Zechariah 5
The Flying Scroll
1 I looked again—and there before me was a flying scroll! 2 He asked me, "What do you see?" I answered, "I see a flying scroll, thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide. [a] "
3 And he said to me, "This is the curse that is going out over the whole land; for according to what it says on one side, every thief will be banished, and according to what it says on the other, everyone who swears falsely will be banished. 4 The LORD Almighty declares, 'I will send it out, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of him who swears falsely by my name. It will remain in his house and destroy it, both its timbers and its stones.' "
The Woman in a Basket 5 Then the angel who was speaking to me came forward and said to me, "Look up and see what this is that is appearing." 6 I asked, "What is it?" He replied, "It is a measuring basket. [b] " And he added, "This is the iniquity [c] of the people throughout the land."
7 Then the cover of lead was raised, and there in the basket sat a woman! 8 He said, "This is wickedness," and he pushed her back into the basket and pushed the lead cover down over its mouth.
9 Then I looked up—and there before me were two women, with the wind in their wings! They had wings like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth.
10 "Where are they taking the basket?" I asked the angel who was speaking to me.
11 He replied, "To the country of Babylonia [d] to build a house for it. When it is ready, the basket will be set there in its place."
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Ephesians 6:10-18
The Armor of God
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
January 28, 2008
Armed And Extremely Effective
ODB RADIO: Listen Now Download
READ: Ephesians 6:10-18
We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against . . . spiritual hosts of wickedness. —Ephesians 6:12 About this cover Last January, the police officers in Tijuana, Mexico, had their guns confiscated. It was suspected that some of them had been in collusion with drug traffickers. At first, fearing for their safety, the police stopped patrolling. But eventually, some of them returned to work—carrying slingshots. Three weeks passed before their more effective weapons were returned to them.
Although we all remember a shepherd boy who used a sling and a single smooth stone with great success in his encounter with a giant (1 Sam. 17), few of us would have the courage to face violent threats armed with such puny protection. But every day, although we are often ill-prepared, we do face a threat. As believers, we fight against an enemy we cannot see. Our struggle is not “against flesh and blood, but against . . . spiritual hosts of wickedness” (Eph. 6:12). The outcome of this battle is sure, however. Jesus is the Victor. And using the armor and weapons He supplies, we are able “to stand” (v.13). We fight in His power and strength.
Each day we must put on the armor of God—the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit, God’s Word (vv.13-17). Preparation and protection are the key to winning spiritual battles. —Cindy Hess Kasper
Though fierce the hatred of our foeWhose legions seek to work us woe,He can’t destroy the Living WordNor those who own Him as their Lord. —D. De Haan
Spiritual victory comes only to those who are prepared for battle.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
January 28, 2008
How Could Someone So Persecute Jesus!LISTEN: READ:
Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? —Acts 26:14 About this cover Are you determined to have your own way in living for God? We will never be free from this trap until we are brought into the experience of the baptism of "the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11). Stubbornness and self-will will always stab Jesus Christ. It may hurt no one else, but it wounds His Spirit. Whenever we are obstinate and self-willed and set on our own ambitions, we are hurting Jesus. Every time we stand on our own rights and insist that this is what we intend to do, we are persecuting Him. Whenever we rely on self-respect, we systematically disturb and grieve His Spirit. And when we finally understand that it is Jesus we have been persecuting all this time, it is the most crushing revelation ever.
Is the Word of God tremendously penetrating and sharp in me as I hand it on to you, or does my life betray the things I profess to teach? I may teach sanctification and yet exhibit the spirit of Satan, the very spirit that persecutes Jesus Christ. The Spirit of Jesus is conscious of only one thing— a perfect oneness with the Father. And He tells us, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29 ). All I do should be based on a perfect oneness with Him, not on a self-willed determination to be godly. This will mean that others may use me, go around me, or completely ignore me, but if I will submit to it for His sake, I will prevent Jesus Christ from being persecuted.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
The Light in Your Night - #5491 Monday, January 28, 2008
We had rented a cabin in the mountains, and we didn't want to leave it much. The view across the valley was like a majestic painting. It would change as the sun and the weather changed - all the kind of moods you have in the mountains. I had looked at the mountain across the valley from us many times, but finally I took a good look that direction at night. That's when I saw it - the cross. There was a lighted cross on top of the mountain, glowing in the night from a vantage point where it could be seen all around. Actually, that cross is there all the time but you don't really see it until it's dark.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Light in Your Night."
For many of us, the greatest discovery of our lives came when it was night; one of those dark times we all go through in our life. A lot of people have learned that when it's night, you can see the cross, often for the first time in your life.
The cross - that awful place where Jesus was brutally crucified - turns out to be the ultimate proof of how much God loves you and me. If it's sacrifice that proves love, then we don't ever have to wonder how God feels about us. God the Father gave up God the Son to absorb the guilt and hell for every wrong thing you and I have ever done. There has never been a greater sacrifice. There's never been a greater love.
But we can know about what happened at that cross. We can be around it for years and still miss the forgiveness, the love, and the heaven that Jesus died to give us. Maybe you've been avoiding dealing with Jesus personally. Maybe you feel someone's been pressuring you about Jesus, and that's just made you resist it even more. Maybe it's pride that's kept you from your life-changing encounter at the cross, or even your Christianity, because you've thought having Christianity meant having Christ.
It's easy to go busily about the routines of your life and never really see that cross - until it's suddenly night time. Something happens to your health, to your family, to your job, or to whatever you've counted on for security. And none of your answers, none of your fixes are enough. That's when a lot of people look up and finally see the cross, shining in their night, showing them where hope is.
In John 12:32-33, our word for today from the Word of God, Jesus said, "'When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to Myself.' He said this to show the kind of death He was going to die.'" That was it - lifted up to die on a cross. But there would be a magnet in that old hunk of wood; a magnet that would draw the people He died for to His side.
Which is exactly why you may be feeling that tug in your heart right now. He's drawing you to come to the cross, to give yourself to Him, and to find what you've spent your whole life looking for. All those religious hang-ups, all those lame arguments, all the proud resistance, all the spiritual pride drops to the ground at the foot of His cross - and you finally belong to the One you were made for.
If you've been doing it without Jesus all these years, for whatever reason, and you want this to be the day you finally experience Him for yourself, would you tell Him that right where you are, "Lord, I turn from the running of my own life, and I'm pinning all my hopes on You because You died for me." If that is what you want, and you want to be sure you have that relationship, I think I could give you some encouragement and some help if you'll just visit our website. And I hope you'll go there right away today. It's yoursforlife.net. And it's really there to help you at a moment like this. Or you can call and ask for my little booklet Yours For Life. And you can call toll free and ask for it at 877-741-1200.
Maybe it's night right now, not because God doesn't love you, but because He does. He doesn't want to lose you. His cross shines very brightly in your night. Once you meet Him there, it will never be night in your soul again.
To find out how you can begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, please visit: yoursforlife.net or call 1-888-966-7325.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Zechariah 4 and devotions
Zechariah 4
The Gold Lampstand and the Two Olive Trees
1 Then the angel who talked with me returned and wakened me, as a man is wakened from his sleep. 2 He asked me, "What do you see?" I answered, "I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lights on it, with seven channels to the lights. 3 Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left." 4 I asked the angel who talked with me, "What are these, my lord?"
5 He answered, "Do you not know what these are?" "No, my lord," I replied.
6 So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.
7 "What [a] are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of 'God bless it! God bless it!' "
8 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 9 "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you.
10 "Who despises the day of small things? Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. "(These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range throughout the earth.)"
11 Then I asked the angel, "What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?"
12 Again I asked him, "What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?"
13 He replied, "Do you not know what these are?" "No, my lord," I said.
14 So he said, "These are the two who are anointed to [b] serve the Lord of all the earth."
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Psalm 37Of David. 1 [a] Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; 2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.
January 27, 2008
A Sheer DelightREAD: Psalm 37:1-11
Delight yourself . . . in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. —Psalm 37:4 About this cover After finishing high school in 1941, Clair Hess anticipated serving his country by joining the army. But when he developed a heart murmur from a bout with scarlet fever, he was denied acceptance. He admits that he was envious of his fellow graduates and other servicemen in their uniforms, but he was helped by reading Psalm 37 and seeing how the psalmist David handled envy.
While Clair was wondering about God’s direction for his life, his uncle suggested to him that the Lord might be calling him to His service. So Clair attended Moody Bible Institute and was led into a career of singing and later editing for RBC Ministries. He’s been doing that for 50 years now and calls serving God “a sheer delight.”
David encouraged us in Psalm 37 to delight in the Lord and not to envy others (vv.1-4). Although he was talking about envying people who get away with evil, we can apply it to other types of envy. Instead of comparing ourselves with others, we need to delight ourselves in God. In His time, He’ll fulfill the desires of our heart and affirm that we are in His will.
We’re all in “God’s service” as believers. And serving Him is a sheer delight. —Anne Cetas
Let the joy of the Lord be your strength—May His peace fill your heart day and night;As you walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,You will find that He’ll lead you aright. —Hess
Contentment comes when God’s will is more important than our wants.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
January 27, 2008
Look Again and ThinkLISTEN: READ:
Do not worry about your life . . . —Matthew 6:25 About this cover A warning which needs to be repeated is that "the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches," and the lust for other things, will choke out the life of God in us (Matthew 13:22). We are never free from the recurring waves of this invasion. If the frontline of attack is not about clothes and food, it may be about money or the lack of money; or friends or lack of friends; or the line may be drawn over difficult circumstances. It is one steady invasion, and these things will come in like a flood, unless we allow the Spirit of God to raise up the banner against it.
"I say to you, do not worry about your life . . . ." Our Lord says to be careful only about one thing-our relationship to Him. But our common sense shouts loudly and says, "That is absurd, I must consider how I am going to live, and I must consider what I am going to eat and drink." Jesus says you must not. Beware of allowing yourself to think that He says this while not understanding your circumstances. Jesus Christ knows our circumstances better than we do, and He says we must not think about these things to the point where they become the primary concern of our life. Whenever there are competing concerns in your life, be sure you always put your relationship to God first.
"Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matthew 6:34). How much trouble has begun to threaten you today? What kind of mean little demons have been looking into your life and saying, "What are your plans for next month— or next summer?" Jesus tells us not to worry about any of these things. Look again and think. Keep your mind on the "much more" of your heavenly Father (Matthew 6:30).
TGIF devotional
Seeing the Works of God
by Os Hillman
Others went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. They saw the works of the Lord.... - Psalm 107:23-24a
When you were a child, perhaps you may have gone to the ocean for a vacation. I recall wading out until the waves began crashing on my knees. As long as I could stand firm, the waves were of no concern to me. However, as I moved farther and farther into the ocean, I had less control over my ability to stand. Sometimes the current was so strong it moved me down the beach, and I even lost my bearings at times. But I have never gone so far into the ocean that I was not able to control the situation.
Sometimes God takes us into such deep waters that we lose control of the situation, and we have no choice but to fully trust in His care for us. This is doing business in great waters. It is in these great waters that we see the works of God.
The Scriptures tell us that the disciples testified of what they saw and heard. It was the power behind the gospel, not the words themselves, which changed the world. The power wasn't seen until circumstances got to the point that there were no alternatives but God. Sometimes God has to take us into the deep water in order to give us the privilege to see His works.
Sometimes God takes us into the deep waters of life for an extended time. Joseph was taken into deep waters of adversity for 17 years. Rejection by his brothers, enslavement to Pharaoh, and imprisonment were the deep waters for Joseph. During those deep waters, he experienced dreams, a special anointing of his gifts to administrate, and great wisdom beyond his years. The deep water was preparation for a task that was so great he never could have imagined it. He was to see God's works more clearly than anyone in his generation. God had too much at stake for a 30-year-old to mess it up. So, God took Joseph through the deep waters of preparation to ensure that he would survive what he was about to face. Pride normally engulfs such young servants who have such access to power at such a young age.
If God chooses to take us into deep waters, it is for a reason. The greater the calling, the deeper the water. Trust in His knowledge that your deep waters are preparation to see the works of God in your life.
The Gold Lampstand and the Two Olive Trees
1 Then the angel who talked with me returned and wakened me, as a man is wakened from his sleep. 2 He asked me, "What do you see?" I answered, "I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lights on it, with seven channels to the lights. 3 Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left." 4 I asked the angel who talked with me, "What are these, my lord?"
5 He answered, "Do you not know what these are?" "No, my lord," I replied.
6 So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.
7 "What [a] are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of 'God bless it! God bless it!' "
8 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 9 "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you.
10 "Who despises the day of small things? Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. "(These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range throughout the earth.)"
11 Then I asked the angel, "What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?"
12 Again I asked him, "What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?"
13 He replied, "Do you not know what these are?" "No, my lord," I said.
14 So he said, "These are the two who are anointed to [b] serve the Lord of all the earth."
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Psalm 37Of David. 1 [a] Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; 2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.
January 27, 2008
A Sheer DelightREAD: Psalm 37:1-11
Delight yourself . . . in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. —Psalm 37:4 About this cover After finishing high school in 1941, Clair Hess anticipated serving his country by joining the army. But when he developed a heart murmur from a bout with scarlet fever, he was denied acceptance. He admits that he was envious of his fellow graduates and other servicemen in their uniforms, but he was helped by reading Psalm 37 and seeing how the psalmist David handled envy.
While Clair was wondering about God’s direction for his life, his uncle suggested to him that the Lord might be calling him to His service. So Clair attended Moody Bible Institute and was led into a career of singing and later editing for RBC Ministries. He’s been doing that for 50 years now and calls serving God “a sheer delight.”
David encouraged us in Psalm 37 to delight in the Lord and not to envy others (vv.1-4). Although he was talking about envying people who get away with evil, we can apply it to other types of envy. Instead of comparing ourselves with others, we need to delight ourselves in God. In His time, He’ll fulfill the desires of our heart and affirm that we are in His will.
We’re all in “God’s service” as believers. And serving Him is a sheer delight. —Anne Cetas
Let the joy of the Lord be your strength—May His peace fill your heart day and night;As you walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,You will find that He’ll lead you aright. —Hess
Contentment comes when God’s will is more important than our wants.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
January 27, 2008
Look Again and ThinkLISTEN: READ:
Do not worry about your life . . . —Matthew 6:25 About this cover A warning which needs to be repeated is that "the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches," and the lust for other things, will choke out the life of God in us (Matthew 13:22). We are never free from the recurring waves of this invasion. If the frontline of attack is not about clothes and food, it may be about money or the lack of money; or friends or lack of friends; or the line may be drawn over difficult circumstances. It is one steady invasion, and these things will come in like a flood, unless we allow the Spirit of God to raise up the banner against it.
"I say to you, do not worry about your life . . . ." Our Lord says to be careful only about one thing-our relationship to Him. But our common sense shouts loudly and says, "That is absurd, I must consider how I am going to live, and I must consider what I am going to eat and drink." Jesus says you must not. Beware of allowing yourself to think that He says this while not understanding your circumstances. Jesus Christ knows our circumstances better than we do, and He says we must not think about these things to the point where they become the primary concern of our life. Whenever there are competing concerns in your life, be sure you always put your relationship to God first.
"Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matthew 6:34). How much trouble has begun to threaten you today? What kind of mean little demons have been looking into your life and saying, "What are your plans for next month— or next summer?" Jesus tells us not to worry about any of these things. Look again and think. Keep your mind on the "much more" of your heavenly Father (Matthew 6:30).
TGIF devotional
Seeing the Works of God
by Os Hillman
Others went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. They saw the works of the Lord.... - Psalm 107:23-24a
When you were a child, perhaps you may have gone to the ocean for a vacation. I recall wading out until the waves began crashing on my knees. As long as I could stand firm, the waves were of no concern to me. However, as I moved farther and farther into the ocean, I had less control over my ability to stand. Sometimes the current was so strong it moved me down the beach, and I even lost my bearings at times. But I have never gone so far into the ocean that I was not able to control the situation.
Sometimes God takes us into such deep waters that we lose control of the situation, and we have no choice but to fully trust in His care for us. This is doing business in great waters. It is in these great waters that we see the works of God.
The Scriptures tell us that the disciples testified of what they saw and heard. It was the power behind the gospel, not the words themselves, which changed the world. The power wasn't seen until circumstances got to the point that there were no alternatives but God. Sometimes God has to take us into the deep water in order to give us the privilege to see His works.
Sometimes God takes us into the deep waters of life for an extended time. Joseph was taken into deep waters of adversity for 17 years. Rejection by his brothers, enslavement to Pharaoh, and imprisonment were the deep waters for Joseph. During those deep waters, he experienced dreams, a special anointing of his gifts to administrate, and great wisdom beyond his years. The deep water was preparation for a task that was so great he never could have imagined it. He was to see God's works more clearly than anyone in his generation. God had too much at stake for a 30-year-old to mess it up. So, God took Joseph through the deep waters of preparation to ensure that he would survive what he was about to face. Pride normally engulfs such young servants who have such access to power at such a young age.
If God chooses to take us into deep waters, it is for a reason. The greater the calling, the deeper the water. Trust in His knowledge that your deep waters are preparation to see the works of God in your life.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Zechariah 3 and devotions
Zechariah 3
Clean Garments for the High Priest
1 Then he showed me Joshua [a] the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan [b] standing at his right side to accuse him. 2 The LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?" 3 Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. 4 The angel said to those who were standing before him, "Take off his filthy clothes." Then he said to Joshua, "See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you."
5 Then I said, "Put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the LORD stood by.
6 The angel of the LORD gave this charge to Joshua: 7 "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'If you will walk in my ways and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.
8 " 'Listen, O high priest Joshua and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. 9 See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes [c] on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,' says the LORD Almighty, 'and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.
10 " 'In that day each of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and fig tree,' declares the LORD Almighty."
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
John 6:44-58 44"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.'[a] Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
52Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
53Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever."
January 26, 2008
Jesus’ Difficult WordsREAD: John 6:44-58
From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. —John 6:66 About this cover Recently, a company advertised a “huggable, washable, and talking” Jesus doll that recites “actual Scripture verses to introduce children of all ages to the wisdom of the Bible.” Its sayings include, “I have an exciting plan for your life,” and “Your life matters so much to Me.” Who wouldn’t want to follow a Jesus like this?
Jesus does offer a wonderful plan for our lives. But He doesn’t serve as a cosmic genie or cuddly doll to meet our every whim. John 6 gives us a picture of a Jesus who is not so cuddly—in fact, He’s often offensive. Instead of fulfilling the selfish desires of His followers, He disturbed their expectations. He offered Himself as spiritual bread from heaven and said, “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life” (v.54).
This message was offensive and difficult. The image of eating flesh and drinking blood did not give His hearers “warm fuzzies.” Many stopped following Him (v.66). He wasn’t the conquering Messiah-King they had expected.
Sometimes we want a Jesus who meets our selfish needs. But the wonderful life He offers is found only in radical obedience to His commands. Let’s ask Jesus to show us what His words mean, and for the courage to act on His truth. —Marvin Williams
“We love You, Lord Jesus,” we often may say,But are we as ready His will to obey?Let’s heed what God’s Spirit would have us to do,For that’s how we show Him a love that is true. —DJD
The way of Jesus is not always easy.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
January 26, 2008
Look Again and ConsecrateLISTEN: READ:
If God so clothes the grass of the field . . . , will He not much more clothe you . . . ? —Matthew 6:30 About this cover A simple statement of Jesus is always a puzzle to us because we will not be simple. How can we maintain the simplicity of Jesus so that we may understand Him? By receiving His Spirit, recognizing and relying on Him, and obeying Him as He brings us the truth of His Word, life will become amazingly simple. Jesus asks us to consider that "if God so clothes the grass of the field . . ." how "much more" will He clothe you, if you keep your relationship right with Him? Every time we lose ground in our fellowship with God, it is because we have disrespectfully thought that we knew better than Jesus Christ. We have allowed "the cares of this world" to enter in (Matthew 13:22), while forgetting the "much more" of our heavenly Father.
"Look at the birds of the air . . ." (Matthew 6:26). Their function is to obey the instincts God placed within them, and God watches over them. Jesus said that if you have the right relationship with Him and will obey His Spirit within you, then God will care for your "feathers" too.
"Consider the lilies of the field . . ." (Matthew 6:28). They grow where they are planted. Many of us refuse to grow where God plants us. Therefore, we don’t take root anywhere. Jesus said if we would obey the life of God within us, He would look after all other things. Did Jesus Christ lie to us? Are we experiencing the "much more" He promised? If we are not, it is because we are not obeying the life God has given us and have cluttered our minds with confusing thoughts and worries. How much time have we wasted asking God senseless questions while we should be absolutely free to concentrate on our service to Him? Consecration is the act of continually separating myself from everything except that which God has appointed me to do. It is not a one-time experience but an ongoing process. Am I continually separating myself and looking to God every day of my life?
TGIF Devotional
Passing the TestsBy Os HillmanPowered By Marketplace Leaders
The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors—to David. - 1 Samuel 28:17b
When God anoints a person, a pattern of testing appears to take place at specific times in the leader's life. God often takes each leader through four major tests to determine if that person will achieve God's ultimate call on his or her life. The person's response to these tests is the deciding factor in whether they can advance to the next level of responsibility in God's Kingdom.
Control—Control is one of the first tests. Saul spent most of his time as king trying to prevent others from getting what he had. Saul never got to the place with God in which he was a grateful recipient of God's goodness to him. Saul was a religious controller. This control led to disobedience and ultimately being rejected by God because Saul no longer was a vessel God could use.
Bitterness—Every major character in the Bible was hurt by another person at one time or another. Jesus was hurt deeply when Judas, a trusted follower, betrayed Him. Despite knowing this was going to happen, Jesus responded by washing Judas' feet. Every anointed leader will have a Judas experience at one time or another. God watches us to see how we will respond to this test. Will we take up an offense? Will we retaliate? It is one of the most difficult tests to pass.
Power—Power is the opposite of servanthood. Jesus had all authority in Heaven and earth, so satan tempted Jesus at the top of the mountain to use His power to remove Himself from a difficult circumstance. How will we use the power and influence God has entrusted to us? Do we seek to gain more power? There is a common phrase in the investment community, "He who has the gold rules." Jesus modeled the opposite. He was the ultimate servant leader.
Greed—This is a difficult one. Money has the ability to have great influence for either good or bad. When it is a focus in our life, it becomes a tool of destruction. When it is a by-product, it can become a great blessing. Many leaders started out well—only to be derailed once prosperity became a part of their life. There are thousands who can blossom spiritually in adversity; only a few can thrive spiritually under prosperity.
As leaders, we must be aware when we are being tested. You can be confident that each one of these tests will be thrown your way if God calls you for His purposes. Will you pass these tests? Ask for God's grace today to walk through these tests victoriously.
Clean Garments for the High Priest
1 Then he showed me Joshua [a] the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan [b] standing at his right side to accuse him. 2 The LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?" 3 Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. 4 The angel said to those who were standing before him, "Take off his filthy clothes." Then he said to Joshua, "See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you."
5 Then I said, "Put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the LORD stood by.
6 The angel of the LORD gave this charge to Joshua: 7 "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'If you will walk in my ways and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.
8 " 'Listen, O high priest Joshua and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. 9 See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes [c] on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,' says the LORD Almighty, 'and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.
10 " 'In that day each of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and fig tree,' declares the LORD Almighty."
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
John 6:44-58 44"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.'[a] Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
52Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
53Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever."
January 26, 2008
Jesus’ Difficult WordsREAD: John 6:44-58
From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. —John 6:66 About this cover Recently, a company advertised a “huggable, washable, and talking” Jesus doll that recites “actual Scripture verses to introduce children of all ages to the wisdom of the Bible.” Its sayings include, “I have an exciting plan for your life,” and “Your life matters so much to Me.” Who wouldn’t want to follow a Jesus like this?
Jesus does offer a wonderful plan for our lives. But He doesn’t serve as a cosmic genie or cuddly doll to meet our every whim. John 6 gives us a picture of a Jesus who is not so cuddly—in fact, He’s often offensive. Instead of fulfilling the selfish desires of His followers, He disturbed their expectations. He offered Himself as spiritual bread from heaven and said, “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life” (v.54).
This message was offensive and difficult. The image of eating flesh and drinking blood did not give His hearers “warm fuzzies.” Many stopped following Him (v.66). He wasn’t the conquering Messiah-King they had expected.
Sometimes we want a Jesus who meets our selfish needs. But the wonderful life He offers is found only in radical obedience to His commands. Let’s ask Jesus to show us what His words mean, and for the courage to act on His truth. —Marvin Williams
“We love You, Lord Jesus,” we often may say,But are we as ready His will to obey?Let’s heed what God’s Spirit would have us to do,For that’s how we show Him a love that is true. —DJD
The way of Jesus is not always easy.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
January 26, 2008
Look Again and ConsecrateLISTEN: READ:
If God so clothes the grass of the field . . . , will He not much more clothe you . . . ? —Matthew 6:30 About this cover A simple statement of Jesus is always a puzzle to us because we will not be simple. How can we maintain the simplicity of Jesus so that we may understand Him? By receiving His Spirit, recognizing and relying on Him, and obeying Him as He brings us the truth of His Word, life will become amazingly simple. Jesus asks us to consider that "if God so clothes the grass of the field . . ." how "much more" will He clothe you, if you keep your relationship right with Him? Every time we lose ground in our fellowship with God, it is because we have disrespectfully thought that we knew better than Jesus Christ. We have allowed "the cares of this world" to enter in (Matthew 13:22), while forgetting the "much more" of our heavenly Father.
"Look at the birds of the air . . ." (Matthew 6:26). Their function is to obey the instincts God placed within them, and God watches over them. Jesus said that if you have the right relationship with Him and will obey His Spirit within you, then God will care for your "feathers" too.
"Consider the lilies of the field . . ." (Matthew 6:28). They grow where they are planted. Many of us refuse to grow where God plants us. Therefore, we don’t take root anywhere. Jesus said if we would obey the life of God within us, He would look after all other things. Did Jesus Christ lie to us? Are we experiencing the "much more" He promised? If we are not, it is because we are not obeying the life God has given us and have cluttered our minds with confusing thoughts and worries. How much time have we wasted asking God senseless questions while we should be absolutely free to concentrate on our service to Him? Consecration is the act of continually separating myself from everything except that which God has appointed me to do. It is not a one-time experience but an ongoing process. Am I continually separating myself and looking to God every day of my life?
TGIF Devotional
Passing the TestsBy Os HillmanPowered By Marketplace Leaders
The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors—to David. - 1 Samuel 28:17b
When God anoints a person, a pattern of testing appears to take place at specific times in the leader's life. God often takes each leader through four major tests to determine if that person will achieve God's ultimate call on his or her life. The person's response to these tests is the deciding factor in whether they can advance to the next level of responsibility in God's Kingdom.
Control—Control is one of the first tests. Saul spent most of his time as king trying to prevent others from getting what he had. Saul never got to the place with God in which he was a grateful recipient of God's goodness to him. Saul was a religious controller. This control led to disobedience and ultimately being rejected by God because Saul no longer was a vessel God could use.
Bitterness—Every major character in the Bible was hurt by another person at one time or another. Jesus was hurt deeply when Judas, a trusted follower, betrayed Him. Despite knowing this was going to happen, Jesus responded by washing Judas' feet. Every anointed leader will have a Judas experience at one time or another. God watches us to see how we will respond to this test. Will we take up an offense? Will we retaliate? It is one of the most difficult tests to pass.
Power—Power is the opposite of servanthood. Jesus had all authority in Heaven and earth, so satan tempted Jesus at the top of the mountain to use His power to remove Himself from a difficult circumstance. How will we use the power and influence God has entrusted to us? Do we seek to gain more power? There is a common phrase in the investment community, "He who has the gold rules." Jesus modeled the opposite. He was the ultimate servant leader.
Greed—This is a difficult one. Money has the ability to have great influence for either good or bad. When it is a focus in our life, it becomes a tool of destruction. When it is a by-product, it can become a great blessing. Many leaders started out well—only to be derailed once prosperity became a part of their life. There are thousands who can blossom spiritually in adversity; only a few can thrive spiritually under prosperity.
As leaders, we must be aware when we are being tested. You can be confident that each one of these tests will be thrown your way if God calls you for His purposes. Will you pass these tests? Ask for God's grace today to walk through these tests victoriously.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Zechariah 2 and devotions
Zechariah 2
A Man With a Measuring Line
1 Then I looked up—and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand! 2 I asked, "Where are you going?" He answered me, "To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is." 3 Then the angel who was speaking to me left, and another angel came to meet him 4 and said to him: "Run, tell that young man, 'Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of men and livestock in it. 5 And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,' declares the LORD, 'and I will be its glory within.'
6 "Come! Come! Flee from the land of the north," declares the LORD, "for I have scattered you to the four winds of heaven," declares the LORD.
7 "Come, O Zion! Escape, you who live in the Daughter of Babylon!" 8 For this is what the LORD Almighty says: "After he has honored me and has sent me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye- 9 I will surely raise my hand against them so that their slaves will plunder them. [a] Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me.
10 "Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you," declares the LORD. 11 "Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you. 12 The LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem. 13 Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling."
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Exodus 6:1-9
Exodus 6
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country."
2 God also said to Moses, "I am the LORD. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, [a] but by my name the LORD [b] I did not make myself known to them. [c] 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they lived as aliens. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.
6 "Therefore, say to the Israelites: 'I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.' "
9 Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage.
January 25, 2008
The Most Depressing Day
ODB RADIO: Listen Now Download
READ: Exodus 6:1-9
Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid. —Matthew 14:27 About this cover Scientists in the UK have calculated that the most depressing day of the year comes in the third week of January. Winter days are dark and cold, holiday excitement has worn off just as Christmas debts are coming due, and New Year’s resolutions have all been broken. The celebrations, gift-giving, and good intentions that once made us feel happy now press us down and leave us feeling hopeless.
Long ago in Egypt, the Hebrew people had high hopes that Moses would rescue them from slavery. But their hopes were dashed when Moses’ good intentions led to worse conditions for them. Instead of gaining freedom, the people were pressed even harder by slave drivers who demanded that they produce the same amount of bricks with fewer resources.
Moses cried out to the Lord, “Since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all” (Ex. 5:23). As Moses and the Hebrew people were about to learn, God’s rescue plans sometimes don’t kick in until all hope seems to be gone.
If the circumstances of your life seem to be going from bad to worse, sending you into depression and despair, remember that God always hears and answers our cries—but it’s in His time, not ours. —Julie Ackerman Link
Our strength and hope are in the Lord—We rest secure in His sure Word;And though we’re tempted to despair,We know we’re kept within His care. —D. De Haan
When you feel hopeless, look to the God of hope.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
January 25, 2008
Leave Room for GodLISTEN: READ:
When it pleased God . . . —Galatians Galatians About this cover As servants of God, we must learn to make room for Him-to give God "elbow room." We plan and figure and predict that this or that will happen, but we forget to make room for God to come in as He chooses. Would we be surprised if God came into our meeting or into our preaching in a way we had never expected Him to come? Do not look for God to come in a particular way, but do look for Him. The way to make room for Him is to expect Him to come, but not in a certain way. No matter how well we may know God, the great lesson to learn is that He may break in at any minute. We tend to overlook this element of surprise, yet God never works in any other way. Suddenly— God meets our life ". . . when it pleased God . . . ."
Keep your life so constantly in touch with God that His surprising power can break through at any point. Live in a constant state of expectancy, and leave room for God to come in as He decides.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Outlets Without Power - #5490 Friday, January 25, 2008
I have carpenter friends who never leave home without their tools. There are doctors who never leave home without a stethoscope. And I can understand those kinds of things, but what about a friend of one of my friends who is an electrician. He always carries an outlet box with him - you know, the thing in your wall you plug things into. But that's all this electrician carries - just the outlet box. He says he carries it just in case he's in a situation where there's a power outage or no electricity available. Now, maybe there's something I don't understand here but, like, this is going to help?
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Outlets Without Power."
So what if you plug an appliance into Mr. Electrician's outlet box? Now if it was connected to some power, you're in business. But with just his little outlet box, you're just plugging into powerlessness. Tragically, that's what all too many sincere people are doing spiritually - maybe you.
The Bible describes those of us who are plugging into something spiritual, something religious, maybe something Christian and coming up powerless. In our word for today from the Word of God in II Timothy 3:5, God describes some of us as "having a form of godliness, but denying its power." They've got the form, but without the power, like the electrician with his disconnected power box.
Now, if you're listening to this program, to this station, or catching this on the Internet, you're probably a religious person, possibly even a person with some strong Christian beliefs. It's possible you have church, you have Christianity, you have a "form of godliness," but you don't have Christ. And without a genuine personal relationship with Jesus, Christianity, morality, spirituality is just an outlet without power.
So many of us are struggling with a spiritual power failure. With all our spiritual activity, we still haven't found the power to change the dark side of us; to conquer the baggage of our past, to master those weaknesses that have always brought us down, to control the passions that keep controlling us, or to get free from the guilt and shame of the past.
And with so much pressure on you, there just doesn't seem to be the power to handle it all. Your spirituality, your religion may give you some spiritual experiences, but that's not the power we really need. We need spiritual power that changes the things about us that we have never been able to change; to beat the things that have always beaten us.
Well, in II Corinthians 5:17 in the Bible, God points us to the real thing. He says, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" There it is; that's the transforming power you've been looking for all your life! And you plug into it when you are "in Christ." And that begins when you, in your heart, go to the Cross where Jesus died for all the sin that has stained your life for so long, and you stand there where your death penalty is being paid by the Son of God and you say, "Lord, I am Yours."
If you've never really begun this transforming relationship with Jesus Christ and you want to, be sure you express to Him your total trust in Him to be your spiritual rescuer from your sin. I want to encourage you to visit our website because I've laid out there in simple terms and very briefly the way to begin a relationship with Jesus Christ, so you can be sure you have. That website is yoursforlife.net. I hope you'll go there right away today. Or you can call toll free for the booklet Yours For Life just by calling 877-741-1200.
This could be your day to plug into the power that birthed the universe - the power that was able to blow the doors off His grave and conquer death on Easter morning. Isn't it time to move from the powerlessness of religion to the awesome power of a love relationship with the Son of God, Jesus Christ. To find out how you can begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, please visit: yoursforlife.net or call 1-888-966-7325.
A Man With a Measuring Line
1 Then I looked up—and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand! 2 I asked, "Where are you going?" He answered me, "To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is." 3 Then the angel who was speaking to me left, and another angel came to meet him 4 and said to him: "Run, tell that young man, 'Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of men and livestock in it. 5 And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,' declares the LORD, 'and I will be its glory within.'
6 "Come! Come! Flee from the land of the north," declares the LORD, "for I have scattered you to the four winds of heaven," declares the LORD.
7 "Come, O Zion! Escape, you who live in the Daughter of Babylon!" 8 For this is what the LORD Almighty says: "After he has honored me and has sent me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye- 9 I will surely raise my hand against them so that their slaves will plunder them. [a] Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me.
10 "Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you," declares the LORD. 11 "Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you. 12 The LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem. 13 Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling."
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Exodus 6:1-9
Exodus 6
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country."
2 God also said to Moses, "I am the LORD. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, [a] but by my name the LORD [b] I did not make myself known to them. [c] 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they lived as aliens. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.
6 "Therefore, say to the Israelites: 'I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.' "
9 Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage.
January 25, 2008
The Most Depressing Day
ODB RADIO: Listen Now Download
READ: Exodus 6:1-9
Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid. —Matthew 14:27 About this cover Scientists in the UK have calculated that the most depressing day of the year comes in the third week of January. Winter days are dark and cold, holiday excitement has worn off just as Christmas debts are coming due, and New Year’s resolutions have all been broken. The celebrations, gift-giving, and good intentions that once made us feel happy now press us down and leave us feeling hopeless.
Long ago in Egypt, the Hebrew people had high hopes that Moses would rescue them from slavery. But their hopes were dashed when Moses’ good intentions led to worse conditions for them. Instead of gaining freedom, the people were pressed even harder by slave drivers who demanded that they produce the same amount of bricks with fewer resources.
Moses cried out to the Lord, “Since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all” (Ex. 5:23). As Moses and the Hebrew people were about to learn, God’s rescue plans sometimes don’t kick in until all hope seems to be gone.
If the circumstances of your life seem to be going from bad to worse, sending you into depression and despair, remember that God always hears and answers our cries—but it’s in His time, not ours. —Julie Ackerman Link
Our strength and hope are in the Lord—We rest secure in His sure Word;And though we’re tempted to despair,We know we’re kept within His care. —D. De Haan
When you feel hopeless, look to the God of hope.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
January 25, 2008
Leave Room for GodLISTEN: READ:
When it pleased God . . . —Galatians Galatians About this cover As servants of God, we must learn to make room for Him-to give God "elbow room." We plan and figure and predict that this or that will happen, but we forget to make room for God to come in as He chooses. Would we be surprised if God came into our meeting or into our preaching in a way we had never expected Him to come? Do not look for God to come in a particular way, but do look for Him. The way to make room for Him is to expect Him to come, but not in a certain way. No matter how well we may know God, the great lesson to learn is that He may break in at any minute. We tend to overlook this element of surprise, yet God never works in any other way. Suddenly— God meets our life ". . . when it pleased God . . . ."
Keep your life so constantly in touch with God that His surprising power can break through at any point. Live in a constant state of expectancy, and leave room for God to come in as He decides.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Outlets Without Power - #5490 Friday, January 25, 2008
I have carpenter friends who never leave home without their tools. There are doctors who never leave home without a stethoscope. And I can understand those kinds of things, but what about a friend of one of my friends who is an electrician. He always carries an outlet box with him - you know, the thing in your wall you plug things into. But that's all this electrician carries - just the outlet box. He says he carries it just in case he's in a situation where there's a power outage or no electricity available. Now, maybe there's something I don't understand here but, like, this is going to help?
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Outlets Without Power."
So what if you plug an appliance into Mr. Electrician's outlet box? Now if it was connected to some power, you're in business. But with just his little outlet box, you're just plugging into powerlessness. Tragically, that's what all too many sincere people are doing spiritually - maybe you.
The Bible describes those of us who are plugging into something spiritual, something religious, maybe something Christian and coming up powerless. In our word for today from the Word of God in II Timothy 3:5, God describes some of us as "having a form of godliness, but denying its power." They've got the form, but without the power, like the electrician with his disconnected power box.
Now, if you're listening to this program, to this station, or catching this on the Internet, you're probably a religious person, possibly even a person with some strong Christian beliefs. It's possible you have church, you have Christianity, you have a "form of godliness," but you don't have Christ. And without a genuine personal relationship with Jesus, Christianity, morality, spirituality is just an outlet without power.
So many of us are struggling with a spiritual power failure. With all our spiritual activity, we still haven't found the power to change the dark side of us; to conquer the baggage of our past, to master those weaknesses that have always brought us down, to control the passions that keep controlling us, or to get free from the guilt and shame of the past.
And with so much pressure on you, there just doesn't seem to be the power to handle it all. Your spirituality, your religion may give you some spiritual experiences, but that's not the power we really need. We need spiritual power that changes the things about us that we have never been able to change; to beat the things that have always beaten us.
Well, in II Corinthians 5:17 in the Bible, God points us to the real thing. He says, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" There it is; that's the transforming power you've been looking for all your life! And you plug into it when you are "in Christ." And that begins when you, in your heart, go to the Cross where Jesus died for all the sin that has stained your life for so long, and you stand there where your death penalty is being paid by the Son of God and you say, "Lord, I am Yours."
If you've never really begun this transforming relationship with Jesus Christ and you want to, be sure you express to Him your total trust in Him to be your spiritual rescuer from your sin. I want to encourage you to visit our website because I've laid out there in simple terms and very briefly the way to begin a relationship with Jesus Christ, so you can be sure you have. That website is yoursforlife.net. I hope you'll go there right away today. Or you can call toll free for the booklet Yours For Life just by calling 877-741-1200.
This could be your day to plug into the power that birthed the universe - the power that was able to blow the doors off His grave and conquer death on Easter morning. Isn't it time to move from the powerlessness of religion to the awesome power of a love relationship with the Son of God, Jesus Christ. To find out how you can begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, please visit: yoursforlife.net or call 1-888-966-7325.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Zechariah 1 and Devotions
Zechariah 1
A Call to Return to the LORD
1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo: 2 "The LORD was very angry with your forefathers. 3 Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Return to me,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'and I will return to you,' says the LORD Almighty. 4 Do not be like your forefathers, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.' But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the LORD. 5 Where are your forefathers now? And the prophets, do they live forever? 6 But did not my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, overtake your forefathers? "Then they repented and said, 'The LORD Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as he determined to do.'"
The Man Among the Myrtle Trees 7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo. 8 During the night I had a vision—and there before me was a man riding a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine. Behind him were red, brown and white horses.
9 I asked, "What are these, my lord?" The angel who was talking with me answered, "I will show you what they are."
10 Then the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, "They are the ones the LORD has sent to go throughout the earth."
11 And they reported to the angel of the LORD, who was standing among the myrtle trees, "We have gone throughout the earth and found the whole world at rest and in peace."
12 Then the angel of the LORD said, "LORD Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?" 13 So the LORD spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.
14 Then the angel who was speaking to me said, "Proclaim this word: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, 15 but I am very angry with the nations that feel secure. I was only a little angry, but they added to the calamity.'
16 "Therefore, this is what the LORD says: 'I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there my house will be rebuilt. And the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem,' declares the LORD Almighty.
17 "Proclaim further: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'My towns will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem.' "
Four Horns and Four Craftsmen 18 Then I looked up—and there before me were four horns! 19 I asked the angel who was speaking to me, "What are these?" He answered me, "These are the horns that scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem." 20 Then the LORD showed me four craftsmen. 21 I asked, "What are these coming to do?" He answered, "These are the horns that scattered Judah so that no one could raise his head, but the craftsmen have come to terrify them and throw down these horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter its people."
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
John 4:7-15
7When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" 8(His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.[a])
10Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."
11"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"
13Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
15The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."
January 24, 2008
Absolute Needs
ODB RADIO: Listen Now Download
READ: John 4:7-15
My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. —Philippians 4:19 About this cover From our first breath until our last, we have few truly essential needs. Without oxygen, we would perish in minutes. We must have food and water. Our bodies, when exhausted, require rest. And in harsh weather, we must seek shelter. So, while we are needy creatures, our basic needs are few.
When it comes to our wants, however, there seems to be no limit. Indeed, the entire advertising industry is devoted to expanding our “needs.”
But what about those basic needs we overlook? What about our need for the Bread of Life and the living water of God’s truth? What about our need for spiritual fellowship that gives strength, hope, peace, and comfort? The vague dissatisfaction so many people experience is really spiritual malnutrition and thirst.
Jesus told a Samaritan woman about water that would become “a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). He had what she truly needed—what Peter later called “the words of eternal life” (6:68).
Have we been ignoring the words of Jesus: “Man shall not live by bread alone”? (Luke 4:4). Have we been failing to nourish our souls while pursuing our wants? “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matt. 6:33). —Vernon C Grounds
I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord,No tender voice like Thine can peace afford;I need Thee, O I need Thee, every hour I need Thee!O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee. —Hawks
Just as our body needs daily food, so does our spirit.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
January 24, 2008
God’s Overpowering PurposeLISTEN: READ:
I have appeared to you for this purpose . . . —Acts 26:16 About this cover The vision Paul had on the road to Damascus was not a passing emotional experience, but a vision that had very clear and emphatic directions for him. And Paul stated, "I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision" (Acts 26:19). Our Lord said to Paul, in effect, "Your whole life is to be overpowered or subdued by Me; you are to have no end, no aim, and no purpose but Mine." And the Lord also says to us, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go . . ." (John 15:16).
When we are born again, if we are spiritual at all, we have visions of what Jesus wants us to be. It is important that I learn not to be "disobedient to the heavenly vision"Ðnot to doubt that it can be attained. It is not enough to give mental assent to the fact that God has redeemed the world, nor even to know that the Holy Spirit can make all that Jesus did a reality in my life. I must have the foundation of a personal relationship with Him. Paul was not given a message or a doctrine to proclaim. He was brought into a vivid, personal, overpowering relationship with Jesus Christ.Acts 26:16 is tremendously compelling ". . . to make you a minister and a witness . . . ." There would be nothing there without a personal relationship. Paul was devoted to a Person, not to a cause. He was absolutely Jesus Christ’s. He saw nothing else and he lived for nothing else. "For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
The Game of the King - #5489 Thursday, January 24, 2008
My brief visit to Israel some years ago is one of the richest memories of my life. One of those memories took place in this dark, damp, cobblestone basement of a church on the Via Dolorosa. That area was part of the governor's headquarters in Jesus' day. It's called the Praetoriam or the "pavement" in the Bible. As I stood there, I realized I was standing on the very stones where my Savior was humiliated in front of a howling mob and by some brutal Roman soldiers. Our guide showed us some markings that were scratched into the stones by Roman soldiers at that time. The guide explained that those markings made a crude playing board for this cruel game the soldiers played. They called it "The Game of the King." They may have played it with Jesus. It's still being played today.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Game of the King."
Our word for today from the Word of God is in Matthew 27:27. "Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetoriam and gathered the whole company of soldiers around Him. They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand and they knelt in front of Him and mocked Him. 'Hail, king of the Jews!' they said. They spit on Him and took the staff and they struck Him on the head again and again. After they had mocked Him, they took off the robe and put His own clothes on Him. Then they led Him away to crucify Him."
Our Jerusalem guide told us that the Roman soldier who won this game got to pick one of the prisoners to be "the king" who then they abused verbally and physically. In this case, it was the King of Kings - the One who made them! The proper symbols of royalty were there: there was a robe, a crown, a scepter. And their words were right: "King of the Jews." But it was all a mockery.
Now your reaction is probably much like mine, "Man, that's ugly. That's so perverted." And it is. But the worst part is that some of us may be playing an updated, more polite version of the "Game of the King" even today.
Could it be that you say all the right words about Jesus, you're going to the right meetings, carrying all the right symbols - a Bible, Christian literature, church involvement - but, in many ways, it's a mockery? Those soldiers called Jesus "king," but they had no intention of being His subjects, of doing what He said. Maybe, in some ways, like you.
Look at your romantic life, for example. Your words may say, "Jesus is Lord," but who's really running your romantic relationship? Or what about your business? Is it run Jesus' way or your way? If we were to listen to a recording of how you talk at home, would they show that Jesus is King of your family relationships or are you? The words and activities may say that Jesus is King, but who really controls how you use your money, what you decide to listen to, or to watch? What about your sexual fantasies? Does what comes out of your mouth much of the time sound like a subject of King Jesus? Look at who's really running things, in the things that really matter to you.
It's not the words that decide it. If you're saying Christ is Lord but ignoring Him much of the time, you may be playing a religious version of the "Game of the King." And it is a shameful game. And everyone who plays this game loses. Listen to the King's sobering question from Luke 6:46, "Why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?'"
A Call to Return to the LORD
1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo: 2 "The LORD was very angry with your forefathers. 3 Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Return to me,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'and I will return to you,' says the LORD Almighty. 4 Do not be like your forefathers, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.' But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the LORD. 5 Where are your forefathers now? And the prophets, do they live forever? 6 But did not my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, overtake your forefathers? "Then they repented and said, 'The LORD Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as he determined to do.'"
The Man Among the Myrtle Trees 7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo. 8 During the night I had a vision—and there before me was a man riding a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine. Behind him were red, brown and white horses.
9 I asked, "What are these, my lord?" The angel who was talking with me answered, "I will show you what they are."
10 Then the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, "They are the ones the LORD has sent to go throughout the earth."
11 And they reported to the angel of the LORD, who was standing among the myrtle trees, "We have gone throughout the earth and found the whole world at rest and in peace."
12 Then the angel of the LORD said, "LORD Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?" 13 So the LORD spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.
14 Then the angel who was speaking to me said, "Proclaim this word: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, 15 but I am very angry with the nations that feel secure. I was only a little angry, but they added to the calamity.'
16 "Therefore, this is what the LORD says: 'I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there my house will be rebuilt. And the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem,' declares the LORD Almighty.
17 "Proclaim further: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'My towns will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem.' "
Four Horns and Four Craftsmen 18 Then I looked up—and there before me were four horns! 19 I asked the angel who was speaking to me, "What are these?" He answered me, "These are the horns that scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem." 20 Then the LORD showed me four craftsmen. 21 I asked, "What are these coming to do?" He answered, "These are the horns that scattered Judah so that no one could raise his head, but the craftsmen have come to terrify them and throw down these horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter its people."
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
John 4:7-15
7When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" 8(His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.[a])
10Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."
11"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"
13Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
15The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."
January 24, 2008
Absolute Needs
ODB RADIO: Listen Now Download
READ: John 4:7-15
My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. —Philippians 4:19 About this cover From our first breath until our last, we have few truly essential needs. Without oxygen, we would perish in minutes. We must have food and water. Our bodies, when exhausted, require rest. And in harsh weather, we must seek shelter. So, while we are needy creatures, our basic needs are few.
When it comes to our wants, however, there seems to be no limit. Indeed, the entire advertising industry is devoted to expanding our “needs.”
But what about those basic needs we overlook? What about our need for the Bread of Life and the living water of God’s truth? What about our need for spiritual fellowship that gives strength, hope, peace, and comfort? The vague dissatisfaction so many people experience is really spiritual malnutrition and thirst.
Jesus told a Samaritan woman about water that would become “a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). He had what she truly needed—what Peter later called “the words of eternal life” (6:68).
Have we been ignoring the words of Jesus: “Man shall not live by bread alone”? (Luke 4:4). Have we been failing to nourish our souls while pursuing our wants? “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matt. 6:33). —Vernon C Grounds
I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord,No tender voice like Thine can peace afford;I need Thee, O I need Thee, every hour I need Thee!O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee. —Hawks
Just as our body needs daily food, so does our spirit.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
January 24, 2008
God’s Overpowering PurposeLISTEN: READ:
I have appeared to you for this purpose . . . —Acts 26:16 About this cover The vision Paul had on the road to Damascus was not a passing emotional experience, but a vision that had very clear and emphatic directions for him. And Paul stated, "I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision" (Acts 26:19). Our Lord said to Paul, in effect, "Your whole life is to be overpowered or subdued by Me; you are to have no end, no aim, and no purpose but Mine." And the Lord also says to us, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go . . ." (John 15:16).
When we are born again, if we are spiritual at all, we have visions of what Jesus wants us to be. It is important that I learn not to be "disobedient to the heavenly vision"Ðnot to doubt that it can be attained. It is not enough to give mental assent to the fact that God has redeemed the world, nor even to know that the Holy Spirit can make all that Jesus did a reality in my life. I must have the foundation of a personal relationship with Him. Paul was not given a message or a doctrine to proclaim. He was brought into a vivid, personal, overpowering relationship with Jesus Christ.Acts 26:16 is tremendously compelling ". . . to make you a minister and a witness . . . ." There would be nothing there without a personal relationship. Paul was devoted to a Person, not to a cause. He was absolutely Jesus Christ’s. He saw nothing else and he lived for nothing else. "For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
The Game of the King - #5489 Thursday, January 24, 2008
My brief visit to Israel some years ago is one of the richest memories of my life. One of those memories took place in this dark, damp, cobblestone basement of a church on the Via Dolorosa. That area was part of the governor's headquarters in Jesus' day. It's called the Praetoriam or the "pavement" in the Bible. As I stood there, I realized I was standing on the very stones where my Savior was humiliated in front of a howling mob and by some brutal Roman soldiers. Our guide showed us some markings that were scratched into the stones by Roman soldiers at that time. The guide explained that those markings made a crude playing board for this cruel game the soldiers played. They called it "The Game of the King." They may have played it with Jesus. It's still being played today.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Game of the King."
Our word for today from the Word of God is in Matthew 27:27. "Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetoriam and gathered the whole company of soldiers around Him. They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand and they knelt in front of Him and mocked Him. 'Hail, king of the Jews!' they said. They spit on Him and took the staff and they struck Him on the head again and again. After they had mocked Him, they took off the robe and put His own clothes on Him. Then they led Him away to crucify Him."
Our Jerusalem guide told us that the Roman soldier who won this game got to pick one of the prisoners to be "the king" who then they abused verbally and physically. In this case, it was the King of Kings - the One who made them! The proper symbols of royalty were there: there was a robe, a crown, a scepter. And their words were right: "King of the Jews." But it was all a mockery.
Now your reaction is probably much like mine, "Man, that's ugly. That's so perverted." And it is. But the worst part is that some of us may be playing an updated, more polite version of the "Game of the King" even today.
Could it be that you say all the right words about Jesus, you're going to the right meetings, carrying all the right symbols - a Bible, Christian literature, church involvement - but, in many ways, it's a mockery? Those soldiers called Jesus "king," but they had no intention of being His subjects, of doing what He said. Maybe, in some ways, like you.
Look at your romantic life, for example. Your words may say, "Jesus is Lord," but who's really running your romantic relationship? Or what about your business? Is it run Jesus' way or your way? If we were to listen to a recording of how you talk at home, would they show that Jesus is King of your family relationships or are you? The words and activities may say that Jesus is King, but who really controls how you use your money, what you decide to listen to, or to watch? What about your sexual fantasies? Does what comes out of your mouth much of the time sound like a subject of King Jesus? Look at who's really running things, in the things that really matter to you.
It's not the words that decide it. If you're saying Christ is Lord but ignoring Him much of the time, you may be playing a religious version of the "Game of the King." And it is a shameful game. And everyone who plays this game loses. Listen to the King's sobering question from Luke 6:46, "Why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?'"
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Haggai 2 and devotions
Haggai 2
The Promised Glory of the New House
1 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 2 "Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, 3 'Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? 4 But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,' declares the LORD. 'Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,' declares the LORD, 'and work. For I am with you,' declares the LORD Almighty. 5 'This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.' 6 "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the LORD Almighty. 8 'The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the LORD Almighty. 9 'The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the LORD Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the LORD Almighty."
Blessings for a Defiled People 10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Haggai: 11 "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Ask the priests what the law says: 12 If a person carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, oil or other food, does it become consecrated?' " The priests answered, "No." 13 Then Haggai said, "If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?" "Yes," the priests replied, "it becomes defiled."
14 Then Haggai said, " 'So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,' declares the LORD. 'Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.
15 " 'Now give careful thought to this from this day on [a] —consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the LORD's temple. 16 When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. 17 I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not turn to me,' declares the LORD. 18 'From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid. Give careful thought: 19 Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. " 'From this day on I will bless you.' "
Zerubbabel the LORD's Signet Ring 20 The word of the LORD came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: 21 "Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I will shake the heavens and the earth. 22 I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother. 23 " 'On that day,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,' declares the LORD, 'and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,' declares the LORD Almighty."
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Colossians 1:3-14
Thanksgiving and Prayer 3We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— 5the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel 6that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth. 7You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our[a] behalf, 8and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. 9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[b] to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption,[c] the forgiveness of sins.
January 23, 2008
Kingdom Living
ODB RADIO: Listen Now Download
READ: Colossians 1:3-14
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. —Colossians 1:13 About this cover I have a lot of friends who work in bad neighborhoods. One of these city warriors transplanted his family to the inner city. One day as he was walking down the hallway in his apartment building, he noticed two guys smoking crack cocaine. Not wanting his kids to see what they were doing, he asked the two to stop. The next thing he knew, one of their fists had found its way to his jaw. With a bleeding nose and mouth, he responded, “If Jesus shed His blood for me, I can shed my blood for you.”
Shocked by the man’s response, the two men fled. A few days later one of them returned, knocked on my friend’s door, and said, “I have not forgotten your words. If your God is that real to you, then I want to know Him.” That day, he was “delivered . . . from the power of darkness,” and brought “into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Col. 1:13).
Those of us who have been rescued from the domain of darkness can bring a little bit of heaven to earth when we are willing to demonstrate the power of God’s unique approach to life. Even in our moments of weakness and vulnerability, we are given opportunities to demonstrate the power and strength of God’s forgiveness by showing His love for our enemies. —Joe Stowell
Help us, Lord, to be a lifelineTo a dying world today,Bringing hope to hopeless people,Telling them that Christ’s the way. —Sper
A world in darkness needs the light of the gospel.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
January 23, 2008
Transformed by BeholdingLISTEN: READ:
We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image . . . —2 Corinthians 3:18 About this cover The greatest characteristic a Christian can exhibit is this completely unveiled openness before God, which allows that person’s life to become a mirror for others. When the Spirit fills us, we are transformed, and by beholding God we become mirrors. You can always tell when someone has been beholding the glory of the Lord, because your inner spirit senses that he mirrors the Lord’s own character. Beware of anything that would spot or tarnish that mirror in you. It is almost always something good that will stain it— something good, but not what is best.
The most important rule for us is to concentrate on keeping our lives open to God. Let everything else including work, clothes, and food be set aside. The busyness of things obscures our concentration on God. We must maintain a position of beholding Him, keeping our lives completely spiritual through and through. Let other things come and go as they will; let other people criticize us as they will; but never allow anything to obscure the life that "is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3). Never let a hurried lifestyle disturb the relationship of abiding in Him. This is an easy thing to allow, but we must guard against it. The most difficult lesson of the Christian life is learning how to continue "beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord . . . ."
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Climate Control - #5488 Wednesday, January 23, 2008
I was in a board meeting in a hotel conference room. It was in the 90s outside, but I was ready to put gloves on so I could write without shaking. The air conditioner in our conference room was set one notch past high. It was on arctic! We wandered over to the control box on the wall, and all we did was discover that the controls were locked up. Great! So, we called the desk and they had a hard time understanding us because our teeth were chattering. They finally got the message, and the maintenance man came and he turned down that ice machine. At that moment, he had the power in his hands. Summer or winter, he is the man who decides what the temperature will be. You know, that's a pretty significant position.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Climate Control."
Our word for today from the Word of God turns the spotlight on one of the Bible's greatest role models for leadership - my hero, Nehemiah. He led God's people in the effort to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in just 52 days. As we join the story, Nehemiah is now governor for a poor group of people who are trying to establish life in their rebuilt city. In that difficult time, the climate was very important, and God had a man who knew how to establish just the right temperature.
Our word for today from the Word of God, Nehemiah 5 beginning in verse 14. "When I was appointed to be their governor ... neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor. But the earlier governors - those preceding me - placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God, I did not act like that. Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled for the work; we did not acquire any land. Furthermore," Nehemiah says, "a hundred and fifty Jews and officials ate at my table, as well as those who came to us from the surrounding nations ... I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on these people."
In the intensity of this survival situation, the people desperately needed a climate of unselfishness, of sharing, of cooperation. But someone had to be the thermostat, and Nehemiah was that man. He led the way, setting a temperature of sharing, and you know what? The people followed.
The greatest responsibility of any leader is probably not even in his or her job description. It's establishing a climate. Parents do it at home; Dad establishes a climate when he walks in the door at night. Teachers set a temperature in a classroom. A chairman sets a temperature in a meeting. Leaders do it in a church. Supervisors set a climate in an office or factory. In a sense, we're all leaders to the extent that we set a climate where we are.
If you're in a position of influencing others, have you considered how the temperature feels where you are, what kind of climate you're establishing? Not so much with what you say, but more with the way you are. Is it tense around you or peaceful? Are people around you seeing a model of caring? Of unselfishness? Of pitching in on what needs to be done, as Governor Nehemiah did with the work on the wall? Are you setting a climate of respect for other people? If people are around you, do they become people of prayer?
You're a leader. You're setting a climate, whether you realize it or not. And the interesting thing is that you end up reaping the climate you sow. So make the place where you are feel like it would if Jesus were there. He is.
The Promised Glory of the New House
1 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 2 "Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, 3 'Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? 4 But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,' declares the LORD. 'Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,' declares the LORD, 'and work. For I am with you,' declares the LORD Almighty. 5 'This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.' 6 "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the LORD Almighty. 8 'The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the LORD Almighty. 9 'The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the LORD Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the LORD Almighty."
Blessings for a Defiled People 10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Haggai: 11 "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Ask the priests what the law says: 12 If a person carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, oil or other food, does it become consecrated?' " The priests answered, "No." 13 Then Haggai said, "If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?" "Yes," the priests replied, "it becomes defiled."
14 Then Haggai said, " 'So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,' declares the LORD. 'Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.
15 " 'Now give careful thought to this from this day on [a] —consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the LORD's temple. 16 When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. 17 I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not turn to me,' declares the LORD. 18 'From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid. Give careful thought: 19 Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. " 'From this day on I will bless you.' "
Zerubbabel the LORD's Signet Ring 20 The word of the LORD came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: 21 "Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I will shake the heavens and the earth. 22 I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother. 23 " 'On that day,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,' declares the LORD, 'and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,' declares the LORD Almighty."
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Colossians 1:3-14
Thanksgiving and Prayer 3We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— 5the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel 6that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth. 7You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our[a] behalf, 8and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. 9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[b] to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption,[c] the forgiveness of sins.
January 23, 2008
Kingdom Living
ODB RADIO: Listen Now Download
READ: Colossians 1:3-14
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. —Colossians 1:13 About this cover I have a lot of friends who work in bad neighborhoods. One of these city warriors transplanted his family to the inner city. One day as he was walking down the hallway in his apartment building, he noticed two guys smoking crack cocaine. Not wanting his kids to see what they were doing, he asked the two to stop. The next thing he knew, one of their fists had found its way to his jaw. With a bleeding nose and mouth, he responded, “If Jesus shed His blood for me, I can shed my blood for you.”
Shocked by the man’s response, the two men fled. A few days later one of them returned, knocked on my friend’s door, and said, “I have not forgotten your words. If your God is that real to you, then I want to know Him.” That day, he was “delivered . . . from the power of darkness,” and brought “into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Col. 1:13).
Those of us who have been rescued from the domain of darkness can bring a little bit of heaven to earth when we are willing to demonstrate the power of God’s unique approach to life. Even in our moments of weakness and vulnerability, we are given opportunities to demonstrate the power and strength of God’s forgiveness by showing His love for our enemies. —Joe Stowell
Help us, Lord, to be a lifelineTo a dying world today,Bringing hope to hopeless people,Telling them that Christ’s the way. —Sper
A world in darkness needs the light of the gospel.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
January 23, 2008
Transformed by BeholdingLISTEN: READ:
We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image . . . —2 Corinthians 3:18 About this cover The greatest characteristic a Christian can exhibit is this completely unveiled openness before God, which allows that person’s life to become a mirror for others. When the Spirit fills us, we are transformed, and by beholding God we become mirrors. You can always tell when someone has been beholding the glory of the Lord, because your inner spirit senses that he mirrors the Lord’s own character. Beware of anything that would spot or tarnish that mirror in you. It is almost always something good that will stain it— something good, but not what is best.
The most important rule for us is to concentrate on keeping our lives open to God. Let everything else including work, clothes, and food be set aside. The busyness of things obscures our concentration on God. We must maintain a position of beholding Him, keeping our lives completely spiritual through and through. Let other things come and go as they will; let other people criticize us as they will; but never allow anything to obscure the life that "is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3). Never let a hurried lifestyle disturb the relationship of abiding in Him. This is an easy thing to allow, but we must guard against it. The most difficult lesson of the Christian life is learning how to continue "beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord . . . ."
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Climate Control - #5488 Wednesday, January 23, 2008
I was in a board meeting in a hotel conference room. It was in the 90s outside, but I was ready to put gloves on so I could write without shaking. The air conditioner in our conference room was set one notch past high. It was on arctic! We wandered over to the control box on the wall, and all we did was discover that the controls were locked up. Great! So, we called the desk and they had a hard time understanding us because our teeth were chattering. They finally got the message, and the maintenance man came and he turned down that ice machine. At that moment, he had the power in his hands. Summer or winter, he is the man who decides what the temperature will be. You know, that's a pretty significant position.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Climate Control."
Our word for today from the Word of God turns the spotlight on one of the Bible's greatest role models for leadership - my hero, Nehemiah. He led God's people in the effort to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in just 52 days. As we join the story, Nehemiah is now governor for a poor group of people who are trying to establish life in their rebuilt city. In that difficult time, the climate was very important, and God had a man who knew how to establish just the right temperature.
Our word for today from the Word of God, Nehemiah 5 beginning in verse 14. "When I was appointed to be their governor ... neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor. But the earlier governors - those preceding me - placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God, I did not act like that. Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled for the work; we did not acquire any land. Furthermore," Nehemiah says, "a hundred and fifty Jews and officials ate at my table, as well as those who came to us from the surrounding nations ... I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on these people."
In the intensity of this survival situation, the people desperately needed a climate of unselfishness, of sharing, of cooperation. But someone had to be the thermostat, and Nehemiah was that man. He led the way, setting a temperature of sharing, and you know what? The people followed.
The greatest responsibility of any leader is probably not even in his or her job description. It's establishing a climate. Parents do it at home; Dad establishes a climate when he walks in the door at night. Teachers set a temperature in a classroom. A chairman sets a temperature in a meeting. Leaders do it in a church. Supervisors set a climate in an office or factory. In a sense, we're all leaders to the extent that we set a climate where we are.
If you're in a position of influencing others, have you considered how the temperature feels where you are, what kind of climate you're establishing? Not so much with what you say, but more with the way you are. Is it tense around you or peaceful? Are people around you seeing a model of caring? Of unselfishness? Of pitching in on what needs to be done, as Governor Nehemiah did with the work on the wall? Are you setting a climate of respect for other people? If people are around you, do they become people of prayer?
You're a leader. You're setting a climate, whether you realize it or not. And the interesting thing is that you end up reaping the climate you sow. So make the place where you are feel like it would if Jesus were there. He is.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Haggai 1 and devotions
Haggai 1
A Call to Build the House of the LORD
1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua [a] son of Jehozadak, the high priest: 2 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "These people say, 'The time has not yet come for the LORD's house to be built.' "
3 Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 4 "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?"
5 Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."
7 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the LORD. 9 "You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the LORD Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. 11 I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands."
12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD.
13 Then Haggai, the LORD's messenger, gave this message of the LORD to the people: "I am with you," declares the LORD. 14 So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Psalm 127
A song of ascents. Of Solomon.
1 Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. 2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to [a] those he loves.
3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth.
5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.
January 22, 2008
Eliana’s World
ODB RADIO: Listen Now Download
READ: Psalm 127
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. —Psalm 127:3 About this cover On the day the US lost one of its most respected presidents, my wife and I celebrated the birth of our first grandchild. Gerald R. Ford died the day Eliana Ruth was born to our daughter Lisa and her husband, Todd. She came into the world in a hospital about a mile from where President Ford is now buried.
If Eliana lives to be the same age as President Ford when he died, she will live into the 22nd century! I wonder what mark this little girl will make on the world—and what kind of society she and her peers will experience.
Each child born into this world has potential for godliness and even greatness. The traits today’s children need to guide a future society do not come by accident, but through diligent, godly parenting.
God’s Word calls us to point children to Jesus (Mark 10:14-16). We are to instruct them in God’s ways (Deut. 6:4-9), discipline them toward godliness (Prov. 19:18), and love them unconditionally (Luke 15:11-32). Imagine what Eliana’s world can be like if the parents of her generation dedicate themselves to godly parenting.
Are you a parent? Teach your children godliness, faith, and uncommon love. Then, when they influence their world, they will reveal God to a new generation. —Dave Branon
FOR FURTHER STUDYHow did Jesus teach His disciples? How are we to teach our children? Read How Can A Parent Find Peace Of Mind? at www.discoveryseries.org/q0804
To guide your children on the right way, you must go that way yourself.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
January 22, 2008
Am I Looking To God?LISTEN: READ:
Look to Me, and be saved . . . —Isaiah 45:22 About this cover Do we expect God to come to us with His blessings and save us? He says, "Look to Me, and be saved . . . ." The greatest difficulty spiritually is to concentrate on God, and His blessings are what make it so difficult. Troubles almost always make us look to God, but His blessings tend to divert our attention elsewhere. The basic lesson of the Sermon on the Mount is to narrow all your interests until your mind, heart, and body are focused on Jesus Christ. "Look to Me . . . ."
Many of us have a mental picture of what a Christian should be, and looking at this image in other Christians’ lives becomes a hindrance to our focusing on God. This is not salvation— it is not simple enough. He says, in effect, "Look to Me and you are saved," not "You will be saved someday." We will find what we are looking for if we will concentrate on Him. We get distracted from God and irritable with Him while He continues to say to us, "Look to Me, and be saved . . . ." Our difficulties, our trials, and our worries about tomorrow all vanish when we look to God.
Wake yourself up and look to God. Build your hope on Him. No matter how many things seem to be pressing in on you, be determined to push them aside and look to Him. "Look to Me . . . ." Salvation is yours the moment you look.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Right Under Your Nose - #5487 Tuesday, January 22, 2008
When our kids were growing up, the early morning shift around our house was particularly exciting. I was getting ready for a full day, three kids were scrambling to have what they needed for school, my wife was playing maid, chef, valet, and chauffeur. In the rush, a lot of our communication was basically non-verbal. For example, one morning I was shaving and thinking through this endless list of things I had to do that day - all the Lord's work, of course. I was mulling over a sermon, radio programs, an important appointment that day, an event I was planning, and my son popped in. Now, I must have succeeded in telegraphing how much I had on my mind (The Lord's work, remember?); he disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. Then, as I was praying about all the Lord's work I had to do that day, I remembered an important decision my son had to make that day, one that he probably needed to talk to his father about. I had just missed the Lord's work.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Right Under Your Nose."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from John 4:30. Jesus has just had a transforming conversation with this Samaritan woman He met at a well, and she goes back to tell her village about the Messiah she has just met. The Bible says, "They came out of the town and made their way toward Him." The disciples, who have been in the village shopping for groceries, are just focused on trying to get Jesus to eat some lunch.
But with these unreached Samaritans streaming out of the village toward them, Jesus says, "Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest?' I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." To Jesus' disciples, this village was just a rest and refueling stop. Apparently they were looking ahead to some great future ministry and missing the ministry right under their noses!
Sounds like this father shaving, thinking about the ministry he had ahead of him and missing a son who needed some ministry right there. All too often we are like I was that busy morning or the disciples were that lunch time in Samaria. We miss the work of God that's right under our nose. In fact, you don't even have to leave your home to do the Lord's work. Actually, the work of God begins at home! That's one reason the qualifications for spiritual leaders in 1 Timothy 3 tell us that it must be someone whose relationship with their spouse and their children is healthy.
So we often fill up our lives with ministry responsibilities, only to reach other people's kids while missing our own, to bring blessing to God's house while neglecting our first responsibility - the congregation at our own house. Many husbands and wives and children and parents have been the victims of a distorted view of God's work - that you have to leave home before you start doing ministry. You know, your family may be the most important ministry you will ever have.
Now this doesn't mean you withdraw from every spiritual responsibility outside your home, but it does mean you take care of the Lord's work at home first. Maybe your unbelieving family member would be better reached by your staying home with them sometimes than by your going to a meeting to pray for them. Your mate, your child may need your ear, your encouragement, your counsel. And they may need it at least as much as anyone you're going to see at your meeting.
So look around your house for those needs that are there before you go charging off somewhere else to start doing the Lord's work. Sometimes the most important Lord's work you have to do is right there under your nose!
A Call to Build the House of the LORD
1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua [a] son of Jehozadak, the high priest: 2 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "These people say, 'The time has not yet come for the LORD's house to be built.' "
3 Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 4 "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?"
5 Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."
7 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the LORD. 9 "You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the LORD Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. 11 I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands."
12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD.
13 Then Haggai, the LORD's messenger, gave this message of the LORD to the people: "I am with you," declares the LORD. 14 So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Psalm 127
A song of ascents. Of Solomon.
1 Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. 2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to [a] those he loves.
3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth.
5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.
January 22, 2008
Eliana’s World
ODB RADIO: Listen Now Download
READ: Psalm 127
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. —Psalm 127:3 About this cover On the day the US lost one of its most respected presidents, my wife and I celebrated the birth of our first grandchild. Gerald R. Ford died the day Eliana Ruth was born to our daughter Lisa and her husband, Todd. She came into the world in a hospital about a mile from where President Ford is now buried.
If Eliana lives to be the same age as President Ford when he died, she will live into the 22nd century! I wonder what mark this little girl will make on the world—and what kind of society she and her peers will experience.
Each child born into this world has potential for godliness and even greatness. The traits today’s children need to guide a future society do not come by accident, but through diligent, godly parenting.
God’s Word calls us to point children to Jesus (Mark 10:14-16). We are to instruct them in God’s ways (Deut. 6:4-9), discipline them toward godliness (Prov. 19:18), and love them unconditionally (Luke 15:11-32). Imagine what Eliana’s world can be like if the parents of her generation dedicate themselves to godly parenting.
Are you a parent? Teach your children godliness, faith, and uncommon love. Then, when they influence their world, they will reveal God to a new generation. —Dave Branon
FOR FURTHER STUDYHow did Jesus teach His disciples? How are we to teach our children? Read How Can A Parent Find Peace Of Mind? at www.discoveryseries.org/q0804
To guide your children on the right way, you must go that way yourself.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
January 22, 2008
Am I Looking To God?LISTEN: READ:
Look to Me, and be saved . . . —Isaiah 45:22 About this cover Do we expect God to come to us with His blessings and save us? He says, "Look to Me, and be saved . . . ." The greatest difficulty spiritually is to concentrate on God, and His blessings are what make it so difficult. Troubles almost always make us look to God, but His blessings tend to divert our attention elsewhere. The basic lesson of the Sermon on the Mount is to narrow all your interests until your mind, heart, and body are focused on Jesus Christ. "Look to Me . . . ."
Many of us have a mental picture of what a Christian should be, and looking at this image in other Christians’ lives becomes a hindrance to our focusing on God. This is not salvation— it is not simple enough. He says, in effect, "Look to Me and you are saved," not "You will be saved someday." We will find what we are looking for if we will concentrate on Him. We get distracted from God and irritable with Him while He continues to say to us, "Look to Me, and be saved . . . ." Our difficulties, our trials, and our worries about tomorrow all vanish when we look to God.
Wake yourself up and look to God. Build your hope on Him. No matter how many things seem to be pressing in on you, be determined to push them aside and look to Him. "Look to Me . . . ." Salvation is yours the moment you look.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Right Under Your Nose - #5487 Tuesday, January 22, 2008
When our kids were growing up, the early morning shift around our house was particularly exciting. I was getting ready for a full day, three kids were scrambling to have what they needed for school, my wife was playing maid, chef, valet, and chauffeur. In the rush, a lot of our communication was basically non-verbal. For example, one morning I was shaving and thinking through this endless list of things I had to do that day - all the Lord's work, of course. I was mulling over a sermon, radio programs, an important appointment that day, an event I was planning, and my son popped in. Now, I must have succeeded in telegraphing how much I had on my mind (The Lord's work, remember?); he disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. Then, as I was praying about all the Lord's work I had to do that day, I remembered an important decision my son had to make that day, one that he probably needed to talk to his father about. I had just missed the Lord's work.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Right Under Your Nose."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from John 4:30. Jesus has just had a transforming conversation with this Samaritan woman He met at a well, and she goes back to tell her village about the Messiah she has just met. The Bible says, "They came out of the town and made their way toward Him." The disciples, who have been in the village shopping for groceries, are just focused on trying to get Jesus to eat some lunch.
But with these unreached Samaritans streaming out of the village toward them, Jesus says, "Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest?' I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." To Jesus' disciples, this village was just a rest and refueling stop. Apparently they were looking ahead to some great future ministry and missing the ministry right under their noses!
Sounds like this father shaving, thinking about the ministry he had ahead of him and missing a son who needed some ministry right there. All too often we are like I was that busy morning or the disciples were that lunch time in Samaria. We miss the work of God that's right under our nose. In fact, you don't even have to leave your home to do the Lord's work. Actually, the work of God begins at home! That's one reason the qualifications for spiritual leaders in 1 Timothy 3 tell us that it must be someone whose relationship with their spouse and their children is healthy.
So we often fill up our lives with ministry responsibilities, only to reach other people's kids while missing our own, to bring blessing to God's house while neglecting our first responsibility - the congregation at our own house. Many husbands and wives and children and parents have been the victims of a distorted view of God's work - that you have to leave home before you start doing ministry. You know, your family may be the most important ministry you will ever have.
Now this doesn't mean you withdraw from every spiritual responsibility outside your home, but it does mean you take care of the Lord's work at home first. Maybe your unbelieving family member would be better reached by your staying home with them sometimes than by your going to a meeting to pray for them. Your mate, your child may need your ear, your encouragement, your counsel. And they may need it at least as much as anyone you're going to see at your meeting.
So look around your house for those needs that are there before you go charging off somewhere else to start doing the Lord's work. Sometimes the most important Lord's work you have to do is right there under your nose!
Monday, January 21, 2008
Zephaniah 3 and devotionals
Zephaniah 3
The Future of Jerusalem
1 Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! 2 She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD, she does not draw near to her God.
3 Her officials are roaring lions, her rulers are evening wolves, who leave nothing for the morning.
4 Her prophets are arrogant; they are treacherous men. Her priests profane the sanctuary and do violence to the law.
5 The LORD within her is righteous; he does no wrong. Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail, yet the unrighteous know no shame.
6 "I have cut off nations; their strongholds are demolished. I have left their streets deserted, with no one passing through. Their cities are destroyed; no one will be left—no one at all.
7 I said to the city, 'Surely you will fear me and accept correction!' Then her dwelling would not be cut off, nor all my punishments come upon her. But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did.
8 Therefore wait for me," declares the LORD, "for the day I will stand up to testify. [a] I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them— all my fierce anger. The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger.
9 "Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder.
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush [b] my worshipers, my scattered people, will bring me offerings.
11 On that day you will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me, because I will remove from this city those who rejoice in their pride. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill.
12 But I will leave within you the meek and humble, who trust in the name of the LORD.
13 The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; they will speak no lies, nor will deceit be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid."
14 Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm.
16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem, "Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp.
17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."
18 "The sorrows for the appointed feasts I will remove from you; they are a burden and a reproach to you. [c]
19 At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you; I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they were put to shame.
20 At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes [d] before your very eyes," says the LORD.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotional
Psalm 3
1For the director of music. A psalm of David. 1 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. 2 Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
4 Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.
6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols; I trust in the LORD.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.
8 You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.
January 21, 2008
Our Best Defense
ODB RADIO: Listen Now Download
READ: Psalm 31:1-8
Be my rock of refuge, a fortress of defense to save me. —Psalm 31:2 About this cover In late January 1956, during the tense days of the Montgomery Boycott, civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. could not sleep. A threatening phone call had terrified him. So he prayed, “I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right. But Lord, I must confess that I’m weak now, I’m faltering. I’m losing my courage. Now, I am afraid. . . . The people are looking to me for leadership, and if I stand before them without strength and courage, they too will falter. I am at the end of my powers. . . . I can’t face it alone.”
Dr. King later wrote, “At that moment I experienced the presence of the Divine as I never experienced Him before. It seemed as though I could hear the quiet assurance of an inner voice saying, ‘Stand up for righteousness, stand up for truth; and God will be at your side forever.’ Almost at once my fears began to go. My uncertainty disappeared. I was ready to face anything.”
The rest is history. Dr. King wanted to see people of all colors free of the damage done by racism and prejudice.
If we face opposition when we’re trying to do what’s right, we too must cry out to the Lord. He alone is our “rock of refuge, a fortress of defense” (Ps. 31:2). He is our reliable source of strength and protection. —David C. Egner
Lord, help me stand upon Your rock of TruthAnd never trust myself to sinking sand;Whenever I am faced with evil powers,I’ll call upon Your strong and mighty hand. —Hess
When we trust the power of God, we experience peace, not panic.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
January 21, 2008
Recall What God RemembersLISTEN: READ:
Thus says the Lord: ’I remember . . . the kindness of your youth . . .’ —Jeremiah 2:2 About this cover Am I as spontaneously kind to God as I used to be, or am I only expecting God to be kind to me? Does everything in my life fill His heart with gladness, or do I constantly complain because things don’t seem to be going my way? A person who has forgotten what God treasures will not be filled with joy. It is wonderful to remember that Jesus Christ has needs which we can meet— "Give Me a drink" (John 4:7). How much kindness have I shown Him in the past week? Has my life been a good reflection on His reputation?
God is saying to His people, "You are not in love with Me now, but I remember a time when you were." He says, "I remember . . . the love of your betrothal . . ." (Jeremiah 2:2). Am I as filled to overflowing with love for Jesus Christ as I was in the beginning, when I went out of my way to prove my devotion to Him? Does He ever find me pondering the time when I cared only for Him? Is that where I am now, or have I chosen man’s wisdom over true love for Him? Am I so in love with Him that I take no thought for where He might lead me? Or am I watching to see how much respect I get as I measure how much service I should give Him?
As I recall what God remembers about me, I may also begin to realize that He is not what He used to be to me. When this happens, I should allow the shame and humiliation it creates in my life, because it will bring godly sorrow, and "godly sorrow produces repentance . . ." (2 Corinthians 7:10).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Where You Were Created to Be - #5486 Monday, January 21, 2008
I was speaking at a Bible conference, set right near the shore of a beautiful lake. I was responsible for speaking about 18 times in six days, so I was a pretty busy boy. But I did something that would make my wife Karen proud, even in spite of how busy I was. I took time to smell the flowers; well, at least to admire the flowers. I'm partially colorblind, but even I was struck by these rich purple flowers blooming all over this sprawling vine in the garden outside my window. The flowers seemed to be everywhere in this garden. I asked someone from the conference what I was looking at, and he told me it's a Vinca vine. He said they had transplanted that vine from a pot to the soil of this garden. And I was told a Vinca vine doesn't produce any flowers when it's in a pot - only when you plant it in the ground.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Where You Were Created to Be."
In the words of the man who had transplanted that vine, "It thrives only when it was where it was created to be." So do we.
And sadly, so many of us spend our whole life looking for, but missing, where we were created to be. And it is only the One who created you who can ultimately tell you where you were created to be. And He has in our word for today from the Word of God. In six little words, our Creator spells out for us the reason for our existence, the answer to life's most ultimate question, "Why am I here?" In Colossians 1:16, speaking of Jesus, God says, "All things were," and here are the six words, "created by Him and for Him."
So you were created by Jesus, you were created for Jesus, and you're going to have hole in your heart until you have Jesus. It could be you've been trying to fill that hole in your heart for a long time. But no relationship you've ever had has done it, no accomplishment, no experience, no religion. They can't. The hole in your heart is so big it can only be filled by the person who created you.
And the reason we can't find the meaning we've been looking for, and the peace, the lasting love, the reason is that we're away from the One we were made for. We're away from Him, not by His choice, but by ours. We were created for Him, but we've lived for ourselves. That's what "sin" is all about. Notice, the middle letter of sin, it's "I." And nothing is really working, nothing is really fulfilling because your sin - your running of your own life - has cut you off from the love you were created for.
That's why Jesus came. In Colossians 2:13-14, the Bible says, "God forgave us all our sins, having canceled ... what was against us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross." When you come in your heart to the cross where Jesus died for every wrong thing you've ever done; when you give yourself to the One who gave Himself for you, the sin-wall comes down and you begin for the first time in your life to be "where you were created to be."
If you've never yet experienced your own personal relationship with Jesus Christ, would you tell Him today, "Jesus, I turn from the running of my own life. I want to give my life to the One who gave His life for me. Jesus, beginning right here and right now, I am Yours." If that's what you want, then what I've put on our website, yoursforlife.net, may be is exactly what you need to help you understand this new commitment to Jesus Christ and to be sure that you belong to Him. A lot of people have found that kind of encouragement there, and I think you would too. It's yoursforlife.net. I'd encourage you to go there this very day - yoursforlife.net. Or I can send you the little booklet I have written called Yours For Life with that same information. Call us toll free and ask for it. It's 877-741-1200.
Your life really begins when you finally are where you were created to be: in the relationship you were made for, with the Person you were made by. And that relationship can begin for you today. You don't have to be outside His love one more day.
To find out how you can begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, please visit: yoursforlife.net or call 1-888-966-7325.
The Future of Jerusalem
1 Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! 2 She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD, she does not draw near to her God.
3 Her officials are roaring lions, her rulers are evening wolves, who leave nothing for the morning.
4 Her prophets are arrogant; they are treacherous men. Her priests profane the sanctuary and do violence to the law.
5 The LORD within her is righteous; he does no wrong. Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail, yet the unrighteous know no shame.
6 "I have cut off nations; their strongholds are demolished. I have left their streets deserted, with no one passing through. Their cities are destroyed; no one will be left—no one at all.
7 I said to the city, 'Surely you will fear me and accept correction!' Then her dwelling would not be cut off, nor all my punishments come upon her. But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did.
8 Therefore wait for me," declares the LORD, "for the day I will stand up to testify. [a] I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them— all my fierce anger. The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger.
9 "Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder.
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush [b] my worshipers, my scattered people, will bring me offerings.
11 On that day you will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me, because I will remove from this city those who rejoice in their pride. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill.
12 But I will leave within you the meek and humble, who trust in the name of the LORD.
13 The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; they will speak no lies, nor will deceit be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid."
14 Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm.
16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem, "Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp.
17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."
18 "The sorrows for the appointed feasts I will remove from you; they are a burden and a reproach to you. [c]
19 At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you; I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they were put to shame.
20 At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes [d] before your very eyes," says the LORD.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotional
Psalm 3
1For the director of music. A psalm of David. 1 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. 2 Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
4 Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.
6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols; I trust in the LORD.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.
8 You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.
January 21, 2008
Our Best Defense
ODB RADIO: Listen Now Download
READ: Psalm 31:1-8
Be my rock of refuge, a fortress of defense to save me. —Psalm 31:2 About this cover In late January 1956, during the tense days of the Montgomery Boycott, civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. could not sleep. A threatening phone call had terrified him. So he prayed, “I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right. But Lord, I must confess that I’m weak now, I’m faltering. I’m losing my courage. Now, I am afraid. . . . The people are looking to me for leadership, and if I stand before them without strength and courage, they too will falter. I am at the end of my powers. . . . I can’t face it alone.”
Dr. King later wrote, “At that moment I experienced the presence of the Divine as I never experienced Him before. It seemed as though I could hear the quiet assurance of an inner voice saying, ‘Stand up for righteousness, stand up for truth; and God will be at your side forever.’ Almost at once my fears began to go. My uncertainty disappeared. I was ready to face anything.”
The rest is history. Dr. King wanted to see people of all colors free of the damage done by racism and prejudice.
If we face opposition when we’re trying to do what’s right, we too must cry out to the Lord. He alone is our “rock of refuge, a fortress of defense” (Ps. 31:2). He is our reliable source of strength and protection. —David C. Egner
Lord, help me stand upon Your rock of TruthAnd never trust myself to sinking sand;Whenever I am faced with evil powers,I’ll call upon Your strong and mighty hand. —Hess
When we trust the power of God, we experience peace, not panic.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
January 21, 2008
Recall What God RemembersLISTEN: READ:
Thus says the Lord: ’I remember . . . the kindness of your youth . . .’ —Jeremiah 2:2 About this cover Am I as spontaneously kind to God as I used to be, or am I only expecting God to be kind to me? Does everything in my life fill His heart with gladness, or do I constantly complain because things don’t seem to be going my way? A person who has forgotten what God treasures will not be filled with joy. It is wonderful to remember that Jesus Christ has needs which we can meet— "Give Me a drink" (John 4:7). How much kindness have I shown Him in the past week? Has my life been a good reflection on His reputation?
God is saying to His people, "You are not in love with Me now, but I remember a time when you were." He says, "I remember . . . the love of your betrothal . . ." (Jeremiah 2:2). Am I as filled to overflowing with love for Jesus Christ as I was in the beginning, when I went out of my way to prove my devotion to Him? Does He ever find me pondering the time when I cared only for Him? Is that where I am now, or have I chosen man’s wisdom over true love for Him? Am I so in love with Him that I take no thought for where He might lead me? Or am I watching to see how much respect I get as I measure how much service I should give Him?
As I recall what God remembers about me, I may also begin to realize that He is not what He used to be to me. When this happens, I should allow the shame and humiliation it creates in my life, because it will bring godly sorrow, and "godly sorrow produces repentance . . ." (2 Corinthians 7:10).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Where You Were Created to Be - #5486 Monday, January 21, 2008
I was speaking at a Bible conference, set right near the shore of a beautiful lake. I was responsible for speaking about 18 times in six days, so I was a pretty busy boy. But I did something that would make my wife Karen proud, even in spite of how busy I was. I took time to smell the flowers; well, at least to admire the flowers. I'm partially colorblind, but even I was struck by these rich purple flowers blooming all over this sprawling vine in the garden outside my window. The flowers seemed to be everywhere in this garden. I asked someone from the conference what I was looking at, and he told me it's a Vinca vine. He said they had transplanted that vine from a pot to the soil of this garden. And I was told a Vinca vine doesn't produce any flowers when it's in a pot - only when you plant it in the ground.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Where You Were Created to Be."
In the words of the man who had transplanted that vine, "It thrives only when it was where it was created to be." So do we.
And sadly, so many of us spend our whole life looking for, but missing, where we were created to be. And it is only the One who created you who can ultimately tell you where you were created to be. And He has in our word for today from the Word of God. In six little words, our Creator spells out for us the reason for our existence, the answer to life's most ultimate question, "Why am I here?" In Colossians 1:16, speaking of Jesus, God says, "All things were," and here are the six words, "created by Him and for Him."
So you were created by Jesus, you were created for Jesus, and you're going to have hole in your heart until you have Jesus. It could be you've been trying to fill that hole in your heart for a long time. But no relationship you've ever had has done it, no accomplishment, no experience, no religion. They can't. The hole in your heart is so big it can only be filled by the person who created you.
And the reason we can't find the meaning we've been looking for, and the peace, the lasting love, the reason is that we're away from the One we were made for. We're away from Him, not by His choice, but by ours. We were created for Him, but we've lived for ourselves. That's what "sin" is all about. Notice, the middle letter of sin, it's "I." And nothing is really working, nothing is really fulfilling because your sin - your running of your own life - has cut you off from the love you were created for.
That's why Jesus came. In Colossians 2:13-14, the Bible says, "God forgave us all our sins, having canceled ... what was against us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross." When you come in your heart to the cross where Jesus died for every wrong thing you've ever done; when you give yourself to the One who gave Himself for you, the sin-wall comes down and you begin for the first time in your life to be "where you were created to be."
If you've never yet experienced your own personal relationship with Jesus Christ, would you tell Him today, "Jesus, I turn from the running of my own life. I want to give my life to the One who gave His life for me. Jesus, beginning right here and right now, I am Yours." If that's what you want, then what I've put on our website, yoursforlife.net, may be is exactly what you need to help you understand this new commitment to Jesus Christ and to be sure that you belong to Him. A lot of people have found that kind of encouragement there, and I think you would too. It's yoursforlife.net. I'd encourage you to go there this very day - yoursforlife.net. Or I can send you the little booklet I have written called Yours For Life with that same information. Call us toll free and ask for it. It's 877-741-1200.
Your life really begins when you finally are where you were created to be: in the relationship you were made for, with the Person you were made by. And that relationship can begin for you today. You don't have to be outside His love one more day.
To find out how you can begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, please visit: yoursforlife.net or call 1-888-966-7325.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Zephaniah 2 and devotionals
Zephaniah 2
1 Gather together, gather together, O shameful nation,
2 before the appointed time arrives and that day sweeps on like chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD comes upon you, before the day of the LORD's wrath comes upon you.
3 Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD's anger.
Against Philistia 4 Gaza will be abandoned and Ashkelon left in ruins. At midday Ashdod will be emptied and Ekron uprooted. 5 Woe to you who live by the sea, O Kerethite people; the word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines. "I will destroy you, and none will be left."
6 The land by the sea, where the Kerethites [a] dwell, will be a place for shepherds and sheep pens.
7 It will belong to the remnant of the house of Judah; there they will find pasture. In the evening they will lie down in the houses of Ashkelon. The LORD their God will care for them; he will restore their fortunes. [b]
Against Moab and Ammon 8 "I have heard the insults of Moab and the taunts of the Ammonites, who insulted my people and made threats against their land. 9 Therefore, as surely as I live," declares the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, "surely Moab will become like Sodom, the Ammonites like Gomorrah— a place of weeds and salt pits, a wasteland forever. The remnant of my people will plunder them; the survivors of my nation will inherit their land."
10 This is what they will get in return for their pride, for insulting and mocking the people of the LORD Almighty.
11 The LORD will be awesome to them when he destroys all the gods of the land. The nations on every shore will worship him, every one in its own land.
Against Cush 12 "You too, O Cushites, [c] will be slain by my sword."Against Assyria 13 He will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy Assyria, leaving Nineveh utterly desolate and dry as the desert. 14 Flocks and herds will lie down there, creatures of every kind. The desert owl and the screech owl will roost on her columns. Their calls will echo through the windows, rubble will be in the doorways, the beams of cedar will be exposed.
15 This is the carefree city that lived in safety. She said to herself, "I am, and there is none besides me." What a ruin she has become, a lair for wild beasts! All who pass by her scoff and shake their fists.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
2 Samuel 9David and Mephibosheth 1 David asked, "Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's sake?" 2 Now there was a servant of Saul's household named Ziba. They called him to appear before David, and the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" "Your servant," he replied.
3 The king asked, "Is there no one still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show God's kindness?" Ziba answered the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in both feet."
4 "Where is he?" the king asked. Ziba answered, "He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar."
5 So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel.
6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said, "Mephibosheth!" "Your servant," he replied.
7 "Don't be afraid," David said to him, "for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table."
8 Mephibosheth bowed down and said, "What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?"
9 Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, "I have given your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 10 You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master's grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table." (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)
11 Then Ziba said to the king, "Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do." So Mephibosheth ate at David's [a] table like one of the king's sons.
12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica, and all the members of Ziba's household were servants of Mephibosheth. 13 And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king's table, and he was crippled in both feet.
January 20, 2008
Greatly ValuedREAD: 2 Samuel 9
Mephibosheth . . . shall eat at my table like one of the king’s sons. —2 Samuel 9:11 About this cover A British factory worker and his wife were excited when, after many years of marriage, they discovered they were going to have their first child. According to author Jill Briscoe, who told this story, the man eagerly told his fellow workers that God had answered his prayers. But they made fun of him for asking God for a child.
When the baby was born, he was diagnosed with Down syndrome. As the father made his way to work for the first time after the birth, he wondered how to face his co-workers. “God, please give me wisdom,” he prayed. Just as he feared, some mocked, “So, God gave you this child!” The new father stood for a long time, silently asking God for help. At last he said, “I’m glad the Lord gave this child to me and not to you.”
As this man accepted his disabled son as God’s gift to him, so David was pleased to show kindness to Jonathan’s son, who was “lame in his feet” (2 Sam. 9:3). Some may have disregarded Mephibosheth because he was lame, or because he was from Saul’s household, but David’s action showed that he valued him greatly.
In God’s eyes, every person is important. He sent His only Son to die for us. May we remember with gratitude how much He values each human life. —Dave Branon
Lord, may we see in those we meetThe imprint of Your image fair,And may their special dignityGrow stronger from our love and care. —D. De Haan
Everyone is valuable to God.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
January 20, 2008
Are You Fresh for Everything?LISTEN: READ:
Jesus answered and said to him, ’Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God’ —John 3:3 About this cover Sometimes we are fresh and eager to attend a prayer meeting, but do we feel that same freshness for such mundane tasks as polishing shoes?
Being born again by the Spirit is an unmistakable work of God, as mysterious as the wind, and as surprising as God Himself. We don’t know where it begins— it is hidden away in the depths of our soul. Being born again from above is an enduring, perpetual, and eternal beginning. It provides a freshness all the time in thinking, talking, and living— a continual surprise of the life of God. Staleness is an indication that something in our lives is out of step with God. We say to ourselves, "I have to do this thing or it will never get done." That is the first sign of staleness. Do we feel fresh this very moment or are we stale, frantically searching our minds for something to do? Freshness is not the result of obedience; it comes from the Holy Spirit. Obedience keeps us "in the light as He is in the light . . ." (1 John 1:7).
Jealously guard your relationship with God. Jesus prayed "that they may be one just as We are one"-with nothing in between (John 17:22). Keep your whole life continually open to Jesus Christ. Don’t pretend to be open with Him. Are you drawing your life from any source other than God Himself? If you are depending on something else as your source of freshness and strength, you will not realize when His power is gone.
Being born of the Spirit means much more than we usually think. It gives us new vision and keeps us absolutely fresh for everything through the never-ending supply of the life of God.
TGIF devotion ,by Os Hillman
Thirsting After GodBy Os HillmanPowered By Marketplace Leaders
..."Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit".... - 2 Kings 2:9
The first requirement to move in greater power and authority in God is to hunger for it. Yet even this hunger is born from God. Elisha hungered after God. Elisha saw many miracles as Elijah's servant. But he wanted more. He wanted a double portion of Elijah's spirit. When he asked Elijah for this, the prophet responded, "You have asked a difficult thing." It wasn't because it couldn't be granted. Elijah knew that with great anointing came a great weight of responsibility and difficulty.
Second, humility comes before honor. Elisha was known as the "servant of Elijah." How would you like to be known as "the servant of John"? Your name is not even mentioned. This was the preparation of Elisha. It has been the preparation of many men of God. Consider Joseph, the servant of Pharaoh. Consider David, the servant of Saul.
Third, Elisha committed himself totally to his calling. The Scripture says when Elisha was called to join Elijah, the younger man left his farm business completely. He slaughtered his oxen and had a great feast for the community. It was all or nothing. He could not fall back on his farm trade if his new venture didn't work. This demonstrates Elisha's pioneer spirit in stepping out, not knowing what was ahead.
Do you want greater anointing in God? "You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you" (Jer. 29:13-14a). Begin thirsting for God's anointing in your heart today. This is the starting place.
1 Gather together, gather together, O shameful nation,
2 before the appointed time arrives and that day sweeps on like chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD comes upon you, before the day of the LORD's wrath comes upon you.
3 Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD's anger.
Against Philistia 4 Gaza will be abandoned and Ashkelon left in ruins. At midday Ashdod will be emptied and Ekron uprooted. 5 Woe to you who live by the sea, O Kerethite people; the word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines. "I will destroy you, and none will be left."
6 The land by the sea, where the Kerethites [a] dwell, will be a place for shepherds and sheep pens.
7 It will belong to the remnant of the house of Judah; there they will find pasture. In the evening they will lie down in the houses of Ashkelon. The LORD their God will care for them; he will restore their fortunes. [b]
Against Moab and Ammon 8 "I have heard the insults of Moab and the taunts of the Ammonites, who insulted my people and made threats against their land. 9 Therefore, as surely as I live," declares the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, "surely Moab will become like Sodom, the Ammonites like Gomorrah— a place of weeds and salt pits, a wasteland forever. The remnant of my people will plunder them; the survivors of my nation will inherit their land."
10 This is what they will get in return for their pride, for insulting and mocking the people of the LORD Almighty.
11 The LORD will be awesome to them when he destroys all the gods of the land. The nations on every shore will worship him, every one in its own land.
Against Cush 12 "You too, O Cushites, [c] will be slain by my sword."Against Assyria 13 He will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy Assyria, leaving Nineveh utterly desolate and dry as the desert. 14 Flocks and herds will lie down there, creatures of every kind. The desert owl and the screech owl will roost on her columns. Their calls will echo through the windows, rubble will be in the doorways, the beams of cedar will be exposed.
15 This is the carefree city that lived in safety. She said to herself, "I am, and there is none besides me." What a ruin she has become, a lair for wild beasts! All who pass by her scoff and shake their fists.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
2 Samuel 9David and Mephibosheth 1 David asked, "Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's sake?" 2 Now there was a servant of Saul's household named Ziba. They called him to appear before David, and the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" "Your servant," he replied.
3 The king asked, "Is there no one still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show God's kindness?" Ziba answered the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in both feet."
4 "Where is he?" the king asked. Ziba answered, "He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar."
5 So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel.
6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said, "Mephibosheth!" "Your servant," he replied.
7 "Don't be afraid," David said to him, "for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table."
8 Mephibosheth bowed down and said, "What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?"
9 Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, "I have given your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 10 You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master's grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table." (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)
11 Then Ziba said to the king, "Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do." So Mephibosheth ate at David's [a] table like one of the king's sons.
12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica, and all the members of Ziba's household were servants of Mephibosheth. 13 And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king's table, and he was crippled in both feet.
January 20, 2008
Greatly ValuedREAD: 2 Samuel 9
Mephibosheth . . . shall eat at my table like one of the king’s sons. —2 Samuel 9:11 About this cover A British factory worker and his wife were excited when, after many years of marriage, they discovered they were going to have their first child. According to author Jill Briscoe, who told this story, the man eagerly told his fellow workers that God had answered his prayers. But they made fun of him for asking God for a child.
When the baby was born, he was diagnosed with Down syndrome. As the father made his way to work for the first time after the birth, he wondered how to face his co-workers. “God, please give me wisdom,” he prayed. Just as he feared, some mocked, “So, God gave you this child!” The new father stood for a long time, silently asking God for help. At last he said, “I’m glad the Lord gave this child to me and not to you.”
As this man accepted his disabled son as God’s gift to him, so David was pleased to show kindness to Jonathan’s son, who was “lame in his feet” (2 Sam. 9:3). Some may have disregarded Mephibosheth because he was lame, or because he was from Saul’s household, but David’s action showed that he valued him greatly.
In God’s eyes, every person is important. He sent His only Son to die for us. May we remember with gratitude how much He values each human life. —Dave Branon
Lord, may we see in those we meetThe imprint of Your image fair,And may their special dignityGrow stronger from our love and care. —D. De Haan
Everyone is valuable to God.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
January 20, 2008
Are You Fresh for Everything?LISTEN: READ:
Jesus answered and said to him, ’Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God’ —John 3:3 About this cover Sometimes we are fresh and eager to attend a prayer meeting, but do we feel that same freshness for such mundane tasks as polishing shoes?
Being born again by the Spirit is an unmistakable work of God, as mysterious as the wind, and as surprising as God Himself. We don’t know where it begins— it is hidden away in the depths of our soul. Being born again from above is an enduring, perpetual, and eternal beginning. It provides a freshness all the time in thinking, talking, and living— a continual surprise of the life of God. Staleness is an indication that something in our lives is out of step with God. We say to ourselves, "I have to do this thing or it will never get done." That is the first sign of staleness. Do we feel fresh this very moment or are we stale, frantically searching our minds for something to do? Freshness is not the result of obedience; it comes from the Holy Spirit. Obedience keeps us "in the light as He is in the light . . ." (1 John 1:7).
Jealously guard your relationship with God. Jesus prayed "that they may be one just as We are one"-with nothing in between (John 17:22). Keep your whole life continually open to Jesus Christ. Don’t pretend to be open with Him. Are you drawing your life from any source other than God Himself? If you are depending on something else as your source of freshness and strength, you will not realize when His power is gone.
Being born of the Spirit means much more than we usually think. It gives us new vision and keeps us absolutely fresh for everything through the never-ending supply of the life of God.
TGIF devotion ,by Os Hillman
Thirsting After GodBy Os HillmanPowered By Marketplace Leaders
..."Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit".... - 2 Kings 2:9
The first requirement to move in greater power and authority in God is to hunger for it. Yet even this hunger is born from God. Elisha hungered after God. Elisha saw many miracles as Elijah's servant. But he wanted more. He wanted a double portion of Elijah's spirit. When he asked Elijah for this, the prophet responded, "You have asked a difficult thing." It wasn't because it couldn't be granted. Elijah knew that with great anointing came a great weight of responsibility and difficulty.
Second, humility comes before honor. Elisha was known as the "servant of Elijah." How would you like to be known as "the servant of John"? Your name is not even mentioned. This was the preparation of Elisha. It has been the preparation of many men of God. Consider Joseph, the servant of Pharaoh. Consider David, the servant of Saul.
Third, Elisha committed himself totally to his calling. The Scripture says when Elisha was called to join Elijah, the younger man left his farm business completely. He slaughtered his oxen and had a great feast for the community. It was all or nothing. He could not fall back on his farm trade if his new venture didn't work. This demonstrates Elisha's pioneer spirit in stepping out, not knowing what was ahead.
Do you want greater anointing in God? "You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you" (Jer. 29:13-14a). Begin thirsting for God's anointing in your heart today. This is the starting place.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Zephaniah 1 and devotions
Zephaniah 1
1 The word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, during the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah:
Warning of Coming Destruction 2 "I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth," declares the LORD. 3 "I will sweep away both men and animals; I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. The wicked will have only heaps of rubble [a] when I cut off man from the face of the earth," declares the LORD.
Against Judah 4 "I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all who live in Jerusalem. I will cut off from this place every remnant of Baal, the names of the pagan and the idolatrous priests- 5 those who bow down on the roofs to worship the starry host, those who bow down and swear by the LORD and who also swear by Molech, [b]
6 those who turn back from following the LORD and neither seek the LORD nor inquire of him.
7 Be silent before the Sovereign LORD, for the day of the LORD is near. The LORD has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited.
8 On the day of the LORD's sacrifice I will punish the princes and the king's sons and all those clad in foreign clothes.
9 On that day I will punish all who avoid stepping on the threshold, [c] who fill the temple of their gods with violence and deceit.
10 "On that day," declares the LORD, "a cry will go up from the Fish Gate, wailing from the New Quarter, and a loud crash from the hills.
11 Wail, you who live in the market district [d] ; all your merchants will be wiped out, all who trade with [e] silver will be ruined.
12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, 'The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad.'
13 Their wealth will be plundered, their houses demolished. They will build houses but not live in them; they will plant vineyards but not drink the wine.
The Great Day of the Lord 14 "The great day of the LORD is near— near and coming quickly. Listen! The cry on the day of the LORD will be bitter, the shouting of the warrior there. 15 That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness,
16 a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner towers.
17 I will bring distress on the people and they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like filth.
18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the LORD's wrath. In the fire of his jealousy the whole world will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth."
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Genesis 12The Call of Abram 1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.
6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring [a] I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. 9 Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.
January 19, 2008
ShenandoahREAD: Genesis 12:1-9
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go. —Hebrews 11:8 About this cover My grandfather grew up on the North American frontier and raised his family on a dairy farm. To pass the time, he often sang songs while he worked. “Shenandoah” was one of his favorites:O Shenandoah, I long to hear you,Away, you rolling river,O Shenandoah, I long to hear you,Away, I’m bound away,’Cross the wide Missouri.
That song reflects the love the pioneer songwriter had for the Shenandoah River. Yet he felt compelled to leave its beauty and go west. His love for the familiar rooted him, but the pull of something better won his heart.
When Abraham was called out of Ur to follow God to the Promised Land, he had to leave everything that was familiar to him (Gen. 12:1). Despite the idolatry of that pagan city, Abraham had probably grown attached to the comfort of his home, the variety of the food, and the fellowship of his friends. But Abraham left the familiar to follow God’s leading: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go” (Heb. 11:8).
When we experience God’s call to another place, it may mean leaving behind the people and the things we love. But when we’re obedient to God, He will provide something even more fulfilling at our new destination. —Dennis Fisher
Fulfillment on life’s journey comesWhen we in faith obeyThe leading of our loving God—He’ll not lead us astray. —Sper
You don’t need to see the way if you follow the One who is the Way.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
January 19, 2008
Vision and DarknessLISTEN: READ:
When the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him —Genesis 15:12 About this cover Whenever God gives a vision to a Christian, it is as if He puts him in "the shadow of His hand" (Isaiah 49:2). The saint’s duty is to be still and listen. There is a "darkness" that comes from too much light-that is the time to listen. The story of Abram and Hagar in Genesis 16 is an excellent example of listening to so-called good advice during a time of darkness, rather than waiting for God to send the light. When God gives you a vision and darkness follows, wait. God will bring the vision He has given you to reality in your life if you will wait on His timing. Never try to help God fulfill His word. Abram went through thirteen years of silence, but in those years all of his self-sufficiency was destroyed. He grew past the point of relying on his own common sense. Those years of silence were a time of discipline, not a period of God’s displeasure. There is never any need to pretend that your life is filled with joy and confidence; just wait upon God and be grounded in Him (see Isaiah 50:10-11 ).
Do I trust at all in the flesh? Or have I learned to go beyond all confidence in myself and other people of God? Do I trust in books and prayers or other joys in my life? Or have I placed my confidence in God Himself, not in His blessings? "I am Almighty God . . ."— El-Shaddai, the All-Powerful God (Genesis 17:1). The reason we are all being disciplined is that we will know God is real. As soon as God becomes real to us, people pale by comparison, becoming shadows of reality. Nothing that other saints do or say can ever upset the one who is built on God.
TGIF devotion ,by Os Hillman
The Purpose of CruciblesBy Os HillmanPowered By Marketplace Leaders
The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart. - Proverbs 17:3
This proverb describes one of God's strangest mysteries. It is a description of God's formula to refine the human heart in order to bring out its finest qualities. The significant leaders who make the greatest mark for the Kingdom had to experience their own crucible and fire. Without it, the dross can never be removed from the human heart. Without it, the encumbrances weigh us down. God understands the human heart. He understands that for us to become all that He hopes for us, there are seasons of fire. Joseph went through many tests. Succeeding in the test qualified him for greater responsibility. The greater the use in the Kingdom the greater the crucible to prepare the right foundation. Some of God's greatest crucibles are found in the workplace where we live every day: the employee who betrays our trust, the client who refuses to pay, the vendor who falls short of our expectations.
Each of these is a test from God to find out how we will respond. What tests are being brought your way today? His grace has been provided that we might pass the tests that He brings before us. Should we fail, we need not fear. His grace is sufficient for this as well. Ask God for the grace to walk with Him in whatever tests He has placed before you this day. He is able to accomplish what He wants for you
1 The word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, during the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah:
Warning of Coming Destruction 2 "I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth," declares the LORD. 3 "I will sweep away both men and animals; I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. The wicked will have only heaps of rubble [a] when I cut off man from the face of the earth," declares the LORD.
Against Judah 4 "I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all who live in Jerusalem. I will cut off from this place every remnant of Baal, the names of the pagan and the idolatrous priests- 5 those who bow down on the roofs to worship the starry host, those who bow down and swear by the LORD and who also swear by Molech, [b]
6 those who turn back from following the LORD and neither seek the LORD nor inquire of him.
7 Be silent before the Sovereign LORD, for the day of the LORD is near. The LORD has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited.
8 On the day of the LORD's sacrifice I will punish the princes and the king's sons and all those clad in foreign clothes.
9 On that day I will punish all who avoid stepping on the threshold, [c] who fill the temple of their gods with violence and deceit.
10 "On that day," declares the LORD, "a cry will go up from the Fish Gate, wailing from the New Quarter, and a loud crash from the hills.
11 Wail, you who live in the market district [d] ; all your merchants will be wiped out, all who trade with [e] silver will be ruined.
12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, 'The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad.'
13 Their wealth will be plundered, their houses demolished. They will build houses but not live in them; they will plant vineyards but not drink the wine.
The Great Day of the Lord 14 "The great day of the LORD is near— near and coming quickly. Listen! The cry on the day of the LORD will be bitter, the shouting of the warrior there. 15 That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness,
16 a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner towers.
17 I will bring distress on the people and they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like filth.
18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the LORD's wrath. In the fire of his jealousy the whole world will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth."
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Genesis 12The Call of Abram 1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.
6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring [a] I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. 9 Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.
January 19, 2008
ShenandoahREAD: Genesis 12:1-9
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go. —Hebrews 11:8 About this cover My grandfather grew up on the North American frontier and raised his family on a dairy farm. To pass the time, he often sang songs while he worked. “Shenandoah” was one of his favorites:O Shenandoah, I long to hear you,Away, you rolling river,O Shenandoah, I long to hear you,Away, I’m bound away,’Cross the wide Missouri.
That song reflects the love the pioneer songwriter had for the Shenandoah River. Yet he felt compelled to leave its beauty and go west. His love for the familiar rooted him, but the pull of something better won his heart.
When Abraham was called out of Ur to follow God to the Promised Land, he had to leave everything that was familiar to him (Gen. 12:1). Despite the idolatry of that pagan city, Abraham had probably grown attached to the comfort of his home, the variety of the food, and the fellowship of his friends. But Abraham left the familiar to follow God’s leading: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go” (Heb. 11:8).
When we experience God’s call to another place, it may mean leaving behind the people and the things we love. But when we’re obedient to God, He will provide something even more fulfilling at our new destination. —Dennis Fisher
Fulfillment on life’s journey comesWhen we in faith obeyThe leading of our loving God—He’ll not lead us astray. —Sper
You don’t need to see the way if you follow the One who is the Way.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
January 19, 2008
Vision and DarknessLISTEN: READ:
When the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him —Genesis 15:12 About this cover Whenever God gives a vision to a Christian, it is as if He puts him in "the shadow of His hand" (Isaiah 49:2). The saint’s duty is to be still and listen. There is a "darkness" that comes from too much light-that is the time to listen. The story of Abram and Hagar in Genesis 16 is an excellent example of listening to so-called good advice during a time of darkness, rather than waiting for God to send the light. When God gives you a vision and darkness follows, wait. God will bring the vision He has given you to reality in your life if you will wait on His timing. Never try to help God fulfill His word. Abram went through thirteen years of silence, but in those years all of his self-sufficiency was destroyed. He grew past the point of relying on his own common sense. Those years of silence were a time of discipline, not a period of God’s displeasure. There is never any need to pretend that your life is filled with joy and confidence; just wait upon God and be grounded in Him (see Isaiah 50:10-11 ).
Do I trust at all in the flesh? Or have I learned to go beyond all confidence in myself and other people of God? Do I trust in books and prayers or other joys in my life? Or have I placed my confidence in God Himself, not in His blessings? "I am Almighty God . . ."— El-Shaddai, the All-Powerful God (Genesis 17:1). The reason we are all being disciplined is that we will know God is real. As soon as God becomes real to us, people pale by comparison, becoming shadows of reality. Nothing that other saints do or say can ever upset the one who is built on God.
TGIF devotion ,by Os Hillman
The Purpose of CruciblesBy Os HillmanPowered By Marketplace Leaders
The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart. - Proverbs 17:3
This proverb describes one of God's strangest mysteries. It is a description of God's formula to refine the human heart in order to bring out its finest qualities. The significant leaders who make the greatest mark for the Kingdom had to experience their own crucible and fire. Without it, the dross can never be removed from the human heart. Without it, the encumbrances weigh us down. God understands the human heart. He understands that for us to become all that He hopes for us, there are seasons of fire. Joseph went through many tests. Succeeding in the test qualified him for greater responsibility. The greater the use in the Kingdom the greater the crucible to prepare the right foundation. Some of God's greatest crucibles are found in the workplace where we live every day: the employee who betrays our trust, the client who refuses to pay, the vendor who falls short of our expectations.
Each of these is a test from God to find out how we will respond. What tests are being brought your way today? His grace has been provided that we might pass the tests that He brings before us. Should we fail, we need not fear. His grace is sufficient for this as well. Ask God for the grace to walk with Him in whatever tests He has placed before you this day. He is able to accomplish what He wants for you
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