1 Chronicles 13, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: A RANSOM FOR MANY - August 2, 2023

Matthew 20:28 says of Jesus, “The Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”

As a young boy, I read a Russian fable about a master and a servant who went on a journey. Before they reached their destination they were caught in a blizzard and lost their direction. When they were found the master was frozen to death, face down in the snow. When they lifted him they found the servant, cold but alive. The master had voluntarily placed himself on top of the servant so the servant could live.

Jesus did the same for you. Jesus wears a sovereign crown, but he bears a father’s heart. The King who suffers for the peasant, the Master who sacrifices himself for the servant. He is the Son of Man who came to serve and give his life as a ransom for you.

And the Angels Were Silent: Walking with Christ Toward the Cross

Read more And the Angels Were Silent: Walking with Christ Toward the Cross

1 Chronicles 13

Bringing Back the Ark

David conferred with each of his officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2 He then said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you and if it is the will of the Lord our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our people throughout the territories of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites who are with them in their towns and pasturelands, to come and join us. 3 Let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we did not inquire of[a] it[b] during the reign of Saul.” 4 The whole assembly agreed to do this, because it seemed right to all the people.

5 So David assembled all Israel, from the Shihor River in Egypt to Lebo Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim. 6 David and all Israel went to Baalah of Judah (Kiriath Jearim) to bring up from there the ark of God the Lord, who is enthroned between the cherubim—the ark that is called by the Name.

7 They moved the ark of God from Abinadab’s house on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding it. 8 David and all the Israelites were celebrating with all their might before God, with songs and with harps, lyres, timbrels, cymbals and trumpets.

9 When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled. 10 The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God.

11 Then David was angry because the Lord’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.[c]

12 David was afraid of God that day and asked, “How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?” 13 He did not take the ark to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 14 The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house for three months, and the Lord blessed his household and everything he had.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Wednesday, August 02, 2023

Today's Scripture & Insight:

Ezekiel 34:1–2, 7–12

When the Sheep Get Scattered

1–6  34 God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherd-leaders of Israel. Yes, prophesy! Tell those shepherds, ‘God, the Master, says: Doom to you shepherds of Israel, feeding your own mouths! Aren’t shepherds supposed to feed sheep?

 “ ‘Therefore, shepherds, listen to the Message of God: As sure as I am the living God—Decree of God, the Master—because my sheep have been turned into mere prey, into easy meals for wolves because you shepherds ignored them and only fed yourselves, listen to what God has to say:

10  “ ‘Watch out! I’m coming down on the shepherds and taking my sheep back. They’re fired as shepherds of my sheep. No more shepherds who just feed themselves! I’ll rescue my sheep from their greed. They’re not going to feed off my sheep any longer!

11–16  “ ‘God, the Master, says: From now on, I myself am the shepherd. I’m going looking for them. As shepherds go after their flocks when they get scattered, I’m going after my sheep. I’ll rescue them from all the places they’ve been scattered to in the storms.

Insight

We’re familiar with Jesus being referred to as the Good Shepherd in the New Testament (John 10:11), but that metaphor had its origins in Ezekiel. God promised to reject the failed shepherds of the people (Ezekiel 34:10), which Jesus in turn identified as the leaders of Israel in His day (Matthew 9:36; Mark 6:34; John 10:1–6). God promised to be Israel’s shepherd Himself (Ezekiel 34:11–16).

When Jesus tells the story of the lost sheep (Luke 15:1–7) or calls Himself the Good Shepherd (John 10:1–18), He’s claiming to be the shepherd, like David, who’d rescue all God’s lost sheep (Ezekiel 34:22–24). Long ago, God promised to shepherd His people. In Jesus, we see that promise fulfilled. By: Jed Ostoich

The Powerful and the Weak

Woe to you . . . . You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick. Ezekiel 34:2, 4

Perhaps the most heartwarming tradition in college football happens at the University of Iowa. The Stead Family Children’s Hospital sits next to Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium, and the hospital’s top floor has floor-to-ceiling windows offering a great view of the field. On game days, sick children and their families fill the floor to watch the action below, and at the end of the first quarter, coaches, athletes, and thousands of fans turn to the hospital and wave. For those few moments, the children’s eyes light up. It’s powerful to see the athletes, with a packed stadium and thousands more watching on TV, pause and show they care.

The Scriptures instruct those who have power (and all of us have some kind of power) to care for those who are weak, watch over those who are struggling, and tend to those whose bodies are broken. Too often, though, we ignore those in need of attention (Ezekiel 34:6). The prophet Ezekiel rebuked Israel’s leaders for their selfishness, for disregarding those who most needed help. “Woe to you,” God said through Ezekiel. “You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured” (vv. 2, 4).

How often do our personal priorities, leadership philosophies, or economic policies demonstrate little regard for those in distress? God shows us a different way, where those with power watch out for those who are weak (vv. 11–12). By:  Winn Collier

Reflect & Pray

How have you seen those with power watch out for the weak? How have they ignored the weak?

Heavenly Father, teach me to love as You love.

For further study, read Going the Extra Mile: Learning to Serve like Jesus.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Wednesday, August 02, 2023

The Teaching of Adversity

In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. —John 16:33

The typical view of the Christian life is that it means being delivered from all adversity. But it actually means being delivered in adversity, which is something very different. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling…” (Psalm 91:1,10)— the place where you are at one with God.

If you are a child of God, you will certainly encounter adversities, but Jesus says you should not be surprised when they come. “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” He is saying, “There is nothing for you to fear.” The same people who refused to talk about their adversities before they were saved often complain and worry after being born again because they have the wrong idea of what it means to live the life of a saint.

God does not give us overcoming life— He gives us life as we overcome. The strain of life is what builds our strength. If there is no strain, there will be no strength. Are you asking God to give you life, liberty, and joy? He cannot, unless you are willing to accept the strain. And once you face the strain, you will immediately get the strength. Overcome your own timidity and take the first step. Then God will give you nourishment— “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life…” (Revelation 2:7). If you completely give of yourself physically, you become exhausted. But when you give of yourself spiritually, you get more strength. God never gives us strength for tomorrow, or for the next hour, but only for the strain of the moment. Our temptation is to face adversities from the standpoint of our own common sense. But a saint can “be of good cheer” even when seemingly defeated by adversities, because victory is absurdly impossible to everyone, except God.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The life of Abraham is an illustration of two things: of unreserved surrender to God, and of God’s complete possession of a child of His for His own highest end. Not Knowing Whither, 901 R

Bible in a Year: Psalms 60-62; Romans 5

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Wednesday, August 02, 2023

Undervalued - #9538

I guess it might be nice to own a copy of the Declaration of Independence. It's not on my top ten list of things I'd like to have, but if it's cheap, why not? That's what Michael Sparks thought when he bought a copy of the Declaration in a thrift store. Yeah, he spent a whopping $2.48. What a deal! It turns out what he bought for $2.48 is one of the 200 "official copies" commissioned by John Quincy Adams in 1820. So, the man who bought it for $2.48, sold it for almost half a million dollars!

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

Somebody looked at an old copy of a document and made a serious mistake. They just really undervalued it big-time! Of course, we make that mistake too, with people. It's happened to someone who's listening right now. You've been undervalued many times, maybe by lots of people. It's to the point where you've come to believe yourself that you're not really worth that much. How could you be after the names you've been called, the rejection you've experienced, those failed relationships, and the ways you've been treated?

I've got news for you. None of those people have any idea what you're really worth, anymore than some merchant knew what a rare Declaration of Independence was worth. But somebody knows, and they will pay a lot for it.

Someone knows what you're really worth, and you can tell because of how much He paid for you. He is no one less than the Son of God. Here's how the Bible puts it: "You are not your own; you were bought at a price" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). See, the price that Jesus paid for you is spelled out graphically in our word for today from the Word of God in Revelation 5:9. The inhabitants of heaven are saying, "You were slain, and with Your blood You purchased men for God." Jesus thought you were worth the shedding of His blood; the blood of the one and only Son of God. Think about that cross where Jesus hung with nails in His hands and feet, and a crown of thorns jammed on His head, a spear driven into His side, and say these two words, "For me."

That's how bad your sin was. That's what it took to pay for your sin and mine. And that's how big God's love is for you. He did that so He would not lose you. Sin is serious business. It's living the way you want to live instead of the way your Creator put you here to live. It's the spiritual hijacking of your life from the One who gave it to you in the first place. And hijacking is punishable by a death penalty. I deserved that penalty. But Jesus stepped in and said, "Take me instead." In the words of the Bible, "He loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). He really, really loves you. He's the One who gave you your worth when He made you. You are His one-of-a-kind original. He wants to restore the worth that sin has taken from you.

But you have to choose Him. He won't force His way into your life. You have to invite Him in. That invitation involves a lifetime choice to turn from running your own life and putting your life in His hands, where it's belonged all along. It's a step of total trust in Jesus as being the only hope of having your sins forgiven, your only hope of going to heaven, of experiencing the love you were made for. He's waiting for you to tell Him with all your heart, "Jesus, I am Yours." After all He's paid for you, is there any reason not to trust Him?

On our website, I've laid out a simple explanation of just how you can be sure you belong to Him. I encourage you to go there right away today. Check it out for yourself. It's ANewStory.com. You'll find a lot of hope there.

His love will show you how very much you're worth, because honestly, nobody loves you like Jesus.

1 Chronicles 12 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: A PASSION FOR THE FORGOTTEN - August 1, 2023

A day late and a dollar short. One brick short of a load. You pick the phrase – the result is the same. Get told enough times that only the rotten fruit gets left in the bin, and you begin to believe it. You begin to believe you’re too little, too late.

God has a peculiar passion for the forgotten. Have you noticed? See his hand on the skin of the leper? See the face of the prostitute cupped in Jesus’s hands? See him with his arm around little Zacchaeus? God wants us to get the message: what society puts out, God puts in. What the world writes off, God picks up. Why did he pick you? He wanted to. After all, you are his. And he made you. No matter how long you’ve waited or how much time you’ve wasted, you are his. And he has a place for you.

Read more And the Angels Were Silent: Walking with Christ Toward the Cross

1 Chronicles 12

These are the men who joined David in Ziklag; it was during the time he was banished by Saul the son of Kish; they were among the Mighty Men, good fighters. They were armed with bows and could sling stones and shoot arrows either right- or left-handed. They hailed from Saul’s tribe, Ben-jamin.

3–7  The first was Ahiezer; then Joash son of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Beracah; Jehu the Anathothite; Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a Mighty Man among the Thirty, a leader of the Thirty; Jeremiah; Jahaziel; Johanan; Jozabad the Gederathite; Eluzai; Jerimoth; Bealiah; Shemariah; Shephatiah the Haruphite; Elkanah; Isshiah; Azarel; Joezer; Jashobeam; the Korahites; and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham from Gedor.

8–15  There were some Gadites there who had defected to David at his wilderness fortress; they were seasoned and eager fighters who knew how to handle shield and spear. They were wild in appearance, like lions, but as agile as gazelles racing across the hills. Ezer was the first, then Obadiah, Eliab, Mishmannah, Jeremiah, Attai, Eliel, Johanan, Elzabad, Jeremiah, and Macbannai—eleven of them. These Gadites were the cream of the crop—any one of them was worth a hundred lesser men, and the best of them were worth a thousand. They were the ones who crossed the Jordan when it was at flood stage in the first month, and put everyone in the lowlands to flight, both east and west.

16–17  There were also men from the tribes of Ben-jamin and Judah who joined David in his wilderness fortress. When David went out to meet them, this is what he said: “If you have come in peace and to help me, you are most welcome to join this company; but if you have come to betray me to my enemies, innocent as I am, the God of our ancestors will see through you and bring judgment on you.”

18  Just then Amasai chief of the Thirty, moved by God’s Spirit, said,

We’re on your side, O David,

We’re committed, O son of Jesse;

All is well, yes, all is well with you,

And all’s well with whoever helps you.

Yes, for your God has helped and does help you.

So David took them on and assigned them a place under the chiefs of the raiders.

19  Some from the tribe of Manasseh also defected to David when he started out with the Philistines to go to war against Saul. In the end, they didn’t actually fight because the Philistine leaders, after talking it over, sent them home, saying, “We can’t trust them with our lives—they’ll betray us to their master Saul.”

20–22  The men from Manasseh who defected to David at Ziklag were Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, all leaders among the families of Manasseh. They helped David in his raids against the desert bandits; they were all stalwart fighters and good leaders among his raiders. Hardly a day went by without men showing up to help—it wasn’t long before his band seemed as large as God’s own army!

23–37  Here are the statistics on the battle-seasoned warriors who came down from the north to David at Hebron to hand over Saul’s kingdom, in accord with God’s word: from Judah, carrying shield and spear, 6,800 battle-ready; from Simeon, 7,100 stalwart fighters; from Levi, 4,600, which included Jehoiada leader of the family of Aaron, bringing 3,700 men and the young and stalwart Zadok with twenty-two leaders from his family; from Ben-jamin, Saul’s family, 3,000, most of whom had stuck it out with Saul until now; from Ephraim, 20,800, fierce fighters and famous in their hometowns; from the half-tribe of Manasseh, 18,000 elected to come and make David king; from Issachar, men who understood both the times and Israel’s duties, 200 leaders with their families; from Zebulun, 50,000 well-equipped veteran warriors, unswervingly loyal; from Naphtali, 1,000 chiefs leading 37,000 men heavily armed; from Dan, 28,600 battle-ready men; from Asher, 40,000 veterans, battle-ready; and from East of Jordan, men from Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, heavily armed, 120,000.

38–40  All these soldiers came to David at Hebron, ready to fight if necessary; they were both united and determined to make David king over all Israel. And everyone else in Israel was of the same mind—“Make David king!” They were with David for three days of feasting celebration, with food and drink supplied by their families. Neighbors ranging from as far north as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali arrived with donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen loaded down with food for the party: flour, fig cakes, raisin cakes, wine, oil, cattle, and sheep—joy in Israel!

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Tuesday, August 01, 2023

Today's Scripture

Luke 18:15–17

People brought babies to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. When the disciples saw it, they shooed them off. Jesus called them back. “Let these children alone. Don’t get between them and me. These children are the kingdom’s pride and joy. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.”

Insight

Each of the four gospels has a primary feature that the writer, under the Spirit’s inspiration, uses to tell the story of Jesus. For example, in Matthew, the telling of the story is wrapped around five major teaching blocks that mirror the five books of Moses (Genesis–Deuteronomy). In Mark, Jesus first reveals who He is then prepares the disciples for why He came. John’s gospel focuses on miracles that prove His identity.

In Luke’s gospel, the main feature is often referred to as “Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem.” It begins when Christ “set out for Jerusalem” (9:51) and concludes at the triumphal entry (19:28–48). The gospel of Luke was the product of careful research (1:1–4) meant to prepare the reader for what was coming at Jerusalem—the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. It’s amazing how the Holy Spirit used different men with very different strategies to tell the greatest story ever told.

Learn more about the uniqueness of the Gospel accounts. By: Bill Crowder

Faith of a Child

Jesus . . . said, “Let the little children come to me.”

Luke 18:16

As our adopted granny lay in her hospital bed after suffering several strokes, her doctors were unsure of the amount of brain damage she had endured. They needed to wait until she was a bit better to test her brain function. She spoke very few words and even fewer were understandable. But when the eighty-six-year-old woman who had babysat my daughter for twelve years saw me, she opened her parched mouth and asked: “How is Kayla?” The first words she spoke to me were about my child whom she had loved so freely and fully.

Jesus loved children too and put them in the forefront even though His disciples disapproved. Some parents would seek out Christ and present their children to Him. He chose to bless the children as He “[placed] his hands on them” (Luke 18:15). But not everyone was happy that He was blessing little ones. The disciples scolded the parents and asked them to quit bothering Jesus. But He intervened and said, “Let the little children come to me” (v. 16). He called them an example of how we should receive God’s kingdom—with simple dependence, trust, and sincerity.

Young children rarely have a hidden agenda. What you see is what you get. As our heavenly Father helps us regain childlike trust, may our faith and dependence on Him be as open as a child’s. By:  Katara Patton

Reflect & Pray

How can you imitate a child’s sincerity in your relationship with God? How do you bless children in your family and community?

Father, help me to be as open and sincere as a child as I receive Your kingdom.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Tuesday, August 01, 2023

Learning About His Ways

When Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples…He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities. —Matthew 11:1

He comes where He commands us to leave. If you stayed home when God told you to go because you were so concerned about your own people there, then you actually robbed them of the teaching of Jesus Christ Himself. When you obeyed and left all the consequences to God, the Lord went into your city to teach, but as long as you were disobedient, you blocked His way. Watch where you begin to debate with Him and put what you call your duty into competition with His commands. If you say, “I know that He told me to go, but my duty is here,” it simply means that you do not believe that Jesus means what He says.

He teaches where He instructs us not to teach. “Master…let us make three tabernacles…” (Luke 9:33).

Are we playing the part of an amateur providence, trying to play God’s role in the lives of others? Are we so noisy in our instruction of other people that God cannot get near them? We must learn to keep our mouths shut and our spirits alert. God wants to instruct us regarding His Son, and He wants to turn our times of prayer into mounts of transfiguration. When we become certain that God is going to work in a particular way, He will never work in that way again.

He works where He sends us to wait. “…tarry…until…” (Luke 24:49). “Wait on the Lord” and He will work (Psalm 37:34). But don’t wait sulking spiritually and feeling sorry for yourself, just because you can’t see one inch in front of you! Are we detached enough from our own spiritual fits of emotion to “wait patiently for Him”? (Psalm 37:7). Waiting is not sitting with folded hands doing nothing, but it is learning to do what we are told.

These are some of the facets of His ways that we rarely recognize.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

We must keep ourselves in touch, not with theories, but with people, and never get out of touch with human beings, if we are going to use the word of God skilfully amongst them.  Workmen of God, 1341 L

Bible in a Year: Psalms 57-59; Romans 4

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Tuesday, August 01, 2023

3 Dimensions of Knowing Jesus - #9537

Now, look, if we get together regularly by radio, we kind of have sort of a strange relationship. I mean you know me by radio, but maybe only by radio. Some people might think that gives you a break because they'd say, "Yeah, that's probably better we just know him by radio." You just know my voice, right; sort of a one-dimensional relationship. It's pretty amusing when people find out how I look. Yeah, they get this mental image of what they think I look like. One lady said "You don't look like yourself." What? I've never looked like anybody else. I'll be somewhere I'm speaking, they'll say, "Oh, we thought you looked different. This is it?" Yeah, this is it.

Now, occasionally I've had an opportunity to be on television. And maybe when I did a guest appearance on Wild Kingdom maybe that was it; you might have seen me there - Animal World. But, when I am on television, and if you were to see me there, you'd know me two dimensionally. You'd be able to see me and hear me. Frankly, what I enjoy most, I like meeting you in person, as I've had the opportunity maybe to be with you. And I do have that chance many times. We can shake hands, we can look each other in the eye, we can interact with each other instead of just being in a one-way conversation like today. And when you meet someone that you've only seen or heard before, you've got a 3-D, a three-dimensional relationship. And that's the best kind.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "3 Dimensions of Knowing Jesus."

Now, our word for today from the Word of God is found in John 12. I'll begin reading in verse 1. "Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with Him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume."

Did you notice there are three levels in this passage of being around Jesus? See, we have a Savior who can only be really known three-dimensionally. The problem is that usually maybe at least one of these dimensions is missing in a Christian's life. And following and knowing Christ is like a three-legged stool. You take one leg away, the stool keeps falling over. Now, the Christian life keeps falling over I guess you might say. Because maybe we're missing one of the parts of the relationship.

First it says here Martha served. Now, that's the first dimension of knowing Jesus - working... busy for the Lord. It's important to be sure that it's Him you're busy for; not the church, not some human leader. The question is, "Are you actively serving your Lord in some capacity?" There are things you can only know about Him that way. As you work for Jesus, you find out how much you need Him. Because you say, "Boy, I've got to have some resources beyond mine to serve Him with." And then you really really reach out for Him. You download Him.

Now, Lazarus, well he isn't working. He demonstrates what I call "withness." He's spending time with Jesus listening to Him. The way you listen to Him today is through what He wrote - the Bible. So are you regularly meeting with Jesus around His Word? Often the people who are working hard for the Lord, neglect their "with Him" time. And the "with" people who are spending time with Jesus maybe often aren't busy enough for the Lord. As you're consciously with Jesus, you find out what He wants you to do.

Now, Mary? She's the worshiper. She worships with lavish worship; extravagant appreciation, sincere humility, time to just stand back and see how big and loving and how in control your Lord is. Now, are you allowing regular time just to worship His majesty... to be awed by who He is? As you worship Jesus, you find out how awesome He really is. Some who have work time and with time are just cranking it out because they're missing time just to worship Him.

Those are three dimensions of knowing Jesus. The problem might be that one dimension is maybe out of focus for you, or maybe not even in the picture. So why not go for it all?

Work for Him. Be with Him. Worship Him.

1 Chronicles 10, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: JESUS TAKES OUR FEARS SERIOUSLY - July 31, 2023

Fear feels dreadful. It sucks the life out of the soul, curls us into an embryonic state, and drains us dry of contentment.  When fear shapes our lives, safety becomes our god. When safety becomes our god, we worship the risk-free life. The fear-filled cannot love deeply; love is risky. They cannot give to the poor. No wonder Jesus wages such a war against fear.

Jesus says, “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32 NKJV). The gospels list some 125 Christ-issued imperatives. Twenty-one urge us to “not be afraid” or “not fear” or “have courage” or “take heart” or “be of good cheer.” If quantity is any indicator, Jesus takes our fears seriously.

Calm Moments for Anxious Days

Read more Calm Moments for Anxious Days

1 Chronicles 10

 The Philistines went to war against Israel; the Israelites ran for their lives from the Philistines but fell, slaughtered on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines zeroed in on Saul and his sons and killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua. The battle went hard against Saul—the archers found him and wounded him. Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and finish me off before these pagan pigs get to me and make a sport of my body.” But his armor bearer, restrained by both reverence and fear, wouldn’t do it. So Saul took his own sword and killed himself. The armor bearer, panicked because Saul was dead, then killed himself.

6–7  So Saul and his three sons—all four the same day—died. When all the Israelites in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and ran off; the Philistines came and moved in.

8–10  The next day the Philistines came to plunder the dead bodies and found Saul and his sons dead on Mount Gilboa. They stripped Saul, removed his head and his armor, and put them on exhibit throughout Philistia, reporting the victory news to their idols and the people. Then they put Saul’s armor on display in the temple of their gods and placed his skull as a trophy in the temple of their god Dagon.

11–12  The people of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul. All of their fighting men went into action—retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh, gave them a dignified burial under the oak at Jabesh, and mourned their deaths for seven days.

13–14  Saul died in disobedience, disobedient to God. He didn’t obey God’s words. Instead of praying, he went to a witch to seek guidance. Because he didn’t go to God for help, God took his life and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Monday, July 31, 2023

Today's Scripture

Deuteronomy 5:1-11

Moses Teaches Israel on the Plains of Moab

1  5 Moses called all Israel together. He said to them,

Attention, Israel. Listen obediently to the rules and regulations I am delivering to your listening ears today. Learn them. Live them.

2–5  God, our God, made a covenant with us at Horeb. God didn’t just make this covenant with our parents; he made it also with us, with all of us who are alive right now. God spoke to you personally out of the fire on the mountain. At the time I stood between God and you, to tell you what God said. You were afraid, remember, of the fire and wouldn’t climb the mountain. He said:

6  I am God, your God,

who brought you out of the land of Egypt,

out of a house of slaves.

7  No other gods, only me.

8–10  No carved gods of any size, shape, or form of anything whatever, whether of things that fly or walk or swim. Don’t bow down to them and don’t serve them because I am God, your God, and I’m a most jealous God. I hold parents responsible for any sins they pass on to their children to the third, and yes, even to the fourth generation. But I’m lovingly loyal to the thousands who love me and keep my commandments.

11  No using the name of God, your God, in curses or silly banter; God won’t put up with the irreverent use of his name.

Insight

The setting for the book of Deuteronomy occurs after the Israelites’ forty years of wilderness wanderings because of their unbelief (1:3; Numbers 14:33–34). Geographically, the place was the Plains of Moab (Deuteronomy 1:5; 29:1) on the edge of the promised land. The English title Deuteronomy literally means “second law.” The book includes the reiteration, exposition, and interpretation of the law (in Exodus and Leviticus) that was previously given to the Israelites. Deuteronomy is quoted in the New Testament more than eighty times.

Learn more about the book of Deuteronomy. By: Arthur Jackson

Staying on Track with God

Hear, Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them.

Deuteronomy 5:1

Years ago, a train carrying 218 people derailed in northwestern Spain, killing 79 people and hospitalizing 66 more. The driver couldn’t explain the accident, but the video footage could and did. The train was going far too fast before it hit a deadly curve. The allowable speed limit had been created to protect everyone on board the train. Despite being a thirty-year veteran of Spain’s national rail company, however, the driver had for whatever reason ignored the speed boundary and many people lost their lives.

In Deuteronomy 5, Moses reviewed God’s original covenant boundaries for His people. Moses encouraged a new generation to regard God’s instruction as their own covenant with Him (v. 3), and then he restated the Ten Commandments (vv. 7–21). By repeating the commandments and drawing lessons from the previous generation’s disobedience, Moses invited the Israelites to be reverent, humble, and mindful of God’s faithfulness. God had made a way for His people so they wouldn’t wreck their lives or the lives of others. If they ignored His wisdom, they would do so at their own peril.

Today, as God leads us, let’s make all of Scripture our delight, counselor, and the guardrail for our lives. And as the Spirit guides us, we can keep on track within His wise protection and devote our lives wholeheartedly to Him. By:  Marvin Williams

Reflect & Pray

When do God’s boundaries seem strict, rather than liberating? How do His boundaries show His love for you?

Dear God, help me to show my love for You through my obedience to You.

For further study, read God Is Love: Reflection on the Character of God.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Monday, July 31, 2023

Becoming Entirely His

Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. —James 1:4

Many of us appear to be all right in general, but there are still some areas in which we are careless and lazy; it is not a matter of sin, but the remnants of our carnal life that tend to make us careless. Carelessness is an insult to the Holy Spirit. We should have no carelessness about us either in the way we worship God, or even in the way we eat and drink.

Not only must our relationship to God be right, but the outward expression of that relationship must also be right. Ultimately, God will allow nothing to escape; every detail of our lives is under His scrutiny. God will bring us back in countless ways to the same point over and over again. And He never tires of bringing us back to that one point until we learn the lesson, because His purpose is to produce the finished product. It may be a problem arising from our impulsive nature, but again and again, with the most persistent patience, God has brought us back to that one particular point. Or the problem may be our idle and wandering thinking, or our independent nature and self-interest. Through this process, God is trying to impress upon us the one thing that is not entirely right in our lives.

We have been having a wonderful time in our studies over the revealed truth of God’s redemption, and our hearts are perfect toward Him. And His wonderful work in us makes us know that overall we are right with Him. “Let patience have its perfect work….” The Holy Spirit speaking through James said, “Now let your patience become a finished product.” Beware of becoming careless over the small details of life and saying, “Oh, that will have to do for now.” Whatever it may be, God will point it out with persistence until we become entirely His.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The great word of Jesus to His disciples is Abandon. When God has brought us into the relationship of disciples, we have to venture on His word; trust entirely to Him and watch that when He brings us to the venture, we take it.

Studies in the Sermon on the Mount

Bible in a Year: Psalms 54-56; Romans 3

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Monday, July 31, 2023

How God's Words Become Yours - #9536

Oh I've come a long way for a technically challenged person. Well, there was a time I'd never used a computer - wasn't planning to. Somebody bought me one, said, "You're gonna." I didn't understand all about it, but I did learn how to use it. I remember back before the days of autosave, you know? There were some lessons I learned the hard way: I'd type in part of a book or a magazine article or notes of some kind, and then type in a password to save it. But I'd make one fatal mistake. See, you were supposed to hit this little key that said Enter or you wouldn't be seeing that material again. Just because it appeared on the screen didn't mean I had it. You had to save it by pressing the Enter command.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How God's Words Become Yours."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from James 1, beginning at verse 22. God says, "Do not merely listen to the Word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard but doing it, he will be blessed in what he does."

Now, these verses are about people who read and hear the Bible a lot. Is that you? Oh, it appears on their mental screen often, but it's people who don't really have it. They read it and then it disappears. See, there's no autosave here. Just hearing and knowing the Word of God does not a Christian make. Just because it appeared on your screen doesn't make it yours. You've got to hit Enter. How do you do that?

Well, the passage talks about not forgetting what you've read. So, first of all, you need to memorize it. You've got to know it isn't enough to just to have God's Words in your Bible. They've got to be in your heart so you can bring them up on your screen when the pressure's on. Your intuitive response. And that happens when you memorize a verse or a promise or a challenge and you enter it as yours.

I think you are also better able to remember when you write it down. That's my experience. Have you tried keeping a Jesus Journal with your Bible? It's the greatest thing I've ever done in terms of my growth in Christ to journal my Jesus time. After you've read, then you write what God has said to you in your own words and then you write what you're going to do differently that day because of what He said. See, you're processing it. Now it's autosaving because you're saving it when you write it.

God's words become yours when you use them too, not just when you write them. During the day, tell someone else the words God has spoken to you. Share them. That enters it into your heart more. And most of all, you enter the truths of God's Word when you apply what appeared on your Bible screen. In other words you ask yourself, "Lord, what application can I make to something I'm going to face today?" And then that means that day you do something that is a specific "that day" obedience to what you read in God's Word that morning.

Have you ever wondered how you could have heard so much Bible in your life and still be so far from your spiritual goals? Maybe you've not entered God's words by writing them down, by memorizing them, by telling somebody about them, applying it to your life.

Churches are filled with people who have heard God's Word about what Christ did on the cross, coming out of His grave, our need to pin all our hopes on Jesus and yet those people will not be in heaven. Because they knew all about Jesus but they never pressed Enter, they never opened their heart to Jesus.

Have you done that? If you're not sure you have, would you tell Him today, "Jesus, I'm yours." Get to our website. I think you could come away from there knowing you belong to Him. That's ANewStory.com.

When the message is important, which it always is when it comes from God, make sure it's not just good on the screen, but you've entered it in your life.

1 Corinthians 8 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Prayer is a Habit Worth Having

Do you want to know how to deepen your prayer life? At the risk of sounding like a preacher-which I am-may I make a suggestion? Why don't you check your habits?

In Romans 12:12, Paul says, "When trials come endure them patiently; steadfastly maintain the habit of prayer." Prayer is a habit worth having. Don't prepare to pray. Just pray. Don't read about prayer. Just pray. Don't attend a lecture on prayer or engage in discussion about prayer. Just pray.

Posture, tone, and place are personal matters. Select the form that works for you. But don't think about it too much. Don't be so concerned about wrapping the gift that you never give it. Better to pray awkwardly than not at all. And if you feel you should only pray when inspired, that's okay. Just see to it that you are inspired every day.

From When God Whispers Your Name

1 Corinthians 8

Food Offered to Idols

8 Now concerning1 mfood offered to idols: we know that n“all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” opuffs up, pbut love builds up. 2 qIf anyone imagines that he knows something, rhe does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, she is known by God.2

4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that t“an idol has no real existence,” and that u“there is no God but one.” 5 For although there may be vso-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet wfor us there is one God, the Father, xfrom whom are all things and for whom we exist, and yone Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and zthrough whom we exist.

7 However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, athrough former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and btheir conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 cFood will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care dthat this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block eto the weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating3 in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged,4 if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is fdestroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12 Thus, sinning against your brothers5 and gwounding their conscience when it is weak, hyou sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, iif food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Sunday, July 30, 2023

Today's Scripture

1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 21–27

You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts—limbs, organs, cells—but no matter how many parts you can name, you’re still one body. It’s exactly the same with Christ. By means of his one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which he has the final say in everything. (This is what we proclaimed in word and action when we were baptized.) Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body, refreshed and sustained at one fountain—his Spirit—where we all come to drink. The old labels we once used to identify ourselves—labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free—are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive.

14–18  I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn’t just a single part blown up into something huge. It’s all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together.

Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, “Get lost; I don’t need you”? Or, Head telling Foot, “You’re fired; your job has been phased out”? As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way—the “lower” the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach. When it’s a part of your own body you are concerned with, it makes no difference whether the part is visible or clothed, higher or lower. You give it dignity and honor just as it is, without comparisons. If anything, you have more concern for the lower parts than the higher. If you had to choose, wouldn’t you prefer good digestion to full-bodied hair?

25–26  The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don’t, the parts we see and the parts we don’t. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.

27–31  You are Christ’s body—that’s who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your “part” mean anything.

Insight

Paul used many metaphors to describe the church; for example, “flock” (Acts 20:28), “field” and “building” (1 Corinthians 3:9), and “dwelling” (Ephesians 2:22). But one metaphor Paul used often is “body” (Romans 12:4–5; 1 Corinthians 10:17; Ephesians 1:22–23; 4:4, 12; 5:23, 30; Colossians 1:18, 24).

Some Corinthian believers elevated certain ecstatic gifts (for example, speaking in unknown tongues) above others saying that unless one had these, they weren’t part of the church. Paul refuted this error in 1 Corinthians 12–14. Here he used the body metaphor to promote oneness, unity, and harmony in the church. The church, like the human body, has many parts, but all are needed for the body to function properly. By: K. T. Sim

Lower Deck People

Those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable. 1 Corinthians 12:22

A friend of mine works on a hospital ship called Africa Mercy, which takes free healthcare to developing countries. The staff daily serve hundreds of patients whose ailments would otherwise go untreated.

TV crews who periodically board the ship, point their cameras on its amazing medical staff, who fix cleft palates and reset club feet. Sometimes they go below deck to interview other crew members, but the work Mick does typically goes unnoticed.

Mick, an engineer, admits being surprised about where he’d been assigned to work—in the ship’s sewage plant. With up to forty thousand liters of waste produced each day, managing this toxic material is serious business. Without Mick tending its pipes and pumps, Africa Mercy’s life-giving operations would stop.

It’s easy to applaud those on the “top deck” of Christian ministry while overlooking those in the galleys below. When the Corinthians elevated those with extraordinary gifts above others, Paul reminded them that every believer has a role in Christ’s work (1 Corinthians 12:7–20), and every gift is important, whether it’s miraculous healing or helping others (vv. 27–31). In fact, the less prominent the role, the greater honor it deserves (vv. 22–24).

Are you a “lower deck” person? Then lift your head high. Your work is honored by God and indispensable to us all. By:  Sheridan Voysey

Reflect & Pray

What happens when you compare your gifts with others? Which “lower deck” person can you affirm the efforts of today?

I’m important to You, God. Thank You for noticing me whether others do or not. 

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Sunday, July 30, 2023

The Teaching of Disillusionment

Jesus did not commit Himself to them…, for He knew what was in man. —John 2:24-25

Disillusionment means having no more misconceptions, false impressions, and false judgments in life; it means being free from these deceptions. However, though no longer deceived, our experience of disillusionment may actually leave us cynical and overly critical in our judgment of others. But the disillusionment that comes from God brings us to the point where we see people as they really are, yet without any cynicism or any stinging and bitter criticism. Many of the things in life that inflict the greatest injury, grief, or pain, stem from the fact that we suffer from illusions. We are not true to one another as facts, seeing each other as we really are; we are only true to our misconceived ideas of one another. According to our thinking, everything is either delightful and good, or it is evil, malicious, and cowardly.

Refusing to be disillusioned is the cause of much of the suffering of human life. And this is how that suffering happens— if we love someone, but do not love God, we demand total perfection and righteousness from that person, and when we do not get it we become cruel and vindictive; yet we are demanding of a human being something which he or she cannot possibly give. There is only one Being who can completely satisfy to the absolute depth of the hurting human heart, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord is so obviously uncompromising with regard to every human relationship because He knows that every relationship that is not based on faithfulness to Himself will end in disaster. Our Lord trusted no one, and never placed His faith in people, yet He was never suspicious or bitter. Our Lord’s confidence in God, and in what God’s grace could do for anyone, was so perfect that He never despaired, never giving up hope for any person. If our trust is placed in human beings, we will end up despairing of everyone. 

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

To live a life alone with God does not mean that we live it apart from everyone else. The connection between godly men and women and those associated with them is continually revealed in the Bible, e.g., 1 Timothy 4:10.  Not Knowing Whither, 867 L

Bible in a Year: Psalms 51-53; Romans 2

1 Chronicles 12, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Too Close to Where You Got In

I like the story of the little boy who fell out of bed. When his mom asked him what happened, he answered, "I don't know. I guess I stayed too close to where I got in."

Easy to do the same with our faith. It's tempting just to stay where we got in and never move. How does your prayer life today compare with then? How about your giving? And Bible study? Can you tell you've grown?

2 Peter 3:18 says, "but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

If a child ceased to develop, the parent would be concerned, right? Doctors would be called and tests would be run. If you're the same Christian you were a few months ago, be careful. You might be wise to get a check up. Not on your body, but on your heart. Not a physical…but a spiritual.

From When God Whispers Your Name

1 Chronicles 12

Now these are they that came to David to Ziklag, while he yet kept himself close because of Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men, his helpers in war. 2They were armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left in slinging stones and in shooting arrows from the bow: they were of Saul’s brethren of Benjamin. 3The chief was Ahiezer; then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite, and Jeziel, and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth, and Beracah, and Jehu the Anathothite, 4and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty, and Jeremiah, and Jahaziel, and Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite, 5Eluzai, and Jerimoth, and Bealiah, and Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite, 6Elkanah, and Isshiah, and Azarel, and Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites, 7and Joelah, and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

8And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David to the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for war, that could handle shield and spear; whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the roes upon the mountains; 9Ezer the chief, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third, 10Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, 11Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, 12Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, 13Jeremiah the tenth, Machbannai the eleventh. 14These of the sons of Gad were captains of the host: he that was least was equal to a hundred, and the greatest to a thousand. 15These are they that went over the Jordan in the first month, when it had overflowed all its banks; and they put to flight all them of the valleys, both toward the east, and toward the west.

16And there came of the children of Benjamin and Judah to the stronghold unto David. 17And David went out to meet them, and answered and said unto them, If ye be come peaceably unto me to help me, my heart shall be knit unto you; but if ye be come to betray me to mine adversaries, seeing there is no wrong in my hands, the God of our fathers look thereon, and rebuke it. 18Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, who was chief of the thirty, and he said, Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse: peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be to thy helpers; for thy God helpeth thee. Then David received them, and made them captains of the band.

19Of Manasseh also there fell away some to David, when he came with the Philistines against Saul to battle: but they helped them not; for the lords of the Philistines upon advisement sent him away, saying, He will fall away to his master Saul to the jeopardy of our heads. 20As he went to Ziklag, there fell to him of Manasseh, Adnah, and Jozabad, and Jediael, and Michael, and Jozabad, and Elihu, and Zillethai, captains of thousands that were of Manasseh. 21And they helped David against the band of rovers: for they were all mighty men of valor, and were captains in the host. 22For from day to day men came to David to help him, until there was a great host, like the host of God.

23And these are the numbers of the heads of them that were armed for war, who came to David to Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of Jehovah. 24The children of Judah that bare shield and spear were six thousand and eight hundred, armed for war. 25Of the children of Simeon, mighty men of valor for the war, seven thousand and one hundred. 26Of the children of Levi four thousand and six hundred. 27And Jehoiada was the leader of the house of Aaron; and with him were three thousand and seven hundred, 28and Zadok, a young man mighty of valor, and of his father’s house twenty and two captains. 29And of the children of Benjamin, the brethren of Saul, three thousand: for hitherto the greatest part of them had kept their allegiance to the house of Saul. 30And of the children of Ephraim twenty thousand and eight hundred, mighty men of valor, famous men in their fathers’ houses. 31And of the half-tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, who were mentioned by name, to come and make David king. 32And of the children of Issachar, men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment. 33Of Zebulun, such as were able to go out in the host, that could set the battle in array, with all manner of instruments of war, fifty thousand, and that could order the battle array, and were not of double heart. 34And of Naphtali a thousand captains, and with them with shield and spear thirty and seven thousand. 35And of the Danites that could set the battle in array, twenty and eight thousand and six hundred. 36And of Asher, such as were able to go out in the host, that could set the battle in array, forty thousand. 37And on the other side of the Jordan, of the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and of the half-tribe of Manasseh, with all manner of instruments of war for the battle, a hundred and twenty thousand.

38All these being men of war, that could order the battle array, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king. 39And they were there with David three days, eating and drinking; for their brethren had made preparation for them. 40Moreover they that were nigh unto them, even as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, victuals of meal, cakes of figs, and clusters of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep in abundance: for there was joy in Israel.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Saturday, July 29, 2023

Today's Scripture

Luke 5:12-16

Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy

12 In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”

13 Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. 14 Then Jesus instructed him not to tell anyone what had happened. He said, “Go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy.* This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”

15 But despite Jesus’ instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.

Insight

Luke 5:16 marks the second occurrence in just a short time that Jesus sought solitude to talk with His Father. We learn from a parallel passage in Mark’s gospel that He’d recently been in a “solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35). At that time, He told the people, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns” (Luke 4:43). He was near one of these unnamed Galilean towns when He performed a miracle. Luke says the man Jesus met was “covered with leprosy” (5:12). The law of Moses required people with leprosy to remain “outside the camp” (Leviticus 13:46). They were to have no physical contact with anyone. Yet Jesus, in seeming defiance of Mosaic law, “reached out his hand and touched the man” (Luke 5:13). He could do this because He was the very fulfillment of the law (Matthew 5:17). By: Tim Gustafson

Quiet, Please

Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:16

Green Bank, West Virginia, is a tiny community in the rugged Appalachian Mountains. The town resembles dozens of other small towns in the area—with one major exception. None of the 142 residents have access to Wi-Fi. This is to prevent interference from Wi-Fi or cellular phone towers near the Green Bank Observatory, whose telescope is constantly trained on the sky. As a result, Green Bank is one of the most technologically quiet places in North America.

Sometimes quiet is the best environment for moving forward—especially in our relationship with God. Jesus Himself modeled this by retreating to quiet, secluded places to talk with His Father. In Luke 5:16 we read, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Perhaps the key word there is often. This was Christ’s regular practice, and it sets the perfect example for us. If the Creator of the universe was this aware of His dependence upon His Father, how much more do we need Him!

Retreating to a quiet place to be refreshed in God’s presence equips us to go forward in His renewing strength. Where can you find such a place today?  By:  Bill Crowder

Reflect & Pray

What are some of the distractions that can interrupt your prayer times? How could having a designated quiet place help you stay focused in prayer?

Father, sometimes the background noise of life in this world is deafening, pulling my attention away from You and hindering the time with You. Help me find a place where I can come away from it all and simply enjoy Your wonderful presence.

For further study, see Talking with My Father: Jesus Teaches on Prayer.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Saturday, July 29, 2023

Do You See Jesus in Your Clouds?

Behold, He is coming with clouds… —Revelation 1:7

In the Bible clouds are always associated with God. Clouds are the sorrows, sufferings, or providential circumstances, within or without our personal lives, which actually seem to contradict the sovereignty of God. Yet it is through these very clouds that the Spirit of God is teaching us how to walk by faith. If there were never any clouds in our lives, we would have no faith. “The clouds are the dust of His feet” (Nahum 1:3). They are a sign that God is there. What a revelation it is to know that sorrow, bereavement, and suffering are actually the clouds that come along with God! God cannot come near us without clouds— He does not come in clear-shining brightness.

It is not true to say that God wants to teach us something in our trials. Through every cloud He brings our way, He wants us to unlearn something. His purpose in using the cloud is to simplify our beliefs until our relationship with Him is exactly like that of a child— a relationship simply between God and our own souls, and where other people are but shadows. Until other people become shadows to us, clouds and darkness will be ours every once in a while. Is our relationship with God becoming more simple than it has ever been?

There is a connection between the strange providential circumstances allowed by God and what we know of Him, and we have to learn to interpret the mysteries of life in the light of our knowledge of God. Until we can come face to face with the deepest, darkest fact of life without damaging our view of God’s character, we do not yet know Him.

“…they were fearful as they entered the cloud” (Luke 9:34). Is there anyone except Jesus in your cloud? If so, it will only get darker until you get to the place where there is “no one anymore, but only Jesus …” (Mark 9:8; also see verses 2–7).

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

It is an easy thing to argue from precedent because it makes everything simple, but it is a risky thing to do. Give God “elbow room”; let Him come into His universe as He pleases. If we confine God in His working to religious people or to certain ways, we place ourselves on an equality with God.  Baffled to Fight Better, 51 L

Bible in a Year: Psalms 49-50; Romans 1

1 Chronicles 11 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: SATURATED IN GOD’S LOVE - July 28, 2023

“Where God’s love is there is no fear, because God’s perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18 NCV).

We fear rejection, so we follow the crowd. We fear not fitting in, so we take the drugs. For fear of standing out, we wear what everyone else wears. For fear of blending in, we wear what no one else wears. But those saturated in God’s love don’t sell out to win the love of others. They don’t even sell out to win the love of God.

We all need improvement, but we don’t need to woo God’s love. We change because we already have God’s perfect love. Perfect love is just that—a perfect knowledge of the past and perfect vision of the future. God knows your entire story, from first words to final breath, and with clear assessment he declares, “You are mine.”

Calm Moments for Anxious Days

Read more Calm Moments for Anxious Days

1 Chronicles 11

Jerusalem Captured

(2 Sam 5:6–10)

4 David and all Israel marched to Jerusalem, that is Jebus, where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. 5 The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You will not come in here.” Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion, now the city of David. 6 David had said, “Whoever attacks the Jebusites first shall be chief and commander.” And Joab son of Zeruiah went up first, so he became chief. 7 David resided in the stronghold; therefore it was called the city of David. 8 He built the city all around, from the Millo in complete circuit; and Joab repaired the rest of the city. 9 And David became greater and greater, for the Lord of hosts was with him.

David’s Mighty Men and Their Exploits

(2 Sam 23:8–39)

10 Now these are the chiefs of David’s warriors, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel. 11 This is an account of David’s mighty warriors: Jashobeam, son of Hachmoni,a was chief of the Three;b he wielded his spear against three hundred whom he killed at one time.

12 And next to him among the three warriors was Eleazar son of Dodo, the Ahohite. 13 He was with David at Pas-dammim when the Philistines were gathered there for battle. There was a plot of ground full of barley. Now the people had fled from the Philistines, 14 but he and David took their stand in the middle of the plot, defended it, and killed the Philistines; and the Lord saved them by a great victory.

15 Three of the thirty chiefs went down to the rock to David at the cave of Adullam, while the army of Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim. 16 David was then in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. 17 David said longingly, “O that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” 18 Then the Three broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and they brought it to David. But David would not drink of it; he poured it out to the Lord, 19 and said, “My God forbid that I should do this. Can I drink the blood of these men? For at the risk of their lives they brought it.” Therefore he would not drink it. The three warriors did these things.

20 Now Abishai,c the brother of Joab, was chief of the Thirty.d With his spear he fought against three hundred and killed them, and won a name beside the Three. 21 He was the most renownede of the Thirty,f and became their commander; but he did not attain to the Three.

22 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant mang of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds; he struck down two sons ofh Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. 23 And he killed an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits tall. The Egyptian had in his hand a spear like a weaver’s beam; but Benaiah went against him with a staff, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear. 24 Such were the things Benaiah son of Jehoiada did, and he won a name beside the three warriors. 25 He was renowned among the Thirty, but he did not attain to the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

26 The warriors of the armies were Asahel brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 27 Shammoth of Harod,i Helez the Pelonite, 28 Ira son of Ikkesh of Tekoa, Abiezer of Anathoth, 29 Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, 30 Maharai of Netophah, Heled son of Baanah of Netophah, 31 Ithai son of Ribai of Gibeah of the Benjaminites, Benaiah of Pirathon, 32 Hurai of the wadis of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, 33 Azmaveth of Baharum, Eliahba of Shaalbon, 34 Hashemj the Gizonite, Jonathan son of Shagee the Hararite, 35 Ahiam son of Sachar the Hararite, Eliphal son of Ur, 36 Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, 37 Hezro of Carmel, Naarai son of Ezbai, 38 Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar son of Hagri, 39 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai of Beeroth, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah, 40 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 41 Uriah the Hittite, Zabad son of Ahlai, 42 Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, a leader of the Reubenites, and thirty with him, 43 Hanan son of Maacah, and Joshaphat the Mithnite, 44 Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel sons of Hotham the Aroerite, 45 Jediael son of Shimri, and his brother Joha the Tizite, 46 Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai and Joshaviah sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite, 47 Eliel, and Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Friday, July 28, 2023

Today's Scripture

Exodus 5:1-9

Moses and Aaron and Pharaoh

1  5 After that Moses and Aaron approached Pharaoh. They said, “God, the God of Israel, says, ‘Free my people so that they can hold a festival for me in the wilderness.’ ”

2  Pharaoh said, “And who is God that I should listen to him and send Israel off? I know nothing of this so-called ‘God’ and I’m certainly not going to send Israel off.”

3  They said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness so we can worship our God lest he strike us with either disease or death.”

4–5  But the king of Egypt said, “Why on earth, Moses and Aaron, would you suggest the people be given a holiday? Back to work!” Pharaoh went on, “Look, I’ve got all these people bumming around, and now you want to reward them with time off?”

6–9  Pharaoh took immediate action. He sent down orders to the slave-drivers and their underlings: “Don’t provide straw for the people for making bricks as you have been doing. Make them get their own straw. And make them produce the same number of bricks—no reduction in their daily quotas! They’re getting lazy. They’re going around saying, ‘Give us time off so we can worship our God.’ Crack down on them. That’ll cure them of their whining, their god-fantasies.”

Insight

Scripture gives us the reasons God commissioned Moses to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian servitude: “so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness” (Exodus 5:1), so they may “offer sacrifices to the Lord” (3:18), and so they “may worship [Hebrew ‘avad] me” (4:23; 7:16; 8:1, 20; 9:1, 13; 10:3). ‘Avad can also be translated “to serve” or “to be a slave,” as in the ESV: “Let my people go, that they may serve me” (7:16). To worship God is to serve Him. Having been forced to serve as slaves to the Egyptians, Israel was now set free to serve Yahweh. By: K. T. Sim

The Long Game

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh.” Exodus 6:1

When believers in Jesus in David's country suffered oppression, their farm animals were killed. Having lost their livelihood, David's family scattered to various countries. For nine years, he existed in a refugee camp far from his family. He knew God was with him, but during the separation, two family members died. He grew despondent.

Long ago, another people group faced brutal oppression. So God appointed Moses to lead those people—the Israelites—out of Egypt. Moses reluctantly agreed. But when he approached Pharaoh, the Egyptian ruler only intensified the oppression (Exodus 5:6–9). “I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go,” he said (v. 2). The people complained to Moses, who complained to God (vv. 20–23).

In the end, God freed the Israelites and they got the freedom they wanted—but in His way and timing. He plays a long game, teaching us about His character and preparing us for something greater.

David made good use of his years in a refugee camp, earning a master’s degree from a New Delhi seminary. Now he’s a pastor to his own people—refugees like him who have found a new home. “My story as a refugee forms the crucible for leading as a servant,” he says. In his testimony, David cites Moses’ song in Exodus 15:2: “The Lord is my strength and my defense.” And today, He’s ours as well. 

By:  Tim Gustafson

Reflect & Pray

What questions do you have for God? How will you trust Him to keep His word?

Heavenly Father, I can always rely on You. Forgive me when I lose sight of that truth.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Friday, July 28, 2023

God’s Purpose or Mine?

He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side… —Mark 6:45

We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God’s purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.

What is my vision of God’s purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish— His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see “Him walking on the sea” with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see “Him walking on the sea” (Mark 6:49). It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God.

God’s training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.

God’s purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

Defenders of the faith are inclined to be bitter until they learn to walk in the light of the Lord. When you have learned to walk in the light of the Lord, bitterness and contention are impossible. Biblical Psychology, 199 R

Bible in a Year: Psalms 46-48; Acts 28

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Friday, July 28, 2023

WHY FAILURE DOESN'T HAVE TO BE FINAL - #9535

Some years ago, I took my second trip on behalf of a youth ministry to South Africa. On the first trip, I remember how very lost I felt when I got to the airport. I'd been on an airplane for 18 wonderful hours. I got there late at night, I had no car, no directions. I didn't know anything about anywhere in the nation of South Africa.

Well, I'm glad to report to you that someone met me there at the airport. They didn't just leave me saying, "Hey, listen, if you can get out to where we are we'll take care of you once you get there." That's a good thing. They'd have never seen me. I went as far as I could go, and they met me there. I know someone who does that for people all the time. And if you understand how He works, well you might just be willing to risk the trip.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Why Failure Doesn't Have to Be Final."

Now, our word for today from the Word of God is found in John 21, and I'll begin reading at verse 15. Let me put this in context: Jesus has risen from the dead. Not long before, Peter had said to Him, "Lord, I will follow you to prison and to the death." You remember that Jesus said, "No, you'll betray Me three times." And sure enough he did. He denied the Lord three times. He even said, "I never knew Him." What an embarrassment now. He's about to face the Lord, knowing he has failed Him.

Well, Jesus meets Peter as he's out on a fishing trip. It looks like Peter's about to go back to that same old mediocrity. He's returning to fishing, it appears, but Jesus says, "I want to meet you privately." And you can imagine Peter. I don't know, maybe he thinks, "Oh-oh. Are we going to talk about that night?"

Here's what Jesus said, "When they finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, do you truly love Me more than these?' 'Yes, Lord, he said, You know that I love You.' Jesus said, 'Feed my lambs.' Again Jesus said, 'Simon, son of John, do you truly love me?' He answered, 'Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.' Jesus said, 'Take care of my sheep.' The third time He said to him, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, 'Do you love me?' But he said, 'Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you.'"

Now, with the backdrop of a major failure, all Jesus wants to know is, "Peter, do you love me?" Maybe you have failed Him recently. Do you know what He wants to know? "Do you love me?" Now, there are two very different love words used here. Phileo, which is a friendship kind of love, and agapao which is "I will love you, no strings attached." The first two times Jesus says, "Do you love me, no strings attached?" Peter says, "Yes, Lord, I phileo - I friendship love you." Finally Jesus says, "Okay, Peter, do you phileo - do you friendship love me?" And Peter says, "I do love you."

Do you know what's interesting here? Jesus meets Peter where he is. He wants to do the same with you. He says, "Let's start with the little love that you have - let's start with the little faith that you have. You can get back to Me. You can begin again." And one day Peter will die for Christ. But right now He's just got that little, but growing love.

So, would you bring Jesus the little love you have, but would you bring Him all you have? You can begin again. You don't have to get all the way there, because Jesus...He's the Savior who's waiting to meet you where you are.

1 Chronicles 10, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: FROM PRAYER TO PEACE - July 27, 2023

elieving prayer ushers in God’s peace. Not a random, nebulous, earthly peace, but his peace, imported from heaven. The same tranquility that marks the throne room, God offers to you. Do you think he battles anxiety? You suppose he ever wrings his hands or asks for antacids? Of course not. A problem is no more a challenge to God than a twig is to an elephant. God enjoys perfect peace because God enjoys perfect power. And he offers his peace to you. A peace that will “guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7 NLT).

The Philippians, living in a garrison town, were accustomed to the Roman sentries maintaining their watch. God oversees your world. He monitors your life. Listen carefully and you will hear him say, “Everything is secure. You can rest now.”

Calm Moments for Anxious Days

Read more Calm Moments for Anxious Days

1 Chronicles 10

Saul Takes His Life

ow the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. 3 The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him.

4 Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and abuse me.”

But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it. 5 When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died. 6 So Saul and his three sons died, and all his house died together.

7 When all the Israelites in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.

8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 They stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news among their idols and their people. 10 They put his armor in the temple of their gods and hung up his head in the temple of Dagon.

11 When all the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all their valiant men went and took the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. Then they buried their bones under the great tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.

13 Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance, 14 and did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Thursday, July 27, 2023

Today's Scripture

Ephesians 2:1-10

 It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.

7–10  Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

Insight

Easily overlooked in this passage is the simple truth that we were spiritually “dead” before we put our faith in Jesus as God’s Son (Ephesians 2:1). Until God’s Holy Spirit drew us, we were naturally “gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts” (v. 3). Without a supernatural intervention, we were as helpless as a corpse. But “God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ” (vv. 4–5). Every aspect of this personal resurrection comes from God, including the “good works” we’re to accomplish, “which God prepared in advance for us to do” (v. 10). Truly we have nothing to boast about, except the great love of our great God expressed through His Son, Jesus. 

By: Tim Gustafson

Extra Grace Required

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith . . . not by works. Ephesians 2:8-9

While we decorated for a special event at church, the woman in charge griped about my inexperience. After she walked away, another woman approached me. “Don’t worry about her. She’s what we call an E.G.R.—Extra Grace Required.”

I laughed. Soon I started using that label every time I had a conflict with someone. Years later, I sat in that same church sanctuary listening to that E.G.R.’s obituary. The pastor shared how the woman had served God behind the scenes and given generously to others. I asked God to forgive me for judging and gossiping about her and anyone else I’d labeled as an E.G.R. in the past. After all, I needed extra grace as much as any other believer in Jesus.

In Ephesians 2, the apostle Paul states that all believers were “by nature deserving of wrath” (v. 3). But God gave us the gift of salvation, a gift which we did nothing to deserve, a gift we’d never be able to earn “so that no one can boast” (v. 9). No one.

As we submit to God moment by moment during this lifelong journey, the Holy Spirit will work to change our character so we can reflect the character of Christ. Every believer requires extra grace. But we can be grateful that God’s grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9). By:  Xochitl Dixon

Reflect & Pray

When have you judged others for requiring extra grace? In what area of your life do you require grace today?

Father God, please help me extend grace to others as freely and generously as You’ve lavished Your abounding grace on me.

Learn more about how to find peace by forgiving others.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Thursday, July 27, 2023

The Way to Knowledge

If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine… —John 7:17

The golden rule to follow to obtain spiritual understanding is not one of intellectual pursuit, but one of obedience. If a person wants scientific knowledge, then intellectual curiosity must be his guide. But if he desires knowledge and insight into the teachings of Jesus Christ, he can only obtain it through obedience. If spiritual things seem dark and hidden to me, then I can be sure that there is a point of disobedience somewhere in my life. Intellectual darkness is the result of ignorance, but spiritual darkness is the result of something that I do not intend to obey.

No one ever receives a word from God without instantly being put to the test regarding it. We disobey and then wonder why we are not growing spiritually. Jesus said, “If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24). He is saying, in essence, “Don’t say another word to me; first be obedient by making things right.” The teachings of Jesus hit us where we live. We cannot stand as impostors before Him for even one second. He instructs us down to the very last detail. The Spirit of God uncovers our spirit of self-vindication and makes us sensitive to things that we have never even thought of before.

When Jesus drives something home to you through His Word, don’t try to evade it. If you do, you will become a religious impostor. Examine the things you tend simply to shrug your shoulders about, and where you have refused to be obedient, and you will know why you are not growing spiritually. As Jesus said, “First…go….” Even at the risk of being thought of as fanatical, you must obey what God tells you.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

It is not what a man does that is of final importance, but what he is in what he does. The atmosphere produced by a man, much more than his activities, has the lasting influence.  Baffled to Fight Better, 51 L

Bible in a Year: Psalms 43-45; Acts 27:27-44

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Thursday, July 27, 2023

Love That Pursues You - #9534

If you want to ask me the five greatest victories in my life, I'm not sure I can tell you what two, three, four or five would be. But I could sure tell you what number one would be - my wife! She was not an easy conquest, man. She was dating this other guy. I was after her long before she had any romantic thoughts about me. So I really had to work on this one. So I plotted ways to be with her, I plotted ways to impress her. I plotted ways to try to help her. Is this stalking? I'm not sure. But this is all under the heading "Oh, we have a brother and sister relationship." That's what it was.

After several months of this brother/sister thing, I blurted out to her one night, standing by a water fountain - I remember it. We were in college. I said, "I'm sick and tired of this brother/sister thing. I want to have more than that." See, I loved her before she loved me and I pursued her. Oh, p.s., and I got her.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Love That Pursues You."

Our word for today from the Word of God, John 1 beginning at verse 45. It's actually loaded with some revealing information about what Jesus might be doing in your life right now. Philip has just come to Christ. And it says, 'Philip found Nathanael and told him, 'We have found the One Moses wrote about in the law and about whom the prophets also wrote - Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.'" Here's what Nathanael says. "'Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?' 'Come and see' said Philip. When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, 'Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.' 'How do you know me?' Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, 'I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.' Then Nathanael declared, 'Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.'"

You notice Nathanael's not initially interested in Jesus. But then Jesus says, "I saw you long before you saw me." Well that melted Nathanael's heart and it ultimately made him one of the disciples of Jesus Christ.

Actually, Jesus has had His eye on you for a long time. Here's what the Bible says in Ephesians 1:4, "He chose us in Christ before the creation of the world." God has had His eye on you since before there was a world. And over the years of your life He has been pursuing you with His love whether you were paying any attention to Him or not. Like this guy I know who pursued this girl, and she was beautiful and attractive. The Bible says we're not beautiful and attractive to God. In fact it says, "While we were yet sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

God's love for you and me? It's not romantic love. It isn't because we're lovable. In fact, we're sinners. We've hijacked our life from our Creator - the life that He gave us. Listen to this description of God's love for you. "This is love. Not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (John 4:10).

Now, I know on a finite level what it means to love someone before that person responds, to pursue the one you love. Well, the God of the universe has been doing that with you. He's been waiting for you while you've been checking out all those other options for your heart. Today, again, He's knocking on the door of your heart saying, "Isn't it time you opened your heart and your life to Me?"

He won't wait forever. That's why the Bible says, "Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near." Today's really the only day you can be sure He'll still be found. You need to respond to God's love by committing yourself to Jesus Christ with all your heart. How? I would be honored to help you get that settled this very day. So, would you go to the website to help you begin with Jesus? It's ANewStory.com.

Christ has loved you enough to sacrifice His life for yours. And today, where you are, He is pursuing you with His love. And He's been waiting patiently for you to respond. Please, my friend, don't risk losing the love that your heart was made for.