Max Lucado Daily: God as Heart Surgeon
Grace is God as heart surgeon! Grace is God cracking open your chest, removing your heart, poisoned as it is with pride and pain, and replacing it with his own.
God's dream isn't just to get you into heaven, but to get heaven into you. Grace lives because Jesus does, works because he works, and matters because he matters. To be saved by grace is to be saved by Jesus-not by an idea, doctrine, creed, or church membership, but by Jesus himself, who will sweep into heaven anyone who so much as gives him the nod. Grace won't be stage-managed. I have no tips on how to get grace. Truth is, we don't get grace. But it can sure get us.
If you wonder whether God can do something with the mess of your life, then grace is what you need! Make certain it happens to you!
From GRACE
2 Chronicles 24
Joash was seven years old when he became king; he was king for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Gazelle (Zibiah). She was from Beersheba.
2-3 Taught and trained by Jehoiada the priest, Joash did what pleased God throughout Jehoiada’s lifetime. Jehoiada picked out two wives for him; he had a family of both sons and daughters.
4-6 The time came when Joash determined to renovate The Temple of God. He got the priests and Levites together and said, “Circulate through the towns of Judah every year and collect money from the people to repair The Temple of your God. You are in charge of carrying this out.” But the Levites dragged their feet and didn’t do anything.
7 Then the king called in Jehoiada the chief priest and said, “Why haven’t you made the Levites bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax Moses, servant of God and the congregation, set for the upkeep of the place of worship? You can see how bad things are—wicked Queen Athaliah and her sons let The Temple of God go to ruin and took all its sacred artifacts for use in Baal worship.”
8-9 Following the king’s orders, they made a chest and placed it at the entrance to The Temple of God. Then they sent out a tax notice throughout Judah and Jerusalem: “Pay the tax that Moses the servant of God set when Israel was in the wilderness.”
10 The people and their leaders were glad to do it and cheerfully brought their money until the chest was full.
11-14 Whenever the Levites brought the chest in for a royal audit and found it to be full, the king’s secretary and the official of the chief priest would empty the chest and put it back in its place. Day after day they did this and collected a lot of money. The king and Jehoiada gave the money to the managers of The Temple project; they in turn paid the masons and carpenters for the repair work on The Temple of God. The construction workers kept at their jobs steadily until the restoration was complete—the house of God as good as new! When they had finished the work, they returned the surplus money to the king and Jehoiada, who used the money for making sacred vessels for Temple worship, vessels for the daily worship, for the Whole-Burnt-Offerings, bowls, and other gold and silver liturgical artifacts.
14-16 Whole-Burnt-Offerings were made regularly in The Temple of God throughout Jehoiada’s lifetime. He died at a ripe old age—130 years old! They buried him in the royal cemetery because he had such a distinguished life of service to Israel and God and God’s Temple.
17-19 But after the death of Jehoiada things fell apart. The leaders of Judah made a formal presentation to the king and he went along with them. Things went from bad to worse; they deserted The Temple of God and took up with the cult of sex goddesses. An angry cloud hovered over Judah and Jerusalem because of this sin. God sent prophets to straighten them out, warning of judgment. But nobody paid attention.
20 Then the Spirit of God moved Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest to speak up: “God’s word: Why have you deliberately walked away from God’s commandments? You can’t live this way! If you walk out on God, he’ll walk out on you.”
21-22 But they worked out a plot against Zechariah, and with the complicity of the king—he actually gave the order!—they murdered him, pelting him with rocks, right in the court of The Temple of God. That’s the thanks King Joash showed the loyal Jehoiada, the priest who had made him king. He murdered Jehoiada’s son. Zechariah’s last words were, “Look, God! Make them pay for this!”
23-24 A year or so later Aramean troops attacked Joash. They invaded Judah and Jerusalem, massacred the leaders, and shipped all their plunder back to the king in Damascus. The Aramean army was quite small, but God used them to wipe out Joash’s large army—their punishment for deserting God, the God of their ancestors. Arameans implemented God’s judgment against Joash.
25-27 They left Joash badly wounded and his own servants finished him off—it was a palace conspiracy, avenging the murder of the son of Jehoiada the priest. They killed him in his bed. Afterward they buried him in the City of David, but he was not honored with a grave in the royal cemetery. The temple conspirators were Zabad, whose mother was Shimeath from Ammon, and Jehozabad, whose mother was Shimrith from Moab. The story of his sons, the many sermons preached to Joash, and the account of his repairs on The Temple of God can be found contained in the commentary on the royal history.
Amaziah, Joash’s son, was the next king.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Saturday, March 07, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
1 Corinthians 12:20–27
As it is, there are many parts, but one body.c
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ,d and each one of you is a part of it.e
Insight
In Paul’s first New Testament letter to the Corinthians, he describes two ways his readers have been overlooking the body of Christ. First, they were ignoring the significance of sharing bread and wine in remembrance of His shed blood and broken body (1 Corinthians 11:29). In the process, they were also failing to live for the good of one another. Paul went on to explain that by the Holy Spirit they had been gifted to work together, just as members of our human bodies help and depend on each other (12:12–27). Paul sees his readers as members of the body of Christ brought together to share the heart of love He describes in chapter 13.
More than Meets the Eye
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 1 Corinthians 12:27
Attend any rodeo with riding and roping competition and you’ll see them—competitors with four fingers on one hand and a nub where their thumb should be. It’s a common injury in the sport—a thumb gets caught between a rope on one end and a decent-sized steer pulling on the other, and the thumb is usually the loser. It’s not a career-ending injury, but the absence of a thumb changes things. Without using your thumb, try to brush your teeth or button a shirt or comb your hair or tie your shoes or even eat. That little overlooked member of your body plays a significant role.
The apostle Paul indicates a similar scenario in the church. Those often less visible and frequently less vocal members sometimes experience an “I don’t need you” response from the others (1 Corinthians 12:21). Usually this is unspoken, but there are times when it’s said aloud.
God calls us to have equal concern and respect for one another (v. 25). Each and every one of us is a part of Christ’s body (v. 27), regardless of the gifting we’ve received, and we need each other. Some of us are eyes and ears, so to speak, and some of us are thumbs. But each of us plays a vital role in the body of Christ, sometimes more than meets the eye. By: John Blase
Reflect & Pray
If you’re an “eye,” what’s one way you could encourage a “thumb”? And if you think you’re a lesser member, why not memorize 1 Corinthians 12:27, an important scriptural truth.
Father, forgive us for our failure to remember that each of us is a member of the body of Christ. We’re the members, and You and You alone are the Head.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, March 07, 2020
The Source of Abundant Joy
In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. —Romans 8:37
Paul was speaking here of the things that might seem likely to separate a saint from the love of God. But the remarkable thing is that nothing can come between the love of God and a saint. The things Paul mentioned in this passage can and do disrupt the close fellowship of our soul with God and separate our natural life from Him. But none of them is able to come between the love of God and the soul of a saint on the spiritual level. The underlying foundation of the Christian faith is the undeserved, limitless miracle of the love of God that was exhibited on the Cross of Calvary; a love that is not earned and can never be. Paul said this is the reason that “in all these things we are more than conquerors.” We are super-victors with a joy that comes from experiencing the very things which look as if they are going to overwhelm us.
Huge waves that would frighten an ordinary swimmer produce a tremendous thrill for the surfer who has ridden them. Let’s apply that to our own circumstances. The things we try to avoid and fight against— tribulation, suffering, and persecution— are the very things that produce abundant joy in us. “We are more than conquerors through Him” “in all these things”; not in spite of them, but in the midst of them. A saint doesn’t know the joy of the Lord in spite of tribulation, but because of it. Paul said, “I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation” (2 Corinthians 7:4).
The undiminished radiance, which is the result of abundant joy, is not built on anything passing, but on the love of God that nothing can change. And the experiences of life, whether they are everyday events or terrifying ones, are powerless to “separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Our danger is to water down God’s word to suit ourselves. God never fits His word to suit me; He fits me to suit His word. Not Knowing Whither, 901 R
Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 3-4; Mark 10:32-52
Saturday, March 7, 2020
Friday, March 6, 2020
2 Corinthians 10, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: THE REAL JESUS
The Jesus of many people is small enough to be contained in an aquarium that fits on the cabinet. He never causes trouble or demands attention. If you want a goldfish bowl of Jesus, steer clear of the real Jesus Christ. He changes everything!
No, Jesus doesn’t make you sexy, skinny, or clever. Jesus doesn’t change what you see in the mirror. He changes how you see what you see. He will not be silenced, packaged, or predicted. He is the pastor who chased people out of church. He is the prophet who had a soft spot for crooks and whores. He is the king who washed the grime off the feet of his betrayer. He turned a bread basket into a buffet and a dead friend into a living one. And most of all, he transformed the tomb into a womb out of which life was born life ….your life.
2 Corinthians 10
And now a personal but most urgent matter; I write in the gentle but firm spirit of Christ. I hear that I’m being painted as cringing and wishy-washy when I’m with you, but harsh and demanding when at a safe distance writing letters. Please don’t force me to take a hard line when I’m present with you. Don’t think that I’ll hesitate a single minute to stand up to those who say I’m an unprincipled opportunist. Then they’ll have to eat their words.
3-6 The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.
7-8 You stare and stare at the obvious, but you can’t see the forest for the trees. If you’re looking for a clear example of someone on Christ’s side, why do you so quickly cut me out? Believe me, I am quite sure of my standing with Christ. You may think I overstate the authority he gave me, but I’m not backing off. Every bit of my commitment is for the purpose of building you up, after all, not tearing you down.
9-11 And what’s this talk about me bullying you with my letters? “His letters are brawny and potent, but in person he’s a weakling and mumbles when he talks.” Such talk won’t survive scrutiny. What we write when away, we do when present. We’re the exact same people, absent or present, in letter or in person.
12 We’re not, understand, putting ourselves in a league with those who boast that they’re our superiors. We wouldn’t dare do that. But in all this comparing and grading and competing, they quite miss the point.
13-14 We aren’t making outrageous claims here. We’re sticking to the limits of what God has set for us. But there can be no question that those limits reach to and include you. We’re not moving into someone else’s “territory.” We were already there with you, weren’t we? We were the first ones to get there with the Message of Christ, right? So how can there be any question of overstepping our bounds by writing or visiting you?
15-18 We’re not barging in on the rightful work of others, interfering with their ministries, demanding a place in the sun with them. What we’re hoping for is that as your lives grow in faith, you’ll play a part within our expanding work. And we’ll all still be within the limits God sets as we proclaim the Message in countries beyond Corinth. But we have no intention of moving in on what others have done and taking credit for it. “If you want to claim credit, claim it for God.” What you say about yourself means nothing in God’s work. It’s what God says about you that makes the difference.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, March 06, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Ecclesiastes 4:9–11
Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
Insight
Along with Job, Psalms, Proverbs, and Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes is classified as one of the Wisdom books of Scripture. Wisdom books, which emphasize the supreme value of fearing God (Ecclesiastes 8:13; 12:13), help the reader to navigate the good and not-so-good—the bitter and sweet of this life—from God’s perspective and to trust Him. Given Wisdom literature’s goal—to help its readers to “live skillfully”—it shouldn’t surprise us to find numerous occurrences in the book of Ecclesiastes of the word better or the phrase better than. The comparative value of wisdom is stressed in passages such as “Wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness” (2:13); “Wisdom is better than strength” (9:16); “Wisdom is better than weapons of war” (9:18). We also see this emphasis in Proverbs: “For she [wisdom] is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold” (3:14).
Two Are Better
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. Ecclesiastes 4:9
In the 1997 Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii, two women fought to stay on their feet as they hobbled toward the finish line. Exhausted, the runners persevered on wobbly legs, until Sian Welch bumped into Wendy Ingraham. They both dropped to the ground. Struggling to stand, they stumbled forward, only to fall again about twenty meters from the finish line. When Ingraham began to crawl, the crowd applauded. When her competitor followed suit, they cheered louder. Ingraham crossed the finish line in fourth place, and she slumped into the outstretched arms of her supporters. Then she turned and reached out to her fallen sister. Welch lunged her body forward, stretching her weary arm toward Ingraham’s hand and across the finish line. As she completed the race in fifth place, the crowd roared their approval.
This pair’s completion of the 140-mile swimming, biking, and running race inspired many. But the image of the weary competitors persevering together remains ingrained in my mind, affirming the life-empowering truth in Ecclesiastes 4:9–11.
There’s no shame in admitting we require assistance in life (v. 9), especially since we can’t honestly deny our needs or hide them from our all-knowing God. At one time or another, we’ll all fall, whether physically or emotionally. Knowing we’re not alone can comfort us as we persevere. As our loving Father helps us, He empowers us to reach out to others in need, affirming they too aren’t alone. By: Xochitl Dixon
Reflect & Pray
How has someone helped you? How can you encourage others this week?
All-powerful God, thank You for reassuring us of Your constant presence as You help us and give us opportunities to reach out and help others.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, March 06, 2020
Taking the Next Step
…in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses. —2 Corinthians 6:4
When you have no vision from God, no enthusiasm left in your life, and no one watching and encouraging you, it requires the grace of Almighty God to take the next step in your devotion to Him, in the reading and studying of His Word, in your family life, or in your duty to Him. It takes much more of the grace of God, and a much greater awareness of drawing upon Him, to take that next step, than it does to preach the gospel.
Every Christian must experience the essence of the incarnation by bringing the next step down into flesh-and-blood reality and by working it out with his hands. We lose interest and give up when we have no vision, no encouragement, and no improvement, but only experience our everyday life with its trivial tasks. The thing that really testifies for God and for the people of God in the long run is steady perseverance, even when the work cannot be seen by others. And the only way to live an undefeated life is to live looking to God. Ask God to keep the eyes of your spirit open to the risen Christ, and it will be impossible for drudgery to discourage you. Never allow yourself to think that some tasks are beneath your dignity or too insignificant for you to do, and remind yourself of the example of Christ inJohn 13:1-17.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
To read the Bible according to God’s providential order in your circumstances is the only way to read it, viz., in the blood and passion of personal life. Disciples Indeed, 387 R
Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 1-2; Mark 10:1-31
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, March 06, 2020
Hurting But Passed By - #8650
Our friend Steve has been involved with horses most of his life. He's even owned a couple of champions. But one day at the barn, in one moment of carelessness, Steve allowed himself to get in what horse lovers know as the "kill zone" - that area behind a horse where they can kick you with those potentially deadly hooves. In one life-changing moment, Steve was kicked in the leg, shattered his bones. Even though he was in excruciating pain, he did manage to drag himself to the highway near his house where he pulled himself up and started waving for help. Car after car just drove right on past this seriously injured man - even his friends and neighbors. They didn't know he was hurting. They thought he was just waving "Hi!" Really?
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Hurting But Passed By."
A broken man...and no one knew his need. No one stopped for him. That might be part of the story of your life; a waving world, speeding past all that hurt that you carry inside. Everybody's in a hurry to get where they're going. Meanwhile, you suffer with that brokenness inside you in a world that doesn't know, or doesn't seem to care.
There's someone who does know, and there's someone who does care. Someone who has been broken, too - more broken than any of us could possibly be. It's the One the Bible calls the "man of sorrows" - Jesus Christ. Why can you trust Him? Because, as the Bible says, He was "familiar with suffering...He was despised...He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows" (Isaiah 53:3-4). This is the man who told His followers to remember the sacrifice He was about to make for them on the cross with bread that was broken - a symbol of what would happen to the body of the very Son of God.
Jesus understands broken. When He was here, He always stopped for the hurting people that everyone else just drove on by. In Isaiah 61:1, our word for today from the Word of God, He announces what He wants to do for each of us - and for you. He said: "The Lord has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners."
But He came to do so much more than just relieve your pain. He came here to deal with the human cancer that causes our pain. Our brokenness is ultimately the result of a broken relationship with the very Creator, who gave us our life, who planned our life to have a cosmic purpose. But we all thought we could run it better. Instead of having God at the center of our life, we've just pushed Him to the margins, trying to placate Him with a little religion.
But sin is really serious stuff. It walls us off from God, from His love, and it brings us under the eternal judgment of the God we were made to live for. But God really loves you - enough to sacrifice the most precious thing He had to heal your broken relationship with Him. He allowed the body of His only Son to be broken on the cross for you as He died your death penalty for your sin.
Jesus wants to fix what's broken between you and God so He can forgive you, enter your life, and fix what sin has broken inside you. The problem hasn't been that He wouldn't stop for you. You haven't stopped for Him. He's been waiting for you to open up to His love for a long time. And one more time, He's giving you the chance to experience His healing - His forgiving touch. But you've got to open the door. You've got to tell Him, "Jesus, I want to be Yours starting right now. I'm ready to turn from living my way. I'm putting all my hope in what You did on that cross for me, and the fact that you are alive because you walked out of your grave."
Listen, there's some really wonderful information I'd love for you to have right now to help you be sure you belong to Him. It's at our website ANewStory.com. I urge you to check it out as soon as you can today.
Jesus, the only Son God had, was broken so you don't have to be. Would you let Him into the life that He died for, and today let the healing begin.
The Jesus of many people is small enough to be contained in an aquarium that fits on the cabinet. He never causes trouble or demands attention. If you want a goldfish bowl of Jesus, steer clear of the real Jesus Christ. He changes everything!
No, Jesus doesn’t make you sexy, skinny, or clever. Jesus doesn’t change what you see in the mirror. He changes how you see what you see. He will not be silenced, packaged, or predicted. He is the pastor who chased people out of church. He is the prophet who had a soft spot for crooks and whores. He is the king who washed the grime off the feet of his betrayer. He turned a bread basket into a buffet and a dead friend into a living one. And most of all, he transformed the tomb into a womb out of which life was born life ….your life.
2 Corinthians 10
And now a personal but most urgent matter; I write in the gentle but firm spirit of Christ. I hear that I’m being painted as cringing and wishy-washy when I’m with you, but harsh and demanding when at a safe distance writing letters. Please don’t force me to take a hard line when I’m present with you. Don’t think that I’ll hesitate a single minute to stand up to those who say I’m an unprincipled opportunist. Then they’ll have to eat their words.
3-6 The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.
7-8 You stare and stare at the obvious, but you can’t see the forest for the trees. If you’re looking for a clear example of someone on Christ’s side, why do you so quickly cut me out? Believe me, I am quite sure of my standing with Christ. You may think I overstate the authority he gave me, but I’m not backing off. Every bit of my commitment is for the purpose of building you up, after all, not tearing you down.
9-11 And what’s this talk about me bullying you with my letters? “His letters are brawny and potent, but in person he’s a weakling and mumbles when he talks.” Such talk won’t survive scrutiny. What we write when away, we do when present. We’re the exact same people, absent or present, in letter or in person.
12 We’re not, understand, putting ourselves in a league with those who boast that they’re our superiors. We wouldn’t dare do that. But in all this comparing and grading and competing, they quite miss the point.
13-14 We aren’t making outrageous claims here. We’re sticking to the limits of what God has set for us. But there can be no question that those limits reach to and include you. We’re not moving into someone else’s “territory.” We were already there with you, weren’t we? We were the first ones to get there with the Message of Christ, right? So how can there be any question of overstepping our bounds by writing or visiting you?
15-18 We’re not barging in on the rightful work of others, interfering with their ministries, demanding a place in the sun with them. What we’re hoping for is that as your lives grow in faith, you’ll play a part within our expanding work. And we’ll all still be within the limits God sets as we proclaim the Message in countries beyond Corinth. But we have no intention of moving in on what others have done and taking credit for it. “If you want to claim credit, claim it for God.” What you say about yourself means nothing in God’s work. It’s what God says about you that makes the difference.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, March 06, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Ecclesiastes 4:9–11
Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
Insight
Along with Job, Psalms, Proverbs, and Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes is classified as one of the Wisdom books of Scripture. Wisdom books, which emphasize the supreme value of fearing God (Ecclesiastes 8:13; 12:13), help the reader to navigate the good and not-so-good—the bitter and sweet of this life—from God’s perspective and to trust Him. Given Wisdom literature’s goal—to help its readers to “live skillfully”—it shouldn’t surprise us to find numerous occurrences in the book of Ecclesiastes of the word better or the phrase better than. The comparative value of wisdom is stressed in passages such as “Wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness” (2:13); “Wisdom is better than strength” (9:16); “Wisdom is better than weapons of war” (9:18). We also see this emphasis in Proverbs: “For she [wisdom] is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold” (3:14).
Two Are Better
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. Ecclesiastes 4:9
In the 1997 Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii, two women fought to stay on their feet as they hobbled toward the finish line. Exhausted, the runners persevered on wobbly legs, until Sian Welch bumped into Wendy Ingraham. They both dropped to the ground. Struggling to stand, they stumbled forward, only to fall again about twenty meters from the finish line. When Ingraham began to crawl, the crowd applauded. When her competitor followed suit, they cheered louder. Ingraham crossed the finish line in fourth place, and she slumped into the outstretched arms of her supporters. Then she turned and reached out to her fallen sister. Welch lunged her body forward, stretching her weary arm toward Ingraham’s hand and across the finish line. As she completed the race in fifth place, the crowd roared their approval.
This pair’s completion of the 140-mile swimming, biking, and running race inspired many. But the image of the weary competitors persevering together remains ingrained in my mind, affirming the life-empowering truth in Ecclesiastes 4:9–11.
There’s no shame in admitting we require assistance in life (v. 9), especially since we can’t honestly deny our needs or hide them from our all-knowing God. At one time or another, we’ll all fall, whether physically or emotionally. Knowing we’re not alone can comfort us as we persevere. As our loving Father helps us, He empowers us to reach out to others in need, affirming they too aren’t alone. By: Xochitl Dixon
Reflect & Pray
How has someone helped you? How can you encourage others this week?
All-powerful God, thank You for reassuring us of Your constant presence as You help us and give us opportunities to reach out and help others.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, March 06, 2020
Taking the Next Step
…in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses. —2 Corinthians 6:4
When you have no vision from God, no enthusiasm left in your life, and no one watching and encouraging you, it requires the grace of Almighty God to take the next step in your devotion to Him, in the reading and studying of His Word, in your family life, or in your duty to Him. It takes much more of the grace of God, and a much greater awareness of drawing upon Him, to take that next step, than it does to preach the gospel.
Every Christian must experience the essence of the incarnation by bringing the next step down into flesh-and-blood reality and by working it out with his hands. We lose interest and give up when we have no vision, no encouragement, and no improvement, but only experience our everyday life with its trivial tasks. The thing that really testifies for God and for the people of God in the long run is steady perseverance, even when the work cannot be seen by others. And the only way to live an undefeated life is to live looking to God. Ask God to keep the eyes of your spirit open to the risen Christ, and it will be impossible for drudgery to discourage you. Never allow yourself to think that some tasks are beneath your dignity or too insignificant for you to do, and remind yourself of the example of Christ inJohn 13:1-17.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
To read the Bible according to God’s providential order in your circumstances is the only way to read it, viz., in the blood and passion of personal life. Disciples Indeed, 387 R
Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 1-2; Mark 10:1-31
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, March 06, 2020
Hurting But Passed By - #8650
Our friend Steve has been involved with horses most of his life. He's even owned a couple of champions. But one day at the barn, in one moment of carelessness, Steve allowed himself to get in what horse lovers know as the "kill zone" - that area behind a horse where they can kick you with those potentially deadly hooves. In one life-changing moment, Steve was kicked in the leg, shattered his bones. Even though he was in excruciating pain, he did manage to drag himself to the highway near his house where he pulled himself up and started waving for help. Car after car just drove right on past this seriously injured man - even his friends and neighbors. They didn't know he was hurting. They thought he was just waving "Hi!" Really?
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Hurting But Passed By."
A broken man...and no one knew his need. No one stopped for him. That might be part of the story of your life; a waving world, speeding past all that hurt that you carry inside. Everybody's in a hurry to get where they're going. Meanwhile, you suffer with that brokenness inside you in a world that doesn't know, or doesn't seem to care.
There's someone who does know, and there's someone who does care. Someone who has been broken, too - more broken than any of us could possibly be. It's the One the Bible calls the "man of sorrows" - Jesus Christ. Why can you trust Him? Because, as the Bible says, He was "familiar with suffering...He was despised...He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows" (Isaiah 53:3-4). This is the man who told His followers to remember the sacrifice He was about to make for them on the cross with bread that was broken - a symbol of what would happen to the body of the very Son of God.
Jesus understands broken. When He was here, He always stopped for the hurting people that everyone else just drove on by. In Isaiah 61:1, our word for today from the Word of God, He announces what He wants to do for each of us - and for you. He said: "The Lord has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners."
But He came to do so much more than just relieve your pain. He came here to deal with the human cancer that causes our pain. Our brokenness is ultimately the result of a broken relationship with the very Creator, who gave us our life, who planned our life to have a cosmic purpose. But we all thought we could run it better. Instead of having God at the center of our life, we've just pushed Him to the margins, trying to placate Him with a little religion.
But sin is really serious stuff. It walls us off from God, from His love, and it brings us under the eternal judgment of the God we were made to live for. But God really loves you - enough to sacrifice the most precious thing He had to heal your broken relationship with Him. He allowed the body of His only Son to be broken on the cross for you as He died your death penalty for your sin.
Jesus wants to fix what's broken between you and God so He can forgive you, enter your life, and fix what sin has broken inside you. The problem hasn't been that He wouldn't stop for you. You haven't stopped for Him. He's been waiting for you to open up to His love for a long time. And one more time, He's giving you the chance to experience His healing - His forgiving touch. But you've got to open the door. You've got to tell Him, "Jesus, I want to be Yours starting right now. I'm ready to turn from living my way. I'm putting all my hope in what You did on that cross for me, and the fact that you are alive because you walked out of your grave."
Listen, there's some really wonderful information I'd love for you to have right now to help you be sure you belong to Him. It's at our website ANewStory.com. I urge you to check it out as soon as you can today.
Jesus, the only Son God had, was broken so you don't have to be. Would you let Him into the life that He died for, and today let the healing begin.
Thursday, March 5, 2020
Joel 3, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: JUST JESUS
Is Peter speaking to us when he urges, “Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it” (1 Peter 2:11)?
We know our Father’s name, and he has claimed us, but he has yet to come for us. So here we are. Caught between what is and what will be. No longer orphans but not yet home. What do we do in the meantime? Indeed, it can be just that—a mean time. Time made mean with disease, deceit, death, and debt. How do we live in the meantime? How do we keep our hearts headed home?
“Let us look only to Jesus, the One who began our faith and who makes it perfect” (Hebrews 12:2). Look to Jesus. Ponder his life. Consider his ways. Meditate on his words. Jesus….just Jesus.
Joel 3
“In those days, yes, at that very time
when I put life back together again for Judah and Jerusalem,
I’ll assemble all the godless nations.
I’ll lead them down into Judgment Valley
And put them all on trial, and judge them one and all
because of their treatment of my own people Israel.
They scattered my people all over the pagan world
and grabbed my land for themselves.
They threw dice for my people
and used them for barter.
They would trade a boy for a whore,
sell a girl for a bottle of wine when they wanted a drink.
4-8 “As for you, Tyre and Sidon and Philistia,
why should I bother with you?
Are you trying to get back at me
for something I did to you?
If you are, forget it.
I’ll see to it that it boomerangs on you.
You robbed me, cleaned me out of silver and gold,
carted off everything valuable to furnish your own temples.
You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem
into slavery to the Greeks in faraway places.
But I’m going to reverse your crime.
I’m going to free those slaves.
I’ll have done to you what you did to them:
I’ll sell your children as slaves to your neighbors,
And they’ll sell them to the far-off Sabeans.”
God’s Verdict.
9-11 Announce this to the godless nations:
Prepare for battle!
Soldiers at attention!
Present arms! Advance!
Turn your shovels into swords,
turn your hoes into spears.
Let the weak one throw out his chest
and say, “I’m tough, I’m a fighter.”
Hurry up, pagans! Wherever you are, get a move on!
Get your act together.
Prepare to be
shattered by God!
12 Let the pagan nations set out
for Judgment Valley.
There I’ll take my place at the bench
and judge all the surrounding nations.
13 “Swing the sickle—
the harvest is ready.
Stomp on the grapes—
the winepress is full.
The wine vats are full,
overflowing with vintage evil.
14 “Mass confusion, mob uproar—
in Decision Valley!
God’s Judgment Day has arrived
in Decision Valley.
15-17 “The sky turns black,
sun and moon go dark, stars burn out.
God roars from Zion, shouts from Jerusalem.
Earth and sky quake in terror.
But God is a safe hiding place,
a granite safe house for the children of Israel.
Then you’ll know for sure
that I’m your God,
Living in Zion,
my sacred mountain.
Jerusalem will be a sacred city,
posted: ‘no trespassing.’
18-21 “What a day!
Wine streaming off the mountains,
Milk rivering out of the hills,
water flowing everywhere in Judah,
A fountain pouring out of God’s Sanctuary,
watering all the parks and gardens!
But Egypt will be reduced to weeds in a vacant lot,
Edom turned into barren badlands,
All because of brutalities to the Judean people,
the atrocities and murders of helpless innocents.
Meanwhile, Judah will be filled with people,
Jerusalem inhabited forever.
The sins I haven’t already forgiven, I’ll forgive.”
God has moved into Zion for good.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, March 05, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight: Acts 16:6–10
Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia
6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygiaz and Galatia,a having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.b 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesusc would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.d 9 During the night Paul had a visione of a man of Macedoniaf standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, weg got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospelh to them.
Insight
In Paul’s vision in Acts 16:9–10, the man from Macedonia isn’t identified. However, we learn something about him in verse 9. The word translated “help” (boetheo) means “come to the aid of” and indicates the need for assistance, showing the man needed someone to physically come to him. It seems to refer to someone who doesn’t know the gospel or even how he can be helped.
It’s interesting to note there’s a pronoun shift from they (vv. 6–9) to we in verse 10: “After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia.” Most scholars believe this indicates that Luke (the author of Acts) had now joined the group.
For further study, read The Book of Acts at discoveryseries.org/q0418.
Plans Disrupted
Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21
Jane’s plans to become a speech therapist ended when an internship revealed the job was too emotionally challenging for her. Then she was given the opportunity to write for a magazine. She’d never seen herself as an author, but years later she found herself advocating for needy families through her writing. “Looking back, I can see why God changed my plans,” she says. “He had a bigger plan for me.”
The Bible has many stories of disrupted plans. On his second missionary journey, Paul had sought to bring the gospel into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus stopped him (Acts 16:6–7). This must have seemed mystifying: Why was Jesus disrupting plans that were in line with a God-given mission? The answer came in a dream one night: Macedonia needed him even more. There, Paul would plant the first church in Europe. Solomon also observed, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21).
It’s sensible to make plans. A well-known adage goes, “Fail to plan, and you plan to fail.” But God may disrupt our plans with His own. Our challenge is to listen and obey, knowing we can trust God. If we submit to His will, we’ll find ourselves fitting into His purpose for our lives.
As we continue to make plans, we can add a new twist: Plan to listen. Listen to God’s plan. By: Leslie Koh
Reflect & Pray
How can you submit your plans to God today? How can you listen to His plans?
All-knowing God, give me the faith to listen to You when my plans are disrupted, knowing that You have a greater purpose for my life.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, March 05, 2020
Is He Really My Lord?
…so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus… —Acts 20:24
Joy comes from seeing the complete fulfillment of the specific purpose for which I was created and born again, not from successfully doing something of my own choosing. The joy our Lord experienced came from doing what the Father sent Him to do. And He says to us, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21). Have you received a ministry from the Lord? If so, you must be faithful to it— to consider your life valuable only for the purpose of fulfilling that ministry. Knowing that you have done what Jesus sent you to do, think how satisfying it will be to hear Him say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). We each have to find a niche in life, and spiritually we find it when we receive a ministry from the Lord. To do this we must have close fellowship with Jesus and must know Him as more than our personal Savior. And we must be willing to experience the full impact of Acts 9:16 — “I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
“Do you love Me?” Then, “Feed My sheep” (John 21:17). He is not offering us a choice of how we can serve Him; He is asking for absolute loyalty to His commission, a faithfulness to what we discern when we are in the closest possible fellowship with God. If you have received a ministry from the Lord Jesus, you will know that the need is not the same as the call— the need is the opportunity to exercise the call. The call is to be faithful to the ministry you received when you were in true fellowship with Him. This does not imply that there is a whole series of differing ministries marked out for you. It does mean that you must be sensitive to what God has called you to do, and this may sometimes require ignoring demands for service in other areas.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We have no right to judge where we should be put, or to have preconceived notions as to what God is fitting us for. God engineers everything; wherever He puts us, our one great aim is to pour out a whole-hearted devotion to Him in that particular work. “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.” My Utmost for His Highest, April 23, 773 L
Bible in a Year: Numbers 34-36; Mark 9:30-50
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, March 05, 2020
Fear Goes Viral - #8649
North Dakota's a long way from Wuhan, China. But our friend Wes has been seeing more and more customers wearing masks in the local Walmart. He says he's going to start telling them "to calm down." Then, thinking of how fear can spook the stock market, he said, "Then I'm going to thank them for destroying my 401(k)."
Well that may not be the best response but it is a reflection of the increasing fear that a whole lot of people are feeling right now. I mean, you think about the impact of this one virus - cities shut down and economies slowing down. Travel cancellations. Wall Street in freefall. Major events being cancelled.
Some are calling it a pandemic, which means it's everywhere. But beyond any medical pandemic there is another pandemic. Fear.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Fear Goes Viral."
You know as bad as the Coronavirus scare is, this anxiety thing is even bigger than that. I was with some mission leaders from around the world recently and they basically summed up what's going on in the world this way - "The nations are being shaken." And they are.
So many peoples. So many places. And now we've got this ominous cloud of Coronavirus hanging over us. So many unknowns. So many disturbing possibilities. And, so much fear.
Now, Precautions are good but panic and paralysis...no, they're not. But we feel vulnerable - and it's more than a feeling. We really are vulnerable. You think, for example, what happens when we have an extended power outage. Or with the pervasive dependence we have on technology, what happens if there's a cyber meltdown or attack? There's a lot to fear. Or maybe not.
The most repeated command in the world's best-selling book, the Bible, is this... "Do not be afraid."
Really? Do not be afraid? With runaway viruses...metastasized terror threats...and political storm clouds...financial storm clouds and mass shootings...and then even our personal crises like getting bad news from the doctor.
Is it reasonable to ask us to "not be afraid"? Well, not if our security is something vulnerable. Something we could lose.
The Bible says in Psalm 11, "When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" Well that's a fascinating question because our foundations are shaking right now. And then it goes on to say this, "The Lord is in His holy temple. The Lord is on His heavenly throne" (Psalm 11:3-4). In other words, when everything's out of control, God is still ultimately in control. So He says in our word for today form the Word of God in Isaiah 43 beginning with verse 1, "Do not fear…when you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you…for I am the Lord your God…I love you".
I've been in several life-threatening situations on airlines, I've heard a doctor say my wife was "Code Blue." Thinking I would lose the love of my life that day. In many situations like that, God has come along with this supernatural peace.
Because my Anchor held. Here's how it's described in Romans 8, "Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord". That's my anchor. It's a Relationship that's disease-proof, it's disaster-proof, it's death-proof. I don't deserve this love but I can't lose it. It was proven when Jesus died on the cross to absorb the death penalty for me, for you, rejecting God's rule of our life. And then, He was resurrected three days later and He validated His power to beat even death. Let me tell you, that's an anchor that holds.
And as for our loved ones. The Bible says, "I know the One in whom I trust, and I am sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him" (2 Timothy 1:12). This relationship is life's one anchor that holds.
Several years ago there were monster tornadoes in Oklahoma and I read about this mother and daughter who barely got the door on their safe room closed in
time. A couple hours later they went out to find their neighborhood gone - their house gone. They lost a lot that day. But they were okay because they had one place that could survive the storm.
Millions of people have found that in Jesus. I'm one of them. And you can be.
You want to know how to get started in that relationship with Him? Go to our website - ANewStory.com. Because Jesus, in this world, is your one safe place.
Is Peter speaking to us when he urges, “Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it” (1 Peter 2:11)?
We know our Father’s name, and he has claimed us, but he has yet to come for us. So here we are. Caught between what is and what will be. No longer orphans but not yet home. What do we do in the meantime? Indeed, it can be just that—a mean time. Time made mean with disease, deceit, death, and debt. How do we live in the meantime? How do we keep our hearts headed home?
“Let us look only to Jesus, the One who began our faith and who makes it perfect” (Hebrews 12:2). Look to Jesus. Ponder his life. Consider his ways. Meditate on his words. Jesus….just Jesus.
Joel 3
“In those days, yes, at that very time
when I put life back together again for Judah and Jerusalem,
I’ll assemble all the godless nations.
I’ll lead them down into Judgment Valley
And put them all on trial, and judge them one and all
because of their treatment of my own people Israel.
They scattered my people all over the pagan world
and grabbed my land for themselves.
They threw dice for my people
and used them for barter.
They would trade a boy for a whore,
sell a girl for a bottle of wine when they wanted a drink.
4-8 “As for you, Tyre and Sidon and Philistia,
why should I bother with you?
Are you trying to get back at me
for something I did to you?
If you are, forget it.
I’ll see to it that it boomerangs on you.
You robbed me, cleaned me out of silver and gold,
carted off everything valuable to furnish your own temples.
You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem
into slavery to the Greeks in faraway places.
But I’m going to reverse your crime.
I’m going to free those slaves.
I’ll have done to you what you did to them:
I’ll sell your children as slaves to your neighbors,
And they’ll sell them to the far-off Sabeans.”
God’s Verdict.
9-11 Announce this to the godless nations:
Prepare for battle!
Soldiers at attention!
Present arms! Advance!
Turn your shovels into swords,
turn your hoes into spears.
Let the weak one throw out his chest
and say, “I’m tough, I’m a fighter.”
Hurry up, pagans! Wherever you are, get a move on!
Get your act together.
Prepare to be
shattered by God!
12 Let the pagan nations set out
for Judgment Valley.
There I’ll take my place at the bench
and judge all the surrounding nations.
13 “Swing the sickle—
the harvest is ready.
Stomp on the grapes—
the winepress is full.
The wine vats are full,
overflowing with vintage evil.
14 “Mass confusion, mob uproar—
in Decision Valley!
God’s Judgment Day has arrived
in Decision Valley.
15-17 “The sky turns black,
sun and moon go dark, stars burn out.
God roars from Zion, shouts from Jerusalem.
Earth and sky quake in terror.
But God is a safe hiding place,
a granite safe house for the children of Israel.
Then you’ll know for sure
that I’m your God,
Living in Zion,
my sacred mountain.
Jerusalem will be a sacred city,
posted: ‘no trespassing.’
18-21 “What a day!
Wine streaming off the mountains,
Milk rivering out of the hills,
water flowing everywhere in Judah,
A fountain pouring out of God’s Sanctuary,
watering all the parks and gardens!
But Egypt will be reduced to weeds in a vacant lot,
Edom turned into barren badlands,
All because of brutalities to the Judean people,
the atrocities and murders of helpless innocents.
Meanwhile, Judah will be filled with people,
Jerusalem inhabited forever.
The sins I haven’t already forgiven, I’ll forgive.”
God has moved into Zion for good.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, March 05, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight: Acts 16:6–10
Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia
6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygiaz and Galatia,a having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.b 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesusc would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.d 9 During the night Paul had a visione of a man of Macedoniaf standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, weg got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospelh to them.
Insight
In Paul’s vision in Acts 16:9–10, the man from Macedonia isn’t identified. However, we learn something about him in verse 9. The word translated “help” (boetheo) means “come to the aid of” and indicates the need for assistance, showing the man needed someone to physically come to him. It seems to refer to someone who doesn’t know the gospel or even how he can be helped.
It’s interesting to note there’s a pronoun shift from they (vv. 6–9) to we in verse 10: “After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia.” Most scholars believe this indicates that Luke (the author of Acts) had now joined the group.
For further study, read The Book of Acts at discoveryseries.org/q0418.
Plans Disrupted
Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21
Jane’s plans to become a speech therapist ended when an internship revealed the job was too emotionally challenging for her. Then she was given the opportunity to write for a magazine. She’d never seen herself as an author, but years later she found herself advocating for needy families through her writing. “Looking back, I can see why God changed my plans,” she says. “He had a bigger plan for me.”
The Bible has many stories of disrupted plans. On his second missionary journey, Paul had sought to bring the gospel into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus stopped him (Acts 16:6–7). This must have seemed mystifying: Why was Jesus disrupting plans that were in line with a God-given mission? The answer came in a dream one night: Macedonia needed him even more. There, Paul would plant the first church in Europe. Solomon also observed, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21).
It’s sensible to make plans. A well-known adage goes, “Fail to plan, and you plan to fail.” But God may disrupt our plans with His own. Our challenge is to listen and obey, knowing we can trust God. If we submit to His will, we’ll find ourselves fitting into His purpose for our lives.
As we continue to make plans, we can add a new twist: Plan to listen. Listen to God’s plan. By: Leslie Koh
Reflect & Pray
How can you submit your plans to God today? How can you listen to His plans?
All-knowing God, give me the faith to listen to You when my plans are disrupted, knowing that You have a greater purpose for my life.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, March 05, 2020
Is He Really My Lord?
…so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus… —Acts 20:24
Joy comes from seeing the complete fulfillment of the specific purpose for which I was created and born again, not from successfully doing something of my own choosing. The joy our Lord experienced came from doing what the Father sent Him to do. And He says to us, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21). Have you received a ministry from the Lord? If so, you must be faithful to it— to consider your life valuable only for the purpose of fulfilling that ministry. Knowing that you have done what Jesus sent you to do, think how satisfying it will be to hear Him say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). We each have to find a niche in life, and spiritually we find it when we receive a ministry from the Lord. To do this we must have close fellowship with Jesus and must know Him as more than our personal Savior. And we must be willing to experience the full impact of Acts 9:16 — “I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
“Do you love Me?” Then, “Feed My sheep” (John 21:17). He is not offering us a choice of how we can serve Him; He is asking for absolute loyalty to His commission, a faithfulness to what we discern when we are in the closest possible fellowship with God. If you have received a ministry from the Lord Jesus, you will know that the need is not the same as the call— the need is the opportunity to exercise the call. The call is to be faithful to the ministry you received when you were in true fellowship with Him. This does not imply that there is a whole series of differing ministries marked out for you. It does mean that you must be sensitive to what God has called you to do, and this may sometimes require ignoring demands for service in other areas.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We have no right to judge where we should be put, or to have preconceived notions as to what God is fitting us for. God engineers everything; wherever He puts us, our one great aim is to pour out a whole-hearted devotion to Him in that particular work. “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.” My Utmost for His Highest, April 23, 773 L
Bible in a Year: Numbers 34-36; Mark 9:30-50
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, March 05, 2020
Fear Goes Viral - #8649
North Dakota's a long way from Wuhan, China. But our friend Wes has been seeing more and more customers wearing masks in the local Walmart. He says he's going to start telling them "to calm down." Then, thinking of how fear can spook the stock market, he said, "Then I'm going to thank them for destroying my 401(k)."
Well that may not be the best response but it is a reflection of the increasing fear that a whole lot of people are feeling right now. I mean, you think about the impact of this one virus - cities shut down and economies slowing down. Travel cancellations. Wall Street in freefall. Major events being cancelled.
Some are calling it a pandemic, which means it's everywhere. But beyond any medical pandemic there is another pandemic. Fear.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Fear Goes Viral."
You know as bad as the Coronavirus scare is, this anxiety thing is even bigger than that. I was with some mission leaders from around the world recently and they basically summed up what's going on in the world this way - "The nations are being shaken." And they are.
So many peoples. So many places. And now we've got this ominous cloud of Coronavirus hanging over us. So many unknowns. So many disturbing possibilities. And, so much fear.
Now, Precautions are good but panic and paralysis...no, they're not. But we feel vulnerable - and it's more than a feeling. We really are vulnerable. You think, for example, what happens when we have an extended power outage. Or with the pervasive dependence we have on technology, what happens if there's a cyber meltdown or attack? There's a lot to fear. Or maybe not.
The most repeated command in the world's best-selling book, the Bible, is this... "Do not be afraid."
Really? Do not be afraid? With runaway viruses...metastasized terror threats...and political storm clouds...financial storm clouds and mass shootings...and then even our personal crises like getting bad news from the doctor.
Is it reasonable to ask us to "not be afraid"? Well, not if our security is something vulnerable. Something we could lose.
The Bible says in Psalm 11, "When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" Well that's a fascinating question because our foundations are shaking right now. And then it goes on to say this, "The Lord is in His holy temple. The Lord is on His heavenly throne" (Psalm 11:3-4). In other words, when everything's out of control, God is still ultimately in control. So He says in our word for today form the Word of God in Isaiah 43 beginning with verse 1, "Do not fear…when you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you…for I am the Lord your God…I love you".
I've been in several life-threatening situations on airlines, I've heard a doctor say my wife was "Code Blue." Thinking I would lose the love of my life that day. In many situations like that, God has come along with this supernatural peace.
Because my Anchor held. Here's how it's described in Romans 8, "Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord". That's my anchor. It's a Relationship that's disease-proof, it's disaster-proof, it's death-proof. I don't deserve this love but I can't lose it. It was proven when Jesus died on the cross to absorb the death penalty for me, for you, rejecting God's rule of our life. And then, He was resurrected three days later and He validated His power to beat even death. Let me tell you, that's an anchor that holds.
And as for our loved ones. The Bible says, "I know the One in whom I trust, and I am sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him" (2 Timothy 1:12). This relationship is life's one anchor that holds.
Several years ago there were monster tornadoes in Oklahoma and I read about this mother and daughter who barely got the door on their safe room closed in
time. A couple hours later they went out to find their neighborhood gone - their house gone. They lost a lot that day. But they were okay because they had one place that could survive the storm.
Millions of people have found that in Jesus. I'm one of them. And you can be.
You want to know how to get started in that relationship with Him? Go to our website - ANewStory.com. Because Jesus, in this world, is your one safe place.
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Joel 2, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: JOINT HEIRS WITH CHRIST
God sought you. He searched you out. Before you knew you needed adopting, he’d already filed the papers. Listen to this passage from Romans 8:29, “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”
What’s more, he covered the adoption fees. “God sent him, speaking of Christ, to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children” (Galatians 4:5).
The moment we accept his offer we go from orphans to heirs. Heirs! Heirs with a new name. A new home…a new life! Heaven knows no stepchildren or grandchildren. You and Christ share the same will. What he inherits, you inherit. And you are headed home.
Joel 2
Blow the ram’s horn trumpet in Zion!
Trumpet the alarm on my holy mountain!
Shake the country up!
God’s Judgment’s on its way—the Day’s almost here!
A black day! A Doomsday!
Clouds with no silver lining!
Like dawn light moving over the mountains,
a huge army is coming.
There’s never been anything like it
and never will be again.
Wildfire burns everything before this army
and fire licks up everything in its wake.
Before it arrives, the country is like the Garden of Eden.
When it leaves, it is Death Valley.
Nothing escapes unscathed.
4-6 The locust army seems all horses—
galloping horses, an army of horses.
It sounds like thunder
leaping on mountain ridges,
Or like the roar of wildfire
through grass and brush,
Or like an invincible army shouting for blood,
ready to fight, straining at the bit.
At the sight of this army,
the people panic, faces white with terror.
7-11 The invaders charge.
They climb barricades. Nothing stops them.
Each soldier does what he’s told,
so disciplined, so determined.
They don’t get in each other’s way.
Each one knows his job and does it.
Undaunted and fearless,
unswerving, unstoppable.
They storm the city,
swarm its defenses,
Loot the houses,
breaking down doors, smashing windows.
They arrive like an earthquake,
sweep through like a tornado.
Sun and moon turn out their lights,
stars black out.
God himself bellows in thunder
as he commands his forces.
Look at the size of that army!
And the strength of those who obey him!
God’s Judgment Day—great and terrible.
Who can possibly survive this?
12 But there’s also this, it’s not too late—
God’s personal Message!—
“Come back to me and really mean it!
Come fasting and weeping, sorry for your sins!”
13-14 Change your life, not just your clothes.
Come back to God, your God.
And here’s why: God is kind and merciful.
He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot,
This most patient God, extravagant in love,
always ready to cancel catastrophe.
Who knows? Maybe he’ll do it now,
maybe he’ll turn around and show pity.
Maybe, when all’s said and done,
there’ll be blessings full and robust for your God!
15-17 Blow the ram’s horn trumpet in Zion!
Declare a day of repentance, a holy fast day.
Call a public meeting.
Get everyone there. Consecrate the congregation.
Make sure the elders come,
but bring in the children, too, even the nursing babies,
Even men and women on their honeymoon—
interrupt them and get them there.
Between Sanctuary entrance and altar,
let the priests, God’s servants, weep tears of repentance.
Let them intercede: “Have mercy, God, on your people!
Don’t abandon your heritage to contempt.
Don’t let the pagans take over and rule them
and sneer, ‘And so where is this God of theirs?’”
18-20 At that, God went into action to get his land back.
He took pity on his people.
God answered and spoke to his people,
“Look, listen—I’m sending a gift:
Grain and wine and olive oil.
The fast is over—eat your fill!
I won’t expose you any longer
to contempt among the pagans.
I’ll head off the final enemy coming out of the north
and dump them in a wasteland.
Half of them will end up in the Dead Sea,
the other half in the Mediterranean.
There they’ll rot, a stench to high heaven.
The bigger the enemy, the stronger the stench!”
21-24 Fear not, Earth! Be glad and celebrate!
God has done great things.
Fear not, wild animals!
The fields and meadows are greening up.
The trees are bearing fruit again:
a bumper crop of fig trees and vines!
Children of Zion, celebrate!
Be glad in your God.
He’s giving you a teacher
to train you how to live right—
Teaching, like rain out of heaven, showers of words
to refresh and nourish your soul, just as he used to do.
And plenty of food for your body—silos full of grain,
casks of wine and barrels of olive oil.
25-27 “I’ll make up for the years of the locust,
the great locust devastation—
Locusts savage, locusts deadly,
fierce locusts, locusts of doom,
That great locust invasion
I sent your way.
You’ll eat your fill of good food.
You’ll be full of praises to your God,
The God who has set you back on your heels in wonder.
Never again will my people be despised.
You’ll know without question
that I’m in the thick of life with Israel,
That I’m your God, yes, your God,
the one and only real God.
Never again will my people be despised.
28-32 “And that’s just the beginning: After that—
“I will pour out my Spirit
on every kind of people:
Your sons will prophesy,
also your daughters.
Your old men will dream,
your young men will see visions.
I’ll even pour out my Spirit on the servants,
men and women both.
I’ll set wonders in the sky above
and signs on the earth below:
Blood and fire and billowing smoke,
the sun turning black and the moon blood-red,
Before the Judgment Day of God,
the Day tremendous and awesome.
Whoever calls, ‘Help, God!’
gets help.
On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
there will be a great rescue—just as God said.
Included in the survivors
are those that God calls.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, March 04, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Mark 9:2–10
The Transfiguration
After six days Jesus took Peter, James and Johnr with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white,s whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi,t it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)
7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud:u “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”v
8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyonew what they had seen until the Son of Manx had risen from the dead. 10 They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant.
Insight
It’s interesting to see both Moses and Elijah join Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9:4). Though separated by many years, the ministries of Moses and Elijah had much in common. God used Moses to part the Red Sea with the symbol of his authority, the shepherd’s staff (Exodus 14:15–16). Meanwhile, Elijah parted the Jordan River with his cloak—which represented his prophetic office (2 Kings 2:6–8). Both had a significant encounter with God on Mount Sinai/Horeb (Exodus 34; 1 Kings 19). God provided food miraculously for Moses (and Israel) in the wilderness (Exodus 16), and did the same for Elijah during the drought-induced famine he’d prophesied (1 Kings 17). And both Moses and Elijah were succeeded by men (Joshua and Elisha—see Joshua 1:1–2; 1 Kings 19:16) whose names mean “The Lord/God saves.” Scholar H. H. Rowley said of the ministries of these Old Testament giants, “Without Moses the religion of Yahweh as it figured in the Old Testament would never have been born. Without Elijah it would have died.”
Live Wire
We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 2 Peter 1:16
I felt like I had touched a live wire,” said Professor Holly Ordway, describing her reaction to John Donne’s majestic poem “Holy Sonnet 14.” There’s something happening in this poetry, she thought. I wonder what it is. Ordway recalls it as the moment her previously atheistic worldview allowed for the possibility of the supernatural. Eventually she would believe in the transforming reality of the resurrected Christ.
Touching a live wire—that must have been how Peter, James, and John felt on the day Jesus took them to a mountaintop, where they witnessed a dramatic transformation. Christ’s “clothes became dazzling white” (Mark 9:3) and Elijah and Moses appeared—an event we know today as the transfiguration.
Descending from the mountain, Jesus told the disciples not to tell anyone what they’d seen until He’d risen (v. 9). But they didn’t even know what He meant by “rising from the dead” (v. 10).
The disciples’ understanding of Jesus was woefully incomplete, because they couldn’t conceive of a destiny that included His death and resurrection. But eventually their experiences with their resurrected Lord would utterly transform their lives. Late in his life, Peter described his encounter with Christ’s transfiguration as the time when the disciples were first “eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16).
As Professor Ordway and the disciples learned, when we encounter the power of Jesus we touch a “live wire.” There’s something happening here. The living Christ beckons us. By: Tim Gustafson
Reflect & Pray
What are some of your “live wire” experiences: moments when you encountered God in a radically new way? How has your knowledge of Him changed over time?
Father, when we approach You in prayer, we come to what we don’t comprehend. Forgive us for taking for granted the majesty of Your presence.
To learn more about the life of Jesus, visit christianuniversity.org/NT111.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, March 04, 2020
Is This True of Me?
None of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself… —Acts 20:24
It is easier to serve or work for God without a vision and without a call, because then you are not bothered by what He requires. Common sense, covered with a layer of Christian emotion, becomes your guide. You may be more prosperous and successful from the world’s perspective, and will have more leisure time, if you never acknowledge the call of God. But once you receive a commission from Jesus Christ, the memory of what God asks of you will always be there to prod you on to do His will. You will no longer be able to work for Him on the basis of common sense.
What do I count in my life as “dear to myself”? If I have not been seized by Jesus Christ and have not surrendered myself to Him, I will consider the time I decide to give God and my own ideas of service as dear. I will also consider my own life as “dear to myself.” But Paul said he considered his life dear so that he might fulfill the ministry he had received, and he refused to use his energy on anything else. This verse shows an almost noble annoyance by Paul at being asked to consider himself. He was absolutely indifferent to any consideration other than that of fulfilling the ministry he had received. Our ordinary and reasonable service to God may actually compete against our total surrender to Him. Our reasonable work is based on the following argument which we say to ourselves, “Remember how useful you are here, and think how much value you would be in that particular type of work.” That attitude chooses our own judgment, instead of Jesus Christ, to be our guide as to where we should go and where we could be used the most. Never consider whether or not you are of use— but always consider that “you are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19). You are His.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
To live a life alone with God does not mean that we live it apart from everyone else. The connection between godly men and women and those associated with them is continually revealed in the Bible, e.g., 1 Timothy 4:10. Not Knowing Whither, 867 L
Bible in a Year: Numbers 31-33; Mark 9:1-29
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, March 04, 2020
Making the Days Left Really Count - #8648
It was one of those unexpected phone calls that leaves you stunned. Our friend Curt, one of the most experienced private pilots we know, had crashed two hours earlier. He was landing on a grass strip near his home, a strip where he's landed hundreds of times. This time he somehow went into a skid that propelled his plane right into a tree. The plane caught fire and exploded, and our friend Curt was in heaven. As a beloved leader in our community, I can tell you that his death rocked a lot of people, including me. Because of a collapsed wheel, he had been in a crash fourteen months earlier; one which should have been fatal but which he actually escaped from with serious but survivable injuries. I can't tell you how grateful I am he did not die then. See, something very important happened between those two crashes.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Making the Days Left Really Count."
It was my privilege to be asked by Curt's wife to talk about his faith at his funeral and the powerful changes that had taken place since that first crash. The word for that day from the Word of God is our word today. It's like a scale on which you can weigh the significance of your life and what you're living it for. You ready? Here it is: Philippians 1:20-21 - "I eagerly expect and hope that...Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain."
Now, we all need to honestly fill in the blank, "For to me to live is _________." See, the true answer - not the spiritual answer - might be, "For me to live is my business, my sports, my home, my kids, my success. For me to live is my family, or my friends, or my education, my dream. And maybe you should just put the name of the most important person in your life in that blank to fill it in. Here's the problem: if you're living for any of those things, to die is to lose it all. It's only when for you "to live is Christ" that to die will be gain.
When our friend Curt went down the first time, I'm not sure what he was living for. He was always a good man, but I think he would have said he wasn't always God's man. But after that crash he said, "God spared me for a reason." And he concluded that one major reason was for him to live for Christ in such a way that the people he cared about, the people who looked to him, would want his Jesus so they could be in heaven with him someday. And you know what? Curt began to live in such a way that "Christ would be exalted" by his life. And because he did, Christ was really exalted by his death.
In the months after that first crash, Curt had boldly told so many people in his large circle of influence about the Christ who died for them and for him. And it was only logical that his funeral would do the same thing - to give those he had touched the opportunity he had had - a wakeup call from a plane crash that would bring them into a vital relationship with Jesus Christ. But if you haven't lived to show Christ to people, well then, your death really can't lift Him up.
The death of a man or a woman who has really lived passionately for Christ can have such incredible meaning - helping others be in heaven with you. But a life not lived for Christ just can't have that kind of meaning. Death destroys every reason for living but one - living for Jesus and what matters to Him.
If Curt were here today, I believe he would tell you, "Don't wait to surrender your life and your influence to Jesus. You never know how many days you have left to
make your life count for something that's going to last forever." And, for sure, Jesus would tell you that. In fact, I believe He is telling you that - right now.
"Someday" isn't soon enough to give everything you've got to Jesus. No, it needs to be this day.
God sought you. He searched you out. Before you knew you needed adopting, he’d already filed the papers. Listen to this passage from Romans 8:29, “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”
What’s more, he covered the adoption fees. “God sent him, speaking of Christ, to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children” (Galatians 4:5).
The moment we accept his offer we go from orphans to heirs. Heirs! Heirs with a new name. A new home…a new life! Heaven knows no stepchildren or grandchildren. You and Christ share the same will. What he inherits, you inherit. And you are headed home.
Joel 2
Blow the ram’s horn trumpet in Zion!
Trumpet the alarm on my holy mountain!
Shake the country up!
God’s Judgment’s on its way—the Day’s almost here!
A black day! A Doomsday!
Clouds with no silver lining!
Like dawn light moving over the mountains,
a huge army is coming.
There’s never been anything like it
and never will be again.
Wildfire burns everything before this army
and fire licks up everything in its wake.
Before it arrives, the country is like the Garden of Eden.
When it leaves, it is Death Valley.
Nothing escapes unscathed.
4-6 The locust army seems all horses—
galloping horses, an army of horses.
It sounds like thunder
leaping on mountain ridges,
Or like the roar of wildfire
through grass and brush,
Or like an invincible army shouting for blood,
ready to fight, straining at the bit.
At the sight of this army,
the people panic, faces white with terror.
7-11 The invaders charge.
They climb barricades. Nothing stops them.
Each soldier does what he’s told,
so disciplined, so determined.
They don’t get in each other’s way.
Each one knows his job and does it.
Undaunted and fearless,
unswerving, unstoppable.
They storm the city,
swarm its defenses,
Loot the houses,
breaking down doors, smashing windows.
They arrive like an earthquake,
sweep through like a tornado.
Sun and moon turn out their lights,
stars black out.
God himself bellows in thunder
as he commands his forces.
Look at the size of that army!
And the strength of those who obey him!
God’s Judgment Day—great and terrible.
Who can possibly survive this?
12 But there’s also this, it’s not too late—
God’s personal Message!—
“Come back to me and really mean it!
Come fasting and weeping, sorry for your sins!”
13-14 Change your life, not just your clothes.
Come back to God, your God.
And here’s why: God is kind and merciful.
He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot,
This most patient God, extravagant in love,
always ready to cancel catastrophe.
Who knows? Maybe he’ll do it now,
maybe he’ll turn around and show pity.
Maybe, when all’s said and done,
there’ll be blessings full and robust for your God!
15-17 Blow the ram’s horn trumpet in Zion!
Declare a day of repentance, a holy fast day.
Call a public meeting.
Get everyone there. Consecrate the congregation.
Make sure the elders come,
but bring in the children, too, even the nursing babies,
Even men and women on their honeymoon—
interrupt them and get them there.
Between Sanctuary entrance and altar,
let the priests, God’s servants, weep tears of repentance.
Let them intercede: “Have mercy, God, on your people!
Don’t abandon your heritage to contempt.
Don’t let the pagans take over and rule them
and sneer, ‘And so where is this God of theirs?’”
18-20 At that, God went into action to get his land back.
He took pity on his people.
God answered and spoke to his people,
“Look, listen—I’m sending a gift:
Grain and wine and olive oil.
The fast is over—eat your fill!
I won’t expose you any longer
to contempt among the pagans.
I’ll head off the final enemy coming out of the north
and dump them in a wasteland.
Half of them will end up in the Dead Sea,
the other half in the Mediterranean.
There they’ll rot, a stench to high heaven.
The bigger the enemy, the stronger the stench!”
21-24 Fear not, Earth! Be glad and celebrate!
God has done great things.
Fear not, wild animals!
The fields and meadows are greening up.
The trees are bearing fruit again:
a bumper crop of fig trees and vines!
Children of Zion, celebrate!
Be glad in your God.
He’s giving you a teacher
to train you how to live right—
Teaching, like rain out of heaven, showers of words
to refresh and nourish your soul, just as he used to do.
And plenty of food for your body—silos full of grain,
casks of wine and barrels of olive oil.
25-27 “I’ll make up for the years of the locust,
the great locust devastation—
Locusts savage, locusts deadly,
fierce locusts, locusts of doom,
That great locust invasion
I sent your way.
You’ll eat your fill of good food.
You’ll be full of praises to your God,
The God who has set you back on your heels in wonder.
Never again will my people be despised.
You’ll know without question
that I’m in the thick of life with Israel,
That I’m your God, yes, your God,
the one and only real God.
Never again will my people be despised.
28-32 “And that’s just the beginning: After that—
“I will pour out my Spirit
on every kind of people:
Your sons will prophesy,
also your daughters.
Your old men will dream,
your young men will see visions.
I’ll even pour out my Spirit on the servants,
men and women both.
I’ll set wonders in the sky above
and signs on the earth below:
Blood and fire and billowing smoke,
the sun turning black and the moon blood-red,
Before the Judgment Day of God,
the Day tremendous and awesome.
Whoever calls, ‘Help, God!’
gets help.
On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
there will be a great rescue—just as God said.
Included in the survivors
are those that God calls.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, March 04, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Mark 9:2–10
The Transfiguration
After six days Jesus took Peter, James and Johnr with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white,s whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi,t it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)
7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud:u “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”v
8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyonew what they had seen until the Son of Manx had risen from the dead. 10 They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant.
Insight
It’s interesting to see both Moses and Elijah join Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9:4). Though separated by many years, the ministries of Moses and Elijah had much in common. God used Moses to part the Red Sea with the symbol of his authority, the shepherd’s staff (Exodus 14:15–16). Meanwhile, Elijah parted the Jordan River with his cloak—which represented his prophetic office (2 Kings 2:6–8). Both had a significant encounter with God on Mount Sinai/Horeb (Exodus 34; 1 Kings 19). God provided food miraculously for Moses (and Israel) in the wilderness (Exodus 16), and did the same for Elijah during the drought-induced famine he’d prophesied (1 Kings 17). And both Moses and Elijah were succeeded by men (Joshua and Elisha—see Joshua 1:1–2; 1 Kings 19:16) whose names mean “The Lord/God saves.” Scholar H. H. Rowley said of the ministries of these Old Testament giants, “Without Moses the religion of Yahweh as it figured in the Old Testament would never have been born. Without Elijah it would have died.”
Live Wire
We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 2 Peter 1:16
I felt like I had touched a live wire,” said Professor Holly Ordway, describing her reaction to John Donne’s majestic poem “Holy Sonnet 14.” There’s something happening in this poetry, she thought. I wonder what it is. Ordway recalls it as the moment her previously atheistic worldview allowed for the possibility of the supernatural. Eventually she would believe in the transforming reality of the resurrected Christ.
Touching a live wire—that must have been how Peter, James, and John felt on the day Jesus took them to a mountaintop, where they witnessed a dramatic transformation. Christ’s “clothes became dazzling white” (Mark 9:3) and Elijah and Moses appeared—an event we know today as the transfiguration.
Descending from the mountain, Jesus told the disciples not to tell anyone what they’d seen until He’d risen (v. 9). But they didn’t even know what He meant by “rising from the dead” (v. 10).
The disciples’ understanding of Jesus was woefully incomplete, because they couldn’t conceive of a destiny that included His death and resurrection. But eventually their experiences with their resurrected Lord would utterly transform their lives. Late in his life, Peter described his encounter with Christ’s transfiguration as the time when the disciples were first “eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16).
As Professor Ordway and the disciples learned, when we encounter the power of Jesus we touch a “live wire.” There’s something happening here. The living Christ beckons us. By: Tim Gustafson
Reflect & Pray
What are some of your “live wire” experiences: moments when you encountered God in a radically new way? How has your knowledge of Him changed over time?
Father, when we approach You in prayer, we come to what we don’t comprehend. Forgive us for taking for granted the majesty of Your presence.
To learn more about the life of Jesus, visit christianuniversity.org/NT111.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, March 04, 2020
Is This True of Me?
None of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself… —Acts 20:24
It is easier to serve or work for God without a vision and without a call, because then you are not bothered by what He requires. Common sense, covered with a layer of Christian emotion, becomes your guide. You may be more prosperous and successful from the world’s perspective, and will have more leisure time, if you never acknowledge the call of God. But once you receive a commission from Jesus Christ, the memory of what God asks of you will always be there to prod you on to do His will. You will no longer be able to work for Him on the basis of common sense.
What do I count in my life as “dear to myself”? If I have not been seized by Jesus Christ and have not surrendered myself to Him, I will consider the time I decide to give God and my own ideas of service as dear. I will also consider my own life as “dear to myself.” But Paul said he considered his life dear so that he might fulfill the ministry he had received, and he refused to use his energy on anything else. This verse shows an almost noble annoyance by Paul at being asked to consider himself. He was absolutely indifferent to any consideration other than that of fulfilling the ministry he had received. Our ordinary and reasonable service to God may actually compete against our total surrender to Him. Our reasonable work is based on the following argument which we say to ourselves, “Remember how useful you are here, and think how much value you would be in that particular type of work.” That attitude chooses our own judgment, instead of Jesus Christ, to be our guide as to where we should go and where we could be used the most. Never consider whether or not you are of use— but always consider that “you are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19). You are His.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
To live a life alone with God does not mean that we live it apart from everyone else. The connection between godly men and women and those associated with them is continually revealed in the Bible, e.g., 1 Timothy 4:10. Not Knowing Whither, 867 L
Bible in a Year: Numbers 31-33; Mark 9:1-29
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, March 04, 2020
Making the Days Left Really Count - #8648
It was one of those unexpected phone calls that leaves you stunned. Our friend Curt, one of the most experienced private pilots we know, had crashed two hours earlier. He was landing on a grass strip near his home, a strip where he's landed hundreds of times. This time he somehow went into a skid that propelled his plane right into a tree. The plane caught fire and exploded, and our friend Curt was in heaven. As a beloved leader in our community, I can tell you that his death rocked a lot of people, including me. Because of a collapsed wheel, he had been in a crash fourteen months earlier; one which should have been fatal but which he actually escaped from with serious but survivable injuries. I can't tell you how grateful I am he did not die then. See, something very important happened between those two crashes.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Making the Days Left Really Count."
It was my privilege to be asked by Curt's wife to talk about his faith at his funeral and the powerful changes that had taken place since that first crash. The word for that day from the Word of God is our word today. It's like a scale on which you can weigh the significance of your life and what you're living it for. You ready? Here it is: Philippians 1:20-21 - "I eagerly expect and hope that...Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain."
Now, we all need to honestly fill in the blank, "For to me to live is _________." See, the true answer - not the spiritual answer - might be, "For me to live is my business, my sports, my home, my kids, my success. For me to live is my family, or my friends, or my education, my dream. And maybe you should just put the name of the most important person in your life in that blank to fill it in. Here's the problem: if you're living for any of those things, to die is to lose it all. It's only when for you "to live is Christ" that to die will be gain.
When our friend Curt went down the first time, I'm not sure what he was living for. He was always a good man, but I think he would have said he wasn't always God's man. But after that crash he said, "God spared me for a reason." And he concluded that one major reason was for him to live for Christ in such a way that the people he cared about, the people who looked to him, would want his Jesus so they could be in heaven with him someday. And you know what? Curt began to live in such a way that "Christ would be exalted" by his life. And because he did, Christ was really exalted by his death.
In the months after that first crash, Curt had boldly told so many people in his large circle of influence about the Christ who died for them and for him. And it was only logical that his funeral would do the same thing - to give those he had touched the opportunity he had had - a wakeup call from a plane crash that would bring them into a vital relationship with Jesus Christ. But if you haven't lived to show Christ to people, well then, your death really can't lift Him up.
The death of a man or a woman who has really lived passionately for Christ can have such incredible meaning - helping others be in heaven with you. But a life not lived for Christ just can't have that kind of meaning. Death destroys every reason for living but one - living for Jesus and what matters to Him.
If Curt were here today, I believe he would tell you, "Don't wait to surrender your life and your influence to Jesus. You never know how many days you have left to
make your life count for something that's going to last forever." And, for sure, Jesus would tell you that. In fact, I believe He is telling you that - right now.
"Someday" isn't soon enough to give everything you've got to Jesus. No, it needs to be this day.
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
2 Chronicles 23, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: LOOK AT JESUS
These words are found in the book of Psalms: “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand” (Psalm 37:23–24). Do the words of the psalmist surprise you? Where did we get this idea of a God who does not care, who is not near? We certainly didn’t get it from Jesus.
Jesus Christ is the perfect picture of God. Want to know how God feels about the sick? Look at Jesus. What angers God? Look at Jesus. Does God ever give up on people? Does he stand up for people? Find the answer in Jesus. Hebrews 1:3 says, “The Son is the radiance and only expression of the glory of our awesome God…and the exact representation and perfect imprint of His Father’s essence.”
2 Chronicles 23
In the seventh year the priest Jehoiada decided to make his move and worked out a strategy with certain influential officers in the army. He picked Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zicri as his associates. They dispersed throughout Judah and called in the Levites from all the towns in Judah along with the heads of families. They met in Jerusalem. The gathering met in The Temple of God. They made a covenant there in The Temple.
3-7 The priest Jehoiada showed them the young prince and addressed them: “Here he is—the son of the king. He is going to rule just as God promised regarding the sons of David. Now this is what you must do: A third of you priests and Levites who come on duty on the Sabbath are to be posted as security guards at the gates; another third will guard the palace; and the other third will guard the foundation gate. All the people will gather in the courtyards of The Temple of God. No one may enter The Temple of God except the priests and designated Levites—they are permitted in because they’ve been consecrated, but all the people must do the work assigned them. The Levites are to form a ring around the young king, weapons at the ready. Kill anyone who tries to break through your ranks. Your job is to stay with the king at all times and places, coming and going.”
8-10 All the Levites and officers obeyed the orders of Jehoiada the priest. Each took charge of his men, both those who came on duty on the Sabbath and those who went off duty on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest hadn’t exempted any of them from duty. Then the priest armed the officers with spears and the large and small shields originally belonging to King David that were stored in The Temple of God. Well-armed, the guards took up their assigned positions for protecting the king, from one end of The Temple to the other, surrounding both Altar and Temple.
11 Then the priest brought the prince into view, crowned him, handed him the scroll of God’s covenant, and made him king. As Jehoiada and his sons anointed him they shouted, “Long live the king!”
12-13 Athaliah, hearing all the commotion, the people running around and praising the king, came to The Temple to see what was going on. Astonished, she saw the young king standing at the entrance flanked by the captains and heralds, with everybody beside themselves with joy, trumpets blaring, the choir and orchestra leading the praise. Athaliah ripped her robes in dismay and shouted, “Treason! Treason!”
14-15 Jehoiada the priest ordered the military officers, “Drag her outside—and kill anyone who tries to follow her!” (The priest had said, “Don’t kill her inside The Temple of God.”) So they dragged her out to the palace’s horse corral and there they killed her.
16 Jehoiada now made a covenant between himself and the king and the people: they were to be God’s special people.
17 The people poured into the temple of Baal and tore it down, smashing altar and images to smithereens. They killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altar.
18-21 Jehoiada turned the care of God’s Temple over to the priests and Levites, the way David had directed originally. They were to offer the Whole-Burnt-Offerings of God as set out in The Revelation of Moses, and with praise and song as directed by David. He also assigned security guards at the gates of God’s Temple so that no one who was unprepared could enter. Then he got everyone together—officers, nobles, governors, and the people themselves—and escorted the king down from The Temple of God, through the Upper Gate, and placed him on the royal throne. Everybody celebrated the event. And the city was safe and undisturbed—Athaliah had been killed; no more Athaliah terror.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, March 03, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Jeremiah 1:1–8
The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathotha in the territory of Benjamin. 2 The word of the Lord cameb to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiahc son of Amon king of Judah, 3 and through the reign of Jehoiakimd son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiahe son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.f
The Call of Jeremiah
4 The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
5 “Before I formed you in the wombg I knewa h you,
before you were borni I set you apart;j
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.k”
6 “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak;l I am too young.”m
7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraidn of them, for I am with youo and will rescuep you,” declares the Lord.q
Insight
Scripture records God speaking directly to only a few people; for example, Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden (Genesis 1–3), Abram (ch. 12), Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3) and on Mount Sinai (ch. 31), and Elijah on Mount Horeb/Sinai (1 Kings 19). He also spoke directly to the prophets who wrote the prophetic books of the Old Testament. The phrase “the word of the Lord came to me” or “this is what the Lord says” is found throughout most of the prophetic books (see Jeremiah 1:4). When God speaks, He reveals something of Himself. In Jeremiah 1:1–8, He reveals Himself as creator (v. 5), director (v. 7), and rescuer (v. 8). We learn who God is through His own self-revelation.
Fully Known
Before I formed you . . . I knew you. Jeremiah 1:5
“You shouldn’t be here right now. Someone up there was looking out for you,” the tow truck driver told my mother after he had pulled her car from the edge of a steep mountain ravine and studied the tire tracks leading up to the wreck. Mom was pregnant with me at the time. As I grew, she often recounted the story of how God saved both our lives that day, and she assured me that God valued me even before I was born.
None of us escape our omniscient (all-knowing) Creator’s notice. More than 2,500 years ago He told the prophet Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5). God knows us more intimately than any person ever could and is able to give our lives purpose and meaning unlike any other. He not only formed us through His wisdom and power, but He also sustains every moment of our existence—including the personal details that occur every moment without our awareness: from the beating of our hearts to the intricate functioning of our brains. Reflecting on how our heavenly Father holds together every aspect of our existence, David exclaimed, “How precious to me are your thoughts, God!” (Psalm 139:17).
God is closer to us than our last breath. He made us, knows us, and loves us, and He’s ever worthy of our worship and praise. By: James Banks
Reflect & Pray
For what aspect of God’s care would you like to praise Him this moment? How can you encourage someone with the thought that He cares for them today?
You’re amazing, God! Thank You for holding me up and getting me through every moment of the day.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, March 03, 2020
His Commission to Us
Feed My sheep. —John 21:17
This is love in the making. The love of God is not created— it is His nature. When we receive the life of Christ through the Holy Spirit, He unites us with God so that His love is demonstrated in us. The goal of the indwelling Holy Spirit is not just to unite us with God, but to do it in such a way that we will be one with the Father in exactly the same way Jesus was. And what kind of oneness did Jesus Christ have with the Father? He had such a oneness with the Father that He was obedient when His Father sent Him down here to be poured out for us. And He says to us, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21).
Peter now realizes that he does love Him, due to the revelation that came with the Lord’s piercing question. The Lord’s next point is— “Pour yourself out. Don’t testify about how much you love Me and don’t talk about the wonderful revelation you have had, just ‘Feed My sheep.’ ” Jesus has some extraordinarily peculiar sheep: some that are unkempt and dirty, some that are awkward or pushy, and some that have gone astray! But it is impossible to exhaust God’s love, and it is impossible to exhaust my love if it flows from the Spirit of God within me. The love of God pays no attention to my prejudices caused by my natural individuality. If I love my Lord, I have no business being guided by natural emotions— I have to feed His sheep. We will not be delivered or released from His commission to us. Beware of counterfeiting the love of God by following your own natural human emotions, sympathies, or understandings. That will only serve to revile and abuse the true love of God.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Am I getting nobler, better, more helpful, more humble, as I get older? Am I exhibiting the life that men take knowledge of as having been with Jesus, or am I getting more self-assertive, more deliberately determined to have my own way? It is a great thing to tell yourself the truth.
The Place of Help
Bible in a Year: Numbers 28-30; Mark 8:22-38
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, March 03, 2020
How to Travel Far - #8647
For some people, a long drive is anything more than an hour or two. Over the years for my wife and me, well, it just had to be many hours before we could call it a long drive. Oh, good night, I think back! We've driven so many marathon trips over the years and, for the most part, we've enjoyed it...if we traveled together. It's not fun driving a long haul alone. In fact, unless you're a professional long-hauler, it's not even safe to drive a long trip alone. It never is a good idea to nap and drive simultaneously I believe. If you really want to cover a lot of miles, take somebody with you. You can go a lot longer. Oh sure, that second person might slow you down a little sometimes, but hey, they're worth it. There's an old African proverb that says it pretty well: "If you want to travel fast, travel alone. If you want to travel far, travel together." That's cool, huh?
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How to Travel Far."
Of course, that proverb applies to much more than just a long-haul drive. You need to travel together with others for most of life's journeys: physical journeys, emotional journeys, and spiritual journeys. You'll just get a lot more done together.
That was one of the secrets of the survival and the amazing success of the first followers of Jesus Christ. They were new believers trying to stand for Christ in a city that was very hostile to anything about Jesus. They were a tiny minority. The odds were against them, but they won big-time!
Well, here's our word for today from the Word of God - tells us how they did it. Acts 2:44 says, "All the believers were together and had everything in common...they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." Did you catch that powerful word that was repeated three times in that passage - together! They traveled a long, long way because they traveled together.
How about you? I wonder if you tend to be more of a Lone Ranger type, doing it by yourself? You may travel fast, but you won't be able to travel nearly as far as you could teamed up with others. How about your church? How about your ministry? Are you trying to do Jesus' work by yourselves or are you forming partnerships with other believers in your area?
The lost world around us doesn't understand why we can't work together. They seem to understand our Lord's heart for us better than we do. After all, Jesus prayed, "May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me" (John 17:23). That togetherness we read about in Acts 2 was the answer to that prayer.
But what about where you are? Are believers together? Are you all in your silos? You know, kind of all about your own turf? Are you separated by denominational turf, by neighborhoods, by racial backgrounds, by doctrinal differences, jealousies, or by leader's egos? We could go so much farther in rescuing the dying people around us and being taken seriously by a lost world if we'd just get together and travel together!
But getting together may start much closer to home for you. In fact, it may start at home. Maybe your family has become a group of Lone Rangers, each going in their own direction, each going it alone. That's wrong, and it's dangerous.
Are you willing to make whatever sacrifices you have to, to try to bring them together? It has to start with you. Or maybe the family of God you're a part of, a church, is more apart than together honestly. What is dividing you is probably nowhere near as important as the name and the cause of Christ that you have in common.
The journey is just too long, the challenges are just too great for you to keep going it alone. If you want to travel far, travel together.
These words are found in the book of Psalms: “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand” (Psalm 37:23–24). Do the words of the psalmist surprise you? Where did we get this idea of a God who does not care, who is not near? We certainly didn’t get it from Jesus.
Jesus Christ is the perfect picture of God. Want to know how God feels about the sick? Look at Jesus. What angers God? Look at Jesus. Does God ever give up on people? Does he stand up for people? Find the answer in Jesus. Hebrews 1:3 says, “The Son is the radiance and only expression of the glory of our awesome God…and the exact representation and perfect imprint of His Father’s essence.”
2 Chronicles 23
In the seventh year the priest Jehoiada decided to make his move and worked out a strategy with certain influential officers in the army. He picked Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zicri as his associates. They dispersed throughout Judah and called in the Levites from all the towns in Judah along with the heads of families. They met in Jerusalem. The gathering met in The Temple of God. They made a covenant there in The Temple.
3-7 The priest Jehoiada showed them the young prince and addressed them: “Here he is—the son of the king. He is going to rule just as God promised regarding the sons of David. Now this is what you must do: A third of you priests and Levites who come on duty on the Sabbath are to be posted as security guards at the gates; another third will guard the palace; and the other third will guard the foundation gate. All the people will gather in the courtyards of The Temple of God. No one may enter The Temple of God except the priests and designated Levites—they are permitted in because they’ve been consecrated, but all the people must do the work assigned them. The Levites are to form a ring around the young king, weapons at the ready. Kill anyone who tries to break through your ranks. Your job is to stay with the king at all times and places, coming and going.”
8-10 All the Levites and officers obeyed the orders of Jehoiada the priest. Each took charge of his men, both those who came on duty on the Sabbath and those who went off duty on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest hadn’t exempted any of them from duty. Then the priest armed the officers with spears and the large and small shields originally belonging to King David that were stored in The Temple of God. Well-armed, the guards took up their assigned positions for protecting the king, from one end of The Temple to the other, surrounding both Altar and Temple.
11 Then the priest brought the prince into view, crowned him, handed him the scroll of God’s covenant, and made him king. As Jehoiada and his sons anointed him they shouted, “Long live the king!”
12-13 Athaliah, hearing all the commotion, the people running around and praising the king, came to The Temple to see what was going on. Astonished, she saw the young king standing at the entrance flanked by the captains and heralds, with everybody beside themselves with joy, trumpets blaring, the choir and orchestra leading the praise. Athaliah ripped her robes in dismay and shouted, “Treason! Treason!”
14-15 Jehoiada the priest ordered the military officers, “Drag her outside—and kill anyone who tries to follow her!” (The priest had said, “Don’t kill her inside The Temple of God.”) So they dragged her out to the palace’s horse corral and there they killed her.
16 Jehoiada now made a covenant between himself and the king and the people: they were to be God’s special people.
17 The people poured into the temple of Baal and tore it down, smashing altar and images to smithereens. They killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altar.
18-21 Jehoiada turned the care of God’s Temple over to the priests and Levites, the way David had directed originally. They were to offer the Whole-Burnt-Offerings of God as set out in The Revelation of Moses, and with praise and song as directed by David. He also assigned security guards at the gates of God’s Temple so that no one who was unprepared could enter. Then he got everyone together—officers, nobles, governors, and the people themselves—and escorted the king down from The Temple of God, through the Upper Gate, and placed him on the royal throne. Everybody celebrated the event. And the city was safe and undisturbed—Athaliah had been killed; no more Athaliah terror.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, March 03, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Jeremiah 1:1–8
The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathotha in the territory of Benjamin. 2 The word of the Lord cameb to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiahc son of Amon king of Judah, 3 and through the reign of Jehoiakimd son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiahe son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.f
The Call of Jeremiah
4 The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
5 “Before I formed you in the wombg I knewa h you,
before you were borni I set you apart;j
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.k”
6 “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak;l I am too young.”m
7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraidn of them, for I am with youo and will rescuep you,” declares the Lord.q
Insight
Scripture records God speaking directly to only a few people; for example, Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden (Genesis 1–3), Abram (ch. 12), Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3) and on Mount Sinai (ch. 31), and Elijah on Mount Horeb/Sinai (1 Kings 19). He also spoke directly to the prophets who wrote the prophetic books of the Old Testament. The phrase “the word of the Lord came to me” or “this is what the Lord says” is found throughout most of the prophetic books (see Jeremiah 1:4). When God speaks, He reveals something of Himself. In Jeremiah 1:1–8, He reveals Himself as creator (v. 5), director (v. 7), and rescuer (v. 8). We learn who God is through His own self-revelation.
Fully Known
Before I formed you . . . I knew you. Jeremiah 1:5
“You shouldn’t be here right now. Someone up there was looking out for you,” the tow truck driver told my mother after he had pulled her car from the edge of a steep mountain ravine and studied the tire tracks leading up to the wreck. Mom was pregnant with me at the time. As I grew, she often recounted the story of how God saved both our lives that day, and she assured me that God valued me even before I was born.
None of us escape our omniscient (all-knowing) Creator’s notice. More than 2,500 years ago He told the prophet Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5). God knows us more intimately than any person ever could and is able to give our lives purpose and meaning unlike any other. He not only formed us through His wisdom and power, but He also sustains every moment of our existence—including the personal details that occur every moment without our awareness: from the beating of our hearts to the intricate functioning of our brains. Reflecting on how our heavenly Father holds together every aspect of our existence, David exclaimed, “How precious to me are your thoughts, God!” (Psalm 139:17).
God is closer to us than our last breath. He made us, knows us, and loves us, and He’s ever worthy of our worship and praise. By: James Banks
Reflect & Pray
For what aspect of God’s care would you like to praise Him this moment? How can you encourage someone with the thought that He cares for them today?
You’re amazing, God! Thank You for holding me up and getting me through every moment of the day.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, March 03, 2020
His Commission to Us
Feed My sheep. —John 21:17
This is love in the making. The love of God is not created— it is His nature. When we receive the life of Christ through the Holy Spirit, He unites us with God so that His love is demonstrated in us. The goal of the indwelling Holy Spirit is not just to unite us with God, but to do it in such a way that we will be one with the Father in exactly the same way Jesus was. And what kind of oneness did Jesus Christ have with the Father? He had such a oneness with the Father that He was obedient when His Father sent Him down here to be poured out for us. And He says to us, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21).
Peter now realizes that he does love Him, due to the revelation that came with the Lord’s piercing question. The Lord’s next point is— “Pour yourself out. Don’t testify about how much you love Me and don’t talk about the wonderful revelation you have had, just ‘Feed My sheep.’ ” Jesus has some extraordinarily peculiar sheep: some that are unkempt and dirty, some that are awkward or pushy, and some that have gone astray! But it is impossible to exhaust God’s love, and it is impossible to exhaust my love if it flows from the Spirit of God within me. The love of God pays no attention to my prejudices caused by my natural individuality. If I love my Lord, I have no business being guided by natural emotions— I have to feed His sheep. We will not be delivered or released from His commission to us. Beware of counterfeiting the love of God by following your own natural human emotions, sympathies, or understandings. That will only serve to revile and abuse the true love of God.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Am I getting nobler, better, more helpful, more humble, as I get older? Am I exhibiting the life that men take knowledge of as having been with Jesus, or am I getting more self-assertive, more deliberately determined to have my own way? It is a great thing to tell yourself the truth.
The Place of Help
Bible in a Year: Numbers 28-30; Mark 8:22-38
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, March 03, 2020
How to Travel Far - #8647
For some people, a long drive is anything more than an hour or two. Over the years for my wife and me, well, it just had to be many hours before we could call it a long drive. Oh, good night, I think back! We've driven so many marathon trips over the years and, for the most part, we've enjoyed it...if we traveled together. It's not fun driving a long haul alone. In fact, unless you're a professional long-hauler, it's not even safe to drive a long trip alone. It never is a good idea to nap and drive simultaneously I believe. If you really want to cover a lot of miles, take somebody with you. You can go a lot longer. Oh sure, that second person might slow you down a little sometimes, but hey, they're worth it. There's an old African proverb that says it pretty well: "If you want to travel fast, travel alone. If you want to travel far, travel together." That's cool, huh?
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How to Travel Far."
Of course, that proverb applies to much more than just a long-haul drive. You need to travel together with others for most of life's journeys: physical journeys, emotional journeys, and spiritual journeys. You'll just get a lot more done together.
That was one of the secrets of the survival and the amazing success of the first followers of Jesus Christ. They were new believers trying to stand for Christ in a city that was very hostile to anything about Jesus. They were a tiny minority. The odds were against them, but they won big-time!
Well, here's our word for today from the Word of God - tells us how they did it. Acts 2:44 says, "All the believers were together and had everything in common...they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." Did you catch that powerful word that was repeated three times in that passage - together! They traveled a long, long way because they traveled together.
How about you? I wonder if you tend to be more of a Lone Ranger type, doing it by yourself? You may travel fast, but you won't be able to travel nearly as far as you could teamed up with others. How about your church? How about your ministry? Are you trying to do Jesus' work by yourselves or are you forming partnerships with other believers in your area?
The lost world around us doesn't understand why we can't work together. They seem to understand our Lord's heart for us better than we do. After all, Jesus prayed, "May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me" (John 17:23). That togetherness we read about in Acts 2 was the answer to that prayer.
But what about where you are? Are believers together? Are you all in your silos? You know, kind of all about your own turf? Are you separated by denominational turf, by neighborhoods, by racial backgrounds, by doctrinal differences, jealousies, or by leader's egos? We could go so much farther in rescuing the dying people around us and being taken seriously by a lost world if we'd just get together and travel together!
But getting together may start much closer to home for you. In fact, it may start at home. Maybe your family has become a group of Lone Rangers, each going in their own direction, each going it alone. That's wrong, and it's dangerous.
Are you willing to make whatever sacrifices you have to, to try to bring them together? It has to start with you. Or maybe the family of God you're a part of, a church, is more apart than together honestly. What is dividing you is probably nowhere near as important as the name and the cause of Christ that you have in common.
The journey is just too long, the challenges are just too great for you to keep going it alone. If you want to travel far, travel together.
Monday, March 2, 2020
2 Corinthians 9, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: HE KNOWS YOU
Are you open to the idea of a Father, a heavenly Father, who knows you? A soon-to-be home that awaits you? Would you consider this life- changing idea? The almighty and all-knowing God has set his affection on you. Every detail about you he knows. Your interests, your hang- ups, your fears, and your failures…He knows you!
About his children God says, “The Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought” (1 Chronicles 28:9). King David wrote, “When my spirit was overwhelmed within me…you knew my path” (Psalm 142:3).
Do you know this God who knows you? He knows your name. And he can’t wait to get you home. The ever-recurring, soul-lifting message of heaven is this— “The Lord delights in you” (Isaiah 62:4).
2 Corinthians 9
If I wrote any more on this relief offering for the poor Christians, I’d be repeating myself. I know you’re on board and ready to go. I’ve been bragging about you all through Macedonia province, telling them, “Achaia province has been ready to go on this since last year.” Your enthusiasm by now has spread to most of them.
3-5 Now I’m sending the brothers to make sure you’re ready, as I said you would be, so my bragging won’t turn out to be just so much hot air. If some Macedonians and I happened to drop in on you and found you weren’t prepared, we’d all be pretty red-faced—you and us—for acting so sure of ourselves. So to make sure there will be no slipup, I’ve recruited these brothers as an advance team to get you and your promised offering all ready before I get there. I want you to have all the time you need to make this offering in your own way. I don’t want anything forced or hurried at the last minute.
6-7 Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.
8-11 God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it,
He throws caution to the winds,
giving to the needy in reckless abandon.
His right-living, right-giving ways
never run out, never wear out.
This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.
12-15 Carrying out this social relief work involves far more than helping meet the bare needs of poor Christians. It also produces abundant and bountiful thanksgivings to God. This relief offering is a prod to live at your very best, showing your gratitude to God by being openly obedient to the plain meaning of the Message of Christ. You show your gratitude through your generous offerings to your needy brothers and sisters, and really toward everyone. Meanwhile, moved by the extravagance of God in your lives, they’ll respond by praying for you in passionate intercession for whatever you need. Thank God for this gift, his gift. No language can praise it enough!
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, March 02, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Matthew 4:18–22
Jesus Calls His First Disciples
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee,p he saw two brothers, Simon called Peterq and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,”r Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.s
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John.t They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.u
Insight
Jesus appointed twelve men as His apostles: “Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot” (Luke 6:14–16). All of these men left something or someone behind to follow Jesus (Matthew 19:27). We know from Matthew 4:18–22 that brothers Simon Peter and Andrew and brothers James and John all left their nets. But what about the others? Simon the Zealot was either a member of an extremist political group who fought against the Roman occupation of Israel or a member of the religious group noted for zeal for the Law. He no doubt left his extreme views behind. But the only other disciple we’re told about specifically was Matthew (Levi). Jesus told him, “Follow me,” and Matthew got up and left his “tax collector’s booth” (his lucrative career) to follow Christ (9:9).
A Call to Leave
At once they left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4:20
As a young woman, I imagined myself married to my high school sweetheart—until we broke up. My future yawned emptily before me and I struggled with what to do with my life. At last I sensed God leading me to serve Him by serving others and enrolled in seminary. Then the reality crashed through that I’d be moving away from my roots, friends, and family. In order to respond to God’s call, I had to leave.
Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee when He saw Peter and his brother Andrew casting nets into the sea, fishing for a living. He invited them to “Come, follow me . . . and I will send you out to fish for people” (Matthew 4:19). Then Jesus saw two other fishermen, James and his brother John, and offered them a similar invitation (v. 21).
When these disciples came to Jesus, they also left something. Peter and Andrew “left their nets” (v. 20). James and John “left the boat and their father and followed him” (v. 22). Luke puts it this way: “So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him” (Luke 5:11).
Every call to Jesus also includes a call from something else. Net. Boat. Father. Friends. Home. God calls all of us to a relationship with Himself. Then He calls each of us to serve. By: Elisa Morgan
Reflect & Pray
How could God’s call to follow Him also call you from something else? In what ways can you trust Him with what you may be leaving?
Loving God, help me understand what I might need to leave in order to respond to Your call.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, March 02, 2020
Have You Felt the Pain Inflicted by the Lord?
He said to him the third time, "…do you love Me?" —John 21:17
Have you ever felt the pain, inflicted by the Lord, at the very center of your being, deep down in the most sensitive area of your life? The devil never inflicts pain there, and neither can sin nor human emotions. Nothing can cut through to that part of our being but the Word of God. “Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ ” Yet he was awakened to the fact that at the center of his personal life he was devoted to Jesus. And then he began to see what Jesus’ patient questioning meant. There was not the slightest bit of doubt left in Peter’s mind; he could never be deceived again. And there was no need for an impassioned response; no need for immediate action or an emotional display. It was a revelation to him to realize how much he did love the Lord, and with amazement he simply said, “Lord, You know all things….” Peter began to see how very much he did love Jesus, and there was no need to say, “Look at this or that as proof of my love.” Peter was beginning to discover within himself just how much he really did love the Lord. He discovered that his eyes were so fixed on Jesus Christ that he saw no one else in heaven above or on the earth below. But he did not know it until the probing, hurting questions of the Lord were asked. The Lord’s questions always reveal the true me to myself.
Oh, the wonder of the patient directness and skill of Jesus Christ with Peter! Our Lord never asks questions until the perfect time. Rarely, but probably once in each of our lives, He will back us into a corner where He will hurt us with His piercing questions. Then we will realize that we do love Him far more deeply than our words can ever say.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Defenders of the faith are inclined to be bitter until they learn to walk in the light of the Lord. When you have learned to walk in the light of the Lord, bitterness and contention are impossible.
Biblical Psychology
Bible in a Year: Numbers 26-27; Mark 8:1-21
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, March 02, 2020
Kobe Bryant's Biggest Game - and Yours - #8646
I think most of us remember hearing that news first about Kobe Bryant's sudden death in the helicopter crash. I notice a deep sense of sadness people have. A lot of times it was like they almost had lost somebody that they knew. And then we learned his 13-year-old daughter had died and seven other extraordinary people were also lost in that crash.
You know, Kobe Bryant did have amazing basketball achievements and had superstar status that made this crash a tragedy that was kind of felt around the world. Five NBA championships. Two Olympic gold medals. His famous "work ethic" that a lot of young players called their inspiration. One time he said, "I was blessed with talent, but I worked as if I had none."
Now, I've done a lot of life-coaching over the years, and I'm thinking that Kobe played his biggest and best game after his NBA career ended. Because of where his values seemed to land. A lot of the tributes for Kobe referenced some of the darkest chapters in his life. But it's the way Kobe Bryant lived his remaining years that, measured spiritually, might have been his "biggest game."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Kobe Bryant's Biggest Game - and Yours."
As evidenced even by what he did in his final hours we saw his values. He went to church. And he was being a dad. Now none of us can know a person's heart or the depth of their faith. But we can acknowledge choices that elevate the things that really matter in this life.
People close to the Bryants called Kobe "a hands-on dad." That's a good thing. The biggest points a man will ever score in his life aren't on a court. They're the legacy of love and encouragement that he gives his children. A lot of people can be a hero on the "court" of life. But you're the only guy in the whole world who's "Dad" for your kids. Apparently, Kobe Bryant answered that wakeup call. He invested in his marriage and his daughters. You know, being a hero at home; that's where heroism really matters.
But even more important than investing in your family is what Jesus called "seeking first the kingdom of God" (Matthew 6:33). Because the One who gives us life and breath is often pushed to the edge of our life because we're seeking our kingdom. But the challenges of family, the reality check of our personal failures, the things that are beyond our control to fix - they can force you beyond "I believe in God." To "I really need God."
Kobe Bryant was actually pressed in an interview to explain what he had learned from that darkest chapter in his life. And he said, "God is great. It don't get no simpler than that." "Well, didn't he know that before the interview?" the interviewer asked. Bryant said, "You can know it all you want. But until He picks up that cross that you can't carry and carries you and the cross - then you know."
Well, I get that, because that's what Jesus did for me when the love of my life, my amazing Karen, was suddenly gone
to heaven. In the deepest, darkest valley of my life, He picked me up, and the heaviest "cross" of my life, and He carried me.
And when our "eternity moment" comes - as it did for nine people on a California hillside that Sunday, that relationship is really all that matters. All the trophies, the applause suddenly mean nothing. The Bible says, "Your life is like the morning fog - it's here a little while, then it's gone" (James 4:14). In our word for today from the Word of God in Proverbs 27:1, God says, "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring."
One heart malfunction. One driver crossing the middle line. As a friend said in his Facebook post, "Here's the sobering reality. Any moment could be our last." He's right. In that moment, all that will matter is whether I'm right with God. I can't get into heaven with my sin. You can't either. And only one person can forgive our sin. The One who died to pay our death penalty for hijacking our life from God. That's why I'm so grateful for Jesus' promise: "Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die" (John 11:26).
Look, if you want that resurrection power in your life, you want that love in your life, you want to be sure you're ready for eternity, would you tell Jesus today "I'm yours" because you died for me. You rose from the dead for me."
Go to our website and let us help you there be sure you belong to Him. That website is ANewStory.com. Because there is no greater peace than knowing you're ready for eternity. Whenever it comes, however it comes.
Are you open to the idea of a Father, a heavenly Father, who knows you? A soon-to-be home that awaits you? Would you consider this life- changing idea? The almighty and all-knowing God has set his affection on you. Every detail about you he knows. Your interests, your hang- ups, your fears, and your failures…He knows you!
About his children God says, “The Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought” (1 Chronicles 28:9). King David wrote, “When my spirit was overwhelmed within me…you knew my path” (Psalm 142:3).
Do you know this God who knows you? He knows your name. And he can’t wait to get you home. The ever-recurring, soul-lifting message of heaven is this— “The Lord delights in you” (Isaiah 62:4).
2 Corinthians 9
If I wrote any more on this relief offering for the poor Christians, I’d be repeating myself. I know you’re on board and ready to go. I’ve been bragging about you all through Macedonia province, telling them, “Achaia province has been ready to go on this since last year.” Your enthusiasm by now has spread to most of them.
3-5 Now I’m sending the brothers to make sure you’re ready, as I said you would be, so my bragging won’t turn out to be just so much hot air. If some Macedonians and I happened to drop in on you and found you weren’t prepared, we’d all be pretty red-faced—you and us—for acting so sure of ourselves. So to make sure there will be no slipup, I’ve recruited these brothers as an advance team to get you and your promised offering all ready before I get there. I want you to have all the time you need to make this offering in your own way. I don’t want anything forced or hurried at the last minute.
6-7 Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.
8-11 God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it,
He throws caution to the winds,
giving to the needy in reckless abandon.
His right-living, right-giving ways
never run out, never wear out.
This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.
12-15 Carrying out this social relief work involves far more than helping meet the bare needs of poor Christians. It also produces abundant and bountiful thanksgivings to God. This relief offering is a prod to live at your very best, showing your gratitude to God by being openly obedient to the plain meaning of the Message of Christ. You show your gratitude through your generous offerings to your needy brothers and sisters, and really toward everyone. Meanwhile, moved by the extravagance of God in your lives, they’ll respond by praying for you in passionate intercession for whatever you need. Thank God for this gift, his gift. No language can praise it enough!
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, March 02, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Matthew 4:18–22
Jesus Calls His First Disciples
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee,p he saw two brothers, Simon called Peterq and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,”r Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.s
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John.t They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.u
Insight
Jesus appointed twelve men as His apostles: “Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot” (Luke 6:14–16). All of these men left something or someone behind to follow Jesus (Matthew 19:27). We know from Matthew 4:18–22 that brothers Simon Peter and Andrew and brothers James and John all left their nets. But what about the others? Simon the Zealot was either a member of an extremist political group who fought against the Roman occupation of Israel or a member of the religious group noted for zeal for the Law. He no doubt left his extreme views behind. But the only other disciple we’re told about specifically was Matthew (Levi). Jesus told him, “Follow me,” and Matthew got up and left his “tax collector’s booth” (his lucrative career) to follow Christ (9:9).
A Call to Leave
At once they left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4:20
As a young woman, I imagined myself married to my high school sweetheart—until we broke up. My future yawned emptily before me and I struggled with what to do with my life. At last I sensed God leading me to serve Him by serving others and enrolled in seminary. Then the reality crashed through that I’d be moving away from my roots, friends, and family. In order to respond to God’s call, I had to leave.
Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee when He saw Peter and his brother Andrew casting nets into the sea, fishing for a living. He invited them to “Come, follow me . . . and I will send you out to fish for people” (Matthew 4:19). Then Jesus saw two other fishermen, James and his brother John, and offered them a similar invitation (v. 21).
When these disciples came to Jesus, they also left something. Peter and Andrew “left their nets” (v. 20). James and John “left the boat and their father and followed him” (v. 22). Luke puts it this way: “So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him” (Luke 5:11).
Every call to Jesus also includes a call from something else. Net. Boat. Father. Friends. Home. God calls all of us to a relationship with Himself. Then He calls each of us to serve. By: Elisa Morgan
Reflect & Pray
How could God’s call to follow Him also call you from something else? In what ways can you trust Him with what you may be leaving?
Loving God, help me understand what I might need to leave in order to respond to Your call.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, March 02, 2020
Have You Felt the Pain Inflicted by the Lord?
He said to him the third time, "…do you love Me?" —John 21:17
Have you ever felt the pain, inflicted by the Lord, at the very center of your being, deep down in the most sensitive area of your life? The devil never inflicts pain there, and neither can sin nor human emotions. Nothing can cut through to that part of our being but the Word of God. “Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ ” Yet he was awakened to the fact that at the center of his personal life he was devoted to Jesus. And then he began to see what Jesus’ patient questioning meant. There was not the slightest bit of doubt left in Peter’s mind; he could never be deceived again. And there was no need for an impassioned response; no need for immediate action or an emotional display. It was a revelation to him to realize how much he did love the Lord, and with amazement he simply said, “Lord, You know all things….” Peter began to see how very much he did love Jesus, and there was no need to say, “Look at this or that as proof of my love.” Peter was beginning to discover within himself just how much he really did love the Lord. He discovered that his eyes were so fixed on Jesus Christ that he saw no one else in heaven above or on the earth below. But he did not know it until the probing, hurting questions of the Lord were asked. The Lord’s questions always reveal the true me to myself.
Oh, the wonder of the patient directness and skill of Jesus Christ with Peter! Our Lord never asks questions until the perfect time. Rarely, but probably once in each of our lives, He will back us into a corner where He will hurt us with His piercing questions. Then we will realize that we do love Him far more deeply than our words can ever say.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Defenders of the faith are inclined to be bitter until they learn to walk in the light of the Lord. When you have learned to walk in the light of the Lord, bitterness and contention are impossible.
Biblical Psychology
Bible in a Year: Numbers 26-27; Mark 8:1-21
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, March 02, 2020
Kobe Bryant's Biggest Game - and Yours - #8646
I think most of us remember hearing that news first about Kobe Bryant's sudden death in the helicopter crash. I notice a deep sense of sadness people have. A lot of times it was like they almost had lost somebody that they knew. And then we learned his 13-year-old daughter had died and seven other extraordinary people were also lost in that crash.
You know, Kobe Bryant did have amazing basketball achievements and had superstar status that made this crash a tragedy that was kind of felt around the world. Five NBA championships. Two Olympic gold medals. His famous "work ethic" that a lot of young players called their inspiration. One time he said, "I was blessed with talent, but I worked as if I had none."
Now, I've done a lot of life-coaching over the years, and I'm thinking that Kobe played his biggest and best game after his NBA career ended. Because of where his values seemed to land. A lot of the tributes for Kobe referenced some of the darkest chapters in his life. But it's the way Kobe Bryant lived his remaining years that, measured spiritually, might have been his "biggest game."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Kobe Bryant's Biggest Game - and Yours."
As evidenced even by what he did in his final hours we saw his values. He went to church. And he was being a dad. Now none of us can know a person's heart or the depth of their faith. But we can acknowledge choices that elevate the things that really matter in this life.
People close to the Bryants called Kobe "a hands-on dad." That's a good thing. The biggest points a man will ever score in his life aren't on a court. They're the legacy of love and encouragement that he gives his children. A lot of people can be a hero on the "court" of life. But you're the only guy in the whole world who's "Dad" for your kids. Apparently, Kobe Bryant answered that wakeup call. He invested in his marriage and his daughters. You know, being a hero at home; that's where heroism really matters.
But even more important than investing in your family is what Jesus called "seeking first the kingdom of God" (Matthew 6:33). Because the One who gives us life and breath is often pushed to the edge of our life because we're seeking our kingdom. But the challenges of family, the reality check of our personal failures, the things that are beyond our control to fix - they can force you beyond "I believe in God." To "I really need God."
Kobe Bryant was actually pressed in an interview to explain what he had learned from that darkest chapter in his life. And he said, "God is great. It don't get no simpler than that." "Well, didn't he know that before the interview?" the interviewer asked. Bryant said, "You can know it all you want. But until He picks up that cross that you can't carry and carries you and the cross - then you know."
Well, I get that, because that's what Jesus did for me when the love of my life, my amazing Karen, was suddenly gone
to heaven. In the deepest, darkest valley of my life, He picked me up, and the heaviest "cross" of my life, and He carried me.
And when our "eternity moment" comes - as it did for nine people on a California hillside that Sunday, that relationship is really all that matters. All the trophies, the applause suddenly mean nothing. The Bible says, "Your life is like the morning fog - it's here a little while, then it's gone" (James 4:14). In our word for today from the Word of God in Proverbs 27:1, God says, "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring."
One heart malfunction. One driver crossing the middle line. As a friend said in his Facebook post, "Here's the sobering reality. Any moment could be our last." He's right. In that moment, all that will matter is whether I'm right with God. I can't get into heaven with my sin. You can't either. And only one person can forgive our sin. The One who died to pay our death penalty for hijacking our life from God. That's why I'm so grateful for Jesus' promise: "Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die" (John 11:26).
Look, if you want that resurrection power in your life, you want that love in your life, you want to be sure you're ready for eternity, would you tell Jesus today "I'm yours" because you died for me. You rose from the dead for me."
Go to our website and let us help you there be sure you belong to Him. That website is ANewStory.com. Because there is no greater peace than knowing you're ready for eternity. Whenever it comes, however it comes.
Sunday, March 1, 2020
Joel 1, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Because of What He Did
Few things can weary you more than the fast pace of the human race. Too many sprints for success. Too many days of doing whatever it takes eventually take their toll. You’re left gasping for air, holding your sides on the side of the track. You’re asking yourself, “When I get what I want, will it be worth the price I paid?”
It’s this weariness that makes the words of Jesus so compelling. “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28).
Come to Me. Why Him? He offers the invitation as a penniless rabbi in an oppressed nation. He has no political office. He hasn’t written a best-seller or earned a diploma. Yet they called Him Lord. They called Him Savior. Not so much because of what He said, but because of what He did. What He did—on the Cross! He did it for the weary people of this world.
from Six Hours One Friday
Joel 1
God’s Message to Joel son of Pethuel:
Attention, elder statesmen! Listen closely,
everyone, whoever and wherever you are!
Have you ever heard of anything like this?
Has anything like this ever happened before—ever?
Make sure you tell your children,
and your children tell their children,
And their children their children.
Don’t let this message die out.
4 What the chewing locust left,
the gobbling locust ate;
What the gobbling locust left,
the munching locust ate;
What the munching locust left,
the chomping locust ate.
5-7 Sober up, you drunks!
Get in touch with reality—and weep!
Your supply of booze is cut off.
You’re on the wagon, like it or not.
My country’s being invaded
by an army invincible, past numbering,
Teeth like those of a lion,
fangs like those of a tiger.
It has ruined my vineyards,
stripped my orchards,
And clear-cut the country.
The landscape’s a moonscape.
8-10 Weep like a young virgin dressed in black,
mourning the loss of her fiancé.
Without grain and grapes,
worship has been brought to a standstill
in the Sanctuary of God.
The priests are at a loss.
God’s ministers don’t know what to do.
The fields are sterile.
The very ground grieves.
The wheat fields are lifeless,
vineyards dried up, olive oil gone.
11-12 Dirt farmers, despair!
Grape growers, wring your hands!
Lament the loss of wheat and barley.
All crops have failed.
Vineyards dried up,
fig trees withered,
Pomegranates, date palms, and apple trees—
deadwood everywhere!
And joy is dried up and withered
in the hearts of the people.
13-14 And also you priests,
put on your robes and join the outcry.
You who lead people in worship,
lead them in lament.
Spend the night dressed in gunnysacks,
you servants of my God.
Nothing’s going on in the place of worship,
no offerings, no prayers—nothing.
Declare a holy fast, call a special meeting,
get the leaders together,
Round up everyone in the country.
Get them into God’s Sanctuary for serious prayer to God.
15-18 What a day! Doomsday!
God’s Judgment Day has come.
The Strong God has arrived.
This is serious business!
Food is just a memory at our tables,
as are joy and singing from God’s Sanctuary.
The seeds in the field are dead,
barns deserted,
Grain silos abandoned.
Who needs them? The crops have failed!
The farm animals groan—oh, how they groan!
The cattle mill around.
There’s nothing for them to eat.
Not even the sheep find anything.
19-20 God! I pray, I cry out to you!
The fields are burning up,
The country is a dust bowl,
forest and prairie fires rage unchecked.
Wild animals, dying of thirst,
look to you for a drink.
Springs and streams are dried up.
The whole country is burning up.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Sunday, March 01, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight: Acts 20:17–24
From Miletus,a Paul sent to Ephesus for the eldersb of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you,c from the first day I came into the province of Asia.d 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tearse and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents.f 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anythingg that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jewsh and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentancei and have faith in our Lord Jesus.j
22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem,k not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns mel that prison and hardships are facing me.m 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me;n my only aim is to finish the raceo and complete the taskp the Lord Jesus has given meq—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.r
Insight
Ephesus was the Roman capital of western Asia Minor (modern Turkey) and home of the temple to the goddess Artemis—a temple that’s listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Artemis was considered the fertility goddess and was honored in an annual festival called the Artemisia, celebrated in the month of the Artemision (March–April). The festival involved athletic competitions and theatrical events and was also a popular time for men and women to choose their marriage partners. As a result, this event attracted a large crowd of visitors. Paul’s gospel ministry saw people abandoning the worship of Artemis to follow Jesus—resulting in the riot described in Acts 19:23–41.
A Goal and a Purpose
My only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me. Acts 20:24
In 2018, endurance athlete Colin O’Brady took a walk that had never been taken before. Pulling a supply sled behind him, O’Brady trekked across Antarctica entirely alone—a total of 932 miles in 54 days. It was a momentous journey of dedication and courage.
Commenting on his time alone with the ice, the cold, and the daunting distance, O’Brady said, “I was locked in a deep flow state [fully immersed in the endeavor] the entire time, equally focused on the end goal, while allowing my mind to recount the profound lessons of this journey.”
For those of us who have put our faith in Jesus, that statement might strike a familiar chord. It sounds a lot like our calling as believers: focused on the goal of walking through life in a way that glorifies (honors) God and reveals Him to others. In Acts 20:24, Paul, no stranger to dangerous journeys, said, “I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”
As we walk on in our relationship with Jesus, may we recognize what we know about the purpose for our journey and press on to the day we’ll see our Savior face to face. By: Dave Branon
Reflect & Pray
How does your relationship with Jesus affect your walk in life? What can you do today to reveal to others your love for Him?
Dear heavenly Father, as we walk through life, help us to honor You in all we do. And may we encourage others to journey with You.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, March 01, 2020
The Piercing Question
Do you love Me? —John 21:17
Peter’s response to this piercing question is considerably different from the bold defiance he exhibited only a few days before when he declared, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” (Matthew 26:35; also see Matthew 26:33-34). Our natural individuality, or our natural self, boldly speaks out and declares its feelings. But the true love within our inner spiritual self can be discovered only by experiencing the hurt of this question of Jesus Christ. Peter loved Jesus in the way any natural man loves a good person. Yet that is nothing but emotional love. It may reach deeply into our natural self, but it never penetrates to the spirit of a person. True love never simply declares itself. Jesus said, “Whoever confesses Me before men [that is, confesses his love by everything he does, not merely by his words], him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God” (Luke 12:8).
Unless we are experiencing the hurt of facing every deception about ourselves, we have hindered the work of the Word of God in our lives. The Word of God inflicts hurt on us more than sin ever could, because sin dulls our senses. But this question of the Lord intensifies our sensitivities to the point that this hurt produced by Jesus is the most exquisite pain conceivable. It hurts not only on the natural level, but also on the deeper spiritual level. “For the Word of God is living and powerful…, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit…”— to the point that no deception can remain (Hebrews 4:12). When the Lord asks us this question, it is impossible to think and respond properly, because when the Lord speaks directly to us, the pain is too intense. It causes such a tremendous hurt that any part of our life which may be out of line with His will can feel the pain. There is never any mistaking the pain of the Lord’s Word by His children, but the moment that pain is felt is the very moment at which God reveals His truth to us.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Sincerity means that the appearance and the reality are exactly the same.
Studies in the Sermon on the Mount
Bible in a Year: Numbers 23-25; Mark 7:14-37
Few things can weary you more than the fast pace of the human race. Too many sprints for success. Too many days of doing whatever it takes eventually take their toll. You’re left gasping for air, holding your sides on the side of the track. You’re asking yourself, “When I get what I want, will it be worth the price I paid?”
It’s this weariness that makes the words of Jesus so compelling. “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28).
Come to Me. Why Him? He offers the invitation as a penniless rabbi in an oppressed nation. He has no political office. He hasn’t written a best-seller or earned a diploma. Yet they called Him Lord. They called Him Savior. Not so much because of what He said, but because of what He did. What He did—on the Cross! He did it for the weary people of this world.
from Six Hours One Friday
Joel 1
God’s Message to Joel son of Pethuel:
Attention, elder statesmen! Listen closely,
everyone, whoever and wherever you are!
Have you ever heard of anything like this?
Has anything like this ever happened before—ever?
Make sure you tell your children,
and your children tell their children,
And their children their children.
Don’t let this message die out.
4 What the chewing locust left,
the gobbling locust ate;
What the gobbling locust left,
the munching locust ate;
What the munching locust left,
the chomping locust ate.
5-7 Sober up, you drunks!
Get in touch with reality—and weep!
Your supply of booze is cut off.
You’re on the wagon, like it or not.
My country’s being invaded
by an army invincible, past numbering,
Teeth like those of a lion,
fangs like those of a tiger.
It has ruined my vineyards,
stripped my orchards,
And clear-cut the country.
The landscape’s a moonscape.
8-10 Weep like a young virgin dressed in black,
mourning the loss of her fiancé.
Without grain and grapes,
worship has been brought to a standstill
in the Sanctuary of God.
The priests are at a loss.
God’s ministers don’t know what to do.
The fields are sterile.
The very ground grieves.
The wheat fields are lifeless,
vineyards dried up, olive oil gone.
11-12 Dirt farmers, despair!
Grape growers, wring your hands!
Lament the loss of wheat and barley.
All crops have failed.
Vineyards dried up,
fig trees withered,
Pomegranates, date palms, and apple trees—
deadwood everywhere!
And joy is dried up and withered
in the hearts of the people.
13-14 And also you priests,
put on your robes and join the outcry.
You who lead people in worship,
lead them in lament.
Spend the night dressed in gunnysacks,
you servants of my God.
Nothing’s going on in the place of worship,
no offerings, no prayers—nothing.
Declare a holy fast, call a special meeting,
get the leaders together,
Round up everyone in the country.
Get them into God’s Sanctuary for serious prayer to God.
15-18 What a day! Doomsday!
God’s Judgment Day has come.
The Strong God has arrived.
This is serious business!
Food is just a memory at our tables,
as are joy and singing from God’s Sanctuary.
The seeds in the field are dead,
barns deserted,
Grain silos abandoned.
Who needs them? The crops have failed!
The farm animals groan—oh, how they groan!
The cattle mill around.
There’s nothing for them to eat.
Not even the sheep find anything.
19-20 God! I pray, I cry out to you!
The fields are burning up,
The country is a dust bowl,
forest and prairie fires rage unchecked.
Wild animals, dying of thirst,
look to you for a drink.
Springs and streams are dried up.
The whole country is burning up.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Sunday, March 01, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight: Acts 20:17–24
From Miletus,a Paul sent to Ephesus for the eldersb of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you,c from the first day I came into the province of Asia.d 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tearse and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents.f 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anythingg that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jewsh and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentancei and have faith in our Lord Jesus.j
22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem,k not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns mel that prison and hardships are facing me.m 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me;n my only aim is to finish the raceo and complete the taskp the Lord Jesus has given meq—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.r
Insight
Ephesus was the Roman capital of western Asia Minor (modern Turkey) and home of the temple to the goddess Artemis—a temple that’s listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Artemis was considered the fertility goddess and was honored in an annual festival called the Artemisia, celebrated in the month of the Artemision (March–April). The festival involved athletic competitions and theatrical events and was also a popular time for men and women to choose their marriage partners. As a result, this event attracted a large crowd of visitors. Paul’s gospel ministry saw people abandoning the worship of Artemis to follow Jesus—resulting in the riot described in Acts 19:23–41.
A Goal and a Purpose
My only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me. Acts 20:24
In 2018, endurance athlete Colin O’Brady took a walk that had never been taken before. Pulling a supply sled behind him, O’Brady trekked across Antarctica entirely alone—a total of 932 miles in 54 days. It was a momentous journey of dedication and courage.
Commenting on his time alone with the ice, the cold, and the daunting distance, O’Brady said, “I was locked in a deep flow state [fully immersed in the endeavor] the entire time, equally focused on the end goal, while allowing my mind to recount the profound lessons of this journey.”
For those of us who have put our faith in Jesus, that statement might strike a familiar chord. It sounds a lot like our calling as believers: focused on the goal of walking through life in a way that glorifies (honors) God and reveals Him to others. In Acts 20:24, Paul, no stranger to dangerous journeys, said, “I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”
As we walk on in our relationship with Jesus, may we recognize what we know about the purpose for our journey and press on to the day we’ll see our Savior face to face. By: Dave Branon
Reflect & Pray
How does your relationship with Jesus affect your walk in life? What can you do today to reveal to others your love for Him?
Dear heavenly Father, as we walk through life, help us to honor You in all we do. And may we encourage others to journey with You.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, March 01, 2020
The Piercing Question
Do you love Me? —John 21:17
Peter’s response to this piercing question is considerably different from the bold defiance he exhibited only a few days before when he declared, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” (Matthew 26:35; also see Matthew 26:33-34). Our natural individuality, or our natural self, boldly speaks out and declares its feelings. But the true love within our inner spiritual self can be discovered only by experiencing the hurt of this question of Jesus Christ. Peter loved Jesus in the way any natural man loves a good person. Yet that is nothing but emotional love. It may reach deeply into our natural self, but it never penetrates to the spirit of a person. True love never simply declares itself. Jesus said, “Whoever confesses Me before men [that is, confesses his love by everything he does, not merely by his words], him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God” (Luke 12:8).
Unless we are experiencing the hurt of facing every deception about ourselves, we have hindered the work of the Word of God in our lives. The Word of God inflicts hurt on us more than sin ever could, because sin dulls our senses. But this question of the Lord intensifies our sensitivities to the point that this hurt produced by Jesus is the most exquisite pain conceivable. It hurts not only on the natural level, but also on the deeper spiritual level. “For the Word of God is living and powerful…, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit…”— to the point that no deception can remain (Hebrews 4:12). When the Lord asks us this question, it is impossible to think and respond properly, because when the Lord speaks directly to us, the pain is too intense. It causes such a tremendous hurt that any part of our life which may be out of line with His will can feel the pain. There is never any mistaking the pain of the Lord’s Word by His children, but the moment that pain is felt is the very moment at which God reveals His truth to us.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Sincerity means that the appearance and the reality are exactly the same.
Studies in the Sermon on the Mount
Bible in a Year: Numbers 23-25; Mark 7:14-37
Saturday, February 29, 2020
2 Chronicles 22, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: What’s Your Part?
“It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. Ephesians 1:11-12”
The poster read: High School Musical - Oklahoma! Tryouts next Thursday and Friday.
I was a high school sophomore, brimming with untapped and undiscovered talent. Besides, I already had the boots, hat and accent. Why not?
My audition was stellar until I opened my mouth to sing. The director asked about my theater experience. I told him I went to the movies about once a month. That was enough for him. He gave me a script and the page number for my part. Page number, not numbers. As I knelt over the body of a just-shot cowboy, I was to cry in desperation, “He’s daid!” I poured my heart and soul into that line!
What’s your part? Don’t think for a moment you don’t have one. God wrote you into his story. No assignment too small. No lines too brief.
Play the part God prepared for you! And get ready for some great days!
2 Chronicles 22
The people of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, Jehoram’s youngest son, king. Raiders from the desert, who had come with the Arabs against the settlement, had killed all the older sons. That’s how Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah became king. Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, but reigned only one year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, granddaughter of Omri. He lived and ruled just like the Ahab family had done, his mother training him in evil ways. God also considered him evil, related by both marriage and sin to the Ahab clan. After the death of his father, he attended the sin school of Ahab, and graduated with a degree in doom. He did what they taught him, went with Joram son of Ahab king of Israel in the war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. Joram, wounded by the Arameans, retreated to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received in Ramah in his war with Hazael king of Aram. Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah paid a visit to Joram son of Ahab on his sickbed at Jezreel.
7-9 The fate of Ahaziah when he went to visit was God’s judgment on him. When Ahaziah arrived at Jezreel, he and Joram met with Jehu son of Nimshi, whom God had already authorized to destroy the dynasty of Ahab. Jehu, already at work, executing doom on the dynasty of Ahab, came upon the captains of Judah and Ahaziah’s nephews, part of the Ahaziah delegation, and killed them outright. Then he sent out a search party looking for Ahaziah himself. They found him hiding out in Samaria and hauled him back to Jehu. And Jehu killed him.
They didn’t, though, just leave his body there. Out of respect for his grandfather Jehoshaphat, famous as a sincere seeker after God, they gave him a decent burial. But there was no one left in Ahaziah’s family capable of ruling the kingdom.
10-12 When Ahaziah’s mother Athaliah saw that her son was dead, she took over. She began by massacring the entire royal family. Jehosheba, daughter of King Jehoram, took Ahaziah’s son Joash, and kidnapped him from among the king’s sons slated for slaughter. She hid him and his nurse in a private room away from Athaliah. So Jehosheba, daughter of King Jehoram and Ahaziah’s sister—she was also the wife of Jehoiada the priest—saved Joash from the murderous Queen Athaliah. He was there with her, hidden away for six years in The Temple of God. Athaliah, oblivious to his existence, ruled the country.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Saturday, February 29, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Philippians 4:10–19
Thanks for Their Gifts
10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me.w Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be contentx whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry,y whether living in plenty or in want.z 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.a
14 Yet it was good of you to shareb in my troubles. 15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early daysc of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia,d not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only;e 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica,f you sent me aid more than once when I was in need.g 17 Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.h 18 I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditusi the gifts you sent. They are a fragrantj offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needsk according to the riches of his gloryl in Christ Jesus.
Insight
Paul truly did know how to find contentment in all situations. Born a Roman citizen, he came from an inherited privilege. As “a Hebrew of Hebrews” (Philippians 3:5) who studied under the highly respected rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), Paul enjoyed a strong religious heritage as well. Yet he endured intense hardships. Second Corinthians 11 outlines the litany of travails he experienced, including imprisonment, beatings, floggings, stoning, shipwrecks, hunger, thirst, and sleeplessness (vv. 23–28). Keep these ordeals in mind as you hear Paul say, “I can do all this [remain content] through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). By: Tim Gustafson
The Secret
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation. Philippians 4:12
Sometimes I suspect my cat Heathcliff suffers from a bad case of FOMO (fear of missing out). When I come home with groceries, Heathcliff rushes over to inspect the contents. When I’m chopping vegetables, he stands up on his back paws peering at the produce and begging me to share. But when I actually give Heathcliff whatever’s caught his fancy, he quickly loses interest, walking away with an air of bored resentment.
But it’d be hypocritical for me to be hard on my little buddy. He reflects a bit of my own insatiable hunger for more, my assumption that “now” is never enough.
According to Paul, contentment isn’t natural—it’s learned (Philippians 4:11). On our own, we desperately pursue whatever we think will satisfy, moving on to the next thing the minute we realize it won’t. Other times, our discontent takes the form of anxiously shielding ourselves from any and all suspected threats.
Ironically, sometimes it takes experiencing what we’d feared the most in order to stumble into real joy. Having experienced much of the worst life has to offer, Paul could testify firsthand to “the secret” of true contentment (vv. 11–12)—the mysterious reality that as we lift up to God our longings for wholeness, we experience unexplainable peace (vv. 6–7), carried ever deeper into the depths of Christ’s power, beauty, and grace. By: Monica La Rose
Reflect & Pray
How have you experienced mysterious peace when you least expected it? What desperate longings or fears might you need to lift up to God?
Father, help me to surrender my attempts to secure my own happiness in exchange for embracing the gift of each moment with You.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, February 29, 2020
What Do You Want The Lord to Do for You?
"What do you want Me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, that I may receive my sight." —Luke 18:41
Is there something in your life that not only disturbs you, but makes you a disturbance to others? If so, it is always something you cannot handle yourself. “Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more…” (Luke 18:39). Be persistent with your disturbance until you get face to face with the Lord Himself. Don’t deify common sense. To sit calmly by, instead of creating a disturbance, serves only to deify our common sense. When Jesus asks what we want Him to do for us about the incredible problem that is confronting us, remember that He doesn’t work in commonsense ways, but only in supernatural ways.
Look at how we limit the Lord by only remembering what we have allowed Him to do for us in the past. We say, “I always failed there, and I always will.” Consequently, we don’t ask for what we want. Instead, we think, “It is ridiculous to ask God to do this.” If it is an impossibility, it is the very thing for which we have to ask. If it is not an impossible thing, it is not a real disturbance. And God will do what is absolutely impossible.
This man received his sight. But the most impossible thing for you is to be so closely identified with the Lord that there is literally nothing of your old life remaining. God will do it if you will ask Him. But you have to come to the point of believing Him to be almighty. We find faith by not only believing what Jesus says, but, even more, by trusting Jesus Himself. If we only look at what He says, we will never believe. Once we see Jesus, the impossible things He does in our lives become as natural as breathing. The agony we suffer is only the result of the deliberate shallowness of our own heart. We won’t believe; we won’t let go by severing the line that secures the boat to the shore— we prefer to worry.
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, 1051 L
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