Max Lucado Daily: WORDS OF HOPE AND PRAYERS OF FAITH
I recently met a ten-year-old boy by the name of Joshua. His mother explained that Joshua’s father was no longer a part of the boy’s life. I squatted down eye level with Joshua and I asked, “Do you know the story of your namesake?” He nodded. “You will do what he did,” I admonished. “You will bring down Jericho’s walls and pray prayers of great faith.”
He wasn’t quite sure how to respond. But his mom? She was wiping away tears.
Strugglers don’t need our opinions. They don’t need our philosophies on suffering. They need someone to admonish them with truth. Spread words of hope and pray prayers of faith. The Bible says, “Prayers offered in faith will restore them from sickness and bring them to health…” (James 5:15 The Voice).
This is how happiness happens.
Psalm 102
A Prayer of One Whose Life Is Falling to Pieces, and Who Lets God Know Just How Bad It Is
God, listen! Listen to my prayer,
listen to the pain in my cries.
Don’t turn your back on me
just when I need you so desperately.
Pay attention! This is a cry for help!
And hurry—this can’t wait!
3-11 I’m wasting away to nothing,
I’m burning up with fever.
I’m a ghost of my former self,
half-consumed already by terminal illness.
My jaws ache from gritting my teeth;
I’m nothing but skin and bones.
I’m like a buzzard in the desert,
a crow perched on the rubble.
Insomniac, I twitter away,
mournful as a sparrow in the gutter.
All day long my enemies taunt me,
while others just curse.
They bring in meals—casseroles of ashes!
I draw drink from a barrel of my tears.
And all because of your furious anger;
you swept me up and threw me out.
There’s nothing left of me—
a withered weed, swept clean from the path.
12-17 Yet you, God, are sovereign still,
always and ever sovereign.
You’ll get up from your throne and help Zion—
it’s time for compassionate help.
Oh, how your servants love this city’s rubble
and weep with compassion over its dust!
The godless nations will sit up and take notice
—see your glory, worship your name—
When God rebuilds Zion,
when he shows up in all his glory,
When he attends to the prayer of the wretched.
He won’t dismiss their prayer.
18-22 Write this down for the next generation
so people not yet born will praise God:
“God looked out from his high holy place;
from heaven he surveyed the earth.
He listened to the groans of the doomed,
he opened the doors of their death cells.”
Write it so the story can be told in Zion,
so God’s praise will be sung in Jerusalem’s streets
And wherever people gather together
along with their rulers to worship him.
23-28 God sovereignly brought me to my knees,
he cut me down in my prime.
“Oh, don’t,” I prayed, “please don’t let me die.
You have more years than you know what to do with!
You laid earth’s foundations a long time ago,
and handcrafted the very heavens;
You’ll still be around when they’re long gone,
threadbare and discarded like an old suit of clothes.
You’ll throw them away like a worn-out coat,
but year after year you’re as good as new.
Your servants’ children will have a good place to live
and their children will be at home with you.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
1 Thessalonians 4:9–12
Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, 11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
Insight
Paul’s first letter to the believers in Christ at Thessalonica was one of his most pastoral letters. In chapter 2, he repeatedly refers to them with affection, calling them “brothers and sisters” (vv. 1, 14, 17). Additionally, the apostle describes his own care for them in vivid terms, saying he and his team didn’t come to them authoritatively, but as “young children” (v. 7). Also in verse 7, Paul actually describes himself as being like a “nursing mother” who lovingly nurses her children. As further evidence of his great love for them, Paul speaks of his labor for them in the gospel and ultimately closes the loop of family descriptors by portraying himself as a father caring for his children (vv. 8–11). All of these examples combine not only to make this one of Paul’s most pastoral letters, but one of his most personal as well. By: Bill Crowder
Finding a Quiet Life
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life. 1 Thessalonians 4:11
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” We all heard that question as children and sometimes even as adults. The question is born in curiosity, and the answer is often heard as an indication of ambition. My answers morphed over the years, starting with a cowboy, then a truck driver, followed by a soldier, and I entered college set on becoming a doctor. However, I can’t recall one time that someone suggested or I consciously considered pursuing “a quiet life.”
Yet that’s exactly what Paul told the Thessalonians. First, he urged them to love one another and all of God’s family even more (1 Thessalonians 4:10). Then he gave them a general admonition that would cover whatever specific plow they put their hand to. “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life” (v. 11). Now what did Paul mean by that exactly? He clarified: “You should mind your own business and work with your hands” so outsiders respect you and you’re not a burden on anyone (vv. 11–12). We don’t want to discourage children from pursuing their giftedness or passions but maybe we could encourage them that whatever they choose to do, they do with a quiet spirit.
Considering the world we live in, the words ambitious and quiet couldn’t seem further apart. But the Scriptures are always relevant, so perhaps we should consider what it might look like to begin living quieter. By: John Blase
Reflect & Pray
How does Paul’s phrase—“mind your own business”—sit with you? Who comes to mind of someone who lives a quiet life that you might emulate?
Jesus, living a quiet life sounds so inviting, but I know it won’t come easily. I ask for the grace to mind my own business, not so I can close myself off from the world, but that I won’t add to the noise.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
The Key to the Master’s Orders
Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. —Matthew 9:38
The key to the missionary’s difficult task is in the hand of God, and that key is prayer, not work— that is, not work as the word is commonly used today, which often results in the shifting of our focus away from God. The key to the missionary’s difficult task is also not the key of common sense, nor is it the key of medicine, civilization, education, or even evangelization. The key is in following the Master’s orders— the key is prayer. “Pray the Lord of the harvest….” In the natural realm, prayer is not practical but absurd. We have to realize that prayer is foolish from the commonsense point of view.
From Jesus Christ’s perspective, there are no nations, but only the world. How many of us pray without regard to the persons, but with regard to only one Person— Jesus Christ? He owns the harvest that is produced through distress and through conviction of sin. This is the harvest for which we have to pray that laborers be sent out to reap. We stay busy at work, while people all around us are ripe and ready to be harvested; we do not reap even one of them, but simply waste our Lord’s time in over-energized activities and programs. Suppose a crisis were to come into your father’s or your brother’s life— are you there as a laborer to reap the harvest for Jesus Christ? Is your response, “Oh, but I have a special work to do!” No Christian has a special work to do. A Christian is called to be Jesus Christ’s own, “a servant [who] is not greater than his master” (John 13:16), and someone who does not dictate to Jesus Christ what he intends to do. Our Lord calls us to no special work— He calls us to Himself. “Pray the Lord of the harvest,” and He will engineer your circumstances to send you out as His laborer.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We all have the trick of saying—If only I were not where I am!—If only I had not got the kind of people I have to live with! If our faith or our religion does not help us in the conditions we are in, we have either a further struggle to go through, or we had better abandon that faith and religion. The Shadow of an Agony, 1178 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Lying Scales and Twisted Scriptures - #8548
Every morning I have a date with my bathroom scale. Some days it makes me smile. Other days, I'm sad. So I need comfort food. Like donuts.
But years ago, our son had an unusually uplifting scale. He was working in youth ministry on a reservation and living in a trailer. He urged Karen and me to weigh on his scale in the morning. Karen was thrilled - she'd lost 15 pounds in a day! And so had I! Of course, we got wildly different results every time we weighed.
Oh, how I wanted to believe that scale. But no matter how welcome the news is on a wacko scale, it won't fool my heart; it sure won't fool my hips. Or my doctor. You know, he's got one of those "whole truth, however ugly" scales. And there, in numbers that will drive you to lunches of celery and water, is the truth. The inconvenient, but uncompromising, truth. And then there's the Bible. The scale that doesn't lie.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Lying Scales and Twisted Scriptures."
"All Scripture is inspired by God," the Bible says. In the original language, it's "God-breathed" and it says "is useful for teaching what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives" (2 Timothy 3:16). Here's the problem. Many times God's Book doesn't tell us what we want to be true. It tells us what is true. Like it or not. Often, not.
I call it inconvenient truth. Now, where the "lying scales" often tell us what we'd like to be true. And Scripture tells us truth that means we need to (guess what?) change. It may be the inconvenient truth about marriage or divorce. About what it means to be a husband or a wife, a parent. About sex or forgiving or our money. About loving our enemy or blessing those who curse us. About Jesus being the only way to God. Our responsibility to the poor. Maybe our prejudice, or maybe about what God says about an unwanted pregnancy. About reconciling or loving our enemies or being unashamed of our Jesus. Or even about the very origins of us and of our world.
Somewhere in a list like that is going to be some divine truth that makes you squirm, and that may mean changing. That may mean paying a price. The temptation is to try to do an end run around what God has said. And all across the Christian landscape, people are twisting and turning, rationalizing and redefining to create a loophole that just isn't there. "Times have changed." "Well, if you understood the culture when that was written..." "God is love - He would never be like that."
The idea is this: if you're out of bounds, just move the boundaries. But God's not moving. No, listen to our word for today from the Word of God in Psalm 119:89. "Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens." Cultures change. Polls change. God's Word does not. It's just always the truth, whether millions believe it or no one believes it.
Telling someone the truth - especially if it's unwelcome truth - is not unloving. Oh, it can be delivered unlovingly, as all too often it is these days. But parents know that loving your child sometimes means giving them the truth they don't want to hear. But they need to hear. About playing in the street or bad friends or Internet relationships or texting while driving, sexual predators charmingly disguised. We love them enough to tell them the truth.
That's how much God loves us. He sees the big picture, where certain choices will end up. His boundaries aren't to deprive us, they're to protect us. That's why compromising His life instructions is patently unloving.
In a Roman prison, awaiting execution, in Paul's final written words he gives us warning, and it's about lying scales. "A time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear."
That's convenient truth. Funny thing about the real truth, though. It will always be true. And one day, I'll face the consequences for not believing it. So, as everything is changing and our culture, our friends, our mentors, and even some spiritual brothers and sisters find a scale that means we don't have to change, remember the real truth is "all Scripture is God-breathed" (2 Timothy 3:23-24).
The stormy crosswinds of conflicting ideas and moralities, they're going to intensify. Without an anchor, we'll be blown out to sea. And there is one, the unchanging, forever true Word of Almighty God.
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Psalm 100, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily:UNSHEATHE GOD’S SWORD
“His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what” (Hebrews 4:12–13 MSG).
Unsheathe God’s sword, the Word of God, and brandish its glimmering blade in the face of evil. When you read or quote a scripture in the face of pain or doubt or evil, you activate a weapon of the Spirit. Say… I know a verse in the Bible that might help. Or… A scripture that means much to me is… (your selection).
My go-to list includes scriptures like these:
“If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)
“I will never leave you or forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)
This is how happiness happens.
Psalm 100
A Thanksgiving Psalm
On your feet now—applaud God!
Bring a gift of laughter,
sing yourselves into his presence.
3 Know this: God is God, and God, God.
He made us; we didn’t make him.
We’re his people, his well-tended sheep.
4 Enter with the password: “Thank you!”
Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
Thank him. Worship him.
5 For God is sheer beauty,
all-generous in love,
loyal always and ever.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
2 Corinthians 1:8–11
We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters,[a] about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.
Footnotes:
2 Corinthians 1:8 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in 8:1; 13:11
Insight
Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, more than any of his other New Testament letters, expresses his willingness to do whatever it took to share the heart of Christ (1:3–11; 2:4; 4:7–12; 6:3–10; 11:16–29; 12:6–10). While knowing that some would accuse him of boasting, he wanted his readers to know how deeply he cared for them in the Spirit of Christ who had suffered not only for him, but also for them. In the process, he became a living reflection of the God who, at His own expense, sacrificially intervened, mediated, and interceded for us, so that we in turn could lead and intercede on behalf of others. His prayer is that his readers would join him in discovering for themselves hope in the face of death, strength in weakness, courage in fear, and joy in answered prayer. By: Mart DeHaan
Haystack Prayers
You help us by your prayers. 2 Corinthians 1:11
Samuel Mills and four of his friends often gathered together to pray for God to send more people to share the good news of Jesus. One day in 1806, after returning from their prayer meeting, they got caught in a thunderstorm and took refuge in a haystack. Their weekly prayer gathering then became known as the Haystack Prayer Meeting, which resulted in a global mission movement. Today the Haystack Prayer Monument stands at Williams College in the US as a reminder of what God can do through prayer.
Our heavenly Father is delighted when His children approach Him with a common request. It’s like a family gathering where they’re united in purpose, sharing a common burden.
The apostle Paul acknowledges how God helped him through the prayers of others during a time of severe suffering: “He will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers” (2 Corinthians 1:10–11). God has chosen to use our prayers—especially our prayers together—to accomplish His work in the world. No wonder the verse continues: “Then many will give thanks . . . [for the] answer to the prayers of many.”
Let’s pray together so we can also rejoice together in God’s goodness. Our loving Father is waiting for us to come to Him so He can work through us in ways that reach far beyond anything we could ever imagine. By: Poh Fang Chia
Reflect & Pray
What request can you and others pray for? How has your faith been strengthened when you pray with others?
Father, help us to pray together even as we work together.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
The Key to the Missionary’s Message
He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. —1 John 2:2
The key to the missionary’s message is the propitiation of Christ Jesus— His sacrifice for us that completely satisfied the wrath of God. Look at any other aspect of Christ’s work, whether it is healing, saving, or sanctifying, and you will see that there is nothing limitless about those. But— “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”— that is limitless (John 1:29). The missionary’s message is the limitless importance of Jesus Christ as the propitiation for our sins, and a missionary is someone who is immersed in the truth of that revelation.
The real key to the missionary’s message is the “remissionary” aspect of Christ’s life, not His kindness, His goodness, or even His revealing of the fatherhood of God to us. “…repentance and remission of sins should be preached…to all nations…” (Luke 24:47). The greatest message of limitless importance is that “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins….” The missionary’s message is not nationalistic, favoring nations or individuals; it is “for the whole world.” When the Holy Spirit comes into me, He does not consider my partialities or preferences; He simply brings me into oneness with the Lord Jesus.
A missionary is someone who is bound by marriage to the stated mission and purpose of his Lord and Master. He is not to proclaim his own point of view, but is only to proclaim “the Lamb of God.” It is easier to belong to a faction that simply tells what Jesus Christ has done for me, and easier to become a devotee of divine healing, or of a special type of sanctification, or of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. But Paul did not say, “Woe is me if I do not preach what Christ has done for me,” but, “…woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16). And this is the gospel— “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
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
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
The Trouble With Life's Great Catches - #8547
In his classic, "Old Man and the Sea," Ernest Hemingway told about a very weary old fisherman who, like most of his village, had had hard times most of his life. He's barely eking out a living, goes out one day and decides to travel farther than usual to fish. And to his amazement, he hooks the largest fish he's ever seen in his life - so big he can't even bring it into his boat. So he begins to tow his prize fish behind his boat, excited about what this catch could mean and how it might be the beginning of a wonderful turn of his fortunes. It's the dream catch of his life! But as he comes into the harbor and up to the dock, his joy turns back to an even greater despair than ever before. All the while that he's been towing his prize; the other creatures of the sea have been feeding on it. And all that's left of his dream is bones.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Trouble With Life's Great Catches."
Maybe one reason that story has enduring interest is that it's a mirror of many of our lives. We pursue what we think will give us what we've needed. We catch it, but our great catches all too often turn out to be just carcasses in the end. They gave us hope for a while and then they let us down.
So we go back out, fishing for something else that will be our answer. And ultimately, our next catch disappoints us, too. The trail behind us from our days like even as a teenager is littered with the pieces of things that were supposed to make us happy but ultimately did not. I noticed a comment in Johnny Carson's biography, the long-time host of the Tonight Show. Something was said after the great entertainer's death. I mean, he was lauded as the best in his field, we laughed at what he did so many times, he was a giant in television. Here's what his biographer said: "I can't say that Johnny was ever a truly happy man. I don't think he would ever say he was a happy man." Wow! Well, he's not alone.
In a few sledgehammer words, Jesus Christ exposed all our futile expeditions to find answers for our life and the only place really worth looking for it. It's in Mark 8:36. It's our word for today from the Word of God, where Jesus said, "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?"
You can catch everything this world has to offer. You can get its acclaim, its wealth, its pleasures, its success - and lose the only thing that really matters, which is your soul. It's your soul that's always hungry for something you've never been able to find. And your soul is like forever restless because you're away from the One you were made by; the One you were made for. In God's own words, "Your sins have separated you from your God" (Isaiah 59:2).
We've got this God-sized hole, and we've tried to fill it with things and people that can't begin to take His place. If we live like this, we'll live without peace and we'll live without meaning. If we die like this, we'll spend eternity without God, without His love. He didn't leave us separated from Him, though. He could have. He didn't. He pursued us. He sent His Son, Jesus, to sacrifice His life for yours and mine; to take the rap for all our sin, that defiant self-rule of our lives.
So what gaining the whole world could never do, Jesus can do. He said, "He who comes to Me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty" (John 6:35). That could be you, beginning today. Beginning the moment that you admit your need for His forgiveness and that you're ready to turn the driver's seat over to Him, you're willing to put your complete trust in Him and Him alone as your only hope; this crucified and, then, risen from the dead Savior. This is quite simply the end of your search.
For some people that search has ended with the information they found at our website, which I want to invite you to go to. Nothing there for you to join, just information that will help you know you belong to Jesus. And that site is ANewStory.com.
You've been so busy fishing for things that can't save or can't satisfy your soul. Maybe you've neglected your soul, but not today. This is the day you could find Jesus and you can finally find what your soul has been looking for for so long.
Monday, October 14, 2019
Psalm 99 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: SPEAK UP
Not only did Jesus not make it to the deathbed of Lazarus, he didn’t make it to the burial. He was four days late. Martha was forthright. “Lord, if only you had been here my brother would not have died” (John 11:21). Martha was to Jesus what your hurting friend is to you. How can we respond when our friend is undone?
Here is what Jesus did. He looked Martha in the face and said these starchy words: “I am the resurrection and the life. . . . Do you believe this?” (vv. 25–26). The Bible’s word for such a response is admonishment. Above all, admonishment is truth spoken into a difficult circumstance. Yes, we hold the hand of the struggler. And yes, yes, yes, we speak words of truth into moments of despair.
Psalm 99
God rules. On your toes, everybody!
He rules from his angel throne—take notice!
God looms majestic in Zion,
He towers in splendor over all the big names.
Great and terrible your beauty: let everyone praise you!
Holy. Yes, holy.
4-5 Strong King, lover of justice,
You laid things out fair and square;
You set down the foundations in Jacob,
Foundation stones of just and right ways.
Honor God, our God; worship his rule!
Holy. Yes, holy.
6-9 Moses and Aaron were his priests,
Samuel among those who prayed to him.
They prayed to God and he answered them;
He spoke from the pillar of cloud.
And they did what he said; they kept the law he gave them.
And then God, our God, answered them
(But you were never soft on their sins).
Lift high God, our God; worship at his holy mountain.
Holy. Yes, holy is God our God.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, October 14, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Psalm 59:1, 14–17
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.[b] When Saul had sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him.
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O God;
be my fortress against those who are attacking me.
Psalm 59:14-17 New International Version (NIV)
14 They return at evening,
snarling like dogs,
and prowl about the city.
15 They wander about for food
and howl if not satisfied.
16 But I will sing of your strength,
in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
my refuge in times of trouble.
17 You are my strength, I sing praise to you;
you, God, are my fortress,
my God on whom I can rely.
Insight
In Psalm 59, the author uses the word fortress four times to underscore his view of God during life’s difficulties (vv. 1, 9, 16, 17). A fortress is a place of safety and security. It’s both a place of defense and rest, as well as a place where needs are met. It’s also where the enemy can be safely engaged. In verse 1, God is a fortress who protects from attacks. Verse 9 provides its own unique perspective to the idea of God as fortress. There the author says, “I watch for you.” When danger looms, the psalmist looks in confident expectation for the deliverance of God. He understands that when there’s a threat, nothing provides safety like Him. In recognition of this, we can join him in celebration and praise to God (vv. 16–17).
Strengthened in Song
I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress. Psalm 59:16
When French villagers helped Jewish refugees hide from the Nazis during World War II, some sang songs in the dense forest surrounding their town—letting the refugees know it was safe to come out from hiding. These brave townspeople of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon had answered the call of local pastor André Trocmé and his wife, Magda, to offer wartime refuge to Jews on their windswept plateau known as “La Montagne Protestante.” Their musical signal became just one feature of the villagers’ bravery that helped save up to 3,000 Jews from almost certain death.
In another dangerous time, David sang when his enemy Saul sent nighttime assassins to his house. His use of music wasn’t a signal; rather, it was his song of gratitude to God his refuge. David rejoiced, “I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble” (Psalm 59:16).
Such singing isn’t “whistling in the dark” during danger. Instead, David’s singing conveyed his trust in almighty God. “You, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely” (v. 17).
David’s praise, and the villagers’ singing in Le Chambon, offer an invitation to bless God today with our singing, making melody to Him despite the worries of life. His loving presence will respond, strengthening our hearts. By: Patricia Raybon
Reflect & Pray
How do you feel when you’re singing your favorite praise song? Why do praise songs inspire us to feel stronger?
Dear God, strengthen my heart with praises that transform my fears and worries into worship of You.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, October 14, 2019
The Key to the Missionary’s Work
Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…" —Matthew 28:18-19
The key to the missionary’s work is the authority of Jesus Christ, not the needs of the lost. We are inclined to look on our Lord as one who assists us in our endeavors for God. Yet our Lord places Himself as the absolute sovereign and supreme Lord over His disciples. He does not say that the lost will never be saved if we don’t go— He simply says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations….” He says, “Go on the basis of the revealed truth of My sovereignty, teaching and preaching out of your living experience of Me.”
“Then the eleven disciples went…to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them” (Matthew 28:16). If I want to know the universal sovereignty of Christ, I must know Him myself. I must take time to worship the One whose name I bear. Jesus says, “Come to Me…”— that is the place to meet Jesus— “all you who labor and are heavy laden…” (Matthew 11:28)— and how many missionaries are! We completely dismiss these wonderful words of the universal Sovereign of the world, but they are the words of Jesus to His disciples meant for here and now.
“Go therefore….” To “go” simply means to live. Acts 1:8 is the description of how to go. Jesus did not say in this verse, “Go into Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria,” but, “…you shall be witnesses to Me in [all these places].” He takes upon Himself the work of sending us.
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you…” (John 15:7)— that is the way to keep going. Where we are placed is then a matter of indifference to us, because God sovereignly engineers our goings.
“None of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus…” (Acts 20:24). That is how to keep going until we are gone from this life.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Beware of pronouncing any verdict on the life of faith if you are not living it. Not Knowing Whither, 900 R
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, October 14, 2019
The View From Down Below - #8546
When our Native American outreach team went to Alaska, our only means of getting to remote Eskimo villages was by missionary aircraft. Man, those pilots - they were the best! I mean, many days we had to fly through low cloud ceilings and low visibility. On a day like that, our pilots were checking every hour on the weather at our end and at our destination. There was finally a break where we could fly, but it all looked pretty dismal when we took off. The pilot of the plane that I was in was instrument-rated, which actually enabled him to go to a higher altitude. The pilot of the plane accompanying us wasn't able to take the high road. No, my pilot kept in radio contact with the other pilot. Believe me, our planeload and the other planeload were seeing two totally different views. From where the other plane was flying - lower - it was dark, it was dismal, and it was really overcast. But we were above all that. We were enjoying this beautiful, sunny day with all those clouds beneath us.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The View From Down Below."
When your view is under the clouds, under the weather, everything looks dark and dismal. If you don't know better, you could assume that the sun was gone. But the view from higher up tells the real story. The sun's still shining and the clouds aren't nearly as big a deal.
When you have important decisions to make, the view from down below can really cause you to make some serious mistakes. God talks about both perspectives in what may be some of the most cherished verses on God's guidance in all the Bible. In fact, I can almost guarantee these are the favorite verses of someone who's listening as they were for my wife. But for all their familiarity, they might be exactly what you need for this time when you really need some guidance.
So here we are, our word for today from the Word of God, Proverbs 3:5-6. Two perspectives: one which leads to right conclusions, and the one which leads to wrong conclusions. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight" or, as it says in the King James version, "He will direct your paths."
Now, the way to know God's way is to passionately as it says here "trust in the Lord." Notice what the opposite of trusting in the Lord is - "leaning on your own understanding." In other words, "This is what looks right from what I can see." But the word "understanding" tells you what's wrong with that. You're standing under the situation; yeah, your under-standing. You're seeing only what you can see from the ground, but that's not the whole picture. With a decision like you might be facing right now, you need over-standing - the view from over the whole situation - the big picture. What may look right from underneath may be an incomplete or distorted perspective.
The enemy of God's will, according to these verses, is "my own understanding." I need to submit that to the view from above - to what God says - what God sees. So how do you "trust in the Lord with all your heart"? Well it says you "acknowledge Him" in all your ways. In other words, you declare many times a day, "Jesus is Lord of this." "God's got this!"
Like the centurion who had the dying servant - the soldier whose faith, the Bible says, amazed Jesus. You say, "Jesus, You have the final say in this situation. I acknowledge Your total authority over what seems so hard and so impossible to me." That centurion simply said, "Say the word, Jesus. Say the word and my servant will be healed."
Keep submitting to His Lordship, trusting in Him with everything you've got, whether you can see His working or not. But you've got to refuse to run ahead, to force it, to fix it yourself, or to try to make it happen. Why? Because you've asked your Pilot to let you see what He sees, and that's the big picture view from up above the clouds.
Not only did Jesus not make it to the deathbed of Lazarus, he didn’t make it to the burial. He was four days late. Martha was forthright. “Lord, if only you had been here my brother would not have died” (John 11:21). Martha was to Jesus what your hurting friend is to you. How can we respond when our friend is undone?
Here is what Jesus did. He looked Martha in the face and said these starchy words: “I am the resurrection and the life. . . . Do you believe this?” (vv. 25–26). The Bible’s word for such a response is admonishment. Above all, admonishment is truth spoken into a difficult circumstance. Yes, we hold the hand of the struggler. And yes, yes, yes, we speak words of truth into moments of despair.
Psalm 99
God rules. On your toes, everybody!
He rules from his angel throne—take notice!
God looms majestic in Zion,
He towers in splendor over all the big names.
Great and terrible your beauty: let everyone praise you!
Holy. Yes, holy.
4-5 Strong King, lover of justice,
You laid things out fair and square;
You set down the foundations in Jacob,
Foundation stones of just and right ways.
Honor God, our God; worship his rule!
Holy. Yes, holy.
6-9 Moses and Aaron were his priests,
Samuel among those who prayed to him.
They prayed to God and he answered them;
He spoke from the pillar of cloud.
And they did what he said; they kept the law he gave them.
And then God, our God, answered them
(But you were never soft on their sins).
Lift high God, our God; worship at his holy mountain.
Holy. Yes, holy is God our God.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, October 14, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Psalm 59:1, 14–17
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.[b] When Saul had sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him.
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O God;
be my fortress against those who are attacking me.
Psalm 59:14-17 New International Version (NIV)
14 They return at evening,
snarling like dogs,
and prowl about the city.
15 They wander about for food
and howl if not satisfied.
16 But I will sing of your strength,
in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
my refuge in times of trouble.
17 You are my strength, I sing praise to you;
you, God, are my fortress,
my God on whom I can rely.
Insight
In Psalm 59, the author uses the word fortress four times to underscore his view of God during life’s difficulties (vv. 1, 9, 16, 17). A fortress is a place of safety and security. It’s both a place of defense and rest, as well as a place where needs are met. It’s also where the enemy can be safely engaged. In verse 1, God is a fortress who protects from attacks. Verse 9 provides its own unique perspective to the idea of God as fortress. There the author says, “I watch for you.” When danger looms, the psalmist looks in confident expectation for the deliverance of God. He understands that when there’s a threat, nothing provides safety like Him. In recognition of this, we can join him in celebration and praise to God (vv. 16–17).
Strengthened in Song
I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress. Psalm 59:16
When French villagers helped Jewish refugees hide from the Nazis during World War II, some sang songs in the dense forest surrounding their town—letting the refugees know it was safe to come out from hiding. These brave townspeople of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon had answered the call of local pastor André Trocmé and his wife, Magda, to offer wartime refuge to Jews on their windswept plateau known as “La Montagne Protestante.” Their musical signal became just one feature of the villagers’ bravery that helped save up to 3,000 Jews from almost certain death.
In another dangerous time, David sang when his enemy Saul sent nighttime assassins to his house. His use of music wasn’t a signal; rather, it was his song of gratitude to God his refuge. David rejoiced, “I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble” (Psalm 59:16).
Such singing isn’t “whistling in the dark” during danger. Instead, David’s singing conveyed his trust in almighty God. “You, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely” (v. 17).
David’s praise, and the villagers’ singing in Le Chambon, offer an invitation to bless God today with our singing, making melody to Him despite the worries of life. His loving presence will respond, strengthening our hearts. By: Patricia Raybon
Reflect & Pray
How do you feel when you’re singing your favorite praise song? Why do praise songs inspire us to feel stronger?
Dear God, strengthen my heart with praises that transform my fears and worries into worship of You.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, October 14, 2019
The Key to the Missionary’s Work
Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…" —Matthew 28:18-19
The key to the missionary’s work is the authority of Jesus Christ, not the needs of the lost. We are inclined to look on our Lord as one who assists us in our endeavors for God. Yet our Lord places Himself as the absolute sovereign and supreme Lord over His disciples. He does not say that the lost will never be saved if we don’t go— He simply says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations….” He says, “Go on the basis of the revealed truth of My sovereignty, teaching and preaching out of your living experience of Me.”
“Then the eleven disciples went…to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them” (Matthew 28:16). If I want to know the universal sovereignty of Christ, I must know Him myself. I must take time to worship the One whose name I bear. Jesus says, “Come to Me…”— that is the place to meet Jesus— “all you who labor and are heavy laden…” (Matthew 11:28)— and how many missionaries are! We completely dismiss these wonderful words of the universal Sovereign of the world, but they are the words of Jesus to His disciples meant for here and now.
“Go therefore….” To “go” simply means to live. Acts 1:8 is the description of how to go. Jesus did not say in this verse, “Go into Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria,” but, “…you shall be witnesses to Me in [all these places].” He takes upon Himself the work of sending us.
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you…” (John 15:7)— that is the way to keep going. Where we are placed is then a matter of indifference to us, because God sovereignly engineers our goings.
“None of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus…” (Acts 20:24). That is how to keep going until we are gone from this life.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Beware of pronouncing any verdict on the life of faith if you are not living it. Not Knowing Whither, 900 R
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, October 14, 2019
The View From Down Below - #8546
When our Native American outreach team went to Alaska, our only means of getting to remote Eskimo villages was by missionary aircraft. Man, those pilots - they were the best! I mean, many days we had to fly through low cloud ceilings and low visibility. On a day like that, our pilots were checking every hour on the weather at our end and at our destination. There was finally a break where we could fly, but it all looked pretty dismal when we took off. The pilot of the plane that I was in was instrument-rated, which actually enabled him to go to a higher altitude. The pilot of the plane accompanying us wasn't able to take the high road. No, my pilot kept in radio contact with the other pilot. Believe me, our planeload and the other planeload were seeing two totally different views. From where the other plane was flying - lower - it was dark, it was dismal, and it was really overcast. But we were above all that. We were enjoying this beautiful, sunny day with all those clouds beneath us.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The View From Down Below."
When your view is under the clouds, under the weather, everything looks dark and dismal. If you don't know better, you could assume that the sun was gone. But the view from higher up tells the real story. The sun's still shining and the clouds aren't nearly as big a deal.
When you have important decisions to make, the view from down below can really cause you to make some serious mistakes. God talks about both perspectives in what may be some of the most cherished verses on God's guidance in all the Bible. In fact, I can almost guarantee these are the favorite verses of someone who's listening as they were for my wife. But for all their familiarity, they might be exactly what you need for this time when you really need some guidance.
So here we are, our word for today from the Word of God, Proverbs 3:5-6. Two perspectives: one which leads to right conclusions, and the one which leads to wrong conclusions. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight" or, as it says in the King James version, "He will direct your paths."
Now, the way to know God's way is to passionately as it says here "trust in the Lord." Notice what the opposite of trusting in the Lord is - "leaning on your own understanding." In other words, "This is what looks right from what I can see." But the word "understanding" tells you what's wrong with that. You're standing under the situation; yeah, your under-standing. You're seeing only what you can see from the ground, but that's not the whole picture. With a decision like you might be facing right now, you need over-standing - the view from over the whole situation - the big picture. What may look right from underneath may be an incomplete or distorted perspective.
The enemy of God's will, according to these verses, is "my own understanding." I need to submit that to the view from above - to what God says - what God sees. So how do you "trust in the Lord with all your heart"? Well it says you "acknowledge Him" in all your ways. In other words, you declare many times a day, "Jesus is Lord of this." "God's got this!"
Like the centurion who had the dying servant - the soldier whose faith, the Bible says, amazed Jesus. You say, "Jesus, You have the final say in this situation. I acknowledge Your total authority over what seems so hard and so impossible to me." That centurion simply said, "Say the word, Jesus. Say the word and my servant will be healed."
Keep submitting to His Lordship, trusting in Him with everything you've got, whether you can see His working or not. But you've got to refuse to run ahead, to force it, to fix it yourself, or to try to make it happen. Why? Because you've asked your Pilot to let you see what He sees, and that's the big picture view from up above the clouds.
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Acts 17:1-15, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Don't Forget a Single Blessing
Some years back as I was driving my daughter Andrea to middle school, she noticed I was anxious.
"Why are you so quiet, Dad?" I told her I was worried about a book deadline.
She asked me, "Haven't you written other books?" "Yes," I replied.
"How many?" At that point the answer was fifteen.
She responded, "have you ever missed a deadline before?" "No," I said.
"So God helped you fifteen times already?" "Yes," I winced. She was sounding like her mother.
She reasoned further, "if he has helped you fifteen different times, don't you think he will help you this time?"
Satan has no recourse to your testimony! Your best weapon against his attacks is a good memory. Don't forget a single blessing! 1 Corinthians 6:20 says, "You have been bought with a price. You belong to God." God's message for you? Remember whose you are. Live out your inheritance!
From Glory Days
Acts 17:1-15
They took the road south through Amphipolis and Apollonia to Thessalonica, where there was a community of Jews. Paul went to their meeting place, as he usually did when he came to a town, and for three Sabbaths running he preached to them from the Scriptures. He opened up the texts so they understood what they’d been reading all their lives: that the Messiah absolutely had to be put to death and raised from the dead—there were no other options—and that “this Jesus I’m introducing you to is that Messiah.”
4-5 Some of them were won over and joined ranks with Paul and Silas, among them a great many God-fearing Greeks and a considerable number of women from the aristocracy. But the hard-line Jews became furious over the conversions. Mad with jealousy, they rounded up a bunch of brawlers off the streets and soon had an ugly mob terrorizing the city as they hunted down Paul and Silas.
5-7 They broke into Jason’s house, thinking that Paul and Silas were there. When they couldn’t find them, they collared Jason and his friends instead and dragged them before the city fathers, yelling hysterically, “These people are out to destroy the world, and now they’ve shown up on our doorstep, attacking everything we hold dear! And Jason is hiding them, these traitors and turncoats who say Jesus is king and Caesar is nothing!”
8-9 The city fathers and the crowd of people were totally alarmed by what they heard. They made Jason and his friends post heavy bail and let them go while they investigated the charges.
10-12 That night, under cover of darkness, their friends got Paul and Silas out of town as fast as they could. They sent them to Berea, where they again met with the Jewish community. They were treated a lot better there than in Thessalonica. The Jews received Paul’s message with enthusiasm and met with him daily, examining the Scriptures to see if they supported what he said. A lot of them became believers, including many Greeks who were prominent in the community, women and men of influence.
13-15 But it wasn’t long before reports got back to the Thessalonian hard-line Jews that Paul was at it again, preaching the Word of God, this time in Berea. They lost no time responding, and created a mob scene there, too. With the help of his friends, Paul gave them the slip—caught a boat and put out to sea. Silas and Timothy stayed behind. The men who helped Paul escape got him as far as Athens and left him there. Paul sent word back with them to Silas and Timothy: “Come as quickly as you can!”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
1 Thessalonians 1:1–10
Paul, Silas[a] and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace and peace to you.
2 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
4 For we know, brothers and sisters[b] loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
Footnotes:
1 Thessalonians 1:1 Greek Silvanus, a variant of Silas
1 Thessalonians 1:4 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in 2:1, 9, 14, 17; 3:7; 4:1, 10, 13; 5:1, 4, 12, 14, 25, 27.
Insight
Easton’s Bible Dictionary says: “(Thessalonica) was the capital of one of the four Roman districts of Macedonia. . . . On his second missionary journey, Paul preached in the synagogue here, the chief synagogue of the Jews in that part of Macedonia, and laid the foundations of a church (Acts 17:1–4; 1 Thessalonians 1:9). The violence of the Jews drove him from the city, when he fled to Berea (Acts 17:5–10). Paul visited the church here on a subsequent occasion (20:1–3).” The church at Thessalonica would become a key witness for the good news in northern Greece. Bill Crowder
Worth the Wait
We eagerly await a Savior. Philippians 3:20
Outside the Shibuya train station in Tokyo is a statue commemorating an Akita dog named Hachiko. Hachiko is remembered for unusual faithfulness to his owner, a university professor who commuted from the station daily. The dog accompanied him on his walk there in the morning and came back to meet him every afternoon just as his train arrived.
One day the professor didn’t return to the station; sadly, he’d died at work. But for the rest of his life—more than nine years—Hachiko showed up at the same time as the afternoon train. Day after day, regardless of weather, the dog waited faithfully for his master’s return.
Paul commended the Thessalonians for their faithfulness, citing their “work produced by faith,” “labor prompted by love,” and “endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 1:3). Despite harsh opposition, they left their old ways “to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven” (vv. 9–10).
These early believers’ vital hope in their Savior and His love for them inspired them to see beyond their difficulties and to share their faith enthusiastically. They were assured there was nothing better than living for Jesus. How good it is to know that the same Holy Spirit who emboldened them (v. 5) still empowers us today to faithfully serve Jesus as we await His return. By: James Banks
Reflect & Pray
What do you look forward to most about being with Jesus? How are you sharing your hope in Him?
Jesus, help me take heart and wait for You.
To learn more about what the New Testament teaches about the Christian faith, visit christianuniversity.org/NT109.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Individual Discouragement and Personal Growth
…when Moses was grown…he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. —Exodus 2:11
Moses saw the oppression of his people and felt certain that he was the one to deliver them, and in the righteous indignation of his own spirit he started to right their wrongs. After he launched his first strike for God and for what was right, God allowed Moses to be driven into empty discouragement, sending him into the desert to feed sheep for forty years. At the end of that time, God appeared to Moses and said to him, “ ‘…bring My people…out of Egypt.’ But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go…?’ ” (Exodus 3:10-11). In the beginning Moses had realized that he was the one to deliver the people, but he had to be trained and disciplined by God first. He was right in his individual perspective, but he was not the person for the work until he had learned true fellowship and oneness with God.
We may have the vision of God and a very clear understanding of what God wants, and yet when we start to do it, there comes to us something equivalent to Moses’ forty years in the wilderness. It’s as if God had ignored the entire thing, and when we are thoroughly discouraged, God comes back and revives His call to us. And then we begin to tremble and say, “Who am I that I should go…?” We must learn that God’s great stride is summed up in these words— “I AM WHO I AM…has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). We must also learn that our individual effort for God shows nothing but disrespect for Him— our individuality is to be rendered radiant through a personal relationship with God, so that He may be “well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). We are focused on the right individual perspective of things; we have the vision and can say, “I know this is what God wants me to do.” But we have not yet learned to get into God’s stride. If you are going through a time of discouragement, there is a time of great personal growth ahead.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Defenders of the faith are inclined to be bitter until they learn to walk in the light of the Lord. When you have learned to walk in the light of the Lord, bitterness and contention are impossible. Biblical Psychology, 199 R
Some years back as I was driving my daughter Andrea to middle school, she noticed I was anxious.
"Why are you so quiet, Dad?" I told her I was worried about a book deadline.
She asked me, "Haven't you written other books?" "Yes," I replied.
"How many?" At that point the answer was fifteen.
She responded, "have you ever missed a deadline before?" "No," I said.
"So God helped you fifteen times already?" "Yes," I winced. She was sounding like her mother.
She reasoned further, "if he has helped you fifteen different times, don't you think he will help you this time?"
Satan has no recourse to your testimony! Your best weapon against his attacks is a good memory. Don't forget a single blessing! 1 Corinthians 6:20 says, "You have been bought with a price. You belong to God." God's message for you? Remember whose you are. Live out your inheritance!
From Glory Days
Acts 17:1-15
They took the road south through Amphipolis and Apollonia to Thessalonica, where there was a community of Jews. Paul went to their meeting place, as he usually did when he came to a town, and for three Sabbaths running he preached to them from the Scriptures. He opened up the texts so they understood what they’d been reading all their lives: that the Messiah absolutely had to be put to death and raised from the dead—there were no other options—and that “this Jesus I’m introducing you to is that Messiah.”
4-5 Some of them were won over and joined ranks with Paul and Silas, among them a great many God-fearing Greeks and a considerable number of women from the aristocracy. But the hard-line Jews became furious over the conversions. Mad with jealousy, they rounded up a bunch of brawlers off the streets and soon had an ugly mob terrorizing the city as they hunted down Paul and Silas.
5-7 They broke into Jason’s house, thinking that Paul and Silas were there. When they couldn’t find them, they collared Jason and his friends instead and dragged them before the city fathers, yelling hysterically, “These people are out to destroy the world, and now they’ve shown up on our doorstep, attacking everything we hold dear! And Jason is hiding them, these traitors and turncoats who say Jesus is king and Caesar is nothing!”
8-9 The city fathers and the crowd of people were totally alarmed by what they heard. They made Jason and his friends post heavy bail and let them go while they investigated the charges.
10-12 That night, under cover of darkness, their friends got Paul and Silas out of town as fast as they could. They sent them to Berea, where they again met with the Jewish community. They were treated a lot better there than in Thessalonica. The Jews received Paul’s message with enthusiasm and met with him daily, examining the Scriptures to see if they supported what he said. A lot of them became believers, including many Greeks who were prominent in the community, women and men of influence.
13-15 But it wasn’t long before reports got back to the Thessalonian hard-line Jews that Paul was at it again, preaching the Word of God, this time in Berea. They lost no time responding, and created a mob scene there, too. With the help of his friends, Paul gave them the slip—caught a boat and put out to sea. Silas and Timothy stayed behind. The men who helped Paul escape got him as far as Athens and left him there. Paul sent word back with them to Silas and Timothy: “Come as quickly as you can!”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
1 Thessalonians 1:1–10
Paul, Silas[a] and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace and peace to you.
2 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
4 For we know, brothers and sisters[b] loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
Footnotes:
1 Thessalonians 1:1 Greek Silvanus, a variant of Silas
1 Thessalonians 1:4 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in 2:1, 9, 14, 17; 3:7; 4:1, 10, 13; 5:1, 4, 12, 14, 25, 27.
Insight
Easton’s Bible Dictionary says: “(Thessalonica) was the capital of one of the four Roman districts of Macedonia. . . . On his second missionary journey, Paul preached in the synagogue here, the chief synagogue of the Jews in that part of Macedonia, and laid the foundations of a church (Acts 17:1–4; 1 Thessalonians 1:9). The violence of the Jews drove him from the city, when he fled to Berea (Acts 17:5–10). Paul visited the church here on a subsequent occasion (20:1–3).” The church at Thessalonica would become a key witness for the good news in northern Greece. Bill Crowder
Worth the Wait
We eagerly await a Savior. Philippians 3:20
Outside the Shibuya train station in Tokyo is a statue commemorating an Akita dog named Hachiko. Hachiko is remembered for unusual faithfulness to his owner, a university professor who commuted from the station daily. The dog accompanied him on his walk there in the morning and came back to meet him every afternoon just as his train arrived.
One day the professor didn’t return to the station; sadly, he’d died at work. But for the rest of his life—more than nine years—Hachiko showed up at the same time as the afternoon train. Day after day, regardless of weather, the dog waited faithfully for his master’s return.
Paul commended the Thessalonians for their faithfulness, citing their “work produced by faith,” “labor prompted by love,” and “endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 1:3). Despite harsh opposition, they left their old ways “to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven” (vv. 9–10).
These early believers’ vital hope in their Savior and His love for them inspired them to see beyond their difficulties and to share their faith enthusiastically. They were assured there was nothing better than living for Jesus. How good it is to know that the same Holy Spirit who emboldened them (v. 5) still empowers us today to faithfully serve Jesus as we await His return. By: James Banks
Reflect & Pray
What do you look forward to most about being with Jesus? How are you sharing your hope in Him?
Jesus, help me take heart and wait for You.
To learn more about what the New Testament teaches about the Christian faith, visit christianuniversity.org/NT109.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Individual Discouragement and Personal Growth
…when Moses was grown…he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. —Exodus 2:11
Moses saw the oppression of his people and felt certain that he was the one to deliver them, and in the righteous indignation of his own spirit he started to right their wrongs. After he launched his first strike for God and for what was right, God allowed Moses to be driven into empty discouragement, sending him into the desert to feed sheep for forty years. At the end of that time, God appeared to Moses and said to him, “ ‘…bring My people…out of Egypt.’ But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go…?’ ” (Exodus 3:10-11). In the beginning Moses had realized that he was the one to deliver the people, but he had to be trained and disciplined by God first. He was right in his individual perspective, but he was not the person for the work until he had learned true fellowship and oneness with God.
We may have the vision of God and a very clear understanding of what God wants, and yet when we start to do it, there comes to us something equivalent to Moses’ forty years in the wilderness. It’s as if God had ignored the entire thing, and when we are thoroughly discouraged, God comes back and revives His call to us. And then we begin to tremble and say, “Who am I that I should go…?” We must learn that God’s great stride is summed up in these words— “I AM WHO I AM…has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). We must also learn that our individual effort for God shows nothing but disrespect for Him— our individuality is to be rendered radiant through a personal relationship with God, so that He may be “well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). We are focused on the right individual perspective of things; we have the vision and can say, “I know this is what God wants me to do.” But we have not yet learned to get into God’s stride. If you are going through a time of discouragement, there is a time of great personal growth ahead.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Defenders of the faith are inclined to be bitter until they learn to walk in the light of the Lord. When you have learned to walk in the light of the Lord, bitterness and contention are impossible. Biblical Psychology, 199 R
Saturday, October 12, 2019
Psalm 98, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: God Has a Place for You
Jericho's shady lady found God-or better worded, God found Rahab the harlot. He spotted a tender heart in the hard city of Jericho and reached out to save her. He would have saved the entire city, but no one else made the request. Then again, Rahab the harlot had an advantage. She had nothing to lose. She was at the bottom of the rung. She had already lost her reputation. She was at the bottom of the pit.
Perhaps that's where you are as well. You may or may not sell your body, but you've sold your allegiance, affection, attention, and talents. You've sold out. Glory days? Perhaps for him or for her. But not for me. I'm too soiled, dirty. I've sinned too much. No Glory Days for me!
God's one-word reply for such doubt? Rahab! God has a place for the Rahabs of the world! He has a place for you!
From Glory Days
Psalm 98
Sing to God a brand-new song.
He’s made a world of wonders!
He rolled up his sleeves,
He set things right.
2 God made history with salvation,
He showed the world what he could do.
3 He remembered to love us, a bonus
To his dear family, Israel—indefatigable love.
The whole earth comes to attention.
Look—God’s work of salvation!
4 Shout your praises to God, everybody!
Let loose and sing! Strike up the band!
5 Round up an orchestra to play for God,
Add on a hundred-voice choir.
6 Feature trumpets and big trombones,
Fill the air with praises to King God.
7 Let the sea and its fish give a round of applause,
With everything living on earth joining in.
8 Let ocean breakers call out, “Encore!”
And mountains harmonize the finale—
9 A tribute to God when he comes,
When he comes to set the earth right.
He’ll straighten out the whole world,
He’ll put the world right, and everyone in it.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Saturday, October 12, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Isaiah 40:25–31
“To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.
27 Why do you complain, Jacob?
Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Insight
One of the ways God is magnified in Isaiah 40 is through the use of rhetorical questions—questions not asked in anticipation of an answer but to provoke one’s thoughts, to drive home a point. An example of this device in the Bible is the book of Job, particularly chapters 38–41, where God is the One asking the questions. In Isaiah 40, after the pronouncements of the comfort that awaited the people of God through the Lord’s coming (vv. 1–5), the trustworthiness of God’s words (vv. 6–8), and the might and mercy that would attend His coming (vv. 9–11), the questions begin to roll in verse 12 and they don’t stop until verse 28! They’re designed to help believing people throughout history to ponder the incomparable greatness of our loving God. By: Arthur Jackson
Fill in Your Name
. . . He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Isaiah 40:26
In Love Letters from God, Glenys Nellist invites children to interact with the Lord in a deeply personal way. These children’s books include a note from God with a space for the child’s name to be inserted after each Bible story. Personalizing scriptural truth helps her young readers understand that the Bible isn’t just a storybook. They’re being taught that the Lord wants a relationship with them and that He speaks to His greatly loved children through the Scriptures.
I bought the book for my nephew and filled in the blanks in the beginning of every note from God. Delighted when he recognized his name, my nephew said, “God loves me too!” What a comfort to know the deeply and completely personal love of our loving Creator.
When God spoke to the Israelites directly through the prophet Isaiah, He called their attention to the heavens. The Lord affirmed that He controls “the starry host” (Isaiah 40:26), determines each star’s individual value, and directs each one with love. He assured His people that He won’t forget or lose one star . . . or one beloved child that He’s sculpted with deliberate purpose and endless love.
As we celebrate our Almighty God’s intimate promises and proclamations of love within Scripture, we can fill in our names. We can trust and declare with childlike delight, “God loves me too!” By: Xochitl Dixon
Reflect & Pray
How does it feel when you realize God loves you and knows your needs? What Bible verse could you remember that’s a personal promise to you?
God, thank You for affirming that Your love is a personal gift for each and every one of us. Thank You for assuring us that You know our names and can handle all of our needs.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, October 12, 2019
Getting into God’s Stride
Enoch walked with God… —Genesis 5:24
The true test of a person’s spiritual life and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during the ordinary times when there is nothing tremendous or exciting happening. A person’s worth is revealed in his attitude toward the ordinary things of life when he is not under the spotlight (see John 1:35-37 and John 3:30). It is painful work to get in step with God and to keep pace with Him— it means getting your second wind spiritually. In learning to walk with God, there is always the difficulty of getting into His stride, but once we have done so, the only characteristic that exhibits itself is the very life of God Himself. The individual person is merged into a personal oneness with God, and God’s stride and His power alone are exhibited.
It is difficult to get into stride with God, because as soon as we start walking with Him we find that His pace has surpassed us before we have even taken three steps. He has different ways of doing things, and we have to be trained and disciplined in His ways. It was said of Jesus— “He will not fail nor be discouraged…” (Isaiah 42:4) because He never worked from His own individual standpoint, but always worked from the standpoint of His Father. And we must learn to do the same. Spiritual truth is learned through the atmosphere that surrounds us, not through intellectual reasoning. It is God’s Spirit that changes the atmosphere of our way of looking at things, and then things begin to be possible which before were impossible. Getting into God’s stride means nothing less than oneness with Him. It takes a long time to get there, but keep at it. Don’t give up because the pain is intense right now— get on with it, and before long you will find that you have a new vision and a new purpose.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Christianity is not consistency to conscience or to convictions; Christianity is being true to Jesus Christ. Biblical Ethics, 111 L
Jericho's shady lady found God-or better worded, God found Rahab the harlot. He spotted a tender heart in the hard city of Jericho and reached out to save her. He would have saved the entire city, but no one else made the request. Then again, Rahab the harlot had an advantage. She had nothing to lose. She was at the bottom of the rung. She had already lost her reputation. She was at the bottom of the pit.
Perhaps that's where you are as well. You may or may not sell your body, but you've sold your allegiance, affection, attention, and talents. You've sold out. Glory days? Perhaps for him or for her. But not for me. I'm too soiled, dirty. I've sinned too much. No Glory Days for me!
God's one-word reply for such doubt? Rahab! God has a place for the Rahabs of the world! He has a place for you!
From Glory Days
Psalm 98
Sing to God a brand-new song.
He’s made a world of wonders!
He rolled up his sleeves,
He set things right.
2 God made history with salvation,
He showed the world what he could do.
3 He remembered to love us, a bonus
To his dear family, Israel—indefatigable love.
The whole earth comes to attention.
Look—God’s work of salvation!
4 Shout your praises to God, everybody!
Let loose and sing! Strike up the band!
5 Round up an orchestra to play for God,
Add on a hundred-voice choir.
6 Feature trumpets and big trombones,
Fill the air with praises to King God.
7 Let the sea and its fish give a round of applause,
With everything living on earth joining in.
8 Let ocean breakers call out, “Encore!”
And mountains harmonize the finale—
9 A tribute to God when he comes,
When he comes to set the earth right.
He’ll straighten out the whole world,
He’ll put the world right, and everyone in it.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Saturday, October 12, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Isaiah 40:25–31
“To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.
27 Why do you complain, Jacob?
Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Insight
One of the ways God is magnified in Isaiah 40 is through the use of rhetorical questions—questions not asked in anticipation of an answer but to provoke one’s thoughts, to drive home a point. An example of this device in the Bible is the book of Job, particularly chapters 38–41, where God is the One asking the questions. In Isaiah 40, after the pronouncements of the comfort that awaited the people of God through the Lord’s coming (vv. 1–5), the trustworthiness of God’s words (vv. 6–8), and the might and mercy that would attend His coming (vv. 9–11), the questions begin to roll in verse 12 and they don’t stop until verse 28! They’re designed to help believing people throughout history to ponder the incomparable greatness of our loving God. By: Arthur Jackson
Fill in Your Name
. . . He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Isaiah 40:26
In Love Letters from God, Glenys Nellist invites children to interact with the Lord in a deeply personal way. These children’s books include a note from God with a space for the child’s name to be inserted after each Bible story. Personalizing scriptural truth helps her young readers understand that the Bible isn’t just a storybook. They’re being taught that the Lord wants a relationship with them and that He speaks to His greatly loved children through the Scriptures.
I bought the book for my nephew and filled in the blanks in the beginning of every note from God. Delighted when he recognized his name, my nephew said, “God loves me too!” What a comfort to know the deeply and completely personal love of our loving Creator.
When God spoke to the Israelites directly through the prophet Isaiah, He called their attention to the heavens. The Lord affirmed that He controls “the starry host” (Isaiah 40:26), determines each star’s individual value, and directs each one with love. He assured His people that He won’t forget or lose one star . . . or one beloved child that He’s sculpted with deliberate purpose and endless love.
As we celebrate our Almighty God’s intimate promises and proclamations of love within Scripture, we can fill in our names. We can trust and declare with childlike delight, “God loves me too!” By: Xochitl Dixon
Reflect & Pray
How does it feel when you realize God loves you and knows your needs? What Bible verse could you remember that’s a personal promise to you?
God, thank You for affirming that Your love is a personal gift for each and every one of us. Thank You for assuring us that You know our names and can handle all of our needs.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, October 12, 2019
Getting into God’s Stride
Enoch walked with God… —Genesis 5:24
The true test of a person’s spiritual life and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during the ordinary times when there is nothing tremendous or exciting happening. A person’s worth is revealed in his attitude toward the ordinary things of life when he is not under the spotlight (see John 1:35-37 and John 3:30). It is painful work to get in step with God and to keep pace with Him— it means getting your second wind spiritually. In learning to walk with God, there is always the difficulty of getting into His stride, but once we have done so, the only characteristic that exhibits itself is the very life of God Himself. The individual person is merged into a personal oneness with God, and God’s stride and His power alone are exhibited.
It is difficult to get into stride with God, because as soon as we start walking with Him we find that His pace has surpassed us before we have even taken three steps. He has different ways of doing things, and we have to be trained and disciplined in His ways. It was said of Jesus— “He will not fail nor be discouraged…” (Isaiah 42:4) because He never worked from His own individual standpoint, but always worked from the standpoint of His Father. And we must learn to do the same. Spiritual truth is learned through the atmosphere that surrounds us, not through intellectual reasoning. It is God’s Spirit that changes the atmosphere of our way of looking at things, and then things begin to be possible which before were impossible. Getting into God’s stride means nothing less than oneness with Him. It takes a long time to get there, but keep at it. Don’t give up because the pain is intense right now— get on with it, and before long you will find that you have a new vision and a new purpose.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Christianity is not consistency to conscience or to convictions; Christianity is being true to Jesus Christ. Biblical Ethics, 111 L
Friday, October 11, 2019
Psalm 97, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Brian Reed served in a military unit in Baghdad, Iraq, in the fall of 2003. He and his unit went on regular street patrols to protect neighborhoods and build peace. It was often a thankless, fruitless assignment. Brian said his unit battled low morale daily.
An exception came in the form of a church service his men stumbled upon. It was filled with Arabic-speaking Coptic Christians who invited the soldiers to partake in the Lord’s Supper with them. Brian wrote, “Celebrating the Lord’s Supper and remembering Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins was the most important bridge builder and wall destroyer we could have experienced.”
They were “opposite yous” brought together by the cross of Christ. This is how happiness happens.
Psalm 97
God rules: there’s something to shout over!
On the double, mainlands and islands—celebrate!
2 Bright clouds and storm clouds circle ’round him;
Right and justice anchor his rule.
3 Fire blazes out before him,
Flaming high up the craggy mountains.
4 His lightnings light up the world;
Earth, wide-eyed, trembles in fear.
5 The mountains take one look at God
And melt, melt like wax before earth’s Lord.
6 The heavens announce that he’ll set everything right,
And everyone will see it happen—glorious!
7-8 All who serve handcrafted gods will be sorry—
And they were so proud of their ragamuffin gods!
On your knees, all you gods—worship him!
And Zion, you listen and take heart!
Daughters of Zion, sing your hearts out:
God has done it all, has set everything right.
9 You, God, are High God of the cosmos,
Far, far higher than any of the gods.
10 God loves all who hate evil,
And those who love him he keeps safe,
Snatches them from the grip of the wicked.
11 Light-seeds are planted in the souls of God’s people,
Joy-seeds are planted in good heart-soil.
12 So, God’s people, shout praise to God,
Give thanks to our Holy God!
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, October 11, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Psalm 118:6–9, 21–25
The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
7 The Lord is with me; he is my helper.
I look in triumph on my enemies.
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in humans.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.
22 The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
23 the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 The Lord has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.
25 Lord, save us!
Lord, grant us success!
Insight
Psalm 118 is one of the Hallel (praise) psalms that were sung at feast times in ancient Israel. Additionally, however, this particular song of celebration also contains elements of a messianic psalm—anticipating Israel’s Messiah. In Matthew 21:9, at Christ’s “triumphal entry,” the people affirm Psalm 118:25–26, saying, “Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” The Hebrew word hosanna, meaning “Lord, save us,” echoes this song on the lips of the people. And when confronting the religious leadership in Matthew 21:42, Jesus claims Psalm 118:22–23 to be self-descriptive by affirming, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.” While used liturgically in Israel’s feasts, Psalm 118 itself anticipates the coming of the One who would fulfill the ultimate meaning of those feasts.
By: Bill Crowder
The Main Actor
The Lord has done this. Psalm 118:23
I once heard about a student taking a class in preaching at a prominent seminary. The student, a young man who was a bit full of himself, delivered his sermon with eloquence and evident passion. He sat down self-satisfied, and the professor paused a moment before responding. “That was a powerful sermon,” he said. “It was well organized and moving. The only problem is that God was not the subject of a single one of your sentences.”
The professor highlighted a problem all of us struggle with at times: We can talk as if we’re the primary actor (emphasizing what we do, what we say) when in truth God is the primary actor in life. We often profess that God is somehow generally “in charge,” but we act as if all the outcomes depend on us.
The Scriptures insist that God is the true subject of our lives, the true force. Even our necessary acts of faith are done “in the name of the Lord”—in the Lord’s power (Psalm 118:10–11). God enacts our salvation. God rescues us. God tends to our needs. “The Lord has done this” (v. 23).
So the pressure’s off. We don’t need to fret, compare, work with compulsive energy, or feed our many anxieties. God is in charge. We need only trust and follow His lead in obedience. By: Winn Collier
Reflect & Pray
When are you most tempted to think you’re the main actor of your life? How has God invited you to let Him be the center of your life?
God, I’ve been paying lip service to You being in charge of my world. It’s exhausting, and I want to stop doing that. Help me trust You.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, October 11, 2019
God’s Silence— Then What?
When He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. —John 11:6
Has God trusted you with His silence— a silence that has great meaning? God’s silences are actually His answers. Just think of those days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything comparable to those days in your life? Can God trust you like that, or are you still asking Him for a visible answer? God will give you the very blessings you ask if you refuse to go any further without them, but His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into an even more wonderful understanding of Himself. Are you mourning before God because you have not had an audible response? When you cannot hear God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible— with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation. If God has given you a silence, then praise Him— He is bringing you into the mainstream of His purposes. The actual evidence of the answer in time is simply a matter of God’s sovereignty. Time is nothing to God. For a while you may have said, “I asked God to give me bread, but He gave me a stone instead” (see Matthew 7:9). He did not give you a stone, and today you find that He gave you the “bread of life” (John 6:35).
A wonderful thing about God’s silence is that His stillness is contagious— it gets into you, causing you to become perfectly confident so that you can honestly say, “I know that God has heard me.” His silence is the very proof that He has. As long as you have the idea that God will always bless you in answer to prayer, He will do it, but He will never give you the grace of His silence. If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, then He will give you the first sign of His intimacy— silence.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Seeing is never believing: we interpret what we see in the light of what we believe. Faith is confidence in God before you see God emerging; therefore the nature of faith is that it must be tried. He Shall Glorify Me, 494 R
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, October 11, 2019
The Avalanche Zone - #8545
He was having a great day on the slopes - a lot of fresh snow - an already deep base. It was just the kind of day an experienced skier would hope for. But then this one skier decided that he wanted more. He skied onto another part of the mountain; a section that was clearly marked with a large skull-and-crossbones sign; a warning about going any further written in bold print: "You may die. You decide." It couldn't be any plainer than that. Sadly, that skier decided to ski where he never should have gone. Yeah, that's when the massive avalanche came that drove him headlong into a tree and buried him in a snowy grave.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Avalanche Zone."
A man deliberately chose to go out-of-bounds into the forbidden zone. He ignored the warnings, and tragically, he paid for it with his life. Sadly, there's a tragedy like that being repeated every day by many, many people. They're out-of-bounds, they're in the avalanche zone, and when it comes, there's no escape.
That's actually a picture of the spiritual condition of someone who might be listening right now. In a way, it's a picture of all of us. Because the Bible says every one of us has decided to live our life outside of God's boundaries, even the most religious of us. God insists on truth, for example, and countless times, come on, we've settled for much less than telling the truth haven't we? God says we can have no other gods before Him, but we've pre-empted Him as the center of our life and many times pushed Him to the edge and put something else in the center of our universe.
The boundaries of God forbid destructive anger, lingering bitterness, hatred, and hurting other people. We're out-of-bounds with our pride, our sexual desires, our sexual involvement directed to anyone other than our husband or wife, our prejudice, our judgmental spirit. Your sins and my sins might be different - and you may think mine are more sinful than yours - but the Bible gives God's sobering bottom line: "There is no one righteous, not even one" (Romans 3:10) ... "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
And our sin has placed us squarely in the path of the avalanche of the judgment of Almighty God. Our instinctive fear of death is actually well-founded because we have to meet a holy God on the other side. James 1:15, our word for today from the Word of God, makes very clear the danger we're in. It says, "After desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." The ultimate outcome of our sin will inevitably be death, the death of our self-respect, of relationships, of people's trust in us, of our reputation. But worst of all, our eternal separation from our God in a place Jesus called hell.
But the dying for your sin has already been done by Jesus Christ. In the words of the Bible, Jesus came to "do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself" (Hebrews 9:26). That cross was for you. But read the warning sign: "Whoever does not believe (in Him) stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son" (John 3:18). If you keep skiing past that warning, you will as the Bible says, "die in your sin" (John 8:21) and face the awful avalanche of a penalty that Jesus already paid.
That's what makes it so urgent that you turn around and reach for heaven's Rescuer, Jesus, your only hope of heaven. Don't just breeze by His cross again without doing something, without giving yourself to the One who gave Himself for you. Right where you are, you can say, "Jesus, I'm Yours. I have no hope but You."
Look, I'd love to invite you to go to our website as soon as you can today. Because I've tried to put there in the simplest of terms how you can be sure that you are forgiven and you are going to heaven when you die. The website is ANewStory.com.
Like the sign on that ski slope that day, God's warning says, "You choose." It's not a religious choice. No, it's literally a choice between life and death - heaven and hell. I pray that you will choose life.
Brian Reed served in a military unit in Baghdad, Iraq, in the fall of 2003. He and his unit went on regular street patrols to protect neighborhoods and build peace. It was often a thankless, fruitless assignment. Brian said his unit battled low morale daily.
An exception came in the form of a church service his men stumbled upon. It was filled with Arabic-speaking Coptic Christians who invited the soldiers to partake in the Lord’s Supper with them. Brian wrote, “Celebrating the Lord’s Supper and remembering Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins was the most important bridge builder and wall destroyer we could have experienced.”
They were “opposite yous” brought together by the cross of Christ. This is how happiness happens.
Psalm 97
God rules: there’s something to shout over!
On the double, mainlands and islands—celebrate!
2 Bright clouds and storm clouds circle ’round him;
Right and justice anchor his rule.
3 Fire blazes out before him,
Flaming high up the craggy mountains.
4 His lightnings light up the world;
Earth, wide-eyed, trembles in fear.
5 The mountains take one look at God
And melt, melt like wax before earth’s Lord.
6 The heavens announce that he’ll set everything right,
And everyone will see it happen—glorious!
7-8 All who serve handcrafted gods will be sorry—
And they were so proud of their ragamuffin gods!
On your knees, all you gods—worship him!
And Zion, you listen and take heart!
Daughters of Zion, sing your hearts out:
God has done it all, has set everything right.
9 You, God, are High God of the cosmos,
Far, far higher than any of the gods.
10 God loves all who hate evil,
And those who love him he keeps safe,
Snatches them from the grip of the wicked.
11 Light-seeds are planted in the souls of God’s people,
Joy-seeds are planted in good heart-soil.
12 So, God’s people, shout praise to God,
Give thanks to our Holy God!
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, October 11, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Psalm 118:6–9, 21–25
The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
7 The Lord is with me; he is my helper.
I look in triumph on my enemies.
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in humans.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.
22 The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
23 the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 The Lord has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.
25 Lord, save us!
Lord, grant us success!
Insight
Psalm 118 is one of the Hallel (praise) psalms that were sung at feast times in ancient Israel. Additionally, however, this particular song of celebration also contains elements of a messianic psalm—anticipating Israel’s Messiah. In Matthew 21:9, at Christ’s “triumphal entry,” the people affirm Psalm 118:25–26, saying, “Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” The Hebrew word hosanna, meaning “Lord, save us,” echoes this song on the lips of the people. And when confronting the religious leadership in Matthew 21:42, Jesus claims Psalm 118:22–23 to be self-descriptive by affirming, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.” While used liturgically in Israel’s feasts, Psalm 118 itself anticipates the coming of the One who would fulfill the ultimate meaning of those feasts.
By: Bill Crowder
The Main Actor
The Lord has done this. Psalm 118:23
I once heard about a student taking a class in preaching at a prominent seminary. The student, a young man who was a bit full of himself, delivered his sermon with eloquence and evident passion. He sat down self-satisfied, and the professor paused a moment before responding. “That was a powerful sermon,” he said. “It was well organized and moving. The only problem is that God was not the subject of a single one of your sentences.”
The professor highlighted a problem all of us struggle with at times: We can talk as if we’re the primary actor (emphasizing what we do, what we say) when in truth God is the primary actor in life. We often profess that God is somehow generally “in charge,” but we act as if all the outcomes depend on us.
The Scriptures insist that God is the true subject of our lives, the true force. Even our necessary acts of faith are done “in the name of the Lord”—in the Lord’s power (Psalm 118:10–11). God enacts our salvation. God rescues us. God tends to our needs. “The Lord has done this” (v. 23).
So the pressure’s off. We don’t need to fret, compare, work with compulsive energy, or feed our many anxieties. God is in charge. We need only trust and follow His lead in obedience. By: Winn Collier
Reflect & Pray
When are you most tempted to think you’re the main actor of your life? How has God invited you to let Him be the center of your life?
God, I’ve been paying lip service to You being in charge of my world. It’s exhausting, and I want to stop doing that. Help me trust You.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, October 11, 2019
God’s Silence— Then What?
When He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. —John 11:6
Has God trusted you with His silence— a silence that has great meaning? God’s silences are actually His answers. Just think of those days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything comparable to those days in your life? Can God trust you like that, or are you still asking Him for a visible answer? God will give you the very blessings you ask if you refuse to go any further without them, but His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into an even more wonderful understanding of Himself. Are you mourning before God because you have not had an audible response? When you cannot hear God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible— with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation. If God has given you a silence, then praise Him— He is bringing you into the mainstream of His purposes. The actual evidence of the answer in time is simply a matter of God’s sovereignty. Time is nothing to God. For a while you may have said, “I asked God to give me bread, but He gave me a stone instead” (see Matthew 7:9). He did not give you a stone, and today you find that He gave you the “bread of life” (John 6:35).
A wonderful thing about God’s silence is that His stillness is contagious— it gets into you, causing you to become perfectly confident so that you can honestly say, “I know that God has heard me.” His silence is the very proof that He has. As long as you have the idea that God will always bless you in answer to prayer, He will do it, but He will never give you the grace of His silence. If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, then He will give you the first sign of His intimacy— silence.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Seeing is never believing: we interpret what we see in the light of what we believe. Faith is confidence in God before you see God emerging; therefore the nature of faith is that it must be tried. He Shall Glorify Me, 494 R
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, October 11, 2019
The Avalanche Zone - #8545
He was having a great day on the slopes - a lot of fresh snow - an already deep base. It was just the kind of day an experienced skier would hope for. But then this one skier decided that he wanted more. He skied onto another part of the mountain; a section that was clearly marked with a large skull-and-crossbones sign; a warning about going any further written in bold print: "You may die. You decide." It couldn't be any plainer than that. Sadly, that skier decided to ski where he never should have gone. Yeah, that's when the massive avalanche came that drove him headlong into a tree and buried him in a snowy grave.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Avalanche Zone."
A man deliberately chose to go out-of-bounds into the forbidden zone. He ignored the warnings, and tragically, he paid for it with his life. Sadly, there's a tragedy like that being repeated every day by many, many people. They're out-of-bounds, they're in the avalanche zone, and when it comes, there's no escape.
That's actually a picture of the spiritual condition of someone who might be listening right now. In a way, it's a picture of all of us. Because the Bible says every one of us has decided to live our life outside of God's boundaries, even the most religious of us. God insists on truth, for example, and countless times, come on, we've settled for much less than telling the truth haven't we? God says we can have no other gods before Him, but we've pre-empted Him as the center of our life and many times pushed Him to the edge and put something else in the center of our universe.
The boundaries of God forbid destructive anger, lingering bitterness, hatred, and hurting other people. We're out-of-bounds with our pride, our sexual desires, our sexual involvement directed to anyone other than our husband or wife, our prejudice, our judgmental spirit. Your sins and my sins might be different - and you may think mine are more sinful than yours - but the Bible gives God's sobering bottom line: "There is no one righteous, not even one" (Romans 3:10) ... "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
And our sin has placed us squarely in the path of the avalanche of the judgment of Almighty God. Our instinctive fear of death is actually well-founded because we have to meet a holy God on the other side. James 1:15, our word for today from the Word of God, makes very clear the danger we're in. It says, "After desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." The ultimate outcome of our sin will inevitably be death, the death of our self-respect, of relationships, of people's trust in us, of our reputation. But worst of all, our eternal separation from our God in a place Jesus called hell.
But the dying for your sin has already been done by Jesus Christ. In the words of the Bible, Jesus came to "do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself" (Hebrews 9:26). That cross was for you. But read the warning sign: "Whoever does not believe (in Him) stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son" (John 3:18). If you keep skiing past that warning, you will as the Bible says, "die in your sin" (John 8:21) and face the awful avalanche of a penalty that Jesus already paid.
That's what makes it so urgent that you turn around and reach for heaven's Rescuer, Jesus, your only hope of heaven. Don't just breeze by His cross again without doing something, without giving yourself to the One who gave Himself for you. Right where you are, you can say, "Jesus, I'm Yours. I have no hope but You."
Look, I'd love to invite you to go to our website as soon as you can today. Because I've tried to put there in the simplest of terms how you can be sure that you are forgiven and you are going to heaven when you die. The website is ANewStory.com.
Like the sign on that ski slope that day, God's warning says, "You choose." It's not a religious choice. No, it's literally a choice between life and death - heaven and hell. I pray that you will choose life.
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Psalm 96, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: LOVE THE SINNER
The catchphrase “hate the sin and love the sinner” fits nicely on a bumper sticker, but how do we embed the principle in our hearts? Maybe these ideas will help.
Reserve judgment. Let every person you meet be a new person in your mind. None of this labeling or preconceived notions. Listening is a healing balm for raw emotions. Happiness happens, not by fixing people, but by accepting people and entrusting them into the care of God. Jesus did this.
Resist the urge to shout. It’s better to keep quiet and keep a friend than to be loud and lose one. Besides, “They are God’s servants, not yours. They are responsible to him, not to you …” (Romans 14:4).
Let’s reason together. Let’s work together. And if discussion fails, let love succeed. This is how happiness happens.
Psalm 96
Sing God a brand-new song!
Earth and everyone in it, sing!
Sing to God—worship God!
2-3 Shout the news of his victory from sea to sea,
Take the news of his glory to the lost,
News of his wonders to one and all!
4-5 For God is great, and worth a thousand Hallelujahs.
His terrible beauty makes the gods look cheap;
Pagan gods are mere tatters and rags.
5-6 God made the heavens—
Royal splendor radiates from him,
A powerful beauty sets him apart.
7 Bravo, God, Bravo!
Everyone join in the great shout: Encore!
In awe before the beauty, in awe before the might.
8-9 Bring gifts and celebrate,
Bow before the beauty of God,
Then to your knees—everyone worship!
10 Get out the message—God Rules!
He put the world on a firm foundation;
He treats everyone fair and square.
11 Let’s hear it from Sky,
With Earth joining in,
And a huge round of applause from Sea.
12 Let Wilderness turn cartwheels,
Animals, come dance,
Put every tree of the forest in the choir—
13 An extravaganza before God as he comes,
As he comes to set everything right on earth,
Set everything right, treat everyone fair.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Acts 1:1–11
In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit.”
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
Footnotes:
Acts 1:5 Or in
Acts 1:5 Or in
Insight
Acts 1:1–11 serves as a flashback to Luke’s “former book,” the gospel of Luke, and a prologue to the book of Acts. In both accounts, Jesus promised the apostles the Holy Spirit who would clothe them with power (Luke 24:46–49; Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit serves as “a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession” (Ephesians 1:14); a promise that we will not be forgotten. By: Julie Schwab
Don’t Forget!
He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. Acts 1:9
My niece, her four-year-old daughter Kailyn, and I had a wonderful Saturday afternoon together. We enjoyed blowing bubbles outside, coloring in a princess coloring book, and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. When they got in the car to leave, Kailyn sweetly called out the opened window, “Don’t forget me, Auntie Anne.” I quickly walked toward the car and whispered, “I could never forget you. I promise I will see you soon.”
In Acts 1, the disciples watched as Jesus was “taken up before their very eyes” into the sky (v. 9). I wonder if they thought they might be forgotten by their Master. But He’d just promised to send His Spirit to live in them and empower them to handle the persecution that was to come (v. 8). And He’d taught them He was going away to prepare a place for them and would come back and take them to be with Him (John 14:3). Yet they must have wondered how long they would have to wait. Perhaps they wanted to say, “Don’t forget us, Jesus!”
For those of us who have put our faith in Jesus, He lives in us through the Holy Spirit. We still may wonder when He will come again and restore us and His creation fully. But it will happen—He won’t forget us. “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). By: Anne Cetas
Reflect & Pray
How do you sense God’s presence in your life? What are you looking forward to the most in eternity?
We enjoy walking with You now, but we look forward to the day when all things will be fully restored. Come soon, Lord Jesus.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, October 10, 2019
How Will I Know?
Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father…that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes." —Matthew 11:25
We do not grow into a spiritual relationship step by step— we either have a relationship or we do not. God does not continue to cleanse us more and more from sin— “But if we walk in the light,” we are cleansed “from all sin” (1 John 1:7). It is a matter of obedience, and once we obey, the relationship is instantly perfected. But if we turn away from obedience for even one second, darkness and death are immediately at work again.
All of God’s revealed truths are sealed until they are opened to us through obedience. You will never open them through philosophy or thinking. But once you obey, a flash of light comes immediately. Let God’s truth work into you by immersing yourself in it, not by worrying into it. The only way you can get to know the truth of God is to stop trying to find out and by being born again. If you obey God in the first thing He shows you, then He instantly opens up the next truth to you. You could read volumes on the work of the Holy Spirit, when five minutes of total, uncompromising obedience would make things as clear as sunlight. Don’t say, “I suppose I will understand these things someday!” You can understand them now. And it is not study that brings understanding to you, but obedience. Even the smallest bit of obedience opens heaven, and the deepest truths of God immediately become yours. Yet God will never reveal more truth about Himself to you, until you have obeyed what you know already. Beware of becoming one of the “wise and prudent.” “If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know…” (John 7:17).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Wherever the providence of God may dump us down, in a slum, in a shop, in the desert, we have to labour along the line of His direction. Never allow this thought—“I am of no use where I am,” because you certainly can be of no use where you are not! Wherever He has engineered your circumstances, pray. So Send I You, 1325 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, October 10, 2019
The Money Magnet - #8544
I used to really take heart when I saw my son poring over the newspaper, until I looked over his shoulder. He didn't care much about the news, but he was devouring the baseball statistics. Later, I'd see him poring over a magazine with almost no pictures in it, just names and numbers. It was the latest monthly magazine with the value on every baseball card imaginable. Our son got excited when certain players pitched a great game or got some of the runs batted in, or you know, they were tracking for an MVP award even if they played for a team he'd never root for. Now, what's going on here? Well if you've ever been, or if you've ever known a serious baseball card collector, you know that he had invested a lot of money in certain player cards and when they did well, he did well in the value of those cards. Like many investors, his interests followed his investments.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Money Magnet."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew 6:19-21 - a little lesson in let's call it heavenly economics - "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy; where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Jesus is talking to us here about safe investments; those that are really invested in things that matter in heaven. You can't lose those. Then there are unsafe investments: things that you sank a lot into here on earth where you can lose them.
The bottom line on values - your heart will be wherever your money is. The things you'll care about most will be those things in which you have invested the most, earth stuff, or heaven stuff. So where are major chunks of your money going? Jesus said that's where most of your heart will be going: A house, a business, recreation, clothes, entertainment?
In many ways your checkbook tells what you really care about. Not the songs you sing in church, or even the beliefs you hold, or the activities you're involved in. Jesus said it's your money that tells the story of what you really value. When that's something on earth, it tends to become an idol. Why? Well because just like my son with his baseball cards. Our interests, our time and our energies follow our investment.
The ultimate financial advisor, that's Jesus, said to pour everything you can into what matters in heaven; like getting the Gospel of Jesus to people who have no hope without Him; advancing God's work on earth; meeting the needs of the hurting people, the helpless people.
Every dollar given in Jesus' name for lost people or hurting people is credited directly to your account in heaven where you are going to reap the dividends forever. I call it Eternity Inc. I'm glad Jesus gave this concrete, objective way to measure where your heart is. It's like a spiritual EKG.
We can't hide behind spiritual rhetoric or Christian busyness. Not when He said, "Where are you putting your money?" If it isn't in the agenda of Jesus, you probably love something more than you love Him. But, today might be your day to begin revaluing your life, and if necessary repenting of treasure that's been invested in too much of the temporary.
Maybe this is the day you make Jesus Christ truly the Lord of your money, property, your possessions. Then you'll be reading different reports, you'll be hungry to know how the work of God is doing because that's where you're invested now.
If you're going to be a follower of Jesus, you will invest in the things He invested in with everything He had - the lives of those He died for.
The catchphrase “hate the sin and love the sinner” fits nicely on a bumper sticker, but how do we embed the principle in our hearts? Maybe these ideas will help.
Reserve judgment. Let every person you meet be a new person in your mind. None of this labeling or preconceived notions. Listening is a healing balm for raw emotions. Happiness happens, not by fixing people, but by accepting people and entrusting them into the care of God. Jesus did this.
Resist the urge to shout. It’s better to keep quiet and keep a friend than to be loud and lose one. Besides, “They are God’s servants, not yours. They are responsible to him, not to you …” (Romans 14:4).
Let’s reason together. Let’s work together. And if discussion fails, let love succeed. This is how happiness happens.
Psalm 96
Sing God a brand-new song!
Earth and everyone in it, sing!
Sing to God—worship God!
2-3 Shout the news of his victory from sea to sea,
Take the news of his glory to the lost,
News of his wonders to one and all!
4-5 For God is great, and worth a thousand Hallelujahs.
His terrible beauty makes the gods look cheap;
Pagan gods are mere tatters and rags.
5-6 God made the heavens—
Royal splendor radiates from him,
A powerful beauty sets him apart.
7 Bravo, God, Bravo!
Everyone join in the great shout: Encore!
In awe before the beauty, in awe before the might.
8-9 Bring gifts and celebrate,
Bow before the beauty of God,
Then to your knees—everyone worship!
10 Get out the message—God Rules!
He put the world on a firm foundation;
He treats everyone fair and square.
11 Let’s hear it from Sky,
With Earth joining in,
And a huge round of applause from Sea.
12 Let Wilderness turn cartwheels,
Animals, come dance,
Put every tree of the forest in the choir—
13 An extravaganza before God as he comes,
As he comes to set everything right on earth,
Set everything right, treat everyone fair.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Acts 1:1–11
In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit.”
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
Footnotes:
Acts 1:5 Or in
Acts 1:5 Or in
Insight
Acts 1:1–11 serves as a flashback to Luke’s “former book,” the gospel of Luke, and a prologue to the book of Acts. In both accounts, Jesus promised the apostles the Holy Spirit who would clothe them with power (Luke 24:46–49; Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit serves as “a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession” (Ephesians 1:14); a promise that we will not be forgotten. By: Julie Schwab
Don’t Forget!
He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. Acts 1:9
My niece, her four-year-old daughter Kailyn, and I had a wonderful Saturday afternoon together. We enjoyed blowing bubbles outside, coloring in a princess coloring book, and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. When they got in the car to leave, Kailyn sweetly called out the opened window, “Don’t forget me, Auntie Anne.” I quickly walked toward the car and whispered, “I could never forget you. I promise I will see you soon.”
In Acts 1, the disciples watched as Jesus was “taken up before their very eyes” into the sky (v. 9). I wonder if they thought they might be forgotten by their Master. But He’d just promised to send His Spirit to live in them and empower them to handle the persecution that was to come (v. 8). And He’d taught them He was going away to prepare a place for them and would come back and take them to be with Him (John 14:3). Yet they must have wondered how long they would have to wait. Perhaps they wanted to say, “Don’t forget us, Jesus!”
For those of us who have put our faith in Jesus, He lives in us through the Holy Spirit. We still may wonder when He will come again and restore us and His creation fully. But it will happen—He won’t forget us. “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). By: Anne Cetas
Reflect & Pray
How do you sense God’s presence in your life? What are you looking forward to the most in eternity?
We enjoy walking with You now, but we look forward to the day when all things will be fully restored. Come soon, Lord Jesus.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, October 10, 2019
How Will I Know?
Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father…that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes." —Matthew 11:25
We do not grow into a spiritual relationship step by step— we either have a relationship or we do not. God does not continue to cleanse us more and more from sin— “But if we walk in the light,” we are cleansed “from all sin” (1 John 1:7). It is a matter of obedience, and once we obey, the relationship is instantly perfected. But if we turn away from obedience for even one second, darkness and death are immediately at work again.
All of God’s revealed truths are sealed until they are opened to us through obedience. You will never open them through philosophy or thinking. But once you obey, a flash of light comes immediately. Let God’s truth work into you by immersing yourself in it, not by worrying into it. The only way you can get to know the truth of God is to stop trying to find out and by being born again. If you obey God in the first thing He shows you, then He instantly opens up the next truth to you. You could read volumes on the work of the Holy Spirit, when five minutes of total, uncompromising obedience would make things as clear as sunlight. Don’t say, “I suppose I will understand these things someday!” You can understand them now. And it is not study that brings understanding to you, but obedience. Even the smallest bit of obedience opens heaven, and the deepest truths of God immediately become yours. Yet God will never reveal more truth about Himself to you, until you have obeyed what you know already. Beware of becoming one of the “wise and prudent.” “If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know…” (John 7:17).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Wherever the providence of God may dump us down, in a slum, in a shop, in the desert, we have to labour along the line of His direction. Never allow this thought—“I am of no use where I am,” because you certainly can be of no use where you are not! Wherever He has engineered your circumstances, pray. So Send I You, 1325 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, October 10, 2019
The Money Magnet - #8544
I used to really take heart when I saw my son poring over the newspaper, until I looked over his shoulder. He didn't care much about the news, but he was devouring the baseball statistics. Later, I'd see him poring over a magazine with almost no pictures in it, just names and numbers. It was the latest monthly magazine with the value on every baseball card imaginable. Our son got excited when certain players pitched a great game or got some of the runs batted in, or you know, they were tracking for an MVP award even if they played for a team he'd never root for. Now, what's going on here? Well if you've ever been, or if you've ever known a serious baseball card collector, you know that he had invested a lot of money in certain player cards and when they did well, he did well in the value of those cards. Like many investors, his interests followed his investments.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Money Magnet."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew 6:19-21 - a little lesson in let's call it heavenly economics - "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy; where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Jesus is talking to us here about safe investments; those that are really invested in things that matter in heaven. You can't lose those. Then there are unsafe investments: things that you sank a lot into here on earth where you can lose them.
The bottom line on values - your heart will be wherever your money is. The things you'll care about most will be those things in which you have invested the most, earth stuff, or heaven stuff. So where are major chunks of your money going? Jesus said that's where most of your heart will be going: A house, a business, recreation, clothes, entertainment?
In many ways your checkbook tells what you really care about. Not the songs you sing in church, or even the beliefs you hold, or the activities you're involved in. Jesus said it's your money that tells the story of what you really value. When that's something on earth, it tends to become an idol. Why? Well because just like my son with his baseball cards. Our interests, our time and our energies follow our investment.
The ultimate financial advisor, that's Jesus, said to pour everything you can into what matters in heaven; like getting the Gospel of Jesus to people who have no hope without Him; advancing God's work on earth; meeting the needs of the hurting people, the helpless people.
Every dollar given in Jesus' name for lost people or hurting people is credited directly to your account in heaven where you are going to reap the dividends forever. I call it Eternity Inc. I'm glad Jesus gave this concrete, objective way to measure where your heart is. It's like a spiritual EKG.
We can't hide behind spiritual rhetoric or Christian busyness. Not when He said, "Where are you putting your money?" If it isn't in the agenda of Jesus, you probably love something more than you love Him. But, today might be your day to begin revaluing your life, and if necessary repenting of treasure that's been invested in too much of the temporary.
Maybe this is the day you make Jesus Christ truly the Lord of your money, property, your possessions. Then you'll be reading different reports, you'll be hungry to know how the work of God is doing because that's where you're invested now.
If you're going to be a follower of Jesus, you will invest in the things He invested in with everything He had - the lives of those He died for.
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Psalm 96, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily:GRACE, TRUTH, AND ACCEPTANCE
How does Jesus receive us? I know how he treated me. I was a twenty-year-old troublemaker on a downhill path. Though I’d made a commitment to Christ a decade earlier, you wouldn’t have known it by the way I lived.
Finally I came to Jesus, and he welcomed me back. Please note– he did not accept my behavior but he accepted me, his wayward child. He said, “Come back. I’ll clean you up.” He was “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Not just grace, but also truth. Not just truth, but also grace.
Grace and truth. Grace told the adulterous woman, “I do not condemn you.” Truth told her, “Go and sin no more” (John 8:11). Jesus shared truth but graciously. Jesus offered grace but truthfully. Grace and truth. Acceptance seeks to offer both.
This is how happiness happens.
Psalm 96
1 Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
4 For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and glory are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come into his courts.
9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of his[a] holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.
11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
13 Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,
he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in his faithfulness.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Isaiah 41:8–13
“But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
you descendants of Abraham my friend,
9 I took you from the ends of the earth,
from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;
I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
10 So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
11 “All who rage against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those who oppose you
will be as nothing and perish.
12 Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing at all.
13 For I am the Lord your God
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.
Insight
In the prophecies of Isaiah, chapters 1–39 are like an ever-darkening night anticipating a catastrophic consequence to Jerusalem’s love affair with idols (Isaiah 39:6–7). When the warnings come to pass, chapters 40–55 follow like a dawning light. According to the prophet, God would once again show His people the mercy He had shown Jacob—the lying, scheming father of their nation. He would call them from the streets of Babylon as He had led Abraham, the father of their faith, out of idolatrous Ur. In a way no one could have anticipated, He would rescue them by a foreign king who didn’t even know Him (45:1–13). Cyrus, king of Persia, would crush Babylon and offer the Jewish people their right of return. With words of hope and a hint of His greater plans for the world, He urges them not to be afraid of returning to Him (41:13). By: Mart DeHaan
Hang in There
I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
My father-in-law turned seventy-eight recently, and during our family gathering to honor him, someone asked him, “What’s the most important thing you’ve learned in your life so far?” His answer? “Hang in there.”
Hang in there. It might be tempting to dismiss those words as simplistic. But my father-in-law wasn’t promoting blind optimism or positive thinking. He’s endured tough things in his nearly eight decades. His determination to press on wasn’t grounded in some vague hope that things might get better, but in Christ’s work in his life.
“Hanging in there”—the Bible calls it perseverance—isn’t possible through mere willpower. We persevere because God promised, over and over, that He’s with us, that He’ll give us strength, and that He’ll accomplish His purposes in our lives. That’s the message He spoke to the Israelites through Isaiah: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
What does it take to “hang in there”? According to Isaiah, the foundation for hope is God’s character. Knowing God’s goodness allows us to release our grip on fear so we can cling to the Father and His promise that He will provide what we need each day: strength, help, and God’s comforting, empowering, and upholding presence. By: Adam Holz
Reflect & Pray
How have you experienced God’s provision for you in moments of fear? How can the support of other believers help you to hang on?
Father, Your love gives us everything we need to “hang in there.” Help us to remember Your promise of strength and to rely upon it each day.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Building on the Atonement
…present…your members as instruments of righteousness to God. —Romans 6:13
I cannot save and sanctify myself; I cannot make atonement for sin; I cannot redeem the world; I cannot right what is wrong, purify what is impure, or make holy what is unholy. That is all the sovereign work of God. Do I have faith in what Jesus Christ has done? He has made the perfect atonement for sin. Am I in the habit of constantly realizing it? The greatest need we have is not to do things, but to believe things. The redemption of Christ is not an experience, it is the great act of God which He has performed through Christ, and I have to build my faith on it. If I construct my faith on my own experience, I produce the most unscriptural kind of life— an isolated life, with my eyes focused solely on my own holiness. Beware of that human holiness that is not based on the atonement of the Lord. It has no value for anything except a life of isolation— it is useless to God and a nuisance to man. Measure every kind of experience you have by our Lord Himself. We cannot do anything pleasing to God unless we deliberately build on the foundation of the atonement by the Cross of Christ.
The atonement of Jesus must be exhibited in practical, unassuming ways in my life. Every time I obey, the absolute deity of God is on my side, so that the grace of God and my natural obedience are in perfect agreement. Obedience means that I have completely placed my trust in the atonement, and my obedience is immediately met by the delight of the supernatural grace of God.
Beware of the human holiness that denies the reality of the natural life— it is a fraud. Continually bring yourself to the trial or test of the atonement and ask, “Where is the discernment of the atonement in this, and in that?”
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We are not to preach the doing of good things; good deeds are not to be preached, they are to be performed.
So Send I You
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT YOUR BAD NEWS - #8543
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
For years, her voice was one of the signature voices of Southern Gospel music. When Bill Gaither started doing his Homecoming videos, her commanding voice became known to a lot more people than ever before. She's with the Lord now, but when Vestal Goodman was around she belted out a song, and it captivated audiences. I was actually surprised to learn that Vestal Goodman's singing didn't always dominate a room. And whether you've ever heard of her or not, it's amazing how this all came to be. Her husband Howard said that when they first started traveling in itinerant ministry, his wife actually had this little, light soprano voice. Something obviously happened. The storm happened. This near hurricane-strength storm hit Monroe, Louisiana the day they were supposed to have a concert in their big tent. Well, those violent winds destroyed everything, including the tent and their sound system. They moved their meeting to a church that night, and Vestal asked Howard to accompany her on a song she had never sung before publicly. As he started to play that song, he said that's when it happened! Suddenly he was hearing his wife sing with this great booming voice he'd never heard before - a voice that belted out a Gospel song; not only for the folks in the church that night, but later for millions of people for decades to come.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Good News About Your Bad News."
While most of us will never sing like Vestal Goodman did, the same thing that uncorked her song may be what will help you find a song you've never had before. It's the power of the storm. The same turbulence that can blow away important things in your life can also be God's instrument to bring out a strength you never knew you had; to unleash from deep inside you a "song" that can touch many other lives unless you let the storm make you stop singing.
No doubt, you're well acquainted with the pain that one of life's storms can bring into your life. We all are. You may be in the middle of picking up the pieces of what the storm has destroyed. What we need help seeing is the potential of the storm; the possibilities that the storm brings into our life.
We see that bigger picture of the heavy blows in our life when we read Romans 5:3-5, our word for today from the Word of God. Paul says, "We also rejoice in our suffering" - Really? Yeah. "...because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit."
The natural response is to focus on what the storm has taken. I get that. The healing response is to focus on what the storm can produce. These verses talk about a storm helping to transform us from a retreating wimp into a persevering warrior; to build or to reveal in us a character we may have never had before; to produce hope - the kind that comes when your hurt makes you a more caring and compassionate person because of what you've been through. And then you can give that hope to other broken people. You can give them the comfort you received from Christ.
It's our storms, more than any other factor in our life, that make us more useful to our Master and then put us in a position to tell others who might not otherwise listen about the storm-proof Savior that we're hanging onto. They'll listen to you because of what you've been through; which may mean that someone else may be in heaven with you someday because of the hurt you've been through. And that will last long after your storm is past. The psalmist tells us that "stormy winds do His bidding" (Psalm 148:8). So would you let God use your storm to produce in you a strength you've never had before; a song you've never been able to sing before?
The majestic eagle, unlike most other birds, refuses to run and hide when a storm's approaching. He actually perches on the edge of his nest, waiting for the storm. Because he lets those powerful currents carry him higher than his wings can take him - until he's actually seeing the sun and looking down on his storm.
Like the eagle, God wants you to use this storm to fly where you've never flown before.
How does Jesus receive us? I know how he treated me. I was a twenty-year-old troublemaker on a downhill path. Though I’d made a commitment to Christ a decade earlier, you wouldn’t have known it by the way I lived.
Finally I came to Jesus, and he welcomed me back. Please note– he did not accept my behavior but he accepted me, his wayward child. He said, “Come back. I’ll clean you up.” He was “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Not just grace, but also truth. Not just truth, but also grace.
Grace and truth. Grace told the adulterous woman, “I do not condemn you.” Truth told her, “Go and sin no more” (John 8:11). Jesus shared truth but graciously. Jesus offered grace but truthfully. Grace and truth. Acceptance seeks to offer both.
This is how happiness happens.
Psalm 96
1 Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
4 For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and glory are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come into his courts.
9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of his[a] holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.
11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
13 Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,
he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in his faithfulness.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Isaiah 41:8–13
“But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
you descendants of Abraham my friend,
9 I took you from the ends of the earth,
from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;
I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
10 So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
11 “All who rage against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those who oppose you
will be as nothing and perish.
12 Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing at all.
13 For I am the Lord your God
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.
Insight
In the prophecies of Isaiah, chapters 1–39 are like an ever-darkening night anticipating a catastrophic consequence to Jerusalem’s love affair with idols (Isaiah 39:6–7). When the warnings come to pass, chapters 40–55 follow like a dawning light. According to the prophet, God would once again show His people the mercy He had shown Jacob—the lying, scheming father of their nation. He would call them from the streets of Babylon as He had led Abraham, the father of their faith, out of idolatrous Ur. In a way no one could have anticipated, He would rescue them by a foreign king who didn’t even know Him (45:1–13). Cyrus, king of Persia, would crush Babylon and offer the Jewish people their right of return. With words of hope and a hint of His greater plans for the world, He urges them not to be afraid of returning to Him (41:13). By: Mart DeHaan
Hang in There
I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
My father-in-law turned seventy-eight recently, and during our family gathering to honor him, someone asked him, “What’s the most important thing you’ve learned in your life so far?” His answer? “Hang in there.”
Hang in there. It might be tempting to dismiss those words as simplistic. But my father-in-law wasn’t promoting blind optimism or positive thinking. He’s endured tough things in his nearly eight decades. His determination to press on wasn’t grounded in some vague hope that things might get better, but in Christ’s work in his life.
“Hanging in there”—the Bible calls it perseverance—isn’t possible through mere willpower. We persevere because God promised, over and over, that He’s with us, that He’ll give us strength, and that He’ll accomplish His purposes in our lives. That’s the message He spoke to the Israelites through Isaiah: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
What does it take to “hang in there”? According to Isaiah, the foundation for hope is God’s character. Knowing God’s goodness allows us to release our grip on fear so we can cling to the Father and His promise that He will provide what we need each day: strength, help, and God’s comforting, empowering, and upholding presence. By: Adam Holz
Reflect & Pray
How have you experienced God’s provision for you in moments of fear? How can the support of other believers help you to hang on?
Father, Your love gives us everything we need to “hang in there.” Help us to remember Your promise of strength and to rely upon it each day.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Building on the Atonement
…present…your members as instruments of righteousness to God. —Romans 6:13
I cannot save and sanctify myself; I cannot make atonement for sin; I cannot redeem the world; I cannot right what is wrong, purify what is impure, or make holy what is unholy. That is all the sovereign work of God. Do I have faith in what Jesus Christ has done? He has made the perfect atonement for sin. Am I in the habit of constantly realizing it? The greatest need we have is not to do things, but to believe things. The redemption of Christ is not an experience, it is the great act of God which He has performed through Christ, and I have to build my faith on it. If I construct my faith on my own experience, I produce the most unscriptural kind of life— an isolated life, with my eyes focused solely on my own holiness. Beware of that human holiness that is not based on the atonement of the Lord. It has no value for anything except a life of isolation— it is useless to God and a nuisance to man. Measure every kind of experience you have by our Lord Himself. We cannot do anything pleasing to God unless we deliberately build on the foundation of the atonement by the Cross of Christ.
The atonement of Jesus must be exhibited in practical, unassuming ways in my life. Every time I obey, the absolute deity of God is on my side, so that the grace of God and my natural obedience are in perfect agreement. Obedience means that I have completely placed my trust in the atonement, and my obedience is immediately met by the delight of the supernatural grace of God.
Beware of the human holiness that denies the reality of the natural life— it is a fraud. Continually bring yourself to the trial or test of the atonement and ask, “Where is the discernment of the atonement in this, and in that?”
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We are not to preach the doing of good things; good deeds are not to be preached, they are to be performed.
So Send I You
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT YOUR BAD NEWS - #8543
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
For years, her voice was one of the signature voices of Southern Gospel music. When Bill Gaither started doing his Homecoming videos, her commanding voice became known to a lot more people than ever before. She's with the Lord now, but when Vestal Goodman was around she belted out a song, and it captivated audiences. I was actually surprised to learn that Vestal Goodman's singing didn't always dominate a room. And whether you've ever heard of her or not, it's amazing how this all came to be. Her husband Howard said that when they first started traveling in itinerant ministry, his wife actually had this little, light soprano voice. Something obviously happened. The storm happened. This near hurricane-strength storm hit Monroe, Louisiana the day they were supposed to have a concert in their big tent. Well, those violent winds destroyed everything, including the tent and their sound system. They moved their meeting to a church that night, and Vestal asked Howard to accompany her on a song she had never sung before publicly. As he started to play that song, he said that's when it happened! Suddenly he was hearing his wife sing with this great booming voice he'd never heard before - a voice that belted out a Gospel song; not only for the folks in the church that night, but later for millions of people for decades to come.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Good News About Your Bad News."
While most of us will never sing like Vestal Goodman did, the same thing that uncorked her song may be what will help you find a song you've never had before. It's the power of the storm. The same turbulence that can blow away important things in your life can also be God's instrument to bring out a strength you never knew you had; to unleash from deep inside you a "song" that can touch many other lives unless you let the storm make you stop singing.
No doubt, you're well acquainted with the pain that one of life's storms can bring into your life. We all are. You may be in the middle of picking up the pieces of what the storm has destroyed. What we need help seeing is the potential of the storm; the possibilities that the storm brings into our life.
We see that bigger picture of the heavy blows in our life when we read Romans 5:3-5, our word for today from the Word of God. Paul says, "We also rejoice in our suffering" - Really? Yeah. "...because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit."
The natural response is to focus on what the storm has taken. I get that. The healing response is to focus on what the storm can produce. These verses talk about a storm helping to transform us from a retreating wimp into a persevering warrior; to build or to reveal in us a character we may have never had before; to produce hope - the kind that comes when your hurt makes you a more caring and compassionate person because of what you've been through. And then you can give that hope to other broken people. You can give them the comfort you received from Christ.
It's our storms, more than any other factor in our life, that make us more useful to our Master and then put us in a position to tell others who might not otherwise listen about the storm-proof Savior that we're hanging onto. They'll listen to you because of what you've been through; which may mean that someone else may be in heaven with you someday because of the hurt you've been through. And that will last long after your storm is past. The psalmist tells us that "stormy winds do His bidding" (Psalm 148:8). So would you let God use your storm to produce in you a strength you've never had before; a song you've never been able to sing before?
The majestic eagle, unlike most other birds, refuses to run and hide when a storm's approaching. He actually perches on the edge of his nest, waiting for the storm. Because he lets those powerful currents carry him higher than his wings can take him - until he's actually seeing the sun and looking down on his storm.
Like the eagle, God wants you to use this storm to fly where you've never flown before.
Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Philippians 4, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: RESPONDING TO YOUR OPPOSITE YOU
Matthew was an apostle, a gospel writer. But before he was Matthew he was Levi, a Jew who worked for the Roman IRS. As long as Rome got its part, the tax collectors could take as much as they wanted. They got rich by making people poor.
One of the most difficult relationship questions is “What do we do with a Levi?” Your Levi is the person with whom you fundamentally disagree. You follow different value systems. Your Levi is your “opposite you.” What if your “opposite you” is your boss? Your parent or child?
How does God want us to respond to the Levis of the world? I wonder if the best answer might be found in this verse: “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (Romans 15:7 NIV). This is how happiness happens.
Philippians 4 The Message (MSG)
My dear, dear friends! I love you so much. I do want the very best for you. You make me feel such joy, fill me with such pride. Don’t waver. Stay on track, steady in God.
2 I urge Euodia and Syntyche to iron out their differences and make up. God doesn’t want his children holding grudges.
3 And, oh, yes, Syzygus, since you’re right there to help them work things out, do your best with them. These women worked for the Message hand in hand with Clement and me, and with the other veterans—worked as hard as any of us. Remember, their names are also in the Book of Life.
4-5 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
8-9 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
10-14 I’m glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess—happy that you’re again showing such strong concern for me. Not that you ever quit praying and thinking about me. You just had no chance to show it. Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. I don’t mean that your help didn’t mean a lot to me—it did. It was a beautiful thing that you came alongside me in my troubles.
15-17 You Philippians well know, and you can be sure I’ll never forget it, that when I first left Macedonia province, venturing out with the Message, not one church helped out in the give-and-take of this work except you. You were the only one. Even while I was in Thessalonica, you helped out—and not only once, but twice. Not that I’m looking for handouts, but I do want you to experience the blessing that issues from generosity.
18-20 And now I have it all—and keep getting more! The gifts you sent with Epaphroditus were more than enough, like a sweet-smelling sacrifice roasting on the altar, filling the air with fragrance, pleasing God no end. You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity. Yes.
21-22 Give our regards to every follower of Jesus you meet. Our friends here say hello. All the Christians here, especially the believers who work in the palace of Caesar, want to be remembered to you.
23 Receive and experience the amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, deep, deep within yourselves.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, October 08, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Exodus 33:12–23
Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
19 And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
21 Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”
Insight
Moses had a unique relationship with God. In Exodus 33:11 we read, “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” Yet in verse 20 God told Moses, “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” The interaction Moses had with God was personal while still maintaining the separation necessary for a Creator and His creature. In the incarnation (Christ coming to earth as both God and a human being), Jesus bridged that gap. Creator became creature so we might again have a relationship with Him.
Shelter from the Storm
When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Exodus 33:22
As the story goes, in 1763, a young minister, traveling on a cliffside road in Somerset, England, ducked into a cave to escape the flashes of lightning and pounding rain. As he looked out at Cheddar Gorge, he pondered the gift of finding shelter and peace in God. Waiting there, he began to write a hymn, “Rock of Ages,” with its memorable opening lines: “Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee.”
We don’t know if Augustus Toplady thought about Moses’s experience in the cleft of a rock while writing the hymn (Exodus 33:22), but perhaps he did. The Exodus account tells of Moses seeking God’s reassurance and God’s response. When Moses asked God to reveal His glory to him, God answered graciously, knowing that “no one may see me and live” (v. 20). He tucked Moses into the rocks when He passed by, letting Moses only see His back. And Moses knew that God was with him.
We can trust that just as God said to Moses, “My Presence will go with you” (v. 14), so too we can find refuge in Him. We may experience many storms in our lives, as did Moses and the English minister in the story, but when we cry out to Him, He will give us the peace of His presence. By: Amy Boucher Pye
Reflect & Pray
As you look back at various seasons of your life, how do you see God’s loving presence during the storms? How do you experience His presence today?
Father God, help me to trust that You’re with me, even during the storms of life.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, October 08, 2019
Coming to Jesus
Come to Me… —Matthew 11:28
Isn’t it humiliating to be told that we must come to Jesus! Think of the things about which we will not come to Jesus Christ. If you want to know how real you are, test yourself by these words— “Come to Me….” In every dimension in which you are not real, you will argue or evade the issue altogether rather than come; you will go through sorrow rather than come; and you will do anything rather than come the last lap of the race of seemingly unspeakable foolishness and say, “Just as I am, I come.” As long as you have even the least bit of spiritual disrespect, it will always reveal itself in the fact that you are expecting God to tell you to do something very big, and yet all He is telling you to do is to “Come….”
“Come to Me….” When you hear those words, you will know that something must happen in you before you can come. The Holy Spirit will show you what you have to do, and it will involve anything that will uproot whatever is preventing you from getting through to Jesus. And you will never get any further until you are willing to do that very thing. The Holy Spirit will search out that one immovable stronghold within you, but He cannot budge it unless you are willing to let Him do so.
How often have you come to God with your requests and gone away thinking, “I’ve really received what I wanted this time!” And yet you go away with nothing, while all the time God has stood with His hands outstretched not only to take you but also for you to take Him. Just think of the invincible, unconquerable, and untiring patience of Jesus, who lovingly says, “Come to Me….”
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
When a man’s heart is right with God the mysterious utterances of the Bible are spirit and life to him. Spiritual truth is discernible only to a pure heart, not to a keen intellect. It is not a question of profundity of intellect, but of purity of heart. Bringing Sons Unto Glory, 231 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, October 08, 2019
Alone - Under Fire - and Okay - #8542
Years ago, not long after the Gulf War actually, an Air Force chaplain planted this mental picture in my head. It's still there! He told me what he considered to be the ultimate example of loneliness. The chaplain said, "To me, lonely is a fighter pilot in his F-16, on a night mission over enemy territory." The only light is this eerie glow from his instrument panel - and his instruments indicate that his plane has just been, as they say, "painted" as a target for, in this case, an Iraqi missile. The only sound he heard in that ultimately lonely moment was a song playing in his headset - "God Bless the USA."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Alone - Under Fire - and Okay."
Now, you're not a fighter pilot, but you may understand some of the feelings a pilot must feel at a moment like I just described. Because you know what it is to feel alone. You know what it is to feel under attack - scared of what may happen next - beyond human help. As you try to complete your mission here, what your heart is listening to may be all you have to sustain you - like a combat pilot playing the music that reminds him of what this is all for.
The Old Testament Jeremiah, was in the middle of his mission when he became nearly overwhelmed by feelings of fear and loneliness and discouragement. Until he, in a sense, heard the music that filled his cockpit. He writes about being alone, under fire, and okay in our word for today from the Word of God in Lamentations 3:19. Listen to the struggle: "I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall - and my soul is downcast within me."
Then, suddenly, this depressing tune that focused on the hurts, and the failures, and the discouragements was replaced by a better tune. "My soul is downcast within me. Yet I call this to mind and therefore I have hope. Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed. For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."
When you're feeling alone, under attack, scared and beyond human help, you've got to fill your heart with some incredibly encouraging truths about the God who is in that cockpit with you. First, God will not let you be, as Jeremiah says, "consumed" - "Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed." In other words, God has promised that, "He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear" (1 Corinthians 10:13). Nothing is going to come into your life that has not been Father-filtered first - signed off on by a Heavenly Father who loves you deeply and knows your limits. Now, he may allow you to be taken to the edge, but never over the edge - to face what is hard to bear, but never what is unbearable.
The second encouragement in a dark moment is that God will never give you a day without the resources you need to handle it. His love just isn't some theology or theory - it's concretely expressed "every new morning" with His "mercies" - His "compassions." These are the resources you need to meet this day's challenges - the emotional resources, the material resources, the people you need, the protection you need, the miracles you need for this moment.
No matter how dark it seems, no matter how alone you feel, God has guaranteed that He will never let you be taken past the breaking point and He will never allow a challenge without giving you the resources to meet it. That is His promise. That is His character! That is His love for you!
Corrie ten Boom, who suffered and lost so much in a Nazi concentration camp for harboring Jews in World War II, said it so beautifully, "With Jesus, the worst may happen, but the best remains." You may be alone - you may be under fire - but, because of the Lord's "great love" you're okay!
Matthew was an apostle, a gospel writer. But before he was Matthew he was Levi, a Jew who worked for the Roman IRS. As long as Rome got its part, the tax collectors could take as much as they wanted. They got rich by making people poor.
One of the most difficult relationship questions is “What do we do with a Levi?” Your Levi is the person with whom you fundamentally disagree. You follow different value systems. Your Levi is your “opposite you.” What if your “opposite you” is your boss? Your parent or child?
How does God want us to respond to the Levis of the world? I wonder if the best answer might be found in this verse: “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (Romans 15:7 NIV). This is how happiness happens.
Philippians 4 The Message (MSG)
My dear, dear friends! I love you so much. I do want the very best for you. You make me feel such joy, fill me with such pride. Don’t waver. Stay on track, steady in God.
2 I urge Euodia and Syntyche to iron out their differences and make up. God doesn’t want his children holding grudges.
3 And, oh, yes, Syzygus, since you’re right there to help them work things out, do your best with them. These women worked for the Message hand in hand with Clement and me, and with the other veterans—worked as hard as any of us. Remember, their names are also in the Book of Life.
4-5 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
8-9 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
10-14 I’m glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess—happy that you’re again showing such strong concern for me. Not that you ever quit praying and thinking about me. You just had no chance to show it. Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. I don’t mean that your help didn’t mean a lot to me—it did. It was a beautiful thing that you came alongside me in my troubles.
15-17 You Philippians well know, and you can be sure I’ll never forget it, that when I first left Macedonia province, venturing out with the Message, not one church helped out in the give-and-take of this work except you. You were the only one. Even while I was in Thessalonica, you helped out—and not only once, but twice. Not that I’m looking for handouts, but I do want you to experience the blessing that issues from generosity.
18-20 And now I have it all—and keep getting more! The gifts you sent with Epaphroditus were more than enough, like a sweet-smelling sacrifice roasting on the altar, filling the air with fragrance, pleasing God no end. You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity. Yes.
21-22 Give our regards to every follower of Jesus you meet. Our friends here say hello. All the Christians here, especially the believers who work in the palace of Caesar, want to be remembered to you.
23 Receive and experience the amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, deep, deep within yourselves.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, October 08, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Exodus 33:12–23
Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
19 And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
21 Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”
Insight
Moses had a unique relationship with God. In Exodus 33:11 we read, “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” Yet in verse 20 God told Moses, “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” The interaction Moses had with God was personal while still maintaining the separation necessary for a Creator and His creature. In the incarnation (Christ coming to earth as both God and a human being), Jesus bridged that gap. Creator became creature so we might again have a relationship with Him.
Shelter from the Storm
When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Exodus 33:22
As the story goes, in 1763, a young minister, traveling on a cliffside road in Somerset, England, ducked into a cave to escape the flashes of lightning and pounding rain. As he looked out at Cheddar Gorge, he pondered the gift of finding shelter and peace in God. Waiting there, he began to write a hymn, “Rock of Ages,” with its memorable opening lines: “Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee.”
We don’t know if Augustus Toplady thought about Moses’s experience in the cleft of a rock while writing the hymn (Exodus 33:22), but perhaps he did. The Exodus account tells of Moses seeking God’s reassurance and God’s response. When Moses asked God to reveal His glory to him, God answered graciously, knowing that “no one may see me and live” (v. 20). He tucked Moses into the rocks when He passed by, letting Moses only see His back. And Moses knew that God was with him.
We can trust that just as God said to Moses, “My Presence will go with you” (v. 14), so too we can find refuge in Him. We may experience many storms in our lives, as did Moses and the English minister in the story, but when we cry out to Him, He will give us the peace of His presence. By: Amy Boucher Pye
Reflect & Pray
As you look back at various seasons of your life, how do you see God’s loving presence during the storms? How do you experience His presence today?
Father God, help me to trust that You’re with me, even during the storms of life.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, October 08, 2019
Coming to Jesus
Come to Me… —Matthew 11:28
Isn’t it humiliating to be told that we must come to Jesus! Think of the things about which we will not come to Jesus Christ. If you want to know how real you are, test yourself by these words— “Come to Me….” In every dimension in which you are not real, you will argue or evade the issue altogether rather than come; you will go through sorrow rather than come; and you will do anything rather than come the last lap of the race of seemingly unspeakable foolishness and say, “Just as I am, I come.” As long as you have even the least bit of spiritual disrespect, it will always reveal itself in the fact that you are expecting God to tell you to do something very big, and yet all He is telling you to do is to “Come….”
“Come to Me….” When you hear those words, you will know that something must happen in you before you can come. The Holy Spirit will show you what you have to do, and it will involve anything that will uproot whatever is preventing you from getting through to Jesus. And you will never get any further until you are willing to do that very thing. The Holy Spirit will search out that one immovable stronghold within you, but He cannot budge it unless you are willing to let Him do so.
How often have you come to God with your requests and gone away thinking, “I’ve really received what I wanted this time!” And yet you go away with nothing, while all the time God has stood with His hands outstretched not only to take you but also for you to take Him. Just think of the invincible, unconquerable, and untiring patience of Jesus, who lovingly says, “Come to Me….”
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
When a man’s heart is right with God the mysterious utterances of the Bible are spirit and life to him. Spiritual truth is discernible only to a pure heart, not to a keen intellect. It is not a question of profundity of intellect, but of purity of heart. Bringing Sons Unto Glory, 231 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, October 08, 2019
Alone - Under Fire - and Okay - #8542
Years ago, not long after the Gulf War actually, an Air Force chaplain planted this mental picture in my head. It's still there! He told me what he considered to be the ultimate example of loneliness. The chaplain said, "To me, lonely is a fighter pilot in his F-16, on a night mission over enemy territory." The only light is this eerie glow from his instrument panel - and his instruments indicate that his plane has just been, as they say, "painted" as a target for, in this case, an Iraqi missile. The only sound he heard in that ultimately lonely moment was a song playing in his headset - "God Bless the USA."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Alone - Under Fire - and Okay."
Now, you're not a fighter pilot, but you may understand some of the feelings a pilot must feel at a moment like I just described. Because you know what it is to feel alone. You know what it is to feel under attack - scared of what may happen next - beyond human help. As you try to complete your mission here, what your heart is listening to may be all you have to sustain you - like a combat pilot playing the music that reminds him of what this is all for.
The Old Testament Jeremiah, was in the middle of his mission when he became nearly overwhelmed by feelings of fear and loneliness and discouragement. Until he, in a sense, heard the music that filled his cockpit. He writes about being alone, under fire, and okay in our word for today from the Word of God in Lamentations 3:19. Listen to the struggle: "I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall - and my soul is downcast within me."
Then, suddenly, this depressing tune that focused on the hurts, and the failures, and the discouragements was replaced by a better tune. "My soul is downcast within me. Yet I call this to mind and therefore I have hope. Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed. For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."
When you're feeling alone, under attack, scared and beyond human help, you've got to fill your heart with some incredibly encouraging truths about the God who is in that cockpit with you. First, God will not let you be, as Jeremiah says, "consumed" - "Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed." In other words, God has promised that, "He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear" (1 Corinthians 10:13). Nothing is going to come into your life that has not been Father-filtered first - signed off on by a Heavenly Father who loves you deeply and knows your limits. Now, he may allow you to be taken to the edge, but never over the edge - to face what is hard to bear, but never what is unbearable.
The second encouragement in a dark moment is that God will never give you a day without the resources you need to handle it. His love just isn't some theology or theory - it's concretely expressed "every new morning" with His "mercies" - His "compassions." These are the resources you need to meet this day's challenges - the emotional resources, the material resources, the people you need, the protection you need, the miracles you need for this moment.
No matter how dark it seems, no matter how alone you feel, God has guaranteed that He will never let you be taken past the breaking point and He will never allow a challenge without giving you the resources to meet it. That is His promise. That is His character! That is His love for you!
Corrie ten Boom, who suffered and lost so much in a Nazi concentration camp for harboring Jews in World War II, said it so beautifully, "With Jesus, the worst may happen, but the best remains." You may be alone - you may be under fire - but, because of the Lord's "great love" you're okay!
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