Max Lucado Daily: A SEASON OF SUFFERING - February 13, 2025
God uses our struggles for his glory. The last three years of my dad’s life were scarred by ALS. The disease took him from being a healthy mechanic to being a bed-bound paralytic. He lost his voice and his muscles, but he never lost his faith. Visitors noticed. Not so much in what he said, but more in what he didn’t say. Never outwardly angry or bitter, Jack Lucado suffered with dignity. His faith led one man to seek a like faith. This man sought me out and told me. Because of my dad’s example, he became a Jesus follower.
Did God orchestrate my father’s illness for that very reason? Knowing the value God places on one soul, I wouldn’t be surprised. And imagining the splendor of heaven, I know my father is not complaining. A season of suffering is a small assignment when compared to the great reward!
Max on Life: Answers and Insights to Your Most Important Questions
Matthew 6:1-18
The World Is Not a Stage
1 6 “Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding.
2–4 “When you do something for someone else, don’t call attention to yourself. You’ve seen them in action, I’m sure—‘playactors’ I call them—treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that’s all they get. When you help someone out, don’t think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.
Pray with Simplicity
5 “And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?
6 “Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.
7–13 “The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:
Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best—
as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
14–15 “In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part.
16–18 “When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don’t make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won’t make you a saint. If you ‘go into training’ inwardly, act normal outwardly. Shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face. God doesn’t require attention-getting devices. He won’t overlook what you are doing; he’ll reward you well.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, February 13, 2025
by James Banks
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE
Numbers 6:22-27
The Aaronic Blessing
22–23 God spoke to Moses: “Tell Aaron and his sons, This is how you are to bless the People of Israel. Say to them,
24 God bless you and keep you,
25 God smile on you and gift you,
26 God look you full in the face
and make you prosper.
27 In so doing, they will place my name on the People of Israel—
I will confirm it by blessing them.”
Today's Insights
In showering the people with His favor, God instructed the high priest to bestow on them the blessing found in Numbers 6:24-26. “The Lord make his face shine on you” (v. 25) is rendered “the Lord smile on you” in the New Living Translation. God smiling and turning “his face toward you” (v. 26) expresses the idea that the people have God’s special attention and approval. This benediction, pronounced by many pastors at the end of church services today, affirms that God provides for and protects His people, assuring us of His presence, pardon, and peace. The Hebrew concept of peace (shalom) is all-embracing and includes the concepts of completeness, security, health, wealth, tranquility, contentment, friendship, and peace with God and humanity.
Never Overlooked by God
The Lord make his face shine on you. Numbers 6:25
“Sometimes I just feel so . . . invisible.” The word hung in the air as Joanie talked to her friend. Her husband had left for another woman, leaving Joanie with young children still at home. “I gave him my best years,” she confided. “And now I don’t know if anyone would really see me or take the time to actually know me.”
“I’m so sorry,” her friend responded. “My dad walked out when I was six, and it was hard for us, especially Mom. But she said this thing when she tucked me in at night that I never forgot: ‘God never closes His eyes.’ When I was older, she explained she was trying to teach me that God loved me and watched over me always, even while I slept.”
The Bible presents words God gave Moses to share with His people during a challenging time, when they were wandering in Sinai’s desert: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26). The blessing was to be spoken by the priests over the people.
Even in life’s wildernesses—those places where we wonder if anyone sees us or truly understands—God is faithful. God’s favor—His shining face and enduring love—is always turned toward those who love Him, even when we can’t feel Him because of our pain. No one is invisible to God.
Reflect & Pray
How does it comfort you to know that God truly sees you? Who can you share that comfort with today?
Thank You, Father, for seeing me, knowing me, and loving me. Please help me to turn my face to You always!
Hear more from James Banks on how God sees our needs and hears our prayers.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, February 13, 2025
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” — 1 Samuel 3:10
Am I hearing what God is saying? Perhaps I’ve listened well to one of his commands, but I’ve turned a deaf ear to the rest. This is how I show God that I don’t love or respect him: I act like I can’t hear him, even though he is speaking to me clearly. Samuel deliberately turned his attention to God, and assured God that his ears were open.
Jesus said, “You are my friends if you do what I command” (John 15:14). Am I being a friend to the Lord, or am I disobeying his commands? If I’d been listening, I wouldn’t have consciously disobeyed. Most of us don’t care enough to listen. Our Lord might as well have said nothing at all.
The goal of my spiritual life is to be so closely identified with Jesus Christ that I always hear God and I know that he always hears me (John 17). When I am identified with the Lord like this, my ears are attuned to his voice at every moment and in every situation. A lily, a tree, the words of one of his servants: all may convey God’s message. If I haven’t cultivated this devotion of listening, his voice comes through to me only at certain times. Most of the time, caught up in serving or in my convictions, I pretend I’m too busy to listen. Serving is a good thing, but if it drowns out God’s voice, I know my devotion is running in the wrong direction.
Have I heard God’s voice today, or have I become deaf to him?
Leviticus 14; Matthew 26:51-75
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
Civilization is based on principles which imply that the passing moment is permanent. The only permanent thing is God, and if I put anything else as permanent, I become atheistic. I must build only on God (John 14:6).
The Highest Good—Thy Great Redemption, 565 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, February 13, 2025
You Win, I Win - #9939
Joey's story really touched me. Joey ran in the handicapped Olympics that were held in conjunction with the Olympics in Seoul, Korea some years ago. Of course it was at a separate location, and in his particular track event there were only two people competing. Well, Joey got off to a good start, but of course because of his handicaps, his arms and legs were flailing and he wasn't very graceful. The announcer was heard to say at the beginning of the race, "I'm glad I'm not like Joey."
Well, as Joey took the lead, his coach kept yelling over the sounds of a crowd who were basically dispersing for the day, "Come on, Joey, you're a winner! You can do it!" And as Joey continued to increase his lead, he would chant and say, "Come on, Joey, that's it! You're a winner! You're a winner!" Well, Joey was doing better and better, and his coach's cheers were getting louder and louder.
And then suddenly Joey stopped in his tracks. What happened after that melted that announcer's heart, and actually mine too when I heard about it. Maybe you'll be like me. Maybe you'll want to be like Joey.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "You Win, I Win."
Well, our word for today from the Word of God comes from Acts 9. We'll get to that after you hear what Joey did when he stopped in his tracks during the race. Much to the consternation of his coach, he turned to his opponent; the only other guy in the race and yelled, "Come on! You're a winner too! You're a winner too!" His coach ran out to the track and yelled, "No! You don't want him to be a winner! You're the winner!"
Well, no matter what the coach said, Joey waited for that other boy to catch up. And then they crossed the finish line together with their arms raised in victory. The announcer who had said at the beginning of the race, "Sure glad I'm not like Joey" at the end was heard to say, "I sure wish I was more like Joey" and so do I.
See, in a competitive, I've-got-to-make-it world; the real heroes are the people who make other people winners. Acts 9 tells us about Barnabas, who we are told was the one who when the disciples didn't know what to do with Saul of Tarsus - this former Christian Persecutor - it says, "Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles." And then we're told in Acts 11:25, "Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul." Then in chapter 13, God says, "Separate for me Barnabas and Saul for the work." And then by the end of that chapter it says, "Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue." Did you notice, Barnabas was in the front seat when we started here, and suddenly he's taken a back seat?
See, Barnabas? Well, he was like Joey. He didn't have to come out on top; he didn't care if they remembered his name. He just wanted others to win. Are you like that? Your Master was. He gave up His life for ours so we can win eternal life. Your friends need someone who's willing to put aside their own interests and to say, "You're a winner! You can make it!"
You see, your children need that kind of encouragement from you. They need to know not just what needs improving. We're really good as parents at talking about that. They need to know what they are doing right. "You can do it! You're a winner, my daughter! You're a winner, my son!" And the people at work starved for encouragement, the people at your church; again there could be a lot of shame, there could be a lot of guilt, there could be a lot of condemnation. A lot of people don't feel very important. A lot of people feel on the edges - excluded. Will you be the one who pushes other people to the front? You won't lose if you stop promoting you and start promoting others. You'll both win.
So, be like your Master. Enable someone else to be a winner. Look at the people close to you and quit trying to beat them, or use them, or to control them. Look at them and say, "Hey, if you win, I win."
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