Max Lucado Daily: OUR VALUES ARE A MESS
Have you noticed? We say you’re valuable if you’re pretty. We say you’re valuable if you produce. If you can slam-dunk a basketball or snag a pop fly. Appearance and performance. Pretty tough system, isn’t it? Where does that leave the ugly or uneducated? The aged or the disabled? The unborn child? Please understand, this is man’s system. It’s not God’s.
If there was anything Jesus wanted everyone to understand it was this– a person is worth something simply because he is a person. That’s why Jesus treated people like He did. Jesus’ love doesn’t depend on what we do for him. Your value is inborn. Period. I know I don’t deserve a love like that. None of us do. When you get right down to it, any contribution we make is pretty puny. No wonder they call Him the Savior!
1 Chronicles 11
Then all Israel assembled before David at Hebron. “Look at us,” they said. “We’re your very flesh and blood. In the past, yes, even while Saul was king, you were the real leader of Israel. God told you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel; you are to be the ruler of my people Israel.’” When all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, David made a covenant with them in the presence of God at Hebron. Then they anointed David king over Israel exactly as God had commanded through Samuel.
4-6 David and all Israel went to Jerusalem (it was the old Jebus, where the Jebusites lived). The citizens of Jebus told David, “No trespassing—you can’t come here.” David came on anyway and captured the fortress of Zion, the City of David. David had said, “The first person to kill a Jebusite will be commander-in-chief.” Joab son of Zeruiah was the first; and he became the chief.
7-9 David took up residence in the fortress city; that’s how it got its name, “City of David.” David fortified the city all the way around, both the outer bulwarks (the Millo) and the outside wall. Joab rebuilt the city gates. David’s stride became longer, his embrace larger—yes, God-of-the-Angel-Armies was with him!
10-11 These are the chiefs of David’s Mighty Men, the ones who linked arms with him as he took up his kingship, with all Israel joining in, helping him become king in just the way God had spoken regarding Israel. The list of David’s Mighty Men:
Jashobeam son of Hacmoni was chief of the Thirty. Singlehandedly he killed three hundred men, killed them all in one skirmish.
12-14 Next was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite, one of the Big Three of the Mighty Men. He was with David at Pas Dammim, where the Philistines had mustered their troops for battle. It was an area where there was a field of barley. The army started to flee from the Philistines and then took its stand right in that field—and turned the tide! They slaughtered the Philistines, God helping them—a huge victory.
15-19 The Big Three from the Thirty made a rocky descent to David at the Cave of Adullam while a company of Philistines was camped in the Valley of Rephaim. David was holed up in the Cave while the Philistines were prepared for battle at Bethlehem. David had a sudden craving: “What I wouldn’t give for a drink of water from the well in Bethlehem, the one at the gate!” The Three penetrated the Philistine camp, drew water from the well at the Bethlehem gate, shouldered it, and brought it to David. And then David wouldn’t drink it! He poured it out as a sacred offering to God, saying, “I’d rather be damned by God than drink this! It would be like drinking the lifeblood of these men—they risked their lives to bring it.” So he refused to drink it. These are the kinds of things that the Big Three of the Mighty Men did.
20-21 Abishai brother of Joab was the chief of the Thirty. Singlehandedly he fought three hundred men, and killed the lot, but he never made it into the circle of the Three. He was highly honored by the Thirty—he was their chief—still, he didn’t measure up to the Three.
22-25 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a Mighty Man from Kabzeel with many exploits to his credit: he killed two famous Moabites; he climbed down into a pit and killed a lion on a snowy day; and he killed an Egyptian, a giant seven and a half feet tall. The Egyptian had a spear like a ship’s boom but Benaiah went at him with a mere club, tore the spear from the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with it. These are some of the things Benaiah son of Jehoiada did. But he was never included with the Three. He was highly honored among the Thirty, but didn’t measure up to the Three. David put him in charge of his personal bodyguard.
26-47 The Mighty Men of the military were Asahel brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem, Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite, Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah of the Benjaminite, Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hurai from the ravines of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan son of Shagee the Hararite, Ahiam son of Sacar the Haranite, Eliphal son of Ur, Hepher the Mekerathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai son of Ezbai, Joel brother of Nathan, Mibhar son of Hagri, Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite, the armor bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah, Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, Uriah the Hittite, Zabad son of Ahlai, Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, the Reubenite chief of the Thirty, Hanan son of Maacah, Joshaphat the Mithnite, Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite, Jediael son of Shimri, Joha the Tizite his brother, Eliel the Mahavite, Jeribai and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam, Ithmah the Moabite, Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Psalm 18:30–36
As for God, his way is perfect:y
The Lord’s word is flawless;z
he shieldsa all who take refugeb in him.
31 For who is God besides the Lord?c
And who is the Rockd except our God?
32 It is God who arms me with strengthe
and keeps my way secure.f
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;g
he causes me to stand on the heights.h
34 He trains my hands for battle;i
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You make your saving help my shield,
and your right hand sustainsj me;
your help has made me great.
36 You provide a broad pathk for my feet,
so that my ankles do not give way.l
Insight
Because of David’s success and popularity (1 Samuel 17; 18:15–16), the insanely jealous King Saul tried to kill him (18:10–11). On the run for his life, David sought refuge in the mountains and caves (22:1; 23:26; 24:2). But David was mindful that it was God who delivered, protected, and kept him safe. Out of his experience as a fugitive, David wrote Psalm 18 (which also appears in 2 Samuel 22) as a thanksgiving song, therefore the long superscription: “Of David the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.” David used seven metaphors in this psalm to describe God: rock, fortress, deliverer, refuge, shield, horn of salvation, and stronghold (v. 2)—all pictures of protection, security, deliverance, and safety.
Lord of the . . . Nails?
It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. Psalm 18:32
I was getting into my car when the glint caught my eye: a nail, embedded in my rear tire’s sidewall. I listened for the telltale whistle of air. Thankfully, the hole was plugged—at least for the moment.
As I drove to a tire store, I wondered: How long has that nail been there? Days? Weeks? How long have I been protected from a threat I didn’t even know existed?
We can sometimes live under the illusion that we’re in control. But that nail reminded me we’re not.
But when life feels out of control and unstable, we have a God whose reliability we can trust. In Psalm 18, David praises God for watching over him (vv. 34–35). David confesses, “It is God who arms me with strength. . . . You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way” (vv. 32, 36). In this poem of praise, David celebrates God’s sustaining presence (v. 35).
I personally don’t march into combat like David; I even go out of my way not to take unnecessary risks. Still, my life is often chaotic.
But I can rest in the knowledge that, though God doesn’t promise us protection from all of life’s difficulties, He always knows where I am. He knows where I’m going and what I’ll encounter. And He’s the Lord of it all—even the “nails” of our lives. By: Adam Holz
Reflect & Pray
When has God protected you from something that you didn’t even know about? How did He watch over your way or help you stay clear of that threat?
Father, help us to remember daily that You know every step we take. Help us to trust in Your provision for every potential problem or sudden setback we face today.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Redemption— Creating the Need it Satisfies
The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him… —1 Corinthians 2:14
The gospel of God creates the sense of need for the gospel. Is the gospel hidden to those who are servants already? No, Paul said, “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe…” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). The majority of people think of themselves as being completely moral, and have no sense of need for the gospel. It is God who creates this sense of need in a human being, but that person remains totally unaware of his need until God makes Himself evident. Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you…” (Matthew 7:7). But God cannot give until a man asks. It is not that He wants to withhold something from us, but that is the plan He has established for the way of redemption. Through our asking, God puts His process in motion, creating something in us that was nonexistent until we asked. The inner reality of redemption is that it creates all the time. And as redemption creates the life of God in us, it also creates the things which belong to that life. The only thing that can possibly satisfy the need is what created the need. This is the meaning of redemption— it creates and it satisfies.
Jesus said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:32). When we preach our own experiences, people may be interested, but it awakens no real sense of need. But once Jesus Christ is “lifted up,” the Spirit of God creates an awareness of the need for Him. The creative power of the redemption of God works in the souls of men only through the preaching of the gospel. It is never the sharing of personal experiences that saves people, but the truth of redemption. “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We should always choose our books as God chooses our friends, just a bit beyond us, so that we have to do our level best to keep up with them. Shade of His Hand, 1216 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
When You Realize You're Lost - #8592
You may have noticed firstborn children are usually known for their independence, which can sometimes get them in trouble. When our daughter was four years old, we were on a family shopping trip to the local grocery store. Her little brother was riding in the cart and our daughter was walking ahead of Mom and me and the cart. At a moment when we were looking at the corn flakes or something, she wandered off and into another aisle. To this day she still remembers the panic of realizing she did not know where she was or where we were. She told me, "The aisle looked so long, the shelves looked so high, and I didn't recognize anybody." Suddenly, our little girl realized she was lost.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When You Realize You're Lost."
Our daughter never meant to get separated from her parents, but suddenly she was lost. Maybe you've never meant to get separated from your Heavenly Father, but you are. And you're realizing that you're lost.
Jesus said we're like sheep. And I don't think a sheep wakes up one day and says, "I'm tired of the shepherd. I think I'll just run away from Him." Sheep don't run away, they wander away. Just a little off the shepherd's path to check out that tuft of grass, then up that hill, then over the hill, until suddenly the sheep says, "Hey! Where's my shepherd?"
Maybe that's your story. You never meant to get this far from God. But one wandering step at a time, you've ended up farther from your Lord than you ever thought you'd get, maybe doing things you never thought you would do - trying to get other things to meet needs in you that Jesus once met. And those other things aren't working.
So how do you get back? The same way the prodigal son got back to his father. Jesus described it this way, "He set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth...he had spent everything." So he ended up feeding pigs - not exactly his dream when he left his father. Now he's covered with shame and pig slop.
Jesus says in Luke 15, beginning with verse 17, our word for today from the Word of God, "he came to his senses. He said...'I will set out and go back to my father and I will say to him: 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.'...So he got up and he went to his father."
You wandered away from Jesus, but you can't wander back. You have to decide that this is your last day away from home. This is the day you're getting up and you're going home to your Father. A lot of things might be holding you back: your shame over what you've done, which God is ready to trade for His forgiveness today; your fear of failing, which God is ready to replace with His strength; or your unwillingness to let go of your idols, wondering if you can do without them now. You've forgotten that the cost of not following Jesus is far greater than the cost of following Him. You've lived that one haven't you?
It's never going to be easier to start back home to Jesus than it is today. Every day you wait, the ropes that are holding you get tighter and tighter. Every day you wait, your heart's getting harder. You've been lost long enough. Listen, it's time to come home to Jesus. And you may have never even begun a relationship with Him. Well, this is the day you can go to the one who was meant to be your Heavenly Father and be born into his family.
There's information about how to be sure you've begun that relationship at our website ANewStory.com. This could be the beginning of your new story today. I hope you'll go there to get that information.
Your Heavenly Father is waiting right now to welcome you home with arms wide open. He's been waiting for you. Don't waste another day. This could be your personal Homecoming Day!
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Monday, December 16, 2019
1 Chronicles 10, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: EXTENDED HANDS
When a law-abiding, timid electronics buff blasted four would-be muggers in a New York subway, Bernhard Geotz became an instant hero! It’s not hard to see why. He clobbered evil over the head. He embodied a nationwide anger—a passion for revenge. Yet reality makes us ask the questions: What good was done? Are the streets now free of fear?
On the cross Jesus said, “They do not know what they are doing.” It doesn’t justify kiddie-porn peddlers or heroin dealers. But it does help explain why they do the miserable things they do.
Once we see ourselves for what we are, we can help. Not out of anger, but out of concern and compassion. We go to the ghettos. We teach in the schools. We build hospitals and help orphans. We look at the world not with bitter frowns, but with extended hands!
1 Chronicles 10
The Philistines went to war against Israel; the Israelites ran for their lives from the Philistines but fell, slaughtered on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines zeroed in on Saul and his sons and killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua. The battle went hard against Saul—the archers found him and wounded him. Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and finish me off before these pagan pigs get to me and make a sport of my body.” But his armor bearer, restrained by both reverence and fear, wouldn’t do it. So Saul took his own sword and killed himself. The armor bearer, panicked because Saul was dead, then killed himself.
6-7 So Saul and his three sons—all four the same day—died. When all the Israelites in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and ran off; the Philistines came and moved in.
8-10 The next day the Philistines came to plunder the dead bodies and found Saul and his sons dead on Mount Gilboa. They stripped Saul, removed his head and his armor, and put them on exhibit throughout Philistia, reporting the victory news to their idols and the people. Then they put Saul’s armor on display in the temple of their gods and placed his skull as a trophy in the temple of their god Dagon.
11-12 The people of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul. All of their fighting men went into action—retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh, gave them a dignified burial under the oak at Jabesh, and mourned their deaths for seven days.
13-14 Saul died in disobedience, disobedient to God. He didn’t obey God’s words. Instead of praying, he went to a witch to seek guidance. Because he didn’t go to God for help, God took his life and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, December 16, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Zechariah 11:4–13
Two Shepherds
This is what the Lord my God says: “Shepherd the flock marked for slaughter.d 5 Their buyers slaughter them and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, ‘Praise the Lord, I am rich!’ Their own shepherds do not spare them.e 6 For I will no longer have pity on the people of the land,” declares the Lord. “I will give everyone into the hands of their neighborsf and their king. They will devastate the land, and I will not rescue anyone from their hands.”g
7 So I shepherded the flock marked for slaughter,h particularly the oppressed of the flock. Then I took two staffs and called one Favor and the other Union, and I shepherded the flock. 8 In one month I got rid of the three shepherds.
The flock detestedi me, and I grew weary of them 9 and said, “I will not be your shepherd. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish.j Let those who are left eatk one another’s flesh.”
10 Then I took my staff called Favorl and broke it, revokingm the covenant I had made with all the nations. 11 It was revoked on that day, and so the oppressed of the flock who were watching me knew it was the word of the Lord.
12 I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.n
13 And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silvero and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.p
Insight
Zechariah is a common name in the Old Testament, with as many as thirty different people bearing that name. It was particularly appropriate for the prophet to carry this name, however, for Zechariah means “Yahweh remembers.” As one of the former exiles returning from Babylon, Zechariah’s role was to remind the people of Israel to remember the God who’d never forgotten them through all their years of captivity. By: Bill Crowder
What You’re Worth
The Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter!” Zechariah 11:13
Now an accomplished writer, Caitlin describes the depression she battled after fighting off an assault. The emotional violence cut deeper than her physical struggle, for she felt it proved “how undesirable I was. I was not the kind of girl you wanted to get to know.” She felt unworthy of love, the kind of person others use and toss aside.
God understands. He lovingly shepherded Israel, but when He asked them what He was worth, “they paid me thirty pieces of silver” (Zechariah 11:12). This was the price of a slave; what masters must be reimbursed should their slave be accidentally killed (Exodus 21:32). God was insulted to be offered the lowest possible value—look at “the handsome price at which they valued me!” He said sarcastically (Zechariah 11:13). And He had Zechariah throw the money away.
Jesus understands. He wasn’t merely betrayed by His friend; He was betrayed with contempt. The Jewish leaders despised Christ, so they offered Judas thirty pieces of silver—the lowest price you could put on a person—and he took it (Matthew 26:14–15; 27:9). Judas thought so little of Jesus he sold Him for nearly nothing.
If people undervalued Jesus, don’t be surprised when they undervalue you. Your value isn’t what others say. It’s not even what you say. It’s entirely and only what God says. He thinks you are worth dying for. By: Mike Wittmer
Reflect & Pray
How would you describe your value? Who can you help to grasp true value?
I’m grateful that I’m valued by You, God!
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, December 16, 2019
Wrestling Before God
Take up the whole armor of God…praying always… —Ephesians 6:13,18
You must learn to wrestle against the things that hinder your communication with God, and wrestle in prayer for other people; but to wrestle with God in prayer is unscriptural. If you ever do wrestle with God, you will be crippled for the rest of your life. If you grab hold of God and wrestle with Him, as Jacob did, simply because He is working in a way that doesn’t meet with your approval, you force Him to put you out of joint (see Genesis 32:24-25). Don’t become a cripple by wrestling with the ways of God, but be someone who wrestles before God with the things of this world, because “we are more than conquerors through Him…” (Romans 8:37). Wrestling before God makes an impact in His kingdom. If you ask me to pray for you, and I am not complete in Christ, my prayer accomplishes nothing. But if I am complete in Christ, my prayer brings victory all the time. Prayer is effective only when there is completeness— “take up the whole armor of God….”
Always make a distinction between God’s perfect will and His permissive will, which He uses to accomplish His divine purpose for our lives. God’s perfect will is unchangeable. It is with His permissive will, or the various things that He allows into our lives, that we must wrestle before Him. It is our reaction to these things allowed by His permissive will that enables us to come to the point of seeing His perfect will for us. “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God…” (Romans 8:28)— to those who remain true to God’s perfect will— His calling in Christ Jesus. God’s permissive will is the testing He uses to reveal His true sons and daughters. We should not be spineless and automatically say, “Yes, it is the Lord’s will.” We don’t have to fight or wrestle with God, but we must wrestle before God with things. Beware of lazily giving up. Instead, put up a glorious fight and you will find yourself empowered with His strength.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Jesus Christ can afford to be misunderstood; we cannot. Our weakness lies in always wanting to vindicate ourselves.
The Place of Help
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, December 16, 2019
Grabbing What's Quick, Missing What's Better - #8591
If anybody ever tells you that travel is glamorous, would you have them talk to me, or anybody who flies a lot? A while back I had one of those glamorous days, chasing through airports to make connections because of delayed flights. And since you don't see many meals on airplanes these days, you have to grab what you can. In this particular airport, I had a few extra minutes for a meal, but not knowing if there would be any other options between where I was and my gate, so I grabbed the first thing in sight, which happened to be the gourmet treat known as a hot dog. It wasn't even that great of a hot dog honestly. But what was especially aggravating was what I saw after I wolfed down that hot dog. Within two minutes, I walked by two or three places where I could have had a real meal! But no, I couldn't wait.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Grabbing What's Quick, Missing What's Better."
My mistake that day at the airport was very simple; very easily avoided, too. I went for what I could have at the moment and I missed something a lot better down the road. That's a pretty common mistake, especially when it comes to love, and especially when it comes to sex.
In our word for today from the Word of God, a man named Esau makes that tragic mistake of trading what he can have now for something much better he could have had later. The issue was something the Jews called the birthright - the legal privileges of the firstborn son. He got a double inheritance and he got other great benefits. Jacob, the younger brother, wants the birthright that belongs to Esau.
In Genesis 25:29, Esau comes in from a hunting trip with a powerful appetite. Jacob is cooking a pot of stew - which Esau asks to share. The story picks up as "Jacob replied, 'First sell me your birthright.' 'Look, I am about to die,' Esau said" (which was probably a huge exaggeration). "What good is the birthright to me?'...So he swore an oath to Jacob, selling him his birthright.'" A tragic mistake! The New Testament comments on his choice this way: "Esau, for a single meal, sold his inheritance...afterward...when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected" (Hebrews 12:16-17). He took what he could have right now and he forfeited something so much more valuable because he couldn't wait. It's a bad trade.
And so many people have done that for love. So many people have done that sexually. God designed sex to be one man with one woman in a committed lifetime relationship called marriage. And when you wait for that kind of exclusive love, you experience sex at its best - the way God designed it...Designer love. But it's very tempting to go for what looks and feels like love right now; especially if you've been waiting for a while. But you're losing something that's just too special to sacrifice.
Right now you might be facing the temptation to do something for love that will cost you the "birthright" that God has for you if you wait. And like Esau, once you've met your immediate need, you'll realize that you gave what you cannot get back. Whatever the pressure, whatever the temptation, however strong those feelings are, don't make a mistake that you'll regret for a long, long time.
You say, "Well, Ron, it's a little late. I've already made that decision. I've already made that choice. I've already made that mistake." It's so good to know that the Bible says when you come to Jesus to have your sins forgiven, He says "your sins and your iniquities I will remember no more." The moment you give yourself to Him, he gives you a new beginning. You are, the Bible calls it, a new creation in Christ and he begins to restore you on every level, including your spiritual and emotional virginity.
But listen, if you've still got those choices ahead, know that God has something beautiful up ahead. Don't blow it by grabbing what's there now and missing what is so much better later. Believe me, it is worth the wait.
When a law-abiding, timid electronics buff blasted four would-be muggers in a New York subway, Bernhard Geotz became an instant hero! It’s not hard to see why. He clobbered evil over the head. He embodied a nationwide anger—a passion for revenge. Yet reality makes us ask the questions: What good was done? Are the streets now free of fear?
On the cross Jesus said, “They do not know what they are doing.” It doesn’t justify kiddie-porn peddlers or heroin dealers. But it does help explain why they do the miserable things they do.
Once we see ourselves for what we are, we can help. Not out of anger, but out of concern and compassion. We go to the ghettos. We teach in the schools. We build hospitals and help orphans. We look at the world not with bitter frowns, but with extended hands!
1 Chronicles 10
The Philistines went to war against Israel; the Israelites ran for their lives from the Philistines but fell, slaughtered on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines zeroed in on Saul and his sons and killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua. The battle went hard against Saul—the archers found him and wounded him. Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and finish me off before these pagan pigs get to me and make a sport of my body.” But his armor bearer, restrained by both reverence and fear, wouldn’t do it. So Saul took his own sword and killed himself. The armor bearer, panicked because Saul was dead, then killed himself.
6-7 So Saul and his three sons—all four the same day—died. When all the Israelites in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and ran off; the Philistines came and moved in.
8-10 The next day the Philistines came to plunder the dead bodies and found Saul and his sons dead on Mount Gilboa. They stripped Saul, removed his head and his armor, and put them on exhibit throughout Philistia, reporting the victory news to their idols and the people. Then they put Saul’s armor on display in the temple of their gods and placed his skull as a trophy in the temple of their god Dagon.
11-12 The people of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul. All of their fighting men went into action—retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh, gave them a dignified burial under the oak at Jabesh, and mourned their deaths for seven days.
13-14 Saul died in disobedience, disobedient to God. He didn’t obey God’s words. Instead of praying, he went to a witch to seek guidance. Because he didn’t go to God for help, God took his life and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, December 16, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Zechariah 11:4–13
Two Shepherds
This is what the Lord my God says: “Shepherd the flock marked for slaughter.d 5 Their buyers slaughter them and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, ‘Praise the Lord, I am rich!’ Their own shepherds do not spare them.e 6 For I will no longer have pity on the people of the land,” declares the Lord. “I will give everyone into the hands of their neighborsf and their king. They will devastate the land, and I will not rescue anyone from their hands.”g
7 So I shepherded the flock marked for slaughter,h particularly the oppressed of the flock. Then I took two staffs and called one Favor and the other Union, and I shepherded the flock. 8 In one month I got rid of the three shepherds.
The flock detestedi me, and I grew weary of them 9 and said, “I will not be your shepherd. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish.j Let those who are left eatk one another’s flesh.”
10 Then I took my staff called Favorl and broke it, revokingm the covenant I had made with all the nations. 11 It was revoked on that day, and so the oppressed of the flock who were watching me knew it was the word of the Lord.
12 I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.n
13 And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silvero and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.p
Insight
Zechariah is a common name in the Old Testament, with as many as thirty different people bearing that name. It was particularly appropriate for the prophet to carry this name, however, for Zechariah means “Yahweh remembers.” As one of the former exiles returning from Babylon, Zechariah’s role was to remind the people of Israel to remember the God who’d never forgotten them through all their years of captivity. By: Bill Crowder
What You’re Worth
The Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter!” Zechariah 11:13
Now an accomplished writer, Caitlin describes the depression she battled after fighting off an assault. The emotional violence cut deeper than her physical struggle, for she felt it proved “how undesirable I was. I was not the kind of girl you wanted to get to know.” She felt unworthy of love, the kind of person others use and toss aside.
God understands. He lovingly shepherded Israel, but when He asked them what He was worth, “they paid me thirty pieces of silver” (Zechariah 11:12). This was the price of a slave; what masters must be reimbursed should their slave be accidentally killed (Exodus 21:32). God was insulted to be offered the lowest possible value—look at “the handsome price at which they valued me!” He said sarcastically (Zechariah 11:13). And He had Zechariah throw the money away.
Jesus understands. He wasn’t merely betrayed by His friend; He was betrayed with contempt. The Jewish leaders despised Christ, so they offered Judas thirty pieces of silver—the lowest price you could put on a person—and he took it (Matthew 26:14–15; 27:9). Judas thought so little of Jesus he sold Him for nearly nothing.
If people undervalued Jesus, don’t be surprised when they undervalue you. Your value isn’t what others say. It’s not even what you say. It’s entirely and only what God says. He thinks you are worth dying for. By: Mike Wittmer
Reflect & Pray
How would you describe your value? Who can you help to grasp true value?
I’m grateful that I’m valued by You, God!
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, December 16, 2019
Wrestling Before God
Take up the whole armor of God…praying always… —Ephesians 6:13,18
You must learn to wrestle against the things that hinder your communication with God, and wrestle in prayer for other people; but to wrestle with God in prayer is unscriptural. If you ever do wrestle with God, you will be crippled for the rest of your life. If you grab hold of God and wrestle with Him, as Jacob did, simply because He is working in a way that doesn’t meet with your approval, you force Him to put you out of joint (see Genesis 32:24-25). Don’t become a cripple by wrestling with the ways of God, but be someone who wrestles before God with the things of this world, because “we are more than conquerors through Him…” (Romans 8:37). Wrestling before God makes an impact in His kingdom. If you ask me to pray for you, and I am not complete in Christ, my prayer accomplishes nothing. But if I am complete in Christ, my prayer brings victory all the time. Prayer is effective only when there is completeness— “take up the whole armor of God….”
Always make a distinction between God’s perfect will and His permissive will, which He uses to accomplish His divine purpose for our lives. God’s perfect will is unchangeable. It is with His permissive will, or the various things that He allows into our lives, that we must wrestle before Him. It is our reaction to these things allowed by His permissive will that enables us to come to the point of seeing His perfect will for us. “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God…” (Romans 8:28)— to those who remain true to God’s perfect will— His calling in Christ Jesus. God’s permissive will is the testing He uses to reveal His true sons and daughters. We should not be spineless and automatically say, “Yes, it is the Lord’s will.” We don’t have to fight or wrestle with God, but we must wrestle before God with things. Beware of lazily giving up. Instead, put up a glorious fight and you will find yourself empowered with His strength.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Jesus Christ can afford to be misunderstood; we cannot. Our weakness lies in always wanting to vindicate ourselves.
The Place of Help
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, December 16, 2019
Grabbing What's Quick, Missing What's Better - #8591
If anybody ever tells you that travel is glamorous, would you have them talk to me, or anybody who flies a lot? A while back I had one of those glamorous days, chasing through airports to make connections because of delayed flights. And since you don't see many meals on airplanes these days, you have to grab what you can. In this particular airport, I had a few extra minutes for a meal, but not knowing if there would be any other options between where I was and my gate, so I grabbed the first thing in sight, which happened to be the gourmet treat known as a hot dog. It wasn't even that great of a hot dog honestly. But what was especially aggravating was what I saw after I wolfed down that hot dog. Within two minutes, I walked by two or three places where I could have had a real meal! But no, I couldn't wait.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Grabbing What's Quick, Missing What's Better."
My mistake that day at the airport was very simple; very easily avoided, too. I went for what I could have at the moment and I missed something a lot better down the road. That's a pretty common mistake, especially when it comes to love, and especially when it comes to sex.
In our word for today from the Word of God, a man named Esau makes that tragic mistake of trading what he can have now for something much better he could have had later. The issue was something the Jews called the birthright - the legal privileges of the firstborn son. He got a double inheritance and he got other great benefits. Jacob, the younger brother, wants the birthright that belongs to Esau.
In Genesis 25:29, Esau comes in from a hunting trip with a powerful appetite. Jacob is cooking a pot of stew - which Esau asks to share. The story picks up as "Jacob replied, 'First sell me your birthright.' 'Look, I am about to die,' Esau said" (which was probably a huge exaggeration). "What good is the birthright to me?'...So he swore an oath to Jacob, selling him his birthright.'" A tragic mistake! The New Testament comments on his choice this way: "Esau, for a single meal, sold his inheritance...afterward...when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected" (Hebrews 12:16-17). He took what he could have right now and he forfeited something so much more valuable because he couldn't wait. It's a bad trade.
And so many people have done that for love. So many people have done that sexually. God designed sex to be one man with one woman in a committed lifetime relationship called marriage. And when you wait for that kind of exclusive love, you experience sex at its best - the way God designed it...Designer love. But it's very tempting to go for what looks and feels like love right now; especially if you've been waiting for a while. But you're losing something that's just too special to sacrifice.
Right now you might be facing the temptation to do something for love that will cost you the "birthright" that God has for you if you wait. And like Esau, once you've met your immediate need, you'll realize that you gave what you cannot get back. Whatever the pressure, whatever the temptation, however strong those feelings are, don't make a mistake that you'll regret for a long, long time.
You say, "Well, Ron, it's a little late. I've already made that decision. I've already made that choice. I've already made that mistake." It's so good to know that the Bible says when you come to Jesus to have your sins forgiven, He says "your sins and your iniquities I will remember no more." The moment you give yourself to Him, he gives you a new beginning. You are, the Bible calls it, a new creation in Christ and he begins to restore you on every level, including your spiritual and emotional virginity.
But listen, if you've still got those choices ahead, know that God has something beautiful up ahead. Don't blow it by grabbing what's there now and missing what is so much better later. Believe me, it is worth the wait.
Sunday, December 15, 2019
1 Corinthians 7:20-40, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: A Fire Burning
I wish I could say it's forgiven and forgotten-but it isn't. As much as I've tried-all I feel is the anger and the bitterness.
Without forgiveness, bitterness is all that's left! Maybe it's an old wound. A parent abused you. A mate betrayed you. And you are angry. Perhaps the wound is fresh. The friend who owes you money just drove by in a new car. The boss who hired you with promises of promotions has forgotten how to pronounce your name. And you are hurt! There is a fire burning in your heart. It's the fire of anger. And you are left with a decision. Do I get over it or get even? Do I let my hurts heal, or do I let hurt turn into hate? Proverbs 15:9 says, "The Lord hates what evil people do, but He loves those who do what is right."
From Grace for the Moment
1 Corinthians 7:20-40
Stay where you were when God called your name. Were you a slave? Slavery is no roadblock to obeying and believing. I don’t mean you’re stuck and can’t leave. If you have a chance at freedom, go ahead and take it. I’m simply trying to point out that under your new Master you’re going to experience a marvelous freedom you would never have dreamed of. On the other hand, if you were free when Christ called you, you’ll experience a delightful “enslavement to God” you would never have dreamed of.
23-24 All of you, slave and free both, were once held hostage in a sinful society. Then a huge sum was paid out for your ransom. So please don’t, out of old habit, slip back into being or doing what everyone else tells you. Friends, stay where you were called to be. God is there. Hold the high ground with him at your side.
25-28 The Master did not give explicit direction regarding virgins, but as one much experienced in the mercy of the Master and loyal to him all the way, you can trust my counsel. Because of the current pressures on us from all sides, I think it would probably be best to stay just as you are. Are you married? Stay married. Are you unmarried? Don’t get married. But there’s certainly no sin in getting married, whether you’re a virgin or not. All I am saying is that when you marry, you take on additional stress in an already stressful time, and I want to spare you if possible.
29-31 I do want to point out, friends, that time is of the essence. There is no time to waste, so don’t complicate your lives unnecessarily. Keep it simple—in marriage, grief, joy, whatever. Even in ordinary things—your daily routines of shopping, and so on. Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you. This world as you see it is on its way out.
32-35 I want you to live as free of complications as possible. When you’re unmarried, you’re free to concentrate on simply pleasing the Master. Marriage involves you in all the nuts and bolts of domestic life and in wanting to please your spouse, leading to so many more demands on your attention. The time and energy that married people spend on caring for and nurturing each other, the unmarried can spend in becoming whole and holy instruments of God. I’m trying to be helpful and make it as easy as possible for you, not make things harder. All I want is for you to be able to develop a way of life in which you can spend plenty of time together with the Master without a lot of distractions.
36-38 If a man has a woman friend to whom he is loyal but never intended to marry, having decided to serve God as a “single,” and then changes his mind, deciding he should marry her, he should go ahead and marry. It’s no sin; it’s not even a “step down” from celibacy, as some say. On the other hand, if a man is comfortable in his decision for a single life in service to God and it’s entirely his own conviction and not imposed on him by others, he ought to stick with it. Marriage is spiritually and morally right and not inferior to singleness in any way, although as I indicated earlier, because of the times we live in, I do have pastoral reasons for encouraging singleness.
39-40 A wife must stay with her husband as long as he lives. If he dies, she is free to marry anyone she chooses. She will, of course, want to marry a believer and have the blessing of the Master. By now you know that I think she’ll be better off staying single. The Master, in my opinion, thinks so, too.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
John 4:4–14
Now he had to go through Samaria.b 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.c 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”d 8 (His disciples had gone into the towne to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritanf woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.a)
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”g
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the wellh and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.i Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of waterj welling up to eternal life.”k
Insight
Ever since the days of the prophets, Israel had looked forward to a messianic age when renewing waters of spiritual life would flow from the temple of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 47:1–12; Joel 3:18; Zechariah 14:6–9). In anticipation of that day, at the annual Feast of Tabernacles the high priest of Israel drew water from the pool of Siloam outside of Jerusalem and led a procession into the city where he poured out the water at the temple altar. Jesus claimed not only to be the source of living water but also the temple of the living God (John 2:18–21; 4:10-14). By: Mart DeHaan
Water into Hope
Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. John 7:37
Tom and Mark’s ministry refreshes lives. This is clear in the video they share of a group of fully clad children laughing and dancing in the refreshing water of an open shower—their first ever. The men work with indigenous churches to install water filtration systems on wells in Haiti, easing and lengthening lives as diseases connected to contaminated water are prevented. Access to clean, fresh water gives the people hope for their future.
Jesus referred to “living water” in John 4 to capture a similar idea of a continual source of refreshment. Tired and thirsty, Jesus had asked a Samaritan woman for a drink (vv. 4–8). This request led to a conversation in which Jesus offered the woman “living water” (vv. 9–15)—water that would become a source of life and hope within them, like “a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (v. 14).
We discover what this living water is later in John, when Jesus said, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink,” declaring that whoever believed in Him would have “rivers of living water [flowing] from within them.” John explains, “By this he meant the Spirit” (7:37–39).
Through the Spirit, believers are united to Christ and have access to the boundless power, hope, and joy found in God. Like living water, the Spirit lives inside believers, refreshing and renewing us. By: Alyson Kieda
Reflect & Pray
How has Jesus satisfied your thirst through His Spirit? How will you share what Jesus has done for you?
Dear God, thank You for leaving us Your Spirit. Work in us so that our lives point others to You.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, December 15, 2019
“Approved to God”
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. —2 Timothy 2:15
If you cannot express yourself well on each of your beliefs, work and study until you can. If you don’t, other people may miss out on the blessings that come from knowing the truth. Strive to re-express a truth of God to yourself clearly and understandably, and God will use that same explanation when you share it with someone else. But you must be willing to go through God’s winepress where the grapes are crushed. You must struggle, experiment, and rehearse your words to express God’s truth clearly. Then the time will come when that very expression will become God’s wine of strength to someone else. But if you are not diligent and say, “I’m not going to study and struggle to express this truth in my own words; I’ll just borrow my words from someone else,” then the words will be of no value to you or to others. Try to state to yourself what you believe to be the absolute truth of God, and you will be allowing God the opportunity to pass it on through you to someone else.
Always make it a practice to stir your own mind thoroughly to think through what you have easily believed. Your position is not really yours until you make it yours through suffering and study. The author or speaker from whom you learn the most is not the one who teaches you something you didn’t know before, but the one who helps you take a truth with which you have quietly struggled, give it expression, and speak it clearly and boldly.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We are in danger of being stern where God is tender, and of being tender where God is stern. The Love of God—The Message of Invincible Consolation, 673 L
I wish I could say it's forgiven and forgotten-but it isn't. As much as I've tried-all I feel is the anger and the bitterness.
Without forgiveness, bitterness is all that's left! Maybe it's an old wound. A parent abused you. A mate betrayed you. And you are angry. Perhaps the wound is fresh. The friend who owes you money just drove by in a new car. The boss who hired you with promises of promotions has forgotten how to pronounce your name. And you are hurt! There is a fire burning in your heart. It's the fire of anger. And you are left with a decision. Do I get over it or get even? Do I let my hurts heal, or do I let hurt turn into hate? Proverbs 15:9 says, "The Lord hates what evil people do, but He loves those who do what is right."
From Grace for the Moment
1 Corinthians 7:20-40
Stay where you were when God called your name. Were you a slave? Slavery is no roadblock to obeying and believing. I don’t mean you’re stuck and can’t leave. If you have a chance at freedom, go ahead and take it. I’m simply trying to point out that under your new Master you’re going to experience a marvelous freedom you would never have dreamed of. On the other hand, if you were free when Christ called you, you’ll experience a delightful “enslavement to God” you would never have dreamed of.
23-24 All of you, slave and free both, were once held hostage in a sinful society. Then a huge sum was paid out for your ransom. So please don’t, out of old habit, slip back into being or doing what everyone else tells you. Friends, stay where you were called to be. God is there. Hold the high ground with him at your side.
25-28 The Master did not give explicit direction regarding virgins, but as one much experienced in the mercy of the Master and loyal to him all the way, you can trust my counsel. Because of the current pressures on us from all sides, I think it would probably be best to stay just as you are. Are you married? Stay married. Are you unmarried? Don’t get married. But there’s certainly no sin in getting married, whether you’re a virgin or not. All I am saying is that when you marry, you take on additional stress in an already stressful time, and I want to spare you if possible.
29-31 I do want to point out, friends, that time is of the essence. There is no time to waste, so don’t complicate your lives unnecessarily. Keep it simple—in marriage, grief, joy, whatever. Even in ordinary things—your daily routines of shopping, and so on. Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you. This world as you see it is on its way out.
32-35 I want you to live as free of complications as possible. When you’re unmarried, you’re free to concentrate on simply pleasing the Master. Marriage involves you in all the nuts and bolts of domestic life and in wanting to please your spouse, leading to so many more demands on your attention. The time and energy that married people spend on caring for and nurturing each other, the unmarried can spend in becoming whole and holy instruments of God. I’m trying to be helpful and make it as easy as possible for you, not make things harder. All I want is for you to be able to develop a way of life in which you can spend plenty of time together with the Master without a lot of distractions.
36-38 If a man has a woman friend to whom he is loyal but never intended to marry, having decided to serve God as a “single,” and then changes his mind, deciding he should marry her, he should go ahead and marry. It’s no sin; it’s not even a “step down” from celibacy, as some say. On the other hand, if a man is comfortable in his decision for a single life in service to God and it’s entirely his own conviction and not imposed on him by others, he ought to stick with it. Marriage is spiritually and morally right and not inferior to singleness in any way, although as I indicated earlier, because of the times we live in, I do have pastoral reasons for encouraging singleness.
39-40 A wife must stay with her husband as long as he lives. If he dies, she is free to marry anyone she chooses. She will, of course, want to marry a believer and have the blessing of the Master. By now you know that I think she’ll be better off staying single. The Master, in my opinion, thinks so, too.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
John 4:4–14
Now he had to go through Samaria.b 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.c 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”d 8 (His disciples had gone into the towne to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritanf woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.a)
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”g
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the wellh and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.i Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of waterj welling up to eternal life.”k
Insight
Ever since the days of the prophets, Israel had looked forward to a messianic age when renewing waters of spiritual life would flow from the temple of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 47:1–12; Joel 3:18; Zechariah 14:6–9). In anticipation of that day, at the annual Feast of Tabernacles the high priest of Israel drew water from the pool of Siloam outside of Jerusalem and led a procession into the city where he poured out the water at the temple altar. Jesus claimed not only to be the source of living water but also the temple of the living God (John 2:18–21; 4:10-14). By: Mart DeHaan
Water into Hope
Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. John 7:37
Tom and Mark’s ministry refreshes lives. This is clear in the video they share of a group of fully clad children laughing and dancing in the refreshing water of an open shower—their first ever. The men work with indigenous churches to install water filtration systems on wells in Haiti, easing and lengthening lives as diseases connected to contaminated water are prevented. Access to clean, fresh water gives the people hope for their future.
Jesus referred to “living water” in John 4 to capture a similar idea of a continual source of refreshment. Tired and thirsty, Jesus had asked a Samaritan woman for a drink (vv. 4–8). This request led to a conversation in which Jesus offered the woman “living water” (vv. 9–15)—water that would become a source of life and hope within them, like “a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (v. 14).
We discover what this living water is later in John, when Jesus said, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink,” declaring that whoever believed in Him would have “rivers of living water [flowing] from within them.” John explains, “By this he meant the Spirit” (7:37–39).
Through the Spirit, believers are united to Christ and have access to the boundless power, hope, and joy found in God. Like living water, the Spirit lives inside believers, refreshing and renewing us. By: Alyson Kieda
Reflect & Pray
How has Jesus satisfied your thirst through His Spirit? How will you share what Jesus has done for you?
Dear God, thank You for leaving us Your Spirit. Work in us so that our lives point others to You.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, December 15, 2019
“Approved to God”
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. —2 Timothy 2:15
If you cannot express yourself well on each of your beliefs, work and study until you can. If you don’t, other people may miss out on the blessings that come from knowing the truth. Strive to re-express a truth of God to yourself clearly and understandably, and God will use that same explanation when you share it with someone else. But you must be willing to go through God’s winepress where the grapes are crushed. You must struggle, experiment, and rehearse your words to express God’s truth clearly. Then the time will come when that very expression will become God’s wine of strength to someone else. But if you are not diligent and say, “I’m not going to study and struggle to express this truth in my own words; I’ll just borrow my words from someone else,” then the words will be of no value to you or to others. Try to state to yourself what you believe to be the absolute truth of God, and you will be allowing God the opportunity to pass it on through you to someone else.
Always make it a practice to stir your own mind thoroughly to think through what you have easily believed. Your position is not really yours until you make it yours through suffering and study. The author or speaker from whom you learn the most is not the one who teaches you something you didn’t know before, but the one who helps you take a truth with which you have quietly struggled, give it expression, and speak it clearly and boldly.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We are in danger of being stern where God is tender, and of being tender where God is stern. The Love of God—The Message of Invincible Consolation, 673 L
Saturday, December 14, 2019
1 Chronicles 9, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Taking No Chances
With God-chance is eliminated! God knows what's best! No struggle will come your way apart from his purpose, his presence and his permission. Isaiah 43:2 says, "when you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you." What encouragement! You're never the victim of nature or the prey of fate. Chance is eliminated.
You are more than a weather vane whipped by the winds of fortune. Perish the thought! You live beneath the protective palm of a sovereign King who superintends every circumstance of your life, and delights in doing you good! Remember this! Nothing comes your way that has not first passed through the filter of God's love!
From Grace for the Moment
1 Chronicles 9
This is the complete family tree for all Israel, recorded in the Royal Annals of the Kings of Israel and Judah at the time they were exiled to Babylon because of their unbelieving and disobedient lives.
2 The first Israelites to return from exile to their homes and cities were the priests, the Levites, and the temple support staff.
3-6 Returning to Jerusalem from the families of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh were the following: Uthai son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, from the line of Perez son of Judah; from the Shilonites were Asaiah the firstborn and his sons; from the family of Zerah there was Jeuel. There were 690 in the Judah group.
7-9 From the family of Benjamin were Sallu son of Meshullam, the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah, and Ibneiah son of Jeroham, and Elah son of Uzzi, the son of Micri, and Meshullam son of Shephatiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah. There were 956 in the Benjamin group. All these named were heads of families.
10-13 From the company of priests there were Jedaiah; Jehoiarib; Jakin; Azariah son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, who was in charge of taking care of the house of God; Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malkijah; also Maasai son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer. The priests, all of them heads of families, numbered 1,760, skilled and seasoned servants in the work of worshiping God.
14-16 From the Levites were Shemaiah son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, a Merarite; then Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal, Mattaniah son of Mica, the son of Zicri, the son of Asaph; also Obadiah son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun; and finally Berekiah son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites.
17-18 The security guards were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their brothers. Shallum was the chief and up to now the security guard at the King’s Gate on the east. They also served as security guards at the camps of Levite families.
19-25 Shallum son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, along with his brothers in the Korahite family, were in charge of the services of worship as doorkeepers of the Tent, as their ancestors had guarded the entrance to the camp of God. In the early days, Phinehas son of Eleazar was in charge of the security guards—God be with him! Now Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was the security guard at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. The number of those who had been chosen to be security guards was 212—they were officially registered in their own camps. David and Samuel the seer handpicked them for their dependability. They and their sons had the permanent responsibility for guarding the gates of God’s house, the house of worship; the main security guards were posted at the four entrances, east, west, north, and south; their brothers in the villages were scheduled to give them relief weekly—the four main security guards were responsible for round-the-clock surveillance.
26-32 Being Levites, they were responsible for the security of all supplies and valuables in the house of God. They kept watch all through the night and had the key to open the doors each morning. Some were in charge of the articles used in The Temple worship—they counted them both when they brought them in and when they took them out. Others were in charge of supplies in the sanctuary—flour, wine, oil, incense, and spices. And some of the priests were assigned to mixing the oils for the perfume. The Levite Mattithiah, the firstborn son of Shallum the Korahite, was responsible for baking the bread for the services of worship. Some of the brothers, sons of the Kohathites, were assigned to preparing the bread set out on the table each Sabbath.
33-34 And then there were the musicians, all heads of Levite families. They had permanent living quarters in The Temple; because they were on twenty-four-hour duty, they were exempt from all other duties. These were the heads of Levite families as designated in their family tree. They lived in Jerusalem.
35-38 Jeiel the father of Gibeon lived at Gibeon; his wife was Maacah. His firstborn son was Abdon, followed by Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth. Mikloth had Shimeam. They lived in the same neighborhood as their relatives in Jerusalem.
39-44 Ner had Kish, Kish had Saul, Saul had Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal. Merib-Baal was the son of Jonathan and Merib-Baal had Micah. Micah’s sons were Pithon, Melech, and Tahrea. Ahaz had Jarah, Jarah had Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri; Zimri had Moza, Moza had Binea, Rephaiah was his son, Eleasah was his son, and Azel was his son. Azel had six sons: Azrikam, Bokeru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan—the sons of Azel
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Saturday, December 14, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Ruth 4:13–17
Naomi Gains a Son
13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive,s and she gave birth to a son.t 14 The womenu said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord,v who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer.w May he become famous throughout Israel! 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law,x who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons,y has given him birth.”
16 Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. 17 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse,z the father of David.a
Insight
It’s helpful to contrast the long view of the book of Ruth with its immediate context. In the long view, Ruth’s child would be the grandfather of David—Israel’s great king. This connection also prepares the way for the birth of Jesus, who would come from David’s kingly line (see Matthew 1:1–16). The result of Ruth and Boaz’s union prepared for the rescue of the world; in a more immediate sense, the birth of Obed also provided a kind of rescue for Naomi. Her life decimated by loss and grief, she’s delivered from despair and heartache by the gift of this new life (Ruth 4:16–17). Her joy restored, Naomi was once again able to live up to her name, which means “pleasant.” By: Bill Crowder
Jesus and the Bigger Story
We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
A generous friend offered to babysit our kids so my wife and I could go on a date. “You should go somewhere fancy!” she gushed. Being practical people, we decided to go grocery shopping instead. When we returned, grocery bags in arms, our friend asked why we hadn’t done anything special. We told her that what makes a date special isn’t so much what you do, but who you’re with.
One of the few books of the Bible that doesn’t record God directly saying or doing anything, the book of Ruth could seem to be pretty ordinary. So some read it as a touching but largely human drama of two people coming together in a relationship.
But in truth, something extraordinary is taking place. In the final chapter of Ruth, we read that Ruth and Boaz’s union results in a son named Obed, the grandfather of David (4:17). And as we read in Matthew 1:1, it’s from David’s family that Jesus was born. It’s Jesus who unveils the ordinary story of Ruth and Boaz and reveals the extraordinary story of God’s amazing plans and purposes at work.
So often we see our own lives in the same way: as ordinary and serving no special purpose. But when we view our lives through Christ, He gives eternal significance to even the most ordinary situations and relationships. By: Peter Chin
Reflect & Pray
When has God turned an ordinary situation into one of extraordinary significance for you? How has He made all moments in life something sacred and extraordinary?
Jesus, You give eternal purpose and meaning to the most ordinary of circumstances. Help me to see all my relationships and circumstances through You!
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, December 14, 2019
The Great Life
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled… —John 14:27
Whenever we experience something difficult in our personal life, we are tempted to blame God. But we are the ones in the wrong, not God. Blaming God is evidence that we are refusing to let go of some disobedience somewhere in our lives. But as soon as we let go, everything becomes as clear as daylight to us. As long as we try to serve two masters, ourselves and God, there will be difficulties combined with doubt and confusion. Our attitude must be one of complete reliance on God. Once we get to that point, there is nothing easier than living the life of a saint. We encounter difficulties when we try to usurp the authority of the Holy Spirit for our own purposes.
God’s mark of approval, whenever you obey Him, is peace. He sends an immeasurable, deep peace; not a natural peace, “as the world gives,” but the peace of Jesus. Whenever peace does not come, wait until it does, or seek to find out why it is not coming. If you are acting on your own impulse, or out of a sense of the heroic, to be seen by others, the peace of Jesus will not exhibit itself. This shows no unity with God or confidence in Him. The spirit of simplicity, clarity, and unity is born through the Holy Spirit, not through your decisions. God counters our self-willed decisions with an appeal for simplicity and unity.
My questions arise whenever I cease to obey. When I do obey God, problems come, not between me and God, but as a means to keep my mind examining with amazement the revealed truth of God. But any problem that comes between God and myself is the result of disobedience. Any problem that comes while I obey God (and there will be many), increases my overjoyed delight, because I know that my Father knows and cares, and I can watch and anticipate how He will unravel my problems.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
It is perilously possible to make our conceptions of God like molten lead poured into a specially designed mould, and when it is cold and hard we fling it at the heads of the religious people who don’t agree with us.
Disciples Indeed
Friday, December 13, 2019
1 Chronicles 8, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: GOD ON THE CROSS
“All right—this is a toss for the sandals.”
“How about the cloak?”
“Come on—hurry up—it’s my turn!”. . .
Casting lots for the possessions of Christ. Heads ducked. Eyes downward. Cross forgotten. The symbolism is striking. Do you see it? I’m thinking of us. Those who claim heritage at the cross. The stuffy. The loose. The evangelical. The Spirit-filled. Ameners. Robes. Collars. I’m thinking of us!
“Those selfish soldiers,” we smirk. And yet, are we so different? Our divisions are so numerous we can’t be cataloged. Is it that impossible for us to find a common cause? “May they all be one,” Jesus prayed. One church. One faith. One Lord. Just Christians. No hierarchies. No traditions. Just Christ. Can we be the soldier who jumps to his feet and reminds the rest of us, “Hey, that’s God on that cross!” …It’s just a thought
1 Chronicles 8
Benjamin’s firstborn son was Bela, followed by Ashbel, Aharah, Nohah, and Rapha—five in all. Bela’s sons were Addar, Gera, Abihud, Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah, Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram.
6-7 These are the families of Ehud that lived in Geba and were exiled to Manahath: Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera, who led them to exile and had Uzza and Ahihud.
8-12 In the land of Moab, Shaharaim had children after he divorced his wives Hushim and Baara. From his new wife Hodesh he had Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam, Jeuz, Sakia, and Mirmah—sons who became heads of families. From his earlier wife Hushim he had Abitub and Elpaal. Elpaal’s sons were Eber, Misham, and Shemed, who built Ono and Lod with all their villages.
13-28 Beriah and Shema were family chiefs who lived at Aijalon. They drove out the citizens of Gath. Their brothers were Shashak and Jeremoth. The sons of Beriah were Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, Michael, Ishpah, and Joha. The sons of Elpaal were Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber, Ishmerai, Izliah, and Jobab. The sons of Shimei were Jakim, Zicri, Zabdi, Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel, Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath. The sons of Shashak were Ishpan, Eber, Eliel, Abdon, Zicri, Hanan, Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah, Iphdeiah, and Penuel. The sons of Jeroham were Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah, Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zicri. These were the chiefs of the families as listed in their family tree. They lived in Jerusalem.
29-32 Jeiel the father of Gibeon lived in Gibeon. His wife’s name was Maacah. Abdon was his firstborn son, followed by Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab, Gedor, Ahio, Zeker, and Mikloth. Mikloth had Shimeah. They lived in the neighborhood of their extended families in Jerusalem.
33-40 Ner had Kish, Kish had Saul, and Saul had Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal. Jonathan had Merib-Baal, and Merib-Baal had Micah. Micah’s sons were Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz. Ahaz had Jehoaddah and Jehoaddah had Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri had Moza and Moza had Binea. Raphah was his son, Eleasah his son, and Azel his son. Azel had six sons named Azrikam, Bokeru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. His brother Eshek’s sons were Ulam his firstborn, followed by Jeush and Eliphelet. Ulam’s sons were warriors well known as archers. They had lots of sons and grandsons—at least 150. These were all in Benjamin’s family tree.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, December 13, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Psalm 6:4–9
Turn,p Lord, and deliver me;
save me because of your unfailing love.q
5 Among the dead no one proclaims your name.
Who praises you from the grave?r
6 I am worn outs from my groaning.t
All night long I flood my bed with weepingu
and drench my couch with tears.v
7 My eyes grow weakw with sorrow;
they fail because of all my foes.
8 Away from me,x all you who do evil,y
for the Lord has heard my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;z
the Lord accepts my prayer.
Insight
Psalm 6, written by David, is considered one of seven penitential psalms, or psalms of confession of sin (32; 38; 51; 102; 130; 143). As F. B. Meyer in his commentary on Psalms writes, “The earlier verses of this psalm are a wail; but it ends in a song. It is like a day of rain which clears at evening.” David is in “deep anguish” because of his sin and shortcomings and cries out, “How long, Lord, how long?” (Psalm 6:3). He felt God’s displeasure regarding his sin and as a result was in agony—groaning, weeping, sorrowful, sleepless, and perhaps ill. Yet, it seems no sooner was his prayer uttered but he felt God’s mercy and forgiveness: “The Lord has heard my cry” and “accepts my prayer” (v. 9). By: Alyson Kieda
Asking God
The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer. Psalm 6:9
When my husband, Dan, was diagnosed with cancer, I couldn’t find the “right” way to ask God to heal him. In my limited view, other people in the world had such serious problems—war, famine, poverty, natural disasters. Then one day, during our morning prayer time, I heard my husband humbly ask, “Dear Lord, please heal my disease.”
It was such a simple but heartfelt plea that it reminded me to stop complicating every prayer request, because God perfectly hears our righteous cries for help. As David simply asked, “Turn, Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love” (Psalm 6:4).
That’s what David declared during a time of spiritual confusion and despair. His exact situation isn’t explained in this psalm. His honest pleas, however, show deep desire for godly help and restoration. “I am worn out from my groaning,” he wrote (v. 6).
Yet, David didn’t let his own limits, including sin, stop him from going to God with his need. Thus, even before God answered, David was able to rejoice, “the Lord has heard my weeping. The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer” (vv. 8–9).
Despite our own confusion and uncertainty, God hears and accepts the honest pleas of His children. He’s ready to hear us, especially when we need Him most. By: Patricia Raybon
Reflect & Pray
What’s stopping you from asking God for His help? What help will you seek from Him today?
Dear God, as you cleanse our hearts, grant us courage to ask for Your divine help, believing that You hear us and will answer.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, December 13, 2019
Intercessory Prayer
…men always ought to pray and not lose heart. —Luke 18:1
You cannot truly intercede through prayer if you do not believe in the reality of redemption. Instead, you will simply be turning intercession into useless sympathy for others, which will serve only to increase the contentment they have for remaining out of touch with God. True intercession involves bringing the person, or the circumstance that seems to be crashing in on you, before God, until you are changed by His attitude toward that person or circumstance. Intercession means to “fill up…[with] what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ” (Colossians 1:24), and this is precisely why there are so few intercessors. People describe intercession by saying, “It is putting yourself in someone else’s place.” That is not true! Intercession is putting yourself in God’s place; it is having His mind and His perspective.
As an intercessor, be careful not to seek too much information from God regarding the situation you are praying about, because you may be overwhelmed. If you know too much, more than God has ordained for you to know, you can’t pray; the circumstances of the people become so overpowering that you are no longer able to get to the underlying truth.
Our work is to be in such close contact with God that we may have His mind about everything, but we shirk that responsibility by substituting doing for interceding. And yet intercession is the only thing that has no drawbacks, because it keeps our relationship completely open with God.
What we must avoid in intercession is praying for someone to be simply “patched up.” We must pray that person completely through into contact with the very life of God. Think of the number of people God has brought across our path, only to see us drop them! When we pray on the basis of redemption, God creates something He can create in no other way than through intercessory prayer.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Much of the misery in our Christian life comes not because the devil tackles us, but because we have never understood the simple laws of our make-up. We have to treat the body as the servant of Jesus Christ: when the body says “Sit,” and He says “Go,” go! When the body says “Eat,” and He says “Fast,” fast! When the body says “Yawn,” and He says “Pray,” pray! Biblical Ethics, 107 R
You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, December 13, 2019
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, December 13, 2019
Whatever Happened to Peace on Earth? - #8590
Every time you sing that Christmas carol, "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," you sing those words, "Peace on earth and mercy mild." But if you ever watch the news or read a newspaper, you might well be asking, "Whatever happened to peace on earth?" That's a good question. Some have said that the terrorism danger for Americans has remained high long after September 11, 2001. One national correspondent expressed on television what a lot of people are feeling. He said, "I have never in my lifetime seen such a high degree of threat to our personal security." And financial developments, political developments? They haven't helped much. Then you throw in the dangers that you might be facing personally, it could be medical, or financial, your personal life. Where's that peace that Christmas is supposed to be about?
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Whatever Happened to Peace on Earth?"
That phrase "peace on earth" wasn't invented by some greeting card company. It's part of the birth announcement of the first Christmas. It was the one delivered by angels from heaven to shepherds in the field, watching over their sheep. Luke 2:13-14, our word for today from the Word of God says, "Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.'"
So, in a dangerous world - an unpredictable world, where is that peace? It's in the hearts of those who are ready for eternity, whenever it comes. They understand why the angel said that first Christmas, "Fear not." He said it was because "a Savior has been born to you ... Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11). The announcement from heaven said that peace would be for those "on whom God's favor rests." That's how it really is translated from the original language. And the Bible makes it very clear that means people whose sins have been forgiven, whose sins have been totally erased from God's Book. Because no religion can do that, because no amount of doing good can erase bad.
It took a Savior. It took a Rescuer. If it could have been done without the death of the Son of God, you can be sure it would have been. But only a man could die for man's sin. And only a man who was God could be totally perfect so He could meet God's holy standards and not have any sin of His own to pay for. Enter Jesus. He could barely find a place to be born as He came into the world that He created. And now many of us have kept the door of our heart closed to Him as surely as that innkeeper did those centuries ago.
The peace we need most is peace with God - the God who made us, who we will meet when we die. And Romans 5:1 says, "We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." When Jesus enters your life, the wall between you and God comes down forever and He is there to help with the war in your soul. And there's peace; peace that is recession-proof, divorce-proof, terror-proof, death-proof. But first comes your surrender of you running your own life. You were never supposed to. You were never made to.
When you grab Jesus in total trust as your personal Rescuer from the guilt of your sin, the penalty of your sin, the storm inside is replaced with His incredible peace. And you know you're ready for eternity, whenever it comes and however it comes.
I can't think of a better time to begin your relationship with Jesus Christ than right here on the threshold of the celebration of His coming. Just tell Him, "Jesus, I know now you died for me, and I want to live for You. I know you're alive, because you walked out of your grave under your own power, and I want you to walk into my life today."
You want to begin this personal relationship with Him? Would you tell Him that now? And go to our website, because it's really set up for you at a moment like this; to have the information right at your fingertips that will help you be sure you belong to Him. That website is ANewStory.com.
We're celebrating when Jesus came to earth. Today, you can be celebrating the day He comes into your life - the day the peace comes.
“All right—this is a toss for the sandals.”
“How about the cloak?”
“Come on—hurry up—it’s my turn!”. . .
Casting lots for the possessions of Christ. Heads ducked. Eyes downward. Cross forgotten. The symbolism is striking. Do you see it? I’m thinking of us. Those who claim heritage at the cross. The stuffy. The loose. The evangelical. The Spirit-filled. Ameners. Robes. Collars. I’m thinking of us!
“Those selfish soldiers,” we smirk. And yet, are we so different? Our divisions are so numerous we can’t be cataloged. Is it that impossible for us to find a common cause? “May they all be one,” Jesus prayed. One church. One faith. One Lord. Just Christians. No hierarchies. No traditions. Just Christ. Can we be the soldier who jumps to his feet and reminds the rest of us, “Hey, that’s God on that cross!” …It’s just a thought
1 Chronicles 8
Benjamin’s firstborn son was Bela, followed by Ashbel, Aharah, Nohah, and Rapha—five in all. Bela’s sons were Addar, Gera, Abihud, Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah, Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram.
6-7 These are the families of Ehud that lived in Geba and were exiled to Manahath: Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera, who led them to exile and had Uzza and Ahihud.
8-12 In the land of Moab, Shaharaim had children after he divorced his wives Hushim and Baara. From his new wife Hodesh he had Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam, Jeuz, Sakia, and Mirmah—sons who became heads of families. From his earlier wife Hushim he had Abitub and Elpaal. Elpaal’s sons were Eber, Misham, and Shemed, who built Ono and Lod with all their villages.
13-28 Beriah and Shema were family chiefs who lived at Aijalon. They drove out the citizens of Gath. Their brothers were Shashak and Jeremoth. The sons of Beriah were Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, Michael, Ishpah, and Joha. The sons of Elpaal were Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber, Ishmerai, Izliah, and Jobab. The sons of Shimei were Jakim, Zicri, Zabdi, Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel, Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath. The sons of Shashak were Ishpan, Eber, Eliel, Abdon, Zicri, Hanan, Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah, Iphdeiah, and Penuel. The sons of Jeroham were Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah, Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zicri. These were the chiefs of the families as listed in their family tree. They lived in Jerusalem.
29-32 Jeiel the father of Gibeon lived in Gibeon. His wife’s name was Maacah. Abdon was his firstborn son, followed by Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab, Gedor, Ahio, Zeker, and Mikloth. Mikloth had Shimeah. They lived in the neighborhood of their extended families in Jerusalem.
33-40 Ner had Kish, Kish had Saul, and Saul had Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal. Jonathan had Merib-Baal, and Merib-Baal had Micah. Micah’s sons were Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz. Ahaz had Jehoaddah and Jehoaddah had Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri had Moza and Moza had Binea. Raphah was his son, Eleasah his son, and Azel his son. Azel had six sons named Azrikam, Bokeru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. His brother Eshek’s sons were Ulam his firstborn, followed by Jeush and Eliphelet. Ulam’s sons were warriors well known as archers. They had lots of sons and grandsons—at least 150. These were all in Benjamin’s family tree.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, December 13, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Psalm 6:4–9
Turn,p Lord, and deliver me;
save me because of your unfailing love.q
5 Among the dead no one proclaims your name.
Who praises you from the grave?r
6 I am worn outs from my groaning.t
All night long I flood my bed with weepingu
and drench my couch with tears.v
7 My eyes grow weakw with sorrow;
they fail because of all my foes.
8 Away from me,x all you who do evil,y
for the Lord has heard my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;z
the Lord accepts my prayer.
Insight
Psalm 6, written by David, is considered one of seven penitential psalms, or psalms of confession of sin (32; 38; 51; 102; 130; 143). As F. B. Meyer in his commentary on Psalms writes, “The earlier verses of this psalm are a wail; but it ends in a song. It is like a day of rain which clears at evening.” David is in “deep anguish” because of his sin and shortcomings and cries out, “How long, Lord, how long?” (Psalm 6:3). He felt God’s displeasure regarding his sin and as a result was in agony—groaning, weeping, sorrowful, sleepless, and perhaps ill. Yet, it seems no sooner was his prayer uttered but he felt God’s mercy and forgiveness: “The Lord has heard my cry” and “accepts my prayer” (v. 9). By: Alyson Kieda
Asking God
The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer. Psalm 6:9
When my husband, Dan, was diagnosed with cancer, I couldn’t find the “right” way to ask God to heal him. In my limited view, other people in the world had such serious problems—war, famine, poverty, natural disasters. Then one day, during our morning prayer time, I heard my husband humbly ask, “Dear Lord, please heal my disease.”
It was such a simple but heartfelt plea that it reminded me to stop complicating every prayer request, because God perfectly hears our righteous cries for help. As David simply asked, “Turn, Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love” (Psalm 6:4).
That’s what David declared during a time of spiritual confusion and despair. His exact situation isn’t explained in this psalm. His honest pleas, however, show deep desire for godly help and restoration. “I am worn out from my groaning,” he wrote (v. 6).
Yet, David didn’t let his own limits, including sin, stop him from going to God with his need. Thus, even before God answered, David was able to rejoice, “the Lord has heard my weeping. The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer” (vv. 8–9).
Despite our own confusion and uncertainty, God hears and accepts the honest pleas of His children. He’s ready to hear us, especially when we need Him most. By: Patricia Raybon
Reflect & Pray
What’s stopping you from asking God for His help? What help will you seek from Him today?
Dear God, as you cleanse our hearts, grant us courage to ask for Your divine help, believing that You hear us and will answer.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, December 13, 2019
Intercessory Prayer
…men always ought to pray and not lose heart. —Luke 18:1
You cannot truly intercede through prayer if you do not believe in the reality of redemption. Instead, you will simply be turning intercession into useless sympathy for others, which will serve only to increase the contentment they have for remaining out of touch with God. True intercession involves bringing the person, or the circumstance that seems to be crashing in on you, before God, until you are changed by His attitude toward that person or circumstance. Intercession means to “fill up…[with] what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ” (Colossians 1:24), and this is precisely why there are so few intercessors. People describe intercession by saying, “It is putting yourself in someone else’s place.” That is not true! Intercession is putting yourself in God’s place; it is having His mind and His perspective.
As an intercessor, be careful not to seek too much information from God regarding the situation you are praying about, because you may be overwhelmed. If you know too much, more than God has ordained for you to know, you can’t pray; the circumstances of the people become so overpowering that you are no longer able to get to the underlying truth.
Our work is to be in such close contact with God that we may have His mind about everything, but we shirk that responsibility by substituting doing for interceding. And yet intercession is the only thing that has no drawbacks, because it keeps our relationship completely open with God.
What we must avoid in intercession is praying for someone to be simply “patched up.” We must pray that person completely through into contact with the very life of God. Think of the number of people God has brought across our path, only to see us drop them! When we pray on the basis of redemption, God creates something He can create in no other way than through intercessory prayer.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Much of the misery in our Christian life comes not because the devil tackles us, but because we have never understood the simple laws of our make-up. We have to treat the body as the servant of Jesus Christ: when the body says “Sit,” and He says “Go,” go! When the body says “Eat,” and He says “Fast,” fast! When the body says “Yawn,” and He says “Pray,” pray! Biblical Ethics, 107 R
You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, December 13, 2019
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, December 13, 2019
Whatever Happened to Peace on Earth? - #8590
Every time you sing that Christmas carol, "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," you sing those words, "Peace on earth and mercy mild." But if you ever watch the news or read a newspaper, you might well be asking, "Whatever happened to peace on earth?" That's a good question. Some have said that the terrorism danger for Americans has remained high long after September 11, 2001. One national correspondent expressed on television what a lot of people are feeling. He said, "I have never in my lifetime seen such a high degree of threat to our personal security." And financial developments, political developments? They haven't helped much. Then you throw in the dangers that you might be facing personally, it could be medical, or financial, your personal life. Where's that peace that Christmas is supposed to be about?
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Whatever Happened to Peace on Earth?"
That phrase "peace on earth" wasn't invented by some greeting card company. It's part of the birth announcement of the first Christmas. It was the one delivered by angels from heaven to shepherds in the field, watching over their sheep. Luke 2:13-14, our word for today from the Word of God says, "Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.'"
So, in a dangerous world - an unpredictable world, where is that peace? It's in the hearts of those who are ready for eternity, whenever it comes. They understand why the angel said that first Christmas, "Fear not." He said it was because "a Savior has been born to you ... Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11). The announcement from heaven said that peace would be for those "on whom God's favor rests." That's how it really is translated from the original language. And the Bible makes it very clear that means people whose sins have been forgiven, whose sins have been totally erased from God's Book. Because no religion can do that, because no amount of doing good can erase bad.
It took a Savior. It took a Rescuer. If it could have been done without the death of the Son of God, you can be sure it would have been. But only a man could die for man's sin. And only a man who was God could be totally perfect so He could meet God's holy standards and not have any sin of His own to pay for. Enter Jesus. He could barely find a place to be born as He came into the world that He created. And now many of us have kept the door of our heart closed to Him as surely as that innkeeper did those centuries ago.
The peace we need most is peace with God - the God who made us, who we will meet when we die. And Romans 5:1 says, "We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." When Jesus enters your life, the wall between you and God comes down forever and He is there to help with the war in your soul. And there's peace; peace that is recession-proof, divorce-proof, terror-proof, death-proof. But first comes your surrender of you running your own life. You were never supposed to. You were never made to.
When you grab Jesus in total trust as your personal Rescuer from the guilt of your sin, the penalty of your sin, the storm inside is replaced with His incredible peace. And you know you're ready for eternity, whenever it comes and however it comes.
I can't think of a better time to begin your relationship with Jesus Christ than right here on the threshold of the celebration of His coming. Just tell Him, "Jesus, I know now you died for me, and I want to live for You. I know you're alive, because you walked out of your grave under your own power, and I want you to walk into my life today."
You want to begin this personal relationship with Him? Would you tell Him that now? And go to our website, because it's really set up for you at a moment like this; to have the information right at your fingertips that will help you be sure you belong to Him. That website is ANewStory.com.
We're celebrating when Jesus came to earth. Today, you can be celebrating the day He comes into your life - the day the peace comes.
Thursday, December 12, 2019
1 Chronicles 7, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: A WILD ROLLER COASTER RIDE
If life was just simpler, we reason. More predictable! But it isn’t. Life is like a wild roller coaster ride of hairpin curves and diving dips.
Don’t we all live with a fear of the unknown? The eerie inconsistency that keeps us living on the edge of our chairs? And yet it’s that inconsistency in which God had his finest hour. Never did what is right involve itself so intimately with what is wrong.
God on a cross. Humanity at its worst. Divinity at its best! God doesn’t gasp in amazement at the depth of our faith or the depth of our failures. He knows the condition of the world and he loves it just the same. Just when we find a place where God would never be, like a cross— we look again and there he is…in the flesh! Inconsistent surprises. Maybe the next time a surprise comes your way, you’ll see God in the middle of it.
1 Chronicles 7
The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron—four sons. The sons of Tola were Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Samuel—the chiefs of their families. During David’s reign, the Tola family counted 22,600 warriors in their lineage. The son of Uzzi was Izrahiah; the sons of Izrahiah were Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah—five sons and all of them chiefs. They counted 36,000 warriors in their lineage because they had more wives and sons than their brothers. The extended families of Issachar accounted for 87,000 warriors—all of them listed in the family tree.
6-12 Benjamin had three sons: Bela, Beker, and Jediael. Bela had five: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri, all of them chiefs and warriors. They counted 22,034 names in their family tree. Beker’s sons were Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth. Through these chiefs their family tree listed 20,200 warriors. Jediael’s son was Bilhan and the sons of Bilhan were Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Kenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar—all sons of Jediael and family chiefs; they counted 17,200 combat-ready warriors. Shuppim and Huppim were the sons of Ir; Hushim were from the family of Aher.
13 The sons of Naphtali were Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shallum; they are listed under the maternal line of Bilhah, their grandfather’s concubine.
14-19 Manasseh’s sons, born of his Aramean concubine, were Asriel and Makir the father of Gilead. Makir got his wife from the Huppites and Shuppites. His sister’s name was Maacah. Another son, Zelophehad, had only daughters. Makir’s wife Maacah bore a son whom she named Peresh; his brother’s name was Sheresh and his sons were Ulam and Rakem. Ulam’s son was Bedan. This accounts for the sons of Gilead son of Makir, the son of Manasseh. His sister Hammoleketh gave birth to Ishdod, Abiezer, and Mahlah. The sons of Shemida were Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.
20-24 The sons of Ephraim were Shuthelah, Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eleadah his son, Tahath his son, Zabad his son, Shuthelah his son, and Ezer and Elead, cattle-rustlers, killed on one of their raids by the natives of Gath. Their father Ephraim grieved a long time and his family gathered to give him comfort. Then he slept with his wife again. She conceived and produced a son. He named him Beriah (Unlucky), because of the bad luck that had come to his family. His daughter was Sheerah. She built Lower and Upper Beth Horon and Uzzen Sheerah.
25-29 Rephah was Ephraim’s son and also Resheph; Telah was his son, Tahan his son, Ladan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, Nun his son, and Joshua his son. They occupied Bethel and the neighboring country from Naaran on the east to Gezer and its villages on the west, along with Shechem and its villages, and extending as far as Ayyah and its villages. Stretched along the borders of Manasseh were Beth Shan, Taanach, Megiddo, and Dor, together with their satellite villages. The families descended from Joseph son of Israel lived in all these places.
30-32 The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah; Serah was their sister. The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malkiel, who had Birzaith. Heber had Japhlet, Shomer, Hotham, and Shua their sister.
33-40 Japhlet had Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath. His brother Shomer had Rohgah, Hubbah, and Aram. His brother Helem had Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal. Zophah had Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah, Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran, and Beera. Jether had Jephunneh, Pispah, and Ara. Ulla had Arah, Hanniel, and Rizia. These were Asher’s sons, all of them responsible, excellent in character, and brave in battle—good leaders. They listed 26,000 combat-ready men in their family tree.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
1 Samuel 17:4–7, 45–50
A champion named Goliath,g who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span.a 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekelsb; 6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelinh was slung on his back. 7 His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod,i and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels.c His shield bearerj went ahead of him.
1 Samuel 17:45–50
The New International Version
45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin,x but I come against you in the namey of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.z 46 This day the Lord will delivera you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcassesb of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole worldc will know that there is a God in Israel.d 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sworde or spear that the Lord saves;f for the battleg is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”
48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.
50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a slingh and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
Insight
David defeated Goliath with a sling and a stone. While the sling was an unconventional weapon of warfare, it was common for shepherds to use it to defend against wild animals. Twice in today’s short text it’s mentioned that David defeated Goliath without a sword (1 Samuel 17:47, 50). What we might read past in this familiar story is what the author wants to highlight: David won the day without a sword because it was God who delivered Goliath into his hands.
Overcoming Fear
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. Psalm 20:7
Fear ruled a man’s life for thirty-two years. Afraid of being caught for his crimes, he hid at his sister’s farmhouse, going nowhere and visiting no one, even missing his mother’s funeral. When he was sixty-four, he learned that no charges had ever been filed against him. The man was free to resume a normal life. Yes, the threat of punishment was real, but he allowed the fear of it to control him.
Likewise, fear ruled the Israelites when the Philistines challenged them at the Valley of Elah. The threat was real. Their enemy Goliath was 9 feet 9 inches tall and his body armor alone weighed 125 pounds (1 Samuel 17:4–5). For forty days, every morning and evening, Goliath challenged the Israelite army to fight him. But no one dared come forward. No one until David visited the battle lines. He heard and saw the taunting, and volunteered to fight Goliath.
While everyone in the Israelite army thought Goliath was too big to fight, David the shepherd boy knew he wasn’t too big for God. He said, “the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s” (v. 47).
When we’re gripped by fear, let’s follow David’s example and fix our eyes on God to gain a right perspective of the problem. The threat may be real, but the One who is with us and for us is bigger than that which is against us. By: Albert Lee
Reflect & Pray
What giant battle are you facing that’s crippling you in fear? How can you intentionally fix your eyes on the living God?
Thank You, God, that You’re bigger than any other giant in my life. I trust You.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Personality
…that they may be one just as We are one… —John 17:22
Personality is the unique, limitless part of our life that makes us distinct from everyone else. It is too vast for us even to comprehend. An island in the sea may be just the top of a large mountain, and our personality is like that island. We don’t know the great depths of our being, therefore we cannot measure ourselves. We start out thinking we can, but soon realize that there is really only one Being who fully understands us, and that is our Creator.
Personality is the characteristic mark of the inner, spiritual man, just as individuality is the characteristic of the outer, natural man. Our Lord can never be described in terms of individuality and independence, but only in terms of His total Person— “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). Personality merges, and you only reach your true identity once you are merged with another person. When love or the Spirit of God come upon a person, he is transformed. He will then no longer insist on maintaining his individuality. Our Lord never referred to a person’s individuality or his isolated position, but spoke in terms of the total person— “…that they may be one just as We are one….” Once your rights to yourself are surrendered to God, your true personal nature begins responding to God immediately. Jesus Christ brings freedom to your total person, and even your individuality is transformed. The transformation is brought about by love— personal devotion to Jesus. Love is the overflowing result of one person in true fellowship with another.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The truth is we have nothing to fear and nothing to overcome because He is all in all and we are more than conquerors through Him. The recognition of this truth is not flattering to the worker’s sense of heroics, but it is amazingly glorifying to the work of Christ. Approved Unto God, 4 R
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Safety Behind the Snowplow - #8589
I was scheduled to speak at a winter retreat in Pennsylvania and I had to drive from New Jersey, and that day winter decided that it was time to do some serious wintering like heavy snow. And it just kept coming! I knew this would be an exciting drive. Well, actually, it turned out to be much easier than I expected. I got out into this mess on Interstate 80 and I had really low visibility, I had blinding snow, and the road was filling up quickly. Of course I was muttering, "Why couldn't they cancel this retreat?" Then I thought of a better idea than complaining. How about trying praying? What an idea! And wouldn't you know, that's when I saw the snowplow in front of me. Well, I got my little car right in behind Mr. Snowplow and I traveled on a clear road most of the way to the retreat! I just drove where the snowplow had already been! That way you're a lot less likely to end up in the ditch!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Safety Behind the Snowplow."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from John 10:3-4. These are very special verses; always have been for my wife and me. They're verses that first took on a very special meaning years ago when we were stepping out from the known of being in ministry in Chicago, to the great unknowns of moving to the New York area. And then again a few years ago, these verses came to life for me when the Lord led us into beginning this ministry that we're involved in now. Again, we were starting over, except it was a lot later in life. There was a lot more at stake this time. These have been anchor verses for us over the years.
Here is what it says in John 10:3-4. "The sheep listen to the Shepherd's voice. He calls his own sheep by name and He leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice." I love those words, "He goes ahead of them." Like that snowplow on that dangerous night, going where I was about to go and clearing the way.
Our Shepherd, Jesus, always goes where He's about to take us, because we're His sheep. He gets there before you do, opening doors, preparing hearts, preparing relationships, removing obstacles, arranging provision.
Maybe fear right now is holding you back from God's next step for you; fear of the "mights," and the "coulds," and the "what ifs." You can't go any farther without taking some risks, trying some things you've never tried, leaving some things you've never done without, going into situations that are unfamiliar, reaching out to some people whose reactions you can't be sure of. Or maybe you're in a transition time in your life. You're about to move from one stage of life to another. Or you're just facing some very scary prospects.
Listen to Jesus' wonderful answer to that shadow that seems to spread over your future. "I'll get there first. I'm going ahead of you." The security of a sheep is in knowing that wherever they go, they will find the Shepherd's footprint. That's your security, that's your safety in the flock of Jesus Christ – the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep; laid down His life for you.
You can count on it. The Lord will never lead you anywhere that He has not first scouted and prepared for you. The snowplow clears the road ahead and so does your Good Shepherd. His job is to make the road safe. Your job right now is just to get right behind Him and follow real close.
If life was just simpler, we reason. More predictable! But it isn’t. Life is like a wild roller coaster ride of hairpin curves and diving dips.
Don’t we all live with a fear of the unknown? The eerie inconsistency that keeps us living on the edge of our chairs? And yet it’s that inconsistency in which God had his finest hour. Never did what is right involve itself so intimately with what is wrong.
God on a cross. Humanity at its worst. Divinity at its best! God doesn’t gasp in amazement at the depth of our faith or the depth of our failures. He knows the condition of the world and he loves it just the same. Just when we find a place where God would never be, like a cross— we look again and there he is…in the flesh! Inconsistent surprises. Maybe the next time a surprise comes your way, you’ll see God in the middle of it.
1 Chronicles 7
The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron—four sons. The sons of Tola were Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Samuel—the chiefs of their families. During David’s reign, the Tola family counted 22,600 warriors in their lineage. The son of Uzzi was Izrahiah; the sons of Izrahiah were Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah—five sons and all of them chiefs. They counted 36,000 warriors in their lineage because they had more wives and sons than their brothers. The extended families of Issachar accounted for 87,000 warriors—all of them listed in the family tree.
6-12 Benjamin had three sons: Bela, Beker, and Jediael. Bela had five: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri, all of them chiefs and warriors. They counted 22,034 names in their family tree. Beker’s sons were Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth. Through these chiefs their family tree listed 20,200 warriors. Jediael’s son was Bilhan and the sons of Bilhan were Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Kenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar—all sons of Jediael and family chiefs; they counted 17,200 combat-ready warriors. Shuppim and Huppim were the sons of Ir; Hushim were from the family of Aher.
13 The sons of Naphtali were Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shallum; they are listed under the maternal line of Bilhah, their grandfather’s concubine.
14-19 Manasseh’s sons, born of his Aramean concubine, were Asriel and Makir the father of Gilead. Makir got his wife from the Huppites and Shuppites. His sister’s name was Maacah. Another son, Zelophehad, had only daughters. Makir’s wife Maacah bore a son whom she named Peresh; his brother’s name was Sheresh and his sons were Ulam and Rakem. Ulam’s son was Bedan. This accounts for the sons of Gilead son of Makir, the son of Manasseh. His sister Hammoleketh gave birth to Ishdod, Abiezer, and Mahlah. The sons of Shemida were Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.
20-24 The sons of Ephraim were Shuthelah, Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eleadah his son, Tahath his son, Zabad his son, Shuthelah his son, and Ezer and Elead, cattle-rustlers, killed on one of their raids by the natives of Gath. Their father Ephraim grieved a long time and his family gathered to give him comfort. Then he slept with his wife again. She conceived and produced a son. He named him Beriah (Unlucky), because of the bad luck that had come to his family. His daughter was Sheerah. She built Lower and Upper Beth Horon and Uzzen Sheerah.
25-29 Rephah was Ephraim’s son and also Resheph; Telah was his son, Tahan his son, Ladan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, Nun his son, and Joshua his son. They occupied Bethel and the neighboring country from Naaran on the east to Gezer and its villages on the west, along with Shechem and its villages, and extending as far as Ayyah and its villages. Stretched along the borders of Manasseh were Beth Shan, Taanach, Megiddo, and Dor, together with their satellite villages. The families descended from Joseph son of Israel lived in all these places.
30-32 The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah; Serah was their sister. The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malkiel, who had Birzaith. Heber had Japhlet, Shomer, Hotham, and Shua their sister.
33-40 Japhlet had Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath. His brother Shomer had Rohgah, Hubbah, and Aram. His brother Helem had Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal. Zophah had Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah, Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran, and Beera. Jether had Jephunneh, Pispah, and Ara. Ulla had Arah, Hanniel, and Rizia. These were Asher’s sons, all of them responsible, excellent in character, and brave in battle—good leaders. They listed 26,000 combat-ready men in their family tree.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
1 Samuel 17:4–7, 45–50
A champion named Goliath,g who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span.a 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekelsb; 6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelinh was slung on his back. 7 His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod,i and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels.c His shield bearerj went ahead of him.
1 Samuel 17:45–50
The New International Version
45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin,x but I come against you in the namey of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.z 46 This day the Lord will delivera you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcassesb of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole worldc will know that there is a God in Israel.d 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sworde or spear that the Lord saves;f for the battleg is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”
48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.
50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a slingh and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
Insight
David defeated Goliath with a sling and a stone. While the sling was an unconventional weapon of warfare, it was common for shepherds to use it to defend against wild animals. Twice in today’s short text it’s mentioned that David defeated Goliath without a sword (1 Samuel 17:47, 50). What we might read past in this familiar story is what the author wants to highlight: David won the day without a sword because it was God who delivered Goliath into his hands.
Overcoming Fear
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. Psalm 20:7
Fear ruled a man’s life for thirty-two years. Afraid of being caught for his crimes, he hid at his sister’s farmhouse, going nowhere and visiting no one, even missing his mother’s funeral. When he was sixty-four, he learned that no charges had ever been filed against him. The man was free to resume a normal life. Yes, the threat of punishment was real, but he allowed the fear of it to control him.
Likewise, fear ruled the Israelites when the Philistines challenged them at the Valley of Elah. The threat was real. Their enemy Goliath was 9 feet 9 inches tall and his body armor alone weighed 125 pounds (1 Samuel 17:4–5). For forty days, every morning and evening, Goliath challenged the Israelite army to fight him. But no one dared come forward. No one until David visited the battle lines. He heard and saw the taunting, and volunteered to fight Goliath.
While everyone in the Israelite army thought Goliath was too big to fight, David the shepherd boy knew he wasn’t too big for God. He said, “the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s” (v. 47).
When we’re gripped by fear, let’s follow David’s example and fix our eyes on God to gain a right perspective of the problem. The threat may be real, but the One who is with us and for us is bigger than that which is against us. By: Albert Lee
Reflect & Pray
What giant battle are you facing that’s crippling you in fear? How can you intentionally fix your eyes on the living God?
Thank You, God, that You’re bigger than any other giant in my life. I trust You.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Personality
…that they may be one just as We are one… —John 17:22
Personality is the unique, limitless part of our life that makes us distinct from everyone else. It is too vast for us even to comprehend. An island in the sea may be just the top of a large mountain, and our personality is like that island. We don’t know the great depths of our being, therefore we cannot measure ourselves. We start out thinking we can, but soon realize that there is really only one Being who fully understands us, and that is our Creator.
Personality is the characteristic mark of the inner, spiritual man, just as individuality is the characteristic of the outer, natural man. Our Lord can never be described in terms of individuality and independence, but only in terms of His total Person— “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). Personality merges, and you only reach your true identity once you are merged with another person. When love or the Spirit of God come upon a person, he is transformed. He will then no longer insist on maintaining his individuality. Our Lord never referred to a person’s individuality or his isolated position, but spoke in terms of the total person— “…that they may be one just as We are one….” Once your rights to yourself are surrendered to God, your true personal nature begins responding to God immediately. Jesus Christ brings freedom to your total person, and even your individuality is transformed. The transformation is brought about by love— personal devotion to Jesus. Love is the overflowing result of one person in true fellowship with another.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The truth is we have nothing to fear and nothing to overcome because He is all in all and we are more than conquerors through Him. The recognition of this truth is not flattering to the worker’s sense of heroics, but it is amazingly glorifying to the work of Christ. Approved Unto God, 4 R
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Safety Behind the Snowplow - #8589
I was scheduled to speak at a winter retreat in Pennsylvania and I had to drive from New Jersey, and that day winter decided that it was time to do some serious wintering like heavy snow. And it just kept coming! I knew this would be an exciting drive. Well, actually, it turned out to be much easier than I expected. I got out into this mess on Interstate 80 and I had really low visibility, I had blinding snow, and the road was filling up quickly. Of course I was muttering, "Why couldn't they cancel this retreat?" Then I thought of a better idea than complaining. How about trying praying? What an idea! And wouldn't you know, that's when I saw the snowplow in front of me. Well, I got my little car right in behind Mr. Snowplow and I traveled on a clear road most of the way to the retreat! I just drove where the snowplow had already been! That way you're a lot less likely to end up in the ditch!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Safety Behind the Snowplow."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from John 10:3-4. These are very special verses; always have been for my wife and me. They're verses that first took on a very special meaning years ago when we were stepping out from the known of being in ministry in Chicago, to the great unknowns of moving to the New York area. And then again a few years ago, these verses came to life for me when the Lord led us into beginning this ministry that we're involved in now. Again, we were starting over, except it was a lot later in life. There was a lot more at stake this time. These have been anchor verses for us over the years.
Here is what it says in John 10:3-4. "The sheep listen to the Shepherd's voice. He calls his own sheep by name and He leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice." I love those words, "He goes ahead of them." Like that snowplow on that dangerous night, going where I was about to go and clearing the way.
Our Shepherd, Jesus, always goes where He's about to take us, because we're His sheep. He gets there before you do, opening doors, preparing hearts, preparing relationships, removing obstacles, arranging provision.
Maybe fear right now is holding you back from God's next step for you; fear of the "mights," and the "coulds," and the "what ifs." You can't go any farther without taking some risks, trying some things you've never tried, leaving some things you've never done without, going into situations that are unfamiliar, reaching out to some people whose reactions you can't be sure of. Or maybe you're in a transition time in your life. You're about to move from one stage of life to another. Or you're just facing some very scary prospects.
Listen to Jesus' wonderful answer to that shadow that seems to spread over your future. "I'll get there first. I'm going ahead of you." The security of a sheep is in knowing that wherever they go, they will find the Shepherd's footprint. That's your security, that's your safety in the flock of Jesus Christ – the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep; laid down His life for you.
You can count on it. The Lord will never lead you anywhere that He has not first scouted and prepared for you. The snowplow clears the road ahead and so does your Good Shepherd. His job is to make the road safe. Your job right now is just to get right behind Him and follow real close.
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
1 Corinthians 7:1-19, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: ACCEPTANCE AND FORGIVENESS
It doesn’t matter what I do—it’s never enough. I’ll never meet their expectations!
Ever caught yourself using these unhealthy expectations? Your brother made an A in chemistry, and we know you’ll do just as well! or… If you had a better job we could afford that house! Expectations. They create conditional love. I love you, but I’ll love you more if…
Jesus expects that we leave everything, deny all, and follow Him. The difference? Jesus’ expectations come with two important companions: forgiveness and acceptance. No strings. No hidden agendas. Jesus’ love for us is up front and clear. His sacrifice was not dependent upon our performance. “I love you,” He says, in spite of your failures. One step behind the expectations of Christ comes his forgiveness. Expectations! With acceptance and forgiveness, they can bring out the best!
1 Corinthians 7:1-19
Now, getting down to the questions you asked in your letter to me. First, Is it a good thing to have sexual relations?
2-6 Certainly—but only within a certain context. It’s good for a man to have a wife, and for a woman to have a husband. Sexual drives are strong, but marriage is strong enough to contain them and provide for a balanced and fulfilling sexual life in a world of sexual disorder. The marriage bed must be a place of mutuality—the husband seeking to satisfy his wife, the wife seeking to satisfy her husband. Marriage is not a place to “stand up for your rights.” Marriage is a decision to serve the other, whether in bed or out. Abstaining from sex is permissible for a period of time if you both agree to it, and if it’s for the purposes of prayer and fasting—but only for such times. Then come back together again. Satan has an ingenious way of tempting us when we least expect it. I’m not, understand, commanding these periods of abstinence—only providing my best counsel if you should choose them.
7 Sometimes I wish everyone were single like me—a simpler life in many ways! But celibacy is not for everyone any more than marriage is. God gives the gift of the single life to some, the gift of the married life to others.
8-9 I do, though, tell the unmarried and widows that singleness might well be the best thing for them, as it has been for me. But if they can’t manage their desires and emotions, they should by all means go ahead and get married. The difficulties of marriage are preferable by far to a sexually tortured life as a single.
10-11 And if you are married, stay married. This is the Master’s command, not mine. If a wife should leave her husband, she must either remain single or else come back and make things right with him. And a husband has no right to get rid of his wife.
12-14 For the rest of you who are in mixed marriages—Christian married to non-Christian—we have no explicit command from the Master. So this is what you must do. If you are a man with a wife who is not a believer but who still wants to live with you, hold on to her. If you are a woman with a husband who is not a believer but he wants to live with you, hold on to him. The unbelieving husband shares to an extent in the holiness of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is likewise touched by the holiness of her husband. Otherwise, your children would be left out; as it is, they also are included in the spiritual purposes of God.
15-16 On the other hand, if the unbelieving spouse walks out, you’ve got to let him or her go. You don’t have to hold on desperately. God has called us to make the best of it, as peacefully as we can. You never know, wife: The way you handle this might bring your husband not only back to you but to God. You never know, husband: The way you handle this might bring your wife not only back to you but to God.
17 And don’t be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God’s place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there. God, not your marital status, defines your life. Don’t think I’m being harder on you than on the others. I give this same counsel in all the churches.
18-19 Were you Jewish at the time God called you? Don’t try to remove the evidence. Were you non-Jewish at the time of your call? Don’t become a Jew. Being Jewish isn’t the point. The really important thing is obeying God’s call, following his commands.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Deuteronomy 15:1–8
At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.s 2 This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the Lord’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. 3 You may require payment from a foreigner,t but you must cancel any debt your fellow Israelite owes you. 4 However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly blessu you, 5 if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to followv all these commands I am giving you today. 6 For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.w
7 If anyone is poorx among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfistedy toward them. 8 Rather, be openhandedz and freely lend them whatever they need.
Insight
The law of Moses provided Israel with guidelines for life. First, there were liturgical elements that governed how Israel was to engage in the worship of God, including the design of the tabernacle and its furnishings; procedures for special feast times; and issues of ceremonial purity. There was also a societal component, which dealt with how the people of Israel were to interact with one another as families and as a covenant people together under one God. Finally, the law had a national component that described how Israel was to relate to the surrounding nations once they arrived in the land of promise. Taken together, the law was a comprehensive set of instructions covering life for the people of God.
For more, see Knowing God Through the Old Testament at discoveryseries.org/sb101. By: Bill Crowder
Canceled Debts
The Lord’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. Deuteronomy 15:2
In 2009, Los Angeles County stopped charging families for the costs of their children’s incarceration. Though no new fees were charged, those with unpaid fees from before the change in policy were still required to settle their debt. Then in 2018 the county canceled all outstanding financial obligations.
For some families, canceling the debt aided greatly in their struggle to survive; no longer having liens on their property or wages being garnished meant they were better able to put food on the table. It was for this kind of hardship that God called for debts to be forgiven every seven years (Deuteronomy 15:2). He didn’t want people to be crippled forever by them.
Because the Israelites were forbidden to charge interest on a loan to fellow Israelites (Exodus 22:25), their motives for lending to a neighbor weren’t to make a profit, but rather to help those who were enduring hard times, perhaps due to a bad harvest. Debts were to be freely forgiven every seven years. As a result, there would be less poverty among the people (Deuteronomy 15:4).
Today, believers in Jesus aren’t bound by these laws. But God might occasionally prompt us to forgive a debt so those who’ve been struggling can begin afresh as contributing members of society. When we show such mercy and generosity to others, we lift up God’s character and give people hope. By: Kirsten Holmberg
Reflect & Pray
How have your “debts” been forgiven? Who can you lift up by forgiving a debt owed or a wrong done to you?
Jesus, thank You for caring about the financial burdens we carry.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Individuality
Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself…" —Matthew 16:24
Individuality is the hard outer layer surrounding the inner spiritual life. Individuality shoves others aside, separating and isolating people. We see it as the primary characteristic of a child, and rightly so. When we confuse individuality with the spiritual life, we remain isolated. This shell of individuality is God’s created natural covering designed to protect the spiritual life. But our individuality must be yielded to God so that our spiritual life may be brought forth into fellowship with Him. Individuality counterfeits spirituality, just as lust counterfeits love. God designed human nature for Himself, but individuality corrupts that human nature for its own purposes.
The characteristics of individuality are independence and self-will. We hinder our spiritual growth more than any other way by continually asserting our individuality. If you say, “I can’t believe,” it is because your individuality is blocking the way; individuality can never believe. But our spirit cannot help believing. Watch yourself closely when the Spirit of God is at work in you. He pushes you to the limits of your individuality where a choice must be made. The choice is either to say, “I will not surrender,” or to surrender, breaking the hard shell of individuality, which allows the spiritual life to emerge. The Holy Spirit narrows it down every time to one thing (see Matthew 5:23-24). It is your individuality that refuses to “be reconciled to your brother” (Matthew 5:24). God wants to bring you into union with Himself, but unless you are willing to give up your right to yourself, He cannot. “…let him deny himself…”— deny his independent right to himself. Then the real life-the spiritual life-is allowed the opportunity to grow.
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, 1330 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Special Identity, Special Life - #8588
When Queen Elizabeth was growing up - then Princess Elizabeth - she always knew she would one day be the queen. It wasn't that way with Queen Victoria. When she was young, she actually was shielded from the fact that she would be the next ruling monarch of England. They didn't want her to grow up spoiled. But finally her teacher did let her discover for herself that she would one day be Queen of England - the most powerful monarch in the world at that time. Victoria's response was simple: "Well, then I will be good!" She understood she needed to live her life based on her royal position.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Special Identity, Special Life."
Young Victoria knew what every child of God listening today needs to understand. When you know you have a special position, you live a special life. Which leads me to ask you this question, "Do you know who you really are?" You see, your real identity is not what your family says you are or your employer or our culture. You're not what your friends say or your enemies say you are. You are who God says you are. If you belong to Jesus Christ, He says, "I will be a Father to you and you will be my sons and daughters,' says the Lord Almighty." Okay, since He's the King of Kings, that would make you a prince or princess in the royal family of God!
Which leads us to the life-enlarging challenge in our word for today from the Word of God. It's in Ephesians 4:1 - "I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." Big calling - big life. Unfortunately, too many of us are under-living - living a life unworthy of who God has made you to be. Princes living like paupers.
Because you've gotten so many wrong messages in your life about your identity, it's important to see this special identity that your Creator, your Savior has given you - no matter how small your income may be, no matter how insignificant you may seem by society's standards. What do they know anyway?
Ephesians 1:3 says that God "has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." You are a spiritual billionaire because you're the child of a Father who is infinitely wealthy, and He's made all the spiritual blessings of His wisdom, His guidance, His love, His grace, and His strength available to you. You don't have to live at the mercy of your situation, or your weaknesses, or your past. You have access to a spiritual fortune!
Then Ephesians 1 goes on to say that "He chose us in Him before the creation of the world" and that we are living "according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will." In short, what you see isn't even a fraction of what you get. You are living a big, big plan, conceived and guided by a big, big God. You're not a victim of circumstance. You are living an eternal plan today! And Ephesians 1 says, "We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sin." You don't have to be what you've always been. You're a free man, a free woman, redeemed by the holy blood of Christ. You're a child of the King with access to His resources, living an eternal plan, freed from your sin by His blood. Wow!
So live worthy of who you are! The chapters that follow in Ephesians describe what the life of a royal child like you should look like: selfless in your relationships, not self-centered, truthful in everything you say, controlling your temper - not your temper controlling you, always building people up - never tearing them down, allowing nothing dirty into your heart or mind, putting your family's needs above your own, talking up the Jesus you owe everything to. Anything else is unworthy of the special person God has made you to be through the blood of His Son. You're not living up to some rules. No, you're living up to your royalty!
It doesn’t matter what I do—it’s never enough. I’ll never meet their expectations!
Ever caught yourself using these unhealthy expectations? Your brother made an A in chemistry, and we know you’ll do just as well! or… If you had a better job we could afford that house! Expectations. They create conditional love. I love you, but I’ll love you more if…
Jesus expects that we leave everything, deny all, and follow Him. The difference? Jesus’ expectations come with two important companions: forgiveness and acceptance. No strings. No hidden agendas. Jesus’ love for us is up front and clear. His sacrifice was not dependent upon our performance. “I love you,” He says, in spite of your failures. One step behind the expectations of Christ comes his forgiveness. Expectations! With acceptance and forgiveness, they can bring out the best!
1 Corinthians 7:1-19
Now, getting down to the questions you asked in your letter to me. First, Is it a good thing to have sexual relations?
2-6 Certainly—but only within a certain context. It’s good for a man to have a wife, and for a woman to have a husband. Sexual drives are strong, but marriage is strong enough to contain them and provide for a balanced and fulfilling sexual life in a world of sexual disorder. The marriage bed must be a place of mutuality—the husband seeking to satisfy his wife, the wife seeking to satisfy her husband. Marriage is not a place to “stand up for your rights.” Marriage is a decision to serve the other, whether in bed or out. Abstaining from sex is permissible for a period of time if you both agree to it, and if it’s for the purposes of prayer and fasting—but only for such times. Then come back together again. Satan has an ingenious way of tempting us when we least expect it. I’m not, understand, commanding these periods of abstinence—only providing my best counsel if you should choose them.
7 Sometimes I wish everyone were single like me—a simpler life in many ways! But celibacy is not for everyone any more than marriage is. God gives the gift of the single life to some, the gift of the married life to others.
8-9 I do, though, tell the unmarried and widows that singleness might well be the best thing for them, as it has been for me. But if they can’t manage their desires and emotions, they should by all means go ahead and get married. The difficulties of marriage are preferable by far to a sexually tortured life as a single.
10-11 And if you are married, stay married. This is the Master’s command, not mine. If a wife should leave her husband, she must either remain single or else come back and make things right with him. And a husband has no right to get rid of his wife.
12-14 For the rest of you who are in mixed marriages—Christian married to non-Christian—we have no explicit command from the Master. So this is what you must do. If you are a man with a wife who is not a believer but who still wants to live with you, hold on to her. If you are a woman with a husband who is not a believer but he wants to live with you, hold on to him. The unbelieving husband shares to an extent in the holiness of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is likewise touched by the holiness of her husband. Otherwise, your children would be left out; as it is, they also are included in the spiritual purposes of God.
15-16 On the other hand, if the unbelieving spouse walks out, you’ve got to let him or her go. You don’t have to hold on desperately. God has called us to make the best of it, as peacefully as we can. You never know, wife: The way you handle this might bring your husband not only back to you but to God. You never know, husband: The way you handle this might bring your wife not only back to you but to God.
17 And don’t be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God’s place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there. God, not your marital status, defines your life. Don’t think I’m being harder on you than on the others. I give this same counsel in all the churches.
18-19 Were you Jewish at the time God called you? Don’t try to remove the evidence. Were you non-Jewish at the time of your call? Don’t become a Jew. Being Jewish isn’t the point. The really important thing is obeying God’s call, following his commands.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Deuteronomy 15:1–8
At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.s 2 This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the Lord’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. 3 You may require payment from a foreigner,t but you must cancel any debt your fellow Israelite owes you. 4 However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly blessu you, 5 if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to followv all these commands I am giving you today. 6 For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.w
7 If anyone is poorx among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfistedy toward them. 8 Rather, be openhandedz and freely lend them whatever they need.
Insight
The law of Moses provided Israel with guidelines for life. First, there were liturgical elements that governed how Israel was to engage in the worship of God, including the design of the tabernacle and its furnishings; procedures for special feast times; and issues of ceremonial purity. There was also a societal component, which dealt with how the people of Israel were to interact with one another as families and as a covenant people together under one God. Finally, the law had a national component that described how Israel was to relate to the surrounding nations once they arrived in the land of promise. Taken together, the law was a comprehensive set of instructions covering life for the people of God.
For more, see Knowing God Through the Old Testament at discoveryseries.org/sb101. By: Bill Crowder
Canceled Debts
The Lord’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. Deuteronomy 15:2
In 2009, Los Angeles County stopped charging families for the costs of their children’s incarceration. Though no new fees were charged, those with unpaid fees from before the change in policy were still required to settle their debt. Then in 2018 the county canceled all outstanding financial obligations.
For some families, canceling the debt aided greatly in their struggle to survive; no longer having liens on their property or wages being garnished meant they were better able to put food on the table. It was for this kind of hardship that God called for debts to be forgiven every seven years (Deuteronomy 15:2). He didn’t want people to be crippled forever by them.
Because the Israelites were forbidden to charge interest on a loan to fellow Israelites (Exodus 22:25), their motives for lending to a neighbor weren’t to make a profit, but rather to help those who were enduring hard times, perhaps due to a bad harvest. Debts were to be freely forgiven every seven years. As a result, there would be less poverty among the people (Deuteronomy 15:4).
Today, believers in Jesus aren’t bound by these laws. But God might occasionally prompt us to forgive a debt so those who’ve been struggling can begin afresh as contributing members of society. When we show such mercy and generosity to others, we lift up God’s character and give people hope. By: Kirsten Holmberg
Reflect & Pray
How have your “debts” been forgiven? Who can you lift up by forgiving a debt owed or a wrong done to you?
Jesus, thank You for caring about the financial burdens we carry.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Individuality
Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself…" —Matthew 16:24
Individuality is the hard outer layer surrounding the inner spiritual life. Individuality shoves others aside, separating and isolating people. We see it as the primary characteristic of a child, and rightly so. When we confuse individuality with the spiritual life, we remain isolated. This shell of individuality is God’s created natural covering designed to protect the spiritual life. But our individuality must be yielded to God so that our spiritual life may be brought forth into fellowship with Him. Individuality counterfeits spirituality, just as lust counterfeits love. God designed human nature for Himself, but individuality corrupts that human nature for its own purposes.
The characteristics of individuality are independence and self-will. We hinder our spiritual growth more than any other way by continually asserting our individuality. If you say, “I can’t believe,” it is because your individuality is blocking the way; individuality can never believe. But our spirit cannot help believing. Watch yourself closely when the Spirit of God is at work in you. He pushes you to the limits of your individuality where a choice must be made. The choice is either to say, “I will not surrender,” or to surrender, breaking the hard shell of individuality, which allows the spiritual life to emerge. The Holy Spirit narrows it down every time to one thing (see Matthew 5:23-24). It is your individuality that refuses to “be reconciled to your brother” (Matthew 5:24). God wants to bring you into union with Himself, but unless you are willing to give up your right to yourself, He cannot. “…let him deny himself…”— deny his independent right to himself. Then the real life-the spiritual life-is allowed the opportunity to grow.
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, 1330 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Special Identity, Special Life - #8588
When Queen Elizabeth was growing up - then Princess Elizabeth - she always knew she would one day be the queen. It wasn't that way with Queen Victoria. When she was young, she actually was shielded from the fact that she would be the next ruling monarch of England. They didn't want her to grow up spoiled. But finally her teacher did let her discover for herself that she would one day be Queen of England - the most powerful monarch in the world at that time. Victoria's response was simple: "Well, then I will be good!" She understood she needed to live her life based on her royal position.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Special Identity, Special Life."
Young Victoria knew what every child of God listening today needs to understand. When you know you have a special position, you live a special life. Which leads me to ask you this question, "Do you know who you really are?" You see, your real identity is not what your family says you are or your employer or our culture. You're not what your friends say or your enemies say you are. You are who God says you are. If you belong to Jesus Christ, He says, "I will be a Father to you and you will be my sons and daughters,' says the Lord Almighty." Okay, since He's the King of Kings, that would make you a prince or princess in the royal family of God!
Which leads us to the life-enlarging challenge in our word for today from the Word of God. It's in Ephesians 4:1 - "I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." Big calling - big life. Unfortunately, too many of us are under-living - living a life unworthy of who God has made you to be. Princes living like paupers.
Because you've gotten so many wrong messages in your life about your identity, it's important to see this special identity that your Creator, your Savior has given you - no matter how small your income may be, no matter how insignificant you may seem by society's standards. What do they know anyway?
Ephesians 1:3 says that God "has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." You are a spiritual billionaire because you're the child of a Father who is infinitely wealthy, and He's made all the spiritual blessings of His wisdom, His guidance, His love, His grace, and His strength available to you. You don't have to live at the mercy of your situation, or your weaknesses, or your past. You have access to a spiritual fortune!
Then Ephesians 1 goes on to say that "He chose us in Him before the creation of the world" and that we are living "according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will." In short, what you see isn't even a fraction of what you get. You are living a big, big plan, conceived and guided by a big, big God. You're not a victim of circumstance. You are living an eternal plan today! And Ephesians 1 says, "We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sin." You don't have to be what you've always been. You're a free man, a free woman, redeemed by the holy blood of Christ. You're a child of the King with access to His resources, living an eternal plan, freed from your sin by His blood. Wow!
So live worthy of who you are! The chapters that follow in Ephesians describe what the life of a royal child like you should look like: selfless in your relationships, not self-centered, truthful in everything you say, controlling your temper - not your temper controlling you, always building people up - never tearing them down, allowing nothing dirty into your heart or mind, putting your family's needs above your own, talking up the Jesus you owe everything to. Anything else is unworthy of the special person God has made you to be through the blood of His Son. You're not living up to some rules. No, you're living up to your royalty!
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
1 Chronicles 6, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: WATCH AND PRAY!
Jesus said, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” It doesn’t get more practical than that! When you see sin coming—duck! When you sense temptation, go the other way. Pay attention! You know your weaknesses. You also know the situations where your weaknesses are most vulnerable. Stay out of those situations. Late hours. Movies. Internet. Social media. Whatever gives Satan a foothold in your life, stay away from it. Watch out!
And pray! Prayer invites God to walk the shadowy pathways with us. To watch ahead for falling trees and tumbling boulders; to bring up the rear, guarding our backside from the poison darts of the devil.
Watch and pray! Good advice. Let’s take it! It could be the difference between a peaceful day on the lake and a stick of dynamite blowing up in our faces!
1 Chronicles 6
The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. The children of Amram were Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Eleazar had Phinehas, Phinehas had Abishua, Abishua had Bukki, Bukki had Uzzi, Uzzi had Zerahiah, Zerahiah had Meraioth, Meraioth had Amariah, Amariah had Ahitub, Ahitub had Zadok, Zadok had Ahimaaz, Ahimaaz had Azariah, Azariah had Johanan, and Johanan had Azariah (who served as priest in the temple Solomon built in Jerusalem). Azariah had Amariah, Amariah had Ahitub, Ahitub had Zadok, Zadok had Shallum, Shallum had Hilkiah, Hilkiah had Azariah, Azariah had Seraiah, and Seraiah had Jehozadak.
15 Jehozadak went off to exile when God used Nebuchadnezzar to take Judah and Jerusalem into exile.
16-30 The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. These are the names of the sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei. The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These are the Levitical clans according to families: the sons of Gershon were Libni his son, Jehath his son, Zimmah his son, Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, and Jeatherai his son. The sons of Kohath were Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph his son, Assir his son, Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son. The sons of Elkanah were Amasai and Ahimoth, Elkanah his son, Zophai his son, Nahath his son, Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, and Elkanah his son. The sons of Samuel were Joel his firstborn son and Abijah his second. The sons of Merari were Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son, Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, and Asaiah his son.
31-32 These are the persons David appointed to lead the singing in the house of God after the Chest was placed there. They were the ministers of music in the place of worship, which was the Tent of Meeting until Solomon built The Temple of God in Jerusalem. As they carried out their work, they followed the instructions given to them.
33-38 These are the persons, together with their sons, who served by preparing for and directing worship: from the family of the Kohathites was Heman the choirmaster, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel, the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah, the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai, the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah, the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.
39-43 Heman’s associate Asaph stood at his right hand. Asaph was the son of Berekiah, the son of Shimea, the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malkijah, the son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei, the son of Jahath, the son of Gershon, the son of Levi.
44-47 Of the sons of Merari, the associates who stood at his left hand, was Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shemer, the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.
48 The rest of the Levites were assigned to all the other work in the place of worship, the house of God.
49 Aaron and his sons offered the sacrifices on the Altar of Burnt Offering and the Altar of Incense; they were in charge of all the work surrounding the Holy of Holies. They made atonement for Israel following the instructions commanded by Moses, servant of God.
50-53 These are the sons of Aaron: Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son, Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son, Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son, Zadok his son, and Ahimaaz his son.
54-81 And these are the places where the priestly families were assigned to live. The first assignment went by lot to the sons of Aaron of the Kohathite family; they were given Hebron in the land of Judah and all the neighboring pastures. Caleb the son of Jephunneh got the fields and villages around the city. The family of Aaron was also given the cities of refuge, with pastures included: Hebron, Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa, Hilen, Debir, Ashan, and Beth Shemesh. They were also given Geba from the tribe of Benjamin, Alemeth, and Anathoth, all with pastures included. In all, thirteen cities were distributed among the Kohathite families. The rest of the Kohathites were given another ten cities, distributed by lot from the half-tribe of Manasseh. The sons of Gershon were given, family by family, thirteen cities from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh in Bashan. The sons of Merari, family by family, were assigned by lot twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. The sons of Israel gave the Levites both the cities and their pastures. They also distributed by lot cities from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. Some of the Kohath families were given their cities from the tribe of Ephraim, cities of refuge: Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer, Jokmeam, Beth Horon, Aijalon, and Gath Rimmon—all with their pastures. The rest of the sons of Kohath were given Aner and Bileam with their pastures from the half-tribe of Manasseh. The sons of Gershon were given, family by family, from the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan and Ashtaroth; from the tribe of Issachar, Kedesh, Daberath, Ramoth, and Anem; from the tribe of Asher, Mashal, Abdon, Hukok, and Rehob; from the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee, Hammon, and Kiriathaim. The rest of the sons of Merari got Rimmono and Tabor from the tribe of Zebulun; Bezer in the desert, Jahzah, Kedemoth, and Mephaath from the tribe of Reuben to the east of the Jordan; and Ramoth in Gilead, Mahanaim, Heshbon, and Jazer from the tribe of Gad. Pastures were included in all these towns.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Mark 5:25–34
And a woman was there who had been subject to bleedingc for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes,d I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.e
30 At once Jesus realized that powerf had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”
32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you.g Go in peaceh and be freed from your suffering.”
Insight
The woman in Mark 5:25–34 “who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years” took a risk by reaching out to touch Jesus. According to Jewish law, bleeding made a person unclean. This woman had likely lived as an outcast from society because those who came in contact with her would have become unclean themselves. The truth of the woman’s great faith is enhanced when we realize that many would have viewed her act of touching Jesus as making Him unclean rather than Him making her clean.
However, once the woman admitted to touching Jesus, He declared, “your faith has healed you” (vv. 33–34). The word translated “healed” (sozo) indicates physical healing as well as the restoring of a relationship with God. The woman’s faith healed her both physically and eternally. By: Julie Schwab
Grace at the End
Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering. Mark 5:34
Artist Doug Merkey’s masterful sculpture Ruthless Trust features a bronze human figure clinging desperately to a cross made of walnut wood. He writes, “It’s a very simple expression of our constant and appropriate posture for life—total, unfettered intimacy with and dependency upon Christ and the gospel.”
That’s the kind of trust we see expressed in the actions and words of the unnamed woman in Mark 5:25–34. For twelve years her life had been in shambles (v. 25). “She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse” (v. 26). But having heard about Jesus, she made her way to Him, touched Him, and was “freed from her suffering” (vv. 27–29).
Have you come to the end of yourself? Have you depleted all your resources? Anxious, hopeless, lost, distressed people need not despair. The Lord Jesus still responds to desperate faith—the kind displayed by this suffering woman and depicted in Merkey’s sculpture. This faith is expressed in the words of hymn writer Charles Wesley: “Father, I stretch my hands to Thee; no other help I know.” Don’t have that kind of faith? Ask God to help you trust Him. Wesley’s hymn concludes with this prayer: “Author of faith, to Thee I lift my weary, longing eyes; O may I now receive that gift! My soul, without it, dies.” By: Arthur Jackson
Reflect & Pray
When have you desperately clung to Christ? How did God meet your need?
Father, thank You for Your power to rescue me. Help me to trust You to meet all my needs.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
The Offering of the Natural
It is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. —Galatians 4:22
Paul was not dealing with sin in this chapter of Galatians, but with the relation of the natural to the spiritual. The natural can be turned into the spiritual only through sacrifice. Without this a person will lead a divided life. Why did God demand that the natural must be sacrificed? God did not demand it. It is not God’s perfect will, but His permissive will. God’s perfect will was for the natural to be changed into the spiritual through obedience. Sin is what made it necessary for the natural to be sacrificed.
Abraham had to offer up Ishmael before he offered up Isaac (see Genesis 21:8-14). Some of us are trying to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God before we have sacrificed the natural. The only way we can offer a spiritual sacrifice to God is to “present [our] bodies a living sacrifice…” (Romans 12:1). Sanctification means more than being freed from sin. It means the deliberate commitment of myself to the God of my salvation, and being willing to pay whatever it may cost.
If we do not sacrifice the natural to the spiritual, the natural life will resist and defy the life of the Son of God in us and will produce continual turmoil. This is always the result of an undisciplined spiritual nature. We go wrong because we stubbornly refuse to discipline ourselves physically, morally, or mentally. We excuse ourselves by saying, “Well, I wasn’t taught to be disciplined when I was a child.” Then discipline yourself now! If you don’t, you will ruin your entire personal life for God.
God is not actively involved with our natural life as long as we continue to pamper and gratify it. But once we are willing to put it out in the desert and are determined to keep it under control, God will be with it. He will then provide wells and oases and fulfill all His promises for the natural (see Genesis 21:15-19).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The sympathy which is reverent with what it cannot understand is worth its weight in gold. Baffled to Fight Better, 69 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
What to Do With the Messes We've Made - #8587
A family on vacation. Nobody feels especially like doing the usual chores, like picking up the mess. Besides, there's that "room fairy" who comes while you're out and magically makes it all better, right? Unfortunately, "room fairies" only work when you're away from home. They don't do your house for you. Have you noticed that? My friend, Mike Silva, was staying with his family at a hotel in Nigeria, he told me, and they heard a knock at the door. Mike opened it and found a smiling Nigerian gentleman standing there ready to clean the room. That was no small order. Actually, they were pretty embarrassed because of all the travel bags and curling irons and crumpled clothing sprawled all across their unmade beds. And the bathroom floor was carpeted with beautiful wet towels. Mike apologized profusely. The young man, though, just put him at ease. He said, "No problem, sir. For this reason I have come, to put your things in order."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "What to Do With the Messes We've Made."
One day, Jesus Christ came to the door of my life, and there was my mess - the mess we all have. The sin, the selfishness, the scars, the trail of tears we've left. But Jesus said, "No problem. For this reason I have come, to put your things in order." That's what He has done for millions of people around the world. That's what He's waiting to do for you...on your invitation.
Sin really does mess things up. It messes up marriages, children, relationships, messes up reputations, bodies, minds, and souls. A lifetime of living our way instead of God's way is just too much for any human to clean up. No matter how religious or how nice we try to be. The Bible is blunt about how bad the mess is. It says in Isaiah 59:2, "Your sins have cut you off from your God." Imagine, cut off from the One who has all the love, the meaning, and the eternal life that we're looking for. And in case we're operating under the illusion that somehow we can remove this mess that separates us from our God, the Bible simply says, "No one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law...All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:20, 23).
There are two deadly mistakes that keep people from heaven. Thinking you're too good to need Jesus or thinking you're too bad for Jesus to take you. Both wrong - dead wrong. The truth is illustrated vividly in our word for today from the Word of God in Isaiah 6, beginning with verse 3. God's prophet, Isaiah, sees a vision with the Lord seated on a throne and angels proclaiming, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty." This great spiritual leader is leveled when he sees how holy God is. He says, "Woe to me!...I am ruined! I am a man of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty." Then an angel comes to him with the cleansing of God and says, "Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
That's what can happen to you at the cross of Jesus Christ, because it was there your sin was paid for. And it's there and there alone that the mess can be removed. Knowing every wrong thing you've ever done, Jesus stands ready right now to say to you, "Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." At that moment you are forgiven and you are free.
But like that housekeeping person at the door, you have to invite Him in. If you're not sure you've ever done that, you probably haven't. When you give yourself to Jesus, you know you did. And it makes no sense to keep living with the mess of a lifetime of sin, knowing that if you die with that mess there, you have no chance of heaven. You'll be without God forever.
But right now, Jesus stands ready to make you clean in a way you could have never dreamed possible. He made His move when He died on the cross for you. Now, it's your move to tell Him you're putting all your trust in Him to be your personal Rescuer from your personal sin.
Tell Him, "Jesus, I'm yours" today. Get to our website and get the information you need to begin a relationship with Him and know that you have. Our website is ANewStory.com. Please go there as soon as you can.
Jesus is standing at the door, and He's waiting to clean up the mess. It's your move now.
Jesus said, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” It doesn’t get more practical than that! When you see sin coming—duck! When you sense temptation, go the other way. Pay attention! You know your weaknesses. You also know the situations where your weaknesses are most vulnerable. Stay out of those situations. Late hours. Movies. Internet. Social media. Whatever gives Satan a foothold in your life, stay away from it. Watch out!
And pray! Prayer invites God to walk the shadowy pathways with us. To watch ahead for falling trees and tumbling boulders; to bring up the rear, guarding our backside from the poison darts of the devil.
Watch and pray! Good advice. Let’s take it! It could be the difference between a peaceful day on the lake and a stick of dynamite blowing up in our faces!
1 Chronicles 6
The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. The children of Amram were Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Eleazar had Phinehas, Phinehas had Abishua, Abishua had Bukki, Bukki had Uzzi, Uzzi had Zerahiah, Zerahiah had Meraioth, Meraioth had Amariah, Amariah had Ahitub, Ahitub had Zadok, Zadok had Ahimaaz, Ahimaaz had Azariah, Azariah had Johanan, and Johanan had Azariah (who served as priest in the temple Solomon built in Jerusalem). Azariah had Amariah, Amariah had Ahitub, Ahitub had Zadok, Zadok had Shallum, Shallum had Hilkiah, Hilkiah had Azariah, Azariah had Seraiah, and Seraiah had Jehozadak.
15 Jehozadak went off to exile when God used Nebuchadnezzar to take Judah and Jerusalem into exile.
16-30 The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. These are the names of the sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei. The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These are the Levitical clans according to families: the sons of Gershon were Libni his son, Jehath his son, Zimmah his son, Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, and Jeatherai his son. The sons of Kohath were Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph his son, Assir his son, Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son. The sons of Elkanah were Amasai and Ahimoth, Elkanah his son, Zophai his son, Nahath his son, Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, and Elkanah his son. The sons of Samuel were Joel his firstborn son and Abijah his second. The sons of Merari were Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son, Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, and Asaiah his son.
31-32 These are the persons David appointed to lead the singing in the house of God after the Chest was placed there. They were the ministers of music in the place of worship, which was the Tent of Meeting until Solomon built The Temple of God in Jerusalem. As they carried out their work, they followed the instructions given to them.
33-38 These are the persons, together with their sons, who served by preparing for and directing worship: from the family of the Kohathites was Heman the choirmaster, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel, the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah, the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai, the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah, the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.
39-43 Heman’s associate Asaph stood at his right hand. Asaph was the son of Berekiah, the son of Shimea, the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malkijah, the son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei, the son of Jahath, the son of Gershon, the son of Levi.
44-47 Of the sons of Merari, the associates who stood at his left hand, was Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shemer, the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.
48 The rest of the Levites were assigned to all the other work in the place of worship, the house of God.
49 Aaron and his sons offered the sacrifices on the Altar of Burnt Offering and the Altar of Incense; they were in charge of all the work surrounding the Holy of Holies. They made atonement for Israel following the instructions commanded by Moses, servant of God.
50-53 These are the sons of Aaron: Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son, Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son, Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son, Zadok his son, and Ahimaaz his son.
54-81 And these are the places where the priestly families were assigned to live. The first assignment went by lot to the sons of Aaron of the Kohathite family; they were given Hebron in the land of Judah and all the neighboring pastures. Caleb the son of Jephunneh got the fields and villages around the city. The family of Aaron was also given the cities of refuge, with pastures included: Hebron, Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa, Hilen, Debir, Ashan, and Beth Shemesh. They were also given Geba from the tribe of Benjamin, Alemeth, and Anathoth, all with pastures included. In all, thirteen cities were distributed among the Kohathite families. The rest of the Kohathites were given another ten cities, distributed by lot from the half-tribe of Manasseh. The sons of Gershon were given, family by family, thirteen cities from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh in Bashan. The sons of Merari, family by family, were assigned by lot twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. The sons of Israel gave the Levites both the cities and their pastures. They also distributed by lot cities from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. Some of the Kohath families were given their cities from the tribe of Ephraim, cities of refuge: Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer, Jokmeam, Beth Horon, Aijalon, and Gath Rimmon—all with their pastures. The rest of the sons of Kohath were given Aner and Bileam with their pastures from the half-tribe of Manasseh. The sons of Gershon were given, family by family, from the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan and Ashtaroth; from the tribe of Issachar, Kedesh, Daberath, Ramoth, and Anem; from the tribe of Asher, Mashal, Abdon, Hukok, and Rehob; from the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee, Hammon, and Kiriathaim. The rest of the sons of Merari got Rimmono and Tabor from the tribe of Zebulun; Bezer in the desert, Jahzah, Kedemoth, and Mephaath from the tribe of Reuben to the east of the Jordan; and Ramoth in Gilead, Mahanaim, Heshbon, and Jazer from the tribe of Gad. Pastures were included in all these towns.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Mark 5:25–34
And a woman was there who had been subject to bleedingc for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes,d I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.e
30 At once Jesus realized that powerf had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”
32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you.g Go in peaceh and be freed from your suffering.”
Insight
The woman in Mark 5:25–34 “who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years” took a risk by reaching out to touch Jesus. According to Jewish law, bleeding made a person unclean. This woman had likely lived as an outcast from society because those who came in contact with her would have become unclean themselves. The truth of the woman’s great faith is enhanced when we realize that many would have viewed her act of touching Jesus as making Him unclean rather than Him making her clean.
However, once the woman admitted to touching Jesus, He declared, “your faith has healed you” (vv. 33–34). The word translated “healed” (sozo) indicates physical healing as well as the restoring of a relationship with God. The woman’s faith healed her both physically and eternally. By: Julie Schwab
Grace at the End
Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering. Mark 5:34
Artist Doug Merkey’s masterful sculpture Ruthless Trust features a bronze human figure clinging desperately to a cross made of walnut wood. He writes, “It’s a very simple expression of our constant and appropriate posture for life—total, unfettered intimacy with and dependency upon Christ and the gospel.”
That’s the kind of trust we see expressed in the actions and words of the unnamed woman in Mark 5:25–34. For twelve years her life had been in shambles (v. 25). “She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse” (v. 26). But having heard about Jesus, she made her way to Him, touched Him, and was “freed from her suffering” (vv. 27–29).
Have you come to the end of yourself? Have you depleted all your resources? Anxious, hopeless, lost, distressed people need not despair. The Lord Jesus still responds to desperate faith—the kind displayed by this suffering woman and depicted in Merkey’s sculpture. This faith is expressed in the words of hymn writer Charles Wesley: “Father, I stretch my hands to Thee; no other help I know.” Don’t have that kind of faith? Ask God to help you trust Him. Wesley’s hymn concludes with this prayer: “Author of faith, to Thee I lift my weary, longing eyes; O may I now receive that gift! My soul, without it, dies.” By: Arthur Jackson
Reflect & Pray
When have you desperately clung to Christ? How did God meet your need?
Father, thank You for Your power to rescue me. Help me to trust You to meet all my needs.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
The Offering of the Natural
It is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. —Galatians 4:22
Paul was not dealing with sin in this chapter of Galatians, but with the relation of the natural to the spiritual. The natural can be turned into the spiritual only through sacrifice. Without this a person will lead a divided life. Why did God demand that the natural must be sacrificed? God did not demand it. It is not God’s perfect will, but His permissive will. God’s perfect will was for the natural to be changed into the spiritual through obedience. Sin is what made it necessary for the natural to be sacrificed.
Abraham had to offer up Ishmael before he offered up Isaac (see Genesis 21:8-14). Some of us are trying to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God before we have sacrificed the natural. The only way we can offer a spiritual sacrifice to God is to “present [our] bodies a living sacrifice…” (Romans 12:1). Sanctification means more than being freed from sin. It means the deliberate commitment of myself to the God of my salvation, and being willing to pay whatever it may cost.
If we do not sacrifice the natural to the spiritual, the natural life will resist and defy the life of the Son of God in us and will produce continual turmoil. This is always the result of an undisciplined spiritual nature. We go wrong because we stubbornly refuse to discipline ourselves physically, morally, or mentally. We excuse ourselves by saying, “Well, I wasn’t taught to be disciplined when I was a child.” Then discipline yourself now! If you don’t, you will ruin your entire personal life for God.
God is not actively involved with our natural life as long as we continue to pamper and gratify it. But once we are willing to put it out in the desert and are determined to keep it under control, God will be with it. He will then provide wells and oases and fulfill all His promises for the natural (see Genesis 21:15-19).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The sympathy which is reverent with what it cannot understand is worth its weight in gold. Baffled to Fight Better, 69 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
What to Do With the Messes We've Made - #8587
A family on vacation. Nobody feels especially like doing the usual chores, like picking up the mess. Besides, there's that "room fairy" who comes while you're out and magically makes it all better, right? Unfortunately, "room fairies" only work when you're away from home. They don't do your house for you. Have you noticed that? My friend, Mike Silva, was staying with his family at a hotel in Nigeria, he told me, and they heard a knock at the door. Mike opened it and found a smiling Nigerian gentleman standing there ready to clean the room. That was no small order. Actually, they were pretty embarrassed because of all the travel bags and curling irons and crumpled clothing sprawled all across their unmade beds. And the bathroom floor was carpeted with beautiful wet towels. Mike apologized profusely. The young man, though, just put him at ease. He said, "No problem, sir. For this reason I have come, to put your things in order."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "What to Do With the Messes We've Made."
One day, Jesus Christ came to the door of my life, and there was my mess - the mess we all have. The sin, the selfishness, the scars, the trail of tears we've left. But Jesus said, "No problem. For this reason I have come, to put your things in order." That's what He has done for millions of people around the world. That's what He's waiting to do for you...on your invitation.
Sin really does mess things up. It messes up marriages, children, relationships, messes up reputations, bodies, minds, and souls. A lifetime of living our way instead of God's way is just too much for any human to clean up. No matter how religious or how nice we try to be. The Bible is blunt about how bad the mess is. It says in Isaiah 59:2, "Your sins have cut you off from your God." Imagine, cut off from the One who has all the love, the meaning, and the eternal life that we're looking for. And in case we're operating under the illusion that somehow we can remove this mess that separates us from our God, the Bible simply says, "No one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law...All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:20, 23).
There are two deadly mistakes that keep people from heaven. Thinking you're too good to need Jesus or thinking you're too bad for Jesus to take you. Both wrong - dead wrong. The truth is illustrated vividly in our word for today from the Word of God in Isaiah 6, beginning with verse 3. God's prophet, Isaiah, sees a vision with the Lord seated on a throne and angels proclaiming, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty." This great spiritual leader is leveled when he sees how holy God is. He says, "Woe to me!...I am ruined! I am a man of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty." Then an angel comes to him with the cleansing of God and says, "Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
That's what can happen to you at the cross of Jesus Christ, because it was there your sin was paid for. And it's there and there alone that the mess can be removed. Knowing every wrong thing you've ever done, Jesus stands ready right now to say to you, "Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." At that moment you are forgiven and you are free.
But like that housekeeping person at the door, you have to invite Him in. If you're not sure you've ever done that, you probably haven't. When you give yourself to Jesus, you know you did. And it makes no sense to keep living with the mess of a lifetime of sin, knowing that if you die with that mess there, you have no chance of heaven. You'll be without God forever.
But right now, Jesus stands ready to make you clean in a way you could have never dreamed possible. He made His move when He died on the cross for you. Now, it's your move to tell Him you're putting all your trust in Him to be your personal Rescuer from your personal sin.
Tell Him, "Jesus, I'm yours" today. Get to our website and get the information you need to begin a relationship with Him and know that you have. Our website is ANewStory.com. Please go there as soon as you can.
Jesus is standing at the door, and He's waiting to clean up the mess. It's your move now.
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