Max Lucado Daily: APPRECIATE FUN - April 23, 2025
Jesus was a likable fellow, and his disciples should be the same. Now I’m not talking debauchery, drunkenness, and adultery. I’m not endorsing compromise, coarseness, or obscenity. I am simply crusading for the freedom to enjoy a good joke, enliven a dull party, and appreciate a fun evening. Jesus was a party lover. His foes accused him of eating too much, drinking too much, and hanging out with the wrong people. I must confess, it’s been a while since I’ve been accused of having too much fun. How about you?
Jesus laughed. He had fun. He was always invited to the party because people wanted to be near him. Who could be relied on to be the life of the party more than the One who came to give life with joy and abundance?
Jesus, the God Who Knows Your Name
Genesis 26
There was a famine in the land, as bad as the famine during the time of Abraham. And Isaac went down to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, in Gerar.
2–5 God appeared to him and said, “Don’t go down to Egypt; stay where I tell you. Stay here in this land and I’ll be with you and bless you. I’m giving you and your children all these lands, fulfilling the oath that I swore to your father Abraham. I’ll make your descendants as many as the stars in the sky and give them all these lands. All the nations of the Earth will get a blessing for themselves through your descendants. And why? Because Abraham obeyed my summons and kept my charge—my commands, my guidelines, my teachings.”
6 So Isaac stayed put in Gerar.
7 The men of the place questioned him about his wife. He said, “She’s my sister.” He was afraid to say “She’s my wife.” He was thinking, “These men might kill me to get Rebekah, she’s so beautiful.”
8–9 One day, after they had been there quite a long time, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out his window and saw Isaac fondling his wife Rebekah. Abimelech sent for Isaac and said, “So, she’s your wife. Why did you tell us ‘She’s my sister’?”
Isaac said, “Because I thought I might get killed by someone who wanted her.”
10 Abimelech said, “But think of what you might have done to us! Given a little more time, one of the men might have slept with your wife; you would have been responsible for bringing guilt down on us.”
11 Then Abimelech gave orders to his people: “Anyone who so much as lays a hand on this man or his wife dies.”
12–15 Isaac planted crops in that land and took in a huge harvest. God blessed him. The man got richer and richer by the day until he was very wealthy. He accumulated flocks and herds and many, many servants, so much so that the Philistines began to envy him. They got back at him by throwing dirt and debris into all the wells that his father’s servants had dug back in the days of his father Abraham, clogging up all the wells.
16 Finally, Abimelech told Isaac: “Leave. You’ve become far too big for us.”
17–18 So Isaac left. He camped in the valley of Gerar and settled down there. Isaac dug again the wells which were dug in the days of his father Abraham but had been clogged up by the Philistines after Abraham’s death. And he renamed them, using the original names his father had given them.
19–24 One day, as Isaac’s servants were digging in the valley, they came on a well of spring water. The shepherds of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s shepherds, claiming, “This water is ours.” So Isaac named the well Esek (Quarrel) because they quarreled over it. They dug another well and there was a difference over that one also, so he named it Sitnah (Accusation). He went on from there and dug yet another well. But there was no fighting over this one so he named it Rehoboth (Wide-Open Spaces), saying, “Now God has given us plenty of space to spread out in the land.” From there he went up to Beer-sheba. That very night God appeared to him and said,
I am the God of Abraham your father;
don’t fear a thing because I’m with you.
I’ll bless you and make your children flourish
because of Abraham my servant.
25 Isaac built an altar there and prayed, calling on God by name. He pitched his tent and his servants started digging another well.
26–27 Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his advisor and Phicol the head of his troops. Isaac asked them, “Why did you come to me? You hate me; you threw me out of your country.”
28–29 They said, “We’ve realized that God is on your side. We’d like to make a deal between us—a covenant that we maintain friendly relations. We haven’t bothered you in the past; we treated you kindly and let you leave us in peace. So—God’s blessing be with you!”
30–31 Isaac laid out a feast and they ate and drank together. Early in the morning they exchanged oaths. Then Isaac said good-bye and they parted as friends.
32–33 Later that same day, Isaac’s servants came to him with news about the well they had been digging, “We’ve struck water!” Isaac named the well Sheba (Oath), and that’s the name of the city, Beer-sheba (Oath-Well), to this day.
34–35 When Esau was forty years old he married Judith, daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath, daughter of Elon the Hittite. They turned out to be thorns in the sides of Isaac and Rebekah.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
by Elisa Morgan
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE
Matthew 18:21-35
A Story About Forgiveness
21 At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, “Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?”
22 Jesus replied, “Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven.
23–25 “The kingdom of God is like a king who decided to square accounts with his servants. As he got under way, one servant was brought before him who had run up a debt of a hundred thousand dollars. He couldn’t pay up, so the king ordered the man, along with his wife, children, and goods, to be auctioned off at the slave market.
26–27 “The poor wretch threw himself at the king’s feet and begged, ‘Give me a chance and I’ll pay it all back.’ Touched by his plea, the king let him off, erasing the debt.
28 “The servant was no sooner out of the room when he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him ten dollars. He seized him by the throat and demanded, ‘Pay up. Now!’
29–31 “The poor wretch threw himself down and begged, ‘Give me a chance and I’ll pay it all back.’ But he wouldn’t do it. He had him arrested and put in jail until the debt was paid. When the other servants saw this going on, they were outraged and brought a detailed report to the king.
32–35 “The king summoned the man and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy. Shouldn’t you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow servant who asked for mercy?’ The king was furious and put the screws to the man until he paid back his entire debt. And that’s exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn’t forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy.”
Today's Insights
Throughout Matthew 18, Jesus used extreme examples to make His point—become like a child to be deemed “greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (v. 4); cut off your hand or foot to keep from sinning (v. 8). In this parable of the man who owed “ten thousand bags of gold” (v. 24), Bible commentator John D. Barry notes the monumental size of the debt: roughly 150,000 years of wages. Christ’s point is that our sin is a debt we can’t possibly repay. Since we’ve been forgiven such a great sum, our own willingness to forgive others is to be likewise limitless.
To Infinity and Beyond!
Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you? Matthew 18:33
In the animated movie Toy Story, a child’s toys come to life whenever he leaves the room or falls asleep. One character, a space ranger named Buzz Lightyear, shouts his signature catchphrase while flying about the bedroom: “To infinity and beyond!”
It’s a phrase that has confused many. Isn’t infinity as far as you can go? How can there be anything “beyond” infinity? Drawing on wisdom from ancient Greek philosophers, mathematician Ian Stewart suggests that what is beyond infinity are yet bigger infinities. On and on and on.
Jesus seems to employ such exponential effort in the realm of forgiveness. When Peter asked Jesus about forgiving another person, “How many times must I forgive him . . . seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, you must forgive him more than seven times. You must forgive him even if he wrongs you seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21-22 ncv). Jesus goes on to tell a parable comparing a merciful king and an unmerciful servant, making the point that when someone truly regrets their error, there is no limit to the number of times we’re to forgive. We’re to forgive others the way God forgives us (v. 33). Over and over, on and on.
That may seem impossible to us. That’s why we constantly need to ask God for His help.
Only in His strength can we do this. Forgiven people forgive people. To infinity and beyond!
Reflect & Pray
Who longs for your forgiveness? What does it mean to forgive another in a way that honors them and God?
Dear Father, please help me to be as generous and wise with forgiveness as You are.
Hear more on how finding the strength to forgive others can bring you peace.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
The Worship of Work
For we are co-workers in God’s service. — 1 Corinthians 3:9
Beware of any work you do for God that allows you to avoid concentrating on him. A great many Christian workers worship their work. The one concern of a Christian worker should be concentration on God, and this will mean that all the facets of life—physical, mental, moral, and spiritual—are free. They are free with the freedom of a child—a worshipping child, not a wayward child. A worker without this solemn, ruling note of concentration on God is likely to be crushed by work, to have no delight in life, no margin of freedom in body, mind, or spirit. The nerves, mind, and heart become so crushingly burdened that God’s blessing cannot settle.
Yet the opposite is just as true. Once your concentration is fixed on God, all the facets of your life are free because they are under God’s dominion. There is no responsibility on you for your work. The only responsibility you have is to keep in living, constant touch with God, and to see that you allow nothing to interfere with your cooperation with him.
The freedom that follows sanctification is the freedom of the child. Once you are born again in the Spirit, you find that the things that used to keep your life pinned down are gone. But be careful to remember that you have been set free for one thing only: to be absolutely devoted to your co-Worker.
We have no right to judge where we should be placed in God’s service. We have no right to our preconceived ideas about what God is preparing us for. God engineers everything. Wherever he puts us, our one great aim is to pour out wholehearted devotion to him in that particular work.
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10).
2 Samuel 16-18; Luke 17:20-37
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
An intellectual conception of God may be found in a bad vicious character. The knowledge and vision of God is dependent entirely on a pure heart. Character determines the revelation of God to the individual. The pure in heart see God.
Biblical Ethics, 125 R
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
HOW TO LIGHT UP YOUR NIGHT - #9988
When our oldest grandson was 14 months old, he had a ball discovering his world. I loved to take him in my arms and get him excited about something in God's world. I'd point to a tree, or a flower, or a dog, or a cow and I'd teach him the word for it. After that, whenever we'd be together, he'd start the pointing, and he'd give me his version of the word for whatever he was pointing to. But I think I saw the greatest wonder in him when he'd look up at the night sky. It didn't matter what was going on around him, he'd start looking up and pointing at the moon, the stars. Man, he loved the stars! He just couldn't miss those lights shining in that dark night sky.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How to Light Up Your Night."
Our word for today from the Word of God talks about lights that stand out attractively against a dark night sky. But this isn't about looking at the stars. No, it's about being the stars!
In Philippians 2:14 God says, "Do everything without complaining or arguing" - how are you doing on that one? - "so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life." If it weren't for the stars some nights, it would be totally dark. If it weren't for you at your workplace, your neighborhood, at your school, it would be totally dark! God put you in a dark place to light up the night!
These verses help us see what kinds of characteristics will really show up in the middle of a moral night. He says we shouldn't complain. If you are the positive, uncomplaining person in an environment where there's a lot of negativity, you're going to be light in a dark place. God says here not to argue. If you're the peaceable person in a setting where there's anger and conflict and tension, you're going to illuminate the night sky.
God also tells us to be pure and blameless in crooked and depraved surroundings. So, you're the one who lives and talks pure when it comes to sex, even if no one else does; especially if no one else does. You're the one who always tells the truth in a world where lying is a way of life. You'll not compromise your integrity no matter how much compromise you're surrounded by. You'll be the one who is always building other people up in an environment where people are usually tearing each other down. Where everyone is pretty much looking out for themselves, you just keep putting other people first.
Believe me, you live that way and you will be the light where you are, keeping that place from being totally dark. And you will win the right to hold out the word of life to people - the good news about Jesus and what He did on the cross for them. Which means you may have the privilege of leading someone you know out of the darkness forever! And in the words of Daniel 12:3, "Those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever."
Maybe you've been lamenting how dark it is where you work, where you go to school, where you live, or where you recreate. But you know what that means? You have an exciting opportunity! You can light up that night!
When my grandson used to look at a dusky, partially dark sky, he couldn't always see the stars. But the darker it got, the more the light showed up! The darkness around you should never dim your light. No, it should just make it show up brighter than ever!
