Wednesday, November 7, 2012
1 Chronicles 14 bible reading and devotionals.
Click here to listen or download.
MaxLucado.com: The Power of Election Prayer
Let others lose sleep over the election. Let others grow bitter from party or petty rivalries. Let others cast their hope with the people of the elephant or the donkey. Not followers of Jesus. We place our trust in the work of God.
How many kings has he seen come and go? How many nations has he seen stand and fall? He is above them all. And he oversees them all. So, while others get anxious, we don’t. Here is what we do: we pray.
“First of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim.2:1-4 NIV).
It is time to take this job seriously. Over the next hours and days ahead, turn your heart toward heaven and ask God to:
Unite our country
Strengthen us
Appoint and anoint our next president
God’s promise is clear:
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chron. 7:14 NIV).
Only God can unite the nations. On this election day, let’s ask him to do just that with ours.
Dear Heavenly Father,
You have given us this promise: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
So, we pray to you. We turn from evil and look to you, our God. Please:
Unite us
Strengthen us
Appoint and anoint our next president
In the name of Christ we pray,
Amen
MaxLucado.com: His Grace
I had planned to nap during my trip. But the fellow next to me had other ideas! Knowing I couldn’t sleep, I opened my Bible.
“What ya’ studying there, buddy?” I told him, but he never heard.
“The church is lost,” he declared. “Hellbound and heartsick.” “Christians are asleep. They don’t pray. They don’t love. They don’t care.” With that he began listing all the woes and weaknesses of the church.
I shouldn’t have let it bug me, but it did. God’s faithfulness has never depended on the faithfulness of his children. He is faithful even when we are not. When we lack courage, he doesn’t.
I’ll probably never see that proclaimer of pessimism again, but if you do, will you give him a message for me? God’s blessings are dispensed according to the riches of his grace, not according to the depth of our faith.
That’s what makes God…God! And that is what makes the church strong.
From A Gentle Thunder
1 Chronicles 14
David’s House and Family
14 Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs, stonemasons and carpenters to build a palace for him. 2 And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and that his kingdom had been highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel.
3 In Jerusalem David took more wives and became the father of more sons and daughters. 4 These are the names of the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 5 Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, 6 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 7 Elishama, Beeliada[d] and Eliphelet.
David Defeats the Philistines
8 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went out to meet them. 9 Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim; 10 so David inquired of God: “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?”
The Lord answered him, “Go, I will deliver them into your hands.”
11 So David and his men went up to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, “As waters break out, God has broken out against my enemies by my hand.” So that place was called Baal Perazim.[e] 12 The Philistines had abandoned their gods there, and David gave orders to burn them in the fire.
13 Once more the Philistines raided the valley; 14 so David inquired of God again, and God answered him, “Do not go directly after them, but circle around them and attack them in front of the poplar trees. 15 As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move out to battle, because that will mean God has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.” 16 So David did as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army, all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.
17 So David’s fame spread throughout every land, and the Lord made all the nations fear him.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Psalm 119:9-16
Beth
9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
10 With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not wander from your commandments!
11 I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
12 Blessed are you, O Lord;
teach me your statutes!
13 With my lips I declare
all the rules[a] of your mouth.
14 In the way of your testimonies I delight
as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on your precepts
and fix my eyes on your ways.
16 I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.
From Head To Heart
November 7, 2012 — by Julie Ackerman Link
Your Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. —Psalm 119:11
My childhood piano teacher was a stickler for memorization. Being able to play a piece without error was not enough. I had to play several pieces flawlessly by memory. Her reasoning was this: She didn’t want her students to say, when asked to play, “I’m sorry, I don’t have my music with me.”
As a child, I also memorized Bible passages, including Psalm 119:11. Due to my limited understanding, I believed that simple memorization would keep me from sin. I worked hard at memorizing verses, and I even won a Moody Bible Story Book as an award.
Although memorizing the Bible is a good habit to develop, it’s not the act of memorizing that keeps us from sin. As I learned soon after my winning efforts, having the words of Scripture in my head made little difference in my behavior. In fact, instead of victory over sin, knowledge alone generated feelings of guilt.
Eventually I realized that the Word of God had to spread through my whole being. I needed to internalize Scripture, to hide it “in my heart” the way a musician does a piece of music. I had to live the Bible as well as I could quote it. As God’s Word spreads from our heads to our hearts, sin loses its power over us.
O Lord, my God, may Your Word become so
much a part of me that obedience comes
naturally and cheerfully from my heart.
Change me andmold me into Your image.
Let God’s Word fill your memory, rule your heart,
and guide your life.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
November 7, 2012
The Undetected Sacredness of Circumstances
We know that all things work together for good to those who love God . . . —Romans 8:28
The circumstances of a saint’s life are ordained of God. In the life of a saint there is no such thing as chance. God by His providence brings you into circumstances that you can’t understand at all, but the Spirit of God understands. God brings you to places, among people, and into certain conditions to accomplish a definite purpose through the intercession of the Spirit in you. Never put yourself in front of your circumstances and say, “I’m going to be my own providence here; I will watch this closely, or protect myself from that.” All your circumstances are in the hand of God, and therefore you don’t ever have to think they are unnatural or unique. Your part in intercessory prayer is not to agonize over how to intercede, but to use the everyday circumstances and people God puts around you by His providence to bring them before His throne, and to allow the Spirit in you the opportunity to intercede for them. In this way God is going to touch the whole world with His saints.
Am I making the Holy Spirit’s work difficult by being vague and unsure, or by trying to do His work for Him? I must do the human side of intercession— utilizing the circumstances in which I find myself and the people who surround me. I must keep my conscious life as a sacred place for the Holy Spirit. Then as I lift different ones to God through prayer, the Holy Spirit intercedes for them.
Your intercessions can never be mine, and my intercessions can never be yours, “. . . but the Spirit Himself makes intercession” in each of our lives (Romans 8:26). And without that intercession, the lives of others would be left in poverty and in ruin.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
The Day After the "Votequake" - #6738
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Now, I've always been interested in following politics. But I've got to tell you, even I am sick of politics right now! I mean, we've OD'd on it these past few months! Suddenly, all those pundits on the news were starting to sound like that indistinct blather when adults speak on a Charlie Brown special. You know.
And the signs! I can't wait til they come down and I can see my neighbor's house again. Oh the joy to think, "Today I can turn on my TV and there will not be one political commercial, showing your opponent as Frankenstein or Bride of Frankenstein."
But sadly, America's a pretty fractured nation politically. Today some people are just all excited because their candidate won, and some are saying, "Boy, the end must be close because my candidate lost. The other guy won."
Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Day After the 'Votequake.'"
You know, after waking up and hearing election results in America, I thought of all the views I'd heard on TV describing how they see America. And you know what? This morning, I asked God to help me see my town, my country, my world through His eyes. "What do You see, Lord?"
And He said, "Ron, there are only two categories that really matter. When you look at people, see them as being on one of two lists." Then I remembered something I read about the days after the Titanic sank. White Star Lines, the owners of the Titanic, set up a room in Liverpool, England, where people could wait to learn the fate of a passenger that they loved. Occasionally, a company official would come in and add a name to one of two lists, posted on a large board. The lists simply read: "Known to be saved" ... "Known to be lost."
Everyone you love - everyone in your personal world - everyone hearing or reading this is on one of two lists. They're described in our word for today from the Word of God in 1 John 5:11-12. It says, "God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that has the Son has life; He that does not have the Son of God does not have life." Known to be saved...known to be lost.
It should not be what political list or religious list a person's on that defines my relationship with them - it should be which of God's lists they're on. When we get to heaven, there won't be any "Republicans" or "Democrats" or "liberals" or "conservatives." No "Baptists" or "Methodists" or "Roman Catholics." God sees people in terms of their eternal destination, and it defines His relationship with us.
We were all in one doomed category - sinners; people who have marginalized our Creator rather than enthroning Him. Who have defied His ways and done what we wanted to do, and cut off from Him because He's sinless and we're full of sin.
But in spite of our disregard and disrespect of the God who put us here, He refused to leave us lost. He sent His precious Son, Jesus, to do what only He could do - pay for our sin by paying our death penalty on the Cross. So heaven or hell all comes down to what I do with Jesus. Whether I leave Him outside of my life or put all my trust in Him as my only hope for rescue. "Have the Son, have life...don't have the Son, don't have life" (1 John 5:12).
Maybe today if you could see God's lists, you'd be on the "Known to be lost." But today you can change lists. Because Jesus stands ready to erase the sin of your life from God's book, forgive every one of those sins, and give you eternal life that you could never deserve, because He gave His life for you. Why don't you tell Him, "Jesus, I'm Yours" today. Go to our website and find out how to get started with Him. It's YoursForLife.net.
And in this season when we'll be hearing a lot of people being defined by their label, I want to see what God sees, don't you? Saved and Lost. I want to love those people like He does, because it breaks His heart. It should break my heart to see them lost.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
1 Chronicles 13 bible reading and devotionals.
Click to listen or download.
MaxLucado.com: We Like Sheep
Sheep aren’t smart. They tend to wander into running creeks for water, then their wool grows heavy and they drown. They have no sense of direction. They need a shepherd to lead them to calm water.
So do we! We, like sheep, tend to be swept away by waters we should have avoided. We have no defense against the evil lion who prowls about seeking whom he might devour.
Isaiah 53:6 reminds us, “We all have wandered away like sheep; each of us has gone his own way.” We need a shepherd to care for us and to guide us. And Jesus is that Good Shepherd. The Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. The Shepherd who protects, provides, and possesses his sheep. The Psalmist says: The Lord is my shepherd! The imagery is carried over to the New Testament as Jesus is called the good shepherd of the sheep!
Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. John 10:14-15”
From A Gentle Thunder
1 Chronicles 13
Bringing Back the Ark
13 David conferred with each of his officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2 He then said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you and if it is the will of the Lord our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our people throughout the territories of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites who are with them in their towns and pasturelands, to come and join us. 3 Let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we did not inquire of[a] it[b] during the reign of Saul.” 4 The whole assembly agreed to do this, because it seemed right to all the people.
5 So David assembled all Israel, from the Shihor River in Egypt to Lebo Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim. 6 David and all Israel went to Baalah of Judah (Kiriath Jearim) to bring up from there the ark of God the Lord, who is enthroned between the cherubim—the ark that is called by the Name.
7 They moved the ark of God from Abinadab’s house on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding it. 8 David and all the Israelites were celebrating with all their might before God, with songs and with harps, lyres, timbrels, cymbals and trumpets.
9 When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled. 10 The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God.
11 Then David was angry because the Lord’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.[c]
12 David was afraid of God that day and asked, “How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?” 13 He did not take the ark to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 14 The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house for three months, and the Lord blessed his household and everything he had.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Ruth 3:1-11
Ruth and Boaz at the Threshing Floor
3 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? 2 Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 3 Wash therefore and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 But when he lies down, observe the place where he lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do.” 5 And she replied, “All that you say I will do.”
6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her. 7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. 8 At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet! 9 He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings[a] over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” 10 And he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. 11 And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman.
The Romance
November 6, 2012 — by Cindy Hess Kasper
“There is a [grandson] born to Naomi.” And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. —Ruth 4:17
Widows in biblical times often faced a life of poverty. That’s the situation Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, were in after each woman lost her husband. But God had a plan to provide security for them while involving Ruth as an integral part of a much bigger plan.
Boaz, a wealthy landowner, knew of and admired Ruth (Ruth 2:5-12), but he was surprised when he awoke one night to see her lying at his feet (3:8). She asked him to “spread the corner” of his garment over her to indicate that as a close relative he was willing to be her “kinsman-redeemer” (v.9 NIV). This was more than a request for protection; she was requesting marriage. Boaz agreed to marry her (vv.11-13; 4:13).
Not exactly your typical romantic tale. But Ruth’s choice to follow Naomi’s instructions (3:3-6) set up a series of events that placed her in God’s plan of redemption! From Ruth’s marriage to Boaz came a son (Obed), the eventual grandfather of King David (4:17). Generations later, Joseph was born to the family, and he became the “legal father” of Mary’s child (Matt. 1:16-17; Luke 2:4-5)—our Kinsman-Redeemer, Jesus.
Ruth trusted God and followed Naomi’s instructions even though the ending was uncertain. We too can count on God to provide for us when life is unsure.
Lord, give us humility and sensitivity to listen
to advice from loved ones who know You well.
Show us the right thing to do in our uncertain
times and to trust You for the results. Amen.
Fear hinders faith, but trust kindles confidence.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
November 6, 2012
Intimate Theology
Do you believe this? —John 11:26
Martha believed in the power available to Jesus Christ; she believed that if He had been there He could have healed her brother; she also believed that Jesus had a special intimacy with God, and that whatever He asked of God, God would do. But— she needed a closer personal intimacy with Jesus. Martha’s theology had its fulfillment in the future. But Jesus continued to attract and draw her in until her belief became an intimate possession. It then slowly emerged into a personal inheritance— “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ . . .” (John 11:27).
Is the Lord dealing with you in the same way? Is Jesus teaching you to have a personal intimacy with Himself? Allow Him to drive His question home to you— “Do you believe this?” Are you facing an area of doubt in your life? Have you come, like Martha, to a crossroads of overwhelming circumstances where your theology is about to become a very personal belief? This happens only when a personal problem brings the awareness of our personal need.
To believe is to commit. In the area of intellectual learning I commit myself mentally, and reject anything not related to that belief. In the realm of personal belief I commit myself morally to my convictions and refuse to compromise. But in intimate personal belief I commit myself spiritually to Jesus Christ and make a determination to be dominated by Him alone.
Then, when I stand face to face with Jesus Christ and He says to me, “Do you believe this?” I find that faith is as natural as breathing. And I am staggered when I think how foolish I have been in not trusting Him earlier.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Getting Close to a VIP - #6737
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
When I lived in the New York area, I occasionally spoke for the New York Giants, and the New York Jets, and the Yankees, and the Mets, and some of their visiting teams. Now, when people heard about that, guess what their first question usually was? Well, of course, they said, "Ron, what scripture verse did you speak on?"
No! What they asked was, "Who was there? Who did you meet?" And they wanted to hear who attended and who I got to shake hands with. People got excited because I had been with some star they knew about. But much more frequently than those events, I've had the opportunity to be with some real VIPs; some real very important people. But you probably wouldn't recognize their names.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Getting Close to a VIP."
Ok, here comes our word for today from the Word of God. It's in the tenth chapter of the gospel of Mark. "Some Pharisees came and tested Jesus by asking, 'Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?'" That's in verse 2, and this ongoing conversation continues with these very important people from Jerusalem. In the middle of all of that in verse 13 it says, "People were bringing little children to Jesus to have Him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them." I think in the Greek it says, "Go away, kid!"
Well, "When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to them, 'Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.' He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them."
Okay, here's the scene. Jesus is with the power brokers from Jerusalem, and then He's with these little kids crawling all over His lap. The question: When was Jesus with the VIPs? Not the big shots; not the power brokers. Oh, He was with the VIPs, He said, when He was with the children. The disciples got it wrong. Maybe they were running the nursery that day. Listen, have you ever been in the nursery when the pastor preached too long and the kids are going crazy? Well, the disciples are saying, "No, no, He's with important people now." Jesus said, "Uh-uh, these are the important people."
You know, we have a tendency to really curry favor with the powerful, to oblige the rich, to try to get close to the stars in whatever our constellation is, whether it's business, or school, or church. But what Jesus models here is what I would call a VIP inversion. He says, "The little people are the big people to Him: children, the homeless, the hurting, the powerless, the misfit, the lonely, the excluded." Jesus gives prime time to those who can give Him nothing. He focuses on those who have no votes, no money, no favors to give. This must be a pretty important account, because it's recorded in three of the gospels. And we are told here that Jesus was indignant when the disciples made this values error.
So, who do you think the VIPs are in your world? Well, if you see what Jesus sees, you'll know it's the little people. You'll know that you're becoming like Jesus when you start to lose your fascination with people who are powerful, or those who can do something for you. You're becoming like Jesus when you feel yourself wanting to be with the people He thinks are important; not the ones the world says are important. The ones the world sees as powerless and unimportant.
See, when you get close to a little person, just ask Jesus, you are getting close to a real VIP.
Monday, November 5, 2012
1 Corinthians 8 bible reading and devotionals.
Click to hear the word of the Lord Jesus Christ.
MaxLucado.com: A Hero in the Bible
Behold a hero of the west. A thousand head of cattle pass behind him. He needs no one. He’s a cowboy. The American hero.
Behold a hero in the Bible: the shepherd. He too is rugged. Like the cowboy he makes his roof the stars and the pasture his home.
But that’s where the similarities end. The shepherd loves his sheep. The cowboy leads the cow to slaughter. The cowboy drives the cattle. The shepherd leads the sheep. The shepherd calls each sheep by name. Aren’t we glad Christ didn’t call Himself the Good Cowboy?
Psalm 100:3 says, “Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”
We don’t need a cowboy to herd us. We need a shepherd. A shepherd to care for us and to guide us. And we have One. One who knows us by name.
From A Gentle Thunder
1 Corinthians 8
New International Version (NIV)
Concerning Food Sacrificed to Idols
8 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3 But whoever loves God is known by God.[a]
4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
7 But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Colossians 3:18–4:1
Rules for Christian Households
18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. 22 Bondservants,[a] obey in everything those who are your earthly masters,[b] not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.
4 Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
Beyond Just And Fair
November 5, 2012 — by Dennis Fisher
Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. —Colossians 4:1
Working conditions in England during the 19th century were abysmal. Men, women, and children labored in dangerous factories during the day and went home to dirty tenement slums at night. Many of the factory owners cared little for the well-being of their employees.
But during that time, the owners of the Cadbury chocolate company were different. Quakers by conviction and business entrepreneurs by giftedness, they focused on improving the working conditions of their 200 workers. The Cadburys built a state-of-the-art factory with heated dressing rooms, a kitchen, and recreational areas. And to care for the employees’ spiritual needs, the workday started with Bible study.
Colossians 4:1 tells us: “Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.” Certainly the Cadburys sought to give their employees what was just and fair. But their heavenly orientation motivated them to go a step further to meet physical and spiritual needs.
Though we may not own a company, we do have regular contact with a variety of people. As believers, it is important to be ethical in our dealings. We can also, with God’s enablement, care about others’ well-being through prayer, encouragement, and the meeting of physical needs (Gal. 6:10).
Lord, thank You for loving us and meeting our needs.
Often You bring people into our lives who need Your
love and care. Give us wisdom to creatively reach
out a helping hand that we might share Your kindness.
God blesses us so that we can bless others.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
November 5, 2012
Partakers of His Suffering
. . . but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings . . . —1 Peter 4:13
If you are going to be used by God, He will take you through a number of experiences that are not meant for you personally at all. They are designed to make you useful in His hands, and to enable you to understand what takes place in the lives of others. Because of this process, you will never be surprised by what comes your way. You say, “Oh, I can’t deal with that person.” Why can’t you? God gave you sufficient opportunities to learn from Him about that problem; but you turned away, not heeding the lesson, because it seemed foolish to spend your time that way.
The sufferings of Christ were not those of ordinary people. He suffered “according to the will of God” (1 Peter 4:19), having a different point of view of suffering from ours. It is only through our relationship with Jesus Christ that we can understand what God is after in His dealings with us. When it comes to suffering, it is part of our Christian culture to want to know God’s purpose beforehand. In the history of the Christian church, the tendency has been to avoid being identified with the sufferings of Jesus Christ. People have sought to carry out God’s orders through a shortcut of their own. God’s way is always the way of suffering— the way of the “long road home.”
Are we partakers of Christ’s sufferings? Are we prepared for God to stamp out our personal ambitions? Are we prepared for God to destroy our individual decisions by supernaturally transforming them? It will mean not knowing why God is taking us that way, because knowing would make us spiritually proud. We never realize at the time what God is putting us through— we go through it more or less without understanding. Then suddenly we come to a place of enlightenment, and realize— “God has strengthened me and I didn’t even know it!”
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
ameras Everywhere - #6736
Monday, November 5, 2012
Who ever thought up cell phone cameras? Oh, they're nice if something suddenly pops up that you want to capture. But how many times have I been looking goofy or just plain ol' ugly and some smart aleck quietly "permanent-tizes" that moment with his cute little camera? Is there nowhere we are safe from the lens that never forgets?
Apparently not! Just ask the politicians, the celebrities, even the royals who suddenly have been unpleasantly and even angrily surprised by photos they never even knew existed.
Recently a former paparazzi was in the news showing just how far the prying eye can reach. He set up his monster-lens camera across the river from where the reporter in this segment was standing in New York City. And he got amazing pictures of her - from half a mile away! The reporter's only comment: "Good thing I was dressed modestly." (Yeah, no kidding!) Well, Mr. Ex-Paparazzi made this suggestion: "Always assume there's a camera."
Well, I've been thinking about that "assume there's a camera" thing. It's actually pretty good advice, because God doesn't miss a thing.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Cameras Everywhere."
Now, the Bible makes sure that we're not surprised by that. Our word for today from the Word of God, Proverbs 5:21 says, "A man's ways are in full view of the Lord" and "nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight." And in Hebrews 4:13 it says, "Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."
Wow! Those last words are the disturbing part. "We must give account." There really will be a day when we will answer for our lives - including our darkest secrets. Romans 2 says, "God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ." Martin Luther said he had only two days on his calendar: today and Judgment Day. Not bad.
But it's not just our actions. God knows every word I speak, every thought in my mind. And the Bible says He will even "expose the motives of men's hearts" (1 Corinthians 4:5). First thought: do I - does anybody - stand a chance when God holds me accountable for everything I've ever said or thought or done? What about when all the closets are opened, all the secrets exposed, all the sin laid bare before His holy eyes?
I wouldn't stand a chance if Jesus hadn't died on a cross to erase it all. He absorbed all the guilt and all the punishment of all the sin of my life. The Bible says, "He carried our sins in His own body on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24). He chose to. Not because I, in any way, deserve a sacrifice like that. He simply loves me that much; He simply loves you that much.
And as the Bible says, "perfect love drives out fear" (1 John 4:18) - including my very well-founded fear of facing a holy God with all my sin laid bare before Him. Jesus has taken away that fear because of the Judgment Day that Jesus had in my place when He took my judgment all alone on a cross. He did that for you too. He does what no one else in the universe can do. He hits the delete button that erases a lifetime of sin.
You know, it's pretty awesome to know that every sin of your life is erased forever from God's book; to know you are finally clean, and you're safe. If you'd like to experience that wonderful forgiving miracle that only Jesus can do, I encourage you to check out our website and find out there exactly how to begin your personal relationship with this amazing, sin-forgiving Savior, Jesus. Go to YoursForLife.net, and find out how this cleansing miracle can happen for you.
MaxLucado.com: A Hero in the Bible
Behold a hero of the west. A thousand head of cattle pass behind him. He needs no one. He’s a cowboy. The American hero.
Behold a hero in the Bible: the shepherd. He too is rugged. Like the cowboy he makes his roof the stars and the pasture his home.
But that’s where the similarities end. The shepherd loves his sheep. The cowboy leads the cow to slaughter. The cowboy drives the cattle. The shepherd leads the sheep. The shepherd calls each sheep by name. Aren’t we glad Christ didn’t call Himself the Good Cowboy?
Psalm 100:3 says, “Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”
We don’t need a cowboy to herd us. We need a shepherd. A shepherd to care for us and to guide us. And we have One. One who knows us by name.
From A Gentle Thunder
1 Corinthians 8
New International Version (NIV)
Concerning Food Sacrificed to Idols
8 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3 But whoever loves God is known by God.[a]
4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
7 But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Colossians 3:18–4:1
Rules for Christian Households
18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. 22 Bondservants,[a] obey in everything those who are your earthly masters,[b] not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.
4 Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
Beyond Just And Fair
November 5, 2012 — by Dennis Fisher
Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. —Colossians 4:1
Working conditions in England during the 19th century were abysmal. Men, women, and children labored in dangerous factories during the day and went home to dirty tenement slums at night. Many of the factory owners cared little for the well-being of their employees.
But during that time, the owners of the Cadbury chocolate company were different. Quakers by conviction and business entrepreneurs by giftedness, they focused on improving the working conditions of their 200 workers. The Cadburys built a state-of-the-art factory with heated dressing rooms, a kitchen, and recreational areas. And to care for the employees’ spiritual needs, the workday started with Bible study.
Colossians 4:1 tells us: “Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.” Certainly the Cadburys sought to give their employees what was just and fair. But their heavenly orientation motivated them to go a step further to meet physical and spiritual needs.
Though we may not own a company, we do have regular contact with a variety of people. As believers, it is important to be ethical in our dealings. We can also, with God’s enablement, care about others’ well-being through prayer, encouragement, and the meeting of physical needs (Gal. 6:10).
Lord, thank You for loving us and meeting our needs.
Often You bring people into our lives who need Your
love and care. Give us wisdom to creatively reach
out a helping hand that we might share Your kindness.
God blesses us so that we can bless others.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
November 5, 2012
Partakers of His Suffering
. . . but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings . . . —1 Peter 4:13
If you are going to be used by God, He will take you through a number of experiences that are not meant for you personally at all. They are designed to make you useful in His hands, and to enable you to understand what takes place in the lives of others. Because of this process, you will never be surprised by what comes your way. You say, “Oh, I can’t deal with that person.” Why can’t you? God gave you sufficient opportunities to learn from Him about that problem; but you turned away, not heeding the lesson, because it seemed foolish to spend your time that way.
The sufferings of Christ were not those of ordinary people. He suffered “according to the will of God” (1 Peter 4:19), having a different point of view of suffering from ours. It is only through our relationship with Jesus Christ that we can understand what God is after in His dealings with us. When it comes to suffering, it is part of our Christian culture to want to know God’s purpose beforehand. In the history of the Christian church, the tendency has been to avoid being identified with the sufferings of Jesus Christ. People have sought to carry out God’s orders through a shortcut of their own. God’s way is always the way of suffering— the way of the “long road home.”
Are we partakers of Christ’s sufferings? Are we prepared for God to stamp out our personal ambitions? Are we prepared for God to destroy our individual decisions by supernaturally transforming them? It will mean not knowing why God is taking us that way, because knowing would make us spiritually proud. We never realize at the time what God is putting us through— we go through it more or less without understanding. Then suddenly we come to a place of enlightenment, and realize— “God has strengthened me and I didn’t even know it!”
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
ameras Everywhere - #6736
Monday, November 5, 2012
Who ever thought up cell phone cameras? Oh, they're nice if something suddenly pops up that you want to capture. But how many times have I been looking goofy or just plain ol' ugly and some smart aleck quietly "permanent-tizes" that moment with his cute little camera? Is there nowhere we are safe from the lens that never forgets?
Apparently not! Just ask the politicians, the celebrities, even the royals who suddenly have been unpleasantly and even angrily surprised by photos they never even knew existed.
Recently a former paparazzi was in the news showing just how far the prying eye can reach. He set up his monster-lens camera across the river from where the reporter in this segment was standing in New York City. And he got amazing pictures of her - from half a mile away! The reporter's only comment: "Good thing I was dressed modestly." (Yeah, no kidding!) Well, Mr. Ex-Paparazzi made this suggestion: "Always assume there's a camera."
Well, I've been thinking about that "assume there's a camera" thing. It's actually pretty good advice, because God doesn't miss a thing.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Cameras Everywhere."
Now, the Bible makes sure that we're not surprised by that. Our word for today from the Word of God, Proverbs 5:21 says, "A man's ways are in full view of the Lord" and "nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight." And in Hebrews 4:13 it says, "Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."
Wow! Those last words are the disturbing part. "We must give account." There really will be a day when we will answer for our lives - including our darkest secrets. Romans 2 says, "God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ." Martin Luther said he had only two days on his calendar: today and Judgment Day. Not bad.
But it's not just our actions. God knows every word I speak, every thought in my mind. And the Bible says He will even "expose the motives of men's hearts" (1 Corinthians 4:5). First thought: do I - does anybody - stand a chance when God holds me accountable for everything I've ever said or thought or done? What about when all the closets are opened, all the secrets exposed, all the sin laid bare before His holy eyes?
I wouldn't stand a chance if Jesus hadn't died on a cross to erase it all. He absorbed all the guilt and all the punishment of all the sin of my life. The Bible says, "He carried our sins in His own body on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24). He chose to. Not because I, in any way, deserve a sacrifice like that. He simply loves me that much; He simply loves you that much.
And as the Bible says, "perfect love drives out fear" (1 John 4:18) - including my very well-founded fear of facing a holy God with all my sin laid bare before Him. Jesus has taken away that fear because of the Judgment Day that Jesus had in my place when He took my judgment all alone on a cross. He did that for you too. He does what no one else in the universe can do. He hits the delete button that erases a lifetime of sin.
You know, it's pretty awesome to know that every sin of your life is erased forever from God's book; to know you are finally clean, and you're safe. If you'd like to experience that wonderful forgiving miracle that only Jesus can do, I encourage you to check out our website and find out there exactly how to begin your personal relationship with this amazing, sin-forgiving Savior, Jesus. Go to YoursForLife.net, and find out how this cleansing miracle can happen for you.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
1 Chronicles 12 bible reading and devotionals.
Click to listen or download.
Max Lucado Daily: Revamped Expectations
The ways of God are without fault. Psalm 18:30
It’s not easy when God doesn’t do what we want, is it? Never has been. Never will be. But faith is the conviction that God knows more than we do about this life and He will get us through it.
Remember, disappointment is cured by revamped expectations.
I like the story about the fellow who went to the pet store in search of a singing parakeet. Seems he was a bachelor and his house was too quiet. The store owner had just the bird for him, so the man bought it.
The next day the bachelor came home from work to a house full of music. He went to the cage to feed the bird and noticed for the first time that the parakeet had only one leg.
He felt cheated. So he called and complained.
“What do you want,” the store owner responded, “a bird who can sing or a bird who can dance?”
Good question for times of disappointment.
1 Chronicles 12
Warriors Join David
12 These were the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish (they were among the warriors who helped him in battle; 2 they were armed with bows and were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-handed or left-handed; they were relatives of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin):
3 Ahiezer their chief and Joash the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Berakah, Jehu the Anathothite, 4 and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty warrior among the Thirty, who was a leader of the Thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederathite,[e] 5 Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah and Shephatiah the Haruphite; 6 Elkanah, Ishiah, Azarel, Joezer and Jashobeam the Korahites; 7 and Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham from Gedor.
8 Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the wilderness. They were brave warriors, ready for battle and able to handle the shield and spear. Their faces were the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles in the mountains.
9 Ezer was the chief,
Obadiah the second in command, Eliab the third,
10 Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,
11 Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,
12 Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,
13 Jeremiah the tenth and Makbannai the eleventh.
14 These Gadites were army commanders; the least was a match for a hundred, and the greatest for a thousand. 15 It was they who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks, and they put to flight everyone living in the valleys, to the east and to the west.
16 Other Benjamites and some men from Judah also came to David in his stronghold. 17 David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, I am ready for you to join me. But if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free from violence, may the God of our ancestors see it and judge you.”
18 Then the Spirit came on Amasai, chief of the Thirty, and he said:
“We are yours, David!
We are with you, son of Jesse!
Success, success to you,
and success to those who help you,
for your God will help you.”
So David received them and made them leaders of his raiding bands.
19 Some of the tribe of Manasseh defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. (He and his men did not help the Philistines because, after consultation, their rulers sent him away. They said, “It will cost us our heads if he deserts to his master Saul.”) 20 When David went to Ziklag, these were the men of Manasseh who defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu and Zillethai, leaders of units of a thousand in Manasseh. 21 They helped David against raiding bands, for all of them were brave warriors, and they were commanders in his army. 22 Day after day men came to help David, until he had a great army, like the army of God.[f]
Others Join David at Hebron
23 These are the numbers of the men armed for battle who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul’s kingdom over to him, as the Lord had said:
24 from Judah, carrying shield and spear—6,800 armed for battle;
25 from Simeon, warriors ready for battle—7,100;
26 from Levi—4,600, 27 including Jehoiada, leader of the family of Aaron, with 3,700 men, 28 and Zadok, a brave young warrior, with 22 officers from his family;
29 from Benjamin, Saul’s tribe—3,000, most of whom had remained loyal to Saul’s house until then;
30 from Ephraim, brave warriors, famous in their own clans—20,800;
31 from half the tribe of Manasseh, designated by name to come and make David king—18,000;
32 from Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do—200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command;
33 from Zebulun, experienced soldiers prepared for battle with every type of weapon, to help David with undivided loyalty—50,000;
34 from Naphtali—1,000 officers, together with 37,000 men carrying shields and spears;
35 from Dan, ready for battle—28,600;
36 from Asher, experienced soldiers prepared for battle—40,000;
37 and from east of the Jordan, from Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, armed with every type of weapon—120,000.
38 All these were fighting men who volunteered to serve in the ranks. They came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. All the rest of the Israelites were also of one mind to make David king. 39 The men spent three days there with David, eating and drinking, for their families had supplied provisions for them. 40 Also, their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun and Naphtali came bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules and oxen. There were plentiful supplies of flour, fig cakes, raisin cakes, wine, olive oil, cattle and sheep, for there was joy in Israel.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: John 9:1-11,24-25
Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind
9 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was.
Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”
But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
Six-Word Testimony
November 4, 2012 — by David C. McCasland
One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see. —John 9:25
Over the past 15 years, Dan Smith’s name and face have appeared on fliers in coffee shops, laundromats, and small businesses across New York City. The six-word slogan on each flier says: Dan Smith Will Teach You Guitar. The result is that Mr. Smith stays as busy as he wants to be, teaching his students how to play the guitar. Many enthusiastic students hang his fliers in new places. It’s their way of saying, “Dan Smith taught me guitar. He can teach you too.”
The pages of the Bible are filled with accounts of people telling what God has done for them. One of the most vivid appears in John 9 where Jesus encountered a man blind from birth and miraculously enabled him to see (vv.1-7). After repeated questioning by skeptical local religious leaders, the man could only say, “One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see” (v.25).
If you had six words to express what Christ has done for you and can do for others, what would you say? Perhaps, “Jesus Christ will forgive your sin,” or “. . . give you hope” or “. . . save your soul.” When Jesus has changed our lives, we affirm His power to do for others what He has done for us.
“I was blind, now I see.”
It is no secret what God can do.
What He’s done for others, He’ll do for you.
With arms wide open, He’ll pardon you.
It is no secret what God can do. —Hamblen
We are Christ’s “letters of recommendation”
to all who read our lives.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
November 4, 2012
The Authority of Truth
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you —James 4:8
It is essential that you give people the opportunity to act on the truth of God. The responsibility must be left with the individual— you cannot act for him. It must be his own deliberate act, but the evangelical message should always lead him to action. Refusing to act leaves a person paralyzed, exactly where he was previously. But once he acts, he is never the same. It is the apparent folly of the truth that stands in the way of hundreds who have been convicted by the Spirit of God. Once I press myself into action, I immediately begin to live. Anything less is merely existing. The moments I truly live are the moments when I act with my entire will.
When a truth of God is brought home to your soul, never allow it to pass without acting on it internally in your will, not necessarily externally in your physical life. Record it with ink and with blood— work it into your life. The weakest saint who transacts business with Jesus Christ is liberated the second he acts and God’s almighty power is available on his behalf. We come up to the truth of God, confess we are wrong, but go back again. Then we approach it again and turn back, until we finally learn we have no business going back. When we are confronted with such a word of truth from our redeeming Lord, we must move directly to transact business with Him. “Come to Me . . .” (Matthew 11:28). His word come means “to act.” Yet the last thing we want to do is come. But everyone who does come knows that, at that very moment, the supernatural power of the life of God invades him. The dominating power of the world, the flesh, and the devil is now paralyzed; not by your act, but because your act has joined you to God and tapped you in to His redemptive power.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
1 Chronicles 11 bible reading and daily devotionals.
Max Lucado Daily: God’s Thoughts
Lord, you have done such great things! How deep are your thoughts! Psalm 92:5
God’s thoughts are not our thoughts—we aren’t even in the same neighborhood.
Psalm 92:5 sets the standard. “Lord, you have done such great things. How deep are your thoughts.”
When we’re thinking, Preserve the body; God’s thinking, Save the soul. We dream of a pay raise. He dreams of raising the dead. We avoid pain and seek peace. God uses pain to bring peace. “I’m going to live before I die,” we resolve. “Die, so you can live,” he instructs. We love what rusts. He loves what endures. We rejoice at our successes. He rejoices at our confessions. We show our children the Nike star with the million-dollar smile and say, “Be like him.” God points to the crucified carpenter with bloody lips and a torn side and says, “Be like Christ.”
Thinking God’s thoughts.
1 Chronicles 11
David Becomes King Over Israel
11 All Israel came together to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. 2 In the past, even while Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord your God said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’”
3 When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, he made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel, as the Lord had promised through Samuel.
David Conquers Jerusalem
4 David and all the Israelites marched to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus). The Jebusites who lived there 5 said to David, “You will not get in here.” Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion—which is the City of David.
6 David had said, “Whoever leads the attack on the Jebusites will become commander-in-chief.” Joab son of Zeruiah went up first, and so he received the command.
7 David then took up residence in the fortress, and so it was called the City of David. 8 He built up the city around it, from the terraces[a] to the surrounding wall, while Joab restored the rest of the city. 9 And David became more and more powerful, because the Lord Almighty was with him.
David’s Mighty Warriors
10 These were the chiefs of David’s mighty warriors—they, together with all Israel, gave his kingship strong support to extend it over the whole land, as the Lord had promised— 11 this is the list of David’s mighty warriors:
Jashobeam,[b] a Hakmonite, was chief of the officers[c]; he raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter.
12 Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite, one of the three mighty warriors. 13 He was with David at Pas Dammim when the Philistines gathered there for battle. At a place where there was a field full of barley, the troops fled from the Philistines. 14 But they took their stand in the middle of the field. They defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory.
15 Three of the thirty chiefs came down to David to the rock at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. 16 At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. 17 David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” 18 So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out to the Lord. 19 “God forbid that I should do this!” he said. “Should I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives?” Because they risked their lives to bring it back, David would not drink it.
Such were the exploits of the three mighty warriors.
20 Abishai the brother of Joab was chief of the Three. He raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three. 21 He was doubly honored above the Three and became their commander, even though he was not included among them.
22 Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. 23 And he struck down an Egyptian who was five cubits[d] tall. Although the Egyptian had a spear like a weaver’s rod in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. 24 Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty warriors. 25 He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.
26 The mighty warriors were:
Asahel the brother of Joab,
Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem,
27 Shammoth the Harorite,
Helez the Pelonite,
28 Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa,
Abiezer from Anathoth,
29 Sibbekai the Hushathite,
Ilai the Ahohite,
30 Maharai the Netophathite,
Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite,
31 Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin,
Benaiah the Pirathonite,
32 Hurai from the ravines of Gaash,
Abiel the Arbathite,
33 Azmaveth the Baharumite,
Eliahba the Shaalbonite,
34 the sons of Hashem the Gizonite,
Jonathan son of Shagee the Hararite,
35 Ahiam son of Sakar the Hararite,
Eliphal son of Ur,
36 Hepher the Mekerathite,
Ahijah the Pelonite,
37 Hezro the Carmelite,
Naarai son of Ezbai,
38 Joel the brother of Nathan,
Mibhar son of Hagri,
39 Zelek the Ammonite,
Naharai the Berothite, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,
40 Ira the Ithrite,
Gareb the Ithrite,
41 Uriah the Hittite,
Zabad son of Ahlai,
42 Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, who was chief of the Reubenites, and the thirty with him,
43 Hanan son of Maakah,
Joshaphat the Mithnite,
44 Uzzia the Ashterathite,
Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite,
45 Jediael son of Shimri,
his brother Joha the Tizite,
46 Eliel the Mahavite,
Jeribai and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam,
Ithmah the Moabite,
47 Eliel, Obed and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: John 6:44-59
44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’[a] Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
The Truth About Maps
November 3, 2012 — by Julie Ackerman Link
He who hates his brother . . . does not know where he is going. —1 John 2:11
GPS is the latest way for travelers to find the best route to their destination, but my husband and I still navigate the old-fashioned way—with maps. Since Jay is usually the driver, the role of map watcher is mine by default. In general, I am not directionally challenged, but it seems that way when I try to navigate while the car is moving. Even though I know where we want to end up, I can’t figure out the best way to get there if we don’t stop to find out where we are. I need to get my bearings.
This can be true in our spiritual life as well. When we try to figure out the way God wants us to go, we need to stop and get our spiritual bearings. If we don’t, we are likely to end up lost in unintended places, situations, or relationships.
In helping His disciples navigate life and find their way through the traps and temptations of the world, Jesus often said, “stop.” “Stop grumbling,” “stop judging by mere appearances,” “stop doubting and believe” (John 6:43; 7:24; 20:27 NIV). To follow Jesus, we frequently have to stop something we are doing that’s wrong. As we depend on His guidance, we will learn to go in the way He says is right.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me,
and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked
way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
—Psalm 139:23-24
God’s way is the right way to go.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
November 3, 2012
A Bondservant of Jesus
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me . . . —Galatians 2:20
These words mean the breaking and collapse of my independence brought about by my own hands, and the surrendering of my life to the supremacy of the Lord Jesus. No one can do this for me, I must do it myself. God may bring me up to this point three hundred and sixty-five times a year, but He cannot push me through it. It means breaking the hard outer layer of my individual independence from God, and the liberating of myself and my nature into oneness with Him; not following my own ideas, but choosing absolute loyalty to Jesus. Once I am at that point, there is no possibility of misunderstanding. Very few of us know anything about loyalty to Christ or understand what He meant when He said, “. . . for My sake” (Matthew 5:11). That is what makes a strong saint.
Has that breaking of my independence come? All the rest is religious fraud. The one point to decide is— will I give up? Will I surrender to Jesus Christ, placing no conditions whatsoever as to how the brokenness will come? I must be broken from my own understanding of myself. When I reach that point, immediately the reality of the supernatural identification with Jesus Christ takes place. And the witness of the Spirit of God is unmistakable— “I have been crucified with Christ . . . .”
The passion of Christianity comes from deliberately signing away my own rights and becoming a bondservant of Jesus Christ. Until I do that, I will not begin to be a saint.
One student a year who hears God’s call would be sufficient for God to have called the Bible Training College into existence. This college has no value as an organization, not even academically. Its sole value for existence is for God to help Himself to lives. Will we allow Him to help Himself to us, or are we more concerned with our own ideas of what we are going to be?
Friday, November 2, 2012
1 Chronicles 10 bible reading and daily devotionals.
MaxLucado.com: The Holy Spirit
If I were to ask you to describe your heavenly Father, you’d give me a response. If I were to ask you to tell me what Jesus did for you, you’d likely give a cogent answer. But if I were to ask about the role of the Holy Spirit in your life. . .? Eyes would duck. Throats would be cleared.
John 14:17 says, “The world cannot accept him, because it does not see him or know him. But you know him, because he lives with you and he will be in you.”
What does the Spirit do? Scripture says He comforts the saved. He convicts the lost. He conveys the truth. Have you ever been convicted? Ever sensed a stab of sorrow for your actions? Understood a new truth? Then you’ve been touched by the Holy Spirit.
What do you know? He’s been working in your life already.
From A Gentle Thunder
1 Chronicles 10
Saul Takes His Life
10 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. 3 The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him.
4 Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and abuse me.”
But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it. 5 When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died. 6 So Saul and his three sons died, and all his house died together.
7 When all the Israelites in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.
8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 They stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news among their idols and their people. 10 They put his armor in the temple of their gods and hung up his head in the temple of Dagon.
11 When all the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all their valiant men went and took the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. Then they buried their bones under the great tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.
13 Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance, 14 and did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: 1 Peter 5:1-9
Shepherd the Flock of God
5 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,[a] not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;[b] not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
Wake-Up Call
November 2, 2012 — by Bill Crowder
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. —1 Peter 5:8
One early autumn morning as I drove to work in the dark, I was startled by a flash of brown in my headlights followed by the sound of something hitting the front of my car. I had clipped a deer at 70 miles per hour! It was only a glancing blow, and no damage was done to my car (or the deer, as far as I could tell), but it really shook me up. I had been in my usual “autopilot mode” for the familiar drive to the office, but the shock of the incident certainly got my attention. I was now fully alert and trying to calm a racing heartbeat. It was a most unpleasant wake-up call.
The apostle Peter offers us a different kind of wake-up call—one that while unpleasant is necessary. He alerts us to a spiritual battle we are engaged in with a powerful enemy. Peter warns, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). This is a call to wake up, see the danger, and be ready for his attack!
Only when we are aware of the danger that faces us every day will we consciously seek the help we need. And only if we are on the alert will we lean on the strength of our Lord, who is greater than our spiritual enemy.
Though evil may surround us,
We need not fear defeat;
For when God fights the battle,
Our enemies retreat. —Sper
The Christian life is a battleground.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
November 2, 2012
Obedience or Independence?
If you love Me, keep My commandments —John 14:15
Our Lord never insists on obedience. He stresses very definitely what we ought to do, but He never forces us to do it. We have to obey Him out of a oneness of spirit with Him. That is why whenever our Lord talked about discipleship, He prefaced it with an “If,” meaning, “You do not need to do this unless you desire to do so.” “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself . . .” (Luke 9:23). In other words, “To be My disciple, let him give up his right to himself to Me.” Our Lord is not talking about our eternal position, but about our being of value to Him in this life here and now. That is why He sounds so stern (see Luke 14:26). Never try to make sense from these words by separating them from the One who spoke them.
The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear. If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation. If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself. Jesus Christ will not force me to obey Him, but I must. And as soon as I obey Him, I fulfill my spiritual destiny. My personal life may be crowded with small, petty happenings, altogether insignificant. But if I obey Jesus Christ in the seemingly random circumstances of life, they become pinholes through which I see the face of God. Then, when I stand face to face with God, I will discover that through my obedience thousands were blessed. When God’s redemption brings a human soul to the point of obedience, it always produces. If I obey Jesus Christ, the redemption of God will flow through me to the lives of others, because behind the deed of obedience is the reality of Almighty God.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
The Replacement Ref Ruckus - #6735
Friday, November 2, 2012
Now, I've been to a few professional football games in my life. And, you know, some people get angry at those things. It's usually aimed at the other team or their own players who messed up. But recently the words that made us blush were reserved for the referees; the replacement referees, that is.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I'd like to have A Word With You today about "The Replacement Ref Ruckus."
Well, the regular National Football League officials were locked out by the owners over a salary dispute. So the guys making the calls were like rookies in the NFL universe. And accusations were flying that they were missing all kinds of penalties and making bad calls on key plays.
And it reached a boiling point because of a highly disputed call at the end of a nationally televised game. In essence, their judgment on a last-minute touchdown play decided the outcome, and most people believe that it gave the game to the wrong team. Well, boy, the cries started getting louder and louder, "Fire these guys! Bring back the real refs!"
Look, I guess you can't expect substitute officials to run the game as well as the people who are supposed to be in charge, which is something that's important for parents to remember. See, there's a tendency in our culture to delegate an awful lot of "officiating" in our kids' lives to other people. When, from the beginning, God's expecting parents to be the ones supervising the game of life for our children.
But, hey, we've got teachers, and the coaches, and the pastors, and the youth workers, and the counselors. Hey, we can let them do a lot of life for our children, right? God doesn't think so.
In our word today from the Word of God, Deuteronomy 6:4-7 and 11:21, He says this to parents, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.
Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Why? The Bible says, "So the days of your children may be many in the land."
Now, where's a child supposed to learn the ways of his Creator? Where's he or she supposed to learn about love and decision-making, the meaning of sex, and how to handle money, about where the boundaries are and the penalties for breaking the rules? About how much they're worth and where life's landmines are?
The answer is at home. Anything other coaches or refs can do is a bonus and potentially helpful, but it's supplemental in developing a child's life - not fundamental. See, they're just not the Heavenly Father's game plan for shaping a young life. Children are supposed to learn how to do life from the people who gave them life.
And thankfully, in a world where it's so dangerous to be a kid and so challenging to be a parent, God says, "You're not in this alone." My wife and I have often embraced His promise in Isaiah 40:11: "He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms (insert the names of your "lambs" here) and He carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young" (you can put your name there).
See, we have found in Jesus - the One the Bible calls the "Good Shepherd" - a Savior who forgives our failures and supplies the power to change our dark side. I'll tell you, there's nothing like having a life to shape to make you realize how much you need Him.
So, being the Mom or Dad they need isn't Mission Impossible. There simply is no athletic coach, no school, no church, no community program that can replace or do the job of a mother or a father. Yes, it's tempting to hand off a child to other "life-refs" when our own lives are so overheated. But ultimately, we're not going to like how the game turns out. The high-stakes game of life-building is no place for replacement refs.
Jesus has proven, for so many, to be the life-changing, family-saving Savior that a Mom or Dad needs. Look, if you'd like Him in your life and your home, you'll find a lot more about a relationship with Him at our website YoursForLife.net. I hope you'll check it out.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
1 Corinthians 7:20-40 bible reading and devotionals.
Click to hear the word ofthe Lord Jesus Christ.
Max Lucado Daily: Why So Few?
I’ve often thought it curious how few people Jesus raised from the dead. He healed hundreds, fed thousands, but as far as we know He only raised three: the daughter of Jairus, the boy near Nain, and Lazarus. Why so few?
Could it be because He knew He’d be doing them no favors?
Could it be because He couldn’t get any volunteers?
Could it be that once someone is there, the last place they want to return to is here?
Isaiah said: The good men perish; the godly die before their time and no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to realize that God is taking them away from the evil days ahead. For the godly who die will rest in peace. Isaiah 57:1”
What a thought. Could death be God’s grace? God’s protection from the future? Trust in God, Jesus urges, and trust in Me!
From A Gentle Thunder
1 Corinthians 7:20-40
New International Version (NIV)
20 Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.
21 Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 22 For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings. 24 Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.
Concerning the Unmarried
25 Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. 26 Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is. 27 Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife. 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.
29 What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; 30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.
32 I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. 33 But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— 34 and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. 35 I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.
36 If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong[a] and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married. 37 But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing. 38 So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does better.[b]
39 A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord. 40 In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Psalm 22:1-8,19-26
Why Have You Forsaken Me?
To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David.
22 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest.
3 Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises[a] of Israel.
4 In you our fathers trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried and were rescued;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
8 “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”
Forsaken?
November 1, 2012 — by Dave Branon
Those who seek Him will praise the Lord. Let your heart live forever! —Psalm 22:26
Do you know which psalm is quoted most often in the New Testament? You may have guessed the familiar and beloved 23rd Psalm, but actually it is Psalm 22. This psalm begins with David’s poignant, heart- breaking words that were quoted by Jesus on the cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt. 27:46; Mark 15:34).
Imagine the situation David must have found himself in that caused him to cry out to God in this way. Notice that he felt forsaken and abandoned: “Why are You so far from helping me?” (Ps. 22:1). He also felt ignored: “O my God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear” (v.2).
Ever been there? Have you ever looked up into the heavens and wondered why it seemed that God had abandoned you, or was ignoring you? Welcome to David’s world. But for every plaintive cry David expresses, there is a characteristic of God mentioned that rescues him from despondency. Through it all, David discovers that God is holy (v.3), trustworthy (vv.4-5), a deliverer and rescuer (vv.8,20-21), and his strength (v.19).
Do you feel forsaken? Seek the Lord. Rehearse His character. And “let your heart rejoice with everlasting joy” (v.26 nlt).
Lord, sometimes I feel as if You don’t care about
my life. When those times come, please remind me
of Your character as You did David. Help me to
lean on You again and know that You are there.
Even when we don’t sense God’s presence,
His loving care is all around us.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
November 1, 2012
“You Are Not Your Own”
Do you not know that . . . you are not your own? —1 Corinthians 6:19
There is no such thing as a private life, or a place to hide in this world, for a man or woman who is intimately aware of and shares in the sufferings of Jesus Christ. God divides the private life of His saints and makes it a highway for the world on one hand and for Himself on the other. No human being can stand that unless he is identified with Jesus Christ. We are not sanctified for ourselves. We are called into intimacy with the gospel, and things happen that appear to have nothing to do with us. But God is getting us into fellowship with Himself. Let Him have His way. If you refuse, you will be of no value to God in His redemptive work in the world, but will be a hindrance and a stumbling block.
The first thing God does is get us grounded on strong reality and truth. He does this until our cares for ourselves individually have been brought into submission to His way for the purpose of His redemption. Why shouldn’t we experience heartbreak? Through those doorways God is opening up ways of fellowship with His Son. Most of us collapse at the first grip of pain. We sit down at the door of God’s purpose and enter a slow death through self-pity. And all the so-called Christian sympathy of others helps us to our deathbed. But God will not. He comes with the grip of the pierced hand of His Son, as if to say, “Enter into fellowship with Me; arise and shine.” If God can accomplish His purposes in this world through a broken heart, then why not thank Him for breaking yours?
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
A Heroic Ambassador - #6734
Thursday, November 1, 2012
I had already been feeling some of the residual sadness of another September 11th in America, and then the headlines screamed out that there had been another 9/11 tragedy. The deaths of an American ambassador and three of his staff, killed - as they often say about police officers or soldiers - in the line of duty.
Sounds like the man that we lost in that was the kind of person that we want representing our country. He was proficient in the language, he was out among the people, he was building relationships, taking risks so folks could be free - an ambassador.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I'd like to have A Word With You today about "A Heroic Ambassador."
Now, with that word "ambassador" plastered all over our headlines, I kept thinking, "You know, I'm one, too." Just like every one of us who belongs to Jesus. I mean, it's right there in black-and-white in our word for today from the Word of God, in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 20: "We are Christ's ambassadors."
Now, that news flash was a vivid reminder of exactly what that title ambassador means. An ambassador is appointed by the highest authority there is (in this case, the President of the United States) to represent him in a specific place; Sometimes requiring risks - and yes, sacrifice.
So, along with all my spiritual brothers and sisters, I've been assigned by the highest Authority in the universe to represent Him wherever He places me. That makes the Jesus-follower the most important person in any room, whether anyone recognizes it or not, because he or she is representing Heaven.
That means I must act like Jesus, respond like Jesus, no matter what my circumstances or the way I'm getting treated. There's no excuses for losing my temper, or being harsh, or compromising my integrity, or acting selfish, flirting with sin, being too busy for people who need me, because He has staked His reputation on His ambassador. He literally says I am where He's put me "on Christ's behalf" in that same verse (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Now, I can't stay cloistered in the "embassy," well, I guess, the church. I have to do what my Master did - go outside the walls to meet people where they are. Ambassadors succeed or fail depending on how well they build relationships with the people where they're assigned. Well, no true Jesus-ambassador could be content just to hang out with those from their own spiritual "country." We've got to be intentional, passionate, about building authentic relationships with the people who need our Jesus.
I need to remember, too, that an ambassador's job is to fully and accurately deliver the message of the one who sent him. Now, for a Jesus-ambassador, that message is clear. 1 Corinthians 2:2 - "Nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." Uncluttered by politics, my church, or my religion, personal hobby-horses, culture issues, or lifestyle attacks. Just Jesus and His cross. A message so eternally important that it needs to be delivered, not in my churchy "Christianese" language, but in the non-religious language of the people that I'm there to reach.
And, yes, there's risk involved. Just ask Jesus, the original and ultimate Ambassador of Heaven. He gave His life in exchange for mine. So I'm supposed to get off cheap? My fear of losing someone for eternity has to trump my fear of whatever I think I'll lose if I speak up for my Jesus.
I can't let the spinning gerbil wheel of an overstuffed life ever make me forget who I am - I'm on assignment from Heaven to help people go there.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
1 Chronicles 9 bible reading and devotionals.
Click to listen or download.
MaxLucado.com: Tailor-Made
Lucille Ball said the secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age. It’s hard to lie about the obvious. When you’re young you make a lot of faces in the mirror. When you’re old the mirror gets even.
Growing older. Aging. We laugh about it and we groan about it. We resist it, but we can’t stop it. And with the chuckles and wrinkles come some serious thoughts and questions about what happens when we die.
God is doing what any father would do. He’s providing a better place for us. A place to rest. A place He has prepared for us. Heaven isn’t mass-produced; it’s tailor-made. We must trust God. We must trust not only that He does what is best, but that He knows what’s ahead.
This world wears like a borrowed shirt. Heaven will fit like one tailor-made!
From A Gentle Thunder
1 Chronicles 9
9 All Israel was listed in the genealogies recorded in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. They were taken captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness.
The People in Jerusalem
2 Now the first to resettle on their own property in their own towns were some Israelites, priests, Levites and temple servants.
3 Those from Judah, from Benjamin, and from Ephraim and Manasseh who lived in Jerusalem were:
4 Uthai son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, a descendant of Perez son of Judah.
5 Of the Shelanites[m]:
Asaiah the firstborn and his sons.
6 Of the Zerahites:
Jeuel.
The people from Judah numbered 690.
7 Of the Benjamites:
Sallu son of Meshullam, the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah;
8 Ibneiah son of Jeroham; Elah son of Uzzi, the son of Mikri; and Meshullam son of Shephatiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah.
9 The people from Benjamin, as listed in their genealogy, numbered 956. All these men were heads of their families.
10 Of the priests:
Jedaiah; Jehoiarib; Jakin;
11 Azariah son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the official in charge of the house of God;
12 Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malkijah; and Maasai son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer.
13 The priests, who were heads of families, numbered 1,760. They were able men, responsible for ministering in the house of God.
14 Of the Levites:
Shemaiah son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, a Merarite; 15 Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal and Mattaniah son of Mika, the son of Zikri, the son of Asaph; 16 Obadiah son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun; and Berekiah son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites.
17 The gatekeepers:
Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman and their fellow Levites, Shallum their chief 18 being stationed at the King’s Gate on the east, up to the present time. These were the gatekeepers belonging to the camp of the Levites. 19 Shallum son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his fellow gatekeepers from his family (the Korahites) were responsible for guarding the thresholds of the tent just as their ancestors had been responsible for guarding the entrance to the dwelling of the Lord. 20 In earlier times Phinehas son of Eleazar was the official in charge of the gatekeepers, and the Lord was with him. 21 Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was the gatekeeper at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
22 Altogether, those chosen to be gatekeepers at the thresholds numbered 212. They were registered by genealogy in their villages. The gatekeepers had been assigned to their positions of trust by David and Samuel the seer. 23 They and their descendants were in charge of guarding the gates of the house of the Lord—the house called the tent of meeting. 24 The gatekeepers were on the four sides: east, west, north and south. 25 Their fellow Levites in their villages had to come from time to time and share their duties for seven-day periods. 26 But the four principal gatekeepers, who were Levites, were entrusted with the responsibility for the rooms and treasuries in the house of God. 27 They would spend the night stationed around the house of God, because they had to guard it; and they had charge of the key for opening it each morning.
28 Some of them were in charge of the articles used in the temple service; they counted them when they were brought in and when they were taken out. 29 Others were assigned to take care of the furnishings and all the other articles of the sanctuary, as well as the special flour and wine, and the olive oil, incense and spices. 30 But some of the priests took care of mixing the spices. 31 A Levite named Mattithiah, the firstborn son of Shallum the Korahite, was entrusted with the responsibility for baking the offering bread. 32 Some of the Kohathites, their fellow Levites, were in charge of preparing for every Sabbath the bread set out on the table.
33 Those who were musicians, heads of Levite families, stayed in the rooms of the temple and were exempt from other duties because they were responsible for the work day and night.
34 All these were heads of Levite families, chiefs as listed in their genealogy, and they lived in Jerusalem.
The Genealogy of Saul
35 Jeiel the father[n] of Gibeon lived in Gibeon.
His wife’s name was Maakah, 36 and his firstborn son was Abdon, followed by Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, 37 Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah and Mikloth. 38 Mikloth was the father of Shimeam. They too lived near their relatives in Jerusalem.
39 Ner was the father of Kish, Kish the father of Saul, and Saul the father of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab and Esh-Baal.[o]
40 The son of Jonathan:
Merib-Baal,[p] who was the father of Micah.
41 The sons of Micah:
Pithon, Melek, Tahrea and Ahaz.[q]
42 Ahaz was the father of Jadah, Jadah[r] was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth and Zimri, and Zimri was the father of Moza. 43 Moza was the father of Binea; Rephaiah was his son, Eleasah his son and Azel his son.
44 Azel had six sons, and these were their names:
Azrikam, Bokeru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah and Hanan. These were the sons of Azel.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Psalm 32
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up[b] as by the heat of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
6 Therefore let everyone who is godly
offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
they shall not reach him.
7 You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
or it will not stay near you.
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.
11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Something To Hide
October 31, 2012 — by David C. McCasland
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. —Psalm 32:5
If you have something to hide, Mike Slattery may have the solution. Several years ago, a cell-phone company wanted to erect an antenna on his property and disguise it as a pine tree. Mike had a better idea and built a fake barn with vinyl panels that allow the radio waves to pass through them. He developed that concept into a company that builds structures to hide antennas for aesthetic and security reasons. Slattery is convinced that many of his neighbors still have no idea what’s inside his barn (The Gazette, Colorado Springs).
Most of us are trying to keep something out of sight. It may be as harmless as clutter in a basement or as toxic as the moral and spiritual failings we try to hide from others, ourselves, and even from God.
In Psalm 32, David described the futility of trying to conceal his sin (vv.3-4) and the relief of opening his soul to the Lord: “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin” (v.5).
Confessing our sins to God and forsaking them brings a sense of freedom to our souls and the awareness that we have nothing to hide.
Lord Jesus, help me come to You
When I would rather run and hide
My sinfulness and foolish ways;
Forgive and make me clean inside. —Sper
Whenever we’re ready to uncover our sins,
God is ready to cover them.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
October 31, 2012
The Trial of Faith
If you have faith as a mustard seed . . . nothing will be impossible for you —Matthew 17:20
We have the idea that God rewards us for our faith, and it may be so in the initial stages. But we do not earn anything through faith— faith brings us into the right relationship with God and gives Him His opportunity to work. Yet God frequently has to knock the bottom out of your experience as His saint to get you in direct contact with Himself. God wants you to understand that it is a life of faith, not a life of emotional enjoyment of His blessings. The beginning of your life of faith was very narrow and intense, centered around a small amount of experience that had as much emotion as faith in it, and it was full of light and sweetness. Then God withdrew His conscious blessings to teach you to “walk by faith” (2 Corinthians 5:7). And you are worth much more to Him now than you were in your days of conscious delight with your thrilling testimony.
Faith by its very nature must be tested and tried. And the real trial of faith is not that we find it difficult to trust God, but that God’s character must be proven as trustworthy in our own minds. Faith being worked out into reality must experience times of unbroken isolation. Never confuse the trial of faith with the ordinary discipline of life, because a great deal of what we call the trial of faith is the inevitable result of being alive. Faith, as the Bible teaches it, is faith in God coming against everything that contradicts Him— a faith that says, “I will remain true to God’s character whatever He may do.” The highest and the greatest expression of faith in the whole Bible is— “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Remove Your Mask Before You Enter - #6733
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
I had to stop at a convenience store one Halloween night. I was not "trick or treating." I was just trying to pay for the gas I put in my car. That's when I saw this interesting sign they had posted; it was a sign I had never seen anywhere else. It simply said, "Please remove your mask before you enter." I wasn't wearing one. But for one unhappy moment, I did remember what they used to tell me in school long after Halloween, "Hey, Ron, Halloween's over! Take off your mask." I wasn't wearing one then either. But the sign was no joke. Obviously, they didn't want someone to try to pull off a Halloween heist, wearing a mask that would conceal their identity from the security cameras. Honestly, I didn't see anyone in the store that night with a mask.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Remove Your Mask Before You Enter."
I can almost imagine a sign like that one at the store, being displayed at the entrance to the Throne Room of Almighty God which we enter when we pray. "Please remove your mask before you enter." See, God isn't impressed by our religious words or our religious image. He is not interested in seeing the masks we sometimes wear with various groups of people around. He doesn't want to hear a recitation of the same tired old prayer script that we often repeat without thinking. He insists that we come as we really are - totally unmasked. The real God can only help the real you.
The futility of pretending or masquerading before God is abundantly clear in our word for today from the Word of God in Hebrews 4, beginning with verse 13. It 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." So it's useless to come before God pretending we feel how we're "supposed" to feel instead of how we really do feel. It's a waste of time to come with our rationalizations, our excuses and our cover-ups. We are laid bare before Him.
There's no point in putting on a tie when you're spiritually and emotionally naked before Him. Tell it all. Let it go. Be real with Him. He won't love you less. He already knows what's behind the mask you show everybody else. You won't shock Him. You won't surprise Him, but God operates on an invitation basis. He comes into a part of your life when you open it up to Him. So He's asking you to check your mask at the door of His Throne Room and come, as the hymn says, "Just as I am, without one plea, but that Thy blood was shed for me."
This passage goes on to tell us that "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. Let us then approach the Throne of Grace with confidence so we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." So, come in with your burdens and leave with His grace, which is always greater than the burdens. But come honestly.
Maybe you've prayed many times, acting as if you really belong to God, as if He's really your Father, when in fact, you've never really put all your trust in His Son. You've never trusted Jesus to be your personal rescuer from the death penalty for your sins. You've never turned your back on the sin that killed Jesus and said, "Jesus, You're my only hope of having my sins forgiven." So while everyone around you may think you really know Him, even though you may have fooled them and maybe even yourself, for years, Jesus knows there's never been that moment of personal surrender to Him.
And the longer you wait, the harder your heart is and the greater the danger that you will die without Christ in your heart. Oh, He may be in your head, but maybe not in your heart. This very day; this is the only day you're sure you'll have, you need to "remove your mask before entering." All that Christianity, all that religion, park your religion at the door and let God know you're just in desperate need of His Son to be your Savior. Let us help you with that. Go to our website, will you. It's YoursForLife.net.
When you come to God honestly, and you admit your need, and you begin your relationship with Him, well you'll enter His presence lost. But you'll leave found, and you will finally know that you belong to Him for real.
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