Mark 4:1-20 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Poetic Justice - November 10, 2021

Haman hated Mordecai, the Jew and ordered the construction of a gallows for Mordecai’s destruction. Meanwhile, the king—King Xerxes—couldn’t sleep, and he requested a reading of the book of records. It reminded him that Mordecai had once saved his life by reporting an assassination plot.

Early the next morning, the king asked Haman, “What should be done for the man the king delights to honor” (Esther 6:6)? Haman assumed the king was talking about him and made some suggestions. “‘Go at once,’ the king commanded. ‘Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew.” (Esther 6:10).

Haman planned to lead Mordecai to the gallows. Instead, he led him through the streets. Who could have envisioned such a hairpin U-turn? God could!

Mark 4:1-20

The Story of the Scattered Seed

He went back to teaching by the sea. A crowd built up to such a great size that he had to get into an offshore boat, using the boat as a pulpit as the people pushed to the water’s edge. He taught by using stories, many stories.

3-8 “Listen. What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn’t put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled among the weeds and nothing came of it. Some fell on good earth and came up with a flourish, producing a harvest exceeding his wildest dreams.

9 “Are you listening to this? Really listening?”

10-12 When they were off by themselves, those who were close to him, along with the Twelve, asked about the stories. He told them, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom—you know how it works. But to those who can’t see it yet, everything comes in stories, creating readiness, nudging them toward a welcome awakening. These are people—

Whose eyes are open but don’t see a thing,
Whose ears are open but don’t understand a word,
Who avoid making an about-face and getting forgiven.”

13 He continued, “Do you see how this story works? All my stories work this way.

14-15 “The farmer plants the Word. Some people are like the seed that falls on the hardened soil of the road. No sooner do they hear the Word than Satan snatches away what has been planted in them.

16-17 “And some are like the seed that lands in the gravel. When they first hear the Word, they respond with great enthusiasm. But there is such shallow soil of character that when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.

18-19 “The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it.

20 “But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Today's Scripture
1 Kings 19:8–11
,
15–18
(NIV)

So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled fortyj days and forty nights until he reached Horeb,k the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cavel and spent the night.

The Lord Appears to Elijah

And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”m

10 He replied, “I have been very zealousn for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant,o torn down your altars,p and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left,q and now they are trying to kill me too.”

11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountainr in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”s

Then a great and powerful windt tore the mountains apart and shatteredu the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazaelz king over Aram. 16 Also, anointa Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elishab son of Shaphat from Abel Meholahc to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael,d and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.e 18 Yet I reservef seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissedg him.”

Insight

As we look at the story of Elijah’s flight from the threats of Jezebel (1 Kings 19:1–9), we see similarities to Moses’ experiences. Just like Moses, Elijah fled from a ruler who intended to kill him (Exodus 2:15; 1 Kings 19:3). Elijah spent forty days journeying to Horeb, the mountain of God (also known as Mount Sinai), and Moses spent forty days on the same mountain (1 Kings 19:8; Exodus 24:18; 34:28). Both prophets met God there on Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:11; Exodus 24:12–18). When Elijah arrived, he covered his face with his garment, protecting himself (1 Kings 19:13), similar to Moses’ being protected by the rock as God passed by (Exodus 33:21–22). The NIV Application Commentary notes: “The narrative intentionally makes Elijah a prophet like Moses.”

You’re Not Alone

I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal.
1 Kings 19:18

“So great to see you!” “You, too!” “So glad you’re here!” The greetings were warm and welcoming. Members of a ministry in Southern California gathered online before their evening program. As their speaker, calling in from Colorado, I watched silently as the others gathered on the video call. As an introvert and not knowing anyone, I felt like a social outsider. Then suddenly, a screen opened and there was my pastor. Then another screen opened. A longtime church friend was joining the call, too. Seeing them, I no longer felt alone. God, it seemed, had sent support.

Elijah wasn’t alone either, despite feeling like “the only [prophet] left” after fleeing the wrath of Jezebel and Ahab (1 Kings 19:10). Journeying through desert wilderness for forty days and forty nights, Elijah hid in a cave on Mount Horeb. But God called him back into service, telling him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet” (vv. 15–16).

God then assured him, “Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him” (v. 18). As Elijah learned, while serving God we don’t serve alone. As God brings help, we’ll serve together.  By:  Patricia Raybon

Reflect & Pray

What support has God recently sent when you were serving Him? Whom could you invite to serve with you to grow your ministry impact for God?

Dear God, when I feel alone while serving You, remind me that others are with me as we joyfully serve.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Fellowship in the Gospel

…fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ… —1 Thessalonians 3:2

After sanctification, it is difficult to state what your purpose in life is, because God has moved you into His purpose through the Holy Spirit. He is using you now for His purposes throughout the world as He used His Son for the purpose of our salvation. If you seek great things for yourself, thinking, “God has called me for this and for that,” you barricade God from using you. As long as you maintain your own personal interests and ambitions, you cannot be completely aligned or identified with God’s interests. This can only be accomplished by giving up all of your personal plans once and for all, and by allowing God to take you directly into His purpose for the world. Your understanding of your ways must also be surrendered, because they are now the ways of the Lord.

I must learn that the purpose of my life belongs to God, not me. God is using me from His great personal perspective, and all He asks of me is that I trust Him. I should never say, “Lord, this causes me such heartache.” To talk that way makes me a stumbling block. When I stop telling God what I want, He can freely work His will in me without any hindrance. He can crush me, exalt me, or do anything else He chooses. He simply asks me to have absolute faith in Him and His goodness. Self-pity is of the devil, and if I wallow in it I cannot be used by God for His purpose in the world. Doing this creates for me my own cozy “world within the world,” and God will not be allowed to move me from it because of my fear of being “frost-bitten.”

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

Jesus Christ is always unyielding to my claim to my right to myself. The one essential element in all our Lord’s teaching about discipleship is abandon, no calculation, no trace of self-interest. Disciples Indeed, 395 L

Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 48-49; Hebrews 7

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Church Island - #9088

My wife and I were in Colorado, and she said, "I want to go to a ghost town." I did too, because I was pretty sure there wouldn't be any antique stores there. So we drove many miles down this rutted road into this deserted little village called Winfield. Now it wasn't like this 100 years ago. No, then the gold and silver fever was in the air, and Winfield was alive with the boom that was going on in that area. There were fortune hunters, fortune spenders, and fortune losers.

Today, however, there are just a few buildings, stand silent; almost an outdoor museum. There were several hotels back in the boom days, saloons and one church. The church is still standing, and it should be. Though it stood there overlooking that bustling town, no services were ever held in that church. Oh, the town had a church, but the church had absolutely no effect on the people there in their frantic pursuit of wealth and pleasure.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Church Island."

As I looked at that ghost town, I honestly couldn't help but ask, "Is that us as Christians in our town, in our world today?" We have services, but are we really making any difference? Are we connecting with our community, with the lost people all around us? Or are they just racing after their pleasure and their money, largely oblivious to what's going on inside our steepled buildings? Are we Christians living on Church Island while most of the people Christ died for are on the mainland over there, totally disconnected from Jesus and from His people? It wasn't meant to be that way.

Our word for today from the Word of God, it's in Matthew 5, beginning in verse 13. "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Salt can only change the flavor of the meat if it's in contact with it, right?. It does nothing at all huddled together in the salt shaker. Light can only transform the darkness in a room if it's in the room in direct contact with the darkness. Your town doesn't need all the light bulbs huddling together in a light convention. The light has to be out where the people are. Who would build a house with all the lights in one room, leaving the rest of the house dark?

We're in the first American Christian generation to be asked to represent Christ in a post-Christian country where the majority of people don't know our book, they don't know our vocabulary, and they don't know our subculture. They don't know about what our Savior could do for them. We can't do what we've always done and reach the lost people in this culture. They've got to have a chance at our Jesus though!

So, how do we break out of being Church Island surrounded by a sea of lost people? First, how about addressing their needs. If they don't care about Christ, we have to find ways to help them with things they do care about; their children, their marriage, their stress, their addiction, their emotional pain, their recovery. They'll only want to be with us if we find a need they have and try to meet it.

Secondly, we need to speak their language. We've got to move out of our Christianese vocabulary. They just don't understand it. And stretch ourselves to tell Jesus' story in words they speak. We need to love them in their language; in ways that they can feel and will mean something to them. And ultimately, we've just got to go to their world and not expect them to come to ours.

It's a sad feeling to stand in a church that had no effect on the dying people around them like the one in that ghost town. And how sad it must be for Jesus to stand in His church today and sometimes see that same thing happening. We can't be content to hunker down on Church Island, when just beyond our reach are people whose eternities are at stake.

Exodus 38 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: The Butterfly Effect - November 9, 2021

Do you know the theory of the butterfly effect? It goes something like this: a butterfly in West Africa flaps its wings, and, at just the right time, it stirs the smallest of air gusts. The burst of air grows, rippling around the globe until it results in a hurricane in…let’s say Florida.

I’m on board with the butterfly part. It’s not the result I question, it’s the randomness. Who finds consolation in a philosophy of happenstance? But I do find great comfort in promises like Ephesians 1:11: “We were chosen from the beginning to be his [God’s], and all things happen just as he decided long ago.” The butterfly might stir, but only with the permission of God can a wing flap create a hurricane.

Exodus 38

The Altar of Whole-Burnt-Offering

He made the Altar of Whole-Burnt-Offering from acacia wood. He made it seven and a half feet square and four and a half feet high. He made horns at each of the four corners. The horns were made of one piece with the Altar and covered with a veneer of bronze. He made from bronze all the utensils for the Altar: the buckets for removing the ashes, shovels, basins, forks, and fire pans. He made a grate of bronze mesh under the ledge halfway up the Altar. He cast four rings at each of the four corners of the bronze grating to hold the poles. He made the poles of acacia wood and covered them with a veneer of bronze. He inserted the poles through the rings on the two sides of the Altar for carrying it. The Altar was made out of boards; it was hollow.
The Washbasin

8 He made the Bronze Washbasin and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women’s work group who were assigned to serve at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
The Courtyard

9-11 And he made the Courtyard. On the south side the hangings for the Courtyard, woven from fine twisted linen, were 150 feet long, with their twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and fastening hooks and bands of silver. The north side was exactly the same.

12-20 The west end of the Courtyard had seventy-five feet of hangings with ten posts and bases, and fastening hooks and bands of silver. Across the seventy-five feet at the front, or east end, were twenty-two and a half feet of hangings, with their three posts and bases on one side and the same for the other side. All the hangings around the Courtyard were of fine twisted linen. The bases for the posts were bronze and the fastening hooks and bands on the posts were of silver. The posts of the Courtyard were both capped and banded with silver. The screen at the door of the Courtyard was embroidered in blue, purple, and scarlet fabric with fine twisted linen. It was thirty feet long and seven and a half feet high, matching the hangings of the Courtyard. There were four posts with bases of bronze and fastening hooks of silver; they were capped and banded in silver. All the pegs for The Dwelling and the Courtyard were made of bronze.

* * *

21-23 This is an inventory of The Dwelling that housed The Testimony drawn up by order of Moses for the work of the Levites under Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest. Bezalel, the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything that God had commanded Moses. Working with Bezalel was Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an artisan, designer, and embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet fabrics and fine linen.

24 Gold. The total amount of gold used in construction of the Sanctuary, all of it contributed freely, weighed out at 1,900 pounds according to the Sanctuary standard.

25-28 Silver. The silver from those in the community who were registered in the census came to 6,437 pounds according to the Sanctuary standard—that amounted to a beka, or half-shekel, for every registered person aged twenty and over, a total of 603,550 men. They used the three and one-quarter tons of silver to cast the bases for the Sanctuary and for the hangings, one hundred bases at sixty-four pounds each. They used the remaining thirty-seven pounds to make the connecting hooks on the posts, and the caps and bands for the posts.

29-31 Bronze. The bronze that was brought in weighed 4,522 pounds. It was used to make the door of the Tent of Meeting, the Bronze Altar with its bronze grating, all the utensils of the Altar, the bases around the Courtyard, the bases for the gate of the Courtyard, and all the pegs for The Dwelling and the Courtyard.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Tuesday, November 09, 2021

Today's Scripture
John 15:1–8
(NIV)

The Vine and the Branches

15 “I ams the true vine,t and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit,u while every branch that does bear fruitv he prunesa so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.w 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you.x No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;y apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.z 7 If you remain in mea and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.b 8 This is to my Father’s glory,c that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Insight

When Jesus spoke of Himself as the true vine and His disciples as His fruit-bearing branches (John 15:1–8), He gave them a word picture they may have heard before. Asaph the songwriter and Isaiah the prophet (Psalm 80:8; Isaiah 5:7) had likened their nation to a vineyard that produced a bitter harvest of violence and injustice. Against that backdrop, Jesus Himself is described as the true and better vine that produces the harvest His Father is looking for. But His disciples still had a lot to learn. They hadn’t yet abandoned Him in a way that would show them why they needed His Spirit to produce within them fruit worthy of this vine (John 15:9–17). Neither had they yet experienced that the harvest the Father was looking for was a Spirit-enabled love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). By: Mart DeHaan

A True Disciple of Jesus

I am the vine; you are the branches.
John 15:5

When Christian Mustad showed his Van Gogh landscape to art collector Auguste Pellerin, Pellerin took one look and said it wasn’t authentic. Mustad hid the painting in his attic, where it remained for fifty years. Mustad died, and the painting was evaluated off and on over the next four decades. Each time it was determined to be a fake—until 2012, when an expert used a computer to count the thread separations in the painting’s canvas. He discovered it had been cut from the same canvas as another work of Van Gogh. Mustad had owned a real Van Gogh all along.

Do you feel like a fake? Do you fear that if people examined you, they’d see how little you pray, give, and serve? Are you tempted to hide in the attic, away from prying eyes?

Look deeper, beneath the colors and contours of your life. If you’ve turned from your own ways and put your faith in Jesus, then you and He belong to the same canvas. To use Jesus’ picture, “I am the vine; you are the branches” (John 15:5). Christ and you form a seamless whole.

Resting in Jesus makes you a true disciple of His. It’s also the only way to improve your picture. He said, “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (v. 5). By:  Mike Wittmer

Reflect & Pray

What things cause you to wonder if you’re a true disciple of Jesus? How might this fear drive you to Him?

Jesus, I rest in You like a branch clings to its vine.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, November 09, 2021

Sacred Service

I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ… —Colossians 1:24

The Christian worker has to be a sacred “go-between.” He must be so closely identified with his Lord and the reality of His redemption that Christ can continually bring His creating life through him. I am not referring to the strength of one individual’s personality being superimposed on another, but the real presence of Christ coming through every aspect of the worker’s life. When we preach the historical facts of the life and death of our Lord as they are conveyed in the New Testament, our words are made sacred. God uses these words, on the basis of His redemption, to create something in those who listen which otherwise could never have been created. If we simply preach the effects of redemption in the human life instead of the revealed, divine truth regarding Jesus Himself, the result is not new birth in those who listen. The result is a refined religious lifestyle, and the Spirit of God cannot witness to it because such preaching is in a realm other than His. We must make sure that we are living in such harmony with God that as we proclaim His truth He can create in others those things which He alone can do.

When we say, “What a wonderful personality, what a fascinating person, and what wonderful insight!” then what opportunity does the gospel of God have through all of that? It cannot get through, because the attraction is to the messenger and not the message. If a person attracts through his personality, that becomes his appeal. If, however, he is identified with the Lord Himself, then the appeal becomes what Jesus Christ can do. The danger is to glory in men, yet Jesus says we are to lift up only Him (see John 12:32).

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

Am I becoming more and more in love with God as a holy God, or with the conception of an amiable Being who says, “Oh well, sin doesn’t matter much”?  Disciples Indeed, 389 L

Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 46-47; Hebrews 6

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, November 09, 2021

When Life Is Just "More Of The Same" - #9087

Like most countries, America has some holidays that are pretty meaningful. We've got the Fourth of July to celebrate our independence. We've got Veterans' Day and Memorial Day, and those are great times to remember all those who've fought for our freedom. We celebrate the birthdays of some great Americans like Lincoln and Washington and Martin Luther King. And then there's one oddball day on your calendar though - Groundhog Day.

Only in America, right? It's a day named for the chubby cousin of a rat. A town whose main event is a groundhog playing peek-a-boo. As Russian comedian Yakov Smirnoff says, "I love this country!"

We even have a movie called "Groundhog Day." It's actually set in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the home of the king groundhog. But it was hearing about the premise of the movie, not the location that intrigues me.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When Life Is Just 'More of the Same.'"

Basically, Bill Murray plays a TV newscaster who keeps reliving the same day over and over again. It happens to be Groundhog Day in the town that's the epicenter of that celebration. In the movie, the idea of repeating the same day again and again is played for laughs. Unfortunately, for too many people, that's their real life. And there's nothing funny about it.

"Same old, same old" - that's how life feels for a lot of people. Just a disconnected, seemingly meaningless series of events that start to feel pretty much the same. We start wondering about "why am I here?" somewhere in our turbulent teenage years I think. Unfortunately, a lot of us do our whole life and we still don't know the answer. We've got this pile of puzzle pieces on the floor in front of us, and we can't find the top of the puzzle box. We can't figure out what it all makes.

For me, for countless millions over 2,000 years, that's where Jesus comes in. Not the religion called Christianity, but Jesus. People have written volumes on the purpose of life. God does it in six words in the Bible. He's talking about Jesus here. It's in our word for today from the Word of God in Colossians 1:16. He says we are "created by Him and for Him." Wow! I'm created by Jesus. I'm created for Jesus. And life will not add up until I have Jesus. Or maybe more accurately, Jesus has me.

The only One who really knows the purpose of your life is the One who gave you your life. And He says you were made for a relationship with Jesus, His Son. A relationship that honestly, our sin has spoiled. We've decided we'd do life our way instead of God's way. And it's a relationship that His death for our sin has made possible. And then three days after he died, He walked out of His grave under His own power so He could walk into your life today. You know, the earth's life depends on it revolving around the sun. If the earth goes off on an orbit away from the sun, all life will cease. In the same way, our life depends on our revolving around the Son. That's S-O-N, the Son of God.

Maybe you've never begun a personal relationship with Jesus. Maybe you don't yet belong to the One that you were made by and made for. This could be the end of a lifetime search today. Because it begins when you say, "Jesus, I get it now. I was made by You, I was made for You, but instead I've lived for me, and I'm in trouble with God. But Jesus, I believe that some of those sins You were dying on that cross for; some of those sins were mine. Because You're alive, I can tell You today, 'Jesus, I'm Yours.'"

I want to invite you to our website today and ask you to spend a couple of minutes there checking it out. Because there we've tried to kind of build a Bible bridge there that will take you right into the beginning of a relationship with Jesus. The website's ANewStory.com. Remember that and check it out, will you?

I'm thanking God today that life doesn't have to be a meaningless parade of days that replay the same old questions and the same old emptiness. On the day we step into the relationship we were made for, we step into the "more" that God put us here for, and you know what? The search is over.

Exodus 37 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Speak to the King of Heaven - November 8, 2021

Are you, like Esther, facing an impossible challenge? Then imitate the queen. Esther could have remained hidden, she could have done nothing. Or she could have rushed into the presence of King Xerxes, but instead she chose prayer.

And you? This is the time for a no-nonsense, honest, face-on-the-floor talk with the Lord of all. Garments need not be ripped, but veneer must be removed. Fasting is optional, but the prayer of genuine humility is not.

What challenge are you facing? Is your job in jeopardy? Is your loved one in hospice? Is your faith in tatters? Retreat into your prayer closet. The queen could enter the throne room of Xerxes because she had spent time in the throne room of God. The same is true in your story and mine. Once we’ve spoken to the king of heaven, we are ready to face any king on earth.

Exodus 37

The Chest

 Bezalel made the Chest using acacia wood: He made it three and three-quarters feet long and two and a quarter feet wide and deep. He covered it inside and out with a veneer of pure gold and made a molding of gold all around it. He cast four gold rings and attached them to its four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on the other. He made poles from acacia wood, covered them with a veneer of gold, and inserted the poles for carrying the Chest into the rings on the sides.

6 Next he made a lid of pure gold for the Chest, an Atonement-Cover, three and three-quarters feet long and two and a quarter feet wide.

7-9 He sculpted two winged angel-cherubim out of hammered gold for the ends of the Atonement-Cover, one angel at one end, one angel at the other. He made them of one piece with the Atonement-Cover. The angels had outstretched wings and appeared to hover over the Atonement-Cover, facing one another but looking down on the Atonement-Cover.
The Table

10-15 He made the Table from acacia wood. He made it three feet long, one and a half feet wide and two and a quarter feet high. He covered it with a veneer of pure gold and made a molding of gold all around it. He made a border a handbreadth wide all around it and a rim of gold for the border. He cast four rings of gold for it and attached the rings to the four legs parallel to the tabletop. They will serve as holders for the poles used to carry the Table. He made the poles of acacia wood and covered them with a veneer of gold. They will be used to carry the Table.

16 Out of pure gold he made the utensils for the Table: its plates, bowls, jars, and jugs used for pouring.
The Lampstand

17-23 He made a Lampstand of pure hammered gold, making its stem and branches, cups, calyxes, and petals all of one piece. It had six branches, three from one side and three from the other; three cups shaped like almond blossoms with calyxes and petals on one branch, three on the next, and so on—the same for all six branches. On the main stem of the Lampstand, there were four cups shaped like almonds, with calyxes and petals, a calyx extending from under each pair of the six branches. The entire Lampstand with its calyxes and stems was fashioned from one piece of hammered pure gold. He made seven of these lamps with their candle snuffers, all out of pure gold.

24 He used a seventy-five-pound brick of pure gold to make the Lampstand and its accessories.
The Altar of Incense

25-28 He made an Altar for burning incense from acacia wood. He made it a foot and a half square and three feet high, with its horns of one piece with it. He covered it with a veneer of pure gold, its top, sides, and horns, and made a gold molding around it with two rings of gold beneath the molding. He placed the rings on the two opposing sides to serve as holders for poles by which it will be carried. He made the poles of acacia wood and covered them with a veneer of gold.

29 He also prepared with the art of a perfumer the holy anointing oil and the pure aromatic incense.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Monday, November 08, 2021

Today's Scripture
1 Chronicles 15:29–16:11
(NIV)

As the ark of the covenant of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she despised him in her heart.

Ministering Before the Ark

16:8–22pp—Ps 105:1–15
16:23–33pp—Ps 96:1–13
16:34–36pp—Ps 106:1,47–48

16 They brought the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitchedd for it, and they presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before God. 2 After David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessede the people in the name of the Lord. 3 Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisinsf to each Israelite man and woman.

4 He appointed some of the Levites to ministerg before the ark of the Lord, to extol,a thank, and praise the Lord, the God of Israel: 5 Asaph was the chief, and next to him in rank were Zechariah, then Jaaziel,b Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel. They were to play the lyres and harps, Asaph was to sound the cymbals, 6 and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow the trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God.

7 That day David first appointed Asaph and his associates to give praiseh to the Lord in this manner:

8 Give praisei to the Lord, proclaim his name;

make known among the nationsj what he has done.

9 Sing to him, sing praisek to him;

tell of all his wonderful acts.

10 Glory in his holy name;l

let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

11 Look to the Lord and his strength;

seekm his face always.

Insight

The ark of the covenant was the most important piece of furniture in the tabernacle. The ark the craftsman Bezalel made was an oblong chest (measuring about 45 x 27 x 27 inches) made of acacia wood overlaid on the inside and outside with gold (see Exodus 31:1–5; 37:1–9). Inside the ark were the tablets containing the Law given to Moses (25:16), a pot of manna, and Aaron’s rod (Numbers 17:10). The lid of the ark was called the mercy seat, a slab of gold that fit over the top of the chest and featured two cherubim. By: Alyson Kieda

Sing Praise to God

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
1 Chronicles 16:8

The heat and humidity of the Midwestern summer closed in on us all week at the discipleship conference, but on the last day we welcomed a front of cooler air. Giving thanks for the break in weather and the amazing work God had done, hundreds joined voices to worship God. Many felt liberated to sing wholeheartedly before God, offering hearts, souls, bodies, and minds to Him. As I think back to that day decades later, I’m reminded of the pure wonder and joy of praising God.

King David knew how to wholeheartedly worship God. He rejoiced when the ark of the covenant, which signified God’s presence, was placed in Jerusalem—by dancing, leaping, and celebrating (1 Chronicles 15:29). Even though his wife Michal observed his abandon and “despised him in her heart” (v. 29), David didn’t let her criticism stop him from worshiping the one true God. Even if he appeared undignified, he wanted to give thanks to God for choosing him to lead the nation (see 2 Samuel 6:21–22).

David “appointed Asaph and his associates to give praise to the Lord in this manner: Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts” (1 Chronicles 16:7–9). May we too give ourselves fully to worshiping God by pouring out our praise and adoration. By:  Amy Boucher Pye

Reflect & Pray

When have you felt free to worship God wholeheartedly? What led you to that sense of freedom and release?

Creator God, we proclaim Your name above all others. You’re worthy to be praised! We worship You!

Watch “A Song That Never Ends”.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, November 08, 2021
The Unrivaled Power of Prayer

We do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. —Romans 8:26

We realize that we are energized by the Holy Spirit for prayer; and we know what it is to pray in accordance with the Spirit; but we don’t often realize that the Holy Spirit Himself prays prayers in us which we cannot utter ourselves. When we are born again of God and are indwelt by the Spirit of God, He expresses for us the unutterable.

“He,” the Holy Spirit in you, “makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:27). And God searches your heart, not to know what your conscious prayers are, but to find out what the prayer of the Holy Spirit is.

The Spirit of God uses the nature of the believer as a temple in which to offer His prayers of intercession. “…your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit…” (1 Corinthians 6:19). When Jesus Christ cleansed the temple, “…He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple” (Mark 11:16). The Spirit of God will not allow you to use your body for your own convenience. Jesus ruthlessly cast out everyone who bought and sold in the temple, and said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer…. But you have made it a ‘den of thieves’ ” (Mark 11:17).

Have we come to realize that our “body is the temple of the Holy Spirit”? If so, we must be careful to keep it undefiled for Him. We have to remember that our conscious life, even though only a small part of our total person, is to be regarded by us as a “temple of the Holy Spirit.” He will be responsible for the unconscious part which we don’t know, but we must pay careful attention to and guard the conscious part for which we are responsible.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

We are apt to think that everything that happens to us is to be turned into useful teaching; it is to be turned into something better than teaching, viz. into character. We shall find that the spheres God brings us into are not meant to teach us something but to make us something. The Love of God—The Ministry of the Unnoticed, 664 L

Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 43-45; Hebrews 5
 

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, November 08, 2021
Fourth Quarter - It's Ours! - #9086

I watched the new high school football coach at our local high school back then work an amazing transformation. Before he took over, playing our team meant an almost automatic win for the other team. After the new coach came and made his mark, our team almost always went to the state championship. Our sons can tell you one reason why - they played for him. He used to run some very grueling practices, but he told them he was building a "fourth quarter team" - a team that had the endurance to finish strong when their opponents were fading. And you could count on our team dominating the final quarter of the game. They knew how decisive it would be, and they were prepared to give it all. In fact, at the end of the third quarter, the players would pump each other up with this familiar war cry, "Fourth quarter! It's ours!"

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Fourth Quarter - It's Ours!"

Champions are strong fourth quarter players in sports, and in life, too. We're talking about responsibilities and challenges that require a lot of perseverance; where victory requires giving more than you feel like giving up. And maybe you're in one of those "fourth quarter" situations right now and God's calling you to finish strong.

Like the Apostle Paul did, as recorded in 2 Timothy 4, beginning with verse 5, which happens to be our word for today from the Word of God. He's had every reason to quit. He's had persecution, imprisonment, multiple beatings, and now he's writing what will be his final words before his execution by Caesar. He's calling Timothy to a championship finish like he's doing.

He says to him and to us, "Be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry, for I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith." A statement like that makes us ask, "Am I a finisher or just a starter? Have I left behind in my life a lot of things I started but I didn't finish?"

Paul then looks ahead to what's at the finish line for all who complete the course that God has given them. "In the future," he says, "there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord...will award to me on that day." Sadly, those who quit before the game was over will never know the rewards that only finishers enjoy.

So now, maybe at a time when you have a lot of reasons to slack off, to quit, when you've already played hard for a long time, listen to God saying, "Do not be weary in well doing, for in due time you will reap if you do not give up" (Galatians 6:9). Be a fourth quarter husband, a fourth quarter wife, be a fourth quarter mom or dad, a fourth quarter friend, worker, leader. Be a follower of Jesus who refuses to slack off, or back off, refuses to slow down, to head for the showers, to give up. That's how your Savior was for you all the way to the end.

After how long the game has been and maybe how hard it's been, maybe your strength is giving out, but God's strength belongs to the weak and the weary He said. And His strength can carry you all the way to the finish line. His promise is this: "He gives His strength to the weary and He increases the power of the weak." Claim it! Shout with all of God's champions, "It's the fourth quarter! It's ours!"

Exodus 36, bible reading and daily devotionals.

Max Lucado Daily: More Dinghy than Cruise Ship?

Are you more dinghy. . .than cruise ship? Or in my case, more blue jeans than blue blood? Well congratulations, God changes the world with folks like you!

The next time you say, “I don’t think God could use me!”—stop right there!  Satan’s going to try to tell you that God has an IQ requirement.  That he employs only experts and high-powered personalities.  When you hear Satan whispering that lie—hit him with this:  God stampeded the first-century society with swaybacks, not thoroughbreds.  Before Jesus came along, the disciples were loading trucks, coaching soccer, and selling Slurpee drinks at the convenience store!

But what they had going for them was a willingness to take a step when Jesus said, “Follow me.”

So what do you think?  More plumber than executive?  More stand-in than movie star? Yeah—congratulations!  God uses people like you…and me.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  Matthew 16:24?

From Max on Life

Exodus 36

“Bezalel and Oholiab, along with everyone whom God has given the skill and know-how for making everything involved in the worship of the Sanctuary as commanded by God, are to start to work.”

2-3 Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab along with all whom God had gifted with the ability to work skillfully with their hands. The men were eager to get started and engage in the work. They took from Moses all the offerings that the Israelites had brought for the work of constructing the Sanctuary. The people kept on bringing in their freewill offerings, morning after morning.

4-5 All the artisans who were at work making everything involved in constructing the Sanctuary came, one after another, to Moses, saying, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing this work that God has commanded us to do!”

6-7 So Moses sent out orders through the camp: “Men! Women! No more offerings for the building of the Sanctuary!”

The people were ordered to stop bringing offerings! There was plenty of material for all the work to be done. Enough and more than enough.
The Tapestries

8-13 Then all the skilled artisans on The Dwelling made ten tapestries of fine twisted linen and blue, purple, and scarlet fabric with an angel-cherubim design worked into the material. Each panel of tapestry was forty-six feet long and six feet wide. Five of the panels were joined together, and then the other five. Loops of blue were made along the edge of the outside panel of the first set, and the same on the outside panel of the second set. They made fifty loops on each panel, with the loops opposite each other. Then they made fifty gold clasps and joined the tapestries together so that The Dwelling was one whole.

14-19 Next they made tapestries of woven goat hair for a tent that would cover The Dwelling. They made eleven panels of these tapestries. The length of each panel was forty-five feet long and six feet wide. They joined five of the panels together, and then the other six, by making fifty loops along the edge of the end panel and fifty loops along the edge of the joining panel, then making fifty clasps of bronze, connecting the clasps to the loops, bringing the tent together. They finished it off by covering the tapestries with tanned rams’ skins dyed red, and covered that with dolphin skins.
The Framing

20-30 They framed The Dwelling with vertical planks of acacia wood, each section of frame fifteen feet long and two and a quarter feet wide, with two pegs for securing them. They made all the frames identical: twenty frames for the south side, with forty silver sockets to receive the two tenons from each of the twenty frames; they repeated that construction on the north side of The Dwelling. For the rear of The Dwelling facing west, they made six frames, with two additional frames for the rear corners. Both of the two corner frames were double in thickness from top to bottom and fit into a single ring—eight frames altogether with sixteen sockets of silver, two under each frame.

31-34 They made crossbars of acacia wood, five for the frames on one side of The Dwelling, five for the other side, and five for the back side facing west. The center crossbar ran from end to end halfway up the frames. They covered the frames with a veneer of gold, made gold rings to hold the crossbars, and covered the crossbars with a veneer of gold.

35-36 They made the curtain of blue, purple, and scarlet material and fine twisted linen. They wove a design of angel-cherubim into it. They made four posts of acacia wood, covered them with a veneer of gold, and cast four silver bases for them.

37-38 They made a screen for the door of the tent, woven from blue, purple, and scarlet material and fine twisted linen with embroidery. They framed the weaving with five poles of acacia wood covered with a veneer of gold, and made gold hooks to hang the weaving and five bronze bases for the poles.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Sunday, November 07, 2021
Today's Scripture
Colossians 3:12–17
(NIV)

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselvesu with compassion, kindness, humility,v gentleness and patience.w 13 Bear with each otherx and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.y 14 And over all these virtues put on love,z which binds them all together in perfect unity.a

15 Let the peace of Christb rule in your hearts, since as members of one bodyc you were called to peace.d And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christe dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdomf through psalms,g hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.h 17 And whatever you do,i whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanksj to God the Father through him.

Insight

Gratitude is the single theme that unites verses 15–17 of Colossians 3. Without stating specifically what we’re to be thankful for, Paul says that thankfulness to God should characterize our lives. He concludes verse 15 by saying, “And be thankful.” In verse 16, we’re to lift our voices in song with a grateful heart. And in verse 17, we should give thanks to God in whatever we say or do. Each of these admonitions comes from Greek root word charis, which means “grace.” Another form of this word means “properly acknowledging that God’s grace works well.” This suggests that all thankfulness is ultimately rooted in God’s grace to us. The opening verses of this chapter tell us why: we’ve been raised with Jesus, our lives are hidden with Him, and we too will appear with Him when He comes in glory (vv. 1–4). What more reason to be thankful?

The Jesus Label

Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Colossians 3:17

“Son, I don’t have much to give you. But I do have a good name, so don’t mess it up.” Those wise, weighty words were uttered by Johnnie Bettis as his son Jerome left home for college. Jerome quoted his father in his American Professional Football Hall of Fame acceptance speech. These sage words that Jerome has carried with him throughout his life have been so influential that he closed his riveting speech with similar words to his own son. “Son, there’s not much that I can give you that’s more important than our good name.”

A good name is vital for believers in Jesus. Paul’s words in Colossians 3:12–17 remind us who it is that we represent (v. 17). Character is like the clothing that we wear; and this passage puts the “Jesus label” of clothing on display: “As God’s chosen people . . . clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another. . . . And over all these virtues put on love” (vv. 12–14). These aren’t just our “Sunday clothes.” We’re to wear them everywhere, all the time, as God works in us to reflect Him. When our lives are characterized by these qualities, we demonstrate that we have His name.

May we prayerfully and carefully represent Him as He provides what we need. By:  Arthur Jackson

Reflect & Pray

As you evaluate your wardrobe, how “well dressed” are you with Jesus’ character? How can you seek His wisdom, power, and guidance to reflect Him even more clearly?

Father, forgive me when I don’t represent Jesus well. Give me strength and courage to be better dressed for Your glory and Christ’s name’s sake.

Learn more about the importance of living a life that honors Christ.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, November 07, 2021
The Undetected Sacredness of Circumstances
We know that all things work together for good to those who love God… —Romans 8:28

The circumstances of a saint’s life are ordained of God. In the life of a saint there is no such thing as chance. God by His providence brings you into circumstances that you can’t understand at all, but the Spirit of God understands. God brings you to places, among people, and into certain conditions to accomplish a definite purpose through the intercession of the Spirit in you. Never put yourself in front of your circumstances and say, “I’m going to be my own providence here; I will watch this closely, or protect myself from that.” All your circumstances are in the hand of God, and therefore you don’t ever have to think they are unnatural or unique. Your part in intercessory prayer is not to agonize over how to intercede, but to use the everyday circumstances and people God puts around you by His providence to bring them before His throne, and to allow the Spirit in you the opportunity to intercede for them. In this way God is going to touch the whole world with His saints.

Am I making the Holy Spirit’s work difficult by being vague and unsure, or by trying to do His work for Him? I must do the human side of intercession— utilizing the circumstances in which I find myself and the people who surround me. I must keep my conscious life as a sacred place for the Holy Spirit. Then as I lift different ones to God through prayer, the Holy Spirit intercedes for them.

Your intercessions can never be mine, and my intercessions can never be yours, “…but the Spirit Himself makes intercession” in each of our lives (Romans 8:26). And without that intercession, the lives of others would be left in poverty and in ruin.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

The main characteristic which is the proof of the indwelling Spirit is an amazing tenderness in personal dealing, and a blazing truthfulness with regard to God’s Word. Disciples Indeed, 386 R
Share with your friends:

Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 40-42; Hebrews 4

Mark 3:20-35 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: How Bold Are Your Prayers?

As John Wesley was crossing the Atlantic Ocean, heavy winds came up. He was reading in his cabin when he became aware the winds were knocking the ship off course, and he responded in prayer. Adam Clarke, a colleague, wrote it down.
"Almighty and everlasting God. . .Thou holdest the winds in thy fists and sittest upon the water . . .command these winds and these waves that they obey thee, and take us speedily and safely to the haven whither we would go."
Wesley stood up from his knees, took up his book, and continued to read. Dr. Clarke went on deck where he found calm winds and the ship on course. Wesley made no remark about the answered prayer. Clarke wrote, "So fully did he expect to be heard that he took it for granted that he was heard."
How bold are your prayers?
From Glory Days

Mark 3:20-35

Satan Fighting Satan?

20-21 Jesus came home and, as usual, a crowd gathered—so many making demands on him that there wasn’t even time to eat. His friends heard what was going on and went to rescue him, by force if necessary. They suspected he was believing his own press.

22-27 The religion scholars from Jerusalem came down spreading rumors that he was working black magic, using devil tricks to impress them with spiritual power. Jesus confronted their slander with a story: “Does it make sense to send a devil to catch a devil, to use Satan to get rid of Satan? A constantly squabbling family disintegrates. If Satan were fighting Satan, there soon wouldn’t be any Satan left. Do you think it’s possible in broad daylight to enter the house of an awake, able-bodied man, and walk off with his possessions unless you tie him up first? Tie him up, though, and you can clean him out.

28-30 “Listen to this carefully. I’m warning you. There’s nothing done or said that can’t be forgiven. But if you persist in your slanders against God’s Holy Spirit, you are repudiating the very One who forgives, sawing off the branch on which you’re sitting, severing by your own perversity all connection with the One who forgives.” He gave this warning because they were accusing him of being in league with Evil.
Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

31-32 Just then his mother and brothers showed up. Standing outside, they relayed a message that they wanted a word with him. He was surrounded by the crowd when he was given the message, “Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside looking for you.”

33-35 Jesus responded, “Who do you think are my mother and brothers?” Looking around, taking in everyone seated around him, he said, “Right here, right in front of you—my mother and my brothers. Obedience is thicker than blood. The person who obeys God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Saturday, November 06, 2021

Today's Scripture
Luke 23:44–46
(NIV)

The Death of Jesus

 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon,f 45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the templeg was torn in two.h 46 Jesus called out with a loud voice,i “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”e j When he had said this, he breathed his last.

Insight

Jesus uttered seven sayings from the cross, which were directed both horizontally and vertically. The horizontal statements were addressed to the people at the cross, including His words of comfort to His mother (John 19:26–27) and His words of assurance to the dying thief (Luke 23:43). At least four of the sayings were vertical in nature, serving as prayers. Jesus prayed for mercy for His killers (v. 34), expressed His sense of personal abandonment by the Father (Matthew 27:46), declared that He’d completed the sin-bearing task (John 19:30), and dismissed His spirit back to the Father (Luke 23:46). The seventh statement, “I am thirsty” (John 19:28), has been interpreted both horizontally and vertically. While some view the words as a request to people for a drink (horizontal), others view it vertically as Jesus requesting from the Father the cup He’d sought to escape in the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:39). By: Bill Crowder

A Glossary for Grief

Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
Luke 23:46

When Hugh and DeeDee released their only child to heaven, they struggled with what to call themselves in the aftermath. There's no specific word in the English language to describe a parent who has lost a child. A wife without her husband is a widow. A husband without his wife is a widower. A child bereft of parents is an orphan. A parent whose child has died is an undefined hollow of hurt.

Miscarriage. Sudden infant death. Suicide. Illness. Accident. Death steals a child from this world and then robs the surviving parents of an expressed identity.

Yet God Himself understands such devastating grief as His only Son, Jesus, called to Him while dying on the cross, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). God was Father before Jesus’ earthly birth and remained Father when Jesus released His final breath. God continued as Father when the still body of His Son was laid in a tomb. God lives on today as Father of a risen Son who brings every parent the hope that a child can live again.

What do you call a heavenly Father who sacrifices His Son for the universe? For you and for me? Father. Still, Father. When there are no words in the glossary of grief to describe the pain of loss, God is our Father and calls us His children (1 John 3:1). By:  Elisa Morgan

Reflect & Pray

How does it shape your heart to realize that God remains your Father and calls you His child—always? How might this thought comfort you?

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for being my Father and claiming me as Your child.

Read Life After Loss.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, November 06, 2021
Intimate Theology

Do you believe this? —John 11:26

Martha believed in the power available to Jesus Christ; she believed that if He had been there He could have healed her brother; she also believed that Jesus had a special intimacy with God, and that whatever He asked of God, God would do. But— she needed a closer personal intimacy with Jesus. Martha’s theology had its fulfillment in the future. But Jesus continued to attract and draw her in until her belief became an intimate possession. It then slowly emerged into a personal inheritance— “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ…” (John 11:27).

Is the Lord dealing with you in the same way? Is Jesus teaching you to have a personal intimacy with Himself? Allow Him to drive His question home to you— “Do you believe this?” Are you facing an area of doubt in your life? Have you come, like Martha, to a crossroads of overwhelming circumstances where your theology is about to become a very personal belief? This happens only when a personal problem brings the awareness of our personal need.

To believe is to commit. In the area of intellectual learning I commit myself mentally, and reject anything not related to that belief. In the realm of personal belief I commit myself morally to my convictions and refuse to compromise. But in intimate personal belief I commit myself spiritually to Jesus Christ and make a determination to be dominated by Him alone.

Then, when I stand face to face with Jesus Christ and He says to me, “Do you believe this?” I find that faith is as natural as breathing. And I am staggered when I think how foolish I have been in not trusting Him earlier.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

God created man to be master of the life in the earth and sea and sky, and the reason he is not is because he took the law into his own hands, and became master of himself, but of nothing else.  The Shadow of an Agony, 1163 L

Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 37-39; Hebrews 3

Exodus 35 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: It’s Time to Pray - November 5, 2021

Daniel was a young man when he was taken into Babylonian captivity. Later he realized that the seventy years of prophesied captivity were coming to an end, and he took the matter to the Lord. Now, if any person deserved to be heard by God, it was he. Yet in the presence of God, this holy man offered a brokenhearted prayer. The prayer so moved the heart of God that an angel was sent with this message: “From the moment you decided to humble yourself to receive understanding, your prayer was heard…” (Daniel 10:12 MSG).

Friend, the moment you bow your head to pray is the moment God lifts his hand to help. Your heavenly Father wants to hear from you. Are you desperate, without options? By no means. Now, more than ever, is the time to get down on your knees and plead for help.

Exodus 35

Building the Place of Worship

Moses spoke to the entire congregation of Israel, saying, “These are the things that God has commanded you to do:

2-3 “Work six days, but the seventh day will be a holy rest day, God’s holy rest day. Anyone who works on this day must be put to death. Don’t light any fires in your homes on the Sabbath day.”
The Offerings

4 Moses spoke to the entire congregation of Israel, saying, “This is what God has commanded:

5-9 “Gather from among you an offering for God. Receive on God’s behalf what everyone is willing to give as an offering: gold, silver, bronze; blue, purple, and scarlet material; fine linen; goats’ hair; tanned rams’ skins; dolphin skins; acacia wood; lamp oil; spices for anointing oils and for fragrant incense; onyx stones and other stones for setting in the Ephod and the Breastpiece.

10-19 “Come—all of you who have skills—come and make everything that God has commanded: The Dwelling with its tent and cover, its hooks, frames, crossbars, posts, and bases; the Chest with its poles, the Atonement-Cover and veiling curtain; the Table with its poles and implements and the Bread of the Presence; the Lampstand for giving light with its furnishings and lamps and the oil for lighting; the Altar of Incense with its poles, the anointing oil, the fragrant incense; the screen for the door at the entrance to The Dwelling; the Altar of Whole-Burnt-Offering with its bronze grate and poles and all its implements; the Washbasin with its base; the tapestry hangings for the Courtyard with the posts and bases, the screen for the Courtyard gate; the pegs for The Dwelling, the pegs for the Courtyard with their cords; the official vestments for ministering in the Holy Place, the sacred vestments for Aaron the priest and for his sons serving as priests.”

20-26 So everyone in the community of Israel left the presence of Moses. Then they came back, every one whose heart was roused, whose spirit was freely responsive, bringing offerings to God for building the Tent of Meeting, furnishing it for worship and making the holy vestments. They came, both men and women, all the willing spirits among them, offering brooches, earrings, rings, necklaces—anything made of gold—offering up their gold jewelry to God. And anyone who had blue, purple, and scarlet fabrics; fine linen; goats’ hair; tanned leather; and dolphin skins brought them. Everyone who wanted to offer up silver or bronze as a gift to God brought it. Everyone who had acacia wood that could be used in the work, brought it. All the women skilled at weaving brought their weavings of blue and purple and scarlet fabrics and their fine linens. And all the women who were gifted in spinning, spun the goats’ hair.

27-29 The leaders brought onyx and other precious stones for setting in the Ephod and the Breastpiece. They also brought spices and olive oil for lamp oil, anointing oil, and incense. Every man and woman in Israel whose heart moved them freely to bring something for the work that God through Moses had commanded them to make, brought it, a voluntary offering for God.
Bezalel and Oholiab

30-35 Moses told the Israelites, “See, God has selected Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. He’s filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and know-how for making all sorts of things, to design and work in gold, silver, and bronze; to carve stones and set them; to carve wood, working in every kind of skilled craft. And he’s also made him a teacher, he and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. He’s gifted them with the know-how needed for carving, designing, weaving, and embroidering in blue, purple, and scarlet fabrics, and in fine linen. They can make anything and design anything.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Friday, November 05, 2021

Pleasures Are Meaningless

2 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasurew to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. 2 “Laughter,”x I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” 3 I tried cheering myself with wine,y and embracing follyz—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.

4 I undertook great projects: I built houses for myselfa and planted vineyards.b 5 I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves and had other slavesc who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. 8 I amassed silver and goldd for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces.e I acquired male and female singers,f and a harema as well—the delights of a man’s heart. 9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalemg before me.h In all this my wisdom stayed with me.

10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;

I refused my heart no pleasure.

My heart took delight in all my labor,

and this was the reward for all my toil.

11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done

and what I had toiled to achieve,

everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;i

nothing was gained under the sun.

Insight

The book of Ecclesiastes was most likely written by Solomon; the author is said to be the son of David (1:1) and king of Israel (v. 12). This is significant because as king, Solomon had access to everything he needed to conduct his “experiment” of finding meaning by pursuing the things that humans desire the most (2:1–11). Additionally, throughout this search for meaning and despite indulging in worldly pleasures, he notes that he was still being guided by wisdom (vv. 3, 9). We’re told he was the wisest person to have ever lived (see 1 Kings 3:11–12). By: Julie Schwab

Finding Joy in the Meaningless

When I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
Ecclesiastes 2:11

In 2010, James Ward, the creator of the blog “I Like Boring Things,” launched a conference called the “Boring Conference.” It’s a one-day celebration of the mundane, the ordinary, and the overlooked. In the past, speakers have addressed seemingly meaningless topics like sneezing, sounds that vending machines make, and inkjet printers of 1999. Ward knows the topics may be boring, but the speakers can take a mundane subject and make it interesting, meaningful, and even joyful.

Several millennia ago, Solomon, the wisest of kings, launched his own search for joy in the meaningless and mundane. He pursued work, bought flocks, built wealth, acquired singers, and constructed buildings (Ecclesiastes 2:4–9). Some of these pursuits were honorable and some were not. Ultimately, in his pursuit of meaning, the king found nothing but boredom (v. 11). Solomon maintained a worldview that didn’t press beyond the limits of human experience to include God. Ultimately, however, he realized that he’d find joy in the mundane only when he remembered and worshiped God (12:1–7).

When we find ourselves in the whirlwind of tedium, let’s launch our own daily mini-conference, as we “remember [our] Creator” (v. 1)—the God who fills the mundane with meaning. As we remember and worship Him, we’ll find wonder in the ordinary, gratitude in the mundane, and joy in the seemingly meaningless things of life. By:  Marvin Williams

Reflect & Pray

Why is it so hard to find meaning in things that can never satisfy? How do you need to reprioritize your commitment to and worship of God so you can find your meaning in Him?

God, take the unremarkable moments of my life and infuse them with Your joy and wonder.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, November 05, 2021

Partakers of His Suffering

…but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings… —1 Peter 4:13

If you are going to be used by God, He will take you through a number of experiences that are not meant for you personally at all. They are designed to make you useful in His hands, and to enable you to understand what takes place in the lives of others. Because of this process, you will never be surprised by what comes your way. You say, “Oh, I can’t deal with that person.” Why can’t you? God gave you sufficient opportunities to learn from Him about that problem; but you turned away, not heeding the lesson, because it seemed foolish to spend your time that way.

The sufferings of Christ were not those of ordinary people. He suffered “according to the will of God” (1 Peter 4:19), having a different point of view of suffering from ours. It is only through our relationship with Jesus Christ that we can understand what God is after in His dealings with us. When it comes to suffering, it is part of our Christian culture to want to know God’s purpose beforehand. In the history of the Christian church, the tendency has been to avoid being identified with the sufferings of Jesus Christ. People have sought to carry out God’s orders through a shortcut of their own. God’s way is always the way of suffering— the way of the “long road home.”

Are we partakers of Christ’s sufferings? Are we prepared for God to stamp out our personal ambitions? Are we prepared for God to destroy our individual decisions by supernaturally transforming them? It will mean not knowing why God is taking us that way, because knowing would make us spiritually proud. We never realize at the time what God is putting us through— we go through it more or less without understanding. Then suddenly we come to a place of enlightenment, and realize— “God has strengthened me and I didn’t even know it!”

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

The root of faith is the knowledge of a Person, and one of the biggest snares is the idea that God is sure to lead us to success. My Utmost for His Highest, March 19, 761 L

Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 34-36; Hebrews 2

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, November 05, 2021

First we hear the stories of the disasters. Then we hear the stories of the people affected by those disasters. Especially the heroes. Some years ago, there were these horrific floods that swept through Queensland, Australia, carrying away loved ones, and houses, cars, and communities. But there's one story from that tragedy that I'm not going to forget. It's about a 13-year-old boy named Jordan - from a town called Toowoomba.

His mom was driving with him and his brother when the water on the street began to rise. Their car stalled. And when mom made a desperate emergency call, the operator said just to stay put. But they were forced to climb onto the car roof after the floodwaters started rising rapidly around them. Now there were people watching, but no bystanders tried to help. Until one man yelled out for some rope, which he wrapped around himself and jumped in.

Well, young Jordan couldn't swim and was terrified of water. But when the man came to rescue him, he said, "Save my brother first." So he did save his ten-year-old brother. But then the man took that rope and he tied it around Jordan and his mother, but the rope broke. They were swept downstream. They were carried away by those raging waters. A Facebook page was set up to honor that young hero. More than 150,000 supporters joined the tribute.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Life-Giving Love."

"Save my brother first." Love willing to die, so that someone he loved could live.

It's that kind of love that captured my heart forever. The One who died so I could live was no one less than the only Son of God. In the words of the Bible, "He loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). I deserved this eternal death penalty for denying God's right to my life, after all, He gave me my life. But the Bible says that every one of us, even the most religious of us, has done life our way instead of God's way. Sin, the Bible calls this cosmic rebellion. And it tells us that "the soul who sins will die" (Ezekiel 18:4).

And that would be my unthinkable eternal future - but for Jesus. God says, "He carried our sins in His body on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24). I did the sinning, but Jesus did the dying. He clearly did not have to die. He made the tree He was nailed on. There's only one way they could have tortured Him as they did. He let them. There's only one way they could have driven those spikes into His hands and feet. He let them. Why? "He loved me and gave Himself for me." And for you.

He said, "Save him. Save her instead of Me." He could have saved Himself in an instant. He could have, as one old song says, "called ten thousand angels to destroy the world and set Him free. But He died alone for you and me."

I'm inviting you today to consider this Jesus for yourself. Not Christianity, the religion. Not Christians. Not some belief system or religious ritual. Jesus. Because long before there was the religion or the churches, there was Jesus, hanging on a cross, dying for you. He's the only One who did what it took to rescue you. And now He's come to you today, offering you this opportunity to grab His hand to be saved.

If you're not sure there's ever been a time when you did that, would you consider getting this settled today? The risk of waiting is too great. And we would just love to help you do that. Our website is there to help you cross the bridge into a relationship with Jesus. The website is ANewStory.com. Remember that until you can get to it. I hope you will today.

I'm so glad that Jesus didn't stay dead. He walked out of his grave and under his own power three days later he came back to life. So he's alive to walk into your life this day. It really matters to God what you do with His Son. I mean, after the sacrifice His Son made for you. Please don't miss this chance to belong to him.

Exodus 34, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Prayer Opened the Door - November 4, 2021

“Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me…I and my attendants will fast as you do” (Esther 4: 16). Queen Esther faced an immovable wall and the possibility of death for making the wrong move. Rather than rush into the throne room of King Xerxes, she humbled herself and stepped into the throne room of God. She knew that God’s intervention was the only hope.

It wasn’t Esther’s glamour that opened the throne room door. It was her prayers. She came before the king in beauty only after she lingered before the King of kings in humility. Aren’t we called to do the same? Friend, don’t think for a moment that you have what it takes to weather this winter. Yet don’t think for a second that God won’t give you what you need.

Exodus 34

God spoke to Moses: “Cut out two tablets of stone just like the originals and engrave on them the words that were on the original tablets you smashed. Be ready in the morning to climb Mount Sinai and get set to meet me on top of the mountain. Not a soul is to go with you; the whole mountain must be clear of people, even animals—not even sheep or oxen can be grazing in front of the mountain.”

4-7 So Moses cut two tablets of stone just like the originals. He got up early in the morning and climbed Mount Sinai as God had commanded him, carrying the two tablets of stone. God descended in the cloud and took up his position there beside him and called out the name, God. God passed in front of him and called out, “God, God, a God of mercy and grace, endlessly patient—so much love, so deeply true—loyal in love for a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. Still, he doesn’t ignore sin. He holds sons and grandsons responsible for a father’s sins to the third and even fourth generation.”

8-9 At once, Moses fell to the ground and worshiped, saying, “Please, O Master, if you see anything good in me, please Master, travel with us, hard-headed as these people are. Forgive our iniquity and sin. Own us, possess us.”

10-12 And God said, “As of right now, I’m making a covenant with you: In full sight of your people I will work wonders that have never been created in all the Earth, in any nation. Then all the people with whom you’re living will see how tremendous God’s work is, the work I’ll do for you. Take careful note of all I command you today. I’m clearing your way by driving out Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. Stay vigilant. Don’t let down your guard lest you make covenant with the people who live in the land that you are entering and they trip you up.

13-16 “Tear down their altars, smash their phallic pillars, chop down their fertility poles. Don’t worship any other god. God—his name is The-Jealous-One—is a jealous God. Be careful that you don’t make a covenant with the people who live in the land and take up with their sex-and-religion life, join them in meals at their altars, marry your sons to their women, women who take up with any convenient god or goddess and will get your sons to do the same thing.

17 “Don’t make molten gods for yourselves.

18 “Keep the Feast of Unraised Bread. Eat only unraised bread for seven days in the month of Abib—it was in the month of Abib that you came out of Egypt.

19 “Every firstborn from the womb is mine, all the males of your herds, your firstborn oxen and sheep.

20 “Redeem your firstborn donkey with a lamb. If you don’t redeem it you must break its neck.

“Redeem each of your firstborn sons.

“No one is to show up in my presence empty-handed.

21 “Work six days and rest the seventh. Stop working even during plowing and harvesting.

22 “Keep the Feast of Weeks with the first cutting of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.

23-24 “All your men are to appear before the Master, the God of Israel, three times a year. You won’t have to worry about your land when you appear before your God three times each year, for I will drive out the nations before you and give you plenty of land. Nobody’s going to be hanging around plotting ways to get it from you.

25 “Don’t mix the blood of my sacrifices with anything fermented.

“Don’t leave leftovers from the Passover Feast until morning.

26 “Bring the finest of the firstfruits of your produce to the house of your God.

“Don’t boil a kid in its mother’s milk.”

27 God said to Moses: “Now write down these words, for by these words I’ve made a covenant with you and Israel.”

28 Moses was there with God forty days and forty nights. He didn’t eat any food; he didn’t drink any water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Words.

29-30 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai carrying the two Tablets of The Testimony, he didn’t know that the skin of his face glowed because he had been speaking with God. Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, saw his radiant face, and held back, afraid to get close to him.

31-32 Moses called out to them. Aaron and the leaders in the community came back and Moses talked with them. Later all the Israelites came up to him and he passed on the commands, everything that God had told him on Mount Sinai.

33-35 When Moses finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face, but when he went into the presence of God to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. When he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they would see Moses’ face, its skin glowing, and then he would again put the veil on his face until he went back in to speak with God.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Thursday, November 04, 2021

Today's Scripture
Proverbs 11:23–26
(NIV)

The desire of the righteous ends only in good,

but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.

24 One person gives freely, yet gains even more;

another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

25 A generousz person will prosper;

whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.a

26 People curse the one who hoards grain,

but they pray God’s blessing on the one who is willing to sell.

Insight

Proverbs 11:25 declares that “a generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” The apostle Paul echoes this thought to the believers in Jesus in Corinth. He writes to encourage them to fulfill their promise to provide a generous gift for the needy church in Jerusalem: “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously” (2 Corinthians 9:6). He goes on to say, “Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God” (vv. 10–11). Our generosity points back to God, who provides all good things (James 1:17). By: Alyson Kieda

Rainy Days

A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
Proverbs 11:25

When small businesses in Tennessee were abruptly shuttered in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19, shop owners worried about how to care for their employees, how to pay their rent, and how to simply survive the crisis. In response to their concerns, the pastor of a church near Nashville started an initiative to supply cash to struggling business owners.

“We don’t feel like we can sit on a rainy-day fund when somebody else is going through a rainy day,” the pastor explained, as he encouraged other churches in the area to join the effort.

A rainy-day fund is money that’s put aside in case normal income is decreased for a time while regular operations need to continue. While it’s natural for us to look out for ourselves first, Scripture encourages us to always look beyond our own needs, to find ways to serve others, and to practice generosity. Proverbs 11 reminds us, “One person gives freely, yet gains even more,” “a generous person will prosper,” and “whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (vv. 24–25).

Is the sun shining extra bright in your life today? Look around to see if there’s torrential rain in someone else’s world. The blessings God has graciously given you are multiplied when you freely share them with others. Being generous and open-handed is a wonderful way to give hope to others and to remind hurting people that God loves them. By:  Cindy Hess Kasper

Reflect & Pray

When has someone been open-handed with their time or resources with you? How could you do the same for someone in need today?

Gracious God, help me to be tenderhearted toward the needs of others and show me how I can share Your love and generosity with them.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, November 04, 2021

The Authority of Truth

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. —James 4:8

It is essential that you give people the opportunity to act on the truth of God. The responsibility must be left with the individual— you cannot act for him. It must be his own deliberate act, but the evangelical message should always lead him to action. Refusing to act leaves a person paralyzed, exactly where he was previously. But once he acts, he is never the same. It is the apparent folly of the truth that stands in the way of hundreds who have been convicted by the Spirit of God. Once I press myself into action, I immediately begin to live. Anything less is merely existing. The moments I truly live are the moments when I act with my entire will.

When a truth of God is brought home to your soul, never allow it to pass without acting on it internally in your will, not necessarily externally in your physical life. Record it with ink and with blood— work it into your life. The weakest saint who transacts business with Jesus Christ is liberated the second he acts and God’s almighty power is available on his behalf. We come up to the truth of God, confess we are wrong, but go back again. Then we approach it again and turn back, until we finally learn we have no business going back. When we are confronted with such a word of truth from our redeeming Lord, we must move directly to transact business with Him. “Come to Me…” (Matthew 11:28). His word come means “to act.” Yet the last thing we want to do is come. But everyone who does come knows that, at that very moment, the supernatural power of the life of God invades him. The dominating power of the world, the flesh, and the devil is now paralyzed; not by your act, but because your act has joined you to God and tapped you in to His redemptive power.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

Beware of pronouncing any verdict on the life of faith if you are not living it. Not Knowing Whither, 900 R

Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 32-33; Hebrews 1

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, November 04, 2021

Flying Into the Fog - #9084

It was a sad ending to the TV movie and the man the movie was about. The last scene showed his plane disappearing into the fog with the famous pilot struggling to get his bearings. That pilot was the man that the movie called the "American Prince," John F. Kennedy, Jr. And for most Americans it struck a poignant chord when we heard that the one we once knew as "Little John-John" had died with his wife and sister-in-law in a tragic plane crash; a crash made even more tragic by the fact that it apparently didn't have to happen. Investigators indicated that JFK, Jr. had wanted to reach his destination so much that he seemed to ignore the fact that he was flying into conditions he wasn't prepared for. If only he had waited until conditions were right.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Flying Into the Fog."

Tragedy often occurs when pilots insist on flying ahead when they really should be waiting, or when any of us insist on forcing our way to get to our destination when conditions just aren't right. Many of us can look back on crashes that never had to happen, and we say, "If only I had waited. If only I hadn't been in such a hurry."

In Isaiah 50:10-11, God spells out two different ways we can approach our future - one which takes us to His best, one which ends in a crash. In our word for today from the Word of God, He says, "Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light" (that's all those times we aren't sure which way to go). "Let him...trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God." That's one way to approach getting where you need to go. That's the right way. But it goes on to say, "But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment."

Bottom line: His way, His time works. My bright idea, my time doesn't work, and it happens for one major reason. We just can't wait any longer for God to do it. So we take off into the fog, sure we can get there on our own. Maybe you're there right now. And you are, or you soon will be, realizing how disoriented you are, how unsure, how very lost. You're missing the blessed confidence of knowing that you are flying with your way-making, Red Sea-parting God. You're on your own in the fog instead.

Perhaps more than anything else, it's impatience that costs us God's best. And maybe right now you're in danger of running ahead of God and right out of the will of God because you want this thing. You can't wait for this thing. Maybe it's a relationship you're determined you're going to make work, or a business venture, a ministry venture you just know must go on, getting married no matter what, or getting something or someone you want no matter what. God's trying to say, "Stop!" and you're trying to go no matter what. You'll make your own way. You're going to make this happen.

But today, Heaven's Flight Controller is calling you gently, and warning you not to go flying off into the fog. There will come a time when conditions are right, when you will have God's flight plan, and when you'll have a beautiful flight to the destination you were made for. But it's not time yet. And if you go now, there's going to be a crash.

Mark 3:1-19 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Will You Be Part of the Team? - November 3, 2021

“I will go to the king,…And if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16). What took Esther from “If I go, I’ll perish” to “If I perish, I perish”?  It had to be Mordecai’s straightforward message: “You were placed here on purpose for a purpose.” So were you, my friend. What if you, like Esther, have an opportunity to act in a way that will bless more people than you can imagine? This is your moment.

The question is not Will God prevail? The question is Will you be part of the team? Heaven will offer each one of us the privilege of participating in the holy work. When your invitation comes, may you find the same courage Esther found, and make the same decision that Mordecai made. Relief will come. May God help you and me to be a part of it.

Mark 3:1-19

Doing Good on the Sabbath

Then he went back in the meeting place where he found a man with a crippled hand. The Pharisees had their eyes on Jesus to see if he would heal him, hoping to catch him in a Sabbath violation. He said to the man with the crippled hand, “Stand here where we can see you.”

4 Then he spoke to the people: “What kind of action suits the Sabbath best? Doing good or doing evil? Helping people or leaving them helpless?” No one said a word.

5-6 He looked them in the eye, one after another, angry now, furious at their hard-nosed religion. He said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” He held it out—it was as good as new! The Pharisees got out as fast as they could, sputtering about how they would join forces with Herod’s followers and ruin him.
The Twelve Apostles

7-10 Jesus went off with his disciples to the sea to get away. But a huge crowd from Galilee trailed after them—also from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, across the Jordan, and around Tyre and Sidon—swarms of people who had heard the reports and had come to see for themselves. He told his disciples to get a boat ready so he wouldn’t be trampled by the crowd. He had healed many people, and now everyone who had something wrong was pushing and shoving to get near and touch him.

11-12 Evil spirits, when they recognized him, fell down and cried out, “You are the Son of God!” But Jesus would have none of it. He shut them up, forbidding them to identify him in public.

13-19 He climbed a mountain and invited those he wanted with him. They climbed together. He settled on twelve, and designated them apostles. The plan was that they would be with him, and he would send them out to proclaim the Word and give them authority to banish demons. These are the Twelve:

Simon (Jesus later named him Peter, meaning “Rock”),

James, son of Zebedee,

John, brother of James (Jesus nicknamed the Zebedee brothers Boanerges, meaning “Sons of Thunder”),

Andrew,

Philip,

Bartholomew,

Matthew,

Thomas,

James, son of Alphaeus,

Thaddaeus,

Simon the Canaanite,

Judas Iscariot (who betrayed him).

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Wednesday, November 03, 2021

Today's Scripture
2 Corinthians 1:3–8
(NIV)

Praise to the God of All Comfort

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,h the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts usi in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ,j so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation;k if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings,l so also you share in our comfort.

8 We do not want you to be uninformed,m brothers and sisters,a about the troubles we experiencedn in the province of Asia.o We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.

Insight

The Greek word for “comfort” in 2 Corinthians 1:3 (paraklesis) means “coming alongside to help or encourage.” Jesus is our parakletos or advocate (1 John 2:1). The Holy Spirit is another parakletos (John 14:16–17, 26; 15:26; 16:7). This word is so rich in meaning that Bible translations and paraphrases use various words to translate it: “Helper” (esv), “Counselor” (niv 1984), “Comforter” (kjv), “Companion” (ceb), and “Friend” (the message). In 2 Corinthians 1:3, Paul says that God is the parakletos par excellence—“the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.” It’s of great comfort to us that every person of the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—are with us in our pain. In directing us to look at the “God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 3), Paul reminds us that coming alongside to help each other is a family duty and privilege (v. 4). By: K. T. Sim

Comfort Shared

We can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
2 Corinthians 1:4

When my daughter Hayley came to visit me, I saw her three-year-old son, Callum, wearing a strange piece of clothing. Called a ScratchMeNot, it’s a long-sleeved top with mittens attached to the sleeves. My grandson Callum suffers from chronic eczema, a skin disease that makes his skin itch, making it rough and sore. “The ScratchMeNot prevents Callum from scratching and injuring his skin,” Hayley explained.

Seven months later, Hayley’s skin flared up, and she couldn’t stop scratching. “I now understand what Callum endures,” Hayley confessed to me. “Maybe I should wear a ScratchMeNot!”

Hayley’s situation reminded me of 2 Corinthians 1:3–5, in which Paul says that our God is “the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.”

Sometimes God allows us to go through trying times such as an illness, loss, or crisis. He teaches us through our suffering to appreciate the greatest suffering that Christ went through on our behalf on the cross. In turn, when we rely on Him for comfort and strength, we’re able to comfort and encourage others in their suffering. Let’s reflect on whom we can extend comfort to because of what God has brought us through. By:  Goh Bee Lee
Reflect & Pray

Whom has God helped you to comfort through your own experiences of suffering? What can you do to help them appreciate Christ’s suffering on the cross through their pain?

God, help me to experience Your comfort in my sufferings and to become a source of comfort to others.

Read more about comforting others.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, November 03, 2021

A Bondservant of Jesus

 have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me… —Galatians 2:20

These words mean the breaking and collapse of my independence brought about by my own hands, and the surrendering of my life to the supremacy of the Lord Jesus. No one can do this for me, I must do it myself. God may bring me up to this point three hundred and sixty-five times a year, but He cannot push me through it. It means breaking the hard outer layer of my individual independence from God, and the liberating of myself and my nature into oneness with Him; not following my own ideas, but choosing absolute loyalty to Jesus. Once I am at that point, there is no possibility of misunderstanding. Very few of us know anything about loyalty to Christ or understand what He meant when He said, “…for My sake” (Matthew 5:11). That is what makes a strong saint.

Has that breaking of my independence come? All the rest is religious fraud. The one point to decide is— will I give up? Will I surrender to Jesus Christ, placing no conditions whatsoever as to how the brokenness will come? I must be broken from my own understanding of myself. When I reach that point, immediately the reality of the supernatural identification with Jesus Christ takes place. And the witness of the Spirit of God is unmistakable— “I have been crucified with Christ….”

The passion of Christianity comes from deliberately signing away my own rights and becoming a bondservant of Jesus Christ. Until I do that, I will not begin to be a saint.

One student a year who hears God’s call would be sufficient for God to have called the Bible Training College into existence. This college has no value as an organization, not even academically. Its sole value for existence is for God to help Himself to lives. Will we allow Him to help Himself to us, or are we more concerned with our own ideas of what we are going to be?
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Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

God created man to be master of the life in the earth and sea and sky, and the reason he is not is because he took the law into his own hands, and became master of himself, but of nothing else.  The Shadow of an Agony, 1163 L

Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 30-31; Philemon

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, November 03, 2021

One Roof - #9083

Norway is 35 times smaller than Russia, but they went head-to-head with Russia for the most medals won way back in the 1994 Winter Olympics. One of Norway's speed skaters won the gold medal in Lillehammer. A Norwegian skier stole America's spot at mogul skiing. And one after another, Norway dominated cross-country events. Little Norway was a big winner in those Olympics.

Of course it wasn't always like that. In the late 1980s Norway finally decided they were going to set out to build a team of champions. There were several reasons they succeeded. One had to be that top sports center in Oslo, Norway. It is a huge sports center where athletes from many sports train together in a single location. They can trade tips, they can encourage one another, and they can learn from each other's strengths. Apparently Norway was an Olympic winner because they did it together.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "One Roof."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Philippians 1. We're at verse 27. "Stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the Gospel." By the way, this word contending is an athletic word. And then he says, "Without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you." This talks about how the Gospel can get to the lost people who desperately need to hear it. And it talks about how believers can shed their inferiority complex and start acting like winners. The secret just happens to be something like that of Norway's Olympians that year; work together under one roof, well at least spiritually speaking.

You know what? We usually don't. We have our little denominational organizations, our spiritual silos, our methodological cliques, and we're fighting each other over the distinctives of each group. This is no way to win folks! And we aren't. Jesus suggested why the enemy is so strong in our world. When He was accused of casting out demons in Satan's power, He said, "Come on! A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand." He was implying that Satan's kingdom of evil is united.

Christ, on the other hand, allows us to choose, and so we fragment over like maybe this 10% that we don't agree on instead of coming together on the 90% that we do agree on and this urgent mission every believer has to rescue the dying whatever it takes. Instead, Christians end up building a hundred little kingdoms instead of Jesus' one big kingdom.

We end up shooting at each other instead of at our real enemy. We could learn something from those Norwegian champions. Let's work under one spiritual roof! Let's learn from each other's strengths. Let's find a cause larger than our own performance, our own events; things that will pull us together. That cause is defined in this verse, "contending for the faith of the Gospel." That's reaching the lost with the good news about Jesus.

I think there are two things that most of the believers in your community would agree on. There might not be a whole lot, but these are two you can get them to agree on. Number one, the people in your community are lost. Number two, Jesus Christ is their only hope. Isn't that enough to start an agenda to bring us together to do something about those lost people? We could only be divided if we've lost sight of the lost people that surround us, because there are so many more of them. Our only hope is to go into the rescue together. Does it matter – do we care – who gets the credit, who gets the glory as long as they're in heaven with us?

In the 1994 Winter Olympics the world got to see the secret of winning; coming together under one roof to prepare to fight for a cause greater than any one participant. We have a town to win; a community to reach. We have dying people to rescue. It's time we begin to pray together and plan together under one roof for the cause of the Gospel of Christ; the greatest cause on the planet. You know what it says on the roof? The Kingdom of God.