Max Lucado Daily: A GREAT DESCENT - April 14, 2025
Gabriel had his orders: take the message to Mary. Must be a special girl, he assumed. But Gabriel was in for a shock. Mary was a Jewish peasant who’d barely outgrown her acne and had a crush on a guy named Joe. But Gabriel followed through on his assignment. He wasn’t about to rebel against his boss, who also happened to control the universe. He visited Mary and told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus” (Luke 1:30–31 NKJV).
The story of Jesus begins with the story of a great descent. The Son of God became the child of Mary. He became one of us so we might become one with him. He entered our world in the high hope that we will enter his.
Jesus, the God Who Knows Your Name
Job 40
God then confronted Job directly:
“Now what do you have to say for yourself?
Are you going to haul me, the Mighty One, into court and press charges?”
JOB ANSWERS GOD
I’m Ready to Shut Up and Listen
3–5 Job answered:
“I’m speechless, in awe—words fail me.
I should never have opened my mouth!
I’ve talked too much, way too much.
I’m ready to shut up and listen.”
GOD’S SECOND SET OF QUESTIONS
I Want Straight Answers
6–7 God addressed Job next from the eye of the storm, and this is what he said:
“I have some more questions for you,
and I want straight answers.
8–14 “Do you presume to tell me what I’m doing wrong?
Are you calling me a sinner so you can be a saint?
Do you have an arm like my arm?
Can you shout in thunder the way I can?
Go ahead, show your stuff.
Let’s see what you’re made of, what you can do.
Unleash your outrage.
Target the arrogant and lay them flat.
Target the arrogant and bring them to their knees.
Stop the wicked in their tracks—make mincemeat of them!
Dig a mass grave and dump them in it—
faceless corpses in an unmarked grave.
I’ll gladly step aside and hand things over to you—
you can surely save yourself with no help from me!
15–24 “Look at the land beast, Behemoth. I created him as well as you.
Grazing on grass, docile as a cow—
Just look at the strength of his back,
the powerful muscles of his belly.
His tail sways like a cedar in the wind;
his huge legs are like beech trees.
His skeleton is made of steel,
every bone in his body hard as steel.
Most magnificent of all my creatures,
but I still lead him around like a lamb!
The grass-covered hills serve him meals,
while field mice frolic in his shadow.
He takes afternoon naps under shade trees,
cools himself in the reedy swamps,
Lazily cool in the leafy shadows
as the breeze moves through the willows.
And when the river rages he doesn’t budge,
stolid and unperturbed even when the Jordan goes wild.
But you’d never want him for a pet—
you’d never be able to housebreak him!”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, April 14, 2025
by Arthur Jackson
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE
Romans 1:8-17
I thank God through Jesus for every one of you. That’s first. People everywhere keep telling me about your lives of faith, and every time I hear them, I thank him. And God, whom I so love to worship and serve by spreading the good news of his Son—the Message!—knows that every time I think of you in my prayers, which is practically all the time, I ask him to clear the way for me to come and see you. The longer this waiting goes on, the deeper the ache. I so want to be there to deliver God’s gift in person and watch you grow stronger right before my eyes! But don’t think I’m not expecting to get something out of this, too! You have as much to give me as I do to you.
13–15 Please don’t misinterpret my failure to visit you, friends. You have no idea how many times I’ve made plans for Rome. I’ve been determined to get some personal enjoyment out of God’s work among you, as I have in so many other non-Jewish towns and communities. But something has always come up and prevented it. Everyone I meet—it matters little whether they’re mannered or rude, smart or simple—deepens my sense of interdependence and obligation. And that’s why I can’t wait to get to you in Rome, preaching this wonderful good news of God.
16–17 It’s news I’m most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God’s powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else! God’s way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along: “The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives.”
Today's Insights
Romans opens with Paul identifying himself as “an apostle . . . set apart for the gospel of God” (1:1). His letter is written “to all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people” (v. 7). Yet he singles out the gentiles for special mention (vv. 5-6), perhaps because their inclusion in the family of faith was still a radical concept. Paul reiterates this cross-cultural unity later in the chapter: “The power of God . . . brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile” (v. 16). His example inspires us to reach out to people in new places with the love of Christ.
Sharing Gospel Resources
I am not ashamed of the gospel. Romans 1:16
The venue and accommodations for our leadership meeting in downtown Chicago were in stark contrast with the neediness I encountered on my way there—neediness that included individuals who lacked the basics of food and shelter. The differences helped me picture and articulate things we needed to include in our vision planning for serving in the city and elsewhere: to get gospel resources (anything given by God to help spread the message of His love and salvation) to places where they’re needed most.
At the time Paul wrote to the Roman believers in Jesus, he hadn’t visited them yet—but wanted to: “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith” (Romans 1:11-12). The apostle was looking forward to a “gift exchange” that would benefit him and others as they sought to live for Jesus and serve others.
The resources we possess include the spiritual gifts and material resources given to us by God. May we allow Him to use us to compassionately reach out to people with the gospel message. And, as God empowers us, let’s open our hearts, hands, and lips to serve others. May we do so “[un]ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes” (v. 16).
Reflect & Pray
How will you share the good news of forgiveness that you’ve received? How can you meet others’ physical needs while sharing the love of Christ?
Dear Jesus, please help me to unashamedly share the good news of Your forgiveness.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, April 14, 2025
Inspired Invincibility
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. — Matthew 11:29
“The Lord disciplines the one he loves” (Hebrews 12:6). How petty is our complaining! Our Lord begins to discipline us, bringing us to a place where we can have communion with him. We should be
delighted. Instead, we whine and say, “Oh, Lord, let me be like other people.” Jesus wants us to be unlike everyone but him. He is asking us to take one side of his yoke so that we can learn to bear our burdens lightly: “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30).
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (Isaiah 40:29). When we fully identify ourselves with Jesus, taking up one side of his yoke, our complaining will turn into a psalm of praise. The only way to know the strength of God is to know the yoke of Jesus.
“The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). If we didn’t know some saintly people personally, we might be tempted to think that their pleasant and peaceful demeanor means they have nothing to bear. Lift the veil. The fact that the peace and the light and the joy of God are there is proof that the burden is there too.
If your burden is weighing on you just now, remember that no power on earth or in hell can defeat the Spirit of God inside a human spirit. To be born again in the Spirit is to gain an inner invincibility. Recall this to your mind whenever you find yourself beginning to grumble. If you have the whine in you, kick it out. It is positively a crime to be weak in God’s strength.
1 Samuel 25-26; Luke 12:32-59
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
Jesus Christ is always unyielding to my claim to my right to myself. The one essential element in all our Lord’s teaching about discipleship is abandon, no calculation, no trace of self-interest.
Disciples Indeed, 395 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, April 14, 2025
MAKING SURE YOU'RE SECURE - #9981
"Office of Homeland Security" - I suppose there are some younger people that didn't know that wasn't always part of the United States government. It's a pretty new thing. The fact that we have, and that we need, an Office of Homeland Security pretty much tells the story of the kind of world we're in right now. I mean, we've got enhanced security at our airports, sometimes tours are curtailed at many public utilities, your bags get searched at sporting events, and business is booming at security companies.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Making Sure You're Secure."
Security is on a lot of our minds these days. We feel a lot more vulnerable, probably, than we ever have. I mean, when we think about security for here and now. Unfortunately, we tend to neglect the largest security concerns of all - our security beyond this life, beyond our last heartbeat. It's eternally important to know that you're safe then. Whether it's the awful toll we've seen in terrorist attacks, or just the death of someone in our personal world, there are constant reminders that eternity can come so close, so quickly.
I once heard about a medieval king who was on his deathbed. He called for the court jester; they called him the court fool back then. He wanted him to come and make him feel better. At one point, the king said, "Fool, I am going on a long journey from which I will not return." The court fool asked if the king had made preparations for his journey, to which the king answered "no." The jester answered, "Then, sire, I fear that you are a greater fool than I."
That sounds like a conversation God had with a very rich man in our word for today from the Word of God in Luke 12, beginning in verse 19. The man is totally involved in managing his success, protecting his financial security. He says, "I'll say to myself, 'You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry.' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then you will get what you have prepared for yourself.'" Tragically, this man who had made such elaborate preparations for his earth-security had made no preparations for eternity.
That man made the mistake of thinking he had many years - a mistake many have made. Frankly, we never know how much longer we have. And you're not secure until you know that you're ready for eternity...which you can be today. 1 John 5, beginning in verse 11, tells us that "God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know you have eternal life." Now that is security! Knowing for sure. Knowing right now that when you die you are going to heaven.
And it all depends on whether you have Jesus. Why? Because He's the One, the only One, who died to remove what will keep you out of heaven - your sin. It can't be repaid by doing good. There's a death penalty for the sin. It can only be erased by putting your trust in the One who took your death penalty for you. When you commit yourself to Jesus, what's between you and God is gone and you "have eternal life"!
That is a choice you can make this very day, right where you are. Don't you want to belong to this Jesus? You can from this day on. You just tell Him you're putting your total trust in Him, you're done running your life. You are His, beginning this day, based on His dying for you.
If you'll go to our website as soon as you possibly can today, I'd love to show you, there, how to be sure you belong to Jesus Christ. It's ANewStory.com.
With eternity so close, does it make any sense to wait? Ultimate security is knowing you're going to heaven, no matter what happens here. Jesus made His move to get you to heaven when He died on the cross for you. It's your move now.
