Genesis 41, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

 Max Lucado Daily: God's Not Finished With You

Pick up a high school yearbook and read the "What I want to do" sentence under each picture. You'll get dizzy breathing the thin air of mountaintop visions. Ivy league school. Write books and live in Switzerland. Physician in a Third World country. Teach inner-city kids.
Yet, take the yearbook to a twentieth-year reunion and read the next chapter. Some dreams have come true, but many haven't. Changing direction in life is not tragic. Losing passion in life is. Convictions to change the world downgrade to commitments to pay the bills. Rather than make a difference, we make a salary. Rather than look outward, we look inward. And we don't like what we see.
Philippians 1:6 says, "God began doing a good work in you, and he will continue it until it is finished." May I spell out the message? God isn't finished with you yet!
From When God Whispers Your Name

Genesis 41

Pharaoh’s Dreams

When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, 2 when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. 3 After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. 4 And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.

5 He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. 6 After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—thin and scorched by the east wind. 7 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream.

8 In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.

9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. 10 Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. 11 Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. 12 Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. 13 And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was impaled.”

14 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.

15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”

16 “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”

17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, 18 when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds. 19 After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. 20 The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. 21 But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.

22 “In my dream I saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. 23 After them, seven other heads sprouted—withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. 24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me.”

25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. 27 The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.

28 “It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, 30 but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. 31 The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. 32 The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.

33 “And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35 They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. 36 This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”

37 The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. 38 So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God[a]?”

39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”
Joseph in Charge of Egypt

41 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command,[b] and people shouted before him, “Make way[c]!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.

44 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.” 45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On,[d] to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.

46 Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt. 47 During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. 48 Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. 49 Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.

50 Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. 51 Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh[e] and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” 52 The second son he named Ephraim[f] and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”

53 The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, 54 and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. 55 When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.”

56 When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. 57 And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere.


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-7

Paul’s Ministry in Thessalonica

You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. 2 We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition. 3 For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4 On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. 5 You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. 6 We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. 7 Instead, we were like young children[a] among you.

Just as a nursing mother cares for her children,
Footnotes:

    1 Thessalonians 2:7 Some manuscripts were gentle

Insight
Because of the severity of Paul’s words in battling false teachings and correcting sinful conduct, he often comes across as devoid of tenderness, gentleness, or compassion (1 Cor. 16:22; Gal. 1:8-9; Phil. 3:2; 2 Tim. 4:14-15; Titus 3:10). But there is a gentle and tender side of Paul that is equally evident in his letters (1 Cor. 2:3; 2 Cor. 10:1; Gal. 6:1; 2 Tim. 2:24-25). In 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8, Paul shows parental qualities such as gentleness and love. In verses 11-12, he encourages and comforts his spiritual children, urging them to live holy lives.

Tender Loving Care
By Dennis Fisher 

We were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. —1 Thessalonians 2:7



Max runs a small farm as a hobby. Recently when he checked on the cows he is raising, he was surprised to see a newborn calf! When he bought the cattle, he had no idea one was pregnant. Sadly, the mother cow had complications and died shortly after her calf was born. Immediately, Max purchased some powdered milk so he could feed the calf from a bottle. “The calf thinks I’m its mother!” Max said.

The tender story of Max’s new role with the calf reminded me of how Paul likened himself to a caring mother in dealing with the believers at Thessalonica: “We were gentle among you,” he said, “just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children” (1 Thess. 2:7).

Paul adopted a nurturing attitude when teaching people. He knew believers needed the “milk of the word” for spiritual growth (1 Peter 2:2). But he also gave special attention to the concerns of those he cared for. “We dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children,” Paul said, “encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God” (1 Thess. 2:11-12 niv).

As we serve each other, may we serve with the tender loving care of our Savior, encouraging each other in our spiritual journey (Heb. 10:24).
Dear Lord, help me to be sensitive
and caring as I serve others.
Help me to love others tenderly as You
so tenderly love and care for me.
God pours His love into our hearts to flow out to others’ lives.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, July 03, 2014

The Concentration of Personal Sin

Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips . . . —Isaiah 6:5

When I come into the very presence of God, I do not realize that I am a sinner in an indefinite sense, but I suddenly realize and the focus of my attention is directed toward the concentration of sin in a particular area of my life. A person will easily say, “Oh yes, I know I am a sinner,” but when he comes into the presence of God he cannot get away with such a broad and indefinite statement. Our conviction is focused on our specific sin, and we realize, as Isaiah did, what we really are. This is always the sign that a person is in the presence of God. There is never any vague sense of sin, but a focusing on the concentration of sin in some specific, personal area of life. God begins by convicting us of the very thing to which His Spirit has directed our mind’s attention. If we will surrender, submitting to His conviction of that particular sin, He will lead us down to where He can reveal the vast underlying nature of sin. That is the way God always deals with us when we are consciously aware of His presence.

This experience of our attention being directed to our concentration of personal sin is true in everyone’s life, from the greatest of saints to the worst of sinners. When a person first begins climbing the ladder of experience, he might say, “I don’t know where I’ve gone wrong,” but the Spirit of God will point out some definite and specific thing to him. The effect of Isaiah’s vision of the holiness of the Lord was the directing of his attention to the fact that he was “a man of unclean lips.” “He touched my mouth with it, and said: ’Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged’ ” (Isaiah 6:7). The cleansing fire had to be applied where the sin had been concentrated.


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, July 03, 2014

No License to Drive - #7169

One of the milestone days of any kid's life is the day they get their driver's license. It's usually cause for great excitement and celebrating. It's been about a century, I think, since I first got my driver's license for that horse and buggy. But not long ago, I was a teenager again, celebrating getting my license. No, I hadn't lost it. The law didn't take it away. No, my license had expired, and the motor vehicle department had mailed my renewal form when my wife and I were on the road during a time of extended ministry.
We'd been traveling to, as we always do during the summer, Native American reservations, reaching out to young Native people where they are. Once we returned home, we mailed the form in immediately, and of course the state responded with the usual governmental eye-blurring speed, many weeks later. Meanwhile I was one frustrated man. I like to drive, but I had to be a passenger for weeks. I kept getting in on the wrong side of the car. I had served very little time in the passenger's seat. But once I got past my initial pouting, I've got to say I assumed a different identity. I mean, there were some advantages to being a passenger. I never knew this before. I got a lot of work done when someone else was driving. I even got a little sleep that I probably shouldn't have gotten when I was driving.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "No License to Drive."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 2 Chronicles 20. We hear about King Jehoshaphat, a man who's used to driving, until the day several powerful armies formed an alliance and came against him with an overwhelming force. In fact, he is praying in verse 12, "O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You."
There is a crisis here that Jehoshaphat's in, but there might be some issues here that you could relate to right now in your situation. Like how about this? No power to face it. Does that sound familiar? "A vast army"...You don't know what to do. Pretty bleak, except for one hope factor, "Our eyes are upon You."
In verse 15, God says, "This is what the Lord says to you. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours but God's." God is saying, "Move over, man. You've got no business driving right now. I'll drive." Here was a king that was used to driving. He's king, but he learned to be a passenger because of an overwhelming situation, and the result was an overwhelming victory.
Verse 29: "The fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard how the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel." This isn't the first time the Lord took over an impossible battle and won it. Think about when David went against Goliath. David said, "The battle is the Lord's." The giant was bigger than David, but God was bigger than the giant.
Frankly, the outcome of your battle will depend on who's driving. Are you? See, most of us are control freaks. We insist on controlling what really matters to us. We insist on controlling who really matters to us. But spiritually, you and I were never meant to have a license to drive. That's what it means when you talk about the Lord Jesus Christ. He drives; we ride. He can't be our passenger. It seems so risky to let go of the wheel, doesn't it? I'll tell you what. It's a lot more risky to hang on to it. The battle is the Lord's.
The very essence of our broken relationship with God is that we've been driving the life that He was meant to. In the words of Scripture, speaking of Jesus, "All things were created by Him and for Him." You and I were created by Jesus. We were created for Him. We're supposed to be revolving our lives around Him. Instead, we have taken over the wheel and hijacked our life from the One who gave it to us, who we will face in judgment one day, except for the fact that Christ came to be the cure of this sin cancer by dying on the cross. And all of the years of rebellion and disobedience that have amounted to a death sentence for us.
That could be forgiven for you today if you turn over the wheel to Jesus. I would love to help you know how to get started with that. If you go to our website ANewStory.com, I think your new story could start today.
I had to be forced to give up driving by not having my license. But I learned one thing; a lot can get done when someone else is driving; especially when that someone is the Lord Jesus Christ.

From my daily reading of the bible, Our Daily Bread Devotionals, My Utmost for His Highest and Ron Hutchcraft "A Word with You" and occasionally others.

Max Lucado Daily: Your Name on God's Hand

When I see a flock of sheep I see exactly that, a flock. A rabble of wool. I don't see a sheep. I see sheep. All alike. None different. But not so with the Shepherd. To him every sheep is different. Every face has a story.  John 10:3 says, "The sheep listen to the voice of the shepherd. He calls his own sheep by name."
When we see a crowd, we see exactly that, a crowd. We see people, not persons. A herd of humans. But not so with the Shepherd. To him every face is different. Every face is a story. The Shepherd knows you. He knows your name. And he will never forget it.
God said in Isaiah 49:16, "I have written your name on my hand." Quite a thought isn't it? Your name on God's lips. My… could it be?
From When God Whispers Your Name

Matthew 21:23-46

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”

24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”

They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”

27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
The Parable of the Two Sons

28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

“The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
The Parable of the Tenants

33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.

35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

“‘The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes’[a]?

43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”[b]

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.
Footnotes:

    Matthew 21:42 Psalm 118:22,23
    Matthew 21:44 Some manuscripts do not have verse 44.


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: Psalm 3

A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.

1 Lord, how many are my foes!
    How many rise up against me!
2 Many are saying of me,
    “God will not deliver him.”[b]

3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
    my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
4 I call out to the Lord,
    and he answers me from his holy mountain.

5 I lie down and sleep;
    I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
6 I will not fear though tens of thousands
    assail me on every side.

7 Arise, Lord!
    Deliver me, my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
    break the teeth of the wicked.

8 From the Lord comes deliverance.
    May your blessing be on your people.
Footnotes:

    Psalm 3:1 In Hebrew texts 3:1-8 is numbered 3:2-9.
    Psalm 3:2 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 4 and 8.

Insight
Sometimes Scripture teaches us directly. The Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5–7) is a great example of this. In other places we learn by example. Through the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, for instance, we learn to stand for God despite the consequences (Dan. 3).

The New Testament teaches us through the words of Paul and Peter to be anxious about nothing but to pray and to cast our cares on Him (Phil. 4:6; 1 Peter 5:7). Today's passage illustrates that principle by example. David, surrounded by trouble and enemies, prayed and then "lay down and slept." Then he "awoke, for the Lord sustained [him]" (Ps. 3:5). By praying to God about his cares and concerns, David was able to proclaim, "Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing is upon Your people" (v.8).

A Lesson In Worry
By Anne Cetas 

Lord, how they have increased who trouble me! —Psalm 3:1



My friend handed me a tall glass of water and told me to hold it. The longer I held it, the heavier it felt. Finally my hand grew tired, and I had to put the glass down. “I’ve learned that worry can be like holding that glass,” she said. “The longer I worry about something, the more my fears weigh me down.”

King David knew about fear. His whole life had been turned upside down. His son Absalom had stolen the allegiance of the nation of Israel from him and was attempting to take the throne for himself. David didn’t know who was loyal to him and who was against him. His only option seemed to be to run. He said to his servants, “Make haste to depart, lest [Absalom] overtake us suddenly and bring disaster upon us” (2 Sam. 15:14).

In a psalm that David may have written while he was fleeing for his life, he wrote: “I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill” (Ps. 3:4). In the midst of his fear, David looked to the Lord. God showed him grace and restored him to the throne.

There are plenty of worries that can weigh us down. But as we release them into God’s strong hands, He will help us through our trials.
Thank You, Lord, that we do not have to be
weighed down by worry. Help us to place our
concerns in Your care so that
we do not fear tomorrow.
Worry is a burden that God never meant for us to bear.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, July 02, 2014




The Conditions of Discipleship

If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also . . . . And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me . . . . So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple —Luke 14:26-27, 33

If the closest relationships of a disciple’s life conflict with the claims of Jesus Christ, then our Lord requires instant obedience to Himself. Discipleship means personal, passionate devotion to a Person— our Lord Jesus Christ. There is a vast difference between devotion to a person and devotion to principles or to a cause. Our Lord never proclaimed a cause— He proclaimed personal devotion to Himself. To be a disciple is to be a devoted bondservant motivated by love for the Lord Jesus. Many of us who call ourselves Christians are not truly devoted to Jesus Christ. No one on earth has this passionate love for the Lord Jesus unless the Holy Spirit has given it to him. We may admire, respect, and revere Him, but we cannot love Him on our own. The only One who truly loves the Lord Jesus is the Holy Spirit, and it is He who has “poured out in our hearts” the very “love of God” (Romans 5:5). Whenever the Holy Spirit sees an opportunity to glorify Jesus through you, He will take your entire being and set you ablaze with glowing devotion to Jesus Christ.

The Christian life is a life characterized by true and spontaneous creativity. Consequently, a disciple is subject to the same charge that was leveled against Jesus Christ, namely, the charge of inconsistency. But Jesus Christ was always consistent in His relationship to God, and a Christian must be consistent in his relationship to the life of the Son of God in him, not consistent to strict, unyielding doctrines. People pour themselves into their own doctrines, and God has to blast them out of their preconceived ideas before they can become devoted to Jesus Christ.


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Answer Begins With an "R" - #7168

Let's face it. I was overweight. I was! I was 210 pounds by high school at 5'8". Now, how did that happen? Well, I'm blaming it on a cowboy hero of that day. Yes, it was Hopalong Cassidy's fault.
Now, you may not know who that was, depending on how old you are. He was a cowboy hero. He was my hero, and I had this plate that my parents bought me. It was a Hopalong Cassidy plate. He was sitting on his big white horse and here's what it said on the plate: "Congratulations, partner! You've cleaned your plate." Well, that motivated me. I mean, if it made Hoppy proud of me, I would clean my plate two, three, four, five, six times a day. So if it weren't for Hopalong Cassidy, I wouldn't have been fat, right? You're going, "Nice try, Ron."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Answer Begins With an 'R.'"
Now, I need to explain that. So our word for today from the Word of God comes from Luke 15. I'm going to begin reading at verse 17 - the story of the Prodigal Son. It's the young man, as you remember, who took his inheritance early, left his dad and his brother and his home, and went and squandered it on riotous living. And he ended up feeding pigs; totally abandoned by everybody.
Here's what it says in verse 17, "And when he came to himself, he said, 'How many hired servants of my Father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger. I will arise and go to my Father. I will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.'"
Now, it's almost as if this young man had a list of people he could blame for his predicament. "Oh, it's my Father. No, if you knew my brother. It's his fault I'm like this. Boy, what a pain my brother is. Oh, it's my friends. Man, as soon as I ran out of money my friends all ran out on me." Or, "It's the economy. You know, we've got a famine going on right now. It's those politicians. It's their fault." No. You know what he finally says? He doesn't get an answer until he says, "No, I have sinned." In the words of the Bible, "He came to himself." Working his way down the list, he finally came to himself.
Ultimately he says, "You know whose fault it's broken? It's my fault." He discovered where the answer often begins for a problem. Answer begins with an 'R' for responsibility. That was the only way I could lose weight. There was no change as long as I was blaming somebody else. I couldn't blame my cowboy hero, or my metabolism, or my food temptations. "Ron, it's your fault." Well, that was the beginning of a solution. I could take responsibility for it.
Could it be today that you are faced with your own famine? It might be struggle in your family or some financial difficulties. Maybe you've got relationship problems. Maybe they're church problems, or you're going down the list of people to blame, "Oh, boy, if you knew my husband. If you knew my wife! Well, if you only knew my parents, or if you only knew my boss. My friends are... Oh, the..." Stop! Did you look in the mirror? What part of this could be your responsibility?
Our entire culture tries to shift responsibility, but there are no answers in passing the buck. If you want to make your marriage work, you quit focusing on what your spouse is doing wrong and you fix your part of it. If your child's doing things that concern you, don't just blame your child. Look in the mirror to see what needs you might not be meeting as a parent that could be causing the deeds.
How about your church? It's easy to complain and criticize. But why not work on making that part that involves you like you wish the whole church was like. If there's a corner of your life that isn't working, then step up to responsibility. Come to yourself. It's only your actions you can control. It's only your actions you'll be judged for. Get busy making your end of it as right as it can be. Seek forgiveness. Grant forgiveness. Clean up an attitude. Put other people first. Change your attitude; whatever it takes to make your part right. And know that in your Savior there is courage to face what you've been afraid to face, and there's grace to forgive the failures. And there's healing to fix what is broken.
Remember, the only road that leads to an answer is marked Responsibility. It's not my brother, it's not my sister, not my father, not my mother, but it's me O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.

Genesis 40, our daily bread, reading and devotions

Max Lucado Daily: Bring Your Children to Jesus

Lamentations 2:19 says, "Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord.  Lift your hands toward Him for the life of your young children."
Dads- we can be loyal advocates, stubborn intercessors. We can take our parenting fears to Christ. In fact, if we don't, we'll take our fears out on our kids. Fear turns some parents into paranoid prison guards.
On the other hand, fear can also create permissive parents. High on hugs and low on discipline. Permissive parents. Paranoid parents. How can we avoid the extremes? We pray. Prayer is the saucer into which parental fears are poured to cool. When you send them off for the day, do so with a blessing. When you tell them good night, cover them in prayer. Pray that your children have a profound sense of place in this world and a heavenly place in the next.

From Dad Time

Genesis  40

The Cupbearer and the Baker

Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. 2 Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3 and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. 4 The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them.

After they had been in custody for some time, 5 each of the two men—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison—had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.

6 When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. 7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?”

8 “We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.”

Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”

9 So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, “In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, 10 and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand.”

12 “This is what it means,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days. 13 Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. 14 But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. 15 I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.”

16 When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread.[a] 17 In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”

18 “This is what it means,” Joseph said. “The three baskets are three days. 19 Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and impale your body on a pole. And the birds will eat away your flesh.”

20 Now the third day was Pharaoh’s birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials: 21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand— 22 but he impaled the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.

23 The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.
Footnotes:

    Genesis 40:16 Or three wicker baskets


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    

Read: Matthew 27:32-44

The Crucifixion of Jesus

As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.

38 Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.


Insight
In Mark 15:21, Simon of Cyrene (see Matt. 27:32) is described as the “father of Alexander and Rufus.” Some scholars believe this otherwise unnecessary detail strongly implies that both Rufus and Alexander had come to faith in Christ (perhaps due to their father’s testimony) and, as a result, were well known among the early followers of Christ.

Who Is This Man?
By Dave Branon 

Our Lord . . . was . . . declared to be the Son of God . . . by the resurrection from the dead. —Romans 1:3-4

When Kelly Steinhaus visited Harvard Square to ask college students what they thought of Jesus, the answers were respectful of Him. One said He was “a person who took care of people.” Another said, “He sounds like a cool guy.” Others rejected Him outright: “He was just a guy. I don’t think He was the Savior.” And “I do not accept any faith system that says, ‘I am the only way to God.’” Some people thoughtfully question who Jesus is and some reject Him.

As Jesus faced death 2,000 years ago, many people mocked the idea that He was anyone special. “They put up over His head the accusation written against Him: ‘THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS’ ” (Matt. 27:37). Those who said, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself!” (v.40) were doubting His power. The religious people even said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save” (v.42).

In His death, Jesus may have seemed powerless. But when we read the whole story, we see that He gave His life willingly. He proved Himself to be the Son of God and limitless in power as He burst forth from the tomb. Grasp the value of His death and behold the power of His resurrection. He’s the Savior of the world!
Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes;
He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever with His saints to reign. —Lowry
Jesus’ resurrection spelled the death of death.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, July 01, 2014

The Inevitable Penalty

You will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny —Matthew 5:26

There is no heaven that has a little corner of hell in it. God is determined to make you pure, holy, and right, and He will not allow you to escape from the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit for even one moment. He urged you to come to judgment immediately when He convicted you, but you did not obey. Then the inevitable process began to work, bringing its inevitable penalty. Now you have been “thrown into prison, [and] . . . you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny” (5:25-26). Yet you ask, “Is this a God of mercy and love?” When seen from God’s perspective, it is a glorious ministry of love. God is going to bring you out pure, spotless, and undefiled, but He wants you to recognize the nature you were exhibiting— the nature of demanding your right to yourself. The moment you are willing for God to change your nature, His recreating forces will begin to work. And the moment you realize that God’s purpose is to get you into the right relationship with Himself and then with others, He will reach to the very limits of the universe to help you take the right road. Decide to do it right now, saying, “Yes, Lord, I will write that letter,” or, “I will be reconciled to that person now.”

These sermons of Jesus Christ are meant for your will and your conscience, not for your head. If you dispute these verses from the Sermon on the Mount with your head, you will dull the appeal to your heart.

If you find yourself asking, “I wonder why I’m not growing spiritually with God?”— then ask yourself if you are paying your debts from God’s standpoint. Do now what you will have to do someday. Every moral question or call comes with an “ought” behind it— the knowledge of knowing what we ought to do.


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
The Longer It Waits, The Harder It Gets - #7167

The idea of teamwork in a marriage isn't really that tough. For example, my wife prepares a meal, which is better than me preparing it because the Bible says, "Blessed are the merciful." So, what do I do? I clear the table and I rinse the dishes. I also eat, but that's not such a bad deal.
Now, around my house I have a title. I'm known as the "mad cleaning man." So I might clear your plate while you're still in mid bite. So you need to keep an eye on that. I like to get my job done! I've been told over the years, "Oh listen, leave the dishes. Don't worry about them now. Come on in the living room with us. The dishes will wait." Well that's true, but that's a terrible idea. I've never known the dishes to rinse themselves and I've never known them to put themselves away. But it is a wise discipline to rinse the dirty dish immediately.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Longer It Waits, The Harder It Gets."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Ephesians 4, and starting with verse 26. "In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the Devil a foothold." Well, there's a biblical clock here on strained relationships. That clock runs out at sundown every day basically. We really shouldn't be hanging on to our anger after the end of the day.
There are those old Western movies, and sometimes the marshal would say, "You better be out of here by sundown!" Well, that's what we're supposed to be saying to any anger, or resentment, bitterness or conflict that comes up. "Get out of here by sundown!" There's a good reason for this. You know those food remnants on dirty dishes which I was talking about? If you deal with them right away they're soft and easy to remove; just kind of scrape them a little bit and they fall right off. But you know what happens if you wait with a dirty plate. You do it two days from now, it turns hard and you've got to scrape and work and it's just tough to remove those little food things there, because they weren't cleaned up right after you ate.
Is that why we call unresolved anger "hard feelings"? That's when the Devil gets an opportunity to enter a marriage, or a parent-child relationship, or a friendship, or a church. I think at the core of most every marriage breakup there was probably an issue that once was small, but it wasn't dealt with when it was small. At the core of broken parent-child relationships or a hurting friendship, or a divided church, there are people who didn't clean up their anger when it first appeared; when it was still small, when it was relatively soft. And it's led to a terrible outcome. The Devil got his place and is using it like crazy now.
Maybe there's a strained relationship in your life right now. Could that be why God wanted us talking about this today? There have been too many sunsets, too many bad feelings you let hang on. It will never be smaller than it is today. I know that it's bigger than it used to be, but this is the smallest it's ever going to be. It will never be easier to address that conflict, that resentment, that anger than it is right now, no matter how hard that might seem. It's only going to get harder. It will only get more costly. You're just going to turn darker and darker inside.
Today is always your best opportunity to go to that person and do whatever it takes to repair things. Apologize if you need to, confront if you need to, pray together, talk it through. You just can't afford the hard spot in your heart that develops from anger that you stuff inside. Anger never stays the same size. Bitterness never stays the same size. It always grows.
Take it from a veteran dish-rinser, there's nothing to gain in waiting. The longer you wait, the harder it gets.

Genesis 39 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

 

Max Lucado Daily: Succeed at Home First

Quiet heroes dot the landscape of our society. They don't make the headlines, but they do sew the hemlines and check the outlines and stand on the sidelines. You won't find their names on the Nobel Prize short list, but you'll find their names on the carpool, and Bible teacher lists. They are parents!  Heroes!  Their kids call them mom. Dad.  And these moms and dads, more valuable than all the executives and lawmakers, quietly hold the world together.
Be numbered among them. Read books to your kids. Play ball while you can and they want you to. Make it your aim to watch every game they play, read every story they write, hear every recital in which they perform. Children spell love with four letters:  T-I-M-E. Not just quality time, but hang time, downtime, anytime, all the time! Cherish the children who share your name. Succeed at home first!

From Dad Time

Genesis 39

Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.

2 The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, 4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. 5 From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. 6 So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7 and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”

8 But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. 9 No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” 10 And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.

11 One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. 12 She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.

13 When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, 14 she called her household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. 15 When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”

16 She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she told him this story: “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. 18 But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”

19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. 20 Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.

But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    

Read: 1 John 1

The Incarnation of the Word of Life

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our[a] joy complete.
Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness

5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[b] sin.

8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
Footnotes:

    1 John 1:4 Some manuscripts your
    1 John 1:7 Or every

Insight
In today’s reading we see how God has provided a gracious means of cleansing us from our personal sins and reestablishing fellowship with God. It comes through confession of sin and redirecting our choices to the path of obedience (1 John 1:9).

The Big Comeback
By Bill Crowder 

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. —1 John 1:9



Chad Pennington is a former American football player who has suffered multiple career-threatening injuries. Twice, his injuries forced him to endure surgery, months of physical therapy, and weeks of training to get back onto the field. Yet, both times he not only returned to playing but he also excelled at such a high level that he was named Comeback Player of the Year in the National Football League. For Pennington, his efforts were an expression of his determination to return to football.

Spiritually, when sin and failure break our relationship with God and sideline our service, determination alone is not what restores us to rightness with God and usefulness in His kingdom. When we are sidelined because of sin, the path to a comeback is confession as well. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

For us to be able to recover from our spiritual failings, we are absolutely dependent on the One who gave Himself for us. And that gives us hope. Christ, who died for us, loves us with an everlasting love and will respond with grace as we confess our faults to Him. Through confession, we can find His gracious restoration—the greatest of all comebacks.
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidd’st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come. —Elliott
Confession is the path that leads to restoration.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, June 30, 2014

Do It Now!

Agree with your adversary quickly . . . —Matthew 5:25



In this verse, Jesus Christ laid down a very important principle by saying, “Do what you know you must do— now. Do it quickly. If you don’t, an inevitable process will begin to work ’till you have paid the last penny’ (Matthew 5:26) in pain, agony, and distress.” God’s laws are unchangeable and there is no escape from them. The teachings of Jesus always penetrate right to the heart of our being.

Wanting to make sure that my adversary gives me all my rights is a natural thing. But Jesus says that it is a matter of inescapable and eternal importance to me that I pay my adversary what I owe him. From our Lord’s standpoint it doesn’t matter whether I am cheated or not, but what does matter is that I don’t cheat someone else. Am I insisting on having my own rights, or am I paying what I owe from Jesus Christ’s standpoint?

Do it quickly— bring yourself to judgment now. In moral and spiritual matters, you must act immediately. If you don’t, the inevitable, relentless process will begin to work. God is determined to have His child as pure, clean, and white as driven snow, and as long as there is disobedience in any point of His teaching, He will allow His Spirit to use whatever process it may take to bring us to obedience. The fact that we insist on proving that we are right is almost always a clear indication that we have some point of disobedience. No wonder the Spirit of God so strongly urges us to stay steadfastly in the light! (see John 3:19-21).

“Agree with your adversary quickly . . . .” Have you suddenly reached a certain place in your relationship with someone, only to find that you have anger in your heart? Confess it quickly— make it right before God. Be reconciled to that person— do it now!


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

The Life or Death Verb - #7166

Pete came to me with this very unusual request when we were freshmen in college together. He asked me who I thought were the five best girls to date in our class. (Just call me Dr. Love.) Well, I gave him my top five list; four of whom I had been out with on my mad "date them all" freshman rush.
The one on the list that I hadn't dated was this beautiful perky brunette. Well, after I gave Pete that list, I began to ask myself an obvious question, "Why haven't I dated her?" So I did, and I did it again, and again. In fact I still am. By the time we graduated, we were engaged to be married. Now, Pete was a New Englander, so he was a man of few words. He wrote only six words next to his picture in my senior yearbook: You believe in your product...Pete. Oh, yes I did! See, she and I got married one week later.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Life or Death Verb."
Now, my friend summed it up pretty well; I really believed in this girl. Not just intellectually. I mean, I believed in her with everything I had. Believe as in committing your whole life to. When it comes to God and where we spend the next hundred billion years, believe is the decisive action word. It's the life-or-death verb. Not in the official or intellectual sense like, "Pete, I believe this girl is a great catch for somebody." No, no! "I'm trusting my life to her."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Acts 16:30-31. A man is asking the great missionary, Paul, this timeless question, "What must I do to be saved?" Well, the answer is so clear and so unmistakable, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved." Now obviously saved is a life-or-death word. Just ask the people who were saved from the rubble of the World Trade Center on December 11, 2001, or someone who was saved by an emergency medical team. If the rescuer saved you, you lived. If he didn't, you died.
Now, the kind of saving the Bible talks about is being rescued from the death penalty we are all under with God. Why? Well, the Bible says "all of us have wandered like sheep. We have turned each one to his own way." That's my way instead of God's way. And that is ultimate rebellion against the ultimate authority of the One who gave me my life to live for Him.
The death we suffer in this life is trying to make it without God's love, without God's peace, without God's purpose for our days. And if we die still away from Him, the penalty is what Jesus called hell. But that's where believing in Jesus comes in, because He's the only Rescuer, the only Savior that can keep you from dying spiritually. Because He died on the cross to bear all the guilt and the penalty of the sins we've committed. That's how much He loves you. But you've got to believe in the Lord Jesus if you're going to be saved.
You say, "Well, I believe in Jesus." But did you know you can have Him in your head but not in your heart? The Bible says in Romans 10:10, "It is with your heart that you believe and are justified." That means made right with God. Believe, like committing yourself in total trust to the One who died in your place.
Now, here's a question on which your eternity could depend, "Has there ever been a time in your life when you've told Jesus, 'I'm pinning all my hopes on You and what You did on the cross to rescue me from my sin.'" If there's never been a time like that, you're not saved. You're in eternal danger.
But that could change in the next few minutes if you would just reach out to this Savior that you've known about but never really known. If you want to know Him for sure, would you go to our website, ANewStory.com. It's time to make the Savior your Savior.
One day I walked into a church not married. I walked out married, because I believed in someone. You need a day like that; a day to commit yourself to the One who loves you the most-Jesus Christ. A day like today.

Psalm 137, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: SHELTER OF THE MOST HIGH - June 28, 2024

The sign said “Found: Potbellied Pig.” Did I just read what I think I read? I’d never seen such an announcement. Similar ones, sure. But “Found: Pot Bellied Pig”? Who loses a pig? The sign presupposes a curious moment. Someone spots the pig lumbering down the sidewalk. “Poor thing. Climb in little piggy. The street is no place for you. I’ll take you home.” Me, I wouldn’t do that. I wouldn’t claim one. But God would. And God did. God did when he claimed us.

We assume God cares for the purebreds of the world, the tidy-living. But what about the rest of us? Do we warrant his oversight?  Psalm 91 offers a rousing yes. “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. The Lord says, ‘I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name!'” Even we, Potbellied Pigs.

Psalm 137 

Alongside Babylon’s rivers

we sat on the banks; we cried and cried,

remembering the good old days in Zion.

Alongside the quaking aspens

we stacked our unplayed harps;

That’s where our captors demanded songs,

sarcastic and mocking:

“Sing us a happy Zion song!”

4–6  Oh, how could we ever sing God’s song

in this wasteland?

If I ever forget you, Jerusalem,

let my fingers wither and fall off like leaves.

Let my tongue swell and turn black

if I fail to remember you,

If I fail, O dear Jerusalem,

to honor you as my greatest.

7–9  God, remember those Edomites,

and remember the ruin of Jerusalem,

That day they yelled out,

“Wreck it, smash it to bits!”

And you, Babylonians—ravagers!

A reward to whoever gets back at you

for all you’ve done to us;

Yes, a reward to the one who grabs your babies

and smashes their heads on the rocks!

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Friday, June 28, 2024

Today's Scripture

Isaiah 41:17-20

“The poor and homeless are desperate for water,

their tongues parched and no water to be found.

But I’m there to be found, I’m there for them,

and I, God of Israel, will not leave them thirsty.

I’ll open up rivers for them on the barren hills,

spout fountains in the valleys.

I’ll turn the baked-clay badlands into a cool pond,

the waterless waste into splashing creeks.

I’ll plant the red cedar in that treeless wasteland,

also acacia, myrtle, and olive.

I’ll place the cypress in the desert,

with plenty of oaks and pines.

Everyone will see this. No one can miss it—

unavoidable, indisputable evidence

That I, God, personally did this.

It’s created and signed by The Holy of Israel.

God assures them that He’ll bountifully provide for them, turning the desert into a land of flowing water, abundant and productive, so that the world would “see this miracle [and] understand . . . that it is the Lord who has don

Insight

After prophesying that God would use the Assyrians and Babylonians to judge an unrepentant Judah (Isaiah 1-39), the prophet comforts God’s people with the hope of future deliverance and restoration (chs. 40-66). Isaiah begins with affirming God’s sovereignty and majesty—He has the power and will certainly save and restore them (ch. 40). The prophet also assures the Israelites of His loving, providential care for them (ch. 41). They have a very special relationship with Him—they were sovereignly chosen to be His servant. His covenant with them is still in force (vv. 8-10). God assures them that He’ll bountifully provide for them, turning the desert into a land of flowing water, abundant and productive, so that the world would “see this miracle [and] understand . . . that it is the Lord who has done this, the Holy One of Israel who created it” (v. 20 nlt). By: K. T. Sim

Seeing a Future of Hope

I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. Isaiah 41:18

After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, New Orleans worked to slowly rebuild. One of the most hard-hit areas was the Lower Ninth Ward, where for years after Katrina, residents lacked access to basic resources. Burnell Cotlon worked to change that. In November 2014, he opened the first grocery store in the Lower Ninth Ward after Katrina. “When I bought the building, everybody thought that I was crazy,” Cotlon recalled. But “the very first customer cried cuz she . . . never thought the [neighborhood] was coming back.” His mother said her son “saw something I didn’t see. I’m glad [he] . . . took that chance.”

God enabled the prophet Isaiah to see an unexpected future of hope in the face of devastation. Seeing “the poor and needy search for water, but there is none” (Isaiah 41:17), God promised to “turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs” (v. 18). When instead of hunger and thirst, His people experienced flourishing once more, they would know “the hand of the Lord has done this” (v. 20).

He’s still the author of restoration, at work bringing about a future when “creation itself will be liberated from its bondage” (Romans 8:21). As we trust in His goodness, He helps us see a future where hope is possible. By:  Monica La Rose

Reflect & Pray

When have you witnessed renewal after devastation? How can you be a part of God’s restoring work?

Restoring God, please help my life be a witness to the hope I’ve found in You and the future You’re bringing.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Friday, June 28, 2024

Gripped by God

I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. — Philippians 3:12

Never choose to be a worker for God. But if God has called you, watch out that you don’t “turn to the right or the left” (Proverbs 4:27). We aren’t here to work for God because we have chosen to do so; we’re here because Christ Jesus has taken hold of us. Now that we are in his service, we no longer wonder whether or not we’re cut out for it; we no longer think about what we’d like to preach. What we preach is determined by God, not by our natural inclinations.

Keep your soul steadily related to God and remember why you have been called—not only to give personal testimony but to preach the gospel. Every Christian must testify, but Christians who have received the call to preach have an added responsibility: they must endure the agonizing grip of God’s hand on their lives. Your life is in the grip of God for one thing and one thing only: to answer his call. How many of us are held like that?

Never water down the word of God. Preach it in its undiluted sternness, with unflinching loyalty. But when it comes to dealing with your fellow human beings, remember who you are: not a special being set above the rest, but a sinner saved by grace, a sinner who has yet to obtain the prize. “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

Job 11-13; Acts 9:1-21

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

The root of faith is the knowledge of a Person, and one of the biggest snares is the idea that God is sure to lead us to success.

My Utmost for His Highest, March 19, 761 L

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Friday, June 28, 2024

The Small World of Self-Focus - #9775

At Disneyland or Disney World there's this little boat ride that goes through this long canal where you're surrounded by animated dolls from all over the world. French children, Eskimo children, Arab children, Indian children. You get the idea. And they are all singing to you It's a Small World After All. Don't you want to sing it with me? Probably not. You say, "monotonous lyrics." You hear it about 50 times! It's really cute when they first start singing. And the songs okay for a little while. But by the time you hear it over and over, you're sick and tired of a small, small world.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Small World of Self-Focus."

You may have never been on the Small World ride, but you still might be sick of a small, small world. You might be living in one and not even realize it. We do realize it's a world of frustration, negative thinking, sameness, and monotony. That's the small world. It's called the world of "me." It's a world of self-focus.

God addresses this inwardly focused kind of living in our word for today from the Word of God, 2 Corinthians 5:15. In a selfie world, it's a great scripture to read. "Christ's love compels us. He died for all that those who live should no longer live for themselves." That's supposed to be the radical effect of Christ coming into your life. Radical because it reverses the way we've been thinking since we were babies. At that time, we expected the whole world to revolve around our needs. "Time for me to eat, burp, wake up." No thought for how it's affecting everybody around you. We were just totally focused on ourselves.

We're older now, but the baby still wants attention to be on me; wanting my needs to be taken care of, wanting my agenda to be carried out, wanting my issues to be dealt with, wanting my way. In fact, most researchers agree that a lot of us in several generations are really into ourselves.

There are two factors that can make you a pretty self-focused person. One is busyness. The other one is pain. Now look at Jesus' example. No one had more to do in a lifetime than He did. You talk about being busy! But He was constantly stopping for others, constantly forgetting himself to meet the needs of others.

No one has ever carried more pain than Jesus did. All the grief of all the sins of all the world, of you and of me, yet even during the agony of His crucifixion Jesus is caring about the needs of His Mother, of his friend, John. He's caring for the eternity of the thief next to Him. He's even caring about the people who crucified Him.

When you invite Jesus into your life, it's this Jesus you get. And He wants you to be like Him. Not self-focused. A world that's only as big as you are is a world that's too small to live in. Jesus invites you to break out, to start finding the needs around you and doing something about them, to focus on others instead of yourself, to find your life, as He said, by giving it away. Not to lose your life by hanging onto it.

This selfless Jesus, who poured out His life for you, the Bible says that when you make Him the center of your life, you open the door for Him to come in and change you and become a new creation in Christ. And that old selfish "me" starts to die. You start to become part of the answer. You start to become someone who is making other people feel important instead of being about how important you are. It begins at His cross - a transformation you could never effect in yourself.

I invite you to consider beginning that relationship with Jesus today if you never have. He loved you enough to die for you. He's powerful enough to change you. Isn't it time you began that relationship with Him that can change everything? Tell Him today, "Jesus, I'm Yours." Go to our website to be sure you belong to Him - ANewStory.com.

Jesus died so we no longer live for ourselves. Have you been in a small, small world long enough? Then follow Jesus into the big life you were made for.