Max Lucado Daily: Discharged From Prison
Have you ever heard of a discharged prisoner who wanted to stay? Nor have I. When the doors open, prisoners leave! The thought of a person preferring jail over freedom doesn't compute. Once the penalty is paid, why live under bondage? You are discharged from the penitentiary of sin. Why, in heaven's name, would you ever want to set foot in prison again?
The Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 6:6-7, "Our old life died with Christ on the cross so that our sinful selves would have no power over us and we would not be slaves to sin."
He is not saying it is impossible for believers to sin; he's just saying it's stupid for believers to sin. What does the prison have that you desire? Do you miss the guilt? Are you homesick for dishonesty? Was life better when you were dejected and rejected? It makes no sense to go back to prison!
From In the Grip of Grace
Proverbs 18
Words Kill, Words Give Life
1 18 Loners who care only for themselves
spit on the common good.
2 Fools care nothing for thoughtful discourse;
all they do is run off at the mouth.
3 When wickedness arrives, shame’s not far behind;
contempt for life is contemptible.
4 Many words rush along like rivers in flood,
but deep wisdom flows up from artesian springs.
5 It’s not right to go easy on the guilty,
or come down hard on the innocent.
6 The words of a fool start fights;
do him a favor and gag him.
7 Fools are undone by their big mouths;
their souls are crushed by their words.
8 Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy;
do you really want junk like that in your belly?
9 Slack habits and sloppy work
are as bad as vandalism.
10 God’s name is a place of protection—
good people can run there and be safe.
11 The rich think their wealth protects them;
they imagine themselves safe behind it.
12 Pride first, then the crash,
but humility is precursor to honor.
13 Answering before listening
is both stupid and rude.
14 A healthy spirit conquers adversity,
but what can you do when the spirit is crushed?
15 Wise men and women are always learning,
always listening for fresh insights.
16 A gift gets attention;
it buys the attention of eminent people.
17 The first speech in a court case is always convincing—
until the cross-examination starts!
18 You may have to draw straws
when faced with a tough decision.
19 Do a favor and win a friend forever;
nothing can untie that bond.
20 Words satisfy the mind as much as fruit does the stomach;
good talk is as gratifying as a good harvest.
21 Words kill, words give life;
they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.
22 Find a good spouse, you find a good life—
and even more: the favor of God!
23 The poor speak in soft supplications;
the rich bark out answers.
24 Friends come and friends go,
but a true friend sticks by you like family.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Saturday, September 26, 2026
by Tom Felten
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE
Exodus 4:1-5, 10-11
Moses objected, “They won’t trust me. They won’t listen to a word I say. They’re going to say, ‘God? Appear to him? Hardly!’ ”
2 So God said, “What’s that in your hand?”
“A staff.”
3 “Throw it on the ground.” He threw it. It became a snake; Moses jumped back—fast!
4–5 God said to Moses, “Reach out and grab it by the tail.” He reached out and grabbed it—and he was holding his staff again. “That’s so they will trust that God appeared to you, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”
10 Moses raised another objection to God: “Master, please, I don’t talk well. I’ve never been good with words, neither before nor after you spoke to me. I stutter and stammer.”
11–12 God said, “And who do you think made the human mouth? And who makes some mute, some deaf, some sighted, some blind? Isn’t it I, God?
Today's Insights
Exodus 4 records how God repurposed Moses’ staff (vv. 1-5) to accomplish His purpose. The gospel of John describes how a boy’s meager meal was repurposed. A great crowd of people had followed Jesus and were hungry. Christ asked His disciples, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” (6:5). A boy had a boy-sized lunch, barely enough to satisfy a boy-sized appetite. But when the seemingly insignificant was surrendered to God (v. 9), hungry people were fed (vv. 10-13), and God received the glory (v. 14). Today, we can ask God to use us to accomplish His purposes.
For further study, read: The Confidence to Grow
Gifts Repurposed by God
Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied. Exodus 4:2 nlt
Captain Tim Mullane diligently worked at sinking the SS United States—a massive ocean liner. In fact, he was paid to send it down to the depths. Mullane repurposes ships from sailing the seven seas to serving as instant artificial reefs on the ocean floor. Sunken vessels provide attractive destinations for scuba divers and help protect coastlines as they curb the erosion of beaches. While no longer riding ocean waves, the ships continue to provide value lying far beneath them.
Moses’ shepherd’s staff was repurposed for something that would prove to be invaluable for the Israelites. God asked him, “What is that in your hand?” Moses replied, “A shepherd’s staff” (Exodus 4:2 nlt). Moses cared for sheep for forty years (Acts 7:29-30), but his staff would now be used to shepherd his people out of Egypt. The staff was a symbol of God’s working through Moses, and as he “[performed] the signs with it” (Exodus 4:17), God’s power was revealed. As Moses stretched out his “staff toward the sky” God rained hail on Egypt (9:23) and later allowed the Israelites to pass through “the sea on dry ground” (14:16).
God repurposed Moses’ staff and role to accomplish His purposes. He’ll often use our gifts and talents in fresh ways too. How might He be using your “staff” in a new way during this season of life?
Reflect & Pray
Why can it be hard to let go of roles and responsibilities? ?How might God be using your gifts and talents in new ways?
Loving God, please help me see how You’re using my gifts and talents in fresh ways.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, September 26, 2026
The Unblamable Attitude
If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift . . . and be reconciled to them. — Matthew 5:23–24
Jesus tells us that we should leave our gift at the altar if we remember, when we get there, that our brother or sister has something against us. He doesn’t say that every time we come to the altar we should begin, with a morbid sensitivity, to dredge up thoughts of possible problems with our brother or sister. “If you . . . remember” means “If the Spirit of God brings something to your conscious mind.” The Holy Spirit makes us sensitive to things we never thought of before. Never object to the intense sensitivity of the Spirit of God in you when he is educating you down to the scruple.
“First go and be reconciled to them” (Matthew 5:24). Our Lord’s command is simple: go back the way you came; go the way the Spirit of God indicates to you when you are at the altar; go to the person who has something against you, keeping an attitude of mind and a temper of soul that make reconciliation as natural as breathing. Jesus doesn’t mention the other person. He says, “You go.” There’s no question of your rights. The hallmark of the disciple is the ability to waive personal rights and obey the Lord Jesus.
“Then come and offer your gift” (v. 24). The process is clearly marked. First, you arrive at the altar in a heroic spirit of self-sacrifice. Then comes a sudden inspection by the Holy Spirit, followed by the sense of conviction that stops you in your tracks. You go back, tracing the way of obedience to the word of God and constructing an unblamable attitude of mind and temper toward the one you’ve wronged. Finally, you return to the altar, ready to make a glad, simple, unhindered offering of your gift to God.
Isaiah 1-2; Galatians 5
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
We all have the trick of saying—If only I were not where I am!—If only I had not got the kind of people I have to live with! If our faith or our religion does not help us in the conditions we are in, we have either a further struggle to go through, or we had better abandon that faith and religion.
The Shadow of an Agony, 1178 L
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