Matthew 25:1-30, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: A LISTENING HEART - May 12, 2026

“Let he who has ears to hear, use them.” Eight times in the Gospels and eight times in the book of Revelation we are reminded that it’s not enough just to have ears—it’s necessary to use them.

Jesus spent regular time with God, praying and listening. Luke 5:16 (NIV) tells us, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” If Jesus, the Son of God, the sinless Savior of humankind, thought it worthwhile to clear his calendar to pray, wouldn’t we be wise to do the same? Jesus also spent regular time in God’s Word. Three times in the wilderness temptation he used the Word of God to repel the attack of Satan.

If we are to be just like Jesus, then we need to imitate his habits of prayer and Bible reading.

Just Like Jesus

Matthew 25:1-30

The Story of the Virgins

1–5 25 “God’s kingdom is like ten young virgins who took oil lamps and went out to greet the bridegroom. Five were silly and five were smart. The silly virgins took lamps, but no extra oil. The smart virgins took jars of oil to feed their lamps. The bridegroom didn’t show up when they expected him, and they all fell asleep.

6  “In the middle of the night someone yelled out, ‘He’s here! The bridegroom’s here! Go out and greet him!’

7–8  “The ten virgins got up and got their lamps ready. The silly virgins said to the smart ones, ‘Our lamps are going out; lend us some of your oil.’

9  “They answered, ‘There might not be enough to go around; go buy your own.’

10  “They did, but while they were out buying oil, the bridegroom arrived. When everyone who was there to greet him had gone into the wedding feast, the door was locked.

11  “Much later, the other virgins, the silly ones, showed up and knocked on the door, saying, ‘Master, we’re here. Let us in.’

12  “He answered, ‘Do I know you? I don’t think I know you.’

13  “So stay alert. You have no idea when he might arrive.

The Story About Investment

14–18  “It’s also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master’s investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master’s money.

19–21  “After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’

22–23  “The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master’s investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’

24–25  “The servant given one thousand said, ‘Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’

26–27  “The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.

28–30  “ ‘Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.’

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Tuesday, May 12, 2026

by Nancy Gavilanes

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

2 Timothy 2:14-19, 22-24

Repeat these basic essentials over and over to God’s people. Warn them before God against pious nitpicking, which chips away at the faith. It just wears everyone out. Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won’t be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple. Stay clear of pious talk that is only talk. Words are not mere words, you know. If they’re not backed by a godly life, they accumulate as poison in the soul. Hymenaeus and Philetus are examples, throwing believers off stride and missing the truth by a mile by saying the resurrection is over and done with.

19  Meanwhile, God’s firm foundation is as firm as ever, these sentences engraved on the stones:

god knows who belongs to him.

spurn evil, all you who name god as god.

22–26  Run away from infantile indulgence. Run after mature righteousness—faith, love, peace—joining those who are in honest and serious prayer before God. Refuse to get involved in inane discussions; they always end up in fights. God’s servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool, working firmly but patiently with those who refuse to obey. You never know how or when God might sober them up with a change of heart and a turning to the truth, enabling them to escape the Devil’s trap, where they are caught and held captive, forced to run his errands.

Today's Insights

In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, we find both the source and the purpose of the Scriptures: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” The words of the Bible have been breathed out by God, revealing Himself to us so that we might be completely equipped for serving Him. As we come to know who He is, we’re encouraged to love and serve Him with our whole hearts. This idea is underlined by Peter: “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever!” (2 Peter 3:18). As we mediate on the Scriptures, God will help us discern its truth and grow in our knowledge of Him.

Growing Our Knowledge of God

Present yourself to God, . . . a worker . . . who correctly handles the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

As soon as I jumped into the pool, my goggles filled with water, and I could barely see. Despite having no formal swimming instruction, I slowly persevered for the two laps of a race I had entered on a whim. Years later, after taking lessons and learning the proper breathing and swimming techniques, I enjoyed learning all four competitive swim strokes.

What a difference it makes when we have the proper training. The same applies to reading the Bible. When we understand the context and meaning of what we’re reading, we can properly apply it to our lives.

Paul wanted Timothy to stand firm in his faith, avoid quarrels, and not be deceived by false teachers. In his final letter, the apostle urged Timothy to study the Scriptures: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

As I learned and practiced proper swimming techniques, I became a better swimmer. In our spiritual walk, as we learn and understand the words and concepts in the Bible, we grow in our knowledge of God—enabling us to distinguish truth from falsehood and gain wisdom. As we read Scripture, let’s continue to grow “so that [we] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (3:17).

Reflect & Pray

How often do you read the Bible? What have you learned lately as you read Scripture?

Dear God, please help me to learn more about You through the Scriptures.

Deepen your understanding of God’s redemptive story.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Make a Habit of Having No Habits

For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. — 2 Peter 1:8

When we first begin to form a habit, we are highly aware of what we are doing. If we are cultivating habits of patience and godliness, we might consciously think, “Look at how patient and godly I’m being!” This kind of conscious awareness is a stage we must pass through. If we get stuck in it, we’ll become spiritual snobs.

Our spiritual life continually calls us to look within ourselves. When we do, we see that there are some qualities we’re still missing. Our god may be our little Christian habit—praying at bedtime or reading the Bible in the morning. “I can’t do that right now; it’s my hour with God,” you say. No, it’s your hour with your habit. Watch how the Father will upset these times if you begin to worship your habit instead of him. If this is the case in your life, recognize that there is a quality missing in you, and look for the opportunity to set things right.

The right thing to do with habits is to lose them in the life of the Lord, until every habit is so automatic that there is no awareness of it at all. Ultimately, the relationship between our souls and Christ should be very simple: it should be based on love. Love means that there is no detectable habit. You have come to the place where the habit has been lost in the bliss of unconscious devotion. If you are consciously holy, there are certain things you think you can’t do, certain places you feel you can’t go. The only supernatural life is the life the Lord Jesus lived, and Jesus was at home with God anywhere.

Where do you not feel at home with God? Let God press through in that place until you find him, and your life will become the simple life of the child.

2 Kings 15-16; John 3:1-18

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

God engineers circumstances to see what we will do. Will we be the children of our Father in heaven, or will we go back again to the meaner, common-sense attitude? Will we stake all and stand true to Him? “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” The crown of life means I shall see that my Lord has got the victory after all, even in me. 

The Highest Good—The Pilgrim’s Song Book, 530 L

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Mom Ears - #10260

Scripture:  Proverbs 14:1

Two words, but a valuable reminder about how important Mom is and why she is. I had occasion to stay at my son and daughter-in-law's house while I recovered from a painful injury. They set me up with a wonderful little "apartment" in their basement - recliner, remotes (of course), kitchenette. And like all the babies in our family, a night monitor. Now, I needed some help in the middle of the night, but I hadn't touched the pager. Suddenly, I hear my daughter-in-law's feet coming down the stairs. In my 3:00 AM haze, I said, "But how did you know?" She smiled and gave those two little words: "Mom ears."

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Mom Ears."

There's something a lot of us have to celebrate in the mother that God put in our life. Those Mom-ears who heard our silent cries over the years, who heard our need when others would only see our deed. Who heard the unspoken fears, the unspoken pain, and carried them to the throne of God. Sadly, mom-ears have also heard mean words that they didn't deserve, angry words that left a scar, rebellious words because we didn't want to hear what we now know was wisdom. But somehow, a Mom heart could reach for some of God's amazing grace, and forgive, even though wounded.

As a dad, I learned early how important it was for me to seek and respect what my wife heard in our kids, believe me. Those times when I got home and I was ready to drop a bomb on a disobedient child, she would intervene with "actionable intel" of what was going on behind the scenes in their life. I'm not sure moms fully know their massive power to define their child's life for better or worse.

Proverbs 31:26 says, "She speaks with wisdom on her tongue." And in a verse worth considering, our word for today from the Word of God in Proverbs 14:1 it says, "The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down."

Sure, I know moms who've turned their God-given Mom-ears to the seductive song of our world, "all about me." And their children languish under the awful cloud of "I'm not worth much. My Mom doesn't think so." Deafened moms can't hear themselves nagging, controlling, criticizing, diminishing - hoping to make a "super kid" and crushing them in the process.

The Mom-ears that have tended to miss their children's cries are those who stopped listening to the One who gave her those children. Psalm 127:3 says, "Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him." It's so easy to succumb to the selfie drumbeat of "my rights, my pleasure, my flourishing." And a sort of deafness can grow. Deaf to those quiet little cries in the night, the intuition to drop everything and listen to someone I love. The Heavenly Father's promptings as He (in the words of the Bible) "gently leads those who have young" (Isaiah 40:11).

But thank God many of us were blessed, not with a perfect mom, but with a mother whose ears truly heard us. If you have a mom with those wonderful "ears," would you tell her how her finely-tuned heart shaped your life and changed your life while you can.

If you're a Mom who wants to have better ears for your children, just know there's amazing power to do that. In the Jesus whose relentless love led Him to die for our sins, which are the great relationship-wreckers. There is no greater life-force on earth than a woman whose ears are always open to the voice of God and the voices of those she loves.

And for the one who listens to all this with little to celebrate - because your Mom really wasn't one - there is a higher hope. Because God has said, "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion for the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will never forget. See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands" (Isaiah 49:15-16). That's right, with nail prints.

His ears listen all day, all night for the deepest cries of your heart.

2 Samuel 5, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

 Max Lucado Daily: THE TOUCH OF JESUS - May 11, 2026

People longed for the compassionate touch of Jesus. Each one who came was touched, and each one touched was changed.But none was touched or changed more than the unnamed leper described in the first four verses of Matthew chapter 8. “He bowed before Jesus and said, ‘Lord, you can heal me if you will.’ And Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man and said, ‘I will. Be healed!’ And immediately the man was healed from his disease.”

In New Testament times, leprosy was the most dreaded disease. In Scripture, the leper is symbolic of the ultimate outcast. A person doesn’t have to have leprosy to feel quarantined. The divorced, handicapped, unemployed, depressed, and terminally ill know this feeling. Jesus touched the untouchables of the world. Will you do the same?

Just Like Jesus

2 Samuel 5

Before long all the tribes of Israel approached David in Hebron and said, “Look at us—your own flesh and blood! In time past when Saul was our king, you were the one who really ran the country. Even then God said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel and you’ll be the prince.’ ”

3  All the leaders of Israel met with King David at Hebron, and the king made a treaty with them in the presence of God. And so they anointed David king over Israel.

4–5  David was thirty years old when he became king, and ruled for forty years. In Hebron he ruled Judah for seven and a half years. In Jerusalem he ruled all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years.

6  David and his men immediately set out for Jerusalem to take on the Jebusites, who lived in that country. But they said, “You might as well go home! Even the blind and the lame could keep you out. You can’t get in here!” They had convinced themselves that David couldn’t break through.

7–8  But David went right ahead and captured the fortress of Zion, known ever since as the City of David. That day David said, “To get the best of these Jebusites, one must target the water system, not to mention this so-called lame and blind bunch that David hates.” (In fact, he was so sick and tired of it, people coined the expression, “No lame and blind allowed in the palace.”)

9–10  David made the fortress city his home and named it “City of David.” He developed the city from the outside terraces inward. David proceeded with a longer stride, a larger embrace since the God-of-the-Angel-Armies was with him.

11–12  It was at this time that Hiram, king of Tyre, sent messengers to David, along with timbers of cedar. He also sent carpenters and masons to build a house for David. David took this as a sign that God had confirmed him as king of Israel, giving his kingship world prominence for the sake of Israel, his people.

13–16  David took on more concubines and wives from Jerusalem after he left Hebron. And more sons and daughters were born to him. These are the names of those born to him in Jerusalem:

Shammua,

Shobab,

Nathan,

Solomon,

Ibhar,

Elishua,

Nepheg,

Japhia,

Elishama,

Eliada,

Eliphelet.

17–18  When the Philistines got word that David had been made king over all Israel, they came on the hunt for him. David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. When the Philistines arrived, they deployed their forces in Raphaim Valley.

19  Then David prayed to God: “Shall I go up and fight the Philistines? Will you help me beat them?”

20–21  “Go up,” God replied. “Count on me. I’ll help you beat them.”

David then went straight to Baal Perazim, and smashed them to pieces. Afterward David said, “God exploded on my enemies like a gush of water.” That’s why David named the place Baal Perazim (The-Master-Who-Explodes). The retreating Philistines dumped their idols, and David and his soldiers took them away.

22–23  Later there was a repeat performance. The Philistines came up again and deployed their troops in the Rephaim Valley. David again prayed to God.

23–24  This time God said, “Don’t attack them head-on. Instead, circle around behind them and ambush them from the grove of sacred trees. When you hear the sound of shuffling in the trees, get ready to move out. It’s a signal that God is going ahead of you to smash the Philistine camp.”

25  David did exactly what God told him. He routed the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Monday, May 11, 2026

by John Blase

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Isaiah 40:1-8

 “Comfort, oh comfort my people,”

says your God.

“Speak softly and tenderly to Jerusalem,

but also make it very clear

That she has served her sentence,

that her sin is taken care of—forgiven!

She’s been punished enough and more than enough,

and now it’s over and done with.”

3–5  Thunder in the desert!

“Prepare for God’s arrival!

Make the road straight and smooth,

a highway fit for our God.

Fill in the valleys,

level off the hills,

Smooth out the ruts,

clear out the rocks.

Then God’s bright glory will shine

and everyone will see it.

Yes. Just as God has said.”

6–8  A voice says, “Shout!”

I said, “What shall I shout?”

“These people are nothing but grass,

their love fragile as wildflowers.

The grass withers, the wildflowers fade,

if God so much as puffs on them.

Aren’t these people just so much grass?

True, the grass withers and the wildflowers fade,

but our God’s Word stands firm and forever.”

Today's Insights

The words recorded in Isaiah 40:6-8 are sobering. There’s nothing flattering about humans being described as “grass [that] withers” (v. 7) or “flowers [that] fall” (v. 8). These word pictures describe the temporary nature of our human existence, which contrasts with the permanence of “the word of our God” (v. 8). The apostle Peter, before citing Isaiah 40:6-8 to biblically support the point he was making in 1 Peter 1:24-25, wrote these words: “You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God” (v. 23). Isaiah wasn’t the only biblical spokesperson to grasp the potency and permanence of the Scriptures. The psalmist’s words in Psalm 119:89 touch on this theme: “Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.” Though constantly confronted with our frailty, we find comfort that “the word of our God endures forever” (Isaiah 40:8).

Learn how to find enduring joy beyond circumstances that fade away.

God’s Word Endures

The word of our God endures forever. Isaiah 40:8

In the early 1900s, successful steel businessman Charles Schwab decided to build perhaps the most lavish mansion in New York City. Completed in 1906, his Riverside Drive estate took its inspiration from French chateaus and spanned an entire city block, with lush gardens, grand halls, and opulent interiors. It stood in stark contrast to the rising apartment buildings that would soon define Manhattan. Despite its grandeur, the estate struggled to find a buyer after Schwab’s death. The mansion was too large, too costly, and out of step with real estate trends. Riverside Drive estate was demolished in 1948. Both the mansion and the man faded away.

It’s easy for us to point to earthly realities like wealth, ambition, and mansions as destined to fade away. The words of Isaiah 40 remind us, “All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field” (v. 6). Isaiah wrote to people enduring God’s discipline for their faithlessness. After He had corrected them, God would comfort them (vv. 1-2). What the prophet says about people, grass, and flowers is true (vv. 6-7). But the truth of God Himself? It will outlast men and mansions and wealth and ambition and accolades. Yes, “the word of our God endures forever” (v. 8).

It’s good to keep in mind how fragile we are. And it’s wise to remember God’s word is everlasting.

Reflect & Pray

What have you witnessed that has withered and faded away? How does God’s eternal nature and unfailing word encourage you?

Eternal God, I praise You because Your word endures forever!

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Monday, May 11, 2026

The Bedrock of God’s Love

Add to your faith goodness . . . and to mutual affection, love. — 2 Peter 1:5, 7 (see moffatt)

Most of us don’t know what we mean when we talk about love. Love is the supreme preference of one person for another. Spiritually, Jesus demands that our preference be for him (Luke 14:26). When the Holy Spirit fills our hearts with the love of God, we easily place Jesus first. But we must also learn to work out what God has worked in: we must act on the love he has placed in our hearts.

Before we can do this, God has to knock our pretensions out of us. Through the Holy Spirit, he reveals to us why he loves us: not because we’re lovable, but because love is his nature. God asks us to show this same love to others. He brings people we neither like nor respect into our lives, then asks that we love them as he has loved us.

We can’t reach this kind of love on tiptoe. Some of us have tried, but we were soon exhausted by the effort. Look within and see how the Lord has dealt with you. The knowledge that God has loved you to the utmost—to the end of all your sin and selfishness and wrongness—will send you out into the world to love in the same way. God’s love for you is inexhaustible. You must love others from the bedrock of this love, not on tiptoe but in a great, abandoned leap.

Neither natural love nor divine love will remain unless you cultivate it. Love is spontaneous, but it has to be maintained by discipline. Growth in grace stops the moment you get irritated. You get irritated because there is a person in your life you don’t particularly like. Just think how disagreeable you are to God! Are you prepared to be so closely identified with Jesus that his life and sweetness shine through you all the time?

2 Kings 13-14; John 2

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

We are apt to think that everything that happens to us is to be turned into useful teaching; it is to be turned into something better than teaching, viz. into character. We shall find that the spheres God brings us into are not meant to teach us something but to make us something.

The Love of God—The Ministry of the Unnoticed, 664 L

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Monday, May 11, 2026

What the Carpenter Sees in You - #10261

Many years ago we were shopping for a place where God wanted us to build a radio studio that we desperately needed. I've got a beautiful one at our headquarters today but back then we needed just something that would get us through. We were looking at a possible location - this big barn of a room with a high ceiling and it was totally bare. Well, when I looked at it I saw a big bare room, but not Kasey. No, he's a carpenter and he started talking about this wall here and that partition there; the control room in that corner, where the doors would be, and how we could soundproof the floor. It was amazing! He was seeing all kinds of things in that room that I couldn't see! But, then, that's the great thing about carpenters!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "What the Carpenter Sees in You."

I do think that's how Jesus looks at you. After all, He's a carpenter. His earthly father, Joseph, was one and Jesus grew up with a carpenter's skills - and a carpenter's eye to see what someone could become; not just what they are.

The blueprint is in our word for today from the Word of God in Ephesians 2:10. And it's an eye-opener, really, as to who you really are and why you're here. "We are God's workmanship." Let's stop on that...you are no random assembly of molecules. You are a handmade, one-of-a-kind masterpiece creation of Almighty God. You may not have been treated like you're that valuable, but that's who you really are. And your Creator is the One who says so. Here's what the whole statement says, "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

When Jesus looks at you, it's like my friend, the carpenter, looking at that empty room. He sees what that room could be after his skilled hands are finished renewing it. Jesus knows the masterpiece you were created to become, the difference you were created to make, the value you are created to have. That's what He sees. Maybe other people have only seen the bare room, and maybe you've been made to feel pretty worthless, incompetent, unloved, unworthy. But they don't see what Jesus sees; what you were born to be.

And here's why you may have missed knowing how much you're really worth. You're missing the One who gave you your worth. You're missing Jesus. The Bible says we have marked up this masterpiece God made with our self-centered living. God calls it sin, and our sin has built a wall between us and the God we were made by and for. So, we're cut off from the One who loves and values us the most; so much that He thought you were worth sending His Son to die for!

And you will never really know how valuable you really are until you open your heart to the One who loved you enough to die for you. You don't have to spend one more day away from the One who made you to be His masterpiece. The One who sees you through His Carpenter's eye - and sees one He created with His hands, paid for with His blood, and the one He wants to forgive, restore, and renew this very day.

But it's your move now. Now you have two choices: put your trust in Him to be your own Savior from your own sin, or basically say, "No thanks, Jesus. I'll just settle for more of the same." If you're ready to belong to Him, why don't you tell Him that right now. "Jesus, I'm done running my own life. I was never meant to. I am putting my life in the hands of the One who gave me my life...in the hands of the One who gave His life for me. Jesus, beginning this very day, I am Yours." This is the day to come home, my friend.

A great place to land if you want to begin this relationship is our website where you can have all the information you need to make this choice. That website is ANewStory.com.

Jesus, the carpenter, sees in you what everybody else has missed, and maybe even you have missed - the person you were born to be. And today, He simply waits for your invitation to start making you all you were meant to be.

2 Samuel 4, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: A Worry-Slapper

Become a “worry-slapper!”  Treat frets like mosquitoes!

Do you procrastinate when a bloodsucking bug lights on your skin?  Do you say, “I’ll take care of that in a moment.”  Of course you don’t!  You give the critter the slap it deserves.

Be equally decisive with anxiety.  The moment a concern surfaces, deal with it.  Don’t dwell on it.  Head it off before it gets the best of you.

Don’t waste an hour wondering what your boss thinks; ask her.  Before you diagnose that blemish as cancer, have it examined.  Instead of assuming you’ll never get out of debt, consult an expert.  Be a doer—not a stewer!

In Matthew 6:32-33,. Jesus said, “Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.  See the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need!”

On that you can depend and never worry!

2 Samuel 4

The Murder of Ish-Bosheth

1  4 Saul’s son, Ish-Bosheth, heard that Abner had died in Hebron. His heart sank. The whole country was shaken.

2–3  Ish-Bosheth had two men who were captains of raiding bands—one was named Baanah, the other Recab. They were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, a Ben-jaminite. (The people of Beeroth had been assigned to Ben-jamin ever since they escaped to Gittaim. They still live there as resident aliens.)

4  It so happened that Saul’s son, Jonathan, had a son who was maimed in both feet. When he was five years old, the report on Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and ran, but in her hurry to get away she fell, and the boy was maimed. His name was Mephibosheth.

5–7  One day Baanah and Recab, the two sons of Rimmon, headed out for the house of Ish-Bosheth. They arrived at the hottest time of the day, just as he was taking his afternoon nap. They entered the house on a ruse, pretending official business. The maid guarding the bedroom had fallen asleep, so Recab and Baanah slipped by her and entered the room where Ish-Bosheth was asleep on his bed. They killed him and then cut off his head, carrying it off as a trophy. They traveled all night long, taking the route through the Arabah Valley.

8  They presented the head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron, telling the king, “Here’s the head of Ish-Bosheth, Saul’s son, your enemy. He was out to kill you, but God has given vengeance to my master, the king—vengeance this very day on Saul and his children!”

9–11  David answered the brothers Recab and Baanah, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as God lives—the One who got me out of every trouble I’ve ever been in—when the messenger told me, ‘Good news! Saul is dead!’ supposing I’d be delighted, I arrested him and killed him on the spot in Ziklag. That’s what he got for his so-called good news! And now you show up—evil men who killed an innocent man in cold blood, a man asleep in his own house! Don’t think I won’t find you guilty of murder and rid the country of you!”

12  David then issued orders to his soldiers. They killed the two—chopped off their hands and feet, and hung the corpses at the pool in Hebron. But Ish-Bosheth’s head they took and buried in Abner’s tomb in Hebron.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Sunday, May 10, 2026

by Amy Boucher Pye

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

2 Corinthians 4:7-12

If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. As it is, there’s not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we’re not much to look at. We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus’ sake, which makes Jesus’ life all the more evident in us. While we’re going through the worst, you’re getting in on the best!

Today's Insights

Paul’s description of his struggles in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 is a reminder of how difficult life can be. Like the psalmist David, we may be “worn out from [our] groaning” (Psalm 6:6). But the Bible tells us that trials bring growth. Jesus Himself said, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). And James goes so far as to tell us we should “consider it pure joy” when we “face trials” (James 1:2). Why? Because “the testing of [our] faith produces perseverance” and perseverance makes us “mature and complete” (vv. 3-4). Trials can draw us closer to Christ, where we find the strength, courage, and joy to go on. Jesus said, “Take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). He triumphed over death and the devil through His death and resurrection. As believers in Him, we share in that victory. Today, in the midst of our trials, as we submit to God, we can be light to those who are in spiritual darkness.

Learn more about how we are made in His image.

Jesus Revealed in Us

We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7

After Joni Eareckson Tada’s mother died, Joni thought about how our bodies are like “jars of clay” that hold the treasure of Christ’s presence. She mused about a modern equivalent to describe our earthly bodies—a cardboard box. She knew her mother’s “box,” with its worn-out corners and bends, was now empty. But, she reflected, it was a box they’d treasured, “the vessel in which the treasure of the Spirit of Christ had dwelt.”

As Joni notes, those who follow Jesus let Him shine through them, often in spectacular ways through the creases and holes as their boxes collapse with age. In this she followed Paul’s words about the treasure appearing in “jars of clay” because it would reveal that “this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Although Paul was “hard pressed” and “perplexed” with what he suffered, he was not “crushed” or “destroyed” (vv. 8-9). Through his sufferings in his body, he knew that Christ’s life would be revealed.

How’s your cardboard “box”? You might feel the creases grow larger as you groan under the weight of pain or disease. Know, however, that Jesus is being revealed in your body (v. 10). As you submit to Him, He’ll shine His light through you, so that those who are in darkness may receive His love and His life.

Reflect & Pray

How have you seen Jesus revealed in others? Why do you think God encloses His presence in these “jars of clay”?

Spirit of the living God, please live in me, that I might shine with Your love and presence.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Sunday, May 10, 2026

Take the Initiative

Add to your faith goodness. — 2 Peter 1:5

“Add” indicates something we have to do. We are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God won’t do what we can. We cannot save or sanctify ourselves; God will not give us good habits or character. We have to develop habits and character on our own, working out the salvation God has worked in.

“Add” suggests we have to get into a habit. Habits are difficult to establish. To take the initiative is to make a beginning, to instruct yourself in the way you have to go. Beware of asking for directions when you know the way perfectly well. Take the initiative; stop hesitating; be decisive. Whenever God speaks, act in faith immediately on what he says, and never go back on your decisions. If you hesitate when God tells you to do something, you endanger your position in grace. Will yourself to take the first step—I will write that letter; I will pay that debt—then burn your bridges behind you. Make it impossible to go back.

We can only take initiative where we are, not where we aren’t. We have to get into the habit of seeking the mind of God about anything and everything. If when a crisis comes, we instinctively turn to him, we will know the habit has been formed.

2 Kings 10-12; John 1:29-51

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

2 Samuel 3, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Give Your Child to God

You’ve wept a monsoon of tears for your child, enough to summon the attention of every angel and their neighbor to your cause.  But you’re not so sure anymore.

You find yourself wondering if Christ has forgotten you and your child.  He hasn’t!  Keep giving your child to God.  In the right time, the right way, he will give your child back to you.

A quarter century ago, I gave my daughter to God.  I remembered the way Abraham had placed Isaac on the altar.  I made my apartment living room my altar and lifted my daughter toward heaven.  I can’t raise this girl, I confessed, but You can.  I give her back to you!  Must have been a sight to behold, a pajama-clad father lifting his blanket-wrapped baby toward the ceiling.  But something tells me one parent appreciated the gesture.

Abraham.  And, of course, God!

2 Samuel 3

 The war between the house of Saul and the house of David dragged on and on. The longer it went on the stronger David became, with the house of Saul getting weaker.

2–5  During the Hebron years, sons were born to David:

Amnon, born of Ahinoam of Jezreel—the firstborn;

Kileab, born of Abigail of Carmel, Nabal’s widow—his second;

Absalom, born of Maacah, daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur—the third;

Adonijah, born of Haggith—the fourth;

Shephatiah, born of Abital—the fifth;

Ithream, born of Eglah—the sixth.

These six sons of David were born in Hebron.

6–7  Abner took advantage of the continuing war between the house of Saul and the house of David to gain power for himself. Saul had had a concubine, Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. One day Ish-Bosheth confronted Abner: “What business do you have sleeping with my father’s concubine?”

8–10  Abner lost his temper with Ish-Bosheth, “Treat me like a dog, will you! Is this the thanks I get for sticking by the house of your father, Saul, and all his family and friends? I personally saved you from certain capture by David, and you make an issue out of my going to bed with a woman! What God promised David, I’ll help accomplish—transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and make David ruler over the whole country, both Israel and Judah, from Dan to Beer-sheba. If not, may God do his worst to me.”

11  Ish-Bosheth, cowed by Abner’s outburst, couldn’t say another word.

12  Abner went ahead and sent personal messengers to David: “Make a deal with me and I’ll help bring the whole country of Israel over to you.”

13  “Great,” said David. “It’s a deal. But only on one condition: You’re not welcome here unless you bring Michal, Saul’s daughter, with you when you come to meet me.”

14  David then sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth son of Saul: “Give me back Michal, whom I won as my wife at the cost of a hundred Philistine foreskins.”

15–16  Ish-Bosheth ordered that she be taken from her husband Paltiel son of Laish. But Paltiel followed her, weeping all the way, to Bahurim. There Abner told him, “Go home.” And he went home.

17–18  Abner got the elders of Israel together and said, “Only yesterday, it seems, you were looking for a way to make David your king. So do it—now! For God has given the go-ahead on David: ‘By my servant David’s hand, I’ll save my people Israel from the oppression of the Philistines and all their other enemies.’ ”

19  Abner took the Benjaminites aside and spoke to them. Then he went to Hebron for a private talk with David, telling him everything that Israel in general and Ben-jamin in particular were planning to do.

20  When Abner and the twenty men who were with him met with David in Hebron, David laid out a feast for them.

21  Abner then said, “I’m ready. Let me go now to rally everyone in Israel for my master, the king. They’ll make a treaty with you, authorizing you to rule them however you see fit.” Abner was sent off with David’s blessing.

22–23  Soon after that, David’s men, led by Joab, came back from a field assignment. Abner was no longer in Hebron with David, having just been dismissed with David’s blessing. As Joab and his raiding party arrived, they were told that Abner the son of Ner had been there with David and had been sent off with David’s blessing.

24–25  Joab went straight to the king: “What’s this you’ve done? Abner shows up, and you let him walk away scot-free? You know Abner son of Ner better than that. This was no friendly visit. He was here to spy on you, figure out your comings and goings, find out what you’re up to.”

26–27  Joab left David and went into action. He sent messengers after Abner; they caught up with him at the well at Sirah and brought him back. David knew nothing of all this. When Abner got back to Hebron, Joab steered him aside at the gate for a personal word with him. There he stabbed him in the belly, killed him in cold blood for the murder of his brother Asahel.

28–30  Later on, when David heard what happened, he said, “Before God I and my kingdom are totally innocent of this murder of Abner son of Ner. Joab and his entire family will always be under the curse of this bloodguilt. May they forever be victims of crippling diseases, violence, and famine.” (Joab and his brother, Abishai, murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel at the battle of Gibeon.)

31–32  David ordered Joab and all the men under him, “Rip your cloaks into rags! Wear mourning clothes! Lead Abner’s funeral procession with loud lament!” King David followed the coffin. They buried Abner in Hebron. The king’s voice was loud in lament as he wept at the side of Abner’s grave. All the people wept, too.

33–34  Then the king sang this tribute to Abner:

Can this be? Abner dead like a nameless bum?

You were a free man, free to go and do as you wished—

Yet you fell as a victim in a street brawl.

And all the people wept—a crescendo of crying!

35–37  They all came then to David, trying to get him to eat something before dark. But David solemnly swore, “I’ll not so much as taste a piece of bread, or anything else for that matter, before sunset, so help me God!” Everyone at the funeral took notice—and liked what they saw. In fact everything the king did was applauded by the people. It was clear to everyone that day, including all Israel, that the king had nothing to do with the death of Abner son of Ner.

38–39  The king spoke to his servants: “You realize, don’t you, that today a prince and hero fell victim of foul play in Israel? And I, though anointed king, was helpless to do anything about it. These sons of Zeruiah are too much for me. God, requite the criminal for his crime!”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Saturday, May 09, 2026

by Mike Wittmer

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

2 Samuel 11:1-5

David’s Sin and Sorrow

1  11 When that time of year came around again, the anniversary of the Ammonite aggression, David dispatched Joab and his fighting men of Israel in full force to destroy the Ammonites for good. They laid siege to Rabbah, but David stayed in Jerusalem.

2–5  One late afternoon, David got up from taking his nap and was strolling on the roof of the palace. From his vantage point on the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was stunningly beautiful. David sent to ask about her, and was told, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hittite?” David sent his agents to get her. After she arrived, he went to bed with her. (This occurred during the time of “purification” following her period.) Then she returned home. Before long she realized she was pregnant.

Later she sent word to David: “I’m pregnant.”

Today's Insights

In Eastern cultures—both in ancient times and today—a high value was placed upon honor versus shame. The events following David’s sin with Bathsheba are described in 2 Samuel 11 as an honor/shame contest between David and Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband and one of David’s mighty men. This would explain why Uriah so publicly refused the king’s command to go home when recalled from the battlefield (v. 8). Instead, he slept on the king’s porch in full view of David’s servants (v. 9). This would also explain why after Bathsheba is named in verse 3, she’s then referred to as the wife of Uriah (12:9, 10, 15) until after the death of the child she bore (v. 24). Ultimately, Nathan’s public accusation of David (vv. 1-15) exposed David’s sin and shame, and he repented (v. 13; see Psalm 51). Today, we’re still fighting a war against sin. Believers in Jesus have been given the “armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11) to help us fight our spiritual battles.

Winning takes strategy. Learn how to battle the ultimate Enemy of all believers. 

Putting On God’s Armor

In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war. . . . David remained in Jerusalem. 2 Samuel 11:1

Nafi and Kamran joined a military coup. They fought for years and, when their side won, were given desk jobs in the capital. It’s not going well. There’s little to do, so they go online. Nafi says that many of his comrades, “including me, are addicted to the internet, especially Twitter.” Kamran adds, “The real test and challenge was not during the [war]. Rather, it’s now. At that time, it was simple, but now things are much more complicated.” Citing the various temptations he found on the Web, he added, “Many . . . have fallen into these seemingly sweet, but actually bitter traps.”

Kamran’s right that we’re most vulnerable to let down our guard when we’re at ease, just as he was after a war. In Scripture, we find a similar caution in the story of David’s adultery with Bathsheba. It all began when he sent others off to war but remained behind in the capital. Like an undisciplined man scrolling the internet, David “got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace” (2 Samuel 11:2). He put himself in harm’s way. And when “he saw a woman bathing,” he didn’t turn away (vv. 2-3).

We avoid the postwar letdown by remembering we’re still at war. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but . . . against the spiritual forces of evil.” So, as He helps us, we “put on the full armor of God” and prepare to “stand [our] ground” (Ephesians 6:12-13).

Reflect & Pray

What is your present battle? How can you win? (See Ephesians 6:10-20.)

Dear Jesus, I fight today in Your power and by Your Spirit.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Saturday, May 09, 2026

Grasp without Reach

Where there is no vision, the people perish. — Proverbs 29:18

There is a difference between an ideal and a vision. An ideal has no moral inspiration; a vision does. People who give themselves over to ideals rarely do anything. People who have vision are constantly inspired to go above and beyond.

    Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp,

    Or what’s a heaven for?

    —Robert Browning

An idealistic notion of God may be used to justify a neglect of duty. Jonah argued that because God was a God of justice and mercy, everything would be all right, no matter what Jonah did (Jonah 4). Jonah’s idea about God was correct—God is just and merciful—yet this was the very idea that stopped Jonah from doing his duty.

If we have a vision of God, we will lead a life of virtue, because the vision brings with it a moral incentive. Ideals, on the other hand, may lull us into ruin by causing us to lose sight of God. When we lose sight of God, we begin to be reckless. We stop exercising self-control; we stop praying; we no longer look for God in the little things. If we are eating out of our own hand—doing things on our own initiative, never expecting God to come in—we have lost vision and are on a downward path.

Is your attitude today one that springs from a vision of God? Are you expecting him to do greater things than he has ever done? Is there freshness and energy in your spiritual outlook? Take stock of yourself spiritually and see whether you have vision or merely ideals.

2 Kings 7-9; John 1:1-28

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

Am I getting nobler, better, more helpful, more humble, as I get older? Am I exhibiting the life that men take knowledge of as having been with Jesus, or am I getting more self-assertive, more deliberately determined to have my own way? It is a great thing to tell yourself the truth.

The Place of Help

Luke 24:36-53, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: WHAT WE CAN BECOME - May 6, 2026

Jesus is pure; we are greedy. He is peaceful; we are hassled. He is spiritual; we are earthbound. The distance between our hearts and his seems so immense. How could we ever hope to have the heart of Jesus?

Ready for a surprise? You already do. If you have given your life to Jesus, Jesus has given himself to you. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:16 (TLB), “Strange as it seems, we Christians actually do have within us a portion of the very thoughts and mind of Christ.”

God has ambitious plans for us. The same one who saved your soul longs to remake your heart. Let’s imagine what it means to be just like Jesus. Let’s look long into the heart of Christ. Perhaps in seeing him, we will see what we can become.

Just Like Jesus

Luke 24:36-53

While they were saying all this, Jesus appeared to them and said, “Peace be with you.” They thought they were seeing a ghost and were scared half to death. He continued with them, “Don’t be upset, and don’t let all these doubting questions take over. Look at my hands; look at my feet—it’s really me. Touch me. Look me over from head to toe. A ghost doesn’t have muscle and bone like this.” As he said this, he showed them his hands and feet. They still couldn’t believe what they were seeing. It was too much; it seemed too good to be true.

41–43  He asked, “Do you have any food here?” They gave him a piece of leftover fish they had cooked. He took it and ate it right before their eyes.

You’re the Witnesses

44  Then he said, “Everything I told you while I was with you comes to this: All the things written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets, and in the Psalms have to be fulfilled.”

45–49  He went on to open their understanding of the Word of God, showing them how to read their Bibles this way. He said, “You can see now how it is written that the Messiah suffers, rises from the dead on the third day, and then a total life-change through the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name to all nations—starting from here, from Jerusalem! You’re the first to hear and see it. You’re the witnesses. What comes next is very important: I am sending what my Father promised to you, so stay here in the city until he arrives, until you’re equipped with power from on high.”

50–51  He then led them out of the city over to Bethany. Raising his hands he blessed them, and while blessing them, took his leave, being carried up to heaven.

52–53  And they were on their knees, worshiping him. They returned to Jerusalem bursting with joy. They spent all their time in the Temple praising God. Yes.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Wednesday, May 06, 2026

by Arthur Jackson

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Matthew 15:21-28

Healing the People

21–22  From there Jesus took a trip to Tyre and Sidon. They had hardly arrived when a Canaanite woman came down from the hills and pleaded, “Mercy, Master, Son of David! My daughter is cruelly afflicted by an evil spirit.”

23  Jesus ignored her. The disciples came and complained, “Now she’s bothering us. Would you please take care of her? She’s driving us crazy.”

24  Jesus refused, telling them, “I’ve got my hands full dealing with the lost sheep of Israel.”

25  Then the woman came back to Jesus, went to her knees, and begged. “Master, help me.”

26  He said, “It’s not right to take bread out of children’s mouths and throw it to dogs.”

27  She was quick: “You’re right, Master, but beggar dogs do get scraps from the master’s table.”

28  Jesus gave in. “Oh, woman, your faith is something else. What you want is what you get!” Right then her daughter became well.

Today's Insights

The encounter with the Canaanite woman has often perplexed Bible students because Jesus’ treatment of her seems out of character. Why would He be so harsh with this hurting woman? Perhaps His interaction with her regarding her demon-possessed daughter was more for the disciples’ benefit to show them the hardness of their own hearts as they repeatedly pushed Christ to send her away (Matthew 15:23). By communicating with her before His disciples, Jesus gave them a wonderful example of what “great faith” (v. 28) looks like when He healed the gentile woman’s daughter because of her faith in Him. It’s saying that this incident closely follows a debate between Christ and the religious leaders whom He described as formalistic in their religion without a true heart for God (vv. 1-14). Today, as we focus our eyes on Jesus, the object of our faith, we can entrust our cares to Him.

Fueled by Faith

Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” Matthew 15:28

J.D. witnessed amazing sights on his trip to several African nations. His text messages to us from Eastern Zambia included several pictures of faith-filled women who presented their three-year gospel ministry plan. “It is one of the most powerful strategic plan presentations I’ve ever heard in my life. Instead of a whiteboard, they drew in the dirt. Instead of handing out nice copies of what they were going to do, they displayed their plan on poster-sized crumpled paper held up by two of them. It was just incredible!”

They were demonstrating the kind of faith that Jesus values. Matthew 15:21-28 records another example. A daughter’s condition drove a woman to seek Him. “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly” (v. 22). Her “great faith” (v. 28) in Jesus contrasted with the faithlessness of the Jewish leadership whose hearts were far from God (v. 8). While Christ recognized the outward pedigree of those belonging to Abraham, His commendation was for a gentile woman who possessed the faith of Abraham.

What compels you to look to Jesus today? A personal, family or community need? Whatever prompts you to go to Jesus, go—even if you feel that you’re limping. Go to Him because it’s not the size of your faith that matters. What matters is the object of your faith: Jesus and Jesus alone.

Reflect & Pray

How would you describe your faith today? How might you refuel your trust in Jesus?

Dear Jesus, please help me to grow in my faith as You provide what I need.

For further study, read Fear, Faith, and the True Cost of Not Trusting God.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Wednesday, May 06, 2026

Freedom through Christ

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. — Galatians 5:1

Spiritually-minded people will never demand that you believe a certain thing or hold a certain opinion; they’ll demand that you square your life with the standards of Jesus. We aren’t asked to believe the Bible; we are asked to believe the One the Bible reveals. In John 5, Jesus highlights the difference: “You study the Scriptures diligently … yet you refuse to come to me to have life” (vv. 39–40). Jesus is calling us to liberty of conscience, not liberty of opinion. If we are free with the freedom of Christ, others will be brought into this same freedom: the freedom of realizing the dominance of Jesus Christ.

Always measure your life by the standards of Jesus. Bow to his yoke and to no other, and be careful that you never fasten a yoke on someone else that isn’t placed there by Jesus Christ. It takes God a long time to cure us of the idea that if people don’t see things the way we do, they must be wrong. That is never God’s view. There is only one freedom: the freedom of Jesus at work in our conscience, enabling us to do what is right.

Don’t get impatient with others. Remember how God has dealt with you, with patience and gentleness. This doesn’t mean you should water down God’s truth. Let his truth have its way, and never apologize for it. Simply recall what Jesus said: “Go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19). He never said, “Make converts to your opinions.”

1 Kings 21-22; Luke 23:26-56

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

We are in danger of being stern where God is tender, and of being tender where God is stern. 

The Love of God—The Message of Invincible Consolation, 673 L

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Wednesday, May 06, 2026

Seen In Your Desert - #10256

May 4, 2026

Ron Hutchcraft

Scripture:  Genesis 16:7

Nantucket - a romantic island off the coast of Massachusetts. Waterbrook - a humble cabin in the woods in the mountains north of New York City. Long Beach Island - a little house by the Jersey shore. See, those are places where my wife has been her most beautiful. That's not because she had new makeup on, or was all dressed up, or did her hair differently. Those are just some places where we've gone to be alone, and where I finally slowed down and noticed her again. She was beautiful all the time, but I didn't notice it all the time, because I saw her best when we were alone. If you're in a lonely time right now, let's talk.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Seen In Your Desert."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Genesis 16:7. It tells the story of a young woman named Hagar. Maybe you remember that Abraham and Sarah got impatient for God to send the son that He had promised, and Sarah was getting older and older. The baby didn't come, so Sarah, going along with the customs of that day, suggested that Abraham sleep with Hagar, her maidservant, and then Hagar would be the surrogate mother through whom a child would come. They couldn't wait for God to do it His way, so they had to figure out a way they were going to do it. It's not how God wanted it done, and after Hagar gets pregnant, Sarah gets a little jealous. And Hagar gets a little caustic about it.

Now we find her out in the desert all alone because guess what? She's been driven there by her mistress, Sarah. Here she is used, rejected, deserted, she's pregnant, she's alone in the desert, she's the picture of abandonment; all alone, or so she thinks.

Genesis 16, verse 7: "The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert. The angel of the Lord said to her, 'You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery.'" He goes on to describe some of what to expect from this son, and then she gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her. "'You are the God who sees me,' for she said, 'I have now seen the One who sees me.' That's why the well is called Beer Lahai Roi." Which, by the way, means "the well of the Living One who sees me."

It's interesting the name of God here, "I have seen the One who sees me." Maybe right now you're in the desert; it's a very lonely desert. God sees you in your loneliness, and He has heard your tears. We keep hearing our desire to be seen...Oh, here is the God who sees you. The broken relationship, the lost loved one, the years of living alone, the collapse of your family; God sees you. Do you see Him? She said, "I have now seen the One who has been seeing me." When no one sees, when no one knows, when no one understands, Ishmael. You know what that name means? God hears.

And guess where we tend to see God best? Yeah, in the deserts of our lives. Not until we are stripped of all the other supports in our life, that's when Hagar finally saw the God who had been seeing her all along. That's when we see Him. That's when you dig deep into His resources; you see what He can do. You feel His love, and you let His love be enough. Paul said, "When everybody had abandoned him" (2 Timothy 4:17), "the Lord stood by my side."

I told you when I noticed my wife's beauty and wisdom the most - when there was no one else around. Well, it's the same in a relationship with the Lord Jesus. When it's just the two of you, maybe like it is right now, you can see Him as you've never seen Him before.

2 Samuel 2, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: THE HEART OF JESUS - May 5, 2026

The heart of Jesus was pure. Peter traveled with Jesus for three and a half years, and he described Jesus as a “lamb, unblemished and spotless” (1 Peter 1:19). The heart of Jesus was peaceful. The disciples shouted for fear in the storm, but Jesus slept through it. Peter drew his sword to fight the soldiers, but Jesus lifted his hand to heal.

The heart of Jesus was purposeful. He aimed at one goal—to save humanity from its sin. “The Son of man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). His heart was spiritual. He took his instructions from God. It was his habit to go to worship. He memorized scripture. His times of prayer guided him. John 5:19 says, “The Son does whatever the Father does.” The heart of Jesus was spiritual. Let ours be the same.

Just Like Jesus

2 Samuel 2

After all this, David prayed. He asked God, “Shall I move to one of the cities of Judah?”

God said, “Yes, move.”

“And to which city?”

“To Hebron.”

2–3  So David moved to Hebron, along with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David’s men, along with their families, also went with him and made their home in and around Hebron.

4–7  The citizens of Judah came to Hebron, and then and there made David king over the clans of Judah.

A report was brought to David that the men of Jabesh Gilead had given Saul a decent burial. David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead: “God bless you for this—for honoring your master, Saul, with a funeral. God honor you and be true to you—and I’ll do the same, matching your generous act of goodness. Strengthen your resolve and do what must be done. Your master, Saul, is dead. The citizens of Judah have made me their king.”

8–11  In the meantime, Abner son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, had taken Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth to Mahanaim and made him king over Gilead, over Asher, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Ben-jamin—king, as it turns out, over all Israel. Ish-Bosheth Saul’s son, was forty years old when he was made king over Israel. He lasted only two years. But the people of Judah stuck with David. David ruled the people of Judah from Hebron for seven and a half years.

12–13  One day Abner son of Ner set out from Mahanaim with the soldiers of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, headed for Gibeon. Joab son of Zeruiah, with David’s soldiers, also set out. They met at the Pool of Gibeon, Abner’s group on one side, Joab’s on the other.

14  Abner challenged Joab, “Put up your best fighters. Let’s see them do their stuff.”

Joab said, “Good! Let them go at it!”

15–16  So they lined up for the fight, twelve Benjaminites from the side of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve soldiers from David’s side. The men from each side grabbed their opponents’ heads and stabbed them with their daggers. They all fell dead—the whole bunch together. So, they called the place Slaughter Park. It’s right there at Gibeon.

17–19  The fighting went from bad to worse throughout the day. Abner and the men of Israel were beaten to a pulp by David’s men. The three sons of Zeruiah were present: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel, as fast as a wild antelope on the open plain, chased Abner, staying hard on his heels.

20  Abner turned and said, “Is that you, Asahel?”

“It surely is,” he said.

21  Abner said, “Let up on me. Pick on someone you have a chance of beating and be content with those spoils!” But Asahel wouldn’t let up.

22  Abner tried again, “Turn back. Don’t force me to kill you. How would I face your brother Joab?”

23–25  When he refused to quit, Abner struck him in the belly with the blunt end of his spear so hard that it came out his back. Asahel fell to the ground and died at once. Everyone who arrived at the spot where Asahel fell and died stood and gaped—Asahel dead! But Joab and Abishai kept up the chase after Abner. As the sun began to set, they came to the hill of Ammah that faced Giah on the road to the backcountry of Gibeon. The Benjaminites had taken their stand with Abner there, deployed strategically on a hill.

26  Abner called out to Joab, “Are we going to keep killing each other till doomsday? Don’t you know that nothing but bitterness will come from this? How long before you call off your men from chasing their brothers?”

27–28  “As God lives,” said Joab, “if you hadn’t spoken up, we’d have kept up the chase until morning!” Then he blew the ram’s horn trumpet and the whole army of Judah stopped in its tracks. They quit chasing Israel and called off the fighting.

29  Abner and his soldiers marched all that night up the Arabah Valley. They crossed the Jordan and, after a long morning’s march, arrived at Mahanaim.

30–32  After Joab returned from chasing Abner, he took a head count of the army. Nineteen of David’s men (besides Asahel) were missing. David’s men had cut down 360 of Abner’s men, all Benjaminites—all dead. They brought Asahel and buried him in the family tomb in Bethlehem. Joab and his men then marched all night, arriving in Hebron as the dawn broke.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Tuesday, May 05, 2026

by Anne Cetas

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Ecclesiastes 7:1-10

Don’t Take Anything for Granted

1  7 A good reputation is better than a fat bank account.

Your death date tells more than your birth date.

2  You learn more at a funeral than at a feast—

After all, that’s where we’ll end up. We might discover something from it.

3  Crying is better than laughing.

It blotches the face but it scours the heart.

4  Sages invest themselves in hurt and grieving.

Fools waste their lives in fun and games.

5  You’ll get more from the rebuke of a sage

Than from the song and dance of fools.

6  The giggles of fools are like the crackling of twigs

Under the cooking pot. And like smoke.

7  Brutality stupefies even the wise

And destroys the strongest heart.

8  Endings are better than beginnings.

Sticking to it is better than standing out.

9  Don’t be quick to fly off the handle.

Anger boomerangs. You can spot a fool by the lumps on his head.

10  Don’t always be asking, “Where are the good old days?”

Wise folks don’t ask questions like that.

Today's Insights

The Teacher in Ecclesiastes (1:1) offers the bleak perspective that for human beings, who are destined to die, attempting to grasp a firm understanding of life’s meaning is futile, like trying to take hold of the wind (v. 14). Yet the Teacher doesn’t conclude that pursuing wisdom is pointless. Chapter 7 emphasizes that some paths in life are “better” than others (vv. 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 10). Death’s finality (vv. 1-2, 4) clarifies the relative greater value of some things over others—such as a life guided by wisdom instead of foolishness (v. 11). Still, Ecclesiastes contains an unresolved tension: Wisdom has value, yet death erases the permanence of all that’s valuable. The New Testament offers a fuller answer to the questions death raises—insisting that Jesus defeated death’s power through His death and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:54-57; 2 Timothy 1:10). Through Christ, all of life regains meaning in light of eternity.

Life and Death

Death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. Ecclesiastes 7:2

Besides attending ceremonies and signing policies after taking the oath of office, new US presidents are greeted with a cold reality: They start making their own funeral plans. That way the country will be prepared to celebrate their lives when they die. George H. W. Bush was asked if it was “weird” to be planning his own memorial. He replied, “You kind of get used to it.” Historians will write about their legacies, but presidents get to plan the personal and traditional parts of their services and the ways they will be remembered.

Death is a sobering reality we all must face. King Solomon, who searched for the meaning of life in pleasure, work, and knowledge, and came up empty, said, “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting” (Ecclesiastes 7:2). Negative situations give more perspective than happy times. If we face the reality of death, we can better prepare for what comes after. Verse two adds, “Death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.” We should ponder it and plan on it.

Preparation comes from receiving forgiveness of sin from Jesus, who died for us and rose again. Everyone dies because death came when the first man, Adam, disobeyed God, and we have followed his ways. But “everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life” (1 Corinthians 15:22 nlt).

Reflect & Pray

How have you prepared to face death? How do you want to be remembered?

Thank You, saving God, for promising that in Christ all who die will be made alive again.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Tuesday, May 05, 2026

Judgment through Love

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

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

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

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

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

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

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

There is nothing, naturally speaking, that makes us lose heart quicker than decay—the decay of bodily beauty, of natural life, of friendship, of associations, all these things make a man lose heart; but Paul says when we are trusting in Jesus Christ these things do not find us discouraged, light comes through them.

The Place of Help

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Tuesday, May 05, 2026

Scripture:  John 10:27

If you've ever checked your suitcase when you're about to take a trip by airplane, you know what they do with our luggage. No, not lose it. Not usually. The ticket agent determines what your final destination will be, he prints out an adhesive sticker with that destination on it, and he puts it around your suitcase handle. And then you settle back in your seat, knowing that bag will meet you at the other end of the trip. With the millions of bags the airlines handle daily, it's amazing that most do go straight to the right destination. Now there are some exceptions. Like the one I checked in Idaho. Oh, I checked it through to my final destination - Newark, New Jersey. To this day it's still floating somewhere out there in the Baggage Twilight Zone. Like I said, most of the time they get it to your final destination.

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

If you belong to Jesus Christ, God has placed a final destination sticker on you. It says "Heaven." And I am happy to report to you that, unlike human delivery systems, God's batting a thousand on getting His there.

Our word for today from the Word of God starts with John 10:27 - in a sense, it's kind of your personal life insurance policy...for eternal life. "My sheep listen to My voice; I know them and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of My Father's hand."

Jesus says, "I know the ones who are Mine, and I've put My final destination sticker on them. It says 'Eternal Life.' No one is going to get them away from Me. I won't stop until I've delivered them safely home." Isn't that awesome? Your getting to heaven is not up to you. That's what the Bible means when it says it is "not by works" but that it is "by grace you have been saved through faith" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Now it may be that you have often questioned whether or not you really belong to Jesus and whether it really is settled. Those recurring doubts could be for one of two reasons. One is that you really don't belong to Jesus yet. He's in your head but He's not in your heart. Even though you have a lot of Christianity, maybe you've missed Christ! You know He died on the cross to pay the death penalty for the sinning you've done - you know that you need Him as your personal Savior.

But somehow you've missed that actual moment of commitment, that transaction, when you stand at Jesus' cross and say, "For me, Jesus. What you did here is for me. Right now I'm giving me to You."

If you asked me if I was married all these years it would be an easy question to answer. Yeah, there was a time I made a conscious commitment of my life to Karen. If you have committed yourself to Jesus, you should know you have. If you don't know you have, you probably haven't. And it's important you get it settled today because this is eternity. Do it before your heart turns harder. Don't risk another day without Jesus.

The other reason you may not be sure of your final destination is that you've fallen for the devil's big lie. He knows that, based on your trust in Jesus Christ, God has put His "Heaven" sticker on you. Satan's lost you - so he's now reduced to making you wonder if you're really going to heaven. Your enemy wants you to spend your whole life wondering if you belong to Jesus instead of living like you do! Don't fall for it any longer!

If you're not sure there's been a time when you've begun your relationship with Jesus, make sure today - once and for all. You can wonder if God has ever marked you for heaven before today, but at least you'll know He did it today if He's never done it before.

I'd love to invite you to go to our website where an awful lot of people have confirmed the beginning of their relationship with Jesus. That's why it's there. So go to ANewStory.com.

Then, enjoy the trip each new day. He will deliver you safely to your destination in heaven. After all, He paid your fare with His life!

2 Samuel 1, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: JESUS WANTS TO CHANGE YOUR HEART - May 4, 2026

The love of people often increases with performance and decreases with mistakes. Not so with God’s love. He loves you right where you are, but he refuses to leave you that way. And so he cleanses us of filth:  immorality, dishonesty, prejudice, bitterness, greed. He wants us to be just like Jesus. Isn’t that good news? You aren’t stuck with today’s personality. You are tweakable!

Where did we get the idea we cannot change? Why do we say things such as, “It’s my nature to worry,” or “I’ll always be pessimistic; I’m just that way,” or, “I have a bad temper; I can’t help the way I react.” Who says? If our bodies malfunction, we seek help. Shouldn’t we do the same for our hearts? Can’t we seek aid for our sour attitudes? Of course we can! Jesus wants to change our hearts. Can you imagine a better offer?

Just Like Jesus

2 Samuel 1

Shortly after Saul died, David returned to Ziklag from his rout of the Amalekites. Three days later a man showed up unannounced from Saul’s army camp.

2–3  Disheveled and obviously in mourning, he fell to his knees in respect before David. David asked, “What brings you here?”

He answered, “I’ve just escaped from the camp of Israel.”

4  “So what happened?” said David. “What’s the news?”

He said, “The Israelites have fled the battlefield, leaving a lot of their dead comrades behind. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead.”

5  David pressed the young soldier for details: “How do you know for sure that Saul and Jonathan are dead?”

6–8  “I just happened by Mount Gilboa and came on Saul, badly wounded and leaning on his spear, with enemy chariots and horsemen bearing down hard on him. He looked behind him, saw me, and called me to him. ‘Yes sir,’ I said, ‘at your service.’ He asked me who I was, and I told him, ‘I’m an Amalekite.’ ”

9  “Come here,” he said, “and put me out of my misery. I’m nearly dead already, but my life hangs on.”

10  “So I did what he asked—I killed him. I knew he wouldn’t last much longer anyway. I removed his royal headband and bracelet, and have brought them to my master. Here they are.”

11–12  In lament, David ripped his clothes to ribbons. All the men with him did the same. They wept and fasted the rest of the day, grieving the death of Saul and his son Jonathan, and also the army of God and the nation Israel, victims in a failed battle.

13  Then David spoke to the young soldier who had brought the report: “Who are you, anyway?”

“I’m from an immigrant family—an Amalekite.”

14–15  “Do you mean to say,” said David, “that you weren’t afraid to up and kill God’s anointed king?” Right then he ordered one of his soldiers, “Strike him dead!” The soldier struck him, and he died.

16  “You asked for it,” David told him. “You sealed your death sentence when you said you killed God’s anointed king.”

17–18  Then David sang this lament over Saul and his son Jonathan, and gave orders that everyone in Judah learn it by heart. Yes, it’s even inscribed in The Book of Jashar.

19–21  Oh, oh, Gazelles of Israel, struck down on your hills,

the mighty warriors—fallen, fallen!

Don’t announce it in the city of Gath,

don’t post the news in the streets of Ashkelon.

Don’t give those coarse Philistine girls

one more excuse for a drunken party!

No more dew or rain for you, hills of Gilboa,

and not a drop from springs and wells,

For there the warriors’ shields were dragged through the mud,

Saul’s shield left there to rot.

22  Jonathan’s bow was bold—

the bigger they were the harder they fell.

Saul’s sword was fearless—

once out of the scabbard, nothing could stop it.

23  Saul and Jonathan—beloved, beautiful!

Together in life, together in death.

Swifter than plummeting eagles,

stronger than proud lions.

24–25  Women of Israel, weep for Saul.

He dressed you in finest cottons and silks,

spared no expense in making you elegant.

The mighty warriors—fallen, fallen

in the middle of the fight!

Jonathan—struck down on your hills!

26  O my dear brother Jonathan,

I’m crushed by your death.

Your friendship was a miracle-wonder,

love far exceeding anything I’ve known—

or ever hope to know.

27  The mighty warriors—fallen, fallen.

And the arms of war broken to bits.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Monday, May 04, 2026

by Bill Crowder

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Revelation 1:1-2, 12-18

A revealing of Jesus, the Messiah. God gave it to make plain to his servants what is about to happen. He published and delivered it by Angel to his servant John. And John told everything he saw: God’s Word—the witness of Jesus Christ!

I turned and saw the voice.

I saw a gold menorah

with seven branches,

And in the center, the Son of Man,

in a robe and gold breastplate,

hair a blizzard of white,

Eyes pouring fire-blaze,

both feet furnace-fired bronze,

His voice a cataract,

right hand holding the Seven Stars,

His mouth a sharp-biting sword,

his face a perigee sun.

I saw this and fainted dead at his feet. His right hand pulled me upright, his voice reassured me:

17–20  “Don’t fear: I am First, I am Last, I’m Alive. I died, but I came to life, and my life is now forever. See these keys in my hand? They open and lock Death’s doors, they open and lock Hell’s gates.

Today's Insights

John’s vision of Jesus in Revelation 1:12-18 reveals Christ’s divine authority, holiness, and power. The imagery of white hair, blazing eyes, and a voice like “rushing waters” (v. 15) emphasizes His purity, wisdom, and majesty. Scholars agree that the seven golden lamp stands (see chs. 2-3) symbolize His presence among the churches, affirming both His nearness and His role as their protector and judge. The “sharp, double-edged sword” from His mouth (1:16) represents the power of His word to convict and save. Christ identifies Himself as “the Living One” (v. 18) who triumphed over death. Believers in Jesus don’t need to fear the future because the risen Christ holds the ultimate authority over life and eternity.

No Fear of an Apocalypse

The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. Revelation 1:1

In 1859, the largest solar storm in recorded history took place. Known as the Carrington Event, it produced a massive geomagnetic disturbance blamed for disrupting the telegraph system. The website Space.com says, “It’s been conjectured that a storm on the scale of the Carrington event, if it happened today, could cause an internet apocalypse.”

The ominous word apocalypse intrigues us. It’s the Greek title of the book of Revelation (apokalypsis). But the word doesn’t only mean a catastrophe or the end of the world. As the title Revelation implies, it also refers to an unveiling, a revealing.

The book opens, “The revelation from Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:1). Revelation reveals Jesus as the Lamb of God, a term John uses in the book more than twenty-five times to describe Him. Revelation also reveals Christ as one whose “eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters” (vv. 14-15). When John first saw the Lamb of God, he “fell at his feet as though dead” (v. 17). But this Lamb touched him and said, “Do not be afraid. . . . I am alive for ever and ever!” (v.v 17-18).

Rather than fearing any apocalypse, we can embrace Revelation for showing us the glorified, resurrected Christ. He’s the one we worship.

Reflect & Pray

What are your fears about the future? How does Jesus help you transcend those fears?

Heavenly Father, thank You for revealing Your Son Jesus to me.

Learn more about the book of Revelation.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Monday, May 04, 2026

Vicarious Intercession

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

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

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

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

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

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

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

Studies in the Sermon on the Mount

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Monday, May 04, 2026

Looking for What's Right There - #10255

How did we know it was a stupid question? Our family was in Alaska some years ago and we asked some of the folks there what seemed like a reasonable question, "Where can we go to see a moose?" Turns out seeing a moose is really no big deal in Alaska. In fact, some people we talked to had hit one recently! So, they're everywhere. Sure. While I was busy speaking, my wife and kids drove all over the countryside looking for some moose. Nada. Maybe people hit them all! They even went to the Moose Sanctuary and they saw no moose there; frustrated, tired of looking, and pretty sure those moose were only in pictures in the tourist brochures. One morning we walked out of the house where we were staying, piled in the car, and started driving down the driveway. Suddenly, one of the kids shouted, "Moose!" And sure enough, there were three members of the antler gang right there at the bottom of our driveway! What we'd been looking for all that time was right in front of us!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Looking for What's Right There."

You know this is a time when spirituality is important to more and more people, there's a word you hear a lot and folks use it to describe themselves spiritually - I'm a "seeker" or I'm "searching spiritually." And that's a good thing to be doing. We're created with this eternity dimension by a God who is eternal, and we'll only find life's real meaning by shopping in the store called "spiritual answers." That part is right.

Today, as never before, there's a spiritual cafeteria to choose from. Our search for the truth can carry us to many different religions or a blend of several religions; into New Age spirituality, into ourselves to find the power within us. But like our family hunting for moose, we're looking, but often not finding what we're looking for. Much searching - still no lasting peace, no security about eternity.

It was a number of years ago where 39 members of the "Heaven's Gate" cult committed suicide. It was really unsettling because these were bright people, competent people; sincere spiritual seekers hoping to graduate from earth to, believe it or not, a waiting spaceship. That was their unusual belief. But listen, this is what I wanted to share with you - what one national news magazine observed about them and about us. It said, "Subtract the spaceship and the mass suicide, and you have a yearning and a search familiar to millions of Americans."  That's true.

That magazine pointed out what they called universal needs that many people are trying to meet: "the craving to belong, the wish to connect to something larger than oneself, the secret hope of finding an all-caring parent who offers protection and comfort." I'll tell you what, those needs were built into us by our Creator. 

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Colossians 1:16. "All things were created by Him and for Him." That simple statement from God could be the beginning of the end of your spiritual search. He says you were created by Jesus; you were created for Jesus. The Savior who's been pretty much in front of you all the time, but maybe you've passed him by because you get Jesus confused with all the religious baggage attached to His name because you thought it was some new spirituality you needed.

But only Jesus died to remedy our central spiritual problem: we're away from God because of our sin. And only the One who paid for that sin with His life can put you and God together. Without that, all spiritual searching must, sooner or later, turn up empty. The day you find is the day you say, "Jesus, You died and it was for me, for my sin. And today, I am Yours." 

He's been here all the time, but you've missed Him. Why don't you make today the day you find Him? Make a trip to our website and find out there how to be sure you belong to Him. It's ANewStory.com. 

Searching is good. Finding is better. Your long search will end in the loving arms of the One who's been patiently waiting for you all this time. Jesus - the end of your search.