Max Lucado Daily: GOD’S SOOTHING TOUCH - September 21, 2026
When darkness descends, flee solitude. 1 Kings 19:11 (NIV): “The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’”
God wanted Elijah’s attention. Elijah obeyed and beheld a display of power. The roar of tempests bounced off the canyon walls. “But the Lord was not in the wind” (1 Kings 19:11). An earthquake sent tremors through the desert floor. “But the Lord was not in the earthquake” (1 Kings 19:11). Next came fire that leapt to the height of the trees. “But the Lord was not in the fire” (1 Kings 19:12). Then… “the sound of a low whisper” (1 Kings 19:12).
The soothing touch of God was needed for Elijah’s season of sadness. Listen for it…listen for Him.
Unbreakable Courage
Proverbs 14
A Way That Leads to Hell
1 14 Lady Wisdom builds a lovely home;
Sir Fool comes along and tears it down brick by brick.
2 An honest life shows respect for God;
a degenerate life is a slap in his face.
3 Frivolous talk provokes a derisive smile;
wise speech evokes nothing but respect.
4 No cattle, no crops;
a good harvest requires a strong ox for the plow.
5 A true witness never lies;
a false witness makes a business of it.
6 Cynics look high and low for wisdom—and never find it;
the open-minded find it right on their doorstep!
7 Escape quickly from the company of fools;
they’re a waste of your time, a waste of your words.
8 The wisdom of the wise keeps life on track;
the foolishness of fools lands them in the ditch.
9 The stupid ridicule right and wrong,
but a moral life is a favored life.
10 The person who shuns the bitter moments of friends
will be an outsider at their celebrations.
11 Lives of careless wrongdoing are tumbledown shacks;
holy living builds soaring cathedrals.
12–13 There’s a way of life that looks harmless enough;
look again—it leads straight to hell.
Sure, those people appear to be having a good time,
but all that laughter will end in heartbreak.
Sift and Weigh Every Word
14 A mean person gets paid back in meanness,
a gracious person in grace.
15 The gullible believe anything they’re told;
the prudent sift and weigh every word.
16 The wise watch their steps and avoid evil;
fools are headstrong and reckless.
17 The hotheaded do things they’ll later regret;
the coldhearted get the cold shoulder.
18 Foolish dreamers live in a world of illusion;
wise realists plant their feet on the ground.
19 Eventually, evil will pay tribute to good;
the wicked will respect God-loyal people.
20 An unlucky loser is shunned by all,
but everyone loves a winner.
21 It’s criminal to ignore a neighbor in need,
but compassion for the poor—what a blessing!
22 Isn’t it obvious that conspirators lose out,
while the thoughtful win love and trust?
23 Hard work always pays off;
mere talk puts no bread on the table.
24 The wise accumulate wisdom;
fools get stupider by the day.
25 Souls are saved by truthful witness
and betrayed by the spread of lies.
26 The Fear-of-God builds up confidence,
and makes a world safe for your children.
27 The Fear-of-God is a spring of living water
so you won’t go off drinking from poisoned wells.
28 The mark of a good leader is loyal followers;
leadership is nothing without a following.
29 Slowness to anger makes for deep understanding;
a quick-tempered person stockpiles stupidity.
30 A sound mind makes for a robust body,
but runaway emotions corrode the bones.
31 You insult your Maker when you exploit the powerless;
when you’re kind to the poor, you honor God.
32 The evil of bad people leaves them out in the cold;
the integrity of good people creates a safe place for living.
33 Lady Wisdom is at home in an understanding heart—
fools never even get to say hello.
34 God-devotion makes a country strong;
God-avoidance leaves people weak.
35 Diligent work gets a warm commendation;
shiftless work earns an angry rebuke.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, September 21, 2026
by Bill Crowder
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE
1 Samuel 16:6-12
When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Here he is! God’s anointed!”
7 But God told Samuel, “Looks aren’t everything. Don’t be impressed with his looks and stature. I’ve already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.”
8 Jesse then called up Abinadab and presented him to Samuel. Samuel said, “This man isn’t God’s choice either.”
9 Next Jesse presented Shammah. Samuel said, “No, this man isn’t either.”
10 Jesse presented his seven sons to Samuel. Samuel was blunt with Jesse, “God hasn’t chosen any of these.”
11 Then he asked Jesse, “Is this it? Are there no more sons?”
“Well, yes, there’s the runt. But he’s out tending the sheep.”
Samuel ordered Jesse, “Go get him. We’re not moving from this spot until he’s here.”
12 Jesse sent for him. He was brought in, the very picture of health—bright-eyed, good-looking.
God said, “Up on your feet! Anoint him! This is the one.”
Today's Insights
When Samuel saw Jesse’s son Eliab, he assumed that “the Lord’s anointed” (1 Samuel 16:6) stood before him, for he was strong, impressive, and outwardly fit for kingship. Yet God interrupted Samuel’s confident judgment with a sobering truth: “The Lord does not look at the things people look at” (v. 7). We can sometimes be quick to measure others based on outward appearance, to mistake confidence for calling and stature for faithfulness. But God searches deeper: “[He] looks at the heart” (v. 7). He alone understands the full story within each person, and He’s the only righteous judge. The apostle Paul says that “when the Lord comes,” He’ll “bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart” (1 Corinthians 4:5). Today, when we’re tempted to judge others, God can help us entrust judgment to Him, who sees the heart.
For further study, watch the daily video devotional: It's Easy to Judge
The Heart of the Matter
People look at the outward appearance, ?but the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7
On a teaching trip to Moscow, I decided to take the subway to get lunch. Standing in the subway car, I started whistling simply because I felt good after an enjoyable morning teaching and the day was pleasant. The passengers stared at me like I was insane. When I got back to the school, I told one of the office workers that the people were so discouraged and downhearted they stared when I whistled. She politely informed me, “Yes, their lives are very hard, but that isn’t why they stared. They stared because it’s rude to whistle in public here.”
When we make assumptions, we base them on external factors that may not have any bearing on the moment. It’s helpful to recall the story of David’s selection as future king of Israel. As the prophet Samuel considered Jesse’s eldest son, he thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord” (1 Samuel 16:6). But God told Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (v. 7).
Basing judgments on appearances will lead to wrong conclusions. We do well to let God do the judging. He sees the heart of the matter.
Reflect & Pray
How do you feel when someone makes wrong assumptions ?about you? Why is it so easy to make assumptions about others?
Wise Father, please forgive me for judging people’s motives when I don’t know the truth about their hearts. Help me to entrust such judgments to You.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, September 21, 2026
The Disciple’s Purpose
And now the Lord says—he who formed me in the womb to be his servant . . . “I will also make you a light.” — Isaiah 49:5–6
After we’ve recognized our calling to God in Jesus Christ, the first thing that happens is the destruction of our prejudices and patriotisms. No longer are we servants of our own creeds and convictions; we have become servants of God’s purpose.
The whole of humanity was created to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. Sin switched humanity onto another track, but it hasn’t altered God’s original purpose. When I am born again, I’m brought into the reality of God’s great purpose for humankind; I realize that I have been created for the God who made me. This is the most joyful realization on earth.
We have to learn to rely on the tremendous creative purposes of God. Once I’ve recognized my calling, the first thing God does is “force thro’ the channels of a single heart” the interests of the entire world. The very nature of God is introduced into me, and his nature is this: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son” (John 3:16).
We have to keep our souls open to God’s creative purposes and be careful not to muddle them with our own. If we do bring in our agendas, God will have to crush them, however much pain it may cause. The purpose for which the Christian disciple is created is to be God’s servant, one in whom God is glorified. Through the salvation won for us by Jesus Christ, we are made perfectly fit for God. Once we realize this, we will understand why Jesus Christ is so ruthless in his demands. He demands absolute virtue and honor from his disciples because he has put into them the very nature of God. Be careful not to forget God’s purpose for your life.
Ecclesiastes 7-9; 2 Corinthians 13
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
No one could have had a more sensitive love in human relationship than Jesus; and yet He says there are times when love to father and mother must be hatred in comparison to our love for Him.
So Send I You, 1301 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, September 21, 2026
The Cost of Compromise - #10356
Scripture: 1 Samuel 13:10
Gary had a hotel on the Jersey Shore. It’s one of those big, old rambling hotels with a lot of style the East Coast is famous for; kind of a bed and breakfast place. Now, if you had just taken over a hotel, what would be your greatest need? Well, of course, fill the rooms! How do you get all these rooms filled to pay off all that you’ve just invested in the place?
Well, a man stopped and offered to fill Gary’s hotel for a week. That sounded pretty good. Gary was about to give in to the possibility, but he asked this important question, “Who’ll be staying here?” The man said, “Oh, it’s senior week! Our high school seniors will come down and take over your hotel for a week.” Gary thought about that, thought about the kind of damage and mayhem that those high school students could do with a week of senior partying. And he very wisely said, “No, thank you.”
I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “The Cost of Compromise.”
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 1 Samuel 13. Let’s get a little background. Saul is in a dilemma. He is the king of Israel, his enemy the Philistines are marching their troops. He is wanting to get to battle and stop this enemy. He’s waited a week, and there’s one thing they needed to do before they went. They had to present a burnt offering to the Lord. That was the way to seek God’s favor to present that offering. That’s a good thing to do.
The problem was only a man of God could do that, like a priest. Samuel promised he’d be there in seven days. It is the seventh day, the troops are leaving, the enemy troops are amassing, the day is almost over, so Saul decides to do something. He invades holy ground and he himself - not a priest - offers the sacrifice. That’s a good thing to do, right? It’s the wrong way to do it.
It’s kind of like Gary who needed to fill his hotel. That was a good thing to do, but he knew there was a wrong way to meet that need. Saul knew that the end he was working toward was positive, but the means were wrong. He went ahead because he was in a jam.
1 Samuel 13:10 - “Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived.” Samuel asks, “What have you done?” Saul explains his predicament, and he says, “’I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.’ ‘You acted foolishly,’ Samuel said. ‘You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom.’” Listen to this, “Now your kingdom will not endure.’”
There’s a principle here: when you’re in a jam, it’s tempting to compromise, especially if the result would be something good. Don’t do it! It will cost you what you need the most. It will cost you God’s blessing. You have a need right now. You have a chance to meet that need if you just shave the truth a little bit, if you allow yourself to get into a romantic relationship with someone who doesn’t know Christ or who doesn’t love Him as much as you do, if you just give in to a temptation to get even a little bit, if you just take matters into your own hands because after all, God hasn’t come through yet, right?
Look at the price Saul paid. I’ve often thought impatience may cost us God’s will more than any other thing we do. And the end does not justify the means. It is better to have your need unmet than to cross God’s line to save the situation. That hotel owner knew it was better to fill it right or leave it empty because of the damage that would be left behind. When it comes to meeting your needs, don’t panic because God is taking longer than you think He should. Let God fill that need the right way. Believe me, it’s worth the wait.
