Acts 7:44-60, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: THE SAMARITAN WOMAN - January 30, 2023

“Where is God? My people say he is on the mountain. Your people say he is in Jerusalem. I don’t know where he is” (John 4:20).

I’d give a thousand sunsets to see the expression on the face of Jesus as he heard those words from the Samaritan woman. Did his eyes water? Did he smile? Did he look up and wink at his Father? Of all the places to find a hungry heart—Samaria? And of all the Samaritans to be searching for God—a woman? And of all the women to have an insatiable appetite for God—a five-time divorcée.

“I am the Messiah,” he told her (v. 26). Don’t miss the drama of the moment. Look at her eyes, wide with amazement. Suddenly the insignificance of her life was swallowed by the significance of the moment. “God is here! God has come! And God cares…for me!”

Acts 7:44-60

 “And all this time our ancestors had a tent shrine for true worship, made to the exact specifications God provided Moses. They had it with them as they followed Joshua, when God cleared the land of pagans, and still had it right down to the time of David. David asked God for a permanent place for worship. But Solomon built it.

48-50 “Yet that doesn’t mean that Most High God lives in a building made by carpenters and masons. The prophet Isaiah put it well when he wrote,

“Heaven is my throne room;

    I rest my feet on earth.

So what kind of house

    will you build me?” says God.

“Where I can get away and relax?

    It’s already built, and I built it.”

51-53 “And you continue, so bullheaded! Calluses on your hearts, flaps on your ears! Deliberately ignoring the Holy Spirit, you’re just like your ancestors. Was there ever a prophet who didn’t get the same treatment? Your ancestors killed anyone who dared talk about the coming of the Just One. And you’ve kept up the family tradition—traitors and murderers, all of you. You had God’s Law handed to you by angels—gift-wrapped!—and you squandered it!”

54-56 At that point they went wild, a rioting mob of catcalls and whistles and invective. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, hardly noticed—he only had eyes for God, whom he saw in all his glory with Jesus standing at his side. He said, “Oh! I see heaven wide open and the Son of Man standing at God’s side!”

57-58 Yelling and hissing, the mob drowned him out. Now in full stampede, they dragged him out of town and pelted him with rocks. The ringleaders took off their coats and asked a young man named Saul to watch them.

59-60 As the rocks rained down, Stephen prayed, “Master Jesus, take my life.” Then he knelt down, praying loud enough for everyone to hear, “Master, don’t blame them for this sin”—his last words. Then he died.

Saul was right there, congratulating the killers.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Monday, January 30, 2023

Today's Scripture

Isaiah 40:28–31

Why would you ever complain, O Jacob,

    or, whine, Israel, saying,

“God has lost track of me.

    He doesn’t care what happens to me”?

Don’t you know anything? Haven’t you been listening?

God doesn’t come and go. God lasts.

    He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine.

He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath.

    And he knows everything, inside and out.

He energizes those who get tired,

    gives fresh strength to dropouts.

For even young people tire and drop out,

    young folk in their prime stumble and fall.

But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.

    They spread their wings and soar like eagles,

They run and don’t get tired,

    they walk and don’t lag behind.

Insight

God had warned an unrepentant Judah that He would use two pagan superpowers, the Assyrians and the Babylonians, to discipline them for their unfaithfulness (Isaiah 1–39). Then the prophet Isaiah comforted Judah with the promise that God would restore and bless them once the discipline was completed (chs. 40–66). In chapter 40, Isaiah spoke tenderly of God’s loving care for them—“He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart” (v. 11). Isaiah also extolled the sovereignty, authority, and omnipotence of God (vv. 1–26). Addressing their sense of abandonment (v. 27), the prophet assured them that God wasn’t only resolute in blessing them but also had the absolute power to do so (v. 28). As the everlasting, omnipotent Creator, He was the source of their strength (v. 29). Isaiah called on these despondent Jews to trust God to carry out His promises (vv. 30–31). By: K. T. Sim

Running on Empty

They will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

“I just don’t think I can do this anymore,” my friend said through her tears as she discussed the overwhelming sense of hopelessness she faced as a nurse in a global health crisis. “I know that God has called me to nursing, but I’m overwhelmed and emotionally drained,” she confessed. Seeing that a cloud of exhaustion had come over her, I responded, “I know you feel helpless right now, but ask God to give you the direction you’re seeking and the strength to persevere.” At that moment, she decided to intentionally seek God through prayer. Soon after, my friend was invigorated with a new sense of purpose. Not only was she emboldened to continue nursing, but God also gave her the strength to serve even more people by traveling to hospitals around the country.

As believers in Jesus, we can always look to God for help and encouragement when we feel overburdened because “He will not grow tired or weary” (Isaiah 40:28). The prophet Isaiah states that our Father in heaven “gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (v. 29). Though God’s strength is everlasting, He knows that we’ll inevitably have days when we’re physically and emotionally consumed (v. 30). But when we look to God for our strength instead of trying to sprint through life’s challenges alone, He’ll restore and renew us and give us the resolve to press on in faith.

By:  Kimya Loder

Reflect & Pray

When have you tried to handle overwhelming situations alone? How might you look to God for help?

Dear God, thank You for helping me when the challenges of life seem unbearable.

For further study, read Why Doesn’t God Answer Me? Trusting in Times of Doubt and Trial.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Monday, January 30, 2023

The Dilemma of Obedience

Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision. —1 Samuel 3:15

God never speaks to us in dramatic ways, but in ways that are easy to misunderstand. Then we say, “I wonder if that is God’s voice?” Isaiah said that the Lord spoke to him “with a strong hand,” that is, by the pressure of his circumstances (Isaiah 8:11). Without the sovereign hand of God Himself, nothing touches our lives. Do we discern His hand at work, or do we see things as mere occurrences?

Get into the habit of saying, “Speak, Lord,” and life will become a romance (1 Samuel 3:9). Every time circumstances press in on you, say, “Speak, Lord,” and make time to listen. Chastening is more than a means of discipline— it is meant to bring me to the point of saying, “Speak, Lord.” Think back to a time when God spoke to you. Do you remember what He said? Was it Luke 11:13, or was it 1 Thessalonians 5:23? As we listen, our ears become more sensitive, and like Jesus, we will hear God all the time.

Should I tell my “Eli” what God has shown to me? This is where the dilemma of obedience hits us. We disobey God by becoming amateur providences and thinking, “I must shield ‘Eli,’ ” who represents the best people we know. God did not tell Samuel to tell Eli— he had to decide that for himself. God’s message to you may hurt your “Eli,” but trying to prevent suffering in another’s life will prove to be an obstruction between your soul and God. It is at your own risk that you prevent someone’s right hand being cut off or right eye being plucked out (see Matthew 5:29-30).

Never ask another person’s advice about anything God makes you decide before Him. If you ask advice, you will almost always side with Satan. “…I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood…” (Galatians 1:16).

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

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

Bible in a Year: Exodus 23-24; Matthew 20:1-16

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Monday, January 30, 2023

NOTHING TO HIDE - #9406

A few years back, there was some things in the news about a lot of grumpy prime ministers and presidents. Yeah. Well, there was a reason. It seemed the U.S. was allegedly dropping in on their phone calls uninvited. Now, I'm not sure what all prime ministers and presidents talk about, but they obviously did not like being snooped on. But then, who does?

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Nothing To Hide."

We keep hearing about government agencies listening in on a lot of us, you know, and we're not prime anythings. Makes you kind of feel violated and vulnerable.

Facebook can change their privacy policy, and other social media outlets. But they are increasingly making "personal information" an oxymoron. With the snooping and archiving technologies of our time, seems like there's hardly any such thing as a secret anymore. It's troubling. But it's not as troubling if you have the wonderful freedom that comes from being able to say three little words, "Nothing to hide." Go ahead. You can listen, watch, dig up. I'm not afraid. I have nothing to hide.

Which is a good way to live even if no one ever listens in. For example, if I'm driving the speed limit, no worries about a police car. I don't have to look obsessively in the rear view mirror. Nope, I can thoroughly enjoy the view ahead. I can't get caught if there's nothing to catch, right?

Sometimes the Bible strikes me pretty funny. Like when it says this, "The wicked man flees though no one pursues." Can't you just picture this guy's always looking over his shoulder, even though there's no one there? Of course, on the flip side, the Bible says, "The man of integrity walks securely." Of course he does. Nothing to hide.

Mark Twain said, "If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember what you said." Good idea. People who just tell it straight have no fear of being caught in a lie. If you're faithful to your mate, there's no double life to be found out. No visiting porn sites? Well, then go ahead and check my emails all you want. No financial games? Well, no worries about someone finding the numbers don't add up.

And there's great freedom when you know there's nothing you're hiding in the dark. Because in a world where it seems someone is always watching or listening, you never know when someone may turn on the light. In reality, someone already has. In our word today from the Word of God, Hebrews 4:13, it says, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes, and He is the one to whom we are accountable."

I have no secrets from God. Romans 2:16 says, "God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ." All the dark stuff in my heart, my mind, my relationships, my actions; all there on the evidence table when I stand defenseless before the Great Judge. Except for one thing that changes everything. The Bible says, "We have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He Himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins" (1 John 2:1-2).

So, God knows every sin of my life. Jesus paid for every sin of my life with His blood on the cross. I'll never have to face my sins. I'll never have to face God's judgment. Jesus already did, because He loves me enough to die for me. I'm amazed! I'm forgiven. And I wish that great relationship with Jesus for you; to know that every wrong thing of your life erased from God's Book forever; that you will never meet your sin when you meet God on Judgment Day. That you, in fact, will be ready to enter His heaven because your sin has been put under the blood of His Son, Jesus.

Do you want that? Well, then tell Jesus that; that you believe He died for your sin, that you're His from today on. Our website would be a great next destination for you. It's all about how to begin that relationship. The website is ANewStory.com.

And today you could begin to walk out in the light where there's nothing to hide.

1 Kings 7, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Asking for Mercy

"But, ma'am," I pleaded, "I've got to be in Houston this evening."  She was patient but firm.  "I'm sorry, sir, the rules say passengers must be at the gate ten minutes before scheduled departure time."  "I know the rules," I said. "I'm not asking for justice; I'm asking for mercy!"  She didn't give it to me.

She didn't give me mercy, but God does.  Even though by the "book" I'm guilty, by God's love I get another chance. Even though by the law I'm indicted, by mercy I'm given a fresh start.

The Bible says, "For it is by grace you have been saved. . .not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

No other world religion offers such a message. Others say, "You do this, and God will give you that." Christ's kingdom is just the opposite. A kingdom where membership is granted, not purchased! You are placed into God's kingdom!  He gives you, not justice, but mercy!

From The Applause of Heaven

1 Kings 7

 It took Solomon another thirteen years to finish building his own palace complex. He built the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon a hundred and fifty feet long, seventy-five feet wide, and forty-five feet high. There were four rows of cedar columns supporting forty-five cedar beams, fifteen in each row, and then roofed with cedar. Windows in groupings of three were set high in the walls on either side. All the doors were rectangular and arranged symmetrically.

6 He built a colonnaded courtyard seventy-five feet long and forty-five wide. It had a roofed porch at the front with ample eaves.

7 He built a court room, the Hall of Justice, where he would decide judicial matters, and paneled it with cedar.

8 He built his personal residence behind the Hall on a similar plan. Solomon also built another one just like it for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had married.

9-12 No expense was spared—everything here, inside and out, from foundation to roof was constructed using high-quality stone, accurately cut and shaped and polished. The foundation stones were huge, ranging in size from twelve to fifteen feet, and of the very best quality. The finest stone was used above the foundation, shaped to size and trimmed with cedar. The courtyard was enclosed with a wall made of three layers of stone and topped with cedar timbers, just like the one in the porch of The Temple of God.

* * *

13-14 King Solomon sent to Tyre and asked Hiram (not the king; another Hiram) to come. Hiram’s mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali. His father was a Tyrian and a master worker in bronze. Hiram was a real artist—he could do anything with bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all the bronze work.

15-22 First he cast two pillars in bronze, each twenty-seven feet tall and eighteen feet in circumference. He then cast two capitals in bronze to set on the pillars; each capital was seven and a half feet high and flared at the top in the shape of a lily. Each capital was dressed with an elaborate filigree of seven braided chains and a double row of two hundred pomegranates, setting the pillars off magnificently. He set the pillars up in the entrance porch to The Temple; the pillar to the south he named Security (Jachin) and the pillar to the north Stability (Boaz). The capitals were in the shape of lilies.

22-24 When the pillars were finished, Hiram’s next project was to make the Sea—an immense round basin of cast metal fifteen feet in diameter, seven and a half feet tall, and forty-five feet in circumference. Just under the rim there were two bands of decorative gourds, ten gourds to each foot and a half. The gourds were cast in one piece with the Sea.

25-26 The Sea was set on twelve bulls, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east; the bulls faced outward supporting the Sea on their hindquarters. The Sea was three inches thick and flared at the rim like a cup, or like a lily. It held about 11,500 gallons.

27-33 Hiram also made ten washstands of bronze. Each was six feet square and four and a half feet tall. They were made like this: Panels were fastened to the uprights. Lions, bulls, and cherubim were represented on the panels and uprights. Beveled wreath-work bordered the lions and bulls above and below. Each stand was mounted on four bronze wheels with bronze axles. The uprights were cast with decorative relief work. Each stand held a basin on a circular engraved support a foot and a half deep set on a pedestal two and a quarter feet square. The washstand itself was square. The axles were attached under the stand and the wheels fixed to them. The wheels were twenty-seven inches in diameter; they were designed like chariot wheels. Everything—axles, rims, spokes, and hubs—was of cast metal.

34-37 There was a handle at the four corners of each washstand, the handles cast in one piece with the stand. At the top of the washstand there was a ring about nine inches deep. The uprights and handles were cast with the stand. Everything and every available surface was engraved with cherubim, lions, and palm trees, bordered by arabesques. The washstands were identical, all cast in the same mold.

38-40 He also made ten bronze washbasins, each six feet in diameter with a capacity of 230 gallons, one basin for each of the ten washstands. He arranged five stands on the south side of The Temple and five on the north. The Sea was placed at the southeast corner of The Temple. Hiram then fashioned the various utensils: buckets and shovels and bowls.

40-45 Hiram completed all the work he set out to do for King Solomon on The Temple of God:

two pillars;

two capitals on top of the pillars;

two decorative filigrees for the capitals;

four hundred pomegranates for the two filigrees

(a double row of pomegranates for each filigree);

ten washstands each with its washbasin;

one Sea;

twelve bulls under the Sea;

miscellaneous buckets, shovels, and bowls.

45-47 All these artifacts that Hiram made for King Solomon for The Temple of God were of burnished bronze. He cast them in clay in a foundry on the Jordan plain between Succoth and Zarethan. These artifacts were never weighed—there were far too many! Nobody has any idea how much bronze was used.

48-50 Solomon was also responsible for all the furniture and accessories in The Temple of God:

the gold Altar;

the gold Table that held the Bread of the Presence;

the pure gold candelabras, five to the right and five to the left in front of the Inner Sanctuary;

the gold flowers, lamps, and tongs;

the pure gold dishes, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, ladles, and censers;

the gold sockets for the doors of the Inner Sanctuary, the Holy of Holies, used also for the doors of the Main Sanctuary.

51 That completed all the work King Solomon did on The Temple of God. He then brought in the items consecrated by his father David, the silver and the gold and the artifacts. He placed them all in the treasury of God’s Temple.

* * *

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Sunday, January 29, 2023

Today's Scripture

John 11:38–43

Then Jesus, the anger again welling up within him, arrived at the tomb. It was a simple cave in the hillside with a slab of stone laid against it. Jesus said, “Remove the stone.”

The sister of the dead man, Martha, said, “Master, by this time there’s a stench. He’s been dead four days!”

40 Jesus looked her in the eye. “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

41-42 Then, to the others, “Go ahead, take away the stone.”

They removed the stone. Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and prayed, “Father, I’m grateful that you have listened to me. I know you always do listen, but on account of this crowd standing here I’ve spoken so that they might believe that you sent me.”

43-44 Then he shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And he came out, a cadaver, wrapped from head to toe, and with a kerchief over his face.

Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him loose.”

Insight

In the gospel of John, Jesus begins His ministry with the miraculous sign of turning water into wine. As the book progresses, Jesus continues to validate His message with miracles—the last of which is raising Lazarus from the dead.

The author of John argues throughout his gospel that Jesus is the only way to life (see 1:4; 14:6). And here, He proves it inescapably by returning His friend to the land of the living (11:38–44). Ironically, Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead sets off the chain of events that would result in Christ’s own death. But it’s that very death and later resurrection that would secure life for not just Lazarus but all who believe in Jesus. As John states, “By believing you may have life in his name” (20:31). By: Jed Ostoich

Seven Minutes of Terror

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

When the Mars rover Perseverance landed on that red planet on February 18, 2021, those monitoring its arrival endured “seven minutes of terror.” As the spacecraft ended its 292-million-mile journey, it went through a complex landing procedure it had to do on its own. Signals from Mars to Earth take several minutes, so NASA couldn’t hear from Perseverance during the landing. Not being in contact was frightening for the team who had put so much effort and resources into the mission.

Sometimes we may experience our own times of fear when we feel we’re not hearing from God—we pray but we don’t get answers. In Scripture, we find people getting answers to prayer quickly (see Daniel 9:20–23) and those not getting answers for a long time (see Hannah’s story in 1 Samuel 1:10–20). Perhaps the most poignant example of a delayed answer—one that surely struck terror in the hearts of Mary and Martha—was when they asked Jesus to help their sick brother Lazarus (John 11:3). Jesus delayed, and their brother died (vv. 6–7, 14–15). Yet four days later, Christ answered by resurrecting Lazarus (vv. 43–44).  

Waiting for answers to our prayers can be difficult. But God can comfort and help as we “approach [His] throne of grace with confidence, . . . [that] we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). By:  Dave Branon

Reflect & Pray

What are you praying for, but the answer doesn’t seem to be coming? How can God increase your faith as you wait on Him?

Loving God, You know what’s on my heart. Please help me trust You as I await Your answer.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Sunday, January 29, 2023

How Could Someone Be So Ignorant!

Who are You, Lord? —Acts 26:15

“The Lord spoke thus to me with a strong hand…” (Isaiah 8:11). There is no escape when our Lord speaks. He always comes using His authority and taking hold of our understanding. Has the voice of God come to you directly? If it has, you cannot mistake the intimate insistence with which it has spoken to you. God speaks in the language you know best— not through your ears, but through your circumstances.

God has to destroy our determined confidence in our own convictions. We say, “I know that this is what I should do” — and suddenly the voice of God speaks in a way that overwhelms us by revealing the depths of our ignorance. We show our ignorance of Him in the very way we decide to serve Him. We serve Jesus in a spirit that is not His, and hurt Him by our defense of Him. We push His claims in the spirit of the devil; our words sound all right, but the spirit is that of an enemy. “He…rebuked them, and said, ‘You do not know what manner of spirit you are of’ ” (Luke 9:55). The spirit of our Lord in His followers is described in 1 Corinthians 13.

Have I been persecuting Jesus by an eager determination to serve Him in my own way? If I feel I have done my duty, yet have hurt Him in the process, I can be sure that this was not my duty. My way will not be to foster a meek and quiet spirit, only the spirit of self-satisfaction. We presume that whatever is unpleasant is our duty! Is that anything like the spirit of our Lord— “I delight to do Your will, O my God…” (Psalm 40:8).

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

An intellectual conception of God may be found in a bad vicious character. The knowledge and vision of God is dependent entirely on a pure heart. Character determines the revelation of God to the individual. The pure in heart see God. Biblical Ethics, 125 R

Bible in a Year: Exodus 21-22; Matthew 19

1 Kings 6, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: One of a Kind

I have a sweater I never wear. It's too small.  Some of the buttons are missing, the thread is frazzled.  I should throw it away. I'll never wear it again. Logic says to clear out the space, get rid of the sweater. But love won't let me.

What's unusual about it? It wasn't produced on an assembly line. It's the creation of a devoted mother expressing her love. That sweater is unique. It's one of a kind.  It can't be replaced. And although the sweater has lost all of its use, it's lost none of its value.

That must have been what the psalmist had in mind when he wrote, "You knit me together in my mother's womb" (Psalm 139:13). You were knitted together. You aren't an accident. You weren't mass-produced. You were deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly positioned on this earth by the Master Craftsman.

From The Applause of Heaven

1 Kings 6

Four hundred and eighty years after the Israelites came out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s rule over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month, Solomon started building The Temple of God. The Temple that King Solomon built to God was ninety feet long, thirty feet wide, and forty-five feet high. There was a porch across the thirty-foot width of The Temple that extended out fifteen feet. Within The Temple he made narrow, deep-silled windows. Against the outside walls he built a supporting structure in which there were smaller rooms: The lower floor was seven and a half feet wide, the middle floor nine feet, and the third floor ten and a half feet. He had projecting ledges built into the outside Temple walls to support the buttressing beams.

7 The stone blocks for the building of The Temple were all dressed at the quarry so that the building site itself was reverently quiet—no noise from hammers and chisels and other iron tools.

8-10 The entrance to the ground floor was at the south end of The Temple; stairs led to the second floor and then to the third. Solomon built and completed The Temple, finishing it off with roof beams and planks of cedar. The supporting structure along the outside walls was attached to The Temple with cedar beams and the rooms in it were seven and a half feet tall.

11-13 The word of God came to Solomon saying, “About this Temple you are building—what’s important is that you live the way I’ve set out for you and do what I tell you, following my instructions carefully and obediently. Then I’ll complete in you the promise I made to David your father. I’ll personally take up my residence among the Israelites—I won’t desert my people Israel.”

14-18 Solomon built and completed The Temple. He paneled the interior walls from floor to ceiling with cedar planks; for flooring he used cypress. The thirty feet at the rear of The Temple he made into an Inner Sanctuary, cedar planks from floor to ceiling—the Holy of Holies. The Main Sanctuary area in front was sixty feet long. The entire interior of The Temple was cedar, with carvings of fruits and flowers. All cedar—none of the stone was exposed.

19-22 The Inner Sanctuary within The Temple was for housing the Chest of the Covenant of God. This Inner Sanctuary was a cube, thirty feet each way, all plated with gold. The Altar of cedar was also gold-plated. Everywhere you looked there was pure gold: gold chains strung in front of the gold-plated Inner Sanctuary—gold everywhere—walls, ceiling, floor, and Altar. Dazzling!

23-28 Then he made two cherubim, gigantic angel-like figures, from olivewood. Each was fifteen feet tall. The outstretched wings of the cherubim (they were identical in size and shape) measured another fifteen feet. He placed the two cherubim, their wings spread, in the Inner Sanctuary. The combined wingspread stretched the width of the room, the wing of one cherub touched one wall, the wing of the other the other wall, and the wings touched in the middle. The cherubim were gold-plated.

29-30 He then carved engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and flower blossoms on all the walls of both the Inner and the Main Sanctuary. And all the floors of both inner and outer rooms were gold-plated.

31-32 He constructed doors of olivewood for the entrance to the Inner Sanctuary; the lintel and doorposts were five-sided. The doors were also carved with cherubim, palm trees, and flowers, and then covered with gold leaf.

33-35 Similarly, he built the entrance to the Main Sanctuary using olivewood for the doorposts but these doorposts were four-sided. The doors were of cypress, split into two panels, each panel swinging separately. These also were carved with cherubim, palm trees, and flowers, and plated with finely hammered gold leaf.

36 He built the inner court with three courses of dressed stones topped with a course of planed cedar timbers.

37-38 The foundation for God’s Temple was laid in the fourth year in the month of Ziv. It was completed in the eleventh year in the month of Bul (the eighth month) down to the last detail, just as planned. It took Solomon seven years to build it.

* * *

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Saturday, January 28, 2023

Today's Scripture

2 Corinthians 9:6–9

Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.

8-11 God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it,

He throws caution to the winds,

    giving to the needy in reckless abandon.

His right-living, right-giving ways

    never run out, never wear out.

This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.

Insight

This small segment of Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth (2 Corinthians 9:6–9) appears amid a much larger section on giving. The apostle had introduced the theme in chapter 8, where he held up the much poorer but very generous Macedonian church as a model to emulate (vv. 1–5). Throughout his appeal, he asked the Corinthian church to keep their original commitment to give (vv. 10–12) and to do so willingly and cheerfully (9:5, 7). As Paul often did, he referenced other Scriptures to build his argument. Here he quoted Psalm 112, which outlines the characteristics of the righteous (“those who fear the Lord,” v. 1). The psalmist noted how they’re “gracious and compassionate” (v. 4), and that “good will come to those who are generous and lend freely” (v. 5). It’s not that generous giving makes one righteous; rather, the one who is righteous will give generously. By: Tim Gustafson

The Pink Coat

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give . . . for God loves a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 9:7

Brenda was walking toward the mall exit when a flush of pink from a display window caught her eye. She turned and stood spellbound before a “cotton-candy-colored coat.” Oh, how Holly would love it! Finances had been tight for her coworker friend who was a single mother, and while Brenda knew Holly needed a warm coat, she was also confident that her friend would never lay down cash on such a purchase for herself. After wavering ever so slightly, Brenda smiled, reached for her wallet, and arranged for the coat to be shipped to Holly’s home. She added an anonymous card, “You are so very loved.” Brenda practically danced to her car.

Joy is a by-product of God-nudged giving. As Paul instructed the Corinthians in the art of generosity, he said, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). He also noted, “Whoever sows generously will also reap generously” (v. 6).

Sometimes we slip cash into the offering plate. At other times we donate online to a worthy ministry. And then there are moments when God leads us to respond to the need of a friend with a tangible expression of His love. We offer a bag of groceries, a tank of gas . . . or even the gift of a perfectly pink coat. By:  Elisa Morgan

Reflect & Pray

Who might you show God’s love to today? How can your generosity bubble up in joy as a return gift to you?

Loving Father, You gave me the gift of Your Son, and so I want to give to others. May I respond to Your gentle nudge to meet the needs of another.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Saturday, January 28, 2023

How Could Someone So Persecute Jesus!

Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? —Acts 26:14

Are you determined to have your own way in living for God? We will never be free from this trap until we are brought into the experience of the baptism of “the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11). Stubbornness and self-will will always stab Jesus Christ. It may hurt no one else, but it wounds His Spirit. Whenever we are obstinate and self-willed and set on our own ambitions, we are hurting Jesus. Every time we stand on our own rights and insist that this is what we intend to do, we are persecuting Him. Whenever we rely on self-respect, we systematically disturb and grieve His Spirit. And when we finally understand that it is Jesus we have been persecuting all this time, it is the most crushing revelation ever.

Is the Word of God tremendously penetrating and sharp in me as I hand it on to you, or does my life betray the things I profess to teach? I may teach sanctification and yet exhibit the spirit of Satan, the very spirit that persecutes Jesus Christ. The Spirit of Jesus is conscious of only one thing— a perfect oneness with the Father. And He tells us, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). All I do should be based on a perfect oneness with Him, not on a self-willed determination to be godly. This will mean that others may use me, go around me, or completely ignore me, but if I will submit to it for His sake, I will prevent Jesus Christ from being persecuted.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

There is nothing, naturally speaking, that makes us lose heart quicker than decay—the decay of bodily beauty, of natural life, of friendship, of associations, all these things make a man lose heart; but Paul says when we are trusting in Jesus Christ these things do not find us discouraged, light comes through them.  The Place of Help, 1032 L

Bible in a Year: Exodus 19-20; Matthew 18:21-35

1 Kings 5 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: A GREAT GOD - January 27, 2023

“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’” (Matthew 7:22 NIV).

These people are standing before the throne of God and bragging about themselves. Rather than sing his praises, they sing their own. What is worse—their arrogance or their blindness? Mark it down. God does not save us because of what we’ve done.

Only a puny god could be bought with tithes. Only an egotistical god would be impressed with our pain. Only a temperamental god could be satisfied by sacrifices. Only a heartless god would sell salvation to the highest bidders. And only a great God does for his children what they can’t do for themselves. Romans 8:3 says, “For what the law was powerless to do…God did.”

1 Kings 5

International Fame

Hiram king of Tyre sent ambassadors to Solomon when he heard that he had been crowned king in David’s place. Hiram had loved David his whole life. Solomon responded, saying, “You know that David my father was not able to build a temple in honor of God because of the wars he had to fight on all sides, until God finally put them down. But now God has provided peace all around—no one against us, nothing at odds with us.

5-6 “Now here is what I want to do: Build a temple in honor of God, my God, following the promise that God gave to David my father, namely, ‘Your son whom I will provide to succeed you as king, he will build a house in my honor.’ And here is how you can help: Give orders for cedars to be cut from the Lebanon forest; my loggers will work alongside yours and I’ll pay your men whatever wage you set. We both know that there is no one like you Sidonians for cutting timber.”

7 When Hiram got Solomon’s message, he was delighted, exclaiming, “Blessed be God for giving David such a wise son to rule this flourishing people!”

8-9 Then he sent this message to Solomon: “I received your request for the cedars and cypresses. It’s as good as done—your wish is my command. My lumberjacks will haul the timbers from the Lebanon forest to the sea, assemble them into log rafts, float them to the place you set, then have them disassembled for you to haul away. All I want from you is that you feed my crew.”

10-12 In this way Hiram supplied all the cedar and cypress timber that Solomon wanted. In his turn, Solomon gave Hiram 125,000 bushels of wheat and 115,000 gallons of virgin olive oil. He did this every year. And God, for his part, gave Solomon wisdom, just as he had promised. The healthy peace between Hiram and Solomon was formalized by a treaty.

The Temple Work Begins

13-18 King Solomon raised a workforce of thirty thousand men from all over Israel. He sent them in shifts of ten thousand each month to the Lebanon forest; they would work a month in Lebanon and then be at home two months. Adoniram was in charge of the work crew. Solomon also had seventy thousand unskilled workers and another eighty thousand stonecutters up in the hills—plus thirty-three hundred foremen managing the project and supervising the work crews. Following the king’s orders, they quarried huge blocks of the best stone—dressed stone for the foundation of The Temple. Solomon and Hiram’s construction workers, assisted by the men of Gebal, cut and prepared the timber and stone for building The Temple.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Friday, January 27, 2023

Today's Scripture

Psalm 103:8–12

God makes everything come out right;

    he puts victims back on their feet.

He showed Moses how he went about his work,

    opened up his plans to all Israel.

God is sheer mercy and grace;

    not easily angered, he’s rich in love.

He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold,

    nor hold grudges forever.

He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve,

    nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.

As high as heaven is over the earth,

    so strong is his love to those who fear him.

And as far as sunrise is from sunset,

    he has separated us from our sins.

As parents feel for their children,

    God feels for those who fear him.

He knows us inside and out,

    keeps in mind that we’re made of mud.

Men and women don’t live very long;

    like wildflowers they spring up and blossom,

But a storm snuffs them out just as quickly,

    leaving nothing to show they were here.

God’s love, though, is ever and always,

    eternally present to all who fear him,

Making everything right for them and their children

    as they follow his Covenant ways

    and remember to do whatever he said.

Insight

Psalm 103:8 recalls how God revealed Himself to Moses during the exodus from Egypt. After Moses pleaded with God to “show me your glory” (Exodus 33:18), God promised to let His glory pass by Moses. In Exodus 34, we’re told that God “passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin’ ” (vv. 6–7).

Psalm 103 elaborates on God’s endless compassion, mercy, and grace as the only hope for His sinful people. He is a forgiving God who “does not treat us as our sins deserve” (v. 10) but removes our sin “as far as the east is from the west” (v. 12). God’s willingness to forgive is rooted in His deep love for His children and compassionate understanding of their struggles (vv. 11, 13). By: Monica La Rose

Mercy for You and Me

He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever. Psalm 103:9

One of consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic was the docking of cruise ships and the quarantining of passengers. The Wall Street Journal featured an article that included interviews of some of the tourists. Commenting about how being quarantined provided more opportunities for conversations, one passenger joked how his spouse—who possessed an excellent memory—was able to bring up every transgression he ever had and sensed she wasn’t done yet!

Accounts like this might make us smile, remind us of our humanness, and serve to caution us if we’re prone to hold too tightly to the things we should release. Yet what helps us to be kindly disposed to those who hurt us? Glimpses of our great God, as He’s portrayed in passages like Psalm 103:8–12.

The Message’s rendering of verses 8–10 is noteworthy: “God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he’s rich in love. He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold, nor hold grudges forever. He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.” Asking for God’s help as we prayerfully read Scripture can cause us to have second thoughts about ill-conceived payback or plans to punish. And it can prompt prayers for ourselves and for those we may be tempted to harm by withholding grace, mercy, and forgiveness. By:  Arthur Jackson

Reflect & Pray

Who have you been tempted to harm because of the hurt they’ve caused you? Who can you ask to pray for you?

God of mercy, kindness, and forgiveness, please help me to extend grace and mercy to those who’ve caused me pain.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Friday, January 27, 2023

Look Again and Think

Do not worry about your life… —Matthew 6:25

A warning which needs to be repeated is that “the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches,” and the lust for other things, will choke out the life of God in us (Matthew 13:22). We are never free from the recurring waves of this invasion. If the frontline of attack is not about clothes and food, it may be about money or the lack of money; or friends or lack of friends; or the line may be drawn over difficult circumstances. It is one steady invasion, and these things will come in like a flood, unless we allow the Spirit of God to raise up the banner against it.

“I say to you, do not worry about your life….” Our Lord says to be careful only about one thing— our relationship to Him. But our common sense shouts loudly and says, “That is absurd, I must consider how I am going to live, and I must consider what I am going to eat and drink.” Jesus says you must not. Beware of allowing yourself to think that He says this while not understanding your circumstances. Jesus Christ knows our circumstances better than we do, and He says we must not think about these things to the point where they become the primary concern of our life. Whenever there are competing concerns in your life, be sure you always put your relationship to God first.

“Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34). How much trouble has begun to threaten you today? What kind of mean little demons have been looking into your life and saying, “What are your plans for next month— or next summer?” Jesus tells us not to worry about any of these things. Look again and think. Keep your mind on the “much more” of your heavenly Father (Matthew 6:30).

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The attitude of a Christian towards the providential order in which he is placed is to recognize that God is behind it for purposes of His own.  Biblical Ethics, 99 R

Bible in a Year: Exodus 16-18; Matthew 18:1-20

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Friday, January 27, 2023

HOW TO BE REALLY WISE - #9405

Kids count the days. Teachers count the days. Principals count the days. Until everybody can shout those happiest of all words, "School's out!" Police cars sport bumper stickers that warn drivers to be extra careful. Same reason: "School's out." And graduations? Those are real milestones because you don't ever have to go back to that school if you don't want to! I hate to rain on anybody's parade, but that "school's out" thing is actually a myth. Or at least it should be.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How to be Really Wise."

Okay, it may be okay if you don't spend any more hours in a school building; if you don't have to take any more of those stressful midterms or finals. But there's a sense in which God doesn't ever want us to consider "school" as being "out," because He's got so much to teach us and so many teachers through whom He wants to send it. Smart people are looking for teachers for the rest of their life.

Listen to how God describes people that He considers wise in our word for today from the Word of God. In James 3, beginning with verse 13, God says, "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in humility that comes from wisdom - the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure: then peace-loving, considerate, submissive ..." Okay, notice that God links wisdom with humility. And you can see that link when God describes what wisdom looks like in a person. One way it shows up is when a person is "submissive."

Humble people? Those are wise people. Wise people are humble people, because they're teachable people. An arrogant person is closed - un-teachable. For a wise person, school is never really out because they realize how much they have to learn from almost every person they meet.

A person who realizes that virtually every person he meets has something to teach him is an emotional and spiritual millionaire. In fact, I believe God brings into our lives people through whom He wants to teach us things that He knows we need to know. Humility becomes more concrete when you think of it, at least in part, as teachability. Which leads us to the million-dollar question, "Are you a teachable person?"

When you meet a new person, do you talk mostly about yourself or do you let them tell you about themselves? Do you approach new people, asking yourself, "What can I learn from this person?" Do you welcome the opportunity to meet people who are from a different background, who have a different kind of personality; someone from a different denominational perspective, a different racial background, another generation? They have so much to give you because they've seen and experienced life from another perspective. They have learned or they've become things that you may not know much about.

And how about your response to the suggestions you get, the ideas, even the criticisms of the people close to you? Are you closed or are you open to what they see and what they say? In humility, do you gain an insight from their input? Or are you all proud, rigid, inflexible, know it all? Then by God's definition, you're just not one of those folks that He calls "wise" and that He calls "understanding."

Many of the most important teachers you'll ever have in your life are not the ones you'll necessarily meet in a classroom - as important as those are. It will be the people God brings into your everyday life with something He knows you need to know.

And the more teachers you welcome into your life, the wiser you're going to be.

Acts 7:22-43 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: THE RICH YOUNG RULER - January 26, 2023

“If you want to be perfect, then go sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven” (Matthew 19:21). This statement of Jesus leaves the rich young ruler distraught. He thought heaven was just a payment away. You work hard, you pay your dues, and “zap”—your account is paid in full. Jesus says, “No way.”

What you want costs far more than what you can pay. You do not need a system, you need a Savior. You do not need a resume, you need a Redeemer. For “what is impossible with men is possible with God” (Luke 18:27). Don’t miss the thrust of this verse: You cannot save yourself. Not through the right rituals, right doctrine, or right devotion. You see, it wasn’t the money that hindered the rich man; it was the self-sufficiency.

Acts 7:22-43

 “In just such a time Moses was born, a most beautiful baby. He was hidden at home for three months. When he could be hidden no longer, he was put outside—and immediately rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter, who mothered him as her own son. Moses was educated in the best schools in Egypt. He was equally impressive as a thinker and an athlete.

23-26 “When he was forty years old, he wondered how everything was going with his Hebrew kin and went out to look things over. He saw an Egyptian abusing one of them and stepped in, avenging his underdog brother by knocking the Egyptian flat. He thought his brothers would be glad that he was on their side, and even see him as an instrument of God to deliver them. But they didn’t see it that way. The next day two of them were fighting and he tried to break it up, told them to shake hands and get along with each other: ‘Friends, you are brothers, why are you beating up on each other?’

27-29 “The one who had started the fight said, ‘Who put you in charge of us? Are you going to kill me like you killed that Egyptian yesterday?’ When Moses heard that, realizing that the word was out, he ran for his life and lived in exile over in Midian. During the years of exile, two sons were born to him.

30-32 “Forty years later, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to him in the guise of flames of a burning bush. Moses, not believing his eyes, went up to take a closer look. He heard God’s voice: ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Frightened nearly out of his skin, Moses shut his eyes and turned away.

33-34 “God said, ‘Kneel and pray. You are in a holy place, on holy ground. I’ve seen the agony of my people in Egypt. I’ve heard their groans. I’ve come to help them. So get yourself ready; I’m sending you back to Egypt.’

35-39 “This is the same Moses whom they earlier rejected, saying, ‘Who put you in charge of us?’ This is the Moses that God, using the angel flaming in the burning bush, sent back as ruler and redeemer. He led them out of their slavery. He did wonderful things, setting up God-signs all through Egypt, down at the Red Sea, and out in the wilderness for forty years. This is the Moses who said to his congregation, ‘God will raise up a prophet just like me from your descendants.’ This is the Moses who stood between the angel speaking at Sinai and your fathers assembled in the wilderness and took the life-giving words given to him and handed them over to us, words our fathers would have nothing to do with.

39-41 “They craved the old Egyptian ways, whining to Aaron, ‘Make us gods we can see and follow. This Moses who got us out here miles from nowhere—who knows what’s happened to him!’ That was the time when they made a calf-idol, brought sacrifices to it, and congratulated each other on the wonderful religious program they had put together.

42-43 “God wasn’t at all pleased; but he let them do it their way, worship every new god that came down the pike—and live with the consequences, consequences described by the prophet Amos:

Did you bring me offerings of animals and grains

    those forty wilderness years, O Israel?

Hardly. You were too busy building shrines

    to war gods, to sex goddesses,

Worshiping them with all your might.

    That’s why I put you in exile in Babylon.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Thursday, January 26, 2023

Today's Scripture

Colossians 3:12–14

So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

Insight

Compassion is kindness for people in need. More than just feeling pity, compassion moves you to relieve the misery of a person. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan “had compassion” on the injured man (Luke 10:33 esv), which moved him to come to his rescue. The Greeks and Romans valued courage, strength, wisdom, power, and revenge. For them, compassion was a weakness, not a virtue. But for believers in Jesus, compassion is what marks us out as God’s children. Jesus tells us to imitate our heavenly Father: “You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate” (6:36 nlt.) Compassion is God’s very person. In one of the greatest self-revelations in the Bible, He described Himself as “the compassionate and gracious God” (Exodus 34:6). We’re most like our Father when we’re compassionate, kind, and gracious to others. By: K. T. Sim

Love That Forgives

Bear with each other and forgive one another. Colossians 3:13

Eighty years of marriage! My husband’s great-uncle Pete and great-aunt Ruth celebrated this remarkable milestone on May 31, 2021. After a chance meeting in 1941 when Ruth was still in high school, the young couple were so eager to get married that they eloped the day after Ruth graduated. Pete and Ruth believe God brought them together and has guided them all these years.

Reflecting on eight decades of marriage, Pete and Ruth both agree that one key to sustaining their relationship has been the decision to choose forgiveness. Anyone in a healthy relationship understands that we all regularly need forgiveness for the ways we hurt each other, whether through an unkind word, a broken promise, or a forgotten task.

In a section of Scripture written to help believers in Jesus live together in unity, Paul refers to the essential role forgiveness plays. After urging his readers to choose “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12), Paul adds the encouragement to “forgive one another if any of you has a grievance” (v. 13). Most importantly, all their interactions with each were to be guided by love (v. 14).

Relationships that model the characteristics outlined by Paul are a blessing. May God help all of us work to cultivate healthy relationships characterized by love and forgiveness. By:  Lisa M. Samra

Reflect & Pray

How have you experienced healing through forgiving or being forgiven? How are relationships strengthened through practicing both forgiveness and accountability?

Jesus, help me to forgive others just as You’ve forgiven me.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Thursday, January 26, 2023

Look Again and Consecrate

If God so clothes the grass of the field…, will He not much more clothe you…? —Matthew 6:30

A simple statement of Jesus is always a puzzle to us because we will not be simple. How can we maintain the simplicity of Jesus so that we may understand Him? By receiving His Spirit, recognizing and relying on Him, and obeying Him as He brings us the truth of His Word, life will become amazingly simple. Jesus asks us to consider that “if God so clothes the grass of the field…” how “much more” will He clothe you, if you keep your relationship right with Him? Every time we lose ground in our fellowship with God, it is because we have disrespectfully thought that we knew better than Jesus Christ. We have allowed “the cares of this world” to enter in (Matthew 13:22), while forgetting the “much more” of our heavenly Father.

“Look at the birds of the air…” (Matthew 6:26). Their function is to obey the instincts God placed within them, and God watches over them. Jesus said that if you have the right relationship with Him and will obey His Spirit within you, then God will care for your “feathers” too.

“Consider the lilies of the field…” (Matthew 6:28). They grow where they are planted. Many of us refuse to grow where God plants us. Therefore, we don’t take root anywhere. Jesus said if we would obey the life of God within us, He would look after all other things. Did Jesus Christ lie to us? Are we experiencing the “much more” He promised? If we are not, it is because we are not obeying the life God has given us and have cluttered our minds with confusing thoughts and worries. How much time have we wasted asking God senseless questions while we should be absolutely free to concentrate on our service to Him? Consecration is the act of continually separating myself from everything except that which God has appointed me to do. It is not a one-time experience but an ongoing process. Am I continually separating myself and looking to God every day of my life?

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

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

Bible in a Year: Exodus 14-15; Matthew 17

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Thursday, January 26, 2023

WHAT YOU MISS WHEN YOU MISS JESUS - #9404

It was many centuries ago in a remote village in India. Word began to spread that something was about to happen that no one had seen in their lifetime - the prince was actually coming to visit this forgotten little village. Well, everyone was excited, but no one was more excited than the village beggar. Every day he eked out another day by sitting by the road with his little cup, hoping to get enough money to buy some rice to live one more day. He actually had two cups, one for collecting money and one for a few grains of rice. But now the prince was coming. I mean, the wealthy prince! And when that prince finally arrived, the beggar mustered his most impassioned appeal, "Alms! Alms for the poor!" And the prince stopped. The beggar's heart was pounding furiously.

"Give me your cup of rice." That's all the prince said. The beggar slumped down in disbelief. Here was the wealthiest man in the land, asking for his lousy little cup of rice. The beggar was about to refuse, but instead he reached in. He put three grains of rice in the prince's hand. The prince turned to his servant and said, "Bring me the bag of gold." The beggar could hardly contain himself. He eagerly stretched out his empty collection cup. The prince reached into his bag and placed three grains of gold in the beggar's cup. And then he disappeared, never to return, but leaving the beggar to wonder for the rest of his life what would have happened if I had given him my whole cup of rice?

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "What You Miss When You Miss Jesus."

Jesus, the Prince of Heaven, may be passing your way today with so much to give you. The forgiveness of every sin you've ever committed, a new beginning, the peace that has eluded you your whole lifetime, and an eternity with Him in heaven. He wants to make you spiritually rich.

In fact, it was very expensive for Him to be able to offer you the heaven that you don't deserve instead of the death penalty that your sin does deserve. In our word for today from the Word of God, God describes the unspeakable sacrifice Jesus made to rescue us. 2 Corinthians 8:9 says, "You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ" (grace, by the way, means undeserved love) "that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich."

When God's Son, the Prince of Heaven, is hanging on that blood-stained cross, He is totally impoverishing Himself so you can have God's love, so you can have God's resources, so you can have God's heaven. It's hard for us to see that we're the beggar, but the Bible says we're spiritually bankrupt because our running of our own life has cut us off from our Creator. Only Jesus can bring us back. God says, "While we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly."

Your life is as big as you can make it, and it's nowhere near enough, is it? Jesus has chosen to pass your way today, asking you to turn over to Him the life that He gave you and the life He died for.

You ready to trade what you have for what Jesus has? Would you tell Him that right now? Tell Him you're putting all your trust in Him. And let me encourage you to visit our website. I've laid out briefly there and non religiously the way you can begin your relationship with Jesus and know you did. The website's ANewStory.com.

Please, don't make the eternal mistake of hanging onto your little cup of rice and missing Jesus' bag of gold.

Song of Solomon 8 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: RAHAB - January 25, 2023

“By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient” (Hebrews 11:31 NIV).

The time had come for the Hebrew people to enter the promised land. Jericho, a formidable town, was their first challenge. Canaanites indwelled the city. They had no regard for human life or respect for God. And it was into this city that the two spies of Joshua crept. They met Rahab, the harlot.

Rahab provided cover for the spies of Joshua, and she came to believe in the God of Abraham before she ever met the children of Abraham. She was grafted into the Hebrew culture. She married a contemporary of Joshua’s, bore a son named Boaz, had a great-grandson named Jesse, a great-great-grandson named David, and a descendant named Jesus.

You know, God has a place for the Rahabs of the world.

Song of Solomon 8

 I wish you’d been my twin brother,

    sharing with me the breasts of my mother,

Playing outside in the street,

    kissing in plain view of everyone,

    and no one thinking anything of it.

I’d take you by the hand and bring you home

    where I was raised by my mother.

You’d drink my wine

    and kiss my cheeks.

3-4 Imagine! His left hand cradling my head,

    his right arm around my waist!

Oh, let me warn you, sisters in Jerusalem:

    Don’t excite love, don’t stir it up,

    until the time is ripe—and you’re ready.

The Chorus

5 Who is this I see coming up from the country,

    arm in arm with her lover?

The Man

I found you under the apricot tree,

    and woke you up to love.

Your mother went into labor under that tree,

    and under that very tree she bore you.

The Woman

6-8 Hang my locket around your neck,

    wear my ring on your finger.

Love is invincible facing danger and death.

    Passion laughs at the terrors of hell.

The fire of love stops at nothing—

    it sweeps everything before it.

Flood waters can’t drown love,

    torrents of rain can’t put it out.

Love can’t be bought, love can’t be sold—

    it’s not to be found in the marketplace.

My brothers used to worry about me:

8-9 “Our little sister has no breasts.

    What shall we do with our little sister

    when men come asking for her?

She’s a virgin and vulnerable,

    and we’ll protect her.

If they think she’s a wall, we’ll top it with barbed wire.

    If they think she’s a door, we’ll barricade it.”

10 Dear brothers, I’m a walled-in virgin still,

    but my breasts are full—

And when my lover sees me,

    he knows he’ll soon be satisfied.

The Man

11-12 King Solomon may have vast vineyards

    in lush, fertile country,

Where he hires others to work the ground.

    People pay anything to get in on that bounty.

But my vineyard is all mine,

    and I’m keeping it to myself.

You can have your vast vineyards, Solomon,

    you and your greedy guests!

13 Oh, lady of the gardens,

    my friends are with me listening.

    Let me hear your voice!

The Woman

14 Run to me, dear lover.

    Come like a gazelle.

Leap like a wild stag

    on the spice mountains.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Today's Scripture

Proverbs 22:1–6

The Cure Comes Through Discipline

A sterling reputation is better than striking it rich;

    a gracious spirit is better than money in the bank.

2 The rich and the poor shake hands as equals—

    God made them both!

3 A prudent person sees trouble coming and ducks;

    a simpleton walks in blindly and is clobbered.

4 The payoff for meekness and Fear-of-God

    is plenty and honor and a satisfying life.

5 The perverse travel a dangerous road, potholed and mud-slick;

    if you know what’s good for you, stay clear of it.

6 Point your kids in the right direction—

    when they’re old they won’t be lost.

Insight

The book of Proverbs frequently emphasizes the importance of adults providing wise guidance and discipline for children. In Proverbs 29, parents are warned that “a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother” (v. 15), but if they discipline their children, “they will give you peace; they will bring you the delights you desire” (v. 17).

But these general principles on the wisdom and necessity of adults providing children guidance don’t imply that parents carry all the responsibility for their children’s choices. Other sections of the book nuance the picture. Proverbs is addressed to the young (1:4–7), emphasizing the importance of every person choosing to humbly listen to the voice of wisdom (v. 20; 2:2–5) and to rely on God for the wisdom only found in Him (2:5–6). Ironically, the man who wrote those words, Solomon, would stray from the paths of wisdom as an adult (1 Kings 11:9–11). By: Monica La Rose

Fighting “Flashy” Things

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

In the 1960s-era TV series The Andy Griffith Show, a man tells Andy he should let his son Opie decide how he wants to live. Andy disagrees: “You can’t let a young’un decide for himself. He’ll grab at the first flashy thing with shiny ribbons on it. Then, when he finds out there’s a hook in it, it’s too late. Wrong ideas come packaged with so much glitter that it’s hard to convince them that other things might be better in the long run.” He concludes that it’s important for parents to model right behavior and help “keep temptation away.”

Andy’s words are related to the wisdom found in Proverbs: “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it” (22:6). Although many may read these words as a promise, they're really a guide. All of us are called to make our own decision to believe in Jesus. But we can help lay a biblical foundation through our love for God and Scripture. And we can pray that as the little ones under our care mature, they choose to receive Christ as Savior and walk in His ways and not “in the paths of the wicked” (v. 5). 

Our own victory over “flashy things” through the Holy Spirit’s enabling is also powerful testimony. Jesus’ Spirit helps us to withstand temptation and molds our lives into examples worth imitating. By:  Alyson Kieda

Reflect & Pray

Why is it helpful to remember that Proverbs 22:6 isn’t a promise but a wise principle? Who can you help to “train up”?

Dear Father, help me to instill Your values into the hearts of the children You’ve placed in my life.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Leave Room for God

When it pleased God… —Galatians 1:15

As servants of God, we must learn to make room for Him— to give God “elbow room.” We plan and figure and predict that this or that will happen, but we forget to make room for God to come in as He chooses. Would we be surprised if God came into our meeting or into our preaching in a way we had never expected Him to come? Do not look for God to come in a particular way, but do look for Him. The way to make room for Him is to expect Him to come, but not in a certain way. No matter how well we may know God, the great lesson to learn is that He may break in at any minute. We tend to overlook this element of surprise, yet God never works in any other way. Suddenly—God meets our life “…when it pleased God….”

Keep your life so constantly in touch with God that His surprising power can break through at any point. Live in a constant state of expectancy, and leave room for God to come in as He decides.

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: Exodus 12-13; Matthew 16

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

FEAR THAT CAN COST A LIFE - #9403

It may have been the most defining moment in a generation - the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Most of us were marked indelibly by just watching it on television. My friend Mark lived it. It was his first visit to New York, and his business took him high up in one of the Twin Towers. After the attacks, there was still great confusion as to whether to evacuate or stay in the building, Mark disregarded the announcement to "return to your office." That decision saved his life.

He made his way down that long stairwell until he neared the bottom. The rescuers were there. They guided him and a lot of others with him to a safe exit, not long before that tower collapsed in those few unforgettable and horrific moments. I'll never forget when Mark told me about the firefighters he saw as he neared the main floor. He said, "Ron, I looked in their eyes and I thought, 'They've got to be as frightened as I am.' Except I was going down, and they were going up." Is it any wonder we call them heroes?

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Fear That Can Cost A Life."

When rescuers go into a deadly situation in order to save lives, are they afraid? Yeah they are. Does their fear decide what they'll do? No it doesn't. When the Bible talks about rescue, it's not just referring to saving a person so they can live maybe 30 or 40 more years here on earth. When God talks rescue, He's talking about saving a person so they can live forever. Some of the spiritually dying people that Jesus came to save actually work where you work, live where you live, go to school where you go to school, participate in the things you participate in. And He's placed a rescuer in their lives so they can have a chance at Jesus, and a chance at heaven. You probably looked at that rescuer this morning in the mirror.

And what is it that keeps most of us who know Christ from actually talking with the people we know about the Jesus they don't know? Isn't it pretty much fear? We're afraid of what they might think, how it might affect our relationship, what we might lose, how we might mess it up. All too often, our fear decides it. We remain silent, and they remain unwarned and lost.

In Exodus 3, beginning with verse 8, our word for today from the Word of God, the Lord is telling Moses He's no longer going to tolerate the slavery and misery of His people. He says, "I have come down to rescue them." I can just hear Moses saying, "Oh great! Great! That's great!" Then the Lord says, "Now, go. I am sending you." I can just hear Moses saying, "Oh no!" He wants the people He cares about to be rescued, but he's afraid to be the one to try it. Just like us, when God says, "I'm sending you to rescue the people around you." God's answer? "I will be with you...Go, and I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." And Moses becomes God's rescuer.

A correspondent who observed the heroism of the GI's who stormed the beaches on D-Day, he said he knew that they were afraid, but they still went in. The correspondent made this incredible observation. He said, "Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the disregard of it."

That's what will finally give the people you know their chance to belong to Jesus - God's courage in you that will not be the absence of fear. Mine has never gone away. It will be the disregard of that fear. It will no longer be the fear that decides what you do. For two reasons: one, you are simply going to be God's glove, with His hand in your life helping you do what you thought you could never do. And two, because there is a greater fear than what might happen if you do try to rescue that person. It's the fear of what might happen to them if you don't. Nothing could be worse than that.

The heroism of saving a life? It isn't reserved for those who aren't afraid, but for those who disregard their fear because a life is at stake! And you can't just let them die.

Song of Solomon 7 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: A COMMON SAVIOR - January 24, 2023

Walls separated Philip from the eunuch. The Ethiopian was dark skinned; Philip was light. The official hailed from Africa; Philip grew up nearby. The traveler was rich enough to travel. Philip was a simple refugee, banished from Jerusalem. Philip was the father of four girls. The official was a eunuch.

But Philip “preached Jesus to him…And the eunuch said,…“What hinders me from being baptized?’” (Acts 8:35-36 NKJV). Philip, charter member of the bigotry-demolition team, invited, “If you believe with all your heart, you may” (v. 37). Next thing you know, the eunuch is stepping out of the baptism waters, and the church has her first non-Jewish convert.

The cross of Christ creates a new people, a people unhindered by skin color or family feud. A new citizenry, based not on common ancestry or geography, but on a common Savior.

Song of Solomon 7

Shapely and graceful your sandaled feet,

    and queenly your movement—

Your limbs are lithe and elegant,

    the work of a master artist.

Your body is a chalice,

    wine-filled.

Your skin is silken and tawny

    like a field of wheat touched by the breeze.

Your breasts are like fawns,

    twins of a gazelle.

Your neck is carved ivory, curved and slender.

    Your eyes are wells of light, deep with mystery.

    Quintessentially feminine!

Your profile turns all heads,

    commanding attention.

The feelings I get when I see the high mountain ranges

    —stirrings of desire, longings for the heights—

Remind me of you,

    and I’m spoiled for anyone else!

Your beauty, within and without, is absolute,

    dear lover, close companion.

You are tall and supple, like the palm tree,

    and your full breasts are like sweet clusters of dates.

I say, “I’m going to climb that palm tree!

    I’m going to caress its fruit!”

Oh yes! Your breasts

    will be clusters of sweet fruit to me,

Your breath clean and cool like fresh mint,

    your tongue and lips like the best wine.

The Woman

9-12 Yes, and yours are, too—my love’s kisses

    flow from his lips to mine.

I am my lover’s.

    I’m all he wants. I’m all the world to him!

Come, dear lover—

    let’s tramp through the countryside.

Let’s sleep at some wayside inn,

    then rise early and listen to bird-song.

Let’s look for wildflowers in bloom,

    blackberry bushes blossoming white,

Fruit trees adorned

    with cascading flowers.

And there I’ll give myself to you,

    my love to your love!

13 Love-apples drench us with fragrance,

    fertility surrounds, suffuses us,

Fruits fresh and preserved

    that I’ve kept and saved just for you, my love.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Today's Scripture

Matthew 13:44–46

d’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic—what a find!—and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field.

45-46 “Or, God’s kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for exquisite pearls. Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it.

Insight

The two brief parables in Matthew 13:44–46 appear amid the telling of seven parables on the kingdom of heaven (vv. 1–52). After Jesus told the first parable (the farmer scattering seed, vv. 3–9), His disciples asked why He always spoke in parables (v. 10). His answer was telling: “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them” (v. 11). He told the disciples, “Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear” (v. 16). Then He explained the parable (vv. 18–23). The disciples desired to know the true meaning of Jesus’ words, and their desire was rewarded. They’d left everything to follow Him. In essence, they were living out the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl (vv. 44–46) because they were receptive to the message of the gospel. They’d found the treasure. By: Tim Gustafson

No Loss

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure. Matthew 13:44

My friend Ruel attended a high school reunion held in a former classmate’s home. The waterfront mansion near Manila Bay could accommodate two hundred attendees, and it made Ruel feel small. 

“I’ve had many happy years of pastoring remote rural churches,” Ruel told me, “and even though I know I shouldn’t, I couldn’t help but feel envious of my classmate’s material wealth. My thoughts strayed to how different life might be if I’d used my degree to become a businessman instead.”

“But I later reminded myself there’s nothing to feel envious about,” Ruel continued with a smile. “I invested my life in serving God, and the results will last for eternity.” I’ll always remember the peaceful look on his face as he said those words.

Ruel drew peace from Jesus’ parables in Matthew 13:44-46. He knew that God’s kingdom is the ultimate treasure. Seeking and living for His kingdom might take various forms. For some, it might mean full-time ministry, while for others, it may be living out the gospel in a secular workplace. Regardless of how God chooses to use us, we can continue to trust and obey His leading, knowing, like the men in Jesus’ parables, the value of the imperishable treasure we’ve been given. Everything in this world has infinitely less worth than all we gain by following God (1 Peter 1:4-5).

Our life, when placed in His hands, can bear eternal fruit. By:  Karen Huang

Reflect & Pray

What have you had to live without for the sake of following God? How does Matthew 13:44–46 encourage you? 

Father, let each day of my life be a celebration of the treasure I’ve found in You.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

God’s Overpowering Purpose

I have appeared to you for this purpose… —Acts 26:16

The vision Paul had on the road to Damascus was not a passing emotional experience, but a vision that had very clear and emphatic directions for him. And Paul stated, “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19). Our Lord said to Paul, in effect, “Your whole life is to be overpowered or subdued by Me; you are to have no end, no aim, and no purpose but Mine.” And the Lord also says to us, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go…” (John 15:16).

When we are born again, if we are spiritual at all, we have visions of what Jesus wants us to be. It is important that I learn not to be “disobedient to the heavenly vision” — not to doubt that it can be attained. It is not enough to give mental assent to the fact that God has redeemed the world, nor even to know that the Holy Spirit can make all that Jesus did a reality in my life. I must have the foundation of a personal relationship with Him. Paul was not given a message or a doctrine to proclaim. He was brought into a vivid, personal, overpowering relationship with Jesus Christ. Acts 26:16 is tremendously compelling “…to make you a minister and a witness….” There would be nothing there without a personal relationship. Paul was devoted to a Person, not to a cause. He was absolutely Jesus Christ’s. He saw nothing else and he lived for nothing else. “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

To those who have had no agony Jesus says, “I have nothing for you; stand on your own feet, square your own shoulders. I have come for the man who knows he has a bigger handful than he can cope with, who knows there are forces he cannot touch; I will do everything for him if he will let Me. Only let a man grant he needs it, and I will do it for him.” The Shadow of an Agony, 1166 R

Bible in a Year: Exodus 9-11; Matthew 15:21-39

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

When You've Got Religion, But No Power - #9402

I have carpenter friends who never leave home without their tools. There are doctors who never leave home without a stethoscope. And I can understand those kinds of things, but what about a friend of one of my friends who is an electrician. Well, he always carries an outlet box with him - you know, the thing in your wall you plug your things into. But that's all this electrician carries - just the outlet box. He says he carries it just in case he's in a situation where there's a power outage and no electricity available. Now, listen, there's probably something I don't understand here but, like is this going to help?

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When You've Got Religion, But No Power."

So what if you plug an appliance into Mr. Electrician's outlet box? Now if it was connected to some power, you're in business. But with just a little outlet box, you're just plugging into powerlessness. Tragically, that's what all too many sincere people are doing spiritually - maybe you.

The Bible describes those of us who are plugging into something spiritual, something religious, maybe something Christian and coming up powerless. It's in our word for today from the Word of God in 2 Timothy 3:5, God describes some of us as "having a form of godliness, but denying its power." They've got the form, but without the power, like the electrician with his disconnected power box.

Now, if you're listening to this program, and to this station, or catching this on the Internet, you're probably a religious person, possibly even a person with some strong Christian beliefs. It's possible you have church, you have Christianity, you certainly have a "form of godliness," but maybe you don't have Christ. And without a genuine personal relationship with Jesus, Christianity, morality, spirituality is just an outlet without power.

So many of us are struggling with a spiritual power failure. With all our spiritual activity, we still haven't found the power to change our dark side; to conquer the baggage of our past. We can't master those weaknesses that have always brought us down. We haven't found the power to control the passions that just keep controlling us, or to get free from the guilt and shame of the past.

And with so much pressure on you, there just doesn't seem to be the power to handle it all. Your spirituality, your religion may give you some spiritual experiences, but that's not the power we really need. We need spiritual power that changes the things about us we've never been able to change, and to beat the things that have always beaten us.

Well, in 2 Corinthians 5:17 in the Bible, God points us to the real thing. He says, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" There it is; that's the transforming power you've been looking for all your life! And you plug into it when you are "in Christ." And that begins when you, in your heart, go to the cross where Jesus died for all the sin that has stained your life for so long, and you stand there where your death penalty is being paid by the Son of God and you say, "Lord, I am Yours."

If you've never really begun this transforming relationship with Jesus Christ and you want to, be sure to express to Him your total trust in Him to be your spiritual rescuer from your sin. And let me encourage you, go to our website. I've laid out there in simple terms and briefly the way to begin a relationship with Jesus so you can be sure that you have. The website - ANewStory.com.

This could be your day to plug into the power that birthed the universe - the power that was able to blow the doors off His grave and walk out of that grave and conquer death on Easter morning. Isn't it time for you to move from the powerlessness of religion to the awesome power of a love relationship with the very Son of God, Jesus Christ?

Song of Solomon 6 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

 

Max Lucado Daily: A WALL FALLS - January 23, 2023

“Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans” (John 4:9 NLT). The two cultures had hated each other for a thousand years. Most Jews would gladly double the length of their trip rather than go through Samaria.

Jesus, however, played by a different set of rules. He loves to break down walls. That’s why he sent Philip to Samaria. And when he did, the city broke out into a revival. Peter and John traveled from Jerusalem to Samaria to confirm it. According to verses 15 to 17 of Acts chapter 8, “…as yet [the Holy Spirit] had fallen upon none of them…Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”

Why delay the gift? Simple. To celebrate the falling of a wall. The gospel, for the first time, was breaching an ancient bias. Let any doubt be gone: God accepts all people.

Song of Solomon 6

The Chorus

So where has this love of yours gone,

    fair one?

Where on earth can he be?

    Can we help you look for him?

The Woman

2-3 Never mind. My lover is already on his way to his garden,

    to browse among the flowers, touching the colors and forms.

I am my lover’s and my lover is mine.

    He caresses the sweet-smelling flowers.

The Man

4-7 Dear, dear friend and lover,

    you’re as beautiful as Tirzah, city of delights,

Lovely as Jerusalem, city of dreams,

    the ravishing visions of my ecstasy.

Your beauty is too much for me—I’m in over my head.

    I’m not used to this! I can’t take it in.

Your hair flows and shimmers

    like a flock of goats in the distance

    streaming down a hillside in the sunshine.

Your smile is generous and full—

    expressive and strong and clean.

Your veiled cheeks

    are soft and radiant.

8-9 There’s no one like her on earth,

    never has been, never will be.

She’s a woman beyond compare.

    My dove is perfection,

Pure and innocent as the day she was born,

    and cradled in joy by her mother.

Everyone who came by to see her

    exclaimed and admired her—

All the fathers and mothers, the neighbors and friends,

    blessed and praised her:

10 “Has anyone ever seen anything like this—

    dawn-fresh, moon-lovely, sun-radiant,

    ravishing as the night sky with its galaxies of stars?”

11-12 One day I went strolling through the orchard,

    looking for signs of spring,

Looking for buds about to burst into flower,

    anticipating readiness, ripeness.

Before I knew it my heart was raptured,

    carried away by lofty thoughts!

13 Dance, dance, dear Shulammite, Angel-Princess!

    Dance, and we’ll feast our eyes on your grace!

Everyone wants to see the Shulammite dance

    her victory dances of love and peace.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Monday, January 23, 2023

Today's Scripture

Luke 15:1–10

The Story of the Lost Sheep

By this time a lot of men and women of questionable reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, “He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.” Their grumbling triggered this story.

4-7 “Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Celebrate with me! I’ve found my lost sheep!’ Count on it—there’s more joy in heaven over one sinner’s rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.

The Story of the Lost Coin

8-10 “Or imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and scour the house, looking in every nook and cranny until she finds it? And when she finds it you can be sure she’ll call her friends and neighbors: ‘Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!’ Count on it—that’s the kind of party God’s angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God.”

Insight

Tax collectors were seen as betraying their people by colluding with the Roman government. Many tax collectors abused their role by taking more money than required for taxes and keeping the surplus for themselves (Luke 3:12–13). Scholars aren’t sure what specifically caused people to be labeled “sinners” (15:1), but these persons too would have been excluded from the religious community.

Luke portrays these social and religious outcasts sympathetically. Tax collectors came to John the Baptist eager to know how to repent (3:12). Jesus called Levi the tax collector to follow Him, and Levi immediately did, then hosted a banquet for Him (5:27–30). A woman the Pharisees described as a sinner (7:39) is praised by Christ for her faith (v. 50). Luke argued that those who know they’re sinners are most likely to hear and follow Jesus (5:31–32; 15:1). By: Monica La Rose

Lost, Found, Joy

Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep. Luke 15:6

“They call me ‘the ringmaster.’ So far this year I’ve found 167 lost rings.”

During a walk on the beach with my wife, Cari, we struck up a conversation with an older man who was using a metal detector to scan an area just below the surf line. “Sometimes rings have names on them,” he explained, “and I love seeing their owners’ faces when I return them. I post online and check to see if anyone contacted lost and found. I’ve found rings missing for years.” When we mentioned that I enjoy metal detecting as well but didn’t do it frequently, his parting words were, “You never know unless you go!”           

We find another kind of “search and rescue” in Luke 15. Jesus was criticized for caring about people who were far from God (vv. 1–2). In reply, He told three stories about things that were lost and then found—a sheep, a coin, and a son. The man who finds the lost sheep “joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me’ ” (vv. 5–6). All the stories are ultimately about finding lost people for Christ, and the joy that comes as they’re found in Him.

Jesus came “to seek and to save the lost” (19:10), and He calls us to follow Him in loving people back to God (see Matthew 28:19). The joy of seeing others turn to Him awaits. We’ll never know unless we go. By:  James Banks

Reflect & Pray

What joy have you seen when people turn to God? How will you point others to Jesus’ love today?

Thank You, Jesus, for finding and loving me! Please send me in Your joy to another who needs You today.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Monday, January 23, 2023

Transformed by Beholding

We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image… —2 Corinthians 3:18

The greatest characteristic a Christian can exhibit is this completely unveiled openness before God, which allows that person’s life to become a mirror for others. When the Spirit fills us, we are transformed, and by beholding God we become mirrors. You can always tell when someone has been beholding the glory of the Lord, because your inner spirit senses that he mirrors the Lord’s own character. Beware of anything that would spot or tarnish that mirror in you. It is almost always something good that will stain it— something good, but not what is best.

The most important rule for us is to concentrate on keeping our lives open to God. Let everything else including work, clothes, and food be set aside. The busyness of things obscures our concentration on God. We must maintain a position of beholding Him, keeping our lives completely spiritual through and through. Let other things come and go as they will; let other people criticize us as they will; but never allow anything to obscure the life that “is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). Never let a hurried lifestyle disturb the relationship of abiding in Him. This is an easy thing to allow, but we must guard against it. The most difficult lesson of the Christian life is learning how to continue “beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord….”

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The measure of the worth of our public activity for God is the private profound communion we have with Him.… We have to pitch our tents where we shall always have quiet times with God, however noisy our times with the world may be. My Utmost for His Highest, January 6, 736 R

Bible in a Year: Exodus 7-8; Matthew 15:1-20

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Monday, January 23, 2023

WHEN YOU'RE TIRED OF CLIMBING - #9401

I was speaking at a Christian conference center in the Midwest; actually, speaking at least three times a day there! Don't feel bad for me. No, feel bad for the people who had to listen to me all those times! After about three days, I decided to grab some break time to do something I had wanted to do since I arrived. I wanted to climb this monster sand dune that's not far from the conference center. It was just sitting there all week saying, "Climb me, Ron! Climb me!" So I grabbed a couple of friends and we started trudging up this huge mountain of sand. At first, we were charging up that dune, all full of energy. But if you've ever climbed a sand dune, you know it gets pretty exhausting pretty fast. After a while, you could hear the huffing and the puffing and you could feel the steps slowing down. My climbing partners were starting to lose their enthusiasm for the rest of the climb - especially when they looked up and saw how far we still had to go. So I encouraged them to stop for a minute and rest, and to look down. We needed to look at how far we had come - not just how far we still had to go.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When You're Tired Of Climbing."

It could be that you're climbing a pretty steep slope right now. It's been a long climb, and as you look ahead, you've still got a long way to go, maybe spiritually, maybe emotionally, maybe in getting through a time of great pain, or a great need. Maybe it's in working through some family problems. And right now you're battling some discouragement, maybe some feelings of giving up, maybe it's just deep weariness. You're discouraged by how much is left to do; the amount of ground you still have to cover. And it might be bringing you to a standstill.

I want to encourage you to hang onto our word for today from the Word of God like a drowning person would hang onto a life preserver. It's Philippians 1:6. "Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." See, what Jesus starts, Jesus finishes. And He's started something in your life, and He's not about to stop before He finishes it.

You can draw from that promise the courage to take the next step, and to keep going when you feel like quitting. That day we actually finished our climb - that great sand dune conquest. And the view from the top was inspiring; not to mention the exhilaration and the satisfaction of knowing we had reached our goal, no matter how hard it was.

What helped us finish may help you finish, too. If you focus on how far you've got to go, you're going to be discouraged. But you need to look back at where you were before you started climbing - way down at the bottom of that mountain, looking at climbing the whole thing. Look at how far you've come! Look at how far Jesus has brought you! The same Lord who brought you from the bottom to this point will take you the rest of the way!

Something else helped on that day we climbed the big dune. We didn't keep looking at how far we had to go - we concentrated on taking the next step. God's promised strength for our days, mercies that are new every morning, a cross you pick up one day at a time. So all you need to do is take that next step. Don't get all weighed down thinking about all the steps ahead, just that next one. The Bible says, "The steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord, and he delights in his way" (Psalm 37:23).

Yes, it's been a long climb, and yes, you have a ways to go yet. But look at the work Jesus has already done; look at how far He's brought you. Just keep taking that next step. Your Lord has promised He'll take you all the way to the top!