Nahum 1, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Grace Comes After You ·

God’s grace!  It has a wildness about it.  A white-water, rip-tide, turn-you-upside-downess about it. Grace comes after you!

Some years ago I underwent a heart procedure.  I asked the surgeon,

“You’re burning the interior of my heart, right?”

“Correct.”

“You intend to kill the misbehaving cells, yes?”

“That’s my plan.”

“As long as you’re in there, could you take your little blowtorch to some of my greed, selfishness, superiority, and guilt?”

He smiled, “Sorry, that’s out of my pay grade!”

But it’s not out of God’s!  We’d be wrong to think this change happens overnight. We’d be equally wrong to assume change never happens at all. It may come in fits and spurts—but it comes!

Titus 2:11 says, “The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared.”

You just never know when grace will seep in.  Could you use some?

From GRACE

Nahum 1

God Is Serious Business

1  1 A report on the problem of Nineveh, the way God gave Nahum of Elkosh to see it:

2–6  God is serious business.

He won’t be trifled with.

He avenges his foes.

He stands up against his enemies, fierce and raging.

But God doesn’t lose his temper.

He’s powerful, but it’s a patient power.

Still, no one gets by with anything.

Sooner or later, everyone pays.

Tornadoes and hurricanes

are the wake of his passage,

Storm clouds are the dust

he shakes off his feet.

He yells at the sea: It dries up.

All the rivers run dry.

The Bashan and Carmel mountains shrivel,

the Lebanon orchards shrivel.

Mountains quake in their roots,

hills dissolve into mud flats.

Earth shakes in fear of God.

The whole world’s in a panic.

Who can face such towering anger?

Who can stand up to this fierce rage?

His anger spills out like a river of lava,

his fury shatters boulders.

7–10  God is good,

a hiding place in tough times.

He recognizes and welcomes

anyone looking for help,

No matter how desperate the trouble.

But cozy islands of escape

He wipes right off the map.

No one gets away from God.

Why waste time conniving against God?

He’s putting an end to all such scheming.

For troublemakers, no second chances.

Like a pile of dry brush,

Soaked in oil,

they’ll go up in flames.

A Think Tank for Lies

11  Nineveh’s an anthill

of evil plots against God,

A think tank for lies

that seduce and betray.

12–13  And God has something to say about all this:

“Even though you’re on top of the world,

With all the applause and all the votes,

you’ll be mowed down flat.

“I’ve afflicted you, Judah, true,

but I won’t afflict you again.

From now on I’m taking the yoke from your neck

and splitting it up for kindling.

I’m cutting you free

from the ropes of your bondage.”

14  God’s orders on Nineveh:

“You’re the end of the line.

It’s all over with Nineveh.

I’m gutting your temple.

Your gods and goddesses go in the trash.

I’m digging your grave. It’s an unmarked grave.

You’re nothing—no, you’re less than nothing!”

15  Look! Striding across the mountains—

a messenger bringing the latest good news: peace!

A holiday, Judah! Celebrate!

Worship and recommit to God!

No more worries about this enemy.

This one is history. Close the books.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Sunday, March 03, 2024

Today's Scripture

Matthew 15:7-20

Frauds! Isaiah’s prophecy of you hit the bull’s-eye:

These people make a big show of saying the right thing,

but their heart isn’t in it.

They act like they’re worshiping me,

but they don’t mean it.

They just use me as a cover

for teaching whatever suits their fancy.”

10–11  He then called the crowd together and said, “Listen, and take this to heart. It’s not what you swallow that pollutes your life, but what you vomit up.”

12  Later his disciples came and told him, “Did you know how upset the Pharisees were when they heard what you said?”

13–14  Jesus shrugged it off. “Every tree that wasn’t planted by my Father in heaven will be pulled up by its roots. Forget them. They are blind men leading blind men. When a blind man leads a blind man, they both end up in the ditch.”

15  Peter said, “I don’t get it. Put it in plain language.”

16–20  Jesus replied, “You, too? Are you being willfully stupid? Don’t you know that anything that is swallowed works its way through the intestines and is finally defecated? But what comes out of the mouth gets its start in the heart. It’s from the heart that we vomit up evil arguments, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, lies, and cussing. That’s what pollutes. Eating or not eating certain foods, washing or not washing your hands—that’s neither here nor there.”

Insight

When Jesus quoted Isaiah in Matthew 15:8-9, it was from a passage in which God, through the prophet, confronted the people of Jerusalem over their self-righteous religious practices (Isaiah 29:13). In that day, the people claimed to know God, but their actions proved their hearts were stone-cold. In the Messiah’s day, He directed Isaiah’s accusation specifically at the Pharisees, who were guilty of the same sin. The Pharisees had just accused Jesus’ disciples of failing to wash their hands before eating. Mark’s parallel account about this scene expands on the Pharisees’ unhelpful tradition (see Mark 7:3-4). There was nothing wrong with the washing of one’s hands prior to eating. But the Pharisees had made this a requirement, elevating “human rules” to the status of God-ordained law (Matthew 15:9). By: Tim Gustafson

A Heart for Christ

Out of the heart come evil thoughts . . . these are what defile a person. Matthew 15:19-20

As long as you keep your mouth closed, I told myself, you won’t be doing anything wrong. I’d been outwardly holding back my anger toward a colleague after misinterpreting things she’d said. Since we had to see each other every day, I decided to limit communication to only what was necessary (and retaliate with my silent treatment). How could a quiet demeanor be wrong?

Jesus said that sin begins in the heart (Matthew 15:18-20). My silence may have fooled people into thinking all was well, but it wasn’t fooling God. He knew I was hiding a heart filled with anger. I was like the Pharisees who honored God with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him (v. 8). Even though my outward appearance didn’t show my true feelings, the bitterness was festering inside me. The joy and closeness I’d always felt with my heavenly Father were gone. Nurturing and hiding sin does that.

By God’s grace, I told my colleague how I was feeling and apologized. She graciously forgave me and, eventually, we became good friends. “Out of the heart come evil thoughts” (v. 19), Jesus says. The state of our heart matters because evil residing there can overflow into our lives. Both our exterior and interior matter. By:  Karen Huang

Reflect & Pray

Jesus said that the sin in our heart defiles us. What “evil thoughts” might be defiling your heart? How can you pray regarding this matter?

Loving God, please forgive me for the sins I’ve been nurturing in my heart. I want my heart to be pleasing in Your sight. Please help me to change.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Sunday, March 03, 2024

His Commission to Us

Feed My sheep. —John 21:17

This is love in the making. The love of God is not created— it is His nature. When we receive the life of Christ through the Holy Spirit, He unites us with God so that His love is demonstrated in us. The goal of the indwelling Holy Spirit is not just to unite us with God, but to do it in such a way that we will be one with the Father in exactly the same way Jesus was. And what kind of oneness did Jesus Christ have with the Father? He had such a oneness with the Father that He was obedient when His Father sent Him down here to be poured out for us. And He says to us, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21).

Peter now realizes that he does love Him, due to the revelation that came with the Lord’s piercing question. The Lord’s next point is— “Pour yourself out. Don’t testify about how much you love Me and don’t talk about the wonderful revelation you have had, just ‘Feed My sheep.’ ” Jesus has some extraordinarily peculiar sheep: some that are unkempt and dirty, some that are awkward or pushy, and some that have gone astray! But it is impossible to exhaust God’s love, and it is impossible to exhaust my love if it flows from the Spirit of God within me. The love of God pays no attention to my prejudices caused by my natural individuality. If I love my Lord, I have no business being guided by natural emotions— I have to feed His sheep. We will not be delivered or released from His commission to us. Beware of counterfeiting the love of God by following your own natural human emotions, sympathies, or understandings. That will only serve to revile and abuse the true love of God.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

Jesus Christ reveals, not an embarrassed God, not a confused God, not a God who stands apart from the problems, but One who stands in the thick of the whole thing with man.  Disciples Indeed, 388 L

Bible in a Year: Numbers 28-30; Mark 8:22-38

Acts 22, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: The Economy of Heaven

“A crown is being held for . . . all those who have waited with love for him to come again.” 2 Timothy 4:8

We understand that in the economy of earth, there are a limited number of crowns.

The economy of heaven, however, is refreshingly different. Heavenly rewards are not limited to a chosen few, but “to all those who have waited with love for him to come again.” The three-letter word all is a gem. The winner’s circle isn’t reserved for a handful of the elite but for a heaven full of God’s children.

Acts 22

 “My dear brothers and fathers, listen carefully to what I have to say before you jump to conclusions about me.” When they heard him speaking Hebrew, they grew even quieter. No one wanted to miss a word of this.

2–3  He continued, “I am a good Jew, born in Tarsus in the province of Cilicia, but educated here in Jerusalem under the exacting eye of Rabbi Gamaliel, thoroughly instructed in our religious traditions. And I’ve always been passionately on God’s side, just as you are right now.

4–5  “I went after anyone connected with this ‘Way,’ went at them hammer and tongs, ready to kill for God. I rounded up men and women right and left and had them thrown in prison. You can ask the Chief Priest or anyone in the High Council to verify this; they all knew me well. Then I went off to our brothers in Damascus, armed with official documents authorizing me to hunt down the followers of Jesus there, arrest them, and bring them back to Jerusalem for sentencing.

6–7  “As I arrived on the outskirts of Damascus about noon, a blinding light blazed out of the skies and I fell to the ground, dazed. I heard a voice: ‘Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?’

8–9  “ ‘Who are you, Master?’ I asked.

“He said, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, the One you’re hunting down.’ My companions saw the light, but they didn’t hear the conversation.

10–11  “Then I said, ‘What do I do now, Master?’

“He said, ‘Get to your feet and enter Damascus. There you’ll be told everything that’s been set out for you to do.’ And so we entered Damascus, but nothing like the entrance I had planned—I was blind as a bat and my companions had to lead me in by the hand.

12–13  “And that’s when I met Ananias, a man with a sterling reputation in observing our laws—the Jewish community in Damascus is unanimous on that score. He came and put his arm on my shoulder. ‘Look up,’ he said. I looked, and found myself looking right into his eyes—I could see again!

14–16  “Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has hand-picked you to be briefed on his plan of action. You’ve actually seen the Righteous Innocent and heard him speak. You are to be a key witness to everyone you meet of what you’ve seen and heard. So what are you waiting for? Get up and get yourself baptized, scrubbed clean of those sins and personally acquainted with God.’

17–18  “Well, it happened just as Ananias said. After I was back in Jerusalem and praying one day in the Temple, lost in the presence of God, I saw him, saw God’s Righteous Innocent, and heard him say to me, ‘Hurry up! Get out of here as quickly as you can. None of the Jews here in Jerusalem are going to accept what you say about me.’

19–20  “At first I objected: ‘Who has better credentials? They all know how obsessed I was with hunting out those who believed in you, beating them up in the meeting places and throwing them in jail. And when your witness Stephen was murdered, I was right there, holding the coats of the murderers and cheering them on. And now they see me totally converted. What better qualification could I have?’

21  “But he said, ‘Don’t argue. Go. I’m sending you on a long journey to outsider non-Jews.’ ”

A Roman Citizen

22–25  The people in the crowd had listened attentively up to this point, but now they broke loose, shouting out, “Kill him! He’s an insect! Stomp on him!” They shook their fists. They filled the air with curses. That’s when the captain intervened and ordered Paul taken into the barracks. By now the captain was thoroughly exasperated. He decided to interrogate Paul under torture in order to get to the bottom of this, to find out what he had done that provoked this outraged violence. As they spread-eagled him with thongs, getting him ready for the whip, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is this legal: torturing a Roman citizen without a fair trial?”

26  When the centurion heard that, he went directly to the captain. “Do you realize what you’ve done? This man is a Roman citizen!”

27  The captain came back and took charge. “Is what I hear right? You’re a Roman citizen?”

Paul said, “I certainly am.”

28  The captain was impressed. “I paid a huge sum for my citizenship. How much did it cost you?”

“Nothing,” said Paul. “It cost me nothing. I was free from the day of my birth.”

29  That put a stop to the interrogation. And it put the fear of God into the captain. He had put a Roman citizen in chains and come within a whisker of putting him under torture!

30  The next day, determined to get to the root of the trouble and know for sure what was behind the Jewish accusation, the captain released Paul and ordered a meeting of the high priests and the High Council to see what they could make of it. Paul was led in and took his place before them.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Saturday, March 02, 2024

Today's Scripture

Ezekiel 1:22–28

 Over the heads of the living creatures was something like a dome, shimmering like a sky full of cut glass, vaulted over their heads. Under the dome one set of wings was extended toward the others, with another set of wings covering their bodies. When they moved I heard their wings—it was like the roar of a great waterfall, like the voice of The Strong God, like the noise of a battlefield. When they stopped, they folded their wings.

25–28  And then, as they stood with folded wings, there was a voice from above the dome over their heads. Above the dome there was something that looked like a throne, sky-blue like a sapphire, with a humanlike figure towering above the throne. From what I could see, from the waist up he looked like burnished bronze and from the waist down like a blazing fire. Brightness everywhere! The way a rainbow springs out of the sky on a rainy day—that’s what it was like. It turned out to be the Glory of God!

When I saw all this, I fell to my knees, my face to the ground. Then I heard a voice.

Insight

When Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon first attacked Jerusalem, he took most people from Jerusalem into exile (2 Kings 24:10-14). Ezekiel was one of those captives. The book of Ezekiel opens five years later (Ezekiel 1:2) when Ezekiel was thirty years old—the year he would’ve been installed as a priest in Jerusalem. Instead, he was with the other exiles in a camp by a river in Babylon (v. 1). Yet God appeared to the prophet, revealing to him that not just in Jerusalem but even in this land of exile, He’s present in glory—“like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day . . . . This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord” (v. 28). By: Monica La Rose

Speaking as God Helps Us

Then there came a voice from above the vault over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. Ezekiel 1:25

One wouldn’t normally think of butterflies as being loud creatures: after all, the flapping of a single Monarch butterfly’s wings is practically inaudible. But in the Mexican rainforest, where many of them begin their short lives, their collective flapping is surprisingly loud. When millions of Monarchs flap their wings at the same time, it sounds like a rushing waterfall.

The same description is made when four very different winged creatures appear in Ezekiel’s vision. Though fewer than the number of butterflies, he likens the sound of their flapping wings to “the roar of rushing waters” (Ezekiel 1:24). When the creatures stood still and lowered their wings, Ezekiel heard the voice of God calling him to “speak [God’s] words to [the Israelites]” (2:7).

Ezekiel, like the other Old Testament prophets, was charged with the task of speaking truth to God’s people. Today, God asks us all to share the truth of His good work in our lives with those He puts around us (1 Peter 3:15). Sometimes we’ll be asked a direct question—an invitation to share that’s as “loud” as a waterfall. Other times, the invitation might be more of a whisper, such as seeing an unspoken need. Whether the invitation to share God’s love is as loud as a million butterflies or as quiet as just one, we must listen, as Ezekiel did, with ears tuned to hear what God wants us to say. By:  Kirsten Holmberg

Reflect & Pray

Who’s inviting you to speak into their lives—even if only faintly? How will you respond?

Thank You, Father, for inviting me to share about You.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Saturday, March 02, 2024

Have You Felt the Pain Inflicted by the Lord?

He said to him the third time, "…do you love Me?" —John 21:17

Have you ever felt the pain, inflicted by the Lord, at the very center of your being, deep down in the most sensitive area of your life? The devil never inflicts pain there, and neither can sin nor human emotions. Nothing can cut through to that part of our being but the Word of God. “Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ ” Yet he was awakened to the fact that at the center of his personal life he was devoted to Jesus. And then he began to see what Jesus’ patient questioning meant. There was not the slightest bit of doubt left in Peter’s mind; he could never be deceived again. And there was no need for an impassioned response; no need for immediate action or an emotional display. It was a revelation to him to realize how much he did love the Lord, and with amazement he simply said, “Lord, You know all things….” Peter began to see how very much he did love Jesus, and there was no need to say, “Look at this or that as proof of my love.” Peter was beginning to discover within himself just how much he really did love the Lord. He discovered that his eyes were so fixed on Jesus Christ that he saw no one else in heaven above or on the earth below. But he did not know it until the probing, hurting questions of the Lord were asked. The Lord’s questions always reveal the true me to myself.

Oh, the wonder of the patient directness and skill of Jesus Christ with Peter! Our Lord never asks questions until the perfect time. Rarely, but probably once in each of our lives, He will back us into a corner where He will hurt us with His piercing questions. Then we will realize that we do love Him far more deeply than our words can ever say.

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: Numbers 26-27; Mark 8:1-21

Micah 7, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: TRADE YOUR CARES FOR CALM - March 1, 2024

Could you use some calm? If so, you aren’t alone. We could all use these words of peace. Philippians 4 in verse 7: “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds.”

The first admonition is celebrate God’s goodness – “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4).

The second admonition is to ask God for help – “Let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).

The third admonition is to leave your concerns with him – “With thanksgiving …” (Philippians 4:6).

The fourth admonition is to meditate on good things – “Think about the things that are good and worthy of praise” (Philippians 4:8).

C–A–L–M. Calm. Trade your cares for calm.

Micah 7

Stick Around to See What God Will Do

1–6  7 I’m overwhelmed with sorrow!

sunk in a swamp of despair!

I’m like someone who goes to the garden

to pick cabbages and carrots and corn

And returns empty-handed,

finds nothing for soup or sandwich or salad.

There’s not a decent person in sight.

Right-living humans are extinct.

They’re all out for one another’s blood,

animals preying on each other.

They’ve all become experts in evil.

Corrupt leaders demand bribes.

The powerful rich

make sure they get what they want.

The best and brightest are thistles.

The top of the line is crabgrass.

But no longer: It’s exam time.

Look at them slinking away in disgrace!

Don’t trust your neighbor,

don’t confide in your friend.

Watch your words,

even with your spouse.

Neighborhoods and families are falling to pieces.

The closer they are—sons, daughters, in-laws—

The worse they can be.

Your own family is the enemy.

7  But me, I’m not giving up.

I’m sticking around to see what God will do.

I’m waiting for God to make things right.

I’m counting on God to listen to me.

Spreading Your Wings

8–10  Don’t, enemy, crow over me.

I’m down, but I’m not out.

I’m sitting in the dark right now,

but God is my light.

I can take God’s punishing rage.

I deserve it—I sinned.

But it’s not forever. He’s on my side

and is going to get me out of this.

He’ll turn on the lights and show me his ways.

I’ll see the whole picture and how right he is.

And my enemy will see it, too,

and be discredited—yes, disgraced!

This enemy who kept taunting,

“So where is this God of yours?”

I’m going to see it with these, my own eyes—

my enemy disgraced, trash in the gutter.

11–13  Oh, that will be a day! A day for rebuilding your city,

a day for stretching your arms, spreading your wings!

All your dispersed and scattered people will come back,

old friends and family from faraway places,

From Assyria in the east to Egypt in the west,

from across the seas and out of the mountains.

But there’ll be a reversal for everyone else—massive depopulation—

because of the way they lived, the things they did.

14–17  Shepherd, O God, your people with your staff,

your dear and precious flock.

Uniquely yours in a grove of trees,

centered in lotus land.

Let them graze in lush Bashan

as in the old days in green Gilead.

Reproduce the miracle-wonders

of our exodus from Egypt.

And the godless nations: Put them in their place—

humiliated in their arrogance, speechless and clueless.

Make them slink like snakes, crawl like cockroaches,

come out of their holes from under their rocks

And face our God.

Fill them with holy fear and trembling.

18–20  Where is the god who can compare with you—

wiping the slate clean of guilt,

Turning a blind eye, a deaf ear,

to the past sins of your purged and precious people?

You don’t nurse your anger and don’t stay angry long,

for mercy is your specialty. That’s what you love most.

And compassion is on its way to us.

You’ll stamp out our wrongdoing.

You’ll sink our sins

to the bottom of the ocean.

You’ll stay true to your word to Father Jacob

and continue the compassion you showed Grandfather Abraham—

Everything you promised our ancestors

from a long time ago.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Friday, March 01, 2024

Today's Scripture

Psalm 50:7–15

  “Are you listening, dear people? I’m getting ready to speak;

Israel, I’m about ready to bring you to trial.

This is God, your God,

speaking to you.

I don’t find fault with your acts of worship,

the frequent burnt sacrifices you offer.

But why should I want your blue-ribbon bull,

or more and more goats from your herds?

Every creature in the forest is mine,

the wild animals on all the mountains.

I know every mountain bird by name;

the scampering field mice are my friends.

If I get hungry, do you think I’d tell you?

All creation and its bounty are mine.

Do you think I feast on venison?

or drink draughts of goats’ blood?

Spread for me a banquet of praise,

serve High God a feast of kept promises,

And call for help when you’re in trouble—

I’ll help you, and you’ll honor me.”

Insight

The superscription attributes Psalm 50 to Asaph, a Levite and one of David’s three chief musicians (see 1 Chronicles 6:31, 39; 16:4-5; 2 Chronicles 5:12). Asaph also composed eleven other songs (Psalms 73-83). In Psalm 50, a didactic psalm (one that teaches us about God and how to live in a way that pleases Him), he describes a courtroom scene where God testifies against and judges His people for two grave sins—their formalism in worship (vv. 7-15) and their hypocrisy in living (vv. 16-23). We’re reminded that God has no need for our offerings, for He’s the Lord of all creation and owner of all we have (vv. 8-15). Instead, He desires us to “make thankfulness [our] sacrifice to” Him (v. 14 nlt). By: K. T. Sim

Owner or Steward?

Every animal of the forest is mine. Psalm 50:10

“Am I an owner or a steward?” The CEO of a multibillion-dollar company asked himself that question as he weighed what was best for his family. Concerned about the temptations that can come with vast wealth, he didn’t want to burden his heirs with that challenge. So he gave up ownership of his company and placed 100 percent of the voting stock in a trust. Recognizing that everything he owns belongs to God helped him make the decision to allow his family to earn a living in exchange for work while also using future profits to fund Christian ministry.

In Psalm 50:10, God tells His people, “Every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.” As the Creator of all things, God owes us nothing and needs nothing from us. “I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens,” He says (v. 9). He generously provides everything that we have and use as well as the strength and the ability to earn a living. Because He does, as the psalm shows us, He’s worthy of our heartfelt worship.

God owns everything. But because of His goodness, He even chose to give Himself, entering into a relationship with any who turn to Him. Jesus “did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). When we value the Giver over the gifts and serve Him with them, we're blessed to delight in Him forever. By:  James Banks

Reflect & Pray

What has God given you that you’re grateful for? How can you serve Him with it?

You made everything, faithful Creator. Please help me to live my life as a gift from You today.

Gain a biblical perspective of money.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Friday, March 01, 2024

The Piercing Question

Do you love Me? —John 21:17

Peter’s response to this piercing question is considerably different from the bold defiance he exhibited only a few days before when he declared, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” (Matthew 26:35; also see Matthew 26:33-34). Our natural individuality, or our natural self, boldly speaks out and declares its feelings. But the true love within our inner spiritual self can be discovered only by experiencing the hurt of this question of Jesus Christ. Peter loved Jesus in the way any natural man loves a good person. Yet that is nothing but emotional love. It may reach deeply into our natural self, but it never penetrates to the spirit of a person. True love never simply declares itself. Jesus said, “Whoever confesses Me before men [that is, confesses his love by everything he does, not merely by his words], him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God” (Luke 12:8).

Unless we are experiencing the hurt of facing every deception about ourselves, we have hindered the work of the Word of God in our lives. The Word of God inflicts hurt on us more than sin ever could, because sin dulls our senses. But this question of the Lord intensifies our sensitivities to the point that this hurt produced by Jesus is the most exquisite pain conceivable. It hurts not only on the natural level, but also on the deeper spiritual level. “For the Word of God is living and powerful…, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit…”— to the point that no deception can remain (Hebrews 4:12). When the Lord asks us this question, it is impossible to think and respond properly, because when the Lord speaks directly to us, the pain is too intense. It causes such a tremendous hurt that any part of our life which may be out of line with His will can feel the pain. There is never any mistaking the pain of the Lord’s Word by His children, but the moment that pain is felt is the very moment at which God reveals His truth to us.

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: Numbers 23-25; Mark 7:14-37

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Friday, March 01, 2024

A Parent's Hardest Job - #9690

When our daughter was little, one of her favorite books was Misty of Chincoteague. Now, if you haven't read that classic, let me bring you up-to-date. Chincoteague is an island off the eastern shore of Virginia. And it's known for these beautiful white ponies. They're wild ponies, and that's who Misty was-one of those wild ponies.

Now at one point in the story, Phantom, Misty's mother, is in a horse pen on a farm because they have been captured. And the two children in the story who live on this farm are distressed because they see Phantom kicking Misty, her own colt. And so they yell at her to stop! Well, of course, enter Grandma-wise grandma. Those words go together, right? Grandma's always say wise things. And Grandma explains to the two children. She says, "Look, kids, she's not trying to hurt her foal; she's loving her in the hardest way there is. She knows that the time has come for Misty to be on her own." Well, that's pretty good horse sense. And it's always good horse sense to keep that time in mind.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "A Parent's Hardest Job."

Now, our word for today from the Word of God comes from Genesis 2:4. It's always good to know your goal, right? If you're a pilot and you're flying a plane, it's good to have your flight plan and to know what airport you're aiming for. If you're running with a football, it's very important you know which goal is yours. It's good to know where your goal is if you're raising your child, too. A parent's final objective is described to the very first parents even before they were parents - Adam and Eve. And our biggest assignment has not changed.

Genesis 2:24 - God says, "'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.'" These are hard words if you're a parent. "Leave father and mother." Basically, God is telling us here that our children are not ours to keep. Our mission as parents is to prepare them to leave us; to live without us. And that starts very young. You don't come to your child every time they cry or they call, because if you do, they'll never learn to be on their own if you come every time. You don't solve every problem for them. You teach them how to solve a problem. You don't give them an endless supply of money; you teach them that you earn money, and then you plan your spending. When you're out of money, you're out of money. You're not like the girl who said, "I must have more money, I still have more checks."

As they grow older you don't make every decision for them, you teach them how to make a good decision and then, if you have to, you let them make some mistakes. You don't give them a rule for every occasion. Instead, you teach them a personal set of principles by which they can make all their moral choices. You don't just give them all the right answers, but you teach them how to ask good questions. Everything in us wants to protect that child from every mistake, every hurt, and to hold on to them even sometimes to tie our identity to theirs. Don't do it. It's just not how God meant parenting to be from the very first parents.

We're actually assigned, like that mama horse, to nudge our children slowly but surely toward the gate. The gate's called personal responsibility. And if we do it well, they'll one day rise up and call us blessed. We just don't dare need them too much for our own identity. See, we're supposed to be getting them ready to leave. And that's a parent's hardest responsibility, but it's also one of the most important jobs you will ever have.

Micah 6, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: SPEAK WORDS OF LIFE - February 29, 2024

Nathaniel Hawthorne came home heartbroken. He had just been fired from his job in the customhouse. His wife, rather than responding with anxiety, surprised him with joy. “Now you can write your book!” He wasn’t so positive. “And what shall we live on while I’m writing it?” To his amazement she opened a drawer and revealed a wad of money she’d saved out of her housekeeping budget. “I always knew you were a man of genius,” she told him. “I always knew you’d write a masterpiece”

She believed in her husband. And because she did, he wrote. And because he wrote, every library in America has a copy of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Proverbs 18:21 (NKJV) says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” You have the power to change someone’s life simply by the words you speak.

Micah 6

What God Is Looking For

1–2  6 Listen now, listen to God:

“Take your stand in court.

If you have a complaint, tell the mountains;

make your case to the hills.

And now, Mountains, hear God’s case;

listen, Jury Earth—

For I am bringing charges against my people.

I am building a case against Israel.

3–5  “Dear people, how have I done you wrong?

Have I burdened you, worn you out? Answer!

I delivered you from a bad life in Egypt;

I paid a good price to get you out of slavery.

I sent Moses to lead you—

and Aaron and Miriam to boot!

Remember what Balak king of Moab tried to pull,

and how Balaam son of Beor turned the tables on him.

Remember all those stories about Shittim and Gilgal.

Keep all God’s salvation stories fresh and present.”

6–7  How can I stand up before God

and show proper respect to the high God?

Should I bring an armload of offerings

topped off with yearling calves?

Would God be impressed with thousands of rams,

with buckets and barrels of olive oil?

Would he be moved if I sacrificed my firstborn child,

my precious baby, to cancel my sin?

8  But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do,

what God is looking for in men and women.

It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,

be compassionate and loyal in your love,

And don’t take yourself too seriously—

take God seriously.

9  Attention! God calls out to the city!

If you know what’s good for you, you’ll listen.

So listen, all of you!

This is serious business.

10–16  “Do you expect me to overlook obscene wealth

you’ve piled up by cheating and fraud?

Do you think I’ll tolerate shady deals

and shifty scheming?

I’m tired of the violent rich

bullying their way with bluffs and lies.

I’m fed up. Beginning now, you’re finished.

You’ll pay for your sins down to your last cent.

No matter how much you get, it will never be enough—

hollow stomachs, empty hearts.

No matter how hard you work, you’ll have nothing to show for it—

bankrupt lives, wasted souls.

You’ll plant grass

but never get a lawn.

You’ll make jelly

but never spread it on your bread.

You’ll press apples

but never drink the cider.

You have lived by the standards of your king, Omri,

the decadent lifestyle of the family of Ahab.

Because you’ve slavishly followed their fashions,

I’m forcing you into bankruptcy.

Your way of life will be laughed at, a tasteless joke.

Your lives will be derided as futile and fake.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Thursday, February 29, 2024

Today's Scripture

Leviticus 13:1–8

Infections

1–3  13 God spoke to Moses and Aaron: “When someone has a swelling or a blister or a shiny spot on the skin that might signal a serious skin disease on the body, bring him to Aaron the priest or to one of his priest sons. The priest will examine the sore on the skin. If the hair in the sore has turned white and the sore appears more than skin deep, it is a serious skin disease and infectious. After the priest has examined it, he will pronounce the person unclean.

4–8  “If the shiny spot on the skin is white but appears to be only on the surface and the hair has not turned white, the priest will quarantine the person for seven days. On the seventh day the priest will examine it again; if, in his judgment, the sore is the same and has not spread, the priest will keep him in quarantine for another seven days. On the seventh day the priest will examine him a second time; if the sore has faded and hasn’t spread, the priest will declare him clean—it is a harmless rash. The person can go home and wash his clothes; he is clean. But if the sore spreads after he has shown himself to the priest and been declared clean, he must come back again to the priest who will conduct another examination. If the sore has spread, the priest will pronounce him unclean—it is a serious skin disease and infectious.

Insight

The book of Leviticus gives the account of events that took place after God delivered His people from slavery in Egypt and describes how His people could live in His presence. At that time, Israel’s priests were entrusted with great responsibility in guiding the Israelites in how to live. In chapter 13, we find this includes taking great care regarding those with infectious skin diseases. The priests were trained how to recognize contagious conditions and to require those with such diseases to isolate themselves until there was evidence of healing (vv. 4, 8). Minor, noncontagious skin conditions wouldn’t require being quarantined (vv. 7, 11). By: Monica La Rose

Even Leviticus

You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy.

Leviticus 20:26

The topic was Leviticus, and I had a confession to make. “I skipped a lot of the reading,” I told my Bible study group. “I’m not reading about skin diseases again.”

That’s when my friend Dave spoke up. “I know a guy who believed in Jesus because of that passage,” he said. Dave explained that his friend—a doctor—had been an atheist. He decided that before he completely rejected the Bible, he’d better read it for himself. The section on skin diseases in Leviticus fascinated him. It contained surprising details about contagious and noncontagious sores (13:1–46) and how to treat them (14:8–9). He knew this far surpassed the medical knowledge of that day—yet there it was in Leviticus. There’s no way Moses could have known all this, he thought. The doctor began to consider that Moses really did receive his information from God. Eventually he put his faith in Jesus.  

If parts of the Bible bore you, well, I’m with you. But everything it says is there for a reason. Leviticus was written so the Israelites would know how to live for and with God. As we learn more about this relationship between God and His people, we learn about God Himself.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” wrote the apostle Paul (2 Timothy 3:16). Let’s read on. Even Leviticus. By:  Tim Gustafson

Reflect & Pray

What sections of the Bible bore you or seem irrelevant? How can you learn to recognize their value?

Father, teach me how to appreciate the Bible. Let every part speak to me.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Thursday, February 29, 2024

What Do You Want The Lord to Do for You?

"What do you want Me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, that I may receive my sight." —Luke 18:41

Is there something in your life that not only disturbs you, but makes you a disturbance to others? If so, it is always something you cannot handle yourself. “Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more…” (Luke 18:39). Be persistent with your disturbance until you get face to face with the Lord Himself. Don’t deify common sense. To sit calmly by, instead of creating a disturbance, serves only to deify our common sense. When Jesus asks what we want Him to do for us about the incredible problem that is confronting us, remember that He doesn’t work in commonsense ways, but only in supernatural ways.

Look at how we limit the Lord by only remembering what we have allowed Him to do for us in the past. We say, “I always failed there, and I always will.” Consequently, we don’t ask for what we want. Instead, we think, “It is ridiculous to ask God to do this.” If it is an impossibility, it is the very thing for which we have to ask. If it is not an impossible thing, it is not a real disturbance. And God will do what is absolutely impossible.

This man received his sight. But the most impossible thing for you is to be so closely identified with the Lord that there is literally nothing of your old life remaining. God will do it if you will ask Him. But you have to come to the point of believing Him to be almighty. We find faith by not only believing what Jesus says, but, even more, by trusting Jesus Himself. If we only look at what He says, we will never believe. Once we see Jesus, the impossible things He does in our lives become as natural as breathing. The agony we suffer is only the result of the deliberate shallowness of our own heart. We won’t believe; we won’t let go by severing the line that secures the boat to the shore— we prefer to worry.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

There is no allowance whatever in the New Testament for the man who says he is saved by grace but who does not produce the graceful goods. Jesus Christ by His Redemption can make our actual life in keeping with our religious profession. Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, 1465 R

Bible in a Year: Numbers 20-22; Mark 7:1-13

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Thursday, February 29, 2024

Twisting the Bible to Match Your Life - #9689

One of the most challenging and graceful track and field events has got to be the pole vault. There's this athlete running, then he's airborne on that pole, now he's gliding up and over that bar. Can't you picture it? Well, up at least! Oh, no! The bar comes crashing down; the "vaulter" didn't clear the bar. But wait! Here come the officials! Listen to what they're saying to the unsuccessful "vaulter," "Oh, that was a little high for you wasn't it? Listen, why don't we lower the bar a couple of notches? We'll just keep lowering it until you can clear it."

Don't hold your breath looking for a scene like that on the Olympics or any other sports program. They're never going to lower the bar in a track meet. Of course, it's happening all too often in the church.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Twisting the Bible to Match Your Life."

There's an interesting trend among God's people today to sort of re-write God's laws when someone I love has violated them. So, if a friend or family member of yours hasn't cleared God's standards, we suddenly find justification for lowering the bar.

In our word for today from the Word of God, 1 Samuel 13:14, David was the one who was described as "a man after God's own heart." And yet we know that by 2 Samuel 12, he has committed a gross sin of adultery with Bathsheba, and then setting up her husband to die on the front lines. Here is the man God loves; the man after God's heart. But listen to what God says through the prophet Nathan. "Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, David, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah to be your own."

This is what the Lord says: "out of your own household I'm going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this in broad daylight before all Israel." See, the man God loved didn't clear the bar. Did God lower it? No. He can't. But apparently we can when it's a choice between the laws of God and our love for someone close to us, we tend to rewrite the laws to fit the one we love; to find a loophole that they can squeeze through.

We can be very clear as to what the Bible says about sex, about abortion, about divorce, about marrying an unbeliever, about revenge, until someone close to us steps outside those boundaries. It's amazing how we suddenly start twisting verses, finding loopholes, re-interpreting Scripture, playing theological games that satisfy our logic but not God's holiness, and we accept some unacceptable compromises.

It's understandable, but it's wrong. When sin gets close to home, it can teach us how to be more merciful than we've been before, and that's good. How to be less judgmental, and that's good. And it can give us a wonderful opportunity to show God's unconditional love for people whether they clear the bar or not, and that's good. But we can't, in the process when we're loving and forgiving and accepting people in a sinful moment, we can't dare to try to lower God's standard. He didn't even for the man He loved deeply, and we can't either.

To be sure, God picks us up when we fail and when we collapse on the other side of our sin, He won't bend His laws for anyone. He can't, and neither can we. We love them, we pray for them, we embrace them...but the bar must stay where it is. 

Acts 21:18-40, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: SHOW UP FOR SOMEONE - February 28, 2024

After Albert Einstein’s wife died, his sister moved in to help with the household. For fourteen years she cared for him, allowing his valuable research to continue. When she suffered a stroke and lapsed into a coma, Einstein spent two hours every afternoon reading aloud to her. She gave no sign of understanding, but he read anyway. If she understood anything, she understood that he believed she was worth his time. He did what love does – he showed up.

Do you believe in your kids? Then show up. At their games, their plays, their recitals. It may not be possible to make each one, but it’s sure worth the effort. Show up. Whenever I speak at an area congregation, an elder in our church shows up. He does nothing, says nothing. He just smiles when we make eye contact. It means a lot to me. You want to bring out the best in someone? Then just show up.

Acts 21:18-40

The first thing next morning, we took Paul to see James. All the church leaders were there. After a time of greeting and small talk, Paul told the story, detail by detail, of what God had done among the non-Jewish people through his ministry. They listened with delight and gave God the glory.

20–21  They had a story to tell, too: “And just look at what’s been happening here—thousands upon thousands of God-fearing Jews have become believers in Jesus! But there’s also a problem because they are more zealous than ever in observing the laws of Moses. They’ve been told that you advise believing Jews who live surrounded by unbelieving outsiders to go light on Moses, telling them that they don’t need to circumcise their children or keep up the old traditions. This isn’t sitting at all well with them.

22–24  “We’re worried about what will happen when they discover you’re in town. There’s bound to be trouble. So here is what we want you to do: There are four men from our company who have taken a vow involving ritual purification, but have no money to pay the expenses. Join these men in their vows and pay their expenses. Then it will become obvious to everyone that there is nothing to the rumors going around about you and that you are in fact scrupulous in your reverence for the laws of Moses.

25  “In asking you to do this, we’re not going back on our agreement regarding non-Jews who have become believers. We continue to hold fast to what we wrote in that letter, namely, to be careful not to get involved in activities connected with idols; to avoid serving food offensive to Jewish Christians; to guard the morality of sex and marriage.”

26  So Paul did it—took the men, joined them in their vows, and paid their way. The next day he went to the Temple to make it official and stay there until the proper sacrifices had been offered and completed for each of them.

Paul Under Arrest

27–29  When the seven days of their purification were nearly up, some Jews from around Ephesus spotted him in the Temple. At once they turned the place upside-down. They grabbed Paul and started yelling at the top of their lungs, “Help! You Israelites, help! This is the man who is going all over the world telling lies against us and our religion and this place. He’s even brought Greeks in here and defiled this holy place.” (What had happened was that they had seen Paul and Trophimus, the Ephesian Greek, walking together in the city and had just assumed that he had also taken him to the Temple and shown him around.)

30  Soon the whole city was in an uproar, people running from everywhere to the Temple to get in on the action. They grabbed Paul, dragged him outside, and locked the Temple gates so he couldn’t get back in and gain sanctuary.

31–32  As they were trying to kill him, word came to the captain of the guard, “A riot! The whole city’s boiling over!” He acted swiftly. His soldiers and centurions ran to the scene at once. As soon as the mob saw the captain and his soldiers, they quit beating Paul.

33–36  The captain came up and put Paul under arrest. He first ordered him handcuffed, and then asked who he was and what he had done. All he got from the crowd were shouts, one yelling this, another that. It was impossible to tell one word from another in the mob hysteria, so the captain ordered Paul taken to the military barracks. But when they got to the Temple steps, the mob became so violent that the soldiers had to carry Paul. As they carried him away, the crowd followed, shouting, “Kill him! Kill him!”

37–38  When they got to the barracks and were about to go in, Paul said to the captain, “Can I say something to you?”

He answered, “Oh, I didn’t know you spoke Greek. I thought you were the Egyptian who not long ago started a riot here, and then hid out in the desert with his four thousand thugs.”

39  Paul said, “No, I’m a Jew, born in Tarsus. And I’m a citizen still of that influential city. I have a simple request: Let me speak to the crowd.”

Paul Tells His Story

40  Standing on the barracks steps, Paul turned and held his arms up. A hush fell over the crowd as Paul began to speak. He spoke in Hebrew.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Today's Scripture

Mark 9:14–24

There Are No Ifs

14–16  When they came back down the mountain to the other disciples, they saw a huge crowd around them, and the religion scholars cross-examining them. As soon as the people in the crowd saw Jesus, admiring excitement stirred them. They ran and greeted him. He asked, “What’s going on? What’s all the commotion?”

17–18  A man out of the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought my mute son, made speechless by a demon, to you. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and goes stiff as a board. I told your disciples, hoping they could deliver him, but they couldn’t.”

19–20  Jesus said, “What a generation! No sense of God! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this? Bring the boy here.” They brought him. When the demon saw Jesus, it threw the boy into a seizure, causing him to writhe on the ground and foam at the mouth.

21–22  He asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been going on?”

“Ever since he was a little boy. Many times it pitches him into fire or the river to do away with him. If you can do anything, do it. Have a heart and help us!”

23  Jesus said, “If? There are no ‘ifs’ among believers. Anything can happen.”

24  No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the father cried, “Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!”

Insight

In sending out His disciples to preach about His kingdom, Jesus gave them His authority over impure spirits (Mark 6:7). After three of His disciples saw Jesus transfigured on the mountain (9:2), a distraught father brought a demon-possessed boy to the remaining disciples, but they couldn’t heal him. This lack of miraculous healing was attributed to unbelief (vv. 17-19). The father eventually confessed his lack of faith, “Help me overcome my unbelief!” (v. 24). Jesus told His disciples that “this kind can come out only by prayer” (v. 29) and confronted their failure to pray. In not praying, they had depended on their own authority and not on Jesus’ authority to heal. By: K. T. Sim

“Help My Unbelief!”

Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:24

“Where is my Faith?—even deep down right in there is nothing but emptiness & darkness. . . . If there be God—please forgive me.”

The author of those words might surprise you: Mother Teresa. Beloved and renowned as a tireless servant of the poor in Calcutta, India, Mother Teresa quietly waged a desperate war for her faith over five decades. After her death in 1997, that struggle came to light when portions of her journal were published in the book Come Be My Light.

What do we do with our doubts or feelings of God’s absence? Those moments may plague some believers more than others. But many faithful believers in Jesus may, at some point in their lives, experience moments or seasons of such doubts.

I’m thankful that Scripture has given us a beautiful, paradoxical prayer that expresses both faith and the lack thereof. In Mark 9, Jesus encounters a father whose son had been demonically tormented since childhood (v. 21). When Jesus said that the man must have faith—“Everything is possible for one who believes”—the man responded, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (vv. 23-24).

This honest, heartfelt plea invites those of us who struggle with doubt to give it to God, trusting that He can fortify our faith and hold on to us firmly amid the deepest, darkest valleys we’ll ever traverse.  By:  Adam Holz

Reflect & Pray

When have you wrestled with doubt in your spiritual journey? What spiritual resources helped you hold on to your faith?

Dear Father, sometimes I doubt. Please help me when I struggle to feel Your presence.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

“Do You Now Believe?”

"By this we believe…." Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe?" —John 16:30-31

“Now we believe….” But Jesus asks, “Do you…? Indeed the hour is coming…that you…will leave Me alone” (John 16:31-32). Many Christian workers have left Jesus Christ alone and yet tried to serve Him out of a sense of duty, or because they sense a need as a result of their own discernment. The reason for this is actually the absence of the resurrection life of Jesus. Our soul has gotten out of intimate contact with God by leaning on our own religious understanding (see Proverbs 3:5-6). This is not deliberate sin and there is no punishment attached to it. But once a person realizes how he has hindered his understanding of Jesus Christ, and caused uncertainties, sorrows, and difficulties for himself, it is with shame and remorse that he has to return.

We need to rely on the resurrection life of Jesus on a much deeper level than we do now. We should get in the habit of continually seeking His counsel on everything, instead of making our own commonsense decisions and then asking Him to bless them. He cannot bless them; it is not in His realm to do so, and those decisions are severed from reality. If we do something simply out of a sense of duty, we are trying to live up to a standard that competes with Jesus Christ. We become a prideful, arrogant person, thinking we know what to do in every situation. We have put our sense of duty on the throne of our life, instead of enthroning the resurrection life of Jesus. We are not told to “walk in the light” of our conscience or in the light of a sense of duty, but to “walk in the light as He is in the light…” (1 John 1:7). When we do something out of a sense of duty, it is easy to explain the reasons for our actions to others. But when we do something out of obedience to the Lord, there can be no other explanation— just obedience. That is why a saint can be so easily ridiculed and misunderstood.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The place for the comforter is not that of one who preaches, but of the comrade who says nothing, but prays to God about the matter. The biggest thing you can do for those who are suffering is not to talk platitudes, not to ask questions, but to get into contact with God, and the “greater works” will be done by prayer (see John 14:12–13).  Baffled to Fight Better, 56 R

Bible in a Year: Numbers 20-22; Mark 7:1-13

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Ears That Hear What God Hears - #9688

For me, I guess it started with comic books, then the old black-and-white TV series. Then it graduated to the big screen as the subject of several blockbuster movies. "Look, up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! (Yep, you said it didn't you?) It's Superman!" Now, one of the Hollywood stories of the Man of Steel in more recent years was called "Superman Returns." His return was from a five-year absence from earth, and during that time, reporter Lois Lane wrote a major article called, "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman." She makes this statement: "The world doesn't need a savior, and neither do I." Upon his return to earth, Superman visits Lois Lane and tells her, "There's something I want to show you." He picks her up and takes her on a flying trip over a long stretch of the planet. He says, "Listen. Do you hear it?" She hears nothing. Superman then makes this dramatic statement to the skeptical reporter: "I hear everything. I know you wrote that the world doesn't need a Savior, but every day I hear people crying for one."

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Ears That Hear What God Hears."

There really is a Savior. Not a fictional one like Superman, but a flesh-and-blood Savior whom a dying world needs desperately. His name is Jesus. He hears every cry of the human heart and He cries. He wants to give you ears to hear what He hears.

In fact, you may be at a point where God is summoning you to something higher, much the way He summoned Moses centuries ago. That story, and maybe in a sense your story, is told in our word for today from the Word of God. Exodus 3, beginning with verse 1. It tells us that Moses was just tending his flock of sheep in the desert one day when God showed up in a burning bush. That morning, Moses woke up a desert shepherd. That night, he went to sleep a rescuer for his people. God often shows up in the middle of the routine of our life and changes the course of our life. He asks, in the words of the Christmas carol, "Do you hear what I hear?"

God says to Moses: "I have seen the misery of My people...I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them." God might be saying to you today, "I have seen the misery of the people you know. I have heard them crying out." He hears the sounds of their quiet desperation, their aching loneliness, their bleeding and broken heart, their bondages, their bleeding family, their search for meaning. He hears their pain. He hears their grief and the past that always haunts them. And He has seen their awful eternity unless there's a rescue. And Jesus is coming down to rescue people you work with or play with, people you go to school with who live around you.

But here's the "rocker." "I have come down to rescue them" He says, "So now, go. I am sending you." Jesus is inviting you; He is summoning you, to join Him in the eternal rescue mission for which He gave His life; to see your relationships and to see your situation as a divine assignment. You are being positioned by the Savior to help the people who are there be in heaven with you someday. So, how are you doing on the reason you're there?

He wants to give you ears to hear the lostness behind their laughter and the misery behind their mask. He wants to give you eyes to see what He sees when He looks at the people you're with everyday. He sees future inhabitants of hell unless someone introduces them to the Rescuer who took their hell for them, unless someone gives them Jesus.

Listen to Him. He's talking to you, "So now, go. I am sending you."

Micah 5, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

 Max Lucado Daily: LOVE PROTECTS - February 27, 2024

Have you ever heard anyone gossip about someone you know? “Well, I heard that she…” “Oh, but didn’t you know that he…” Then all of a sudden it’s your turn. What do you have to say?

Here’s what love says: 1 Peter 4:8 (NIV) says, “Love covers a multitude of sins.” Love doesn’t expose. It doesn’t gossip. If love says anything, it speaks words of protection.

Do you know anyone who needs protection? Of course you do. Then give some. Pay a gas bill for a struggling elderly couple. Make sure your divorced friends are invited to parties. Promise your kids that, God being your helper, they’ll never know a hungry day or a homeless night. In Matthew 25:40 (NIV) Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, anything you did for even the least of my people here, you also did for me.”

Micah 5

The Leader Who Will Shepherd-Rule Israel

1  5 But for now, prepare for the worst, victim daughter!

The siege is set against us.

They humiliate Israel’s king,

slapping him around like a rag doll.

2–4  But you, Bethlehem, David’s country,

the runt of the litter—

From you will come the leader

who will shepherd-rule Israel.

He’ll be no upstart, no pretender.

His family tree is ancient and distinguished.

Meanwhile, Israel will be in foster homes

until the birth pangs are over and the child is born,

And the scattered brothers come back

home to the family of Israel.

He will stand tall in his shepherd-rule by God’s strength,

centered in the majesty of God-Revealed.

And the people will have a good and safe home,

for the whole world will hold him in respect—

Peacemaker of the world!

5–6  And if some bullying Assyrian shows up,

invades and violates our land, don’t worry.

We’ll put him in his place, send him packing,

and watch his every move.

Shepherd-rule will extend as far as needed,

to Assyria and all other Nimrod-bullies.

Our shepherd-ruler will save us from old or new enemies,

from anyone who invades or violates our land.

7  The purged and select company of Jacob will be

like an island in the sea of peoples.

They’ll be like dew from God,

like summer showers

Not mentioned in the weather forecast,

not subject to calculation or control.

8–9  Yes, the purged and select company of Jacob will be

like an island in the sea of peoples,

Like the king of beasts among wild beasts,

like a young lion loose in a flock of sheep,

Killing and devouring the lambs

and no one able to stop him.

With your arms raised in triumph over your foes,

your enemies will be no more!

10–15  “The day is coming”

—God’s Decree—

“When there will be no more war. None.

I’ll slaughter your war horses and demolish your chariots.

I’ll dismantle military posts

and level your fortifications.

I’ll abolish your religious black markets,

your underworld traffic in black magic.

I will smash your carved and cast gods

and chop down your phallic posts.

No more taking control of the world,

worshiping what you do or make.

I’ll root out your sacred sex-and-power centers

and destroy the God-defiant.

In raging anger, I’ll make a clean sweep

of godless nations who haven’t listened.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Today's Scripture

Luke 18:35–43

He came to the outskirts of Jericho. A blind man was sitting beside the road asking for handouts. When he heard the rustle of the crowd, he asked what was going on. They told him, “Jesus the Nazarene is going by.”

38  He yelled, “Jesus! Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!”

39  Those ahead of Jesus told the man to shut up, but he only yelled all the louder, “Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!”

40  Jesus stopped and ordered him to be brought over. When he had come near, Jesus asked, “What do you want from me?”

41  He said, “Master, I want to see again.”

42–43  Jesus said, “Go ahead—see again! Your faith has saved and healed you!” The healing was instant: He looked up, seeing—and then followed Jesus, glorifying God. Everyone in the street joined in, shouting praise to God.

Insight

The healing of the blind beggar in Luke 18:35-43 is also told in Matthew 20:29-34 and Mark 10:46-52, but with differences in the details. Matthew says there are two blind men, whereas Mark and Luke choose to tell the story of only one, whom Mark calls “Bartimaeus” or “son of Timaeus” (10:46). The Gospels tell of several other instances where Jesus healed the blind: Matthew 9:27-31 (two blind men); 12:22 (blind and mute demon-possessed man); Mark 8:22-26 (blind man at Bethsaida); and John 9 (man born blind). In addition, Matthew records a general healing of the blind (15:30; 21:14). At the start of His public ministry, Christ read from Isaiah 61:1-2 about the ministry of the Messiah. Healing of the blind is one of the signs of the Messiah (Luke 4:18-19, see also Matthew 11:2-6). After the Scriptures from Isaiah were read, Jesus declared that He’s indeed the Messiah: “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). By: K. T. Sim

When Jesus Stops

Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. Luke 18:40

For days, the sickly cat cried, huddled in a box near my workplace. Abandoned on the street, the feline went unnoticed by many who passed it by—until Jun came along. The street sweeper carried the animal home, where he lived with two dogs, which were former strays.

“I care for them because they’re the creatures no one notices,” Jun said. “I see myself in them. No one notices a street sweeper, after all.”

As Jesus walked toward Jericho on His way to Jerusalem, a blind man sat begging by the roadside. He felt unnoticed too. And on this day especially—when a crowd was passing through and all eyes were focused on Christ—no one stopped to help the beggar.

No one except Jesus. In the midst of the clamoring crowd, He heard the forgotten man’s cry. “What do you want me to do for you?” Christ asked, and He received the heartfelt reply, “Lord, I want to see.” Then Jesus said, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you” (Luke 18:41–42).

Do we feel unnoticed at times? Are our cries drowned out by people who seem to matter more than us? Our Savior notices those the world doesn’t care to notice. Call to Him for help! While others may pass us by, He’ll stop for us. By:  Karen Huang

Reflect & Pray

How would knowing that Jesus sees you change how you view yourself and your life? Who are those around you who might need to be noticed, and how can you “stop” to encourage them with the Savior’s love?

Dear Jesus, thank You for hearing me when I call to You. Like the blind man who received his sight, help me to follow and praise You all my life.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

The Impoverished Ministry of Jesus

Where then do You get that living water? —John 4:11

“The well is deep” — and even a great deal deeper than the Samaritan woman knew! (John 4:11). Think of the depths of human nature and human life; think of the depth of the “wells” in you. Have you been limiting, or impoverishing, the ministry of Jesus to the point that He is unable to work in your life? Suppose that you have a deep “well” of hurt and trouble inside your heart, and Jesus comes and says to you, “Let not your heart be troubled…” (John 14:1). Would your response be to shrug your shoulders and say, “But, Lord, the well is too deep, and even You can’t draw up quietness and comfort out of it.” Actually, that is correct. Jesus doesn’t bring anything up from the wells of human nature— He brings them down from above. We limit the Holy One of Israel by remembering only what we have allowed Him to do for us in the past, and also by saying, “Of course, I cannot expect God to do this particular thing.” The thing that approaches the very limits of His power is the very thing we as disciples of Jesus ought to believe He will do. We impoverish and weaken His ministry in us the moment we forget He is almighty. The impoverishment is in us, not in Him. We will come to Jesus for Him to be our comforter or our sympathizer, but we refrain from approaching Him as our Almighty God.

The reason some of us are such poor examples of Christianity is that we have failed to recognize that Christ is almighty. We have Christian attributes and experiences, but there is no abandonment or surrender to Jesus Christ. When we get into difficult circumstances, we impoverish His ministry by saying, “Of course, He can’t do anything about this.” We struggle to reach the bottom of our own well, trying to get water for ourselves. Beware of sitting back, and saying, “It can’t be done.” You will know it can be done if you will look to Jesus. The well of your incompleteness runs deep, but make the effort to look away from yourself and to look toward Him.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

Both nations and individuals have tried Christianity and abandoned it, because it has been found too difficult; but no man has ever gone through the crisis of deliberately making Jesus Lord and found Him to be a failure. The Love of God—The Making of a Christian, 680 R

Bible in a Year: Numbers 17-19; Mark 6:30-56

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

When You Know the Final Score - #9687

We're pretty avid New York Giants football fans at our house. Don't hold that against us. You know, you can understand it if you follow football at all. We're eager after a long basketball season and a baseball season to see the first games, even when they're exhibition games. Now, when my children were growing up, there was a particular game on one season that we really wanted to see, because it was against a top NFL team.

There was one problem! That particular exhibition game wasn't aired live in the New York area. It was a home game. However, it was shown twice on tape late that night and then again the next morning. Now, we had heard the score of the game; we knew the outcome. My son was watching it and he said, "Well, Dad, it's sure exciting to watch a game when you already know the outcome." Well actually we did know the ending. We just didn't know how they got to that ending. It was fun to watch how they did it, but there wasn't much suspense.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When You Know the Final Score."

Now, our word for today from the Word of God comes from Daniel 3, and I'm going to begin reading at verse 16. It's the familiar story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Now, whether or not you recognize the names, you remember the story of the three men who were commanded by King Nebuchadnezzar to bow down to his ninety-foot gold statue of himself. They refused to do it, and he said, "Then I'll have to throw you into this very, very hot fire," an oven prepared just for them. What a way to die, huh? They said to the king, "O, King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves... If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king."

Now, I like this. They're saying, "We don't know how God's going to do it, but we know He will. We're not sure all the plays He's going to call, we just know He's going to win." Now, you may be in a pretty bleak situation right now. Maybe the fire is heating up for you, and there's no apparent solution; there's no apparent way out.

One of my favorite passages of scripture is in Romans 8, where Paul speaks of some of the greatest stresses in life. And verse 35 talks about "trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, not enough food on the table, nakedness, no clothes, danger, sword, even death." Then right after all that in verse 37 he says this, "In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." Wow! As a soldier of Jesus Christ, you're in the same position I am when I'm watching a Giants victory being replayed. I know the final score; I know we win. I just don't know how.

In Christ the question is never whether He will win in a situation, the only question is how. Our problem is if we can't see how victory will come, a lot of times we don't believe it will. "There's no money in sight, so I guess we're not going to make it." Or, "There's no person in sight, so I guess I'll just stay lonely." "There's no change in sight, so well, I guess it will always be this way." "Well, there's no progress I can see and there's no way to make any. I guess we'll always be in this mess." Read the scoreboard again! He wins all His battles. Live expectantly! The battle is not yours; it is God's. You can be more than conqueror, and He says it's in the middle of life's most intense moments.

After all, you're sitting back watching how God is going to win this one, because you know the final score, and it will be your Father who decides your outcome.

Micah 4, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: A CLOAK OF LOVE - February 26, 2024

Can you look back over your life and see instances of God’s protection?  My junior year of college I was fascinated by a movement of Christians. Some of my friends decided to spend the summer at the movement’s largest church and be disciple. When I tried to do the same, every door closed. A second opportunity surfaced: spending a summer in Brazil. In this case, every door swung open. Decades later I saw how God protected me. The movement became a dangerous and oppressive cult. Time in Brazil introduced me to grace—freeing and joyful.

Did God keep you from a bad relationship? Protect you from the wrong job? 2 Thessalonians 3:3 (NIV) says, “He will strengthen and protect you.” And Psalm 91:11 (NIV) reminds us, “God will command his angels…to guard you.” God protects you with a cloak of love.

Micah 4

The Making of God’s People

1–4  4 But when all is said and done,

God’s Temple on the mountain,

Firmly fixed, will dominate all mountains,

towering above surrounding hills.

People will stream to it

and many nations set out for it,

Saying, “Come, let’s climb God’s mountain.

Let’s go to the Temple of Jacob’s God.

He will teach us how to live.

We’ll know how to live God’s way.”

True teaching will issue from Zion,

God’s revelation from Jerusalem.

He’ll establish justice in the rabble of nations

and settle disputes in faraway places.

They’ll trade in their swords for shovels,

their spears for rakes and hoes.

Nations will quit fighting each other,

quit learning how to kill one another.

Each man will sit under his own shade tree,

each woman in safety will tend her own garden.

God-of-the-Angel-Armies says so,

and he means what he says.

5  Meanwhile, all the other people live however they wish,

picking and choosing their gods.

But we live honoring God,

and we’re loyal to our God forever and ever.

6–7  “On that great day,” God says,

“I will round up all the hurt and homeless,

everyone I have bruised or banished.

I will transform the battered into a company of the elite.

I will make a strong nation out of the long lost,

A showcase exhibit of God’s rule in action,

as I rule from Mount Zion, from here to eternity.

8  “And you stragglers around Jerusalem,

eking out a living in shantytowns:

The glory that once was will be again.

Jerusalem’s daughter will be the kingdom center.”

9–10  So why the doomsday hysterics?

You still have a king, don’t you?

But maybe he’s not doing his job

and you’re panicked like a woman in labor.

Well, go ahead—twist and scream, Daughter Jerusalem.

You are like a woman in childbirth.

You’ll soon be out of the city, on your way

and camping in the open country.

And then you’ll arrive in Babylon.

What you lost in Jerusalem will be found in Babylon.

God will give you new life again.

He’ll redeem you from your enemies.

11–12  But for right now, they’re ganged up against you,

many godless peoples, saying,

“Kick her when she’s down! Violate her!

We want to see Zion grovel in the dirt.”

These blasphemers have no idea

what God is thinking and doing in this.

They don’t know that this is the making of God’s people,

that they are wheat being threshed, gold being refined.

13  On your feet, Daughter of Zion! Be threshed of chaff,

be refined of dross.

I’m remaking you into a people invincible,

into God’s juggernaut to crush the godless peoples.

You’ll bring their plunder as holy offerings to God,

their wealth to the Master of the earth.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Monday, February 26, 2024

Today's Scripture

Psalm 3

A David Psalm, When He Escaped for His Life from Absalom, His Son

1–2  3 God! Look! Enemies past counting!

Enemies sprouting like mushrooms,

Mobs of them all around me, roaring their mockery:

“Hah! No help for him from God!”

3–4  But you, God, shield me on all sides;

You ground my feet, you lift my head high;

With all my might I shout up to God,

His answers thunder from the holy mountain.

5–6  I stretch myself out. I sleep.

Then I’m up again—rested, tall and steady,

Fearless before the enemy mobs

Coming at me from all sides.

7  Up, God! My God, help me!

Slap their faces,

First this cheek, then the other,

Your fist hard in their teeth!

8  Real help comes from God.

Your blessing clothes your people!

Insight

The psalm-writer David wasn’t a model father, but he deeply loved his rebellious son Absalom, who usurped his throne and sought to kill him. And Absalom nearly succeeded. David fled Jerusalem with his household, his loyal officials, and others who were faithful to him (2 Samuel 15:1–17:24).

So many of the psalms were written out of deep personal or national crisis—often both. The turmoil and uncertainty of Absalom’s rebellion inspired Psalm 3. Many scholars believe Psalm 4 was also written during this time, as well as Psalm 63. Intriguingly, all three psalms allude to sleep: “I lie down and sleep” (3:5); “In peace I will lie down and sleep” (4:8); and “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night” (63:6). David’s troubles always drove him to his bedrock faith in God, where he unfailingly found rest. By: Tim Gustafson

Sweet Sleep

I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. Psalm 3:5

Bad memories and accusing messages flooded Sal’s mind. Sleep eluded him as fear filled his heart and sweat covered his skin. It was the night before his baptism, and he couldn’t stop the onslaught of dark thoughts. Sal had received salvation in Jesus and knew that his sins had been forgiven, but the spiritual battle continued. It’s then that his wife took his hand and prayed for him. Moments later, peace replaced the fear in Sal’s heart. He got up and wrote the words he would share prior to being baptized—something he hadn’t been able to do. After that, he experienced sweet sleep.

King David also knew what a restless night felt like. Fleeing from his son Absalom who wanted to steal his throne (2 Samuel 15–17), he knew that “tens of thousands [assailed him] on every side” (Psalm 3:6). David moaned, “How many are my foes!” (v. 1). Though fear and doubt could have won out, he called out to God, his “shield” (v. 3). Later, he found that he could “lie down and sleep . . . because the Lord sustains [him]” (v. 5).

When fears and struggles grip our mind and rest is replaced by restlessness, hope is found as we pray to God. While we might not experience immediate sweet sleep as Sal and David did, “in peace [we can] lie down and . . . dwell in safety” (4:8). For God is with us and He’ll be our rest. By:  Tom Felten

Reflect & Pray

What things are weighing on your heart and mind? What will it mean for you to truly surrender them to God through prayer?

Dear God, thank You for providing hope and peace as I lift my prayers to You.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Monday, February 26, 2024

Our Misgivings About Jesus

The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw [water] with, and the well is deep." —John 4:11

Have you ever said to yourself, “I am impressed with the wonderful truths of God’s Word, but He can’t really expect me to live up to that and work all those details into my life!” When it comes to confronting Jesus Christ on the basis of His qualities and abilities, our attitudes reflect religious superiority. We think His ideals are lofty and they impress us, but we believe He is not in touch with reality— that what He says cannot actually be done. Each of us thinks this about Jesus in one area of our life or another. These doubts or misgivings about Jesus begin as we consider questions that divert our focus away from God. While we talk of our dealings with Him, others ask us, “Where are you going to get enough money to live? How will you live and who will take care of you?” Or our misgivings begin within ourselves when we tell Jesus that our circumstances are just a little too difficult for Him. We say, “It’s easy to say, ‘Trust in the Lord,’ but a person has to live; and besides, Jesus has nothing with which to draw water— no means to be able to give us these things.” And beware of exhibiting religious deceit by saying, “Oh, I have no misgivings about Jesus, only misgivings about myself.” If we are honest, we will admit that we never have misgivings or doubts about ourselves, because we know exactly what we are capable or incapable of doing. But we do have misgivings about Jesus. And our pride is hurt even at the thought that He can do what we can’t.

My misgivings arise from the fact that I search within to find how He will do what He says. My doubts spring from the depths of my own inferiority. If I detect these misgivings in myself, I should bring them into the light and confess them openly— “Lord, I have had misgivings about You. I have not believed in Your abilities, but only my own. And I have not believed in Your almighty power apart from my finite understanding of it.”

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

We can understand the attributes of God in other ways, but we can only understand the Father’s heart in the Cross of Christ.  The Highest Good—Thy Great Redemption, 558 L

Bible in a Year: Numbers 15-16; Mark 6:1-29

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Monday, February 26, 2024

How People Miss Heaven - #9686

I've had a number of young women complain to me about a condition they find rampant in young men these days. You could call it "commitment phobia." Or as one author did, "Peter Pan syndrome - I don't want to grow up." A guy's willing to show interest, he's willing to court you, charm you, agree with you, spend money on you, and you reach this level of mutual compatibility. That's good. And then you're on the edge of commitment and he's gone. That's pretty frustrating. And if you're thinking of a name...well, let's keep moving on.

I met this beautiful woman many years ago, and we spent a lot of time together. We found out that we agreed on all the important things, so we reached the place of affection for each other and agreement with each other. I say, "I love you and I agree with you on a lot of stuff." So that meant we were married, right? Uh, no. There's something missing there.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How People Miss Heaven."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew 7, beginning at verse 21. I think these are some of the most unsettling words Jesus ever spoke. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drove out demons and performed many miracles?' And then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me.'"

Wow! So near and yet so far. That's a warning for religious people - church folks - people who know the verses, people who are busy in Christian things, maybe even in Christian leadership. Because these chilling words are going to be spoken to some of those people, "I never knew you. Everyone else thought you did, but I never knew you." It's like the guy who knows about a girl. He's compatible with that girl, he agrees with the girl, but he somehow never made a lifetime commitment to her.

I had to say to my then future wife, "I give my life to you." There was a day I did that. I know I did it. That's the commitment that made us married, that began the life-long relationship. Actually there are five things you can do with Jesus. One is you can reject Him and say, "I don't care what He did." Another thing you can do is you can ignore Him. Some people just simply have no time for Jesus. The third thing you can do with Jesus is you can postpone Him. "Lord, I'll get around to you some day. I know that you're the answer. I still want to do some living though. I'll get to you sometime."

The fourth thing is to agree with Him. Yeah, agree with Him on all His teachings. You can say, "I think it's all right. I totally agree with it. I believe it, Jesus." There's a fifth thing you can do and that is to surrender yourself and give yourself totally to Him. Those first four all end up in the same place. In a Christless eternity called hell. See, there's a big difference in rejecting Christ and agreeing with Him, of course, but they all end up with hearing the words of Jesus, "I never knew you" because agreement is not commitment.

I agreed with my future wife on things, but we weren't married by that agreement. Because you agree with all of Jesus' teachings, you really like him, you believe it all. Does that make you really His? No. Not until the day you make your own personal visit to that hill where there is a cross where Jesus is paying for every wrong thing you've ever done. And in your heart you go to that cross where God's Son is paying for those sins and you will hear him saying, "Father, forgive them." He's forgiving you. And you pin all your hopes on that Jesus and you change your way for His way from that day on.

Has there ever been a day like that for you? You may have never had a time when you actually gave yourself to Him. He's in your head, but He's not in your heart. Isn't it time to move Him to your heart? Don't you want to be sure you belong to Him?

I'm inviting you if you've never done this to say, "Jesus, beginning this day, I am yours." I would love to help you do that. I think you'll find some help in beginning this relationship at our website. It's ANewStory.com.

Today, get this settled finally, because it's only your commitment that will make you His.