1 Chronicles 2, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: GOD’S BOOK IS ENOUGH

Where do you feel empty? Are you hungry for attention, craving success, longing for intimacy? Be aware of your weaknesses. Bring them to God before Satan brings them to you! Satan will tell you, as he did when tempting Jesus, to turn stones into bread. In other words, to take matters into your own hands; leave God out of it. If Satan convinces us to trust our works over God’s Word, he has us dangling from a broken limb!

Do what Jesus did. In Satan’s temptation of Jesus, three times Jesus repeated, “It is written…”  Jesus overcame temptation, not with special voices or supernatural signs, but by remembering and quoting Scripture. Let God’s word silence Satan’s lies and see what happens.

From More to Your Story

1 Chronicles 2

Descendants of Israel
2 The sons of Israel[v] were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, 2 Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

Descendants of Judah
3 Judah had three sons from Bathshua, a Canaanite woman. Their names were Er, Onan, and Shelah. But the Lord saw that the oldest son, Er, was a wicked man, so he killed him. 4 Later Judah had twin sons from Tamar, his widowed daughter-in-law. Their names were Perez and Zerah. So Judah had five sons in all.

5 The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.

6 The sons of Zerah were Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Darda[w]—five in all.

7 The son of Carmi (a descendant of Zimri) was Achan,[x] who brought disaster on Israel by taking plunder that had been set apart for the Lord.[y]

8 The son of Ethan was Azariah.

From Judah’s Grandson Hezron to David
9 The sons of Hezron were Jerahmeel, Ram, and Caleb.[z]

10 Ram was the father of Amminadab.
Amminadab was the father of Nahshon, a leader of Judah.
11 Nahshon was the father of Salmon.[aa]
Salmon was the father of Boaz.
12 Boaz was the father of Obed.
Obed was the father of Jesse.
13 Jesse’s first son was Eliab, his second was Abinadab, his third was Shimea, 14 his fourth was Nethanel, his fifth was Raddai, 15 his sixth was Ozem, and his seventh was David.

16 Their sisters were named Zeruiah and Abigail. Zeruiah had three sons named Abishai, Joab, and Asahel. 17 Abigail married a man named Jether, an Ishmaelite, and they had a son named Amasa.

Other Descendants of Hezron
18 Hezron’s son Caleb had sons from his wife Azubah and from Jerioth.[ab] Her sons were named Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. 19 After Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrathah,[ac] and they had a son named Hur. 20 Hur was the father of Uri. Uri was the father of Bezalel.

21 When Hezron was sixty years old, he married Gilead’s sister, the daughter of Makir. They had a son named Segub. 22 Segub was the father of Jair, who ruled twenty-three towns in the land of Gilead. 23 (But Geshur and Aram captured the Towns of Jair[ad] and also took Kenath and its sixty surrounding villages.) All these were descendants of Makir, the father of Gilead.

24 Soon after Hezron died in the town of Caleb-ephrathah, his wife Abijah gave birth to a son named Ashhur (the father of[ae] Tekoa).

Descendants of Hezron’s Son Jerahmeel
25 The sons of Jerahmeel, the oldest son of Hezron, were Ram (the firstborn), Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. 26 Jerahmeel had a second wife named Atarah. She was the mother of Onam.

27 The sons of Ram, the oldest son of Jerahmeel, were Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.

28 The sons of Onam were Shammai and Jada.

The sons of Shammai were Nadab and Abishur.

29 The sons of Abishur and his wife Abihail were Ahban and Molid.

30 The sons of Nadab were Seled and Appaim. Seled died without children, 31 but Appaim had a son named Ishi. The son of Ishi was Sheshan. Sheshan had a descendant named Ahlai.

32 The sons of Jada, Shammai’s brother, were Jether and Jonathan. Jether died without children, 33 but Jonathan had two sons named Peleth and Zaza.

These were all descendants of Jerahmeel.

34 Sheshan had no sons, though he did have daughters. He also had an Egyptian servant named Jarha. 35 Sheshan gave one of his daughters to be the wife of Jarha, and they had a son named Attai.

36 Attai was the father of Nathan.
Nathan was the father of Zabad.
37 Zabad was the father of Ephlal.
Ephlal was the father of Obed.
38 Obed was the father of Jehu.
Jehu was the father of Azariah.
39 Azariah was the father of Helez.
Helez was the father of Eleasah.
40 Eleasah was the father of Sismai.
Sismai was the father of Shallum.
41 Shallum was the father of Jekamiah.
Jekamiah was the father of Elishama.
Descendants of Hezron’s Son Caleb
42 The descendants of Caleb, the brother of Jerahmeel, included Mesha (the firstborn), who became the father of Ziph. Caleb’s descendants also included the sons of Mareshah, the father of Hebron.[af]

43 The sons of Hebron were Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema. 44 Shema was the father of Raham. Raham was the father of Jorkeam. Rekem was the father of Shammai. 45 The son of Shammai was Maon. Maon was the father of Beth-zur.

46 Caleb’s concubine Ephah gave birth to Haran, Moza, and Gazez. Haran was the father of Gazez.

47 The sons of Jahdai were Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph.

48 Another of Caleb’s concubines, Maacah, gave birth to Sheber and Tirhanah. 49 She also gave birth to Shaaph (the father of Madmannah) and Sheva (the father of Macbenah and Gibea). Caleb also had a daughter named Acsah.

50 These were all descendants of Caleb.

Descendants of Caleb’s Son Hur
The sons of Hur, the oldest son of Caleb’s wife Ephrathah, were Shobal (the founder of Kiriath-jearim), 51 Salma (the founder of Bethlehem), and Hareph (the founder of Beth-gader).

52 The descendants of Shobal (the founder of Kiriath-jearim) were Haroeh, half the Manahathites, 53 and the families of Kiriath-jearim—the Ithrites, Puthites, Shumathites, and Mishraites, from whom came the people of Zorah and Eshtaol.

54 The descendants of Salma were the people of Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth-beth-joab, the other half of the Manahathites, the Zorites, 55 and the families of scribes living at Jabez—the Tirathites, Shimeathites, and Sucathites. All these were Kenites who descended from Hammath, the father of the family of Recab.[ag]

Footnotes:

2:1 Israel is the name that God gave to Jacob.
2:6 As in many Hebrew manuscripts, some Greek manuscripts, and Syriac version (see also 1 Kgs 4:31); Hebrew reads Dara.
2:7a Hebrew Achar; compare Josh 7:1. Achar means “disaster.”
2:7b The Hebrew term used here refers to the complete consecration of things or people to the Lord, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
2:9 Hebrew Kelubai, a variant spelling of Caleb; compare 2:18.
2:11 As in Greek version (see also Ruth 4:20); Hebrew reads Salma.
2:18 Or Caleb had a daughter named Jerioth from his wife, Azubah. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
2:19 Hebrew Ephrath, a variant spelling of Ephrathah; compare 2:50 and 4:4.
2:23 Or captured Havvoth-jair.
2:24 Or the founder of; also in 2:42, 45, 49.
2:42 Or who founded Hebron. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
2:55 Or the founder of Beth-recab.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, May 09, 2016

Read: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

Live to Please God

Finally, dear brothers and sisters,[a] we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more. 2 For you remember what we taught you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

3 God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. 4 Then each of you will control his own body[b] and live in holiness and honor— 5 not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. 6 Never harm or cheat a fellow believer in this matter by violating his wife,[c] for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before. 7 God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. 8 Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

9 But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other,[d] for God himself has taught you to love one another. 10 Indeed, you already show your love for all the believers[e] throughout Macedonia. Even so, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you to love them even more.

11 Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. 12 Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.

Footnotes:

4:1 Greek brothers; also in 4:10, 13.
4:4 Or will know how to take a wife for himself; or will learn to live with his own wife; Greek reads will know how to possess his own vessel.
4:6 Greek Never harm or cheat a brother in this matter.
4:9 Greek about brotherly love.
4:10 Greek the brothers.

INSIGHT:
Paul commended the Thessalonian Christians for being “a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia” (1 Thess. 1:7). In today’s reading, Paul urges them to continue to live lives that “please God” (4:1). As believers, our desire should be to “live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way” (Col. 1:10).

Keep Climbing!
By Marvin Williams

Encourage one another daily. Hebrews 3:13

Richard needed a push, and he got one. He was rock climbing with his friend Kevin who was the belayer (the one who secures the rope). Exhausted and ready to quit, Richard asked Kevin to lower him to the ground. But Kevin urged him on, saying he had come too far to quit. Dangling in midair, Richard decided to keep trying. Amazingly, he was able to reconnect with the rock and complete the climb because of his friend’s encouragement.

In the early church, followers of Jesus encouraged one another to continue to follow their Lord and to show compassion. In a culture riddled with immorality, they passionately appealed to one another to live pure lives (Rom. 12:1; 1 Thess. 4:1). Believers encouraged one another daily, as God prompted them to do so (Acts 13:15). They urged each other to intercede for the body (Rom. 15:30), to help people stay connected to the church (Heb. 10:25), and to love more and more (1 Thess. 4:10).

Through His death and resurrection, Jesus has connected us to one another. Therefore, we have the responsibility and privilege with God’s enablement to encourage fellow believers to finish the climb of trusting and obeying Him.

When was the last time you needed to urge someone to keep following Jesus? Who has encouraged you or stirred you to pursue holiness, to keep praying, or to enlarge your love for Jesus and others?

Share with us at Facebook.com/ourdailybread

Encourage one another and build each other up. 1 Thessalonians 5:11


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, May 09, 2016
Reaching Beyond Our Grasp

Where there is no revelation [or prophetic vision], the people cast off restraint… —Proverbs 29:18

There is a difference between holding on to a principle and having a vision. A principle does not come from moral inspiration, but a vision does. People who are totally consumed with idealistic principles rarely do anything. A person’s own idea of God and His attributes may actually be used to justify and rationalize his deliberate neglect of his duty. Jonah tried to excuse his disobedience by saying to God, “…I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm” (Jonah 4:2). I too may have the right idea of God and His attributes, but that may be the very reason why I do not do my duty. But wherever there is vision, there is also a life of honesty and integrity, because the vision gives me the moral incentive.

Our own idealistic principles may actually lull us into ruin. Examine yourself spiritually to see if you have vision, or only principles.

Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp,
Or what’s a heaven for?

“Where there is no revelation [or prophetic vision]….” Once we lose sight of God, we begin to be reckless. We cast off certain restraints from activities we know are wrong. We set prayer aside as well and cease having God’s vision in the little things of life. We simply begin to act on our own initiative. If we are eating only out of our own hand, and doing things solely on our own initiative without expecting God to come in, we are on a downward path. We have lost the vision. Is our attitude today an attitude that flows from our vision of God? Are we expecting God to do greater things than He has ever done before? Is there a freshness and a vitality in our spiritual outlook?

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

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


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, May 09, 2016

Why You're Not Getting the Harvest You Hoped For - #7651

If I ever want to know anything about gardening, I ask the man in my world who is the master gardener-my friend, Mark. He doesn't ever need to shop in the produce department. No, he's got his own produce department in his backyard in this fabulous garden of his. He once told me about these incredible raspberries he saw growing in the woods near his home. But why have to go hunting for them in the woods, right? You could just transplant those raspberries and grow them in your garden, right?

Well, Mark was sorry he did that. In the woods, where God planted them, the berries had been big and many. But in Mark's garden, where he planted them, those same bushes produced berries that were small and few.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Why You're Not Getting the Harvest You Hoped For."

My gardener friend was thinking about his puny raspberries when he said to me, "Things just do a lot better when they're grown God's way." That applies to a lot more than berries. In fact, it may explain why the outcome you've been getting isn't the outcome you've been hoping for.

God addresses the difference between His way and my way in our word for today from the Word of God in Isaiah 50:10-11. "Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of His servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. But now, all you who light fires and provide themselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires, and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from My hand: You will lie down in torment."

The picture here isn't about how to grow a great harvest, but how to handle the dark times, the confusing times, the tough times, but the principle is the same. One way is to relax and rely on God to make things happen. Remember, my friend said, "Things just do a lot better when they're grown God's way." The other choice is to start making your own sources of light-to try to make it happen yourself.

Now for us control freaks, that's one of the greatest dangers in our life, one of the greatest sources of pain and frustration and failure. We can't wait for God's timing. We can't trust God to get it done. He might need a little help from us. We have to fall back on our own intelligence and our persuasion and our planning, our schemes, our skill, our effort. God sternly reminds us of where trying to force it will leave us. "You will lie down in torment." He says you're going to pay a painful price for you trying to make it happen, force it to happen, doing it your way instead of His way; blowing right past what He wants because you're impatient and can't wait for Him.

The poet Whittier said, "Of all sad words of tongue or pen, 'tis the saddest of these, it might have been." I wonder if that's going to be the epitaph over your life as you review it with Jesus in heaven. "What might have been" - if only you had let go of the wheel, if only you had relinquished control, if only you had waited for God to do it His way. But all you got instead was what you could do instead of the much bigger, better thing that God could have done.

Remember those raspberries. When you try to make things grow your way in your place, the harvest is small. But when you let God grow it His way in His place in His time, you're going to be amazed with the size of the harvest!

1 Chronicles 1, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Loaded With Fears

I don’t care how tough you are. You may be a Navy SEAL.  Doesn’t matter.  Every parent melts the moment he or she feels the full force of parenthood!

How did I get myself into this?  My moment came in the midnight quiet of an apartment in downtown Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, as I held a human being—my daughter—in my arms.

The semi-truck of parenting comes loaded with fears. Will we have enough money?  Enough answers?  Enough education?  It’s enough to keep a parent awake at night.

God has a heart for parents!  Are we surprised?  After all, God himself is a father. What parental emotion has he not felt?  But because of his great love for us, Romans says, “he did not spare his own son but gave him for us all.  So with Jesus, God will surely give us all things!”

ALL THINGS—must include courage and hope!

1 Chronicles 1

From Adam to Noah’s Sons
1 The descendants of Adam were Seth, Enosh, 2 Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, 3 Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, 4 and Noah.

The sons of Noah were[a] Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Descendants of Japheth
5 The descendants of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.

6 The descendants of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath,[b] and Togarmah.

7 The descendants of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim.

Descendants of Ham
8 The descendants of Ham were Cush, Mizraim,[c] Put, and Canaan.

9 The descendants of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The descendants of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. 10 Cush was also the ancestor of Nimrod, who was the first heroic warrior on earth.

11 Mizraim was the ancestor of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, 12 Pathrusites, Casluhites, and the Caphtorites, from whom the Philistines came.[d]

13 Canaan’s oldest son was Sidon, the ancestor of the Sidonians. Canaan was also the ancestor of the Hittites,[e] 14 Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, 15 Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, 16 Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites.

Descendants of Shem
17 The descendants of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.

The descendants of Aram were[f] Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.[g]

18 Arphaxad was the father of Shelah.

Shelah was the father of Eber.

19 Eber had two sons. The first was named Peleg (which means “division”), for during his lifetime the people of the world were divided into different language groups. His brother’s name was Joktan.

20 Joktan was the ancestor of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 21 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 22 Obal,[h] Abimael, Sheba, 23 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were descendants of Joktan.

24 So this is the family line descended from Shem: Arphaxad, Shelah,[i] 25 Eber, Peleg, Reu, 26 Serug, Nahor, Terah, 27 and Abram, later known as Abraham.

Descendants of Abraham
28 The sons of Abraham were Isaac and Ishmael. 29 These are their genealogical records:

The sons of Ishmael were Nebaioth (the oldest), Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 30 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, 31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael.

32 The sons of Keturah, Abraham’s concubine, were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.

The sons of Jokshan were Sheba and Dedan.

33 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah.

All these were descendants of Abraham through his concubine Keturah.

Descendants of Isaac
34 Abraham was the father of Isaac. The sons of Isaac were Esau and Israel.[j]

Descendants of Esau
35 The sons of Esau were Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

36 The descendants of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho,[k] Gatam, Kenaz, and Amalek, who was born to Timna.[l]

37 The descendants of Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.

Original Peoples of Edom
38 The descendants of Seir were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan.

39 The descendants of Lotan were Hori and Hemam.[m] Lotan’s sister was named Timna.

40 The descendants of Shobal were Alvan,[n] Manahath, Ebal, Shepho,[o] and Onam.

The descendants of Zibeon were Aiah and Anah.

41 The son of Anah was Dishon.

The descendants of Dishon were Hemdan,[p] Eshban, Ithran, and Keran.

42 The descendants of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.[q]

The descendants of Dishan[r] were Uz and Aran.

Rulers of Edom
43 These are the kings who ruled in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites[s]:

Bela son of Beor, who ruled from his city of Dinhabah.

44 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah became king in his place.

45 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites became king in his place.

46 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad became king in his place and ruled from the city of Avith. He was the one who destroyed the Midianite army in the land of Moab.

47 When Hadad died, Samlah from the city of Masrekah became king in his place.

48 When Samlah died, Shaul from the city of Rehoboth-on-the-River became king in his place.

49 When Shaul died, Baal-hanan son of Acbor became king in his place.

50 When Baal-hanan died, Hadad became king in his place and ruled from the city of Pau.[t] His wife was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred and granddaughter of Me-zahab. 51 Then Hadad died.

The clan leaders of Edom were Timna, Alvah,[u] Jetheth, 52 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 53 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 54 Magdiel, and Iram. These are the clan leaders of Edom.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Sunday, May 08, 2016

Read: Isaiah 49:13-21
Sing for joy, O heavens!
    Rejoice, O earth!
    Burst into song, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted his people
    and will have compassion on them in their suffering.
14 Yet Jerusalem[a] says, “The Lord has deserted us;
    the Lord has forgotten us.”
15 “Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child?
    Can she feel no love for the child she has borne?
But even if that were possible,
    I would not forget you!
16 See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.
    Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins.
17 Soon your descendants will come back,
    and all who are trying to destroy you will go away.
18 Look around you and see,
    for all your children will come back to you.
As surely as I live,” says the Lord,
    “they will be like jewels or bridal ornaments for you to display.
19 “Even the most desolate parts of your abandoned land
    will soon be crowded with your people.
Your enemies who enslaved you
    will be far away.
20 The generations born in exile will return and say,
    ‘We need more room! It’s crowded here!’
21 Then you will think to yourself,
    ‘Who has given me all these descendants?
For most of my children were killed,
    and the rest were carried away into exile.
I was left here all alone.
    Where did all these people come from?
Who bore these children?
    Who raised them for me?’”
Footnotes:

49:14 Hebrew Zion.

INSIGHT:
The love of a mother for her newborn child serves as a powerful symbol of God’s love for us. Life has its inevitable painful surprises and upsets, and we can sometimes be tempted to doubt the goodness, protection, and provision of the God who has redeemed us. But as this wonderful Bible passage shows, our heavenly Father could no more forget about us than a nursing mother can turn her back on her child. The example of faithful parental care can serve as a reminder of God’s never-ending love.

Not Forgotten
By Lawrence Darmani

I will not forget you! Isaiah 49:15

At her mother’s 50th birthday celebration with hundreds of people present, firstborn daughter Kukua recounted what her mother had done for her. The times were hard, Kukua remembered, and funds were scarce in the home. But her single mother deprived herself of personal comfort, selling her precious jewelry and other possessions in order to put Kukua through high school. With tears in her eyes, Kukua said that no matter how difficult things were, her mother never abandoned her or her siblings.

God compared His love for His people with a mother’s love for her child. When the people of Israel felt abandoned by God during their exile, they complained: “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me” (Isa. 49:14). But God said, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!” (v. 15).

Thank You, Lord, that I am Yours forever.
When we are distressed or disillusioned, we may feel abandoned by society, family, and friends, but God does not abandon us. It is a great encouragement that the Lord says, "I have engraved you on the palms of my hands" (v. 16) to indicate how much He knows and protects us. Even if people forsake us, God will never forsake His own.

Thank You, Lord, that I am Yours forever. I’m thankful that I won’t have to walk through any experience alone.

God never forgets us.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, May 08, 2016


The Faith to Persevere

Because you have kept My command to persevere… —Revelation 3:10

Perseverance means more than endurance— more than simply holding on until the end. A saint’s life is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see, but our Lord continues to stretch and strain, and every once in a while the saint says, “I can’t take any more.” Yet God pays no attention; He goes on stretching until His purpose is in sight, and then He lets the arrow fly. Entrust yourself to God’s hands. Is there something in your life for which you need perseverance right now? Maintain your intimate relationship with Jesus Christ through the perseverance of faith. Proclaim as Job did, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15).

Faith is not some weak and pitiful emotion, but is strong and vigorous confidence built on the fact that God is holy love. And even though you cannot see Him right now and cannot understand what He is doing, you know Him. Disaster occurs in your life when you lack the mental composure that comes from establishing yourself on the eternal truth that God is holy love. Faith is the supreme effort of your life— throwing yourself with abandon and total confidence upon God.

God ventured His all in Jesus Christ to save us, and now He wants us to venture our all with total abandoned confidence in Him. There are areas in our lives where that faith has not worked in us as yet— places still untouched by the life of God. There were none of those places in Jesus Christ’s life, and there are to be none in ours. Jesus prayed, “This is eternal life, that they may know You…” (John 17:3). The real meaning of eternal life is a life that can face anything it has to face without wavering. If we will take this view, life will become one great romance— a glorious opportunity of seeing wonderful things all the time. God is disciplining us to get us into this central place of power.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

We never enter into the Kingdom of God by having our head questions answered, but only by commitment.
The Highest Good—Thy Great Redemption

1 Corinthians 5, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Give Your Child to God

You’ve wept a monsoon of tears for your child, enough to summon the attention of every angel and their neighbor to your cause.  But you’re not so sure anymore.

You find yourself wondering if Christ has forgotten you and your child.  He hasn’t!  Keep giving your child to God.  In the right time, the right way, he will give your child back to you.

A quarter century ago, I gave my daughter to God.  I remembered the way Abraham had placed Isaac on the altar.  I made my apartment living room my altar and lifted my daughter toward heaven.  I can’t raise this girl, I confessed, but You can.  I give her back to you!  Must have been a sight to behold, a pajama-clad father lifting his blanket-wrapped baby toward the ceiling.  But something tells me one parent appreciated the gesture.

Abraham.  And, of course, God!

1 Corinthians 5

Paul Condemns Spiritual Pride
5 I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you—something that even pagans don’t do. I am told that a man in your church is living in sin with his stepmother.[a] 2 You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame. And you should remove this man from your fellowship.

3 Even though I am not with you in person, I am with you in the Spirit.[b] And as though I were there, I have already passed judgment on this man 4 in the name of the Lord Jesus. You must call a meeting of the church.[c] I will be present with you in spirit, and so will the power of our Lord Jesus. 5 Then you must throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so that his sinful nature will be destroyed[d] and he himself[e] will be saved on the day the Lord[f] returns.

6 Your boasting about this is terrible. Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old “yeast” by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us.[g] 8 So let us celebrate the festival, not with the old bread[h] of wickedness and evil, but with the new bread[i] of sincerity and truth.

9 When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. 10 But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. 11 I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer[j] yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people.

12 It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. 13 God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”[k]

Footnotes:
5:1 Greek his father’s wife.
5:3 Or in spirit.
5:4 Or In the name of the Lord Jesus, you must call a meeting of the church.
5:5a Or so that his body will be destroyed; Greek reads for the destruction of the flesh.
5:5b Greek and the spirit.
5:5c Other manuscripts read the Lord Jesus; still others read our Lord Jesus Christ.
5:7 Greek has been sacrificed.
5:8a Greek not with old leaven.
5:8b Greek but with unleavened [bread].
5:11 Greek a brother.
5:13 Deut 17:7.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Saturday, May 07, 2016
Read: 2 Kings 2:5-12

Then the group of prophets from Jericho came to Elisha and asked him, “Did you know that the Lord is going to take your master away from you today?”

“Of course I know,” Elisha answered. “But be quiet about it.”

6 Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has told me to go to the Jordan River.”

But again Elisha replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you.” So they went on together.

7 Fifty men from the group of prophets also went and watched from a distance as Elijah and Elisha stopped beside the Jordan River. 8 Then Elijah folded his cloak together and struck the water with it. The river divided, and the two of them went across on dry ground!

9 When they came to the other side, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken away.”

And Elisha replied, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit and become your successor.”

10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah replied. “If you see me when I am taken from you, then you will get your request. But if not, then you won’t.”

11 As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father! My father! I see the chariots and charioteers of Israel!” And as they disappeared from sight, Elisha tore his clothes in distress.

INSIGHT:
When Elisha received the “double portion” of Elijah’s spirit, the first thing he asked was, “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” (2 Kings 2:14). This question voices Elisha’s deep concern that the ministry Elijah had—bringing the word of the Lord to the people—would not cease after Elijah was taken to heaven.

The Promised Spirit
By Amy Boucher Pye

“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. 2 Kings 2:9

Tenacity and audacity—Elisha had heaps of both. Having spent time with Elijah, he witnessed the Lord working through the prophet by performing miracles and by speaking truth in an age of lies. Second Kings 2:1 tells us that Elijah is about to be taken “up to heaven,” and Elisha doesn’t want him to leave.

The time came for the dreaded separation, and Elisha knew he needed what Elijah had if he was going to successfully continue the ministry. So he made a daring demand: “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit” (2 Kings 2:9). His bold request was a reference to the double portion given the firstborn son or heir under the law (Deut. 21:17). Elisha wanted to be recognized as the heir of Elijah. And God said yes.

Recently one of my mentors—a woman who spread the good news of Jesus—died. Having battled ill health for years, she was ready to enjoy her eternal feast with the Lord. Those of us who loved her were grateful at the thought of her newfound freedom from pain and that she could enjoy God’s presence, but we grieved the loss of her love and example. Despite her departure, she did not leave us alone. We too had God’s presence.

Elisha gained a double portion of Elijah’s spirit—a tremendous privilege and blessing. We who live after the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus have the promised Holy Spirit. The triune God makes His home with us!  Amy Boucher Pye

Dear Lord, we want to be more like You. Help us to be witnesses of Your Spirit within us.

When Jesus ascended to His Father, He sent His Spirit.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, May 07, 2016
Building For Eternity

Which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it… —Luke 14:28

Our Lord was not referring here to a cost which we have to count, but to a cost which He has already counted. The cost was those thirty years in Nazareth, those three years of popularity, scandal, and hatred, the unfathomable agony He experienced in Gethsemane, and the assault upon Him at Calvary— the central point upon which all of time and eternity turn. Jesus Christ has counted the cost. In the final analysis, people are not going to laugh at Him and say, “This man began to build and was not able to finish” (Luke 14:30).

The conditions of discipleship given to us by our Lord in verses 26, 27, and 33 mean that the men and women He is going to use in His mighty building enterprises are those in whom He has done everything. “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple ” (Luke 14:26). This verse teaches us that the only men and women our Lord will use in His building enterprises are those who love Him personally, passionately, and with great devotion— those who have a love for Him that goes far beyond any of the closest relationships on earth. The conditions are strict, but they are glorious.

All that we build is going to be inspected by God. When God inspects us with His searching and refining fire, will He detect that we have built enterprises of our own on the foundation of Jesus? (see 1 Corinthians 3:10-15). We are living in a time of tremendous enterprises, a time when we are trying to work for God, and that is where the trap is. Profoundly speaking, we can never work for God. Jesus, as the Master Builder, takes us over so that He may direct and control us completely for His enterprises and His building plans; and no one has any right to demand where he will be put to work.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The measure of the worth of our public activity for God is the private profound communion we have with Him.… We have to pitch our tents where we shall always have quiet times with God, however noisy our times with the world may be. My Utmost for His Highest, January 6, 736 R

Psalm 150, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: TOOLS IN SATAN’S TOOL KIT

How do we explain our stubborn hearts and conniving ways? How do we explain Auschwitz, human trafficking, abuse? If I were the devil, I’d want you to feel attacked by an indefinable force. If I were the devil, I’d keep my name out of it.

But God doesn’t let the devil get away with this. He tells us his name: splitter, a divider, a wedge driver. Don’t fault the plunging economy or a raging dictator for your anxiety. They are simply tools in Satan’s tool kit. We can’t understand God’s narrative without understanding Satan’s strategy. Scripture says, “the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).

God calls the devil by name and promises to defeat him. So, be assured, his days are numbered.

From There’s More to Your Story

Psalm 150

Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heaven!
2 Praise him for his mighty works;
    praise his unequaled greatness!
3 Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn;
    praise him with the lyre and harp!
4 Praise him with the tambourine and dancing;
    praise him with strings and flutes!
5 Praise him with a clash of cymbals;
    praise him with loud clanging cymbals.
6 Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord!
Praise the Lord!

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, May 06, 2016

Read: 3 John 1:1-8
Greetings

This letter is from John, the elder.[a]

I am writing to Gaius, my dear friend, whom I love in the truth.

2 Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit. 3 Some of the traveling teachers[b] recently returned and made me very happy by telling me about your faithfulness and that you are living according to the truth. 4 I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth.

Caring for the Lord’s Workers
5 Dear friend, you are being faithful to God when you care for the traveling teachers who pass through, even though they are strangers to you. 6 They have told the church here of your loving friendship. Please continue providing for such teachers in a manner that pleases God. 7 For they are traveling for the Lord,[c] and they accept nothing from people who are not believers.[d] 8 So we ourselves should support them so that we can be their partners as they teach the truth.

Footnotes:

1 Greek From the elder.
3 Greek the brothers; also in verses 5 and 10.
7a Greek They went out on behalf of the Name.
7b Greek from Gentiles.

INSIGHT:
Today’s reading is taken from the apostle John’s final letter, written near the end of his life. John is the only one of the twelve apostles who was not martyred for his faith. However, according to tradition John was tortured and later exiled on the Island of Patmos. John kept in touch with those congregations he had nurtured earlier in his ministry. He wisely understood that health can be experienced in mind, body, and soul and so includes this in his prayer (v. 2). His word choice is kind and relational. He writes that his highest joy in ministry is to hear how those he has ministered to are moving on in their faith in Christ (v. 3).

No Greater Joy
By David McCasland

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 3 John 1:4

Bob and Evon Potter were a fun-loving couple with three young sons when their life took a wonderful new direction. In 1956 they attended a Billy Graham Crusade in Oklahoma City and gave their lives to Christ. Before long, they wanted to reach out to others to share their faith and the truth about Christ, so they opened their home every Saturday night to high school and college students who had a desire to study the Bible. A friend invited me and I became a regular at the Potters’ house.

This was a serious Bible study that included lesson preparation and memorizing Scripture. Surrounded by an atmosphere of friendship, joy, and laughter, we challenged each other and the Lord changed our lives during those days.

Be a voice of encouragement to someone today.
I stayed in touch with the Potters over the years and received many cards and letters from Bob who always signed them with these words: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 1:4). Like John writing to his “dear friend Gaius” (v. 1), Bob encouraged everyone who crossed his path to keep walking with the Lord.

A few years ago I attended Bob’s memorial service. It was a joyful occasion filled with people still walking the road of faith—all because of a young couple who opened their home and their hearts to help others find the Lord.

Thank You, Lord, for the people who have encouraged me to keep walking in Your truth. May I honor them by helping someone along that road today.

Be a voice of encouragement to someone today.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, May 06, 2016

Liberty and the Standards of Jesus

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free… —Galatians 5:1

A spiritually-minded person will never come to you with the demand— “Believe this and that”; a spiritually-minded person will demand that you align your life with the standards of Jesus. We are not asked to believe the Bible, but to believe the One whom the Bible reveals (see John 5:39-40). We are called to present liberty for the conscience of others, not to bring them liberty for their thoughts and opinions. And if we ourselves are free with the liberty of Christ, others will be brought into that same liberty— the liberty that comes from realizing the absolute control and authority of Jesus Christ.

Always measure your life solely by the standards of Jesus. Submit yourself to His yoke, and His alone; and always be careful never to place a yoke on others that is not of Jesus Christ. It takes God a long time to get us to stop thinking that unless everyone sees things exactly as we do, they must be wrong. That is never God’s view. There is only one true liberty— the liberty of Jesus at work in our conscience enabling us to do what is right.

Don’t get impatient with others. Remember how God dealt with you— with patience and with gentleness. But never water down the truth of God. Let it have its way and never apologize for it. Jesus said, “Go…and make disciples…” (Matthew 28:19), not, “Make converts to your own thoughts and opinions.”

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

We are only what we are in the dark; all the rest is reputation. What God looks at is what we are in the dark—the imaginations of our minds; the thoughts of our heart; the habits of our bodies; these are the things that mark us in God’s sight.  The Love of God—The Ministry of the Unnoticed, 669 L


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, May 06, 2016

Your Most Important Crop - #7650

While I was growing up in an apartment in Chicago, my wife was growing up in a very different world. She grew up on a small dairy farm. It was her Mom and Dad, and two "sons". Actually, the sons turned out to be daughters. So, those girls had to be the sons who helped their Dad on his meager little farm. My wife says she'll never forget the day the county farm agent came for a visit. He walked around with Dad, inspected his crops, looked at his books, and started lecturing Dad on all the things he could do better – all of which would take money and help that they could never afford.

Unbeknownst to Dad or the farm agent, my wife (then a little girl) was in the kitchen washing dishes, listening to this lopsided conversation out the window. Now, her Dad listened patiently until the agent stopped and then he said, "Are you finished?" The man said he was. Then Dad said something that his daughter would never forget. "Mr. Pendleton, you haven't seen all my crops. You haven't seen my most important crop--my daughters!"

I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Your Most Important Crop."

My father-in-law had his values straight – and I will be forever grateful to him for that. Those two daughters, his most important crops, grew up to be strong, competent, Jesus-loving, Jesus-serving women. And I got to marry one of them!

Maybe it's time to remind yourself of what your most important crop is. Our word for today from the Word of God comes in the middle of a passage about a time when things were going to be totally up for grabs. In Isaiah 8:18, we read this values-clarifying statement, "Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me." See, whatever happens to our culture, whatever happens to our economy, whatever rises, whatever falls, what really matters is these children God has given me.

I can't read these words without thinking about a powerful little poem I once saw on a grandmother's wall. "It is my greatest desire that on that Resurrection Day, I may stand before my Savior and say, 'Here am I – and the children You gave me.'" Again, a reminder of what is the most important crop you have. It's not your business, it's not your bank account, it's not even your ministry, it's not your titles or your awards – it's the children God gave you to love and to shape.

In a pressure cooker world like ours, I know there must be a dozen things screaming for the best of your time, the best of your attention. And it's hard to get an "A" in everything. You have to decide where you're going to settle for a "C". You might even have to drop something so you can get an "A" where it really matters. Where it's hardest to get an "A" and where an "A" is the most worth it – at home. You can be a hero at work, a hero in the community, a hero at church – and a zero at home. And that's the one place where you're irreplaceable.

When my friend George was offered a significant promotion – if he would move – he turned it down, much to the company's amazement. Why? Because he knew what that move would do to this family, and he said they come first. Be sure your priorities are in the right place. Arrange your other priorities around being what that son or daughter needs. Remove the weeds in your relationship with them. Then water that relationship with lots of praise, lots of time, and lots of attention.

Your children are, in God's words, and this is in Psalm 127, "a heritage from the Lord...a reward from Him" (Verse 3). More than any other crop in your life, they will be the measure of how well you have lived. Your children really are your most important crop.

Psalm 149 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: National Day of Prayer

I have a question for you on this National Day of Prayer! How bold are your prayers? As John Wesley crossed the Atlantic, he was reading in his cabin, and became aware of heavy winds knocking the ship off course. He responded in prayer and a colleague wrote it down:
"Almighty and everlasting God. . .Thou holdest the winds in thy fists and sittest upon the water floods. . .command those winds and these waves that they obey Thee. Take us speedily and safely to the haven whither we would go."
On deck his colleague found calm winds and the ship on course. Wesley made no mention of the answered prayer. His friend wrote, "So fully did he expect to be heard that he took it for granted he was heard."
How bold are your prayers?
From More to Your Story

Psalm 149

Praise the Lord!

Sing to the Lord a new song.
    Sing his praises in the assembly of the faithful.

2 O Israel, rejoice in your Maker.
    O people of Jerusalem,[a] exult in your King.
3
Praise his name with dancing,
    accompanied by tambourine and harp.
4 For the Lord delights in his people;
    he crowns the humble with victory.
5
Let the faithful rejoice that he honors them.
    Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds.

6 Let the praises of God be in their mouths,
    and a sharp sword in their hands—
7 to execute vengeance on the nations
    and punishment on the peoples,
8
to bind their kings with shackles
    and their leaders with iron chains,
9 to execute the judgment written against them.
    This is the glorious privilege of his faithful ones.

Praise the Lord!


Footnotes:

    149:2 Hebrew Zion.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion  
Thursday, May 05, 2016

Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-28

16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

19 Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. 20 Do not scoff at prophecies, 21 but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. 22 Stay away from every kind of evil.
Paul’s Final Greetings

23 Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. 24 God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.

25 Dear brothers and sisters, pray for us.

26 Greet all the brothers and sisters with a sacred kiss.

27 I command you in the name of the Lord to read this letter to all the brothers and sisters.

28 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

INSIGHT:

The Wycliffe Bible Commentary provides illumination on how Paul’s concluding prayer in 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24 summarizes key points covered in this epistle: “Paul embraces all his exhortations in a prayer for sanctification, and assures the believers that a faithful God will answer it. . . . Though human surrender and obedience are necessary, sanctification is essentially a divine work (cf. Rom. 15:16; Eph. 5:26). Wholly (holoteleis) implies that no part is lacking; the whole person is to be kept blameless.” Every aspect of human nature is to be made whole in Christ.

Prayer Marathon

By Poh Fang Chia

Pray continually. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Do you struggle to maintain a consistent prayer life? Many of us do. We know that prayer is important, but it can also be downright difficult. We have moments of deep communion with God and then we have times when it feels like we’re just going through the motions. Why do we struggle so in our prayers?

The life of faith is a marathon. The ups, the downs, and the plateaus in our prayer life are a reflection of this race. And just as in a marathon we need to keep running, so we keep praying. The point is: Don’t give up!
There is never a day when we don’t need to pray.

That is God’s encouragement too. The apostle Paul said, “pray continually” (1 Thess. 5:17), “keep on praying” (Rom. 12:12 nlt), and “devote yourselves to prayer” (Col. 4:2). All of these statements carry the idea of remaining steadfast and continuing in the work of prayer.

And because God, our heavenly Father, is a personal being, we can develop a time of close communion with Him, just as we do with our close human relationships. A. W. Tozer writes that as we learn to pray, our prayer life can grow “from the initial most casual brush to the fullest, most intimate communion of which the human soul is capable.” And that’s what we really want—deep communication with God. It happens when we keep praying.

Dear Father, we often struggle to spend time with You. Help us to make the time, and help us sense Your goodness and presence.

There is never a day when we don’t need to pray.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, May 05, 2016
Judgment and the Love of God

The time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God… —1 Peter 4:17

The Christian servant must never forget that salvation is God’s idea, not man’s; therefore, it has an unfathomable depth. Salvation is the great thought of God, not an experience. Experience is simply the door through which salvation comes into the conscious level of our life so that we are aware of what has taken place on a much deeper level. Never preach the experience— preach the great thought of God behind the experience. When we preach, we are not simply proclaiming how people can be saved from hell and be made moral and pure; we are conveying good news about God.

In the teachings of Jesus Christ the element of judgment is always brought out— it is the sign of the love of God. Never sympathize with someone who finds it difficult to get to God; God is not to blame. It is not for us to figure out the reason for the difficulty, but only to present the truth of God so that the Spirit of God will reveal what is wrong. The greatest test of the quality of our preaching is whether or not it brings everyone to judgment. When the truth is preached, the Spirit of God brings each person face to face with God Himself.

If Jesus ever commanded us to do something that He was unable to equip us to accomplish, He would be a liar. And if we make our own inability a stumbling block or an excuse not to be obedient, it means that we are telling God that there is something which He has not yet taken into account. Every element of our own self-reliance must be put to death by the power of God. The moment we recognize our complete weakness and our dependence upon Him will be the very moment that the Spirit of God will exhibit His power.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

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

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, May 05, 2016

You're Free - #7649

For three months, Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer were prisoners of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, accused along with other aid workers of trying to convert Afghans to Christianity. In October of 2001 their prison cells were suddenly shaken by the thunder of U. S. bombs falling on the city of Kabul. Weeks later, after a cold, sleepless night in a steel shipping container, the girls and their colleagues found themselves in a new prison south of Kabul, with rockets crashing down on the contested town they were in. Suddenly, there were men banging on their prison doors. They thought their Taliban captors were returning, and now their fate was clearly uncertain as the situation around them dissolved into total chaos. Then, to their surprise, an anti-Taliban soldier came in with reams of ammunition around his neck. He was just shouting two wonderful words, "You're free! You're free!"

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "You're Free!"

What a feeling to be imprisoned, to be in great danger, and then to have a liberator suddenly come crashing into your chaos shouting, "You're free!" Well, that's an experience shared by many who have met the ultimate Liberator.

His rescue of folks like you and me is described in the Bible in John 8, beginning with verse 34. It's our word for today from the Word of God. "Jesus replied, 'I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.'" When Jesus talks about "sin," He's talking about something a lot deeper than breaking some religion's rules. He's referring to the fact that we've all decided to run our own lives instead of letting God run them – which has led us to a lot of selfish choices, a lot of hurtful actions, and a lot of accumulated garbage in our lives. There's not one of us who doesn't know the weight of the guilt of our mistakes; the bondage to our dark side that has made it impossible for us to shake some of the junk that we really don't want in our lives.

But Jesus moves from talking about our slavery to our dark side to the promise of something better – freedom! In fact, He goes on to say, "If the Son (that's Him – the Son of God) sets you free, you will be free indeed." Now, Jesus Christ is offering to you and me the promise of being liberated forever from the guilt, the shame, and the slavery of this sin-prison we're in – something no religion could ever do for you.

He wants to remove your guilt with total forgiveness for every wrong thing you have ever done – a total new beginning. He wants to remove the shame and replace it with a new sense of cleanness and worth. He wants to give you the spiritual power to stop doing the things you've never been able to shake.

But for Jesus to be able to rescue you from the prison of your sin, He had to give His life. He went to the cross to pay for and remove your death penalty for every wrong thing you have ever done. There is a death penalty. Sin is a capital crime against the God of the universe. And only paying the death penalty can set us free. And Jesus said, "I'll take it instead of you."

So He stands ready to make this day your Liberation Day if you'll tell Him you're opening your life to Him...that you're going to depend totally on Him to be your personal Rescuer from your personal sin. If you've never done that, you can swing open the door to Him right now. You can tell Him right where you are, "Jesus, I turn from the running of my own life. I believe when You died on the cross You did it for every sin I've ever committed. I believe you're alive, and I am now pinning all my hopes on You. I am yours."

Please go to our website and get this settled. There's all the information there that you will need to know for sure you're forgiven and you belong to Jesus. That's ANewStory.com where your new story could begin right now today.

You know what this day could be for you? This could be the day that Jesus, the great Liberator, comes into your life and makes this awesome announcement, "You're free! You're free!"

Psalm 148, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: MODERN-DAY CHRISTMAS STORY

You have bills to pay, beds to make, and grass to cut. Your face won’t grace any magazine covers, and you aren’t expecting a call from the White House. Congratulations! You qualify for a modern-day Christmas story.

Step into the stable, cradle in your arms the infant Jesus. Listen, as one who knew him well puts lyrics to the event. What no theologian conceived, what no rabbi dared to dream, God did. John 1:14 proclaims, “The Word became flesh!” Christ in Mary. God in Christ. The Word of God entered the world with the cry of a baby. God writes his story with ordinary people like Joseph and like Mary. . .people like you..and like me.

From More to Your Story

Psalm 148

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens!
    Praise him from the skies!
2 Praise him, all his angels!
    Praise him, all the armies of heaven!
3 Praise him, sun and moon!
    Praise him, all you twinkling stars!
4 Praise him, skies above!
    Praise him, vapors high above the clouds!
5 Let every created thing give praise to the Lord,
    for he issued his command, and they came into being.
6 He set them in place forever and ever.
    His decree will never be revoked.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
    you creatures of the ocean depths,
8 fire and hail, snow and clouds,[b]
    wind and weather that obey him,
9 mountains and all hills,
    fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all livestock,
    small scurrying animals and birds,
11 kings of the earth and all people,
    rulers and judges of the earth,
12 young men and young women,
    old men and children.
13 Let them all praise the name of the Lord.
    For his name is very great;
    his glory towers over the earth and heaven!
14 He has made his people strong,
    honoring his faithful ones—
    the people of Israel who are close to him.
Praise the Lord!
Footnotes: 148:8 Or mist, or smoke.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, May 04, 2016

Read: Lamentations 5:8-22

Slaves have now become our masters;
    there is no one left to rescue us.
9 We hunt for food at the risk of our lives,
    for violence rules the countryside.
10 The famine has blackened our skin
    as though baked in an oven.
11 Our enemies rape the women in Jerusalem[a]
    and the young girls in all the towns of Judah.
12 Our princes are being hanged by their thumbs,
    and our elders are treated with contempt.
13 Young men are led away to work at millstones,
    and boys stagger under heavy loads of wood.
14 The elders no longer sit in the city gates;
    the young men no longer dance and sing.
15 Joy has left our hearts;
    our dancing has turned to mourning.
16 The garlands have[b] fallen from our heads.
    Weep for us because we have sinned.
17 Our hearts are sick and weary,
    and our eyes grow dim with tears.
18 For Jerusalem[c] is empty and desolate,
    a place haunted by jackals.
19 But Lord, you remain the same forever!
    Your throne continues from generation to generation.
20 Why do you continue to forget us?
    Why have you abandoned us for so long?
21 Restore us, O Lord, and bring us back to you again!
    Give us back the joys we once had!
22 Or have you utterly rejected us?
    Are you angry with us still?
Footnotes:
5:11 Hebrew in Zion.
5:16 Or The crown has.
5:18 Hebrew Mount Zion.

INSIGHT:
According to The Bible Knowledge Commentary, one characteristic of the book of Lamentations is the pattern of its laments. “Lamentations is a series of five laments, or funeral dirges; each chapter is a separate lament. A lament was a funeral poem or song written and recited for someone who had just died (cf. 2 Sam. 1:17–27). The song usually emphasized the good qualities of the departed and the tragedy or loss felt by those mourning his death. Jeremiah was lamenting the tragic ‘death’ of the city of Jerusalem and the results of her demise that were being experienced by the people. Thus he used the form of a funeral lament to convey the feeling of sadness and loss being experienced by the survivors.”

Out of the Ruins
By Tim Gustafson

He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins. Ezra 9:9

In the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem you’ll find Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue. Built in the 19th century, the synagogue was dynamited by commandos during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

For years the site lay in ruins. Then, in 2014, rebuilding began. As city officials set a piece of rubble as the cornerstone, one of them quoted from Lamentations: “Restore us to yourself, Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old” (5:21).

It takes time, but we can always trust Him.
Lamentations is Jeremiah’s funeral song for Jerusalem. With graphic imagery the prophet describes the impact of war on his city. Verse 21 is his heartfelt prayer for God to intervene. Still, the prophet wonders if that is even possible. He concludes his anguished song with this fearful caveat: “unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure” (v. 22). Decades later, God did answer that prayer as the exiles returned to Jerusalem.

Our lives too may seem to be in ruins. Troubles of our own making and conflicts we can’t avoid may leave us devastated. But we have a Father who understands. Gently, patiently, He clears away the rubble, repurposes it, and builds something better. It takes time, but we can always trust Him. He specializes in rebuilding projects.

Lord, You have reclaimed us, and You are remaking us. Thank You for Your love and Your care despite our self-centered and destructive ways.
 Thank You for true forgiveness and unity in You.

God will one day restore all the beauty lost before.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, May 04, 2016

Vicarious Intercession

…having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus… —Hebrews 10:19


Beware of thinking that intercession means bringing our own personal sympathies and concerns into the presence of God, and then demanding that He do whatever we ask. Our ability to approach God is due entirely to the vicarious, or substitutionary, identification of our Lord with sin. We have “boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus.”

Spiritual stubbornness is the most effective hindrance to intercession, because it is based on a sympathetic “understanding” of things we see in ourselves and others that we think needs no atonement. We have the idea that there are certain good and virtuous things in each of us that do not need to be based on the atonement by the Cross of Christ. Just the sluggishness and lack of interest produced by this kind of thinking makes us unable to intercede. We do not identify ourselves with God’s interests and concerns for others, and we get irritated with Him. Yet we are always ready with our own ideas, and our intercession becomes only the glorification of our own natural sympathies. We have to realize that the identification of Jesus with sin means a radical change of all of our sympathies and interests. Vicarious intercession means that we deliberately substitute God’s interests in others for our natural sympathy with them.

Am I stubborn or substituted? Am I spoiled or complete in my relationship to God? Am I irritable or spiritual? Am I determined to have my own way or determined to be identified with Him?

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

We never enter into the Kingdom of God by having our head questions answered, but only by commitment.
The Highest Good—Thy Great Redemption



A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, May 04, 2016

Ronald Reagan's Lasting Memory - #7648

Nancy Reagan called it "the long goodbye." Her beloved husband's slow slide into the black hole of Alzheimer's Disease. America said goodbye to Nancy Reagan recently, and we remember her as a great First Lady and a wife forever in love with her "Ronnie." Her boundless devotion to him became almost legendary. And at her funeral service, more people talked about that than anything else. Yes, when he was the famous Hollywood star and when he was a transformative leader of the Western World, Nancy stood by his side, but especially through his long, ten-year goodbye.

As Ronald Reagan's memory began to fade through the ravages of Alzheimer's, his Nancy wanted to make sure that he could still maintain the dignity of going to his office at Century City. And so several times a week he would get all dressed up and he would go to the office. Even though as time went by there wasn't a whole lot that he could do there.

This is where the story comes in that has affected me profoundly ever since I read it years ago. Actually, I read it in a national news magazine's special commemorative edition of Reagan's life. It reported how visitors would come to visit Mr. Reagan. And, of course, they would ask him about when he was governor of California, when he was a movie star, when he was President. But slowly, the conversations about the past became more and more frustrating, because as Alzheimer's began to erase various memories, his years as a movie star vanished from his own memory bank. And then might as well not talk about Governor of California. He didn't remember anything.

And finally, he could no longer remember even the great accomplishments as President of the United States. Amazingly, though, there was one memory that remained almost to the end.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Ronald Reagan's Lasting Memory."

The memory actually explained a picture on his wall. People would go, "Now, what's the picture of that river over there, Mr. Reagan?" groping for some conversation that could have some traction. And he'd smile and he would say, "Oh, wait! That's the Rock River in Illinois. That's where I was a lifeguard." Then came the recollection that brought me up short. He said, "That's where I saved 77 lives!"

Wow! Long after the traces of all his massive achievements were gone; Hollywood, Governor, the White House, there was one legacy of his life that remained; the lives he had saved. And so it will be for me. And so it will be for all of us who follow Jesus. When every other achievement of our life has faded to dust, one will remain – the lives we have saved.

In our word for today from the Word of God, Proverbs 24 verse 11, God says, "Rescue those who are being led away to death and hold back those who are staggering toward slaughter." Jude 23 says, "Snatch others from the fire and save them." See, we're "Christ's ambassadors" (2 Corinthians 5:20). You're His face, you're His hands, you're His voice to the people around you.

Like any ambassador, we carry a message from the One who assigned us. Here's the message in 2 Corinthians 5, "We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God..." I have nothing – nothing – more important to do than to get that plea; to get the good news of Christ's death for them to people I know and care about. That's the only way their eternity can be changed, that they can be rescued. This is a life-or-death message, and He's trusted you and me to deliver it.

So after all is said and done, this is what we will have to show for this life that God gave us to live. It's the lives we reached out to. It's the lives that God used us to save.

Psalm 147, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Your Story Indwells God’s Story

Everything changes when you know the rest of your story! In 2 Samuel 22:25 David says, “God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.”

But what is the text of our lives? Self-help gurus and magazine headlines urge you to find your narrative. “Look inside yourself,” they say. But the promise of self-discovery falls short.

Your story indwells God’s.  “It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eyes on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone” (Ephesians 1:11-12).

In His story, you’ll find there’s more to your story!

From More to Your Story

Psalm 147

Praise the Lord!

How good to sing praises to our God!
    How delightful and how fitting!
2 The Lord is rebuilding Jerusalem
    and bringing the exiles back to Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
    and bandages their wounds.
4 He counts the stars
    and calls them all by name.
5 How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!
    His understanding is beyond comprehension!
6 The Lord supports the humble,
    but he brings the wicked down into the dust.

7 Sing out your thanks to the Lord;
    sing praises to our God with a harp.
8 He covers the heavens with clouds,
    provides rain for the earth,
    and makes the grass grow in mountain pastures.
9 He gives food to the wild animals
    and feeds the young ravens when they cry.
10He takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse
    or in human might.
11No, the Lord’s delight is in those who fear him,
    those who put their hope in his unfailing love.

12Glorify the Lord, O Jerusalem!
    Praise your God, O Zion!
13For he has strengthened the bars of your gates
    and blessed your children within your walls.
14He sends peace across your nation
    and satisfies your hunger with the finest wheat.
15He sends his orders to the world—
    how swiftly his word flies!
16He sends the snow like white wool;
    he scatters frost upon the ground like ashes.
17He hurls the hail like stones.[a]
    Who can stand against his freezing cold?
18 Then, at his command, it all melts.
    He sends his winds, and the ice thaws.
19 He has revealed his words to Jacob,
    his decrees and regulations to Israel.
20 He has not done this for any other nation;
    they do not know his regulations.
Praise the Lord!

Footnotes: 147:17 Hebrew like bread crumbs.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Tuesday, May 03, 2016

Read: 2 Corinthians 1:3-7
God Offers Comfort to All

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 6 Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. 7 We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.

INSIGHT:

Today’s reading gives special attention to how believers are to serve one another in humility. During our Lord’s time on earth He provided the ultimate example of ministering to others. Now the Holy Spirit indwells believers and gives us the power to show that kind of self-sacrifice to the body of Christ.

Just What I Need
By Dave Branon

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

As I stood in the back of the room at a senior citizens’ center in Palmer, Alaska, listening to my daughter’s high school choir sing “It Is Well with My Soul,” I wondered why she, the choir director, had chosen that song. It had been played at her sister Melissa’s funeral, and Lisa knew it was always tough for me to hear it without having an emotional response.

My musings were interrupted when a man sidled up next to me and said, “This is just what I need to hear.” I introduced myself and then asked why he needed this song. “I lost my son Cameron last week in a motorcycle accident,” he said.
Lord, help me to see where help is needed.

Wow! I was so focused on myself that I never considered the needs of others, and God was busy using that song exactly where He wanted it to be used. I took my new friend Mac, who worked at the center, aside, and we talked about God’s care in this toughest time in his life.

All around us are people in need, and sometimes we have to set aside our own feelings and agendas to help them. One way we can do that is to remember how God has comforted us in our trials and troubles “so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Cor. 1:4). How easy it is to be engrossed in our own concerns and forget that someone right next to us might need a prayer, a word of comfort, a hug, or gift of mercy in Jesus’ name.

Lord, help me to see where help is needed, and help me to provide that help. Thank You for the comfort You give; help me to share it.

Comfort received should be comfort shared.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, May 03, 2016

Vital Intercession

…praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit… —Ephesians 6:18

As we continue on in our intercession for others, we may find that our obedience to God in interceding is going to cost those for whom we intercede more than we ever thought. The danger in this is that we begin to intercede in sympathy with those whom God was gradually lifting up to a totally different level in direct answer to our prayers. Whenever we step back from our close identification with God’s interest and concern for others and step into having emotional sympathy with them, the vital connection with God is gone. We have then put our sympathy and concern for them in the way, and this is a deliberate rebuke to God.

It is impossible for us to have living and vital intercession unless we are perfectly and completely sure of God. And the greatest destroyer of that confident relationship to God, so necessary for intercession, is our own personal sympathy and preconceived bias. Identification with God is the key to intercession, and whenever we stop being identified with Him it is because of our sympathy with others, not because of sin. It is not likely that sin will interfere with our intercessory relationship with God, but sympathy will. It is sympathy with ourselves or with others that makes us say, “I will not allow that thing to happen.” And instantly we are out of that vital connection with God.

Vital intercession leaves you with neither the time nor the inclination to pray for your own “sad and pitiful self.” You do not have to struggle to keep thoughts of yourself out, because they are not even there to be kept out of your thinking. You are completely and entirely identified with God’s interests and concerns in other lives. God gives us discernment in the lives of others to call us to intercession for them, never so that we may find fault with them.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

It is not what a man does that is of final importance, but what he is in what he does. The atmosphere produced by a man, much more than his activities, has the lasting influence.  Baffled to Fight Better, 51 L

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, May 03, 2016

The Killer Tide - #7647

You remember that massive tsunami that hit South Asia right after Christmas in 2004? I immediately flashed back when I heard about that to a real life lesson I had about tsunamis prior to that. I was in Kodiak, Alaska, with our On Eagles' Wings team of young Native Americans. They had just finished a string of grueling days of outreach, so we took them to a special spot on the ocean for a few hours off. Many of us were fascinated with these beautiful formations we saw just under the water near the shore. That's when our host told me about what happened after a major quake in Anchorage some years earlier. Folks who were at this same shore area watched the ocean suddenly recede dramatically, and that left all those beautiful underwater formations and shells totally exposed. They're like, "Whoa! Look at this!" So they seized this unusual opportunity to go in and collect all these treasures of the sea – not realizing that the sudden disappearance of the water was the first sign of an impending tsunami. Moments later, that monster wave suddenly enveloped everything in sight, including the people who literally had run right into its path.

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

Many people lost their lives that day because they ran to what they should have been running from. That's the kind of moral mistake that has cost so many so much. It may well be that someone listening right now is checking out something that looks good, looks inviting, and looks exciting – not knowing or just ignoring the fact that there is a tide coming that will carry you where you never wanted to go and take from you what you don't want to lose.

Because God doesn't want that to happen to any of us, He has issued this tsunami warning for our lives in James 1:14-15, our word for today from the Word of God. "Each one is tempted, it says, when by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."

First, you see something that's wrong but it looks good. You really want it. A little excitement in a movie, or a Website, or a magazine with some sexually explicit stuff. The relief that getting drunk or getting high might give you for a little while. The thrill, the release, or even the love you might find in a physical relationship with someone who is not your marriage partner. Sin looks good. Satan isn't stupid.

So the desire conceives and it moves from wanting it to doing it. It says, "it gives birth to sin." You've plunged into the thing that looks so inviting. And just like those folks who were enjoying what they experienced in that oceanless sea bed. Sin may feel good and it may even feel right for a little while – until the tsunami hits, which it always does. Because "when sin is full-grown, it gives birth to death." Sin always kills. Get that! Sin always kills! The tsunami tide of sin's consequences can sweep away a marriage, the trust people had in you, your position, your reputation, your self-respect, your closeness to God. When you plunge into that attractive opportunity, you have no idea of the shame, and guilt, and the hurt that's going to follow.

God says, "Flee the evil desires..." (2 Timothy 2:22). Then He says, "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness" (Ephesians 5:11). And, by the way, when the Bible says that sin always ends in death, it underscores that by saying, "The wages of sin is death." And the ultimate killer tide is the judgment that we all deserved for that sin that we've done against a God who put us here in the first place.

The good news about that is that the Bible says, "But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Let me just end with some great news today, that Jesus stood and took the killer tide of the judgment for our sin when He died on the cross. And He's alive, because He walked out of His grave. He's ready to walk into your life today so you never have to face that judgment.

I hope you'll tell Him, "Jesus, I'm yours" today. Go to our website and let me show you there how to begin a relationship with Him. That's ANewStory.com. Remember, sin is a killer tide. Run from it. Make sure that you have taken for yourself the gift of forgiveness that Jesus alone died to give you.

1 Corinthians 4, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: The Headline Story

We love to know where we came from. We need to know where we came from. Knowing connects us, links us to something greater than we are.

That is why God wants you to know his story. Framed photos hang in his house and lively talks await you at his table. A scrapbook sits in his living room brimming with stories– stories about Bethlehem beginnings and manger miracles; enemy warfare in the wilderness and fishermen friends in Galilee. The stumbles of Peter and the stubbornness of Paul are all part of the story, but they are subplots to the central message of the headline story!  John 3:16. . .“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life!”

God saves his people! God’s story. And we are a part of it!

From More to Your Story

1 Corinthians 4

Paul’s Relationship with the Corinthians

 So look at Apollos and me as mere servants of Christ who have been put in charge of explaining God’s mysteries. 2 Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful. 3 As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. 4 My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide.

5 So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time—before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.

6 Dear brothers and sisters,[a] I have used Apollos and myself to illustrate what I’ve been saying. If you pay attention to what I have quoted from the Scriptures,[b] you won’t be proud of one of your leaders at the expense of another. 7 For what gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?

8 You think you already have everything you need. You think you are already rich. You have begun to reign in God’s kingdom without us! I wish you really were reigning already, for then we would be reigning with you. 9 Instead, I sometimes think God has put us apostles on display, like prisoners of war at the end of a victor’s parade, condemned to die. We have become a spectacle to the entire world—to people and angels alike.

10 Our dedication to Christ makes us look like fools, but you claim to be so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are so powerful! You are honored, but we are ridiculed. 11 Even now we go hungry and thirsty, and we don’t have enough clothes to keep warm. We are often beaten and have no home. 12 We work wearily with our own hands to earn our living. We bless those who curse us. We are patient with those who abuse us. 13 We appeal gently when evil things are said about us. Yet we are treated like the world’s garbage, like everybody’s trash—right up to the present moment.

14 I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children. 15 For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. 16 So I urge you to imitate me.

17 That’s why I have sent Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus, just as I teach in all the churches wherever I go.

18 Some of you have become arrogant, thinking I will not visit you again. 19 But I will come—and soon—if the Lord lets me, and then I’ll find out whether these arrogant people just give pretentious speeches or whether they really have God’s power. 20 For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power. 21 Which do you choose? Should I come with a rod to punish you, or should I come with love and a gentle spirit?
Footnotes:

    4:6a Greek Brothers.
    4:6b Or If you learn not to go beyond “what is written.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Monday, May 02, 2016

Read: Matthew 5:13-16

Teaching about Salt and Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

INSIGHT:

In John’s gospel we see that Jesus often refers to Himself as “light.” In John 8:12 and 9:5 He calls Himself “the light of the world.” He also uses this light language to talk about the kingdom of God He came to establish. In John 3:19 Jesus tells Nicodemus, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” When Jesus tells believers that they are the light of the world (Matt. 5:14), He is in a sense issuing an invitation to Christlikeness. As followers of Jesus we have been given the opportunity to shine the light of His love into the dark and dying world.

Shine Through
By Keila Ochoa

Let your light shine before others. Matthew 5:16

A little girl wondered what a saint might be. One day her mother took her to a great cathedral to see the gorgeous stained-glass windows with scenes from the Bible. When she saw the beauty of it all she cried out loud, “Now I know what saints are. They are people who let the light shine through!”

Some of us might think that saints are people of the past who lived perfect lives and did Jesus-like miracles. But when a translation of Scripture uses the word saint, it is actually referring to anyone who belongs to God through faith in Christ. In other words, saints are people like us who have the high calling of serving God while reflecting our relationship with Him wherever we are and in whatever we do. That is why the apostle Paul prayed that the eyes and understanding of his readers would be opened to think of themselves as the treasured inheritance of Christ and saints of God (Eph. 1:18).
Cleanse me today so that I may let Your light shine through.

So what then do we see in the mirror? No halos or stained glass. But if we are fulfilling our calling, we will look like people who, maybe even without realizing it, are letting the rich colors of the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control of God shine through.

Lord, You are the light of the world. Thank You for wanting to shine that light in our lives. Cleanse me today so that I may let Your light shine through.

Saints are people through whom God’s light shines.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, May 02, 2016
The Patience To Wait for the Vision
Though it tarries, wait for it… —Habakkuk 2:3

Patience is not the same as indifference; patience conveys the idea of someone who is tremendously strong and able to withstand all assaults. Having the vision of God is the source of patience because it gives us God’s true and proper inspiration. Moses endured, not because of his devotion to his principles of what was right, nor because of his sense of duty to God, but because he had a vision of God. “…he endured as seeing Him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27). A person who has the vision of God is not devoted to a cause or to any particular issue— he is devoted to God Himself. You always know when the vision is of God because of the inspiration that comes with it. Things come to you with greatness and add vitality to your life because everything is energized by God. He may give you a time spiritually, with no word from Himself at all, just as His Son experienced during His time of temptation in the wilderness. When God does that, simply endure, and the power to endure will be there because you see God.

“Though it tarries, wait for it….” The proof that we have the vision is that we are reaching out for more than we have already grasped. It is a bad thing to be satisfied spiritually. The psalmist said, “What shall I render to the Lord…? I will take up the cup of salvation…” (Psalm 116:12-13). We are apt to look for satisfaction within ourselves and say, “Now I’ve got it! Now I am completely sanctified. Now I can endure.” Instantly we are on the road to ruin. Our reach must exceed our grasp. Paul said, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on…” (Philippians 3:12). If we have only what we have experienced, we have nothing. But if we have the inspiration of the vision of God, we have more than we can experience. Beware of the danger of spiritual relaxation.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

We never enter into the Kingdom of God by having our head questions answered, but only by commitment. The Highest Good—Thy Great Redemption, 565 R

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, May 02, 2016

The Purpose-Driven Day - #7646

Your fortieth birthday! I understand it's one of those milestone birthdays, especially for women who don't necessarily welcome it I guess. They dread hitting that forty mark. That's what I understand. Now, when my wife hit her fortieth, no big deal, man. She was cool. No trauma, no counseling, no plastic surgery, no sobbing. I just hope I can handle my fortieth birthday that well. (It's a good thing I'm not talking about integrity today.) Well, it was our son who threw the curve ball. Yeah, he was about 12, and a few weeks after Mom's big 4-0, he announced a calculation that he had, for some reason, just concocted. He said, "Hey Ma, did you know you've been alive for 14,686 days?" What! Forty years? She could handle that, but 14,686 days? That sounds prehistoric!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Purpose-Driven Day."

Our son's announcement actually reminded both of us of a perspective that kids have almost instinctively and which many of us adults need to remember. This big thing we call life is really days. We don't live a life. We live a day. Right now, for example, we're trying to do a Monday. We're designed to cut this massive assignment called life into bite-size chunks called days. Jesus said we should pray about our daily bread (Luke 6:11); take up our cross daily (Luke 9:23). The 23rd Psalm says, "Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life." God says, "Your strength will equal your days" (Deuteronomy 33:25).

There's a lot to be said for taking life, not just as years or months or even weeks, but as a day-one 24-hour assignment from God at a time. That's the perspective that Moses gives actually in our word for today from the Word of God in Psalm 90. He starts the psalm with the big picture when he says, "Lord, You have been our dwelling place for all generations...from everlasting to everlasting, You are God." God's the One who's got the whole life perspective-the generation to generation perspective. So how should we live so we line up our life with His great eternal purpose? Well, it says, "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

If you want to live smart, you do life as purpose-driven days. Rick Warren's book, The Purpose-Driven Life, was a giant bestseller and touched millions of lives. But it's important to remember that the way to have a purpose-driven life is to have a purpose-driven day today. God takes all those days lived His way and then He weaves them into an awesome life! You do the day. God does the life. That makes life manageable instead of overwhelming. It makes it doable instead of undoable.

None of us knows how many days we have left. Psalm 139 assures us that "all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be." But we don't know when those days are going to run out. So there's not a day to waste. My goal needs to be to make this day count for the things that matter to God. A purpose-driven day begins in the personal presence of God as you spend non-negotiable time with Him in His Word, the Bible, looking for His direction and experiencing His love.

Each day, start with Jesus. Each day, look for people who need you, not people who can meet your needs. Each day, confess and renounce the sin that may have brought you down yesterday. Each day, give each member of your family all of you, even if it's only for a short time. Each day, you pray for God to give you an opportunity to tell someone about your relationship with Jesus. Each day, make some progress on your long "to do" list, putting the most important ones first. And each day, at the end, sign off with God, crowning Jesus the Lord of what you didn't get done today.

Some years ago, Billy Graham was asked by a reporter what the biggest surprise in his life had been. He said, "The brevity of it." He's right. Every day needs to count. This day needs to count. And one day you'll be able to stand before Jesus and lay at His feet a whole life lived for Him-one good day at a time!