a man whose whole life had been a ride in the darkness. He was blind from birth. Then Jesus invaded his dark world and the sun came up. Jesus did what no one else could do. He healed that man's lifetime blindness. The religious leaders who had it in for Jesus put the man through this brutal interrogation, trying to nail Jesus for violating the Jewish Sabbath by healing him. They were trying to get the man to agree that the person who healed him was really a sinner.
I love this man's bold answer. "One thing I know. I was blind, but now I see." I was in an endless darkness until Jesus touched my life. And I've come into the light. The sun has come up because of Jesus.
What Jesus did for that man, that's what He's done for me and it's what He's done for millions. Not physically, but emotionally and spiritually, and it's what He wants to do for you. There's a spiritual condition that keeps us all from being able to get out of the long night. It's the cause of the long night. It's called sin. It's the running of our own lives instead of God running them. And only Jesus can bring the long night of sin to an end in your life. Like the world's most famous hymn "Amazing Grace" says, "I once was lost but now I'm found. Was blind, but now I see."
There's a reason that only Jesus can bring the sunrise. He descended deeper into the darkness of sin than anyone ever has. He went to a cross where, as He died, He absorbed all the guilt of your sin and mine, and all the punishment we deserve in a hell that has no exit. Because of that unspeakable sacrifice, the Bible says, "God has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves" (Colossians 1:13). How? It says "He made peace through His blood, shed on the cross" (Colossians 1:20).
God brought you and me together today, I believe, because He wants you to know that your long drive in the darkness is almost over if you will put your trust in His Son, Jesus, to be your Rescuer from the darkness of your sin.
You tired of the night? You ready to begin a personal relationship with Jesus, who is "the light of the world" the Bible says? Tell Him that, "Jesus, beginning right here and beginning right now, with all my heart I'm yours." I hope your next step will be to go to our website so you can find, there, the information that will help you secure that relationship with Jesus. It's ANewStory.com.
The long, lonely night has lasted long enough. It's time for the Sonrise. It's time for Jesus.
