2 Samuel 24, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

 
Max Lucado Daily: HEAVEN’S WIND - September 14, 2022
The Spirit is like the wind. Had Jesus stopped with this comment, Nicodemus would have had plenty to ponder. Yet Jesus went on to stretch the imagination of Nick and Max and all people who have tried to quarry the jewels that follow.
“So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8 ESV). That which is born of a vegetable is a vegetable. That which is born of a dog is a dog. And that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. That is to say, we have his wind, his unseen power, within us. We host the mystery and majesty of God.
Stop and think about something you struggle to do. Forgiving an enemy? Solving a problem? Breaking a habit? You can’t do it? The Spirit can. You have the force of heaven’s wind within you.

2 Samuel 24
Once again God’s anger blazed out against Israel. He tested David by telling him, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.” So David gave orders to Joab and the army officers under him, “Canvass all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and get a count of the population. I want to know the number.”
3 But Joab resisted the king: “May your God multiply people by the hundreds right before the eyes of my master the king, but why on earth would you do a thing like this?”
4-9 Nevertheless, the king insisted, and so Joab and the army officers left the king to take a census of Israel. They crossed the Jordan and began with Aroer and the town in the canyon of the Gadites near Jazer, proceeded through Gilead, passed Hermon, then on to Dan, but detoured Sidon. They covered Fort Tyre and all the Hivite and Canaanite cities, and finally reached the Negev of Judah at Beersheba. They canvassed the whole country and after nine months and twenty days arrived back in Jerusalem. Joab gave the results of the census to the king: 800,000 able-bodied fighting men in Israel; in Judah 500,000.
10 But when it was all done, David was overwhelmed with guilt because he had counted the people, replacing trust with statistics. And David prayed to God, “I have sinned badly in what I have just done. But now God forgive my guilt—I’ve been really stupid.”
11-12 When David got up the next morning, the word of God had already come to Gad the prophet, David’s spiritual advisor, “Go and give David this message: ‘God has spoken thus: There are three things I can do to you; choose one out of the three and I’ll see that it’s done.’”
13 Gad came to deliver the message: “Do you want three years of famine in the land, or three months of running from your enemies while they chase you down, or three days of an epidemic on the country? Think it over and make up your mind. What shall I tell the one who sent me?”
14 David told Gad, “They’re all terrible! But I’d rather be punished by God, whose mercy is great, than fall into human hands.”
15-16 So God let loose an epidemic from morning until suppertime. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand people died. But when the angel reached out over Jerusalem to destroy it, God felt the pain of the terror and told the angel who was spreading death among the people, “Enough’s enough! Pull back!”
The angel of God had just reached the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. David looked up and saw the angel hovering between earth and sky, sword drawn and about to strike Jerusalem. David and the elders bowed in prayer and covered themselves with rough burlap.
17 When David saw the angel about to destroy the people, he prayed, “Please! I’m the one who sinned; I, the shepherd, did the wrong. But these sheep, what did they do wrong? Punish me and my family, not them.”
18-19 That same day Gad came to David and said, “Go and build an altar on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” David did what Gad told him, what God commanded.
20-21 Araunah looked up and saw David and his men coming his way; he met them, bowing deeply, honoring the king and saying, “Why has my master the king come to see me?”
“To buy your threshing floor,” said David, “so I can build an altar to God here and put an end to this disaster.”
22-23 “Oh,” said Araunah, “let my master the king take and sacrifice whatever he wants. Look, here’s an ox for the burnt offering and threshing paddles and ox-yokes for fuel—Araunah gives it all to the king! And may God, your God, act in your favor.”
24-25 But the king said to Araunah, “No. I’ve got to buy it from you for a good price; I’m not going to offer God, my God, sacrifices that are no sacrifice.”
So David bought the threshing floor and the ox, paying out fifty shekels of silver. He built an altar to God there and sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. God was moved by the prayers and that was the end of the disaster.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, September 14, 2022
Today's Scripture
Ephesians 2:17–22
Christ came and preached peace to you outsiders and peace to us insiders. He treated us as equals, and so made us equals. Through him we both share the same Spirit and have equal access to the Father.
19–22  That’s plain enough, isn’t it? You’re no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.
Insight
Faith in Christ is a communal experience rather than an individual one. When the New Testament describes the lives of believers in Jesus, the terms used are almost always plural—and that’s the case in Ephesians 2:17–22. Key expressions are “fellow citizens” (v. 19) and “built together” (v. 22). In each case, the body of Christ, not the individual, is in view. Additionally, not only are these expressions plural, but they also point strongly toward the church as community—found in the words fellow and together. These terms do more than express plurality, however. They also speak of entering into a shared experience with one another as believers in Jesus. This idea is reinforced more than twenty-five times in the New Testament as we’re challenged by “one another” statements—for example, Romans 12:10, 16; 15:7; Ephesians 4:2, 32; 5:21—that guide how we’re to relate to each other as fellow members of the body of Christ.
By: Bill Crowder
A House Undivided
Every city or household divided against itself will not stand.

Matthew 12:25
On June 16, 1858, as the newly nominated Republican candidate for the US Senate from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous “House Divided” speech, which highlighted the tensions between various factions in America regarding slavery. It caused a stir among Lincoln’s friends and foes. Lincoln felt it was important to use the “house divided” figure of speech which Jesus used in Matthew 12:25 because it was widely known and simply expressed. He used this metaphor “so it would strike home to the minds of men in order to rouse them to the peril of the times.”
While a divided house can’t stand, the implied opposite can—an undivided house stands unified. In principle, that’s what the household of God is designed to be (Ephesians 2:19). Though made up of people from various backgrounds, together we’ve been reconciled to God (and each other) through Jesus’ death on the cross (vv. 14–16). In view of this truth (see Ephesians 3), Paul offers this instruction to believers in Jesus: “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (4:3).
Today, when heightened tensions threaten to divide people who are otherwise united, such as our families and fellow believers, God can give the wisdom and strength needed to keep unity with one another through the help of the Spirit. This will cause us to be light in a dark, divided world.
By:  Arthur Jackson
Reflect & Pray
How could God use you to be a “family peacemaker”? What Scripture passages could help you counter relational tension and fracture? 
Jesus, please grant me wisdom, courage, and strength to live in ways that demonstrate reconciliation with all people. 

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, September 14, 2022
Arguments or Obedience
…the simplicity that is in Christ.  —2 Corinthians 11:3
Simplicity is the secret to seeing things clearly. A saint does not think clearly until a long time passes, but a saint ought to see clearly without any difficulty. You cannot think through spiritual confusion to make things clear; to make things clear, you must obey. In intellectual matters you can think things out, but in spiritual matters you will only think yourself into further wandering thoughts and more confusion. If there is something in your life upon which God has put His pressure, then obey Him in that matter. Bring all your “arguments and…every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” regarding the matter, and everything will become as clear as daylight to you (2 Corinthians 10:5). Your reasoning capacity will come later, but reasoning is not how we see. We see like children, and when we try to be wise we see nothing (see Matthew 11:25).
Even the very smallest thing that we allow in our lives that is not under the control of the Holy Spirit is completely sufficient to account for spiritual confusion, and spending all of our time thinking about it will still never make it clear. Spiritual confusion can only be conquered through obedience. As soon as we obey, we have discernment. This is humiliating, because when we are confused we know that the reason lies in the state of our mind. But when our natural power of sight is devoted and submitted in obedience to the Holy Spirit, it becomes the very power by which we perceive God’s will, and our entire life is kept in simplicity.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Beware of bartering the Word of God for a more suitable conception of your own.  Disciples Indeed, 386 R
Bible in a Year: Proverbs 19-21; 2 Corinthians 7

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, September 14, 2022
WHY YOU ARE WHERE YOU ARE - #9308
For some reason, for over a century, people are still intrigued with the Titanic. I mean, it hit an iceberg and it sank over a century ago, and there have been a handful of big screen movies made. And the story - then it was made into two television miniseries. There have been explorations of the wreckage, even sales of pieces of coal from the Titanic.
It's hard to get that image out of our minds isn't it? The proudest ship ever built. It was supposed to be unsinkable, and on her maiden voyage she sank; haunting images of her disappearing into the icy waters of the Atlantic. Over 1,500 people died that night. It wasn't, of course, that the Titanic didn't try to get help. They set off flares. They radioed an SOS. And the signal was picked up by a ship called the California. Historians for a while thought the California was about 20 miles away that night - too far away to help. That was until we learned exactly where the Titanic went down.
Looking at the location of the California that night and the location of the Titanic revealed something very disturbing. It turns out that the California was only about five miles away! Which means they were close enough to save people. And they just didn't respond.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Why You Are Where You Are."
The passengers on the Titanic did not have to die, many of them. There were people close enough that could have saved them; those who were in the water, you know, in their life jackets. They were still alive after the boat went down. But there were those people that rowed off in their lifeboats with room still in them for others, and they left the others in the water to die ultimately from hypothermia.
They were in a position to save those people! That tragedy is not unique to the night the Titanic went down, because it's happening all the time spiritually.
Here's our word for today from the Word of God, Matthew 9:36-37. "When Jesus saw the crowds, He had compassion on them..." By the way, in the Greek language, it means He felt something way down deep inside him, and it says He felt that "because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." His heart broke over these lost people. Then He gave this heartbreaking scenario, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few."
Of course, the harvest that He is talking about is people. Like harvest crops, they're ready. And folks today are probably more ready for Jesus than they've ever been. They don't know they are, but inside their soul, and their family, and all around them; the kind of world we're living in, there are issues that can only be fixed one way - by a Savior like Jesus.
But also like harvest crops, if you don't get to them in time, they will die. Or just like those people who died the night the Titanic went down. The greatest heartbreak for Jesus isn't that those people are dying. It's that they wouldn't have to die if only some of His people would get to them with the life-saving message about Jesus; the message you have in your heart. He's got lots of lost people ready to hear about Him. His problem is His own people. He can't get us to go in for the rescue!
God's assigned you to a neighborhood, a workplace, a school, a gym, a social circle to put you in a position to represent Jesus there. That's why you're there. With your life, but also with your words. See, people aren't going to figure out that Jesus took their place on the cross just by watching your life. You have to tell them that!
So you are, like that ship the California, close enough to rescue these people. In fact, you may be closer to some lost person than any other Christian on earth. They're more likely to listen to you than anybody, as imperfect, as inadequate as you may be. The Bible is crystal clear that people who die with their sins unforgiven cannot go to heaven and they will die eternally. And only the Savior, Jesus, who died for their sins can forgive their sins. And you know that.
This is the Jesus you know. He is the Jesus they need. This is life-or-death stuff. You're in a position to rescue someone from a life on earth without a Savior and from a hopeless eternity. To do nothing? It's tragically - it's eternally - wrong.

2 Samuel 23, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: WHOLLY HOLY - September 13, 2022
The Spirit is wholly holy and unlike any being in our world. Which is such good news! We need a source of strength that is unbuffeted by that which buffets us, undisturbed by that which disturbs us, untethered to whatever ties us down. The Spirit is not subject to weather patterns, aging bodies, pandemics, stock market swings, or despots. He has never been sick. He will never be afraid. He does not worry, strive, or struggle. He is the Holy Spirit.
“The wind blows where it wishes…” (John 3:8 ESV). In like manner the Holy Spirit answers to no government or organization. Mighty enough to clear a path. He can break down walls of prejudice and subdue the most stubborn heart. Yet gentle. A roaring wind at Pentecost. A still, small voice at Mount Horeb.

2 Samuel 23
These are David’s last words:
The voice of the son of Jesse,
    the voice of the man God took to the top,
Whom the God of Jacob made king,
    and Israel’s most popular singer!
2-7 God’s Spirit spoke through me,
    his words took shape on my tongue.
The God of Israel spoke to me,
    Israel’s Rock-Mountain said,
“Whoever governs fairly and well,
    who rules in the Fear-of-God,
Is like first light at daybreak
    without a cloud in the sky,
Like green grass carpeting earth,
    glistening under fresh rain.”
And this is just how my regime has been,
    for God guaranteed his covenant with me,
Spelled it out plainly
    and kept every promised word—
My entire salvation,
    my every desire.
But the devil’s henchmen are like thorns
    culled and piled as trash;
Better not try to touch them;
    keep your distance with a rake or hoe.
They’ll make a glorious bonfire!
* * *
8 This is the listing of David’s top men.
Josheb-Basshebeth, the Tahkemonite. He was chief of the Three. He once put his spear to work against eight hundred—killed them all in a day.
9-10 Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite was the next of the elite Three. He was with David when the Philistines poked fun at them at Pas Dammim. When the Philistines drew up for battle, Israel retreated. But Eleazar stood his ground and killed Philistines right and left until he was exhausted—but he never let go of his sword! A big win for God that day. The army then rejoined Eleazar, but all there was left to do was the cleanup.
11-12 Shammah son of Agee the Hararite was the third of the Three. The Philistines had mustered for battle at Lehi, where there was a field full of lentils. Israel fled before the Philistines, but Shammah took his stand at the center of the field, successfully defended it, and routed the Philistines. Another great victory for God!
13-17 One day during harvest, the Three parted from the Thirty and joined David at the Cave of Adullam. A squad of Philistines had set up camp in the Valley of Rephaim. While David was holed up in the Cave, the Philistines had their base camp in Bethlehem. David had a sudden craving and said, “Would I ever like a drink of water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem!” So the Three penetrated the Philistine lines, drew water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But David wouldn’t drink it; he poured it out as an offering to God, saying, “There is no way, God, that I’ll drink this! This isn’t mere water, it’s their life-blood—they risked their very lives to bring it!” So David refused to drink it.
This is the sort of thing that the Three did.
18-19 Abishai brother of Joab and son of Zeruiah was the head of the Thirty. He once got credit for killing three hundred with his spear, but he was never named in the same breath as the Three. He was the most respected of the Thirty and was their captain, but never got included among the Three.
20-21 Benaiah son of Jehoiada from Kabzeel was a vigorous man who accomplished a great deal. He once killed two lion cubs in Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he climbed down into a pit and killed a lion. Another time he killed a formidable Egyptian. The Egyptian was armed with a spear and Benaiah went against him with nothing but a walking stick; he seized the spear from his grip and killed him with his own spear.
22-23 These are the things that Benaiah son of Jehoiada is famous for. But neither did he ever get ranked with the Three. He was held in greatest respect among the Thirty, but he never got included with the Three. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.
The Thirty
24-39 “The Thirty” consisted of:
Asahel brother of Joab;
Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem;
Shammah the Harodite;
Elika the Harodite;
Helez the Paltite;
Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite;
Abiezer the Anathothite;
Sibbecai the Hushathite;
Zalmon the Ahohite;
Maharai the Netophathite;
Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite;
Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah of the Benjaminites;
Benaiah the Pirathonite;
Hiddai from the badlands of Gaash;
Abi-Albon the Arbathite;
Azmaveth the Barhumite;
Eliahba the Shaalbonite;
Jashen the Gizonite;
Jonathan son of Shammah the Hararite;
Ahiam son of Sharar the Urite;
Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the Maacathite;
Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite;
Hezro the Carmelite;
Paarai the Arbite;
Igal son of Nathan, commander of the army of Hagrites;
Zelek the Ammonite;
Naharai the Beerothite, weapon bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah;
Ira the Ithrite;
Gareb the Ithrite;
Uriah the Hittite.
Thirty-seven, all told.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, September 13, 2022
Today's Scripture
Jonah 2:1–10
Jonah’s Prayer
2 From deep inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God:
2 “In my distress, O Lord, I called to you,
and you answered me.
From deep in the world of the dead
I cried for help, and you heard me.
3 You threw me down into the depths,
to the very bottom of the sea,
where the waters were all round me,
and all your mighty waves rolled over me.
4 I thought I had been banished from your presence
and would never see your holy Temple again.
5 The water came over me and choked me;
the sea covered me completely,
and seaweed was wrapped round my head.
6 I went down to the very roots of the mountains,
into the land whose gates lock shut for ever.d
But you, O Lord my God,
brought me back from the depths alive.
7 When I felt my life slipping away,
then, O Lord, I prayed to you,
and in your holy Temple you heard me.
8 Those who worship worthless idols
have abandoned their loyalty to you.
9 But I will sing praises to you;
I will offer you a sacrifice
and do what I have promised.
Salvation comes from the Lord!”
10 Then the Lord ordered the fish to spew Jonah up on the beach, and it did.
Insight
That “salvation comes from the Lord” (Jonah 2:9) is a major theme which can be traced throughout Scripture. The word translated “salvation” (or “deliverance”) comes from the root yasha’ meaning “to save,” “to deliver.” In the Old Testament, God rescued His people from dangers posed by individuals, nations, or other unfavorable circumstances that threatened their well-being or existence. Exodus 14:30 highlights God’s deliverance from Egypt: “That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians.”
The salvation theme of Jonah 2:9 is similarly stated in Psalm 3:8: “Salvation comes from the Lord.” The name “Joshua” (which means “the Lord saves”) is the Hebrew form of the Greek word that’s translated “Jesus” (see Matthew 1:21). Indeed, the testimony of all Scripture is that “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” (Revelation 7:10).
By: Arthur Jackson
Whale of a Story
The Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Jonah 2:10
Michael was diving for lobster when a humpback whale caught him in its mouth. He pushed back in the darkness as the whale’s muscles squeezed against him. He thought he was done. But whales don’t prefer lobstermen, and thirty seconds later the whale spit Michael into the air. Amazingly, Michael had no broken bones—only extensive bruises and one whale of a story.
He wasn’t the first. Jonah was swallowed by “a huge fish” (Jonah 1:17), and he stayed in its belly for three days before being vomited onto land (1:17; 2:10). Unlike Michael, who was caught by accident, Jonah was swallowed because he hated Israel’s enemies and didn’t want them to repent. When God told Jonah to preach in Nineveh, he caught a boat going the other way. So God sent a whale-sized fish to get his attention.
I appreciate why Jonah hated the Assyrians. They’d harassed Israel in the past, and within fifty years they'd carry the northern tribes into captivity where they'd vanish forever. Jonah was understandably offended that Assyria might be forgiven.
But Jonah was more loyal to the people of God than to the God of all people. God loved Israel’s enemies and wanted to save them. He loves our enemies and wants to save them. With the wind of the Spirit at our backs, let’s sail toward them with the good news of Jesus.
By:  Mike Wittmer

Reflect & Pray
Who do you know that needs to follow Jesus? How might you increase your love for them?
Jesus, please show me how to love my enemies as You love them.
For further study, read Evangelism: Reaching Out Through Relationships.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, September 13, 2022
After Surrender— Then What?
I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. —John 17:4
True surrender is not simply surrender of our external life but surrender of our will— and once that is done, surrender is complete. The greatest crisis we ever face is the surrender of our will. Yet God never forces a person’s will into surrender, and He never begs. He patiently waits until that person willingly yields to Him. And once that battle has been fought, it never needs to be fought again.
Surrender for Deliverance. “Come to Me…and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). It is only after we have begun to experience what salvation really means that we surrender our will to Jesus for rest. Whatever is causing us a sense of uncertainty is actually a call to our will— “Come to Me.” And it is a voluntary coming.
Surrender for Devotion. “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself…” (Matthew 16:24). The surrender here is of my self to Jesus, with His rest at the heart of my being. He says, “If you want to be My disciple, you must give up your right to yourself to Me.” And once this is done, the remainder of your life will exhibit nothing but the evidence of this surrender, and you never need to be concerned again with what the future may hold for you. Whatever your circumstances may be, Jesus is totally sufficient (see 2 Corinthians 12:9 and Philippians 4:19).
Surrender for Death. “…another will gird you…” (John 21:18; also see John 21:19). Have you learned what it means to be girded for death? Beware of some surrender that you make to God in an ecstatic moment in your life, because you are apt to take it back again. True surrender is a matter of being “united together [with Jesus] in the likeness of His death” (Romans 6:5) until nothing ever appeals to you that did not appeal to Him.
And after you surrender— then what? Your entire life should be characterized by an eagerness to maintain unbroken fellowship and oneness with God.
    
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Seeing is never believing: we interpret what we see in the light of what we believe. Faith is confidence in God before you see God emerging; therefore the nature of faith is that it must be tried.  He Shall Glorify Me, 494 R
Bible in a Year: Proverbs 16-18; 2 Corinthians 6

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, September 13, 2022
FEELING UNLOVABLE - #9307
Another sad story from the "entertainment capital of the world." A lot of that goes on behind all the Hollywood hype.
The sadness behind the stardom hit me again when I read about something that happened to a woman who at times, has been the highest-paid actress in Hollywood. She's been married to two of Hollywood's biggest actors; she's been a cover girl on national magazines. And then she was the subject of a friend's urgent 911 call. She was rushed to the hospital for her reaction to the dangerous drugs she was using.
Her own words in a recent interview I think reveal the hurting heart behind the glamor. She said, "What scares me is that I'm going to ultimately find out at the end of my life that I'm really not loveable; that there's something fundamentally wrong with me." I thought, sadly, a lot of us non-celebrity types hear those words and think, "I know the feeling."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Feeling Unlovable."
We've all had disappointing relationships - people who've made us feel like we weren't "worth loving." Experiences that have caused us to conclude that there's "something wrong with me." We know the ugliness behind our smiling facade. I know all too well the things about me that are anything but loveable.
We're made to be loved. Literally, made by God to be loved. Loved by Him. Love with two words attached that give our lonely hearts one safe harbor - unconditional, and unloseable.
His love isn't "I love you if..." or "I love you because..." It's just, "I love you." His love for me is all about Him and nothing about me. How do I know? Because He says in His Book, "God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were yet sinners." That's our word for today from the Word of God in Romans 5:8.
God initiated the greatest act of love in the history of this planet when He sent His Son to die an unspeakable death on a cross. Not because I was so loveable, but because I was so lost. I'm a rebel against God. I defy the One who runs the universe by refusing to let Him run me. According to the Bible, we're all rebels, dissing His laws, acting like we're God, breaking the heart of God.
But still He loves us. He offered up His Son to do the dying for my rebellion. As the Bible says, "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son" (John 3:16). Love without conditions; love that has nothing to do with your performance or your lovableness. It is love like no other.
And since it's all about Him and not about you or me, it's unloseable love. If God was ever going to turn His back on me, it would have been when His Son was hanging on that cross. But He turned His back on His Son, who was carrying our sin, so He would never have to turn His back on us. So, in the Bible's words, "nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39).
His is the only love in the world that will never disappoint you, never divorce you, never die on you. It's a love that you can finally begin to experience for yourself if you will respond to that love and say, "Jesus, nobody loves me like You do. You died on that cross for me. You're powerful enough to walk out of Your grave and into my life, and I want You to do that today. I am Yours starting today."
At our website I've tried to lay out there as simply and briefly as I could how to be sure you know Jesus. Let me urge you to go there today. That website is ANewStory.com.
I think of the mistakes we make and the hurt we experience looking for this love anywhere else. The little kids singing their little church song, they "get" it: "Jesus loves me, this I know." You know that when you finally open your heart to His love. And your lifetime search for love ends in the welcoming arms of Jesus.

John 6:22-40, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: BORN OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT - September 12, 2022
On one side Nicodemus, representing all well-meaning, God-fearing, scripture-memorizing folk. On the other, Jesus Christ.And what the latter says to the former is so uncanny that it sends shock waves through church pews and synagogues to this very day. “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life” (John 3:5-6 NLT).
The phrase “Kingdom of God” refers to a relationship with God in this life and entrance into heaven in the next. How do we receive citizenship? Be born again. In our first birth we become brand-new humans. In our second birth we become brand-new creations. And who oversees our second birth? The Holy Spirit!

John 6:22-40
The next day the crowd that was left behind realized that there had been only one boat, and that Jesus had not gotten into it with his disciples. They had seen them go off without him. By now boats from Tiberias had pulled up near where they had eaten the bread blessed by the Master. So when the crowd realized he was gone and wasn’t coming back, they piled into the Tiberias boats and headed for Capernaum, looking for Jesus.
25 When they found him back across the sea, they said, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
26 Jesus answered, “You’ve come looking for me not because you saw God in my actions but because I fed you, filled your stomachs—and for free.
The Bread of Life
27 “Don’t waste your energy striving for perishable food like that. Work for the food that sticks with you, food that nourishes your lasting life, food the Son of Man provides. He and what he does are guaranteed by God the Father to last.”
28 To that they said, “Well, what do we do then to get in on God’s works?”
29 Jesus said, “Sign on with the One that God has sent. That kind of a commitment gets you in on God’s works.”
30-31 They waffled: “Why don’t you give us a clue about who you are, just a hint of what’s going on? When we see what’s up, we’ll commit ourselves. Show us what you can do. Moses fed our ancestors with bread in the desert. It says so in the Scriptures: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
32-33 Jesus responded, “The real significance of that Scripture is not that Moses gave you bread from heaven but that my Father is right now offering you bread from heaven, the real bread. The Bread of God came down out of heaven and is giving life to the world.”
34 They jumped at that: “Master, give us this bread, now and forever!”
35-38 Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever. I have told you this explicitly because even though you have seen me in action, you don’t really believe me. Every person the Father gives me eventually comes running to me. And once that person is with me, I hold on and don’t let go. I came down from heaven not to follow my own agenda but to accomplish the will of the One who sent me.
39-40 “This, in a nutshell, is that will: that everything handed over to me by the Father be completed—not a single detail missed—and at the wrap-up of time I have everything and everyone put together, upright and whole. This is what my Father wants: that anyone who sees the Son and trusts who he is and what he does and then aligns with him will enter real life, eternal life. My part is to put them on their feet alive and whole at the completion of time.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, September 12, 2022
Today's Scripture
Psalm 9:7–12
 God holds the high center,
he sees and sets the world’s mess right.
He decides what is right for us earthlings,
gives people their just deserts.
9–10  God’s a safe-house for the battered,
a sanctuary during bad times.
The moment you arrive, you relax;
you’re never sorry you knocked.
11–12  Sing your songs to Zion-dwelling God,
tell his stories to everyone you meet:
How he tracks down killers
yet keeps his eye on us,
registers every whimper and moan.
Insight
The word shem is translated “name” in English translations of the Old Testament more than eight hundred times. While attaching an appellation to a person (or other entities) is certainly in view, often there’s more. The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia comments: “In Scripture a name is often an expression of the nature of its bearer, describing his character, position, function, some circumstance affecting him, or some hope or sorrow concerning him.” This is especially true of God. The “name” of God is a reference to His person. The parallelism in Psalm 9:2 supports this: “I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.” The greatness of God as seen in Psalm 9 is affirmed in Proverbs 18:10: “The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”
By: Arthur Jackson
Trust in His Name
Those who know your name trust in you.

Psalm 9:10
As a child, there was a time I dreaded going to school. Some girls were bullying me by subjecting me to cruel pranks. So during recess, I’d take refuge in the library, where I read a series of Christian storybooks. I remember the first time I read the name “Jesus.” Somehow, I knew that this was the name of someone who loved me. In the months that followed, whenever I’d enter school fearful of the torment that lay ahead, I’d pray, “Jesus, protect me.” I’d feel stronger and calmer, knowing He was watching over me. In time, the girls simply grew tired of bullying me and stopped.
Many years have passed, and trusting His name continues to sustain me through difficult times. Trusting His name is believing that what He says about His character is true, allowing me to rest in Him.
David too knew the security of trusting in God’s name. When he wrote Psalm 9, he'd already experienced God as the all-powerful ruler who is just and faithful (vv. 7–8, 10, 16). David thus showed his trust in God’s name by going into battle against his enemies, trusting not in his weapons or military skill, but in God ultimately coming through for him as “a refuge for the oppressed” (v. 9).
As a little girl, I called on His name and experienced how He lived up to it. May we always trust His name—Jesus—the name of the One that loves us.  
By:  Karen Huang

Reflect & Pray
What challenges have been troubling you? How does meditating on Jesus’ name build your trust in Him?  
Heavenly Father, teach me who You are, so that I never have reason to doubt You in any circumstance I face.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, September 12, 2022
Going Through Spiritual Confusion
Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask." —Matthew 20:22
There are times in your spiritual life when there is confusion, and the way out of it is not simply to say that you should not be confused. It is not a matter of right and wrong, but a matter of God taking you through a way that you temporarily do not understand. And it is only by going through the spiritual confusion that you will come to the understanding of what God wants for you.
The Shrouding of His Friendship (see Luke 11:5-8). Jesus gave the illustration here of a man who appears not to care for his friend. He was saying, in effect, that is how the heavenly Father will appear to you at times. You will think that He is an unkind friend, but remember— He is not. The time will come when everything will be explained. There seems to be a cloud on the friendship of the heart, and often even love itself has to wait in pain and tears for the blessing of fuller fellowship and oneness. When God appears to be completely shrouded, will you hang on with confidence in Him?
The Shadow on His Fatherhood (see Luke 11:11-13). Jesus said that there are times when your Father will appear as if He were an unnatural father— as if He were callous and indifferent— but remember, He is not. “Everyone who asks receives…” (Luke 11:10). If all you see is a shadow on the face of the Father right now, hang on to the fact that He will ultimately give you clear understanding and will fully justify Himself in everything that He has allowed into your life.
The Strangeness of His Faithfulness (see Luke 18:1-8). “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). Will He find the kind of faith that counts on Him in spite of the confusion? Stand firm in faith, believing that what Jesus said is true, although in the meantime you do not understand what God is doing. He has bigger issues at stake than the particular things you are asking of Him right now.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We begin our Christian life by believing what we are told to believe, then we have to go on to so assimilate our beliefs that they work out in a way that redounds to the glory of God. The danger is in multiplying the acceptation of beliefs we do not make our own. Conformed to His Image, 381 L
Bible in a Year: Proverbs 13-15; 2 Corinthians 5

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, September 12, 2022
WHEN YOU CAN'T SEE THROUGH THE FOG - #9306
Even though I was really busy speaking at a conference, I was blessed with this beautiful mountain cabin as my accommodation while I was there. The best time, and about the only time I could enjoy it, was early in the morning. This cabin has a large porch. And from it you can see these majestic forest views, this awe-inspiring tapestry of green mountains and deep valleys. As I stepped out onto that porch one morning, the scenery had undergone a significant makeover. The fog was winning, and I watched as these large clouds of fog billowed up. First they filled the valley below and then steadily rose to totally obscure the mountains. It looked almost as if the mountains were being consumed by the fog. So, the morning light from the sun that should have been illuminating the area by that time was nowhere to be seen. Well, briefly. Because you know what happened. The sun continued to rise behind that conquering fog, and in a short time, that fog began to quickly shrink and pretty soon it was gone.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When You Can't See Through the Fog."
The fog ultimately never really stands a chance; it's no match for the inevitable victory of the sun in a majestic mountain landscape, or in the dark moments of your life and mine. And maybe you're in one of those seasons right now. It's been a time of loss, and grief, doubt, confusion, maybe a prodigal loved one, or just no answers. Maybe you've been walking through a fog where it just seems like evil seems to be winning and injustice seems to be prevailing. The fog has rolled into your life and it's obscured things that you once were really sure of and it's covered the joy you once had with a sense of sadness and fear and apprehension and maybe even thoughts of giving up.
But if you belong to the Sovereign Lord, the One who rules the galaxies and cares about your daily bread, the fog cannot ultimately win! The sun of God's power and love on your life is more powerful than any fog in your valley, no matter how dense, no matter how stubborn that fog may seem to be. Psalm 84:11 promises that "the Lord God is a sun and a shield...no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless."
And in our word for today from the Word of God, you've got five hope-filled words straight from your Father's heart to yours. They're in Psalm 112:4 - "Even in darkness light dawns." All right, let's get the context of that promise for every foggy day. "Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man." So don't let the darkness change the kind of person you are. Your mission is to keep on being gracious, keep on being upright, and keep on being compassionate. Don't let the light inside you go out. Psalm 112 goes on to say: "Good will come to him...surely he will never be shaken...he will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord...in the end he will look in triumph on his foes."
Bottom line: the fog that seems so impenetrable right now actually stands no chance against the rising sun of your Lord's breakthrough. The evil may have its hour of filling your horizon, but the Son is going to win! The grief will not last forever. Your prodigal will one day be carried home on the shoulders of the Good Shepherd. The doubts you're having in the darkness will not change what you heard from God when it was light. The answers you need will break through your confusion and struggle. The sadness of the fog is going to succumb to the joy of God's much more powerful sunlight.
Yes, the fog's been billowing up. Yes, it's been filling your view and maybe even making you forget the sun sometimes. But the fog can never ultimately win. Don't lose hope now. Don't stop trusting now. Don't stop doing what you know is right just because the fog has rolled in. The light may have been delayed, but there's no way it can be canceled. The sun's coming up, and the fog doesn't stand a chance!

Psalm 18 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Universal Strategy of Impunity
It's the universal strategy of impunity. Even kids use it. If I can get my dad more angry at my brother than me, I'm off scot-free. So I accuse…I compare. Rather than admit my own faults, I find faults in others. The easiest way to justify the mistakes in my house is to find worse ones in my neighbor's house.
Such scams don't work with God! God isn't so easily diverted.  He sees through all smoke screens and holds you to what you've done. Did you think just because he is such a nice God, he would let you off the hook? God is kind, but he's not soft. He takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life change. We aren't good enough to judge. Can the sick mock the ill? Can the blind judge the deaf? Can the sinner condemn the sinner? No. Only One can judge…it is God.
From In the Grip of Grace

Psalm 18
I love you, God—
    you make me strong.
God is bedrock under my feet,
    the castle in which I live,
    my rescuing knight.
My God—the high crag
    where I run for dear life,
    hiding behind the boulders,
    safe in the granite hideout.
3 I sing to God, the Praise-Lofty,
    and find myself safe and saved.
4-5 The hangman’s noose was tight at my throat;
    devil waters rushed over me.
Hell’s ropes cinched me tight;
    death traps barred every exit.
6 A hostile world! I call to God,
    I cry to God to help me.
From his palace he hears my call;
    my cry brings me right into his presence—
    a private audience!
7-15 Earth wobbles and lurches;
    huge mountains shake like leaves,
Quake like aspen leaves
    because of his rage.
His nostrils flare, bellowing smoke;
    his mouth spits fire.
Tongues of fire dart in and out;
    he lowers the sky.
He steps down;
    under his feet an abyss opens up.
He’s riding a winged creature,
    swift on wind-wings.
Now he’s wrapped himself
    in a trenchcoat of black-cloud darkness.
But his cloud-brightness bursts through,
    spraying hailstones and fireballs.
Then God thundered out of heaven;
    the High God gave a great shout,
    spraying hailstones and fireballs.
God shoots his arrows—pandemonium!
    He hurls his lightnings—a rout!
The secret sources of ocean are exposed,
    the hidden depths of earth lie uncovered
The moment you roar in protest,
    let loose your hurricane anger.
16-19 But me he caught—reached all the way
    from sky to sea; he pulled me out
Of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos,
    the void in which I was drowning.
They hit me when I was down,
    but God stuck by me.
He stood me up on a wide-open field;
    I stood there saved—surprised to be loved!
20-24 God made my life complete
    when I placed all the pieces before him.
When I got my act together,
    he gave me a fresh start.
Now I’m alert to God’s ways;
    I don’t take God for granted.
Every day I review the ways he works;
    I try not to miss a trick.
I feel put back together,
    and I’m watching my step.
God rewrote the text of my life
    when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.
25-27 The good people taste your goodness,
The whole people taste your health,
The true people taste your truth,
The bad ones can’t figure you out.
You take the side of the down-and-out,
But the stuck-up you take down a notch.
28-29 Suddenly, God, you floodlight my life;
    I’m blazing with glory, God’s glory!
I smash the bands of marauders,
    I vault the highest fences.
30 What a God! His road
    stretches straight and smooth.
Every God-direction is road-tested.
    Everyone who runs toward him
Makes it.
31-42 Is there any god like God?
    Are we not at bedrock?
Is not this the God who armed me,
    then aimed me in the right direction?
Now I run like a deer;
    I’m king of the mountain.
He shows me how to fight;
    I can bend a bronze bow!
You protect me with salvation-armor;
    you hold me up with a firm hand,
    caress me with your gentle ways.
You cleared the ground under me
    so my footing was firm.
When I chased my enemies I caught them;
    I didn’t let go till they were dead men.
I nailed them; they were down for good;
    then I walked all over them.
You armed me well for this fight,
    you smashed the upstarts.
You made my enemies turn tail,
    and I wiped out the haters.
They cried “uncle”
    but Uncle didn’t come;
They yelled for God
    and got no for an answer.
I ground them to dust; they gusted in the wind.
    I threw them out, like garbage in the gutter.
43-45 You rescued me from a squabbling people;
    you made me a leader of nations.
People I’d never heard of served me;
    the moment they got wind of me they listened.
The foreign devils gave up; they came
    on their bellies, crawling from their hideouts.
46-48 Live, God! Blessings from my Rock,
    my free and freeing God, towering!
This God set things right for me
    and shut up the people who talked back.
He rescued me from enemy anger,
    he pulled me from the grip of upstarts,
He saved me from the bullies.
49-50 That’s why I’m thanking you, God,
    all over the world.
That’s why I’m singing songs
    that rhyme your name.
God’s king takes the trophy;
    God’s chosen is beloved.
I mean David and all his children—
    always.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Sunday, September 11, 2022
Today's Scripture
Ephesians 4:25–32
 What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.
26–27  Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.
28  Did you use to make ends meet by stealing? Well, no more! Get an honest job so that you can help others who can’t work.
29  Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.
30  Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.
31–32  Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.
Insight
In Ephesians 4, the apostle Paul called his readers to set aside sinful ways and be “kind and compassionate” (v. 32). Why? Because our God is “the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6), and we’re to be like Him. King Hezekiah reiterated God’s attributes as “gracious and compassionate” (2 Chronicles 30:9), as did the prophets Nehemiah, Joel, and Jonah (Nehemiah 9:17; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2). Likewise, the psalmist David proclaimed, “You, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” (Psalm 86:15; see 103:8; 111:4; 145:8). The apostle Paul urged us to “follow God’s example . . . as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us” (Ephesians 5:1–2). But we can’t do it on our own; we have the Holy Spirit to guide us (John 14:26).
By: Alyson Kieda
Compassion Over Bitterness
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger.

Ephesians 4:31
When the World Trade Center towers fell on September 11, 2001, Greg Rodriguez was one of the victims who died in the wreckage. As his mother, Phyllis, and his father grieved, they also carefully considered their response to such a horrific attack. In 2002, Phyllis met Aicha el-Wafi, the mother of one of the men accused of helping the terrorists. Phyllis said she “approached her and opened my arms. We embraced and cried. . . . For Aicha and me, there was an immediate bonding. . . . We both suffered on account of our sons.” 
Phyllis met Aicha amid shared pain and sorrow. Phyllis believed that fury over her son’s death, appropriate as it was, could not heal her anguish. Listening to Aicha’s family story, Phyllis felt compassion, resisting the temptation to view them merely as enemies. She desired justice, but believed we must release the temptation to seek revenge that often grips us when we’ve been wronged.
The apostle Paul shared this conviction, admonishing us to “get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger . . . along with every form of malice” (Ephesians 4:31). As we relinquish these destructive powers, God’s Spirit fills us with new perspective. “Be kind and compassionate to one another,” Paul says (v. 32). It’s possible to work for wrongs to be made right while also refusing rageful vengeance. May the Spirit help us show compassion that overcomes bitterness.
By:  Winn Collier
Reflect & Pray
Where have you been held captive by bitterness, rage, or anger? How can God help you live out compassion rather than vengeance?
Dear God, there’s so much wrong in the world. Please help me be filled with compassion instead of bitterness.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, September 11, 2022
Missionary Weapons (2)
If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. —John 13:14
Ministering in Everyday Opportunities. Ministering in everyday opportunities that surround us does not mean that we select our own surroundings— it means being God’s very special choice to be available for use in any of the seemingly random surroundings which He has engineered for us. The very character we exhibit in our present surroundings is an indication of what we will be like in other surroundings.
The things Jesus did were the most menial of everyday tasks, and this is an indication that it takes all of God’s power in me to accomplish even the most common tasks in His way. Can I use a towel as He did? Towels, dishes, sandals, and all the other ordinary things in our lives reveal what we are made of more quickly than anything else. It takes God Almighty Incarnate in us to do the most menial duty as it ought to be done.
Jesus said, “I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you” (John 13:15). Notice the kind of people that God brings around you, and you will be humiliated once you realize that this is actually His way of revealing to you the kind of person you have been to Him. Now He says we should exhibit to those around us exactly what He has exhibited to us.
Do you find yourself responding by saying, “Oh, I will do all that once I’m out on the mission field”? Talking in this way is like trying to produce the weapons of war while in the trenches of the battlefield— you will be killed while trying to do it.
We have to go the “second mile” with God (see Matthew 5:41). Yet some of us become worn out in the first ten steps. Then we say, “Well, I’ll just wait until I get closer to the next big crisis in my life.” But if we do not steadily minister in everyday opportunities, we will do nothing when the crisis comes.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
It is impossible to read too much, but always keep before you why you read. Remember that “the need to receive, recognize, and rely on the Holy Spirit” is before all else. Approved Unto God, 11 L
Bible in a Year: Proverbs 10-12; 2 Corinthians 4

2 Samuel 22, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily:  Judging Others
It is one thing to have a conviction; it's another to convict the person. Paul said in Romans 2:1, "If you think you can judge others" here is a stern reminder for you, "God judges those who do wrong things, and we know that his judging is right."
It is our job to hate the sin.  But it is God's job to deal with the sinner.  God has called us to despise evil, but he has never called us to despise the evildoer. But oh, how we would like to!  Is there any act more delightful than judging others? There's something smug and self-satisfying about slamming down the gavel…"Guilty!" Judging others is a quick and easy way to feel good about ourselves. But that's the problem. God doesn't compare us to them. They are not the standard. God is. And compared to him, Paul argues in Romans 3:12, "There is no one who does anything good."
From In the Grip of Grace

2 Samuel 22
David prayed to God the words of this song after God saved him from all his enemies and from Saul.
2-3 God is bedrock under my feet,
    the castle in which I live,
    my rescuing knight.
My God—the high crag
    where I run for dear life,
    hiding behind the boulders,
    safe in the granite hideout;
My mountaintop refuge,
    he saves me from ruthless men.
4 I sing to God the Praise-Lofty,
    and find myself safe and saved.
5-6 The waves of death crashed over me,
    devil waters rushed over me.
Hell’s ropes cinched me tight;
    death traps barred every exit.
7 A hostile world! I called to God,
    to my God I cried out.
From his palace he heard me call;
    my cry brought me right into his presence—
    a private audience!
8-16 Earth wobbled and lurched;
    the very heavens shook like leaves,
Quaked like aspen leaves
    because of his rage.
His nostrils flared, billowing smoke;
    his mouth spit fire.
Tongues of fire darted in and out;
    he lowered the sky.
He stepped down;
    under his feet an abyss opened up.
He rode a winged creature,
    swift on wind-wings.
He wrapped himself
    in a trenchcoat of black rain-cloud darkness.
But his cloud-brightness burst through,
    a grand comet of fireworks.
Then God thundered out of heaven;
    the High God gave a great shout.
God shot his arrows—pandemonium!
    He hurled his lightnings—a rout!
The secret sources of ocean were exposed,
    the hidden depths of earth lay uncovered
The moment God roared in protest,
    let loose his hurricane anger.
17-20 But me he caught—reached all the way
    from sky to sea; he pulled me out
Of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos,
    the void in which I was drowning.
They hit me when I was down,
    but God stuck by me.
He stood me up on a wide-open field;
    I stood there saved—surprised to be loved!
21-25 God made my life complete
    when I placed all the pieces before him.
When I cleaned up my act,
    he gave me a fresh start.
Indeed, I’ve kept alert to God’s ways;
    I haven’t taken God for granted.
Every day I review the ways he works,
    I try not to miss a trick.
I feel put back together,
    and I’m watching my step.
God rewrote the text of my life
    when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.
26-28 You stick by people who stick with you,
    you’re straight with people who’re straight with you,
You’re good to good people,
    you shrewdly work around the bad ones.
You take the side of the down-and-out,
    but the stuck-up you take down a peg.
29-31 Suddenly, God, your light floods my path,
    God drives out the darkness.
I smash the bands of marauders,
    I vault the high fences.
What a God! His road
    stretches straight and smooth.
Every God-direction is road-tested.
    Everyone who runs toward him
Makes it.
32-46 Is there any god like God?
    Are we not at bedrock?
Is not this the God who armed me well,
    then aimed me in the right direction?
Now I run like a deer;
    I’m king of the mountain.
He shows me how to fight;
    I can bend a bronze bow!
You protect me with salvation-armor;
    you touch me and I feel ten feet tall.
You cleared the ground under me
    so my footing was firm.
When I chased my enemies I caught them;
    I didn’t let go till they were dead men.
I nailed them; they were down for good;
    then I walked all over them.
You armed me well for this fight;
    you smashed the upstarts.
You made my enemies turn tail,
    and I wiped out the haters.
They cried “uncle”
    but Uncle didn’t come;
They yelled for God
    and got no for an answer.
I ground them to dust; they gusted in the wind.
    I threw them out, like garbage in the gutter.
You rescued me from a squabbling people;
    you made me a leader of nations.
People I’d never heard of served me;
    the moment they got wind of me they submitted.
They gave up; they came trembling from their hideouts.
47-51 Live, God! Blessing to my Rock,
    my towering Salvation-God!
This God set things right for me
    and shut up the people who talked back.
He rescued me from enemy anger.
    You pulled me from the grip of upstarts,
You saved me from the bullies.
    That’s why I’m thanking you, God,
    all over the world.
That’s why I’m singing songs
    that rhyme your name.
God’s king takes the trophy;
    God’s chosen is beloved.
I mean David and all his children—
    always.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Saturday, September 10, 2022
Today's Scripture
Esther 9:20–23,29–32
Mordecai wrote all this down and sent copies to all the Jews in all King Xerxes’ provinces, regardless of distance, calling for an annual celebration on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of Adar as the occasion when Jews got relief from their enemies, the month in which their sorrow turned to joy, mourning somersaulted into a holiday for parties and fun and laughter, the sending and receiving of presents and of giving gifts to the poor.
23  And they did it. What started then became a tradition, continuing the practice of what Mordecai had written to them.
Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, backed Mordecai the Jew, using her full queenly authority in this second Purim letter to endorse and ratify what he wrote. Calming and reassuring letters went out to all the Jews throughout the 127 provinces of Xerxes’ kingdom to fix these days of Purim their assigned place on the calendar, dates set by Mordecai the Jew—what they had agreed to for themselves and their descendants regarding their fasting and mourning. Esther’s word confirmed the tradition of Purim and was written in the book.
Insight
One of the unique characteristics of Israel’s history is how tragedy frequently produced celebration. The tragedy of four centuries of slavery in Egypt produced Passover. The desecration of Israel’s temple by the Seleucids in the second century bc led to the feast of Hanukkah, which commemorated the temple’s rededication. And the threat of genocide raised against the Jews in the book of Esther resulted in the Feast of Purim. In each case, tragedy or near tragedy was resolved and the celebration honored the God of rescue. In Israel today, one of the fascinating features of the celebration of Purim is how it includes children. They dress up in costumes and some as the characters in the Esther story. It’s a fun and interesting way to encourage the children to engage in the stories of rescue that mark their history.
By: Bill Crowder
Uncommon Era
The Jews agreed to continue the celebration they had begun, doing what Mordecai had written to them.
Esther 9:23
Despite living much of his life as a pagan, the Roman emperor Constantine (ad 272–337) implemented reforms that stopped the systematic persecution of Christians. He also instituted the calendar we use, dividing all of history into bc (before Christ) and ad (anno Domini, or “in the year of the Lord”).
A move to secularize this system has changed the labels to ce (Common Era) and bce (before the Common Era). Some people point to this as yet another example of how the world keeps God out.
But God hasn’t gone anywhere. Regardless of the name, our calendar still centers itself around the reality of Jesus’ life on earth.
In the Bible, the book of Esther is unusual in that it contains no specific mention of God. Yet the story it tells is one of God’s deliverance. Banished from their homeland, the Jewish people lived in a country indifferent to Him. A powerful government official wanted to kill them all (Esther 3:8–9, 12–14). Yet through Queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai, God delivered His people, a story still celebrated to this day in the Jewish holiday of Purim (9:20–32).
Regardless of how the world chooses to respond to Him now, Jesus changed everything. He introduced us to an uncommon era—one full of genuine hope and promise. All we need to do is look around us. We’ll see Him.  
By:  Tim Gustafson
Reflect & Pray
How do you react to instances where it seems like God is being “banished”? In what ways do you see Him today?
Father, thank You for the history-changing reality of Your Son, Jesus. 

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, September 10, 2022
Missionary Weapons (1)
When you were under the fig tree, I saw you. —John 1:48
Worshiping in Everyday Occasions. We presume that we would be ready for battle if confronted with a great crisis, but it is not the crisis that builds something within us— it simply reveals what we are made of already. Do you find yourself saying, “If God calls me to battle, of course I will rise to the occasion”? Yet you won’t rise to the occasion unless you have done so on God’s training ground. If you are not doing the task that is closest to you now, which God has engineered into your life, when the crisis comes, instead of being fit for battle, you will be revealed as being unfit. Crises always reveal a person’s true character.
A private relationship of worshiping God is the greatest essential element of spiritual fitness. The time will come, as Nathanael experienced in this passage, that a private “fig-tree” life will no longer be possible. Everything will be out in the open, and you will find yourself to be of no value there if you have not been worshiping in everyday occasions in your own home. If your worship is right in your private relationship with God, then when He sets you free, you will be ready. It is in the unseen life, which only God saw, that you have become perfectly fit. And when the strain of the crisis comes, you can be relied upon by God.
Are you saying, “But I can’t be expected to live a sanctified life in my present circumstances; I have no time for prayer or Bible study right now; besides, my opportunity for battle hasn’t come yet, but when it does, of course I will be ready”? No, you will not. If you have not been worshiping in everyday occasions, when you get involved in God’s work, you will not only be useless yourself but also a hindrance to those around you.
God’s training ground, where the missionary weapons are found, is the hidden, personal, worshiping life of the saint.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One Who is leading.  My Utmost for His Highest, March 19, 761 L
Bible in a Year: Proverbs 8-9; 2 Corinthians 3

2 Samuel 21, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

 
Max Lucado Daily: THE SPIRIT IS YOUR TEACHER - September 9, 2022
“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25 NIV).
Make it your aim to walk in the Spirit by inviting him into the details of each day. Let this prayer be quick to come to your mind: “How am I to respond to this challenge, Lord?” Or, “Direct me, please. Which way should I go?” Pause and listen. Keep an ear inclined toward the Spirit.
For us not to consult the Spirit of God would be foolish. He is here to teach us, and our privilege is to stay in mindful communion with him. Day by day. Moment by moment. Listen as the divine instructor whispers wonders in your ear. Be assured that, as you smile, the Spirit smiles with you. After all, he is your teacher.

2 Samuel 21
Famine and War
There was a famine in David’s time. It went on year after year after year—three years. David went to God seeking the reason.
God said, “This is because there is blood on Saul and his house, from the time he massacred the Gibeonites.”
2 So the king called the Gibeonites together for consultation. (The Gibeonites were not part of Israel; they were what was left of the Amorites, and protected by a treaty with Israel. But Saul, a fanatic for the honor of Israel and Judah, tried to kill them off.)
3 David addressed the Gibeonites: “What can I do for you? How can I compensate you so that you will bless God’s legacy of land and people?”
4 The Gibeonites replied, “We don’t want any money from Saul and his family. And it’s not up to us to put anyone in Israel to death.”
But David persisted: “What are you saying I should do for you?”
5-6 Then they told the king, “The man who tried to get rid of us, who schemed to wipe us off the map of Israel—well, let seven of his sons be handed over to us to be executed—hanged before God at Gibeah of Saul, the holy mountain.”
And David agreed, “I’ll hand them over to you.”
7-9 The king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the promise David and Jonathan had spoken before God. But the king selected Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons that Rizpah daughter of Aiah had borne to Saul, plus the five sons that Saul’s daughter Merab had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite. He turned them over to the Gibeonites who hanged them on the mountain before God—all seven died together. Harvest was just getting underway, the beginning of the barley harvest, when they were executed.
10 Rizpah daughter of Aiah took rough burlap and spread it out for herself on a rock from the beginning of the harvest until the heavy rains started. She kept the birds away from the bodies by day and the wild animals by night.
11-14 David was told what she had done, this Rizpah daughter of Aiah and concubine of Saul. He then went and got the remains of Saul and Jonathan his son from the leaders at Jabesh Gilead (who had rescued them from the town square at Beth Shan where the Philistines had hung them after striking them down at Gilboa). He gathered up their remains and brought them together with the dead bodies of the seven who had just been hanged. The bodies were taken back to the land of Benjamin and given a decent burial in the tomb of Kish, Saul’s father.
They did everything the king ordered to be done. That cleared things up: from then on God responded to Israel’s prayers for the land.
15-17 War broke out again between the Philistines and Israel. David and his men went down to fight. David became exhausted. Ishbi-Benob, a warrior descended from Rapha, with a spear weighing nearly eight pounds and outfitted in brand-new armor, announced that he’d kill David. But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to the rescue, struck the Philistine, and killed him.
Then David’s men swore to him, “No more fighting on the front lines for you! Don’t snuff out the lamp of Israel!”
18 Later there was another skirmish with the Philistines at Gob. That time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, another of the warriors descended from Rapha.
19 At yet another battle with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan son of Jaar, the weaver of Bethlehem, killed Goliath the Gittite whose spear was as big as a flagpole.
20-21 Still another fight broke out in Gath. There was a giant there with six fingers on his hands and six toes on his feet—twenty-four fingers and toes! He was another of those descended from Rapha. He insulted Israel, and Jonathan son of Shimeah, David’s brother, killed him.
22 These four were descended from Rapha in Gath. And they all were killed by David and his soldiers.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, September 09, 2022
Today's Scripture
1 Thessalonians 4:13–18
The Master’s Coming
13–14  And regarding the question, friends, that has come up about what happens to those already dead and buried, we don’t want you in the dark any longer. First off, you must not carry on over them like people who have nothing to look forward to, as if the grave were the last word. Since Jesus died and broke loose from the grave, God will most certainly bring back to life those who died in Jesus.
15–18  And then this: We can tell you with complete confidence—we have the Master’s word on it—that when the Master comes again to get us, those of us who are still alive will not get a jump on the dead and leave them behind. In actual fact, they’ll be ahead of us. The Master himself will give the command. Archangel thunder! God’s trumpet blast! He’ll come down from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise—they’ll go first. Then the rest of us who are still alive at the time will be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Master. Oh, we’ll be walking on air! And then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master. So reassure one another with these words.
Insight
In 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, Paul writes to believers in Jesus at the church in Thessalonica about the fate of believers who’d already died. The apostle’s words were driven by the practical concerns of his readers. These early believers had expected Christ to return in the near future, and—much like the disciples—they thought He’d set up an earthly kingdom. For them, that meant that those who died before His return would miss out on the kingdom of God. This concern caused them grief, so Paul wrote to them about the hope of the resurrection so they wouldn’t grieve without hope (v. 13). Instead, they were to have hope that the brothers and sisters who’d died in Jesus would indeed experience life with Him. In fact, at Christ’s return, they’d precede the living to join Him forever (v. 17).
By: J.R. Hudberg
A Heavenly Reunion
We will be with the Lord forever.

1 Thessalonians 4:17
When writing my mom’s obituary, I felt that the word died seemed too final for the hope I had in our promised reunion in heaven. So, I wrote: “She was welcomed into the arms of Jesus.” Still, some days I grieve when looking at the more current family photos that don’t include my mom. Recently, though, I discovered a painter who creates family portraits to include those we’ve lost. The artist uses the photos of loved ones who have gone before us to paint them into the picture of the family. With strokes of a paintbrush, this artist represents God’s promise of a heavenly reunion. I shed grateful tears at the thought of seeing my mom smiling by my side again.
The apostle Paul affirms that believers in Jesus don’t have to grieve “like the rest of mankind” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). “We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him” (v. 14). Paul acknowledges Jesus’ second coming and proclaims that all believers will be reunited with Jesus (v. 17).
God’s promise of a heavenly reunion can comfort us when we’re grieving the loss of a loved one who has trusted Jesus. Our promised future with our risen King also provides enduring hope when we face our own immortality, until the day Jesus comes or calls us home.
By:  Xochitl Dixon
Reflect & Pray
How has God used the promise of a heavenly reunion to comfort you in your grief? Why does the promise of a heavenly reunion give you great hope?
Loving Savior, thank You for giving me an enduring hope to share with others until the day You call me home or come again. 
For further study, read Life to Come.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, September 09, 2022
Do It Yourself (2)
…bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ… —2 Corinthians 10:5
Determinedly Discipline Other Things. This is another difficult aspect of the strenuous nature of sainthood. Paul said, according to the Moffatt translation of this verse, “…I take every project prisoner to make it obey Christ….” So much Christian work today has never been disciplined, but has simply come into being by impulse! In our Lord’s life every project was disciplined to the will of His Father. There was never the slightest tendency to follow the impulse of His own will as distinct from His Father’s will— “the Son can do nothing of Himself…” (John 5:19). Then compare this with what we do— we take “every thought” or project that comes to us by impulse and jump into action immediately, instead of imprisoning and disciplining ourselves to obey Christ.
Practical work for Christians is greatly overemphasized today, and the saints who are “bringing every thought [and project] into captivity” are criticized and told that they are not determined, and that they lack zeal for God or zeal for the souls of others. But true determination and zeal are found in obeying God, not in the inclination to serve Him that arises from our own undisciplined human nature. It is inconceivable, but true nevertheless, that saints are not “bringing every thought [and project] into captivity,” but are simply doing work for God that has been instigated by their own human nature, and has not been made spiritual through determined discipline.
We have a tendency to forget that a person is not only committed to Jesus Christ for salvation, but is also committed, responsible, and accountable to Jesus Christ’s view of God, the world, and of sin and the devil. This means that each person must recognize the responsibility to “be transformed by the renewing of [his] mind….” (Romans 12:2).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The Bible is a relation of facts, the truth of which must be tested. Life may go on all right for a while, when suddenly a bereavement comes, or some crisis; unrequited love or a new love, a disaster, a business collapse, or a shocking sin, and we turn up our Bibles again and God’s word comes straight home, and we say, “Why, I never saw that there before.” Shade of His Hand, 1223 L
Bible in a Year: Proverbs 6-7; 2 Corinthians 2

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, September 09, 2022
URGENT MESSAGES FROM THE TOWERS - #9305
A friend called that morning and said, "Ron, You should turn on the TV. An airplane just hit one of the World Trade Center towers." There was no file folder in my heart for what I was about to see. I quickly found a news channel. And from that moment on, I did not turn it off.
My wife and I were in Manhattan, in that area not long before, and we were friends with a lot of people who worked in Manhattan. We'd been occasional visitors to the observation deck atop the Trade Center, and we watched one horrific event after another unfold before our eyes that day. And when the towers collapsed in that killer cloud of dust, we couldn't contain the tears. Neither could the TV reporters who, for those gut-wrenching moments, lost their journalist's detachment and they melted with all of us. They were stunned and shocked - disbelief.
And I prayed. I was groping for what to say and what to pray. And I found myself praying, "Lord, would You please help me see this through Your eyes? What are You seeing in this tragedy that's just too big for our hearts to handle?" And in the hours that followed, I believe He answered my prayer. And what I saw - beyond the unspeakable events that raked our souls - has stuck with me for over a decade. Every year, watching those deeply moving remembrances of the events at "Ground Zero," the echoes reverberate again in my heart. "Make every day count with the people you love."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Urgent Messages From the Towers."
All those heart-rending cell phone calls from hijacked planes and burning buildings were pretty much about one thing - "I love you." Who can know now that this day might be our last day to ashure people that we know that we love them. It's not good enough to just leave our dear ones on an "I love you till further notice" basis.
Each of them needs to know it, and feel it today. The psalmist said, "Teach us to number our days aright" (Psalm 90:1). Live and love like today is all you've got, because someday it will be.
Ask the "make a difference" question. A lot of folks did after they saw so many lives end so suddenly before our eyes. "Am I just making a living or am I really making a difference?" People changed careers after that. They changed their life plans in light of the powerful wake-up call of September 11.
With our life and the lives around us so fragile, it's good to stop and weigh the most significant use of this one short life. The God who created us as "His workmanship for good works He prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10). He doesn't want us settling for less than our destiny. This time of remembering is also a time to be reflecting on the changes that we need to make in order to make the greatest possible difference with the rest of our life.
Life's real heroes are the rescuers. In the days that followed September 11, sports stars and paparazzi-ed celebrities were saying, "Don't call us heroes. Heroes are those guys who went into the flames and the rubble to save lives." All over the country, America honored and continues to honor our first responders. I think heaven honors them too.
Now, our word for today from the Word of God, Proverbs 24:11 says the hero like that sees and understands that their friends and loved ones who've never met their Jesus are "staggering toward slaughter" and "being led away to death." And God says.: "Rescue them."
Be ready for eternity whenever it comes. More than anything, I think that's what screamed - and still screams - to me from the rubble of Ground Zero. We just can't count on tomorrow. That's why the Bible says, "Prepare to meet your God" (Amos 6:1).
He's not a Savior you "get around to someday," because we live one heartbeat from eternity. We can only be ready to meet a holy God if He's forgiven our sins based on the fact that we've put all our trust in what Jesus did on the cross when He died for those sins.
If you're not sure you belong to Him, don't count on another day. Go to our website. Find out how you can belong to Him. It's ANewStory.com. That's the website. There's no greater peace, there's no greater security than to know for sure that you are ready for eternity whenever and however it comes.

John 6:1-21, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: A REMINDER FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT - September 8, 2022
I recall an afternoon early in my ministry when the invitation of Jesus to the weary became the invitation of Jesus to Max. I was supposed to be studying, but I could not concentrate. I thought that I had to fix everyone’s problems, shoulder everyone’s burdens, and never grow weary in doing so. After some moments I bowed my head and sighed and this scripture came to mind:  “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 NASB).
It was the pronoun me that got me. I had been turning to everyone and everything but him. Now why did that verse come to mind?  Simple. The Holy Spirit, my teacher, reminded me. And the Spirit of Christ will do this for you, my friend.

John 6:1-21
Bread and Fish for All
After this, Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee (some call it Tiberias). A huge crowd followed him, attracted by the miracles they had seen him do among the sick. When he got to the other side, he climbed a hill and sat down, surrounded by his disciples. It was nearly time for the Feast of Passover, kept annually by the Jews.
5-6 When Jesus looked out and saw that a large crowd had arrived, he said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread to feed these people?” He said this to stretch Philip’s faith. He already knew what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered, “Two hundred silver pieces wouldn’t be enough to buy bread for each person to get a piece.”
8-9 One of the disciples—it was Andrew, brother to Simon Peter—said, “There’s a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But that’s a drop in the bucket for a crowd like this.”
10-11 Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” There was a nice carpet of green grass in this place. They sat down, about five thousand of them. Then Jesus took the bread and, having given thanks, gave it to those who were seated. He did the same with the fish. All ate as much as they wanted.
12-13 When the people had eaten their fill, he said to his disciples, “Gather the leftovers so nothing is wasted.” They went to work and filled twelve large baskets with leftovers from the five barley loaves.
14-15 The people realized that God was at work among them in what Jesus had just done. They said, “This is the Prophet for sure, God’s Prophet right here in Galilee!” Jesus saw that in their enthusiasm, they were about to grab him and make him king, so he slipped off and went back up the mountain to be by himself.
16-21 In the evening his disciples went down to the sea, got in the boat, and headed back across the water to Capernaum. It had grown quite dark and Jesus had not yet returned. A huge wind blew up, churning the sea. They were maybe three or four miles out when they saw Jesus walking on the sea, quite near the boat. They were scared senseless, but he reassured them, “It’s me. It’s all right. Don’t be afraid.” So they took him on board. In no time they reached land—the exact spot they were headed to.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, September 08, 2022
Today's Scripture
Matthew 16:13–20
Son of Man, Son of God
13  When Jesus arrived in the villages of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “What are people saying about who the Son of Man is?”
14  They replied, “Some think he is John the Baptizer, some say Elijah, some Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”
15  He pressed them, “And how about you? Who do you say I am?”
16  Simon Peter said, “You’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17–18  Jesus came back, “God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am. And now I’m going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.
19  “And that’s not all. You will have complete and free access to God’s kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven.”
20  He swore the disciples to secrecy. He made them promise they would tell no one that he was the Messiah.
Insight
The events recorded in Matthew 16:13–20 took place in Caesarea Philippi, a Greco-Roman city located in the northern part of Israel, by Mount Hermon and the Jordan River. There, Peter said to Jesus, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (v. 16), and Jesus said to Peter, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church” (v. 18). While the sheer beauty of the natural environment of this region was favorable for Jesus and the Twelve to retreat to, what the area was otherwise known for wasn’t pretty. The city had a history of pagan religious influence that included the idolatrous activities of Syrians, Greeks, and Romans. It was known for its dark, immoral worship. Here, against this ugly backdrop, Jesus affirmed His personal identity as Messiah, the God-appointed person to execute God’s purposes and to establish His church as an unstoppable force in the world despite formidable opposition.
By: Arthur Jackson
Building the House
On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Matthew 16:18
In 1889, the most ambitious private home construction project in the United States began. On-site manufacturing produced some 32,000 bricks a day. The work continued until the completion of George Vanderbilt II’s “summer house”—six years later. The result was the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. To this day, it remains the largest private residence in America, with 250 rooms (including 35 bedrooms and 43 bathrooms) consuming a staggering 178,926 square feet (16,226 square meters) of floor space.
This project, ambitious as it was, was nothing compared to the “building” intentions Jesus proclaimed to His disciples in Matthew 16. After Peter had confirmed that Jesus is “the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (v. 16), Jesus declared, “I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (v. 18). While theologians debate the identity of the “rock,” there’s no debate about Jesus’ intentions. He would build His church to stretch to the ends of the earth (Matthew 28:19–20), including people from every nation and ethnic group from around the globe (Revelation 5:9).
The cost of this building project? The sacrifice of Jesus’ own blood on the cross (Acts 20:28). As members of His “building” (Ephesians 2:21), purchased at so great a price, may we celebrate His loving sacrifice and join Him in this great mission.
By:  Bill Crowder
Reflect & Pray
How is the church to reflect Christ? What are some things that can hinder you from accurately reflecting Jesus?
Lamb of God, thank You for Your sacrifice. Enable me to celebrate You in my heart as well as with others in the family of faith.
For further study, read The Church We Need.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, September 08, 2022

Do It Yourself (1)
…casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God… —2 Corinthians 10:5
Determinedly Demolish Some Things. Deliverance from sin is not the same as deliverance from human nature. There are things in human nature, such as prejudices, that the saint can only destroy through sheer neglect. But there are other things that have to be destroyed through violence, that is, through God’s divine strength imparted by His Spirit. There are some things over which we are not to fight, but only to “stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord…” (see Exodus 14:13). But every theory or thought that raises itself up as a fortified barrier “against the knowledge of God” is to be determinedly demolished by drawing on God’s power, not through human effort or by compromise (see 2 Corinthians 10:4).
It is only when God has transformed our nature and we have entered into the experience of sanctification that the fight begins. The warfare is not against sin; we can never fight against sin— Jesus Christ conquered that in His redemption of us. The conflict is waged over turning our natural life into a spiritual life. This is never done easily, nor does God intend that it be so. It is accomplished only through a series of moral choices. God does not make us holy in the sense that He makes our character holy. He makes us holy in the sense that He has made us innocent before Him. And then we have to turn that innocence into holy character through the moral choices we make. These choices are continually opposed and hostile to the things of our natural life which have become so deeply entrenched— the very things that raise themselves up as fortified barriers “against the knowledge of God.” We can either turn back, making ourselves of no value to the kingdom of God, or we can determinedly demolish these things, allowing Jesus to bring another son to glory (see Hebrews 2:10).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Defenders of the faith are inclined to be bitter until they learn to walk in the light of the Lord. When you have learned to walk in the light of the Lord, bitterness and contention are impossible.
Biblical Psychology
Bible in a Year: Proverbs 3-5; 2 Corinthians 1

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, September 08, 2022
EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR YOUR ASSIGNMENT - #9304
My friend, Donna, had never been on a rafting trip before, until someone gave it to her as a gift; which meant she felt obligated to go. Little did she realize that the river her group would be rafting on goes from being a river of glass at the beginning of your journey, to the sudden violence of Class 3 rapids, at a point they simply named "Surprise." And ultimately, through the most challenging, most dangerous level of white water there is, Class 5 rapids. Thankfully, there was an outfitter that prepared them for this perilous journey. He coached them as to what to expect on the river, where to sit on the raft, and how to paddle in various situations. He equipped them with a life jacket, a paddle, and a helmet. Donna was not particularly thrilled that her helmet had an unexplained dent in it - she didn't even want to know how it got there! The outfitter had provisions for his crew, including the food and basic medical supplies they might need. And, best of all, he was with them all the way. They had one wild ride, but they all made it just fine...even Donna.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Everything You Need For Your Assignment."
The outfitter makes the difference on the river, and in your life. And if you belong to Jesus, you have no less than the God of the universe as your Outfitter! He knows what's ahead on the river you're navigating. He knows everything you'll need to make it, and He's making sure you have what you need.
His total provision: that's the theme of this wonderful prayer in Hebrews 13:20-21, our word for today from the Word of God. "May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant, brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever."
Isn't that awesome? "Everything good for doing His will." And if God can bring back Jesus from the dead; if Jesus, the great Shepherd, is looking after you, is there any need He won't take care of? Any need He can't take care of?
Now you may be stuck on the shore, too scared to get into the raft and go where Jesus wants to take you. You're afraid you won't be able to handle the turbulence ahead. You're afraid to go where you've never gone before. You're afraid to move ahead because you're not sure you'll have what you need. But did Psalm 23:1 suddenly get erased from your Bible? "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want!" Check, it's still there. The journey ahead, the white water ahead? It isn't about you and what you can do anyway. It's about your Divine Outfitter, and Navigator, and Provider, and Protector, and Guide. It's not about you doing stuff for God. It's about God doing stuff through you! So what are you waiting for? What are you worrying for? Your job's pretty simple: stay pure and show up. The rest is up to Jesus.
When my friend went through the roughest of rapids, her security was not her ability to navigate them. It was all about the man who knows the river, who has navigated that river and piloted people through safely many times. Jesus is committed to do that for you. He's not pushing you off on a raft, standing on the shore shouting, "Good luck!" He's in that raft with you, every mile of the way! He's really just asking you to participate with Him in an exciting ride that ultimately He is going to navigate. And He has promised that He will provide everything you need for the trip!

Psalm 70, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: AN INSCRUTABLE AND BEAUTIFUL PROMISE - September 7, 2022
The Holy Spirit has a specific, overarching mission. His task is to teach us about Jesus. The apostle Paul echoed this point. “No one’s ever seen or heard anything like this, never so much as imagined anything quite like it—What God has arranged for those who love him. But you’ve seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10 MSG).
The world religions look to the teachings of their now-dead founders: Muhammad, Buddha, Confucius. Christians, however, hold to this inscrutable and beautiful promise: our teacher not only spoke, but he speaks. His wisdom is not confined to an ancient document but is a part of the day-to-day curriculum of our mentor, the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 70
God! Please hurry to my rescue!
    God, come quickly to my side!
Those who are out to get me—
    let them fall all over themselves.
Those who relish my downfall—
    send them down a blind alley.
Give them a taste of their own medicine,
    those gossips off clucking their tongues.
4 Let those on the hunt for you
    sing and celebrate.
Let all who love your saving way
    say over and over, “God is mighty!”
5 But I’ve lost it. I’m wasted.
    God—quickly, quickly!
Quick to my side, quick to my rescue!
    God, don’t lose a minute.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, September 07, 2022
Today's Scripture
Isaiah 25:1–9
God’s Hand Rests on This Mountain
1–5  25 God, you are my God.
I celebrate you. I praise you.
You’ve done your share of miracle-wonders,
well-thought-out plans, solid and sure.
Here you’ve reduced the city to rubble,
the strong city to a pile of stones.
The enemy Big City is a non-city,
never to be a city again.
Superpowers will see it and honor you,
brutal oppressors bow in worshipful reverence.
They’ll see that you take care of the poor,
that you take care of poor people in trouble,
Provide a warm, dry place in bad weather,
provide a cool place when it’s hot.
Brutal oppressors are like a winter blizzard
and vicious foreigners like high noon in the desert.
But you, shelter from the storm and shade from the sun,
shut the mouths of the big-mouthed bullies.
6–8  But here on this mountain, God-of-the-Angel-Armies
will throw a feast for all the people of the world,
A feast of the finest foods, a feast with vintage wines,
a feast of seven courses, a feast lavish with gourmet desserts.
And here on this mountain, God will banish
the pall of doom hanging over all peoples,
The shadow of doom darkening all nations.
Yes, he’ll banish death forever.
And God will wipe the tears from every face.
He’ll remove every sign of disgrace
From his people, wherever they are.
Yes! God says so!
9–10  Also at that time, people will say,
“Look at what’s happened! This is our God!
We waited for him and he showed up and saved us!
This God, the one we waited for!
Let’s celebrate, sing the joys of his salvation.
Insight
The “strong peoples” and “ruthless nations” in Isaiah 25:3 likely refer to the Assyrians led by Sennacherib—the ever-present villain during the time of Isaiah’s ministry (see chs. 36–37). For people of Jerusalem cowering behind the fortifications set up by the mighty King David long ago, Isaiah’s testimony in today’s passage rang with hope. The violence of Assyria might crash against Jerusalem like a “storm driving against a wall” (25:4), but God Himself would be their shelter. He would silence their oppressors. And, like their ancestor David in Psalm 23, they’d enjoy a feast in the presence of their enemies.
Learn more about the book of Isaiah.
By: Jed Ostoich
Finding Refuge
You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm.

Isaiah 25:4
My wife and I once stayed in a lovely old seaside hotel with large sash windows and thick stone walls. One afternoon, a storm ripped through the region, churning up the sea and pounding our windows like angry fists on a door. Yet we were at peace. Those walls were so strong, and the hotel’s foundations so solid! While storms raged outside, our room was a refuge.
Refuge is an important theme in Scripture, starting with God Himself. “You have been a refuge for the poor,” Isaiah says of God, “a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm” (Isaiah 25:4). In addition, refuge is something God’s people were and are to provide, whether through Israel’s ancient cities of refuge (Numbers 35:6) or by offering hospitality to “foreigners” in need (Deuteronomy 10:19). These same principles can guide us today when humanitarian crises hit our world. In such times, we pray that the God of refuge would use us, His people, to help the vulnerable find safety.
The storm that hit our hotel was gone the following morning, leaving us with a calm sea and a warm sun that made the seagulls glow. It’s an image I hold on to as I think of those facing natural disasters or fleeing “ruthless” regimes (Isaiah 25:4): that the God of refuge would empower us to help them find safety now and a brighter tomorrow.
By:  Sheridan Voysey
Reflect & Pray
When have you taken “refuge” in God or found it through His people? How can you play a part in helping those facing a crisis today?
God of refuge, please empower me, Your child, to help the needy find refuge and hope.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, September 07, 2022

Fountains of Blessings
The water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. —John 4:14
The picture our Lord described here is not that of a simple stream of water, but an overflowing fountain. Continue to “be filled” (Ephesians 5:18) and the sweetness of your vital relationship to Jesus will flow as generously out of you as it has been given to you. If you find that His life is not springing up as it should, you are to blame— something is obstructing the flow. Was Jesus saying to stay focused on the Source so that you may be blessed personally? No, you are to focus on the Source so that out of you “will flow rivers of living water”— irrepressible life (John 7:38).
We are to be fountains through which Jesus can flow as “rivers of living water” in blessing to everyone. Yet some of us are like the Dead Sea, always receiving but never giving, because our relationship is not right with the Lord Jesus. As surely as we receive blessings from Him, He will pour out blessings through us. But whenever the blessings are not being poured out in the same measure they are received, there is a defect in our relationship with Him. Is there anything between you and Jesus Christ? Is there anything hindering your faith in Him? If not, then Jesus says that out of you “will flow rivers of living water.” It is not a blessing that you pass on, or an experience that you share with others, but a river that continually flows through you. Stay at the Source, closely guarding your faith in Jesus Christ and your relationship to Him, and there will be a steady flow into the lives of others with no dryness or deadness whatsoever.
Is it excessive to say that rivers will flow out of one individual believer? Do you look at yourself and say, “But I don’t see the rivers”? Through the history of God’s work you will usually find that He has started with the obscure, the unknown, the ignored, but those who have been steadfastly true to Jesus Christ.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The fiery furnaces are there by God’s direct permission. It is misleading to imagine that we are developed in spite of our circumstances; we are developed because of them. It is mastery in circumstances that is needed, not mastery over them. The Love of God—The Message of Invincible Consolation, 674 R
Bible in a Year: Proverbs 1-2; 1 Corinthians 16

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, September 07, 2022
YOUR MISSION'S OUT THERE! - #9303
Gayle was part of our ministry team. Her parents were away and they asked her to check on their house while they were gone. It was a pretty cold night, and Gayle thought the heat should be on in the house. So she called her Dad, and Dad said, "Well, you should know what to do. You've done it before. It's probably just the zone valve is stuck."
So Gayle went to work on the zone valve. She really went to work on it! I mean, we're talking desperate measures here like beating the valve to death with a screwdriver and actually breaking blood vessels in her hand in the process. It refused to stay open in spite of (shall we say) Gayle's vigorous encouragement. Well, when Dad got home a few days later, he went to work on it, and it was very easily fixed. Of course he worked on the other valve, the right valve.
She'd been working on the valve, it turns out, that was already working. He told Gayle she'd made a simple mistake. She put a lot of effort into fixing what was already working and she made no effort on what really needed the attention.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft (and I'm sympathetic) and I want to have A Word With You today about "Your Mission's Out There!"
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from John 4:35. Here's the scene. Jesus has taken His disciples on a spiritual mission into Samaritan territory, and now He's waiting outside the village. The disciples are in the village buying groceries. The Lord met a Samaritan woman at that well and He introduced her to eternal life while He's waiting for the guys to come back.
She runs back, tells the town about her excitement about the Savior, and the Samaritans are now flocking to the well to meet Jesus. What a spiritual opportunity - this sea of unreached people coming to them! Well, notice what the disciples are focused on - lunch. In verses 31-33 that's all they could talk about.
Chapter 4, verse 35 - Jesus says, "Open your eyes and look at the fields. They are white for harvest." Well, what does harvest mean? Ready! And Jesus is saying, "Wake up, guys! We're surrounded by people who are ready to come to Me." And they were about to miss it. They're focused on their own personal concerns. They were ignoring the lost and dying people that were right within their reach.
Two thousand years have come and gone and not much has changed. Today we're too often like Gayle trying to get that valve working. We spend so much of our Christian effort on the people who you might say are already working spiritually. They already know Christ; they're headed for heaven. Everything from our meetings, to our radio programs, to our websites, to our books, our social life largely are focused on blessing the saved, fellowshipping with those who've already been rescued. And that's not bad unless we spend all our energy and time and money there and put almost no effort into the people who are eternally broken and eternally lost without a Savior.
We're just spending everything with and all on the people who've had a Savior for a long time and missing the people who've never had one day with the Savior. It's as if we're so busy worrying about our lunch, our needs, what's going to fill us up that we miss those who are starving.
But Jesus is saying to you, "Open your eyes to those people around you that you work with, that you live near, that go to school with you, that you shop with, you recreate with. That's what the people in hell are going to look like. Then He says, "Look at the fields, not just at the house." Yeah, the house is where you can feel comfy and cozy, but "look at the fields. They're ripe for harvest."
Harvest is urgent business. If the harvest workers don't get busy and act quickly, the harvest dies. So will it be said, "There were people all around us who were ready for Jesus and we weren't ready to go get them, and they weren't ready for eternity." That's going to be true unless we move beyond just fixing those who are already fixed and start working on the ones who are broken.