Job 18 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily:PRAYERS OFFERED IN FAITH - June 16, 2021

I recently met a ten-year-old boy by the name of Joshua. His mother explained that Joshua’s father was no longer a part of the boy’s life. I squatted down eye level with Joshua and I asked, “Do you know the story of your namesake?”  He nodded. “You will do what he did,” I admonished. “You will bring down Jericho’s walls and pray prayers of great faith.” He wasn’t quite sure how to respond. But his mom? She was wiping away tears.

Strugglers don’t need our opinions. They don’t need our philosophies on suffering. They need someone to admonish them with truth. Spread words of hope, pray prayers of faith. The Bible says that “Prayers offered in faith will restore them from sickness and bring them to health.” (James 5:15 VOICE). This is how happiness happens.

Job 18

Bildad’s Second Attack
Plunged from Light into Darknes

 Bildad from Shuhah chimed in:

“How monotonous these word games are getting!
    Get serious! We need to get down to business.
Why do you treat your friends like slow-witted animals?
    You look down on us as if we don’t know anything.
Why are you working yourself up like this?
    Do you want the world redesigned to suit you?
    Should reality be suspended to accommodate you?

5-21 “Here’s the rule: The light of the wicked is put out.
    Their flame dies down and is extinguished.
Their house goes dark—
    every lamp in the place goes out.
Their strong strides weaken, falter;
    they stumble into their own traps.
They get all tangled up
    in their own red tape,
Their feet are grabbed and caught,
    their necks in a noose.
They trip on ropes they’ve hidden,
    and fall into pits they’ve dug themselves.
Terrors come at them from all sides.
    They run dazed and confused.
The hungry grave is ready
    to gobble them up for supper,
To lay them out for a gourmet meal,
    a treat for ravenous Death.
They are snatched from their home sweet home
    and marched straight to the death house.
Their lives go up in smoke;
    acid rain soaks their ruins.
Their roots rot
    and their branches wither.
They’ll never again be remembered—
    nameless in unmarked graves.
They are plunged from light into darkness,
    banished from the world.
And they leave empty-handed—not one single child—
    nothing to show for their life on this earth.
Westerners are aghast at their fate,
    easterners are horrified:
‘Oh no! So this is what happens to perverse people.
    This is how the God-ignorant end up!’”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Read: John 8:27–32

They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up[a] the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” 30 Even as he spoke, many believed in him.

Dispute Over Whose Children Jesus’ Opponents Are
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Footnotes
John 8:28 The Greek for lifted up also means exalted.

INSIGHT
In John 8:25, the Jews asked a question that resonates throughout the gospel of John: “Who are you?” John’s gospel was written to answer this very question (20:31). The dispute which started in John 7:25–27 over Jesus’ identity and deity (is Jesus the Messiah?) continues and intensifies in John 8:12–59. Against the backdrop of the Israelites’ forty years of desert wandering during which God sent manna to feed them (Exodus 16; John 6:31) and used the pillar of fire by night to give them light (Exodus 13:21–22), Jesus proclaimed that He’s “the bread of life” (John 6:35, 51, 57) and “the light of the world” sent by the Father (8:12, 16, 18). However, the people didn’t understand what Jesus was saying (8:27; see 6:26). Jesus then told them that only the crucifixion—the Son of Man lifted up on the cross—would prove that He indeed is the Messiah (8:28, see Acts 2:36).

By Dave Branon
The Jesus Chair

If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. John 8:31

When my friend Marge met Tami at a Bible study meeting, she noticed that they seemed to have little in common. But Marge befriended her, and she learned a valuable lesson from her new friend.

Tami had never been to a Bible study, and she was having a hard time understanding something the other women in the study talked about: that God communicated with them—something she’d never experienced.

She so desired to hear from God that she took action. Later, she told Marge. “I set aside an old wooden chair, and every time I study my Bible, I ask Jesus to come sit in it.” Then Tami explained that whenever a verse stood out to her, she would write out the verse in chalk on the chair. It’s become her special “Jesus chair,” and she’s filled it up with God’s messages to her directly from the Bible.

Marge says, “[The Jesus Chair] has changed [Tami’s] life. She’s growing spiritually because Scripture is becoming personal.”

While speaking to Jewish believers, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32). Let’s hold to His teaching, whether it means writing His words on a chair, memorizing them, or seeking to put them into action. The truth and wisdom of Christ’s messages help us grow in Him and set us free.

What can you do in a practical way to more regularly take in the wisdom found in the Bible? How does the Holy Spirit help you understand Scripture?

Help me, God, to connect with You more and more through the wisdom You’ve given me in the Bible. And then help me apply what I learn to help me grow more and more like Jesus.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, June 16, 2021
“Will You Lay Down Your Life?”

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends….I have called you friends… —John 15:13, 15

Jesus does not ask me to die for Him, but to lay down my life for Him. Peter said to the Lord, “I will lay down my life for Your sake,” and he meant it (John 13:37). He had a magnificent sense of the heroic. For us to be incapable of making this same statement Peter made would be a bad thing— our sense of duty is only fully realized through our sense of heroism. Has the Lord ever asked you, “Will you lay down your life for My sake?” (John 13:38). It is much easier to die than to lay down your life day in and day out with the sense of the high calling of God. We are not made for the bright-shining moments of life, but we have to walk in the light of them in our everyday ways. There was only one bright-shining moment in the life of Jesus, and that was on the Mount of Transfiguration. It was there that He emptied Himself of His glory for the second time, and then came down into the demon-possessed valley (seeMark 9:1-29). For thirty-three years Jesus laid down His life to do the will of His Father. “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16). Yet it is contrary to our human nature to do so.

If I am a friend of Jesus, I must deliberately and carefully lay down my life for Him. It is a difficult thing to do, and thank God that it is. Salvation is easy for us, because it cost God so much. But the exhibiting of salvation in my life is difficult. God saves a person, fills him with the Holy Spirit, and then says, in effect, “Now you work it out in your life, and be faithful to Me, even though the nature of everything around you is to cause you to be unfaithful.” And Jesus says to us, “…I have called you friends….” Remain faithful to your Friend, and remember that His honor is at stake in your bodily life.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One Who is leading.  My Utmost for His Highest, March 19, 761 L

Bible in a Year: Nehemiah 4-6; Acts 2:22-47

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Good Morning, Soldier - #8983

When I was a little guy in Sunday School, we used to sing a little song that says, "I may never march in the infantry, ride in the cavalry, shoot the artillery." (Okay, it's a Sunday School song...come on, give me a break.) "I may never fly o'er the enemy, but I'm in the Lord's army." And you had to sing it like that. "I'm in the Lord's army!"

Actually, that song turned out to be somewhat prophetic in my life, because God called me into the ministry, and the government classified me as 4D in terms of draft status in college. That didn't mean I flunked; it just meant I wasn't drafted because of a ministerial deferment. Now, you may or may not have marched in the infantry, ridden in the cavalry, shot the artillery, or flown over the enemy, but you are military.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Good Morning, Soldier."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 2 Timothy 2:1. And it says this: "You, then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." Okay, our call to strength. Verse 3 gives us a call to endurance, "Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Jesus Christ." And verse 4 is a call to combat. Listen to this, "No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs. He wants to please his commanding officer."

Now, God has no deferments. If you know Christ, you are in His army. It helps you remember why you're here. If you can imagine that you're waking up each day and Jesus is standing right there at the door of the bathroom, or right by your bed, and He's saying, "Good morning, soldier!" If you understand that a soldier is what you really are, it will simplify life's choices in three very clear-cut areas.

First of all, you know what your mission is. General McArthur said that a soldier has a special calling, and that is "he exists to win his nation's wars." Well, you and I are called to win our Savior's wars. That's what your major mission is for today, to fight for lives that Jesus is fighting for, to stand against sin and compromise that He stands against, to guard your purity, to attack those sinful strongholds in your life. Soldiers in war time have many different tasks, from cooking, to repairing, to supplying, to fighting. But each soldier knows that his task is part of winning a war. You getting up every morning to win your Savior's wars? Well, you should. You know what your mission is.

Secondly, if you're a soldier, you don't have to be trapped by trivia. That's what this verse says. You don't get tangled up in the little affairs of life. A soldier doesn't have to worry about what he's going to wear. That's taken care of. Where he's going to live, what his schedule will be. That's taken care of. His or her needs are met. He or she concentrates on the battle. You let your commander know your needs; your commander, Jesus, will meet them and you fight His battles.

Thirdly, you know who you report to. This says he wants to please his commanding officer. You don't have many people to please, you've got one. "How am I doing, Lord?" See, that's the only approval you need. So, would you wear His uniform proudly? These are exciting days. The battle lines are forming for what could be some of the final spiritual battles on this planet, and you've been commissioned to help win your Savior's wars before He returns.

You may not wake up to Reveille, but your captain is saying, "Good morning, soldier."

Job 17 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: A WEAPON OF THE SPIRIT - June 15, 2021

“His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what” (Hebrews 4:12–13 MSG).

Unsheathe God’s sword, the Word of God, and brandish its glimmering blade in the face of evil. When you read or quote Scripture in the face of pain or doubt or evil, you activate a weapon of the Spirit. Say, “I know a verse in the Bible that might help.” Or “A scripture that means much to me is…” My go-to list includes scriptures like these: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31 NIV); “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV). This is how happiness happens.

Job 17

 “My spirit is broken,
    my days used up,
    my grave dug and waiting.
See how these mockers close in on me?
    How long do I have to put up with their insolence?

3-5 “O God, pledge your support for me.
    Give it to me in writing, with your signature.
    You’re the only one who can do it!
These people are so useless!
    You know firsthand how stupid they can be.
    You wouldn’t let them have the last word, would you?
Those who betray their own friends
    leave a legacy of abuse to their children.

6-8 “God, you’ve made me the talk of the town—
    people spit in my face;
I can hardly see from crying so much;
    I’m nothing but skin and bones.
Decent people can’t believe what they’re seeing;
    the good-hearted wake up and insist I’ve given up on God.

9 “But principled people hold tight, keep a firm grip on life,
    sure that their clean, pure hands will get stronger and stronger!

10-16 “Maybe you’d all like to start over,
    to try it again, the bunch of you.
So far I haven’t come across one scrap
    of wisdom in anything you’ve said.
My life’s about over. All my plans are shattered,
    all my hopes are snuffed out—
My hope that night would turn into day,
    my hope that dawn was about to break.
If all I have to look forward to is a home in the graveyard,
    if my only hope for comfort is a well-built coffin,
If a family reunion means going six feet under,
    and the only family that shows up is worms,
Do you call that hope?
    Who on earth could find any hope in that?
No. If hope and I are to be buried together,
    I suppose you’ll all come to the double funeral!”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Read: Matthew 10:16–20, 26–31

 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you

“So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.[a] 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.


Footnotes
Matthew 10:29 Or will; or knowledge

INSIGHT
Matthew 10:2–4 lists the names of the twelve disciples who’d be trained to carry the work of the gospel forward. Each of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) has such a list. The names aren’t always in the same order, but they always appear in three groups of four, and the names in each group are the same in each list (see Mark 3:13–19; Luke 6:12–16). The remainder of Matthew 10 consists of Jesus preparing these disciples for their first outreach trip. This preparation readied them for two things: the opportunities to impact people through the power of Christ and the reality of opposition to the work of Christ.

By Our Daily Bread
Our Father’s Care

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. Matthew 10:29

Thwack! I looked up and craned my ear toward the sound. Spotting a smudge on the windowpane, I peered out onto the deck and discovered the still-beating body of a bird. My heart hurt. I longed to help the fragile feathered being.

In Matthew 10, Jesus described His Father’s care for sparrows in order to comfort the disciples as He warned of upcoming dangers. He offered instructions to the twelve as He “gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness” (v. 1). While the power to do such deeds might have seemed grand to the disciples, many would oppose them, including governing authorities, their own families, and the ensnaring grip of the evil one (vv. 16–28).

Then in 10:29–31, Jesus told them not to fear whatever they faced because they would never be out of their Father’s care. “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?” He asked. “Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. . . . So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

I checked on the bird throughout the day, each time finding it alive but unmoved. Then, late into the evening, it was gone. I prayed it had survived. Surely, if I cared this much about the bird, God cared even more. Imagine how much He cares for you and me!

How have you seen God care for you in the past? How can you gain courage for all you face by understanding that you’re never outside your Father’s care?

Dear Father, thank You for always watching over and caring for me.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Get Moving! (2)

Also…add to your faith… —2 Peter 1:5

In the matter of drudgery. Peter said in this passage that we have become “partakers of the divine nature” and that we should now be “giving all diligence,” concentrating on forming godly habits (2 Peter 1:4-5). We are to “add” to our lives all that character means. No one is born either naturally or supernaturally with character; it must be developed. Nor are we born with habits— we have to form godly habits on the basis of the new life God has placed within us. We are not meant to be seen as God’s perfect, bright-shining examples, but to be seen as the everyday essence of ordinary life exhibiting the miracle of His grace. Drudgery is the test of genuine character. The greatest hindrance in our spiritual life is that we will only look for big things to do. Yet, “Jesus…took a towel and…began to wash the disciples’ feet…” (John 13:3-5).

We all have those times when there are no flashes of light and no apparent thrill to life, where we experience nothing but the daily routine with its common everyday tasks. The routine of life is actually God’s way of saving us between our times of great inspiration which come from Him. Don’t always expect God to give you His thrilling moments, but learn to live in those common times of the drudgery of life by the power of God.

It is difficult for us to do the “adding” that Peter mentioned here. We say we do not expect God to take us to heaven on flowery beds of ease, and yet we act as if we do! I must realize that my obedience even in the smallest detail of life has all of the omnipotent power of the grace of God behind it. If I will do my duty, not for duty’s sake but because I believe God is engineering my circumstances, then at the very point of my obedience all of the magnificent grace of God is mine through the glorious atonement by the Cross of Christ.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

Beware of bartering the Word of God for a more suitable conception of your own.  Disciples Indeed, 386 R

Bible in a Year: Nehemiah 1-3; Acts 2:1-21

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Cameras Everywhere - #8982

Sometimes you've got to wonder whoever thought up cell phone cameras? Oh, they're nice. You know, if something suddenly pops up that you want to capture. But how many times have I been looking goofy or just plain ol' ugly and some smart aleck quietly "permanent-tizes" that moment with his cute little camera? Is there somewhere where we are safe from the lens that never forgets?

Apparently not! Just ask the politicians, the celebrities, even the royals who suddenly have been unpleasantly and even angrily surprised by photos they never even knew existed.

Recently a former paparazzi was in the news showing just how far the prying eye can reach. He set up his monster-lens camera across the river from where the reporter in this segment was standing in New York City. And he got amazing pictures of her - from half a mile away! The reporter's only comment: "Good thing I was dressed modestly." No kidding! Well, Mr. Ex-Paparazzi made this suggestion: "Always assume there's a camera."

I've been thinking about that "assume there's a camera" thing. It's actually pretty good advice, because God doesn't miss a thing.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Cameras Everywhere."

Now, the Bible makes sure that we're not surprised by that. Our word for today from the Word of God, Proverbs 5:21 says, "A man's ways are in full view of the Lord." Oh, and the Bible says, "nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight." And in Hebrews 4:13 it says, "Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."

Wow! Those last words are the disturbing part. "We must give account." There really will be a day when we will answer for our lives - including our darkest secrets. Romans 2 says, "God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ." Martin Luther said he had only two days on his calendar: today and Judgment Day. Not bad.

And it's not just our actions. No, God knows every word I speak, every thought I think. And the Bible says He will even "expose the motives of men's hearts" (1 Corinthians 4:5). First thought: do I - does anybody - stand a chance when God holds me accountable for everything I've ever said or thought or done? What about when all the closets are opened, all the secrets exposed, all the sin laid bare before His holy eyes?

I wouldn't stand a chance if Jesus hadn't died on a cross to erase it all. He absorbed all the guilt, all the punishment of all the sins of my life. The Bible says, "He carried our sins in His own body on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24). He chose to. Not because I, in any way, deserve that sacrifice. He simply loves me that much; He simply loves you that much.

And as the Bible says, "perfect love drives out fear" (1 John 4:18) - including my very well-founded fear of facing a holy God some day with all my sin laid bare before Him. Jesus has taken away that fear because of the Judgment Day that Jesus had in my place when He took my judgment all alone on a cross. And He did that for you. He does what no one else in the universe can do. He hits the delete button that erases a lifetime of sin. It's pretty awesome to know that every sin of your life is erased forever from God's book; to know you're finally clean, and you're safe.

You want to experience that wonderful forgiving miracle, that clean inside miracle that only Jesus can do? I encourage you to check out our website and find out there exactly how to begin your personal relationship with this amazing, sin-forgiving Savior. Go to ANewStory.com and find out how this cleansing miracle can happen to you.

Today can be the beginning of your new story.

Matthew 10:1-20 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: WORDS OF TRUTH - June 14, 2021

Not only did Jesus not make it to the deathbed of Lazarus, he didn’t make it to the burial. He was four days late. Martha was forthright. “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21). Martha was to Jesus what your hurting friend is to you. How can we respond when our friend is undone?

Well here’s what Jesus did – he looked Martha in the face and said these starchy words: “I am the resurrection and the life…Do you believe this?” (John 11:25–26). The Bible’s word for such a response is admonishment. Above all, admonishment is truth spoken into a difficult circumstance. Yes, we hold the hand of the struggler. And yes, yes, yes, we speak words of truth into moments of despair. This is how happiness happens.

Matthew 10:1-20
The Twelve Harvest Hands
The prayer was no sooner prayed than it was answered. Jesus called twelve of his followers and sent them into the ripe fields. He gave them power to kick out the evil spirits and to tenderly care for the bruised and hurt lives. This is the list of the twelve he sent:

Simon (they called him Peter, or “Rock”),

Andrew, his brother,

James, Zebedee’s son,

John, his brother,

Philip,

Bartholomew,

Thomas,

Matthew, the tax man,

James, son of Alphaeus,

Thaddaeus,

Simon, the Canaanite,

Judas Iscariot (who later turned on him).

5-8 Jesus sent his twelve harvest hands out with this charge:

“Don’t begin by traveling to some far-off place to convert unbelievers. And don’t try to be dramatic by tackling some public enemy. Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here. Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously.

9-10 “Don’t think you have to put on a fund-raising campaign before you start. You don’t need a lot of equipment. You are the equipment, and all you need to keep that going is three meals a day. Travel light.

11 “When you enter a town or village, don’t insist on staying in a luxury inn. Get a modest place with some modest people, and be content there until you leave.

12-15 “When you knock on a door, be courteous in your greeting. If they welcome you, be gentle in your conversation. If they don’t welcome you, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way. You can be sure that on Judgment Day they’ll be mighty sorry—but it’s no concern of yours now.

16 “Stay alert. This is hazardous work I’m assigning you. You’re going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don’t call attention to yourselves. Be as shrewd as a snake, inoffensive as a dove.

17-20 “Don’t be naive. Some people will question your motives, others will smear your reputation—just because you believe in me. Don’t be upset when they haul you before the civil authorities. Without knowing it, they’ve done you—and me—a favor, given you a platform for preaching the kingdom news! And don’t worry about what you’ll say or how you’ll say it. The right words will be there; the Spirit of your Father will supply the words.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Monday, June 14, 2021
Read: Psalm 121

A song of ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord watches over you—
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
    he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.

INSIGHT
Psalm 121 is one of fifteen “songs of ascent” sung by the people of Israel as they walked together to the high ground of their temple-city (ch. 120–134). Three times a year, Jewish worshipers traveled in groups from their scattered communities to Jerusalem for the annual feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles (Deuteronomy 16:16). For such a journey, the opening words of Psalm 121 seem to reflect the fears and hopes of travelers making their way uphill on winding and dangerous footpaths toward the mountaintop city of God. Their confidence was not in these mountains, however. Their hope was in the Creator who, in both life and death, is able to protect His people. Their songs echo the words of Jeremiah who wrote, “Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel” (Jeremiah 3:23 kjv).

Visit ChristianUniversity.org/OT020 to learn more about reading the Psalms.

By Our Daily Bread
The Power of God

My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:2

Rebecca and Russell’s doctors told them they couldn’t have children. But God had other ideas—and ten years later Rebecca conceived. The pregnancy was a healthy one; and when the contractions started, the couple excitedly rushed to the hospital. Yet the hours of labor grew long and more intense, and Rebecca’s body still wasn’t progressing enough for delivery. Finally, the doctor decided she needed to perform an emergency C-section. Fearful, Rebecca sobbed for her baby and herself. The doctor calmly assured her, saying, “I will do my best, but we’re going to pray to God because He can do more.” She prayed with Rebecca, and fifteen minutes later, Bruce, a healthy baby boy, was born.

That doctor understood her dependence on God and His power. She recognized that although she had the training and skill to do the surgery, she still needed God’s wisdom, strength, and help to guide her hands (Psalm 121:1–2).

It’s encouraging to hear about highly skilled people, or of anyone, who recognize they need Him—because, honestly, we all do. He’s God; we’re not. He alone “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20). Let’s have a humble heart to learn from Him and to trust Him in prayer “because He can do more” than we ever could.

How have you gained an understanding of your own need for God and His power? How is this dependence seen in your daily life?

I need You and Your wisdom and power, God, for decisions, skill, work, relationships—all of my life.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, June 14, 2021
Get Moving! (1)

Abide in Me… —John 15:4

In the matter of determination. The Spirit of Jesus is put into me by way of the atonement by the Cross of Christ. I then have to build my thinking patiently to bring it into perfect harmony with my Lord. God will not make me think like Jesus— I have to do it myself. I have to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). “Abide in Me”— in intellectual matters, in money matters, in every one of the matters that make human life what it is. Our lives are not made up of only one neatly confined area.

Am I preventing God from doing things in my circumstances by saying that it will only serve to hinder my fellowship with Him? How irrelevant and disrespectful that is! It does not matter what my circumstances are. I can be as much assured of abiding in Jesus in any one of them as I am in any prayer meeting. It is unnecessary to change and arrange my circumstances myself. Our Lord’s inner abiding was pure and unblemished. He was at home with God wherever His body was. He never chose His own circumstances, but was meek, submitting to His Father’s plans and directions for Him. Just think of how amazingly relaxed our Lord’s life was! But we tend to keep God at a fever pitch in our lives. We have none of the serenity of the life which is “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

Think of the things that take you out of the position of abiding in Christ. You say, “Yes, Lord, just a minute— I still have this to do. Yes, I will abide as soon as this is finished, or as soon as this week is over. It will be all right, Lord. I will abide then.” Get moving— begin to abide now. In the initial stages it will be a continual effort to abide, but as you continue, it will become so much a part of your life that you will abide in Him without any conscious effort. Make the determination to abide in Jesus wherever you are now or wherever you may be placed in the future.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

It is in the middle that human choices are made; the beginning and the end remain with God. The decrees of God are birth and death, and in between those limits man makes his own distress or joy.  Shade of His Hand, 1223 L

Bible in a Year: Ezra 9-10; Acts 1

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, June 14, 2021

Pretty Poison - #8981

While I was with one of my grandchildren, I saw a frog. She loved it! Then I picked up that little bug-eyed green fellow and held him close so she could get a better look at him. It was one of Kermit's cousins, you know. I didn't have any second thoughts about picking up a frog. No, they're harmless! Well, most of the time - unless it's what they call a poisonous dart frog. I don't think we have those, but they're about one and one-half inches long, and they live in tropical rainforests in Central and South America. And they are the good-lookers of the frog kingdom. They're not some boring ole' green. The dart frog is really very brightly colored. He looks very interesting, but he can be carrying enough poison to kill 20,000 mice. Or more important to you and me - ten people!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Pretty Poison."

Here's a creature who looks so good and kills so dead. Just like sin; maybe the sin that's been looking pretty good to you lately. So many people have reached out and touched what they never should have touched, and they paid a painful price that they could never imagined. Sin may be pretty, but it's pretty poison!

Listen to this eye-opening revelation from our word for today from the Word of God in James 1:14-15. "Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death." That's a sledgehammer verse. It traces a moral disaster from the first desire for something that's wrong to the sinful choice to get what looks so good, to its final result. When that "baby" called sin finally is born, what you get is death because sin always kills. It kills families, it kills marriages, it kills reputations, and it kills ministries. Sin kills your self-respect, kills people's trust in you and even your closeness to the God you can't live without.

The story of this attractive killer goes all the way back to the very first humans God ever created, Adam and Eve. With all the beauty of the Garden of Eden available for his enjoyment, God gave Adam this one prohibition: "You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

Satan came to Eve and told her the exact opposite: "You will not surely die." And "when the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it" (Genesis 2:17; 3:4, 6). And they learned the hard way that no matter how much you think you have to gain from going outside God's boundaries, you have so much more to lose. They lost Eden, they lost paradise, they lost walking with God, they gained so much pain and they died.

It may be that the same devil is lying to you right now about the sin that looks so good to you. "It won't hurt," "Everybody's doing it," "Hey, you deserve it," "You need this," "Only a little," "Oh, just this once." Anything to get you to bite. Anything to get you to take the deadly poison of sin. But it looks like you have so much to gain if you just lie a little, cheat a little, flirt a little, try a little, or take just one look. But you have so much to lose. You won't know that until it's too late unless you listen to what God says.

See, first sin fascinates you, and then it assassinates you. And God, in His love, has come to you today to wave you away from a choice that will take you where you never wanted to go, it will keep you longer than you ever wanted to stay, and it will cost you more than you ever wanted to pay. Don't walk away from that sin - run away from it. Sin looks so good and it kills so dead.

Job 16 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: A Father's Day Remembrance

I remember my first Father's Day without a father.  Perhaps you do too. For thirty-one years I had one of the best. But now he's gone. He is buried under an oak tree in a west Texas cemetery. It seems strange he isn't here. I guess that's because he was never gone. He was always close by. Always available. Always present. His words were nothing novel. His achievements, though admirable, were nothing extraordinary. But his presence was. Like a warm fireplace in a large house, he was a constant source of comfort.
He comes to mind often. When I smell "Old Spice" aftershave, I think of him. When I see a bass boat I see his face. I hear him chuckle. He had a copyright chuckle that always came with a wide grin and arched eyebrows. And I knew if I ever needed him, he would be there….like a warm fireplace!
From Dad Time

Job 16

Job Defends Himself
If You Were in My Shoes

Then Job defended himself:

“I’ve had all I can take of your talk.
    What a bunch of miserable comforters!
Is there no end to your windbag speeches?
    What’s your problem that you go on and on like this?
If you were in my shoes,
    I could talk just like you.
I could put together a terrific tirade
    and really let you have it.
But I’d never do that. I’d console and comfort,
    make things better, not worse!

6-14 “When I speak up, I feel no better;
    if I say nothing, that doesn’t help either.
I feel worn down.
    God, you have wasted me totally—me and my family!
You’ve shriveled me like a dried prune,
    showing the world that you’re against me.
My gaunt face stares back at me from the mirror,
    a mute witness to your treatment of me.
Your anger tears at me,
    your teeth rip me to shreds,
    your eyes burn holes in me—God, my enemy!
People take one look at me and gasp.
    Contemptuous, they slap me around
    and gang up against me.
And God just stands there and lets them do it,
    lets wicked people do what they want with me.
I was contentedly minding my business when God beat me up.
    He grabbed me by the neck and threw me around.
He set me up as his target,
    then rounded up archers to shoot at me.
Merciless, they shot me full of arrows;
    bitter bile poured from my gut to the ground.
He burst in on me, onslaught after onslaught,
    charging me like a mad bull.

15-17 “I sewed myself a shroud and wore it like a shirt;
    I lay facedown in the dirt.
Now my face is blotched red from weeping;
    look at the dark shadows under my eyes,
Even though I’ve never hurt a soul
    and my prayers are sincere!

The One Who Represents Mortals Before God
18-22 “O Earth, don’t cover up the wrong done to me!
    Don’t muffle my cry!
There must be Someone in heaven who knows the truth about me,
    in highest heaven, some Attorney who can clear my name—
My Champion, my Friend,
    while I’m weeping my eyes out before God.
I appeal to the One who represents mortals before God
    as a neighbor stands up for a neighbor.

“Only a few years are left
    before I set out on the road of no return.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Sunday, June 13, 2021

Read: Mark 10:13–16

The Little Children and Jesus
13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.

INSIGHT
In Mark 10:16, we read that Jesus “took the children in his arms . . . and blessed them.” The word used here for blessed is kateulogeo. It appears only in this passage in the New Testament and means “to bless intensely; to confer what is beneficial.” Jesus’ blessing was intense and fervent. He wanted only the best for these children.

On a number of occasions, Jesus described those who are considered “blessed” (makarios). This word means “to pronounce as blessed; to receive God’s favor.” After Peter acknowledged that Jesus was “the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” Jesus told him he was “blessed” (Matthew 16:16–17). This same word is used when Thomas recognized the risen Jesus as his “Lord” and “God.” Jesus told him that those who’ve not seen and yet believe are “blessed” (John 20:28–29). In these passages blessed means receiving God’s favor in response to trusting Jesus.

By John Blase
The Kingdom of God

The kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Mark 10:14

My mother has been committed to many things over the course of her life, but one that has remained constant is her desire to see little children introduced to Jesus. Of the few times I’ve witnessed my mother display disagreement publicly, all were when someone attempted to cut a children’s ministry budget in favor of what they felt were more “serious” expenditures. “I took off one summer when I was pregnant with your brother, but that’s it,” she told me. I did a little family math and I realized my mom had been working with children in the church for fifty-five years.

Mark 10 records one of the endearing stories in the Gospels commonly titled “The Little Children and Jesus.” People were bringing children to Jesus that He might touch and bless them. But the disciples tried to prevent this from happening. Mark records Jesus as “indignant”—and rebuking His very own disciples: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (v. 14).

Charles Dickens wrote, “I love these little people; and it’s not a slight thing when they, who are so fresh from God, love us.” And it’s not a slight thing when we, who are older, do all we can to make sure the little children are never hindered from the ever-fresh love of Jesus.

If you were introduced to Jesus as a child, who were the supporting adults in that memory? What kind of impression does Jesus being indignant in this story make on you?

Jesus, help me to reveal Your love and presence to all people, including children. Make me mindful of ways to ensure that they can always come to You.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, June 13, 2021
Getting There (3)
…come, follow Me. —Luke 18:22

Where our individual desire dies and sanctified surrender lives. One of the greatest hindrances in coming to Jesus is the excuse of our own individual temperament. We make our temperament and our natural desires barriers to coming to Jesus. Yet the first thing we realize when we do come to Jesus is that He pays no attention whatsoever to our natural desires. We have the idea that we can dedicate our gifts to God. However, you cannot dedicate what is not yours. There is actually only one thing you can dedicate to God, and that is your right to yourself (see Romans 12:1). If you will give God your right to yourself, He will make a holy experiment out of you— and His experiments always succeed. The one true mark of a saint of God is the inner creativity that flows from being totally surrendered to Jesus Christ. In the life of a saint there is this amazing Well, which is a continual Source of original life. The Spirit of God is a Well of water springing up perpetually fresh. A saint realizes that it is God who engineers his circumstances; consequently there are no complaints, only unrestrained surrender to Jesus. Never try to make your experience a principle for others, but allow God to be as creative and original with others as He is with you.

If you abandon everything to Jesus, and come when He says, “Come,” then He will continue to say, “Come,” through you. You will go out into the world reproducing the echo of Christ’s “Come.” That is the result in every soul who has abandoned all and come to Jesus.

Have I come to Him? Will I come now?

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

We are apt to think that everything that happens to us is to be turned into useful teaching; it is to be turned into something better than teaching, viz. into character. We shall find that the spheres God brings us into are not meant to teach us something but to make us something. The Love of God—The Ministry of the Unnoticed, 664 L

Bible in a Year: Ezra 6-8; John 21

Job 15, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Dad Made the Difference

Other events of my sixth-grade year blur into fog. But that spring evening in 1967? Crystal clear. I passed on dessert. No appetite. I needed to focus on the phone-on the call I had expected before the meal. I'm staring at the phone like a dog at a bone hoping a Little League coach will tell me I've made his team. In the great scheme of things, not making a baseball team matters little. But twelve-year-olds can't see the great scheme of things.
Long after my hopes were gone, the doorbell rang. It was the coach. He made it sound as if I were a top choice. Only later did I learn I was the last pick. And save a call from my dad, I might have been left off the team. But dad called, the coach came, and I was glad to play! Dad made the difference!
From Dad Time

Job 15

Eliphaz Attacks Again
You Trivialize Religion

Eliphaz of Teman spoke a second time:

“If you were truly wise, would you sound so much like a
    windbag, belching hot air?
Would you talk nonsense in the middle of a serious argument,
    babbling baloney?
Look at you! You trivialize religion,
    turn spiritual conversation into empty gossip.
It’s your sin that taught you to talk this way.
    You chose an education in fraud.
Your own words have exposed your guilt.
    It’s nothing I’ve said—you’ve incriminated yourself!
Do you think you’re the first person to have to deal with these things?
    Have you been around as long as the hills?
Were you listening in when God planned all this?
    Do you think you’re the only one who knows anything?
What do you know that we don’t know?
    What insights do you have that we’ve missed?
Gray beards and white hair back us up—
    old folks who’ve been around a lot longer than you.
Are God’s promises not enough for you,
    spoken so gently and tenderly?
Why do you let your emotions take over,
    lashing out and spitting fire,
Pitting your whole being against God
    by letting words like this come out of your mouth?
Do you think it’s possible for any mere mortal to be sinless in God’s sight,
    for anyone born of a human mother to get it all together?
Why, God can’t even trust his holy angels.
    He sees the flaws in the very heavens themselves,
So how much less we humans, smelly and foul,
    who lap up evil like water?

Always at Odds with God
17-26 “I’ve a thing or two to tell you, so listen up!
    I’m letting you in on my views;
It’s what wise men and women have always taught,
    holding nothing back from what they were taught
By their parents, back in the days
    when they had this land all to themselves:
Those who live by their own rules, not God’s, can expect nothing but trouble,
    and the longer they live, the worse it gets.
Every little sound terrifies them.
    Just when they think they have it made, disaster strikes.
They despair of things ever getting better—
    they’re on the list of people for whom things always turn out for the worst.
They wander here and there,
    never knowing where the next meal is coming from—
    every day is doomsday!
They live in constant terror,
    always with their backs up against the wall
Because they insist on shaking their fists at God,
    defying God Almighty to his face,
Always and ever at odds with God,
    always on the defensive.

27-35 “Even if they’re the picture of health,
    trim and fit and youthful,
They’ll end up living in a ghost town
    sleeping in a hovel not fit for a dog,
    a ramshackle shack.
They’ll never get ahead,
    never amount to much of anything.
And then death—don’t think they’ll escape that!
    They’ll end up shriveled weeds,
    brought down by a puff of God’s breath.
There’s a lesson here: Whoever invests in lies,
    gets lies for interest,
Paid in full before the due date.
    Some investment!
They’ll be like fruit frost-killed before it ripens,
    like buds sheared off before they bloom.
The godless are fruitless—a barren crew;
    a life built on bribes goes up in smoke.
They have sex with sin and give birth to evil.
    Their lives are wombs for breeding deceit.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Saturday, June 12, 2021
Read: Isaiah 43:1–7
Israel’s Only Savior

But now, this is what the Lord says—
    he who created you, Jacob,
    he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
    Cush[a] and Seba in your stead.
4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
    and because I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
    nations in exchange for your life.
5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
    I will bring your children from the east
    and gather you from the west.
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
    and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
    and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
7 everyone who is called by my name,
    whom I created for my glory,
    whom I formed and made.”

Footnotes
Isaiah 43:3 That is, the upper Nile region

INSIGHT
In Isaiah 43, we see how the identity of God’s people is totally dependent upon the identity of God Himself. We might expect an Old Testament prophecy to be filled with dire warnings of cataclysmic judgment, and Isaiah certainly contains that. However, the book also provides immense comfort throughout its sixty-six chapters. In chapter 43, God promises to bring His exiled people back home (vv. 5–6). Typically, a conquered nation would be absorbed into the culture of their victorious enemies. But God’s people are different—even when being judged. Despite their long history of rebellion against God, the exiles remained His chosen people. God can’t deny His own character, and He tells His people, “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more” (v. 25). The identity of God’s people is wrapped up in His character.

By Patricia Raybon
He Knows Your Name

I have summoned you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43:1

After breaking with our longtime church, my husband and I reunited with the fellowship after three long years. But how would people treat us? Would they welcome us back? Love us? Forgive us for leaving? We got our answer on a sunny Sunday morning. As we walked through the big church doors, we kept hearing our names. “Pat! Dan! It’s so great to see you!” As children’s author Kate DiCamillo wrote in one of her popular books, “Reader, nothing is sweeter in this sad world than the sound of someone you love calling your name.”

The same assurance was true for the people of Israel. We had chosen a different church for a time, but they had turned their backs on God. Yet He welcomed them back. He sent the prophet Isaiah to assure them, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1).

In this world—where we can feel unseen, unappreciated, and even unknown—be assured that God knows each of us by name. “You are precious and honored in my sight,” He promises (v. 4). “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you” (v. 2). This promise isn’t just for Israel. Jesus ransomed His life for us. He knows our names. Why? In love, we are His.

Why does God welcome His people back to Him? How has He shown that He knows you by name?

Jesus, when I stray from Your arms and Your fellowship, summon me home by name. I’m so grateful to be Yours.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, June 12, 2021
Getting There (2)

They said to Him, "Rabbi…where are You staying?" He said to them, "Come and see." —John 1:38-39

Where our self-interest sleeps and the real interest is awakened. “They…remained with Him that day….” That is about all some of us ever do. We stay with Him a short time, only to wake up to our own realities of life. Our self-interest rises up and our abiding with Him is past. Yet there is no circumstance of life in which we cannot abide in Jesus.

“You are Simon….You shall be called Cephas” (John 1:42). God writes our new name only on those places in our lives where He has erased our pride, self-sufficiency, and self-interest. Some of us have our new name written only in certain spots, like spiritual measles. And in those areas of our lives we look all right. When we are in our best spiritual mood, you would think we were the highest quality saints. But don’t dare look at us when we are not in that mood. A true disciple is one who has his new name written all over him— self-interest, pride, and self-sufficiency have been completely erased.

Pride is the sin of making “self” our god. And some of us today do this, not like the Pharisee, but like the tax collector (see Luke 18:9-14). For you to say, “Oh, I’m no saint,” is acceptable by human standards of pride, but it is unconscious blasphemy against God. You defy God to make you a saint, as if to say, “I am too weak and hopeless and outside the reach of the atonement by the Cross of Christ.” Why aren’t you a saint? It is either that you do not want to be a saint, or that you do not believe that God can make you into one. You say it would be all right if God saved you and took you straight to heaven. That is exactly what He will do! And not only do we make our home with Him, but Jesus said of His Father and Himself, “…We will come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14:23). Put no conditions on your life— let Jesus be everything to you, and He will take you home with Him not only for a day, but for eternity.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The life of Abraham is an illustration of two things: of unreserved surrender to God, and of God’s complete possession of a child of His for His own highest end.
Not Knowing Whither

Bible in a Year: Ezra 3-5; John 20

Job 14, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: BRIDGE BUILDER - June 11, 2021

Brian Reed served in a military unit in Baghdad, Iraq, in the fall of 2003. He and his unit went on regular street patrols to protect neighborhoods and build peace. It was often a thankless, fruitless assignment. Brian said his unit battled low morale daily.

An exception came in the form of a church service his men stumbled upon. It was filled with Arabic-speaking Coptic Christians who invited the soldiers to partake in the Lord’s Supper with them. Brian wrote, “Celebrating the Lord’s Supper and remembering Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins was the most important bridge builder and wall destroyer we could have experienced.”

Opposite yous, brought together by the cross of Christ. This is how happiness happens.

Job 14

If We Die, Will We Live Again?

We’re all adrift in the same boat:
    too few days, too many troubles.
We spring up like wildflowers in the desert and then wilt,
    transient as the shadow of a cloud.
Do you occupy your time with such fragile wisps?
    Why even bother hauling me into court?
There’s nothing much to us to start with;
    how do you expect us to amount to anything?
Mortals have a limited life span.
    You’ve already decided how long we’ll live—
    you set the boundary and no one can cross it.
So why not give us a break? Ease up!
    Even ditchdiggers get occasional days off.
For a tree there is always hope.
    Chop it down and it still has a chance—
    its roots can put out fresh sprouts.
Even if its roots are old and gnarled,
    its stump long dormant,
At the first whiff of water it comes to life,
    buds and grows like a sapling.
But men and women? They die and stay dead.
    They breathe their last, and that’s it.
Like lakes and rivers that have dried up,
    parched reminders of what once was,
So mortals lie down and never get up,
    never wake up again—never.
Why don’t you just bury me alive,
    get me out of the way until your anger cools?
But don’t leave me there!
    Set a date when you’ll see me again.
If we humans die, will we live again? That’s my question.
    All through these difficult days I keep hoping,
    waiting for the final change—for resurrection!
Homesick with longing for the creature you made,
    you’ll call—and I’ll answer!
You’ll watch over every step I take,
    but you won’t keep track of my missteps.
My sins will be stuffed in a sack
    and thrown into the sea—sunk in deep ocean.

18-22 “Meanwhile, mountains wear down
    and boulders break up,
Stones wear smooth
    and soil erodes,
    as you relentlessly grind down our hope.
You’re too much for us.
    As always, you get the last word.
We don’t like it and our faces show it,
    but you send us off anyway.
If our children do well for themselves, we never know it;
    if they do badly, we’re spared the hurt.
Body and soul, that’s it for us—
    a lifetime of pain, a lifetime of sorrow.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Friday, June 11, 2021

Read: 1 Peter 1:3–9

Praise to God for a Living Hope
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

INSIGHT
The Greek word for hope in the New Testament (elpis) is used in much the same way as the Old Testament words for hope—to emphasize waiting in expectation for God’s promised future (see Psalm 39:7). But the New Testament emphasizes Jesus as the ultimate source for hope and the ultimate demonstration of God’s goodness and faithfulness. In 1 Peter 1, the author describes believers’ “living hope” as rooted securely in the future accomplished by Christ’s death and resurrection (v. 3). It’s this hope that helps believers survive times of great hardship in expectation of the final “salvation” (v. 5) that will “be revealed in the last time.” Here, “salvation” refers to the final and complete deliverance from evil and death that will be accomplished at Jesus’ final return.

By Mart DeHaan
Unseen Wonder

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him. 1 Peter 1:8

In the twilight of her years, Mrs. Goodrich’s thoughts came in and out of focus along with memories of a challenging and grace-filled life. Sitting by a window overlooking the waters of Michigan’s Grand Traverse Bay, she reached for her notepad. In words she soon wouldn’t recognize as her own she wrote: “Here I am in my favorite chair, with my feet on the sill, and my heart in the air. The sun-struck waves on the water below, in constant motion—to where I don’t know. But thank You—dear Father above—for Your innumerable gifts and Your undying love! It always amazes me—How can it be? That I’m so in love with One I can’t see.”

The apostle Peter acknowledged such wonder. He had seen Jesus with his own eyes, but those who would read his letter had not. “Though you have not seen him . . . you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1:8). We love Jesus not because we’re commanded to, but because with the help of the Spirit (v. 11) we begin to see how much He loves us.

It’s more than hearing that He cares for people like us. It’s experiencing for ourselves the promise of Christ to make the wonder of His unseen presence and Spirit real to us at every stage of life.

Read 1 Peter 1:3–9 again. In what ways do these words show you how our God makes the inexpressible real to us? How open are you to the Spirit of Jesus, who lives in and among us?

Our Father in heaven, please help me to see the miracle of Your love and presence in Your Son and to believe in Your Spirit.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, June 11, 2021
Getting There (1)

Come to Me… —Matthew 11:28

Where sin and sorrow stops, and the song of the saint starts. Do I really want to get there? I can right now. The questions that truly matter in life are remarkably few, and they are all answered by these words— “Come to Me.” Our Lord’s words are not, “Do this, or don’t do that,” but— “Come to me.” If I will simply come to Jesus, my real life will be brought into harmony with my real desires. I will actually cease from sin, and will find the song of the Lord beginning in my life.

Have you ever come to Jesus? Look at the stubbornness of your heart. You would rather do anything than this one simple childlike thing— “Come to Me.” If you really want to experience ceasing from sin, you must come to Jesus.

Jesus Christ makes Himself the test to determine your genuineness. Look how He used the word come. At the most unexpected moments in your life there is this whisper of the Lord— “Come to Me,” and you are immediately drawn to Him. Personal contact with Jesus changes everything. Be “foolish” enough to come and commit yourself to what He says. The attitude necessary for you to come to Him is one where your will has made the determination to let go of everything and deliberately commit it all to Him.

“…and I will give you rest”— that is, “I will sustain you, causing you to stand firm.” He is not saying, “I will put you to bed, hold your hand, and sing you to sleep.” But, in essence, He is saying, “I will get you out of bed— out of your listlessness and exhaustion, and out of your condition of being half dead while you are still alive. I will penetrate you with the spirit of life, and you will be sustained by the perfection of vital activity.” Yet we become so weak and pitiful and talk about “suffering” the will of the Lord! Where is the majestic vitality and the power of the Son of God in that?

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

God engineers circumstances to see what we will do. Will we be the children of our Father in heaven, or will we go back again to the meaner, common-sense attitude? Will we stake all and stand true to Him? “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” The crown of life means I shall see that my Lord has got the victory after all, even in me.  The Highest Good—The Pilgrim’s Song Book, 530 L

Bible in a Year: Ezra 1-2; John 19:23-42

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, June 11, 2021
Don't Count On An Extension - #8980

Teenagers are chronic procrastinators. It really shows up when you're trying to get them to register for a camp or a retreat, which I've done plenty of. Oh, they're planning to go, but you wouldn't know it by their registration. They'll wait until they hear the bus to start signing up. That happened at a retreat we had. There was this deadline, but many of the kids we most wanted to go, particularly for spiritual reasons, missed the deadline. Oh, we still had room. So did we take their registrations late? You bet we did. But you know, deadlines are often flexible, and it seems like you can usually get an extension. But don't count on that extension when it really, really counts.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Don't Count On An Extension."

Our word for today from the Word of God, Proverbs 27:1. Basically it says, "Don't count on an extension." God's words go like this: "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth." Now, I think that counsel from the Scriptures is most urgent when it comes to that tug in your heart that seems to be pulling you in the direction of Jesus. Maybe you've felt that. Well, that's the Holy Spirit of God making it possible for you to surrender yourself to your Savior. According to the Scripture, if He stops calling you, you'll never know Christ. You'll never see heaven.

Now, in a world of flexible deadlines, we feel like there'll always be, "Hey, one more chance to sign up." Right? Well, when it comes to choosing Christ, that's deadly logic. In the book of Genesis God says, "My Spirit will not always strive with man." In the book of Isaiah He says, "Call upon the Lord while He is near; while He may be found." See, if He's ready, and you know He's ready because you feel a pull toward Jesus, you'd better receive Him now. And of course death, well that's a non-negotiable deadline. Someone your age, however old or young you are, died unexpectedly today. That's a fact. And for them, there are no more chances. Someday that will be you.

Dr. Erwin Lutzer, who was Pastor of Moody Church, told the story that is frequently told, he said, in the Middle East. A wealthy merchant sent his servant to Baghdad on some errands, and while the servant was there he met Lady Death. He was frightened, he ran back, told his master he wanted to run as far and as fast as he could, because he didn't want to run into Lady Death again. So he asked for his master's fastest horse. He said, "I'm going to ride all day. I'm not going to stop until I reach Samara tonight." Well, that night, according to the story, the merchant himself met Lady Death, and he asked her, "Why did you startle my servant?" Lady Death said, "Well, actually, he startled me. He confused me when I met him in Baghdad. See, I have an appointment with him tonight in Samara."

The Bible says, "It is appointed to man once to die, and after this the judgment." Hell is populated with people for whom Christ died, who didn't ever have to go there, but people

who were maybe counting on one more chance to put their faith in Him. And they had passed by unknowingly their last chance because the Spirit moved on or their life suddenly ended.

So, perhaps for you, this is a chance provided by God, His Holy Spirit, for you to finally know you belong to Jesus; to get this done; to get it settled. There's eternity at stake here. This is urgent; it's life or death! If there's never been a moment when you've said, "Jesus, I am putting all my trust in You and Your death on the cross for my sins. I'm Yours." Make it today.

Listen, get to our website. There you'll find a way to be sure you've begun your relationship with Him. That's ANewStory.com. Don't count on an extension.

The Bible says, "Now is the acceptable time! Today is your day of salvation."

Matthew 9:18-38 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

 
Max Lucado Daily: LET LOVE SUCCEED - June 10, 2021

The catchphrase “hate the sin and love the sinner” fits nicely on a bumper sticker, but how do we embed the principle in our hearts? Maybe these ideas will help.

Reserve judgment. Let every person you meet be a new person in your mind. None of this labeling or preconceived notions. Listening is a healing balm for raw emotions. Happiness happens not by fixing people, but by accepting people and entrusting them into the care of God. Jesus did this.

Another idea: Resist the urge to shout. You know, it’s better to keep quiet and keep a friend than to be loud and lose one. Besides, “They are God’s servants, not yours. They are responsible to him, not to you…” (Romans 14:4 TLB). Let’s reason together. Let’s work together. And if discussion fails, let love succeed—this is how happiness happens.


Matthew 9:18-38

Just a Touch
18-19 As he finished saying this, a local official appeared, bowed politely, and said, “My daughter has just now died. If you come and touch her, she will live.” Jesus got up and went with him, his disciples following along.

20-22 Just then a woman who had hemorrhaged for twelve years slipped in from behind and lightly touched his robe. She was thinking to herself, “If I can just put a finger on his robe, I’ll get well.” Jesus turned—caught her at it. Then he reassured her: “Courage, daughter. You took a risk of faith, and now you’re well.” The woman was well from then on.

23-26 By now they had arrived at the house of the town official, and pushed their way through the gossips looking for a story and the neighbors bringing in casseroles. Jesus was abrupt: “Clear out! This girl isn’t dead. She’s sleeping.” They told him he didn’t know what he was talking about. But when Jesus had gotten rid of the crowd, he went in, took the girl’s hand, and pulled her to her feet—alive. The news was soon out, and traveled throughout the region.

Become What You Believe
27-28 As Jesus left the house, he was followed by two blind men crying out, “Mercy, Son of David! Mercy on us!” When Jesus got home, the blind men went in with him. Jesus said to them, “Do you really believe I can do this?” They said, “Why, yes, Master!”

29-31 He touched their eyes and said, “Become what you believe.” It happened. They saw. Then Jesus became very stern. “Don’t let a soul know how this happened.” But they were hardly out the door before they started blabbing it to everyone they met.

32-33 Right after that, as the blind men were leaving, a man who had been struck speechless by an evil spirit was brought to Jesus. As soon as Jesus threw the evil tormenting spirit out, the man talked away just as if he’d been talking all his life. The people were up on their feet applauding: “There’s never been anything like this in Israel!”

34 The Pharisees were left sputtering, “Smoke and mirrors. It’s nothing but smoke and mirrors. He’s probably made a pact with the Devil.”

35-38 Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. “What a huge harvest!” he said to his disciples. “How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Thursday, June 10, 2021

Read: Ezekiel 32:2–10

 “Son of man, take up a lament concerning Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him:

“‘You are like a lion among the nations;
    you are like a monster in the seas
thrashing about in your streams,
    churning the water with your feet
    and muddying the streams.

3 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘With a great throng of people
    I will cast my net over you,
    and they will haul you up in my net.
4 I will throw you on the land
    and hurl you on the open field.
I will let all the birds of the sky settle on you
    and all the animals of the wild gorge themselves on you.
5 I will spread your flesh on the mountains
    and fill the valleys with your remains.
6 I will drench the land with your flowing blood
    all the way to the mountains,
    and the ravines will be filled with your flesh.
7 When I snuff you out, I will cover the heavens
    and darken their stars;
I will cover the sun with a cloud,
    and the moon will not give its light.
8 All the shining lights in the heavens
    I will darken over you;
    I will bring darkness over your land,
declares the Sovereign Lord.
9 I will trouble the hearts of many peoples
    when I bring about your destruction among the nations,
    among[a] lands you have not known.
10 I will cause many peoples to be appalled at you,
    and their kings will shudder with horror because of you
    when I brandish my sword before them.
On the day of your downfall
    each of them will tremble
    every moment for his life.

Footnotes
Ezekiel 32:9 Hebrew; Septuagint bring you into captivity among the nations, / to

INSIGHT
The prophecy against Egypt in Ezekiel 32 is prolonged and graphic underscoring God’s sovereignty over the course of this world and the kings and kingdoms that inhabit it. His message to the king of Egypt, portrayed as causing chaos (“muddying the streams” v. 2), is that his destruction is coming. In verses 3–10, God declares eleven times, “I will . . . .” Though He uses people to accomplish His will (v. 3), He’s the One who brings it about.

By Mike Wittmer
Who Are You?

You are like a lion among the nations; you are like a monster in the seas. Ezekiel 32:2


The leader of our video conference said, “Good morning!” I said “Hello” back, but I wasn’t looking at him. I was distracted by my own image on the screen. Do I look like this? I looked at the smiling faces of the others on the call. That looks like them. So yes, this must be me. I should lose some weight. And get a haircut.

In his mind, Pharaoh was pretty great. He was “a lion among the nations . . . a monster in the seas” (Ezekiel 32:2). But then he caught a glimpse of himself from God’s perspective. God said he was in trouble and that He would expose his carcass to wild animals, causing “many peoples to be appalled at you, and their kings [to] shudder with horror because of you” (v. 10). Pharaoh was much less impressive than he thought.

We may think we’re “spiritually handsome”—until we see our sin as God sees it. Compared to His holy standard, even “our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). But God also sees something else, something even more true: He sees Jesus, and He sees us in Jesus.

Feeling discouraged about how you are? Remember this is not who you are. If you have put your trust in Jesus, then you’re in Jesus, and His holiness drapes over you. You’re more beautiful than you imagine.


What image do you have of yourself? How does that compare to the image God has of you?


Jesus, I cling to You. Your love and goodness beautifies me.

 

Read The Forgiveness of God at DiscoverySeries.org/Q0602.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, June 10, 2021

And After That What’s Next To Do?

…seek, and you will find… —Luke 11:9

Seek if you have not found. “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss…” (James 4:3). If you ask for things from life instead of from God, “you ask amiss”; that is, you ask out of your desire for self-fulfillment. The more you fulfill yourself the less you will seek God. “…seek, and you will find….” Get to work— narrow your focus and interests to this one thing. Have you ever sought God with your whole heart, or have you simply given Him a feeble cry after some emotionally painful experience? “…seek, [focus,] and you will find….”

“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters…” (Isaiah 55:1). Are you thirsty, or complacent and indifferent— so satisfied with your own experience that you want nothing more of God? Experience is a doorway, not a final goal. Beware of building your faith on experience, or your life will not ring true and will only sound the note of a critical spirit. Remember that you can never give another person what you have found, but you can cause him to have a desire for it.

“…knock, and it will be opened to you” (Luke 11:9). “Draw near to God…” (James 4:8). Knock— the door is closed, and your heartbeat races as you knock. “Cleanse your hands…” (James 4:8). Knock a bit louder— you begin to find that you are dirty. “…purify your hearts…” (James 4:8). It is becoming even more personal— you are desperate and serious now— you will do anything. “Lament…” (James 4:9). Have you ever lamented, expressing your sorrow before God for the condition of your inner life? There is no thread of self-pity left, only the heart-rending difficulty and amazement which comes from seeing what kind of person you really are. “Humble yourselves…” (James 4:10). It is a humbling experience to knock at God’s door— you have to knock with the crucified thief. “…to him who knocks it will be opened” (Luke 11:10).


WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

Am I learning how to use my Bible? The way to become complete for the Master’s service is to be well soaked in the Bible; some of us only exploit certain passages. Our Lord wants to give us continuous instruction out of His word; continuous instruction turns hearers into disciples.  Approved Unto God, 11 L

Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 34-36; John 19:1-22

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, June 10, 2021

Obsessed With Grades - #8979

I was a little psycho about grades in school. Maybe it's a firstborn thing. I don't know. But from early grade school, I always wanted to get really good grades. I worked hard, made sure I was on good terms with the teacher, and I usually made the honor roll. When my wife and I were going to college together, I used to drive her nuts with my concern over getting a "B." I'm sorry, I know you hate me. But, you know, I told you I was psycho. It's a problem. Now, you probably hated guys like me, but just consider it a condition and cut me some slack, OK? I'm probably not the only person in the world who has this "gotta get a good grade" thing!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Obsessed With Grades."

It can be a good thing to be really focused on grades when it comes to school. It's definitely not a good thing when it comes to being a follower of Jesus Christ. But a lot of us like what I call measurable righteousness - a rigid standard by which I can grade myself as a Jesus-follower. And maybe more importantly, I can grade you. I can grade others as a Jesus-follower.

Don't get me wrong. God has clear boundaries for our lives and they are non-negotiable. The issue is whether or not we have a right to grade ourselves on how we're doing with Him; or whether or not we have a right to grade other people. When we do, we usually give ourselves a better grade based on some criteria by which we can come out looking good. Jesus knew some folks like that. They had a name - Pharisees. Jesus didn't have very nice things to say about them.

Our word for today from the Word of God, Galatians 5, beginning with verse 1, is actually a Declaration of Independence, not from the desire to please God, but from the obsession with grading our righteousness or the righteousness of others, which almost always ends in spiritual pride for us and judgment of other people.

God says, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." That slavery back then had been a legalistic bondage to a list of spiritual rules. John 1:17 says, "The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." That grace removes the word "deserve" from all our dealings with God. Hell is all we can deserve. Our relationship is based on God's grace, not our goodness. It is "not by works so no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:9) the Bible says. Which is exactly what legalistic righteousness, spiritual grades can cause. It causes boasting.

In Galatians, Paul says, "You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? You...were called to be free" (Galatians 5:7, 13). Earlier he asked, "Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law or by believing...? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" (Galatians 3:2-3).

God doesn't want us grading our righteousness or the righteousness of others, as ego-satisfying as that might be. We should never have a sense of having arrived spiritually. That's why, after 30 years of an awesome Christian life, the Apostle Paul was still "pressing on to win the prize." The spirit of Jesus isn't one of proudly measuring our righteousness. It's a spirit of humility, of always feeling in desperate need of His grace, of always being amazed that He loved me.

I'm always wanting to please my Jesus, but I'm not ever thinking I'm there. I'm never in a position to judge how someone else is doing, except to help a struggling brother or sister by restoring them, or confronting them, or exhorting them under the Spirit's prodding, but always with a sense of mercy and humility - never with a sense of condescension or pride.

One of my favorite verses is Isaiah 66:2. It defines the kind of person that impresses God, that He wants to use. Here's what it says: "To this man I will look: to him who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word." No grades - just grace.

Job 13 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

 
Max Lucado Daily: GRACE AND TRUTH - June 9, 2021

How does Jesus receive us? I know how he treated me. I was a twenty-year-old troublemaker on a downhill path. And though I’d made a commitment to Christ a decade earlier, you wouldn’t have known it by the way I lived. Finally I came to Jesus, and he welcomed me back.

Please note: he did not accept my behavior. But he accepted me, his wayward child. He said, “Come back. I’ll clean you up.” He was “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Not just grace, but truth. Not just truth, but grace. Grace and truth.

Grace told the adulterous woman, “I do not condemn you.” But truth told her, “Go and sin no more” (John 8:11). Jesus shared truth but graciously, and Jesus offered grace but truthfully. Grace and truth. Acceptance seeks to offer both. This is how happiness happens.

Job 13

I’m Taking My Case to God
13 1-5 “Yes, I’ve seen all this with my own eyes,
    heard and understood it with my very own ears.
Everything you know, I know,
    so I’m not taking a backseat to any of you.
I’m taking my case straight to God Almighty;
    I’ve had it with you—I’m going directly to God.
You graffiti my life with lies.
    You’re a bunch of pompous quacks!
I wish you’d shut your mouths—
    silence is your only claim to wisdom.

6-12 “Listen now while I make my case,
    consider my side of things for a change.
Or are you going to keep on lying ‘to do God a service’?
    to make up stories ‘to get him off the hook’?
Why do you always take his side?
    Do you think he needs a lawyer to defend himself?
How would you fare if you were in the witness stand?
    Your lies might convince a jury—but would they convince God?
He’d reprimand you on the spot
    if he detected a bias in your witness.
Doesn’t his splendor put you in awe?
    Aren’t you afraid to speak cheap lies before him?
Your wise sayings are knickknack wisdom,
    good for nothing but gathering dust.

13-19 “So hold your tongue while I have my say,
    then I’ll take whatever I have coming to me.
Why do I go out on a limb like this
    and take my life in my hands?
Because even if he killed me, I’d keep on hoping.
    I’d defend my innocence to the very end.
Just wait, this is going to work out for the best—my salvation!
    If I were guilt-stricken do you think I’d be doing this—
    laying myself on the line before God?
You’d better pay attention to what I’m telling you,
    listen carefully with both ears.
Now that I’ve laid out my defense,
    I’m sure that I’ll be acquitted.
Can anyone prove charges against me?
    I’ve said my piece. I rest my case.

Why Does God Stay Hidden and Silent?
20-27 “Please, God, I have two requests;
    grant them so I’ll know I count with you:
First, lay off the afflictions;
    the terror is too much for me.
Second, address me directly so I can answer you,
    or let me speak and then you answer me.
How many sins have been charged against me?
    Show me the list—how bad is it?
Why do you stay hidden and silent?
    Why treat me like I’m your enemy?
Why kick me around like an old tin can?
    Why beat a dead horse?
You compile a long list of mean things about me,
    even hold me accountable for the sins of my youth.
You hobble me so I can’t move about.
    You watch every move I make,
    and brand me as a dangerous character.

28 “Like something rotten, human life fast decomposes,
    like a moth-eaten shirt or a mildewed blouse.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Wednesday, June 09, 2021

Read: Ephesians 4:11–16

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

INSIGHT
Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 contain the two main lists of what we call “spiritual gifts” (Spirit-empowered giftedness for serving God and fellow believers in Christ). While these lists are extensive, they’re not necessarily exhaustive. Though some consider Ephesians 4:11 as another list, it seems quite different. The gifts mentioned in Ephesians 4 represent the gifted leaders that God provides for the growth, encouragement, and strengthening of the body. This seems to be the point of verse 12, which reminds us that these leaders were appointed to equip believers in Jesus for spiritual service. As such, these two kinds of “gifts” are connected. The Spirit provides the spiritual enabling, and spiritual leaders are there to train and equip people to employ those gifts in ministry.

By Kirsten Holmberg
Moving Toward Maturity

Become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:13

A recent survey asked respondents to identify the age at which they believed they became adults. Those who considered themselves adults pointed to specific behaviors as evidence of their status. Having a budget and buying a house topped the list as being marks of “adulting.” Other adult activities ranged from cooking dinner every weeknight and scheduling one’s own medical appointments, to the more humorous ability to choose to eat snacks for dinner or being excited to stay at home on a Saturday evening instead of going out.

The Bible says we should press on toward spiritual maturity as well. Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, urging the people to “become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). While we’re “young” in our faith, we’re vulnerable to “every wind of teaching” (v. 14), which often results in division among us. Instead, as we mature in our understanding of the truth, we function as a unified body under “him who is the head, that is, Christ” (v. 15).

God gave us His Spirit to help us grow into a full understanding of who He is (John 14:26), and He equips pastors and teachers to instruct and lead us toward maturity in our faith (Ephesians 4:11–12). Just as certain characteristics are evidence of physical maturity, our unity as His body is evidence of our spiritual growth.

In what ways are you still vulnerable to “every wind of teaching”? How can you continue to grow spiritually?

Loving God, You’re the author of my growth and maturity. Please help me to see where my understanding of You is still immature and teach me more of Your wisdom.

To learn more about growing toward spiritual maturity, visit ChristianUniversity.org/SF212.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, June 09, 2021
Then What’s Next To Do?

Everyone who asks receives… —Luke 11:10

Ask if you have not received. There is nothing more difficult than asking. We will have yearnings and desires for certain things, and even suffer as a result of their going unfulfilled, but not until we are at the limit of desperation will we ask. It is the sense of not being spiritually real that causes us to ask. Have you ever asked out of the depths of your total insufficiency and poverty? “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God…” (James 1:5), but be sure that you do lack wisdom before you ask. You cannot bring yourself to the point of spiritual reality anytime you choose. The best thing to do, once you realize you are not spiritually real, is to ask God for the Holy Spirit, basing your request on the promise of Jesus Christ (see Luke 11:13). The Holy Spirit is the one who makes everything that Jesus did for you real in your life.

“Everyone who asks receives….” This does not mean that you will not get if you do not ask, but it means that until you come to the point of asking, you will not receive from God (see Matthew 5:45). To be able to receive means that you have to come into the relationship of a child of God, and then you comprehend and appreciate mentally, morally, and with spiritual understanding, that these things come from God.

“If any of you lacks wisdom….” If you realize that you are lacking, it is because you have come in contact with spiritual reality— do not put the blinders of reason on again. The word ask actually means “beg.” Some people are poor enough to be interested in their poverty, and some of us are poor enough spiritually to show our interest. Yet we will never receive if we ask with a certain result in mind, because we are asking out of our lust, not out of our poverty. A pauper does not ask out of any reason other than the completely hopeless and painful condition of his poverty. He is not ashamed to beg— blessed are the paupers in spirit (see Matthew 5:3).


WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

For the past three hundred years men have been pointing out how similar Jesus Christ’s teachings are to other good teachings. We have to remember that Christianity, if it is not a supernatural miracle, is a sham.  The Highest Good, 548 L

Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 32-33; John 18:19-40

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, June 09, 2021

Running to the Rescue - #8978

I never saw the movie Jaws, but I know it's about this shark that keeps snacking on people who are in the ocean. And that's why the lifeguard at Ocean City, New Jersey got my attention that summer day when he ordered all of us out of the water. Oh, I cooperated. I didn't even ask any questions. In moments, there were hundreds of people out of the water and lined up on the beach. But the shark was just in my imagination. The real problem was three children had gone out too far in high tide, and they were too close to the jetty in spite of a lifeguard's warning. So now they were in very serious trouble; they're going down.

I looked down toward the beaches to my left and my right, and the swimmers had been cleared from the water as far as I could see. All the lifeguards from all over were running from those beaches to our beach, and pretty soon every lifeguard in the neighborhood was there. Some were swimming out to the children; others were launching the rowboat and rowing right into high tide. Thankfully they rescued all three children relatively unharmed, but boy, was it dramatic! Those lifeguards, of course, usually stay in their own areas, but not this time. When it was life-or-death, they all worked together.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Running to the Rescue."

Our word for today from the Word of God highlights some verses from Acts 1 and 2. Jesus is actually briefing the 11 men who would launch His eternal rescue mission around the world. He says in Acts 1:8, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria and to the ends of the earth." What a massive challenge for 11 guys! Take this life-saving news across the city, across the area, and across the world! We're talking overwhelming!

So here's what they did. Verse 14: "They all joined together constantly in prayer." Good idea. Chapter 2, verse 1: "When the Day of Pentecost came they were all together in one place." Notice that word "together" again. Then in verse 41, "Those who accepted His message were baptized and about 3,000 were added to their number that day."

Okay, they're having an impact. Verse 44: "All the believers were together and had everything in common." Verse 47: "And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

They were surrounded by dying people without Christ. And they responded the same way the Ocean City Beach Patrol did that day. They realized they had to work together if they were going to rise to the rescue of those people. Now, the believers in your area, no matter what their distinctives are, their denominations and what differences they have; they are God's life-saving team in your community. More often than not, the tragedy in most places is that God's lifeguards are each working their own beach, often widely separated from each other.

That might be okay except for one thing. Lost people are going down while they're all huddled in their little corner of the beach. The fact is, in our lifetime America has become a post-Christian nation. The people we live around and work around know very little about the Bible or about our Savior. We're losing the battle to rescue people folks! How can we continue to work separately? Is it we've forgotten the price Jesus paid for these people? Have we forgotten the eternal hell when you miss the Savior?

Maybe it's time all of us admit what seems so obvious. We're all failing to truly make an impact; to make much of a difference in rescuing the perishing. And maybe you could be the one, like the lifeguard on our beach, to call to the rescuers from other groups and say, "Hey, people are dying here! Come on, we've got to work together!"

There's nothing like a burden for lost people to pull God's people together. It's time we begin to reach across the lines between us and form prayer groups on behalf of the lost that none of us are reaching. It's time your church leaves that bickering over trivia and come together to fight for the lost in your community. It's time we forget turf. Turf doesn't matter when people are dying. It's time we begin to plan how we can do what the first century Christians did, work together to impact a city for Christ.

I can still picture those lifeguards running full speed to get together, because the cries of dying people brought them together. My brother, my sister, this is life or death. We have to go get them together.