Jeremiah 50, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: God—Our Shepherd

God, our Shepherd, doesn’t check the weather—He makes it! He doesn’t defy gravity—He created it. Jesus said, “God is Spirit.”  He has no limitations. Unchanging. Uncaused. Ungoverned. Don’t we need this kind of shepherd?

You don’t need to carry the burden of a lesser god. A god on a shelf, a god in a box, or a god in a bottle. No, you need a God who can place 100-billion stars in our galaxy, and 100-billion galaxies in the universe. A God who can shape two fists of flesh into 75 to 100 billion nerve cells, each with as many as 10,000 connections to other nerve cells, place it in a skull, and call it a brain. And you have one.  He is your shepherd!

From Traveling Light

Jeremiah 50

Get Out of Babylon as Fast as You Can

1–3  50 The Message of God through the prophet Jeremiah on Babylon, land of the Chaldeans:

“Get the word out to the nations! Preach it!

Go public with this, broadcast it far and wide:

Babylon taken, god-Bel hanging his head in shame,

god-Marduk exposed as a fraud.

All her god-idols shuffling in shame,

all her play-gods exposed as cheap frauds.

For a nation will come out of the north to attack her,

reduce her cities to rubble.

Empty of life—no animals, no people—

not a sound, not a movement, not a breath.

4–5  “In those days, at that time”—God’s Decree—

“the people of Israel will come,

And the people of Judah with them.

Walking and weeping, they’ll seek me, their God.

They’ll ask directions to Zion

and set their faces toward Zion.

They’ll come and hold tight to God,

bound in a covenant eternal they’ll never forget.

6–7  “My people were lost sheep.

Their shepherds led them astray.

They abandoned them in the mountains

where they wandered aimless through the hills.

They lost track of home,

couldn’t remember where they came from.

Everyone who met them took advantage of them.

Their enemies had no qualms:

‘Fair game,’ they said. ‘They walked out on God.

They abandoned the True Pasture, the hope of their parents.’

8–10  “But now, get out of Babylon as fast as you can.

Be rid of that Babylonian country.

On your way. Good sheepdogs lead, but don’t you be led.

Lead the way home!

Do you see what I’m doing?

I’m rallying a host of nations against Babylon.

They’ll come out of the north,

attack and take her.

Oh, they know how to fight, these armies.

They never come home empty-handed.

Babylon is ripe for picking!

All her plunderers will fill their bellies!” God’s Decree.

11–16  “You Babylonians had a good time while it lasted, didn’t you?

You lived it up, exploiting and using my people,

Frisky calves romping in lush pastures,

wild stallions out having a good time!

Well, your mother would hardly be proud of you.

The woman who bore you wouldn’t be pleased.

Look at what’s come of you! A nothing nation!

Rubble and garbage and weeds!

Emptied of life by my holy anger,

a desert of death and emptiness.

Travelers who pass by Babylon will gasp, appalled,

shaking their heads at such a comedown.

Gang up on Babylon! Pin her down!

Throw everything you have against her.

Hold nothing back. Knock her flat.

She’s sinned—oh, how she’s sinned, against me!

Shout battle cries from every direction.

All the fight has gone out of her.

Her defenses have been flattened,

her walls smashed.

‘Operation God’s Vengeance.’

Pile on the vengeance!

Do to her as she has done.

Give her a good dose of her own medicine!

Destroy her farms and farmers,

ravage her fields, empty her barns.

And you captives, while the destruction rages,

get out while the getting’s good,

get out fast and run for home.

17  “Israel is a scattered flock,

hunted down by lions.

The king of Assyria started the carnage.

The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar,

Has completed the job,

gnawing the bones clean.”

18–20  And now this is what God-of-the-Angel-Armies,

the God of Israel, has to say:

“Just watch! I’m bringing doom on the king of Babylon and his land,

the same doom I brought on the king of Assyria.

But Israel I’ll bring home to good pastures.

He’ll graze on the hills of Carmel and Bashan,

On the slopes of Ephraim and Gilead.

He will eat to his heart’s content.

In those days and at that time”—God’s Decree—

“they’ll look high and low for a sign of Israel’s guilt—nothing;

Search nook and cranny for a trace of Judah’s sin—nothing.

These people that I’ve saved will start out with a clean slate.

21  “Attack Merathaim, land of rebels!

Go after Pekod, country of doom!

Hunt them down. Make a clean sweep.” God’s Decree.

“These are my orders. Do what I tell you.

22–24  “The thunderclap of battle

shakes the foundations!

The Hammer has been hammered,

smashed and splintered,

Babylon pummeled

beyond recognition.

I set out a trap and you were caught in it.

O Babylon, you never knew what hit you,

Caught and held in the steel grip of that trap!

That’s what you get for taking on God.

25–28  “I, God, opened my arsenal.

I brought out my weapons of wrath.

The Master, God-of-the-Angel-Armies,

has a job to do in Babylon.

Come at her from all sides!

Break into her granaries!

Shovel her into piles and burn her up.

Leave nothing! Leave no one!

Kill all her young turks.

Send them to their doom!

Doom to them! Yes, Doomsday!

The clock has finally run out on them.

And here’s a surprise:

Runaways and escapees from Babylon

Show up in Zion reporting the news of God’s vengeance,

taking vengeance for my own Temple.

29–30  “Call in the troops against Babylon,

anyone who can shoot straight!

Tighten the noose!

Leave no loopholes!

Give her back as good as she gave,

a dose of her own medicine!

Her brazen insolence is an outrage

against God, The Holy of Israel.

And now she pays: her young strewn dead in the streets,

her soldiers dead, silent forever.” God’s Decree.

31–32  “Do you get it, Mister Pride? I’m your enemy!”

Decree of the Master, God-of-the-Angel-Armies.

“Time’s run out on you:

That’s right: It’s Doomsday.

Mister Pride will fall flat on his face.

No one will offer him a hand.

I’ll set his towns on fire.

The fire will spread wild through the country.”

33–34  And here’s more from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:

“The people of Israel are beaten down,

the people of Judah along with them.

Their oppressors have them in a grip of steel.

They won’t let go.

But the Rescuer is strong:

God-of-the-Angel-Armies.

Yes, I will take their side,

I’ll come to their rescue.

I’ll soothe their land,

but rough up the people of Babylon.

35–40  “It’s all-out war in Babylon”—God’s Decree—

“total war against people, leaders, and the wise!

War to the death on her boasting pretenders, fools one and all!

War to the death on her soldiers, cowards to a man!

War to the death on her hired killers, gutless wonders!

War to the death on her banks—looted!

War to the death on her water supply—drained dry!

A land of make-believe gods gone crazy—hobgoblins!

The place will be haunted with jackals and scorpions,

night-owls and vampire bats.

No one will ever live there again.

The land will reek with the stench of death.

It will join Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighbors,

the cities I did away with.” God’s Decree.

“No one will live there again.

No one will again draw breath in that land, ever.

41–43  “And now, watch this! People pouring

out of the north, hordes of people,

A mob of kings stirred up

from far-off places.

Flourishing deadly weapons,

barbarians they are, cruel and pitiless.

Roaring and relentless, like ocean breakers,

they come riding fierce stallions,

In battle formation, ready to fight

you, Daughter Babylon!

Babylon’s king hears them coming.

He goes white as a ghost, limp as a dishrag.

Terror-stricken, he doubles up in pain, helpless to fight,

like a woman giving birth to a baby.

44  “And now watch this: Like a lion coming up

from the thick jungle of the Jordan,

Looking for prey in the mountain pastures,

I’ll take over and pounce.

I’ll take my pick of the flock—and who’s to stop me?

All the so-called shepherds are helpless before me.”

45–46  So, listen to this plan that God has worked out against Babylon, the blueprint of what he’s prepared for dealing with Chaldea:

Believe it or not, the young,

the vulnerable—mere lambs and kids—will be dragged off.

Believe it or not, the flock

in shock, helpless to help, watches it happen.

When the shout goes up, “Babylon’s down!”

the very earth will shudder at the sound.

The news will be heard all over the world.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Sunday, May 05, 2024

Today's Scripture

Jeremiah 31:3-9

met God out looking for them!”

God told them, “I’ve never quit loving you and never will.

Expect love, love, and more love!

And so now I’ll start over with you and build you up again,

dear virgin Israel.

You’ll resume your singing,

grabbing tambourines and joining the dance.

You’ll go back to your old work of planting vineyards

on the Samaritan hillsides,

And sit back and enjoy the fruit—

oh, how you’ll enjoy those harvests!

The time’s coming when watchmen will call out

from the hilltops of Ephraim:

‘On your feet! Let’s go to Zion,

go to meet our God!’ ”

7  Oh yes, God says so:

“Shout for joy at the top of your lungs for Jacob!

Announce the good news to the number-one nation!

Raise cheers! Sing praises. Say,

‘God has saved his people,

saved the core of Israel.’

8  “Watch what comes next:

“I’ll bring my people back

from the north country

And gather them up from the ends of the earth,

gather those who’ve gone blind

And those who are lame and limping,

gather pregnant women,

Even the mothers whose birth pangs have started,

bring them all back, a huge crowd!

9  “Watch them come! They’ll come weeping for joy

as I take their hands and lead them,

Lead them to fresh flowing brooks,

lead them along smooth, uncluttered paths.

Yes, it’s because I’m Israel’s Father

and Ephraim’s my firstborn son!

Insight

Two themes dominate the Prophetic Books of the Bible—discipline and restoration. After the prophet Jeremiah warned the Israelites of God’s judgment and discipline due to their wickedness and sin (Jeremiah 1–29), he assured them that later God would also restore them (chs. 30–33). He would be their God and they would be His chosen nation once again (31:1). He would also bring them back to the promised land after the Babylonian exile (30:1-3; 31:8-9). Israel would be restored to enjoy the privileges and blessings as God’s “firstborn son” (31:9). By: K. T. Sim

Tears of Joy

Tears of joy will stream down their faces, and I will lead them home with great care. Jeremiah 31:9 nlt

Leaving home one morning, Dean found some friends waiting with balloons. His friend Josh stepped forward. “We entered your poems in a competition,” he said, before handing Dean an envelope. Inside was a card that read “First Prize,” and soon everyone was crying tears of joy. Dean’s friends had done a beautiful thing, confirming his writing talent.

Weeping for joy is a paradoxical experience. Tears are normally a response to pain, not joy; and joy is normally expressed with laughter, not tears. Italian psychologists have noted that tears of joy come at times of deep personal meaning—like when we feel deeply loved or achieve a major goal. This led them to conclude that tears of joy are pointers to the meaning of our lives.

I imagine tears of joy erupting everywhere Jesus went. How could the parents of the man born blind not weep for joy when Jesus healed him (John 9:1-9), or Mary and Martha after He raised their brother from death (11:38-44)? When God’s people are brought into a restored world, “Tears of joy will stream down their faces,” God says, “and I will lead them home with great care” (Jeremiah 31:9 nlt).

If tears of joy show us the meaning of our lives, imagine that great day to come. As tears stream down our faces, we’ll know without doubt that the meaning of life has always been to live intimately with Him. By:  Sheridan Voysey

Reflect & Pray

When was the last time you wept for joy? What do you think the meaning of life is?

Father God, thank You for the joy ahead for those who love You.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Sunday, May 05, 2024

Judgment through Love

For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household. — 1 Peter 4:17

The Christian disciple must never forget that salvation is God’s thought, not humanity’s; it is something we can never hope to fathom. Salvation is not an experience. Experience is merely the gateway by which we become conscious of our salvation. Never preach the experience; preach the great thought of God.

When we preach, we aren’t proclaiming how humanity can be saved from hell and be made moral and pure; we are conveying good news about God. Our role as preachers is to present his truth, not to give sympathy. We are never to sympathize with a soul who finds it difficult to get to God. God isn’t to blame, nor is it for us to find out the reason for the difficulty. We are simply to deliver his truth, so that his Spirit can show what’s wrong. The gold standard of preaching is that it brings all who hear to judgment in the Spirit. The Spirit reveals each soul to itself.

In the teachings of Jesus Christ, the element of judgment is always prevalent. God’s judgment is the sign of his love, an overflowing mercy that separates right from wrong. If the salvation of Jesus Christ is alive and active inside us, it always takes the form of a judgment, one that brings an understanding of God’s justice, even in his severest statements.

Do you find the requirements of Jesus severe? If our Lord ever gave a command he couldn’t enable us to fulfill, he would be a liar. When we make our inability a barrier to obedience, we are telling God there is something he hasn’t taken into account. We can do nothing through our own abilities; we must allow the power of God to slay every ounce of self-reliance. Complete weakness and dependence will allow the Spirit of God to manifest his power.

1 Kings 19-20; Luke 23:1-25

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

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

Hebrews 5, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Tell the Truth

Our dislike for the truth began at age three when mom walked in our rooms and asked, “Did you hit your little brother?” We knew then and there that honesty had its consequences.  “Did I hit baby brother?  Well, that all depends on how you interpret the word hit.”

We want our bosses to like us, so we flatter. God calls it a lie. We want people to admire us, so we exaggerate.  God calls it a lie.  We want people to respect us, so we live in houses we can’t afford and charge bills we can’t pay.  God calls it living a lie.

The cure for deceit is simply this: face the music. The ripple of today’s lie is tomorrow’s wave and next year’s flood.

Be just like Jesus.  Tell the truth!

from Just Like Jesus

Hebrews 5

Every high priest selected to represent men and women before God and offer sacrifices for their sins should be able to deal gently with their failings, since he knows what it’s like from his own experience. But that also means that he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as the peoples’.

4–6  No one elects himself to this honored position. He’s called to it by God, as Aaron was. Neither did Christ presume to set himself up as high priest, but was set apart by the One who said to him, “You’re my Son; today I celebrate you!” In another place God declares, “You’re a priest forever in the royal order of Melchizedek.”

7–10  While he lived on earth, anticipating death, Jesus cried out in pain and wept in sorrow as he offered up priestly prayers to God. Because he honored God, God answered him. Though he was God’s Son, he learned trusting-obedience by what he suffered, just as we do. Then, having arrived at the full stature of his maturity and having been announced by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who believingly obey him.

Re-Crucifying Jesus

11–14  I have a lot more to say about this, but it is hard to get it across to you since you’ve picked up this bad habit of not listening. By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics on God again, starting from square one—baby’s milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago! Milk is for beginners, inexperienced in God’s ways; solid food is for the mature, who have some practice in telling right from wrong.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Saturday, May 04, 2024

Today's Scripture

Psalm 56:1-4

Take my side, God—I’m getting kicked around,

stomped on every day.

Not a day goes by

but somebody beats me up;

They make it their duty

to beat me up.

When I get really afraid

I come to you in trust.

I’m proud to praise God;

fearless now, I trust in God.

What can mere mortals do?

Insight

The psalmist David’s name appears on 73 of the 150 psalms. And New Testament references indicate he also wrote Psalms 2 and 95 (see Acts 4:25; Hebrews 4:7). Most of his psalms lack background information, but 13, including Psalm 56, give details on their setting. The superscription ascribes Psalm 56 to David and states: “When the Philistines had seized [David] in Gath.” He so feared King Saul that he entered enemy territory. There the servants of Achish, the king of Gath, recognized him and informed the king. Terrified, David “pretended to be insane in their presence; and . . . acted like a madman” (1 Samuel 21:13). It worked. He was released (vv. 14-15) and escaped to the cave of Adullam (22:1). Though fearful, he put his trust in God (Psalm 56:3).  By: Alyson Kieda

The Triumph of Faith

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. Psalm 56:3

A routine wellness check for little four-year-old Calvin revealed a few unexpected spots on his body. During the visit, he was given some shots, and the injection site was covered with a bandage. At home, when the time came to remove the small adhesive covering, Calvin whimpered with fear. Seeking to console his son, his father said, “Calvin, you know I’d never do anything to hurt you.” His father wanted his son to trust him more than fearing the removal of the bandage.

Four-year-olds aren’t the only ones who grow faint in the face of discomfort. Surgeries, separation from loved ones, mental or psychological challenges—and more—prompt our fears, sighs, cries, and groans.

One of David’s fear-filled moments was when he found himself in Philistine territory while fleeing a jealous King Saul. When he was recognized, he was anxious about what might happen to him (see 1 Samuel 21:10-11): “David . . . was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath” (v. 12). Reflecting on this uncomfortable situation, David wrote, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. . . . In God I trust and am not afraid” (Psalm 56:3-4).

What shall we do when life’s discomforts stir up our fears? We can put our trust in our heavenly Father. By:  Arthur Jackson

Reflect & Pray

What situation is presently making you fearful? How can you rest in His care as you bring your fears before your loving heavenly Father in prayer?

Dear God, in my humanity and frailty, I’m fearful. Help me to see and experience Your love and care even in the midst of my trials and discomfort.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Saturday, May 04, 2024

Vicarious Intercession

Since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, . . . let us draw near to God with a sincere heart. — Hebrews 10:19, 22

Our ability to approach God is entirely due to what our Lord did on the cross: he identified himself with sin, and then sacrificed himself to atone for that sin. Beware of the idea that interceding for others in prayer means bringing our personal sympathies into the presence of God and demanding he do what we ask. To draw near to God “with a sincere heart” is to approach God with all humility, remembering that it is only “by the blood of Jesus” that we can enter the holy of holies.

Spiritual stubbornness is the greatest barrier to interceding for others in the way we should. If we are spiritually stubborn, we sympathize with something in ourselves or in others which doesn’t need sympathy; rather, it needs to be atoned for by the blood of Christ. Generally, this is something that seems right and virtuous, something we can’t imagine needs to be handed over to God for atonement.

If we get stuck in this mindset, we no longer identify ourselves with God’s interest in others. We fall in love with our own ideas and constantly put them forward, becoming sullen and sulky if we don’t get our way. Soon, prayer for others has become nothing more than the glorification of our natural sympathies. We have to realize that Jesus’s identification with sin, and our identification with him, requires a radical alteration of all our sympathies. Vicarious intercession means that we deliberately substitute our natural sympathy with others for God’s interest in them.

1 Kings 16-18; Luke 22:47-71

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

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

Disciples Indeed

Jeremiah 29, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: THE ANTIDOTE TO GUILT - May 3, 2024

That evening [Adam and Eve] heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden” (Genesis 3:8 TLB). What had happened to the first family? The first couple said yes to the serpent’s temptation and no to God. And when they did, their world collapsed like an accordion.

The only antidote to guilt is the power of God’s grace. I could take you to the church where this grace found me. I was a twenty-year-old college sophomore. For four years I had lived with the concrete block of guilt, not just from the first night of drunkenness but also a hundred more like it. But mercy snapped the chains of guilt and set me free. I know this truth firsthand: guilt frenzies the soul; grace calms it.

Jeremiah 29

Plans to Give You the Future You Hope For

1–2  29 This is the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to what was left of the elders among the exiles, to the priests and prophets and all the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken to Babylon from Jerusalem, including King Jehoiachin, the queen mother, the government leaders, and all the skilled laborers and craftsmen.

3  The letter was carried by Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah had sent to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. The letter said:

 4  This is the Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel’s God, to all the exiles I’ve taken from Jerusalem to Babylon:

5  “Build houses and make yourselves at home.

“Put in gardens and eat what grows in that country.

6  “Marry and have children. Encourage your children to marry and have children so that you’ll thrive in that country and not waste away.

7  “Make yourselves at home there and work for the country’s welfare.

“Pray for Babylon’s well-being. If things go well for Babylon, things will go well for you.”

8–9  Yes. Believe it or not, this is the Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel’s God: “Don’t let all those so-called preachers and know-it-alls who are all over the place there take you in with their lies. Don’t pay any attention to the fantasies they keep coming up with to please you. They’re a bunch of liars preaching lies—and claiming I sent them! I never sent them, believe me.” God’s Decree!

10–11  This is God’s Word on the subject: “As soon as Babylon’s seventy years are up and not a day before, I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

12  “When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen.

13–14  “When you come looking for me, you’ll find me.

“Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” God’s Decree.

“I’ll turn things around for you. I’ll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you”—God’s Decree—“bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it.

15–19  “But for right now, because you’ve taken up with these newfangled prophets who set themselves up as ‘Babylonian specialists,’ spreading the word ‘God sent them just for us!’ God is setting the record straight: As for the king still sitting on David’s throne and all the people left in Jerusalem who didn’t go into exile with you, they’re facing bad times. God-of-the-Angel-Armies says, ‘Watch this! Catastrophe is on the way: war, hunger, disease! They’re a barrel of rotten apples. I’ll rid the country of them through war and hunger and disease. The whole world is going to hold its nose at the smell, shut its eyes at the horrible sight. They’ll end up in slum ghettos because they wouldn’t listen to a thing I said when I sent my servant-prophets preaching tirelessly and urgently. No, they wouldn’t listen to a word I said.’ ” God’s Decree.

20–23  “And you—you exiles whom I sent out of Jerusalem to Babylon—listen to God’s Message to you. As far as Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah are concerned, the ‘Babylonian specialists’ who are preaching lies in my name, I will turn them over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who will kill them while you watch. The exiles from Judah will take what they see at the execution and use it as a curse: ‘God fry you to a crisp like the king of Babylon fried Zedekiah and Ahab in the fire!’ Those two men, sex predators and prophet-impostors, got what they deserved. They pulled every woman they got their hands on into bed—their neighbors’ wives, no less—and preached lies claiming it was my Message. I never sent those men. I’ve never had anything to do with them.” God’s Decree.

“They won’t get away with a thing. I’ve witnessed it all.”

24–26  And this is the Message for Shemaiah the Nehelamite: “God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel, says: You took it on yourself to send letters to all the people in Jerusalem and to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah and the company of priests. In your letter you told Zephaniah that God set you up as priest replacing priest Jehoiadah. He’s put you in charge of God’s Temple and made you responsible for locking up any crazy fellow off the street who takes it into his head to be a prophet.

27–28  “So why haven’t you done anything about muzzling Jeremiah of Anathoth, who’s going around posing as a prophet? He’s gone so far as to write to us in Babylon, ‘It’s going to be a long exile, so build houses and make yourselves at home. Plant gardens and prepare Babylonian recipes.’ ”

29  The priest Zephaniah read that letter to the prophet Jeremiah.

30–32  Then God told Jeremiah, “Send this Message to the exiles. Tell them what God says about Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Shemaiah is preaching lies to you. I didn’t send him. He is seducing you into believing lies. So this is God’s verdict: I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his whole family. He’s going to end up with nothing and no one. No one from his family will be around to see any of the good that I am going to do for my people because he has preached rebellion against me.” God’s Decree.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Friday, May 03, 2024

Today's Scripture

2 Kings 20:1-6

Some time later Hezekiah became deathly sick. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz paid him a visit and said, “Put your affairs in order; you’re about to die—you haven’t long to live.”

2–3  Hezekiah turned from Isaiah and faced God, praying:

Remember, O God, who I am, what I’ve done!

I’ve lived an honest life before you,

My heart’s been true and steady,

I’ve lived to please you; lived for your approval.

And then the tears flowed. Hezekiah wept.

4–6  Isaiah, leaving, was not halfway across the courtyard when the word of God stopped him: “Go back and tell Hezekiah, prince of my people, ‘God’s word, Hezekiah! From the God of your ancestor David: I’ve listened to your prayer and I’ve observed your tears. I’m going to heal you. In three days you will walk on your own legs into The Temple of God. I’ve just added fifteen years to your life; I’m saving you from the king of Assyria, and I’m covering this city with my shield—for my sake and my servant David’s sake.’ ”

Insight

Hezekiah witnessed the power of prayer when he cried out to God and He answered him (2 Kings 20:5-6). Prayer is also a prominent theme in the New Testament. Jesus encouraged it, and His life modeled it. The one who taught us to address God as “Father” in prayer (Matthew 6:9; Luke 11:2) did so Himself when He prayed: “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth” (Matthew 11:25). Christ’s blueprint for prayer included prayer regarding temptation and protection from evil: “He fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will’ ” (26:39). Jesus modeled praying for our enemies (Luke 6:28) and said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (23:34).

Witness the power of prayer in James Banks’ class. By: Arthur Jackson

Prayer Matters

I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. 2 Kings 20:5

“Prayers for an upcoming brain scan.” “That my kids would come back to church.” “Comfort for Dave, who lost his wife.” Our card ministry team receives a weekly list of prayer requests like these so we can pray and send each person a handwritten note. The requests are overwhelming, and our efforts can feel small and unnoticed. That changed after I received a heartfelt thank-you card from Dave, the recently bereaved husband, with a copy of his beloved wife’s obituary. I realized anew that prayer matters.

Jesus modeled that we should pray earnestly, often, and with hopeful faith. His time on earth was limited, but He prioritized getting away by Himself to pray (Mark 1:35; 6:46; 14:32).

Hundreds of years earlier, the Israelite king Hezekiah learned this lesson too. He was told that an illness would soon take his life (2 Kings 20:1). In distress and weeping bitterly, Hezekiah “turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord” (v. 2). In this instance, God’s response was immediate. He healed Hezekiah’s sickness, added fifteen years to his life, and promised to rescue the kingdom from an adversary (vv. 5-6). God answered his prayer not because Hezekiah was living a good life, but “for [his] own honor and for the sake of [his] servant David” (v. 6 nlt). We may not always receive what we ask for, but we can be sure that God is working in and through every prayer.

By:  Karen Pimpo

Reflect & Pray

Who in your life needs prayer today? How can you remind yourself to pause and pray more frequently?

Heavenly Father, thank You for listening to my prayers. 

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Friday, May 03, 2024

Vital Intercession

Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. — Ephesians 6:18

If we are praying as this verse commands, our prayers might cost the ones for whom we pray more than we expect. When we begin to intercede in prayer for others, God begins to lift them into a totally

different sphere, a process that may involve trials and difficulties. We have to make sure that our natural sympathy doesn’t get in God’s way. If we slip from identifying with his interests in others into personal sympathy for them, our vital connection with God will be lost. Putting sympathy first is a rebuke to him.

It is impossible to pray vitally unless we have perfect confidence in God. Personal sympathy and prejudice weaken this confidence; identification with God ensures it. Whenever we stop being identified with God, it is because of sympathy, not sin. Sin isn’t likely to interfere with our relationship to God, but sympathy will make us say, “I refuse to allow this to happen.” When we refuse to allow God to have his way, we have lost our vital connection with him.

If we are interceding properly, we have neither time nor inclination to pray for our own sad, sweet selves. It’s not that we’re working hard to keep thoughts of ourselves at bay; thoughts of ourselves simply aren’t there. In vital intercession, we are completely and entirely identified with God’s interests, and our natural sympathy—for ourselves and for others—is entirely eclipsed.

1 Kings 14-15; Luke 22:21-46

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Friday, May 03, 2024

The Bad News Bearers - #9735

One of the amazing frustrations about families is that you just can't get everybody to agree on a comfortable temperature. Sometimes you can't even get a husband and wife to agree on it. One likes the room cozy and warm; the other likes it cool and refreshing, shall we say. It's hard to even be in agreement on what is hot and what is cold.

Now, actually, when we were driving along with our family on a freezing winter day, and we'd gotten it nice and warm, we could get four out of five members of our family to agree that we were at a comfortable temperature. But then, suddenly we were all aware of this cold air blowing through the car because there was one member of our family, who shall remain nameless, who always wanted some fresh air; who said, "It's hot and stifling!" And you could hear almost in unison four voices turn to this one person and say, "Who opened the window!" Well, one person does have the ability to send a chill through any group.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Bad News Bearers."

Now, our word for today from the Word of God comes from Numbers 13. I'll begin reading at verse 26. The spies have just scouted out the Promised Land and they've come back. The Bible says, "There they reported to them unto the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. They gave Moses this account, ‘We went into the land to which you sent us and it does flow with milk and honey. Here is its' fruit.'" By the way, it took two men to carry one bunch of grapes back on a pole! That's some fruit! "But the people who live there are powerful and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there (who was a giant)."

Then it says in verse 31, "The men who had gone up with them said, ‘We can't attack those people. They are stronger than we are." So, they are disagreeing with the report that Caleb and Joshua had given. They said, "Hey, we could go for it under God's leadership." And it says, "These people spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they'd explored." They said, "The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them."

Some years ago there was a movie entitled The Bad News Bears. Well, these guys were the bad news bear-ers and they're still busy today. Oh yeah, the people who bring the bad report! You've always got the people who bring a bad report into every situation.

Now, you know what? It's hard to see it in yourself if it's you. But I wonder how would you evaluate yourself if you played back a recording of this past week? Were there many complaints? Was there a lot of talking about the bad news about people? Maybe a lot about the problems? See, we drift into becoming a negative influence and we don't even know it. But when you're around, do people feel lighter or do they feel heavier? Do they feel motivated or inundated? Do they feel like the sun came out, or that the clouds moved in?

The bad news bearers, oh they see the problems, and there were real giants and there were real walls back then. But the believers see the promises and they choose to focus on the promises of God instead. The negative voice can turn a whole group cold. It did then! In fact it caused a nation's faith to fail and they wandered for years because of people who brought back negative news.

So as a family member, a friend, a church member, a coworker, are you often the bad news bearer too often? Ask the Lord to help you sense the negative before it ever comes out of your mouth - and to talk about the positives.

After all, who wants to be the person who's the chill that freezes everyone in the room?

Jeremiah 28, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: TAKE IT AWAY - May 2, 2024

Denalyn and I enjoyed a nice dinner at a local restaurant one night. About the same time we received our bill, we received a visit from a church member. After we chatted for a moment, he reached down and took our bill and said, “I’ll take this.” Guess what I did? I just let him take it away.

Someday we will all stand before God. All of us will have to give an account for our lives. And were it not for the grace of Christ, I would find this to be a terrifying thought. Yet, according to Scripture, Jesus came to “take away the sins of the world” (John 1:29 Phillips). On the day when I appear before the judgment seat of God, when my list of sins is produced, I will gesture toward Christ and say, “He took it.” Let him take yours.

Jeremiah 28

From a Wooden to an Iron Yoke

1–2  28 Later that same year (it was in the fifth month of King Zedekiah’s fourth year) Hananiah son of Azzur, a prophet from Gibeon, confronted Jeremiah in the Temple of God in front of the priests and all the people who were there. Hananiah said:

2–4  “This Message is straight from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel: ‘I will most certainly break the yoke of the king of Babylon. Before two years are out I’ll have all the furnishings of God’s Temple back here, all the things that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon plundered and hauled off to Babylon. I’ll also bring back Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the exiles who were taken off to Babylon.’ God’s Decree. ‘Yes, I will break the king of Babylon’s yoke. You’ll no longer be in harness to him.’ ”

5–9  Prophet Jeremiah stood up to prophet Hananiah in front of the priests and all the people who were in God’s Temple that day. Prophet Jeremiah said, “Wonderful! Would that it were true—that God would validate your preaching by bringing the Temple furnishings and all the exiles back from Babylon. But listen to me, listen closely. Listen to what I tell both you and all the people here today: The old prophets, the ones before our time, preached judgment against many countries and kingdoms, warning of war and disaster and plague. So any prophet who preaches that everything is just fine and there’s nothing to worry about stands out like a sore thumb. We’ll wait and see. If it happens, it happens—and then we’ll know that God sent him.”

10–11  At that, Hananiah grabbed the yoke from Jeremiah’s shoulders and smashed it. And then he addressed the people: “This is God’s Message: In just this way I will smash the yoke of the king of Babylon and get him off the neck of all the nations—and within two years.”

Jeremiah walked out.

12–14  Later, sometime after Hananiah had smashed the yoke from off his shoulders, Jeremiah received this Message from God: “Go back to Hananiah and tell him, ‘This is God’s Message: You smashed the wooden yoke-bars; now you’ve got iron yoke-bars. This is a Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel’s own God: I’ve put an iron yoke on all these nations. They’re harnessed to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. They’ll do just what he tells them. Why, I’m even putting him in charge of the wild animals.’ ”

15–16  So prophet Jeremiah told prophet Hananiah, “Hold it, Hananiah! God never sent you. You’ve talked the whole country into believing a pack of lies! And so God says, ‘You claim to be sent? I’ll send you all right—right off the face of the earth! Before the year is out, you’ll be dead because you fomented sedition against God.’ ”

17  Prophet Hananiah died that very year, in the seventh month.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Thursday, May 02, 2024

Today's Scripture

John 3:10-17

Jesus said, “You’re a respected teacher of Israel and you don’t know these basics? Listen carefully. I’m speaking sober truth to you. I speak only of what I know by experience; I give witness only to what I have seen with my own eyes. There is nothing secondhand here, no hearsay. Yet instead of facing the evidence and accepting it, you procrastinate with questions. If I tell you things that are plain as the hand before your face and you don’t believe me, what use is there in telling you of things you can’t see, the things of God?

13–15  “No one has ever gone up into the presence of God except the One who came down from that Presence, the Son of Man. In the same way that Moses lifted the serpent in the desert so people could have something to see and then believe, it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up—and everyone who looks up to him, trusting and expectant, will gain a real life, eternal life.

16–18  “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.

Insight

In John 3:10, we sense Jesus’ frustration with Nicodemus, who, as a well-educated Pharisee (“Israel’s teacher,” as Christ put it), should’ve understood the Scriptures better than he did. Nicodemus was also a member of the ruling council, the Sanhedrin (v. 1), which plotted to have Jesus arrested and executed. But we must give Nicodemus credit for several key points. First, he came to Christ with his questions (vv. 4, 9). Second, his dialogue with Jesus must have taken root in his heart, for later he spoke in defense of Christ when his colleagues were clamoring for His arrest (7:50-51). And third, he courageously identified with the Savior—at a time when the disciples had fled in fear—by joining Joseph of Arimathea to take Jesus’ body from the cross and give Him a respectful Jewish burial (19:38-42). By: Tim Gustafson

A Creator We Can Trust

God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. John 3:16

The “monster” in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is one of the most widely known literary characters, captivating our cultural imagination. But close readers of the beloved novel know that a strong case can be made that Shelley actually portrays Victor Frankenstein, the delusional scientist who created the creature, as the real monster. After creating an intelligent creature, Victor denies him any guidance, companionship, or hope of happiness—seemingly guaranteeing the creature’s descent into desperation and rage. Confronting Victor, the creature laments, “You, my creator, would tear me to pieces and triumph.”

Scripture reveals how different the true Creator of all things is—with unchanging, tireless love for His creation. God didn’t create on a whim, but out of love created a beautiful, “very good” world (Genesis 1:31). And even when humanity turned from Him to choose monstrous evil instead, God’s commitment to and love for humanity didn’t change.

As Jesus explained to Nicodemus, God’s love for His creation was so great He was willing to give even what was most dear to Him—“his one and only Son” (John 3:16)—that the world might be saved. Jesus sacrificed Himself, bearing the consequences of our sin, so “that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him” (v. 15).

We have a Creator we can trust with our hearts and lives. By:  Monica La Rose

Reflect & Pray

How does God’s commitment to His creation impact you? How can you respond to His love for you?

Dear God, thank You for being a good Creator who I can trust.  

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Thursday, May 02, 2024

The Passion of Patience

Though it linger, wait for it. — Habakkuk 2:3

Patience is not indifference. Patience is an immensely strong rock, withstanding all onslaughts. The vision of God is the source of patience, because it gives moral inspiration. Moses was able to be patient, not because he had a sense of duty but because he had the vision of God: “He persevered because he saw him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27). If God gives you a time of temptation in the wilderness, when there is no word from him at all, be patient. The power to endure is yours because you see God.

A person who has had a vision of God is devoted to God himself, not to any particular cause or issue. You always know if the vision you’re having is of God because of the inspiration it brings. When you see God, everything around you is energized. Everything is larger, more vibrant, more.

“Though it linger, wait for it.” The proof that we have the vision is that we are reaching out for more than we have grasped. It is a bad thing to be satisfied spiritually. We have the tendency to look for satisfaction in our experience. We think that because we’ve experienced salvation and sanctification, we have the power to endure anything. The instant we begin to think this way, we are on the road to ruin. If we have nothing more than our experiences, we have nothing. If we have the inspiration of the vision of God, we have more than we can experience.

Never let yourself relax spiritually. Press on toward your goal. “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (Philippians 3:12).

1 Kings 12-13; Luke 22:1-20

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Thursday, May 02, 2024

How Valuable You Really Are - #9734

When our oldest son was little he started a hobby that really helped him pay his way through college eventually - collecting baseball cards. He was doing pretty well collecting, when he asked me to start taking him to these shows on the baseball circuit. One summer I was scheduled to speak at Ocean City, New Jersey, and he wanted to go down a day early so we could catch the last day of this huge card show. He walked into a large hall with all the money the little guy could have saved from recent chores and allowances.

As we strolled along together, something caught my eye. It was the baseball card I had tried so hard to get as a little boy and I never could. See, growing up in Chicago, my hero was the second baseman of the Chicago White Sox, Nellie Fox. He was the hero of a lot of kids. I bought tons of baseball cards. I had the whole Chicago White Sox team, but I could never get Nellie Fox.

We found a table with one of those very rare Fox cards that I could never find as a kid, and I said, "This guy had it!" My son said, "Are you going to buy it, Dad?" I said, "No, it's too much. I'm just going to keep looking around." So we went our separate ways for a few minutes, until I felt a tug on my pants. It was my son, looking up at me with eyes I'll never forget. "Here, Dad. I love you." I looked down and he handed me that Nellie Fox baseball card. My son had basically spent everything he had on that gift for me. That card is on my desk in a plastic protector. There have been few times in my life when I felt so loved as I did that moment.

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

Our word for today from the Word of God is in 1 Corinthians 6:20, "You were bought with a price. Therefore, honor God with your body." The Bible says Jesus paid a very high price for you. Actually the book of Revelation pulls the curtain on heaven and lets us see Jesus there surrounded by billions of angels and people who have died and gone there. And part of what they sing about is what never ceases to amaze everyone in heaven.

It says in Revelation 5:9, "With your blood you purchased men for God." So this price you are bought with is the life blood of Jesus Christ, God's one and only Son. Now, I knew my son loved me. He proved it by what he gave me that day. You can tell how much God loves you because He spent everything He had on you. No one has ever loved you like that; this is the price tag of the blood of God's Son spent for you.

The Bible says, "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." Forgiveness means erasing our sin from God's book, because the penalty for our sin is clear. It's death. My sins are only going to be paid for by dying. If you want to know that God really loves you, here is His overwhelming best. He sacrificed His Son to die your eternal death penalty on a cross. He spent it all on you.

Maybe there's never been that time when you have experienced that love for yourself; taken the gift He paid for with His life. I don't know who's been there for you in your life. I don't know who's betrayed you, who's abandoned you, made it hard for you to trust. But I know that the One who made you, who holds your eternity in His hands loves you desperately. He loves you so very much. Look at the price He paid for you. This is the love you've spent a lifetime looking for, and it's yours for the taking when you tell Jesus Christ that you're putting all your hopes in Him. All your trust in what He did on the cross for you.

If you've never done that, if you're ready to open up to that love and experience it for yourself, tell Him today, "Jesus, I'm yours." Go to our website ANewStory.com. Let me help you, there, be sure you belong to this Jesus.

I knew my son loved me, because he sacrificed everything he had to give to me. You know what? That's just a small picture of how much Jesus loves you. The Son of God has come to you, knocking on the door of your heart saying, "I loved you enough to spend everything on you." This is your day to start belonging to Him.

Jeremiah 27, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: NAME THE PROBLEM - May 1, 2024

Hard as it may be, it’s time to shine a light on that one weakness, that one bad habit, that one rotten attitude where Satan has a stronghold within you. And it begins by naming it. Try these steps:

Lay claim to the nearness of God. “…Never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5 NIV)

Cling to his character. The qualities of God—like his faithfulness, love, mercy, goodness—are promises you can rely on in the midst of the change you desire in your life.

Confess your sins. The Scripture says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 NIV)

And lastly, walk as a new creation. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)

Jeremiah 27

Harness Yourselves Up to the Yoke

1–4  27 Early in the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, Jeremiah received this Message from God: “Make a harness and a yoke and then harness yourself up. Send a message to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon. Send it through their ambassadors who have come to Jerusalem to see Zedekiah king of Judah. Give them this charge to take back to their masters: ‘This is a Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel. Tell your masters:

5–8  “ ‘I’m the one who made the earth, man and woman, and all the animals in the world. I did it on my own without asking anyone’s help and I hand it out to whomever I will. Here and now I give all these lands over to my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. I have made even the wild animals subject to him. All nations will be under him, then his son, and then his grandson. Then his country’s time will be up and the tables will be turned: Babylon will be the underdog servant. But until then, any nation or kingdom that won’t submit to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon must take the yoke of the king of Babylon and harness up. I’ll punish that nation with war and starvation and disease until I’ve got them where I want them.

9–11  “ ‘So don’t for a minute listen to all your prophets and spiritualists and fortunetellers, who claim to know the future and who tell you not to give in to the king of Babylon. They’re handing you a line of lies, barefaced lies, that will end up putting you in exile far from home. I myself will drive you out of your lands, and that’ll be the end of you. But the nation that accepts the yoke of the king of Babylon and does what he says, I’ll let that nation stay right where it is, minding its own business.’ ”

12–15  Then I gave this same message to Zedekiah king of Judah: “Harness yourself up to the yoke of the king of Babylon. Serve him and his people. Live a long life! Why choose to get killed or starve to death or get sick and die, which is what God has threatened to any nation that won’t throw its lot in with Babylon? Don’t listen to the prophets who are telling you not to submit to the king of Babylon. They’re telling you lies, preaching lies. God’s Word on this is, ‘I didn’t send those prophets, but they keep preaching lies, claiming I sent them. If you listen to them, I’ll end up driving you out of here and that will be the end of you, both you and the lying prophets.’ ”

16–22  And finally I spoke to the priests and the people at large: “This is God’s Message: Don’t listen to the preaching of the prophets who keep telling you, ‘Trust us: The furnishings, plundered from God’s Temple, are going to be returned from Babylon any day now.’ That’s a lie. Don’t listen to them. Submit to the king of Babylon and live a long life. Why do something that will destroy this city and leave it a heap of rubble? If they are real prophets and have a Message from God, let them come to God-of-the-Angel-Armies in prayer so that the furnishings that are still left in God’s Temple, the king’s palace, and Jerusalem aren’t also lost to Babylon. That’s because God-of-the-Angel-Armies has already spoken about the Temple furnishings that remain—the pillars, the great bronze basin, the stands, and all the other bowls and chalices that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon didn’t take when he took Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim off to Babylonian exile along with all the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem. He said that the furnishings left behind in the Temple of God and in the royal palace and in Jerusalem will be taken off to Babylon and stay there until, in God’s words, ‘I take the matter up again and bring them back where they belong.’ ”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Wednesday, May 01, 2024

Today's Scripture

Matthew 28:16-20

Meanwhile, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain Jesus had set for their reunion. The moment they saw him they worshiped him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally.

18–20  Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”

Insight

In the Gospels, Jesus is described as a man who “taught as one who had authority” (Matthew 7:29) and “has authority on earth to forgive sins” (9:6). The Greek word exousia carries the meaning of “authority, power, the right to control or govern; dominion, the area or sphere of jurisdiction.” Christ called twelve men, discipled them, and then “sent them out to preach” (Mark 3:14). He “gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases” and instructed them “to proclaim the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:1-2). As the Son of God and Son of Man, Jesus has been given “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18), for God granted “him authority over all people” (John 17:2). We’re also armed with His authority—although ours is limited—to go into the world and tell others about Him and disciple them (Matthew 28:19-20). By: K. T. Sim

The Authority of Jesus

All authority . . . has been given to me. Matthew 28:18

Even after Jesus had set my son Geoff free from years of substance abuse, I still had worries. We’d been through much together and my focus sometimes remained on his difficult past instead of the future God had for him. Parents of addicts often worry about relapse, and one day at a family gathering, I pulled Geoff aside. “Remember,” I told him, “we have an adversary, and he’s powerful.” “I know, Dad,” he responded. “He has power, but he has no authority.”

In that moment, I was reminded of Jesus’ incomparable authority to rescue us from our sins and transform our lives as we look to Him. Immediately I thought of His words to the disciples shortly before He returned to His Father in heaven: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go . . .” (Matthew 28:18-19).

The crucified and risen Jesus has made a way for us to come to Him no matter what our past may be. He holds both our past and our future. Because He’s promised to be with us always (v. 20), we can be assured that He’ll accomplish His purposes and that our lives are in His unfailing hands. Jesus gives us unparalleled hope, a hope so good we can’t keep it to ourselves. The devil and the world may have some power for a little while, but “all authority” belongs to Jesus forever. By:  James Banks

Reflect & Pray

How does Jesus’ authority give you hope? What has He done for you that you can share with someone today?

Thank You, dear God, for calling me to You in love. Please lead me to someone I can share Your love with today.

For further study, read Hope: Discovering the One True Source.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Wednesday, May 01, 2024

Faith, Not Emotion

For we live by faith, not by sight. — 2 Corinthians 5:7 (moffatt)

At times, we are conscious of receiving God’s attentions; we feel the light of his inspiration shining upon us, and we delight to do his will. But when he begins to use us in ways we don’t like, putting us to work at tasks that seem lowly or unimportant, we take on a pathetic attitude. We begin to talk about trials and difficulties, not understanding that God wants us to do our duty in obscurity.

None of us would work in spiritual obscurity if we had the choice. We’d prefer to be illuminated saints, with gilded haloes shining about our heads, on display for all to see. But gilt-edged saints are no good. They are unfit for daily life and completely unlike God. We are men and women, not half-fledged angels. We are here to do the work of the world, and to do it with an infinitely greater power of endurance than those who haven’t been born from above.

Can we do our duty when God has shut up heaven? If we’re always trying to recapture rare moments of inspiration, it’s a sign that it isn’t really God we’re after. Instead, we’re making a fetish of a feeling, insisting that God deliver that feeling to us again and again. How many of us simply refuse to do anything until God inspires us? He never will—not until we take action. God wants us to walk by faith. He wants us to get up on our own, without the touch of his inspiration. When we do, we have the surprising revelation that God was there all along.

Never live for the rare moments. They are God’s surprises. God will give us the touch of inspiration when he sees we aren’t in danger of being led astray by it. We must never make moments of inspiration the standard for our lives. Our standard is our duty.

1 Kings 10-11; Luke 21:20-38

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Wednesday, May 01, 2024

Rescue in Seat 9B - #9733

Mr. T. Murdoch. "Face." And the man with the plan, Hannibal Smith. If you're a child of the '80s, you'll recognize those names - as "The A Team." I can tell you the Hutchcraft boys never missed a show. These guys came to the rescue of people who couldn't find anybody to help, assignments that seemed virtually impossible. But their leader, Hannibal Smith, always had a plan that seemed almost unbelievable. He didn't always explain his plan - he just gave his men their assignments. And, of course, it was always mission accomplished! And Hannibal would celebrate that unlikely victory with his trademark expression - "I love it when a plan comes together." So do I. Especially when it's from the MASTER Planner!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Rescue in Seat 9B."

Apparently, the word "random" does not appear in heaven's dictionary. Ephesians 1:11, our word for today from the Word of God, says, we have been "predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will." And Peter makes clear that "He is not wanting anyone to perish" (2 Peter 3:9). His plan often comes together around the rescue of one lost soul. And that plan can be astonishing at times.

My son was supposed to go with me on a recent ministry trip. The day before, he had to cancel because of illness. I was in seat 9A. He was to be in 9B. At the last minute a young mother named Cindy ended up being assigned there. We had a few laughs about the window seat guy usually coming last and pretzels for dinner.

As we flew, she asked about what I do. I mentioned radio and writing and our work with Native Americans. When I asked about her trip, she told me she and her three sisters do a special fun trip together each year. Her tone changed when she said, "This year will be just two of my sisters." The other sister had died tragically a few months before, and Cindy was still struggling with grief.

That was my first hint that a divine plan might be coming together here. I told her about suddenly losing the love of my life since I was 19 - the day my precious Karen died of a heart attack. Cindy and I were in that club no one wants to join - those grieving over the loss of a loved one.

But God was answering the 3-open prayer I've learned to pray, based on Colossians 4:3-4 - "Pray that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ...Pray that I may proclaim it clearly as I should." Three "opens" - "Lord, open a door," then "Lord open their heart." Then, "open my mouth."

I shared my Hope Story about the anchor that the unlosable love of Jesus gave me when my world was falling apart. How I knew He loved me because He actually died to forgive the sinning I've done against Him. And how I found hope in His victory over death.

Her eyes were moist. She said, "I used to believe things like that when I was a teenager. Until the most important person in my life died - my dad. And I walked away from God." Then she blew me away. "My dad was Native American - and here I am sitting next to you." And then, looking at my turquoise watch, she said, "He had a watch just like that!"

Our verse for today says, "He works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will." Down to my watch! I said, "Cindy, you know Who assigned our seats today? It wasn't American Airlines. God wanted to tell you how much He loves you." Before we landed, surrounded by a plane packed with passengers, we had prayed together to the God she had left. Who pursued her to Seat 9B.

My friend, if you know Jesus, start praying that amazing 3- open prayer - open a door, open their heart, open my mouth. And be amazed with how you become part of God-moments to help someone go to heaven. This is our mission. This is our calling.

And you will love it when you see His plan coming together. To bring someone lost to the Cross through you.

Hebrews 4, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: REMEMBER - April 30, 2024

Frightening thing, pride. Doesn’t it sneak up on us? We begin spiritual journeys as small people. The act of conversion is a humbling one. We confess sins, beg for mercy, bend our knees. We come to God humbly. No swagger, no boasts.

And God works. He works the miracle of salvation. He immerses us in mercy. He stitches together our shredded souls. He deposits his Spirit in our hearts and implants heavenly gifts. Our big God blesses our small faith. Gradually our big God changes us, and people notice the difference. They applaud. They admire us. And kudos become ladder rungs, and we begin to elevate ourselves, and we forget. We forget who brought us here.

Take time to remember. “Look at what you were when God called you” (1 Corinthians 1:26 NCV). Remember who held you in the beginning. And remember who holds you today.

Hebrews 4

When the Promises Are Mixed with Faith

1–3  4 For as long, then, as that promise of resting in him pulls us on to God’s goal for us, we need to be careful that we’re not disqualified. We received the same promises as those people in the wilderness, but the promises didn’t do them a bit of good because they didn’t receive the promises with faith. If we believe, though, we’ll experience that state of resting. But not if we don’t have faith. Remember that God said,

Exasperated, I vowed,

“They’ll never get where they’re going,

never be able to sit down and rest.”

3–7  God made that vow, even though he’d finished his part before the foundation of the world. Somewhere it’s written, “God rested the seventh day, having completed his work,” but in this other text he says, “They’ll never be able to sit down and rest.” So this promise has not yet been fulfilled. Those earlier ones never did get to the place of rest because they were disobedient. God keeps renewing the promise and setting the date as today, just as he did in David’s psalm, centuries later than the original invitation:

Today, please listen,

don’t turn a deaf ear …

8–11  And so this is still a live promise. It wasn’t canceled at the time of Joshua; otherwise, God wouldn’t keep renewing the appointment for “today.” The promise of “arrival” and “rest” is still there for God’s people. God himself is at rest. And at the end of the journey we’ll surely rest with God. So let’s keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience.

12–13  God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what.

The High Priest Who Cried Out in Pain

14–16  Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Today's Scripture

1 John 4:15-21

Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we’ve embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God.

To Love, to Be Loved

17–18  God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.

19  We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.

20–21  If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both.

Insight

The books of John; 1, 2, and 3 John; and Revelation were all written by the apostle John (one of the “sons of thunder”; Mark 3:17), who refers to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23; 19:26). But rather than boasting, John seems to point with assurance and perhaps amazement to the knowledge that Christ loved him despite his failings. In our text today, John declares: “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16). Because of His perfect love, we need not fear our future or eternal destiny (vv. 17-18). By dying on the cross, Jesus made a way for us to be with Him (vv. 9-10; John 3:16). Nothing can separate believers in Christ from God’s love (Romans 8:38-39). In response, we’re called to love others (1 John 4:11, 20-21). Through the Spirit, we have assurance of His love and are empowered to love others (v. 13; Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:22). By: Alyson Kieda

Can’t Out-Love God

We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

When my now-grown son, Xavier, was in kindergarten, he stretched his arms wide and said, “I love you this much.”  I stretched my longer arms wide and said, “I love you this much.” Planting his fists on his hips, he said, “I loved you first.” I shook my head. “I loved you when God first put you in my womb.” Xavier’s eyes widened. “You win.” “We both win,” I said, “because Jesus loved both of us first.”

As Xavier prepares for the birth of his first child, I’m praying he’ll enjoy trying to out-love his son as they make sweet memories. But as I prepare to be a grandmother, I’m amazed at how much I loved my grandson from the moment Xavier and his wife told us they were expecting a baby.

The apostle John affirmed that Jesus’ love for us gives us the ability to love Him and others (1 John 4:19). Knowing He loves us gives us a sense of security that deepens our personal relationship with Him (vv. 15-17). As we realize the depth of His love for us (v. 19), we can grow in our love for Him and express love in other relationships (v. 20). Not only does Jesus empower us to love, but He also commands us to love: “And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister” (v. 21). When it comes to loving well, God always wins. No matter how hard we try, we can’t out-love God! By:  Xochitl Dixon

Reflect & Pray

How has knowing God loves you helped you to love others? How can you show love to others this week?

Loving Savior, thank You for loving me first so I can love others.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

The Spontaneity of Love

Love is patient, love is kind. — 1 Corinthians 13:4

Love is not premeditated. Love is spontaneous, bursting up in extraordinary ways. Consider Paul’s description of love: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Corinthians 13:4–5). There is nothing calculating about the kind of love Paul describes. It is free and easy, arriving without conscious effort on our part. When the Spirit of the Lord is having his way with us, we pour out his love spontaneously, living up to God’s standard without even realizing it.

Like everything that has to do with the life of God in us, the true nature of a loving action can only be seen in hindsight. Looking back on some loving action we took, we are amazed at how we felt in the moment: unselfish and uncalculating. That is the evidence real love was there.

Trying to prove to God how much we love him is a sure sign that we do not love him. The evidence that our love for him is true is that it comes naturally, bubbling up without our bidding at the command of the Holy Spirit. That is why we can’t see our own reasons for doing certain loving things: it is the Spirit in our hearts who does them. We can’t say, “Now I am going to always be patient.” The springs of love are in God, not in us. To look for the love of God in our hearts is absurd if we have not been born again by the Spirit: God’s love is there only when he is. “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5).

1 Kings 8-9; Luke 21:1-19

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Making Sure You'll be in Heaven - #9732

Well, all of us airline passengers have just squeezed down that narrow aisle to our seats, and everyone is just getting settled in. The ground agent comes on board and says, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is a destination check. This is Flight 305 to Atlanta." The next part is what I love. It's so diplomatic it's almost ridiculous. "If Atlanta is not in your travel plans for today, this would be a good time for you to exit the aircraft." In other words, "Hey, pal, make sure this flight is going where you want to end up!"

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Making Sure You'll be in Heaven."

It doesn't matter how nice the plane is, how nice the people are, how sure you are that this is the right one, if it isn't going where you want to go, you can't afford to be on it. That's obvious when it comes to our travel destination. It should be obvious when it comes to our eternal destination.

There was a survey that found that a majority of Americans thought their destination when they die will be heaven. Since this is the one thing you can't afford to be wrong about, there's an important question that those folks need to consider. All of us do. "I think I'm going to heaven." Really? Based on what? How nice you are? How nice your religion is? How much you think this ought to be the way to get to God? It's not true for airplane flights, and it's not true for getting to God and to His heaven.

Only God can tell us how to get to Him. What He said and only what He said is the final word. Everybody else is guessing. Here it is in the words of Jesus Christ himself. Our word for today from the Word of God in John 3:3 - "No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." Now, those two words have been overused, they've been misused, they've been abused, "born again."

But the words "born again" - it was the Son of God himself who told us that that's the way to give ourselves a destination check; to see if in fact I'm going to heaven.

The Bible explains just two chapters earlier how you can be born again. Speaking of Jesus it says, "To all who received Him, to those who believed in Him, He gave them the right to become children of God." You have to be born into His family to be His child just like you were born into your earth family. And you are born again at the moment you "receive Jesus." What does that mean? That means opening up to Him, welcoming Him into your life.

And then it says, "when you believe in Him." That's totally putting your trust in Him as your only ticket to God's heaven. No trust in my religion. No trust in my goodness. No trust in all the things that I have done in my life. No, I am placing all my hopes on the man who died for my sin. I have no hope placed in anything else. It's like a drowning person grabbing a lifeguard, "You, Jesus, are my only hope."

Why is that? Well, it's because your sin will keep you out of heaven. Sin carries a death penalty according to the Bible. The Bible calls it hell. And only Jesus could, and only Jesus did die to pay that death penalty so you don't have to. That's how much He loves you. So only He can remove your sin from God's records. And only people with their sin forgiven can enter God's sinless heaven.

Jesus left no room for any questions. He said in John 3:5, "You must be born again." You have no more important thing in your life to do than to make sure you have boarded the flight that's going to heaven, to be sure you have told Jesus, "I'm putting all my faith in You alone to forgive my sin and get me to heaven." Only He died to make it possible. Only He walked out of his grave to prove He can give eternal life.

Have you ever grabbed Him in total trust and said, "Jesus, I'm yours." If not, let this be your day. I'd love to help you get that settled. Just go to our website - it's ANewStory.com.

If you're trusting anyone or anything other than Jesus to get you where you want to go, don't stay on that flight to disaster. That's the deadliest mistake you can make. Today there's still time to change and get on the only flight where God says the destination is His heaven.

Jeremiah 24, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: WHO HOLDS YOU - April 29, 2024

Stephen was one of the seven men tasked to care for the Gentile widows. His ministry, however, provoked antagonism. A sect of jealous enemies falsely accused him of blasphemy. They marched him to the council of the Sanhedrin and demanded that he defend himself. And did he ever! He caused a stir before he even opened his mouth. “Everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel’s” (Acts 6:15 NLT).

Did heaven bathe him in a tunnel of brightness? I don’t know. I don’t know how to imagine the scene, but I know how to interpret it. This was God speaking. The sermon emerges, not from Stephen’s mind, but from God’s heart. This was not a lightweight message. Fifty-two verses led the listeners from Abraham to Jesus. Two thousand years of history resulted in this one indictment: “You’re forgetting who holds you.”

Jeremiah 24

Two Baskets of Figs

1–2  24 God showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the Temple of God. This was after Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerusalem into exile in Babylon, along with the leaders of Judah, the craftsmen, and the skilled laborers. In one basket the figs were of the finest quality, ripe and ready to eat. In the other basket the figs were rotten, so rotten they couldn’t be eaten.

3  God said to me, “Jeremiah, what do you see?”

“Figs,” I said. “Excellent figs of the finest quality, and also rotten figs, so rotten they can’t be eaten.”

4–6  Then God told me, “This is the Message from the God of Israel: The exiles from here that I’ve sent off to the land of the Babylonians are like the good figs, and I’ll make sure they get good treatment. I’ll keep my eye on them so that their lives are good, and I’ll bring them back to this land. I’ll build them up, not tear them down; I’ll plant them, not uproot them.

7  “And I’ll give them a heart to know me, God. They’ll be my people and I’ll be their God, for they’ll have returned to me with all their hearts.

8–10  “But like the rotten figs, so rotten they can’t be eaten, is Zedekiah king of Judah. Rotten figs—that’s how I’ll treat him and his leaders, along with the survivors here and those down in Egypt. I’ll make them something that the whole world will look on as disgusting—repugnant outcasts, their names used as curse words wherever in the world I drive them. And I’ll make sure they die like flies—from war, starvation, disease, whatever—until the land I once gave to them and their ancestors is completely rid of them.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Monday, April 29, 2024

Today's Scripture

Ephesians 6:10-20

A Fight to the Finish

10–12  And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

13–18  Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

19–20  And don’t forget to pray for me. Pray that I’ll know what to say and have the courage to say it at the right time, telling the mystery to one and all, the Message that I, jailbird preacher that I am, am responsible for getting out.

Insight

Paul often uses military images to illustrate the life of the believer in Jesus (Romans 13:12; 1 Corinthians 9:7; 1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 2:3-4). Paul reminds us that the believer is engaged in a spiritual battle against Satan and his evil forces (Ephesians 6:11-12). Just as physical armor protects the soldier in the battlefield, the armor of God protects us in our spiritual battle. Most of this armor is defensive, except for the “sword of the Spirit” (v. 17). Christ used the Scripture to overcome the devil (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:4-12). We too must use God’s truth to respond to the enemy’s attacks (John 17:17; Hebrews 4:12). By: K. T. Sim

Pray and Watch

Pray in the Spirit on all occasions . . . be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:18

When fighting spiritual battles, believers in Jesus should take prayer seriously. A Florida woman found out how dangerous it can be, however, to practice it unwisely. When she prayed, she closed her eyes. But while driving one day and praying (with eyes shut!), she failed to stop at a stop sign, flew through an intersection, and went offroad into a homeowner’s yard. She then tried unsuccessfully to back off the lawn. Though not injured, she was given a police citation for reckless driving and property damage. This prayer warrior missed a key part of Ephesians 6:18: be alert.

As part of the whole armor of God in Ephesians 6, the apostle Paul includes two final pieces. First, we should fight spiritual battles with prayer. This means praying in the Spirit—relying on His power. Also, resting in His guidance and responding to His promptings—praying all kinds of prayers on all occasions (v. 18). Second, Paul encouraged us to “be alert.” Spiritual alertness can aid us in being prepared for Jesus’ return (Mark 13:33), gaining victory over temptation (14:38), and interceding for other believers (Ephesians 6:18).

As we fight spiritual battles daily, let’s permeate our lives with a “pray and watch” approach—combating evil powers and piercing the darkness with the light of Christ. By:  Marvin Williams

Reflect & Pray

How can having a “pray and watch” mindset help you fight spiritual battles? What does it mean for you to stay spiritually alert?

Dear God, please help me to watch and pray for myself and others.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Monday, April 29, 2024

The Graciousness of Uncertainty

What we will be has not yet been made known. — 1 John 3:2

Naturally, we are inclined to be so mathematical and calculating that we look upon uncertainty as a bad thing. We imagine that we have to reach some goal, but this isn’t the nature of the spiritual life.

The nature of the spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty. Certainty is the mark of the commonsense life; gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life. To be certain of God means that we are uncertain of the rest, never knowing what a day may bring. This is generally said with a sigh of sadness; it should be said with a burst of breathless expectation: we’re uncertain of the next step, but we’re certain of God.

The instant we abandon ourselves to God, he begins to fill our life with constant surprises. But when we become advocates of a creed, something within us dies. If we are clinging to a creed or a belief, we aren’t believing God himself; we are merely believing our beliefs about him.

Jesus said, “Unless you change and become like little children …” (Matthew 18:3). Spiritual life is the life of a child. A child isn’t uncertain of God, only of what God will do next. If we are sure of our beliefs, we are haughty and absolutely set in our opinions. Jesus said, “Believe also in me” (John 14:1). He didn’t say, “Believe your own ideas about me.” When we are rightly related to God, life is full of spontaneous, joyful uncertainty and expectancy.

Leave everything to God. It is gloriously uncertain how he will come, but he will come.

1 Kings 6-7; Luke 20:27-47

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Monday, April 29, 2024

Jumping Before You've Heard It All - #9731

When I was in high school, I was a part of Youth For Christ's very active Bible Quiz program. Now, it was a long time ago, but I still remember a lot that I learned in studying books of the Bible in this highly competitive atmosphere.

There was a lot of intense excitement when we would get together. Sometimes, believe it or not, thousands of people would be there for the competition as the championship quiz teams would be pitted against each other, seated on chairs that used, well what was then sophisticated equipment, and it registered who got off the chair first. A light would go on and then they had the first opportunity to answer the question. If they jumped during the question, which I often did, that was the best way to make sure you got the opportunity, you had to finish the question correctly and then give the answer.

So here is the Quiz Master asking, jump as soon as you think you can finish this question. Many times we were so high-strung that we'd jump too soon...ridiculously soon. For example we'd be quizzing on the whole Gospel of John, and the Quiz Master would say, "Wh..." And suddenly you'd see three people on their feet, and he'd call, "Number one." Oh, you almost always lost that question, "Wh..." Who could figure that out? Of course, you always lose when you jump too soon.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Jumping Before You've Heard It All."

Well, our word for today from the Word of God comes from Proverbs 18:13 - the great wisdom of Solomon. He says, "He who answers before listening..." Okay, sounds like that old Bible quiz doesn't it? "He who answers before listening, that is his folly; that is his shame." Well, the New Testament version of that might be James 1:19, which says this: "Everyone should be quick to listen and slow to speak." Now we have just slightly re-written that one. We're quick to speak and slow to listen. And notice the listening comes before the speaking.

Solomon tells us that we ought to be ashamed of ourselves. It's our folly! It's foolish! It's shameful if we speak before we listen. See, we hear the beginning of what someone is trying to tell us and we assume we know the rest. And like the old Bible quizzers, we jump with our reply. It happens in our marriage conversations. It happens between parents and children. We anticipate the rest and we don't understand each other as a result. Biblically-wise people don't just listen to the sentence, they listen to the whole paragraph. They don't respond to the opening line. Oh, they may listen to the whole page. When you jump too soon, you usually end up misunderstanding. You react to the symptom, not the problem.

See, the person doesn't pay attention to what you're saying because you didn't pay attention to them. Conflict erupts, walls go up. If you played back the recording of you today, would we often hear you being quick to speak? If so, you might be inflicting hurt, frustration, misunderstanding and causing people to just shut down and not even want to tell you anymore.

How are you perceived by your mate, your children, your parents, your friends when it comes to listening? Maybe someone has basically stopped trying. But tell them you want another chance. It takes patience; it takes self-control to listen; not just to a person's words, but to their heart. It is, according to the Word of God, foolish not to listen before you speak.

Now, we're told that part of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 is patience and self-control. You know, that's what it takes to listen before you speak. So, "Dear Lord, give me patience. Give me self-control. Teach me, Lord, to listen."

Take it from an old Bible quizzer who sometimes couldn't wait, "When you jump too soon, you usually get it wrong."