Psalm 90, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Study Your Children

Crankcase oil coursed my dad's veins.  He repaired engines for a living. Dad loved machines.
But God gave my dad a mechanical moron, a son who couldn't differentiate between a differential and a brake disc. Dad tried to teach me.  I tried to learn.  Honestly, I did. Machines anesthetized me.  But books fascinated me. What does a mechanic do with a son who loves books?
He gives him a library card.  Buys him a few volumes for Christmas. Places a lamp by his bed so he can read at night. Pays tuition so his son can study college literature in high school. My dad did that.  You know what he didn't do? Never once did he say:  "Why can't you be a mechanic like your dad and granddad?"
Study your children while you can. The greatest gift you can give your child is not your riches, but revealing to them their own!
From The Lucado Inspirational Reader

Psalm 90

God, it seems you’ve been our home forever;
    long before the mountains were born,
Long before you brought earth itself to birth,
    from “once upon a time” to “kingdom come”—you are God.

3-11
So don’t return us to mud, saying,
    “Back to where you came from!”
Patience! You’ve got all the time in the world—whether
    a thousand years or a day, it’s all the same to you.
Are we no more to you than a wispy dream,
    no more than a blade of grass
That springs up gloriously with the rising sun
    and is cut down without a second thought?
Your anger is far and away too much for us;
    we’re at the end of our rope.
You keep track of all our sins; every misdeed
    since we were children is entered in your books.
All we can remember is that frown on your face.
    Is that all we’re ever going to get?
We live for seventy years or so
    (with luck we might make it to eighty),
And what do we have to show for it? Trouble.
    Toil and trouble and a marker in the graveyard.
Who can make sense of such rage,
    such anger against the very ones who fear you?

12-17
Oh! Teach us to live well!
    Teach us to live wisely and well!
Come back, God—how long do we have to wait?—
    and treat your servants with kindness for a change.
Surprise us with love at daybreak;
    then we’ll skip and dance all the day long.
Make up for the bad times with some good times;
    we’ve seen enough evil to last a lifetime.
Let your servants see what you’re best at—
    the ways you rule and bless your children.
And let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us,
    confirming the work that we do.
    Oh, yes. Affirm the work that we do!

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Sunday, November 14, 2021
Today's Scripture
Deuteronomy 4:5–8 , 11–14 (NIV)

See, I have taughtv you decrees and lawsw as the Lord my God commandedx me, so that you may follow them in the land you are enteringy to take possession of it. 6 Observez them carefully, for this will show your wisdoma and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”b 7 What other nation is so greatc as to have their gods neard them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? 8 And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and lawse as this body of laws I am setting before you today?

You came near and stood at the foot of the mountainn while it blazed with fireo to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness.p 12 Then the Lord spokeq to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form;r there was only a voice.s 13 He declared to you his covenant,t the Ten Commandments,u which he commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets. 14 And the Lord directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and lawsv you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.

Insight

The book of Deuteronomy concludes the five books of Moses (also known as Torah or the Pentateuch). The word deuteronomy means “second law,” which describes the contents of the book—a second telling of the law Israel had received at Mount Sinai (see Exodus 20). This was important because forty years had passed since those days at the base of Sinai. The generation who’d received the law and accepted it had died during their years of wandering in the wilderness. Now a new generation of Israelites stood at the threshold of the land God had promised them. Therefore, it was imperative that the law be reaffirmed as preparation for their entry into the land. By: Bill Crowder

Powerful and Loving

You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness.
Deuteronomy 4:11

In 2020, the Ecuadorian volcano Sangay erupted. The BBC described the “dark ash plume which reached a height of more than 12,000 m.” The discharge covered four provinces (about 198,000 acres) in gray ash and grimy soot. The sky turned dingy and grim, and the air was thick—making it difficult to breathe. Farmer Feliciano Inga described the unnerving scene to El Comercio newspaper: “We didn’t know where all this dust was coming from. . . . We saw the sky go dark and grew afraid.”

The Israelites experienced a similar fear at the base of Mount Sinai, as they “stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire . . . with black clouds and deep darkness” (Deuteronomy 4:11). God’s voice thundered, and the people trembled. It was terrifying. It’s an awesome, knee-buckling experience to encounter the living God.

“Then the Lord spoke,” and they “heard the sound of words but saw no form” (v. 12). The voice that rattled their bones provided life and hope. God gave Israel the Ten Commandments and renewed His covenant with them. The voice from the dark cloud caused them to quake, but also wooed and loved them with tenacity (Exodus 34:6–7).

God is powerful, beyond our reach, even startling. And yet He’s also full of love, always reaching out to us. A God both powerful and loving—this is who we desperately need. By:  Winn Collier

Reflect & Pray

When has an encounter with God made you tremble? How did He also communicate love?

God, at times I’ve approached You too casually, assumed too much. Thank You for Your patience with me. And thank You for Your love.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, November 14, 2021
Discovering Divine Design

As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me… —Genesis 24:27

We should be so one with God that we don’t need to ask continually for guidance. Sanctification means that we are made the children of God. A child’s life is normally obedient, until he chooses disobedience. But as soon as he chooses to disobey, an inherent inner conflict is produced. On the spiritual level, inner conflict is the warning of the Spirit of God. When He warns us in this way, we must stop at once and be renewed in the spirit of our mind to discern God’s will (see Romans 12:2). If we are born again by the Spirit of God, our devotion to Him is hindered, or even stopped, by continually asking Him to guide us here and there. “…the Lord led me…” and on looking back we see the presence of an amazing design. If we are born of God we will see His guiding hand and give Him the credit.

We can all see God in exceptional things, but it requires the growth of spiritual discipline to see God in every detail. Never believe that the so-called random events of life are anything less than God’s appointed order. Be ready to discover His divine designs anywhere and everywhere.

Beware of being obsessed with consistency to your own convictions instead of being devoted to God. If you are a saint and say, “I will never do this or that,” in all probability this will be exactly what God will require of you. There was never a more inconsistent being on this earth than our Lord, but He was never inconsistent with His Father. The important consistency in a saint is not to a principle but to the divine life. It is the divine life that continually makes more and more discoveries about the divine mind. It is easier to be an excessive fanatic than it is to be consistently faithful, because God causes an amazing humbling of our religious conceit when we are faithful to Him.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

The root of faith is the knowledge of a Person, and one of the biggest snares is the idea that God is sure to lead us to success. My Utmost for His Highest, March 19, 761 L

Bible in a Year: Lamentations 3-5; Hebrews 10:19-39

Mark 4:21-41, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Fill in the Blank

How would you fill in the blank: a person is made right with God through. . . what?
A person is made right with God through. . .being good. Pay your taxes. Give sandwiches to the poor. Don't drink too much or drink at all. Christian conduct- that's the secret.
Suffering. There's the answer. No, it's doctrine. That's how to be made right with God.
No, no, no. All of the above are tried.  All are taught.  But none are from God. In fact, that's the problem.  None are from God. Who does the saving, you or Him?
Romans 3:28 says, "A person is made right with God through faith." Not through good works, suffering, or doctrine. Those may be the result of salvation, but they're not the cause of it.
Salvation comes through faith in God's sacrifice. In the gift of His Son. It's not what you do…it's what He did.
from Lucado Inspirational Reader

Mark 4:21-41

Giving, Not Getting

21-22 Jesus went on: “Does anyone bring a lamp home and put it under a bucket or beneath the bed? Don’t you put it up on a table or on the mantel? We’re not keeping secrets, we’re telling them; we’re not hiding things, we’re bringing them out into the open.

23 “Are you listening to this? Really listening?

24-25 “Listen carefully to what I am saying—and be wary of the shrewd advice that tells you how to get ahead in the world on your own. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity. Stinginess impoverishes.”
Never Without a Story

26-29 Then Jesus said, “God’s kingdom is like seed thrown on a field by a man who then goes to bed and forgets about it. The seed sprouts and grows—he has no idea how it happens. The earth does it all without his help: first a green stem of grass, then a bud, then the ripened grain. When the grain is fully formed, he reaps—harvest time!

30-32 “How can we picture God’s kingdom? What kind of story can we use? It’s like an acorn. When it lands on the ground it is quite small as seeds go, yet once it is planted it grows into a huge oak tree with thick branches. Eagles nest in it.”

33-34 With many stories like these, he presented his message to them, fitting the stories to their experience and maturity. He was never without a story when he spoke. When he was alone with his disciples, he went over everything, sorting out the tangles, untying the knots.
The Wind Ran Out of Breath

35-38 Late that day he said to them, “Let’s go across to the other side.” They took him in the boat as he was. Other boats came along. A huge storm came up. Waves poured into the boat, threatening to sink it. And Jesus was in the stern, head on a pillow, sleeping! They roused him, saying, “Teacher, is it nothing to you that we’re going down?”

39-40 Awake now, he told the wind to pipe down and said to the sea, “Quiet! Settle down!” The wind ran out of breath; the sea became smooth as glass. Jesus reprimanded the disciples: “Why are you such cowards? Don’t you have any faith at all?”

41 They were in absolute awe, staggered. “Who is this, anyway?” they asked. “Wind and sea at his beck and call!”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Saturday, November 13, 2021

Today's Scripture
Romans 8:31–39
(NIV)

More Than Conquerors

31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things?u If God is for us,v who can be against us?w 32 He who did not spare his own Son,x but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any chargey against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns?z No one. Christ Jesus who dieda—more than that, who was raised to lifeb—is at the right hand of Godc and is also interceding for us.d 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?e Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?f 36 As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;

we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”j g

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerorsh through him who loved us.i 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,k neither the present nor the future,j nor any powers,k 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of Godl that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Insight

In Romans 5–8, Paul shared with the Roman believers in Jesus what Christ had done to save them and enumerated the spiritual blessings they had in Him. In Romans 8:31–35, he affirmed the eternal security of the believer. Quoting from Psalm 44:22 (v. 36), Paul made the point that believers aren’t exempt from afflictions and sufferings, even physical death (v. 35). Yet he also affirmed that God protects us (v. 31), saves us (v. 32), no longer condemns us (vv. 33–34), and covers us with His love (vv. 35–39). Three times Paul assured us that we’re safe, secure, and victorious in Jesus’ great love (vv. 35, 37, 39). No wonder the apostle triumphantly declared, “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. . . . [Nothing] will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (vv. 37, 39). By: K. T. Sim

Nothing Can Separate

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
Romans 8:35

When Pris’ father, a pastor, answered God’s call to pioneer a mission on a small island in Indonesia, Pris’ family found themselves living in a rundown shack once used to house animals. Pris remembers the family celebrating Christmas sitting on the floor and singing praises while rainwater dripped through the thatched roof. But her father reminded her, “Pris, just because we are poor doesn’t mean God doesn’t love us.”

Some may see a life blessed by God as one that’s filled with riches, health, and longevity. So in times of hardship, they may wonder if they’re still loved by Him. But in Romans 8:31–39, Paul reminds us that nothing can separate us from Jesus’ love—including trouble, hardship, persecution, and famine (v. 35). This is the foundation for a truly blessed life: God showed His love for us by sending His Son Jesus to die for our sins (v. 32). Christ rose from death and is now sitting “at the right hand” of the Father, interceding for us (v. 34).

In times of suffering, we can hold fast to the comforting truth that our life is rooted in what Christ has done for us. Nothing—“neither death nor life . . . nor anything else in all creation” (vv. 38–39)—can separate us from His love. Whatever our circumstance, whatever our hardship, may we be reminded that God is with us and that nothing can separate us from Him. By:  Yohana Ang

Reflect & Pray

How can you remind yourself that nothing can separate you from Jesus’ love? How can knowing this truth change the way you respond to life’s challenges?

Heavenly Father, open my eyes and heart to understand more of Your love, and help me realize that Your love is enough for my life.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, November 13, 2021
Faith or Experience?
…the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. —Galatians 2:20

We should battle through our moods, feelings, and emotions into absolute devotion to the Lord Jesus. We must break out of our own little world of experience into abandoned devotion to Him. Think who the New Testament says Jesus Christ is, and then think of the despicable meagerness of the miserable faith we exhibit by saying, “I haven’t had this experience or that experience”! Think what faith in Jesus Christ claims and provides— He can present us faultless before the throne of God, inexpressibly pure, absolutely righteous, and profoundly justified. Stand in absolute adoring faith “in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God— and righteousness and sanctification and redemption…” (1 Corinthians 1:30). How dare we talk of making a sacrifice for the Son of God! We are saved from hell and total destruction, and then we talk about making sacrifices!

We must continually focus and firmly place our faith in Jesus Christ— not a “prayer meeting” Jesus Christ, or a “book” Jesus Christ, but the New Testament Jesus Christ, who is God Incarnate, and who ought to strike us dead at His feet. Our faith must be in the One from whom our salvation springs. Jesus Christ wants our absolute, unrestrained devotion to Himself. We can never experience Jesus Christ, or selfishly bind Him in the confines of our own hearts. Our faith must be built on strong determined confidence in Him.

It is because of our trusting in experience that we see the steadfast impatience of the Holy Spirit against unbelief. All of our fears are sinful, and we create our own fears by refusing to nourish ourselves in our faith. How can anyone who is identified with Jesus Christ suffer from doubt or fear! Our lives should be an absolute hymn of praise resulting from perfect, irrepressible, triumphant belief.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

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

Bible in a Year: Lamentations 1-2; Hebrews 10:1-18

Exodus 40, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: When a Heart Turns to Christ - November 12, 2021

The story of Aleksandr began in 1918 in Russia. By early adulthood he was a disciple of Marx and Lenin. In World War II, he was drafted into the military. He was falsely accused of spying, and arrested. Over the next eight years in prison, his faith in the communist regime diminished. The decisive moment came in January 1952 when he received a visit from a Jewish doctor who had recently become a Christian.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn soon followed in the steps of the doctor. He described his conversion in the book The Gulag Archipelago. Who would have ever imagined that deep in a prison built on atheism a heart would turn to Christ and would touch the world?

Exodus 40

“Moses Finished the Work”

God spoke to Moses: “On the first day of the first month, set up The Dwelling, the Tent of Meeting. Place the Chest of The Testimony in it and screen the Chest with the curtain.

4 “Bring in the Table and set it, arranging its Lampstand and lamps.

5 “Place the Gold Altar of Incense before the Chest of The Testimony and hang the curtain at the door of The Dwelling.

6 “Place the Altar of Whole-Burnt-Offering at the door of The Dwelling, the Tent of Meeting.

7 “Place the Washbasin between the Tent of Meeting and the Altar and fill it with water.

8 “Set up the Courtyard on all sides and hang the curtain at the entrance to the Courtyard.

9-11 “Then take the anointing oil and anoint The Dwelling and everything in it; consecrate it and all its furnishings so that it becomes holy. Anoint the Altar of Whole-Burnt-Offering and all its utensils, consecrating the Altar so that it is completely holy. Anoint the Washbasin and its base: consecrate it.

12-15 “Finally, bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water. Dress Aaron in the sacred vestments. Anoint him. Set him apart to serve me as priest. Bring his sons and put tunics on them. Anoint them, just as you anointed their father, to serve me as priests. Their anointing will bring them into a perpetual priesthood, down through the generations.”

16 Moses did everything God commanded. He did it all.

17-19 On the first day of the first month of the second year, The Dwelling was set up. Moses set it up: He laid its bases, erected the frames, placed the crossbars, set the posts, spread the tent over The Dwelling, and put the covering over the tent, just as God had commanded Moses.

20-21 He placed The Testimony in the Chest, inserted the poles for carrying the Chest, and placed the lid, the Atonement-Cover, on it. He brought the Chest into The Dwelling and set up the curtain, screening off the Chest of The Testimony, just as God had commanded Moses.

22-23 He placed the Table in the Tent of Meeting on the north side of The Dwelling, outside the curtain, and arranged the Bread there before God, just as God had commanded him.

24-25 He placed the Lampstand in the Tent of Meeting opposite the Table on the south side of The Dwelling and set up the lamps before God, just as God had commanded him.

26-27 Moses placed the Gold Altar in the Tent of Meeting in front of the curtain and burned fragrant incense on it, just as God had commanded him.

28 He placed the screen at the entrance to The Dwelling.

29 He set the Altar of Whole-Burnt-Offering at the door of The Dwelling, the Tent of Meeting, and offered up the Whole-Burnt-Offerings and the Grain-Offerings, just as God had commanded Moses.

30-32 He placed the Washbasin between the Tent of Meeting and the Altar, and filled it with water for washing. Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and feet there. When they entered the Tent of Meeting and when they served at the Altar, they washed, just as God had commanded Moses.

33 Finally, he erected the Courtyard all around The Dwelling and the Altar, and put up the screen for the Courtyard entrance.

Moses finished the work.

34-35 The Cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the Glory of God filled The Dwelling. Moses couldn’t enter the Tent of Meeting because the Cloud was upon it, and the Glory of God filled The Dwelling.

36-38 Whenever the Cloud lifted from The Dwelling, the People of Israel set out on their travels, but if the Cloud did not lift, they wouldn’t set out until it did lift. The Cloud of God was over The Dwelling during the day and the fire was in it at night, visible to all the Israelites in all their travels.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Friday, November 12, 2021

Today's Scripture
Job 38:1
,
4–18
(NIV)

The Lord Speaks

38 Then the Lord spoke to Jobw out of the storm.x He said:

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?b

Tell me, if you understand.c

5 Who marked off its dimensions?d Surely you know!

Who stretched a measuring linee across it?

6 On what were its footings set,f

or who laid its cornerstoneg—

7 while the morning starsh sang togetheri

and all the angelsa j shouted for joy?k

8 “Who shut up the sea behind doorsl

when it burst forth from the womb,m

9 when I made the clouds its garment

and wrapped it in thick darkness,n

10 when I fixed limits for ito

and set its doors and bars in place,p

11 when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;q

here is where your proud waves halt’?r

12 “Have you ever given orders to the morning,s

or shown the dawn its place,t

13 that it might take the earth by the edges

and shake the wickedu out of it?v

14 The earth takes shape like clay under a seal;w

its features stand out like those of a garment.

15 The wicked are denied their light,x

and their upraised arm is broken.y

16 “Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea

or walked in the recesses of the deep?z

17 Have the gates of deatha been shown to you?

Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?b

18 Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?c

Tell me, if you know all this.d

Insight

An important answer to Job’s crisis of faith hinges on the words, “Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm” (Job 38:1). Instead of answering in a gentle whisper (see 1 Kings 19:12), God showed up from within blinding flashes of lightning and the roaring voice of dark clouds (Job 37:1–5, 14–16). God also didn’t tell him about the accuser, Satan, that our preamble to Job explains for us (chs. 1–2). Instead, from within the power and violence of a thunderstorm, the God of creation used the beauty and wonder of the world He’d made to help the servant He loved trust Him. By: Mart DeHaan

God’s Amazing Creation

Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
Job 38:4

What began as a simple spring nature walk turned into something special as my wife and I trekked along our hometown’s Grand River. We noticed some familiar “friends” on a log in the rippling water—five or six large turtles basking in the sun. Sue and I smiled at the amazing sight of these reptiles, which we hadn’t seen for many months. We were delighted that they were back, and we celebrated a moment of joy in God’s magnificent creation.

God took Job on quite a nature walk (see Job 38). The troubled man needed an answer from his Creator about his situation (v. 1). And what he saw on his journey with God through His creation provided the encouragement he needed.

Imagine Job’s amazement as God reminded him of His grand design of the world. Job got a firsthand explanation of the natural world: “Who laid its cornerstone—while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” (vv. 6–7). He got a geography lesson regarding God’s imposed limitations of the seas (v. 11).

The Creator continued to inform Job about the light He created, snow He produces, and rain He provides to make things grow (vv. 19–28). Job even heard about the constellations from the One who flung them into space (vv. 31–32).

Finally, Job responded, “I know that you can do all things” (42:2). As we experience the natural world, may we stand in awe of our wise and wonderful Creator. By:  Dave Branon

Reflect & Pray

How can nature bring you closer to God? How does it remind you of His great creative power and love?

Dear God, thank You for creating such a magnificent, diverse, fascinating world. Help me to appreciate Your workmanship and realize that You’re in control.

To learn more about the book of Job.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, November 12, 2021

The Changed Life

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. —2 Corinthians 5:17

What understanding do you have of the salvation of your soul? The work of salvation means that in your real life things are dramatically changed. You no longer look at things in the same way. Your desires are new and the old things have lost their power to attract you. One of the tests for determining if the work of salvation in your life is genuine is— has God changed the things that really matter to you? If you still yearn for the old things, it is absurd to talk about being born from above— you are deceiving yourself. If you are born again, the Spirit of God makes the change very evident in your real life and thought. And when a crisis comes, you are the most amazed person on earth at the wonderful difference there is in you. There is no possibility of imagining that you did it. It is this complete and amazing change that is the very evidence that you are saved.

What difference has my salvation and sanctification made? For instance, can I stand in the light of 1 Corinthians 13 , or do I squirm and evade the issue? True salvation, worked out in me by the Holy Spirit, frees me completely. And as long as I “walk in the light as He is in the light” (1 John 1:7), God sees nothing to rebuke because His life is working itself into every detailed part of my being, not on the conscious level, but even deeper than my consciousness.

If there is only one strand of faith amongst all the corruption within us, God will take hold of that one strand.  Not Knowing Whither, 888 L

Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 51-52; Hebrews 9

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, November 12, 2021

Rescue Insurance - #9090

We had heard so much about the Stealth bomber, and it comes under the radar at night, you know, virtually invisible to ground defenses. So, some years ago, we were shocked when we heard that one of those had been downed during NATO's bombing of Serbia. We saw the burning plane wreckage on Serb TV, but there was no mention of the pilot. Well, my wife and I stopped as soon as we heard the news and we prayed for the safety of that pilot wherever he was. And as it turned out, our military launched an all-out search for him as soon as they learned his plane was down. In fact, their rescue tactics are so sophisticated no one really told the whole story of how they went about it. But I was impressed, not to mention all the other pilots who were risking their lives every day over Serbia...at how they were committed to the rescue, whatever it took. Boy, you know, the pilot knew it. And they brought him out!

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

The good news is you have someone committed to your rescue - whatever it takes. Human rescuers will do all they can to attempt a rescue. We see it on the news again and again. Your Rescuer? Well, He always accomplishes His rescues. Just ask David.

As he writes our word for today from the Word of God, he's hiding in a cave, knowing the king and his army are scouring the area looking for him. When they find him, they will kill him. Hiding in a cave, David - desperately needing a rescue - writes these powerful words in Psalm 34 beginning at verse 4. "I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears." Okay. Now, an emotional rescue while the situation is still very dangerous there, God rescues him from his fear...from his anxiety. He's pretty amazing!

Verse 7: "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them." Verse 9: "Those who fear Him lack nothing...those who seek the Lord lack no good thing." Now, that's the promise that God will rescue us from the need that may seem un-meetable. Now here's verse 18: "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." So, this Heavenly Rescuer shows up in the middle of our brokenness.

Then there's Psalm 34:19, David sort of summarizes and says, "A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all." Notice, he doesn't say the righteous man doesn't have troubles - he does. But he also has an all-powerful Deliverer! You can dare to fly your mission, you can dare to risk, you can find the strength to fight back, and you can find the strength to go on. Why? Because you know you have a Rescuer who will do whatever it takes to bring you out!

No, not always in the time frame you want. Not always in the way you think He should. Sometimes He'll deliver you from the situation. Other times He'll deliver you from being defeated and controlled by the situation. Either way, you've got a miracle.

If you're down in enemy territory, there is no rescue beyond the power of your Savior, whether the rescue you need is emotional, or medical, or financial, reputational, relational, or even a rescue from your own mistakes. In one way or another, your Savior will pull you out. He promised. There's no need to run, there's no need to panic, there's no need to surrender, there's no need to be depressed. You have a Savior who is committed to rescuing those He loves.

Maybe all you can see right now is a very dark night, enemy troops nearby, and no way out. But hang on! Your Rescuer from heaven is on His way!

Exodus 39 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

 
Max Lucado Daily: God Is in the Details - November 11, 2021

Do you think the odds are against you? That even God is against you?

If so, ponder the plight of Haman and the outcome of Mordecai in the book of Esther. God flip-flopped their stories. Haman began the day large and in charge. Mordecai began the day praying in the shadow of a gallows that bore his name. Yet from one moment to the next, Haman was humiliated, and Mordecai was given the keys to the city.

The next time you hear someone say, “The devil is in the details,” correct them. God is in the details. He works in the small moments. The insignificant becomes significant because he is ever orchestrating the day-to-day details of innumerable lives through a millennia of time to do what he has foreordained to do.

Exodus 39

Vestments. Using the blue, purple, and scarlet fabrics, they made the woven vestments for ministering in the Sanctuary. Also they made the sacred vestments for Aaron, as God had commanded Moses.

2-5 Ephod. They made the Ephod using gold and blue, purple, and scarlet fabrics and finely twisted linen. They hammered out gold leaf and sliced it into threads that were then worked into designs in the blue, purple, and scarlet fabric and fine linen. They made shoulder pieces fastened at the two ends. The decorated band was made of the same material—gold, blue, purple, and scarlet material, and of fine twisted linen—and of one piece with it, just as God had commanded Moses.

6-7 They mounted the onyx stones in a setting of filigreed gold and engraved the names of the sons of Israel on them, then fastened them on the shoulder pieces of the Ephod as memorial stones for the Israelites, just as God had commanded Moses.

8-10 Breastpiece. They made a Breastpiece designed like the Ephod from gold, blue, purple, and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen. Doubled, the Breastpiece was nine inches square. They mounted four rows of precious gemstones on it.

First row: carnelian, topaz, emerald.

11 Second row: ruby, sapphire, crystal.

12 Third row: jacinth, agate, amethyst.

13-14 Fourth row: beryl, onyx, jasper.

The stones were mounted in a gold filigree. The twelve stones corresponded to the names of the sons of Israel, twelve names engraved as on a seal, one for each of the twelve tribes.

15-21 They made braided chains of pure gold for the Breastpiece, like cords. They made two settings of gold filigree and two rings of gold, put the two rings at the two ends of the Breastpiece, and fastened the two ends of the cords to the two rings at the end of the Breastpiece. Then they fastened the cords to the settings of filigree, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the Ephod in front. Then they made two rings of gold and fastened them to the two ends of the Breastpiece on its inside edge facing the Ephod. They made two more rings of gold and fastened them in the front of the Ephod to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces, near the seam above the decorated band of the Ephod. The Breastpiece was fastened by running a cord of blue through its rings to the rings of the Ephod so that it rested secure on the decorated band of the Ephod and wouldn’t come loose, just as God had commanded Moses.

22-26 Robe. They made the robe for the Ephod entirely of blue. The opening of the robe at the center was like a collar, the edge hemmed so that it wouldn’t tear. On the hem of the robe they made pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet material and fine twisted linen. They also made bells of pure gold and alternated the bells and pomegranates—a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate—all around the hem of the robe that was worn for ministering, just as God had commanded Moses.

27-29 They also made the tunics of fine linen, the work of a weaver, for Aaron and his sons, the turban of fine linen, the linen hats, the linen underwear made of fine twisted linen, and sashes of fine twisted linen, blue, purple, and scarlet material and embroidered, just as God had commanded Moses.

30-31 They made the plate, the sacred crown, of pure gold and engraved on it as on a seal: “Holy to God.” They attached a blue cord to it and fastened it to the turban, just as God had commanded Moses.

32 That completed the work of The Dwelling, the Tent of Meeting. The People of Israel did what God had commanded Moses. They did it all.

33-41 They presented The Dwelling to Moses, the Tent and all its furnishings:

fastening hooks

frames

crossbars

posts

bases

tenting of tanned ram skins

tenting of dolphin skins

veil of the screen

Chest of The Testimony

with its poles

and Atonement-Cover

Table

with its utensils

and the Bread of the Presence

Lampstand of pure gold

and its lamps all fitted out

and all its utensils

and the oil for the light

Gold Altar

anointing oil

fragrant incense

screen for the entrance to the Tent

Bronze Altar

with its bronze grate

its poles and all its utensils

Washbasin

and its base

hangings for the Courtyard

its posts and bases

screen for the gate of the Courtyard

its cords and its pegs

utensils for ministry in The Dwelling, the Tent of Meeting

woven vestments for ministering in the Sanctuary

sacred vestments for Aaron the priest,

and his sons when serving as priests

42-43 The Israelites completed all the work, just as God had commanded. Moses saw that they had done all the work and done it exactly as God had commanded. Moses blessed them.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Thursday, November 11, 2021

Today's Scripture
Acts 13:32–39
(NIV)

“We tell you the good news:l What God promised our ancestorsm 33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus.n As it is written in the second Psalm:

“ ‘You are my son;

today I have become your father.’b o

34 God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said,

“ ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’c p

35 So it is also stated elsewhere:

“ ‘You will not let your holy one see decay.’d q

36 “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep;r he was buried with his ancestorss and his body decayed. 37 But the one whom God raised from the deadt did not see decay.

38 “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.u 39 Through him everyone who believesv is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.

Insight

In Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas were on their first missionary journey. When they arrived in Pisidian Antioch, the two missionaries entered the synagogue (v. 14), and there Paul delivered his first recorded message in the book of Acts. Speaking as a reputable Jewish scholar and to a committed Jewish audience, it’s no surprise that he made substantial use of the Old Testament in his presentation of the good news about Jesus. After reciting Israel’s history and showing how it pointed to Jesus, Paul landed on Psalm 2 (see Acts 13:33) to support his argument that Jesus was and is the Son of God. This was strategic because the Jewish people viewed Psalm 2 as a messianic psalm where the Father and the Son speak with one another of fulfilling the promise of David’s “greater son”—Jesus (see Luke 1:31–33)—who would one day rule over the entire world.

Learn more about the book of Acts. By: Bill Crowder

Good News

We tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors he has fulfilled for us.
Acts 13:32–33

In 1941, as Hitler’s reign was expanding across Europe, novelist John Steinbeck was asked to help with the war effort. He wasn’t asked to fight or visit troops on the frontline, but to instead write a story. The result was The Moon Is Down, a novel about a peaceful land that gets invaded by an evil regime. Printed on underground presses and secretly distributed throughout occupied countries, the novel sent a message: The Allies were coming, and by imitating the novel’s characters, readers could help secure their freedom. Through The Moon Is Down, Steinbeck brought good news to people under Nazi rule—their liberation was near.

Like the characters in Steinbeck’s story, Jews in the first century were an occupied people under brutal Roman rule. But centuries before, God had promised to send an Ally to liberate them and bring peace to the world (Isaiah 11). Joy erupted when that Ally arrived! “We tell you the good news,” Paul said. “What God promised our ancestors he has fulfilled for us . . . by raising up Jesus” (Acts 13:32–33). Through Jesus’ resurrection and offer of forgiveness, the world’s restoration had begun (vv. 38–39; Romans 8:21).

Since then, this story has spread throughout the globe, bringing peace and freedom wherever it’s embraced. Jesus has been raised from the dead. Our liberation from sin and evil has begun. In Him we’re free! By:  Sheridan Voysey

Reflect & Pray

Compared to other rulers, how does Jesus bring peace to the world? How can you join Him in this work?

Jesus, my ultimate Ally, I surrender to Your rightful rule.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, November 11, 2021
The Supreme Climb

He said, "Take now your son…" —Genesis 22:2

God’s command is, “Take now,” not later. It is incredible how we debate! We know something is right, but we try to find excuses for not doing it immediately. If we are to climb to the height God reveals, it can never be done later— it must be done now. And the sacrifice must be worked through our will before we actually perform it.

“So Abraham rose early in the morning…and went to the place of which God had told him” (Genesis 22:3). Oh, the wonderful simplicity of Abraham! When God spoke, he did not “confer with flesh and blood” (Galatians 1:16). Beware when you want to “confer with flesh and blood” or even your own thoughts, insights, or understandings— anything that is not based on your personal relationship with God. These are all things that compete with and hinder obedience to God.

Abraham did not choose what the sacrifice would be. Always guard against self-chosen service for God. Self-sacrifice may be a disease that impairs your service. If God has made your cup sweet, drink it with grace; or even if He has made it bitter, drink it in communion with Him. If the providential will of God means a hard and difficult time for you, go through it. But never decide the place of your own martyrdom, as if to say, “I will only go to there, but no farther.” God chose the test for Abraham, and Abraham neither delayed nor protested, but steadily obeyed. If you are not living in touch with God, it is easy to blame Him or pass judgment on Him. You must go through the trial before you have any right to pronounce a verdict, because by going through the trial you learn to know God better. God is working in us to reach His highest goals until His purpose and our purpose become one.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

To those who have had no agony Jesus says, “I have nothing for you; stand on your own feet, square your own shoulders. I have come for the man who knows he has a bigger handful than he can cope with, who knows there are forces he cannot touch; I will do everything for him if he will let Me. Only let a man grant he needs it, and I will do it for him.”
The Shadow of an Agony

Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 50; Hebrews 8

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, November 11, 2021

The Knife and The Nail - #9089

Tony was one of the best-liked teachers in our local school - at least he had our kid's vote. As he and I were working together on a project at our house, I was really surprised to learn about his background. I never would have guessed it. See, he grew up in a very tough neighborhood in our area. It was sharply divided into these ethnic pockets. Well, actually, into ethnic gangs. And Tony, by his own admission, was a fighter. Most of the guys in his neighborhood were. And then, five of his good friends died violently in two months time - five friends in two months; one of them his very best friend. Two of his friends are now serving prison terms - two of the survivors that is.

I said, "Tony, what happened to you? How did you ever make it out so well? How did you ever get out of all that? You've grown up to be a very positive adult. How did it happen?" His answer left a stunned silence in the room. And in a sense, his answer is like an answer of mine.

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

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from the book of 1 Peter 2, and I'm going to read verse 24. Then I'll tell you what Tony said. Speaking of Jesus Christ it says, "He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness." Okay, I'll tell you about my teacher friend, Tony. I said, "Tony, after all that gang violence you grew up around, what made the difference?" He said, "Ron, it was another gang fight. My best friend was stabbed to death that night." And then I saw something I had never seen. His eyes filled with tears. He said, "Ron, the knife that got my best friend was intended for me. My friend took my knife and that changed the whole course of my life."

At that point, my eyes filled with tears. And I said, "Tony, maybe you can understand why I try to live my life for Jesus Christ. It's for the same reason. He took my knife; except He's the Son of God." That's what 1 Peter 2:24 said, "He bore my sins in His body on the tree." That death that Jesus died on the cross wasn't His; it was mine, it was yours, it was our bill to pay for our sins. He didn't have any to pay for. The penalty for all the sin and all of my self-centered days of my life is death - being cut off from God. But Jesus said, "Punish Me instead." He took more than my knife and your knife. He took all our hell.

You probably didn't have to turn on the radio today or read something to know that Jesus died, or that He died on the cross. You probably knew that. You may even know that Jesus died on the cross for people's sins. But you may have never gone to the cross in your heart and spoken the two words that make all the difference between heaven and hell and life and death. The two words: "for me." "It's my knife, it's my punishment, it's my sins. You're doing this for me, aren't you Jesus?" And the day you do that, the wall between you and God is gone forever, and you have peace at last. And you want to give up the sin that killed Him. You want to live for what He loves. And you know that He can do these things. He can change your life, because He didn't stay dead. He blew the doors off His grave and walked out of His grave under His own power. And He stands ready to walk into your life today at your invitation.

If you tell Him today, "Jesus, I'm Yours," you'll belong to Him forever. All because you realized today that what happened on that cross was a divine transaction offered by God and His love for you to erase your sin from His book forever. This could be your day today for that to all happen. I've tried to lay out as simply as I could on our website how to be sure you have this relationship. Just take a little time and go visit ANewStory.com.

In a very deep, eternal sense, God's Son took your knife. How can you say no to Him? Go to that cross and say the two words that make all the difference forever, "For me." "For me."

Mark 4:1-20 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Poetic Justice - November 10, 2021

Haman hated Mordecai, the Jew and ordered the construction of a gallows for Mordecai’s destruction. Meanwhile, the king—King Xerxes—couldn’t sleep, and he requested a reading of the book of records. It reminded him that Mordecai had once saved his life by reporting an assassination plot.

Early the next morning, the king asked Haman, “What should be done for the man the king delights to honor” (Esther 6:6)? Haman assumed the king was talking about him and made some suggestions. “‘Go at once,’ the king commanded. ‘Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew.” (Esther 6:10).

Haman planned to lead Mordecai to the gallows. Instead, he led him through the streets. Who could have envisioned such a hairpin U-turn? God could!

Mark 4:1-20

The Story of the Scattered Seed

He went back to teaching by the sea. A crowd built up to such a great size that he had to get into an offshore boat, using the boat as a pulpit as the people pushed to the water’s edge. He taught by using stories, many stories.

3-8 “Listen. What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn’t put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled among the weeds and nothing came of it. Some fell on good earth and came up with a flourish, producing a harvest exceeding his wildest dreams.

9 “Are you listening to this? Really listening?”

10-12 When they were off by themselves, those who were close to him, along with the Twelve, asked about the stories. He told them, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom—you know how it works. But to those who can’t see it yet, everything comes in stories, creating readiness, nudging them toward a welcome awakening. These are people—

Whose eyes are open but don’t see a thing,
Whose ears are open but don’t understand a word,
Who avoid making an about-face and getting forgiven.”

13 He continued, “Do you see how this story works? All my stories work this way.

14-15 “The farmer plants the Word. Some people are like the seed that falls on the hardened soil of the road. No sooner do they hear the Word than Satan snatches away what has been planted in them.

16-17 “And some are like the seed that lands in the gravel. When they first hear the Word, they respond with great enthusiasm. But there is such shallow soil of character that when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.

18-19 “The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it.

20 “But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Today's Scripture
1 Kings 19:8–11
,
15–18
(NIV)

So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled fortyj days and forty nights until he reached Horeb,k the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cavel and spent the night.

The Lord Appears to Elijah

And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”m

10 He replied, “I have been very zealousn for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant,o torn down your altars,p and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left,q and now they are trying to kill me too.”

11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountainr in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”s

Then a great and powerful windt tore the mountains apart and shatteredu the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazaelz king over Aram. 16 Also, anointa Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elishab son of Shaphat from Abel Meholahc to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael,d and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.e 18 Yet I reservef seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissedg him.”

Insight

As we look at the story of Elijah’s flight from the threats of Jezebel (1 Kings 19:1–9), we see similarities to Moses’ experiences. Just like Moses, Elijah fled from a ruler who intended to kill him (Exodus 2:15; 1 Kings 19:3). Elijah spent forty days journeying to Horeb, the mountain of God (also known as Mount Sinai), and Moses spent forty days on the same mountain (1 Kings 19:8; Exodus 24:18; 34:28). Both prophets met God there on Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:11; Exodus 24:12–18). When Elijah arrived, he covered his face with his garment, protecting himself (1 Kings 19:13), similar to Moses’ being protected by the rock as God passed by (Exodus 33:21–22). The NIV Application Commentary notes: “The narrative intentionally makes Elijah a prophet like Moses.”

You’re Not Alone

I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal.
1 Kings 19:18

“So great to see you!” “You, too!” “So glad you’re here!” The greetings were warm and welcoming. Members of a ministry in Southern California gathered online before their evening program. As their speaker, calling in from Colorado, I watched silently as the others gathered on the video call. As an introvert and not knowing anyone, I felt like a social outsider. Then suddenly, a screen opened and there was my pastor. Then another screen opened. A longtime church friend was joining the call, too. Seeing them, I no longer felt alone. God, it seemed, had sent support.

Elijah wasn’t alone either, despite feeling like “the only [prophet] left” after fleeing the wrath of Jezebel and Ahab (1 Kings 19:10). Journeying through desert wilderness for forty days and forty nights, Elijah hid in a cave on Mount Horeb. But God called him back into service, telling him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet” (vv. 15–16).

God then assured him, “Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him” (v. 18). As Elijah learned, while serving God we don’t serve alone. As God brings help, we’ll serve together.  By:  Patricia Raybon

Reflect & Pray

What support has God recently sent when you were serving Him? Whom could you invite to serve with you to grow your ministry impact for God?

Dear God, when I feel alone while serving You, remind me that others are with me as we joyfully serve.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Fellowship in the Gospel

…fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ… —1 Thessalonians 3:2

After sanctification, it is difficult to state what your purpose in life is, because God has moved you into His purpose through the Holy Spirit. He is using you now for His purposes throughout the world as He used His Son for the purpose of our salvation. If you seek great things for yourself, thinking, “God has called me for this and for that,” you barricade God from using you. As long as you maintain your own personal interests and ambitions, you cannot be completely aligned or identified with God’s interests. This can only be accomplished by giving up all of your personal plans once and for all, and by allowing God to take you directly into His purpose for the world. Your understanding of your ways must also be surrendered, because they are now the ways of the Lord.

I must learn that the purpose of my life belongs to God, not me. God is using me from His great personal perspective, and all He asks of me is that I trust Him. I should never say, “Lord, this causes me such heartache.” To talk that way makes me a stumbling block. When I stop telling God what I want, He can freely work His will in me without any hindrance. He can crush me, exalt me, or do anything else He chooses. He simply asks me to have absolute faith in Him and His goodness. Self-pity is of the devil, and if I wallow in it I cannot be used by God for His purpose in the world. Doing this creates for me my own cozy “world within the world,” and God will not be allowed to move me from it because of my fear of being “frost-bitten.”

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

Jesus Christ is always unyielding to my claim to my right to myself. The one essential element in all our Lord’s teaching about discipleship is abandon, no calculation, no trace of self-interest. Disciples Indeed, 395 L

Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 48-49; Hebrews 7

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Church Island - #9088

My wife and I were in Colorado, and she said, "I want to go to a ghost town." I did too, because I was pretty sure there wouldn't be any antique stores there. So we drove many miles down this rutted road into this deserted little village called Winfield. Now it wasn't like this 100 years ago. No, then the gold and silver fever was in the air, and Winfield was alive with the boom that was going on in that area. There were fortune hunters, fortune spenders, and fortune losers.

Today, however, there are just a few buildings, stand silent; almost an outdoor museum. There were several hotels back in the boom days, saloons and one church. The church is still standing, and it should be. Though it stood there overlooking that bustling town, no services were ever held in that church. Oh, the town had a church, but the church had absolutely no effect on the people there in their frantic pursuit of wealth and pleasure.

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

As I looked at that ghost town, I honestly couldn't help but ask, "Is that us as Christians in our town, in our world today?" We have services, but are we really making any difference? Are we connecting with our community, with the lost people all around us? Or are they just racing after their pleasure and their money, largely oblivious to what's going on inside our steepled buildings? Are we Christians living on Church Island while most of the people Christ died for are on the mainland over there, totally disconnected from Jesus and from His people? It wasn't meant to be that way.

Our word for today from the Word of God, it's in Matthew 5, beginning in verse 13. "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Salt can only change the flavor of the meat if it's in contact with it, right?. It does nothing at all huddled together in the salt shaker. Light can only transform the darkness in a room if it's in the room in direct contact with the darkness. Your town doesn't need all the light bulbs huddling together in a light convention. The light has to be out where the people are. Who would build a house with all the lights in one room, leaving the rest of the house dark?

We're in the first American Christian generation to be asked to represent Christ in a post-Christian country where the majority of people don't know our book, they don't know our vocabulary, and they don't know our subculture. They don't know about what our Savior could do for them. We can't do what we've always done and reach the lost people in this culture. They've got to have a chance at our Jesus though!

So, how do we break out of being Church Island surrounded by a sea of lost people? First, how about addressing their needs. If they don't care about Christ, we have to find ways to help them with things they do care about; their children, their marriage, their stress, their addiction, their emotional pain, their recovery. They'll only want to be with us if we find a need they have and try to meet it.

Secondly, we need to speak their language. We've got to move out of our Christianese vocabulary. They just don't understand it. And stretch ourselves to tell Jesus' story in words they speak. We need to love them in their language; in ways that they can feel and will mean something to them. And ultimately, we've just got to go to their world and not expect them to come to ours.

It's a sad feeling to stand in a church that had no effect on the dying people around them like the one in that ghost town. And how sad it must be for Jesus to stand in His church today and sometimes see that same thing happening. We can't be content to hunker down on Church Island, when just beyond our reach are people whose eternities are at stake.

Exodus 38 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: The Butterfly Effect - November 9, 2021

Do you know the theory of the butterfly effect? It goes something like this: a butterfly in West Africa flaps its wings, and, at just the right time, it stirs the smallest of air gusts. The burst of air grows, rippling around the globe until it results in a hurricane in…let’s say Florida.

I’m on board with the butterfly part. It’s not the result I question, it’s the randomness. Who finds consolation in a philosophy of happenstance? But I do find great comfort in promises like Ephesians 1:11: “We were chosen from the beginning to be his [God’s], and all things happen just as he decided long ago.” The butterfly might stir, but only with the permission of God can a wing flap create a hurricane.

Exodus 38

The Altar of Whole-Burnt-Offering

He made the Altar of Whole-Burnt-Offering from acacia wood. He made it seven and a half feet square and four and a half feet high. He made horns at each of the four corners. The horns were made of one piece with the Altar and covered with a veneer of bronze. He made from bronze all the utensils for the Altar: the buckets for removing the ashes, shovels, basins, forks, and fire pans. He made a grate of bronze mesh under the ledge halfway up the Altar. He cast four rings at each of the four corners of the bronze grating to hold the poles. He made the poles of acacia wood and covered them with a veneer of bronze. He inserted the poles through the rings on the two sides of the Altar for carrying it. The Altar was made out of boards; it was hollow.
The Washbasin

8 He made the Bronze Washbasin and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women’s work group who were assigned to serve at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
The Courtyard

9-11 And he made the Courtyard. On the south side the hangings for the Courtyard, woven from fine twisted linen, were 150 feet long, with their twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and fastening hooks and bands of silver. The north side was exactly the same.

12-20 The west end of the Courtyard had seventy-five feet of hangings with ten posts and bases, and fastening hooks and bands of silver. Across the seventy-five feet at the front, or east end, were twenty-two and a half feet of hangings, with their three posts and bases on one side and the same for the other side. All the hangings around the Courtyard were of fine twisted linen. The bases for the posts were bronze and the fastening hooks and bands on the posts were of silver. The posts of the Courtyard were both capped and banded with silver. The screen at the door of the Courtyard was embroidered in blue, purple, and scarlet fabric with fine twisted linen. It was thirty feet long and seven and a half feet high, matching the hangings of the Courtyard. There were four posts with bases of bronze and fastening hooks of silver; they were capped and banded in silver. All the pegs for The Dwelling and the Courtyard were made of bronze.

* * *

21-23 This is an inventory of The Dwelling that housed The Testimony drawn up by order of Moses for the work of the Levites under Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest. Bezalel, the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything that God had commanded Moses. Working with Bezalel was Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an artisan, designer, and embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet fabrics and fine linen.

24 Gold. The total amount of gold used in construction of the Sanctuary, all of it contributed freely, weighed out at 1,900 pounds according to the Sanctuary standard.

25-28 Silver. The silver from those in the community who were registered in the census came to 6,437 pounds according to the Sanctuary standard—that amounted to a beka, or half-shekel, for every registered person aged twenty and over, a total of 603,550 men. They used the three and one-quarter tons of silver to cast the bases for the Sanctuary and for the hangings, one hundred bases at sixty-four pounds each. They used the remaining thirty-seven pounds to make the connecting hooks on the posts, and the caps and bands for the posts.

29-31 Bronze. The bronze that was brought in weighed 4,522 pounds. It was used to make the door of the Tent of Meeting, the Bronze Altar with its bronze grating, all the utensils of the Altar, the bases around the Courtyard, the bases for the gate of the Courtyard, and all the pegs for The Dwelling and the Courtyard.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Tuesday, November 09, 2021

Today's Scripture
John 15:1–8
(NIV)

The Vine and the Branches

15 “I ams the true vine,t and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit,u while every branch that does bear fruitv he prunesa so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.w 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you.x No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;y apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.z 7 If you remain in mea and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.b 8 This is to my Father’s glory,c that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Insight

When Jesus spoke of Himself as the true vine and His disciples as His fruit-bearing branches (John 15:1–8), He gave them a word picture they may have heard before. Asaph the songwriter and Isaiah the prophet (Psalm 80:8; Isaiah 5:7) had likened their nation to a vineyard that produced a bitter harvest of violence and injustice. Against that backdrop, Jesus Himself is described as the true and better vine that produces the harvest His Father is looking for. But His disciples still had a lot to learn. They hadn’t yet abandoned Him in a way that would show them why they needed His Spirit to produce within them fruit worthy of this vine (John 15:9–17). Neither had they yet experienced that the harvest the Father was looking for was a Spirit-enabled love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). By: Mart DeHaan

A True Disciple of Jesus

I am the vine; you are the branches.
John 15:5

When Christian Mustad showed his Van Gogh landscape to art collector Auguste Pellerin, Pellerin took one look and said it wasn’t authentic. Mustad hid the painting in his attic, where it remained for fifty years. Mustad died, and the painting was evaluated off and on over the next four decades. Each time it was determined to be a fake—until 2012, when an expert used a computer to count the thread separations in the painting’s canvas. He discovered it had been cut from the same canvas as another work of Van Gogh. Mustad had owned a real Van Gogh all along.

Do you feel like a fake? Do you fear that if people examined you, they’d see how little you pray, give, and serve? Are you tempted to hide in the attic, away from prying eyes?

Look deeper, beneath the colors and contours of your life. If you’ve turned from your own ways and put your faith in Jesus, then you and He belong to the same canvas. To use Jesus’ picture, “I am the vine; you are the branches” (John 15:5). Christ and you form a seamless whole.

Resting in Jesus makes you a true disciple of His. It’s also the only way to improve your picture. He said, “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (v. 5). By:  Mike Wittmer

Reflect & Pray

What things cause you to wonder if you’re a true disciple of Jesus? How might this fear drive you to Him?

Jesus, I rest in You like a branch clings to its vine.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, November 09, 2021

Sacred Service

I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ… —Colossians 1:24

The Christian worker has to be a sacred “go-between.” He must be so closely identified with his Lord and the reality of His redemption that Christ can continually bring His creating life through him. I am not referring to the strength of one individual’s personality being superimposed on another, but the real presence of Christ coming through every aspect of the worker’s life. When we preach the historical facts of the life and death of our Lord as they are conveyed in the New Testament, our words are made sacred. God uses these words, on the basis of His redemption, to create something in those who listen which otherwise could never have been created. If we simply preach the effects of redemption in the human life instead of the revealed, divine truth regarding Jesus Himself, the result is not new birth in those who listen. The result is a refined religious lifestyle, and the Spirit of God cannot witness to it because such preaching is in a realm other than His. We must make sure that we are living in such harmony with God that as we proclaim His truth He can create in others those things which He alone can do.

When we say, “What a wonderful personality, what a fascinating person, and what wonderful insight!” then what opportunity does the gospel of God have through all of that? It cannot get through, because the attraction is to the messenger and not the message. If a person attracts through his personality, that becomes his appeal. If, however, he is identified with the Lord Himself, then the appeal becomes what Jesus Christ can do. The danger is to glory in men, yet Jesus says we are to lift up only Him (see John 12:32).

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

Am I becoming more and more in love with God as a holy God, or with the conception of an amiable Being who says, “Oh well, sin doesn’t matter much”?  Disciples Indeed, 389 L

Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 46-47; Hebrews 6

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, November 09, 2021

When Life Is Just "More Of The Same" - #9087

Like most countries, America has some holidays that are pretty meaningful. We've got the Fourth of July to celebrate our independence. We've got Veterans' Day and Memorial Day, and those are great times to remember all those who've fought for our freedom. We celebrate the birthdays of some great Americans like Lincoln and Washington and Martin Luther King. And then there's one oddball day on your calendar though - Groundhog Day.

Only in America, right? It's a day named for the chubby cousin of a rat. A town whose main event is a groundhog playing peek-a-boo. As Russian comedian Yakov Smirnoff says, "I love this country!"

We even have a movie called "Groundhog Day." It's actually set in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the home of the king groundhog. But it was hearing about the premise of the movie, not the location that intrigues me.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When Life Is Just 'More of the Same.'"

Basically, Bill Murray plays a TV newscaster who keeps reliving the same day over and over again. It happens to be Groundhog Day in the town that's the epicenter of that celebration. In the movie, the idea of repeating the same day again and again is played for laughs. Unfortunately, for too many people, that's their real life. And there's nothing funny about it.

"Same old, same old" - that's how life feels for a lot of people. Just a disconnected, seemingly meaningless series of events that start to feel pretty much the same. We start wondering about "why am I here?" somewhere in our turbulent teenage years I think. Unfortunately, a lot of us do our whole life and we still don't know the answer. We've got this pile of puzzle pieces on the floor in front of us, and we can't find the top of the puzzle box. We can't figure out what it all makes.

For me, for countless millions over 2,000 years, that's where Jesus comes in. Not the religion called Christianity, but Jesus. People have written volumes on the purpose of life. God does it in six words in the Bible. He's talking about Jesus here. It's in our word for today from the Word of God in Colossians 1:16. He says we are "created by Him and for Him." Wow! I'm created by Jesus. I'm created for Jesus. And life will not add up until I have Jesus. Or maybe more accurately, Jesus has me.

The only One who really knows the purpose of your life is the One who gave you your life. And He says you were made for a relationship with Jesus, His Son. A relationship that honestly, our sin has spoiled. We've decided we'd do life our way instead of God's way. And it's a relationship that His death for our sin has made possible. And then three days after he died, He walked out of His grave under His own power so He could walk into your life today. You know, the earth's life depends on it revolving around the sun. If the earth goes off on an orbit away from the sun, all life will cease. In the same way, our life depends on our revolving around the Son. That's S-O-N, the Son of God.

Maybe you've never begun a personal relationship with Jesus. Maybe you don't yet belong to the One that you were made by and made for. This could be the end of a lifetime search today. Because it begins when you say, "Jesus, I get it now. I was made by You, I was made for You, but instead I've lived for me, and I'm in trouble with God. But Jesus, I believe that some of those sins You were dying on that cross for; some of those sins were mine. Because You're alive, I can tell You today, 'Jesus, I'm Yours.'"

I want to invite you to our website today and ask you to spend a couple of minutes there checking it out. Because there we've tried to kind of build a Bible bridge there that will take you right into the beginning of a relationship with Jesus. The website's ANewStory.com. Remember that and check it out, will you?

I'm thanking God today that life doesn't have to be a meaningless parade of days that replay the same old questions and the same old emptiness. On the day we step into the relationship we were made for, we step into the "more" that God put us here for, and you know what? The search is over.

Exodus 37 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Speak to the King of Heaven - November 8, 2021

Are you, like Esther, facing an impossible challenge? Then imitate the queen. Esther could have remained hidden, she could have done nothing. Or she could have rushed into the presence of King Xerxes, but instead she chose prayer.

And you? This is the time for a no-nonsense, honest, face-on-the-floor talk with the Lord of all. Garments need not be ripped, but veneer must be removed. Fasting is optional, but the prayer of genuine humility is not.

What challenge are you facing? Is your job in jeopardy? Is your loved one in hospice? Is your faith in tatters? Retreat into your prayer closet. The queen could enter the throne room of Xerxes because she had spent time in the throne room of God. The same is true in your story and mine. Once we’ve spoken to the king of heaven, we are ready to face any king on earth.

Exodus 37

The Chest

 Bezalel made the Chest using acacia wood: He made it three and three-quarters feet long and two and a quarter feet wide and deep. He covered it inside and out with a veneer of pure gold and made a molding of gold all around it. He cast four gold rings and attached them to its four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on the other. He made poles from acacia wood, covered them with a veneer of gold, and inserted the poles for carrying the Chest into the rings on the sides.

6 Next he made a lid of pure gold for the Chest, an Atonement-Cover, three and three-quarters feet long and two and a quarter feet wide.

7-9 He sculpted two winged angel-cherubim out of hammered gold for the ends of the Atonement-Cover, one angel at one end, one angel at the other. He made them of one piece with the Atonement-Cover. The angels had outstretched wings and appeared to hover over the Atonement-Cover, facing one another but looking down on the Atonement-Cover.
The Table

10-15 He made the Table from acacia wood. He made it three feet long, one and a half feet wide and two and a quarter feet high. He covered it with a veneer of pure gold and made a molding of gold all around it. He made a border a handbreadth wide all around it and a rim of gold for the border. He cast four rings of gold for it and attached the rings to the four legs parallel to the tabletop. They will serve as holders for the poles used to carry the Table. He made the poles of acacia wood and covered them with a veneer of gold. They will be used to carry the Table.

16 Out of pure gold he made the utensils for the Table: its plates, bowls, jars, and jugs used for pouring.
The Lampstand

17-23 He made a Lampstand of pure hammered gold, making its stem and branches, cups, calyxes, and petals all of one piece. It had six branches, three from one side and three from the other; three cups shaped like almond blossoms with calyxes and petals on one branch, three on the next, and so on—the same for all six branches. On the main stem of the Lampstand, there were four cups shaped like almonds, with calyxes and petals, a calyx extending from under each pair of the six branches. The entire Lampstand with its calyxes and stems was fashioned from one piece of hammered pure gold. He made seven of these lamps with their candle snuffers, all out of pure gold.

24 He used a seventy-five-pound brick of pure gold to make the Lampstand and its accessories.
The Altar of Incense

25-28 He made an Altar for burning incense from acacia wood. He made it a foot and a half square and three feet high, with its horns of one piece with it. He covered it with a veneer of pure gold, its top, sides, and horns, and made a gold molding around it with two rings of gold beneath the molding. He placed the rings on the two opposing sides to serve as holders for poles by which it will be carried. He made the poles of acacia wood and covered them with a veneer of gold.

29 He also prepared with the art of a perfumer the holy anointing oil and the pure aromatic incense.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Monday, November 08, 2021

Today's Scripture
1 Chronicles 15:29–16:11
(NIV)

As the ark of the covenant of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she despised him in her heart.

Ministering Before the Ark

16:8–22pp—Ps 105:1–15
16:23–33pp—Ps 96:1–13
16:34–36pp—Ps 106:1,47–48

16 They brought the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitchedd for it, and they presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before God. 2 After David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessede the people in the name of the Lord. 3 Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisinsf to each Israelite man and woman.

4 He appointed some of the Levites to ministerg before the ark of the Lord, to extol,a thank, and praise the Lord, the God of Israel: 5 Asaph was the chief, and next to him in rank were Zechariah, then Jaaziel,b Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel. They were to play the lyres and harps, Asaph was to sound the cymbals, 6 and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow the trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God.

7 That day David first appointed Asaph and his associates to give praiseh to the Lord in this manner:

8 Give praisei to the Lord, proclaim his name;

make known among the nationsj what he has done.

9 Sing to him, sing praisek to him;

tell of all his wonderful acts.

10 Glory in his holy name;l

let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

11 Look to the Lord and his strength;

seekm his face always.

Insight

The ark of the covenant was the most important piece of furniture in the tabernacle. The ark the craftsman Bezalel made was an oblong chest (measuring about 45 x 27 x 27 inches) made of acacia wood overlaid on the inside and outside with gold (see Exodus 31:1–5; 37:1–9). Inside the ark were the tablets containing the Law given to Moses (25:16), a pot of manna, and Aaron’s rod (Numbers 17:10). The lid of the ark was called the mercy seat, a slab of gold that fit over the top of the chest and featured two cherubim. By: Alyson Kieda

Sing Praise to God

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
1 Chronicles 16:8

The heat and humidity of the Midwestern summer closed in on us all week at the discipleship conference, but on the last day we welcomed a front of cooler air. Giving thanks for the break in weather and the amazing work God had done, hundreds joined voices to worship God. Many felt liberated to sing wholeheartedly before God, offering hearts, souls, bodies, and minds to Him. As I think back to that day decades later, I’m reminded of the pure wonder and joy of praising God.

King David knew how to wholeheartedly worship God. He rejoiced when the ark of the covenant, which signified God’s presence, was placed in Jerusalem—by dancing, leaping, and celebrating (1 Chronicles 15:29). Even though his wife Michal observed his abandon and “despised him in her heart” (v. 29), David didn’t let her criticism stop him from worshiping the one true God. Even if he appeared undignified, he wanted to give thanks to God for choosing him to lead the nation (see 2 Samuel 6:21–22).

David “appointed Asaph and his associates to give praise to the Lord in this manner: Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts” (1 Chronicles 16:7–9). May we too give ourselves fully to worshiping God by pouring out our praise and adoration. By:  Amy Boucher Pye

Reflect & Pray

When have you felt free to worship God wholeheartedly? What led you to that sense of freedom and release?

Creator God, we proclaim Your name above all others. You’re worthy to be praised! We worship You!

Watch “A Song That Never Ends”.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, November 08, 2021
The Unrivaled Power of Prayer

We do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. —Romans 8:26

We realize that we are energized by the Holy Spirit for prayer; and we know what it is to pray in accordance with the Spirit; but we don’t often realize that the Holy Spirit Himself prays prayers in us which we cannot utter ourselves. When we are born again of God and are indwelt by the Spirit of God, He expresses for us the unutterable.

“He,” the Holy Spirit in you, “makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:27). And God searches your heart, not to know what your conscious prayers are, but to find out what the prayer of the Holy Spirit is.

The Spirit of God uses the nature of the believer as a temple in which to offer His prayers of intercession. “…your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit…” (1 Corinthians 6:19). When Jesus Christ cleansed the temple, “…He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple” (Mark 11:16). The Spirit of God will not allow you to use your body for your own convenience. Jesus ruthlessly cast out everyone who bought and sold in the temple, and said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer…. But you have made it a ‘den of thieves’ ” (Mark 11:17).

Have we come to realize that our “body is the temple of the Holy Spirit”? If so, we must be careful to keep it undefiled for Him. We have to remember that our conscious life, even though only a small part of our total person, is to be regarded by us as a “temple of the Holy Spirit.” He will be responsible for the unconscious part which we don’t know, but we must pay careful attention to and guard the conscious part for which we are responsible.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

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

Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 43-45; Hebrews 5
 

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, November 08, 2021
Fourth Quarter - It's Ours! - #9086

I watched the new high school football coach at our local high school back then work an amazing transformation. Before he took over, playing our team meant an almost automatic win for the other team. After the new coach came and made his mark, our team almost always went to the state championship. Our sons can tell you one reason why - they played for him. He used to run some very grueling practices, but he told them he was building a "fourth quarter team" - a team that had the endurance to finish strong when their opponents were fading. And you could count on our team dominating the final quarter of the game. They knew how decisive it would be, and they were prepared to give it all. In fact, at the end of the third quarter, the players would pump each other up with this familiar war cry, "Fourth quarter! It's ours!"

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Fourth Quarter - It's Ours!"

Champions are strong fourth quarter players in sports, and in life, too. We're talking about responsibilities and challenges that require a lot of perseverance; where victory requires giving more than you feel like giving up. And maybe you're in one of those "fourth quarter" situations right now and God's calling you to finish strong.

Like the Apostle Paul did, as recorded in 2 Timothy 4, beginning with verse 5, which happens to be our word for today from the Word of God. He's had every reason to quit. He's had persecution, imprisonment, multiple beatings, and now he's writing what will be his final words before his execution by Caesar. He's calling Timothy to a championship finish like he's doing.

He says to him and to us, "Be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry, for I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith." A statement like that makes us ask, "Am I a finisher or just a starter? Have I left behind in my life a lot of things I started but I didn't finish?"

Paul then looks ahead to what's at the finish line for all who complete the course that God has given them. "In the future," he says, "there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord...will award to me on that day." Sadly, those who quit before the game was over will never know the rewards that only finishers enjoy.

So now, maybe at a time when you have a lot of reasons to slack off, to quit, when you've already played hard for a long time, listen to God saying, "Do not be weary in well doing, for in due time you will reap if you do not give up" (Galatians 6:9). Be a fourth quarter husband, a fourth quarter wife, be a fourth quarter mom or dad, a fourth quarter friend, worker, leader. Be a follower of Jesus who refuses to slack off, or back off, refuses to slow down, to head for the showers, to give up. That's how your Savior was for you all the way to the end.

After how long the game has been and maybe how hard it's been, maybe your strength is giving out, but God's strength belongs to the weak and the weary He said. And His strength can carry you all the way to the finish line. His promise is this: "He gives His strength to the weary and He increases the power of the weak." Claim it! Shout with all of God's champions, "It's the fourth quarter! It's ours!"

Exodus 36, bible reading and daily devotionals.

Max Lucado Daily: More Dinghy than Cruise Ship?

Are you more dinghy. . .than cruise ship? Or in my case, more blue jeans than blue blood? Well congratulations, God changes the world with folks like you!

The next time you say, “I don’t think God could use me!”—stop right there!  Satan’s going to try to tell you that God has an IQ requirement.  That he employs only experts and high-powered personalities.  When you hear Satan whispering that lie—hit him with this:  God stampeded the first-century society with swaybacks, not thoroughbreds.  Before Jesus came along, the disciples were loading trucks, coaching soccer, and selling Slurpee drinks at the convenience store!

But what they had going for them was a willingness to take a step when Jesus said, “Follow me.”

So what do you think?  More plumber than executive?  More stand-in than movie star? Yeah—congratulations!  God uses people like you…and me.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  Matthew 16:24?

From Max on Life

Exodus 36

“Bezalel and Oholiab, along with everyone whom God has given the skill and know-how for making everything involved in the worship of the Sanctuary as commanded by God, are to start to work.”

2-3 Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab along with all whom God had gifted with the ability to work skillfully with their hands. The men were eager to get started and engage in the work. They took from Moses all the offerings that the Israelites had brought for the work of constructing the Sanctuary. The people kept on bringing in their freewill offerings, morning after morning.

4-5 All the artisans who were at work making everything involved in constructing the Sanctuary came, one after another, to Moses, saying, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing this work that God has commanded us to do!”

6-7 So Moses sent out orders through the camp: “Men! Women! No more offerings for the building of the Sanctuary!”

The people were ordered to stop bringing offerings! There was plenty of material for all the work to be done. Enough and more than enough.
The Tapestries

8-13 Then all the skilled artisans on The Dwelling made ten tapestries of fine twisted linen and blue, purple, and scarlet fabric with an angel-cherubim design worked into the material. Each panel of tapestry was forty-six feet long and six feet wide. Five of the panels were joined together, and then the other five. Loops of blue were made along the edge of the outside panel of the first set, and the same on the outside panel of the second set. They made fifty loops on each panel, with the loops opposite each other. Then they made fifty gold clasps and joined the tapestries together so that The Dwelling was one whole.

14-19 Next they made tapestries of woven goat hair for a tent that would cover The Dwelling. They made eleven panels of these tapestries. The length of each panel was forty-five feet long and six feet wide. They joined five of the panels together, and then the other six, by making fifty loops along the edge of the end panel and fifty loops along the edge of the joining panel, then making fifty clasps of bronze, connecting the clasps to the loops, bringing the tent together. They finished it off by covering the tapestries with tanned rams’ skins dyed red, and covered that with dolphin skins.
The Framing

20-30 They framed The Dwelling with vertical planks of acacia wood, each section of frame fifteen feet long and two and a quarter feet wide, with two pegs for securing them. They made all the frames identical: twenty frames for the south side, with forty silver sockets to receive the two tenons from each of the twenty frames; they repeated that construction on the north side of The Dwelling. For the rear of The Dwelling facing west, they made six frames, with two additional frames for the rear corners. Both of the two corner frames were double in thickness from top to bottom and fit into a single ring—eight frames altogether with sixteen sockets of silver, two under each frame.

31-34 They made crossbars of acacia wood, five for the frames on one side of The Dwelling, five for the other side, and five for the back side facing west. The center crossbar ran from end to end halfway up the frames. They covered the frames with a veneer of gold, made gold rings to hold the crossbars, and covered the crossbars with a veneer of gold.

35-36 They made the curtain of blue, purple, and scarlet material and fine twisted linen. They wove a design of angel-cherubim into it. They made four posts of acacia wood, covered them with a veneer of gold, and cast four silver bases for them.

37-38 They made a screen for the door of the tent, woven from blue, purple, and scarlet material and fine twisted linen with embroidery. They framed the weaving with five poles of acacia wood covered with a veneer of gold, and made gold hooks to hang the weaving and five bronze bases for the poles.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Sunday, November 07, 2021
Today's Scripture
Colossians 3:12–17
(NIV)

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselvesu with compassion, kindness, humility,v gentleness and patience.w 13 Bear with each otherx and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.y 14 And over all these virtues put on love,z which binds them all together in perfect unity.a

15 Let the peace of Christb rule in your hearts, since as members of one bodyc you were called to peace.d And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christe dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdomf through psalms,g hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.h 17 And whatever you do,i whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanksj to God the Father through him.

Insight

Gratitude is the single theme that unites verses 15–17 of Colossians 3. Without stating specifically what we’re to be thankful for, Paul says that thankfulness to God should characterize our lives. He concludes verse 15 by saying, “And be thankful.” In verse 16, we’re to lift our voices in song with a grateful heart. And in verse 17, we should give thanks to God in whatever we say or do. Each of these admonitions comes from Greek root word charis, which means “grace.” Another form of this word means “properly acknowledging that God’s grace works well.” This suggests that all thankfulness is ultimately rooted in God’s grace to us. The opening verses of this chapter tell us why: we’ve been raised with Jesus, our lives are hidden with Him, and we too will appear with Him when He comes in glory (vv. 1–4). What more reason to be thankful?

The Jesus Label

Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Colossians 3:17

“Son, I don’t have much to give you. But I do have a good name, so don’t mess it up.” Those wise, weighty words were uttered by Johnnie Bettis as his son Jerome left home for college. Jerome quoted his father in his American Professional Football Hall of Fame acceptance speech. These sage words that Jerome has carried with him throughout his life have been so influential that he closed his riveting speech with similar words to his own son. “Son, there’s not much that I can give you that’s more important than our good name.”

A good name is vital for believers in Jesus. Paul’s words in Colossians 3:12–17 remind us who it is that we represent (v. 17). Character is like the clothing that we wear; and this passage puts the “Jesus label” of clothing on display: “As God’s chosen people . . . clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another. . . . And over all these virtues put on love” (vv. 12–14). These aren’t just our “Sunday clothes.” We’re to wear them everywhere, all the time, as God works in us to reflect Him. When our lives are characterized by these qualities, we demonstrate that we have His name.

May we prayerfully and carefully represent Him as He provides what we need. By:  Arthur Jackson

Reflect & Pray

As you evaluate your wardrobe, how “well dressed” are you with Jesus’ character? How can you seek His wisdom, power, and guidance to reflect Him even more clearly?

Father, forgive me when I don’t represent Jesus well. Give me strength and courage to be better dressed for Your glory and Christ’s name’s sake.

Learn more about the importance of living a life that honors Christ.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, November 07, 2021
The Undetected Sacredness of Circumstances
We know that all things work together for good to those who love God… —Romans 8:28

The circumstances of a saint’s life are ordained of God. In the life of a saint there is no such thing as chance. God by His providence brings you into circumstances that you can’t understand at all, but the Spirit of God understands. God brings you to places, among people, and into certain conditions to accomplish a definite purpose through the intercession of the Spirit in you. Never put yourself in front of your circumstances and say, “I’m going to be my own providence here; I will watch this closely, or protect myself from that.” All your circumstances are in the hand of God, and therefore you don’t ever have to think they are unnatural or unique. Your part in intercessory prayer is not to agonize over how to intercede, but to use the everyday circumstances and people God puts around you by His providence to bring them before His throne, and to allow the Spirit in you the opportunity to intercede for them. In this way God is going to touch the whole world with His saints.

Am I making the Holy Spirit’s work difficult by being vague and unsure, or by trying to do His work for Him? I must do the human side of intercession— utilizing the circumstances in which I find myself and the people who surround me. I must keep my conscious life as a sacred place for the Holy Spirit. Then as I lift different ones to God through prayer, the Holy Spirit intercedes for them.

Your intercessions can never be mine, and my intercessions can never be yours, “…but the Spirit Himself makes intercession” in each of our lives (Romans 8:26). And without that intercession, the lives of others would be left in poverty and in ruin.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

The main characteristic which is the proof of the indwelling Spirit is an amazing tenderness in personal dealing, and a blazing truthfulness with regard to God’s Word. Disciples Indeed, 386 R
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Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 40-42; Hebrews 4