Acts 9 bible reading and devotionals.

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Max Lucado Daily: In Good Hands

As heart surgeries go, mine was far from the riskiest.  But anything that takes four hours of probes inside your heart warrants an added prayer.  So on the eve of my surgery, Denalyn, I, and some kind friends offered our share.  As they left, I wanted to offer one more prayer–alone.

God and I had the most honest of talks.  The details would bore you, but they entertained us.  I thanked him for grace beyond measure and for a wife who descended from the angels.  I offered this prayer: “I’m in good hands, Lord.   But this could be my final night in this version of life, and I’d like you to know, if that’s the case, I’m okay.”

Here I am, strong as ever.  One thing is different now, though.  This matter of dying bravely?  I think I will.   And I pray you will do the same.

Taken from Fearless

Acts 9:23-43
New International Version (NIV)
23 After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, 24 but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. 25 But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.

26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. 28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews,[a] but they tried to kill him. 30 When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.

Aeneas and Dorcas

32 As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people who lived in Lydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. 34 “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up. 35 All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. 37 About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. 38 Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”

39 Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

40 Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. 41 He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. 42 This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. 43 Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Psalm 32:1-5
A maskil of David.


 1 Blessed is the one whose lawless acts are forgiven.
      His sins have been taken away.
 2 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord never counts against him.
      He doesn't want to cheat anyone.
 3 When I kept silent about my sin,
      my body became weak
      because I groaned all day long.
 4 Day and night
      your heavy hand punished me.
   I became weaker and weaker
      as I do in the heat of summer.
                         Selah

 5 Then I admitted my sin to you.
      I didn't cover up the wrong I had done.
   I said, "I will admit my lawless acts to the Lord."
      And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
                         Selah


Coverups Stink

May 24, 2012 — by Marvin Williams

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. —Psalm 32:1

The smell at an overflowing garbage landfill site became a growing public concern. So workers installed high-pressured deodorant guns to counteract the smell. The cannons could spray several gallons of fragrance a minute over a distance of up to 50 yards across the mounds of putrefying garbage. However, no matter how many gallons of deodorant are sprayed to mask the odorous rubbish, the fragrance will serve only as a coverup until the source of the stench is removed.

King David tried a coverup as well. After his adultery with Bathsheba, he attempted to use silence, deceit, and piety to mask his moral failures (2 Sam. 11–12). In Psalm 32 he talks about experiencing the intense convicting hand of God when he remained silent (vv.3-4). Unable to withstand the conviction any longer, David uncovered his sin by acknowledging, confessing, and repenting of it (v.5). He no longer needed to cover it because God forgave him.

It’s futile to try to hide our sin. The stench of our disobedience will seep through whatever we use to try to cover it. Let’s acknowledge to God the rubbish in our hearts and experience the fresh cleansing of His grace and forgiveness.

Father, I know that I cannot hide my sins from You
for You know what’s in my heart. I confess them
now to You. Cleanse me, forgive me, and help
me to make a brand-new start. Amen.
Own up to your sin and experience the joy of confession.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
May 24, 2012

The Delight of Despair

When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead —Revelation 1:17

It may be that, like the apostle John, you know Jesus Christ intimately. Yet when He suddenly appears to you with totally unfamiliar characteristics, the only thing you can do is fall “at His feet as dead.” There are times when God cannot reveal Himself in any other way than in His majesty, and it is the awesomeness of the vision which brings you to the delight of despair. You experience this joy in hopelessness, realizing that if you are ever to be raised up it must be by the hand of God.

“He laid His right hand on me . . .” (Revelation 1:17). In the midst of the awesomeness, a touch comes, and you know it is the right hand of Jesus Christ. You know it is not the hand of restraint, correction, nor chastisement, but the right hand of the Everlasting Father. Whenever His hand is laid upon you, it gives inexpressible peace and comfort, and the sense that “underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27), full of support, provision, comfort, and strength. And once His touch comes, nothing at all can throw you into fear again. In the midst of all His ascended glory, the Lord Jesus comes to speak to an insignificant disciple, saying, “Do not be afraid” (Revelation 1:17). His tenderness is inexpressibly sweet. Do I know Him like that?

Take a look at some of the things that cause despair. There is despair which has no delight, no limits whatsoever, and no hope of anything brighter. But the delight of despair comes when “I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells . . .” (Romans 7:18). I delight in knowing that there is something in me which must fall prostrate before God when He reveals Himself to me, and also in knowing that if I am ever to be raised up it must be by the hand of God. God can do nothing for me until I recognize the limits of what is humanly possible, allowing Him to do the impossible.


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

The Race To Nome - #6619

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Maybe it's because of Sergeant Preston of the Yukon. Yeah, as a boy watching that show on TV, I was fascinated watching my Mountie hero racing across the snow with his dog team. I even wore pants that were marked "husky."

And then there was my ministry trip to Alaska one February where I got to see dog team races in the snowy streets of Anchorage. They call it the "Fur Rondy." Now, those memories reignited recently because our son retraced that trip to lay the groundwork for what could be an historic conference for Native Alaskan young people.

For whatever reason, I'm intrigued with this continent's legendary dog team "Super Bowl." It's called the Iditarod. Not just because of the event itself, but oh, because of its dramatic history. This rigorous race to Nome retraces the route of the original race in 1925. Except then it wasn't a sporting event. It was literally a race for life.

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

In January of 1925, Nome was this remote outpost, faced suddenly with a deadly outbreak of diphtheria, and virtually no vaccine to stop it. The National Health Department in Washington concluded "an epidemic of diphtheria is almost inevitable." That meant up to 75% of the children in and around Nome could die.

Well, a train brought the needed antitoxin as far as the train could go - to Nenana. That's 640 miles from Nome. From there, it had to be dog teams, taking the mail route that they called the Iditarod Trail. But that was usually a 25-day trip, and that was way too long to save the lives in Nome.

Knowing that their mission was life-or-death, the mushers and their dogs defied the weather; they defied the odds to do what had never been done before. Like the Pony Express, one team went as far as they could and then handed it off to another musher and his dogs. And history records that the winter of '25 was one of the worst ever, with temperatures that plunged to 60 below. Then the blizzard closed in around them. The only doctor in Nome said, "All hope is in the hands of the dogs and their heroic mushers."

Balto the lead dog of The Great Race of Mercy.

At 5:30 in the morning on January 30, the final musher drove his dogs - and the serum - into the streets of a sleeping Nome. It took twenty men; it took 150 dogs to get it there. Amazingly, they made the trip in just five and a half days, breaking the world record, and more importantly, saving hundreds of lives.

The drama of that desperate race to Nome touches something deep inside me, because it's a picture of a race for life where the stakes are even higher; a race that began on an old rugged cross 2,000 years ago. Our word for today from the Word of God in 1 John 3:16 and chapter 4, verse 9, says this: "Jesus Christ laid down His life for us that we might live through Him." The news of His death for our sins and His game-changing resurrection - that's the only "serum" that can save a person from a hellish eternity and give them heaven instead.

And from generation to generation that life-saving message has been entrusted into the hands of every person who's been saved by hearing it. And today, it's in my hands and the hands of every person who belongs to this Jesus.

Getting Jesus' message to the people within my reach is not some casual, "get around to it sometime" thing. It is urgent beyond words. In the Bible's words, it's snatching "others from the fire" (Jude 23), it's rescuing "those who are being led away to death," it's holding "back those who are being led away to slaughter" (Proverbs 24:11). People I know. People I see all the time. People whose forever depends on what I know about Jesus. They are one heartbeat away from meeting God. Waiting any longer to tell them is gambling with their eternity.

Somewhere along the way, the cause for which Jesus died has become, well, like the Iditarod, a spectator sport, lots of activity but no thought about the lives at stake. But those of us who've been saved by the serum of the Gospel are responsible before God to get that serum to those who are going to die without it. Jesus expects that the driving passion of His people and His Church, will be the passion that kept Him on the cross, "to seek and save the lost" (Luke 19:10). In a very real sense, we hold their eternities in our hands.

It really is a race for life.

Ecclesiastes 6 bible reading and devotionals.

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Max Lucado Daily: More Sharing

The truth about your stocks, cash, and 4081-K?   They’re not really yours.

The Gospel of Mark tells the story of a poor widow who came to the temple and dropped in two small coins as an offering.  She was down to her last pennies, yet rather than spend them on bread, she returned them to God.

Financial gurus would have urged her to cut back on her giving.  They would have discouraged the generosity of the woman.  But Jesus did just the opposite.  He said,

“I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions.”

God owns everything and gives us all things to enjoy. Let’s move from the fear of scarcity to the comfort of provision.  Experience less hoarding and more sharing.

Replace fear of the coming winter with faith in the living God!  Jesus said, “Do good, be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share.”

Taken from Fearless

Ecclesiastes 6

I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on mankind: 2 God gives some people wealth, possessions and honor, so that they lack nothing their hearts desire, but God does not grant them the ability to enjoy them, and strangers enjoy them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil.

3 A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. 4 It comes without meaning, it departs in darkness, and in darkness its name is shrouded. 5 Though it never saw the sun or knew anything, it has more rest than does that man— 6 even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go to the same place?

7 Everyone’s toil is for their mouth,
    yet their appetite is never satisfied.
8 What advantage have the wise over fools?
What do the poor gain
    by knowing how to conduct themselves before others?
9 Better what the eye sees
    than the roving of the appetite.
This too is meaningless,
    a chasing after the wind.
10 Whatever exists has already been named,
    and what humanity is has been known;
no one can contend
    with someone who is stronger.
11 The more the words,
    the less the meaning,
    and how does that profit anyone?
12 For who knows what is good for a person in life, during the few and meaningless days they pass through like a shadow? Who can tell them what will happen under the sun after they are gone?


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: Acts 15:7-26

New International Version (NIV)
7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

12 The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 13 When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. 14 Simon[a] has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. 15 The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

16 “‘After this I will return
    and rebuild David’s fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild,
    and I will restore it,
17 that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
    even all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things’[b] —
18     things known from long ago.[c]
19 “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21 For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

The Council’s Letter to Gentile Believers

22 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers. 23 With them they sent the following letter:

The apostles and elders, your brothers,

To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:

Greetings.

24 We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25 So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Taking Risks

May 23, 2012 — by Dennis Fisher

Barnabas and Paul . . . have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. —Acts 15:25-26

In his book Stuntman! My Car-Crashing, Plane-Jumping, Bone-Breaking, Death-Defying Hollywood Life, Hal Needham reflects on taking risks. Needham has slugged it out in fist fights, raced cars at high speed, walked on wings of airborne planes, fallen off horses, and has even been set on fire! He risked his life to entertain film audiences and to distinguish himself as a top Hollywood stuntman.

Paul and Barnabas were also “men who have risked their lives” (Acts 15:26). But their motivation was far different. Their goal was to exalt Christ through the preaching of the gospel. As a missionary in the Roman Empire, Paul faced hazards that resulted in shipwrecks, beatings, persecution, and imprisonment—just to name a few (2 Cor. 11:22-30). But Paul was more than willing to take these risks to make Christ known.

Many believers take risks to spread Jesus’ good news. But fear of rejection causes others to remain silent. Have you been passively sitting on the sidelines ignoring opportunities to share the gospel? God has provided His Spirit to empower you (Acts 1:8) and His Word to make the message clear (Rom. 1:16). Ask God for the courage to speak up and witness for the Savior. Taking the risk will be well worth it.

Will you be bold in your witness
By giving lost sinners God’s Word?
Jesus will honor your service,
And sinners will surely be stirred. —Bosch
The rewards of witnessing are well worth the risks.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
May 23, 2012

Our Careful Unbelief

. . . do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on —Matthew 6:25

Jesus summed up commonsense carefulness in the life of a disciple as unbelief. If we have received the Spirit of God, He will squeeze right through our lives, as if to ask, “Now where do I come into this relationship, this vacation you have planned, or these new books you want to read?” And He always presses the point until we learn to make Him our first consideration. Whenever we put other things first, there is confusion.

“. . . do not worry about your life . . . .” Don’t take the pressure of your provision upon yourself. It is not only wrong to worry, it is unbelief; worrying means we do not believe that God can look after the practical details of our lives, and it is never anything but those details that worry us. Have you ever noticed what Jesus said would choke the Word He puts in us? Is it the devil? No— “the cares of this world” (MatthewMatthew 13:22). It is always our little worries. We say, “I will not trust when I cannot see”— and that is where unbelief begins. The only cure for unbelief is obedience to the Spirit.

The greatest word of Jesus to His disciples is abandon.


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

When No One's Pushing - #6618

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

I was at a Christian conference center where the children's program included gymnastics instruction. No, no, I did not get involved personally; my leotard doesn't fit any more. But there were some kids who were getting the hang of the forward rolls and the backward rolls. And there were some kids there who weren't getting the hang of it as well. They paraded them all out one night for a little show. And one girl raised her hands as she was supposed to, very gracefully, got into position to do a forward roll, and stayed there. She couldn't quite get the roll rolling, until the instructor got behind her and pushed her forward again, and then again.

Now, it wasn't the little girl's muscles that were moving her, it was someone else's. But at the end she took a bow just as if she had mastered these gymnastics routines. See, she has the illusion she can do it, but she's really paralyzed on her own, like a lot of God's students I know; like this one right here.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When No One's Pushing."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Philippians 2. It's Paul's commendation of some people who had learned their routines so to speak, pretty well. I'm reading from verse 12, which says this: "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling."

Now, first of all, this is not a verse that teaches you that you are saved by your good works. It's about working out the salvation you already have; working it out into your everyday life. It's the "out working." It's making sure that what is in you works its way out so people can see it. But He says significantly you don't just do it when I'm there; you do it when I'm not there. See, these people were following Christ, but not just when their leader was there pushing them.

A lot of Christians who do the Christian routines do them as long as there is someone there pushing. The scary part about that is that it's a second-hand faith. What kind of Christian are you when your youth leader or your pastor is nowhere close; when your parents aren't watching? What happens when you're the only Christian in your dorm, or your office, or your class, or your circle of friends? When your environment changes, does your faith change too? See, that's a second-hand faith. It's not going to make it.

It's time you started to develop spiritual muscles of your own. Whatever your age, maybe you're too dependent on someone else to open the Bible for you, on someone else to keep you motivated, on someone else to keep you on track. You've got to develop your own discipline of time in The Word, of making Christ-honoring choices when there's nobody around to see but Him. You've got to take a stand on your own. See, it's risky to be God's person on your own, but it's such a good feeling when you stand for Christ and know you did it on your own, with only Him watching.

Look, let's take the crutches away and start doing some forward rolls on our own. Ask yourself, "What kind of Christian am I when no one is there pushing?" And start building up those spiritual muscles of your own.

Ecclesiastes 5 bible reading and devotionals.

Click to listen to God's words and teachings.
Max Lucado:God is the Great Giver

Accumulation of wealth is a popular defense against fear.  Since we fear losing our jobs, health care, or retirement benefits, we amass possessions, thinking the more we have, the safer we are!

If there were no God, ‘stuff-trusting’ would be the only appropriate response to an uncertain future.  But there is a God.  And this God does not want his children to trust money.  He responded to the folly of the rich man with the words,  “Do not worry about your life…Do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.”

God is the great giver who “gives us richly all things to enjoy.”  He is the great provider.  The fount of every blessing.  Absolutely generous and utterly dependable.

The resounding message of Scripture is clear.  God owns it all.  God shares it all.

Trust him–not stuff!

Taken from Fearless


Ecclesiastes 5

Fulfill Your Vow to God

5 [a]Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.

2 Do not be quick with your mouth,
    do not be hasty in your heart
    to utter anything before God.
God is in heaven
    and you are on earth,
    so let your words be few.
3 A dream comes when there are many cares,
    and many words mark the speech of a fool.
4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. 5 It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. 6 Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? 7 Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore fear God.

Riches Are Meaningless

8 If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still. 9 The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.

10 Whoever loves money never has enough;
    whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
    This too is meaningless.
11 As goods increase,
    so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owners
    except to feast their eyes on them?
12 The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
    whether they eat little or much,
but as for the rich, their abundance
    permits them no sleep.
13 I have seen a grievous evil under the sun:

wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners,
14     or wealth lost through some misfortune,
so that when they have children
    there is nothing left for them to inherit.
15 Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb,
    and as everyone comes, so they depart.
They take nothing from their toil
    that they can carry in their hands.
16 This too is a grievous evil:

As everyone comes, so they depart,
    and what do they gain,
    since they toil for the wind?
17 All their days they eat in darkness,
    with great frustration, affliction and anger.
18 This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. 19 Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. 20 They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.



Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: Isaiah 43:1-4

Israel’s Only Savior

43 But now, this is what the Lord says—
    he who created you, Jacob,
    he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
    Cush[a] and Seba in your stead.
4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
    and because I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
    nations in exchange for your life.

Fear Not

May 22, 2012 — by Randy Kilgore

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. —Isaiah 43:1

My wife became seriously ill during her pregnancy with our second child. As the doctors struggled to find the problem, she continued to grow weaker—dangerously so.

Watching her suffer was a helpless and horrible feeling for me, and there were days when it felt as if God were not hearing our prayers. One Sunday, while I was looking for comfort from Scripture, my eyes landed on the first verse in Isaiah 43.

“Fear not,” it begins, and ends with “you are Mine.” Instantly, the Holy Spirit made the words personal. The intimate way God addresses Israel reminded me of His always-present attention to us too: “When you pass through the waters . . . through the rivers . . . through the fire” (v.2). Each phrase rose up in crescendo, from the pages to my heart.

Our comfort in that hour came not from promises of healing or miracles, but from knowing we were never alone. We had many other frightening times, including just after Ethan’s birth, when it looked as if both he and Cheryl would be lost. But God had used His words to comfort us and prepare us for those harder moments!

Let these words be a reminder to you that you are never alone.

At times our fears may loom so large,
We long for proof that God is near;
It’s then our Father says to us,
“Have faith, My child, and do not fear.” —D. De Haan
Never forget in the darkness, what you know to be true in the light.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
May 22, 2012

The Explanation For Our Difficulties

. . . that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us . . . —John 17:21

If you are going through a time of isolation, seemingly all alone, read John 17 . It will explain exactly why you are where you are— because Jesus has prayed that you “may be one” with the Father as He is. Are you helping God to answer that prayer, or do you have some other goal for your life? Since you became a disciple, you cannot be as independent as you used to be.

God reveals in John 17 that His purpose is not just to answer our prayers, but that through prayer we might come to discern His mind. Yet there is one prayer which God must answer, and that is the prayer of Jesus— “. . . that they may be one just as We are one . . .” (John 17:22). Are we as close to Jesus Christ as that?

God is not concerned about our plans; He doesn’t ask, “Do you want to go through this loss of a loved one, this difficulty, or this defeat?” No, He allows these things for His own purpose. The things we are going through are either making us sweeter, better, and nobler men and women, or they are making us more critical and fault-finding, and more insistent on our own way. The things that happen either make us evil, or they make us more saintly, depending entirely on our relationship with God and its level of intimacy. If we will pray, regarding our own lives, “Your will be done” (Matthew 26:42), then we will be encouraged and comforted by John 17, knowing that our Father is working according to His own wisdom, accomplishing what is best. When we understand God’s purpose, we will not become small-minded and cynical. Jesus prayed nothing less for us than absolute oneness with Himself, just as He was one with the Father. Some of us are far from this oneness; yet God will not leave us alone until we are one with Him— because Jesus prayed, “. . . that they all may be one . . . .”


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Picking a Major - #6617

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

You know, it was a major turning point in the life of the Hutchcraft family when our firstborn went to college, and it was a major turning point for my checkbook, too! There was a lot of talk before our daughter left for college and even during orientation week about choosing a major. Of course, that's pretty heavy stuff for freshmen; they're lucky just to find their classes, let alone find their major. But they tell you during that orientation week to pick a major that will be useful later on.

Now, students might tend to follow their interests or their glands and major in football, or major in social life. Some do. Or major in practical jokes. Of course, I would never do that. Now, I heard a lot during orientation week saying, "Now, what are you going to do with that major?" "What are you going to do in your future?" That's mom and dad speaking. "Think about your future. Hey, this is costing a lot. Major in something that will be valuable in your future, not just something that looks good today." You know what? That's actually pretty good advice for all of us at Kingdom University.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Picking a Major."

Now, our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew 24, and here is Jesus describing a time when a lot of folks' majors won't be marketable anymore. It's called "the last days" in Scripture, and He says in verse 7, "It's a time when nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there'll be famines and earthquakes in various places." Then he goes on to say, "Then there will be a great distress unequaled from the beginning of the world until now and never to be equaled again. Immediately after the distress of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken."

Man, that is a lot of upheaval, and it's happening at a time when the world will look much as it seems to look today. Many Bible scholars believe that increasingly the stage is set for this to be maybe the generation that precedes the coming of Christ. And at that time, those who have majored their lives on business, or houses, personal empires, or money, or anything earthly, are going to find it totally useless, totally unmarketable, easily destroyed. Like a naive college student, many folks today are majoring on values that look good from here but will not support them in their spiritual future.

Then comes Jesus' counsel as to a major that is worth investing in. Matthew 24:35 - "Heaven and earth will pass away..." Okay, so those things are not majors, they're minors. "...but My words will never pass away." He's saying His words are the only major that will ever withstand every recession, every depression, every crisis, every illness, every emergency, any bomb a man can build. Could it be that the minors of life have left you little time for the major? You've got to set aside some time to dig into God's Word. Maybe that's slipped into becoming a low priority in your schedule. Make it high priority for your family if you want them to be ready for the future. We learn volumes of data from what we learn on Internet websites to remembering batting averages, but we don't learn the Bible.

Whether you're a Ph.D., or you never made it through high school, major in the Bible. It shows up the lies; it shows you what God wants today; it shows you the big picture.

Minor in what you will, but major in what will be there when nothing else is: the never-lying, never-dying Word of Almighty God.

Ecclesiastes 4 bible reading and devotionals.

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Max Lucado:Choose to Trust the Father

What makes you afraid?

I have a friend who was dreading a letter from the IRS.  His calculations told him he owed them money…money he didn’t have.  When the letter arrived detailing the amount, he couldn’t bear to open it.  It sat on his desk for five days while he writhed in dread.  Where would he get the money, he worried?  He wondered how long he might be sent to prison.  Finally, he opened the envelope.  He found, not a bill to be paid, but a check to be cashed!  He had wasted five days on needless fear!

The apostle Paul penned his final words from a Roman prison, chained to a guard, and within earshot of his executioner’s footsteps.  Worst-case scenario?  Paul said,

“God is looking after me, keeping me safe in the kingdom of heaven.

Ecclesiastes 4

Oppression, Toil, Friendlessness

4 Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun:

I saw the tears of the oppressed—
    and they have no comforter;
power was on the side of their oppressors—
    and they have no comforter.
2 And I declared that the dead,
    who had already died,
are happier than the living,
    who are still alive.
3 But better than both
    is the one who has never been born,
who has not seen the evil
    that is done under the sun.
4 And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

5 Fools fold their hands
    and ruin themselves.
6 Better one handful with tranquillity
    than two handfuls with toil
    and chasing after the wind.
7 Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:

8 There was a man all alone;
    he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
    yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,
    “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”
This too is meaningless—
    a miserable business!
9 Two are better than one,
    because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
    one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
    and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
    But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
    two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Advancement Is Meaningless

13 Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning. 14 The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. 15 I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king’s successor. 16 There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.



Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: Colossians 3:22-25

New International Version (NIV)
22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.

Night Crew

May 21, 2012 — by Cindy Hess Kasper

Obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. —Colossians 3:22

Pat’s first job was working on the night crew at a grocery store. After closing time, he and the other employees stocked the shelves. Pat’s boss had instructed them to always turn the soup cans forward so that the label could be read easily. But he had gone a little further by saying, “Make sure that they’re facing forward—three cans back.” One night as Pat was arranging the shelves, his co-workers began to scoff, “Just make sure the front can is turned the right way. Who’s gonna know?”

It was a moment of decision for the teenager. Should he obey what his boss had asked him to do, or just do what was easy?

We’ve all been in similar situations where we’ve had to make a choice. The apostle Paul encouraged his fellow believers to be obedient even when no one was watching: “Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God” (Col. 3:22).

Doing the right thing should not be dependent on whether our employer is around or if anyone else is watching. It’s not always easy or convenient to be obedient. But it’s right.

Remember, “to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).

Lord, help me to follow Jesus,
To obey Him day by day,
To be His faithful disciple
And please Him in every way. —Fitzhugh
Our character is measured by what we do when no one is looking.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
May 21, 2012

Having God’s “Unreasonable” Faith

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you —Matthew 6:33

When we look at these words of Jesus, we immediately find them to be the most revolutionary that human ears have ever heard. “. . . seek first the kingdom of God . . . .” Even the most spiritually-minded of us argue the exact opposite, saying, “But I must live; I must make a certain amount of money; I must be clothed; I must be fed.” The great concern of our lives is not the kingdom of God but how we are going to take care of ourselves to live. Jesus reversed the order by telling us to get the right relationship with God first, maintaining it as the primary concern of our lives, and never to place our concern on taking care of the other things of life.

“. . . do not worry about your life. . .” (Matthew 6:25). Our Lord pointed out that from His standpoint it is absolutely unreasonable for us to be anxious, worrying about how we will live. Jesus did not say that the person who takes no thought for anything in his life is blessed— no, that person is a fool. But Jesus did teach that His disciple must make his relationship with God the dominating focus of his life, and to be cautiously carefree about everything else in comparison to that. In essence, Jesus was saying, “Don’t make food and drink the controlling factor of your life, but be focused absolutely on God.” Some people are careless about what they eat and drink, and they suffer for it; they are careless about what they wear, having no business looking the way they do; they are careless with their earthly matters, and God holds them responsible. Jesus is saying that the greatest concern of life is to place our relationship with God first, and everything else second.

It is one of the most difficult, yet critical, disciplines of the Christian life to allow the Holy Spirit to bring us into absolute harmony with the teaching of Jesus in these verses.


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Making New Memories - #6616

Monday, May 21, 2012

I spent my seventh through tenth grade in a small town in Illinois. So I went to junior high there and my first two years of high school. And I hadn't seen my friends from there for 28 years!

I was speaking in a city not too far from that town, and one of those old friends called and said, "Do you have time to get together with us before you go speak?" Well, we did. And after we figured out who everybody was, because, you know things have changed: hair, teeth, figures, we had a great time! There was a lot of the old "remember when" stuff, and "Hey, where's good old..." You know?

Well, they all remembered when I weighed like say 55 pounds more, for example, and you know, was a guy, when I sat around the house, I sat around the house. Now, after we'd gone through all those memories, we all want to do it again. But one thing, well, I've got to tell you; it became very clear by the end of the afternoon. If you want a real ongoing relationship, you've got to have some new experiences together. You can only go so far on memories.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Making New Memories."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from perhaps the ultimate Christian life of all time, that of the Apostle Paul. And yet he says after 30 years of following Jesus, Philippians 3:13 - "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

I like the spirit of that, don't you? I mean, it's like an Olympic runner who says, "I don't care about the ground I've already covered. What matters is the ground ahead of me; what I haven't covered yet. The best is not behind me; the best is yet to come." And look! Paul had some great memories of some wonderful miracles, great sermons preached, and churches founded. But all he's focusing on is the new ground that he has yet to take for Jesus.

See, the key to a living relationship with Christ can be summarized in four words that Paul uses here. "Forgetting what is behind." So many believers are like me and my old high school friends, trying to have a relationship today based on things that happened in the past. "Oh, remember the time I committed my life to Christ? I remember that meeting so well." "Remember, Lord, when I did that job for You?" "Remember when I was really out on a limb; I didn't know where it was going to come from, and I prayed and all kinds of miracles happened?" "Remember those answers to prayer?" "Remember those people I influenced?" "Remember when we used to have those intimate times together?"

Come on! You can't base a relationship with Christ on a scrapbook, no matter how impressive the past is. You can't just let the old missions satisfy you. You need some new experiences with Jesus. You need to be part of some new exploits for the King, places where you experience Christ's lordship in things that matter to you now. You need a daily rendezvous with Him where you have new encounters, new discoveries all the time from His Word; something new that you just talked to Him about today. You need a new mission, a new vision for what you could be doing for Him; a new reviving work better than all the others you've had in the past; a new intimacy, closer than it's ever been.

Isn't it time to say, "Lord, I've been living on memories. I've been living on old experiences. Let's do some new things together! Today, Lord, let's start making some new memories."

Acts 9:1-22 bible reading and devotionals.

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Max Lucado Daily: Not Made For Earth

“Your faith and hope are in God.” 1 Peter 1:21, NIV

You will never be completely happy on earth simply because you were not made for earth. Oh, you will have your moments of joy. You will catch glimpses of light. You will know moments or even days of peace.

But they simply do not compare with the happiness that lies ahead.

Acts 9:1-22
New International Version (NIV)
Saul’s Conversion

9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered.

11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Saul in Damascus and Jerusalem

Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” 22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: Luke 12:35-40

Watchfulness

35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Prepared For The Real Thing

May 20, 2012 — by Joe Stowell

Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. —Luke 12:40

Through the years, quite a few people have predicted the return of Jesus at a specific time. Just last year an American radio preacher stirred up the interest of the mainstream media with his prediction that Jesus would return on May 21, 2011.

Anyone who knows Scripture well knew that this advance warning wasn’t accurate, because Jesus Himself said His return would be “at an hour you do not expect” (Luke 12:40). But I do have to admit that this prediction captured my attention. Often I get so caught up in the busyness of life that I live as though Jesus’ return is some distant reality. I forget that Jesus could come back at any time. The prediction, wrong as it was, reminded me about the importance of being prepared for my Savior’s return, and it renewed my excitement that it could be any day—even today.

Sometimes when we think of being ready for Jesus’ return, we think about what we shouldn’t be doing. But being prepared is really about purifying ourselves and becoming more and more like Him so we are pleasing to Him when He comes back for us (1 John 3:2-3). Jesus taught that being ready for His return requires living according to our Master’s will now (Luke 12:47). Will we be prepared when it’s time for the real thing?

Keep me praying, keep me trusting
Every step along life’s way!
Keep me waiting, keep me watching,
For He may return today! —Thiesen
Look for Christ’s return and you’ll live for Christ’s glory.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
May 20, 2012

Taking Possession of Our Own Soul

By your patience possess your souls —Luke 21:19

When a person is born again, there is a period of time when he does not have the same vitality in his thinking or reasoning that he previously had. We must learn to express this new life within us, which comes by forming the mind of Christ (see Philippians 2:5). Luke 21:19 means that we take possession of our souls through patience. But many of us prefer to stay at the entrance to the Christian life, instead of going on to create and build our soul in accordance with the new life God has placed within us. We fail because we are ignorant of the way God has made us, and we blame things on the devil that are actually the result of our own undisciplined natures. Just think what we could be when we are awakened to the truth!

There are certain things in life that we need not pray about— moods, for instance. We will never get rid of moodiness by praying, but we will by kicking it out of our lives. Moods nearly always are rooted in some physical circumstance, not in our true inner self. It is a continual struggle not to listen to the moods which arise as a result of our physical condition, but we must never submit to them for a second. We have to pick ourselves up by the back of the neck and shake ourselves; then we will find that we can do what we believed we were unable to do. The problem that most of us are cursed with is simply that we won’t. The Christian life is one of spiritual courage and determination lived out in our flesh.

Ecclesiastes 3 Bible reading and devotionals.

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Max Lucado: Pull Back the Curtains of Fear

It’s our duty to pull back the curtains, expose our fears, each and every one!  Financial fears, relationship fears, safety fears–call them out in prayer!  Drag them out by the hand of your mind.  Make them stand before God and take their come-uppance!

Jesus made his fears public.  Hebrews 5:7 tells us, “He offered up prayers and petition with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death.”  He prayed loudly enough to be heard and begged his community of friends to pray with him.

The next time you find yourself facing a worst-case moment, verbalize your angst to a trusted circle of God-seekers.  Find your version of Peter, James and John.  The big deal is this:  you needn’t live alone with your fear.

Besides, what if your fears are nothing more than the devil’s hoax?  The

Ecclesiastes 3

A Time for Everything

3 There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
4     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.
9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet[c] no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.

15 Whatever is has already been,
    and what will be has been before;
    and God will call the past to account.[d]
16 And I saw something else under the sun:

In the place of judgment—wickedness was there,
    in the place of justice—wickedness was there.
17 I said to myself,

“God will bring into judgment
    both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
    a time to judge every deed.”
18 I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. 19 Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath[e]; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. 20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”

22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Warnings From Israel’s History

10 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”[a] 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ,[b] as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did —and were killed by the destroying angel.

11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation[c] has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted[d] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,[e] he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

A Sense Of History

May 19, 2012 — by Bill Crowder

All these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition. —1 Corinthians 10:11

As my wife and I toured the British Museum, we were struck by the history and legacy contained in that massive facility in London. We looked at artifacts that were centuries older than anything found in the United States, reminding me how valuable it is to have a sense of history. History gives us a record of perspective, context, and consequences that can help us make wise choices as we learn from both the successes and failures of those who have gone before us.

Paul also saw the value of embracing the lessons of history. He warned of the destructive nature of bad choices by recounting the story of the children of Israel and their wilderness wanderings—a result of their refusal to trust God and enter the Promised Land (see Num. 14). Then Paul told the believers in Corinth, “All these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Cor. 10:11).

God has given us the Bible, partly to help us learn from the history of His people. Biblical lessons contain both examples and warnings to guard us against our worst inclinations and to lead us into wiser living. The question is whether we will learn from the lessons of the past or repeat the mistakes of those who came before us.

Lord, teach us from the stories in Your Word.
We know You’ve put them there to guide us and
give us wisdom. Help us to make obedience
out of love for You our purpose. Amen.
Valuable lessons are learned from examining the lives of God’s people who’ve gone before.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
May 19, 2012

Out of the Wreck I Rise

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? —Romans 8:35

God does not keep His child immune from trouble; He promises, “I will be with him in trouble . . .” (Psalm 91:15). It doesn’t matter how real or intense the adversities may be; nothing can ever separate him from his relationship to God. “In all these things we are more than conquerors . . .” (Romans 8:37). Paul was not referring here to imaginary things, but to things that are dangerously real. And he said we are “super-victors” in the midst of them, not because of our own ingenuity, nor because of our courage, but because none of them affects our essential relationship with God in Jesus Christ. I feel sorry for the Christian who doesn’t have something in the circumstances of his life that he wishes were not there.

“Shall tribulation . . . ?” Tribulation is never a grand, highly welcomed event; but whatever it may be— whether exhausting, irritating, or simply causing some weakness— it is not able to “separate us from the love of Christ.” Never allow tribulations or the “cares of this world” to separate you from remembering that God loves you (Matthew 13:22).

“Shall . . . distress . . . ?” Can God’s love continue to hold fast, even when everyone and everything around us seems to be saying that His love is a lie, and that there is no such thing as justice?

“Shall . . . famine . . . ?” Can we not only believe in the love of God but also be “more than conquerors,” even while we are being starved?

Either Jesus Christ is a deceiver, having deceived even Paul, or else some extraordinary thing happens to someone who holds on to the love of God when the odds are totally against him. Logic is silenced in the face of each of these things which come against him. Only one thing can account for it— the love of God in Christ Jesus. “Out of the wreck I rise” every time.

Ecclesiastes 2 bible reading and devotionals.

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Max Lucado Daily: Making the Impossible Possible


Making the Impossible Possible
Posted: 17 May 2011 11:01 PM PDT
“If you have faith, it will happen.” Matthew 21:21

God always rejoices when we dare to dream. In fact, we are much like God when we dream . . . He wrote the book on making the impossible possible . . .

Eighty-year-old shepherds don’t usually play chicken with Pharaohs . . . but don’t tell that to Moses.

Teenage shepherds don’t normally have showdowns with giants . . . but don’t tell that to David . . . And for sure don’t tell that to God

Ecclesiastes 2

Pleasures Are Meaningless

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

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

10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
    I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
    and this was the reward for all my toil.
11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
    and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
    nothing was gained under the sun.
Wisdom and Folly Are Meaningless

12 Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom,
    and also madness and folly.
What more can the king’s successor do
    than what has already been done?
13 I saw that wisdom is better than folly,
    just as light is better than darkness.
14 The wise have eyes in their heads,
    while the fool walks in the darkness;
but I came to realize
    that the same fate overtakes them both.
15 Then I said to myself,

“The fate of the fool will overtake me also.
    What then do I gain by being wise?”
I said to myself,
    “This too is meaningless.”
16 For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered;
    the days have already come when both have been forgotten.
Like the fool, the wise too must die!
Toil Is Meaningless

17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. 19 And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. 20 So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. 21 For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. 22 What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? 23 All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.

24 A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 26 To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: Psalm 37:1-8

A psalm of David.

 1 Don't be upset because of sinful people.
      Don't be jealous of those who do wrong.
 2 Like grass, they will soon dry up.
      Like green plants, they will soon die.
 3 Trust in the Lord and do good.
      Then you will live in the land and enjoy its food.
 4 Find your delight in the Lord.
      Then he will give you everything your heart really wants.
 5 Commit your life to the Lord.
      Here is what he will do if you trust in him.
 6 He will make your godly ways shine like the dawn.
      He will make your honest life shine like the sun at noon.
 7 Be still. Be patient. Wait for the Lord to act.
      Don't be upset when other people succeed.
      Don't be upset when they carry out their evil plans.
 8 Keep from being angry. Turn away from anger.
      Don't be upset. That only leads to evil.

Not What I Planned

May 18, 2012 — by Anne Cetas

Rest in the Lord. —Psalm 37:7

This isn’t the way I expected my life to be. I wanted to marry at 19, have a half-dozen children, and settle into life as a wife and mother. But instead I went to work, married in my forties, and never had children. For a number of years I was hopeful that Psalm 37:4 might be for me a God-guaranteed promise: “He shall give you the desires of your heart.”

But God doesn’t always “bring it to pass” (v.5), and unmet desires stir up occasional sadness. Like mine, your life may have turned out differently than you planned. A few thoughts from Psalm 37 may be helpful (even though the psalm is primarily about comparing ourselves to the wicked).

We learn from verse 4 that unfulfilled desires don’t have to take the joy out of life. As we get to know God’s heart, He becomes our joy.

“Commit your way to the Lord” (v.5). The word commit means “to roll.” Bible teacher Herbert Lockyear, Sr., says, “‘Roll thy way upon the Lord,’ as one who lays upon the shoulders of one stronger than himself a burden which he is not able to bear.”

“Trust also in Him” (v.5). When we confidently entrust everything to God, we can “rest in the Lord” (v.7), for He is bringing about His best for our lives.

As I walk along life’s pathway,
Though the way I cannot see,
I shall follow in His footsteps,
For He has a plan for me. —Thiesen
A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. —Proverbs 16:9


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
May 18, 2012

Living Simply— Yet Focused

Look at the birds of the air . . . . Consider the lilies of the field . . . —Matthew 6:26, 28

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin”— they simply are! Think of the sea, the air, the sun, the stars, and the moon— all of these simply are as well— yet what a ministry and service they render on our behalf! So often we impair God’s designed influence, which He desires to exhibit through us, because of our own conscious efforts to be consistent and useful. Jesus said there is only one way to develop and grow spiritually, and that is through focusing and concentrating on God. In essence, Jesus was saying, “Do not worry about being of use to others; simply believe on Me.” In other words, pay attention to the Source, and out of you “will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). We cannot discover the source of our natural life through common sense and reasoning, and Jesus is teaching here that growth in our spiritual life comes not from focusing directly on it, but from concentrating on our Father in heaven. Our heavenly Father knows our circumstances, and if we will stay focused on Him, instead of our circumstances, we will grow spiritually— just as “the lilies of the field.”

The people who influence us the most are not those who detain us with their continual talk, but those who live their lives like the stars in the sky and “the lilies of the field”— simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mold and shape us.

If you want to be of use to God, maintain the proper relationship with Jesus Christ by staying focused on Him, and He will make use of you every minute you live— yet you will be unaware, on the conscious level of your life, that you are being used of Him.


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

The Pace Car in Every Race - #6615

Friday, May 18, 2012

The Indy 500 is probably the most exciting American automobile race of the year. I mean, you can almost feel the anticipation growing during the time trials and the qualifying events that lead up to the big race. And then, on the day itself, the engines rev, and the fans and the promoters cheer, and the cars make their first drive around that legendary track in Indianapolis. But there's really no race until that first lap.

They're all going the same speed, led by some guy with flags flying out of his car window. Who is that guy? He's the pace car, and everyone starts the race at the pace he sets. You know, everybody's race has a fellow like that.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Pace Car in Every Race."

Now, our word for today from the Word of God goes right back to the beginning of time - the Garden of Eden, Genesis 3:6. "And when the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate it." Verse 8 says, "The man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord called to the man, 'Where are you?'"

Notice here that God comes looking for the man. The woman sinned first, but He comes looking for the man and He addresses only him. Why is this? Because Adam is meant to be the pace car for Eve. See, God gave all the instructions about the tree to Adam. There is no record, though, of Adam giving them to Eve. Apparently Adam transmitted them to her, and I don't know if he got them across or not; she watered them down.

God seems to say, "If Eve is having a problem, I'm going to go looking to Adam for the reason. Adam, where are you?" Now, there's a principle here that really goes throughout creation: If Adam isn't right, then Eve isn't right. Maybe there's a man listening today who is wondering, why his wife is nagging so much. Maybe it's because he isn't listening and she's doing everything she can to get your attention.

Why is my wife so bossy? Maybe it's because you're not taking charge. Why is she so detached? Maybe you haven't had time for her. If the pace car isn't pacing, then Eve's car starts veering, and sliding, and going too fast or going too slow. If Adam isn't right, Cain and Abel aren't right either. The kids act out of either not enough love or not enough discipline, if Dad neglects his leadership in their lives. He's their pace car too. God just made it this way.


If Adam isn't right, the garden isn't right either. There's stress, conflict, confusion, decisions not made if the man who is supposed to be leading isn't doing it. Think about it today if you happen to be on Adam's side of the human race. Could some of your frustrations be because you've been neglecting your God-given responsibilities to your wife, to your children, or to be the spiritual leader?

See, throughout the Bible the buck always stops with the man. If the cars around you are speeding, and swerving, or crashing, take a good look at the pace car. That's you, man!

Ecclesiastes 1 bible reading and devotionals.

Click to listen to God's teachings.
Max Lucado: A Living Parable

Lurking fears. They’re illogical--perhaps. But they’re also undeniable!
I watched a father and his two small daughters at play. He’s in the water; one of them jumps into his arms. The dry one gleefully watches her sister leap. She dances up and down as the other splashes. But when her dad invites her to do the same, she shakes her head and backs away. A living parable!
How many people spend life on the edge of the pool? Consulting caution. Ignoring faith. Never taking the plunge. They’re content to experience life vicariously through others. For fear of the worst, they never enjoy life at its best.
As followers of God, you and I have a huge asset. We know everything is going to turn out all right. Christ hasn’t budged from His throne, and Romans 8:28 hasn’t evaporated from the Bible. Our problems have always been His possibilities!
"All things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28"

Ecclesiastes 1

The words of the Teacher,[a] son of David, king in Jerusalem:

2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!”
    says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
    Everything is meaningless.”
3 What do people gain from all their labors
    at which they toil under the sun?
4 Generations come and generations go,
    but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises and the sun sets,
    and hurries back to where it rises.
6 The wind blows to the south
    and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
    ever returning on its course.
7 All streams flow into the sea,
    yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
    there they return again.
8 All things are wearisome,
    more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,
    nor the ear its fill of hearing.
9 What has been will be again,
    what has been done will be done again;
    there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything of which one can say,
    “Look! This is something new”?
It was here already, long ago;
    it was here before our time.
11 No one remembers the former generations,
    and even those yet to come
will not be remembered
    by those who follow them.
Wisdom Is Meaningless

12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind! 14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

15 What is crooked cannot be straightened;
    what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 I said to myself, “Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.

18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;
    the more knowledge, the more grief.



Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: John 13:36–14:4

36 Simon Peter asked him, "Lord, where are you going?"

   Jesus replied, "Where I am going you can't follow now. But you will follow me later."

 37 "Lord," Peter asked, "why can't I follow you now? I will give my life for you."

 38 Then Jesus answered, "Will you really give your life for me? What I'm about to tell you is true. Before the rooster crows, you will say three times that you don't know me!

John 14

Jesus Comforts His Disciples

 1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God. Trust in me also.
 2 "There are many rooms in my Father's house. If this were not true, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and do that, I will come back. And I will take you to be with me. Then you will also be where I am.

 4 "You know the way to the place where I am going."

A Place For You

May 17, 2012 — by David C. McCasland

If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. —John 14:3

A couple who brought their elderly aunt to live with them were concerned that she would not feel at home. So they transformed a room in their house into an exact replica of her bedroom at the home she left behind. When their aunt arrived, her furniture, wall hangings, and other favorite things felt like a special “Welcome home!” to her.

In John 13:36–14:4, we read that at the Last Supper Jesus spoke to His disciples and tried to prepare them for His death. When Simon Peter asked, “Where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward” (13:36). Jesus was still speaking directly to Peter (and also meant it for all of His followers) when He said, “In My Father’s house are many mansions [rooms]; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (14:2-3).

Heaven is a family gathering of believers from every tribe and nation, but it is also our Father’s house—and in that house He is preparing a room just for you.

When you arrive in heaven and Jesus opens the door, you’ll know you’re home.

I have a home in heaven above
From sin and sorrow free—
A mansion which eternal love
Designed and formed for me. —Bennett
For the Christian, heaven is spelled H-O-M-E.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
May 17, 2012

His Ascension and Our Access

It came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven —Luke 24:51

We have no experiences in our lives that correspond to the events in our Lord’s life after the transfiguration. From that moment forward His life was altogether substitutionary. Up to the time of the transfiguration, He had exhibited the normal, perfect life of a man. But from the transfiguration forward— Gethsemane, the Cross, the resurrection— everything is unfamiliar to us. His Cross is the door by which every member of the human race can enter into the life of God; by His resurrection He has the right to give eternal life to anyone, and by His ascension our Lord entered heaven, keeping the door open for humanity.

The transfiguration was completed on the Mount of Ascension. If Jesus had gone to heaven directly from the Mount of Transfiguration, He would have gone alone. He would have been nothing more to us than a glorious Figure. But He turned His back on the glory, and came down from the mountain to identify Himself with fallen humanity.

The ascension is the complete fulfillment of the transfiguration. Our Lord returned to His original glory, but not simply as the Son of God— He returned to His father as the Son of Man as well. There is now freedom of access for anyone straight to the very throne of God because of the ascension of the Son of Man. As the Son of Man, Jesus Christ deliberately limited His omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience. But now they are His in absolute, full power. As the Son of Man, Jesus Christ now has all the power at the throne of God. From His ascension forward He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

The Best Part of Waking Up - #6614

Thursday, May 17, 201

So, our whole family had to go for blood tests. It was time to check everyone's cholesterol levels, we were told. Now, as our son's blood was being drawn, he suddenly said, "I'm feeling a little weak." Well, that's unusual, because this son was probably the strongest member of the family.

But this actually had to do with chemistry, not strength, and he proceeded to suddenly go limp and then he passed out. When he came to just a few moments later, his first words were of course, "What happened?" He later said that all he remembered was his eyes opening and seeing a mother's concerned face. Yep, there was Mom!

And then that made him think back to a post-operative situation he had had once. Right after surgery he was in the recovery room and he said, "All I remember is opening my eyes and seeing this really old nurse." Well, it's kind of funny how strong those like just waking up impressions are.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Best Part of Waking Up."

Now, our word for today from the Word of God comes from Psalm 17:15. David says, "And I - in righteousness I will see Your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness." Now, I think he's talking primarily here about physical resurrection after he dies. You know, "After I die, I'm looking forward to seeing You." But this can also be applied to a lifestyle like this; waking up and seeing His likeness.

There's a coffee company, remember, that had a commercial that said, "The best part of waking up is...in your cup." You know? We don't do commercials. Well, rather than their kind of coffee in your cup, I'd like to rewrite that a little bit. The best part of waking up is Jesus in your room. That's what David's saying, "I'm satisfied when I wake up with seeing Your likeness."

The early moments of your day kind of set the tone for the day. Is it going to be a stress day, is it going to be a worry day, a dirty day, a negative day, a go-for-it day? So much depends on whether or not you consciously spend your waking moments with Jesus. And let me tell you, that takes discipline. As soon as you've got any control of your thoughts, you come out of that fog and you're starting to be able to think, that's the time to first before anything else acknowledge Jesus. "Lord, You're here aren't You? Lord, I'm Yours, right?" And in those groggy, getting up and getting ready moments, talk to Him; thank Him for something from yesterday, turn over to Him whatever you know will tend to be dominating your day today.

Isaiah put it this way, "You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You." In the morning it's like 20 different characters are trying to get on center stage in your head, including the devil probably. The night before, make the choice that Jesus Christ is going to be the only one on center stage in the beginning of your day, the beginning of your morning. "Seek first the kingdom of God." Remember that? Maybe that includes seeking Him before you talk with or think about anyone else. Don't check your emails, don't turn on the television, and don't answer the phone. Get up early if you have to, but don't be in anybody else's presence until you've been in His. Seek Him first in your day, in those early groggy moments.


That Jesus focus can set your course for the whole day. And after a day begun with the Lord of the universe, you're ready for anything.

See, the best part of waking up? Yep, it's waking up to Jesus.

Click to listen to God's teaching.
Max Lucado Daily: Fear is an Option

Feed your fears, and your faith will starve.  Feed your faith, and your fears will!

That’s what Jeremiah did.  He said, “I am a man who has seen affliction under the rod of God’s wrath.”   Jerusalem was under siege.  His world collapsed like a sand castle in a typhoon.  His body ached.  His heart was sick.  And Jeremiah faulted God for his horrible emotional distress.  But when he realized how fast he was sinking, he shifted his gaze.

He said, “But this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.” Jeremiah altered his thoughts, shifted his attention.  He turned his eyes and looked into the wonder of God.  His troubles didn’t cease, but his discouragement did.

Storms are not an option… but fear is!

Acts 8:26-40
New International Version (NIV)
Philip and the Ethiopian

26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian[a] eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:

“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
    and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
    Who can speak of his descendants?
    For his life was taken from the earth.”[b]
34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” [37] [c] 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: Galatians 2:11-21

Paul Opposes Peter

 11 When Peter came to Antioch, I told him to his face that I was against what he was doing. He was clearly wrong. 12 He used to eat with those who weren't Jews. But certain men came from the group that was led by James. When they arrived, Peter began to draw back. He separated himself from the non-Jews. He was afraid of the circumcision group.
 13 Peter's actions were not honest. The other Jews joined him. Even Barnabas was led down the wrong path.

 14 I saw what they were doing. It was not in line with the truth of the good news. So I spoke to Peter in front of them all. "You are a Jew," I said. "But you live like one who is not. So why do you force non-Jews to follow Jewish ways?"

God's Grace and Our Faith

 15 We are Jews by birth. We are not "non-Jewish sinners." 16 We know that no one is made right with God by obeying the law. It is by believing in Jesus Christ. So we too have put our faith in Christ Jesus. That is so we can be made right with God by believing in Christ, not by obeying the law. No one can be made right with God by obeying the law.
 17 We are trying to be made right with God through Christ. But it is clear that we are sinners. So does that mean that Christ causes us to sin? Certainly not! 18 Suppose I build again what I had destroyed. Then I prove that I break the Law.

 19 Because of the law, I died as far as the law is concerned. I died so that I might live for God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. I don't live any longer. Christ lives in me. My faith in the Son of God helps me to live my life in my body. He loved me. He gave himself for me.

 21 I do not get rid of the grace of God. What if a person could become right with God by obeying the law? Then Christ died for nothing!

Courageous Conversation

May 16, 2012 — by Marvin Williams

When Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed. —Galatians 2:11

Is it possible that technological advances in communication have left us unable to confront people properly? After all, employers can now send layoff notices via e-mail. And people can criticize others on Facebook and Twitter instead of talking face to face. Perhaps it might be better to put all that aside and emulate how Paul communicated with Peter when they had a disagreement.

Paul had to confront Peter for compromising grace (Gal. 2:11-16). Peter had been fellowshiping with Gentiles, but when the Judaizers arrived (who believed that sinners are saved through Jesus plus keeping the law of Moses), Peter separated himself from the Gentiles. He ostracized them while professing to be one with them. Seeing this hypocrisy, Paul, in love and with passion, confronted Peter face to face for cowering to a legalistic system that was powerless to change lives. He vigorously reminded Peter that grace leads to freedom from sin’s slavery and to obedience to God.

Having courageous conversations with fellow Christians can be difficult, but they will promote purity and unity. We can carry out our responsibility to one another to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15) by walking in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Lord, give us courage to confront
Believers who have strayed;
And then with gentleness restore
By coming to their aid. —Sper
A well-chosen word can speak volumes.



My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
May 16, 2012

The Habit of Recognizing God’s Provision

. . . you may be partakers of the divine nature . . . —2 Peter 1:4

We are made “partakers of the divine nature,” receiving and sharing God’s own nature through His promises. Then we have to work that divine nature into our human nature by developing godly habits. The first habit to develop is the habit of recognizing God’s provision for us. We say, however, “Oh, I can’t afford it.” One of the worst lies is wrapped up in that statement. We talk as if our heavenly Father has cut us off without a penny! We think it is a sign of true humility to say at the end of the day, “Well, I just barely got by today, but it was a severe struggle.” And yet all of Almighty God is ours in the Lord Jesus! And He will reach to the last grain of sand and the remotest star to bless us if we will only obey Him. Does it really matter that our circumstances are difficult? Why shouldn’t they be! If we give way to self-pity and indulge in the luxury of misery, we remove God’s riches from our lives and hinder others from entering into His provision. No sin is worse than the sin of self-pity, because it removes God from the throne of our lives, replacing Him with our own self-interests. It causes us to open our mouths only to complain, and we simply become spiritual sponges— always absorbing, never giving, and never being satisfied. And there is nothing lovely or generous about our lives.

Before God becomes satisfied with us, He will take everything of our so-called wealth, until we learn that He is our Source; as the psalmist said, “All my springs are in You” (Psalm 87:7). If the majesty, grace, and power of God are not being exhibited in us, God holds us responsible. “God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you . . . may have an abundance . . .” (2 Corinthians 9:8)— then learn to lavish the grace of God on others, generously giving of yourself. Be marked and identified with God’s nature, and His blessing will flow through you all the time.


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

In the Path of the Storm - #6613

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Well, I went to get an additional weather alert radio for our home. They were out. I probably shouldn't have been surprised. Not in light of the recent tornadoes; what they have done to lives and property across eleven states then. And we weren't far from one of those ourselves.

All the broken homes, the broken hearts; towns that were nearly erased. It's heart-wrenching to watch. And with all the shock and loss, everybody was saying, "It could have been so much worse."USA Today had an article, and it talked about "killer tornadoes aftermath" and the article declared, "Amid tragedy, 'thank God.'"

One man in Indiana lost his house and his horses, but was thanking God his family was okay, and they were quoting him. His comment was that "he had enough warning of the storms' approach to leave for safer ground." And so he said, "Thank God."

You know, that seemed to be the common denominator of every survival story I've seen. They had a warning and they heeded the warning. Responding to the warning and taking shelter where it's safe? That's literally the difference between life and death for now and forever.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "In the Path of the Storm."

Years ago, I heard God's warning about the storm that's coming, and His invitation to go to the one place where I could be safe, and it changed everything.

In our word for today from the Word of God, Jesus issued a sobering eternity warning in John 8:24. He said, "If you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins." See, to die unforgiven is to stand in the path of the storm, because sin, which is the aborting of the Creator's plan for me, rejecting Him being God so I could be god of my life, it carries with it intrinsic judgment.

A sinless God can't allow me and my sin in His presence. So, as the Bible says, "Your sins have separated you from your God" (Isaiah 59:2). Living without Him is hard. Dying without Him is hell. With God's warning also comes God's way to escape the storm. See, the same God I've turned my back on - whose judgment for my sin comes closer every day - acted with this radical, incalculable love to provide a safe place for my soul. "God showed His great love for us (the Bible says) by sending Christ to die for us" (Romans 5:8). That's God's Son dying an excruciating death on a cross for us, in our place, absorbing the storm of God's judgment on my sin so I would never have to. To this day, that love that held nothing back overwhelms me beyond words.

I remember hearing how Native Americans saved their villages from raging prairie fires years ago. They actually set a fire to stop a fire. They burned the ground around the village to deprive the fire of the fuel it needed. And they said, "The fire cannot come where the fire has already been."

See, that's what happened at Jesus' cross. The fire of God's judgment on our sin fell on God's Son instead. So, as the Bible says, "whoever believes in Him is not condemned" (John 3:18). When I embrace Jesus and His sacrifice as the payment for my sin, the forgiveness He purchased on the cross becomes mine, and every sin is erased from God's book forever.

When a storm warning is issued, you can ignore it, you can postpone doing something about it, and you can stand totally exposed to the killer storm. Or you can go where you're safe from the storm. And that's the choice God gives us about the Son He sent to save us. "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life" (John 3:36).


Look! The warning's been sounded and we're all in the path of the storm, but there is one safe place. The cross where Jesus died for you, where God's precious Son took the full force of the storm so we don't have to. Let this be the day when you grab this Jesus to be your Rescuer. Go to the safe place; run to Jesus today. Start your relationship with Him. Go to our website there. I'll do my best there to walk you through how to get that relationship started - YoursForLife.net.

Because God's one question when we enter eternity is going to be this: "What did you do with My Son?" Because of what His Son did for you.