Exodus 17 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily:  The Land is Conquered

If we are co-heirs with Christ, why do we struggle through life? Our inheritance is perfect peace, yet we feel like a perfect mess. God promises to meet every need, yet we still worry and fret. Why? Perhaps no one ever told us about what Paul describes in Ephesians 1:19- "the exceeding greatness of His (God's) power toward us who believe." No one told us the land is already conquered. The gift has been given. Will you trust it? Joshua 1:3 is the reminder, "I made this offer to the people of Moses' day but they didn't take it. They chose the wilderness."
You are embedded with the presence of God. You can't break the habit, but God can. You can't control your temper, or sexual urges, but God can. You can say with confidence, "These days are Glory Days…God will get me through!"
Join me at GloryDaysToday.com.

Exodus 17

Directed by God, the whole company of Israel moved on by stages from the Wilderness of Sin. They set camp at Rephidim. And there wasn’t a drop of water for the people to drink. The people took Moses to task: “Give us water to drink.” But Moses said, “Why pester me? Why are you testing God?”

3 But the people were thirsty for water there. They complained to Moses, “Why did you take us from Egypt and drag us out here with our children and animals to die of thirst?”

4 Moses cried out in prayer to God, “What can I do with these people? Any minute now they’ll kill me!”

5-6 God said to Moses, “Go on out ahead of the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel. Take the staff you used to strike the Nile. And go. I’m going to be present before you there on the rock at Horeb. You are to strike the rock. Water will gush out of it and the people will drink.”

6-7 Moses did what he said, with the elders of Israel right there watching. He named the place Massah (Testing-Place) and Meribah (Quarreling) because of the quarreling of the Israelites and because of their testing of God when they said, “Is God here with us, or not?”

* * *

8-9 Amalek came and fought Israel at Rephidim. Moses ordered Joshua: “Select some men for us and go out and fight Amalek. Tomorrow I will take my stand on top of the hill holding God’s staff.”

10-13 Joshua did what Moses ordered in order to fight Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill. It turned out that whenever Moses raised his hands, Israel was winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, Amalek was winning. But Moses’ hands got tired. So they got a stone and set it under him. He sat on it and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on each side. So his hands remained steady until the sun went down. Joshua defeated Amalek and its army in battle.

14 God said to Moses, “Write this up as a reminder to Joshua, to keep it before him, because I will most certainly wipe the very memory of Amalek off the face of the Earth.”

15-16 Moses built an altar and named it “God My Banner.” He said,

Salute God’s rule!
God at war with Amalek
Always and forever!

* * *

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Sunday, October 10, 2021
Today's Scripture
Romans 14:13–21
(NIV)

Therefore let us stop passing judgmentb on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.c 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself.d But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.e 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love.f Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died.g 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil.h 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking,i but of righteousness, peacej and joy in the Holy Spirit,k 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.l

19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peacem and to mutual edification.n 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.o All food is clean,p but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.q 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.

Insight

Key to understanding today’s passage (Romans 14:13–21) is Paul’s statement in verse 1: “Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.” What is meant by weak faith? In this context, Paul is talking about followers of Christ whose conscience required them to adhere to certain Jewish dietary laws. A “strong” Christian (15:1) understands that as believers in Christ saved by grace we’re not bound to the law. A person who insists on imposing their standards on others in these “disputable matters” is misguidedly judgmental. We’re never to insist that others give up their freedoms based on our personal convictions. By: Tim Gustafson

For Others’ Sake

All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.
Romans 14:20

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many Singaporeans stayed home to avoid being infected. But I blissfully continued swimming, believing it was safe.

My wife, however, feared that I might pick up an infection at the public pool and pass it on to her aged mother—who, like other seniors, was more vulnerable to the virus. “Can you just avoid swimming for some time, for my sake?” she asked.

At first, I wanted to argue that there was little risk. Then I realized that this mattered less than her feelings. Why would I insist on swimming—hardly an essential thing—when it made her worry unnecessarily?

In Romans 14, Paul addressed issues like whether believers in Christ should eat certain foods or celebrate certain festivals. He was concerned that some people were imposing their views on others.

Paul reminded the church in Rome, and us, that believers in Jesus may view situations differently. We also have diverse backgrounds that color our attitudes and practices. He wrote, “Let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister” (v. 13).

God’s grace gives us great freedom even as it helps us express His love to fellow believers. We can use that freedom to put the spiritual needs of others above our own convictions about rules and practices that don’t contradict the essential truths found in the gospel (v. 20). By:  Leslie Koh

Reflect & Pray

What are some of the rules and practices you keep as a believer in Christ? How might they affect other believers who think differently?

Jesus, give me the grace to give way on things that don’t contradict the gospel truth and the love to put the feelings of others above my own.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, October 10, 2021

How Will I Know?

Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father…that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes." —Matthew 11:25

We do not grow into a spiritual relationship step by step— we either have a relationship or we do not. God does not continue to cleanse us more and more from sin— “But if we walk in the light,” we are cleansed “from all sin” (1 John 1:7). It is a matter of obedience, and once we obey, the relationship is instantly perfected. But if we turn away from obedience for even one second, darkness and death are immediately at work again.

All of God’s revealed truths are sealed until they are opened to us through obedience. You will never open them through philosophy or thinking. But once you obey, a flash of light comes immediately. Let God’s truth work into you by immersing yourself in it, not by worrying into it. The only way you can get to know the truth of God is to stop trying to find out and by being born again. If you obey God in the first thing He shows you, then He instantly opens up the next truth to you. You could read volumes on the work of the Holy Spirit, when five minutes of total, uncompromising obedience would make things as clear as sunlight. Don’t say, “I suppose I will understand these things someday!” You can understand them now. And it is not study that brings understanding to you, but obedience. Even the smallest bit of obedience opens heaven, and the deepest truths of God immediately become yours. Yet God will never reveal more truth about Himself to you, until you have obeyed what you know already. Beware of becoming one of the “wise and prudent.” “If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know…” (John 7:17).

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

The message of the prophets is that although they have forsaken God, it has not altered God. The Apostle Paul emphasizes the same truth, that God remains God even when we are unfaithful (see 2 Timothy 2:13). Never interpret God as changing with our changes. He never does; there is no variableness in Him.  Notes on Ezekiel, 1477 L

Bible in a Year: Isaiah 34-36; Colossians 2

Exodus 16 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Your “Go-To” for Life

Glory Days require an ongoing trust in God’s Word! Wilderness people trust scripture just enough to escape Egypt. Canaan dwellers, on the other hand, make the Bible their “go-to” book for life! God told Joshua in Joshua 1:8 to meditate on God’s Word day and night. The literal translation reads, you shall mutter over this Torah document. It is the image of a person reciting, rehearsing, and reconsidering God’s Word over and over again.

Canaan is loud with enemy voices. The devil megaphones doubt and death into our ears. Take heed to the voice you hear. Begin with a prayer, God, please speak to my heart today as I read. Then with an open heart continue until a message hits you. Keep meditating. Great rewards come to those who do. God promised Joshua, “You will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8).

Visit GloryDaysToday.com

Exodus 16

On the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left Egypt, the whole company of Israel moved on from Elim to the Wilderness of Sin which is between Elim and Sinai. The whole company of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron there in the wilderness. The Israelites said, “Why didn’t God let us die in comfort in Egypt where we had lamb stew and all the bread we could eat? You’ve brought us out into this wilderness to starve us to death, the whole company of Israel!”

4-5 God said to Moses, “I’m going to rain bread down from the skies for you. The people will go out and gather each day’s ration. I’m going to test them to see if they’ll live according to my Teaching or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they have gathered, it will turn out to be twice as much as their daily ration.”

6-7 Moses and Aaron told the People of Israel, “This evening you will know that it is God who brought you out of Egypt; and in the morning you will see the Glory of God. Yes, he’s listened to your complaints against him. You haven’t been complaining against us, you know, but against God.”

8 Moses said, “Since it will be God who gives you meat for your meal in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, it’s God who will have listened to your complaints against him. Who are we in all this? You haven’t been complaining to us—you’ve been complaining to God!”

9 Moses instructed Aaron: “Tell the whole company of Israel: ‘Come near to God. He’s heard your complaints.’”

10 When Aaron gave out the instructions to the whole company of Israel, they turned to face the wilderness. And there it was: the Glory of God visible in the Cloud.

11-12 God spoke to Moses, “I’ve listened to the complaints of the Israelites. Now tell them: ‘At dusk you will eat meat and at dawn you’ll eat your fill of bread; and you’ll realize that I am God, your God.’”

13-15 That evening quail flew in and covered the camp and in the morning there was a layer of dew all over the camp. When the layer of dew had lifted, there on the wilderness ground was a fine flaky something, fine as frost on the ground. The Israelites took one look and said to one another, man-hu (What is it?). They had no idea what it was.

15-16 So Moses told them, “It’s the bread God has given you to eat. And these are God’s instructions: ‘Gather enough for each person, about two quarts per person; gather enough for everyone in your tent.’”

17-18 The People of Israel went to work and started gathering, some more, some less, but when they measured out what they had gathered, those who gathered more had no extra and those who gathered less weren’t short—each person had gathered as much as was needed.

19 Moses said to them, “Don’t leave any of it until morning.”

20 But they didn’t listen to Moses. A few of the men kept back some of it until morning. It got wormy and smelled bad. And Moses lost his temper with them.

21-22 They gathered it every morning, each person according to need. Then the sun heated up and it melted. On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, about four quarts per person.

Then the leaders of the company came to Moses and reported.

23-24 Moses said, “This is what God was talking about: Tomorrow is a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to God. Whatever you plan to bake, bake today; and whatever you plan to boil, boil today. Then set aside the leftovers until morning.” They set aside what was left until morning, as Moses had commanded. It didn’t smell bad and there were no worms in it.

25-26 Moses said, “Now eat it; this is the day, a Sabbath for God. You won’t find any of it on the ground today. Gather it every day for six days, but the seventh day is Sabbath; there won’t be any of it on the ground.”

27 On the seventh day, some of the people went out to gather anyway but they didn’t find anything.

28-29 God said to Moses, “How long are you going to disobey my commands and not follow my instructions? Don’t you see that God has given you the Sabbath? So on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. So, each of you, stay home. Don’t leave home on the seventh day.”

30 So the people quit working on the seventh day.

31 The Israelites named it manna (What is it?). It looked like coriander seed, whitish. And it tasted like a cracker with honey.

32 Moses said, “This is God’s command: ‘Keep a two-quart jar of it, an omer, for future generations so they can see the bread that I fed you in the wilderness after I brought you out of Egypt.’”

33 Moses told Aaron, “Take a jar and fill it with two quarts of manna. Place it before God, keeping it safe for future generations.”

34 Aaron did what God commanded Moses. He set it aside before The Testimony to preserve it.

35 The Israelites ate the manna for forty years until they arrived at the land where they would settle down. They ate manna until they reached the border into Canaan.

36 According to ancient measurements, an omer is one-tenth of an ephah.

* * *

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Saturday, October 09, 2021
Today's Scripture Exodus 18:17–24 (NIV)

 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.i 19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you.j You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputesk to him. 20 Teach them his decrees and instructions,l and show them the way they are to livem and how they are to behave.n 21 But select capable meno from all the people—men who fearp God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gainq—and appoint them as officialsr over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult cases to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will sharet it with you. 23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”

24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said.

Insight

Leading over two million Israelites through the wilderness to Mount Sinai was a task fraught with difficulties and dangers. Moses had already dealt with many crises (lack of food and water, attacks from enemies) amid the many grumblings and criticisms from his people. In Exodus 18:17–24, we read how he experienced a crisis of overwork and inefficiency. Jethro, his father-in-law, advised Moses to manage his workload by delegating some of his functions and authority. Moses was to “select capable men . . . who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain” (v. 21). The leaders were to be “wise, understanding and respected men” who “judge fairly” (Deuteronomy 1:13–16). Similar high standards and qualifications are also required for leaders of the church (Acts 6:3; 1 Timothy 3:1–13; Titus 1:6–9).

Learn more about the exodus. By: K. T. Sim

The Need for Wisdom

Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said.
Exodus 18:24

Growing up without a dad, Rob felt he missed out on a lot of practical wisdom that fathers often pass on to their children. Not wanting anyone to lack important life skills, Rob made a series of practical “Dad, How Do I?” videos demonstrating everything from how to put up a shelf to how to change a tire. With his kind compassion and warm style, Rob has become a YouTube sensation, amassing millions of subscribers.

Many of us long for the expertise of a parental figure to teach us valuable skills as well as help us navigate difficult situations. Moses needed some wisdom after he and the Israelites fled captivity in Egypt and were establishing themselves as a nation. Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, saw the strain that settling disputes among the people was having on Moses. So Jethro gave Moses thoughtful advice on how to delegate responsibility in leadership (Exodus 18:17–23). Moses “listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said” (v. 24).

God knows we all need wisdom. Some may be blessed with godly parents who offer wise advice, and some aren't. But God’s wisdom is available to all who ask (James 1:5). He’s also provided wisdom throughout the pages of Scripture, which reminds us that when we humbly and sincerely listen to the wise, we “will be counted among the wise” (Proverbs 19:20) and have wisdom to share with others.
By:  Lisa M. Samra

Reflect & Pray

In what ways have you benefited from sage advice? Who might you come alongside?

Heavenly Father, help me to seek out and listen to wise counsel from the people You’ve put in my life.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, October 09, 2021

Building on the Atonement

…present…your members as instruments of righteousness to God. —Romans 6:13

I cannot save and sanctify myself; I cannot make atonement for sin; I cannot redeem the world; I cannot right what is wrong, purify what is impure, or make holy what is unholy. That is all the sovereign work of God. Do I have faith in what Jesus Christ has done? He has made the perfect atonement for sin. Am I in the habit of constantly realizing it? The greatest need we have is not to do things, but to believe things. The redemption of Christ is not an experience, it is the great act of God which He has performed through Christ, and I have to build my faith on it. If I construct my faith on my own experience, I produce the most unscriptural kind of life— an isolated life, with my eyes focused solely on my own holiness. Beware of that human holiness that is not based on the atonement of the Lord. It has no value for anything except a life of isolation— it is useless to God and a nuisance to man. Measure every kind of experience you have by our Lord Himself. We cannot do anything pleasing to God unless we deliberately build on the foundation of the atonement by the Cross of Christ.

The atonement of Jesus must be exhibited in practical, unassuming ways in my life. Every time I obey, the absolute deity of God is on my side, so that the grace of God and my natural obedience are in perfect agreement. Obedience means that I have completely placed my trust in the atonement, and my obedience is immediately met by the delight of the supernatural grace of God.

Beware of the human holiness that denies the reality of the natural life— it is a fraud. Continually bring yourself to the trial or test of the atonement and ask, “Where is the discernment of the atonement in this, and in that?”

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

Am I getting nobler, better, more helpful, more humble, as I get older? Am I exhibiting the life that men take knowledge of as having been with Jesus, or am I getting more self-assertive, more deliberately determined to have my own way? It is a great thing to tell yourself the truth. The Place of Help, 1005 R

Bible in a Year: Isaiah 32-33; Colossians 1

Matthew 26:36-75 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Don’t Get Cozy in Persia - October 8, 2021

The book of Esther relates the story of a Persian king, Xerxes, who was thirty-five years of age and rich beyond imagination. He staged a six-month extravaganza of fine food, who’s who, pinot noir, and excess. A bit tipsy, Xerxes decided to show off his wife, Queen Vashti. Apparently he expected her to dance in front of his buddies. But boy, was he in for a surprise! She refused to comply. Xerxes’ display of importance became his display of ignorance.

What if all the glitz and glamour are only folly and foibles? And what if the lure of the lights is just a hoax? Friend, don’t romp in it. Don’t fall for it. Don’t take the bait. Don’t get cozy in Persia. Stay faithful to your call as a covenant people.

Matthew 26:36-75

Then Jesus went with them to a garden called Gethsemane and told his disciples, “Stay here while I go over there and pray.” Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he plunged into an agonizing sorrow. Then he said, “This sorrow is crushing my life out. Stay here and keep vigil with me.”

39 Going a little ahead, he fell on his face, praying, “My Father, if there is any way, get me out of this. But please, not what I want. You, what do you want?”

40-41 When he came back to his disciples, he found them sound asleep. He said to Peter, “Can’t you stick it out with me a single hour? Stay alert; be in prayer so you don’t wander into temptation without even knowing you’re in danger. There is a part of you that is eager, ready for anything in God. But there’s another part that’s as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire.”

42 He then left them a second time. Again he prayed, “My Father, if there is no other way than this, drinking this cup to the dregs, I’m ready. Do it your way.”

43-44 When he came back, he again found them sound asleep. They simply couldn’t keep their eyes open. This time he let them sleep on, and went back a third time to pray, going over the same ground one last time.

45-46 When he came back the next time, he said, “Are you going to sleep on and make a night of it? My time is up, the Son of Man is about to be handed over to the hands of sinners. Get up! Let’s get going! My betrayer is here.”
With Swords and Clubs

47-49 The words were barely out of his mouth when Judas (the one from the Twelve) showed up, and with him a gang from the high priests and religious leaders brandishing swords and clubs. The betrayer had worked out a sign with them: “The one I kiss, that’s the one—seize him.” He went straight to Jesus, greeted him, “How are you, Rabbi?” and kissed him.

50-51 Jesus said, “Friend, why this charade?”

Then they came on him—grabbed him and roughed him up. One of those with Jesus pulled his sword and, taking a swing at the Chief Priest’s servant, cut off his ear.

52-54 Jesus said, “Put your sword back where it belongs. All who use swords are destroyed by swords. Don’t you realize that I am able right now to call to my Father, and twelve companies—more, if I want them—of fighting angels would be here, battle-ready? But if I did that, how would the Scriptures come true that say this is the way it has to be?”

55-56 Then Jesus addressed the mob: “What is this—coming out after me with swords and clubs as if I were a dangerous criminal? Day after day I have been sitting in the Temple teaching, and you never so much as lifted a hand against me. You’ve done it this way to confirm and fulfill the prophetic writings.”

Then all the disciples cut and ran.
False Charges

57-58 The gang that had seized Jesus led him before Caiaphas the Chief Priest, where the religion scholars and leaders had assembled. Peter followed at a safe distance until they got to the Chief Priest’s courtyard. Then he slipped in and mingled with the servants, watching to see how things would turn out.

59-60 The high priests, conspiring with the Jewish Council, tried to cook up charges against Jesus in order to sentence him to death. But even though many stepped up, making up one false accusation after another, nothing was believable.

60-61 Finally two men came forward with this: “He said, ‘I can tear down this Temple of God and after three days rebuild it.’”

62 The Chief Priest stood up and said, “What do you have to say to the accusation?”

63 Jesus kept silent.

Then the Chief Priest said, “I command you by the authority of the living God to say if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

64 Jesus was curt: “You yourself said it. And that’s not all. Soon you’ll see it for yourself:

The Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Mighty One,
Arriving on the clouds of heaven.”

65-66 At that, the Chief Priest lost his temper, ripping his robes, yelling, “He blasphemed! Why do we need witnesses to accuse him? You all heard him blaspheme! Are you going to stand for such blasphemy?”

They all said, “Death! That seals his death sentence.”

67-68 Then they were spitting in his face and knocking him around. They jeered as they slapped him: “Prophesy, Messiah: Who hit you that time?”
Denial in the Courtyard

69 All this time, Peter was sitting out in the courtyard. One servant girl came up to him and said, “You were with Jesus the Galilean.”

70 In front of everybody there, he denied it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

71 As he moved over toward the gate, someone else said to the people there, “This man was with Jesus the Nazarene.”

72 Again he denied it, salting his denial with an oath: “I swear, I never laid eyes on the man.”

73 Shortly after that, some bystanders approached Peter. “You’ve got to be one of them. Your accent gives you away.”

74-75 Then he got really nervous and swore. “I don’t know the man!”

Just then a rooster crowed. Peter remembered what Jesus had said: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” He went out and cried and cried and cried.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Friday, October 08, 2021

Today's Scripture
Hebrews 11:1, 32–40
(NIV)

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon,j Barak,k Samsonl and Jephthah,m about Davidn and Samuelo and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms,p administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,q 34 quenched the fury of the flames,r and escaped the edge of the sword;s whose weakness was turned to strength;t and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.u 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again.v There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging,w and even chains and imprisonment.x 37 They were put to death by stoning;e y they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword.z They went about in sheepskins and goatskins,a destitute, persecuted and mistreated—38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in cavesb and in holes in the ground.

39 These were all commendedc for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised,d 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with use would they be made perfect.f

Insight

Hebrews 11 is referred to as the “Hall of Faith.” Writing to encourage Jewish believers in Jesus to remain faithful in the midst of suffering brought about by severe persecution, the unnamed author lists specific examples of people who’ve lived “by faith” (vv. 4–31). He closes this chapter with an overview of countless unnamed faithful people (vv. 32–38) “commended for their faith” but who haven’t yet “received what had been promised” (v. 39). Hebrews 11 is a reminder that the only way to live and to please God is by faith (v. 6). Those who lived “by faith” chose to live as “foreigners and strangers on earth” (v. 13). They refused to return to the sinful life they’d left behind but longed “for a better country—a heavenly one” (v. 16). By: K. T. Sim

No Such Thing as Ordinary

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.
Hebrews 11:39

When Anita passed away in her sleep on her ninetieth birthday, the quietness of her departure reflected the quietness of her life. A widow, she had been devoted to her children and grandchildren and to being a friend to younger women in the church.

Anita wasn’t particularly remarkable in talent or achievement. But her deep faith in God inspired those who knew her. “When I don’t know what to do about a problem,” a friend of mine said, “I don’t think about the words of a famous preacher or author. I think about what Anita would say.”

Many of us are like Anita—ordinary people living ordinary lives. Our names will never be in the news, and we won’t have monuments built in our honor. But a life lived with faith in Jesus is never ordinary. Some of the people listed in Hebrews 11 were not named (vv. 35–38); they walked the path of obscurity and didn't receive the reward promised to them in this life (v. 39). Yet, because they obeyed God, their faith wasn’t in vain. God used their lives in ways that went beyond their lack of notoriety (v. 40).

If you feel discouraged about the seeming ordinary state of your life, remember that a life lived by faith in God has an impact throughout eternity. Even if we’re ordinary, we can have an extraordinary faith.
By:  Karen Huang

Reflect & Pray

In what area of your daily life might God be calling you to exercise faith in Him? How can He help you be more obedient and faithful in what you do every day?

Faithful God, please help me to trust and obey You always.

Learn how to find your true identity.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, October 08, 2021

Coming to Jesus

Come to Me… —Matthew 11:28

Isn’t it humiliating to be told that we must come to Jesus! Think of the things about which we will not come to Jesus Christ. If you want to know how real you are, test yourself by these words— “Come to Me….” In every dimension in which you are not real, you will argue or evade the issue altogether rather than come; you will go through sorrow rather than come; and you will do anything rather than come the last lap of the race of seemingly unspeakable foolishness and say, “Just as I am, I come.” As long as you have even the least bit of spiritual disrespect, it will always reveal itself in the fact that you are expecting God to tell you to do something very big, and yet all He is telling you to do is to “Come….”

“Come to Me….” When you hear those words, you will know that something must happen in you before you can come. The Holy Spirit will show you what you have to do, and it will involve anything that will uproot whatever is preventing you from getting through to Jesus. And you will never get any further until you are willing to do that very thing. The Holy Spirit will search out that one immovable stronghold within you, but He cannot budge it unless you are willing to let Him do so.

How often have you come to God with your requests and gone away thinking, “I’ve really received what I wanted this time!” And yet you go away with nothing, while all the time God has stood with His hands outstretched not only to take you but also for you to take Him. Just think of the invincible, unconquerable, and untiring patience of Jesus, who lovingly says, “Come to Me….”
Share with your friends:

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

Our danger is to water down God’s word to suit ourselves. God never fits His word to suit me; He fits me to suit His word. Not Knowing Whither, 901 R

Bible in a Year: Isaiah 30-31; Phil 4


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, October 08, 2021

How to Prove You're a Man - #9065

I don't think this is a surprise to anybody, but high school athletes are pretty impressed with their own bodies. You know, they lift, they work out, they admire their new build, and they compare how much weight they can bench press, and how fast and how far they can run. And that's fine. But the problem is you begin to think that manhood is that physical strength. Well, listen, manhood goes way beyond that. But men of all ages, not just high school athletes, seem to believe that conquest is what shows you're a man: the conquest of a woman, of a goal, of a competitor. Actually there are some very little boys in some very big bodies, and there are some people we might call wimps who are really in the winner's circle. See, we might be missing what manhood really is.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How to Prove You're a Man."

Well, our word for today from the Word of God is about how to prove you're a man, and it's in Titus 2:6. Actually, Titus is a young pastor, and he's being instructed as to what to teach each of the age groups in the church. And here now are the young men. So he turns to the young men - the people who are just forming their concept of manhood, and interestingly enough he wraps up his description of manhood in one word. "Similarly" he says here, "encourage the young men to be self-controlled." That's it...God's message to men in one compound word - self-controlled!

Proverbs 16:32 is one of my favorite verses about manhood. It says that "the man who controls his spirit is stronger than the man who conquers a city." Okay, look. he can control himself, and God says that's more impressive. That's biblical manhood. The Bible is saying it's more impressive to do that than to make a big conquest. So, the question about manhood really is this: "How well are you managing conquering yourself?"

Now, what does it mean to have self-control? What do you have to control? Well, for example, how well do you control your temper? Strangely enough, some people think that the opposite of controlling your temper is manly; that you can show how mad you are. No, the inventor of manhood says it's the ability to control your temper that makes you a man.

How about controlling your passions? See, a biblical man is not one who turns to a woman and says, "How far can we go?" No, he's the one who sets a high standard and takes the moral cat-and-mouse game out of a relationship and says, "We're going to be pure." He's able to control his passions. He's able to control his mouth and tame his tongue - the profanity and the put-downs. He controls his time; he uses his time carefully, not carelessly. He's not an impatient person; he's able to control his impatience. That's manhood! He can control his selfishness. You can tell because he puts others first.

See, sometimes biblical manhood is the opposite of the superficial, self-serving myths that we've been fed about manhood, guys. I trust the manufacturer of manhood. I mean, He knows best. God knows what it is, and He tells us where we get self-control. He says, "The fruit of the spirit is self-control."

Many of us have tried in our own efforts to become the man that all the people around us needed us to be. But, you know, we can't change ourselves. The Bible says, "If anyone is in Christ he's a new creation. The old is gone; a new life has begun. There were 12 very manly men in Jesus' day who found the one place, the one person, the one cause for which they could give everything. And that was following Jesus.

And maybe today you need to heed that same invitation that He gave men 2,000 years ago and He's been giving men for 2,000 years since - "Follow Me." What's that like? How do you get started in that relationship? Go to our website ANewStory.com.

If you're a woman today, would you encourage this kind of self-control in the men you know? And if you're a man, understand one of the most important muscles you have to develop - the spiritual muscles that give you control over your temper, your passions, your mouth, and your impatience. Self-control - that's how you prove you're a man.

Exodus 15, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Relief Will Come - October 7, 2021

When all seems lost, it’s not. When evil seems to own the day, God still has the final say. He has a Joseph for every famine, he has a David for every Goliath, he always has his person. He had someone in the story of Esther, and in your story he has you. Relief will come, my friend. Will you be a part of it?

The world gets messy, for sure. But God’s solutions come through people of courage. People like Mordecai, people like Esther, people like you. People who dare to believe that they, by God’s grace, were made to face a moment like this. In God’s plan confusion and crisis give way to conquest. Winters do not last forever, and springtime is only a turn of the calendar away. For all we know God’s hand is about to turn the page.

Exodus 15

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to God, giving voice together,

I’m singing my heart out to God—what a victory!
    He pitched horse and rider into the sea.
God is my strength, God is my song,
    and, yes! God is my salvation.
This is the kind of God I have
    and I’m telling the world!
This is the God of my father—
    I’m spreading the news far and wide!
God is a fighter,
    pure God, through and through.
Pharaoh’s chariots and army
    he dumped in the sea,
The elite of his officers
    he drowned in the Red Sea.
Wild ocean waters poured over them;
    they sank like a rock in the deep blue sea.
Your strong right hand, God, shimmers with power;
    your strong right hand shatters the enemy.
In your mighty majesty
    you smash your upstart enemies,
You let loose your hot anger
    and burn them to a crisp.
At a blast from your nostrils
    the waters piled up;
Tumbling streams dammed up,
    wild oceans curdled into a swamp.

9
The enemy spoke,
    “I’ll pursue, I’ll hunt them down,
I’ll divide up the plunder,
    I’ll glut myself on them;
I’ll pull out my sword,
    my fist will send them reeling.”

10-11
You blew with all your might
    and the sea covered them.
They sank like a lead weight
    in the majestic waters.
Who compares with you
    among gods, O God?
Who compares with you in power,
    in holy majesty,
In awesome praises,
    wonder-working God?

12-13
You stretched out your right hand
    and the Earth swallowed them up.
But the people you redeemed,
    you led in merciful love;
You guided them under your protection
    to your holy pasture.

14-18
When people heard, they were scared;
    Philistines writhed and trembled;
Yes, even the head men in Edom were shaken,
    and the big bosses in Moab.
Everybody in Canaan
    panicked and fell faint.
Dread and terror
    sent them reeling.
Before your brandished right arm
    they were struck dumb like a stone,
Until your people crossed over and entered, O God,
    until the people you made crossed over and entered.
You brought them and planted them
    on the mountain of your heritage,
The place where you live,
    the place you made,
Your sanctuary, Master,
    that you established with your own hands.
Let God rule
    forever, for eternity!

19 Yes, Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and riders went into the sea and God turned the waters back on them; but the Israelites walked on dry land right through the middle of the sea.

* * *

20-21 Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine, and all the women followed her with tambourines, dancing. Miriam led them in singing,

Sing to God—
    what a victory!
He pitched horse and rider
    into the sea!
Traveling Through the Wilderness

22-24 Moses led Israel from the Red Sea on to the Wilderness of Shur. They traveled for three days through the wilderness without finding any water. They got to Marah, but they couldn’t drink the water at Marah; it was bitter. That’s why they called the place Marah (Bitter). And the people complained to Moses, “So what are we supposed to drink?”

25 So Moses cried out in prayer to God. God pointed him to a stick of wood. Moses threw it into the water and the water turned sweet.

26 That’s the place where God set up rules and procedures; that’s where he started testing them.

God said, “If you listen, listen obediently to how God tells you to live in his presence, obeying his commandments and keeping all his laws, then I won’t strike you with all the diseases that I inflicted on the Egyptians; I am God your healer.”

27 They came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. They set up camp there by the water.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Thursday, October 07, 2021
Today's Scripture
Philippians 3:12–16 ;4:1–2
(NIV)

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal,l but I press on to take holdm of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.n 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behindo and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press onp toward the goal to win the prizeq for which God has calledr me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Following Paul’s Example

15 All of us, then, who are matures should take such a view of things.t And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.u 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for,j my joy and crown, stand firmk in the Lord in this way, dear friends!

2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mindl in the Lord.

Insight

When Paul says “one thing I do” (Philippians 3:13), “one thing” refers to being single-minded or constantly driven by a single, all-encompassing purpose. Like an athlete who must ignore distraction to succeed (vv. 13–14), believers in Jesus are called to single-minded focus and action toward one purpose. That purpose is identified in verse 10: “to know Christ [and] the power of his resurrection and [to participate] in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”

To “know” Christ here, therefore, isn’t about intellectual knowledge but intimate, experiential “participation” (v. 10) in who Jesus is through our union with Him through the Spirit. As we draw ever closer to Christ through the Spirit, we also experience His resurrection power—and ultimately, when He returns, the resurrection of our bodies. By: Monica La Rose

Current Battles

If on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.
Philippians 3:15

When you plug in your toaster, you benefit from the results of a bitter feud from the late nineteenth century. Back then, inventors Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla battled over which was the best kind of electricity for development: direct current (DC), like the current that goes from a battery to a flashlight; or alternating current (AC), which we get from an electrical outlet.

Eventually, Tesla’s AC ideas powered through and have been used to provide electricity for homes, businesses, and communities around the world. AC is much more efficient at sending electricity across great distances and proved to be the wiser choice.

Sometimes we need wisdom as we face issues of concern between believers in Jesus (see Romans 14:1–12). The apostle Paul called us to seek God’s help for clarity in such matters. He said, “If on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you” (Philippians 3:15). A few verses later, we see the results of two people who let a difference divide them—a conflict that grieved Paul: “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord” (4:2).

Whenever a disagreement starts to tear us apart, may we seek God’s grace and wisdom in the Scriptures, the counsel of mature believers, and power of prayer. Let’s strive to “be of the same mind” in Him (v. 2). By:  Dave Branon

Reflect & Pray

How can you apply God’s grace and wisdom to a current battle of personal preferences? Why is prayer vital as you face this conflict?

Dear God, life is complicated. I have a situation, and I’m not sure which way to go. Please help me discern, with the help of the Holy Spirit, what to do next.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, October 07, 2021
The Nature of Reconciliation

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. —2 Corinthians 5:21

Sin is a fundamental relationship— it is not wrong doing, but wrong being— it is deliberate and determined independence from God. The Christian faith bases everything on the extreme, self-confident nature of sin. Other faiths deal with sins— the Bible alone deals with sin. The first thing Jesus Christ confronted in people was the heredity of sin, and it is because we have ignored this in our presentation of the gospel that the message of the gospel has lost its sting and its explosive power.

The revealed truth of the Bible is not that Jesus Christ took on Himself our fleshly sins, but that He took on Himself the heredity of sin that no man can even touch. God made His own Son “to be sin” that He might make the sinner into a saint. It is revealed throughout the Bible that our Lord took on Himself the sin of the world through identification with us, not through sympathy for us. He deliberately took on His own shoulders, and endured in His own body, the complete, cumulative sin of the human race. “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us…” and by so doing He placed salvation for the entire human race solely on the basis of redemption. Jesus Christ reconciled the human race, putting it back to where God designed it to be. And now anyone can experience that reconciliation, being brought into oneness with God, on the basis of what our Lord has done on the cross.

A man cannot redeem himself— redemption is the work of God, and is absolutely finished and complete. And its application to individual people is a matter of their own individual action or response to it. A distinction must always be made between the revealed truth of redemption and the actual conscious experience of salvation in a person’s life.

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: Isaiah 28-29; Philippians 3

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, October 07, 2021
Where to Go When It's Impossible - #9064

Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen! Recognize that? Well, maybe not. They were reporters of The Daily Planet newspaper in a city called Metropolis. At least according to the story of the "man of steel" called Superman. He was, according to the old Superman TV show, "faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound." (I've got to calm down here.) He had been sent here as a baby from the planet Krypton by parents on a dying planet. And he came to earth with, as the announcer used to say, "powers far beyond those of mortal man." So when Lois and Jimmy faced a situation that no normal person could possibly resolve, they would invariably say those words that always precede an amazing solution, "This is a job for Superman!" (I'm okay now.)

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Where to Go When It's Impossible."

I hope this doesn't come as a shock to you. I don't want to ruin your day, but there is no Superman. Oh there is one the Bible calls, though, Sovereign Lord and the Most High God. And if you're facing a situation or a need that's going to require "powers far beyond those of mortal man," you have this awesome God to turn to. And that's when you get a ringside seat to see the greatness of the Most High God.

There's a thrilling picture of going to God for your "mission impossible" in our word for today from the Word of God in Daniel 2, beginning with verse 17. King Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, where Daniel had been taken as a captive and elevated to being a royal advisor, has had a very troubling prophetic dream. He calls in all of his astrologers and spiritual advisors, and asks them to not only figure out what his dream meant, but what his dream was or they would die. See, he doesn't want any magician scamming him with some made-up interpretation. If a man can tell him the dream, then he can trust his interpretation of the dream.

Of course, no one can tell him what he dreamed. Then Daniel, God's man of the court, is called in as the king's last resort. Even for Daniel, it's "mission impossible." What Daniel did is a pattern for us when we're facing our "mission impossible." It says, "Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends; he urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven. During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said: 'Praise be to the name of God forever and ever; wisdom and power are His.'" What follows is a powerful prayer of extravagant praise. When Daniel reveals the mystery to the king, he says, "No wise man can explain the mystery" - this is the king speaking - "but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries."

There's the plan for your "mission impossible." First, you recruit prayer partners to intercede for you and for this situation. This battle is going to be pre-won in prayer. Step two: focus on the power of your God rather than the impossibilities of the situation. Then, as Daniel did, download resources that only God has. Daniel said, "You have given me wisdom and power. You have made known to us the dream of the king."

God has resources that no one on earth could ever give you. And the last step in this plan for winning your "mission impossible" is to give God all the glory for the breakthrough. Folks may express amazement or admiration for you. But you let them know that it all belongs to the mighty Lord you serve. You don't have the answers - He does. And He chose to send those particular answers, this particular solution, through you.

Well, are you kind of like Daniel, facing something that's far beyond what earth could do? Then do a Daniel; "This is a job for the God of heaven...the Lord who is my God!"

Exodus 14, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Our Whispering God - October 6, 2021

For every divine shout there are a million whispers. The book of Esther relates the story of our whispering God, who, in unseen and inscrutable ways, superintends all the actions and circumstances for the good of his people. This priceless book reminds us that he need not be loud to be strong. He need not cast a shadow to be present. God is still eloquent in his seeming silence and still active when he appears most distant.

The theme of the book of Esther—indeed, the theme of the Bible—is that all the injustices of the world will be turned on their head. Grand reversals are God’s trademark. And he invites you and me to partner with him in this work. The headline of the book of Esther reads: Relief will come. Will you be a part of it?

Exodus 14

The Story and Song of Salvation

God spoke to Moses: “Tell the Israelites to turn around and make camp at Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. Camp on the shore of the sea opposite Baal Zephon.

3-4 “Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are lost; they’re confused. The wilderness has closed in on them.’ Then I’ll make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn again and he’ll chase after them. And I’ll use Pharaoh and his army to put my Glory on display. Then the Egyptians will realize that I am God.”

And that’s what happened.

5-7 When the king of Egypt was told that the people were gone, he and his servants changed their minds. They said, “What have we done, letting Israel, our slave labor, go free?” So he had his chariots harnessed up and got his army together. He took six hundred of his best chariots, with the rest of the Egyptian chariots and their drivers coming along.

8-9 God made Pharaoh king of Egypt stubborn, determined to chase the Israelites as they walked out on him without even looking back. The Egyptians gave chase and caught up with them where they had made camp by the sea—all Pharaoh’s horse-drawn chariots and their riders, all his foot soldiers there at Pi Hahiroth opposite Baal Zephon.

10-12 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and saw them—Egyptians! Coming at them!

They were totally afraid. They cried out in terror to God. They told Moses, “Weren’t the cemeteries large enough in Egypt so that you had to take us out here in the wilderness to die? What have you done to us, taking us out of Egypt? Back in Egypt didn’t we tell you this would happen? Didn’t we tell you, ‘Leave us alone here in Egypt—we’re better off as slaves in Egypt than as corpses in the wilderness.’”

13 Moses spoke to the people: “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and watch God do his work of salvation for you today. Take a good look at the Egyptians today for you’re never going to see them again.

14
God will fight the battle for you.
    And you? You keep your mouths shut!”

* * *

15-16 God said to Moses: “Why cry out to me? Speak to the Israelites. Order them to get moving. Hold your staff high and stretch your hand out over the sea: Split the sea! The Israelites will walk through the sea on dry ground.

17-18 “Meanwhile I’ll make sure the Egyptians keep up their stubborn chase—I’ll use Pharaoh and his entire army, his chariots and horsemen, to put my Glory on display so that the Egyptians will realize that I am God.”

19-20 The angel of God that had been leading the camp of Israel now shifted and got behind them. And the Pillar of Cloud that had been in front also shifted to the rear. The Cloud was now between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel. The Cloud enshrouded one camp in darkness and flooded the other with light. The two camps didn’t come near each other all night.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and God, with a terrific east wind all night long, made the sea go back. He made the sea dry ground. The seawaters split.

22-25 The Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground with the waters a wall to the right and to the left. The Egyptians came after them in full pursuit, every horse and chariot and driver of Pharaoh racing into the middle of the sea. It was now the morning watch. God looked down from the Pillar of Fire and Cloud on the Egyptian army and threw them into a panic. He clogged the wheels of their chariots; they were stuck in the mud.

The Egyptians said, “Run from Israel! God is fighting on their side and against Egypt!”

26 God said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea and the waters will come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots, over their horsemen.”

27-28 Moses stretched his hand out over the sea: As the day broke and the Egyptians were running, the sea returned to its place as before. God dumped the Egyptians in the middle of the sea. The waters returned, drowning the chariots and riders of Pharaoh’s army that had chased after Israel into the sea. Not one of them survived.

29-31 But the Israelites walked right through the middle of the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall to the right and to the left. God delivered Israel that day from the oppression of the Egyptians. And Israel looked at the Egyptian dead, washed up on the shore of the sea, and realized the tremendous power that God brought against the Egyptians. The people were in reverent awe before God and trusted in God and his servant Moses.

* * *

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Wednesday, October 06, 2021

Today's Scripture
1 Thessalonians 5:11–25
(NIV)

Therefore encourage one anotherb and build each other up,c just as in fact you are doing.

Final Instructions

12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hardd among you, who care for you in the Lorde and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.f 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idleg and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak,h be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong,i but always strive to do what is good for each otherj and for everyone else.

16 Rejoice always,k 17 pray continually,l 18 give thanks in all circumstances;m for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

19 Do not quench the Spirit.n 20 Do not treat prophecieso with contempt 21 but test them all;p hold on to what is good,q 22 reject every kind of evil.

23 May God himself, the God of peace,r sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, souls and body be kept blamelesst at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.u 24 The one who callsv you is faithful,w and he will do it.x

25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us.

Insight

When Paul urged his readers to encourage one another” (1 Thessalonians 5:11), he used a Greek word (parakaleo) that can also mean to comfort. The word translated “advocate” (referring to the Holy Spirit) in John 14:16, 26 and 16:7 comes from the same root word.

Paul used his letter to lovingly urge believers in Jesus to help one another live together in the Spirit of Christ who died for them (1 Thessalonians 5:10). But Paul gave them more than words; he also showed how much he cared for them. He honored them by letting them know how much they’d encouraged him (1:2–10). Then he gently reminded them how, like a little child, he’d humbled himself among them (2:6–7); how he’d cared for them like a nursing mother (vv. 7–10), and how he’d looked after them like a father who comforts and encourages his own children (vv. 11–12). By: Mart DeHaan

Helping Each Other

Always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
1 Thessalonians 5:15

When playing basketball with her girlfriends, Amber realized her community could benefit from an all-female league. So she started a nonprofit organization to foster teamwork and impact the next generation. The leaders of Ladies Who Hoop strive to build confidence and character in the women and girls and encourage them to become meaningful contributors to their local communities. One of the original players who now mentors other girls said, “There is so much camaraderie among us. This is something I’d been missing. We support each other in so many different ways. I love seeing the girls succeed and grow.”

God intends His people to team up to help each other as well. The apostle Paul urged the Thessalonians to “encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). God has put us into the family of His people for support in our lives. We need each other to keep walking the path of life in Christ. Sometimes that may mean listening to someone who’s struggling, providing for a practical need, or speaking a few words of encouragement. We can celebrate successes, offer a prayer for strength in a difficulty, or challenge each other to grow in faith. And in everything, we can “always strive to do what is good for each other” (v. 15).

What camaraderie we can enjoy as we team up with other believers in Jesus to keep trusting God together! By:  Anne Cetas

Reflect & Pray

In what ways have others encouraged you? How can you prepare yourself to receive and give support to others?

I love being a part of Your family, God. Show me how I can have a part in the lives of others.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, October 06, 2021
The Nature of Regeneration

When it pleased God…to reveal His Son in me… —Galatians 1:15-16

If Jesus Christ is going to regenerate me, what is the problem He faces? It is simply this— I have a heredity in which I had no say or decision; I am not holy, nor am I likely to be; and if all Jesus Christ can do is tell me that I must be holy, His teaching only causes me to despair. But if Jesus Christ is truly a regenerator, someone who can put His own heredity of holiness into me, then I can begin to see what He means when He says that I have to be holy. Redemption means that Jesus Christ can put into anyone the hereditary nature that was in Himself, and all the standards He gives us are based on that nature— His teaching is meant to be applied to the life which He puts within us. The proper action on my part is simply to agree with God’s verdict on sin as judged on the Cross of Christ.

The New Testament teaching about regeneration is that when a person is hit by his own sense of need, God will put the Holy Spirit into his spirit, and his personal spirit will be energized by the Spirit of the Son of God— “…until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19). The moral miracle of redemption is that God can put a new nature into me through which I can live a totally new life. When I finally reach the edge of my need and know my own limitations, then Jesus says, “Blessed are you…” (Matthew 5:11). But I must get to that point. God cannot put into me, the responsible moral person that I am, the nature that was in Jesus Christ unless I am aware of my need for it.

Just as the nature of sin entered into the human race through one man, the Holy Spirit entered into the human race through another Man (see Romans 5:12-19). And redemption means that I can be delivered from the heredity of sin, and that through Jesus Christ I can receive a pure and spotless heredity, namely, the Holy Spirit.

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: Isaiah 26-27; Philippians 2

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, October 06, 2021

The Ultimate Outrage - #9063

Our dog, Missy, was easily entertained. We just threw her a plastic bottle. That was accidentally discovered one day when a two-liter soda bottle fell on the floor in the kitchen. She pounced on it, grabbed the bottle in her mouth, and shook it viciously. You could tell from three rooms away she was fighting with one of those bottles, because she'd throw it in the air and then she'd try to catch it with her nose. And then it ended up bouncing all over the kitchen. Are you imagining this? You should have seen her ten minutes later. She's sprawled lifelessly on the floor - a blob of fur, totally exhausted from that fight with a plastic bottle. It's amazing how much energy she put into a battle that didn't matter.

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

Our word for today from the Word of God, it's from 2 Timothy 2:4. God says, "No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs. He wants to please his commanding officer." Actually that word in the Greek language that the Bible was written in? It's prágmatas, or the pragmatics. You don't get all tied up or involved in the pragmatics of life; the little mechanics. No plastic bottle wars, no little battles for a soldier in Jesus' army.

In fact, here's the mission. Two verses earlier in verse 2 it says, "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others." In other words, your mission is passing on the gospel that was passed on to you. The number one battle is the battle for people's eternal souls. A Jesus soldier is supposed to focus on that battle like your Jesus did.

Now, Christians today get excited over many bottles... excuse me, I mean battles. For example, there are a lot of talk show hosts whose books and programs are always really hot, and people get intrigued with those. Or, you know, people's social media posts. Some are amusing, some are articulate. Their views on moral and political issues are right up the alley of a lot of believers. So I hear a lot of Christians talking excitedly about. you know, what their latest social media or radio or TV hero had had to say. And they have great power to get their viewers and listeners all up-in-arms over things that are happening like politically. In fact, after decades of being politically passive, (and I've lived through that period) Christians are putting a lot of energy into fighting political battles, and public policy battles, and lifestyle battles. And not that those are bad; some of those are very important.

We spend a lot of time, sometime, trying to get certain candidates elected. We want to get certain trends stopped, and some certainly should be. We want to get prayer back in schools. You know, they're worthy causes. And while those are noble battles, they're not the ultimate battle, because they do not address the ultimate outrage.

Ezekiel 33:8 - "When I say to the wicked, 'Oh wicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin and I will hold you accountable for his blood." God thinks the ultimate outrage is when a person who is created in His image ends up spending eternity without Him - lost; eternity in hell because maybe one of us did not warn him. That outweighs any other issue.

The early believers got that. I mean, it was the time of Nero, and slavery, and aborted babies, and violence, and murder as a public sport. But they're not spending much time or energy demonstrating about those social issues. That wasn't what they fought for. The early Christians believed that the gospel of Christ was the most powerful force for social change in the world; more than politicians, or marchers, or laws.

Listen, it's right to take a Christlike stand on the moral issues of our day. But we dare not just lose sight of the one cause that has forever consequences. We need to be sure that the best of our time, the best of our energy, our money, our enthusiasm is marshaled against the ultimate outrage. That the reaching of the lost with the love of Christ be the one cause that consumes us most.

Look, if we're going to get exhausted in battle, let's do it for the battles that matter the most, that matter forever.

Matthew 26:1-35, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Quiet Providence - October 5, 2021
The dramatic story of Esther includes a clueless brute of a king; a devious, bloodthirsty Haman; a nation of Jews under threat of extermination. Mordecai, defiant and determined. Esther, gorgeous and gutsy.

Haman is the villain of the story. And Mordecai, an exiled Jew, really got under his skin. Esther 2:7 says, “Mordecai had a cousin…whom he had brought up.” Esther “had a lovely figure and was beautiful.” And God? Where is God in the story?

You know, the book of Esther is one of the two books in the Bible that never mention the name of God. But a gold nugget lies in the substratum of the Esther story – quiet providence. Providence is the term theologians use to describe God’s continuous control over history. He is regal, he is royal, and—this is essential—he is right here. And he is right here for you.

Matthew 26:1-35

Anointed for Burial

When Jesus finished saying these things, he told his disciples, “You know that Passover comes in two days. That’s when the Son of Man will be betrayed and handed over for crucifixion.”

3-5 At that very moment, the party of high priests and religious leaders was meeting in the chambers of the Chief Priest named Caiaphas, conspiring to seize Jesus by stealth and kill him. They agreed that it should not be done during Passover Week. “We don’t want a riot on our hands,” they said.

6-9 When Jesus was at Bethany, a guest of Simon the Leper, a woman came up to him as he was eating dinner and anointed him with a bottle of very expensive perfume. When the disciples saw what was happening, they were furious. “That’s criminal! This could have been sold for a lot and the money handed out to the poor.”

10-13 When Jesus realized what was going on, he intervened. “Why are you giving this woman a hard time? She has just done something wonderfully significant for me. You will have the poor with you every day for the rest of your lives, but not me. When she poured this perfume on my body, what she really did was anoint me for burial. You can be sure that wherever in the whole world the Message is preached, what she has just done is going to be remembered and admired.”

14-16 That is when one of the Twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the cabal of high priests and said, “What will you give me if I hand him over to you?” They settled on thirty silver pieces. He began looking for just the right moment to hand him over.
The Traitor

17 On the first of the Days of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Where do you want us to prepare your Passover meal?”

18-19 He said, “Enter the city. Go up to a certain man and say, ‘The Teacher says, My time is near. I and my disciples plan to celebrate the Passover meal at your house.’” The disciples followed Jesus’ instructions to the letter, and prepared the Passover meal.

20-21 After sunset, he and the Twelve were sitting around the table. During the meal, he said, “I have something hard but important to say to you: One of you is going to hand me over to the conspirators.”

22 They were stunned, and then began to ask, one after another, “It isn’t me, is it, Master?”

23-24 Jesus answered, “The one who hands me over is someone I eat with daily, one who passes me food at the table. In one sense the Son of Man is entering into a way of treachery well-marked by the Scriptures—no surprises here. In another sense that man who turns him in, turns traitor to the Son of Man—better never to have been born than do this!”

25 Then Judas, already turned traitor, said, “It isn’t me, is it, Rabbi?”

Jesus said, “Don’t play games with me, Judas.”
The Bread and the Cup

26-29 During the meal, Jesus took and blessed the bread, broke it, and gave it to his disciples:

Take, eat.
This is my body.

Taking the cup and thanking God, he gave it to them:

Drink this, all of you.
This is my blood,
God’s new covenant poured out for many people
    for the forgiveness of sins.

“I’ll not be drinking wine from this cup again until that new day when I’ll drink with you in the kingdom of my Father.”

30 They sang a hymn and went directly to Mount Olives.
Gethsemane

31-32 Then Jesus told them, “Before the night’s over, you’re going to fall to pieces because of what happens to me. There is a Scripture that says,

I’ll strike the shepherd;
dazed and confused, the sheep will be scattered.

But after I am raised up, I, your Shepherd, will go ahead of you, leading the way to Galilee.”

33 Peter broke in, “Even if everyone else falls to pieces on account of you, I won’t.”

34 “Don’t be so sure,” Jesus said. “This very night, before the rooster crows up the dawn, you will deny me three times.”

35 Peter protested, “Even if I had to die with you, I would never deny you.” All the others said the same thing.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Tuesday, October 05, 2021

Today's Scripture
Psalm 23
(NIV)

A psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd,t I lack nothing.u

2    He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,v

3    he refreshes my soul.w

He guides mex along the right pathsy

for his name’s sake.z

4 Even though I walk

through the darkest valley,a a

I will fear no evil,b

for you are with me;c

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

5 You prepare a tabled before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;e

my cupf overflows.

6 Surely your goodness and loveg will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

Insight

In the Old Testament, we’re accustomed to the writers using metaphors to describe God, and in most cases those metaphors are of inanimate objects. One such cluster of metaphors is found in Psalm 18:2: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” In that verse alone, no less than five different inanimate metaphors are used—rock, fortress, shield, horn, stronghold. This is part of what sets Psalm 23 apart. It’s one of the most prominent passages in the Old Testament where a personal metaphor is used to describe God—the shepherd. In a culture rooted in agriculture (including shepherding), the nature of the relationship between a sheep and its shepherd would be well known, making this word picture a fitting way to understand how deeply our God cares for us. By: Bill Crowder

With Us in the Valley

I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
Psalm 23:4

As Hannah Wilberforce (aunt of British abolitionist William Wilberforce) lay dying, she wrote a letter in which she mentioned hearing about the death of a fellow believer in Jesus: “Happy is the dear man who is gone to glory, now in the presence of Jesus, whom unseen he loved. My heart seemed to jump for joy.” Then she described her own situation: “Myself, better and worse; Jesus, as good as ever.”

Her words make me think of Psalm 23, where David writes, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley [the valley of the shadow of death], I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (v. 4). Those words leap from the page because it’s there, in the middle of the valley of the shadow of death, where David’s description of God turns deeply personal. He moves from talking about God in the beginning of the psalm—“the Lord is my shepherd” (v. 1)—to talking to Him: “for you are with me” (v. 4, italics added).

How reassuring it is to know that almighty God who “brought forth the whole world” (90:2) is so compassionate that He walks with us through even the most difficult places. Whether our situation turns better or worse, we can turn to our Shepherd, Savior, and Friend and find Him “as good as ever.” So good that death itself is vanquished, and we will “dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (23:6). By:  James Banks

Reflect & Pray

How does it comfort you to know that Jesus our Shepherd is always with you? How can you share that hope with someone today?

My Shepherd, thank You for Your perfect faithfulness and kindness to me. Help me to stay near You today.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, October 05, 2021
The Nature of Degeneration

Just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned… —Romans 5:12

The Bible does not say that God punished the human race for one man’s sin, but that the nature of sin, namely, my claim to my right to myself, entered into the human race through one man. But it also says that another Man took upon Himself the sin of the human race and put it away— an infinitely more profound revelation (see Hebrews 9:26). The nature of sin is not immorality and wrongdoing, but the nature of self-realization which leads us to say, “I am my own god.” This nature may exhibit itself in proper morality or in improper immorality, but it always has a common basis— my claim to my right to myself. When our Lord faced either people with all the forces of evil in them, or people who were clean-living, moral, and upright, He paid no attention to the moral degradation of one, nor any attention to the moral attainment of the other. He looked at something we do not see, namely, the nature of man (see John 2:25).

Sin is something I am born with and cannot touch— only God touches sin through redemption. It is through the Cross of Christ that God redeemed the entire human race from the possibility of damnation through the heredity of sin. God nowhere holds a person responsible for having the heredity of sin, and does not condemn anyone because of it. Condemnation comes when I realize that Jesus Christ came to deliver me from this heredity of sin, and yet I refuse to let Him do so. From that moment I begin to get the seal of damnation. “This is the condemnation [and the critical moment], that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light…” (John 3:19).

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else. “Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord”;…  The Highest Good—The Pilgrim’s Song Book, 537 L

Bible in a Year: Isaiah 23-25; Philippians 1


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, October 05, 2021
The Prize and the Prison - #9062

Actually the TV news report was a little amusing. These individuals came into the store, waving a piece of paper indicating they had just won a free DVD player, and they were coming to claim it. What they didn't know was that notice had been mailed by the police to their last known address. See, these people were wanted, but they had disappeared. But when they checked their mail, they had news of having won that DVD player. The amusing part came when the police arrested them on the spot as some of them were actually laughing at what they thought was a joke or some kind of a TV stunt. It was no joke. They were going to jail.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Prize and the Prison."

That's what the police call a "sting operation" I believe. And it really worked - offer something good just to capture people. And the police use that strategy to accomplish good things. Satan, however, has been using that strategy for a long time to accomplish his destructive purposes in people's lives. He might be using his "sting operation" to capture you right now.

The Bible describes his devious tactics in 2 Timothy 2:26, our word for today from the Word of God. Paul talks about people for whom it is his desire "that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will." I don't know anybody who wants to end up doing the will of the devil; whose desire is to be Satan's captive. But they fall into his clever trap, which is invariably baited with something good. Something that looks like will come from just a little compromise.

That lure might be the promise of sexual pleasure, or sexual conquest, or just a chance to feel loved. The lure could be a chance to get ahead or get out of a jam, just by a little lie or a little compromise of your integrity. Maybe the devil is tempting you with what looks like the advantages of leaving your marriage vows, the thrill or the relief from checking out a little pornography, the satisfaction of getting even, or the relief you'll get from abandoning a commitment.

The devil's basic strategy is pretty simple: get you obsessed with the prize you might get so you're blind to the trap you're walking into. He'll convince you that "it's just this once," "just a little," "it won't hurt." Lies. All lies. Jesus exposed the devil when he said he is "the father of lies" and "there is no truth in him" (John 8:44). He is, as Jesus said, the "thief" who comes "only to steal, kill and destroy." You'll not ultimately get what he seems to be offering - the satisfaction, the love, the excitement, the relief. It's just Satan's bait to take you captive and ruin everything he can in your life. But he'll promise you anything to get you to walk into his trap.

Now, while you can, run from that temptation that you've been flirting with, surrender yourself to Jesus. And in the Bible's words, "be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power...take your stand" the Bible says, "against the devil's schemes" (Ephesians 6:10-11).

If you're being lured into a "sting operation" from hell, you just can't afford to go for the prize that you'll actually never really get. But, of course, you won't know that until the handcuffs are on you and the cell door slams shut behind you. Please don't go there!

Exodus 13 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: A Certain People - October 4, 2021

The setting of the book of Esther is the city of Susa in fifth century BC Persia (modern-day Iran). The empire consisted of roughly 44% of the world’s population. Xerxes, the king, had a thirst for wine, a disregard for women, and convictions that were prone to change with the weather.

Haman is the villain in our story. He had the ear of the king, the swagger of a pimp, and the compassion of Hitler. Haman told the king in Esther 3:8-9, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people…of your kingdom…let a decree be written that they be destroyed.”

Now these “certain people” were the Hebrew nation God preserved. They were a chosen race through whom God would redeem mankind. He had something special in store for them, just like he does for you today.

Exodus 13

God spoke to Moses, saying, “Set apart every firstborn to me—the first one to come from the womb among the Israelites, whether person or animal, is mine.”

3 Moses said to the people, “Always remember this day. This is the day when you came out of Egypt from a house of slavery. God brought you out of here with a powerful hand. Don’t eat any raised bread.

4-5 “You are leaving in the spring month of Abib. When God brings you into the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which he promised to your fathers to give you, a land lavish with milk and honey, you are to observe this service during this month:

6 “You are to eat unraised bread for seven days; on the seventh day there is a festival celebration to God.

7 “Only unraised bread is to be eaten for seven days. There is not to be a trace of anything fermented—no yeast anywhere.

8 “Tell your child on that day: ‘This is because of what God did for me when I came out of Egypt.’

9-10 “The day of observance will be like a sign on your hand, a memorial between your eyes, and the teaching of God in your mouth. It was with a powerful hand that God brought you out of Egypt. Follow these instructions at the set time, year after year after year.

11-13 “When God brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he promised you and your fathers, and turns it over to you, you are to set aside the first birth out of every womb to God. Every first birth from your livestock belongs to God. You can redeem every first birth of a donkey if you want to by substituting a lamb; if you decide not to redeem it, you must break its neck.

13-16 “Redeem every firstborn child among your sons. When the time comes and your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you tell him, ‘God brought us out of Egypt, out of a house of slavery, with a powerful hand. When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, God killed every firstborn in Egypt, the firstborn of both humans and animals. That’s why I make a sacrifice for every first male birth from the womb to God and redeem every firstborn son.’ The observance functions like a sign on your hands or a symbol on the middle of your forehead: God brought us out of Egypt with a powerful hand.”

17 It so happened that after Pharaoh released the people, God didn’t lead them by the road through the land of the Philistines, which was the shortest route, for God thought, “If the people encounter war, they’ll change their minds and go back to Egypt.”

18 So God led the people on the wilderness road, looping around to the Red Sea. The Israelites left Egypt in military formation.

19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the Israelites solemnly swear to do it, saying, “God will surely hold you accountable, so make sure you bring my bones from here with you.”

20-22 They moved on from Succoth and then camped at Etham at the edge of the wilderness. God went ahead of them in a Pillar of Cloud during the day to guide them on the way, and at night in a Pillar of Fire to give them light; thus they could travel both day and night. The Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night never left the people.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Monday, October 04, 2021
Today's Scripture
John 4:7–24
(NIV)

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”d 8 (His disciples had gone into the towne to buy food.)

9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritanf woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.a)

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”g

11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the wellh and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.i Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of waterj welling up to eternal life.”k

15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirstyl and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”

17 “I have no husband,” she replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.m 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain,n but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”o

21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is comingp when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.q 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know;r we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.s 23 Yet a time is coming and has now comet when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spiritu and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit,v and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

Insight

Who were the Samaritans? According to 2 Kings 17, after the Northern Kingdom of Israel was defeated by Assyria in 722 bc and most of its people taken into exile, other captured peoples were brought in to populate the region known as Samaria (v. 24). When they first arrived, they didn’t “worship the Lord,” and so God sent lions among them (v. 25). Then the king of Assyria sent a Jewish priest to the land to teach the people how to worship God, but the people continued to worship other gods (vv. 27–29). The Samaritans came from this exchange of peoples and mixture of beliefs. By: Alyson Kieda

Wherever We Worship

A time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
John 4:23

Intense pain and a debilitating headache prevented me from attending services with my local church family . . . again. Grieving the loss of community worship, I watched an online sermon. At first, complaints soured my experience. The poor sound and video quality distracted me. But then a voice on the video warbled a familiar hymn. Tears flowed as I sang these words: “Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart. Naught be all else to me save that Thou art. Thou my best thought, by day or by night. Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.” Focusing on the gift of God’s constant presence, I worshiped Him while sitting in my living room.

While Scripture affirms the vital, essential nature of corporate worship (Hebrews 10:25), God’s not bound within the walls of a church building. During Jesus’ chat with the Samaritan woman at the well, He defied all expectations of the Messiah (John 4:9). Instead of condemnation, Jesus spoke truth and loved her as she stood next to that well (v. 10). He revealed His intimate and sovereign knowledge of His children (vv. 17–18). Proclaiming His deity, Jesus declared that the Holy Spirit evoked true worship from the hearts of God’s people, not from a specific physical location (vv. 23–24).

When we focus on who God is, what He’s done, and all He’s promised, we can rejoice in His constant presence as we worship Him with other believers, in our living rooms . . . and everywhere! By:  Xochitl Dixon

Reflect & Pray

Where do you enjoy worshiping God? How do you enjoy His presence and experience joy while worshiping Him?

Amazing God, please help me worship You as I rejoice in who You are, what You’ve done, and all You promise to do.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, October 04, 2021

The Vision and The Reality

…to those who are…called to be saints… —1 Corinthians 1:2

Thank God for being able to see all that you have not yet been. You have had the vision, but you are not yet to the reality of it by any means. It is when we are in the valley, where we prove whether we will be the choice ones, that most of us turn back. We are not quite prepared for the bumps and bruises that must come if we are going to be turned into the shape of the vision. We have seen what we are not, and what God wants us to be, but are we willing to be battered into the shape of the vision to be used by God? The beatings will always come in the most common, everyday ways and through common, everyday people.

There are times when we do know what God’s purpose is; whether we will let the vision be turned into actual character depends on us, not on God. If we prefer to relax on the mountaintop and live in the memory of the vision, then we will be of no real use in the ordinary things of which human life is made. We have to learn to live in reliance upon what we saw in the vision, not simply live in ecstatic delight and conscious reflection upon God. This means living the realities of our lives in the light of the vision until the truth of the vision is actually realized in us. Every bit of our training is in that direction. Learn to thank God for making His demands known.

Our little “I am” always sulks and pouts when God says do. Let your little “I am” be shriveled up in God’s wrath and indignation— “I AM WHO I AM…has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). He must dominate. Isn’t it piercing to realize that God not only knows where we live, but also knows the gutters into which we crawl! He will hunt us down as fast as a flash of lightning. No human being knows human beings as God does.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

The Bible is the only Book that gives us any indication of the true nature of sin, and where it came from. The Philosophy of Sin, 1107 R

Bible in a Year: Isaiah 20-22; Ephesians 6


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, October 04, 2021

The Greatest Miracle - #9061

Ten pounds, ten ounces! Our grandson was born and weighed in at that weight. Man that's a lot of boy! Just ask his mama! And even though he wasn't our first grandchild, there was still something breathtaking and amazing about the arrival of a new person in this world, isn't there? I couldn't help but think of when his daddy was born. I was there in the delivery room when he arrived, and I'll never forget what the doctor said. Now keep in mind, this is a doctor who's, well, seen thousands of deliveries over a long career. As I held my newborn son, the doctor said, "You know, this is the greatest miracle known to man." He got no argument from me.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Greatest Miracle."

Out of all the ways Jesus could have explained how we can go to heaven someday, I'm glad that He chose to describe it as birth. Because that's one experience we all understand - we all have that in common. And having been close to the arrival of several family members, I'm impressed again with the parallel Jesus drew to what our doctor called "the greatest miracle known to man."

The birth route to heaven is described by Him in John 3, beginning with verse 1 - it's our word for today from the Word of God. "A man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus; a member of the Jewish council, came to Jesus at night." Now, he came with spiritual questions and he was stunned when Jesus said, "No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. You must be born again."

Now, no modern preacher or religious leader came up with that idea of being "born again." It was Jesus Himself. And whatever being "born again" means, there's obviously no way you can go to heaven without it.

The first time you were born, what do you get? You know, 70 years of life maybe. The second time you're born, this time, spiritually - you get life forever. You've got no life on earth of course, unless and until you're born. You've got no life in heaven unless and until you're born...again.

There's no doubt about our grandson's arrival. In fact, he'll be celebrating that day for the rest of his life. Being born again means that a person's relationship with God has a definite beginning. That beginning is described a couple of chapters earlier in the Bible. It says, "To all who received Him (that's Jesus), to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12). So the definite beginning of belonging to God is when a person "receives" Jesus, when they "believe" in Jesus.

That's because of what keeps each of us from having a relationship with God. In the blunt words of the Bible, "Your sins have separated you from your God" (Isaiah 59:2). That's every time we've done something our way instead of God's way, and those are like countless. It's the way we've basically said, "God, You run the universe; I'll run me thank you." The eternal penalty for that is being separated from a holy God, now and forever. There's only one way that sin wall could be removed - in Jesus' words in the "born again" account, "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son." Jesus came to die for the sinning you and I have done.

So the day you reach out and take for yourself what Jesus died to give you, you are born...again. And this was originally said to one of the most religious men of Jesus' day. So, it's obvious that there's no one so good that they don't need to be born again. Because we all have the cancer of sin. And we're going to die without the cure.

Which leads to the very personal question of whether or not there's been a time when you were born...again. If you don't know you were, you probably weren't. And you desperately need to be. This day could be your re-birthday - if you'll just open your heart to Jesus right where you are. Tell Him, "Jesus, I've run my own life, and I resign. I believe You died to pay for every wrong thing I've ever done. And beginning today, I'm Yours."

If you just prayed a prayer like that, and you want to be sure you belong to Christ, and maybe you're considering that, I really want to encourage you to spend a few minutes at our website. That's what it's there for - ANewStory.com.

Let today be the day when you personally experience what truly is "the greatest miracle known to man."