Max Lucado Daily: THE IMPLANTED WORD - September 23, 2025
James, the half-brother of Jesus, gave this admonition: “Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21 ESV). What a grand invitation! It’s not enough to uproot, we must also replant.
Jesus described a demon who had been cast out of a person. It roams about, looking for a new home. Not finding one, it returns to its former place of residence and finds it “spotlessly clean, but vacant” (Matthew 12:43 MSG). The demon sees no barrier, alerts its buddies, and they show up with a keg of chaos.
To clean out the old is wonderful, but to usher in the new—that’s essential. Uprooting weeds of lies is necessary. Replacing them with truth is vital.
Tame Your Thoughts: Three Tools to Renew Your Mind and Transform Your Life
Numbers 4
Duties of the Kohathites
1–3 4 God spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said, “Number the Kohathite line of Levites by clan and family. Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age, all who enter the ministry to work in the Tent of Meeting.
4 “This is the assigned work of the Kohathites in the Tent of Meeting: care of the most holy things.
5–6 “When the camp is ready to set out, Aaron and his sons are to go in and take down the covering curtain and cover the Chest of The Testimony with it. Then they are to cover this with a dolphin skin, spread a solid blue cloth on top, and insert the poles.
7–8 “Then they are to spread a blue cloth on the Table of the Presence and set the Table with plates, incense dishes, bowls, and jugs for drink offerings. The bread that is always there stays on the Table. They are to cover these with a scarlet cloth, and on top of that spread the dolphin skin, and insert the poles.
9–10 “They are to use a blue cloth to cover the light-giving Lampstand and the lamps, snuffers, trays, and the oil jars that go with it. Then they are to wrap it all in a covering of dolphin skin and place it on a carrying frame.
11 “They are to spread a blue cloth over the Gold Altar and cover it with dolphin skins and place it on a carrying frame.
12 “They are to take all the articles used in ministering in the Sanctuary, wrap them in a blue cloth, cover them with dolphin skins, and place them on a carrying frame.
13–14 “They are to remove the ashes from the Altar and spread a purple cloth over it. They are to place on it all the articles used in ministering at the Altar—firepans, forks, shovels, bowls; everything used at the Altar—place them on the Altar, cover it with the dolphin skins, and insert the poles.
15 “When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy furnishings and all the holy articles, and the camp is ready to set out, the Kohathites are to come and do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy things or they will die. The Kohathites are in charge of carrying all the things that are in the Tent of Meeting.
16 “Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, is to be in charge of the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the regular Grain-Offering, and the anointing oil. He is to be in charge of the entire Dwelling and everything in it, including its holy furnishings and articles.”
17–20 God spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Don’t let the tribal families of the Kohathites be destroyed from among the Levites. Protect them so they will live and not die when they come near the most holy things. To protect them, Aaron and his sons are to precede them into the Sanctuary and assign each man his task and what he is to carry. But the Kohathites themselves must not go in to look at the holy things, not even a glance at them, or they will die.”
Duties of the Gershonites
21–23 God spoke to Moses: “Number the Gershonites by tribes according to their ancestral families. Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who enter the ministry of work in the Tent of Meeting.
24–28 “The Gershonites by family and clan will serve by carrying heavy loads: the curtains of the Sanctuary and the Tent of Meeting; the covering of the Tent and the outer covering of dolphin skins; the screens for the entrance to the Tent; the cords; and all the equipment used in its ministries. The Gershonites have the job of doing the work connected with these things. All their work of lifting and carrying and moving is to be done under the supervision of Aaron and his sons. Assign them specifically what they are to carry. This is the work of the Gershonite clans at the Tent of Meeting. Ithamar son of Aaron the priest is to supervise their work.
Duties of the Merarites
29–30 “Number the Merarites by their ancestral families. Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who enter the ministry of work at the Tent of Meeting.
31–33 “This is their assigned duty as they go to work at the Tent of Meeting: to carry the frames of The Dwelling, its crossbars, posts, and bases, as well as the posts of the surrounding Courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, cords, and all the equipment related to their use. Assign to each man exactly what he is to carry. This is the ministry of the Merarite clans as they work at the Tent of Meeting under the supervision of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.”
34–37 Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of the congregation counted the Kohathites by clan and family. All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work in the Tent of Meeting, counted by clans, were 2,750. This was the total from the Kohathite clans who served in the Tent of Meeting. Moses and Aaron counted them just as God had commanded through Moses.
38–41 The Gershonites were counted by clan and family. All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work in the Tent of Meeting, counted by clan and family, were 2,630. This was the total from the Gershonite clans who served in the Tent of Meeting. Moses and Aaron counted them just as God had commanded.
42–45 The Merarites were counted by clan and family. All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work in the Tent of Meeting, counted by clan, were 3,200. This was the total from the Merarite clans. Moses and Aaron counted them just as God had commanded through Moses.
46–49 So Moses and Aaron and the leaders of Israel counted all the Levites by clan and family. All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to do the work of serving and carrying the Tent of Meeting numbered 8,580. At God’s command through Moses, each man was assigned his work and told what to carry.
And that’s the story of their numbering, as God commanded Moses.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
by Mike Wittmer
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE
Acts 20:17-24
On to Jerusalem
17–21 From Miletus he sent to Ephesus for the leaders of the congregation. When they arrived, he said, “You know that from day one of my arrival in Asia I was with you totally—laying my life on the line, serving the Master no matter what, putting up with no end of scheming by Jews who wanted to do me in. I didn’t skimp or trim in any way. Every truth and encouragement that could have made a difference to you, you got. I taught you out in public and I taught you in your homes, urging Jews and Greeks alike to a radical life-change before God and an equally radical trust in our Master Jesus.
22–24 “But there is another urgency before me now. I feel compelled to go to Jerusalem. I’m completely in the dark about what will happen when I get there. I do know that it won’t be any picnic, for the Holy Spirit has let me know repeatedly and clearly that there are hard times and imprisonment ahead. But that matters little. What matters most to me is to finish what God started: the job the Master Jesus gave me of letting everyone I meet know all about this incredibly extravagant generosity of God.
Today's Insights
In Acts 20:22-24, Paul was compelled by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. No matter what happened to him there, his aim was to complete “the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace” (v. 24). This urgency likewise motivated him to urge Timothy to “preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:2). Peter too felt the same urgency. Immediately after being filled by the Spirit (Acts 2:4), he began preaching the good news to the gathered crowd (vv. 14-40). The Spirit is the one who empowers and motivates believers in Jesus to spread the good news (1:8; 4:31; 8:29). And He’s the one who gives us the words to speak (Matthew 10:19-20). The Spirit continues to motivate and compel believers today to tell others about Christ. We can trust Him to provide the words to tell of the Savior who died and rose again so that all who receive Him can spend eternity with Him.
Saving Lives
I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing. Acts 20:19
Adolfo Kaminsky knew how to remove indelible ink from paper. As a member of the anti-Nazi resistance in France, he altered identification cards to save hundreds from concentration camps. Once he was given three days to forge nine hundred birth and baptismal certificates and ration cards for three hundred Jewish children. He labored two straight days without sleep, telling himself, “In one hour I can make thirty blank documents. If I sleep for an hour thirty people will die.”
The apostle Paul felt a similar urgency. He reminded the church in Ephesus how he’d “served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing” (Acts 20:19). Paul said, “I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you” (v. 20). This urgency compelled him to share with everyone the necessity of repentance and faith in Jesus (v. 21). Now he was sailing back to Jerusalem, eager to “finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus [had] given [him]—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace” (v. 24).
Paul couldn’t save people. Only God does that. But he could tell them God’s good news about Jesus, the only “name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Who is the Holy Spirit bringing to your mind today? You can share God’s good news with them.
Reflect & Pray
Who do you know who needs to hear “the good news of God’s grace”? How might you share it with them?
Dear Jesus, please open my heart to those who need You and give me opportunities to tell them of Your love.
For further study, read The Power of Prayer in Sharing the Gospel.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
The Disciple’s Goal
Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem.” — Luke 18:31
In our natural life, our ambitions change as we grow and mature. In our Christian life, the goal is given to us at the beginning: we start with Christ and we end with him; the beginning and the end are the same. Disciples live this out in their willingness to follow Jesus wherever he leads. We think the aim of the Christian life is to be useful or to win converts. The disciple is useful and does win converts, but this isn’t the aim. The aim is to do the will of God by following Jesus when he says, “We are going up to Jerusalem.”
In our Lord’s life, Jerusalem was the place where he reached the climax of his Father’s will upon the cross. Unless we go with Jesus to Jerusalem, we will have no companionship with him. Nothing ever discouraged our Lord on his way to Jerusalem. He didn’t hurry through the villages where he was persecuted or linger in the villages where he was blessed. Neither gratitude nor ingratitude turned him away from his purpose: to go up to Jerusalem.
“The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master” (Luke 6:40 kjv). If Jesus Christ is our master, then the same things that happened to him as he went to his Jerusalem will happen to us as we go to ours. Works of God will be manifested through us; people will be blessed. One or two of these people will show gratitude; the rest will show ingratitude. No matter what, we must let nothing deflect us from going up to our Jerusalem.
“They crucified him there” (23:33). The cross is what happened when our Lord reached Jerusalem, and that happening is the gateway to our salvation. Those who follow Jesus Christ do not end in crucifixion; by the Lord’s grace, they end in glory. In the meantime, our watchword is “I, too, go up to Jerusalem.”
Song of Solomon 1-3; Galatians 2
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
The great point of Abraham’s faith in God was that he was prepared to do anything for God.
Not Knowing Whither
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
HOW TO BUILD A LIFE THAT WORKS - #10097
I guess you could call it creative architecture. Or you could just call it a big stone in the middle of a high brick wall. I saw this phenomenon when I visited the new station of one of our radio partners. The front wall of the station has this big old 230-pound stone about halfway up the wall in the middle of the bricks. There's no way that could be a mistake or an accident. It is, in fact, a message.
A masonry contractor offered to do some of the work on the station, and somewhere along the way he thought about a stone like this. He thought about what the Bible says about Jesus being the "chief cornerstone." So he went to the local quarry and he found this impressive piece of rock, which he installed in a central spot in the front of the building, with the "chief cornerstone" scripture reference under it. I love the reason he gave for this unusual feature. He said, "You build everything around the cornerstone." Wow!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How to Build a Life That Works."
That's a builder who knows how to build a life, not just a building. And he's following the life blueprint laid out for us in the Bible, the only book God ever wrote. God is the Master Architect, not only of the universe, but of your life and mine. He tells us how to build it in our word for today in the Word of God in 1 Peter 2, beginning with verse 4. "As you come to Him, the living Stone (that's speaking of Jesus symbolically), rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him - you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house. See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame. Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. To those who do not believe, 'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,' and, 'a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.'"
These verses are all about Jesus. Your life is supposed to be all about Jesus, with Him as the cornerstone, with everything else in your life built on Him - your relationships, your marriage, your money. But maybe you're building on another cornerstone right now. Slowly but surely, you've pushed Jesus from the center of things to the edge.
He's the King of kings. He's the Lord of lords, but you've pushed Him to the margins. You can tell by how little time you spend with Him, by how little you make Him the bottom line in your decisions, or by the things you do that break His heart. But count on this: unless your life is being built on Jesus as the center, what you're building is not going to last, it isn't going to satisfy, and it isn't going to work.
The contractor who put that cornerstone in the middle of the wall found it at a quarry on the reject pile. A stone the builders had rejected. It now stands representing the Chief Cornerstone. Jesus is the Cornerstone rejected by man, but loved by those who are building their life around Him. Maybe you've made the mistake of rejecting Jesus as the center of your life. He's the reason you're here. In fact, the Bible says you were "created by Him and for Him" (Colossians 1:16). He gave His life for your sin so you could belong to Him...so you could live the life you were made for.
Would you let today be the day that you open your heart to the One who loved you so much He died for you? That would be God's only Son, Jesus, who knocks at the door of your heart this very day. But the handle is on the inside. You've got to let Him in.
Today, would you say, "Jesus, I've built my life around me. I'm building it around You from now on. You died for my sin, You walked out of your grave under your own power. Walk into my life this day. I invite You. I turn my life over to You."
Listen, I wish you would go to our website today. Everything you need to know about making sure you belong to Him is there. It's ANewStory.com.
Jesus is the only Cornerstone that can support everything you face in your life. Make sure that you're building that life all around Him.
