Job 24, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Get Ready for a Surprise

Have you got God figured out? Get ready, you may be in for a surprise. Hear the rocks meant for the body of the adulterous woman drop to the ground. Listen as Jesus invites a death-row convict to ride with Him to the Kingdom in the front seat of the limo. Listen as the Messiah whispers to the Samaritan woman, “I who speak to you am He.” And listen to the surprise as Mary’s name is spoken by a man she had buried.

God appearing in the strangest of places. Doing the strangest of things. Stretching smiles where there had hung only frowns. Hanging a bright star in a dark sky. Many more knees will bow. And many more seekers will celebrate.

“For no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him!” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

from Six Hours One Friday

Job 24

An Illusion of Security

1–12  24 “But if Judgment Day isn’t hidden from the Almighty,

why are we kept in the dark?

There are people out there getting by with murder—

stealing and lying and cheating.

They rip off the poor

and exploit the unfortunate,

Push the helpless into the ditch,

bully the weak so that they fear for their lives.

The poor, like stray dogs and cats,

scavenge for food in back alleys.

They sort through the garbage of the rich,

eke out survival on handouts.

Homeless, they shiver through cold nights on the street;

they’ve no place to lay their heads.

Exposed to the weather, wet and frozen,

they huddle in makeshift shelters.

Nursing mothers have their babies snatched from them;

the infants of the poor are kidnapped and sold.

They go about patched and threadbare;

even the hard workers go hungry.

No matter how back-breaking their labor,

they can never make ends meet.

People are dying right and left, groaning in torment.

The wretched cry out for help

and God does nothing, acts like nothing’s wrong!

13–17  “Then there are those who avoid light at all costs,

who scorn the light-filled path.

When the sun goes down, the murderer gets up—

kills the poor and robs the defenseless.

Sexual predators can’t wait for nightfall,

thinking, ‘No one can see us now.’

Burglars do their work at night,

but keep well out of sight through the day.

They want nothing to do with light.

Deep darkness is morning for that bunch;

they make the terrors of darkness their companions in crime.

18–25  “They are scraps of wood floating on the water—

useless, cursed junk, good for nothing.

As surely as snow melts under the hot, summer sun,

sinners disappear in the grave.

The womb has forgotten them, worms have relished them—

nothing that is evil lasts.

Unscrupulous,

they prey on those less fortunate.

However much they strut and flex their muscles,

there’s nothing to them. They’re hollow.

They may have an illusion of security,

but God has his eye on them.

They may get their brief successes,

but then it’s over, nothing to show for it.

Like yesterday’s newspaper,

they’re used to wrap up the garbage.

You’re free to try to prove me a liar,

but you won’t be able to do it.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Saturday, March 22, 2025

by Karen Pimpo

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

John 6:60-69

Too Tough to Swallow

60  Many among his disciples heard this and said, “This is tough teaching, too tough to swallow.”

61–65  Jesus sensed that his disciples were having a hard time with this and said, “Does this throw you completely? What would happen if you saw the Son of Man ascending to where he came from? The Spirit can make life. Sheer muscle and willpower don’t make anything happen. Every word I’ve spoken to you is a Spirit-word, and so it is life-making. But some of you are resisting, refusing to have any part in this.” (Jesus knew from the start that some weren’t going to risk themselves with him. He knew also who would betray him.) He went on to say, “This is why I told you earlier that no one is capable of coming to me on his own. You get to me only as a gift from the Father.”

66–67  After this a lot of his disciples left. They no longer wanted to be associated with him. Then Jesus gave the Twelve their chance: “Do you also want to leave?”

68–69  Peter replied, “Master, to whom would we go? You have the words of real life, eternal life. We’ve already committed ourselves, confident that you are the Holy One of God.”

Today's Insights

In John 6, Jesus’ teaching that His disciples would have “no life in [them]” if they didn’t “eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood” (v. 53) was a difficult one for them to understand (v. 60). After Christ responded to their “grumbling” (v. 61) by saying “no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them” (v. 65), “many . . . no longer followed him” (v. 66).

But despite the difficulty of the message, Jesus’ words were also filled with the hope of resurrection, a theme that can be seen in the word life. This passage describes Christ’s death as offering up His body “for the life of the world” (v. 51). Whoever accepts by faith this sacrifice for sin receives God’s grace and “has eternal life, and [He] will raise them up at the last day” (v. 54). Peter seemed to have partly understood, confessing, “You have the words of eternal life” (v. 68).

The Bible’s Cherished Words

You have the words of eternal life. John 6:68

My dad carried his beloved Bible for more than thirty years before the worn binding finally split in two. When we took it to a book binder for professional restoration, the craftsman was curious about what made the book so special. It wasn’t an expensive antique, and its pages were full of handwritten notes. His questions about the Bible created an opportunity for my family to share the gospel and pray with him.

Yes, the Bible is more than just a family heirloom or a nice decoration. Inside its pages are the “words of eternal life” (John 6:68) as God reveals Himself to us through His Son. The opening chapter of the gospel of John says that Jesus is the “Word [who] was with God, and . . . was God” (1:1). He’s described as making “his dwelling [home] among us” (v. 14). The Bible contains not only the account of the life of Christ but also all of God’s activity throughout the ages, from creation to its eventual redemption.

During His time on earth, Jesus spoke words that were “full of the Spirit and life” (6:63). When He gave a difficult teaching and the crowds grumbled and many “turned back and no longer followed him” (v. 66), His disciples chose to stay. They realized that no other words could satisfy. My dad felt the same way about his Bible. Through many mountains and valleys in his life, God provided hope, direction, comfort, and truth through the words of Scripture.

Reflect & Pray

Whose words have you allowed to shape your life? What words from Scripture are inspiring you today?

Dear God, as I read Your Scripture today, please open my ears to hear Your voice.

To discover more, read I Got Nothing Else. 

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Saturday, March 22, 2025

The Burning Heart

Were not our hearts burning within us? — Luke 24:32

We need to learn the secret of the burning heart. Jesus appears to us, the fires are kindled, and we have wonderful visions. Then normal life resumes, and the flame dies down. The burning heart is a heart that can go through anything, but first we must learn how to keep the flame alive. The dull, bald, dreary, commonplace day, with its commonplace duties and people, kills the burning heart—unless we learn the secret of abiding in Jesus.

If we are abiding in Jesus, keeping him at the forefront of our minds and letting him guide all our decisions, nothing we meet with will be able to kill the flame inside us. But if we lose sight of the Lord, the emotion he kindled when we were close to him will fade. It isn’t just drudgery and duty that can make this happen; it’s our unwillingness to let the emotion have its way.

Much of our distress as Christians is caused not by sin but by ignorance of our own natures. For instance, to know if we should allow a certain emotion to have its way with us, all we need to do is think about the outcome of the emotion. If we push the emotion to its logical conclusion and find that it’s something God would condemn, we shouldn’t follow it. But if it’s an emotion kindled by the Spirit and we don’t allow it to have its way, it will drop us to a lower level. The higher the emotion, the deeper the degradation if the emotion is not worked out in the way God wants.

When the Spirit kindles an emotion inside you and your heart begins to burn, let it burn. Do everything you can to help the emotion along. Don’t build up barriers against it or make excuses about why you can’t follow it, however inconvenient or illogical it may seem. Abide in Jesus, and keep the flame alive.

Joshua 10-12; Luke 1:39-56

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

The vital relationship which the Christian has to the Bible is not that he worships the letter, but that the Holy Spirit makes the words of the Bible spirit and life to him. 

The Psychology of Redemption, 1066 L

Job 23, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: THE JOY OF RESURRECTION - March 21, 2025

Solomon said, “There is a time to mourn” (Ecclesiastes 3:4). Give yourself some. Face your grief with tears, time, and one more—face your grief with truth. God has the last word on death. And if you listen, he will tell you the truth about your loved ones. They’ve been dismissed from the hospital called Earth. You and I still roam the halls and smell the medicines. They, meanwhile, inhale springtime. You miss them like crazy, but can you deny the truth? They have no pain, doubt, or struggle. They really are happier in heaven.

And you know what? Reunion is only a splinter of an eternal moment away. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 says that there is no need for you “to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.” God understands your sorrow. He knows the sorrow of a grave. He buried his Son. But he also knows the joy of resurrection. And by his power, you will too.

Facing Your Giants: God Still Does the Impossible

Job 23

JOB’S DEFENSE

I’m Completely in the Dark

1–7  23 Job replied:

“I’m not letting up—I’m standing my ground.

My complaint is legitimate.

God has no right to treat me like this—

it isn’t fair!

If I knew where on earth to find him,

I’d go straight to him.

I’d lay my case before him face-to-face,

give him all my arguments firsthand.

I’d find out exactly what he’s thinking,

discover what’s going on in his head.

Do you think he’d dismiss me or bully me?

No, he’d take me seriously.

He’d see a straight-living man standing before him;

my Judge would acquit me for good of all charges.

8–9  “I travel East looking for him—I find no one;

then West, but not a trace;

I go North, but he’s hidden his tracks;

then South, but not even a glimpse.

10–12  “But he knows where I am and what I’ve done.

He can cross-examine me all he wants, and I’ll pass the test with honors.

I’ve followed him closely, my feet in his footprints,

not once swerving from his way.

I’ve obeyed every word he’s spoken,

and not just obeyed his advice—I’ve treasured it.

13–17  “But he is singular and sovereign. Who can argue with him?

He does what he wants, when he wants to.

He’ll complete in detail what he’s decided about me,

and whatever else he determines to do.

Is it any wonder that I dread meeting him?

Whenever I think about it, I get scared all over again.

God makes my heart sink!

God Almighty gives me the shudders!

I’m completely in the dark,

I can’t see my hand in front of my face.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Friday, March 21, 2025

by Xochitl Dixon

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Isaiah 43:1-7

When You’re Between a Rock and a Hard Place

1–4  43 But now, God’s Message,

the God who made you in the first place, Jacob,

the One who got you started, Israel:

“Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you.

I’ve called your name. You’re mine.

When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you.

When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down.

When you’re between a rock and a hard place,

it won’t be a dead end—

Because I am God, your personal God,

The Holy of Israel, your Savior.

I paid a huge price for you:

all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!

That’s how much you mean to me!

That’s how much I love you!

I’d sell off the whole world to get you back,

trade the creation just for you.

5–7  “So don’t be afraid: I’m with you.

I’ll round up all your scattered children,

pull them in from east and west.

I’ll send orders north and south:

‘Send them back.

Return my sons from distant lands,

my daughters from faraway places.

I want them back, every last one who bears my name,

every man, woman, and child

Whom I created for my glory,

yes, personally formed and made each one.’ ”

Today's Insights

More than one hundred years before it occurred, Isaiah prophesied Jerusalem’s destruction in 586 bc and Judah’s seventy-year exile in Babylon (Isaiah 39:6-7; see 2 Chronicles 36:15-21; 2 Kings 20:16-18; Jeremiah 52:4-27). But God wouldn’t abandon His people, even though He’d punish them for their covenantal unfaithfulness. In Isaiah 40-66, the prophet speaks of the deliverance from that exile and Judah’s restoration. Chapters 40-48 focus on the return from the Babylonian captivity and the means by which God would accomplish it. God assured His people of His unfailing love because they’re His chosen people. He’s their God and Savior who has chosen, redeemed, and honored them. They need not fear the Babylonians, the exile, or their future. “You are precious and honored in my sight,” He assured them. “Do not be afraid, for I am with you” (Isaiah 43:4-5).

God’s Own

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43:1

One day, while serving as my mom’s live-in caregiver, we visited an art exhibit. We were emotionally and physically drained. I gazed at two wooden row boats filled with colorful blown-glass shapes inspired by Japanese fishing lures and flower arrangements. The display Ikebana and Float Boats sat in front of a black wall on a reflective surface. Speckled, spotted, and striped glass orbs, like oversized gumballs, were piled into the smaller boat. From the hull of the second boat, long, twisted, and curved glass sculptures rose like vibrant flames. The artist had shaped each piece of molten glass through the refining fires of the glassblowing process.

Tears streaked my cheeks as I imagined God’s caring hand holding me and my mom—His beloved children—through our hardest days. As God shapes the character of His people through refining fires in life, He affirms that our hope comes from being known and knowing we belong to Him (Isaiah 43:1). Though we can’t escape hardship, God promises to protect us and be present (v. 2). His identity and His love for us make His promises secure (vv. 3-4).

When life’s circumstances heat up, we may feel fragile. We may even be fragile. But God holds us firmly in love, no matter how blazing hot the furnace gets. We are known. We are loved. We are His!

Reflect & Pray

Why does knowing you belong to God bring you hope during times of affliction? How has God used refining fires to shape your character? 

Loving God, thank You for holding me, molding me, and reminding me that I’m Yours.

How are we to respond when we face hardship? Watch this video to learn how God is with us in our toughest moments.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Friday, March 21, 2025

Interest or Identification?

I have been crucified with Christ. — Galatians 2:20

Paul doesn’t say, “I’ve decided to imitate Christ” or “I’m interested in following Christ.” He says, “I have been crucified with Christ”: he has become identified with Christ in Christ’s death.

In my spiritual life, the essential need is to sign the death warrant of my sinful disposition. I must issue a moral verdict against the idea that I have a right to myself, drawing on every emotional and intellectual tool at my disposal to make the decision Paul made. When I do, when I come to the decision to identify myself with Christ’s death, everything that Christ won on the cross is realized in me. By freely committing myself to God, I allow the Holy Spirit to impart to me the holiness of Jesus Christ.

“The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20). My individual life continues, but the wellspring of my character, my ruling disposition, is radically altered. My body remains as it was, but the satanic belief I used to have—the belief in my right to myself—is destroyed. Paul emphasizes that he is living this life “now.” It isn’t a life he plans to live one day; it’s the life he’s living “in the body”—the body that other people can see. This body bears witness to the life of Christ within it: “And I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (v. 20).

Joshua 7-9; Luke 1:21-38

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

A fanatic is one who entrenches himself in invincible ignorance.

Baffled to Fight Better, 59 R

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Friday, March 21, 2025

THE "BUSY" CLUB - #9965

When someone in our house felt overworked or unfairly overloaded, sometimes you'd hear them say, kiddingly I think, "Hey, I thought Lincoln freed the slaves!" Well, actually, I think the members of our family might have been right about all of us. We do need an update on that Emancipation Proclamation. In fact, you might be surprised who the slaves are today, and the slave master. Spiritually, that is. The slaves are nice people, successful people - maybe someone like you.

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

Now, our word for today from the Word of God is found in Deuteronomy 5. I'm going to read from verse 12. Now, this is the second time around to a new generation of Jews that the Ten Commandments are given. In the original Ten Commandments it said that you are to keep the Sabbath Day holy - a day of rest. But notice there is a new addition this time - I'll read it to you.

"Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy as the Lord your God has commanded you." Now, that's pretty much the same as the first time around in Exodus 20. "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant..."

Now, this sort of closes up the loophole, saying, "Okay, I won't work, I'll just get the other guys to do it." It goes on to say, "no, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals." Now, just in case you had a visitor in the house and you were going to have him mow the lawn for you, it says, "not the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore, the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day."

Now, get this command here. He talks about our working life, he acknowledges that we are going to be working much or most of the time, but then He says, "It is my commandment that you get regular rest and regular worship during that time. Then He goes back to the subject of slavery. He says, "There was a time, my people, when you had no choice about working all the time. You were slaves then. There was a time when you had to work without rest, but now you can choose, and I want you to choose regularly, on a weekly basis, to stop and rest and stop all the busyness around you and bring it to a halt.

Now He's saying, "Don't lose your priorities now that you can choose to rest." You know, in our world today we are like all accelerator and no brakes. We're living lives without Sabbaths. They're supposed to be part of the created order of God. Think about your own life - the rat race, the gerbil wheel you run on. Your times off maybe are getting farther apart, they're shorter. Your family is beginning to feel your absence because you've been running to work so much. You've piled one commitment on top of another, so you can't ever stop. And you've got so many competing commitments, there's just no time to rest. There's little time left just to crash, to play, to laugh, to think, to meet your Lord. You're not doing your work - you are your work.

Stand back, would you? There's a better way to live with regular rest as ordained by Almighty God. Otherwise, the implication is, you're a slave. You're a slave to your work. Don't live in violation of God's command to rest. The alternative is slavery. And remember, Jesus freed the slaves.

Job 22, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: THE GIANT OF GRIEF - March 20, 2025

After the wife of C.S. Lewis died he wrote, “Her absence is like the sky, spread over everything.” Just when you think the beast of grief is gone, you pass a restaurant where the two of you used to eat, or you hear a song she loved. And the giant of grief keeps stirring up. You see couples and long for your mate. You see parents with kids and yearn for your child. The giant stirs up insomnia, loss of appetite, even thoughts of suicide. Grief is not a mental illness, but it sure feels like one sometimes.

Jesus understands. Next to the tomb of his dear friend, “Jesus wept.” And in his tears we find permission to shed our own. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 7:3 (NLT), “Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us.” Face your grief. Permit yourself tears. God understands, and he will get you through this.

Facing Your Giants: God Still Does the Impossible

Job 22

ELIPHAZ ATTACKS JOB—THE THIRD ROUND

Come to Terms with God

1–11  22 Once again Eliphaz the Temanite took up his theme:

“Are any of us strong enough to give God a hand,

or smart enough to give him advice?

So what if you were righteous—would God Almighty even notice?

Even if you gave a perfect performance, do you think he’d applaud?

Do you think it’s because he cares about your purity

that he’s disciplining you, putting you on the spot?

Hardly! It’s because you’re a first-class moral failure,

because there’s no end to your sins.

When people came to you for help,

you took the shirts off their backs, exploited their helplessness.

You wouldn’t so much as give a drink to the thirsty,

or food, not even a scrap, to the hungry.

And there you sat, strong and honored by everyone,

surrounded by immense wealth!

You turned poor widows away from your door;

heartless, you crushed orphans.

Now you’re the one trapped in terror, paralyzed by fear.

Suddenly the tables have turned!

How do you like living in the dark, sightless,

up to your neck in flood waters?

12–14  “You agree, don’t you, that God is in charge?

He runs the universe—just look at the stars!

Yet you dare raise questions: ‘What does God know?

From that distance and darkness, how can he judge?

He roams the heavens wrapped in clouds,

so how can he see us?’

15–18  “Are you going to persist in that tired old line

that wicked men and women have always used?

Where did it get them? They died young,

flash floods sweeping them off to their doom.

They told God, ‘Get lost!

What good is God Almighty to us?’

And yet it was God who gave them everything they had.

It’s beyond me how they can carry on like this!

19–20  “Good people see bad people crash, and call for a celebration.

Relieved, they crow,

‘At last! Our enemies—wiped out.

Everything they had and stood for is up in smoke!’

21–25  “Give in to God, come to terms with him

and everything will turn out just fine.

Let him tell you what to do;

take his words to heart.

Come back to God Almighty

and he’ll rebuild your life.

Clean house of everything evil.

Relax your grip on your money

and abandon your gold-plated luxury.

God Almighty will be your treasure,

more wealth than you can imagine.

26–30  “You’ll take delight in God, the Mighty One,

and look to him joyfully, boldly.

You’ll pray to him and he’ll listen;

he’ll help you do what you’ve promised.

You’ll decide what you want and it will happen;

your life will be bathed in light.

To those who feel low you’ll say, ‘Chin up! Be brave!’

and God will save them.

Yes, even the guilty will escape,

escape through God’s grace in your life.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Thursday, March 20, 2025

by Tim Gustafson

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

John 16:16-24

  “In a day or so you’re not going to see me, but then in another day or so you will see me.”

Joy Like a River Overflowing

17–18  That stirred up a hornet’s nest of questions among the disciples: “What’s he talking about: ‘In a day or so you’re not going to see me, but then in another day or so you will see me’? And, ‘Because I’m on my way to the Father’? What is this ‘day or so’? We don’t know what he’s talking about.”

19–20  Jesus knew they were dying to ask him what he meant, so he said, “Are you trying to figure out among yourselves what I meant when I said, ‘In a day or so you’re not going to see me, but then in another day or so you will see me’? Then fix this firmly in your minds: You’re going to be in deep mourning while the godless world throws a party. You’ll be sad, very sad, but your sadness will develop into gladness.

21–23  “When a woman gives birth, she has a hard time, there’s no getting around it. But when the baby is born, there is joy in the birth. This new life in the world wipes out memory of the pain. The sadness you have right now is similar to that pain, but the coming joy is also similar. When I see you again, you’ll be full of joy, and it will be a joy no one can rob from you. You’ll no longer be so full of questions.

23–24  “This is what I want you to do: Ask the Father for whatever is in keeping with the things I’ve revealed to you. Ask in my name, according to my will, and he’ll most certainly give it to you. Your joy will be a river overflowing its banks!

Today's Insights

The Upper Room Discourse (John 14-16) is the main teaching focus of John’s gospel. The night before Jesus went to the cross, He was preparing His disciples for His crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and return. He told them that their “grief [would] turn to joy” (John 16:20). One of the main features of Jesus’ teaching in these chapters is the promise of the coming Holy Spirit—Christ’s provision for His people after His departure. This promise was eventually fulfilled on the day of Pentecost (see Acts 2), some ten days after Jesus’ ascension to heaven when the Spirit came to indwell believers in Christ.

Joy in Jesus

Your grief will turn to joy . . . and no one will take away your joy. John 16:20, 22

“I have the right to be happy,” said a teenager as she spoke before a legislature. Yet she could have been anyone, anywhere, speaking for everybody. It’s our human cry. One self-help guru even said, “God wants you to be happy.”

Is that true? It’s not wrong to pursue happiness. That desirable state of mind, however, ebbs and flows with our moment-by-moment circumstances, and the fulfillment of one person’s desires can crush the happiness of another.

Jesus points us to something better. He knew He was about to be nailed to a Roman cross, where He would bear the weight of the world’s sin. Yet His concern was for His disciples. He told them, “You will weep and mourn while the world rejoices.” But He also said, “Your grief will turn to joy” (John 16:20). Then He promised, “No one will take away your joy” (v. 22).

This kind of joy is more than a good feeling based on desirable things happening to us. It grows out of doing the will of our Father in heaven. Jesus also said, “Seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).

Happiness can slip away with the next unpleasant circumstance. The joy that comes from following Jesus can thrive despite those circumstances.

Reflect & Pray

How does chasing what you want ultimately leave you unhappy? What’s the difference between happiness and joy?

Dear Father, please teach me to learn the difference between temporary happiness and lasting joy.

For further study, read Jesus Is in the Room.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Thursday, March 20, 2025

Friendship with God

Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do? — Genesis 18:17

Chapter 18 of Genesis brings out the delights and difficulties of real friendship with God.

Its delights. Real friendship with God is different from occasionally sensing his presence in prayer. To have a real friendship with God is to be in such close contact with him that you never need to ask him to show you his will. It is to be nearing the final stage of the life of faith. When you are rightly related to God, life is full of liberty and delight: you are God’s will. Unless he tells you otherwise, your commonsense decisions are his will for you, decided in perfect friendship with him.

Its difficulties. In Genesis 18, Abraham begins to plead with God to spare Sodom, but he stops before receiving God’s final assurance (vv. 25–33). Why did Abraham stop praying when he did? He was not yet intimate enough with God to go boldly on until his desire was granted. There was something still lacking in their relationship. Whenever we stop short in prayer, there is another stage to go in friendship with God. We aren’t as intimate with God as Jesus was and as God wishes us to be.

What was the last thing you prayed about? Were you devoted to your desire or to God? Did you hope to get some gift of the Spirit, or to get at God himself? “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8). The point of asking is to get to know God better. “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). Keep praying in order to get a perfect understanding of God himself.

Joshua 4-6; Luke 1:1-20

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

Our danger is to water down God’s word to suit ourselves. God never fits His word to suit me; He fits me to suit His word.

Not Knowing Whither, 901 R

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Thursday, March 20, 2025

The Lasting Mark of Life's Mistakes - #9964

My daughter and I had not been back to that camp in the Tetons since she was a little girl, like five years old. We stayed there as a family way back then, because our good friends from college ran the camp. There she struck up a friendship with their five-year-old who's named Holly. Well, the camp has grown a lot over the years, and so have our daughters who are speeding through their lives.

It was kind of fun for them to see each other again and Holly took my daughter for a little private tour of a bunk house that was there some years ago when we were there. They had to bend down for what Holly wanted to show her. But there it was, still decorating the wood, in living Crayola color, Holly's name in red crayon and my daughter's in blue Crayon; both written in distinctive penmanship that five-year-olds have, and both still there after all these years.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Lasting Mark of Life's Mistakes."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Genesis 32, beginning at verse 24. Jacob has been having a wrestling match with someone who turns out to be divine. And verse 24 says, "Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak." Finally the fight ends when that man touches the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with that man.

Later, Jacob knows who he met there. He called the place Peniel, saying, "'It is because I saw God face-to-face, and yet my life was spared.' The sun rose above him as he had passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip." Jacob struggled with God. He'd actually wrestled with Him his whole life. But at this brook he goes for God's full blessing. God changes him from Jacob, the cheat, and He changes his name to Israel, Prince with God. The whole nation will be named after him. God forgives. God transforms Jacob, and He's still doing that with Jacobs today.

But even though the struggle with God was over, Jacob carried a life-long reminder of his struggle - the limp. The sin was forgiven, the man was changed, but as happens so often, he'd struggled with God and that left a mark on him the rest of his life.

Now, my daughter couldn't get over how long the marks had lasted for what she did many years ago. In a way, that's a picture of how sin is. Even though the sin is long behind us, long forgiven, often the consequences, the marks of our sin are there for years to come. Sin is cruel. You were once its slave, and you're free now but you still carry some of the scars of how your slave master treated you. You always will.

We need to remember what sin does, because those scars, those lasting consequences will deter us from leaving God's ways again. Now, forgiveness comes quickly when we bring our sin to the cross of Jesus, but it doesn't come cheaply; it cost Him his life. But the ready availability of forgiveness should not make us forget the sometimes continuing consequences of sin - the limp that is there long after our struggle with God is behind us.

I think of four Rs that explain some of the lasting marks of sin. Reputation - the damage to your reputation can last a long time. Regrets - there for years. Relationships that were damaged that are hard to repair. Recollection - the memories that just keep coming back. It's a sobering reminder to seriously count the cost before we take any spiritual detour.

The scars of our past aren't all bad. Not if they remind us to stay away from sin because of its price tag. And it's wonderful to know that God has forever erased those sins from His book. You say, "Well, Ron, I'm not sure I've ever had that happen." Well, have you ever, in your heart, gone to His cross and said, "Jesus, You're dying for my sins there."

If you've never put your life in His hands, do it now. You say, "Jesus, I'm yours." Our website is there to help you be sure you belong to Him. It's ANewStory.com.

And the next time sin looks enticing and interesting, let's not forget what our daughter was so graphically reminded of, staring at the marks she made so many years ago. The marks still remain long after what we did to make the marks is over.

Matthew 11, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: ONE MORE - March 19, 2025

The problem? You’ve handled, tolerated, done, forgiven, and taken until you don’t have one more “one more” in you! But be encouraged. 1 Samuel 30:6 describes six hundred men stoking their anger against David. But then it says, “David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” How essential that we learn to do the same.

Support systems don’t always support. Friends aren’t always friendly. Pastors can wander off base and churches get out of touch. When no one can help, we have to do what David does here. We have to strengthen ourselves in the Lord. Are you weary? Catch your breath. It’s okay to rest. Jesus fights when you cannot. You turn to him, and you find strength in your Lord.

Facing Your Giants: God Still Does the Impossible

Matthew 11

John the Baptizer

1  11 When Jesus finished placing this charge before his twelve disciples, he went on to teach and preach in their villages.

2–3  John, meanwhile, had been locked up in prison. When he got wind of what Jesus was doing, he sent his own disciples to ask, “Are you the One we’ve been expecting, or are we still waiting?”

4–6  Jesus told them, “Go back and tell John what’s going on:

The blind see,

The lame walk,

Lepers are cleansed,

The deaf hear,

The dead are raised,

The wretched of the earth learn that God is on their side.

“Is this what you were expecting? Then count yourselves most blessed!”

7–10  When John’s disciples left to report, Jesus started talking to the crowd about John. “What did you expect when you went out to see him in the wild? A weekend camper? Hardly. What then? A sheik in silk pajamas? Not in the wilderness, not by a long shot. What then? A prophet? That’s right, a prophet! Probably the best prophet you’ll ever hear. He is the prophet that Malachi announced when he wrote, ‘I’m sending my prophet ahead of you, to make the road smooth for you.’

11–14  “Let me tell you what’s going on here: No one in history surpasses John the Baptizer; but in the kingdom he prepared you for, the lowliest person is ahead of him. For a long time now people have tried to force themselves into God’s kingdom. But if you read the books of the Prophets and God’s Law closely, you will see them culminate in John, teaming up with him in preparing the way for the Messiah of the kingdom. Looked at in this way, John is the ‘Elijah’ you’ve all been expecting to arrive and introduce the Messiah.

15  “Are you listening to me? Really listening?

16–19  “How can I account for this generation? The people have been like spoiled children whining to their parents, ‘We wanted to skip rope, and you were always too tired; we wanted to talk, but you were always too busy.’ John came fasting and they called him crazy. I came feasting and they called me a lush, a friend of the riffraff. Opinion polls don’t count for much, do they? The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”

The Unforced Rhythms of Grace

20  Next Jesus let fly on the cities where he had worked the hardest but whose people had responded the least, shrugging their shoulders and going their own way.

21–24  “Doom to you, Chorazin! Doom, Bethsaida! If Tyre and Sidon had seen half of the powerful miracles you have seen, they would have been on their knees in a minute. At Judgment Day they’ll get off easy compared to you. And Capernaum! With all your peacock strutting, you are going to end up in the abyss. If the people of Sodom had had your chances, the city would still be around. At Judgment Day they’ll get off easy compared to you.”

25–26  Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: “Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You’ve concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that’s the way you like to work.”

27  Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. “The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I’m not keeping it to myself; I’m ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen.

28–30  “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

By Patricia Raybon

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Isaiah 61:1-3, 10-11

Announce Freedom to All Captives

1–7  61 The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me

because God anointed me.

He sent me to preach good news to the poor,

heal the heartbroken,

Announce freedom to all captives,

pardon all prisoners.

God sent me to announce the year of his grace—

a celebration of God’s destruction of our enemies—

and to comfort all who mourn,

To care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion,

give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes,

Messages of joy instead of news of doom,

a praising heart instead of a languid spirit.

Rename them “Oaks of Righteousness”

planted by God to display his glory.

  I will sing for joy in God,

explode in praise from deep in my soul!

He dressed me up in a suit of salvation,

he outfitted me in a robe of righteousness,

As a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedo

and a bride a jeweled tiara.

For as the earth bursts with spring wildflowers,

and as a garden cascades with blossoms,

So the Master, God, brings righteousness into full bloom

and puts praise on display before the nations.

Today's Insights

In the synagogue of Nazareth (Luke 4:16-19), Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah portions of what we know as Isaiah 61. Isaiah’s prophecy was perfectly fulfilled in Christ (Luke 4:21). Prior to this, the Holy Spirit had descended upon Christ (3:22). He was full of the Spirit and was empowered by Him (4:1,14). Other passages in Isaiah likewise speak of the Spirit as the unique garment of Christ (God’s anointed, His designated ruler). One such passage is Isaiah 11:2-3: “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.” While Jesus donned the Spirit uniquely and perfectly (see John 3:34), those who belong to Christ are similarly dressed

Dressed by the Holy Spirit

He has sent me . . . to bestow on them . . . a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. Isaiah 61:1-3

Two eight-year-old boys in Maine—a rural American state—made their mark by wearing business suits to school on Wednesdays. Soon “Dapper Wednesdays” became a favorite day, as other classmates and school staff dressed up too. James, who launched the idea, loved hearing compliments. “It just made my heart feel really good.” Their Wednesday attire set the kids apart as proud students of their school.

Our spiritual clothing, which sets us apart as God’s own, gladdens our hearts too. “My soul rejoices in my God,” said Isaiah, “for he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels” (Isaiah 61:10).

As the Israelites went into exile, their clothing—spiritual and material—was threadbare and worn. Isaiah offered them a hopeful promise: God’s Spirit would “bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair” (v. 3).

The same promise rests on God’s people today. Jesus said that by His Spirit we would be “clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). Christ provides us with a wardrobe of “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12). Clothed by Him, we reflect His love to the world.

Reflect & Pray

How does God’s Spirit help you “dress” in compassion, kindness, and patience? How are others affected by your Spirit-led behavior?

When I wear worldly values, dear God, please change my spiritual clothing.

Discover biblical insights on walking in step with the Spirit.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

The Faith of Abraham

By faith Abraham . . . obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. — Hebrews 11:8

In the Old Testament, people demonstrated a close, personal relationship with God by separating themselves physically from friends, family, and home. Abraham “obeyed and went,” leaving everything behind. Today, the separation God asks of us is more of a mental and moral separation. We must maintain a radically different mindset from those who do not have a personal relationship with him, even if they happen to be our nearest and dearest. “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother,” Jesus said, “such a person cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26).

As disciples, we are called to walk by faith. Faith never knows where it is being led, but it knows and loves the One who is leading. It is a life of faith, not of intellect and reason. It is a life of knowing the One who sends us out. The root of faith is knowledge of a person—Jesus Christ himself. One of the biggest traps we fall into is the idea that God will surely lead us to worldly success. He will surely lead us into a personal relationship with Jesus. That is his measure of success.

The final stage of the life of faith is the development of our character. There are many moments in our walk with God when we feel our character being transformed. We might feel God’s blessings wrap around us when we pray, and for a moment we are changed. Then we go back to the ordinary days and ways and the sense of glory vanishes. The life of faith isn’t a life of mounting up with wings but a life of walking and not fainting (Isaiah 40:31). It isn’t a question of sanctification but of something infinitely greater: of faith that has been tried and has stood the test. This was the faith of Abraham, a tried-and-tested faith built on a real God. “Abram believed the Lord” (Genesis 15:6).

Joshua 1-3; Mark 16

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

It is impossible to read too much, but always keep before you why you read. Remember that “the need to receive, recognize, and rely on the Holy Spirit” is before all else.

Approved Unto God, 11 L

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

The Power To Really Change Things - #9963

My friend was an executive at a Bible distribution society, and he told me about one of their workers in Zimbabwe. His name was Gabriel. What a great name for a man distributing Bibles, huh? Their policy was to sell their Bibles for a small price so people would value them. The problem they encountered was that some people were actually using the thin paper of those Bibles to make cigarettes! In fact, one potential customer actually said to Gabriel, "I'll take one of your Bibles, but if I do, I'll smoke it."

Gabriel gave an angelic response. He said, "That's OK, if you promise to read it before you smoke it." The man promised. When Gabriel saw the man several months later, he asked him about the Bible. The man said, "Well, I read Matthew, and I smoked it. I read Mark - smoked it. I read Luke, and I smoked it. And then I read John 3:16, and I haven't smoked since!"

I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Power to Really Change Things."

John 3:16, of course, is that wonderful revelation that "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son so that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life." And that simple Gospel of God's love and the sacrifice of His Son for our sins has transformed so many people's lives over the years, including mine; including that man in Africa.

You and I are living at a time and in a world where there are a lot of battles to fight: pornography, abortion, media violence, racism, false religions and spiritualities, things that threaten the family, all kinds of sinful lifestyles. The list goes on and on. And it's important to stand for God's standards, God's values, and God's boundaries no matter what the culture is saying. But it's important to do it lovingly.

We need to remember, though, that there is only one weapon that really changes things, that changes people, that changes a culture. God talks about it in our word for today from the Word of God from Romans 1, in some verses that begin in verse 9. Paul talks about "God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the Gospel of His Son... I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes... for in the Gospel, a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith. "

Now, God says His salvation, His righteousness - the only transformers that really change things - come through "the preaching of the Gospel." Just look at Gabriel's African friend. He didn't stop smoking because of a campaign against smoking; he was changed by coming face-to-face with Jesus Christ! That Gospel is still, along with prayer, the most powerful life-changing, family-changing, marriage-changing, world-changing force on earth! Because it changes people from the inside out!

The early Christians knew the power was in the Gospel. Their culture was more depraved than ours, and their weapon of choice was not politics or programs or protests. It was presenting Jesus' cross and His empty tomb! Dictators across the centuries have known the power that's in the Gospel. That's why they have done everything in their power to shut it down. They understand its power to undermine the most powerful forces of darkness on earth.

Now, complacency in an ever-darkening world is unacceptable. We need to take a stand in love. But we need to lead with the only weapon that really has the power to change things - the explosive story of Jesus Christ and His cross and His resurrection. That's where the power is. That's where the change will come from. It's the only weapon of which the Bible says, "It is the power of God." The Gospel of Jesus Christ! And it's yours to share with people you love.

Spend yourself - spend what you have to get that life-giving message into the hearts of the dying men and women that you know!

Job 21, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: STAY IN THE RACE - March 18, 2025

Don’t give up! In 1952 Florence Chadwick attempted to swim the ocean waters between Catalina Island and the California shore, through foggy weather and choppy seas. After fifteen hours her muscles began to cramp and her resolve began to weaken. She begged to be taken out of the water. But her mother, riding in a boat alongside, urged her not to give up. She kept trying but grew exhausted. Aids lifted her out of the water. As they paddled a few more minutes, the mist broke, and she discovered shore was less than a half mile away. She said, “All I could see was the fog. I think if I could’ve seen the shore, I would’ve made it.”

Friend, don’t give up. The finish may be only strokes away. God may, at this very moment, be lifting his hand to signal Gabriel to grab the trumpet. The shore is closer than you thought. Stay at it! Stay in the race. And don’t give up.

Facing Your Giants: God Still Does the Impossible

Job 21

JOB’S RESPONSE

Why Do the Wicked Have It So Good?

1–3  21 Job replied:

“Now listen to me carefully, please listen,

at least do me the favor of listening.

Put up with me while I have my say—

then you can mock me later to your heart’s content.

4–16  “It’s not you I’m complaining to—it’s God.

Is it any wonder I’m getting fed up with his silence?

Take a good look at me. Aren’t you appalled by what’s happened?

No! Don’t say anything. I can do without your comments.

When I look back, I go into shock,

my body is racked with spasms.

Why do the wicked have it so good,

live to a ripe old age and get rich?

They get to see their children succeed,

get to watch and enjoy their grandchildren.

Their homes are peaceful and free from fear;

they never experience God’s disciplining rod.

Their bulls breed with great vigor

and their cows calve without fail.

They send their children out to play

and watch them frolic like spring lambs.

They make music with fiddles and flutes,

have good times singing and dancing.

They have a long life on easy street,

and die painlessly in their sleep.

They say to God, ‘Get lost!

We’ve no interest in you or your ways.

Why should we have dealings with God Almighty?

What’s there in it for us?’

But they’re wrong, dead wrong—they’re not gods.

It’s beyond me how they can carry on like this!

17–21  “Still, how often does it happen that the wicked fail,

or disaster strikes,

or they get their just deserts?

How often are they blown away by bad luck?

Not very often.

You might say, ‘God is saving up the punishment for their children.’

I say, ‘Give it to them right now so they’ll know what they’ve done!’

They deserve to experience the effects of their evil,

feel the full force of God’s wrath firsthand.

What do they care what happens to their families

after they’re safely tucked away in the grave?

Fancy Funerals with All the Trimmings

22–26  “But who are we to tell God how to run his affairs?

He’s dealing with matters that are way over our heads.

Some people die in the prime of life,

with everything going for them—

fat and sassy.

Others die bitter and bereft,

never getting a taste of happiness.

They’re laid out side by side in the cemetery,

where the worms can’t tell one from the other.

27–33  “I’m not deceived. I know what you’re up to,

the plans you’re cooking up to bring me down.

Naively you claim that the castles of tyrants fall to pieces,

that the achievements of the wicked collapse.

Have you ever asked world travelers how they see it?

Have you not listened to their stories

Of evil men and women who got off scot-free,

who never had to pay for their wickedness?

Did anyone ever confront them with their crimes?

Did they ever have to face the music?

Not likely—they’re given fancy funerals

with all the trimmings,

Gently lowered into expensive graves,

with everyone telling lies about how wonderful they were.

34  “So how do you expect me to get any comfort from your nonsense?

Your so-called comfort is a tissue of lies.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

by Lisa M. Samra

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Exodus 31:1-11

Bezalel and Oholiab

1–5  31 God spoke to Moses: “See what I’ve done; I’ve personally chosen Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur of the tribe of Judah. I’ve filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him skill and know-how and expertise in every kind of craft to create designs and work in gold, silver, and bronze; to cut and set gemstones; to carve wood—he’s an all-around craftsman.

6–11  “Not only that, but I’ve given him Oholiab, son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan, to work with him. And to all who have an aptitude for crafts I’ve given the skills to make all the things I’ve commanded you: the Tent of Meeting, the Chest of The Testimony and its Atonement-Cover, all the implements for the Tent, the Table and its implements, the pure Lampstand and all its implements, the Altar of Incense, the Altar of Whole-Burnt-Offering and all its implements, the Washbasin and its base, the official vestments, the holy vestments for Aaron the priest and his sons in their priestly duties, the anointing oil, and the aromatic incense for the Holy Place—they’ll make everything just the way I’ve commanded you.”

Today's Insights

God told Pharaoh to “let my people go, so that they may worship me” (Exodus 7:16; 8:1, 20; 9:1, 13; 10:3). Two months after leaving Egypt, the Israelites encamped at the base of Mount Sinai (19:1-2) where God gave His people the law (chs. 20-24) and instructions on how they were to live, worship, and serve Him (chs. 25-31). The tabernacle, built according to God’s exact blueprint, was His dwelling place—“a holy sanctuary so [he could] live among [his people]” (25:8 nlt). God appointed two master craftsmen, Bezalel and Oholiab, and gave them special abilities to lead the work and teach other craftsmen and artisans (31:1-6; see 35:30-34). God also endowed others with enhanced skills to accomplish the work (31:6-11; see 35:35–36:2).

God-Given Skills and Talents

I have filled [Bezalel] with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills—to make artistic designs. Exodus 31:3-4

Some of the most famous pianists in the world, including Van Cliburn and Vladimir Horowitz, relied on Franz Mohr, chief concert technician at Steinway & Sons in New York, to ensure that their concert pianos were ready for performances. A master piano tuner, Mohr was sought after for his intricate knowledge of pianos and great skill developed over decades. Mohr believed his skills were an avenue to serve God, and he regularly shared his faith with pianists and performance staff.

When the nation of Israel was preparing to build the tent of meeting and other items necessary for worship, they needed individuals with expert skills (Exodus 31:7-11). God appointed two skilled artisans, Bezalel and Oholiab, to do the work and filled them with the “Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills—to make artistic designs” (vv. 3-4). In addition to their specialized skills, God empowered them with His Spirit to guide their work. Their willingness to use their unique talents in service to God allowed the Israelites to appropriately worship Him.

Whether or not we consider ourselves artistic, each of us has unique, God-given gifts that we can use to serve others (Romans 12:6). Empowered by the Spirit, we can serve and worship God through our work using the wisdom, understanding, and skills He’s given us.

Reflect & Pray

What are some of the talents God’s given you? How might you use them to serve Him?

Heavenly Father, please remind me that the abilities You’ve given me are to be a holy offering.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Perfecting Holiness

Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves . . . perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. — 2 Corinthians 7:1

Have I recognized that God, through his promises, has a claim on me? We delight in God’s promises to us and count on their fulfillment, and it is right that we should. But Paul reminds us that this is only the human side of the equation. The divine side is that God wishes us to become pure and holy out of reverence to him.

Have I understood that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit? Or do I have a habit that obviously can’t stand the light of God upon it? Through sanctification, the Son of God is formed inside me, but the story doesn’t end there. I must transform my natural, physical life into a spiritual life through obedience. God educates us down to the scruple, examining every aspect of our character. Keep yourself clean in your daily walk, and when God begins his inspection, rid yourself at once of any impurity his gaze reveals. The goal is to bring yourself, in both body and spirit, into perfect harmony with the nature of God.

Are my thoughts and outlook in perfect agreement with the Spirit inside me? Or am I intellectually defiant? Am I forming the mind of Christ and obeying God? Jesus never spoke of his right to himself. Rather, he maintained an inner watchfulness, continually submitting his spirit to his Father. I too have the responsibility of keeping my spirit in agreement with the Lord’s Spirit. If I do, then by degrees Jesus will lift me up to where he lived—in perfect consecration to his Father’s will, paying no attention to anything else.

Am I perfecting this kind of holiness in the fear of God? Is God getting his way with me? Are other people seeing more and more evidence of him in my life? Be serious with God and happily leave the rest alone. Literally, put God first.

Deuteronomy 32-34; Mark 15:26-47

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

To read the Bible according to God’s providential order in your circumstances is the only way to read it, viz., in the blood and passion of personal life.

Disciples Indeed, 387 R

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Your Light in a Dark Night - #9962

My wife was like a human camera. She was able to record in her mind life experiences in living color and in full detail. I wish I could do it! And growing up on a little farm in the hills gave her a childhood full of memorable memories.

For example, on wintry nights her parents would go out to the barn to milk the cows and they had a lantern in their hand because they didn't have any electricity. And their house was in a hollow in the woods where the darkness was really dark. So my wife kept watching the lantern. She remembers one time when she heard people talking about a panther in the area. That's what a little girl wants to hear, right? And the adult said that you would know the panther was around when you heard its sound, and it would be like the scream of a woman.

One particular night she stood there with one hand on the screen door of the house and the other hand on her tiny little sister waiting for her parents to come back from the barn, watching that lantern. That's when she heard it; the screams of the panther. Well, you can only imagine the rush of thoughts in a little girl's mind; the fears racing through her little mind. But my wife said, "I knew my parents were okay as long as that light was steady. I just kept watching that lantern for a steady light."

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Your Light in a Dark Night."

Now, at one time or another in our life we have all been that little girl in the door of that farmhouse. It's dark; it's scary and something you fear seems close. It may be that kind of time in your life right now and you need a steady light to give you something you can count on in this darkness.

Well, there's our word for today from the Word of God, John 8:12. Listen to what Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life." So, Jesus said, "I am the light." And Jesus is a sure guarantee, "If I am your light, you will never walk in darkness." He said He's the steady light we're looking for.

Now, you've lived long enough to probably have other lights let you down. Right? The people who were going to be there for you? The light went out. A job you could count on is suddenly gone. A religion that maybe it met your needs but at the time when you needed answers the most, it just couldn't deliver. And now maybe in a dark place, Jesus - the light - stands before you and He's beckoning, He's extending His invitation, "Follow Me." "Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" He said.

See, those who commit their lives to Jesus Christ live under this wonderful promise, "I will never leave you or forsake you." When no one else can do it, Jesus is there. When the situation is bigger than you are, the Son of God is bigger than the situation is. When earth has no answers, Jesus will lead you through the confusion and the hurt. But you can't see it right now as long as there's a wall between you and Him. That wall separates you and it's what the Bible calls sin. You don't have any power to remove it.

But in the words of the Bible, "While we were still sinners..." In other words, while the wall was still there, "Christ died for us." He died so He could tear down your sin-wall by paying your death penalty for you running your own life. And now He waits for you to say, "Jesus, I'm putting my total trust in You to rescue me from my sin, from the penalty of my sin."

Have you ever reached out to Him in that way? Have you ever had a time when you grabbed Jesus like a drowning person would grab a lifeguard and say, "Jesus, you're my only hope"? If you've never done that, you want to be sure you belong to Him finally. Would you go to our website? It's ANewStory.com and right there I will show you how you can be sure you belong to Him.

And then you're not going to walk alone through the dark ever again. That dark and scary night on that little farm, that little girl found security because she could see a steady light out there. And there's one waiting for you. That security is Jesus Christ, our ever-living Savior. Follow His light and you will always be safe.

Job 20, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: SEEK HEALTHY COUNSEL - March 17, 2025

The next time you lack the will to go on, seek healthy counsel. You won’t want to. Slumping people love slumping people. We love those who commiserate and avoid those who correct. Yet correction and direction are what we need when we’re tired.

I discovered the importance of healthy counsel in a half-Ironman triathlon. After the 1.2-mile swim and the 56-mile bike ride, I didn’t have much energy left for the 13.1 mile run. Neither did the fellow jogging next to me.  He said, “This stinks. This is the dumbest decision I’ve ever made.” I said, “Good-bye!” I knew if I listened too long, I’d start agreeing with him. I caught up with a sixty-six-year-old grandmother who said, “You’ll finish this—stay in there!”

Which of the two describes the counsel you seek? Proverbs 15:22 (MSG) says, “Refuse good advice and watch your plans fail; take good counsel and watch them succeed.” Don’t give up, and get some good advice!

Facing Your Giants: God Still Does the Impossible

Job 20

ZOPHAR ATTACKS JOB—THE SECOND ROUND

Savoring Evil as a Delicacy

1–3  20 Zophar from Naamath again took his turn:

“I can’t believe what I’m hearing!

You’ve put my teeth on edge, my stomach in a knot.

How dare you insult my intelligence like this!

Well, here’s a piece of my mind!

4–11  “Don’t you even know the basics,

how things have been since the earliest days,

when Adam and Eve were first placed on earth?

The good times of the wicked are short-lived;

godless joy is only momentary.

The evil might become world famous,

strutting at the head of the celebrity parade,

But still end up in a pile of dung.

Acquaintances look at them with disgust and say, ‘What’s that?’

They fly off like a dream that can’t be remembered,

like a shadowy illusion that vanishes in the light.

Though once notorious public figures, now they’re nobodies,

unnoticed, whether they come or go.

Their children will go begging on skid row,

and they’ll have to give back their ill-gotten gain.

Right in the prime of life,

and youthful and vigorous, they’ll die.

12–19  “They savor evil as a delicacy,

roll it around on their tongues,

Prolong the flavor, a dalliance in decadence—

real gourmets of evil!

But then they get stomach cramps,

a bad case of food poisoning.

They gag on all that rich food;

God makes them vomit it up.

They gorge on evil, make a diet of that poison—

a deadly diet—and it kills them.

No quiet picnics for them beside gentle streams

with fresh-baked bread and cheese, and tall, cool drinks.

They spit out their food half-chewed,

unable to relax and enjoy anything they’ve worked for.

And why? Because they exploited the poor,

took what never belonged to them.

20–29  “Such God-denying people are never content with what they have or who they are;

their greed drives them relentlessly.

They plunder everything

but they can’t hold on to any of it.

Just when they think they have it all, disaster strikes;

they’re served up a plate full of misery.

When they’ve filled their bellies with that,

God gives them a taste of his anger,

and they get to chew on that for a while.

As they run for their lives from one disaster,

they run smack into another.

They’re knocked around from pillar to post,

beaten to within an inch of their lives.

They’re trapped in a house of horrors,

and see their loot disappear down a black hole.

Their lives are a total loss—

not a penny to their name, not so much as a bean.

God will strip them of their sin-soaked clothes

and hang their dirty laundry out for all to see.

Life is a complete wipeout for them,

nothing surviving God’s wrath.

There! That’s God’s blueprint for the wicked—

what they have to look forward to.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Monday, March 17, 2025

by John Blase

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Colossians 1:15-20

Christ Holds It All Together

15–18  We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.

18–20  He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.

Today's Insights

Colossians 1:15-20 has been abused by false teachers who attempt to claim that the Son of God is a created being. So, what does Paul mean when he says, “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (v. 15)? Did Jesus have a beginning? The immediate context provides the answer. “In him [the Son] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth . . . ; all things have been created through him and for him” (v. 16). The next verse says, “He is before all things” (v. 17). This makes it clear that the Son (Jesus the Messiah) wasn’t the first to be born among all created things, as some false teachers say. Rather, He is preexistent with the Father and hence was present at the creation of all things. The Creator isn’t a created being.

Making Peace in Jesus

God was pleased . . . to reconcile to himself all things . . . by making peace through [Christ’s] blood, shed on the cross. Colossians 1:19-20

High-wire artist Philippe Petit became famous in 1971 when he walked a tightrope between the towers of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Three years later, he got arrested for an unauthorized walk between the Twin Towers that once distinguished New York’s skyline. But in 1987, Petit’s walk looked different. At the invitation of Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek, Petit walked across the Hinnom Valley on a high wire as a part of that year’s Israel Festival. At the midway point, Petit released a pigeon (he’d hoped for a dove) to symbolize the beauty of peace. A strange and dangerous stunt, but all for the cause of peace. Petit later said, “For a moment, the entire crowd had forgotten their differences.”

Petit’s high-wire walk reminds me of another breathtaking moment—the one that occurred when Jesus’ body hung between heaven and earth. The apostle Paul tells us, “God was pleased . . . to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through [Christ’s] blood, shed on the cross” (Colossians 1:19-20). Paul writes that “once [we] were alienated from God” (v. 21), but no longer. Far from a spectacle to promote peace, Jesus the Messiah actually made peace by shedding His blood on the cross. His was a feat never to be surpassed, as there is no need. His peace is everlasting.

Reflect & Pray

What does the word peace mean to you? How would you say you’re experiencing the peace of Jesus?

Praise to You, dear Jesus, for Your everlasting gift of peace.

3 Ways to Practice Peace

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Monday, March 17, 2025

The Ruling Passion

We make it our goal to please him. — 2 Corinthians 5:9

Staying focused on the goal Paul sets in 2 Corinthians 5:9 is difficult work. It means holding ourselves, year in and year out, to the highest ideal: not the ideal of winning souls or establishing churches or ushering in revivals but the ideal of pleasing Jesus Christ. Failure in spiritual work isn’t caused by a lack of spiritual experience; it’s caused by a lack of effort to maintain the highest ideal.

At least once a week, take stock before God and see if you are keeping your life up to the standard he has set. The standard must be your ruling passion, your master ambition. Paul is like a musician who cares nothing about the approval of his audience—so long as he catches the look of approval from his master.

Follow a lesser ambition to its natural conclusion, and you will see why it is so necessary to live facing the Lord. Any ambition that is separated from the highest goal, even by the tiniest degree, may end in our disqualification. “Therefore,” Paul says, “I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:26–27). Paul was constantly watching himself, constantly keeping himself in line, lest he lose sight of the ideal.

I have to learn to relate everything to the master ambition, maintaining it at all times. My worth to God in public is what I am in private. Is my master ambition to please him and be acceptable to him, or is it something less, no matter how noble?

Deuteronomy 30-31; Mark 15:1-25

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

We begin our Christian life by believing what we are told to believe, then we have to go on to so assimilate our beliefs that they work out in a way that redounds to the glory of God. The danger is in multiplying the acceptation of beliefs we do not make our own.

Conformed to His Image, 381 L

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Monday, March 17, 2025

Bitterness vs. Blessing - #9961

I heard not long ago about a little boy who was trying to move this huge rock. He pulled, and he pushed, and grunted and strained, trying to move it with leverage from a board, but it was all to no avail. Finally his Dad said, "Son, have you used all your resources?" "Oh, yeah, Dad. I can't make it move! I've tried everything." And his Dad replied, "No, you haven't. You haven't asked me to help you yet."

Maybe you're at a point right now. Oh, you're not a little boy, but you've got a big rock that needs to move and you desperately need your father's help. But you're going it alone doing everything you can to move it. Well actually, there's something that keeps your Father right now from lifting that load of yours.

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

Our word for today from the Word of God is found in Hebrews 12:15. It starts out talking about a very sobering possibility. "See to it," the writer says, "that no one misses the grace of God." Man, there's a lot of things in your life that you could do without, but you cannot go without the grace of God. This says, "See that you don't miss God's grace."

Now, he's writing to believers here. This doesn't mean you don't become a Christian. It means that as a believer, you need God's grace but for some reason you don't have it. And maybe you're in a situation now like that little boy where you've got a big rock to move and the pressure is really heavy. And, well, maybe there's a family problem, or there's this financial boulder to move, you've got medical responsibilities, whatever is crushing you right now. But God's grace is supposed to be sufficient, right? What happened? Why is this so hard? Well, maybe you're missing the grace of God. How do you do that?

Well, listen to the second half of the verse: "and see to it that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." Wow! Think about what this verse is saying.

Bitterness blocks the grace of God. Your Father is not going to help you lift that rock if there is bitterness in your heart. Now, you may not realize it, you may not call it that, but bitterness has taken root. You've been under all this pressure, and maybe you're angry and you're resentful toward a family member because of their part in your frustration. Maybe you've got bad feelings that have grown toward a teacher, an employer, a coworker who is making your life miserable. Maybe you're even bitter toward God because you don't understand what He's doing or why He's waiting. There's somebody in your past, and they're just running your life basically because you can't stop thinking about what they did to you and how you feel toward them.

Somewhere, maybe, there's this boiling anger inside, and like a great cloud that suddenly blocks out the sun, your bitterness is blocking the grace of God just when you need it most. Ironically, you've never needed God's strength, and His closeness, and His peace more than you do now. This rock is too heavy for you, but your prayer seems hollow and you feel so alone, even at the breaking point. Maybe it's because you've got some forgiving to do, some letting go of a hurt, trusting God to meet out justice to make things right.

Your Father is standing there ready to help as only He can, but you've got to release that bitterness that's making your burden so much heavier. Why carry that load too? Your Father wants to trade your bitterness for His amazing grace.

Matthew 10:21-42, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Courage

“And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their threats nor be troubled. I Peter 3:13-14”

On April 18, 2007, three Christians in Turkey were killed for their beliefs. Necati Aydin, a 35 year-old pastor was one of them.

He nearly didn’t go the office that morning. He’d been traveling and his wife, Semse, wanted him to stay home and rest. He admitted his weariness, but went on to work. There was much to be done. Semse recalls, “As my dear husband walked out the door, he smiled at me one last time. I didn’t know that was the last smile.”

Later that morning, attackers came to Necati Aydin’s office insisting he pray: “There is no God except Allah!” When Necati refused, the torture began. The last word from the office was the cry of an unswerving Christian: Messiah! Messiah!

I ponder the martyrs of Malatya and wonder, Would I make the sacrifice? Would I cry out, “Messiah! Messiah! Would I give my life?

How do we prepare? Linger long and often in the presence of Christ. Meditate on his grace. Ponder his love. Memorize his words.

Courage comes as we live with Jesus!

Matthew 10:21-42

“When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! But don’t quit. Don’t cave in. It is all well worth it in the end. It is not success you are after in such times but survival. Be survivors! Before you’ve run out of options, the Son of Man will have arrived.

24–25  “A student doesn’t get a better desk than her teacher. A laborer doesn’t make more money than his boss. Be content—pleased, even—when you, my students, my harvest hands, get the same treatment I get. If they call me, the Master, ‘Dungface,’ what can the workers expect?

26–27  “Don’t be intimidated. Eventually everything is going to be out in the open, and everyone will know how things really are. So don’t hesitate to go public now.

28  “Don’t be bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.

Forget About Yourself

29–31  “What’s the price of a pet canary? Some loose change, right? And God cares what happens to it even more than you do. He pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don’t be intimidated by all this bully talk. You’re worth more than a million canaries.

32–33  “Stand up for me against world opinion and I’ll stand up for you before my Father in heaven. If you turn tail and run, do you think I’ll cover for you?

34–37  “Don’t think I’ve come to make life cozy. I’ve come to cut—make a sharp knife-cut between son and father, daughter and mother, bride and mother-in-law—cut through these cozy domestic arrangements and free you for God. Well-meaning family members can be your worst enemies. If you prefer father or mother over me, you don’t deserve me. If you prefer son or daughter over me, you don’t deserve me.

38–39  “If you don’t go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.

40–42  “We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent me. Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God’s messenger. Accepting someone’s help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I’ve called you into, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. It’s best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won’t lose out on a thing.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Sunday, March 16, 2025

by Kirsten Holmberg

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.

Today's Insights

Mount Sinai was the site of at least two great encounters with God in the Old Testament. In today’s reading (Exodus 20), we see Moses and the children of Israel encountering God and His mighty power. They’d spend about a year there before resuming their journey from slavery in Egypt to the freedom of the promised land. The other great encounter was when Elijah fled Jezebel and ended up at Mount Horeb, which many scholars are convinced was the same place as Sinai. There, God renewed Elijah’s mission and encouraged him with His own presence and care (1 Kings 19:8-13). Interestingly, these two leaders (Moses and Elijah) would meet with Jesus on another mountain in the New Testament (Luke 9:28-36) at Christ’s transfiguration, a part of His preparation for His coming suffering. The timing of that preparation is significant because in Luke 9:51 “Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem” where those sufferings awaited Him.

Intervals of Rest

In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth . . . but he rested on the seventh day. Exodus 20:11

Running coach Jeff Galloway, a former Olympian, teaches a marathon training protocol that has a counterintuitive component to it. New and experienced marathoners are often surprised to learn that he advocates a “run/walk” strategy: alternating running for a set number of minutes with short periods of walking. The premise behind his approach is that the brief interludes of walking enable the body to recuperate briefly, equipping runners to finish their races faster than if they had run all 26.2 miles straight through.

The importance of intervals of rest isn’t limited to running. Rest helps us sustain the lengthy effort life requires. It’s something God addresses throughout the Bible, starting in the book of Exodus. In the Old Testament, the rhythms of rest were modeled after God’s work at the time of creation: to labor for six days and then keep “the seventh day [as] a sabbath to the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:10) because God “made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day” (v. 11).

As believers in Jesus, there’s no definitive prescription for how often we’re to rest (Romans 14:5-6; Colossians 2:16-17). Rest—whenever and however we enjoy it—is meant to be restorative. Choosing to rest is also an expression of trust in God, who’s faithful to supply our needs; we needn’t (and can’t) run forever.

Reflect & Pray

How and when do you rest? How has God supplied your needs when you’ve rested as an expression of faith?

Father, thank You for giving me opportunities to trust You through rest.

Discover how trusting Him with your time can bring peace and renewal. Read more!

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Sunday, March 16, 2025

The Judgment Seat of Christ

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. — 2 Corinthians 5:10

Paul says that, no matter who we are, we must appear before the judgment seat of Christ. We tend to think of this moment of judgment as some far-off event, but it needn’t be. Right here and now, we can learn to live in the white light of Christ’s penetrating gaze. However difficult his judgment may be to face at first, it will eventually bring us delight, revealing all the wonderful work God has done inside us.

Keep yourself steadily before Christ’s judgment, and remember his command: “Do not judge” (Matthew 7:1). A wrong temper of mind about another soul will end in the spirit of the devil, no matter how saintly you are. One worldly judgment about another person, and the end of it will be hell inside you.

Whenever you are tempted to judge, drag the impulse at once to the light and say, “My God, I am guilty.” If you don’t, hardness will set in. It isn’t only God who punishes us for sin. Sin establishes itself in the sinner and pays the sinner back in full: the price is that, gradually, you become so used to sinning that you no longer recognize it as sin.

No amount of struggling or praying will enable us to stop sinning. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit to come in and set it right. “Walk in the light, as he is in the light” (1 John 1:7). Many of us think that walking in the light means walking according to the standard we’ve set for other people. That is not God’s standard. Walk in the light of the holiest you know—the Lord Jesus Christ—and let his judgment have its way with you.

Deuteronomy 28-29; Mark 14:54-72

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