Max Lucado Daily: DO NOT BE TROUBLED - September 24, 2026
Psalm 23:4 (NKJV) reads, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” God promises to come at an unexpected hour and take us from the gray world we know to the golden world we don’t. But since we don’t, we aren’t sure we want to go.
On the night before his own death, Jesus told his friends, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled…I will come back and take you to be with me…” (John 14:1, 3 NCV). The apostle Paul announced that “Death has been swallowed up in victory…” (1 Corinthians 15:54 NIV).
The message is consistent. We do not know the hour, nor do we know the circumstances. But an exit is scheduled for each one of us. Yet we need not fear the moment. Why? Because our Father is a good Father.
Unbreakable Courage
Proverbs 16
Everything with a Place and a Purpose
1 16 Mortals make elaborate plans,
but God has the last word.
2 Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good;
God probes for what is good.
3 Put God in charge of your work,
then what you’ve planned will take place.
4 God made everything with a place and purpose;
even the wicked are included—but for judgment.
5 God can’t stomach arrogance or pretense;
believe me, he’ll put those upstarts in their place.
6 Guilt is banished through love and truth;
Fear-of-God deflects evil.
7 When God approves of your life,
even your enemies will end up shaking your hand.
8 Far better to be right and poor
than to be wrong and rich.
9 We plan the way we want to live,
but only God makes us able to live it.
It Pays to Take Life Seriously
10 A good leader motivates,
doesn’t mislead, doesn’t exploit.
11 God cares about honesty in the workplace;
your business is his business.
12 Good leaders abhor wrongdoing of all kinds;
sound leadership has a moral foundation.
13 Good leaders cultivate honest speech;
they love advisors who tell them the truth.
14 An intemperate leader wreaks havoc in lives;
you’re smart to stay clear of someone like that.
15 Good-tempered leaders invigorate lives;
they’re like spring rain and sunshine.
16 Get wisdom—it’s worth more than money;
choose insight over income every time.
17 The road of right living bypasses evil;
watch your step and save your life.
18 First pride, then the crash—
the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.
19 It’s better to live humbly among the poor
than to live it up among the rich and famous.
20 It pays to take life seriously;
things work out when you trust in God.
21 A wise person gets known for insight;
gracious words add to one’s reputation.
22 True intelligence is a spring of fresh water,
while fools sweat it out the hard way.
23 They make a lot of sense, these wise folks;
whenever they speak, their reputation increases.
24 Gracious speech is like clover honey—
good taste to the soul, quick energy for the body.
25 There’s a way that looks harmless enough;
look again—it leads straight to hell.
26 Appetite is an incentive to work;
hunger makes you work all the harder.
27 Mean people spread mean gossip;
their words smart and burn.
28 Troublemakers start fights;
gossips break up friendships.
29 Calloused climbers betray their very own friends;
they’d stab their own grandmothers in the back.
30 A shifty eye betrays an evil intention;
a clenched jaw signals trouble ahead.
31 Gray hair is a mark of distinction,
the award for a God-loyal life.
32 Moderation is better than muscle,
self-control better than political power.
33 Make your motions and cast your votes,
but God has the final say.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, September 24, 2026
by Katara Patton
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE
Job 2:7-13
Satan left God and struck Job with terrible sores. Job was ulcers and scabs from head to foot. They itched and oozed so badly that he took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself, then went and sat on a trash heap, among the ashes.
9 His wife said, “Still holding on to your precious integrity, are you? Curse God and be done with it!”
10 He told her, “You’re talking like an empty-headed fool. We take the good days from God—why not also the bad days?”
Not once through all this did Job sin. He said nothing against God.
Job’s Three Friends
11–13 Three of Job’s friends heard of all the trouble that had fallen on him. Each traveled from his own country—Eliphaz from Teman, Bildad from Shuhah, Zophar from Naamath—and went together to Job to keep him company and comfort him. When they first caught sight of him, they couldn’t believe what they saw—they hardly recognized him! They cried out in lament, ripped their robes, and dumped dirt on their heads as a sign of their grief. Then they sat with him on the ground. Seven days and nights they sat there without saying a word. They could see how rotten he felt, how deeply he was suffering.
Today's Insights
For seven days, Job’s friends were a silent presence with their suffering friend (Job 2:13). Silence tends to make us uncomfortable, so we may try to fill that void with words. But in times of great suffering (like Job’s), words alone are often inadequate to express the comfort or help that the hurting person truly needs. Job’s friends caused more hurt when they began to offer answers that didn’t ease his hurt, pain, or loss. We can ask God to give us wisdom to know when to speak and when to offer the comfort of a silent presence with those who are hurting.
For further study, listen to the Discover the Word Podcast: Rediscovering Friendship
Words from Friends
[None of Job’s friends] said a word to him, ?because they saw how great his suffering was. Job 2:13
As I sat in a Bible class at the age of twenty-six, I was baffled. ? Some of my classmates’ comments were discouraging. They ? seemed to have so many problems. I responded by asking, “If we’re Christians, why are we so down? Don’t we know how this thing really ends?” I was referring to the promise of eternal life in Christ but also to the many promises in the Bible of God’s care for His people. The instructor simply smiled and moved on. But my comment has stuck with me for years.
Eventually life hit me. Job loss, bereavement, illness, and more led me to feel discouraged. Yes, God’s promises are comforting and true, but they don’t promise an easy life. Jesus said we “will have trouble” (John 16:33).
Quite naturally, we feel the impact of such troubles, just as a man named Job did. He was tested, and it hit him hard: He lost his children, his property, and his health (Job 1:13-20; 2:7). His friends came to visit him to console him (2:11-13). In the beginning they simply supported their friend quietly, noting “how great his suffering was” (v. 13). But then they began asking unhelpful questions, not too dissimilar to the one I posed in Bible class.
As we encounter others going through trouble, the Holy Spirit can help us respond with love and compassion. And as we experience sorrow, we can remember the comfort of God’s promises.
Reflect & Pray
How has a friend helped you during a rough time? ?How can you help others by using sensitivity and discernment?
Loving God, please teach me to use wisdom when sympathizing with others.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, September 24, 2026
The “Go” of Preparation
If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. — Matthew 5:23–24
It’s easy to imagine that someday we’ll get to a place where we are complete and ready. But preparation isn’t accomplished suddenly; it’s a process that must be steadily maintained. Our lives must be preparation and preparation. To be in a settled state of experience is a dangerous thing.
A sense of heroic sacrifice appeals readily to young Christians; humanly speaking, what attracts us to Jesus Christ is our sense that he was a heroic figure. But the words our Lord speaks in Matthew 5:23–24 soon put our enthusiasm to the test. Don’t come to the altar in a moment of enthusiasm, Jesus says. “First go” and reconcile yourself to your brother or sister; first prepare yourself to make your offering. The “go” of preparation involves submitting yourself in advance to the scrutiny of Jesus’s words. Simply having a sense of heroic sacrifice isn’t enough.
Do you have anything to hide from God? Let him search you with his light. If you are harboring within you the disposition that can never work in his service, his Spirit will detect it and reveal it. When he reveals sin, don’t admit it; confess it. Never ignore the Spirit’s conviction. If it’s important enough for the Spirit of God to have brought it to your mind, it’s something God wishes you to confess. Perhaps you were looking for something big to give up, but God has pointed out something tiny. No matter what it is, God is telling you about it because beneath it lies the great stronghold of obstinacy: “I won’t give up my right to myself.” This is the very thing God intends you to give up if you are going to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Are you willing to obey your Lord, whatever the humiliation to your right to yourself may be?
Song of Solomon 4-5; Galatians 3
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
A fanatic is one who entrenches himself in invincible ignorance.
Baffled to Fight Better, 59 R
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, September 24, 2026
Will the Real You Please Stand Up? - #10359
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17
Long ago it was a TV show, and it was resurrected then again and became a TV show again. The idea maybe still had some life in it! It was called "To Tell the Truth." Maybe you saw it. Three contestants would all tell the panel their name and they all claim to be the same person. The host would read a little background on the person, and then it was up to the panel to try to figure out which one was the real one. The climactic moment came when the host said, "Will the real Joe Slobotnik please stand up?" They all shift in their chairs. Finally, one would stand up. The real one!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Will the Real You Please Stand Up?”
For many people, the struggle to identify which person is really them is a deeply personal one; one that rages inside of us. It's very important that you decide which of three identities is really you. In fact, the identity you choose will determine much of how you make your life choices and whether you feel significant or insignificant.
Identity number one - the victim. If you've been hurt, betrayed, abused, abandoned, or neglected, it's possible to live your whole life thinking of yourself as a victim. Which means you'll spend much of your life feeling worthless, depressed, distrusting, maybe negative, or self-pitying. And your relationships, your decisions, your goals will all be shaped by choosing "victim" as your identity.
Identity number two - the sinner. While the victim focuses on their pain, the sinner focuses on their failures. You’re frequently reliving the things you've done that were wrong, maybe very wrong in some cases. If you decide that the "you" that is going to stand up is you, the sinner, you're also going to feel worthless much of the time, and ashamed and never good enough. You'll accept and you'll expect a little life because you think that's all you deserve. And your shame will cause you to feel, "What's the use?" and that will set you up for more and more mistakes.
But there is a third identity you can choose. It's spelled out in the Bible in 2 Corinthians 5:17, our word for today from the Word of God. "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" There’s an amazing transformation that takes place when a person gives themselves to Jesus Christ. From that moment on they have the right—they have the spiritual power—to live as a new person!
So if you belong to Jesus Christ, the real you is identity number three: new person in Jesus Christ! You don't have to be identified by your past pain. You don't have to be defined by your past sin. You are now defined by your relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of God. You’re a child of God. You’re a servant of Christ. You’re a make-a-difference person because you are forgiven, you are clean, and you are free from the shackles and the shame of the past. You're about your future now, not your past! Don't forget who you really are! It's time for the real you to stand up!
And if you've never given yourself to the man who died so you could be forgiven and new; if you're ready to begin a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ, you need to tell Him that right now. “Jesus, I’ve been running my life long enough. You drive from here on. I know that me driving my life is sin, and I know You had to die to pay for that sin. I’m turning from my sin to You.”
I hope you make today the day that you begin this great life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ and become a new creation in Christ; start with a clean slate. If you want to do that, I want to encourage you to go to our website right away today. Because there’s a lot of information that will help you be sure you’ve begun this relationship. Your new story can begin today and that’s our website - ANewStory.com.
From today on, your life can be defined by your relationship with the Son of God, Jesus Christ the healer, the forgiver of the past, and best of all, the author of a new beginning!
