Ezekiel 34, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: GOD’S COVENANT WITH DAVID - September 16, 2024

God declared that someone from the house of David would sit on David’s throne and rule over his kingdom forever. “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:32-33 NKJV).

Now for this to happen, Israel must exist as a nation – it does. David’s descendant must be alive – he is. Jesus Christ must return to earth – he will. He must bodily and literally sit on David’s throne and reign over Israel. Mark it down, my friend. At some point in the future, Jesus—the “Son of the Highest”—will rule over Israel and the world from David’s throne in Jerusalem. I cannot wait to see it.

What Happens Next

Ezekiel 34

When the Sheep Get Scattered

1–6  34 God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherd-leaders of Israel. Yes, prophesy! Tell those shepherds, ‘God, the Master, says: Doom to you shepherds of Israel, feeding your own mouths! Aren’t shepherds supposed to feed sheep? You drink the milk, you make clothes from the wool, you roast the lambs, but you don’t feed the sheep. You don’t build up the weak ones, don’t heal the sick, don’t doctor the injured, don’t go after the strays, don’t look for the lost. You bully and badger them. And now they’re scattered every which way because there was no shepherd—scattered and easy pickings for wolves and coyotes. Scattered—my sheep!—exposed and vulnerable across mountains and hills. My sheep scattered all over the world, and no one out looking for them!

7–9  “ ‘Therefore, shepherds, listen to the Message of God: As sure as I am the living God—Decree of God, the Master—because my sheep have been turned into mere prey, into easy meals for wolves because you shepherds ignored them and only fed yourselves, listen to what God has to say:

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

11–16  “ ‘God, the Master, says: From now on, I myself am the shepherd. I’m going looking for them. As shepherds go after their flocks when they get scattered, I’m going after my sheep. I’ll rescue them from all the places they’ve been scattered to in the storms. I’ll bring them back from foreign peoples, gather them from foreign countries, and bring them back to their home country. I’ll feed them on the mountains of Israel, along the streams, among their own people. I’ll lead them into lush pasture so they can roam the mountain pastures of Israel, graze at leisure, feed in the rich pastures on the mountains of Israel. And I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep. I myself will make sure they get plenty of rest. I’ll go after the lost, I’ll collect the strays, I’ll doctor the injured, I’ll build up the weak ones and oversee the strong ones so they’re not exploited.

17–19  “ ‘And as for you, my dear flock, I’m stepping in and judging between one sheep and another, between rams and goats. Aren’t you satisfied to feed in good pasture without taking over the whole place? Can’t you be satisfied to drink from the clear stream without muddying the water with your feet? Why do the rest of my sheep have to make do with grass that’s trampled down and water that’s been muddied?

20–22  “ ‘Therefore, God, the Master, says: I myself am stepping in and making things right between the plump sheep and the skinny sheep. Because you forced your way with shoulder and rump and butted at all the weaker animals with your horns till you scattered them all over the hills, I’ll come in and save my dear flock, no longer let them be pushed around. I’ll step in and set things right between one sheep and another.

23–24  “ ‘I’ll appoint one shepherd over them all: my servant David. He’ll feed them. He’ll be their shepherd. And I, God, will be their God. My servant David will be their prince. I, God, have spoken.

25–27  “ ‘I’ll make a covenant of peace with them. I’ll banish fierce animals from the country so the sheep can live safely in the wilderness and sleep in the forest. I’ll make them and everything around my hill a blessing. I’ll send down plenty of rain in season—showers of blessing! The trees in the orchards will bear fruit, the ground will produce, they’ll feel content and safe on their land, and they’ll realize that I am God when I break them out of their slavery and rescue them from their slave masters.

28–29  “ ‘No longer will they be exploited by outsiders and ravaged by fierce beasts. They’ll live safe and sound, fearless and free. I’ll give them rich gardens, lavish in vegetables—no more living half-starved, no longer taunted by outsiders.

30–31  “ ‘They’ll know, beyond doubting, that I, God, am their God, that I’m with them and that they, the people Israel, are my people. Decree of God, the Master:

You are my dear flock,

the flock of my pasture, my human flock,

And I am your God.

Decree of God, the Master.’ ”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Monday, September 16, 2024

Today's Scripture

1 Peter 2:4-10

The Stone

4–8  Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor. Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you’ll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God. The Scriptures provide precedent:

Look! I’m setting a stone in Zion,

a cornerstone in the place of honor.

Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundation

will never have cause to regret it.

To you who trust him, he’s a Stone to be proud of, but to those who refuse to trust him,

The stone the workmen threw out

is now the chief foundation stone.

For the untrusting it’s

… a stone to trip over,

a boulder blocking the way.

They trip and fall because they refuse to obey, just as predicted.

9–10  But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.

Insight

The apostle Peter describes believers in Jesus this way: “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5). He wasn’t the only New Testament writer to utilize the building metaphor. In fact, Paul uses that imagery multiple times in Ephesians alone. In Ephesians 2:21-22 we read, “In [Christ] the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” God crafts His people into a “building”—a “spiritual house”—which is His dwelling place. Not only is this true of believers in Jesus collectively, it’s also the case for individual believers. The apostle also wrote: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19). By: Bill Crowder

Built on Christ

You are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. 1 Peter 2:5 NLT

We have all sorts of names for groups of animals. No doubt you’ve heard of a flock of sheep, a herd of cattle, or even a gaggle of geese. But some names may surprise you. A group of crows is called a murder. How about a congregation of alligators, or a crash of rhinoceroses? Have you heard of a building of rooks (Eurasian crows)?

Building, in fact, is one of the names in the Bible for believers in Jesus. “You are . . . God’s building,” wrote the apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 3:9). There are other names for believers as well: “the flock” (Acts 20:28), “the body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:27), “brothers and sisters” (1 Thessalonians 2:14), and more.

The building metaphor recurs in 1 Peter 2:5, as Peter tells the church, “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house.” Then, in verse 6, Peter quotes Isaiah 28:16, “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone.” Jesus is the very foundation of His building.

We may have the sense that it’s our job to build the church, but Jesus said, “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18). We’re chosen by God to “declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). As we declare those praises, we become instruments in His hands as He does His good work. By:  Bill Crowder

Reflect & Pray

What does it mean for Jesus to build His church? How can you participate in that work?

Dear God, forgive me for the times I think it’s all about me. Please use me to serve You and love others as You build Your church.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Monday, September 16, 2024

The Divine Region Of Religion

When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. — Matthew 6:6

It’s impossible to conduct your life as a disciple without setting aside definite times for secret prayer. The main idea of the life of faith is “My eyes on God, not on people.” When you pray, your motive shouldn’t be to be known as one who prays. Go into an inner chamber—a place where no one will know you are praying—then shut the door and talk to God in secret. Have no motive other than to know your Father in heaven.

“Do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words” (Matthew 6:7). God is never impressed by earnestness. It isn’t because we go to him with an earnest desire to be heard that he hears us. He hears us on the basis of the redemption; only because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross are we able to approach God in prayer. If Jesus Christ has been formed inside us by spiritual rebirth, he will press forward in our minds and change our attitude about prayer. No longer will we be driven by commonsense concerns for our lives. No longer will we go to God to get our earthly desires met. We’ll go in order to get into perfect communion with him.

“Everyone who asks receives” (7:8). We pray pious nonsense, without putting our will into it. Then we say that God doesn’t answer our prayers. But we haven’t asked for anything! “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7). Asking means willing ourselves to ask for those things which are in keeping with the God whom Jesus Christ revealed; if we are remaining in him, this is exactly what we’ll do. Whenever Jesus talked about prayer, he talked about it with the simplicity of a child. We complicate things and argue with God. We say, “Yes, Lord, but . . .” Jesus said, simply, “Ask.”

Proverbs 25-26; 2 Corinthians 9

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

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

My Utmost for His Highest, January 6, 736 R

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Monday, September 16, 2024

STOPPED BY A STORM - #9831

Every New York television station you turned to had the same bold graphic that just said Blizzard of '96. I still remember it. It was barely 1996; we were only six days into the new year when anywhere between 20 to 30 inches of snow unloaded on the Metropolitan New York area. It was like a mega-ton snow bomb.

Everything was shut down...bridges, the city. City workers were told not to come in. Some of the busiest streets in the world were shut down. Trains couldn't make it. Major sporting events were impossible. I had never seen New York like that. The city that never stops had been stopped.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Stopped by a Storm."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Acts 9. It's really from the life of a very goal-oriented high-achiever on his way to a major conquest. His name is Saul. This is a man, sort of like New York, who couldn't be stopped. The brightest young religious leader of his time, but deeply angered by the heresy of the new followers of a man named Jesus. Well, Saul's on his way to eliminate the problem. The man who never stopped was stopped by a sudden storm you might say.

Verse 3 begins by saying this, "As Saul neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?' 'Who are you, Lord?' Saul asked. 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' he replied."

Well suddenly this hard driver could drive no farther. He was knocked from his horse, he's down on the ground, and he was unable to see. Perhaps you're kind of a Saul or a Saulina (whatever the female version is). You've been running full speed. You've gotten a lot done. You're competent, you're gifted, you're doing pretty well, and you're moving too fast to think about getting right with your Creator. Oh, you've got some religious credentials maybe but there's no doubt who's really God in your life. Your god's the one who's running your life? That would be you.

And suddenly there's been this heavy storm. Maybe you've been hit with something medical or financial, or your family is in a crisis or someone you love is gone or you found yourself out of work, out of money, out of hope. Sometimes a struggling son or daughter knocks us off our horse.

Whatever the storm, would you allow me to suggest a reason it might be happening? For the same reason it happened to Saul, so you would finally be able to hear the voice of Jesus - Jesus who created you. Jesus, against whom we've rebelled as we've run our life our way, not His way. Jesus, who is the only one who loved you enough to die for you; to pay the death penalty for sin that you deserved to pay. Jesus, the one who has been knocking gently on the door of your heart for a long time, but you've always been on your way somewhere else until now.

And the storm has stopped you so you could finally meet your Savior. He's calling your name today just like He did Saul's that day. And He says, "I am Jesus." That day Saul surrendered his life to the Son of God. Maybe this day you will. Maybe it's time to say, "Lord, I've run it long enough. I need a Savior from my sin. I'm yours Jesus." This storm that seemed to be blowing you off course is really bringing you home.

So, I want to invite you to go to our website, and I'll walk you through there the way you can be sure you have begun your personal relationship with the One who loves you the most. That website is ANewStory.com.

Let Jesus step into your storm and say what He did to a storm with His disciples so many years ago, "Peace be still."

Ezekiel 33, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Study Your Children

Crankcase oil coursed my dad's veins.  He repaired engines for a living. Dad loved machines.

But God gave my dad a mechanical moron, a son who couldn't differentiate between a differential and a brake disc. Dad tried to teach me.  I tried to learn.  Honestly, I did. Machines anesthetized me.  But books fascinated me. What does a mechanic do with a son who loves books?

He gives him a library card.  Buys him a few volumes for Christmas. Places a lamp by his bed so he can read at night. Pays tuition so his son can study college literature in high school. My dad did that.  You know what he didn't do? Never once did he say:  "Why can't you be a mechanic like your dad and granddad?"

Study your children while you can. The greatest gift you can give your child is not your riches, but revealing to them their own!

From The Lucado Inspirational Reader

Ezekiel 33

You Are the Watchman

1–5  33 God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, speak to your people. Tell them, ‘If I bring war on this land and the people take one of their citizens and make him their watchman, and if the watchman sees war coming and blows the trumpet, warning the people, then if anyone hears the sound of the trumpet and ignores it and war comes and takes him off, it’s his own fault. He heard the alarm, he ignored it—it’s his own fault. If he had listened, he would have saved his life.

6  “ ‘But if the watchman sees war coming and doesn’t blow the trumpet, warning the people, and war comes and takes anyone off, I’ll hold the watchman responsible for the bloodshed of any unwarned sinner.’

7–9  “You, son of man, are the watchman. I’ve made you a watchman for Israel. The minute you hear a message from me, warn them. If I say to the wicked, ‘Wicked man, wicked woman, you’re on the fast track to death!’ and you don’t speak up and warn the wicked to change their ways, the wicked will die unwarned in their sins and I’ll hold you responsible for their bloodshed. But if you warn the wicked to change their ways and they don’t do it, they’ll die in their sins well-warned and at least you will have saved your own life.

10  “Son of man, speak to Israel. Tell them, ‘You’ve said, “Our rebellions and sins are weighing us down. We’re wasting away. How can we go on living?” ’

11  “Tell them, ‘As sure as I am the living God, I take no pleasure from the death of the wicked. I want the wicked to change their ways and live. Turn your life around! Reverse your evil ways! Why die, Israel?’

12–13  “There’s more, son of man. Tell your people, ‘A good person’s good life won’t save him when he decides to rebel, and a bad person’s bad life won’t prevent him from repenting of his rebellion. A good person who sins can’t expect to live when he chooses to sin. It’s true that I tell good people, “Live! Be alive!” But if they trust in their good deeds and turn to evil, that good life won’t amount to a hill of beans. They’ll die for their evil life.

14–16  “ ‘On the other hand, if I tell a wicked person, “You’ll die for your wicked life,” and he repents of his sin and starts living a righteous and just life—being generous to the down-and-out, restoring what he had stolen, cultivating life-nourishing ways that don’t hurt others—he’ll live. He won’t die. None of his sins will be kept on the books. He’s doing what’s right, living a good life. He’ll live.

17–19  “ ‘Your people say, “The Master’s way isn’t fair.” But it’s the way they’re living that isn’t fair. When good people turn back from living good lives and plunge into sin, they’ll die for it. And when a wicked person turns away from his wicked life and starts living a just and righteous life, he’ll come alive.

20  “ ‘Still, you keep on saying, “The Master’s way isn’t fair.” We’ll see, Israel. I’ll decide on each of you exactly according to how you live.’ ”

21  In the twelfth year of our exile, on the fifth day of the tenth month, a survivor from Jerusalem came to me and said, “The city’s fallen.”

22  The evening before the survivor arrived, the hand of God had been on me and restored my speech. By the time he arrived in the morning I was able to speak. I could talk again.

23–24  God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, those who are living in the ruins back in Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man and he owned the whole country. But there are lots of us. Our ownership is even more certain.’

25–26  “So tell them, ‘God the Master says, You eat flesh that contains blood, you worship no-god idols, you murder at will—and you expect to own this land? You rely on the sword, you engage in obscenities, you indulge in sex at random—anyone, any time. And you still expect to own this land?’

27–28  “Tell them this, Ezekiel: ‘The Message of God, the Master. As sure as I am the living God, those who are still alive in the ruins will be killed. Anyone out in the field I’ll give to wild animals for food. Anyone hiding out in mountain forts and caves will die of disease. I’ll make this country an empty wasteland—no more arrogant bullying! Israel’s mountains will become dangerously desolate. No one will dare pass through them.’

29  “They’ll realize that I am God when I devastate the country because of all the obscenities they’ve practiced.

30–32  “As for you, son of man, you’ve become quite the talk of the town. Your people meet on street corners and in front of their houses and say, ‘Let’s go hear the latest news from God.’ They show up, as people tend to do, and sit in your company. They listen to you speak, but don’t do a thing you say. They flatter you with compliments, but all they care about is making money and getting ahead. To them you’re merely entertainment—a country singer of sad love songs, playing a guitar. They love to hear you talk, but nothing comes of it.

33  “But when all this happens—and it is going to happen!—they’ll realize that a prophet was among them.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Sunday, September 15, 2024

Today's Scripture

1 Corinthians 15:12-22

 Now, let me ask you something profound yet troubling. If you became believers because you trusted the proclamation that Christ is alive, risen from the dead, how can you let people say that there is no such thing as a resurrection? If there’s no resurrection, there’s no living Christ. And face it—if there’s no resurrection for Christ, everything we’ve told you is smoke and mirrors, and everything you’ve staked your life on is smoke and mirrors. Not only that, but we would be guilty of telling a string of barefaced lies about God, all these affidavits we passed on to you verifying that God raised up Christ—sheer fabrications, if there’s no resurrection.

16–20  If corpses can’t be raised, then Christ wasn’t, because he was indeed dead. And if Christ weren’t raised, then all you’re doing is wandering about in the dark, as lost as ever. It’s even worse for those who died hoping in Christ and resurrection, because they’re already in their graves. If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we’re a pretty sorry lot. But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries.

21–28  There is a nice symmetry in this: Death initially came by a man, and resurrection from death came by a man. Everybody dies in Adam; everybody comes alive in Christ.

Insight

When Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 15 around ad 53-55, there were various erroneous views about the resurrection of the dead (see Acts 23:8; 26:8; 2 Timothy 2:17-18). Refuting false teachers who said there wasn’t any resurrection, the apostle affirms the resurrection of Christ and the future resurrection of believers as the cornerstone of faith in Him (1 Corinthians 15:12-19). At the heart of the gospel is Jesus’ atoning death and bodily resurrection: “Christ died for our sins . . . , he was raised on the third day” (vv. 3-4). His resurrection affirms the sufficiency of His sacrifice. God accepted Jesus’ payment for our sins by raising Him from the dead: “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Romans 4:25; see 6:4-11). Paul warns, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). By: K. T. Sim

“Ain’t No Grave”

If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 1 Corinthians 15:14

Even as country music legend Johnny Cash was approaching death, he was determined to keep making music. His final album, American VI: Ain’t No Grave, was recorded in the final months of his life. The title song, Cash’s version of a hymn by Claude Ely, gives insight into his final thoughts as we hear him sing of his hope of the resurrection. His famously deep voice, though weakened by his declining health, declares a powerful testimony of faith.

Johnny’s hope wasn’t simply in the fact that Jesus was resurrected on Easter Sunday morning; he believed that one day his own physical body would also be resurrected, and he’d rise again.

It’s an important truth to affirm because even in the days of the apostle Paul, people denied a future physical resurrection. Paul strongly critiqued their argument when he wrote, “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:13-14).

Just as the grave couldn’t hold Jesus’ body, one day all those who have faith that He was resurrected “will be made alive” (v. 22). And in our resurrected bodies, we’ll enjoy all eternity with Him on a new earth. That’s reason to sing! By:  Lisa M. Samra

Reflect & Pray

What comfort does the hope of physical resurrection bring to you? How’s it an expression of faith?

Jesus, thank You for giving me the amazing hope of a future in heaven with You.

Find ten reasons to believe in the resurrection.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Sunday, September 15, 2024

What to Renounce

We have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. — 2 Corinthians 4:2

Have you renounced all secret and shameful ways, all thoughts and behaviors that your sense of honor won’t allow to come to light? You know you can easily keep them hidden. Is there a thought in your heart about another person that you wouldn’t want revealed? Renounce it as soon as it springs up. Renounce all such thoughts, until there is nothing hidden or dishonest or cunning about you. Envy, jealousy, strife—these things don’t necessarily arise from your sinful disposition, but rather from the makeup of your body, which was used for this kind of thing in days gone by. “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin” (1 Peter 4:1). Maintain a continual watchfulness over your flesh, so that nothing shameful arises in your life.

“Not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully . . .” (2 Corinthians 4:2 kjv). To renounce craftiness is to give up the kind of sly, cunning arguments that will allow you to make your point. Craftiness is a great trap. You know that God will let you work in one way only—complete honesty and adherence to the gospel. Never try to catch people in any other way; God’s judgment will be upon you if you do.

Never blunt your sense of doing your utmost for God’s highest, and never compare yourself to others. Others may be operating in ways that are perfectly all right for them, but which for you would be sly and cunning. If you were to engage in these methods, it would mean using craftiness to achieve an end other than his highest, blunting the motive God gave you. Remember that God has given you a different point of view—his. Many have backed down because they are afraid of looking at things from God’s viewpoint.

Proverbs 22-24; 2 Corinthians 8

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

Is He going to help Himself to your life, or are you taken up with your conception of what you are going to do? God is responsible for our lives, and the one great keynote is reckless reliance upon Him.

Approved Unto God, 10 R

1 Peter 4, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Fill in the Blank

How would you fill in the blank: a person is made right with God through. . . what?

A person is made right with God through. . .being good. Pay your taxes. Give sandwiches to the poor. Don't drink too much or drink at all. Christian conduct- that's the secret.

Suffering. There's the answer. No, it's doctrine. That's how to be made right with God.

No, no, no. All of the above are tried.  All are taught.  But none are from God. In fact, that's the problem.  None are from God. Who does the saving, you or Him?

Romans 3:28 says, "A person is made right with God through faith." Not through good works, suffering, or doctrine. Those may be the result of salvation, but they're not the cause of it.

Salvation comes through faith in God's sacrifice. In the gift of His Son. It's not what you do…it's what He did.

from Lucado Inspirational Reader

1 Peter 4

Learn to Think Like Him

1–2  4 Since Jesus went through everything you’re going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you’ll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want.

3–5  You’ve already put in your time in that God-ignorant way of life, partying night after night, a drunken and profligate life. Now it’s time to be done with it for good. Of course, your old friends don’t understand why you don’t join in with the old gang anymore. But you don’t have to give an account to them. They’re the ones who will be called on the carpet—and before God himself.

6  Listen to the Message. It was preached to those believers who are now dead, and yet even though they died (just as all people must), they will still get in on the life that God has given in Jesus.

7–11  Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!

Glory Just Around the Corner

12–13  Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.

14–16  If you’re abused because of Christ, count yourself fortunate. It’s the Spirit of God and his glory in you that brought you to the notice of others. If they’re on you because you broke the law or disturbed the peace, that’s a different matter. But if it’s because you’re a Christian, don’t give it a second thought. Be proud of the distinguished status reflected in that name!

17–19  It’s judgment time for God’s own family. We’re first in line. If it starts with us, think what it’s going to be like for those who refuse God’s Message!

If good people barely make it,

what’s in store for the bad?

So if you find life difficult because you’re doing what God said, take it in stride. Trust him. He knows what he’s doing, and he’ll keep on doing it.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Saturday, September 14, 2024

Today's Scripture

2 Kings 5:1-3, 9-14

Naaman was general of the army under the king of Aram. He was important to his master, who held him in the highest esteem because it was by him that God had given victory to Aram: a truly great man, but afflicted with a grievous skin disease. It so happened that Aram, on one of its raiding expeditions against Israel, captured a young girl who became a maid to Naaman’s wife. One day she said to her mistress, “Oh, if only my master could meet the prophet of Samaria, he would be healed of his skin disease.”

9  So Naaman with his horses and chariots arrived in style and stopped at Elisha’s door.

10  Elisha sent out a servant to meet him with this message: “Go to the River Jordan and immerse yourself seven times. Your skin will be healed and you’ll be as good as new.”

11–12  Naaman lost his temper. He turned on his heel saying, “I thought he’d personally come out and meet me, call on the name of God, wave his hand over the diseased spot, and get rid of the disease. The Damascus rivers, Abana and Pharpar, are cleaner by far than any of the rivers in Israel. Why not bathe in them? I’d at least get clean.” He stomped off, mad as a hornet.

13  But his servants caught up with him and said, “Father, if the prophet had asked you to do something hard and heroic, wouldn’t you have done it? So why not this simple ‘wash and be clean’?”

14  So he did it. He went down and immersed himself in the Jordan seven times, following the orders of the Holy Man. His skin was healed; it was like the skin of a little baby. He was as good as new.

Insight

What we see of Naaman in 2 Kings 5 is a reminder of our human propensity for “self-salvation strategies”—self-styled plans to improve ourselves, our status with others, and even with God Himself. While there’s nothing wrong with general self-improvement, we can only have a right relationship with God by accepting Christ’s sacrifice as the payment for our sin. We can’t allow pride, self-righteousness, and worldly wisdom to get in the way. Acts 16:30-31 says, “ ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.’ ” By: Arthur Jackson

Good Congee

He went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him. 2 Kings 5:14

Jocelyn’s bestselling dish at her food stall was her congee. She’d stir the rice porridge very carefully until it had a smooth consistency. So, she was startled when a regular customer said, “Your congee tastes different. The texture isn’t as fine.”

Jocelyn’s new assistant had prepared it this time and explained why it was different: “I didn’t stir it as long as the recipe said since that’s how I do it at home. I also added more sesame oil. In my opinion, it tastes better that way.” She had decided to ignore the recipe and do it her way instead.

This is how I sometimes respond to God’s instructions. Instead of fully obeying His commands as given in Scripture, I subject them to my opinions and proceed my way.

Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, was on the verge of making a similar mistake. On receiving God’s instruction through the prophet Elisha to wash himself in the Jordan so his leprosy would be healed, the proud soldier got angry. He had his own expectations for how his need ought to be addressed, believing his opinion was superior to God’s command (2 Kings 5:11-12). His servants, however, convinced him to listen to Elisha’s words (v. 13). As a result, Naaman was healed.

When we do things God’s way, we experience a peace that’s indescribable. Let’s work with Him in fulfilling His purposes.

By:  Karen Huang

Reflect & Pray

How do you allow your opinions to compromise your obedience to God? How does this affect His work in your life?

Dear God, please help me to obey You in full, for Your command far surpasses my opinion.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Saturday, September 14, 2024

Imagination versus Inspiration

. . . the simplicity that is in Christ. — 2 Corinthians 11:3

Simplicity is the secret to seeing things clearly. After being saved, a Christian may not think clearly for a long time. But a Christian ought to see clearly, without any trouble, from the very start. You cannot think a spiritual muddle clear; you have to obey it clear. In intellectual matters you can think things out, but in spiritual matters you will think yourself into cotton wool.

If there’s something in your life on which God has put pressure, obey him in that matter. Bring your imagination into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and everything will become as clear as day. The ability to reason it out will come afterward, but reason never helps us see. We see like little children. When we try to be wise, we see nothing: “You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children” (Matthew 11:25).

The tiniest thing we allow into our lives that isn’t under the control of the Holy Spirit is enough to account for a spiritual muddle, and all the thinking we do about it will never make it clear. But the instant we obey, we see. This is humiliating because when we are in a muddle, we know the reason is the temper of our mind. When our natural power of insight is devoted to the Holy Spirit, it becomes the power of perceiving God’s will, and the whole of our life is kept in simplicity.

Proverbs 19-21; 2 Corinthians 7

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

Am I learning how to use my Bible? The way to become complete for the Master’s service is to be well soaked in the Bible; some of us only exploit certain passages. Our Lord wants to give us continuous instruction out of His word; continuous instruction turns hearers into disciples. 

Approved Unto God, 11 L

Ezekiel 32, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

 Max Lucado Daily: THE SOIL PROMISE - September 13, 2024

“…the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, ‘to your descendants I will give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates…’” (Genesis 15:18 NIV). Israel is the only nation in history to whom God has given land. This covenant includes modern-day Israel as well as parts of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq. God ratified this covenant with a ceremonial sacrifice of animals, and his covenant is untethered to performance.

Has God fulfilled this soil covenant? Not entirely. But will God keep this promise? Charles Swindoll said, “It’s as simple as this: If we cannot trust God to keep his promises to Israel, how can we trust him to keep his promises to us? Never doubt it. God will do what he says he will do.”

Amen!

What Happens Next

Ezekiel 32

A Cloud Across the Sun

1–2  32 In the twelfth year, on the first day of the twelfth month, God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, sing a funeral lament over Pharaoh king of Egypt. Tell him:

“ ‘You think you’re a young lion

prowling through the nations.

You’re more like a dragon in the ocean,

snorting and thrashing about.

3–10  “ ‘God, the Master, says:

“ ‘I’m going to throw my net over you

—many nations will get in on this operation—

and haul you out with my dragnet.

I’ll dump you on the ground

out in an open field

And bring in all the crows and vultures

for a sumptuous carrion lunch.

I’ll invite wild animals from all over the world

to gorge on your guts.

I’ll scatter hunks of your meat in the mountains

and strew your bones in the valleys.

The country, right up to the mountains,

will be drenched with your blood,

your blood filling every ditch and channel.

When I blot you out,

I’ll pull the curtain on the skies

and shut out the stars.

I’ll throw a cloud across the sun

and turn off the moonlight.

I’ll turn out every light in the sky above you

and put your land in the dark.

Decree of God, the Master.

I’ll shake up everyone worldwide

when I take you off captive to strange and far-off countries.

I’ll shock people with you.

Kings will take one look and shudder.

I’ll shake my sword

and they’ll shake in their boots.

On the day you crash, they’ll tremble,

thinking, “That could be me!”

To Lay Your Pride Low

11–15  “ ‘God, the Master, says:

“ ‘The sword of the king of Babylon

is coming against you.

I’ll use the swords of champions

to lay your pride low,

Use the most brutal of nations

to knock Egypt off her high horse,

to puncture that hot-air pomposity.

I’ll destroy all their livestock

that graze along the river.

Neither human foot nor animal hoof

will muddy those waters anymore.

I’ll clear their springs and streams,

make their rivers flow clean and smooth.

Decree of God, the Master.

When I turn Egypt back to the wild

and strip her clean of all her abundant produce,

When I strike dead all who live there,

then they’ll realize that I am God.’

16  “This is a funeral song. Chant it.

Daughters of the nations, chant it.

Chant it over Egypt for the death of its pomp.”

Decree of God, the Master.

17–19  In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the first month, God’s Message came to me:

“Son of man, lament over Egypt’s pompous ways.

Send her on her way.

Dispatch Egypt

and her proud daughter nations

To the underworld,

down to the country of the dead and buried.

Say, ‘You think you’re so high and mighty?

Down! Take your place with the heathen in that unhallowed grave!’

20–21  “She’ll be dumped in with those killed in battle. The sword is bared. Drag her off in all her proud pomp! All the big men and their helpers down among the dead and buried will greet them: ‘Welcome to the grave of the heathen! Join the ranks of the victims of war!’

22–23  “Assyria is there and its congregation, the whole nation a cemetery. Their graves are in the deepest part of the underworld, a congregation of graves, all killed in battle, these people who terrorized the land of the living.

24–25  “Elam is there in all her pride, a cemetery—all killed in battle, dumped in her heathen grave with the dead and buried, these people who terrorized the land of the living. They carry their shame with them, along with the others in the grave. They turned Elam into a resort for the pompous dead, landscaped with heathen graves, slaughtered in battle. They once terrorized the land of the living. Now they carry their shame down with the others in deep earth. They’re in the section set aside for the slain in battle.

26–27  “Meshech-tubal is there in all her pride, a cemetery in uncircumcised ground, dumped in with those slaughtered in battle—just deserts for terrorizing the land of the living. Now they carry their shame down with the others in deep earth. They’re in the section set aside for the slain. They’re segregated from the heroes, the old-time giants who entered the grave in full battle dress, their swords placed under their heads and their shields covering their bones, those heroes who spread terror through the land of the living.

28  “And you, Egypt, will be dumped in a heathen grave, along with all the rest, in the section set aside for the slain.

29  “Edom is there, with her kings and princes. In spite of her vaunted greatness, she is dumped in a heathen grave with the others headed for the grave.

30  “The princes of the north are there, the whole lot of them, and all the Sidonians who carry their shame to their graves—all that terror they spread with their brute power!—dumped in unhallowed ground with those killed in battle, carrying their shame with the others headed for deep earth.

31  “Pharaoh will see them all and, pompous old goat that he is, take comfort in the company he’ll keep—Pharaoh and his slaughtered army. Decree of God, the Master.

32  “I used him to spread terror in the land of the living and now I’m dumping him in heathen ground with those killed by the sword—Pharaoh and all his pomp. Decree of God, the Master.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Friday, September 13, 2024

Today's Scripture

Matthew 6:9-13

With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:

Our Father in heaven,

Reveal who you are.

Set the world right;

Do what’s best—

as above, so below.

Keep us alive with three square meals.

Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.

Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.

You’re in charge!

You can do anything you want!

You’re ablaze in beauty!

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Insight

Matthew 6:9-13, commonly known as the Lord’s Prayer, might more correctly be titled the Disciple’s Prayer because Jesus wanted to teach His disciples how to pray (v. 9; Luke 11:1). Christ gave this model, or pattern, because He didn’t want His disciples to utter self-centered, exhibitionist prayers like the hypocrites (Matthew 6:5) or to babble ritualistic, meaningless words “like [the] pagans” (v. 7). Jesus wants us to pray in a way that affirms our relationship with God: to revere and honor Him as our heavenly Father in our dedication and service (v. 9); to carry out His plans for this world and to live out His kingdom priorities and will for our lives (v. 10); to depend on Him and trust Him to provide for our physical and spiritual sustenance (v. 11); to become forgiving people because we’ve been forgiven (v. 12); and to be victorious in overcoming temptation, sin, and Satan (v. 13).

Seek out what the Bible teaches us about prayer. By: K. T. Sim

Kingdom-Shaped Workplace

Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10

The factories of Victorian England were dark places. Fatalities were high, and workers often lived in poverty. “How can the working man cultivate ideals,” George Cadbury asked, “when his home is a slum?” And so he built a new kind of factory for his expanding chocolate business, one that benefited his workers.

The result was Bournville, a village of more than three hundred homes with sports fields, playgrounds, schools, and churches for Cadbury’s workers and their families. They were paid good wages and offered medical care, all because of Cadbury’s faith in Christ.

Jesus teaches us to pray for God’s will to be done “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). This prayer can help us imagine, as Cadbury did, what our workplaces would be like under God’s rule, where our “daily bread” is earned and our “debtors” forgiven (vv. 11-12). As employees, it means working with “all your heart . . . for the Lord” (Colossians 3:23). As employers, it means giving staff what’s “right and fair” (4:1). Whatever our role, whether paid or voluntary, it means tending to the well-being of those we serve with.

Like George Cadbury, let’s imagine how things could be different if God were in charge of our neighborhoods and workplaces. Because when He is, people flourish.

By:  Sheridan Voysey

Reflect & Pray

What would your workplace or neighborhood look like under God’s rule? How could you pray and work toward this vision?

Loving God, please help me to see what my workplace or neighborhood would look like under Your rule, and empower me to bring change where I can.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Friday, September 13, 2024

After Surrender, What?

I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. — John 17:4

Surrendering all to God doesn’t mean giving up the external things of our lives; it means surrendering our will to him. When this is done, all is done. There are very few crises in life; the great crisis is the surrender of the will. God never crushes a will to the point of surrender; he never begs or pleads. He simply waits until we freely yield our will to him. This battle, once waged, never needs to be refought.

Surrender for deliverance. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Only after we have begun to experience what salvation means do we surrender our wills to Jesus and allow him to give us rest. Perplexity in heart or mind is a call to our will to come to Jesus. Our coming is voluntary, never forced.

Surrender for devotion. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves” (Matthew 16:24). The surrender here is of my self to Jesus, my self resting with him. He’s saying, “Give up your right to yourself to me.” If I do, the rest of my life will be nothing but the manifestation of this surrender. I’ll never need to wonder about my purpose again, nor will I care about my circumstances. I’ll know that Jesus is sufficient for all.

Surrender for death. “When you are old . . . someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go” (John 21:18). Have you learned what it means to be bound for death? Beware of a surrender you make to God in a moment of ecstasy; you are likely to take it back again. Surrender is a question of being united with Jesus in his death, so that nothing appeals to you that didn’t appeal to him. The entirety of life after surrender is a longing and a striving for unbroken communion with God.

Proverbs 16-18; 2 Corinthians 6

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

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

The Shadow of an Agony, 1166 R

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Friday, September 13, 2024

A Rugged Road to a Beautiful View - #9830

Not long ago there were pictures all over the news of these spectacular colors painting a breathtaking scene in the night sky. It was the "northern lights," also known to scientists as the aurora borealis. Now, I'll tell you what! It's worth checking out that view any time you can or at least those pictures. I guess the approach of solar flares from the sun's turbulence sometimes just adds a whole new richness to these lights. Of course, they have amazed people for centuries.

Those pictures actually triggered my brain and brought back a special family memory. Actually, well, it seemed anything but special at the time. See, my wife and three children accompanied me on a ministry trip to Alaska, and I was excited when they first invited me to come to Alaska to speak. I pictured those scenic summer cruises they do up there. Then I found out they were asking me for February. Oh, well. At least it's a trip to Alaska.

Well, we had a fantastic time up there even in February. So I was a little bummed when my wife and kids had to go back for school while I stayed a few more days to speak. There was a seasoned missionary pilot who was going to fly them out, and that gave me confidence.

My first "uh-oh" was when he asked me to help him push his airplane out of the hangar (I never did that before!) and then onto this ice-rutted runway. Okay, I'd never pushed a plane before. Second "uh-oh," that my loved ones would be on a plane on a solid sheet of ice.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "A Rugged Road to a Beautiful View."

After radioing that he had "five souls on board," the pilot started down the runway, playing one engine against the other to navigate the ice underneath. Now, all the while my family is feeling every bump and worse yet they're closing in on this large stand of Alaska-size trees at the end of the runway. To say the least, it was like, well, totally nerve-wracking.

And what seemed to be this last possible moment, the pilot lifted off, barely cleared the trees. And then came the rodeo in the clouds, as their plane was shaken by air currents and merciless winds. In the back seat you could see these three speechless children, six saucer-sized eyes. And then it happened. They cleared the clouds and they gasped at what they saw. There was the unforgettable sight of the northern lights, almost where you could reach out and touch them. It was a moment of indelible beauty that few ever get to see. And suddenly, the bumps were forgotten; the beauty on the other side was just overwhelming.

We've had a lot of flights like that in our life; a rugged journey that led to a beautiful destination. The financial struggles that brought us closer to God and closer to each other and showed us how creatively and faithfully He can provide. The ministry battles that set the stage for us to see a God of miracles. The medical crisis that caused us to re-treasure the person that we almost lost and to reset life's priorities.

In the inscrutable ways of a loving God, it is the bumpy road that often leads to the most beautiful views. He takes you on a scary flight so ultimately you can see His glory in ways that many never get to see. Yes, "In all things God works for the good of those who love Him" (Romans 8:28). The much-hammered Apostle Paul put the troubles and the payoff on the scale and he weighed it this way: "Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed" (Romans 8:18). I guess we should learn something from the way we all come into the world. Labor - baby. Painful process - beautiful result.

Now, our word today from the Word of God tells us in John 16:21, "A woman giving birth to a child has pain...but when the baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy." Well, I've never been in labor and I never will be. My wife and daughter will testify to the fact that the pain lasts a short time, but the beauty lasts a lifetime.

So today it's the rough ride, tomorrow - the lights.

Ezekiel 31, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: THE SEED PROMISE - September 12, 2024

God said to Abraham, “I will make you into a great nation…and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:2-3).

My passport bears multiple stamps from the nation of Israel. Pharaoh, Haman, and Hitler attempted to eradicate the Jews and failed. Modern-day neighboring nations have sworn to erase Israel from the map. They will fail as well. There are Jews all over the world. God preserves their unique identity because he plans to use them in the end.

God has blessed the world through the seed of Abraham. We have the prophets. We have King David’s psalms. But greatest by far we have a Savior – we have Jesus Christ. We have his Word, his church, and the blessed hope of his return. God kept the seed promise that he made to Abraham.

What Happens Next

Ezekiel 31

The Funeral of the Big Tree

1–9  31 In the eleventh year, on the first day of the third month, God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt, that pompous old goat:

“ ‘Who do you, astride the world,

think you really are?

Look! Assyria was a Big Tree, huge as a Lebanon cedar,

beautiful limbs offering cool shade,

Skyscraper high,

piercing the clouds.

The waters gave it drink,

the primordial deep lifted it high,

Gushing out rivers around

the place where it was planted,

And then branching out in streams

to all the trees in the forest.

It was immense,

dwarfing all the trees in the forest—

Thick boughs, long limbs,

roots delving deep into earth’s waters.

All the birds of the air

nested in its boughs.

All the wild animals

gave birth under its branches.

All the mighty nations

lived in its shade.

It was stunning in its majesty—

the reach of its branches!

the depth of its water-seeking roots!

Not a cedar in God’s garden came close to it.

No pine tree was anything like it.

Mighty oaks looked like bushes

growing alongside it.

Not a tree in God’s garden

was in the same class of beauty.

I made it beautiful,

a work of art in limbs and leaves,

The envy of every tree in Eden,

every last tree in God’s garden.’ ”

10–13  Therefore, God, the Master, says, “ ‘Because it skyscrapered upward, piercing the clouds, swaggering and proud of its stature, I turned it over to a world-famous leader to call its evil to account. I’d had enough. Outsiders, unbelievably brutal, felled it across the mountain ranges. Its branches were strewn through all the valleys, its leafy boughs clogging all the streams and rivers. Because its shade was gone, everybody walked off. No longer a tree—just a log. On that dead log birds perch. Wild animals burrow under it.

14  “ ‘That marks the end of the “big tree” nations. No more trees nourished from the great deep, no more cloud-piercing trees, no more earthborn trees taking over. They’re all slated for death—back to earth, right along with men and women, for whom it’s “dust to dust.”

15–17  “ ‘The Message of God, the Master: On the day of the funeral of the Big Tree, I threw the great deep into mourning. I stopped the flow of its rivers, held back great seas, and wrapped the Lebanon mountains in black. All the trees of the forest fainted and fell. I made the whole world quake when it crashed, and threw it into the underworld to take its place with all else that gets buried. All the trees of Eden and the finest and best trees of Lebanon, well-watered, were relieved—they had descended to the underworld with it—along with everyone who had lived in its shade and all who had been killed.

18  “ ‘Which of the trees of Eden came anywhere close to you in splendor and size? But you’re slated to be cut down to take your place in the underworld with the trees of Eden, to be a dead log stacked with all the other dead logs, among the other uncircumcised who are dead and buried.

“ ‘This means Pharaoh, the pompous old goat.

“ ‘Decree of God, the Master.’ ”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Thursday, September 12, 2024

Today's Scripture

Exodus 20:8-11

Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Work six days and do everything you need to do. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to God, your God. Don’t do any work—not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maid, nor your animals, not even the foreign guest visiting in your town. For in six days God made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and everything in them; he rested on the seventh day. Therefore God blessed the Sabbath day; he set it apart as a holy day.

Insight

In Jesus’ day, the Sabbath had acquired a layer of regulations that God hadn’t prescribed. This precipitated several Sabbath confrontations between Christ and the religious leaders known as the Pharisees. In John 5, Jesus healed a man at the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath, upsetting the Pharisees (vv. 1-10). John says that “because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him” (v. 16). Then they took exception to the disciples picking grain on the Sabbath (Mark 2:23-24). Christ told them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (v. 27). Paul wrote that we shouldn’t let anyone judge us “with regard to . . . a Sabbath day” (Colossians 2:16). He also said, “One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind” (Romans 14:5). By: Tim Gustafson

Retrieval Practice

Remember the Sabbath day. Exodus 20:8

Have you ever been in the middle of telling a story and then stopped, stuck on a detail like a name or date you couldn’t recall? We often chalk it up to age, believing that memory fades with time. But recent studies no longer support that view. In fact, they indicate our memory isn’t the problem; it’s our ability to retrieve those memories. Without a regular rehearsal of some kind, memories become harder to access.

One of the ways to improve that retrieval ability is by regularly scheduled actions or experiences of recalling a certain memory. Our Creator God knew this, so He instructed the children of Israel to set aside one day a week for worship and rest. In addition to the physical rest that comes from such a respite, we gain an opportunity for mental training, to recall that “in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them” (Exodus 20:11). It helps us to remember there is a God, and it’s not us.   

In the rush of our lives, we sometimes lose our grip on the memories of what God has done for us and for others. We forget who keeps close watch over our lives and who promises His presence when we feel overwhelmed and alone. A break from our routine provides an opportunity for that needed “retrieval practice”—an intentional decision to stop and remember our God and “forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2). By:  John Blase

Reflect & Pray

What tempts you to skip rest? How can taking time to rest draw you closer to God?

Dear God, please remember me and give me the wisdom to stop and remember You as well.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Thursday, September 12, 2024

Spiritual Confusion

“You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. — Matthew 20:22

Sometimes in our life with God, there is spiritual confusion. At such times, it’s no use saying there shouldn’t be confusion. Confusion isn’t a question of right and wrong. It’s a question of God taking you down a path you don’t understand. The only way you’ll get at what God wants is to keep going through the confusion until you reach clarity.

The hiding of his friendship. “Suppose you have a friend . . .” (Luke 11:5). Jesus tells the story of a man who seemed not to care for his friend. Sometimes, Jesus says, that is how your heavenly Father will appear. In your confusion, you will think he’s an unkind friend, but he is not. Don’t give up. Remember, Jesus is the one who said, “Everyone who asks receives” (Matthew 7:8).

The shadow on his fatherhood. “Which of you fathers . . .” (Luke 11:11). Jesus says there are times when your Father will appear like an unloving father, but he is not. If a shadow covers the face of your Father just now, rest in confidence that he will ultimately reveal his purposes and will justify himself in everything he has permitted. Often even love itself has to wait in pain and tears for the blessing of fuller communion.

The strangeness of his faithfulness. “In a certain town there was a judge . . .” (Luke 18:2). At times, Jesus says, your Father will look like an unjust judge, but he is not. Stand firm in the belief that what Jesus says is true, and remember that God has bigger issues at stake than the particular things you ask. The time is coming, Jesus says, when we shall see perfectly clearly. Then the veil will be lifted, the shadows will disappear, the confusion will go, and we will begin to understand the friendship, the fatherhood, and the faithfulness of God with regard to our own lives.

Proverbs 13-15; 2 Corinthians 5

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

Seeing is never believing: we interpret what we see in the light of what we believe. Faith is confidence in God before you see God emerging; therefore the nature of faith is that it must be tried.

He Shall Glorify Me, 494 R

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Thursday, September 12, 2024

A SAVIOR YOU CAN TRUST - #9829

A Pope's visit to Cuba is not an everyday thing by any means. Pope Francis more recently visited. When Pope John Paul II made the very first visit in 1998, he saw a very different Cuba than Pope Francis saw.

All visits captured the attention of the entire world. The 1998 visit was unprecedented. Here was one of the world's last totally Communist countries - an officially atheist state - welcoming the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. I hate to use the word in this context, but the visit appeared to be revolutionary. In a front page story, USA Today told about a man bicycling into Revolution Square in Havana the week before the Pope's arrival. He was quoted as saying, "I'm amazed! Look at Jesus!" The reason? There was a giant picture of Jesus that had suddenly appeared on a wall in Revolution Square, the heart of Cuban Communism. And over the picture of Jesus were inscribed these incredible words, "Jesus Christ, I trust You."

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

"I trust you." Those might be hard words for you to say to anybody because your trust has been betrayed too many times. The list of people you can really trust may be a very short one. Maybe there's not even a list. I mean, trust takes a beating when someone who's supposed to love you betrays you or hurts you or lets you down. Maybe that's happened to you.

But your heart needs an anchor, a relationship where you really are safe. Well, our word for today from the Word of God, Romans 8:31-32 gives you that hope. "If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all - how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?"

God is simply saying here, "I gave the most precious thing I have for you - my own Son. Jesus died on that brutal cross to pay for all the sinning you have ever done. If I have given my Son for you, is there anything I wouldn't do for you?" See, the issue is not trusting Christians or trusting Christianity. It's trusting Christ. It's all about Jesus.

Your search for someone that you can totally trust ends at the foot of Jesus' cross. Stand there, look at Him hanging there for you and then answer the question, "Can I trust Jesus?" Years ago there was a day when I made my choice. I put Jesus in the center of activity in my heart and I said, "After loving me this much, Jesus Christ, I trust You."

And trust is the key to beginning a personal love relationship with Jesus. It's taking down whatever other things have dominated your heart and putting Jesus there, as they did that day in Revolution Square in Havana. They may not have put that Jesus there to stay. But opening your heart to Him means you are now under new management. You've trusted your life, your pain and your eternity into the hands of Jesus - hands that, by the way, still carry the marks of the nails, scars that remove all doubt of whether He will ever let you down. He can't. He paid too much for you.

Jesus had been missing in the heart of an island nation for too long. He's been missing in your heart for too long. But that could change today. Right now, if you will finally commit yourself to the One who loves you most. Tell Him you want to belong to Him. Tell Him you are trusting Him and what He did on the cross for you. Turning from the sin He died for.

Right now you could pray, "Jesus, I am Yours because You died for me." I want to invite you to our website to anchor your relationship with Jesus there, to know you now belong to Him. It's ANewStory.com.

See, the real revolution in your life begins the day you make Jesus #1 in your heart. You are on the edge of having a peace and a calm inside, and a deep sense of being really loved and really safe; something you've never known before. Jesus is there. Will you tell Him, "Jesus Christ, I trust You."

Ezekiel 30, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: A BILLBOARD OF GOD’S GRACE - September 11, 2024

God made a promise to Abraham and Abraham’s heirs. Two words serve as subheads for this covenant: seed and soil. First, God promised to bless the seed of Abraham and bless the world through Abraham’s seed. The Lord had said to Abraham, “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:2-3).

Why would God make such a covenant with Israel? Not because of anything Israel had to offer. God chose Israel for the same reason he chose you and me: grace. Sheer, sovereign grace. He simply chose them as his billboards of grace.

What Happens Next

Ezekiel 30

Egypt on Fire

1–5  30 God, the Master, spoke to me: “Son of man, preach. Give them the Message of God, the Master. Wail:

“ ‘Doomsday!’

Time’s up!

God’s big day of judgment is near.

Thick clouds are rolling in.

It’s doomsday for the nations.

Death will rain down on Egypt.

Terror will paralyze Ethiopia

When they see the Egyptians killed,

their wealth hauled off,

their foundations demolished,

And Ethiopia, Put, Lud, Arabia, Libya

—all of Egypt’s old allies—

killed right along with them.

6–8  “ ‘God says:

“ ‘Egypt’s allies will fall

and her proud strength will collapse—

From Migdol in the north to Syene in the south,

a great slaughter in Egypt!

Decree of God, the Master.

Egypt, most desolate of the desolate,

her cities wasted beyond wasting,

Will realize that I am God

when I burn her down

and her helpers are knocked flat.

9  “ ‘When that happens, I’ll send out messengers by ship to sound the alarm among the easygoing Ethiopians. They’ll be terrorized. Egypt’s doomed! Judgment’s coming!

10–12  “ ‘God, the Master, says:

“ ‘I’ll put a stop to Egypt’s arrogance.

I’ll use Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to do it.

He and his army, the most brutal of nations,

shall be used to destroy the country.

They’ll brandish their swords

and fill Egypt with corpses.

I’ll dry up the Nile

and sell off the land to a bunch of crooks.

I’ll hire outsiders to come in

and waste the country, strip it clean.

I, God, have said so.

13–19  “ ‘And now this is what God, the Master, says:

“ ‘I’ll smash all the no-god idols;

I’ll topple all those huge statues in Memphis.

The prince of Egypt will be gone for good,

and in his place I’ll put fear—fear throughout Egypt!

I’ll demolish Pathros,

burn Zoan to the ground, and punish Thebes,

Pour my wrath on Pelusium, Egypt’s fort,

and knock Thebes off its proud pedestal.

I’ll set Egypt on fire:

Pelusium will writhe in pain,

Thebes blown away,

Memphis raped.

The young warriors of On and Pi-beseth

will be killed and the cities exiled.

A dark day for Tahpanhes

when I shatter Egypt,

When I break Egyptian power

and put an end to her arrogant oppression!

She’ll disappear in a cloud of dust,

her cities hauled off as exiles.

That’s how I’ll punish Egypt,

and that’s how she’ll realize that I am God.’ ”

20  In the eleventh year, on the seventh day of the first month, God’s Message came to me:

21  “Son of man, I’ve broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And look! It hasn’t been set. No splint has been put on it so the bones can knit and heal, so he can use a sword again.

22–26  “Therefore, God, the Master, says, I am dead set against Pharaoh king of Egypt and will go ahead and break his other arm—both arms broken! There’s no way he’ll ever swing a sword again. I’ll scatter Egyptians all over the world. I’ll make the arms of the king of Babylon strong and put my sword in his hand, but I’ll break the arms of Pharaoh and he’ll groan like one who is mortally wounded. I’ll make the arms of the king of Babylon strong, but the arms of Pharaoh shall go limp. The Egyptians will realize that I am God when I place my sword in the hand of the king of Babylon. He’ll wield it against Egypt and I’ll scatter Egyptians all over the world. Then they’ll realize that I am God.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Today's Scripture

Genesis 9:11-17

I’m setting up my covenant with you that never again will everything living be destroyed by floodwaters; no, never again will a flood destroy the Earth.”

12–16  God continued, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and everything living around you and everyone living after you. I’m putting my rainbow in the clouds, a sign of the covenant between me and the Earth. From now on, when I form a cloud over the Earth and the rainbow appears in the cloud, I’ll remember my covenant between me and you and everything living, that never again will floodwaters destroy all life. When the rainbow appears in the cloud, I’ll see it and remember the eternal covenant between God and everything living, every last living creature on Earth.”

17  And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I’ve set up between me and everything living on the Earth.”

Insight

In the Noahic covenant, God made an unconditional, eternal covenant—or promise—with all mankind and all living creatures to never again destroy the earth and all life by a flood (Genesis 9:9-11). To seal this covenant, God “set [his] rainbow in the clouds” (v. 13) as a visible symbol of His promise. The Hebrew word for rainbow, qesheth, is also translated “bow”—a weapon. One commentator notes: “In what is a radical reinterpretation of divine power, the bow ceases to function as a sign of God’s militancy and begins to function as a sign of God’s grace. A rainbow is a bow without an arrow.” While the rainbow gives us great encouragement today, assuring us of God’s mercy and grace, God actually set the rainbow as a reminder to Himself of His “everlasting covenant” with “all living creatures of every kind on the earth” (v. 16). By: K. T. Sim

Colors of Hope

I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Genesis 9:15

On September 11, 2023—the twenty-second anniversary of the attacks against the United States—a stunning double rainbow graced the skies above New York City. Home to the former Twin Towers, this city suffered the greatest losses in the attacks. More than two decades later, the double rainbow brought a sense of hope and healing to those who were there to see it. A video clip of the moment seemed to capture the rainbows emanating from the site of the World Trade Center itself.

Rainbows in the sky have brought an assurance of God’s faithfulness since the days of Noah. In the wake of God’s judgment of sin which resulted in unimaginable destruction, He set the colorful beacon as a visual reminder of “the everlasting covenant between [Himself] and all living creatures” (Genesis 9:16). After forty dark days of rain and months of flooding (7:17-24), one can only imagine how welcome the rainbow—“the sign of the covenant”—must have been to Noah and his family (9:12-13). It was a reminder of God’s faithfulness that “never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth” (v. 11). 

When we face dark days and tragic losses—whether due to natural disaster, physical or emotional pain, or the plight of disease—let’s look to God for hope in the midst of it. Even if we don’t catch a glimpse of His rainbow in those moments, we can be assured of His faithfulness to His promises.  By:  Kirsten Holmberg

Reflect & Pray

How has God revealed His presence to you during difficult seasons of life? Who might need to hear your story today?

Father God, please help me to see You in the midst of my struggles today.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Ministering as Opportunity Surrounds Us

Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. — John 13:14

Ministering as opportunity surrounds us doesn’t mean choosing our surroundings; it means ministering wherever God places us. The characteristics we manifest now, in our immediate surroundings, show God what we’ll be like in other surroundings.

It takes all of God’s power in me to do commonplace things in the way God would do them. When Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, he was performing work of the most menial and commonplace kind, yet the way he performed it made it holy. Can I use a towel in the way Jesus used a towel? Towels and dishes and all the other ordinary stuff of life reveal what I’m made of more quickly than anything else. It takes God Almighty in me to do my chores in the way they ought to be done.

“I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:15). Watch the kind of people God brings around you. You will be humiliated to discover that this is his way of revealing to you the kind of person you’ve been to him. He is telling you to treat the people in your life as he has treated you. “Oh,” you say, “I’ll treat people as I should when I’m out ministering in the world.” That would be like trying to produce the munitions of war in the trenches; you’d be killed while you were doing it.

We have to go the second mile with God. Some of us get worn out in the first ten yards, because God compels us to go where we cannot see the way. “I’ll wait to obey until I get nearer the big crisis,” we say. We have to obey now. If we don’t practice walking steadily in the little things, we will do nothing in the crisis.

Proverbs 10-12; 2 Corinthians 4

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

Awe is the condition of a man’s spirit realizing Who God is and what He has done for him personally. Our Lord emphasizes the attitude of a child; no attitude can express such solemn awe and familiarity as that of a child. 

Not Knowing Whither, 882 L

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

It's Time to Stand - #9828

At first, they were frightened, even bruised faces appearing on Iraqi TV. Early in the Iraq War, there were seven American soldiers and pilots who had been captured by Saddam Hussein's forces and then they were paraded on television for all the world to see. After that, none of us could be sure whether they were hurt or healthy, or dead or alive. Since then, in many wars, there have been too many scenes like that. In this case, retreating enemy soldiers informed American troops of the place where these particular POWs were being held. As the heavily armed soldiers burst into the room, they first shouted for everyone to lie down on the floor. And then, they yelled out an unmistakable command: "If you're an American, stand up!" Seven prisoners stood up, and they were free.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "It's Time to Stand."

I believe Jesus is issuing a command to you and me that sounds very much like what those POWs heard. Except it's not about being an American - oh no, it's something much higher, much more eternal. Jesus is saying to all those who claim that they belong to Him, "If you're a Christian, stand up!"

Why? Because so few really are. I mean some surveys show that 90% of those who know Christ never tell anyone else about Him. Something is really wrong in this picture. Listen to Paul's challenge in our word for today from the Word of God in 2 Timothy 1:7-8. "God did not give us a spirit of timidity (or it says fear in other translations), but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord..." Thank God, our Lord wasn't ashamed of us when He died publicly on a cross for us. He expects us to stand up. Why are so many of us lying low instead?

This willingness to identify ourselves openly with Jesus is so important to Him that He actually says in Mark 8:38, "If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father's glory..." For your relationship with Jesus to remain a secret is just not acceptable in light of the price He paid for you. To have information that can save a life and then keep that information to yourself, that's criminal negligence.

To know that Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead is a person's only eternal hope, and then fail to tell that to the people you know, that's quietly issuing them a spiritual death sentence. You could have rescued them. You left them to die without knowing how they could have lived.

Standing up for Jesus means more than just telling about Him. You've got to live for Him. Like they say in first grade, you've got to show and tell. And there may be compromises you're making or sins you won't relinquish that are discrediting Jesus, confusing some lost person who's watching you.

We've all been to enough funerals to know that the people around us aren't going to be there forever. And they can be gone so quickly - gone into an eternity that they're either ready for or fatally unready for. If you know Jesus, you know how to help them get ready. But just because you're a nice person doesn't mean they're ever going to figure out that Jesus died on the cross to pay for their sin. You have to tell them that.

Ask God to open up some natural opportunities to bring up your relationship with Jesus. He'll give them to you. Ask Him to open the heart of the one you're talking to. Ask Him to open your mouth; to give you the approach to use, and the words, and the courage to speak. This is life-or-death stuff, and God has placed you in the life of someone who desperately needs His Son. He's placed you there so you could show them Jesus so you can tell them about Jesus.

So, if you're a Christian, if you belong to Jesus, stand up!

1 Peter 3, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: GOD’S COVENANT WITH ADAM AND EVE - September 10, 2024

God declared a shared dominion. God bequeathed upon his first couple an assignment. They would oversee, superintend, and exercise authority over the earth. Our first parents were placed in charge of real animals and real fish on real land and the real sea. The Hebrew term for rule is “have dominion” or “dominate.”

Adam and Eve fulfilled this promise—until they did not. Their allegiance faltered, but did God’s? Did he change his mind? Abandon his plan? No scripture indicates a shift in divine strategy. God’s covenant was not written with easy-erase markers. God’s Edenic covenant is leading us to a time in which God’s perfected children will reign over a perfect earth.

What Happens Next

1 Peter 3

Cultivate Inner Beauty

1–4  3 The same goes for you wives: Be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated by your life of holy beauty. What matters is not your outer appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes—but your inner disposition.

4–6  Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way, and were good, loyal wives to their husbands. Sarah, for instance, taking care of Abraham, would address him as “my dear husband.” You’ll be true daughters of Sarah if you do the same, unanxious and unintimidated.

7  The same goes for you husbands: Be good husbands to your wives. Honor them, delight in them. As women they lack some of your advantages. But in the new life of God’s grace, you’re equals. Treat your wives, then, as equals so your prayers don’t run aground.

Suffering for Doing Good

8–12  Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.

Whoever wants to embrace life

and see the day fill up with good,

Here’s what you do:

Say nothing evil or hurtful;

Snub evil and cultivate good;

run after peace for all you’re worth.

God looks on all this with approval,

listening and responding well to what he’s asked;

But he turns his back

on those who do evil things.

13–18  If with heart and soul you’re doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you’re still better off. Don’t give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They’ll end up realizing that they’re the ones who need a bath. It’s better to suffer for doing good, if that’s what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. That’s what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others’ sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all—was put to death and then made alive—to bring us to God.

19–22  He went and proclaimed God’s salvation to earlier generations who ended up in the prison of judgment because they wouldn’t listen. You know, even though God waited patiently all the days that Noah built his ship, only a few were saved then, eight to be exact—saved from the water by the water. The waters of baptism do that for you, not by washing away dirt from your skin but by presenting you through Jesus’ resurrection before God with a clear conscience. Jesus has the last word on everything and everyone, from angels to armies. He’s standing right alongside God, and what he says goes.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Today's Scripture

John 1:9-13

The Life-Light was the real thing:

Every person entering Life

he brings into Light.

He was in the world,

the world was there through him,

and yet the world didn’t even notice.

He came to his own people,

but they didn’t want him.

But whoever did want him,

who believed he was who he claimed

and would do what he said,

He made to be their true selves,

their child-of-God selves.

These are the God-begotten,

not blood-begotten,

not flesh-begotten,

not sex-begotten.

Insight

In the New Living Translation, John 1:1-18 has the heading, “Prologue: Christ, the Eternal Word.” This section has been called a theological masterpiece, for its brilliance calls us to worshipful reflection and a desire to know and serve the one described. The term that John uses for Jesus before He entered the world is “the Word” (vv. 1, 14)—the creative self-expression of God through which all things came to be. A good subheading for verses 1-5 would be: “The Existence and Experience of the Word.” He existed as God and with God (vv. 1-2) and functioned as God (vv. 3-5). What God is credited with in Genesis 1—all of creation—is attributed to the Word as the active agent (see also Colossians 1:15-17). What follows in John 1:6-14 could be titled, “The Entrance of the Word into the World.” How was (and is) He received? With mixed reviews. But all who receive Him are welcomed into His family. By: Arthur Jackson

Spiritual Royalty

To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12

When Jay Speights of Rockville, Maryland, took a DNA test, nothing could have prepared him for the results he received. They contained a big surprise—he was a prince of the West African nation of Benin! Soon he boarded a plane and visited the country. When he arrived, the royal family greeted and showered him with a festive homecoming—dancing, singing, banners, and a parade.

Jesus came to earth as God’s good news announcement. He went to His own people, the nation of Israel, to give them the good news and to show them the way out of darkness. Many received the message with apathy, rejecting the “true light” (John 1:9) and refusing to accept Him as Messiah (v. 11). But unbelief and apathy weren’t universal among the people. Some people humbly and gladly received Christ’s invitation, accepted Him as God’s eventual sacrifice for sin, and believed in His name. A surprise awaited this faithful remnant. He “gave [them] the right to become children of God” (v. 12)—to be royal children of His through spiritual rebirth.

When we turn from sin and darkness, receive Jesus, and believe in His name, we discover we’re children of God, adopted as royalty into His family. May we enjoy the blessings as we live up to the responsibilities of being the King’s kids. 

By:  Marvin Williams

Reflect & Pray

How should being a child of God affect you? What will you do this week to live out your status and responsibility as His child?

Father, it’s amazing that through Jesus’ death You invite me into spiritual royalty. I’m humbled and grateful.

Learn more about having a personal relationship with God.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Worshipping as the Occasion Arises

I saw you while you were still under the fig tree. — John 1:48

We imagine that we’ll rise to the occasion when a big crisis comes along. But a big crisis only reveals what we’re made of; it doesn’t put anything new into us. Are you telling yourself that you’ll do what’s necessary if God gives the call? You won’t—not unless you’re already rising to the occasion. You have to be the real thing with God before the big event, in the workshop of your private life with him.

Every day, God is giving you small, seemingly insignificant things to do, things which may go entirely unnoticed by the world. If you don’t believe God has engineered these things and therefore you aren’t using them as opportunities for worship, you’ll be revealed as unfit when the crisis comes. Crises always reveal character.

A private worshipping relationship with God is the great essential of spiritual fitness. The time will come when you have to step out from “under the fig tree”—out from your sheltered, private place—and go forth into the glare and the crowd. If you haven’t been worshipping in private, as the occasion arises, you’ll find you have no value to God in the outside world. But if you have been worshipping in private, you will be ready when God sends you out, because in the unseen life—the life no one saw but God—you’ve become perfectly fit. When the strain arrives, God will know he can rely on you.

Do you think you have no time for worshipping or praying or reading the Bible? Do you say to yourself, “I can’t be expected to live a worshipful life in the circumstances I’m in right now; my opportunity hasn’t come yet. When it does, of course I’ll be ready”? You won’t be. If you haven’t been worshipping where you are right now, as the occasion arises, then in the crisis you’ll be useless to yourself and an enormous hindrance to those around you. The workshop of the disciple’s life is the hidden, personal time spent worshipping God.

Proverbs 8-9; 2 Corinthians 3

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

We are not fundamentally free; external circumstances are not in our hands, they are in God’s hands, the one thing in which we are free is in our personal relationship to God. We are not responsible for the circumstances we are in, but we are responsible for the way we allow those circumstances to affect us; we can either allow them to get on top of us, or we can allow them to transform us into what God wants us to be. 

Conformed to His Image, 354 L

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Guilty and No Way to Pay - #9827

Most of the courtrooms I've been exposed to are on TV. But there was a moment in a courtroom I will never forget. It began when we learned the whereabouts of a young Native American friend we had been trying to locate for a while. Let's call her Cathy. We learned, almost miraculously, that after a dark time away from God, Cathy was in jail in Nebraska. We got that word on Friday as I was leaving Michigan to meet our Native American summer team in South Dakota on a Monday night. We ate up the Interstate trying to get to Nebraska before Cathy went before the Judge. She had no idea we were coming - until we saw her during her Sunday afternoon visiting hours.

The next day we watched as she was marched down those courthouse stairs in her orange prisoner uniform, her hands shackled. It was hard to see. I had a hard time not crying. We knew what this girl could be. We'd spoken with her attorney who was the public defender, and we explained that we would be willing to pay the fines that she owed. Neither she nor her family had anything to pay those with. Cathy sat with her attorney before the Judge's bar, and my wife and I sat behind them. The Judge reviewed the charges against Cathy and the penalties. Then he looked at me and said, "I understand someone here is willing to pay these penalties." I managed to get out, "I will, your honor." The Judge proceeded to declare her case closed. And then Cathy turned and looked at us - and she said those wonderful words, "I'm free! I'm free!"

I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Guilty and No Way to Pay."

There was only one way Cathy was going to go free. Someone had to come a long way to pay the price for what she had done. As I sat emotionally melted in that courtroom, I was suddenly overwhelmed by the fact that's what Jesus did for me and for you.

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Mark 10:45. "The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." Ransom: think of a kidnapping situation. The ransom is the price you pay to set someone free. Jesus tells us what our freedom costs. He would have to "give His life." That price was paid as He suffered the unspeakable agony of dying on a cross, absorbing all the guilt and all the hell of your sin and mine.

What we owe in the court of God is hopelessly beyond our ability to pay. God said, "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). That's eternal death, separation from Him. We offer the Judge a little religion or decency to pay for a lifetime of running our life instead of Him running it. And it's nowhere near enough. We can't pay it.

Picture it. You're in the courtroom of Almighty God, clearly guilty of doing your life your way, not His way. The sentence is death. There's no hope of forgiveness, no hope of heaven. Then the Judge says, "I understand someone here is willing to pay this." Jesus stands, and as He extends His nail-pierced hands, He says, "I will, Your Honor. I'll pay it." He came an awful long way for you - all the way from the Throne Room of the universe to a blood-stained cross. And there He paid it all.

The question is, have you ever told God you were putting your total trust in Jesus and what He did on the cross? If not, God's death penalty is still on you. It's still your future. But this could be the day you reach out to Jesus to accept Him as the only One who can rescue you.

Right where you are you can say, "Jesus, I turn from running my own life to the One who died and gave His life to pay for every wrong thing I have ever done. And today, Jesus, because you are alive, I put all my hope in You. I'm Yours."

If you want to begin with Him today, our website is for you. It's ANewStory.com.