Luke 22:47-71 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: God Is Not Finished with You - July 20, 2022

“I am not a great man! How can I go to the king and lead the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11 NCV).

Moses asked that question at age eighty, and I am so glad he did. Why eighty-year-old Moses? The Moses we saw in Egypt was brash and confident, but the Moses we find four decades later is reluctant and weather beaten. Benched at forty, suited up at eighty. What does he know now that he didn’t know then?

Well the ways of the desert, for one. Family dynamics for another. But more than the ways of the desert and the people, Moses needed to learn something about himself. Apparently, he las learned it. God says Moses is ready. And guess what? The voice from the bush is the voice that whispers to you. And it reminds you that God is not finished with you yet.

Luke 22:47-71

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than a crowd showed up, Judas, the one from the Twelve, in the lead. He came right up to Jesus to kiss him. Jesus said, “Judas, you would betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

49-50 When those with him saw what was happening, they said, “Master, shall we fight?” One of them took a swing at the Chief Priest’s servant and cut off his right ear.

51 Jesus said, “Let them be. Even in this.” Then, touching the servant’s ear, he healed him.

52-53 Jesus spoke to those who had come—high priests, Temple police, religion leaders: “What is this, jumping me with swords and clubs as if I were a dangerous criminal? Day after day I’ve been with you in the Temple and you’ve not so much as lifted a hand against me. But do it your way—it’s a dark night, a dark hour.”
A Rooster Crowed

54-56 Arresting Jesus, they marched him off and took him into the house of the Chief Priest. Peter followed, but at a safe distance. In the middle of the courtyard some people had started a fire and were sitting around it, trying to keep warm. One of the serving maids sitting at the fire noticed him, then took a second look and said, “This man was with him!”

57 He denied it, “Woman, I don’t even know him.”

58 A short time later, someone else noticed him and said, “You’re one of them.”

But Peter denied it: “Man, I am not.”

59 About an hour later, someone else spoke up, really adamant: “He’s got to have been with him! He’s got ‘Galilean’ written all over him.”

60-62 Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” At that very moment, the last word hardly off his lips, a rooster crowed. Just then, the Master turned and looked at Peter. Peter remembered what the Master had said to him: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” He went out and cried and cried and cried.
Slapping Him Around

63-65 The men in charge of Jesus began poking fun at him, slapping him around. They put a blindfold on him and taunted, “Who hit you that time?” They were having a grand time with him.

66-67 When it was morning, the religious leaders of the people and the high priests and scholars all got together and brought him before their High Council. They said, “Are you the Messiah?”

67-69 He answered, “If I said yes, you wouldn’t believe me. If I asked what you meant by your question, you wouldn’t answer me. So here’s what I have to say: From here on the Son of Man takes his place at God’s right hand, the place of power.”

70 They all said, “So you admit your claim to be the Son of God?”

“You’re the ones who keep saying it,” he said.

71 But they had made up their minds, “Why do we need any more evidence? We’ve all heard him as good as say it himself.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Today's Scripture
2 Kings 22:8–12

The high priest Hilkiah reported to Shaphan the royal secretary, “I’ve just found the Book of God’s Revelation, instructing us in God’s ways. I found it in The Temple!” He gave it to Shaphan and Shaphan read it.

9     Then Shaphan the royal secretary came back to the king and gave him an account of what had gone on: “Your servants have bagged up the money that has been collected for The Temple; they have given it to the foremen to pay The Temple workers.”

10     Then Shaphan the royal secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest gave me a book.” Shaphan proceeded to read it to the king.

11–13     When the king heard what was written in the book, God’s Revelation, he ripped his robes in dismay. And then he called for Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the royal secretary, and Asaiah the king’s personal aide. He ordered them all:

Insight

The reforms of Josiah, Judah’s sixteenth and last good king, are described in 2 Kings 22–23 and 2 Chronicles 34–35. He became king at eight years of age and ruled for thirty-one years (641–609 bc). Josiah’s grandfather Manasseh and father, Amon, were grossly idolatrous and evil in the fifty-seven years they reigned (2 Kings 21). At age sixteen, Josiah began to seek after God. At twenty, he began destroying all the places of idolatry. At twenty-six, he ordered the repair of the temple (2 Chronicles 34:3–8). The last time the temple was repaired was ninety-four years earlier during the reign of Hezekiah (29:3). In the process, the Book of the Law was found. Josiah’s devotion to God was exceptional: “Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength” (2 Kings 23:25). By: K. T. Sim

What a Find!

I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord.
2 Kings 22:8

While scuba diving in 2021, Jennifer’s eyes fixed on a small, green bottle at the bottom of a river. She scooped up what she describes as “a once-in-a-lifetime find.” The bottle contained a message written by a young man on his eighteenth birthday in 1926! The words requested that whoever discovered the message return it to him. Jennifer used Facebook to locate a delighted family member of the man. Although he’d died in 1995, his once-hidden note brought joy to Jennifer and the man’s family.

In 2 Kings 22:8, we read that Hilkiah made an extraordinary find when he “found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord.” The high priest found what was likely the book of Deuteronomy. “When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law,” he was both deeply moved and greatly distressed (v. 11). Like the temple in Judah itself, God and the reading of and obedience to the Scriptures He’d inspired had been neglected by the people. In repentance, the king had the temple swept clean of idols and anything that would displease God as he instituted reforms for his nation (23:1–24).

Today, our Bibles contain sixty-six books that reveal God’s wisdom and instruction—including Deuteronomy. As we read and listen to them, may the Holy Spirit transform our minds and reform our ways. Dive into the life-changing story of Scripture today and find wisdom to explore for a lifetime!

Reflect & Pray

What has God recently revealed to you as you’ve studied the Scriptures? Why is it vital for you to regularly spend time in them?

Father, please help me see the things I need to change in my life.

Learn effective Bible study methods.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Dependent on God’s Presence

Those who wait on the Lord…shall walk and not faint. —Isaiah 40:31

There is no thrill for us in walking, yet it is the test for all of our steady and enduring qualities. To “walk and not faint” is the highest stretch possible as a measure of strength. The word walk is used in the Bible to express the character of a person— “…John…looking at Jesus as He walked…said, ‘Behold the Lamb of God!’ ” (John 1:35-36). There is nothing abstract or obscure in the Bible; everything is vivid and real. God does not say, “Be spiritual,” but He says, “Walk before Me…” (Genesis 17:1).

When we are in an unhealthy condition either physically or emotionally, we always look for thrills in life. In our physical life this leads to our efforts to counterfeit the work of the Holy Spirit; in our emotional life it leads to obsessions and to the destruction of our morality; and in our spiritual life, if we insist on pursuing only thrills, on mounting up “with wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31), it will result in the destruction of our spirituality.

Having the reality of God’s presence is not dependent on our being in a particular circumstance or place, but is only dependent on our determination to keep the Lord before us continually. Our problems arise when we refuse to place our trust in the reality of His presence. The experience the psalmist speaks of— “We will not fear, even though…” (Psalm 46:2)— will be ours once we are grounded on the truth of the reality of God’s presence, not just a simple awareness of it, but an understanding of the reality of it. Then we will exclaim, “He has been here all the time!” At critical moments in our lives it is necessary to ask God for guidance, but it should be unnecessary to be constantly saying, “Oh, Lord, direct me in this, and in that.” Of course He will, and in fact, He is doing it already! If our everyday decisions are not according to His will, He will press through them, bringing restraint to our spirit. Then we must be quiet and wait for the direction of His presence.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

We should always choose our books as God chooses our friends, just a bit beyond us, so that we have to do our level best to keep up with them. Shade of His Hand, 1216 L

Bible in a Year: Psalms 26-28; Acts 22

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Getting Off Your Roller Coaster - #9268

So, when we're discussing roller coasters, and some of us were talking about which ones are the best-which means, the wildest ride, of course. Others of us were talking about avoiding roller coasters. One friend said that she just pleads what she calls "an inner ear condition." Now for me, most roller coasters are a non-issue because I stand next to that sign, you know, that shows how tall you have to be to ride it. So far I've never been tall enough. (No, that's not true. I wish I had that excuse.) Actually, some that I have ridden had these moments when I was pretty sure I had made a very big mistake getting on it in the first place. There are some really high ups and some really scary downs.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Getting Off Your Roller Coaster."

No matter how scary a roller coaster may be, no matter how radical its dips and twists and turns, there's good news-it's always attached to the track! Of course, you don't even have to enter an amusement park to know what it's like to ride a roller coaster. You know why? Most of us can testify that life is a roller coaster, right? Ups and downs and twists and turns surprise us, they rattle us, they frighten us, and even make us want to bail out.

Right now, you might be feeling the discouraging or the confusing effects of the roller coaster ride you've been on. It's a good time to remember that no matter how rough the ride, you're still attached to the track if you belong to Jesus Christ. I can give you that guarantee because God gives us that guarantee in our word for today from the Word of God. Philippians 1:6 makes this rock-solid promise: "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

What God started in you the day you began your personal relationship with Jesus, God's going to finish. No matter how wildly you're being tossed about right now. No matter how far you seem to be falling. No matter how fast everything is racing by. God began a good work in you, and His construction plan for you is right on schedule, no matter what your feelings or your circumstances; whatever they're saying to you. See, He put you on a track to His great plans for you, and you're still attached to that track because it's up to Him to keep you on track.

But when you're experiencing a lot of ups and downs, there are lies that it's easy to start believing. Like "What's the use? After what I just did, after what just happened, what's the use of even trying spiritually?" Well, the "use" is that God's going to finish what He started in you. He promised! Then there's this "It's over" lie - "I blew it and that's it." Wrong. God's going to finish what He started. Sometimes, when the ride is rough, we start to believe the "God doesn't love me anymore" lie; a lie that is demolished with one look at Jesus dying for you on the cross. If He did not turn His back on you then, He isn't about to do it now.

And, of course, the ups and downs can make us believe the lie "I'll never be able to do this." Since when has this been about you being able? You came to Jesus realizing there was nothing you could do to have a relationship with Him. This is about what He can do through you, in you. Or as God says in Philippians 2:13, "It is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose."

So it's been a rough ride. Are you going to believe your feelings, which will probably change in 20 minutes, or are you going to base everything on the facts of God's Word, which have not changed for twenty centuries? The Savior who began His work in you is going to carry it on to completion until Jesus comes. Yes, the roller coaster is going to toss you around, but so what? You are still attached to the track!

Psalm 63 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Mephibosheth - July 19, 2022

The name Mephibosheth means “he who scatters shame.” And that is exactly what David intended to do for the young prince, who was Jonathan’s son. In swift succession David returned to Mephibosheth all his land, crops, and servants. “Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table. And he was crippled  in both feet” (2 Samuel 9:13).

And I ask you, do you see our story in his? Children of royalty, crippled by the fall, permanently marred by sin. Driven not by our beauty but by his promise, the King calls us to himself and invites us to take a permanent place at his table. Though we often limp more than we walk, we take our place next to the other sinners-made-saints and we share in God’s glory.

Like Mephibosheth, we are children of the King.

Psalm 63

God—you’re my God!
    I can’t get enough of you!
I’ve worked up such hunger and thirst for God,
    traveling across dry and weary deserts.

2-4
So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open,
    drinking in your strength and glory.
In your generous love I am really living at last!
    My lips brim praises like fountains.
I bless you every time I take a breath;
    My arms wave like banners of praise to you.

5-8
I eat my fill of prime rib and gravy;
    I smack my lips. It’s time to shout praises!
If I’m sleepless at midnight,
    I spend the hours in grateful reflection.
Because you’ve always stood up for me,
    I’m free to run and play.
I hold on to you for dear life,
    and you hold me steady as a post.

9-11
Those who are out to get me are marked for doom,
    marked for death, bound for hell.
They’ll die violent deaths;
    jackals will tear them limb from limb.
But the king is glad in God;
    his true friends spread the joy,
While small-minded gossips
    are gagged for good.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Today's Scripture
1 Peter 5:1–6

He’ll Promote You at the Right Time

1–3     5 I have a special concern for you church leaders. I know what it’s like to be a leader, in on Christ’s sufferings as well as the coming glory. Here’s my concern: that you care for God’s flock with all the diligence of a shepherd. Not because you have to, but because you want to please God. Not calculating what you can get out of it, but acting spontaneously. Not bossily telling others what to do, but tenderly showing them the way.

4–5     When God, who is the best shepherd of all, comes out in the open with his rule, he’ll see that you’ve done it right and commend you lavishly. And you who are younger must follow your leaders. But all of you, leaders and followers alike, are to be down to earth with each other, for—

God has had it with the proud,

But takes delight in just plain people.

6–7     So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time.

Insight

As Peter prepared to close his letter to a persecuted first-century church, he turned his attention to instructions for the leaders. Calling them his fellow elders, he urged them to be “shepherds” who serve their flock not out of obligation but out of love (1 Peter 5:2). Peter had already shared in their persecution through imprisonment and beatings and would eventually lose his life in his service for Jesus. He’d also seen firsthand the servant leadership of Christ, who on the night before His crucifixion stooped to wash the feet of His disciples. Jesus is the role model Peter followed, and the apostle wanted his fellow elders and shepherds to do the same (v. 1). Whatever ministry God has given to us, however large or small, we can avoid the pitfalls of pride, materialism, and authoritarianism if we’re motivated by a singular love for God and His people. By: Tim Gustafson

A Humble Snack

Clothe yourselves with humility.
1 Peter 5:5

The bag of snack chips was small, but it taught an American missionary a big lesson. Working one evening in the Dominican Republic, she arrived at a church meeting and opened her chips when a woman she hardly knew reached and grabbed a few from the bag. Others helped themselves, too.

How rude, the missionary thought. Then she realized a humbling lesson. She didn’t yet understand the culture where she’d agreed to serve. Rather than emphasizing individualism, as in the United States, she learned that life in the Dominican Republic is lived in community. Sharing one’s food and goods is how people relate to each other. Her way wasn’t better, just different. She confessed, “It was very humbling to discover these things about me.” As she began to recognize her own biases, she also learned that humbly sharing with others helped her serve them better.

Peter taught this lesson to church leaders: treat others with humility. He counseled the elders to resist “lording it over those entrusted to you” (1 Peter 5:3). And those younger? “Submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility” (v. 5). As he declared: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Therefore, “humble yourselves under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (v. 6). May He help us humbly live before Him and others today. By:  Patricia Raybon

Reflect & Pray

What cultural biases do you harbor? How could you let God transform those attitudes so you humbly serve all?

Father, exchange my arrogance regarding others with Your humble love.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, July 19, 2022

The Submission of the Believer

You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. —John 13:13

Our Lord never insists on having authority over us. He never says, “You will submit to me.” No, He leaves us perfectly free to choose— so free, in fact, that we can spit in His face or we can put Him to death, as others have done; and yet He will never say a word. But once His life has been created in me through His redemption, I instantly recognize His right to absolute authority over me. It is a complete and effective domination, in which I acknowledge that “You are worthy, O Lord…” (Revelation 4:11). It is simply the unworthiness within me that refuses to bow down or to submit to one who is worthy. When I meet someone who is more holy than myself, and I don’t recognize his worthiness, nor obey his instructions for me, it is a sign of my own unworthiness being revealed. God teaches us by using these people who are a little better than we are; not better intellectually, but more holy. And He continues to do so until we willingly submit. Then the whole attitude of our life is one of obedience to Him.

If our Lord insisted on our obedience, He would simply become a taskmaster and cease to have any real authority. He never insists on obedience, but when we truly see Him we will instantly obey Him. Then He is easily Lord of our life, and we live in adoration of Him from morning till night. The level of my growth in grace is revealed by the way I look at obedience. We should have a much higher view of the word obedience, rescuing it from the mire of the world. Obedience is only possible between people who are equals in their relationship to each other; like the relationship between father and son, not that between master and servant. Jesus showed this relationship by saying, “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). “…though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). The Son was obedient as our Redeemer, because He was the Son, not in order to become God’s Son.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

There is nothing, naturally speaking, that makes us lose heart quicker than decay—the decay of bodily beauty, of natural life, of friendship, of associations, all these things make a man lose heart; but Paul says when we are trusting in Jesus Christ these things do not find us discouraged, light comes through them.  The Place of Help, 1032 L

Bible in a Year: Psalms 23-25; Acts 21:18-40

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Your Hungry Soul - #9267

Some people can skip a meal and barely notice. I am not some people. For example, it's been four or five hours since breakfast, my body very convincingly says to me, "Feed me now!" When I don't eat regularly, I feel it. I take action. The doctor says there's nothing wrong with me, but my metabolism just seems to demand some regular maintenance. It's not like I'm alone in this. I mean, most of us know when it's time to eat again, right? And we usually stop what we're involved in to do something about it. Hunger isn't exactly passive. You know, it goes after something to satisfy it!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Your Hungry Soul."

Physical hunger tells you that your body needs more fuel. Spiritual hunger tells you your soul needs more. Jesus talked about this vital sign of spiritual health in his Sermon on the Mount. That's where we find our word for today from the Word of God in Matthew 5:6. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they will be filled."

Jesus is encouraging a holy hunger for a life that's more and more sin-free, more and more doing things God's way. There tends to be a problem with that kind of appetite for people who are already more righteous than a lot of people around them. You tend to become content where you are. I mean, you're nicer than most folks, right? If you're not guilty of the many overt sins that are usually considered the really dirty ones, and especially if you spend much of your time doing work for God. It's all too easy for nice folks, like you and me, right, to lose the driving passion to become more holy. And that is a spiritual appetite disorder.

If you've become relatively passive about your pursuit of a higher level of personal holiness, then you're not one of those Jesus described as "hungering and thirsting after righteousness," because hunger makes you stop what you're doing and go after something that will satisfy your appetite. Hunger is active, not passive. When we're hungry, we find something to eat. When you're hungry for righteousness, you pursue God to give you more.

It starts with a consistent prayer. "Lord, give me a passion for greater holiness, to be more like you. I need to be hungry for the next level of being all you want me to be." That means asking God to show you the sins that might be hiding inside your really decent exterior-the self-serving motives, the impatience, the critical spirit, the jealous spirit, the prejudice, the pride, that stubbornness, that insistence on having your own way, those ways that you manipulate people, the bitterness, anger, lustful thoughts.

God may have taken out the obvious bags of stinking garbage in your life. But now He wants to start to renew the decay in the structure of your heart-house-the more subtle sins that others may not be able to see, but that keep you from experiencing the fullness of God's blessing and joy and peace. In other words, you are nowhere near "full" yet. You have to hunger and thirst to be more sin-free, more like Jesus in order to be what Jesus called "filled."

Maybe you've stopped with the appetizers or just a few offerings on God's righteousness buffet. And since you're farther along the line than most of the people with you, you've stopped where you are. But there is so much more. God's made you for more than this. He wants to serve you more than you've ever sampled before. Don't be satisfied with where you are now. You go after food when you're physically hungry. Ask God to stir up that holy hunger in your soul that goes after the rest of His righteousness.

Psalm 54 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Part of God’s Family - July 18, 2022
“Is anyone still left in Saul’s family? I want to show kindness to that person for Jonathan’s sake!” (2 Samuel 9:1 NCV). Those who are prone to extend grace tend to ask such questions: can’t I be kind to someone because others have been kind to me? A servant named Ziba knows of a descendant. “Jonathan has a son who is still living who is crippled in both feet” (2 Samuel 9:3). David’s only response is, “Where is this son?” (v. 4).

When God speaks of you my friend, he doesn’t mention your plight, pain, or problem. He calls you his son, his daughter, his child. Mephibosheth was taken before the king, and David’s first words to him were, “Don’t be afraid.” By the way, your king has been known to say the same. Are you aware that the most repeated command from the lips of Jesus was Fear not? He still calls you a part of his family.

Psalm 54

 God, for your sake, help me!
    Use your influence to clear me.
Listen, God—I’m desperate.
    Don’t be too busy to hear me.

3
Outlaws are out to get me,
    hit men are trying to kill me.
Nothing will stop them;
    God means nothing to them.

4-5
Oh, look! God’s right here helping!
    God’s on my side,
Evil is looping back on my enemies.
    Don’t let up! Finish them off!

6-7
I’m ready now to worship, so ready.
    I thank you, God—you’re so good.
You got me out of every scrape,
    and I saw my enemies get it.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Monday, July 18, 2022

Today's Scripture
Psalm 19:1–4
,
7–14

God’s glory is on tour in the skies,

God-craft on exhibit across the horizon.

Madame Day holds classes every morning,

Professor Night lectures each evening.

3–4     Their words aren’t heard,

their voices aren’t recorded,

But their silence fills the earth:

unspoken truth is spoken everywhere.

4–5     God makes a huge dome

for the sun—a superdome!

The revelation of God is whole

and pulls our lives together.

The signposts of God are clear

and point out the right road.

The life-maps of God are right,

showing the way to joy.

The directions of God are plain

and easy on the eyes.

God’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold,

with a lifetime guarantee.

The decisions of God are accurate

down to the nth degree.

10     God’s Word is better than a diamond,

better than a diamond set between emeralds.

You’ll like it better than strawberries in spring,

better than red, ripe strawberries.

11–14     There’s more: God’s Word warns us of danger

and directs us to hidden treasure.

Otherwise how will we find our way?

Or know when we play the fool?

Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh!

Keep me from stupid sins,

from thinking I can take over your work;

Then I can start this day sun-washed,

scrubbed clean of the grime of sin.

These are the words in my mouth;

these are what I chew on and pray.

Accept them when I place them

on the morning altar,

O God, my Altar-Rock,

God, Priest-of-My-Altar.

Insight

It isn’t difficult to imagine David as a youthful shepherd, gazing into the night sky and pondering his Creator. The first four verses of Psalm 19 focus on the heavenly expanse. David noted that these “silent” heavens announce the reality of God: “their voice goes out into all the earth” (19:4). The message is clear: all creation points to the Creator. The apostle Paul picked up this theme: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). By: Tim Gustafson

Unwanted Guests

Who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins.
Psalm 19:12–13

Kyle and Allison had a wonderful honeymoon in an exotic location. When they returned home, however, they discovered that Kyle’s feet had developed a strange, itchy rash. The couple was referred to an infectious disease specialist. He informed them that small parasites had burrowed their way into Kyle’s feet through blisters caused by his new flip flops. What started out as a dream vacation ended in a challenging battle with unwanted “guests.”

David knew that if he didn’t ask God for help to fight sin, his dream of living a pleasing life before Him would turn into a battle with the unwanted guests of sin and rebellion. After declaring how God is revealed in the natural world (Psalm 19:1–6) and His wisdom found in His instruction (vv. 7–10), David asked God to protect him from inadvertent, arrogant, and deliberate disobedience. “Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins,” he wrote (vv. 12–13). He recognized that he didn’t have the human resources to keep the infectious disease of sin from affecting him. So, he wisely asked God for help.

How can we make sure our dream of living in a way that honors God doesn’t become hijacked by sin? Let’s keep our eyes on Him, confess and repent of our sin, and seek divine help in keeping unwanted spiritual parasites from burrowing into our lives.

Reflect & Pray

What roles do the spiritual habits of confession and repentance play in your life? How important is living a God-honoring life to you?

Loving God, I don’t know myself as well as I should, and I fall short of what I know is right and good. Please help me trust in Your power in my battle with sin

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, July 18, 2022

The Mystery of Believing

He said, "Who are You, Lord?" —Acts 9:5

Through the miracle of redemption, Saul of Tarsus was instantly changed from a strong-willed and forceful Pharisee into a humble and devoted bondservant of the Lord Jesus.

There is nothing miraculous or mysterious about the things we can explain. We control what we are able to explain, consequently it is only natural to seek an explanation for everything. It is not natural to obey, yet it is not necessarily sinful to disobey. There can be no real disobedience, nor any moral virtue in obedience, unless a person recognizes the higher authority of the one giving the orders. If this recognition does not exist, even the one giving the orders may view the other person’s disobedience as freedom. If one rules another by saying, “You must do this,” and, “You will do that,” he breaks the human spirit, making it unfit for God. A person is simply a slave for obeying, unless behind his obedience is the recognition of a holy God.

Many people begin coming to God once they stop being religious, because there is only one master of the human heart— Jesus Christ, not religion. But “Woe is me” if after seeing Him I still will not obey (Isaiah 6:5 , also see Isaiah 6:1). Jesus will never insist that I obey, but if I don’t,I have already begun to sign the death certificate of the Son of God in my soul. When I stand face to face with Jesus Christ and say, “I will not obey,” He will never insist. But when I do this, I am backing away from the recreating power of His redemption. It makes no difference to God’s grace what an abomination I am, if I will only come to the light. But “Woe is me” if I refuse the light (see John 3:19-21).

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

Civilization is based on principles which imply that the passing moment is permanent. The only permanent thing is God, and if I put anything else as permanent, I become atheistic. I must build only on God (John 14:6). The Highest Good—Thy Great Redemption, 565 L

Bible in a Year: Psalms 20-22; Acts 21:1-17

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, July 18, 2022

Sin - The Thrill and the Bill - #9266

On a family vacation, we had some time to do some extra biking. There was a lake nearby. It was fun to go around the lake...well, sort of fun. See, there were these long, downhill stretches, "Oh man, just flying down that hill! It was fantastic! Then guess what came right after that. Yeah, the uphill climb, and that was grueling, sometimes painful. And guess which lasted longer...the downhill thrill or the pain of going uphill?

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Sin - The Thrill and the Bill."

It was my son who reminded me as we collapsed at the top of a particularly grueling hill and we had just biked it. He said, "Dad, you know, this is a lot like sin." Okay. You know, he's right. He said, "We had a great time sailing down the hill, but the great feeling didn't last long. It felt like it took most of the afternoon to get up those hills."

Well, King David is going to be called right now as a witness in the case of the Downhill Thrill and the Uphill Bill. Oh, he spent his adulterous night with Bathsheba, and it was probably pleasurable. The Bible talks about the pleasures of sin, except it tacks on three words. It says, "for a season." That's the downhill thrill. Then comes the uphill bill that you pay for that short-lived thrill.

In our word for today from the Word of God in Psalm 51:3, David steps forth after that sin and he says, "I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me." Now, the pleasure wasn't always before him. But his sin, the guilt, the consequences, the shame, oh they never went away: memories, consequences, hurting relationships. You might say, "Was it worth it, David-that downhill thrill?" And he'd say, "No way. There's way too much pain for that short-lived pleasure. You pay a lot longer than you play."

It could be right now that you're experiencing the downhill thrill of sin. Oh, it feels good; seems like nothing's wrong. Maybe it's a sexual sin, maybe it's a short-lived satisfaction of getting even with someone, or maybe you've got a good situation you've come through with a little dishonesty. Maybe you're violating God's boundaries with your body, or you're partying with some friends.

Let me warn you, the uphill grind is coming. In fact the Bible guarantees that "whatever you sow, you will reap." And the harvest? Oh, that will last a whole lot longer than the sowing ever did. It's a law of the universe: if you sow to your evil nature, the Bible says, you will reap destruction. It is inevitable; it happens every time.

Oh, you have a good feeling right now that sin gives, but maybe you don't have the consequences yet, and it's easy to just go with what you can see now. But the thrill is not worth the price tag. This moment won't last. The loss, oh it will last. The pain, the consequences? Just ask King David. They last a lifetime.

There's some good news, though. Because for all of us who have violated God's laws, who've lived outside of His boundaries in one way or another, we have found there's a Savior who will forgive and erase every one of those from God's Book and begin to heal the hurt and the damage sin has done. Only Jesus can do that, because only He paid the price to do it. I mean a price of blood shed on a cross for all us sinners...for you, for me. Maybe today, knowing very well what dirty feels like inside, you could feel clean for the first time in your life. All the consequences, all the pain of our sin? It's just a reminder that there is an awful punishment for sin coming, and God doesn't want you to pay that price; His Son already did.

Today, would you tell Him, "Jesus, I'm Yours. You're my rescuer!" I'd invite you to go to our website, because there's a lot more information about this there. It's ANewStory.com.

You can take it from an old tired biker, that uphill grind will cancel any downhill thrill.

1 Samuel 23, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

 
Max Lucado Daily: You Have a Choice

Early in the reign of King Josiah he made a brave choice. II Kings 22:2 tells us, "He lived as his ancestor David had lived, and he did not stop doing what was right." He flipped through his family scrapbook until he found an ancestor worthy of emulation.  He found David and resolved, "I'm going to be like him."
The principle?  We can't choose our parents, but we can choose our mentors. And since Josiah chose David, who had chosen God, things began to happen. Josiah broke up the idols. He broke down the altars. He was out to make a statement:  What my fathers taught, I don't teach. What they embraced, I reject. Josiah had found the God of David and made Him his own. God has not left you adrift on a sea of heredity. You have a choice in the path you take. Choose well!
From When God Whispers Your Name

1 Samuel 23

Living in Desert Hideouts

It was reported to David that the Philistines were raiding Keilah and looting the grain. David went in prayer to God: “Should I go after these Philistines and teach them a lesson?”

God said, “Go. Attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”

3 But David’s men said, “We live in fear of our lives right here in Judah. How can you think of going to Keilah in the thick of the Philistines?”

4 So David went back to God in prayer. God said, “Get going. Head for Keilah. I’m placing the Philistines in your hands.”

5-6 David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines. He scattered their cattle, beat them decisively, and saved the people of Keilah. After Abiathar took refuge with David, he joined David in the raid on Keilah, bringing the Ephod with him.

7-8 Saul learned that David had gone to Keilah and thought immediately, “Good! God has handed him to me on a platter! He’s in a walled city with locked gates, trapped!” Saul mustered his troops for battle and set out for Keilah to lay siege to David and his men.

9-11 But David got wind of Saul’s strategy to destroy him and said to Abiathar the priest, “Get the Ephod.” Then David prayed to God: “God of Israel, I’ve just heard that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the city because of me. Will the city fathers of Keilah turn me over to him? Will Saul come down and do what I’ve heard? O God, God of Israel, tell me!”

God replied, “He’s coming down.”

12 “And will the head men of Keilah turn me and my men over to Saul?”

And God said, “They’ll turn you over.”

13 So David and his men got out of there. There were about six hundred of them. They left Keilah and kept moving, going here, there, wherever—always on the move.

When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he called off the raid.

14-15 David continued to live in desert hideouts and the backcountry wilderness hills of Ziph. Saul was out looking for him day after day, but God never turned David over to him. David kept out of the way in the wilderness of Ziph, secluded at Horesh, since it was plain that Saul was determined to hunt him down.

16-18 Jonathan, Saul’s son, visited David at Horesh and encouraged him in God. He said, “Don’t despair. My father, Saul, can’t lay a hand on you. You will be Israel’s king and I’ll be right at your side to help. And my father knows it.” Then the two of them made a covenant before God. David stayed at Horesh and Jonathan went home.

19-20 Some Ziphites went to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Did you know that David is hiding out near us in the caves and canyons of Horesh? Right now he’s at Hakilah Hill just south of Jeshimon. So whenever you’re ready to come down, we’d count it an honor to hand him over to the king.”

21-23 Saul said, “God bless you for thinking about me! Now go back and check everything out. Learn his routines. Observe his movements—where he goes, who he’s with. He’s very shrewd, you know. Scout out all his hiding places. Then meet me at Nacon and I’ll go with you. If he is anywhere to be found in all the thousands of Judah, I’ll track him down!”

24-27 So the Ziphites set out on their reconnaissance for Saul.

Meanwhile, David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the desert south of Jeshimon. Saul and his men arrived and began their search. When David heard of it, he went south to Rock Mountain, camping out in the wilderness of Maon. Saul heard where he was and set off for the wilderness of Maon in pursuit. Saul was on one side of the mountain, David and his men on the other. David was in full retreat, running, with Saul and his men closing in, about to get him. Just then a messenger came to Saul and said, “Hurry! Come back! The Philistines have just attacked the country!”

28-29 So Saul called off his pursuit of David and went back to deal with the Philistines. That’s how that place got the name Narrow Escape. David left there and camped out in the caves and canyons of En Gedi.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Sunday, July 17, 2022

Today's Scripture
Deuteronomy 2:1–7

Then we turned around and went back into the wilderness following the route to the Red Sea, as God had instructed me. We worked our way in and around the hills of Seir for a long, long time.

2–6     Then God said, “You’ve been going around in circles in these hills long enough; go north. Command the people, You’re about to cut through the land belonging to your relatives, the People of Esau who settled in Seir. They are terrified of you, but restrain yourselves. Don’t try and start a fight. I am not giving you so much as a square inch of their land. I’ve already given all the hill country of Seir to Esau—he owns it all. Pay them up front for any food or water you get from them.”

7     God, your God, has blessed you in everything you have done. He has guarded you in your travels through this immense wilderness. For forty years now, God, your God, has been right here with you. You haven’t lacked one thing.

Insight

As Moses led the Israelites into Canaan, they had to pass through the lands occupied by the Edomites and Moabites. Both nations were hostile to them, yet God forbade them from fighting them or taking over their lands because they were relatives. The Edomites were Esau’s descendants (Genesis 36:9) and the Moabites were Lot’s descendants (19:30–38). As some two million Israelites moved across Edomite territory, God even ordered them to compensate the Edomites, their cousins, for the food and water they consumed (Deuteronomy 2:2–6). God’s grace for nations hostile to His people is seen in how He made provisions for the Edomites (and the Egyptians) in the Mosaic law, allowing them to worship Him too: “Do not despise an Edomite, for the Edomites are related to you. Do not despise an Egyptian, because you resided as foreigners in their country” (23:7). By: K. T. Sim

Traveling Mercies

He has watched over your journey . . . and you have not lacked anything.
Deuteronomy 2:7

You might start your journey in the southwest United States in a dusty town called Why, Arizona. Heading cross-country would take you through Uncertain, Texas. Bearing northeast, you’d make a rest stop in Dismal, Tennessee. Ultimately, you’d reach your destination—Panic, Pennsylvania. These are real places across the landscape of America, though not likely a trip you’d ever choose to take.

Sometimes this is exactly what the journey of life feels like. We easily identify with the Israelites’ tough life in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 2:7)—life can be hard. But do we see the other parallels? We create our own itinerary, turning from God’s way (1:42–43). Like the Israelites, we often grumble about getting our needs met (Numbers 14:2). In our daily fretting, we likewise doubt God’s purposes (v. 11). The story of the Israelites is repeated over and over in our own.

God assures us that if we follow His path, He’ll deliver us into a far better place than Dismal. He’ll provide and we’ll lack nothing we really need (Deuteronomy 2:7; Philippians 4:19). Yet as much as we already know this, we often fail to do it. We need to follow God’s roadmap.

It’s a bit more of a drive, but another six hours by car would take you from the town of Panic to the place known as Assurance, West Virginia. If we let God direct our paths (Psalm 119:35), we’ll journey in joy with Him at the wheel—blessed assurance indeed! By:  Kenneth Petersen

Reflect & Pray

What are some of the ways you’ve followed your own roadmap instead of God’s? What have you been fretting about?

Faithful God, help me rest in the assurance of Your direction.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, July 17, 2022

The Miracle of Belief

My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom… —1 Corinthians 2:4

Paul was a scholar and an orator of the highest degree; he was not speaking here out of a deep sense of humility, but was saying that when he preached the gospel, he would veil the power of God if he impressed people with the excellency of his speech. Belief in Jesus is a miracle produced only by the effectiveness of redemption, not by impressive speech, nor by wooing and persuading, but only by the sheer unaided power of God. The creative power of redemption comes through the preaching of the gospel, but never because of the personality of the preacher.

Real and effective fasting by a preacher is not fasting from food, but fasting from eloquence, from impressive diction, and from everything else that might hinder the gospel of God being presented. The preacher is there as the representative of God— “…as though God were pleading through us…” (2 Corinthians 5:20). He is there to present the gospel of God. If it is only because of my preaching that people desire to be better, they will never get close to Jesus Christ. Anything that flatters me in my preaching of the gospel will result in making me a traitor to Jesus, and I prevent the creative power of His redemption from doing its work.

“And I, if I am lifted up…, will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:32).

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

The attitude of a Christian towards the providential order in which he is placed is to recognize that God is behind it for purposes of His own.  Biblical Ethics, 99 R

Bible in a Year: Psalms 18-19; Acts 20:17-38

Luke 22:24-46 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Rise Above the Past

Maybe your past isn't much to brag about. Maybe you've seen evil, and now you have to make a choice. Do you rise above the past and make a difference? Or do you remain controlled by the past and make excuses?
Many choose the latter. Many choose the convalescent homes of the heart. Healthy bodies, sharp minds, but retired dreams. Lean closely and you'll hear them. If only…  If only I'd had kinder parents, more money, greater opportunities. If only I'd been treated fairly…  Maybe you've used those words.  Maybe you have every right to use them.
God is willing to give you what your family didn't. Galatians 4:7 says, "Through God you are a son; and, if you are a son, then you are certainly an heir." Never had a parent who wiped away your tears? Think again. God has noted each one!
From When God Whispers Your Name

Luke 22:24-46

Get Ready for Trouble

24-26 Within minutes they were bickering over who of them would end up the greatest. But Jesus intervened: “Kings like to throw their weight around and people in authority like to give themselves fancy titles. It’s not going to be that way with you. Let the senior among you become like the junior; let the leader act the part of the servant.

27-30 “Who would you rather be: the one who eats the dinner or the one who serves the dinner? You’d rather eat and be served, right? But I’ve taken my place among you as the one who serves. And you’ve stuck with me through thick and thin. Now I confer on you the royal authority my Father conferred on me so you can eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and be strengthened as you take up responsibilities among the congregations of God’s people.

31-32 “Simon, stay on your toes. Satan has tried his best to separate all of you from me, like chaff from wheat. Simon, I’ve prayed for you in particular that you not give in or give out. When you have come through the time of testing, turn to your companions and give them a fresh start.”

33 Peter said, “Master, I’m ready for anything with you. I’d go to jail for you. I’d die for you!”

34 Jesus said, “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, Peter, but before the rooster crows you will have three times denied that you know me.”

35 Then Jesus said, “When I sent you out and told you to travel light, to take only the bare necessities, did you get along all right?”

“Certainly,” they said, “we got along just fine.”

36-37 He said, “This is different. Get ready for trouble. Look to what you’ll need; there are difficult times ahead. Pawn your coat and get a sword. What was written in Scripture, ‘He was lumped in with the criminals,’ gets its final meaning in me. Everything written about me is now coming to a conclusion.”

38 They said, “Look, Master, two swords!”

But he said, “Enough of that; no more sword talk!”
A Dark Night

39-40 Leaving there, he went, as he so often did, to Mount Olives. The disciples followed him. When they arrived at the place, he said, “Pray that you don’t give in to temptation.”

41-44 He pulled away from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, “Father, remove this cup from me. But please, not what I want. What do you want?” At once an angel from heaven was at his side, strengthening him. He prayed on all the harder. Sweat, wrung from him like drops of blood, poured off his face.

45-46 He got up from prayer, went back to the disciples and found them asleep, drugged by grief. He said, “What business do you have sleeping? Get up. Pray so you won’t give in to temptation.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Saturday, July 16, 2022

Today's Scripture
1 Corinthians 13:1–7

The Way of Love

1     13 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.

2     If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.

3–7     If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.

Love cares more for others than for self.

Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.

Love doesn’t strut,

Doesn’t have a swelled head,

Doesn’t force itself on others,

Isn’t always “me first,”

Doesn’t fly off the handle,

Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,

Doesn’t revel when others grovel,

Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

Puts up with anything,

Trusts God always,

Always looks for the best,

Never looks back,

But keeps going to the end.

Insight

While English gives us only one word for love, the Greek language uses several words. Eros expresses romantic or sexual love; storge speaks of family love, as in the love of a parent for a child; phileo describes brotherly or friendship love; and agape describes the highest form of love, a love that sacrifices itself for the one loved. This is the word frequently used in the New Testament to describe God’s love, most notably in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.” The sacrifice of Christ was the ultimate expression of God’s self-sacrificial love for His lost creation. This is also the type of love on display in 1 Corinthians 13, leading Paul to affirm, “but the greatest of these is love” (v. 13). By: Bill Crowder

Useless Without Love

If I give all I possess to the poor . . . but do not have love, I gain nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:3

After taking the pieces for my special-order table from the box and laying them out before me, I noticed something wasn’t quite right. The beautiful top for the table and other parts were accounted for, but it was missing one of the legs. Without all of the legs, I couldn’t assemble the table, rendering it useless.

It’s not just tables that are useless when missing one vital piece. In the book of 1 Corinthians, Paul reminded his readers that they were missing one essential component. The believers possessed many spiritual gifts but lacked love.  

Using exaggerated language to emphasize his point, Paul wrote that even if his readers had all knowledge, if they gave away every single thing they owned, and even if they willingly suffered hardship, without the essential foundation of love, their actions would all amount to nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1–3). Paul encouraged them to always infuse their actions with love, movingly describing the beauty of a love that always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres (vv. 4–7).

As we use our spiritual gifts, perhaps to teach, encourage, or serve in our faith communities, remember that God’s design always calls for love. Otherwise, it’s like a table missing a leg. It can’t achieve the true purpose for which it was designed.

Reflect & Pray

When have you experienced love being a missing ingredient? What is an example where love was integral?

Heavenly Father, it amazes me that You do everything in love. Help me learn to love like You.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, July 16, 2022

The Concept of Divine Control

…how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! —Matthew 7:11

Jesus is laying down the rules of conduct in this passage for those people who have His Spirit. He urges us to keep our minds filled with the concept of God’s control over everything, which means that a disciple must maintain an attitude of perfect trust and an eagerness to ask and to seek.

Fill your mind with the thought that God is there. And once your mind is truly filled with that thought, when you experience difficulties it will be as easy as breathing for you to remember, “My heavenly Father knows all about this!” This will be no effort at all, but will be a natural thing for you when difficulties and uncertainties arise. Before you formed this concept of divine control so powerfully in your mind, you used to go from person to person seeking help, but now you go to God about it. Jesus is laying down the rules of conduct for those people who have His Spirit, and it works on the following principle: God is my Father, He loves me, and I will never think of anything that He will forget, so why should I worry?

Jesus said there are times when God cannot lift the darkness from you, but you should trust Him. At times God will appear like an unkind friend, but He is not; He will appear like an unnatural father, but He is not; He will appear like an unjust judge, but He is not. Keep the thought that the mind of God is behind all things strong and growing. Not even the smallest detail of life happens unless God’s will is behind it. Therefore, you can rest in perfect confidence in Him. Prayer is not only asking, but is an attitude of the mind which produces the atmosphere in which asking is perfectly natural. “Ask, and it will be given to you…” (Matthew 7:7).

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

Bible in a Year: Psalms 16-17; Acts 20:1-16

Psalm 142 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Matthew - July 15, 2022

Matthew was a public tax collector, as crooked as a corkscrew. Everybody kept his distance from Matthew. Everyone except Jesus. “‘Follow me and be my disciple,’ Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him” (Matthew 9:9 NLT). Matthew goes from double dealer to disciple. He throws a party that makes the religious right uptight, but Christ proud. Some story indeed.

What do we do with it? Well, you and I are Matthew. There’s enough hustler in the best of us to qualify for Matthew’s table. Maybe you’ve never taken taxes, but you’ve taken liberty with the truth, taken credit that wasn’t yours, taken advantage of the weak. If you’re still at the table, you receive an invitation. “Follow me.” So what if you’ve got a bad reputation? So did Matthew. You may end up writing your own gospel.

Psalm 142

I cry out loudly to God,
    loudly I plead with God for mercy.
I spill out all my complaints before him,
    and spell out my troubles in detail:

3-7
“As I sink in despair, my spirit ebbing away,
    you know how I’m feeling,
Know the danger I’m in,
    the traps hidden in my path.
Look right, look left—
    there’s not a soul who cares what happens!
I’m up against the wall, with no exit—
    it’s just me, all alone.
I cry out, God, call out:
    ‘You’re my last chance, my only hope for life!’
Oh listen, please listen;
    I’ve never been this low.
Rescue me from those who are hunting me down;
    I’m no match for them.
Get me out of this dungeon
    so I can thank you in public.
Your people will form a circle around me
    and you’ll bring me showers of blessing!”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Friday, July 15, 2022

Today's Scripture
Acts 16:22–34

By this time the crowd had turned into a restless mob out for blood.

22–24     The judges went along with the mob, had Paul and Silas’s clothes ripped off and ordered a public beating. After beating them black-and-blue, they threw them into jail, telling the jailkeeper to put them under heavy guard so there would be no chance of escape. He did just that—threw them into the maximum security cell in the jail and clamped leg irons on them.

25–26     Along about midnight, Paul and Silas were at prayer and singing a robust hymn to God. The other prisoners couldn’t believe their ears. Then, without warning, a huge earthquake! The jailhouse tottered, every door flew open, all the prisoners were loose.

27–28     Startled from sleep, the jailer saw all the doors swinging loose on their hinges. Assuming that all the prisoners had escaped, he pulled out his sword and was about to do himself in, figuring he was as good as dead anyway, when Paul stopped him: “Don’t do that! We’re all still here! Nobody’s run away!”

29–31     The jailer got a torch and ran inside. Badly shaken, he collapsed in front of Paul and Silas. He led them out of the jail and asked, “Sirs, what do I have to do to be saved, to really live?” They said, “Put your entire trust in the Master Jesus. Then you’ll live as you were meant to live—and everyone in your house included!”

32–34     They went on to spell out in detail the story of the Master—the entire family got in on this part. They never did get to bed that night. The jailer made them feel at home, dressed their wounds, and then—he couldn’t wait till morning!—was baptized, he and everyone in his family. There in his home, he had food set out for a festive meal. It was a night to remember: He and his entire family had put their trust in God; everyone in the house was in on the celebration.

Insight

We see two great movements in the book of Acts that are closely linked: geographical and ethnic. The good news moves from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth and from Jews to gentiles. Jerusalem represents Judaism and God’s Old Testament promise to bring salvation to the world through the nation of Israel. This promise goes back to God’s covenant with Abraham (Genesis 12:1–3), where God promised that He’d create a great nation (Israel) through him and would bless all people. This promise was fulfilled through Jesus the Messiah (Luke 1:55, 73; 3:34; 19:9; Acts 3:25; 7:17).

Adapted from Understanding the Bible: The Book of Acts.

The Whole House

Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.
Acts 16:31

Wearing his striped jumpsuit, James walked across the steamy jail gym and climbed into the portable pool where he was baptized by the prison chaplain. James’ joy multiplied, however, when he heard that his daughter Brittany—also an inmate—had been baptized that same day . . . in the same water! When they realized what had happened, even the staff got emotional. “There wasn’t a dry eye,” the chaplain said. In and out of jail for years, Brittany and her dad both wanted God’s forgiveness. And together, God gave them new life.

Scripture describes another prison encounter—this time with a jailer—where Jesus’ love transformed an entire family. After a “violent earthquake” shook the prison and “the prison doors flew open,” Paul and Silas didn’t run but remained in their cell (Acts 16:26–28). The jailer, overcome with gratitude that they didn’t flee, took them to his house and eventually asked that life-changing question: “What must I do to be saved?” (v. 30)

“Believe in the Lord Jesus,” they answered, “you and your household” (v. 31). The response reveals God’s desire to pour out mercy on not only individuals but also entire families. Encountering God’s love, they all came “to believe in God—[the jailer] and his whole household” (v. 34). Though we’re often eager for the salvation of those we love, we can trust that God loves them even more than we do. He desires to renew all of us, our whole house. By:  Winn Collier

Reflect & Pray

What difference does it make to consider how God reaches out to whole families? How can you trust God’s mercy for your family?

Dear God, please reveal Yourself to my whole family.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, July 15, 2022

My Life’s Spiritual Honor and Duty

I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians… —Romans 1:14

Paul was overwhelmed with the sense of his indebtedness to Jesus Christ, and he spent his life to express it. The greatest inspiration in Paul’s life was his view of Jesus Christ as his spiritual creditor. Do I feel that same sense of indebtedness to Christ regarding every unsaved soul? As a saint, my life’s spiritual honor and duty is to fulfill my debt to Christ in relation to these lost souls. Every tiny bit of my life that has value I owe to the redemption of Jesus Christ. Am I doing anything to enable Him to bring His redemption into evident reality in the lives of others? I will only be able to do this as the Spirit of God works into me this sense of indebtedness.

I am not a superior person among other people— I am a bondservant of the Lord Jesus. Paul said, “…you are not your own…you were bought at a price…” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Paul sold himself to Jesus Christ and he said, in effect, “I am a debtor to everyone on the face of the earth because of the gospel of Jesus; I am free only that I may be an absolute bondservant of His.” That is the characteristic of a Christian’s life once this level of spiritual honor and duty becomes real. Quit praying about yourself and spend your life for the sake of others as the bondservant of Jesus. That is the true meaning of being broken bread and poured-out wine in real life.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

There is no allowance whatever in the New Testament for the man who says he is saved by grace but who does not produce the graceful goods. Jesus Christ by His Redemption can make our actual life in keeping with our religious profession.
Studies in the Sermon on the Mount

Bible in a Year: Psalms 13-15; Acts 19:21-41

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, July 15, 2022

The Word The Devil Hates - #9265

One of my more anxious moments related to air travel, and it actually had nothing to do with an airplane. It had to do with my two sons, who at the time were pretty young. We were going through the security checkpoint on the way to our gate, and all of a sudden they started joking about the one word you don't mention at airport security.

Yeah, they started joking about bombs. That word isn't allowed around airport people, so I quickly quieted, "Guys, no, don't talk about that!" And I looked around real quick to see if anybody had heard them, and thank goodness they hadn't. If you've been to an airport, you know there are signs all over the place saying, "Any joking about hijacking, or bombs, or explosives (and you'll be thrown out of the plane...no) you will be punished by sharpshooters immediately" - or something like that. You just don't talk about it, that's the point. Those words are not allowed because they represent things that could destroy everything.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Word The Devil Hates."

Our word for today from the Word of God, Acts 4, and I'm going to begin reading at verse 17. We're reading about a confrontation between the early apostles and the Sanhedrin, the religious ruling group of the day. Here's what they said to the apostles, "'Stop this thing from spreading any further among the people. We must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this Name.' Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus."

I was talking about airline personnel earlier, and you know the people at an airport don't want to hear the word "bomb" because a bomb has the power to destroy everything. The Devil has a word he doesn't want to hear - "Jesus," because of the power of that name to destroy his plans. So, for two thousand years, the Devil has tried to make the name of Jesus the issue; the dividing point. It was 2,000 years ago when the Sanhedrin said, "You can talk about God, you can talk about religion, you can do anything, just don't mention that name" ... the Name. That's all through the book of Acts.

It's still the issue today, isn't it? People don't mind if you talk about religion, or even God, or the Bible, or morality, or family values, your church, but don't mention the Name. All too often we fall right into the Devil's trap to censor the name of Jesus in our conversation. We don't want to be offensive; we don't want to turn anyone off. And there's this little voice that says, "Well, just talk about God. You know, most everybody would accept that." So we talk about God in our lives, but we avoid the name of Jesus. Christian musicians will write songs that talk vaguely about Him with a capital H, but too often they avoid the Name, so their music can cross over to the secular world. Even Christian leaders try to avoid conflict by watering down the Name.

But Acts 4:12 says, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. It is at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow." The power is in the name, and the Devil knows the power is in that name.

Have you ever noticed when you're trying to talk about spiritual things to somebody where it is you choke? Yeah, you choke when you get to the name of Jesus. That's the 2,000-year-old editor from hell saying, "Edit out Jesus. How dare you mention the Name." You love that name. You know what's happened to you in that name. And you talk about Jesus, because that's where the power is. He was not ashamed of you when He hung on the cross. Please don't be ashamed of Him.

Have you been timid about identifying yourself with Jesus? Well, the one who's made you timid is the same enemy that's been doing it for 20 centuries. So, don't be afraid to use the name of Jesus. The Devil is afraid you will.

Psalm 57, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Ordinary People - July 14, 2022

“In the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1 NIV).

The baby Mary held was connected to the dawn of time. He saw the first ray of sunlight and heard the first crash of a wave. The baby was born, but the Word never was. Jesus: the Genesis Word. And then, what no rabbi dared to dream, God did. “The Word became flesh” (John 1:14 NIV). The Artist became oil on his own palette. God became an embryo in the belly of a village girl. Christ in Mary. God in Christ.

The Word of God entered the world with the cry of a baby. His family had no cash or connections or strings to pull. But God came through them. God writes his story with people, ordinary people like Joseph and Mary, in an ordinary place but a conduits of extraordinary grace. And in God’s story, ordinary matters.

Psalm 57

Be good to me, God—and now!
    I’ve run to you for dear life.
I’m hiding out under your wings
    until the hurricane blows over.
I call out to High God,
    the God who holds me together.
He sends orders from heaven and saves me,
    he humiliates those who kick me around.
God delivers generous love,
    he makes good on his word.

4
I find myself in a pride of lions
    who are wild for a taste of human flesh;
Their teeth are lances and arrows,
    their tongues are sharp daggers.

5
Soar high in the skies, O God!
    Cover the whole earth with your glory!

6
They booby-trapped my path;
    I thought I was dead and done for.
They dug a mantrap to catch me,
    and fell in headlong themselves.

7-8
I’m ready, God, so ready,
    ready from head to toe,
Ready to sing, ready to raise a tune:
    “Wake up, soul!
Wake up, harp! wake up, lute!
    Wake up, you sleepyhead sun!”

9-10
I’m thanking you, God, out loud in the streets,
    singing your praises in town and country.
The deeper your love, the higher it goes;
    every cloud is a flag to your faithfulness.

11
Soar high in the skies, O God!
    Cover the whole earth with your glory!

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Thursday, July 14, 2022

Today's Scripture
Psalm 46

For the choir director; a song by the descendants of Korah; according to alamoth.a

1     God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in times of trouble.

2     That is why we are not afraid

even when the earth quakes

or the mountains topple into the depths of the sea.

3     Water roars and foams,

and mountains shake at the surging waves.

Selah

4     There is a river

whose streams bring joy to the city of God,

the holy place where the Most High lives.

5     God is in that city.

It cannot fall.

God will help it at the break of dawn.

6     Nations are in turmoil, and kingdoms topple.

The earth melts at the sound of ?God’s? voice.

7     The Lord of Armies is with us.

The God of Jacob is our stronghold.

Selah

8     Come, see the works of the Lord,

the devastation he has brought to the earth.

9     He puts an end to wars all over the earth.

He breaks an archer’s bow.

He cuts spears in two.

He burns chariots.

10     Let go ?of your concerns?!

Then you will know that I am God.

I rule the nations.

I rule the earth.

11     The Lord of Armies is with us.

The God of Jacob is our stronghold.  

Insight

The final verse of Psalm 46 says, “The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (v. 11), providing an echo to verse 7. Perhaps it’s those references to our security in God’s protection that prompted Martin Luther to pen one of the church’s most enduring hymns, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” But the protective imagery isn’t limited to those statements. In verse 1, we see God as a “refuge,” “strength,” and “ever-present help.” The sons of Korah, who authored Psalm 46, described the only reasonable response to understanding; namely, that our safety is found in our Creator: “Therefore we will not fear” (v. 2). God Himself gives us this encouragement in verse 10: “Be still, and know that I am God.” In a world where there’s plenty to be afraid of, our God offers us His presence (v. 11), for He Himself is our safety. By: Bill Crowder

Flexing Faith Muscles

Be still, and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10

During a trip to the zoo, I stopped to rest near the sloth exhibit. The creature hung upside down. He seemed content being completely still. I sighed. Because of my health issues, I struggled with stillness and desperately wanted to move forward, to do something—anything. Resenting my limitations, I longed to stop feeling so weak. But while staring at the sloth, I observed how he stretched one arm, gripped a nearby branch, and stopped again. Being still required strength. If I wanted to be content with moving slowly or being as still as the sloth, I needed more than incredible muscle power. To trust God with every dragging moment of my life, I needed supernatural power.

In Psalm 46, the writer proclaims that God doesn’t just give us strength, He is our strength (v. 1). No matter what’s going on around us, the “Lord Almighty is with us” (v. 7). The psalmist repeats this truth with conviction (v. 11).

Like the sloth, our day-to-day adventures often require slow steps and extended periods of seemingly impossible stillness. When we rely on God’s unchanging character, we can depend on His strength no matter what plan and pace He determines is right for us.

Though we may continue to battle afflictions or struggle with waiting, God remains faithfully present. Even when we don’t feel strong, He’ll help us flex our faith muscles. By:  Xochitl Dixon

Reflect & Pray

How have you experienced God’s strength empowering you through a season of stillness? How can reflecting on His unchanging character help you persevere?

God Almighty, thank You for giving me opportunities to flex my faith muscles by trusting You to be my strength.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, July 14, 2022

Suffering Afflictions and Going the Second Mile

I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. —Matthew 5:39

This verse reveals the humiliation of being a Christian. In the natural realm, if a person does not hit back, it is because he is a coward. But in the spiritual realm, it is the very evidence of the Son of God in him if he does not hit back. When you are insulted, you must not only not resent it, but you must make it an opportunity to exhibit the Son of God in your life. And you cannot imitate the nature of Jesus— it is either in you or it is not. A personal insult becomes an opportunity for a saint to reveal the incredible sweetness of the Lord Jesus.

The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is not, “Do your duty,” but is, in effect, “Do what is not your duty.” It is not your duty to go the second mile, or to turn the other cheek, but Jesus said that if we are His disciples, we will always do these things. We will not say, “Oh well, I just can’t do any more, and I’ve been so misrepresented and misunderstood.” Every time I insist on having my own rights, I hurt the Son of God, while in fact I can prevent Jesus from being hurt if I will take the blow myself. That is the real meaning of filling “up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ…” (Colossians 1:24). A disciple realizes that it is his Lord’s honor that is at stake in his life, not his own honor.

Never look for righteousness in the other person, but never cease to be righteous yourself. We are always looking for justice, yet the essence of the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is— Never look for justice, but never cease to give it.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

We are in danger of being stern where God is tender, and of being tender where God is stern.  The Love of God—The Message of Invincible Consolation, 673 L

Bible in a Year: Psalms 10-12; Acts 19:1-20

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, July 14, 2022

The Message That Opens Hearts - #9264

You know, you can learn something from a cab driver, even if his vocabulary is R-rated-or maybe even X-rated in this case. I was on a trip to an airport in a cab a while back. And well, without even knowing it, I must have hit some trigger in this cab driver. Oh, man! All of a sudden I couldn't believe what started to come out of his mouth. He started to pour out all kinds of racial hatred, and he said, "I don't really care about anything in the world or anybody but myself, and let those starving people starve, and let those poor people be poor." Wow!

And then he started to cuss out just about everybody in the world. When he finished with most people, he turned his attention to the church, and he said, "All the church cares about is money, and they've got all this wealth, and they could help solve the problems." I want to tell you, the atmosphere in that cab was dark, and tense, and profane, and angry. I mean, this was a very bitter, cynical guy. To tell you the truth, I felt like sitting back and reading my magazine or getting out. But I mentioned one thing to him as we neared the airport, and suddenly the cab got calm and the cabby was smiling. And that moment reminded me of a focus that's just too easy to forget.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Message That Opens Hearts."

Now, our word for today from the Word of God is found in 1 Corinthians 2. Paul begins to talk about that wonder-working word. It is, in fact, the word that calms an angry, tense atmosphere in a taxi cab to the airport. "When I came to you, brothers," Paul said, "I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified."

Well, as I chatted with this cab driver and he let me get a word in, he had been attacking the church. And I said, "You know, I remember a sign that a demonstrator waved back in the '70s out in California. It said, "Jesus, yes; Christianity, no." I said, "You know, I can understand why you might be cynical about the church, or about some things in Christianity, even about Christians. But you know what? That's why I've staked my life on Jesus Christ. There's just no cause for cynicism there." You know there is something about that name, like the song says. Because beginning to talk about Jesus calmed this man down, seemed to lighten his load, and actually brought a smile to his face.

As you try to represent Christ in your family, or your school, or your job, your message is not Christianity, it is not church, it is not a religion. Paul said, "I came to you with a person-Jesus Christ." Your message is a person. Keep bringing folks back to Him. It's all about Jesus!

So many objections to being a Christian melt away when you turn the attention to Jesus. "Oh, Christians are hypocrites!" Well, is Jesus? "Christians are inconsistent." Is Jesus? "All the church cares about is money." Does Jesus? What is it about Jesus you don't like? See, He's the issue. We tend to get off on detours about doctrine, church, politics. This is a relationship with Jesus Christ-no more/no less. I'm so glad Jesus didn't say, "Follow my church." Or, "Follow my followers." Or, "Follow my leaders." What did He say? "Follow Me."

Every time you have an opportunity, even with an x-rated enemy of the Gospel, turn the attention to Jesus. Maybe you're the one who has had all the bad experiences; all the bad ideas about Christians and Christianity, and maybe for good reason. Can I direct your attention today to Jesus, the man who loved you enough to die on the cross for what you've done wrong? And who was powerful enough to walk out of His grave, and is ready to enter your life today and change it as only He can? Listen to the name: Jesus. I hope you know Him. If you don't, I'd invite you to visit our website. And let me explain to you there how you can. It's ANewStory.com.

And if you do belong to Him, don't be ashamed of His name. You'll discover when you speak His name, what angels and demons already know so well. There really is something about that name.

Psalm 52, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Why Mary Magdalene? - July 13, 2022

Jesus had just ripped the gates of hell off their hinges. He’d just yanked the fangs out of Satan’s mouth. He’d just turned BC into AD! Jesus was the undisputed King of the universe, and what was his first act? To whom did he go? To Mary Magdalene, the weeping, heartbroken woman who once had seven demons. Why her? Perhaps to send this message to all the heavyhearted people: “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5 NLT).

The greatest news in the world is not that God made the world but that God loves the world, and he loves you my friend. You have never lived one unloved day. God loves you, and because he does, you can be assured that joy will come. It came to Mary Magdalene, and it will come to you. Joy comes with the morning.

Psalm 52

 Why do you brag of evil, “Big Man”?
    God’s mercy carries the day.
You scheme catastrophe;
    your tongue cuts razor-sharp,
    artisan in lies.
You love evil more than good,
    you call black white.
You love malicious gossip,
    you foul-mouth.

5
God will tear you limb from limb,
    sweep you up and throw you out,
Pull you up by the roots
    from the land of life.

6-7
Good people will watch and
    worship. They’ll laugh in relief:
“Big Man bet on the wrong horse,
    trusted in big money,
    made his living from catastrophe.”

8
And I’m an olive tree,
    growing green in God’s house.
I trusted in the generous mercy
    of God then and now.

9
I thank you always
    that you went into action.
And I’ll stay right here,
    your good name my hope,
    in company with your faithful friends.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Today's Scripture
Mark 8:27–30

The Messiah

27     Jesus and his disciples headed out for the villages around Caesarea Philippi. As they walked, he asked, “Who do the people say I am?”

28     “Some say ‘John the Baptizer,’ ” they said. “Others say ‘Elijah.’ Still others say ‘one of the prophets.’ ”

29     He then asked, “And you—what are you saying about me? Who am I?”

Peter gave the answer: “You are the Christ, the Messiah.”

30–32     Jesus warned them to keep it quiet, not to breathe a word of it to anyone.

Insight

We can observe two things from the disciples’ response to Jesus’ question, “Who do people say I am?” (Mark 8:27). First, the disciples knew what the people were saying about who Jesus was: “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets” (v. 28). They weren’t simply an isolated and insulated group, oblivious to the culture and people around them. His disciples continued to interact with and understand the people to whom Christ was reaching out. One day soon, they’d be sent to continue His message. Second, the people’s various answers to who Jesus was illustrated that even people who heard and saw Him had different opinions about Him. But Jesus wasn’t content with general answers to the question of who He was. He asked His disciples this question directly. Peter answered, “You are the Messiah” (v. 29).

Take a class on the New Testament. By: J.R. Hudberg

Who Is Jesus?

Who do people say I am?
Mark 8:27

Who do people believe Jesus is? Some say He was a good teacher, but just a man. Author C. S. Lewis wrote, “Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher.” These now-famous words from Mere Christianity propound that Jesus would not have been a great prophet if He falsely claimed to be God. That would be the ultimate heresy.

While talking with His disciples as they walked between villages, Jesus asked them, “Who do people say I am?” (Mark 8:27). Their answers included John the Baptist, Elijah, and one of the prophets (v. 28). But Jesus wanted to know what they believed: “Who do you say I am?” Peter got it right. “You are the Messiah” (v. 29), the Savior.

But who do we say Jesus is? Jesus could not have been a good teacher or prophet if what He said about Himself—that He and the Father (God) are “one” (John 10:30)—wasn’t true. His followers and even the demons declared His divinity as the Son of God (Matthew 8:29; 16:16; 1 John 5:20). Today, may we spread the word about who Christ is as He provides what we need. By:  Alyson Kieda

Reflect & Pray

Who do you say Jesus is? If you believe He’s the Son of God, then how can you share who He is with others?

Dear Jesus, thank You for being the way, the truth, and the life. I’m glad I can cling to You. Help me to share with others the good news of who You are.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, July 13, 2022

The Price of the Vision

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord… —Isaiah 6:1

Our soul’s personal history with God is often an account of the death of our heroes. Over and over again God has to remove our friends to put Himself in their place, and that is when we falter, fail, and become discouraged. Let me think about this personally— when the person died who represented for me all that God was, did I give up on everything in life? Did I become ill or disheartened? Or did I do as Isaiah did and see the Lord?

My vision of God is dependent upon the condition of my character. My character determines whether or not truth can even be revealed to me. Before I can say, “I saw the Lord,” there must be something in my character that conforms to the likeness of God. Until I am born again and really begin to see the kingdom of God, I only see from the perspective of my own biases. What I need is God’s surgical procedure— His use of external circumstances to bring about internal purification.

Your priorities must be God first, God second, and God third, until your life is continually face to face with God and no one else is taken into account whatsoever. Your prayer will then be, “In all the world there is no one but You, dear God; there is no one but You.”

Keep paying the price. Let God see that you are willing to live up to the vision.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

The fiery furnaces are there by God’s direct permission. It is misleading to imagine that we are developed in spite of our circumstances; we are developed because of them. It is mastery in circumstances that is needed, not mastery over them. The Love of God—The Message of Invincible Consolation, 674 R

Bible in a Year: Psalms 7-9; Acts 18

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Why You Are Where You Are - #9263

Hey. it's a huge job to try to keep the roadsides of interstates and major highways from looking like garbage dumps. That's why someone came up with this great idea: have clubs, and churches, and schools, and civic organizations volunteer to maintain just one mile of the road near them. You've probably seen the signs: "This mile maintained by the Forest Grove Garden Club, or a Boy Scout troop, or the Busy Hands Presby-Baptist Church, or whatever. Maybe it's a family. Separately, none of those groups could ever maintain the entire roadside in their county, but they could do a mile. And if each group makes sure their mile is covered, the whole area will end up looking a whole lot better.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Why You Are Where You Are."

Someone could look at the miles and miles of highway running through their area and say, "How in the world are we going to take care of all this?" But it's getting done because many people say, "I'll take care of the area around me."

Now the job of highway cleanup is nothing compared to the assignment left to us by the Lord Jesus, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation" (Mark 16:15). Wow! Well, each generation of believers is responsible for their generation of lost people. How in the world are we going to reach the lost people of our generation? The same way you clean up a long highway; we each take the responsibility for our stretch of the road.

In our word for today from the Word of God, the Old Testament leader, Nehemiah, has called the people of Judah to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem - a massive job - like telling our town about Jesus. Yes, it is a massive job! They were surrounded by people who were hostile to them, didn't want them to accomplish that mission, like our world today. But here's how it got done; Nehemiah 3:23 and following. Now, here's some names you haven't heard, but let's go with it. "Beyond them, Benjamin, and Hasshub made repairs in front of their house, and next to them, Azariah made repairs beside his house. The priests made repairs, each in front of his house. Zadok made repairs opposite his house." You think, "What are we doing here?" Well, here's the idea. The entire city wall got rebuilt by each person taking care of the area around them.

Which brings us to your piece of the eternal rescue work Jesus gave to all of us. There's a reason you live where you live. Jesus assigned you there to that block, that neighborhood, that apartment complex to be His personal representative among the people who live there. The reason you work where you work, go to school where you go to school, belong to the organizations and clubs you belong to is because Jesus wanted you to be those people's link to Him. In Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 5:20, "We are Christ's ambassadors."

So how are you doing with your stretch of the road? Jesus gave His life on the cross for the people on your stretch. He's left you responsible for them finding that out. And while you may think He should get someone better, guess what? He decided you're the one for those people. And they're a lot more likely to listen to someone who walks their road and lives their lives and their issues - a peer like you - than to some skilled evangelist they've never met.

So let me challenge you to begin to claim the people on your block for Jesus, on your team, in your building, in your office, at the gym, your workplace, in your circle at school. Begin by praying for them every day. And on more and more blocks across the country, I know believers are picking up the challenge of going on a Prayer Walk to pray for the residents of each home to hear about Christ there.

Also, band together with any other believers you can find on your "stretch of the road." Pray with them. Plan outreach dinner parties or block parties or video outreaches. Find ways to love them, serve them in ways that would really mean something to them. Ask them to let you know if there's anything they would like you to pray for. And pray for natural opportunities to tell them about life's most important relationship.

Imagine what would happen if every believer said, "Lord, I will step up to praying for and sharing Christ with the lost people on my stretch of the road."

Luke 22:1-23, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: In the Midst of Darkness - July 12, 2022

Mary Magdalene’s world had officially hit rock bottom. Her Master murdered, his body buried in a borrowed grave, his body stolen.

Have you ever had a moment like this? In which you came looking for God yet could not find him? In the midst of Mary’s darkest moment, the Son—the S-O-N son—came out. She didn’t recognize her Lord, so Jesus called her by name. In a second her world went from a dead Jesus to a living one. She took hold of him. Even if the gesture lasted only a moment, Jesus allowed it.

This moment serves a sacred role in the Easter story. It, at once, reminds us that Jesus is the conquering King and Good Shepherd. He has power over death, but he also has a soft spot for the Mary Magdalenes of the world. Our regal hero is relentlessly tender.

Luke 22:1-23

The Passover Meal

 The Feast of Unleavened Bread, also called Passover, drew near. The high priests and religion scholars were looking for a way to do away with Jesus but, fearful of the people, they were also looking for a way to cover their tracks.

3-6 That’s when Satan entered Judas, the one called Iscariot. He was one of the Twelve. Leaving the others, he conferred with the high priests and the Temple guards about how he might betray Jesus to them. They couldn’t believe their good luck and agreed to pay him well. He gave them his word and started looking for a way to betray Jesus, but out of sight of the crowd.

7-8 The Day of Unleavened Bread came, the day the Passover lamb was butchered. Jesus sent Peter and John off, saying, “Go prepare the Passover for us so we can eat it together.”

9 They said, “Where do you want us to do this?”

10-12 He said, “Keep your eyes open as you enter the city. A man carrying a water jug will meet you. Follow him home. Then speak with the owner of the house: The Teacher wants to know, ‘Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ He will show you a spacious second-story room, swept and ready. Prepare the meal there.”

13 They left, found everything just as he told them, and prepared the Passover meal.

14-16 When it was time, he sat down, all the apostles with him, and said, “You’ve no idea how much I have looked forward to eating this Passover meal with you before I enter my time of suffering. It’s the last one I’ll eat until we all eat it together in the kingdom of God.”

17-18 Taking the cup, he blessed it, then said, “Take this and pass it among you. As for me, I’ll not drink wine again until the kingdom of God arrives.”

19 Taking bread, he blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, given for you. Eat it in my memory.”

20 He did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant written in my blood, blood poured out for you.

21-22 “Do you realize that the hand of the one who is betraying me is at this moment on this table? It’s true that the Son of Man is going down a path already marked out—no surprises there. But for the one who turns him in, turns traitor to the Son of Man, this is doomsday.”

23 They immediately became suspicious of each other and began quizzing one another, wondering who might be about to do this.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Tuesday, July 12, 2022

Today's Scripture
Proverbs 1:1–7

These are the wise sayings of Solomon,

David’s son, Israel’s king—

Written down so we’ll know how to live well and right,

to understand what life means and where it’s going;

A manual for living,

for learning what’s right and just and fair;

To teach the inexperienced the ropes

and give our young people a grasp on reality.

There’s something here also for seasoned men and women,

still a thing or two for the experienced to learn—

Fresh wisdom to probe and penetrate,

the rhymes and reasons of wise men and women.

Start with God

7     Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God;

only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning.


Insight

Solomon, the wisest person in the ancient world, wrote three thousand proverbs (1 Kings 4:30–34), but only a fraction of these were collated into the book of Proverbs in the Bible. Solomon’s wisdom was God’s gift to him (1 Kings 3:5–13). But being wise one day is no guarantee that you’ll be wise the next, for this wisdom can be easily abandoned and lost—as Solomon abandoned God’s wisdom in his later years. He became the classic example of foolishness as he turned from Him to follow idols (11:4–6). Ironically, he ignored his own warning: “If you stop listening to instruction, my child, you will turn your back on knowledge” (Proverbs 19:27 nlt), for “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (1:7). By: K. T. Sim

A Teachable Spirit

Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.
Proverbs 1:5

It has become sadly “normal” to attack not only the opinions of others but also the person holding the opinion. This can be true in academic circles as well. For this reason, I was stunned when scholar and theologian Richard B. Hays wrote a paper that forcefully took to task a work that he himself had written years earlier! In Reading with the Grain of Scripture, Hays demonstrated great humility of heart as he corrected his own past thinking, now fine-tuned by his lifelong commitment to learning.   

As the book of Proverbs was being introduced, King Solomon listed the various intents of this collection of wise sayings. But in the midst of those purposes, he inserted this challenge, “Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance” (Proverbs 1:5). Like the apostle Paul, who claimed that, even after following Christ for decades, he continued to pursue knowing Jesus (Philippians 3:10), Solomon urged the wise to listen, to learn, and to continue to grow.

No one is ever hurt by maintaining a teachable spirit. As we seek to continue to grow and learn about the things of faith (and the things of life), may we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us into truth (John 16:13), that we might better comprehend the wonders of our good and great God. By:  Bill Crowder

Reflect & Pray

In what areas of life or spiritual growth have you become stale or stunted? How can you become more teachable, allowing God to grow you beyond where you are at this moment?

Loving God, give me a humble, teachable spirit that I might continually be growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.

For further study, see Why Read the Bible?.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, July 12, 2022

The Spiritually Self-Seeking Church

…till we all come…to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ… —Ephesians 4:13

Reconciliation means the restoring of the relationship between the entire human race and God, putting it back to what God designed it to be. This is what Jesus Christ did in redemption. The church ceases to be spiritual when it becomes self-seeking, only interested in the development of its own organization. The reconciliation of the human race according to His plan means realizing Him not only in our lives individually, but also in our lives collectively. Jesus Christ sent apostles and teachers for this very purpose— that the corporate Person of Christ and His church, made up of many members, might be brought into being and made known. We are not here to develop a spiritual life of our own, or to enjoy a quiet spiritual retreat. We are here to have the full realization of Jesus Christ, for the purpose of building His body.

Am I building up the body of Christ, or am I only concerned about my own personal development? The essential thing is my personal relationship with Jesus Christ— “…that I may know Him…” (Philippians 3:10). To fulfill God’s perfect design for me requires my total surrender— complete abandonment of myself to Him. Whenever I only want things for myself, the relationship is distorted. And I will suffer great humiliation once I come to acknowledge and understand that I have not really been concerned about realizing Jesus Christ Himself, but only concerned with knowing what He has done for me.

My goal is God Himself, not joy nor peace,
Nor even blessing, but Himself, my God.

Am I measuring my life by this standard or by something less?

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

The life of Abraham is an illustration of two things: of unreserved surrender to God, and of God’s complete possession of a child of His for His own highest end. Not Knowing Whither, 901 R

Bible in a Year: Psalms 4-6; Acts 17:16-34

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, July 12, 2022

The Dark Closet - #9262

She was just such a sweet little old lady - the housemother who inspected our dorm rooms every week at college. I didn't want her to get hurt. You know? I mean, I was afraid she would, if she opened my closet door. Yeah, you know, you're busy in college with all kinds of important things - who's got time to clean your room? Right? Some days, it was almost impossible to tell that I had furniture in there. Everything was covered with what looked like the fallout from some bomb blast, but not on inspection day. Nope, I managed to get all that junk somehow stuffed into my closet. Sometimes it took three guys to close the door, but eventually what I needed to hide was safely inside that closet. Safe, that is, unless you opened the door.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Dark Closet."

A lot of us still have a closet today where we try to hide the stuff we don't want discovered. Maybe there's some dark stuff you've managed to keep in that closet for a long time. Like my college room, on the surface you look clean. But just inside the closet is stuff you don't want anyone to see. And so far, no one has. Well, except for the One who matters most.

Nine words; that's all it is. But these nine words in Numbers 32:23, our word for today from the Word of God, literally blow the door off your closet. Here they are: "Be sure that your sin will find you out." Wow! No loopholes, no exceptions-including yours. God knows everything you've done, everything you've thought, and everything you've said. So you're caught! And without exception, someday your sin will be out of the closet.

You can rationalize it away. We're good at that. "Hey, it's just a little while, I can't help it, I deserve this, I need this, this is love, I'll quit soon." Lies that you may believe but God doesn't buy. You can compare yourself with others and feel pretty good about yourself - until you remember that God doesn't grade on the curve. His standard is His holiness - perfection. You can excuse what you're doing, call it by a nice name, blame somebody else, live in denial about it, or try to compensate for it by doing some good things. But it's still sin, it's still something that helped cause the death of your Savior, it still stinks to God, and it's building up judgment for you all the time.

I remember when a major church was rocked by the public confession by one of its longtime leaders; a man described as the most trusted person in the church. But behind that closet door, turned out there was 20 years of blatant sexual sin, a sin he had even confronted in others as a church leader. It had been successfully concealed from everyone but God. And now comes the picking up of the pieces of so many lives.

King David did everything to keep his adultery hidden in the closet. Until God's man, Nathan, tore the door off with these words, "You are the man." Finally, David faced the ugly truth and he said, "I have sinned against the Lord." Right now, God, through His Holy Spirit, may be saying to you, "You are the man. You are the woman." He's giving you this chance to finally be free of that inner torment, to stop the mounting consequences, to experience at Jesus' cross the incomparable relief and the release of finally getting clean.

You've hidden it, but the sin, the price, and the guilt? They continue growing behind that door. It's going to be tough to open that closet and deal with what's in there. But it's going to be a whole lot tougher not to. It's haunted you. It has shamed you. It has shackled you long enough. Jesus is right there with you to help you open that door, and to once and for all get rid of that awful secret behind it.