Joel 3The Nations Judged 1 "In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. [a] There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.
3 They cast lots for my people and traded boys for prostitutes; they sold girls for wine that they might drink.
4 "Now what have you against me, O Tyre and Sidon and all you regions of Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done. 5 For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples. 6 You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, that you might send them far from their homeland.
7 "See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them, and I will return on your own heads what you have done. 8 I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, a nation far away." The LORD has spoken.
9 Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.
10 Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, "I am strong!"
11 Come quickly, all you nations from every side, and assemble there. Bring down your warriors, O LORD!
12 "Let the nations be roused; let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the nations on every side.
13 Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow— so great is their wickedness!"
14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine.
16 The LORD will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble. But the LORD will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.
Blessings for God's People 17 "Then you will know that I, the LORD your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem will be holy; never again will foreigners invade her. 18 "In that day the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk; all the ravines of Judah will run with water. A fountain will flow out of the LORD's house and will water the valley of acacias. [b]
19 But Egypt will be desolate, Edom a desert waste, because of violence done to the people of Judah, in whose land they shed innocent blood.
20 Judah will be inhabited forever and Jerusalem through all generations.
21 Their bloodguilt, which I have not pardoned, I will pardon." The LORD dwells in Zion!
Matthew 1:18-25 (New International Version)New International Version (NIV)Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
The Birth of Jesus Christ 18This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[a] because he will save his people from their sins."
22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"[b]—which means, "God with us."
24When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus
December 24, 2007
The Forgotten Man
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READ: Matthew 1:18-25
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. —Proverbs 3:5 About this cover Amid all the Christmas activities, one man is often forgotten.
No, I don’t mean the person whose birthday we’re celebrating. Although we often fail to give Jesus first place as He deserves, we don’t usually forget Him. I’m talking about Joseph—the man God trusted so much that He placed His Son in his home to love and nurture. What a responsibility!
Joseph truly is the forgotten man in the Christmas story. Yet his task was an important component of God’s incredible plan. As we read the story of the birth of Jesus, we find that Joseph was just, righteous, merciful, protective, and courageous. But most of all—he was obedient. When the angel told him to take Mary as his wife, he obeyed (Matt. 1:24). And when the angel told him to flee to Egypt with Mary and Jesus, he did (2:13-14).
Just as Mary was carefully chosen to bear the Son of God, Joseph was deliberately chosen to provide for his young wife and the Christ-child. And trusting God, Joseph followed through on everything God asked him to do.
What is God asking of you today? Are you willing to commit yourself to do whatever He wants you to do?
We can learn much about obedience from Joseph, the forgotten man of Christmas. —Cindy Hess Kasper
It matters not the path on earthMy feet are made to trod;It only matters how I live:Obedient to God. —Clark
The proof of our love for God is our obedience to the commands of God
December 24, 2007
The Hidden LifeLISTEN: READ:
. . . your life is hidden with Christ in God —Colossians 3:3 About this cover The Spirit of God testifies to and confirms the simple, but almighty, security of the life that "is hidden with Christ in God." Paul continually brought this out in his New Testament letters. We talk as if living a sanctified life were the most uncertain and insecure thing we could do. Yet it is the most secure thing possible, because it has Almighty God in and behind it. The most dangerous and unsure thing is to try to live without God. For one who is born again, it is easier to live in a right-standing relationship with God than it is to go wrong, provided we heed God’s warnings and "walk in the light" ( 1 John 1:7 ).
When we think of being delivered from sin, being "filled with the Spirit" ( Ephesians 5:18 ), and "walk[ing] in the light," we picture the peak of a great mountain. We see it as very high and wonderful, but we say, "Oh, I could never live up there!" However, when we do get there through God’s grace, we find it is not a mountain peak at all, but a plateau with plenty of room to live and to grow. "You enlarged my path under me, so my feet did not slip" ( Psalm 18:36 ).
When you really see Jesus, I defy you to doubt Him. If you see Him when He says, "Let not your heart be troubled . . ." (John 14:27 ), I defy you to worry. It is virtually impossible to doubt when He is there. Every time you are in personal contact with Jesus, His words are real to you. "My peace I give to you . . ." (John 14:27 )— a peace which brings an unconstrained confidence and covers you completely, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. ". . . your life is hidden with Christ in God," and the peace of Jesus Christ that cannot be disturbed has been imparted to you.
Desert PreparationOs Hillman
Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus. - Galatians 1:17
The apostle Paul tells us in the first chapter of Galatians some of the facts surrounding his own conversion. He tells us that he clearly understood the call Jesus placed on his life. He did not have to consult other men about this calling. But before he was released to begin his own mission, He went to Arabia for three years. Why did Paul have to go to Arabia for three years before he ever met another disciple of Jesus Christ?
The Scripture does not tell us plainly why Paul spent three years in Arabia. However, based upon many examples of God placing special calls on people's lives, we know it often requires a time of separation between the old life and the new life. No doubt, Paul had plenty of time to consider what had taken place in his life and time to develop an intimate knowledge and relationship with the newfound Savior. His life was about to change dramatically.
So often, when God places a call on one of His children, it requires a separation between the old life and the new life. There is a time of being away from the old in order to prepare the heart for what is coming. It can be a painful and difficult separation. Joseph was separated from his family. Jacob was sent to live with his uncle Laban. Moses was sent to the desert.
When God began a deeper work in my own life, it required a separation from all I had known before. He removed all that I had placed confidence in up to that point. It was very painful and very scary since I was in my mid-40's. In my mind, it was not the time to start life over. I had been making plans for early retirement. God had a different idea. He removed all my comforts and security in order to accomplish a much greater work than what I could see at the time. The picture is clear now. I understand why it was necessary, but I didn't at the time.
Perhaps God has placed you in your own desert period. Perhaps you cannot make sense of the situation in which you find yourself. If you press into God during this time, He will reveal the purposes He has for you. The key is pressing into Him. Seek Him with a whole heart and He will be found. God may have a special calling and message He is building in your life right now. Trust in His love for you that He will fully complete the work He has started in you.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Joel 2 and Devotionals
Joel 2An Army of Locusts 1 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand- 2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come.
3 Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste— nothing escapes them.
4 They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like cavalry.
5 With a noise like that of chariots they leap over the mountaintops, like a crackling fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army drawn up for battle.
6 At the sight of them, nations are in anguish; every face turns pale.
7 They charge like warriors; they scale walls like soldiers. They all march in line, not swerving from their course.
8 They do not jostle each other; each marches straight ahead. They plunge through defenses without breaking ranks.
9 They rush upon the city; they run along the wall. They climb into the houses; like thieves they enter through the windows.
10 Before them the earth shakes, the sky trembles, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine.
11 The LORD thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty are those who obey his command. The day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?
Rend Your Heart 12 "Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning." 13 Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.
14 Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing— grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God.
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly.
16 Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber.
17 Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the temple porch and the altar. Let them say, "Spare your people, O LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?' "
The LORD's Answer 18 Then the LORD will be jealous for his land and take pity on his people. 19 The LORD will reply [a] to them: "I am sending you grain, new wine and oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations.
20 "I will drive the northern army far from you, pushing it into a parched and barren land, with its front columns going into the eastern sea [b] and those in the rear into the western sea. [c] And its stench will go up; its smell will rise." Surely he has done great things. [d]
21 Be not afraid, O land; be glad and rejoice. Surely the LORD has done great things.
22 Be not afraid, O wild animals, for the open pastures are becoming green. The trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches.
23 Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. [e] He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.
24 The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.
25 "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten— the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm [f]— my great army that I sent among you.
26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed.
27 Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the LORD your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed.
The Day of the LORD 28 "And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. 29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
30 I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.
32 And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls.
1 Peter 1:3-12 (New International Version)New International Version (NIV)Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
Praise to God for a Living Hope 3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 10Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
December 23, 2007
Reserved In HeavenREAD: 1 Peter 1:3-12
An inheritance incorruptible . . . reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God. —1 Peter 1:4-5 About this cover A friend of mine spent several months rebuilding an old Ford Bronco and turning it into an off-road vehicle for use here in Idaho. He kept it in his garage under lock and key. When Christmas came, Gary thought, What better place to hide my daughter Katie’s present.
Shortly before Christmas, someone asked Katie what she was getting for Christmas. “Oh,” she replied, “I already have it. It’s a bicycle in a box under the Bronco in the garage!”
I don’t know what methods Katie used to discover her present. But I do admire her unshakable confidence that the bike was hers even though she did not yet have it in her hands.
That confidence reminds me of the apostle Peter’s words: “[God] has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5).
What is reserved for us? Our inheritance—heaven, and a legacy beyond description that rests on the certainty of eternal life, “which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began” (Titus 1:2). —David H. Roper
I am living for the momentWhen before His feet I fall,And with all the host of heavenOwn Him Lord and King of all. —Christiansen
A Christian’s future is as bright as the promises of God.
December 23, 2007
Sharing in the AtonementLISTEN: READ:
God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . —Galatians 6:14 About this cover The gospel of Jesus Christ always forces a decision of our will. Have I accepted God’s verdict on sin as judged on the Cross of Christ? Do I have even the slightest interest in the death of Jesus? Do I want to be identified with His death— to be completely dead to all interest in sin, worldliness, and self? Do I long to be so closely identified with Jesus that I am of no value for anything except Him and His purposes? The great privilege of discipleship is that I can commit myself under the banner of His Cross, and that means death to sin. You must get alone with Jesus and either decide to tell Him that you do not want sin to die out in you, or that at any cost you want to be identified with His death. When you act in confident faith in what our Lord did on the cross, a supernatural identification with His death takes place immediately. And you will come to know through a higher knowledge that your old life was "crucified with Him" (Romans 6:6 ). The proof that your old life is dead, having been "crucified with Christ" ( Galatians 2:20 ), is the amazing ease with which the life of God in you now enables you to obey the voice of Jesus Christ.
Every once in a while our Lord gives us a glimpse of what we would be like if it were not for Him. This is a confirmation of what He said— ". . . without Me you can do nothing" ( John 15:5 ). That is why the underlying foundation of Christianity is personal, passionate devotion to the Lord Jesus. We mistake the joy of our first introduction into God’s kingdom as His purpose for getting us there. Yet God’s purpose in getting us into His kingdom is that we may realize all that identification with Jesus Christ means
Elevated From the PastureOs Hillman
Now then, tell my servant David, "This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over My people Israel." - 2 Samuel 7:8
Have you ever heard someone say, "He is a self-made millionaire"? They are stating that this person accomplished everything through his own efforts. His achievements were a result of his hard work and street smarts.
David was nearing the end of his life. The prophet Nathan was responding to David's idea to build a temple where the Ark of the Covenant would stay. God reminded David of his roots and where He had brought him. God took David from the fields of pasturing sheep to pastoring a nation. God reminded David that He cut off all of David's enemies. (David never lost a battle.)
Have you ever felt tempted to look at your accomplishments with pride as if you were the reason for your success? Have you ever thought your prosperity was due to your ingenuity? Has your material success been a testimony to others that God is the ruler of all aspects of your life, even the material side?
Joseph's greatest test was not his temptation to be bitter against his brothers. It wasn't the sexual temptation that came inside Potiphar's house. It wasn't even the discouragement of years of imprisonment for being wrongfully accused. It was the temptation of prosperity and ownership. Once he was elevated, he was given choices that he never had before. It was totally up to him as to which choice he would make. Stewardship reveals what we believe about God and ourselves.
Not every man can carry a full cup. Sudden elevation frequently leads to pride and a fall. The most exacting test of all to survive is prosperity. -Oswald Chambers
Do you have a proper understanding of who you are? Do you understand that it is God who has given you the ability to work and achieve? He is the source of all good things. Ask God today if your life models this belief.
3 Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste— nothing escapes them.
4 They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like cavalry.
5 With a noise like that of chariots they leap over the mountaintops, like a crackling fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army drawn up for battle.
6 At the sight of them, nations are in anguish; every face turns pale.
7 They charge like warriors; they scale walls like soldiers. They all march in line, not swerving from their course.
8 They do not jostle each other; each marches straight ahead. They plunge through defenses without breaking ranks.
9 They rush upon the city; they run along the wall. They climb into the houses; like thieves they enter through the windows.
10 Before them the earth shakes, the sky trembles, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine.
11 The LORD thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty are those who obey his command. The day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?
Rend Your Heart 12 "Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning." 13 Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.
14 Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing— grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God.
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly.
16 Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber.
17 Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the temple porch and the altar. Let them say, "Spare your people, O LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?' "
The LORD's Answer 18 Then the LORD will be jealous for his land and take pity on his people. 19 The LORD will reply [a] to them: "I am sending you grain, new wine and oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations.
20 "I will drive the northern army far from you, pushing it into a parched and barren land, with its front columns going into the eastern sea [b] and those in the rear into the western sea. [c] And its stench will go up; its smell will rise." Surely he has done great things. [d]
21 Be not afraid, O land; be glad and rejoice. Surely the LORD has done great things.
22 Be not afraid, O wild animals, for the open pastures are becoming green. The trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches.
23 Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. [e] He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.
24 The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.
25 "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten— the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm [f]— my great army that I sent among you.
26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed.
27 Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the LORD your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed.
The Day of the LORD 28 "And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. 29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
30 I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.
32 And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls.
1 Peter 1:3-12 (New International Version)New International Version (NIV)Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
Praise to God for a Living Hope 3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 10Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
December 23, 2007
Reserved In HeavenREAD: 1 Peter 1:3-12
An inheritance incorruptible . . . reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God. —1 Peter 1:4-5 About this cover A friend of mine spent several months rebuilding an old Ford Bronco and turning it into an off-road vehicle for use here in Idaho. He kept it in his garage under lock and key. When Christmas came, Gary thought, What better place to hide my daughter Katie’s present.
Shortly before Christmas, someone asked Katie what she was getting for Christmas. “Oh,” she replied, “I already have it. It’s a bicycle in a box under the Bronco in the garage!”
I don’t know what methods Katie used to discover her present. But I do admire her unshakable confidence that the bike was hers even though she did not yet have it in her hands.
That confidence reminds me of the apostle Peter’s words: “[God] has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5).
What is reserved for us? Our inheritance—heaven, and a legacy beyond description that rests on the certainty of eternal life, “which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began” (Titus 1:2). —David H. Roper
I am living for the momentWhen before His feet I fall,And with all the host of heavenOwn Him Lord and King of all. —Christiansen
A Christian’s future is as bright as the promises of God.
December 23, 2007
Sharing in the AtonementLISTEN: READ:
God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . —Galatians 6:14 About this cover The gospel of Jesus Christ always forces a decision of our will. Have I accepted God’s verdict on sin as judged on the Cross of Christ? Do I have even the slightest interest in the death of Jesus? Do I want to be identified with His death— to be completely dead to all interest in sin, worldliness, and self? Do I long to be so closely identified with Jesus that I am of no value for anything except Him and His purposes? The great privilege of discipleship is that I can commit myself under the banner of His Cross, and that means death to sin. You must get alone with Jesus and either decide to tell Him that you do not want sin to die out in you, or that at any cost you want to be identified with His death. When you act in confident faith in what our Lord did on the cross, a supernatural identification with His death takes place immediately. And you will come to know through a higher knowledge that your old life was "crucified with Him" (Romans 6:6 ). The proof that your old life is dead, having been "crucified with Christ" ( Galatians 2:20 ), is the amazing ease with which the life of God in you now enables you to obey the voice of Jesus Christ.
Every once in a while our Lord gives us a glimpse of what we would be like if it were not for Him. This is a confirmation of what He said— ". . . without Me you can do nothing" ( John 15:5 ). That is why the underlying foundation of Christianity is personal, passionate devotion to the Lord Jesus. We mistake the joy of our first introduction into God’s kingdom as His purpose for getting us there. Yet God’s purpose in getting us into His kingdom is that we may realize all that identification with Jesus Christ means
Elevated From the PastureOs Hillman
Now then, tell my servant David, "This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over My people Israel." - 2 Samuel 7:8
Have you ever heard someone say, "He is a self-made millionaire"? They are stating that this person accomplished everything through his own efforts. His achievements were a result of his hard work and street smarts.
David was nearing the end of his life. The prophet Nathan was responding to David's idea to build a temple where the Ark of the Covenant would stay. God reminded David of his roots and where He had brought him. God took David from the fields of pasturing sheep to pastoring a nation. God reminded David that He cut off all of David's enemies. (David never lost a battle.)
Have you ever felt tempted to look at your accomplishments with pride as if you were the reason for your success? Have you ever thought your prosperity was due to your ingenuity? Has your material success been a testimony to others that God is the ruler of all aspects of your life, even the material side?
Joseph's greatest test was not his temptation to be bitter against his brothers. It wasn't the sexual temptation that came inside Potiphar's house. It wasn't even the discouragement of years of imprisonment for being wrongfully accused. It was the temptation of prosperity and ownership. Once he was elevated, he was given choices that he never had before. It was totally up to him as to which choice he would make. Stewardship reveals what we believe about God and ourselves.
Not every man can carry a full cup. Sudden elevation frequently leads to pride and a fall. The most exacting test of all to survive is prosperity. -Oswald Chambers
Do you have a proper understanding of who you are? Do you understand that it is God who has given you the ability to work and achieve? He is the source of all good things. Ask God today if your life models this belief.
Joel 1 and Devotionals
Joel 1
1 The word of the LORD that came to Joel son of Pethuel.
An Invasion of Locusts 2 Hear this, you elders; listen, all who live in the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your forefathers?
3 Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation.
4 What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left other locusts [a] have eaten.
5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep! Wail, all you drinkers of wine; wail because of the new wine, for it has been snatched from your lips.
6 A nation has invaded my land, powerful and without number; it has the teeth of a lion, the fangs of a lioness.
7 It has laid waste my vines and ruined my fig trees. It has stripped off their bark and thrown it away, leaving their branches white.
8 Mourn like a virgin [b] in sackcloth grieving for the husband [c] of her youth.
9 Grain offerings and drink offerings are cut off from the house of the LORD. The priests are in mourning, those who minister before the LORD.
10 The fields are ruined, the ground is dried up [d] ; the grain is destroyed, the new wine is dried up, the oil fails.
11 Despair, you farmers, wail, you vine growers; grieve for the wheat and the barley, because the harvest of the field is destroyed.
12 The vine is dried up and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree— all the trees of the field—are dried up. Surely the joy of mankind is withered away.
A Call to Repentance 13 Put on sackcloth, O priests, and mourn; wail, you who minister before the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you who minister before my God; for the grain offerings and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God.
14 Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.
15 Alas for that day! For the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. [e]
16 Has not the food been cut off before our very eyes— joy and gladness from the house of our God?
17 The seeds are shriveled beneath the clods. [f] The storehouses are in ruins, the granaries have been broken down, for the grain has dried up.
18 How the cattle moan! The herds mill about because they have no pasture; even the flocks of sheep are suffering.
19 To you, O LORD, I call, for fire has devoured the open pastures and flames have burned up all the trees of the field.
20 Even the wild animals pant for you; the streams of water have dried up and fire has devoured the open pastures.
Micah 6The LORD's Case Against Israel 1 Listen to what the LORD says: "Stand up, plead your case before the mountains; let the hills hear what you have to say. 2 Hear, O mountains, the LORD's accusation; listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth. For the LORD has a case against his people; he is lodging a charge against Israel.
3 "My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me.
4 I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam.
5 My people, remember what Balak king of Moab counseled and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD."
6 With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
December 22, 2007
Where’s The Leash?READ: Micah 6:1-8
What does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? —Micah 6:8 About this cover Recently, while out for Chinese food with friends, I noticed a man walking his dog past the restaurant. Normally I wouldn’t have looked twice. But the dog’s owner had taken the leash, put it in a figure-eight configuration, and placed it firmly in the dog’s mouth.
My friends explained that it’s against the law in their town to walk a dog without a leash. This clever dog owner had found a loophole—the law didn’t stipulate that you actually have to hold the leash! The amazing part is not the loophole, but that the dog was walking in obedient step with his owner, even though he could have bolted away to chase a nearby squirrel.
Our walk with God needs to be like that. While God in His mercy gives us a long leash and rarely gives us spiritual whiplash by yanking on it, He doesn’t delight in the struggle to keep us in line. He delights when we walk in a surrendered way with Him.
When Israel whined to the prophet Micah about how hard they thought it was to please God, He replied with a straightforward, simple way to please Him. Being just and loving mercy while we walk humbly with Him brings God great pleasure (Mic. 6:8). You’ll know He is pleased when He doesn’t have to hold your leash anymore. —Joe Stowell
All to Jesus I surrender,All to Him I freely give;I will ever love and trust Him,In His presence daily live. —Van de Venter
Find true freedom by walking obediently with God.
December 22, 2007
The Drawing of the FatherLISTEN: READ:
No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him . . . —John 6:44 About this cover When God begins to draw me to Himself, the problem of my will comes in immediately. Will I react positively to the truth that God has revealed? Will I come to Him? To discuss or deliberate over spiritual matters when God calls is inappropriate and disrespectful to Him. When God speaks, never discuss it with anyone as if to decide what your response may be (see Galatians 1:15-16 ). Belief is not the result of an intellectual act, but the result of an act of my will whereby I deliberately commit myself. But will I commit, placing myself completely and absolutely on God, and be willing to act solely on what He says? If I will, I will find that I am grounded on reality as certain as God’s throne.
In preaching the gospel, always focus on the matter of the will. Belief must come from the will to believe. There must be a surrender of the will, not a surrender to a persuasive or powerful argument. I must deliberately step out, placing my faith in God and in His truth. And I must place no confidence in my own works, but only in God. Trusting in my own mental understanding becomes a hindrance to complete trust in God. I must be willing to ignore and leave my feelings behind. I must will to believe. But this can never be accomplished without my forceful, determined effort to separate myself from my old ways of looking at things. I must surrender myself completely to God.
Everyone has been created with the ability to reach out beyond his own grasp. But it is God who draws me, and my relationship to Him in the first place is an inner, personal one, not an intellectual one. I come into the relationship through the miracle of God and through my own will to believe. Then I begin to get an intelligent appreciation and understanding of the wonder of the transformation in my life.
Betrayals
by Os Hillman
If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend. - Psalm 55:12-13
"You will always be attacked in the place of your inheritance," said the man sitting across the breakfast table. "God has called you to bring people together and to impact other people's lives as a result of this anointing in your life. You must make sure that you seek to maintain righteousness in all of your relationships." Those words came from someone who had the wisdom and authority to speak them to me.
I have had a number of close relationships that ended in betrayal. I am very loyal to my friends and those with whom I have covenant relationships. Yet there are times that no matter how righteous you are, when someone means to betray you, he will do it. Loving those who betray you is "graduate-level Christianity." The religious community and one of His closest friends betrayed Jesus. Those who were closest to David betrayed him. Joseph's own family betrayed him. Loving our enemies cannot be accomplished by mustering it up. It can only happen when we have come to a death in ourselves so that Christ can love through us. It is truly one of those acts of identifying with the cross.
If you are a leader, you can be sure God will allow you to experience betrayal. It is one of those courses in the Kingdom that may not be required until God has seen that you have successfully passed other tests. It is the most difficult and most gut wrenching of all tests. A godly response goes against all that is in us. Our natural response is to protect, retaliate, and retain unforgiveness and bitterness. Our natural response is satan's most powerful weapon; to overcome it requires much grace from God. Ask God to build His nature in you now so that when such attacks come, you will be aware that it is a test and you will respond in righteousness.
1 The word of the LORD that came to Joel son of Pethuel.
An Invasion of Locusts 2 Hear this, you elders; listen, all who live in the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your forefathers?
3 Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation.
4 What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left other locusts [a] have eaten.
5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep! Wail, all you drinkers of wine; wail because of the new wine, for it has been snatched from your lips.
6 A nation has invaded my land, powerful and without number; it has the teeth of a lion, the fangs of a lioness.
7 It has laid waste my vines and ruined my fig trees. It has stripped off their bark and thrown it away, leaving their branches white.
8 Mourn like a virgin [b] in sackcloth grieving for the husband [c] of her youth.
9 Grain offerings and drink offerings are cut off from the house of the LORD. The priests are in mourning, those who minister before the LORD.
10 The fields are ruined, the ground is dried up [d] ; the grain is destroyed, the new wine is dried up, the oil fails.
11 Despair, you farmers, wail, you vine growers; grieve for the wheat and the barley, because the harvest of the field is destroyed.
12 The vine is dried up and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree— all the trees of the field—are dried up. Surely the joy of mankind is withered away.
A Call to Repentance 13 Put on sackcloth, O priests, and mourn; wail, you who minister before the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you who minister before my God; for the grain offerings and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God.
14 Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.
15 Alas for that day! For the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. [e]
16 Has not the food been cut off before our very eyes— joy and gladness from the house of our God?
17 The seeds are shriveled beneath the clods. [f] The storehouses are in ruins, the granaries have been broken down, for the grain has dried up.
18 How the cattle moan! The herds mill about because they have no pasture; even the flocks of sheep are suffering.
19 To you, O LORD, I call, for fire has devoured the open pastures and flames have burned up all the trees of the field.
20 Even the wild animals pant for you; the streams of water have dried up and fire has devoured the open pastures.
Micah 6The LORD's Case Against Israel 1 Listen to what the LORD says: "Stand up, plead your case before the mountains; let the hills hear what you have to say. 2 Hear, O mountains, the LORD's accusation; listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth. For the LORD has a case against his people; he is lodging a charge against Israel.
3 "My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me.
4 I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam.
5 My people, remember what Balak king of Moab counseled and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD."
6 With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
December 22, 2007
Where’s The Leash?READ: Micah 6:1-8
What does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? —Micah 6:8 About this cover Recently, while out for Chinese food with friends, I noticed a man walking his dog past the restaurant. Normally I wouldn’t have looked twice. But the dog’s owner had taken the leash, put it in a figure-eight configuration, and placed it firmly in the dog’s mouth.
My friends explained that it’s against the law in their town to walk a dog without a leash. This clever dog owner had found a loophole—the law didn’t stipulate that you actually have to hold the leash! The amazing part is not the loophole, but that the dog was walking in obedient step with his owner, even though he could have bolted away to chase a nearby squirrel.
Our walk with God needs to be like that. While God in His mercy gives us a long leash and rarely gives us spiritual whiplash by yanking on it, He doesn’t delight in the struggle to keep us in line. He delights when we walk in a surrendered way with Him.
When Israel whined to the prophet Micah about how hard they thought it was to please God, He replied with a straightforward, simple way to please Him. Being just and loving mercy while we walk humbly with Him brings God great pleasure (Mic. 6:8). You’ll know He is pleased when He doesn’t have to hold your leash anymore. —Joe Stowell
All to Jesus I surrender,All to Him I freely give;I will ever love and trust Him,In His presence daily live. —Van de Venter
Find true freedom by walking obediently with God.
December 22, 2007
The Drawing of the FatherLISTEN: READ:
No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him . . . —John 6:44 About this cover When God begins to draw me to Himself, the problem of my will comes in immediately. Will I react positively to the truth that God has revealed? Will I come to Him? To discuss or deliberate over spiritual matters when God calls is inappropriate and disrespectful to Him. When God speaks, never discuss it with anyone as if to decide what your response may be (see Galatians 1:15-16 ). Belief is not the result of an intellectual act, but the result of an act of my will whereby I deliberately commit myself. But will I commit, placing myself completely and absolutely on God, and be willing to act solely on what He says? If I will, I will find that I am grounded on reality as certain as God’s throne.
In preaching the gospel, always focus on the matter of the will. Belief must come from the will to believe. There must be a surrender of the will, not a surrender to a persuasive or powerful argument. I must deliberately step out, placing my faith in God and in His truth. And I must place no confidence in my own works, but only in God. Trusting in my own mental understanding becomes a hindrance to complete trust in God. I must be willing to ignore and leave my feelings behind. I must will to believe. But this can never be accomplished without my forceful, determined effort to separate myself from my old ways of looking at things. I must surrender myself completely to God.
Everyone has been created with the ability to reach out beyond his own grasp. But it is God who draws me, and my relationship to Him in the first place is an inner, personal one, not an intellectual one. I come into the relationship through the miracle of God and through my own will to believe. Then I begin to get an intelligent appreciation and understanding of the wonder of the transformation in my life.
Betrayals
by Os Hillman
If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend. - Psalm 55:12-13
"You will always be attacked in the place of your inheritance," said the man sitting across the breakfast table. "God has called you to bring people together and to impact other people's lives as a result of this anointing in your life. You must make sure that you seek to maintain righteousness in all of your relationships." Those words came from someone who had the wisdom and authority to speak them to me.
I have had a number of close relationships that ended in betrayal. I am very loyal to my friends and those with whom I have covenant relationships. Yet there are times that no matter how righteous you are, when someone means to betray you, he will do it. Loving those who betray you is "graduate-level Christianity." The religious community and one of His closest friends betrayed Jesus. Those who were closest to David betrayed him. Joseph's own family betrayed him. Loving our enemies cannot be accomplished by mustering it up. It can only happen when we have come to a death in ourselves so that Christ can love through us. It is truly one of those acts of identifying with the cross.
If you are a leader, you can be sure God will allow you to experience betrayal. It is one of those courses in the Kingdom that may not be required until God has seen that you have successfully passed other tests. It is the most difficult and most gut wrenching of all tests. A godly response goes against all that is in us. Our natural response is to protect, retaliate, and retain unforgiveness and bitterness. Our natural response is satan's most powerful weapon; to overcome it requires much grace from God. Ask God to build His nature in you now so that when such attacks come, you will be aware that it is a test and you will respond in righteousness.
Hosea 14 and Devotionals
Hosea 14
Repentance to Bring Blessing 1 Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God. Your sins have been your downfall!
2 Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to him: "Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips. [a]
3 Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount war-horses. We will never again say 'Our gods' to what our own hands have made, for in you the fatherless find compassion."
4 "I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them.
5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots;
6 his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.
7 Men will dwell again in his shade. He will flourish like the grain. He will blossom like a vine, and his fame will be like the wine from Lebanon.
8 O Ephraim, what more have I [b] to do with idols? I will answer him and care for him. I am like a green pine tree; your fruitfulness comes from me."
9 Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the LORD are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.
Isaiah 42:1-9 (New International Version)New International Version (NIV)Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
Isaiah 42The Servant of the Lord 1 "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. 2 He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets.
3 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
4 he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope."
5 This is what God the LORD says— he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it:
6 "I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles,
7 to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
8 "I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.
9 See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you."
December 21, 2007
God’s Surprising Answer
ODB RADIO: Listen Now Download
READ: Isaiah 42:1-9
Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! —Isaiah 64:1 About this cover Rend the heavens!” and “come down!” pleaded the prophet Isaiah. Make Your name known by making the mountains shake and the nations tremble, he advised the Lord (Isa. 64:1-3).
Isaiah wanted God to behave as He had in the past. Recalling the Scripture about God’s visit with Moses on Mt. Sinai, Isaiah longed for a repeat performance.
But God had already told Isaiah that He would be doing something new. “Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them” (42:9).
The “something new” was Jesus! God did indeed come down. But not in Isaiah’s lifetime. And not in the dramatic fashion he longed for. “He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street” (42:2). He came in the unassuming form of an infant.
Many of us can remember a situation when God was amazingly timely in His response to our need. Like Isaiah, we want God to do the same thing again. But perhaps He has something else in mind. As you celebrate God’s humble descent to earth, be aware that He came to change our hearts, not just our circumstances. —Julie Ackerman Link
God’s answer wasn’t detectedWhen Jesus came to earth,For no one had expectedA Child of lowly birth. —D. De Haan
God’s answers to our prayers may exceed our expectations.
December 21, 2007
Experience or God’s Revealed Truth?LISTEN: READ:
We have received . . . the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God —1 Corinthians 2:12 About this cover My experience is not what makes redemption real— redemption is reality. Redemption has no real meaning for me until it is worked out through my conscious life. When I am born again, the Spirit of God takes me beyond myself and my experiences, and identifies me with Jesus Christ. If I am left only with my personal experiences, I am left with something not produced by redemption. But experiences produced by redemption prove themselves by leading me beyond myself, to the point of no longer paying any attention to experiences as the basis of reality. Instead, I see that only the reality itself produced the experiences. My experiences are not worth anything unless they keep me at the Source of truth— Jesus Christ.
If you try to hold back the Holy Spirit within you, with the desire of producing more inner spiritual experiences, you will find that He will break the hold and take you again to the historic Christ. Never support an experience which does not have God as its Source and faith in God as its result. If you do, your experience is anti-Christian, no matter what visions or insights you may have had. Is Jesus Christ Lord of your experiences, or do you place your experiences above Him? Is any experience dearer to you than your Lord? You must allow Him to be Lord over you, and pay no attention to any experience over which He is not Lord. Then there will come a time when God will make you impatient with your own experience, and you can truthfully say, "I do not care what I experience— I am sure of Him!"
Be relentless and hard on yourself if you are in the habit of talking about the experiences you have had. Faith based on experience is not faith; faith based on God’s revealed truth is the only faith there is.
An E. R. Christmas - #5465 Friday, December 21, 2007
If you made a list of places you might like to be for Christmas, the hospital emergency room probably wouldn't be on your list. Mine either. But that's what happened the Christmas that our sons got a new football. It was this extraordinary 60-degree Christmas day, so we had to go out and play with that new ball, of course. I went deep for a pass. I caught it on the end of my finger! And the next thing I knew, I was spending a painful Christmas in the emergency room getting a broken finger repaired. Nice way to spend Christmas, huh? I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "An E. R. Christmas." Take it from me it is no fun dealing with something broken at Christmas. But too many folks are doing just that this season - maybe you. It's not a broken limb that puts a cloud over so many Christmases - it's a broken heart, a broken relationship, a broken dream. This season amplifies so many emotions. It amplifies the loves of your life, the joys of your life, and the pain. As we approach this Christmas, maybe you're feeling very deeply some personal loss, some grief, some guilt or regret, hurt, some loneliness. Broken is hard anytime. It's especially hard at Christmas. Which brings us to one of the main reasons Jesus came that first Christmas. Our word for today from the Word of God, Isaiah 61:1, the Son of God says, "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on Me ... He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners." God saw our brokenness and He sent His one and only Son to give us hope. But He didn't just bring a band-aid for the symptom. He went right to the central cause of most human pain - this deadly soul-cancer called sin. Most of the broken things in our life are either because we have been sinned against or because we have sinned. In other words, we have done it our way instead of God's way. We were designed to live for the One who gave us our life, but in the words of the Bible, "everyone has gone his own way." That choice has made us the victims of other people's "me first" living and made other people the victims of our sin. And a lot has been broken. But the promise of Jesus' coming was given to His earthly father before He was born. "He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). The coming of Jesus was a rescue mission that took Him all the way to a brutal death on a cross. In the words of the Bible, Jesus was "crushed for our sins" (Isaiah 53:5). By paying our death penalty, He broke the power of sin to kill us and enslave us. Jesus has made it possible for you to reach out to God for the forgiveness that your heart needs so much; for the healing no one else can give you. And Christmas is a wonderful time to open your heart to One who said He came "to bind up the brokenhearted." You don't ever have to be alone again or carry your burden alone again. You can't buy this gift of life from Jesus; you can't earn it. Like any Christmas gift, you can only reach out and receive it. That happens when you come to Jesus and say, "Lord, I'm putting my total trust in You to be my personal Savior from my personal sin." If you want to begin this unloseable relationship, and what better time to do it. If you want to know you belong to the Christ of Christmas, tell Him that right now, right where you are. And I would be happy to send you my little booklet called Yours For Life to help you understand better how to belong to Him and to be sure that you do. There's a toll free number you can call and ask for it - 877-741-1200. Or maybe you'd like to go to our website. That same information is right there to walk you through the beginning of a relationship with Jesus Christ. The website is yoursforlife.net. Why don't you make this your first Christmas with Christ in your heart? To find out how you can begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, please visit: yoursforlife.net or call 1-888-966-7325.
Repentance to Bring Blessing 1 Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God. Your sins have been your downfall!
2 Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to him: "Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips. [a]
3 Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount war-horses. We will never again say 'Our gods' to what our own hands have made, for in you the fatherless find compassion."
4 "I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them.
5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots;
6 his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.
7 Men will dwell again in his shade. He will flourish like the grain. He will blossom like a vine, and his fame will be like the wine from Lebanon.
8 O Ephraim, what more have I [b] to do with idols? I will answer him and care for him. I am like a green pine tree; your fruitfulness comes from me."
9 Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the LORD are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.
Isaiah 42:1-9 (New International Version)New International Version (NIV)Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
Isaiah 42The Servant of the Lord 1 "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. 2 He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets.
3 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
4 he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope."
5 This is what God the LORD says— he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it:
6 "I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles,
7 to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
8 "I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.
9 See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you."
December 21, 2007
God’s Surprising Answer
ODB RADIO: Listen Now Download
READ: Isaiah 42:1-9
Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! —Isaiah 64:1 About this cover Rend the heavens!” and “come down!” pleaded the prophet Isaiah. Make Your name known by making the mountains shake and the nations tremble, he advised the Lord (Isa. 64:1-3).
Isaiah wanted God to behave as He had in the past. Recalling the Scripture about God’s visit with Moses on Mt. Sinai, Isaiah longed for a repeat performance.
But God had already told Isaiah that He would be doing something new. “Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them” (42:9).
The “something new” was Jesus! God did indeed come down. But not in Isaiah’s lifetime. And not in the dramatic fashion he longed for. “He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street” (42:2). He came in the unassuming form of an infant.
Many of us can remember a situation when God was amazingly timely in His response to our need. Like Isaiah, we want God to do the same thing again. But perhaps He has something else in mind. As you celebrate God’s humble descent to earth, be aware that He came to change our hearts, not just our circumstances. —Julie Ackerman Link
God’s answer wasn’t detectedWhen Jesus came to earth,For no one had expectedA Child of lowly birth. —D. De Haan
God’s answers to our prayers may exceed our expectations.
December 21, 2007
Experience or God’s Revealed Truth?LISTEN: READ:
We have received . . . the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God —1 Corinthians 2:12 About this cover My experience is not what makes redemption real— redemption is reality. Redemption has no real meaning for me until it is worked out through my conscious life. When I am born again, the Spirit of God takes me beyond myself and my experiences, and identifies me with Jesus Christ. If I am left only with my personal experiences, I am left with something not produced by redemption. But experiences produced by redemption prove themselves by leading me beyond myself, to the point of no longer paying any attention to experiences as the basis of reality. Instead, I see that only the reality itself produced the experiences. My experiences are not worth anything unless they keep me at the Source of truth— Jesus Christ.
If you try to hold back the Holy Spirit within you, with the desire of producing more inner spiritual experiences, you will find that He will break the hold and take you again to the historic Christ. Never support an experience which does not have God as its Source and faith in God as its result. If you do, your experience is anti-Christian, no matter what visions or insights you may have had. Is Jesus Christ Lord of your experiences, or do you place your experiences above Him? Is any experience dearer to you than your Lord? You must allow Him to be Lord over you, and pay no attention to any experience over which He is not Lord. Then there will come a time when God will make you impatient with your own experience, and you can truthfully say, "I do not care what I experience— I am sure of Him!"
Be relentless and hard on yourself if you are in the habit of talking about the experiences you have had. Faith based on experience is not faith; faith based on God’s revealed truth is the only faith there is.
An E. R. Christmas - #5465 Friday, December 21, 2007
If you made a list of places you might like to be for Christmas, the hospital emergency room probably wouldn't be on your list. Mine either. But that's what happened the Christmas that our sons got a new football. It was this extraordinary 60-degree Christmas day, so we had to go out and play with that new ball, of course. I went deep for a pass. I caught it on the end of my finger! And the next thing I knew, I was spending a painful Christmas in the emergency room getting a broken finger repaired. Nice way to spend Christmas, huh? I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "An E. R. Christmas." Take it from me it is no fun dealing with something broken at Christmas. But too many folks are doing just that this season - maybe you. It's not a broken limb that puts a cloud over so many Christmases - it's a broken heart, a broken relationship, a broken dream. This season amplifies so many emotions. It amplifies the loves of your life, the joys of your life, and the pain. As we approach this Christmas, maybe you're feeling very deeply some personal loss, some grief, some guilt or regret, hurt, some loneliness. Broken is hard anytime. It's especially hard at Christmas. Which brings us to one of the main reasons Jesus came that first Christmas. Our word for today from the Word of God, Isaiah 61:1, the Son of God says, "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on Me ... He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners." God saw our brokenness and He sent His one and only Son to give us hope. But He didn't just bring a band-aid for the symptom. He went right to the central cause of most human pain - this deadly soul-cancer called sin. Most of the broken things in our life are either because we have been sinned against or because we have sinned. In other words, we have done it our way instead of God's way. We were designed to live for the One who gave us our life, but in the words of the Bible, "everyone has gone his own way." That choice has made us the victims of other people's "me first" living and made other people the victims of our sin. And a lot has been broken. But the promise of Jesus' coming was given to His earthly father before He was born. "He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). The coming of Jesus was a rescue mission that took Him all the way to a brutal death on a cross. In the words of the Bible, Jesus was "crushed for our sins" (Isaiah 53:5). By paying our death penalty, He broke the power of sin to kill us and enslave us. Jesus has made it possible for you to reach out to God for the forgiveness that your heart needs so much; for the healing no one else can give you. And Christmas is a wonderful time to open your heart to One who said He came "to bind up the brokenhearted." You don't ever have to be alone again or carry your burden alone again. You can't buy this gift of life from Jesus; you can't earn it. Like any Christmas gift, you can only reach out and receive it. That happens when you come to Jesus and say, "Lord, I'm putting my total trust in You to be my personal Savior from my personal sin." If you want to begin this unloseable relationship, and what better time to do it. If you want to know you belong to the Christ of Christmas, tell Him that right now, right where you are. And I would be happy to send you my little booklet called Yours For Life to help you understand better how to belong to Him and to be sure that you do. There's a toll free number you can call and ask for it - 877-741-1200. Or maybe you'd like to go to our website. That same information is right there to walk you through the beginning of a relationship with Jesus Christ. The website is yoursforlife.net. Why don't you make this your first Christmas with Christ in your heart? To find out how you can begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, please visit: yoursforlife.net or call 1-888-966-7325.
Hosea 13 and Devotionals
Hosea 13
The Lord 's Anger Against Israel 1 When Ephraim spoke, men trembled; he was exalted in Israel. But he became guilty of Baal worship and died.
2 Now they sin more and more; they make idols for themselves from their silver, cleverly fashioned images, all of them the work of craftsmen. It is said of these people, "They offer human sacrifice and kiss [a] the calf-idols."
3 Therefore they will be like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears, like chaff swirling from a threshing floor, like smoke escaping through a window.
4 "But I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of [b] Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me.
5 I cared for you in the desert, in the land of burning heat.
6 When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.
7 So I will come upon them like a lion, like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
8 Like a bear robbed of her cubs, I will attack them and rip them open. Like a lion I will devour them; a wild animal will tear them apart.
9 "You are destroyed, O Israel, because you are against me, against your helper.
10 Where is your king, that he may save you? Where are your rulers in all your towns, of whom you said, 'Give me a king and princes'?
11 So in my anger I gave you a king, and in my wrath I took him away.
12 The guilt of Ephraim is stored up, his sins are kept on record.
13 Pains as of a woman in childbirth come to him, but he is a child without wisdom; when the time arrives, he does not come to the opening of the womb.
14 "I will ransom them from the power of the grave [c] ; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, [d] is your destruction? "I will have no compassion,
15 even though he thrives among his brothers. An east wind from the LORD will come, blowing in from the desert; his spring will fail and his well dry up. His storehouse will be plundered of all its treasures.
16 The people of Samaria must bear their guilt, because they have rebelled against their God. They will fall by the sword; their little ones will be dashed to the ground, their pregnant women ripped open."
1 Peter 3:8-17 (New International Version)New International Version (NIV)Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
Suffering for Doing Good 8Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 9Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. 11He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. 12For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."[a] 13Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear[b]; do not be frightened."[c] 15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
December 20, 2007
Doing Good
ODB RADIO: Listen Now Download
READ: 1 Peter 3:8-17
It is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. —1 Peter 3:17 About this cover Joseph (not his real name) was the model of a trusted military officer, rising in his nation’s army to the rank of colonel in the special forces. With this came great opportunity, both for good and bad.
Deployed into a region racked with drug trafficking, Joseph was intent on bringing justice to that plagued area. He and his troops began dealing with the criminals to protect the people. Some of his superiors, who were corrupt and took bribes from the drug runners, ordered him to turn his head to let them move their drugs. He repeatedly refused until he was finally arrested and imprisoned for 8 years—for doing good.
Sadly, we live in a world where at times doing good brings suffering. This was true for Joseph; his payment for serving his people was unjust imprisonment.
The apostle Peter, having also been jailed for doing good, understood that kind of heartache. He gave us this perspective: “It is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil” (1 Peter 3:17).
As Joseph shared the stories of what God taught him in prison, I learned that the justice of God is not hampered by the evil of men. Doing good is still pleasing in His sight—even when we’re mistreated by the world for it. —Bill Crowder
From the example of Jesus,Who went about doing good,We are to honor our SaviorBy helping wherever He would. —Hess
The joy of doing good may be the only reward we receive—but it’s worth it!
December 20, 2007
The Right Kind of HelpLISTEN: READ:
And I, if I am lifted up . . . will draw all peoples to Myself —John 12:32 About this cover Very few of us have any understanding of the reason why Jesus Christ died. If sympathy is all that human beings need, then the Cross of Christ is an absurdity and there is absolutely no need for it. What the world needs is not "a little bit of love," but major surgery.
When you find yourself face to face with a person who is spiritually lost, remind yourself of Jesus Christ on the cross. If that person can get to God in any other way, then the Cross of Christ is unnecessary. If you think you are helping lost people with your sympathy and understanding, you are a traitor to Jesus Christ. You must have a right-standing relationship with Him yourself, and pour your life out in helping others in His way— not in a human way that ignores God. The theme of the world’s religion today is to serve in a pleasant, non-confrontational manner.
But our only priority must be to present Jesus Christ crucified— to lift Him up all the time (see 1 Corinthians 2:2 ). Every belief that is not firmly rooted in the Cross of Christ will lead people astray. If the worker himself believes in Jesus Christ and is trusting in the reality of redemption, his words will be compelling to others. What is extremely important is for the worker’s simple relationship with Jesus Christ to be strong and growing. His usefulness to God depends on that, and that alone.
The calling of a New Testament worker is to expose sin and to reveal Jesus Christ as Savior. Consequently, he cannot always be charming and friendly, but must be willing to be stern to accomplish major surgery. We are sent by God to lift up Jesus Christ, not to give wonderfully beautiful speeches. We must be willing to examine others as deeply as God has examined us. We must also be sharply intent on sensing those Scripture passages that will drive the truth home, and then not be afraid to apply them.
Changing Hands - #5464 Thursday, December 20, 2007
Our good friends were visiting us with their precious 3-year-old daughter. She has captivating dark eyes, a winsome smile, a high-energy personality, and a mind of her own. Her Dad was crossing a very busy street with his daughter and he said, "Now hold Daddy's hand." She apparently didn't like that idea. She looked up at him with those big eyes and said, "That's OK, Daddy. I'll hold my own hand." Not a good idea. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "Changing Hands." Our Heavenly Father looks at the road ahead and He knows exactly where we should go and when we should go. He reaches our direction and He says, "Hold Daddy's hand." Maybe you've got a mind of your own, and you have got that independent spirit. And you respond, "That's OK Daddy. I'll hold my own hand." Not a good idea. Tucked away in the drama of the first Christmas is a better idea. Our word for today from the Word of God begins in Luke 1:26, "In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph. The virgin's name was Mary ... The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus.'" Now, God comes to Mary and says, in essence, "Take My hand - I'm leading you into something amazing." Now if Mary had insisted on holding her own hand, she would never have gone. God is leading her into a situation where she will suddenly be mysteriously pregnant. And who's going to believe that God is doing it? She has a lot to lose if she takes God's hand and goes where He wants to take her. She will probably lose her reputation as the "nice girl of Nazareth." She stands to lose the man she loves when he hears she is expecting and he knows he is not the father. The wedding she has dreamed of will probably never happen. And since, in the Jewish culture of that day, they stoned women for sexual sin, obedience could even cost Mary her life. But listen to her response to God's plan. "I am the Lord's servant." Those five words change everything. If Mary's identity is "I'm Joseph's girl," there's no way she's going to do what God wants. If her image as the "nice girl of Nazareth" is her identity, she won't do this. But Mary bases her identity on one thing and one thing alone. With open hands, open arms, face looking up, she declares, "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as You have said." And because of that surrendered spirit and surrendered future, Mary carries God's only Son in her body, nurses the Son of God, teaches the Son of God. See, God's most special assignments are for those who will let go of their own hand; who will grab God's hand and say, "Lord, I'll go where You want me to go." In fact, there's a hymn that says that. "Lord, I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord' O'er mountain or plain or sea. I'll say what You want me to day, dear Lord. I'll be what You want me to be." As we approach this Christmas, look at what God gave because He loves you so much. He sacrificed His only Son to pay the death penalty for the sinning you did. That should remove any doubt of whether you can trust Him with the things that matter most to you. Anyone who loved you enough to die for you will never do you wrong. It's a good day to ask yourself, though you may know all about Jesus, though you may go to His meetings, though you may agree with Him, do you belong to Him? You might believe in Him but not belong to Him because you have never really reached out to Him and made yours what He died to give you - this greatest gift in the world - eternal life and forgiveness and heaven, and a relationship with your Creator made possible only one way; by Him taking your place, dying for your sin. Why don't you let this be the day you say, "Jesus, I'm Yours."
The Lord 's Anger Against Israel 1 When Ephraim spoke, men trembled; he was exalted in Israel. But he became guilty of Baal worship and died.
2 Now they sin more and more; they make idols for themselves from their silver, cleverly fashioned images, all of them the work of craftsmen. It is said of these people, "They offer human sacrifice and kiss [a] the calf-idols."
3 Therefore they will be like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears, like chaff swirling from a threshing floor, like smoke escaping through a window.
4 "But I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of [b] Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me.
5 I cared for you in the desert, in the land of burning heat.
6 When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.
7 So I will come upon them like a lion, like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
8 Like a bear robbed of her cubs, I will attack them and rip them open. Like a lion I will devour them; a wild animal will tear them apart.
9 "You are destroyed, O Israel, because you are against me, against your helper.
10 Where is your king, that he may save you? Where are your rulers in all your towns, of whom you said, 'Give me a king and princes'?
11 So in my anger I gave you a king, and in my wrath I took him away.
12 The guilt of Ephraim is stored up, his sins are kept on record.
13 Pains as of a woman in childbirth come to him, but he is a child without wisdom; when the time arrives, he does not come to the opening of the womb.
14 "I will ransom them from the power of the grave [c] ; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, [d] is your destruction? "I will have no compassion,
15 even though he thrives among his brothers. An east wind from the LORD will come, blowing in from the desert; his spring will fail and his well dry up. His storehouse will be plundered of all its treasures.
16 The people of Samaria must bear their guilt, because they have rebelled against their God. They will fall by the sword; their little ones will be dashed to the ground, their pregnant women ripped open."
1 Peter 3:8-17 (New International Version)New International Version (NIV)Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
Suffering for Doing Good 8Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 9Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. 11He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. 12For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."[a] 13Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear[b]; do not be frightened."[c] 15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
December 20, 2007
Doing Good
ODB RADIO: Listen Now Download
READ: 1 Peter 3:8-17
It is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. —1 Peter 3:17 About this cover Joseph (not his real name) was the model of a trusted military officer, rising in his nation’s army to the rank of colonel in the special forces. With this came great opportunity, both for good and bad.
Deployed into a region racked with drug trafficking, Joseph was intent on bringing justice to that plagued area. He and his troops began dealing with the criminals to protect the people. Some of his superiors, who were corrupt and took bribes from the drug runners, ordered him to turn his head to let them move their drugs. He repeatedly refused until he was finally arrested and imprisoned for 8 years—for doing good.
Sadly, we live in a world where at times doing good brings suffering. This was true for Joseph; his payment for serving his people was unjust imprisonment.
The apostle Peter, having also been jailed for doing good, understood that kind of heartache. He gave us this perspective: “It is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil” (1 Peter 3:17).
As Joseph shared the stories of what God taught him in prison, I learned that the justice of God is not hampered by the evil of men. Doing good is still pleasing in His sight—even when we’re mistreated by the world for it. —Bill Crowder
From the example of Jesus,Who went about doing good,We are to honor our SaviorBy helping wherever He would. —Hess
The joy of doing good may be the only reward we receive—but it’s worth it!
December 20, 2007
The Right Kind of HelpLISTEN: READ:
And I, if I am lifted up . . . will draw all peoples to Myself —John 12:32 About this cover Very few of us have any understanding of the reason why Jesus Christ died. If sympathy is all that human beings need, then the Cross of Christ is an absurdity and there is absolutely no need for it. What the world needs is not "a little bit of love," but major surgery.
When you find yourself face to face with a person who is spiritually lost, remind yourself of Jesus Christ on the cross. If that person can get to God in any other way, then the Cross of Christ is unnecessary. If you think you are helping lost people with your sympathy and understanding, you are a traitor to Jesus Christ. You must have a right-standing relationship with Him yourself, and pour your life out in helping others in His way— not in a human way that ignores God. The theme of the world’s religion today is to serve in a pleasant, non-confrontational manner.
But our only priority must be to present Jesus Christ crucified— to lift Him up all the time (see 1 Corinthians 2:2 ). Every belief that is not firmly rooted in the Cross of Christ will lead people astray. If the worker himself believes in Jesus Christ and is trusting in the reality of redemption, his words will be compelling to others. What is extremely important is for the worker’s simple relationship with Jesus Christ to be strong and growing. His usefulness to God depends on that, and that alone.
The calling of a New Testament worker is to expose sin and to reveal Jesus Christ as Savior. Consequently, he cannot always be charming and friendly, but must be willing to be stern to accomplish major surgery. We are sent by God to lift up Jesus Christ, not to give wonderfully beautiful speeches. We must be willing to examine others as deeply as God has examined us. We must also be sharply intent on sensing those Scripture passages that will drive the truth home, and then not be afraid to apply them.
Changing Hands - #5464 Thursday, December 20, 2007
Our good friends were visiting us with their precious 3-year-old daughter. She has captivating dark eyes, a winsome smile, a high-energy personality, and a mind of her own. Her Dad was crossing a very busy street with his daughter and he said, "Now hold Daddy's hand." She apparently didn't like that idea. She looked up at him with those big eyes and said, "That's OK, Daddy. I'll hold my own hand." Not a good idea. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "Changing Hands." Our Heavenly Father looks at the road ahead and He knows exactly where we should go and when we should go. He reaches our direction and He says, "Hold Daddy's hand." Maybe you've got a mind of your own, and you have got that independent spirit. And you respond, "That's OK Daddy. I'll hold my own hand." Not a good idea. Tucked away in the drama of the first Christmas is a better idea. Our word for today from the Word of God begins in Luke 1:26, "In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph. The virgin's name was Mary ... The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus.'" Now, God comes to Mary and says, in essence, "Take My hand - I'm leading you into something amazing." Now if Mary had insisted on holding her own hand, she would never have gone. God is leading her into a situation where she will suddenly be mysteriously pregnant. And who's going to believe that God is doing it? She has a lot to lose if she takes God's hand and goes where He wants to take her. She will probably lose her reputation as the "nice girl of Nazareth." She stands to lose the man she loves when he hears she is expecting and he knows he is not the father. The wedding she has dreamed of will probably never happen. And since, in the Jewish culture of that day, they stoned women for sexual sin, obedience could even cost Mary her life. But listen to her response to God's plan. "I am the Lord's servant." Those five words change everything. If Mary's identity is "I'm Joseph's girl," there's no way she's going to do what God wants. If her image as the "nice girl of Nazareth" is her identity, she won't do this. But Mary bases her identity on one thing and one thing alone. With open hands, open arms, face looking up, she declares, "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as You have said." And because of that surrendered spirit and surrendered future, Mary carries God's only Son in her body, nurses the Son of God, teaches the Son of God. See, God's most special assignments are for those who will let go of their own hand; who will grab God's hand and say, "Lord, I'll go where You want me to go." In fact, there's a hymn that says that. "Lord, I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord' O'er mountain or plain or sea. I'll say what You want me to day, dear Lord. I'll be what You want me to be." As we approach this Christmas, look at what God gave because He loves you so much. He sacrificed His only Son to pay the death penalty for the sinning you did. That should remove any doubt of whether you can trust Him with the things that matter most to you. Anyone who loved you enough to die for you will never do you wrong. It's a good day to ask yourself, though you may know all about Jesus, though you may go to His meetings, though you may agree with Him, do you belong to Him? You might believe in Him but not belong to Him because you have never really reached out to Him and made yours what He died to give you - this greatest gift in the world - eternal life and forgiveness and heaven, and a relationship with your Creator made possible only one way; by Him taking your place, dying for your sin. Why don't you let this be the day you say, "Jesus, I'm Yours."
Hosea 12 and Devotionals
Hosea 12
1 Ephraim feeds on the wind; he pursues the east wind all day and multiplies lies and violence. He makes a treaty with Assyria and sends olive oil to Egypt.
2 The LORD has a charge to bring against Judah; he will punish Jacob [a] according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds.
3 In the womb he grasped his brother's heel; as a man he struggled with God.
4 He struggled with the angel and overcame him; he wept and begged for his favor. He found him at Bethel and talked with him there-
5 the LORD God Almighty, the LORD is his name of renown!
6 But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always.
7 The merchant uses dishonest scales; he loves to defraud.
8 Ephraim boasts, "I am very rich; I have become wealthy. With all my wealth they will not find in me any iniquity or sin."
9 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of [b] Egypt; I will make you live in tents again, as in the days of your appointed feasts.
10 I spoke to the prophets, gave them many visions and told parables through them."
11 Is Gilead wicked? Its people are worthless! Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal? Their altars will be like piles of stones on a plowed field.
12 Jacob fled to the country of Aram [c] ; Israel served to get a wife, and to pay for her he tended sheep.
13 The LORD used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt, by a prophet he cared for him.
14 But Ephraim has bitterly provoked him to anger; his Lord will leave upon him the guilt of his bloodshed and will repay him for his contempt
Luke 2:25-35 (New International Version)New International Version (NIV)Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
25Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss[a] your servant in peace. 30For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31which you have prepared in the sight of all people, 32a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."
33The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."
December 19, 2007
A Real Christmas
ODB RADIO: Listen Now Download
READ: Luke 2:25-35
This Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against. —Luke 2:34 About this cover A quotation in our church’s Advent devotional guide caused me to rethink my approach to Christmas:
“Let us at all costs avoid the temptation to make our Christmas worship a withdrawal from the stress and sorrow of life into a realm of unreal beauty. It was into the real world that Christ came, into the city where there was no room for Him, and into a country where Herod, the murderer of innocents, was king.
“He comes to us, not to shield us from the harshness of the world but to give us the courage and strength to bear it; not to snatch us away by some miracle from the conflict of life, but to give us peace—His peace—in our hearts, by which we may be calmly steadfast while the conflict rages, and be able to bring to the torn world the healing that is peace.”
When Mary and Joseph presented the infant Jesus to the Lord, Simeon said to them: “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35).
Christmas is not a retreat from reality but an advance into it alongside the Prince of Peace. —David C. McCasland
Christ did not come to shield us fromThe grief and pain of life;But those who have His peace insideCan thrive within the strife. —Sper
Jesus came to give light to a dark world.
December 19, 2007
The Focus Of Our MessageLISTEN: READ:
I did not come to bring peace but a sword —Matthew 10:34 About this cover Never be sympathetic with a person whose situation causes you to conclude that God is dealing harshly with him. God can be more tender than we can conceive, and every once in a while He gives us the opportunity to deal firmly with someone so that He may be viewed as the tender One. If a person cannot go to God, it is because he has something secret which he does not intend to give up— he may admit his sin, but would no more give up that thing than he could fly under his own power. It is impossible to deal sympathetically with people like that. We must reach down deep in their lives to the root of the problem, which will cause hostility and resentment toward the message. People want the blessing of God, but they can’t stand something that pierces right through to the heart of the matter.
If you are sensitive to God’s way, your message as His servant will be merciless and insistent, cutting to the very root. Otherwise, there will be no healing. We must drive the message home so forcefully that a person cannot possibly hide, but must apply its truth. Deal with people where they are, until they begin to realize their true need. Then hold high the standard of Jesus for their lives. Their response may be, "We can never be that." Then drive it home with, "Jesus Christ says you must." "But how can we be?" "You can’t, unless you have a new Spirit" (see Luke 11:13 ).
There must be a sense of need created before your message is of any use. Thousands of people in this world profess to be happy without God. But if we could be truly happy and moral without Jesus, then why did He come? He came because that kind of happiness and peace is only superficial. Jesus Christ came to "bring . . . a sword" through every kind of peace that is not based on a personal relationship with Himself.
God's Opening Line - #5463 Wednesday, December 19, 2007
This time of year I think back to that unforgettable night of the annual Christmas musical at our college. All the school choirs were there to present a powerful musical evening. The backdrop of the stage was all black, to simulate the night of Jesus' birth. And as the choir sang, costumed Christmas story characters would re-enact some of those familiar scenes on the stage. The one I'll never forget is "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night." My friend Al was the angel. The shepherds were all shepherding on the stage, and Al was to step out of the black velvet night and onto this little platform to announce Jesus' birth - good plan. I guess being coordinated is not a qualification for being an angel. See, Al stepped out onto that platform and promptly lost his balance and fell out of the night sky and right onto the shepherds. Now, that is being touched by an angel! But on his way down, Al did manage to get his opening line out, "Fear not!" Well, that is the important part. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "God's Opening Line." Our word from the Word of God comes from Luke 2:9-10, "An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid.'" As God is preparing to introduce those shepherds to something great that He's going to do, He opens with a "fear not." When the angel appeared to tell Mary the miracle part she was going to play in Christ's coming, early on he said these words, "Do not be afraid, Mary" (Luke 1:30). How about the angel's announcement to Joseph about his part in it? "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife" (Matthew 1:20). But this "fear not" is not just in the Christmas story. It's all through the Bible in God's dealings with people. On numerous occasions in the Old Testament when God's people were facing a variety of challenges, God said these words over and over again, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9). When God has something to say to us, He often seems to begin by addressing our fear. Why? Because fear often keeps us from hearing or responding to what God wants us to hear. We focus on the uncertainties, the pressure, the possibilities that could happen - the mountains - and we panic. Which usually leads us to one of two nowhere responses. We start running around doing things God never told us to do. Or we just freeze up and do nothing. If we do our thing or nothing, we're probably not doing God's thing. So He opens what He wants to say with, "Do not be afraid." It may very well be that this is what He's trying to say to you right now. "Do not be afraid of ________." You have to fill in the blank with the thing that you're worrying a lot about right now; the things that are keeping you awake, keeping you stressed. Listen to your Lord. First put your name in here (in the blank) ________ . There's your name, then "do not be afraid of ________." "Do not be afraid that ________." See, He's trying to deal with that fear that has your heart and mind so tensed up that nothing can get in there - even God's voice. At a time when David's life was literally in the balance, he wrote, "I sought the Lord and He delivered me from all my fears" (Psalm 34:4). God wants to do that for you right now. Like a distraught little child, cuddled in a parent's arms, let your Father reassure you that there's nothing facing you that He can't handle. The whole point of Jesus coming at Christmas was that we could belong to God in this intimate personal way, and finally be in the only really safe place in the universe - in a relationship with our Creator. He had to die - Jesus did - for that to happen, and walk out of His grave under His own power. And this Christmas season, He may be knocking on the door of your heart. That may be what you feel inside; giving you the opportunity to finally be safe in God's arms. If you would like to know how to begin that relationship, why don't you go to our website. It's yoursforlife.net. God's coming to you today with those wonderful opening words, "Do not be afraid." In His arms you are so safe, no matter what's coming down around you.
To find out how you can begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, please visit: yoursforlife.net or call 1-888-966-7325.
1 Ephraim feeds on the wind; he pursues the east wind all day and multiplies lies and violence. He makes a treaty with Assyria and sends olive oil to Egypt.
2 The LORD has a charge to bring against Judah; he will punish Jacob [a] according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds.
3 In the womb he grasped his brother's heel; as a man he struggled with God.
4 He struggled with the angel and overcame him; he wept and begged for his favor. He found him at Bethel and talked with him there-
5 the LORD God Almighty, the LORD is his name of renown!
6 But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always.
7 The merchant uses dishonest scales; he loves to defraud.
8 Ephraim boasts, "I am very rich; I have become wealthy. With all my wealth they will not find in me any iniquity or sin."
9 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of [b] Egypt; I will make you live in tents again, as in the days of your appointed feasts.
10 I spoke to the prophets, gave them many visions and told parables through them."
11 Is Gilead wicked? Its people are worthless! Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal? Their altars will be like piles of stones on a plowed field.
12 Jacob fled to the country of Aram [c] ; Israel served to get a wife, and to pay for her he tended sheep.
13 The LORD used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt, by a prophet he cared for him.
14 But Ephraim has bitterly provoked him to anger; his Lord will leave upon him the guilt of his bloodshed and will repay him for his contempt
Luke 2:25-35 (New International Version)New International Version (NIV)Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
25Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss[a] your servant in peace. 30For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31which you have prepared in the sight of all people, 32a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."
33The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."
December 19, 2007
A Real Christmas
ODB RADIO: Listen Now Download
READ: Luke 2:25-35
This Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against. —Luke 2:34 About this cover A quotation in our church’s Advent devotional guide caused me to rethink my approach to Christmas:
“Let us at all costs avoid the temptation to make our Christmas worship a withdrawal from the stress and sorrow of life into a realm of unreal beauty. It was into the real world that Christ came, into the city where there was no room for Him, and into a country where Herod, the murderer of innocents, was king.
“He comes to us, not to shield us from the harshness of the world but to give us the courage and strength to bear it; not to snatch us away by some miracle from the conflict of life, but to give us peace—His peace—in our hearts, by which we may be calmly steadfast while the conflict rages, and be able to bring to the torn world the healing that is peace.”
When Mary and Joseph presented the infant Jesus to the Lord, Simeon said to them: “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35).
Christmas is not a retreat from reality but an advance into it alongside the Prince of Peace. —David C. McCasland
Christ did not come to shield us fromThe grief and pain of life;But those who have His peace insideCan thrive within the strife. —Sper
Jesus came to give light to a dark world.
December 19, 2007
The Focus Of Our MessageLISTEN: READ:
I did not come to bring peace but a sword —Matthew 10:34 About this cover Never be sympathetic with a person whose situation causes you to conclude that God is dealing harshly with him. God can be more tender than we can conceive, and every once in a while He gives us the opportunity to deal firmly with someone so that He may be viewed as the tender One. If a person cannot go to God, it is because he has something secret which he does not intend to give up— he may admit his sin, but would no more give up that thing than he could fly under his own power. It is impossible to deal sympathetically with people like that. We must reach down deep in their lives to the root of the problem, which will cause hostility and resentment toward the message. People want the blessing of God, but they can’t stand something that pierces right through to the heart of the matter.
If you are sensitive to God’s way, your message as His servant will be merciless and insistent, cutting to the very root. Otherwise, there will be no healing. We must drive the message home so forcefully that a person cannot possibly hide, but must apply its truth. Deal with people where they are, until they begin to realize their true need. Then hold high the standard of Jesus for their lives. Their response may be, "We can never be that." Then drive it home with, "Jesus Christ says you must." "But how can we be?" "You can’t, unless you have a new Spirit" (see Luke 11:13 ).
There must be a sense of need created before your message is of any use. Thousands of people in this world profess to be happy without God. But if we could be truly happy and moral without Jesus, then why did He come? He came because that kind of happiness and peace is only superficial. Jesus Christ came to "bring . . . a sword" through every kind of peace that is not based on a personal relationship with Himself.
God's Opening Line - #5463 Wednesday, December 19, 2007
This time of year I think back to that unforgettable night of the annual Christmas musical at our college. All the school choirs were there to present a powerful musical evening. The backdrop of the stage was all black, to simulate the night of Jesus' birth. And as the choir sang, costumed Christmas story characters would re-enact some of those familiar scenes on the stage. The one I'll never forget is "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night." My friend Al was the angel. The shepherds were all shepherding on the stage, and Al was to step out of the black velvet night and onto this little platform to announce Jesus' birth - good plan. I guess being coordinated is not a qualification for being an angel. See, Al stepped out onto that platform and promptly lost his balance and fell out of the night sky and right onto the shepherds. Now, that is being touched by an angel! But on his way down, Al did manage to get his opening line out, "Fear not!" Well, that is the important part. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "God's Opening Line." Our word from the Word of God comes from Luke 2:9-10, "An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid.'" As God is preparing to introduce those shepherds to something great that He's going to do, He opens with a "fear not." When the angel appeared to tell Mary the miracle part she was going to play in Christ's coming, early on he said these words, "Do not be afraid, Mary" (Luke 1:30). How about the angel's announcement to Joseph about his part in it? "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife" (Matthew 1:20). But this "fear not" is not just in the Christmas story. It's all through the Bible in God's dealings with people. On numerous occasions in the Old Testament when God's people were facing a variety of challenges, God said these words over and over again, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9). When God has something to say to us, He often seems to begin by addressing our fear. Why? Because fear often keeps us from hearing or responding to what God wants us to hear. We focus on the uncertainties, the pressure, the possibilities that could happen - the mountains - and we panic. Which usually leads us to one of two nowhere responses. We start running around doing things God never told us to do. Or we just freeze up and do nothing. If we do our thing or nothing, we're probably not doing God's thing. So He opens what He wants to say with, "Do not be afraid." It may very well be that this is what He's trying to say to you right now. "Do not be afraid of ________." You have to fill in the blank with the thing that you're worrying a lot about right now; the things that are keeping you awake, keeping you stressed. Listen to your Lord. First put your name in here (in the blank) ________ . There's your name, then "do not be afraid of ________." "Do not be afraid that ________." See, He's trying to deal with that fear that has your heart and mind so tensed up that nothing can get in there - even God's voice. At a time when David's life was literally in the balance, he wrote, "I sought the Lord and He delivered me from all my fears" (Psalm 34:4). God wants to do that for you right now. Like a distraught little child, cuddled in a parent's arms, let your Father reassure you that there's nothing facing you that He can't handle. The whole point of Jesus coming at Christmas was that we could belong to God in this intimate personal way, and finally be in the only really safe place in the universe - in a relationship with our Creator. He had to die - Jesus did - for that to happen, and walk out of His grave under His own power. And this Christmas season, He may be knocking on the door of your heart. That may be what you feel inside; giving you the opportunity to finally be safe in God's arms. If you would like to know how to begin that relationship, why don't you go to our website. It's yoursforlife.net. God's coming to you today with those wonderful opening words, "Do not be afraid." In His arms you are so safe, no matter what's coming down around you.
To find out how you can begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, please visit: yoursforlife.net or call 1-888-966-7325.
Hosea 11 and Devotional
Hosea 11
God's Love for Israel
1 "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. 2 But the more I [a] called Israel, the further they went from me. [b] They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images.
3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them.
4 I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them.
5 "Will they not return to Egypt and will not Assyria rule over them because they refuse to repent?
6 Swords will flash in their cities, will destroy the bars of their gates and put an end to their plans.
7 My people are determined to turn from me. Even if they call to the Most High, he will by no means exalt them.
8 "How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboiim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused.
9 I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim. For I am God, and not man— the Holy One among you. I will not come in wrath. [c]
10 They will follow the LORD; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west.
11 They will come trembling like birds from Egypt, like doves from Assyria. I will settle them in their homes," declares the LORD.
Israel's Sin 12 Ephraim has surrounded me with lies, the house of Israel with deceit. And Judah is unruly against God, even against the faithful Holy One.
Our Daily Bread readings and devotional
Psalm 139
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
5 You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, [a] you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
December 18, 2007
Frogs And More Frogs
ODB RADIO: Listen Now Download
READ: Psalm 139:1-12
O Lord, You have searched me and known me. —Psalm 139:1 About this cover Mary received a ceramic frog for her birthday from a co-worker, and she displayed it on her desk for all to see. Some of her fellow employees began to think she must like frogs, so they started to give her frog items for Christmas, birthdays, and special celebrations. Her office soon became filled with “things frog”—pens, candles, stickie notes, posters, coffee cups.
After Mary left the company, a friend asked her what she did with the frogs. She replied, “Well, I don’t really like frogs, so I gave them all away.”
Others mean well, yet don’t always know us well. They’ll never know us as God does. We are an open book to Him—there is nothing about us that is hidden from Him. Psalm 139 tells us:
• God knows everything we do (v.2). He knows all the activities of our day and every detail of our schedule.
• God knows everything we think (v.2)—the good and the bad, the wholesome, and the impure.
• God knows everywhere we go—“You comprehend my path . . . and are acquainted with all my ways” (v.3).
• God knows everything we say (v.4).
He knows us better than we know ourselves. Isn’t it a comfort to be known so intimately by our Lord—even with all our flaws—and yet be loved so completely! —Anne Cetas
The blood of atonement fulfills all the law!Amazement succumbs to the message of grace:Though God knows our thoughts, every sin, every flaw,His love bids us hide in His holy embrace. —Mollon
You’re not just a number computers can trace; Christ knows your need, your name, and your face.
My Utmost for His HighestDecember 18, 2007
Test of FaithfulnessLISTEN: READ:
We know that all things work together for good to those who love God . . . —Romans 8:28 About this cover It is only a faithful person who truly believes that God sovereignly controls his circumstances. We take our circumstances for granted, saying God is in control, but not really believing it. We act as if the things that happen were completely controlled by people. To be faithful in every circumstance means that we have only one loyalty, or object of our faith— the Lord Jesus Christ. God may cause our circumstances to suddenly fall apart, which may bring the realization of our unfaithfulness to Him for not recognizing that He had ordained the situation. We never saw what He was trying to accomplish, and that exact event will never be repeated in our life. This is where the test of our faithfulness comes. If we will just learn to worship God even during the difficult circumstances, He will change them for the better very quickly if He so chooses.
Being faithful to Jesus Christ is the most difficult thing we try to do today. We will be faithful to our work, to serving others, or to anything else; just don’t ask us to be faithful to Jesus Christ. Many Christians become very impatient when we talk about faithfulness to Jesus. Our Lord is dethroned more deliberately by Christian workers than by the world. We treat God as if He were a machine designed only to bless us, and we think of Jesus as just another one of the workers.
The goal of faithfulness is not that we will do work for God, but that He will be free to do His work through us. God calls us to His service and places tremendous responsibilities on us. He expects no complaining on our part and offers no explanation on His part. God wants to use us as He used His own Son.
A Word with You
Deliveries in Your Hands - #5462 Tuesday, December 18, 2007
It's the Christmas season, and everywhere you go these days you see those brown trucks - it's UPS running everywhere, delivering Christmas surprises to people. Those UPS drivers work really hard this time of year - lots of long hours to get everything where it's supposed to be in time for Christmas. I expect they sleep pretty well at night. Even though they have a big job, at least they don't have to go out and buy all those packages that they're bringing to people's doors. Their job is just to deliver what someone else has paid for. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "Deliveries in Your Hands." When you see those UPS guys and girls, remember that you have an assignment just like theirs - delivering something that someone else paid for - that Jesus paid for with His life. If those UPS drivers don't deliver what's been entrusted to them, the person it's for just won't get it, no matter how much the giver paid for it. And so it is with the very expensive gift that Jesus has given you to deliver to some people you know who need Him desperately. This privilege we have of delivering the good news about Jesus began on the very first Christmas with some unlikely delivery men. Shepherds - people who were on the margins of society in Jesus' day, maybe even on the bottom. They were considered undesirables, and they were unlikely messengers. But listen to our word for today from the Word of God in Luke 2:16 after the angels' announcement of the Savior's birth, "They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed by what the shepherds said to them." These shepherds understood something that you and I tend to forget: once you've heard the Good News about a Savior and you have experienced Jesus for yourself, it's up to you to tell your world about Him! That's the expensive delivery that God has entrusted to you. He's counting on you to get it to the people on your "route" - the people you work with, the people who live near you, the people you go to school with, the people you love. If you don't deliver the life-saving message about Jesus, it may never get to them. After all, you're probably closer to those people than any other Christian on this planet. In a sense, their lives are in your hands. Notice, the first deliverers of the Good News weren't religious professionals like priests or scribes. It was people who, on the surface, looked unqualified, even under-qualified. But God loves to do that. You may feel inadequate, unqualified to present Jesus to people you know, but you have been positioned by Jesus in their lives because it's you He's assigned to tell them! Often, everyday Christians, who feel the least qualified to tell someone about Jesus, are actually in the best possible position to do it, because you are right next to someone that Jesus died for! You live in their world. They'll listen to someone from their world.
If you don't deliver what Jesus paid for with His life, they may never know what He did for them. And that could cost them heaven. The very expensive gift purchased with the life of the Son of God is now in your hands to deliver.
God's Love for Israel
1 "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. 2 But the more I [a] called Israel, the further they went from me. [b] They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images.
3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them.
4 I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them.
5 "Will they not return to Egypt and will not Assyria rule over them because they refuse to repent?
6 Swords will flash in their cities, will destroy the bars of their gates and put an end to their plans.
7 My people are determined to turn from me. Even if they call to the Most High, he will by no means exalt them.
8 "How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboiim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused.
9 I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim. For I am God, and not man— the Holy One among you. I will not come in wrath. [c]
10 They will follow the LORD; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west.
11 They will come trembling like birds from Egypt, like doves from Assyria. I will settle them in their homes," declares the LORD.
Israel's Sin 12 Ephraim has surrounded me with lies, the house of Israel with deceit. And Judah is unruly against God, even against the faithful Holy One.
Our Daily Bread readings and devotional
Psalm 139
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
5 You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, [a] you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
December 18, 2007
Frogs And More Frogs
ODB RADIO: Listen Now Download
READ: Psalm 139:1-12
O Lord, You have searched me and known me. —Psalm 139:1 About this cover Mary received a ceramic frog for her birthday from a co-worker, and she displayed it on her desk for all to see. Some of her fellow employees began to think she must like frogs, so they started to give her frog items for Christmas, birthdays, and special celebrations. Her office soon became filled with “things frog”—pens, candles, stickie notes, posters, coffee cups.
After Mary left the company, a friend asked her what she did with the frogs. She replied, “Well, I don’t really like frogs, so I gave them all away.”
Others mean well, yet don’t always know us well. They’ll never know us as God does. We are an open book to Him—there is nothing about us that is hidden from Him. Psalm 139 tells us:
• God knows everything we do (v.2). He knows all the activities of our day and every detail of our schedule.
• God knows everything we think (v.2)—the good and the bad, the wholesome, and the impure.
• God knows everywhere we go—“You comprehend my path . . . and are acquainted with all my ways” (v.3).
• God knows everything we say (v.4).
He knows us better than we know ourselves. Isn’t it a comfort to be known so intimately by our Lord—even with all our flaws—and yet be loved so completely! —Anne Cetas
The blood of atonement fulfills all the law!Amazement succumbs to the message of grace:Though God knows our thoughts, every sin, every flaw,His love bids us hide in His holy embrace. —Mollon
You’re not just a number computers can trace; Christ knows your need, your name, and your face.
My Utmost for His HighestDecember 18, 2007
Test of FaithfulnessLISTEN: READ:
We know that all things work together for good to those who love God . . . —Romans 8:28 About this cover It is only a faithful person who truly believes that God sovereignly controls his circumstances. We take our circumstances for granted, saying God is in control, but not really believing it. We act as if the things that happen were completely controlled by people. To be faithful in every circumstance means that we have only one loyalty, or object of our faith— the Lord Jesus Christ. God may cause our circumstances to suddenly fall apart, which may bring the realization of our unfaithfulness to Him for not recognizing that He had ordained the situation. We never saw what He was trying to accomplish, and that exact event will never be repeated in our life. This is where the test of our faithfulness comes. If we will just learn to worship God even during the difficult circumstances, He will change them for the better very quickly if He so chooses.
Being faithful to Jesus Christ is the most difficult thing we try to do today. We will be faithful to our work, to serving others, or to anything else; just don’t ask us to be faithful to Jesus Christ. Many Christians become very impatient when we talk about faithfulness to Jesus. Our Lord is dethroned more deliberately by Christian workers than by the world. We treat God as if He were a machine designed only to bless us, and we think of Jesus as just another one of the workers.
The goal of faithfulness is not that we will do work for God, but that He will be free to do His work through us. God calls us to His service and places tremendous responsibilities on us. He expects no complaining on our part and offers no explanation on His part. God wants to use us as He used His own Son.
A Word with You
Deliveries in Your Hands - #5462 Tuesday, December 18, 2007
It's the Christmas season, and everywhere you go these days you see those brown trucks - it's UPS running everywhere, delivering Christmas surprises to people. Those UPS drivers work really hard this time of year - lots of long hours to get everything where it's supposed to be in time for Christmas. I expect they sleep pretty well at night. Even though they have a big job, at least they don't have to go out and buy all those packages that they're bringing to people's doors. Their job is just to deliver what someone else has paid for. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "Deliveries in Your Hands." When you see those UPS guys and girls, remember that you have an assignment just like theirs - delivering something that someone else paid for - that Jesus paid for with His life. If those UPS drivers don't deliver what's been entrusted to them, the person it's for just won't get it, no matter how much the giver paid for it. And so it is with the very expensive gift that Jesus has given you to deliver to some people you know who need Him desperately. This privilege we have of delivering the good news about Jesus began on the very first Christmas with some unlikely delivery men. Shepherds - people who were on the margins of society in Jesus' day, maybe even on the bottom. They were considered undesirables, and they were unlikely messengers. But listen to our word for today from the Word of God in Luke 2:16 after the angels' announcement of the Savior's birth, "They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed by what the shepherds said to them." These shepherds understood something that you and I tend to forget: once you've heard the Good News about a Savior and you have experienced Jesus for yourself, it's up to you to tell your world about Him! That's the expensive delivery that God has entrusted to you. He's counting on you to get it to the people on your "route" - the people you work with, the people who live near you, the people you go to school with, the people you love. If you don't deliver the life-saving message about Jesus, it may never get to them. After all, you're probably closer to those people than any other Christian on this planet. In a sense, their lives are in your hands. Notice, the first deliverers of the Good News weren't religious professionals like priests or scribes. It was people who, on the surface, looked unqualified, even under-qualified. But God loves to do that. You may feel inadequate, unqualified to present Jesus to people you know, but you have been positioned by Jesus in their lives because it's you He's assigned to tell them! Often, everyday Christians, who feel the least qualified to tell someone about Jesus, are actually in the best possible position to do it, because you are right next to someone that Jesus died for! You live in their world. They'll listen to someone from their world.
If you don't deliver what Jesus paid for with His life, they may never know what He did for them. And that could cost them heaven. The very expensive gift purchased with the life of the Son of God is now in your hands to deliver.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Hosea 10 and devotionals
Hosea 10
1 Israel was a spreading vine; he brought forth fruit for himself. As his fruit increased, he built more altars; as his land prospered, he adorned his sacred stones.
2 Their heart is deceitful, and now they must bear their guilt. The LORD will demolish their altars and destroy their sacred stones.
3 Then they will say, "We have no king because we did not revere the LORD. But even if we had a king, what could he do for us?"
4 They make many promises, take false oaths and make agreements; therefore lawsuits spring up like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.
5 The people who live in Samaria fear for the calf-idol of Beth Aven. [a] Its people will mourn over it, and so will its idolatrous priests, those who had rejoiced over its splendor, because it is taken from them into exile.
6 It will be carried to Assyria as tribute for the great king. Ephraim will be disgraced; Israel will be ashamed of its wooden idols. [b]
7 Samaria and its king will float away like a twig on the surface of the waters.
8 The high places of wickedness [c] will be destroyed— it is the sin of Israel. Thorns and thistles will grow up and cover their altars. Then they will say to the mountains, "Cover us!" and to the hills, "Fall on us!"
9 "Since the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, O Israel, and there you have remained. [d] Did not war overtake the evildoers in Gibeah?
10 When I please, I will punish them; nations will be gathered against them to put them in bonds for their double sin.
11 Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh; so I will put a yoke on her fair neck. I will drive Ephraim, Judah must plow, and Jacob must break up the ground.
12 Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you.
13 But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception. Because you have depended on your own strength and on your many warriors,
14 the roar of battle will rise against your people, so that all your fortresses will be devastated— as Shalman devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle, when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.
15 Thus will it happen to you, O Bethel, because your wickedness is great. When that day dawns, the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion:
Timothy 6:6-16
6But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Paul's Charge to Timothy 11But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
December 17, 2007
Forever Joyful
ODB RADIO: Listen Now Download
READ: 1 Timothy 6:6-16
Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you . . . might become rich. —2 Corinthians 8:9 About this cover Wall Street Journal columnist Jonathan Clements offered his readers “Nine Tips for Investing in Happiness.” Interestingly, one of his suggestions was precisely the same as that given in the favorite old hymn by Johnson C. Oatman, “Count Your Many Blessings.” Clements urges us not to brood over the riches of our neighbors but to focus on the many blessings we actually do possess. That’s wise counsel, provided that we realize our spiritual wealth in Jesus is immeasurably more valuable than any material possessions.
God didn’t give us the Bible as a guidebook for happiness. Yet it tells us how we can be eternally joyful and how we can experience joy on our way to that eternal happiness. So it’s enlightening to compare biblical truth with common-sense advice.
“Godliness with contentment is great gain,” Paul wrote to Timothy (1 Tim. 6:6). The apostle wanted his protégé to understand that being grateful for the basics of life would help keep him from the trap of covetousness.
So let’s focus on the wonders of God’s grace, training ourselves to make a spirit of gratitude pervade our lives. That’s the way to experience joy today and to be forever joyful. —Vernon C Grounds
When you look at others with their lands and gold,Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;Count your many blessings—money cannot buyYour reward in heaven nor your home on high. —Oatman
Count your many blessings and you’ll soon lose count.
My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers
December 17, 2007
Redemption— Creating the Need it SatisfiesLISTEN: READ:
The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him . . . —1 Corinthians 2:14 About this cover The gospel of God creates the sense of need for the gospel. Is the gospel hidden to those who are servants already? No, Paul said, "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe . . ." ( 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 ). The majority of people think of themselves as being completely moral, and have no sense of need for the gospel. It is God who creates this sense of need in a human being, but that person remains totally unaware of his need until God makes Himself evident. Jesus said, "Ask, and it will be given to you . . ." (Matthew 7:7 ). But God cannot give until a man asks. It is not that He wants to withhold something from us, but that is the plan He has established for the way of redemption. Through our asking, God puts His process in motion, creating something in us that was nonexistent until we asked. The inner reality of redemption is that it creates all the time. And as redemption creates the life of God in us, it also creates the things which belong to that life. The only thing that can possibly satisfy the need is what created the need. This is the meaning of redemption— it creates and it satisfies.
Jesus said, "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself" ( John 12:32 ). When we preach our own experiences, people may be interested, but it awakens no real sense of need. But once Jesus Christ is "lifted up," the Spirit of God creates an awareness of the need for Him. The creative power of the redemption of God works in the souls of men only through the preaching of the gospel. It is never the sharing of personal experiences that saves people, but the truth of redemption. "The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life" ( John 6:63 ).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Behind the Happy Face - #5461 Monday, December 17, 2007
Every class has its clown, and Johnny was one of those. He was one of the first teenagers I met when we moved to New Jersey years ago, and he was always fun to be around. There was always a joke. He was always a clown - always the life of the party. That's why his call late one night came as such a shock to me. I was still a little bleary from being awakened by the phone ringing when I heard him say, "This is Johnny. I called to say goodbye. You're the only one I thought it was worth saying goodbye to." I didn't like the sound of that goodbye, so I asked him to tell me where he was, and he had actually broken into my office to call me. I asked him to wait there until I could get there. We talked most of the night. No clown, no jokes, no life of the party that night. The life of the party was about to check out of the party for good. Johnny poured out the pain that he was feeling from a messed up family and some disappointing relationships. He'd been on his way to kill himself. Thank God, by dawn, he had decided to live. And I knew there was a darkness now that had been hiding all along behind a mask that said, "No problems."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "Behind The Happy Face."
Johnny isn't unique. Behind many a happy face hides a hurting heart, and maybe you're one of them. The happy face helps you live in a temporary denial of the pain inside, and it keeps other people from knowing a you that you're afraid they might not accept. But like the beach ball that you push farther and farther under the water, the deeper you bury it, the higher it's going to go when it finally goes off. And it will. You can't bury the real you forever. As far as everyone knows, maybe you're the happy one, maybe even the hero. But you know that there's a wounded monster inside you. You're a wounded person with no place to bleed.
Before the explosion, you've got to find someone whose love you can trust enough that you can finally let it all out; someone who can help heal the hurt that you've been trying to hide. The good news, the hope news, is that there is someone like that. Someone you don't have to hide anything from because He already knows everything about you.
Hebrews 4, beginning with verse 13, our word for today from the Word of God says, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." No secrets. No need for the mask. But how will God respond to you if you open the dam and let out all those dark feelings? Speaking of Jesus, it goes on to say, "We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet without sin." You're pouring it out on a God who's been here; who's lived our pain. The Bible goes on here to say you may approach God "with confidence" that you will receive His mercy and grace.
Jesus is the one safe place to let it all out. He knows every dark corner of your heart. He died to pay for and forgive every sin you've ever done, every sin that's ever been done against you. His love isn't based on your performance. He loves you unconditionally. He died for you, knowing all about you. If He was ever going to turn His back on you, it would have been when He was nailed to a cross for you. He didn't reject you then. He won't reject you now. He never will.
Once you reach out to Him with all your sin and all your pain, embracing Him in total trust to be your own Savior from your own sin, He's yours and you're His. This could be your Liberation Day if you're ready to open up to His love and begin your unloseable relationship with Jesus Christ. If that's what you want, I would love to help you take that step. And I think it would help if you could go to our website and find there a very brief explanation of just exactly how to get started with Jesus. The website is yoursforlife.net. And I hope you'll go there right away today. Or you can call toll free and ask for my Yours for Life booklet in print. The number is 877-741-1200.
Let the healing begin today. Let the greatest love in the world into your life. Then you can show the world the smile, not of a happy front, but of a happy heart. To find out how you can begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, please visit: yoursforlife.net or call 1-888-966-7325.
1 Israel was a spreading vine; he brought forth fruit for himself. As his fruit increased, he built more altars; as his land prospered, he adorned his sacred stones.
2 Their heart is deceitful, and now they must bear their guilt. The LORD will demolish their altars and destroy their sacred stones.
3 Then they will say, "We have no king because we did not revere the LORD. But even if we had a king, what could he do for us?"
4 They make many promises, take false oaths and make agreements; therefore lawsuits spring up like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.
5 The people who live in Samaria fear for the calf-idol of Beth Aven. [a] Its people will mourn over it, and so will its idolatrous priests, those who had rejoiced over its splendor, because it is taken from them into exile.
6 It will be carried to Assyria as tribute for the great king. Ephraim will be disgraced; Israel will be ashamed of its wooden idols. [b]
7 Samaria and its king will float away like a twig on the surface of the waters.
8 The high places of wickedness [c] will be destroyed— it is the sin of Israel. Thorns and thistles will grow up and cover their altars. Then they will say to the mountains, "Cover us!" and to the hills, "Fall on us!"
9 "Since the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, O Israel, and there you have remained. [d] Did not war overtake the evildoers in Gibeah?
10 When I please, I will punish them; nations will be gathered against them to put them in bonds for their double sin.
11 Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh; so I will put a yoke on her fair neck. I will drive Ephraim, Judah must plow, and Jacob must break up the ground.
12 Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you.
13 But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception. Because you have depended on your own strength and on your many warriors,
14 the roar of battle will rise against your people, so that all your fortresses will be devastated— as Shalman devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle, when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.
15 Thus will it happen to you, O Bethel, because your wickedness is great. When that day dawns, the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion:
Timothy 6:6-16
6But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Paul's Charge to Timothy 11But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
December 17, 2007
Forever Joyful
ODB RADIO: Listen Now Download
READ: 1 Timothy 6:6-16
Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you . . . might become rich. —2 Corinthians 8:9 About this cover Wall Street Journal columnist Jonathan Clements offered his readers “Nine Tips for Investing in Happiness.” Interestingly, one of his suggestions was precisely the same as that given in the favorite old hymn by Johnson C. Oatman, “Count Your Many Blessings.” Clements urges us not to brood over the riches of our neighbors but to focus on the many blessings we actually do possess. That’s wise counsel, provided that we realize our spiritual wealth in Jesus is immeasurably more valuable than any material possessions.
God didn’t give us the Bible as a guidebook for happiness. Yet it tells us how we can be eternally joyful and how we can experience joy on our way to that eternal happiness. So it’s enlightening to compare biblical truth with common-sense advice.
“Godliness with contentment is great gain,” Paul wrote to Timothy (1 Tim. 6:6). The apostle wanted his protégé to understand that being grateful for the basics of life would help keep him from the trap of covetousness.
So let’s focus on the wonders of God’s grace, training ourselves to make a spirit of gratitude pervade our lives. That’s the way to experience joy today and to be forever joyful. —Vernon C Grounds
When you look at others with their lands and gold,Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;Count your many blessings—money cannot buyYour reward in heaven nor your home on high. —Oatman
Count your many blessings and you’ll soon lose count.
My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers
December 17, 2007
Redemption— Creating the Need it SatisfiesLISTEN: READ:
The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him . . . —1 Corinthians 2:14 About this cover The gospel of God creates the sense of need for the gospel. Is the gospel hidden to those who are servants already? No, Paul said, "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe . . ." ( 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 ). The majority of people think of themselves as being completely moral, and have no sense of need for the gospel. It is God who creates this sense of need in a human being, but that person remains totally unaware of his need until God makes Himself evident. Jesus said, "Ask, and it will be given to you . . ." (Matthew 7:7 ). But God cannot give until a man asks. It is not that He wants to withhold something from us, but that is the plan He has established for the way of redemption. Through our asking, God puts His process in motion, creating something in us that was nonexistent until we asked. The inner reality of redemption is that it creates all the time. And as redemption creates the life of God in us, it also creates the things which belong to that life. The only thing that can possibly satisfy the need is what created the need. This is the meaning of redemption— it creates and it satisfies.
Jesus said, "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself" ( John 12:32 ). When we preach our own experiences, people may be interested, but it awakens no real sense of need. But once Jesus Christ is "lifted up," the Spirit of God creates an awareness of the need for Him. The creative power of the redemption of God works in the souls of men only through the preaching of the gospel. It is never the sharing of personal experiences that saves people, but the truth of redemption. "The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life" ( John 6:63 ).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Behind the Happy Face - #5461 Monday, December 17, 2007
Every class has its clown, and Johnny was one of those. He was one of the first teenagers I met when we moved to New Jersey years ago, and he was always fun to be around. There was always a joke. He was always a clown - always the life of the party. That's why his call late one night came as such a shock to me. I was still a little bleary from being awakened by the phone ringing when I heard him say, "This is Johnny. I called to say goodbye. You're the only one I thought it was worth saying goodbye to." I didn't like the sound of that goodbye, so I asked him to tell me where he was, and he had actually broken into my office to call me. I asked him to wait there until I could get there. We talked most of the night. No clown, no jokes, no life of the party that night. The life of the party was about to check out of the party for good. Johnny poured out the pain that he was feeling from a messed up family and some disappointing relationships. He'd been on his way to kill himself. Thank God, by dawn, he had decided to live. And I knew there was a darkness now that had been hiding all along behind a mask that said, "No problems."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "Behind The Happy Face."
Johnny isn't unique. Behind many a happy face hides a hurting heart, and maybe you're one of them. The happy face helps you live in a temporary denial of the pain inside, and it keeps other people from knowing a you that you're afraid they might not accept. But like the beach ball that you push farther and farther under the water, the deeper you bury it, the higher it's going to go when it finally goes off. And it will. You can't bury the real you forever. As far as everyone knows, maybe you're the happy one, maybe even the hero. But you know that there's a wounded monster inside you. You're a wounded person with no place to bleed.
Before the explosion, you've got to find someone whose love you can trust enough that you can finally let it all out; someone who can help heal the hurt that you've been trying to hide. The good news, the hope news, is that there is someone like that. Someone you don't have to hide anything from because He already knows everything about you.
Hebrews 4, beginning with verse 13, our word for today from the Word of God says, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." No secrets. No need for the mask. But how will God respond to you if you open the dam and let out all those dark feelings? Speaking of Jesus, it goes on to say, "We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet without sin." You're pouring it out on a God who's been here; who's lived our pain. The Bible goes on here to say you may approach God "with confidence" that you will receive His mercy and grace.
Jesus is the one safe place to let it all out. He knows every dark corner of your heart. He died to pay for and forgive every sin you've ever done, every sin that's ever been done against you. His love isn't based on your performance. He loves you unconditionally. He died for you, knowing all about you. If He was ever going to turn His back on you, it would have been when He was nailed to a cross for you. He didn't reject you then. He won't reject you now. He never will.
Once you reach out to Him with all your sin and all your pain, embracing Him in total trust to be your own Savior from your own sin, He's yours and you're His. This could be your Liberation Day if you're ready to open up to His love and begin your unloseable relationship with Jesus Christ. If that's what you want, I would love to help you take that step. And I think it would help if you could go to our website and find there a very brief explanation of just exactly how to get started with Jesus. The website is yoursforlife.net. And I hope you'll go there right away today. Or you can call toll free and ask for my Yours for Life booklet in print. The number is 877-741-1200.
Let the healing begin today. Let the greatest love in the world into your life. Then you can show the world the smile, not of a happy front, but of a happy heart. To find out how you can begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, please visit: yoursforlife.net or call 1-888-966-7325.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Hosea 9 and devotionals
Hosea 9
Punishment for Israel
1 Do not rejoice, O Israel; do not be jubilant like the other nations. For you have been unfaithful to your God; you love the wages of a prostitute at every threshing floor. 2 Threshing floors and winepresses will not feed the people; the new wine will fail them.
3 They will not remain in the LORD's land; Ephraim will return to Egypt and eat unclean [a] food in Assyria.
4 They will not pour out wine offerings to the LORD, nor will their sacrifices please him. Such sacrifices will be to them like the bread of mourners; all who eat them will be unclean. This food will be for themselves; it will not come into the temple of the LORD.
5 What will you do on the day of your appointed feasts, on the festival days of the LORD ?
6 Even if they escape from destruction, Egypt will gather them, and Memphis will bury them. Their treasures of silver will be taken over by briers, and thorns will overrun their tents.
7 The days of punishment are coming, the days of reckoning are at hand. Let Israel know this. Because your sins are so many and your hostility so great, the prophet is considered a fool, the inspired man a maniac.
8 The prophet, along with my God, is the watchman over Ephraim, [b] yet snares await him on all his paths, and hostility in the house of his God.
9 They have sunk deep into corruption, as in the days of Gibeah. God will remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins.
10 "When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your fathers, it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree. But when they came to Baal Peor, they consecrated themselves to that shameful idol and became as vile as the thing they loved.
11 Ephraim's glory will fly away like a bird— no birth, no pregnancy, no conception.
12 Even if they rear children, I will bereave them of every one. Woe to them when I turn away from them!
13 I have seen Ephraim, like Tyre, planted in a pleasant place. But Ephraim will bring out their children to the slayer."
14 Give them, O LORD— what will you give them? Give them wombs that miscarry and breasts that are dry.
15 "Because of all their wickedness in Gilgal, I hated them there. Because of their sinful deeds, I will drive them out of my house. I will no longer love them; all their leaders are rebellious.
16 Ephraim is blighted, their root is withered, they yield no fruit. Even if they bear children, I will slay their cherished offspring."
17 My God will reject them because they have not obeyed him; they will be wanderers among the nations.
Our Daily Bread readings and devotion:
Psalm 24Of David. A psalm. 1 The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 2 for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.
3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD ? Who may stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. [a]
5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob. [b] Selah
7 Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty— he is the King of glory. Selah
December 16, 2007
A Selah MomentREAD: Psalm 24
He is the King of glory. Selah. —Psalm 24:10 About this cover King David proclaimed: “The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory” (Ps. 24:10). The word Selah was later added to the end of this psalm and many others. Some believe it refers to an instrumental interlude because the psalms were often set to music. Biblical scholars also suggest other possible meanings, including “silence,” “pause,” “interruption,” “accentuate,” “exalt,” or “end.”
Reflecting on these words can help us to take a “Selah moment” to pause and worship God during the day.
Be silent and listen to the voice of God (Ps. 46:10).
Pause from a hectic schedule to be refreshed in spirit (Ps. 42:1-2).
Interrupt the day to do a spiritual inventory and be cleansed (Ps. 51:1-10).
Accentuate the joy of God’s provision through thanks-giving (Ps. 65:9-13).
Exalt the name of God for answered prayer in spite of disappointment (Ps. 40:1-3).
End the day by reflecting on the Lord’s faithfulness (Ps. 119:148).
David’s reflection on God included a Selah moment. Following his example will help us worship our God throughout the day. —Dennis Fisher
From your heart give God your praiseFor His blessings all your days;Lift your voice to God above—God of mercy, God of love. —Hess
No day is complete without worship.
My Utmost for His Highest
December 16, 2007
Wrestling Before GodLISTEN: READ:
Take up the whole armor of God . . . praying always . . . —Ephesians 6:13,18 About this cover You must learn to wrestle against the things that hinder your communication with God, and wrestle in prayer for other people; but to wrestle with God in prayer is unscriptural. If you ever do wrestle with God, you will be crippled for the rest of your life. If you grab hold of God and wrestle with Him, as Jacob did, simply because He is working in a way that doesn’t meet with your approval, you force Him to put you out of joint (see Genesis 32:24-25 ). Don’t become a cripple by wrestling with the ways of God, but be someone who wrestles before God with the things of this world, because "we are more than conquerors through Him . . ." ( Romans 8:37 ). Wrestling before God makes an impact in His kingdom. If you ask me to pray for you, and I am not complete in Christ, my prayer accomplishes nothing. But if I am complete in Christ, my prayer brings victory all the time. Prayer is effective only when there is completeness— "take up the whole armor of God . . . ."
Always make a distinction between God’s perfect will and His permissive will, which He uses to accomplish His divine purpose for our lives. God’s perfect will is unchangeable. It is with His permissive will, or the various things that He allows into our lives, that we must wrestle before Him. It is our reaction to these things allowed by His permissive will that enables us to come to the point of seeing His perfect will for us. "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God . . ." ( Romans 8:28 )— to those who remain true to God’s perfect will— His calling in Christ Jesus. God’s permissive will is the testing He uses to reveal His true sons and daughters. We should not be spineless and automatically say, "Yes, it is the Lord’s will." We don’t have to fight or wrestle with God, but we must wrestle before God with things. Beware of lazily giving up. Instead, put up a glorious fight and you will find yourself empowered with His strength.
TGIF devotional
The Power of Serving OthersBy Os HillmanPowered By Marketplace Leaders
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms (1 Peter 4:9-11).
There is a Kingdom principle I find few really understand. The principle is this: When you focus on serving others, your need is often met through God’s supernatural law of serving.
I’ve seen this happen so many times. The law of sowing and reaping comes into play in this Kingdom principle. “Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love.” (Hos 10:12). “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." (2 Cor 9:6-9)
Whenever God calls me to serve another person with my time and resources, I notice how God measures resources back to me from unrelated sources. Sometimes it comes through an unexpected donation to our ministry or a speaking engagement or a new opportunity. It is uncanny how this happens consistently when I serve others. We are never to view people or organizations as competition. The Bible says that God has already assigned our portion. We need not have to manipulate outcomes.
“LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance” (Ps 16:5-6).
We don’t serve others to get. However, when you do serve others, there is a Kingdom principle that works on your behalf as fruit of your service. Is there someone you need to serve today?
Punishment for Israel
1 Do not rejoice, O Israel; do not be jubilant like the other nations. For you have been unfaithful to your God; you love the wages of a prostitute at every threshing floor. 2 Threshing floors and winepresses will not feed the people; the new wine will fail them.
3 They will not remain in the LORD's land; Ephraim will return to Egypt and eat unclean [a] food in Assyria.
4 They will not pour out wine offerings to the LORD, nor will their sacrifices please him. Such sacrifices will be to them like the bread of mourners; all who eat them will be unclean. This food will be for themselves; it will not come into the temple of the LORD.
5 What will you do on the day of your appointed feasts, on the festival days of the LORD ?
6 Even if they escape from destruction, Egypt will gather them, and Memphis will bury them. Their treasures of silver will be taken over by briers, and thorns will overrun their tents.
7 The days of punishment are coming, the days of reckoning are at hand. Let Israel know this. Because your sins are so many and your hostility so great, the prophet is considered a fool, the inspired man a maniac.
8 The prophet, along with my God, is the watchman over Ephraim, [b] yet snares await him on all his paths, and hostility in the house of his God.
9 They have sunk deep into corruption, as in the days of Gibeah. God will remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins.
10 "When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your fathers, it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree. But when they came to Baal Peor, they consecrated themselves to that shameful idol and became as vile as the thing they loved.
11 Ephraim's glory will fly away like a bird— no birth, no pregnancy, no conception.
12 Even if they rear children, I will bereave them of every one. Woe to them when I turn away from them!
13 I have seen Ephraim, like Tyre, planted in a pleasant place. But Ephraim will bring out their children to the slayer."
14 Give them, O LORD— what will you give them? Give them wombs that miscarry and breasts that are dry.
15 "Because of all their wickedness in Gilgal, I hated them there. Because of their sinful deeds, I will drive them out of my house. I will no longer love them; all their leaders are rebellious.
16 Ephraim is blighted, their root is withered, they yield no fruit. Even if they bear children, I will slay their cherished offspring."
17 My God will reject them because they have not obeyed him; they will be wanderers among the nations.
Our Daily Bread readings and devotion:
Psalm 24Of David. A psalm. 1 The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 2 for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.
3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD ? Who may stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. [a]
5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob. [b] Selah
7 Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty— he is the King of glory. Selah
December 16, 2007
A Selah MomentREAD: Psalm 24
He is the King of glory. Selah. —Psalm 24:10 About this cover King David proclaimed: “The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory” (Ps. 24:10). The word Selah was later added to the end of this psalm and many others. Some believe it refers to an instrumental interlude because the psalms were often set to music. Biblical scholars also suggest other possible meanings, including “silence,” “pause,” “interruption,” “accentuate,” “exalt,” or “end.”
Reflecting on these words can help us to take a “Selah moment” to pause and worship God during the day.
Be silent and listen to the voice of God (Ps. 46:10).
Pause from a hectic schedule to be refreshed in spirit (Ps. 42:1-2).
Interrupt the day to do a spiritual inventory and be cleansed (Ps. 51:1-10).
Accentuate the joy of God’s provision through thanks-giving (Ps. 65:9-13).
Exalt the name of God for answered prayer in spite of disappointment (Ps. 40:1-3).
End the day by reflecting on the Lord’s faithfulness (Ps. 119:148).
David’s reflection on God included a Selah moment. Following his example will help us worship our God throughout the day. —Dennis Fisher
From your heart give God your praiseFor His blessings all your days;Lift your voice to God above—God of mercy, God of love. —Hess
No day is complete without worship.
My Utmost for His Highest
December 16, 2007
Wrestling Before GodLISTEN: READ:
Take up the whole armor of God . . . praying always . . . —Ephesians 6:13,18 About this cover You must learn to wrestle against the things that hinder your communication with God, and wrestle in prayer for other people; but to wrestle with God in prayer is unscriptural. If you ever do wrestle with God, you will be crippled for the rest of your life. If you grab hold of God and wrestle with Him, as Jacob did, simply because He is working in a way that doesn’t meet with your approval, you force Him to put you out of joint (see Genesis 32:24-25 ). Don’t become a cripple by wrestling with the ways of God, but be someone who wrestles before God with the things of this world, because "we are more than conquerors through Him . . ." ( Romans 8:37 ). Wrestling before God makes an impact in His kingdom. If you ask me to pray for you, and I am not complete in Christ, my prayer accomplishes nothing. But if I am complete in Christ, my prayer brings victory all the time. Prayer is effective only when there is completeness— "take up the whole armor of God . . . ."
Always make a distinction between God’s perfect will and His permissive will, which He uses to accomplish His divine purpose for our lives. God’s perfect will is unchangeable. It is with His permissive will, or the various things that He allows into our lives, that we must wrestle before Him. It is our reaction to these things allowed by His permissive will that enables us to come to the point of seeing His perfect will for us. "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God . . ." ( Romans 8:28 )— to those who remain true to God’s perfect will— His calling in Christ Jesus. God’s permissive will is the testing He uses to reveal His true sons and daughters. We should not be spineless and automatically say, "Yes, it is the Lord’s will." We don’t have to fight or wrestle with God, but we must wrestle before God with things. Beware of lazily giving up. Instead, put up a glorious fight and you will find yourself empowered with His strength.
TGIF devotional
The Power of Serving OthersBy Os HillmanPowered By Marketplace Leaders
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms (1 Peter 4:9-11).
There is a Kingdom principle I find few really understand. The principle is this: When you focus on serving others, your need is often met through God’s supernatural law of serving.
I’ve seen this happen so many times. The law of sowing and reaping comes into play in this Kingdom principle. “Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love.” (Hos 10:12). “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." (2 Cor 9:6-9)
Whenever God calls me to serve another person with my time and resources, I notice how God measures resources back to me from unrelated sources. Sometimes it comes through an unexpected donation to our ministry or a speaking engagement or a new opportunity. It is uncanny how this happens consistently when I serve others. We are never to view people or organizations as competition. The Bible says that God has already assigned our portion. We need not have to manipulate outcomes.
“LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance” (Ps 16:5-6).
We don’t serve others to get. However, when you do serve others, there is a Kingdom principle that works on your behalf as fruit of your service. Is there someone you need to serve today?
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