Max Lucado Daily: ALL WOUNDS WILL BE HEALED - January 7, 2025
In Jesus’ story of the rich man and Lazarus, the latter was a beggar. His body was covered in ulcerated, open wounds. Each day he was loaded in a cart, carried to the property of the mansion, placed on the ground, and left there. And when the servants threw scraps on the street, Lazarus hoped to snatch what he could. The sores on his flesh were horrendous, but the sores on his spirit? Daily reminded of how little he mattered in society.
But then, in a moment, destinies were reversed. Both men died, and Lazarus was “carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom” (Luke 16:22 NKJV). Lazarus was comforted and healed. All wounds will be healed in Paradise.
What Happens Next
Nehemiah 10
The sealed document bore these signatures:
Nehemiah the governor, son of Hacaliah,
Zedekiah, Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,
Pashhur, Amariah, Malkijah,
Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,
Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,
Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah.
These were the priests.
9–13 The Levites:
Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel,
and their kinsmen: Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,
Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.
14–27 The heads of the people:
Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,
Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,
Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,
Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,
Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,
Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,
Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,
Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,
Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,
Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,
Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.
28–30 The rest of the people, priests, Levites, security guards, singers, Temple staff, and all who separated themselves from the foreign neighbors to keep The Revelation of God, together with their wives, sons, daughters—everyone old enough to understand—all joined their noble kinsmen in a binding oath to follow The Revelation of God given through Moses the servant of God, to keep and carry out all the commandments of God our Master, all his decisions and standards. Thus:
We will not marry our daughters to our foreign neighbors nor let our sons marry their daughters.
31 When the foreign neighbors bring goods or grain to sell on the Sabbath we won’t trade with them—not on the Sabbath or any other holy day.
Every seventh year we will leave the land fallow and cancel all debts.
32–33 We accept the responsibility for paying an annual tax of one-third of a shekel (about an eighth ounce) for providing The Temple of our God with
bread for the Table
regular Grain-Offerings
regular Whole-Burnt-Offerings
offerings for the Sabbaths, New Moons, and appointed feasts
Dedication-Offerings
Absolution-Offerings to atone for Israel
maintenance of The Temple of our God.
34 We—priests, Levites, and the people—have cast lots to see when each of our families will bring wood for burning on the Altar of our God, following the yearly schedule set down in The Revelation.
35–36 We take responsibility for delivering annually to The Temple of God the firstfruits of our crops and our orchards, our firstborn sons and cattle, and the firstborn from our herds and flocks for the priests who serve in The Temple of our God—just as it is set down in The Revelation.
37–39 We will bring the best of our grain, of our contributions, of the fruit of every tree, of wine, and of oil to the priests in the storerooms of The Temple of our God.
We will bring the tithes from our fields to the Levites, since the Levites are appointed to collect the tithes in the towns where we work. We’ll see to it that a priest descended from Aaron will supervise the Levites as they collect the tithes and make sure that they take a tenth of the tithes to the treasury in The Temple of our God. We’ll see to it that the People of Israel and Levites bring the grain, wine, and oil to the storage rooms where the vessels of the Sanctuary are kept and where the priests who serve, the security guards, and the choir meet.
We will not neglect The Temple of our God.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, January 07, 2025
by Tom Felten
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE
Job 42:1-6
Job answered God:
“I’m convinced: You can do anything and everything.
Nothing and no one can upset your plans.
You asked, ‘Who is this muddying the water,
ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes?’
I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me,
made small talk about wonders way over my head.
You told me, ‘Listen, and let me do the talking.
Let me ask the questions. You give the answers.’
I admit I once lived by rumors of you;
now I have it all firsthand—from my own eyes and ears!
I’m sorry—forgive me. I’ll never do that again, I promise!
I’ll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor.”
Today's Insights
Job’s friends insisted that his suffering was caused by his sins (Job 3-37). Job relentlessly defended his innocence and sought his vindication from God (23:1-7). Instead of answering his questions, however, God asked Job a series of questions pertaining to His creation (chs. 38-41). Instead of providing an explanation as to why He permitted evil and suffering in this world, God revealed His character.
Job didn’t need to fully understand God’s ways, for no man can (Isaiah 55:8-9). He only needed to humble himself, seek to know God deeply, and trust Him wholeheartedly. His suffering taught him to run to God as the only sure place of refuge—the safest place to go for comfort, sustenance, and strength (Job 42:2-6). Job wasn’t given a reason for suffering, but he discovered that when life comes out short, God is enough (see Psalm 23:1, 4).
Seeing God in Creation
My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Job 42:5
Kenny stood before the congregation he’d left years before after he’d lost faith in God. He shared that his belief had been restored. How? God had touched his heart through the beauty and design he saw in creation. Kenny was in awe of Him once more through the witness of God’s general revelation seen in the natural world, and he now embraced the wisdom found in the special revelation of Scripture. After sharing his story, Kenny stepped into the tank of water at the front of the sanctuary. His father, tears of joy in his eyes, baptized him based on his faith in Jesus.
After he’d lost much in life, Job’s faith had also been shaken. He said, “I cry to you, O God, but you don’t answer. I stand before you, but you don’t even look” (Job 30:20 nlt). God “spoke to Job out of the storm” (38:1), declaring that it wasn’t about Him not seeing Job but that Job’s vision needed to be expanded as he considered God’s amazing, intricate creation. The “earth’s foundation” and the “morning stars” (vv. 4, 7) and all the creatures, plants, and waters found between (vv. 8-41), pointed to the one whom Job could trust—the God of amazing love and power. Job responded by saying, “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you” (42:5).
When doubts threaten your faith in Christ, consider the magnificence of God’s creation. He reveals Himself in it if we only have eyes to see.
Reflect & Pray
How has God revealed Himself in creation? How are awe of God and faith in Him linked?
Creator God, thank You for helping me see You in creation.
Dive into the backstory of Jesus by reading Origin Story: Following Jesus Back to the Beginning.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, January 07, 2025
Intimate with Jesus
Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip?” —John 14:9
Jesus’s words to Philip weren’t said with criticism, or even with surprise. They were an invitation: Jesus wanted Philip to embrace a more intimate relationship with him.
Before Pentecost, the disciples knew Jesus as someone who gave them power to conquer demons and start a revival (Luke 10:18–20). The intimacy they felt with him was wonderful. But there was a much closer intimacy to come. Jesus said, “I have called you friends” (John 15:15). Friendship—true friendship—is rare on earth. It involves two people identifying with each other in thought and heart and spirit. Friendship with Jesus is the whole point of spiritual discipline, yet it is often the last thing we actually seek. We receive his blessings and know his word, but do we know him?
Jesus said, “It is for your good that I am going away” (16:7). He went so that he could lead his friends to ever greater heights and purposes. It is a joy to Jesus when we follow, when we move toward closer intimacy with him. The result is always abundance: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit” (15:5).
When we are intimate with Jesus, we are never lonely, never need sympathy. We can give tirelessly, pouring ourselves out. The impression we leave behind is never of ourselves, only of the strong, calm sanity of our Lord, a sign that our souls have been entirely satisfied by him.
Genesis 18-19; Matthew 6:1-18
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
It is impossible to read too much, but always keep before you why you read. Remember that “the need to receive, recognize, and rely on the Holy Spirit” is before all else.
Approved Unto God, 11 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, January 07, 2025
Lit Up From the Inside - #9912
You don't have to watch TV very long to find out how to be a beautiful woman. They will tell you about hair, skin, mascara, teeth, and all the rest. But every once in a while, you meet a woman and there is this very special kind of beauty about her. There's a quality that is hard to put into words but really makes her special. It's kind of like a beach ball I saw the other night. You say the other night? Yeah. Actually you can use this beach ball in the dark. It has a light inside of it. It's pretty cool! It's the light inside that makes it distinctive.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Lit Up From the Inside."
There is a manual on beauty from the Inventor of men and women. And it tells us guys a lot about what it means to be a guy. As the inventor of man and woman He should know a lot about what He considers the beauty He's built in right? He knows what looks best on a man, He knows what looks best on a woman, and He knows what most appeals to a quality man. And He talks about it in our word for today from the Word of God in 1 Peter 3. I'll begin reading at verse 2. He talks about - and in this case He's speaking to women - people seeing the purity and reverence of your lives. "Your beauty," He says, "should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair (which I guess was big then), and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead it should be that of your inner self (that's that light inside); the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."
There's an echo of this in Proverbs 31 - the description of a woman who has everything going her way. It says, "Charm is deceitful and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised." Every once in a while you'll meet a woman who has more than just lip gloss beauty or mascara beauty. There's a glow, there's a freshness, there's a radiance that comes from deep down inside. She's lit up from the inside, you might say, and it's hard to mistake that glow. They're rare. But you know when something's rare, it's valuable, and that's almost irresistible.
But you know what, there's something wonderful about an outward beauty that is backed by a beautiful spirit. That inner glow - that magnet on the inside - first of all comes from purity this passage says, and then a sense of softness and innocence that sometimes we find less and less. There's a hardness that comes in men and women from using and being used. And then there's the glow that comes from reverence; a woman who starts her day in the presence of Almighty God. There is something, for a man or a woman, that happens inside of them over a consistent time, being with Jesus every day. You start to be like Him.
And man or woman, there's something beautiful about being a person who makes other people feel important instead of calling attention to yourself. You live to give attention, not to get attention. When Jesus takes over your life, there's a beauty treatment on the inside.
When we let Christ do a makeover - He's really good at those. And many a woman with Christ in her heart has a radiance, a magnetic glow that comes through her. That is genuine beauty. It is timeless beauty. It is unfading beauty. A solid gold woman, beautiful, not because they're made up on the outside, but because they're lit up by Jesus on the inside.
No comments:
Post a Comment