Max Lucado Daily: Unnecessary Messes
A lot of us make unnecessary messes. But we can change that. May I make a suggestion? Before you face the world, face your Father.
Take this "pocket prayer:"
"Father. . .You are good. Your heart is good." The words come slowly at first, but stay at it… "Your ways are right. The weather's bad, the economy is bad, but God, you are awesome."
Don't underestimate the power of this moment. You just opened the door to God and welcomed truth to enter your heart. Who knows, you might even start to worship. Is your world different because you prayed? In one sense, no. But you are different. You have peace. You've talked with your Father.
Here's my challenge to you today! With a "pocket prayer" you'll find at BeforeAmen.com-join me every day for 4 weeks to pray 4 minutes-it'll change your life forever!
Before Amen
Song of Solomon 6
So where has this love of yours gone,
fair one?
Where on earth can he be?
Can we help you look for him?
The Woman
2–3Never mind. My lover is already on his way to his garden,
to browse among the flowers, touching the colors and forms.
I am my lover’s and my lover is mine.
He caresses the sweet-smelling flowers.
The Man
4–7Dear, dear friend and lover,
you’re as beautiful as Tirzah, city of delights,
Lovely as Jerusalem, city of dreams,
the ravishing visions of my ecstasy.
Your beauty is too much for me—I’m in over my head.
I’m not used to this! I can’t take it in.
Your hair flows and shimmers
like a flock of goats in the distance
streaming down a hillside in the sunshine.
Your smile is generous and full—
expressive and strong and clean.
Your veiled cheeks
are soft and radiant.
8–9There’s no one like her on earth,
never has been, never will be.
She’s a woman beyond compare.
My dove is perfection,
Pure and innocent as the day she was born,
and cradled in joy by her mother.
Everyone who came by to see her
exclaimed and admired her—
All the fathers and mothers, the neighbors and friends,
blessed and praised her:
10“Has anyone ever seen anything like this—
dawn-fresh, moon-lovely, sun-radiant,
ravishing as the night sky with its galaxies of stars?”
11–12One day I went strolling through the orchard,
looking for signs of spring,
Looking for buds about to burst into flower,
anticipating readiness, ripeness.
Before I knew it my heart was raptured,
carried away by lofty thoughts!
13Dance, dance, dear Shulammite, Angel-Princess!
Dance, and we’ll feast our eyes on your grace!
Everyone wants to see the Shulammite dance
her victory dances of love and peace.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
October 24, 2026
By
Marvin Williams
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE
1 Corinthians 15:51-58
But let me tell you something wonderful, a mystery I’ll probably never fully understand. We’re not all going to die—but we are all going to be changed. You hear a blast to end all blasts from a trumpet, and in the time that you look up and blink your eyes—it’s over. On signal from that trumpet from heaven, the dead will be up and out of their graves, beyond the reach of death, never to die again. At the same moment and in the same way, we’ll all be changed. In the resurrection scheme of things, this has to happen: everything perishable taken off the shelves and replaced by the imperishable, this mortal replaced by the immortal. Then the saying will come true:
Death swallowed by triumphant Life!
Who got the last word, oh, Death?
Oh, Death, who’s afraid of you now?
It was sin that made death so frightening and law-code guilt that gave sin its leverage, its destructive power. But now in a single victorious stroke of Life, all three—sin, guilt, death—are gone, the gift of our Master, Jesus Christ. Thank God!
58With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort.
Today's Insights
In 1 Corinthians 15:58, the apostle Paul reminds us that nothing we do for God is in vain. The Scriptures provide other examples of those who gave to God. A destitute widow gave her last bit of food to feed Elijah—“only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil” (1 Kings 17:12). A little boy offered his “five small barley loaves and two small fish” to feed five thousand men (John 6:9). Jesus commended a poor widow for giving two small copper coins (the smallest coin in circulation) as her offering to God. It was considered of the most worth, however, because she had in effect given all she had (Luke 21:1-4). God doesn’t measure the size of the gift but the sacrificial heart of the giver. We serve Him in differing capacities, and we may not always feel seen. But we can be assured that God sees whatever is done for Him.
For further study, read: Finding Satisfaction in Our Work
Quiet Faithfulness in Christ
Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:58
At a large university, an artist painted ten stunning portraits of the men and women who keep the university running: those working in maintenance, food service, groundskeeping, and security. Moore said he wanted to paint them “in a position of power.” And that’s exactly what he did. He gave dignity to people whose work is often unseen but deeply valuable. One university leader said the portraits even helped to heal long-standing wounds of ethnic division on campus.
That’s a reflection of God’s heart. As the members of the church in Corinth considered God’s promises, the apostle Paul implored them to “give [themselves] fully to the work of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). Because of the victorious death and resurrection of Jesus (v. 57), nothing they did for Him—humble or hidden—was in vain. If they were hesitant or discouraged to do good because they didn’t readily see the results, Paul wanted them to have a heavenly perspective—one that would make them steadfast in their faith, not wavering, and taking every opportunity to do good. They could know that they bore “the image of [Jesus]” (v. 49), and their work for Him counted.
When our service feels small or unseen, we can take heart. God sees and helps us in our work done for Him. Faithfulness may not always make headlines, but it always matters to God.
Reflect & Pray
How does it encourage you to know that the work you do for God isn’t in vain? How can you be more fully committed to working for Him?
Dear God, please help me to do all my work fully for You.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, October 24, 2026
The Proper Perspective
Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ… —2 Corinthians 2:14
The proper perspective of a servant of God must not simply be as near to the highest as he can get, but it must be the highest. Be careful that you vigorously maintain God’s perspective, and remember that it must be done every day, little by little. Don’t think on a finite level. No outside power can touch the proper perspective.
The proper perspective to maintain is that we are here for only one purpose— to be captives marching in the procession of Christ’s triumphs. We are not on display in God’s showcase— we are here to exhibit only one thing— the “captivity [of our lives] to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). How small all the other perspectives are! For example, the ones that say, “I am standing all alone, battling for Jesus,” or, “I have to maintain the cause of Christ and hold down this fort for Him.” But Paul said, in essence, “I am in the procession of a conqueror, and it doesn’t matter what the difficulties are, for I am always led in triumph.” Is this idea being worked out practically in us? Paul’s secret joy was that God took him as a blatant rebel against Jesus Christ, and made him a captive— and that became his purpose. It was Paul’s joy to be a captive of the Lord, and he had no other interest in heaven or on earth. It is a shameful thing for a Christian to talk about getting the victory. We should belong so completely to the Victor that it is always His victory, and “we are more than conquerors through Him…” (Romans 8:37).
“We are to God the fragrance of Christ…” (2 Corinthians 2:15). We are encompassed with the sweet aroma of Jesus, and wherever we go we are a wonderful refreshment to God.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Am I learning how to use my Bible? The way to become complete for the Master’s service is to be well soaked in the Bible; some of us only exploit certain passages. Our Lord wants to give us continuous instruction out of His word; continuous instruction turns hearers into disciples. Approved Unto God, 11 L
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