Max Lucado Daily: More Dinghy than Cruise Ship?
Are you more dinghy. . .than cruise ship? Or in my case, more blue jeans than blue blood? Well congratulations, God changes the world with folks like you!
The next time you say, “I don’t think God could use me!”—stop right there! Satan’s going to try to tell you that God has an IQ requirement. That he employs only experts and high-powered personalities. When you hear Satan whispering that lie—hit him with this: God stampeded the first-century society with swaybacks, not thoroughbreds. Before Jesus came along, the disciples were loading trucks, coaching soccer, and selling Slurpee drinks at the convenience store!
But what they had going for them was a willingness to take a step when Jesus said, “Follow me.”
So what do you think? More plumber than executive? More stand-in than movie star? Yeah—congratulations! God uses people like you…and me.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24?
From Max on Life
Numbers 9
The Passover
The Lord spoke to Moses in the Desert of Sinai in the first month of the second year after they came out of Egypt. He said, 2 “Have the Israelites celebrate the Passover at the appointed time. 3 Celebrate it at the appointed time, at twilight on the fourteenth day of this month, in accordance with all its rules and regulations.”
4 So Moses told the Israelites to celebrate the Passover, 5 and they did so in the Desert of Sinai at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. The Israelites did everything just as the Lord commanded Moses.
6 But some of them could not celebrate the Passover on that day because they were ceremonially unclean on account of a dead body. So they came to Moses and Aaron that same day 7 and said to Moses, “We have become unclean because of a dead body, but why should we be kept from presenting the Lord’s offering with the other Israelites at the appointed time?”
8 Moses answered them, “Wait until I find out what the Lord commands concerning you.”
9 Then the Lord said to Moses, 10 “Tell the Israelites: ‘When any of you or your descendants are unclean because of a dead body or are away on a journey, they are still to celebrate the Lord’s Passover, 11 but they are to do it on the fourteenth day of the second month at twilight. They are to eat the lamb, together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12 They must not leave any of it till morning or break any of its bones. When they celebrate the Passover, they must follow all the regulations. 13 But if anyone who is ceremonially clean and not on a journey fails to celebrate the Passover, they must be cut off from their people for not presenting the Lord’s offering at the appointed time. They will bear the consequences of their sin.
14 “‘A foreigner residing among you is also to celebrate the Lord’s Passover in accordance with its rules and regulations. You must have the same regulations for both the foreigner and the native-born.’”
The Cloud Above the Tabernacle
15 On the day the tabernacle, the tent of the covenant law, was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire. 16 That is how it continued to be; the cloud covered it, and at night it looked like fire. 17 Whenever the cloud lifted from above the tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. 18 At the Lord’s command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. 19 When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the Lord’s order and did not set out. 20 Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the Lord’s command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. 21 Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. 22 Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. 23 At the Lord’s command they encamped, and at the Lord’s command they set out. They obeyed the Lord’s order, in accordance with his command through Moses.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Saturday, November 08, 2014
Read: Hebrews 5:5-14
That is why Christ did not honor himself by assuming he could become High Priest. No, he was chosen by God, who said to him,
“You are my Son.
Today I have become your Father.[a]”
6 And in another passage God said to him,
“You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”[b]
7 While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. 8 Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. 9 In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. 10 And God designated him to be a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.
A Call to Spiritual Growth
11 There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. 12 You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word.[c] You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. 13 For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. 14 Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.
Footnotes:
5:5 Or Today I reveal you as my Son. Ps 2:7.
5:6 Ps 110:4.
5:12 Or about the oracles of God.
Insight
Today’s passage encourages readers toward maturity in Christ. Far from urging detailed knowledge of difficult Bible passages or in-depth understanding of doctrine, the writer says that “full age” is characterized by something straightforward and practical. It is being able “to discern both good and evil” (v.14).
Oranges Or Milk?
By Jennifer Benson Schuldt
Solid food belongs to those who are of full age. —Hebrews 5:14
When I told my young daughter that a 3-month-old baby boy was coming to our house for a visit, she was delighted. With a child’s sense of hospitality, she suggested that we share some of our food with the baby; she thought he might enjoy a juicy orange from the bowl on our kitchen counter. I explained that the baby could drink only milk, but that he might like oranges when he was older.
The Bible uses a similar concept to describe a believer’s need for spiritual food. The basic truths of Scripture are like milk—they help new Christians thrive and grow (1 Peter 2:2-3). In contrast, “Solid food belongs to those who are of full age” (Heb. 5:14). Believers who have had time to digest and understand the basics can move on to investigate other biblical concepts and begin to teach others these truths. The rewards of spiritual maturity are discernment (v.14), godly wisdom (1 Cor. 2:6), and the ability to communicate God’s truth to others (Heb. 5:12).
Like a loving parent, God wants us to grow spiritually. He knows that feeding only on spiritual milk is not in our best interest. He wants us to move on so we can enjoy the taste of solid food.
Dear Lord, please deepen my understanding
of Your Word. Let Your Holy Spirit guide
me and enlighten my heart as I pursue Your
truth so that I might walk in Your ways.
Spiritual growth occurs when faith is cultivated.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Saturday, November 08, 2014
The Unrivaled Power of Prayer
We do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. —Romans 8:26
We realize that we are energized by the Holy Spirit for prayer; and we know what it is to pray in accordance with the Spirit; but we don’t often realize that the Holy Spirit Himself prays prayers in us which we cannot utter ourselves. When we are born again of God and are indwelt by the Spirit of God, He expresses for us the unutterable.
“He,” the Holy Spirit in you, “makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:27). And God searches your heart, not to know what your conscious prayers are, but to find out what the prayer of the Holy Spirit is.
The Spirit of God uses the nature of the believer as a temple in which to offer His prayers of intercession. “…your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit…” (1 Corinthians 6:19). When Jesus Christ cleansed the temple, “…He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple” (Mark 11:16). The Spirit of God will not allow you to use your body for your own convenience. Jesus ruthlessly cast out everyone who bought and sold in the temple, and said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer…. But you have made it a ‘den of thieves’ ” (Mark 11:17).
Have we come to realize that our “body is the temple of the Holy Spirit”? If so, we must be careful to keep it undefiled for Him. We have to remember that our conscious life, even though only a small part of our total person, is to be regarded by us as a “temple of the Holy Spirit.” He will be responsible for the unconscious part which we don’t know, but we must pay careful attention to and guard the conscious part for which we are responsible.
Friday, November 7, 2014
Mark 13:21-37 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Your Suffering is Your Sermon
Sickness and sin still stalk our planet. But here’s the difference: neither sin nor sickness will have dominion over God’s people. He is in charge! So if you are sick, cry out to Jesus! Talk to him about your stomach, your skin, your headaches. After all, he owns you. Scripture says your body was “bought at a price.”
Do the same with your emotions. Did someone molest you? Did you abort a baby or abandon a child? If so, you likely need inner healing. He will heal you—instantly or gradually. Our highest hope, however, is in our ultimate healing. 1 John 3:2 promises that “when He is revealed, we shall be like him.”
In the meantime, before amen—comes the power of a simple prayer! Your suffering is your sermon.
From Before Amen
Mark 13:21-37
At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.
24 “But in those days, following that distress,
“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
25 the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’[a]
26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it[b] is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
The Day and Hour Unknown
32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert[c]! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
Footnotes:
Mark 13:25 Isaiah 13:10; 34:4
Mark 13:29 Or he
Mark 13:33 Some manuscripts alert and pray
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, November 07, 2014
Read: Revelation 22:1-5
hen the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit,[a] with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.
3 No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. 4 And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. 5 And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.
Footnotes:
22:2 Or twelve kinds of fruit.
Insight
In some translations of the Bible, the book of Revelation is entitled “The Revelation of St. John,” giving attention to the human author John, one of the disciples of Jesus. This title, however, is inaccurate. In Revelation 1:1, we read, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John.” This is significant because the word revelation means “a revealing or unveiling.” The primary purpose of the book is to give us an unveiling of Christ Himself. Interestingly, that unveiling reveals Jesus to be the Lamb of God, and the word lamb appears in Revelation more than 25 times.
Multiply It
By Anne Cetas
There shall be no more curse. —Revelation 22:3
Amy had battled cancer for 5 years. Then the doctor told her that the treatments were failing and she had just a few weeks to live. Wanting some understanding and assurance about eternity, Amy asked her pastor, “What will heaven be like?”
He asked her what she liked most about her life on earth. She talked about walks and rainbows and caring friends and the laughter of children. “So, then, are you saying I will have all of that there?” she asked longingly.
Amy’s pastor replied, “I believe that your life there will be far more beautiful and amazing than anything you ever loved or experienced here. Think about what’s best here for you and multiply it over and over and over. That’s what I think heaven will be.”
The Bible doesn’t describe in detail what life in eternity will be like, but it does tell us that being with Christ in heaven is “far better” than our present circumstance (Phil. 1:23). “There shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him” (Rev. 22:3).
Best of all, we will see the Lord Jesus face to face. Our deepest yearnings will be fully satisfied in Him.
We’re thankful, Lord, for Your presence now
in our lives. But what an amazing day it will be
when we meet You face to face!
Life with You in heaven will be greater by far.
To be with Jesus forever is the sum of all happiness.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, November 07, 2014
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
Friday, November 07, 2014
CRUEL COMPASSION - #7260
When our daughter was just a baby we had a pretty small house where you could look in all the rooms from the kitchen. During the summer we had this big old exhaust fan on the floor in the kitchen, which was really the only way to suck some air through the house. Well, our daughter thought this fan was kind of intriguing, she thought it would be neat to explore. I had no idea how attracted she was going to be to it. I walked into the kitchen one day and here she is toddling toward that fan with her hand fully extended. She wanted to put her fingers in the fan! Guess what I didn't say – "oh go ahead honey, I love you. No I said, "No!" She tried again a few minutes later. She really wanted to do this. So I kind of spatted her on the bottom and said, "No, no! Don't do that." Now if I tried to explain it to this little toddler, she wouldn't have understood it at all. But I had to stop her. I knew what would happen if she went ahead with it. Can't you imagine what she would've said, if she could've said, "Haven't you heard of love? If you love me, you'll let me do what I really want to do." No, not in this case. Today I think she's very glad I didn't think that was love.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Cruel Compassion."
Our word for today from the Word of God, we're in the book of Lamentations. And what's being lamented is the fall of God's people and the fall of God's city, Jerusalem. Here's a couple things that Jeremiah says. He's talking about Jerusalem, "She was once queen among the provinces and is now become a slave, all because of their sin and God's resulting judgment." He goes on to say that, "She herself groans and turns away."
It's just a time of sadness and shame for God's people. It's a broken time. Well, as this book identifies where the blame ultimately lay, it gets to our word for today from the Word of God. And in many ways it identifies some of the mess that we're in in our world today as well. It says in Lamentations 2:14, "The visions of your prophets were false and worthless. They did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The oracles they gave you were false and misleading."
There's a lot of power in those words because it's saying that the people who knew you were sinning didn't do anything to expose the wrongness, the sinfulness of it. And as a result, they didn't tell you the consequences of staying on that road. So they didn't ward off their captivity. Those people back then didn't do any favor to those people by not telling them where God says those actions would take them. In other words, you wanted to stick your fingers in the fan and they didn't stop you. Now, they maybe didn't want to judge anybody. They wanted to be tolerant and loving, and not condemning. That's nice. But then they let them walk right into the blades of God's judgment. See, it's not loving to not let people see where their sin will take them.
To be non-condemning and loving doesn't mean that we don't tell them what God says the consequences will be. To live and let live when it comes to sin is not really compassion. I was told by a couple of men who used to live in a homosexual lifestyle and felt that Christ had given them the power to change and move on from that, they were commenting on people who say, "you know, I think we should just accept them and let them be themselves." And they said "Ron, that's not compassion." They said "We call that cruel compassion." It's letting them march right into captivity.
Well listen, whether it's sexual sin, or divorce, or dishonesty, or anger, or "justifiable bitterness," if we leave it unconfronted, unchallenged, without telling them the consequences and what God says he must judge, it's not compassion. It's letting a person take a drink you know is laced with poison.
Sin makes people slaves. It destroys families, it destroys friendships. It promises to make you feel better about yourself and leaves you feeling worthless, sometimes even suicidal. Sin cuts people off from each other, cuts them off from God. Compassion is doing everything you can to warn them of the wages of sin. We've got to love people enough to kindly, gently, lovingly tell them the truth.
Love will always stand in the way of someone who is about to stick their fingers in the fan.
Sickness and sin still stalk our planet. But here’s the difference: neither sin nor sickness will have dominion over God’s people. He is in charge! So if you are sick, cry out to Jesus! Talk to him about your stomach, your skin, your headaches. After all, he owns you. Scripture says your body was “bought at a price.”
Do the same with your emotions. Did someone molest you? Did you abort a baby or abandon a child? If so, you likely need inner healing. He will heal you—instantly or gradually. Our highest hope, however, is in our ultimate healing. 1 John 3:2 promises that “when He is revealed, we shall be like him.”
In the meantime, before amen—comes the power of a simple prayer! Your suffering is your sermon.
From Before Amen
Mark 13:21-37
At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.
24 “But in those days, following that distress,
“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
25 the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’[a]
26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it[b] is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
The Day and Hour Unknown
32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert[c]! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
Footnotes:
Mark 13:25 Isaiah 13:10; 34:4
Mark 13:29 Or he
Mark 13:33 Some manuscripts alert and pray
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, November 07, 2014
Read: Revelation 22:1-5
hen the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit,[a] with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.
3 No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. 4 And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. 5 And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.
Footnotes:
22:2 Or twelve kinds of fruit.
Insight
In some translations of the Bible, the book of Revelation is entitled “The Revelation of St. John,” giving attention to the human author John, one of the disciples of Jesus. This title, however, is inaccurate. In Revelation 1:1, we read, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John.” This is significant because the word revelation means “a revealing or unveiling.” The primary purpose of the book is to give us an unveiling of Christ Himself. Interestingly, that unveiling reveals Jesus to be the Lamb of God, and the word lamb appears in Revelation more than 25 times.
Multiply It
By Anne Cetas
There shall be no more curse. —Revelation 22:3
Amy had battled cancer for 5 years. Then the doctor told her that the treatments were failing and she had just a few weeks to live. Wanting some understanding and assurance about eternity, Amy asked her pastor, “What will heaven be like?”
He asked her what she liked most about her life on earth. She talked about walks and rainbows and caring friends and the laughter of children. “So, then, are you saying I will have all of that there?” she asked longingly.
Amy’s pastor replied, “I believe that your life there will be far more beautiful and amazing than anything you ever loved or experienced here. Think about what’s best here for you and multiply it over and over and over. That’s what I think heaven will be.”
The Bible doesn’t describe in detail what life in eternity will be like, but it does tell us that being with Christ in heaven is “far better” than our present circumstance (Phil. 1:23). “There shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him” (Rev. 22:3).
Best of all, we will see the Lord Jesus face to face. Our deepest yearnings will be fully satisfied in Him.
We’re thankful, Lord, for Your presence now
in our lives. But what an amazing day it will be
when we meet You face to face!
Life with You in heaven will be greater by far.
To be with Jesus forever is the sum of all happiness.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, November 07, 2014
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
Friday, November 07, 2014
CRUEL COMPASSION - #7260
When our daughter was just a baby we had a pretty small house where you could look in all the rooms from the kitchen. During the summer we had this big old exhaust fan on the floor in the kitchen, which was really the only way to suck some air through the house. Well, our daughter thought this fan was kind of intriguing, she thought it would be neat to explore. I had no idea how attracted she was going to be to it. I walked into the kitchen one day and here she is toddling toward that fan with her hand fully extended. She wanted to put her fingers in the fan! Guess what I didn't say – "oh go ahead honey, I love you. No I said, "No!" She tried again a few minutes later. She really wanted to do this. So I kind of spatted her on the bottom and said, "No, no! Don't do that." Now if I tried to explain it to this little toddler, she wouldn't have understood it at all. But I had to stop her. I knew what would happen if she went ahead with it. Can't you imagine what she would've said, if she could've said, "Haven't you heard of love? If you love me, you'll let me do what I really want to do." No, not in this case. Today I think she's very glad I didn't think that was love.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Cruel Compassion."
Our word for today from the Word of God, we're in the book of Lamentations. And what's being lamented is the fall of God's people and the fall of God's city, Jerusalem. Here's a couple things that Jeremiah says. He's talking about Jerusalem, "She was once queen among the provinces and is now become a slave, all because of their sin and God's resulting judgment." He goes on to say that, "She herself groans and turns away."
It's just a time of sadness and shame for God's people. It's a broken time. Well, as this book identifies where the blame ultimately lay, it gets to our word for today from the Word of God. And in many ways it identifies some of the mess that we're in in our world today as well. It says in Lamentations 2:14, "The visions of your prophets were false and worthless. They did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The oracles they gave you were false and misleading."
There's a lot of power in those words because it's saying that the people who knew you were sinning didn't do anything to expose the wrongness, the sinfulness of it. And as a result, they didn't tell you the consequences of staying on that road. So they didn't ward off their captivity. Those people back then didn't do any favor to those people by not telling them where God says those actions would take them. In other words, you wanted to stick your fingers in the fan and they didn't stop you. Now, they maybe didn't want to judge anybody. They wanted to be tolerant and loving, and not condemning. That's nice. But then they let them walk right into the blades of God's judgment. See, it's not loving to not let people see where their sin will take them.
To be non-condemning and loving doesn't mean that we don't tell them what God says the consequences will be. To live and let live when it comes to sin is not really compassion. I was told by a couple of men who used to live in a homosexual lifestyle and felt that Christ had given them the power to change and move on from that, they were commenting on people who say, "you know, I think we should just accept them and let them be themselves." And they said "Ron, that's not compassion." They said "We call that cruel compassion." It's letting them march right into captivity.
Well listen, whether it's sexual sin, or divorce, or dishonesty, or anger, or "justifiable bitterness," if we leave it unconfronted, unchallenged, without telling them the consequences and what God says he must judge, it's not compassion. It's letting a person take a drink you know is laced with poison.
Sin makes people slaves. It destroys families, it destroys friendships. It promises to make you feel better about yourself and leaves you feeling worthless, sometimes even suicidal. Sin cuts people off from each other, cuts them off from God. Compassion is doing everything you can to warn them of the wages of sin. We've got to love people enough to kindly, gently, lovingly tell them the truth.
Love will always stand in the way of someone who is about to stick their fingers in the fan.
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Numbers 8 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Strength in Prayer
Jesus prayed! He would even disappear for an entire night of prayer. I’m thinking of one night in particular. The day began with the news of the death of John the Baptist. Grief-stricken, Jesus sought to retreat with His disciples, yet spent the day teaching and healing people who followed him. When it was discovered the crowd had no food, Jesus multiplied bread out of a basket and fed the entire multitude. In the span of a few hours, he battled sorrow, stress, demands and needs. He deserved to rest. Yet when evening came, he told the crowd to leave and the disciples to board their boat.
Mark 6:46 tells us, “He went up into the hills by himself to pray.” Lord, teach us to pray like that! To find strength in prayer. Teach us to experience a heart connection with God instead of settling for a prayer wish list for God!
From Before Amen
BeforeAmen_med
Numbers 8
Setting Up the Lamps
The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you set up the lamps, see that all seven light up the area in front of the lampstand.’”
3 Aaron did so; he set up the lamps so that they faced forward on the lampstand, just as the Lord commanded Moses. 4 This is how the lampstand was made: It was made of hammered gold—from its base to its blossoms. The lampstand was made exactly like the pattern the Lord had shown Moses.
The Setting Apart of the Levites
5 The Lord said to Moses: 6 “Take the Levites from among all the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean. 7 To purify them, do this: Sprinkle the water of cleansing on them; then have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes. And so they will purify themselves. 8 Have them take a young bull with its grain offering of the finest flour mixed with olive oil; then you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering.[g] 9 Bring the Levites to the front of the tent of meeting and assemble the whole Israelite community. 10 You are to bring the Levites before the Lord, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on them. 11 Aaron is to present the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites, so that they may be ready to do the work of the Lord.
12 “Then the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, using one for a sin offering to the Lord and the other for a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites. 13 Have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and then present them as a wave offering to the Lord. 14 In this way you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites, and the Levites will be mine.
15 “After you have purified the Levites and presented them as a wave offering, they are to come to do their work at the tent of meeting. 16 They are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to me. I have taken them as my own in place of the firstborn, the first male offspring from every Israelite woman. 17 Every firstborn male in Israel, whether human or animal, is mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set them apart for myself. 18 And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons in Israel. 19 From among all the Israelites, I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons to do the work at the tent of meeting on behalf of the Israelites and to make atonement for them so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary.”
20 Moses, Aaron and the whole Israelite community did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses. 21 The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord and made atonement for them to purify them. 22 After that, the Levites came to do their work at the tent of meeting under the supervision of Aaron and his sons. They did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses.
23 The Lord said to Moses, 24 “This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the tent of meeting, 25 but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. 26 They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the tent of meeting, but they themselves must not do the work. This, then, is how you are to assign the responsibilities of the Levites.”
Numbers 8:8 Or purification offering; also in verse 12
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, November 06, 2014
Read: Job 39:19-25
“Have you given the horse its strength
or clothed its neck with a flowing mane?
20 Did you give it the ability to leap like a locust?
Its majestic snorting is terrifying!
21 It paws the earth and rejoices in its strength
when it charges out to battle.
22 It laughs at fear and is unafraid.
It does not run from the sword.
23 The arrows rattle against it,
and the spear and javelin flash.
24 It paws the ground fiercely
and rushes forward into battle when the ram’s horn blows.
25 It snorts at the sound of the horn.
It senses the battle in the distance.
It quivers at the captain’s commands and the noise of battle.
Insight
In the midst of his pain (Job 1–3), Job seeks to understand why he has to suffer so much. Instead of explaining why He allowed evil to exist or human beings to suffer (chs. 4–37), God confronted and confounded Job with more questions concerning His creation. Job 38–42 is not an explanation of why man has to suffer, but a revelation of who God is! God reveals Himself as Creator (ch. 38), Sustainer (ch. 39), and Controller of all creation (chs. 40–42). Job didn’t need to fully understand cosmology, meteorology, zoology, hippology, or God’s immutable ways (Isa. 55:8-9). He only needed to trust the omnipotent and transcendent Creator God who is “very compassionate and merciful” (James 5:11; see Job 42:2-3).
Horse Power
By Dave Branon
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. —Psalm 139:14
Think for a moment of the power, beauty, and majesty of a galloping horse—his head held high, his mane flying in the wind, and his legs working in unison to provide speed, power, and abandon.
What a wonderful example of God’s magnificent creation is the horse! God created it not just for our amazement and enjoyment but also as a complement to the human race (Job 39). Properly trained, the horse is fearless when we need a courageous companion. The horse was used to carry the soldier faithfully into conflict with speed (v.24) and anticipation (v.25).
Although God was using creation to teach Job about His sovereignty, we can also be reminded through this passage about our own value in God’s world. We are created not simply as a beautiful creature with a job to do but also as a creature made in God’s image. The power of the horse is amazing, but the value of each human transcends all other creatures.
God created us uniquely to have a relationship with Him and to live with Him forever. While we praise God for the magnificence of the creatures of nature, we also stand in awe that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps. 139:14).
Thank You, our Almighty God and Father, for Your
creation. You have provided so many majestic
creatures for us to enjoy, but help us to recognize
with thankfulness the special place we have in creation.
Of all God’s creation, only humans can experience re-creation.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, November 06, 2014
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
Thursday, November 06, 2014
Living Up to Your Name - #7259
One of the good things about our yard was all the trees we had. One of the really bad things about our yard was all the trees we had; in the Fall that is. See, our town required the bagging of leaves, and we had the exciting challenge of raking and bagging over 100 bags every year! And as the kids left home, one by one, guess what...my labor force dwindled to one. Guess who?
Well, one day I was out there raking away-The Lone Raker. And suddenly an angel arrived in the yard. Well no, actually, it was our eight-year-old next door neighbor, Samantha. But she must be an angel. She said she wanted to help, and help she did. She raked, she bagged, she said, "Any time I hear you raking, I'm going to come over and help!" Man, this girl must have specially tailored sweaters to cover her wings. Well as Samantha was going for another bag, she told me why she'd come. She said, "My name means Someone Who Helps, so I'm helping." I love that.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Living Up to Your Name."
Now, the girl next door has been named Helper, and she's living up to her name. People usually do live up to the names they're called...for better or worse. Acts chapter 4, verse 36, the Bible identifies a man who will become a trusted and important leader of the early Christian church. It calls him "Joseph, whom the apostles called Barnabas, which means Son of Encouragement." Well later we see Barnabas go into action when the Christians are trying to decide how to handle the most notorious convert they had-Saul of Tarsus; the man who until recently had been the number one persecutor of the followers of Christ. But now he had met Christ.
Okay, our word for today from the Word of God: Acts 9:26, "He tried to join the apostles, but they were all afraid of him; not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles." Barnabas introduces Saul and opens the door for him to the apostles. Here's the Son of Encouragement putting an arm around a new believer and giving him a chance when no one else will.
That's the story of Barnabas's life. In chapter 11 we're told that the believers (who were almost all Jewish at this point) weren't sure how to respond to the news that Gentiles were coming to Christ in Antioch. Guess who they sent to check it out? "They sent Barnabas," it says. "When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord." What did he do? "Encouraged them all," what else would you expect from Mr. Encouragement?
Later, when Barnabas and Paul have a disagreement on a young missionary named Mark, it's Barnabas who takes a chance on this young man who actually flunked out once as a missionary and he disciples him into leadership. The point's obvious. Just like Samantha next door, Barnabas became what he was called; he did what his name indicated he would do.
Do the people around you remember and probably act out the names that they've been called? You know as parents I think we forget the power of our words to make our children feel very big or very small. Call them lazy, or stupid, or rebel, or uncaring. Chances are, that will imprint the tape in their heart and it'll play back their whole life. Think of how that affected you and how even as a grown up, maybe you're still playing back those tapes. They'll become what you call them. That's why it's so important to consistently call them what we want them to become; caring, unselfish, helper, listener, creative. Even when you see just a flash of a great trait, tell them how much that means to you.
Our mate tends to become what we call them; our workers, the people we minister to. And it's important to water what you want to grow with positive strokes and sincere praise. So look for the beauty in each person in your world. Look for the gifts they have; for a spark of what they could be if someone would just fan that spark. What you're really doing is helping a person see the masterpiece God made when He made them; the make-a-difference person that Jesus can make them.
I'm personally very thankful for some parents who called their daughter Helper. She was becoming what she'd been called, and you know what? That could happen to the people around you. So be sure you call them what Jesus would call them.
Jesus prayed! He would even disappear for an entire night of prayer. I’m thinking of one night in particular. The day began with the news of the death of John the Baptist. Grief-stricken, Jesus sought to retreat with His disciples, yet spent the day teaching and healing people who followed him. When it was discovered the crowd had no food, Jesus multiplied bread out of a basket and fed the entire multitude. In the span of a few hours, he battled sorrow, stress, demands and needs. He deserved to rest. Yet when evening came, he told the crowd to leave and the disciples to board their boat.
Mark 6:46 tells us, “He went up into the hills by himself to pray.” Lord, teach us to pray like that! To find strength in prayer. Teach us to experience a heart connection with God instead of settling for a prayer wish list for God!
From Before Amen
BeforeAmen_med
Numbers 8
Setting Up the Lamps
The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you set up the lamps, see that all seven light up the area in front of the lampstand.’”
3 Aaron did so; he set up the lamps so that they faced forward on the lampstand, just as the Lord commanded Moses. 4 This is how the lampstand was made: It was made of hammered gold—from its base to its blossoms. The lampstand was made exactly like the pattern the Lord had shown Moses.
The Setting Apart of the Levites
5 The Lord said to Moses: 6 “Take the Levites from among all the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean. 7 To purify them, do this: Sprinkle the water of cleansing on them; then have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes. And so they will purify themselves. 8 Have them take a young bull with its grain offering of the finest flour mixed with olive oil; then you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering.[g] 9 Bring the Levites to the front of the tent of meeting and assemble the whole Israelite community. 10 You are to bring the Levites before the Lord, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on them. 11 Aaron is to present the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites, so that they may be ready to do the work of the Lord.
12 “Then the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, using one for a sin offering to the Lord and the other for a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites. 13 Have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and then present them as a wave offering to the Lord. 14 In this way you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites, and the Levites will be mine.
15 “After you have purified the Levites and presented them as a wave offering, they are to come to do their work at the tent of meeting. 16 They are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to me. I have taken them as my own in place of the firstborn, the first male offspring from every Israelite woman. 17 Every firstborn male in Israel, whether human or animal, is mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set them apart for myself. 18 And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons in Israel. 19 From among all the Israelites, I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons to do the work at the tent of meeting on behalf of the Israelites and to make atonement for them so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary.”
20 Moses, Aaron and the whole Israelite community did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses. 21 The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord and made atonement for them to purify them. 22 After that, the Levites came to do their work at the tent of meeting under the supervision of Aaron and his sons. They did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses.
23 The Lord said to Moses, 24 “This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the tent of meeting, 25 but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. 26 They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the tent of meeting, but they themselves must not do the work. This, then, is how you are to assign the responsibilities of the Levites.”
Numbers 8:8 Or purification offering; also in verse 12
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, November 06, 2014
Read: Job 39:19-25
“Have you given the horse its strength
or clothed its neck with a flowing mane?
20 Did you give it the ability to leap like a locust?
Its majestic snorting is terrifying!
21 It paws the earth and rejoices in its strength
when it charges out to battle.
22 It laughs at fear and is unafraid.
It does not run from the sword.
23 The arrows rattle against it,
and the spear and javelin flash.
24 It paws the ground fiercely
and rushes forward into battle when the ram’s horn blows.
25 It snorts at the sound of the horn.
It senses the battle in the distance.
It quivers at the captain’s commands and the noise of battle.
Insight
In the midst of his pain (Job 1–3), Job seeks to understand why he has to suffer so much. Instead of explaining why He allowed evil to exist or human beings to suffer (chs. 4–37), God confronted and confounded Job with more questions concerning His creation. Job 38–42 is not an explanation of why man has to suffer, but a revelation of who God is! God reveals Himself as Creator (ch. 38), Sustainer (ch. 39), and Controller of all creation (chs. 40–42). Job didn’t need to fully understand cosmology, meteorology, zoology, hippology, or God’s immutable ways (Isa. 55:8-9). He only needed to trust the omnipotent and transcendent Creator God who is “very compassionate and merciful” (James 5:11; see Job 42:2-3).
Horse Power
By Dave Branon
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. —Psalm 139:14
Think for a moment of the power, beauty, and majesty of a galloping horse—his head held high, his mane flying in the wind, and his legs working in unison to provide speed, power, and abandon.
What a wonderful example of God’s magnificent creation is the horse! God created it not just for our amazement and enjoyment but also as a complement to the human race (Job 39). Properly trained, the horse is fearless when we need a courageous companion. The horse was used to carry the soldier faithfully into conflict with speed (v.24) and anticipation (v.25).
Although God was using creation to teach Job about His sovereignty, we can also be reminded through this passage about our own value in God’s world. We are created not simply as a beautiful creature with a job to do but also as a creature made in God’s image. The power of the horse is amazing, but the value of each human transcends all other creatures.
God created us uniquely to have a relationship with Him and to live with Him forever. While we praise God for the magnificence of the creatures of nature, we also stand in awe that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps. 139:14).
Thank You, our Almighty God and Father, for Your
creation. You have provided so many majestic
creatures for us to enjoy, but help us to recognize
with thankfulness the special place we have in creation.
Of all God’s creation, only humans can experience re-creation.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, November 06, 2014
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
Thursday, November 06, 2014
Living Up to Your Name - #7259
One of the good things about our yard was all the trees we had. One of the really bad things about our yard was all the trees we had; in the Fall that is. See, our town required the bagging of leaves, and we had the exciting challenge of raking and bagging over 100 bags every year! And as the kids left home, one by one, guess what...my labor force dwindled to one. Guess who?
Well, one day I was out there raking away-The Lone Raker. And suddenly an angel arrived in the yard. Well no, actually, it was our eight-year-old next door neighbor, Samantha. But she must be an angel. She said she wanted to help, and help she did. She raked, she bagged, she said, "Any time I hear you raking, I'm going to come over and help!" Man, this girl must have specially tailored sweaters to cover her wings. Well as Samantha was going for another bag, she told me why she'd come. She said, "My name means Someone Who Helps, so I'm helping." I love that.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Living Up to Your Name."
Now, the girl next door has been named Helper, and she's living up to her name. People usually do live up to the names they're called...for better or worse. Acts chapter 4, verse 36, the Bible identifies a man who will become a trusted and important leader of the early Christian church. It calls him "Joseph, whom the apostles called Barnabas, which means Son of Encouragement." Well later we see Barnabas go into action when the Christians are trying to decide how to handle the most notorious convert they had-Saul of Tarsus; the man who until recently had been the number one persecutor of the followers of Christ. But now he had met Christ.
Okay, our word for today from the Word of God: Acts 9:26, "He tried to join the apostles, but they were all afraid of him; not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles." Barnabas introduces Saul and opens the door for him to the apostles. Here's the Son of Encouragement putting an arm around a new believer and giving him a chance when no one else will.
That's the story of Barnabas's life. In chapter 11 we're told that the believers (who were almost all Jewish at this point) weren't sure how to respond to the news that Gentiles were coming to Christ in Antioch. Guess who they sent to check it out? "They sent Barnabas," it says. "When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord." What did he do? "Encouraged them all," what else would you expect from Mr. Encouragement?
Later, when Barnabas and Paul have a disagreement on a young missionary named Mark, it's Barnabas who takes a chance on this young man who actually flunked out once as a missionary and he disciples him into leadership. The point's obvious. Just like Samantha next door, Barnabas became what he was called; he did what his name indicated he would do.
Do the people around you remember and probably act out the names that they've been called? You know as parents I think we forget the power of our words to make our children feel very big or very small. Call them lazy, or stupid, or rebel, or uncaring. Chances are, that will imprint the tape in their heart and it'll play back their whole life. Think of how that affected you and how even as a grown up, maybe you're still playing back those tapes. They'll become what you call them. That's why it's so important to consistently call them what we want them to become; caring, unselfish, helper, listener, creative. Even when you see just a flash of a great trait, tell them how much that means to you.
Our mate tends to become what we call them; our workers, the people we minister to. And it's important to water what you want to grow with positive strokes and sincere praise. So look for the beauty in each person in your world. Look for the gifts they have; for a spark of what they could be if someone would just fan that spark. What you're really doing is helping a person see the masterpiece God made when He made them; the make-a-difference person that Jesus can make them.
I'm personally very thankful for some parents who called their daughter Helper. She was becoming what she'd been called, and you know what? That could happen to the people around you. So be sure you call them what Jesus would call them.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Numbers 7, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Our Good Intentions
Struggles come for sure—but so does God! Before amen—comes the power of a simple prayer. As simple as, “Father, You are good. I need help. Heal me and forgive me. They need help. Thank you. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
We want to pray but the calendar pounces on our good intentions like a tiger on a rabbit. Prayer is not a privilege for the pious, not the art of a chosen few. It is simply conversation between God and you. He wants to talk with you!
1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Sign on at BeforeAmen.com—take a few minutes and do the Prayer Strengths Assessment. It will not only encourage you but give you a building block for your growth in prayer!
From Before Amen
Numbers 7
Offerings of Dedication
On the day Moses set up the Tabernacle, he anointed it and set it apart as holy. He also anointed and set apart all its furnishings and the altar with its utensils. 2 Then the leaders of Israel—the tribal leaders who had registered the troops—came and brought their offerings. 3 Together they brought six large wagons and twelve oxen. There was a wagon for every two leaders and an ox for each leader. They presented these to the Lord in front of the Tabernacle.
4 Then the Lord said to Moses, 5 “Receive their gifts, and use these oxen and wagons for transporting the Tabernacle.[a] Distribute them among the Levites according to the work they have to do.” 6 So Moses took the wagons and oxen and presented them to the Levites. 7 He gave two wagons and four oxen to the Gershonite division for their work, 8 and he gave four wagons and eight oxen to the Merarite division for their work. All their work was done under the leadership of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. 9 But he gave none of the wagons or oxen to the Kohathite division, since they were required to carry the sacred objects of the Tabernacle on their shoulders.
10 The leaders also presented dedication gifts for the altar at the time it was anointed. They each placed their gifts before the altar. 11 The Lord said to Moses, “Let one leader bring his gift each day for the dedication of the altar.”
12 On the first day Nahshon son of Amminadab, leader of the tribe of Judah, presented his offering.
13 His offering consisted of a silver platter weighing 3 1/4 pounds and a silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds[b] (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). These were both filled with grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil. 14 He also brought a gold container weighing four ounces,[c] which was filled with incense. 15 He brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, 16 and a male goat for a sin offering. 17 For a peace offering he brought two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs. This was the offering brought by Nahshon son of Amminadab.
18 On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar, leader of the tribe of Issachar, presented his offering.
19 His offering consisted of a silver platter weighing 3 1/4 pounds and a silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). These were both filled with grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil. 20 He also brought a gold container weighing four ounces, which was filled with incense. 21 He brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, 22 and a male goat for a sin offering. 23 For a peace offering he brought two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs. This was the offering brought by Nethanel son of Zuar.
24 On the third day Eliab son of Helon, leader of the tribe of Zebulun, presented his offering.
25 His offering consisted of a silver platter weighing 3 1/4 pounds and a silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). These were both filled with grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil. 26 He also brought a gold container weighing four ounces, which was filled with incense. 27 He brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, 28 and a male goat for a sin offering. 29 For a peace offering he brought two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs. This was the offering brought by Eliab son of Helon.
30 On the fourth day Elizur son of Shedeur, leader of the tribe of Reuben, presented his offering.
31 His offering consisted of a silver platter weighing 3 1/4 pounds and a silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). These were both filled with grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil. 32 He also brought a gold container weighing four ounces, which was filled with incense. 33 He brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, 34 and a male goat for a sin offering. 35 For a peace offering he brought two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs. This was the offering brought by Elizur son of Shedeur.
36 On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, leader of the tribe of Simeon, presented his offering.
37 His offering consisted of a silver platter weighing 3 1/4 pounds and a silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). These were both filled with grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil. 38 He also brought a gold container weighing four ounces, which was filled with incense. 39 He brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, 40 and a male goat for a sin offering. 41 For a peace offering he brought two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs. This was the offering brought by Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.
42 On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel, leader of the tribe of Gad, presented his offering.
43 His offering consisted of a silver platter weighing 3 1/4 pounds and a silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). These were both filled with grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil. 44 He also brought a gold container weighing four ounces, which was filled with incense. 45 He brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, 46 and a male goat for a sin offering. 47 For a peace offering he brought two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs. This was the offering brought by Eliasaph son of Deuel.
48 On the seventh day Elishama son of Ammihud, leader of the tribe of Ephraim, presented his offering.
49 His offering consisted of a silver platter weighing 3 1/4 pounds and a silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). These were both filled with grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil. 50 He also brought a gold container weighing four ounces, which was filled with incense. 51 He brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, 52 and a male goat for a sin offering. 53 For a peace offering he brought two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs. This was the offering brought by Elishama son of Ammihud.
54 On the eighth day Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, leader of the tribe of Manasseh, presented his offering.
55 His offering consisted of a silver platter weighing 3 1/4 pounds and a silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). These were both filled with grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil. 56 He also brought a gold container weighing four ounces, which was filled with incense. 57 He brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, 58 and a male goat for a sin offering. 59 For a peace offering he brought two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs. This was the offering brought by Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.
60 On the ninth day Abidan son of Gideoni, leader of the tribe of Benjamin, presented his offering.
61 His offering consisted of a silver platter weighing 3 1/4 pounds and a silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). These were both filled with grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil. 62 He also brought a gold container weighing four ounces, which was filled with incense. 63 He brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, 64 and a male goat for a sin offering. 65 For a peace offering he brought two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs. This was the offering brought by Abidan son of Gideoni.
66 On the tenth day Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, leader of the tribe of Dan, presented his offering.
67 His offering consisted of a silver platter weighing 3 1/4 pounds and a silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). These were both filled with grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil. 68 He also brought a gold container weighing four ounces, which was filled with incense. 69 He brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, 70 and a male goat for a sin offering. 71 For a peace offering he brought two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs. This was the offering brought by Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.
72 On the eleventh day Pagiel son of Ocran, leader of the tribe of Asher, presented his offering.
73 His offering consisted of a silver platter weighing 3 1/4 pounds and a silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). These were both filled with grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil. 74 He also brought a gold container weighing four ounces, which was filled with incense. 75 He brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, 76 and a male goat for a sin offering. 77 For a peace offering he brought two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs. This was the offering brought by Pagiel son of Ocran.
78 On the twelfth day Ahira son of Enan, leader of the tribe of Naphtali, presented his offering.
79 His offering consisted of a silver platter weighing 3 1/4 pounds and a silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). These were both filled with grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil. 80 He also brought a gold container weighing four ounces, which was filled with incense. 81 He brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, 82 and a male goat for a sin offering. 83 For a peace offering he brought two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs. This was the offering brought by Ahira son of Enan.
84 So this was the dedication offering brought by the leaders of Israel at the time the altar was anointed: twelve silver platters, twelve silver basins, and twelve gold incense containers. 85 Each silver platter weighed 3 1/4 pounds, and each silver basin weighed 1 3/4 pounds. The total weight of the silver was 60 pounds[d] (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). 86 Each of the twelve gold containers that was filled with incense weighed four ounces (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). The total weight of the gold was three pounds.[e] 87 Twelve young bulls, twelve rams, and twelve one-year-old male lambs were donated for the burnt offerings, along with their prescribed grain offerings. Twelve male goats were brought for the sin offerings. 88 Twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty male goats, and sixty one-year-old male lambs were donated for the peace offerings. This was the dedication offering for the altar after it was anointed.
89 Whenever Moses went into the Tabernacle to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—that rests on the Ark of the Covenant.[f] The Lord spoke to him from there.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, November 05, 2014
Read: Genesis 32:3-12
Jacob Sends Gifts to Esau
Then Jacob sent messengers ahead to his brother, Esau, who was living in the region of Seir in the land of Edom. 4 He told them, “Give this message to my master Esau: ‘Humble greetings from your servant Jacob. Until now I have been living with Uncle Laban, 5 and now I own cattle, donkeys, flocks of sheep and goats, and many servants, both men and women. I have sent these messengers to inform my lord of my coming, hoping that you will be friendly to me.’”
6 After delivering the message, the messengers returned to Jacob and reported, “We met your brother, Esau, and he is already on his way to meet you—with an army of 400 men!” 7 Jacob was terrified at the news. He divided his household, along with the flocks and herds and camels, into two groups. 8 He thought, “If Esau meets one group and attacks it, perhaps the other group can escape.”
9 Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac—O Lord, you told me, ‘Return to your own land and to your relatives.’ And you promised me, ‘I will treat you kindly.’ 10 I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant. When I left home and crossed the Jordan River, I owned nothing except a walking stick. Now my household fills two large camps! 11 O Lord, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children. 12 But you promised me, ‘I will surely treat you kindly, and I will multiply your descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore—too many to count.’”
Insight
Jacob had good reason to fear his brother Esau. With trickery and deception, Jacob had stolen both Esau’s inheritance (Gen. 25) and his blessing (Gen. 27). Esau’s last recorded words before he met Jacob again (Gen. 32) were “I will kill my brother Jacob” (27:41).
Less Than The Least
By David H. Roper
I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant. —Genesis 32:10
Unlike those who think highly of themselves, Jacob knew that he had been ruined by sin (Gen. 32:10). He thought himself a man unworthy of God’s grace. He had cheated his brother Esau out of his birthright (ch.27), and his brother hated him for it. Now, years later, Jacob was going to face Esau again.
“I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies,” Jacob prayed, using a word for “least” that suggests the tiniest object. “Deliver me, I pray” (32:10-11).
How odd to see those phrases side by side: I am unworthy of Your mercies . . . . Deliver me! Yet Jacob could pray for mercy because his hope lay not in his own worth, but in God’s promise to look with favor on those who throw themselves at His feet. Humility and contrition are the keys that open the heart of God. Someone has said that the best disposition for praying is being stripped of everything. It is crying out of the depths. It comes from the soul that knows its deep depravity.
Such prayers are offered by those who are thoroughly convicted of their sin and shame, but, at the same time, are convinced of God’s grace that goes out to undeserving sinners. God hears best those who cry out: “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” (Luke 18:13).
Lord, I am like Jacob, in need of Your mercy.
I have failed You, and I bow at Your feet today.
Thank You for being a merciful God, ready
and able to forgive and restore me.
It is fitting for a great God to forgive great sinners.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, November 05, 2014
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
Wednesday, November 05, 2014
ALWAYS CAUGHT - #7258
This could sure come under the heading of "You know it's going to be a bad day when..." Yeah, my wife and I were stopped at a stop light during the rush hour one morning. We were on a local street that intersects the busiest highway in the area in that town. There were two lanes. We were in the left one-the left turn lane. The light turned green, I started turning left. Well, I noticed another car next to me on my right turning from the right lane. Well that's not allowed. You're not supposed to do that; it's illegal, and it's very dangerous at this intersection. Well, suddenly, I guess this guy saw in his rearview mirror – this blinking light behind him. He had just made that illegal turn right in front of a police officer. Needless to say, he was pulled over on the shoulder before he even cleared the intersection. I mean he's not even out of the neighborhood yet and he's been caught.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Always Caught."
Now the Bible has some unsettling news in Numbers 32:23. It says, "Be sure your sin will find you out." See, if God knows, you're already caught. And God hasn't missed a moment. His video camera rolls 24 hours a day; it's inescapable. His recorder catches every word. Our neighbor at the light thought if the law doesn't see me, this is fine. Boom! Caught!
In fact, when it comes to people catching us, we often do get away with sin. Your parents may never find out, your mate may never know, your boss may never catch you, your friends may never find out, your pastor, your congregation. It sets you up for the myth that you're actually getting away with it. Nobody ever gets away with sin. The bill may be delayed, but the bill always comes. Whatever a man sows, that he will reap.
Adam and Eve's death sentence came later, but it came. Postponed judgment never means judgment has been canceled. Now, our word for today from the Word of God: 1 Timothy 5:24, "The sins of some men are obvious; reaching the place of judgment ahead of them. The sins of others trail behind them." Now, one way or the other we get caught; sometimes earlier, sometimes later. Which is better? Well, the longer it takes for the bill to come, the more the interest accumulates.
That might be the reason God's asking me to talk about this today. Because He's telling you to face that sin before it faces you with much greater consequences than if you choose to deal with it right now. Today, this is the least expensive day you will ever have to face that sin. The bill continues to increase. Maybe it's a sin that you've committed. Maybe it's lying, or immorality, cheating, stealing or even backbiting or it's lust. It could be rebellion. It could be messing with the occult or verbal or physical abuse of someone.
And then again, it may be a sin of omission: you're neglecting your mate or your children, or a commitment you've made, or time with your Lord. But every day the sin calculator is running, the consequences are growing, and the gap between you and God is increasing. You're driving with your eyes on the rearview mirror wondering if you're going to be caught. Wouldn't you like to be free; wouldn't you like to be forgiven?
It's far better to freely come to God with that sin than to have God come to you with it. And he took all of that sin on that first Good Friday and put it on His son so Jesus could pay for it so that when Jesus said "Father forgive them," He was talking about you. This can be erased from God's book forever. The Bible says, "Repent and turn to God, and your sins will be wiped away and the times of refreshing will come from the Lord." This is your day to finally be clean inside, to get the spiritual shower only the man who died for you could give you. If you want that, I encourage you to check out our website the soonest you can get to it today. And let me show you there, how to be forgiven and how to begin your relationship with Jesus. Go to ANewStory.com. That's what it could be for you - a new story. You started out this day dirty, you will be by the end of it, clean inside as you have never been before.
Struggles come for sure—but so does God! Before amen—comes the power of a simple prayer. As simple as, “Father, You are good. I need help. Heal me and forgive me. They need help. Thank you. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
We want to pray but the calendar pounces on our good intentions like a tiger on a rabbit. Prayer is not a privilege for the pious, not the art of a chosen few. It is simply conversation between God and you. He wants to talk with you!
1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Sign on at BeforeAmen.com—take a few minutes and do the Prayer Strengths Assessment. It will not only encourage you but give you a building block for your growth in prayer!
From Before Amen
Numbers 7
Offerings of Dedication
On the day Moses set up the Tabernacle, he anointed it and set it apart as holy. He also anointed and set apart all its furnishings and the altar with its utensils. 2 Then the leaders of Israel—the tribal leaders who had registered the troops—came and brought their offerings. 3 Together they brought six large wagons and twelve oxen. There was a wagon for every two leaders and an ox for each leader. They presented these to the Lord in front of the Tabernacle.
4 Then the Lord said to Moses, 5 “Receive their gifts, and use these oxen and wagons for transporting the Tabernacle.[a] Distribute them among the Levites according to the work they have to do.” 6 So Moses took the wagons and oxen and presented them to the Levites. 7 He gave two wagons and four oxen to the Gershonite division for their work, 8 and he gave four wagons and eight oxen to the Merarite division for their work. All their work was done under the leadership of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. 9 But he gave none of the wagons or oxen to the Kohathite division, since they were required to carry the sacred objects of the Tabernacle on their shoulders.
10 The leaders also presented dedication gifts for the altar at the time it was anointed. They each placed their gifts before the altar. 11 The Lord said to Moses, “Let one leader bring his gift each day for the dedication of the altar.”
12 On the first day Nahshon son of Amminadab, leader of the tribe of Judah, presented his offering.
13 His offering consisted of a silver platter weighing 3 1/4 pounds and a silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds[b] (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). These were both filled with grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil. 14 He also brought a gold container weighing four ounces,[c] which was filled with incense. 15 He brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, 16 and a male goat for a sin offering. 17 For a peace offering he brought two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs. This was the offering brought by Nahshon son of Amminadab.
18 On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar, leader of the tribe of Issachar, presented his offering.
19 His offering consisted of a silver platter weighing 3 1/4 pounds and a silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). These were both filled with grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil. 20 He also brought a gold container weighing four ounces, which was filled with incense. 21 He brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, 22 and a male goat for a sin offering. 23 For a peace offering he brought two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs. This was the offering brought by Nethanel son of Zuar.
24 On the third day Eliab son of Helon, leader of the tribe of Zebulun, presented his offering.
25 His offering consisted of a silver platter weighing 3 1/4 pounds and a silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). These were both filled with grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil. 26 He also brought a gold container weighing four ounces, which was filled with incense. 27 He brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, 28 and a male goat for a sin offering. 29 For a peace offering he brought two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs. This was the offering brought by Eliab son of Helon.
30 On the fourth day Elizur son of Shedeur, leader of the tribe of Reuben, presented his offering.
31 His offering consisted of a silver platter weighing 3 1/4 pounds and a silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). These were both filled with grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil. 32 He also brought a gold container weighing four ounces, which was filled with incense. 33 He brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, 34 and a male goat for a sin offering. 35 For a peace offering he brought two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs. This was the offering brought by Elizur son of Shedeur.
36 On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, leader of the tribe of Simeon, presented his offering.
37 His offering consisted of a silver platter weighing 3 1/4 pounds and a silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). These were both filled with grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil. 38 He also brought a gold container weighing four ounces, which was filled with incense. 39 He brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, 40 and a male goat for a sin offering. 41 For a peace offering he brought two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs. This was the offering brought by Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.
42 On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel, leader of the tribe of Gad, presented his offering.
43 His offering consisted of a silver platter weighing 3 1/4 pounds and a silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). These were both filled with grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil. 44 He also brought a gold container weighing four ounces, which was filled with incense. 45 He brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, 46 and a male goat for a sin offering. 47 For a peace offering he brought two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs. This was the offering brought by Eliasaph son of Deuel.
48 On the seventh day Elishama son of Ammihud, leader of the tribe of Ephraim, presented his offering.
49 His offering consisted of a silver platter weighing 3 1/4 pounds and a silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). These were both filled with grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil. 50 He also brought a gold container weighing four ounces, which was filled with incense. 51 He brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, 52 and a male goat for a sin offering. 53 For a peace offering he brought two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs. This was the offering brought by Elishama son of Ammihud.
54 On the eighth day Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, leader of the tribe of Manasseh, presented his offering.
55 His offering consisted of a silver platter weighing 3 1/4 pounds and a silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). These were both filled with grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil. 56 He also brought a gold container weighing four ounces, which was filled with incense. 57 He brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, 58 and a male goat for a sin offering. 59 For a peace offering he brought two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs. This was the offering brought by Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.
60 On the ninth day Abidan son of Gideoni, leader of the tribe of Benjamin, presented his offering.
61 His offering consisted of a silver platter weighing 3 1/4 pounds and a silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). These were both filled with grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil. 62 He also brought a gold container weighing four ounces, which was filled with incense. 63 He brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, 64 and a male goat for a sin offering. 65 For a peace offering he brought two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs. This was the offering brought by Abidan son of Gideoni.
66 On the tenth day Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, leader of the tribe of Dan, presented his offering.
67 His offering consisted of a silver platter weighing 3 1/4 pounds and a silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). These were both filled with grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil. 68 He also brought a gold container weighing four ounces, which was filled with incense. 69 He brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, 70 and a male goat for a sin offering. 71 For a peace offering he brought two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs. This was the offering brought by Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.
72 On the eleventh day Pagiel son of Ocran, leader of the tribe of Asher, presented his offering.
73 His offering consisted of a silver platter weighing 3 1/4 pounds and a silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). These were both filled with grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil. 74 He also brought a gold container weighing four ounces, which was filled with incense. 75 He brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, 76 and a male goat for a sin offering. 77 For a peace offering he brought two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs. This was the offering brought by Pagiel son of Ocran.
78 On the twelfth day Ahira son of Enan, leader of the tribe of Naphtali, presented his offering.
79 His offering consisted of a silver platter weighing 3 1/4 pounds and a silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). These were both filled with grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil. 80 He also brought a gold container weighing four ounces, which was filled with incense. 81 He brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, 82 and a male goat for a sin offering. 83 For a peace offering he brought two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs. This was the offering brought by Ahira son of Enan.
84 So this was the dedication offering brought by the leaders of Israel at the time the altar was anointed: twelve silver platters, twelve silver basins, and twelve gold incense containers. 85 Each silver platter weighed 3 1/4 pounds, and each silver basin weighed 1 3/4 pounds. The total weight of the silver was 60 pounds[d] (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). 86 Each of the twelve gold containers that was filled with incense weighed four ounces (as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel). The total weight of the gold was three pounds.[e] 87 Twelve young bulls, twelve rams, and twelve one-year-old male lambs were donated for the burnt offerings, along with their prescribed grain offerings. Twelve male goats were brought for the sin offerings. 88 Twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty male goats, and sixty one-year-old male lambs were donated for the peace offerings. This was the dedication offering for the altar after it was anointed.
89 Whenever Moses went into the Tabernacle to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—that rests on the Ark of the Covenant.[f] The Lord spoke to him from there.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, November 05, 2014
Read: Genesis 32:3-12
Jacob Sends Gifts to Esau
Then Jacob sent messengers ahead to his brother, Esau, who was living in the region of Seir in the land of Edom. 4 He told them, “Give this message to my master Esau: ‘Humble greetings from your servant Jacob. Until now I have been living with Uncle Laban, 5 and now I own cattle, donkeys, flocks of sheep and goats, and many servants, both men and women. I have sent these messengers to inform my lord of my coming, hoping that you will be friendly to me.’”
6 After delivering the message, the messengers returned to Jacob and reported, “We met your brother, Esau, and he is already on his way to meet you—with an army of 400 men!” 7 Jacob was terrified at the news. He divided his household, along with the flocks and herds and camels, into two groups. 8 He thought, “If Esau meets one group and attacks it, perhaps the other group can escape.”
9 Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac—O Lord, you told me, ‘Return to your own land and to your relatives.’ And you promised me, ‘I will treat you kindly.’ 10 I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant. When I left home and crossed the Jordan River, I owned nothing except a walking stick. Now my household fills two large camps! 11 O Lord, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children. 12 But you promised me, ‘I will surely treat you kindly, and I will multiply your descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore—too many to count.’”
Insight
Jacob had good reason to fear his brother Esau. With trickery and deception, Jacob had stolen both Esau’s inheritance (Gen. 25) and his blessing (Gen. 27). Esau’s last recorded words before he met Jacob again (Gen. 32) were “I will kill my brother Jacob” (27:41).
Less Than The Least
By David H. Roper
I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant. —Genesis 32:10
Unlike those who think highly of themselves, Jacob knew that he had been ruined by sin (Gen. 32:10). He thought himself a man unworthy of God’s grace. He had cheated his brother Esau out of his birthright (ch.27), and his brother hated him for it. Now, years later, Jacob was going to face Esau again.
“I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies,” Jacob prayed, using a word for “least” that suggests the tiniest object. “Deliver me, I pray” (32:10-11).
How odd to see those phrases side by side: I am unworthy of Your mercies . . . . Deliver me! Yet Jacob could pray for mercy because his hope lay not in his own worth, but in God’s promise to look with favor on those who throw themselves at His feet. Humility and contrition are the keys that open the heart of God. Someone has said that the best disposition for praying is being stripped of everything. It is crying out of the depths. It comes from the soul that knows its deep depravity.
Such prayers are offered by those who are thoroughly convicted of their sin and shame, but, at the same time, are convinced of God’s grace that goes out to undeserving sinners. God hears best those who cry out: “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” (Luke 18:13).
Lord, I am like Jacob, in need of Your mercy.
I have failed You, and I bow at Your feet today.
Thank You for being a merciful God, ready
and able to forgive and restore me.
It is fitting for a great God to forgive great sinners.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, November 05, 2014
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
Wednesday, November 05, 2014
ALWAYS CAUGHT - #7258
This could sure come under the heading of "You know it's going to be a bad day when..." Yeah, my wife and I were stopped at a stop light during the rush hour one morning. We were on a local street that intersects the busiest highway in the area in that town. There were two lanes. We were in the left one-the left turn lane. The light turned green, I started turning left. Well, I noticed another car next to me on my right turning from the right lane. Well that's not allowed. You're not supposed to do that; it's illegal, and it's very dangerous at this intersection. Well, suddenly, I guess this guy saw in his rearview mirror – this blinking light behind him. He had just made that illegal turn right in front of a police officer. Needless to say, he was pulled over on the shoulder before he even cleared the intersection. I mean he's not even out of the neighborhood yet and he's been caught.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Always Caught."
Now the Bible has some unsettling news in Numbers 32:23. It says, "Be sure your sin will find you out." See, if God knows, you're already caught. And God hasn't missed a moment. His video camera rolls 24 hours a day; it's inescapable. His recorder catches every word. Our neighbor at the light thought if the law doesn't see me, this is fine. Boom! Caught!
In fact, when it comes to people catching us, we often do get away with sin. Your parents may never find out, your mate may never know, your boss may never catch you, your friends may never find out, your pastor, your congregation. It sets you up for the myth that you're actually getting away with it. Nobody ever gets away with sin. The bill may be delayed, but the bill always comes. Whatever a man sows, that he will reap.
Adam and Eve's death sentence came later, but it came. Postponed judgment never means judgment has been canceled. Now, our word for today from the Word of God: 1 Timothy 5:24, "The sins of some men are obvious; reaching the place of judgment ahead of them. The sins of others trail behind them." Now, one way or the other we get caught; sometimes earlier, sometimes later. Which is better? Well, the longer it takes for the bill to come, the more the interest accumulates.
That might be the reason God's asking me to talk about this today. Because He's telling you to face that sin before it faces you with much greater consequences than if you choose to deal with it right now. Today, this is the least expensive day you will ever have to face that sin. The bill continues to increase. Maybe it's a sin that you've committed. Maybe it's lying, or immorality, cheating, stealing or even backbiting or it's lust. It could be rebellion. It could be messing with the occult or verbal or physical abuse of someone.
And then again, it may be a sin of omission: you're neglecting your mate or your children, or a commitment you've made, or time with your Lord. But every day the sin calculator is running, the consequences are growing, and the gap between you and God is increasing. You're driving with your eyes on the rearview mirror wondering if you're going to be caught. Wouldn't you like to be free; wouldn't you like to be forgiven?
It's far better to freely come to God with that sin than to have God come to you with it. And he took all of that sin on that first Good Friday and put it on His son so Jesus could pay for it so that when Jesus said "Father forgive them," He was talking about you. This can be erased from God's book forever. The Bible says, "Repent and turn to God, and your sins will be wiped away and the times of refreshing will come from the Lord." This is your day to finally be clean inside, to get the spiritual shower only the man who died for you could give you. If you want that, I encourage you to check out our website the soonest you can get to it today. And let me show you there, how to be forgiven and how to begin your relationship with Jesus. Go to ANewStory.com. That's what it could be for you - a new story. You started out this day dirty, you will be by the end of it, clean inside as you have never been before.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Mark 13:1-20, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: In God's Hands
Imagine this breakfast scene. The daughters are complaining their brother took too much time in the bathroom. So their hair isn't brushed and makeup isn't applied. Mom is doing her best, but she woke up with a headache and a long list of things to do. Dad stops at the kitchen doorway. He weighs his options:
" Command everyone to shape up and behave.
" Berate his son for dominating the bathroom and his wife for not taking control.
" Sneak out before anyone notices.
OR. . .he could pray: "Father, you are good. I need help. Reduce the frenzy in my house, please." Will the prayer change everything? It may. Or it may take another prayer, or two, or ten! But at least the problem is in the hands of the One who can solve it. The Bible says, "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you! (1 Peter 5:7)."
Before amen-comes the power of a simple prayer!
From Before Amen
Mark 13:1-20
Jesus Foretells the Future
As Jesus was leaving the Temple that day, one of his disciples said, “Teacher, look at these magnificent buildings! Look at the impressive stones in the walls.”
2 Jesus replied, “Yes, look at these great buildings. But they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”
3 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives across the valley from the Temple. Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him privately and asked him, 4 “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to be fulfilled?”
5 Jesus replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, 6 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’[a] They will deceive many. 7 And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. 8 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in many parts of the world, as well as famines. But this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
9 “When these things begin to happen, watch out! You will be handed over to the local councils and beaten in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me.[b] 10 For the Good News must first be preached to all nations.[c] 11 But when you are arrested and stand trial, don’t worry in advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
12 “A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. 13 And everyone will hate you because you are my followers.[d] But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
14 “The day is coming when you will see the sacrilegious object that causes desecration[e] standing where he[f] should not be.” (Reader, pay attention!) “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. 15 A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. 16 A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. 17 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. 18 And pray that your flight will not be in winter. 19 For there will be greater anguish in those days than at any time since God created the world. And it will never be so great again. 20 In fact, unless the Lord shortens that time of calamity, not a single person will survive. But for the sake of his chosen ones he has shortened those days.
Footnotes:
13:6 Greek claiming, ‘I am.’
13:9 Or But this will be your testimony against them.
13:10 Or all peoples.
13:13 Greek on account of my name.
13:14a Greek the abomination of desolation. See Dan 9:27; 11:31; 12:11.
13:14b Or it.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, November 04, 2014
Read: Mark 4:35-41
Jesus Calms the Storm
As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36 So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). 37 But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.
38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”
39 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”
Insight
It appears that each of the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) had a distinct audience and approach to telling Jesus’ story. Some scholars believe that Mark’s telling of the story was directed primarily to a Roman audience, and that his approach to Christ was to present Him as the “divine Servant.” This theme is rooted in Jesus’ own words about His mission when He said, “Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). This theme would have had a strong connection for a Roman audience in the first century.
Perception Or Reality?
By Bill Crowder
Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing? —Mark 4:38
We often hear it said, “Perception is reality.” That idea for Americans may have dawned on September 26, 1960—the date of the first televised debate between two presidential candidates. In front of the cameras, John Kennedy appeared composed; Richard Nixon appeared nervous. The perception was that Kennedy would be a stronger leader. The debate not only turned that election, but it also changed the way politics is done in the US. Politics by perception became the rule of the day.
Sometimes perception is reality. But not always—especially our perceptions about God. When Jesus and His disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee in a small fishing vessel, a sudden storm threatened to sink the boat. With Jesus asleep and the disciples on the verge of panic, they began to stir Him, asking, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38).
Their question sounds similar to questions I’ve asked. At times I perceive God’s apparent inactivity as a lack of care. But His care for me goes well beyond what I can see or measure. Our God is deeply concerned for what concerns us. He urges us to place all our care upon Him, “for He cares for [us]” (1 Peter 5:7). That is true reality.
O yes, He cares; I know He cares!
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares. —Graeff
Even when we don’t sense God’s presence, His loving care is all around us.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, November 04, 2014
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.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, November 04, 2014
Someone Else's Script - #7257
My friend, Ian, is unexplainable. He may very well have been the best known Christian leader in all of New Zealand. A powerful, popular speaker and he had a great Christian TV program. If you heard him speak in any public setting, well you'd have been very impressed, and you'd want to meet him when he came off the stage. And he would extend his hand, and probably begin to stutter. You might kinda laugh and say, "Come on, you're kidding." And then you'd realize he's not; this is serious. See, Ian has a noticeable stutter when he speaks to people anywhere but in a large meeting. But when that man gets up to speak about his Lord in front of a crowd, something happens, but not something unique to him.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Someone Else's Script."
Now our word for today from the Word of God comes from Ephesians 6 and I'll be reading verses 19 and 20. And I believe that something takes over in Ian in those times when he's ministering publicly and literally, that someone takes over what he says. And that same person wants to do something like that for you. The Holy Spirit wants to do it for you when you're speaking to someone about Jesus Christ.
Here's the prayer: "Pray also for me that whenever I open my mouth words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly as I should." Now, you can pray this prayer, you can trust God for words to say when you're representing Him, and that is something supernatural.
When you're woefully inadequate to talk with this person about eternity, He will come in and He's promised He'll make up the difference. When you're scared to death and you don't know what to say, let Him supply the words. Sometimes I'll be listening to a person that I want to share with, and I'll be thinking, "Oh, man, I have no idea what to say next. Keep talking; Buddy, because when you stop I don't know what I'm going to say." I don't know how I'm going to answer. So I fire up an S.O.S. to heaven. And when I need to respond, there's often an insight I didn't even have a moment ago, I didn't even know. I mean, this is supernatural stuff!
If you tell God how inadequate you feel, you are at that point, on your way to being an effective representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because that opens you up to this Holy Spirit take-over. From the inside out He'll provide you with the courage you don't have, the thoughts that maybe you've never expressed, words that may surprise even you. But you have to take the risk to experience His power.
Shakespearian actors say some pretty profound and impressive things. You say, "Man, they're smart. What a thinker! What a communicator! What a way to put things!" He didn't write the script. He's just delivering what someone else wrote. Well, that's how it's supposed to be when we're communicating Christ to people. We're delivering someone else's script-God's words. And if we'll trust God for His active involvement in the conversation, well, it just takes away an awful lot of the pressure.
I've watched God turn a man who has difficulty getting through a sentence into an un-halting communicator. But only in the moment when he needs it. See, that's what God wants to do in you, but you have to show up with the willingness to be His voice in the life of someone else.
Don't hold back any more on speaking up for Jesus in the situation He's assigned you to. See, He put you there, He gave you the assignment, and He'll give you the script. Now, your head will make you think that the things that you are saying maybe are coming from you. But in reality, they're coming from the heart of God, through your voice into the heart of someone who really needs to hear from Him.
Imagine this breakfast scene. The daughters are complaining their brother took too much time in the bathroom. So their hair isn't brushed and makeup isn't applied. Mom is doing her best, but she woke up with a headache and a long list of things to do. Dad stops at the kitchen doorway. He weighs his options:
" Command everyone to shape up and behave.
" Berate his son for dominating the bathroom and his wife for not taking control.
" Sneak out before anyone notices.
OR. . .he could pray: "Father, you are good. I need help. Reduce the frenzy in my house, please." Will the prayer change everything? It may. Or it may take another prayer, or two, or ten! But at least the problem is in the hands of the One who can solve it. The Bible says, "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you! (1 Peter 5:7)."
Before amen-comes the power of a simple prayer!
From Before Amen
Mark 13:1-20
Jesus Foretells the Future
As Jesus was leaving the Temple that day, one of his disciples said, “Teacher, look at these magnificent buildings! Look at the impressive stones in the walls.”
2 Jesus replied, “Yes, look at these great buildings. But they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”
3 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives across the valley from the Temple. Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him privately and asked him, 4 “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to be fulfilled?”
5 Jesus replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, 6 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’[a] They will deceive many. 7 And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. 8 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in many parts of the world, as well as famines. But this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
9 “When these things begin to happen, watch out! You will be handed over to the local councils and beaten in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me.[b] 10 For the Good News must first be preached to all nations.[c] 11 But when you are arrested and stand trial, don’t worry in advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
12 “A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. 13 And everyone will hate you because you are my followers.[d] But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
14 “The day is coming when you will see the sacrilegious object that causes desecration[e] standing where he[f] should not be.” (Reader, pay attention!) “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. 15 A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. 16 A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. 17 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. 18 And pray that your flight will not be in winter. 19 For there will be greater anguish in those days than at any time since God created the world. And it will never be so great again. 20 In fact, unless the Lord shortens that time of calamity, not a single person will survive. But for the sake of his chosen ones he has shortened those days.
Footnotes:
13:6 Greek claiming, ‘I am.’
13:9 Or But this will be your testimony against them.
13:10 Or all peoples.
13:13 Greek on account of my name.
13:14a Greek the abomination of desolation. See Dan 9:27; 11:31; 12:11.
13:14b Or it.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, November 04, 2014
Read: Mark 4:35-41
Jesus Calms the Storm
As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36 So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). 37 But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.
38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”
39 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”
Insight
It appears that each of the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) had a distinct audience and approach to telling Jesus’ story. Some scholars believe that Mark’s telling of the story was directed primarily to a Roman audience, and that his approach to Christ was to present Him as the “divine Servant.” This theme is rooted in Jesus’ own words about His mission when He said, “Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). This theme would have had a strong connection for a Roman audience in the first century.
Perception Or Reality?
By Bill Crowder
Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing? —Mark 4:38
We often hear it said, “Perception is reality.” That idea for Americans may have dawned on September 26, 1960—the date of the first televised debate between two presidential candidates. In front of the cameras, John Kennedy appeared composed; Richard Nixon appeared nervous. The perception was that Kennedy would be a stronger leader. The debate not only turned that election, but it also changed the way politics is done in the US. Politics by perception became the rule of the day.
Sometimes perception is reality. But not always—especially our perceptions about God. When Jesus and His disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee in a small fishing vessel, a sudden storm threatened to sink the boat. With Jesus asleep and the disciples on the verge of panic, they began to stir Him, asking, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38).
Their question sounds similar to questions I’ve asked. At times I perceive God’s apparent inactivity as a lack of care. But His care for me goes well beyond what I can see or measure. Our God is deeply concerned for what concerns us. He urges us to place all our care upon Him, “for He cares for [us]” (1 Peter 5:7). That is true reality.
O yes, He cares; I know He cares!
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares. —Graeff
Even when we don’t sense God’s presence, His loving care is all around us.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, November 04, 2014
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.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, November 04, 2014
Someone Else's Script - #7257
My friend, Ian, is unexplainable. He may very well have been the best known Christian leader in all of New Zealand. A powerful, popular speaker and he had a great Christian TV program. If you heard him speak in any public setting, well you'd have been very impressed, and you'd want to meet him when he came off the stage. And he would extend his hand, and probably begin to stutter. You might kinda laugh and say, "Come on, you're kidding." And then you'd realize he's not; this is serious. See, Ian has a noticeable stutter when he speaks to people anywhere but in a large meeting. But when that man gets up to speak about his Lord in front of a crowd, something happens, but not something unique to him.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Someone Else's Script."
Now our word for today from the Word of God comes from Ephesians 6 and I'll be reading verses 19 and 20. And I believe that something takes over in Ian in those times when he's ministering publicly and literally, that someone takes over what he says. And that same person wants to do something like that for you. The Holy Spirit wants to do it for you when you're speaking to someone about Jesus Christ.
Here's the prayer: "Pray also for me that whenever I open my mouth words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly as I should." Now, you can pray this prayer, you can trust God for words to say when you're representing Him, and that is something supernatural.
When you're woefully inadequate to talk with this person about eternity, He will come in and He's promised He'll make up the difference. When you're scared to death and you don't know what to say, let Him supply the words. Sometimes I'll be listening to a person that I want to share with, and I'll be thinking, "Oh, man, I have no idea what to say next. Keep talking; Buddy, because when you stop I don't know what I'm going to say." I don't know how I'm going to answer. So I fire up an S.O.S. to heaven. And when I need to respond, there's often an insight I didn't even have a moment ago, I didn't even know. I mean, this is supernatural stuff!
If you tell God how inadequate you feel, you are at that point, on your way to being an effective representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because that opens you up to this Holy Spirit take-over. From the inside out He'll provide you with the courage you don't have, the thoughts that maybe you've never expressed, words that may surprise even you. But you have to take the risk to experience His power.
Shakespearian actors say some pretty profound and impressive things. You say, "Man, they're smart. What a thinker! What a communicator! What a way to put things!" He didn't write the script. He's just delivering what someone else wrote. Well, that's how it's supposed to be when we're communicating Christ to people. We're delivering someone else's script-God's words. And if we'll trust God for His active involvement in the conversation, well, it just takes away an awful lot of the pressure.
I've watched God turn a man who has difficulty getting through a sentence into an un-halting communicator. But only in the moment when he needs it. See, that's what God wants to do in you, but you have to show up with the willingness to be His voice in the life of someone else.
Don't hold back any more on speaking up for Jesus in the situation He's assigned you to. See, He put you there, He gave you the assignment, and He'll give you the script. Now, your head will make you think that the things that you are saying maybe are coming from you. But in reality, they're coming from the heart of God, through your voice into the heart of someone who really needs to hear from Him.
Monday, November 3, 2014
Numbers 6 , 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.
Numbers 6
The Nazirite
The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of dedication to the Lord as a Nazirite, 3 they must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or other fermented drink. They must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins. 4 As long as they remain under their Nazirite vow, they must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins.
5 “‘During the entire period of their Nazirite vow, no razor may be used on their head. They must be holy until the period of their dedication to the Lord is over; they must let their hair grow long.
6 “‘Throughout the period of their dedication to the Lord, the Nazirite must not go near a dead body. 7 Even if their own father or mother or brother or sister dies, they must not make themselves ceremonially unclean on account of them, because the symbol of their dedication to God is on their head. 8 Throughout the period of their dedication, they are consecrated to the Lord.
9 “‘If someone dies suddenly in the Nazirite’s presence, thus defiling the hair that symbolizes their dedication, they must shave their head on the seventh day—the day of their cleansing. 10 Then on the eighth day they must bring two doves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 11 The priest is to offer one as a sin offering[f] and the other as a burnt offering to make atonement for the Nazirite because they sinned by being in the presence of the dead body. That same day they are to consecrate their head again. 12 They must rededicate themselves to the Lord for the same period of dedication and must bring a year-old male lamb as a guilt offering. The previous days do not count, because they became defiled during their period of dedication.
13 “‘Now this is the law of the Nazirite when the period of their dedication is over. They are to be brought to the entrance to the tent of meeting. 14 There they are to present their offerings to the Lord: a year-old male lamb without defect for a burnt offering, a year-old ewe lamb without defect for a sin offering, a ram without defect for a fellowship offering, 15 together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and a basket of bread made with the finest flour and without yeast—thick loaves with olive oil mixed in, and thin loaves brushed with olive oil.
16 “‘The priest is to present all these before the Lord and make the sin offering and the burnt offering. 17 He is to present the basket of unleavened bread and is to sacrifice the ram as a fellowship offering to the Lord, together with its grain offering and drink offering.
18 “‘Then at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the Nazirite must shave off the hair that symbolizes their dedication. They are to take the hair and put it in the fire that is under the sacrifice of the fellowship offering.
19 “‘After the Nazirite has shaved off the hair that symbolizes their dedication, the priest is to place in their hands a boiled shoulder of the ram, and one thick loaf and one thin loaf from the basket, both made without yeast. 20 The priest shall then wave these before the Lord as a wave offering; they are holy and belong to the priest, together with the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.
21 “‘This is the law of the Nazirite who vows offerings to the Lord in accordance with their dedication, in addition to whatever else they can afford. They must fulfill the vows they have made, according to the law of the Nazirite.’”
The Priestly Blessing
22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:
24 “‘“The Lord bless you
and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”’
27 “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I w
Numbers 6:11 Or purification offering; also in verses 14 and 16
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, November 03, 2014
Read: Psalm 30
A psalm of David. A song for the dedication of the Temple.
I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me.
You refused to let my enemies triumph over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
and you restored my health.
3 You brought me up from the grave,[a] O Lord.
You kept me from falling into the pit of death.
4 Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones!
Praise his holy name.
5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime!
Weeping may last through the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
6 When I was prosperous, I said,
“Nothing can stop me now!”
7 Your favor, O Lord, made me as secure as a mountain.
Then you turned away from me, and I was shattered.
8 I cried out to you, O Lord.
I begged the Lord for mercy, saying,
9 “What will you gain if I die,
if I sink into the grave?
Can my dust praise you?
Can it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear me, Lord, and have mercy on me.
Help me, O Lord.”
11 You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.
You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,
12 that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!
Footnotes:
30:3 Hebrew from Sheol.
Insight
“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Ps. 30:5). David was no stranger to sadness and grief. In these two poignant lines of Scripture we see how anguish can disturb sleep and seem to last throughout the night. But there is always the assurance that each new day brings the hope of God’s providential deliverance and help. This realization can bring joy even to those who grieve.
Does God Care?
By Randy Kilgore
Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; Lord, be my helper! —Psalm 30:10
Minnie and George Lacy were faced with some questions: “Is Jesus enough? Is our relationship with Christ sufficient to sustain us? Will He be enough to help us want to go on living? Does He care?”
While serving as missionaries in 1904, the Lacys’ youngest daughter fell ill. Then in rapid succession, all five of their children died from scarlet fever, none living to see the new year. In letters to the mission board George Lacy wrote about their deep loneliness and grief: “Sometimes it seems more than we can bear.” But then he added, “The Lord is with us and is wonderfully helping us.” In this, their darkest time, they found that Jesus was near and He was enough.
Many of us will face moments when we will wonder if we can go on. If our health fails, if our job disappears, if we lose those closest to us, will we find our relationship with the Lord real enough to keep us pressing forward?
The psalmist reminds us of God’s presence and faithfulness (Ps. 30). When he was deeply depressed, he cried out, “Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; Lord, be my helper!” (v.10). God gave Him healing and comfort (vv.2-3).
As believers in Jesus, we will never lack what we need to persevere. The Lord will always be near.
Though tempted and sadly discouraged,
My soul to this refuge will flee
And rest in the blessed assurance,
“My grace is sufficient for thee.” —Anon.
Faith in an all-sufficient Christ enables us to press on.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, November 03, 2014
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?
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, November 03, 2014
The Power of a Fist - #7256
Okay, are you ready for some exercise? Well listen, only do this if both hands are available. If you're driving, I'd rather you wouldn't try this. Okay here we go! Extend one hand so it's out straight. Okay, Now I'm doing this same thing. Now, poke your index finger full force into that open palm. Okay, got it. Okay now here's part two of the exercise. You got that same hand open? Now make your other hand into a fist. Now, hit that hand full-force with the fist. Okay, here we go. Well...which one had more power?
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Power of a Fist."
Our word for today from the Word of God, we're in Nehemiah chapter 4, and we are beginning in verse 12. Let me give you the situation: Nehemiah has rallied the Jewish people to begin rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem that's been down for many years. The gates have been burned, all kinds of enemies and other things are getting in and out of there. It's a total disaster, and these folks are leading the charge to rebuild it. The people who have had previous access to Jerusalem and to that area, well they're not very happy about this. They'd rather it stayed in rubble, and they are threatening to attack.
Okay we've got this pretty heated scene here and in Nehemiah 4:12 some people go, "Wherever you turn, they will attack us." Well thank you, I think that's pretty obvious. Here's how Nehemiah fights back. "Therefore, I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families with their swords, spears and bows. After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, 'Don't be afraid of them. Remember, the Lord...He is great and awesome and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, your homes."
Now it's interesting to see how Nehemiah organizes people to fight when there is this overwhelming army against them; an overwhelming threat. It says here that he posted them by families. See, they've been working independent of each other. But he got them all together in family groupings. And then he says, "Now, I want you to fight, not for the city, not for me, not for our building project. I want you to fight for your family, your brothers, your sons, your daughters, and so on." What he's doing here is he's talking about the power of fighting as a unit when the pressure's on.
Okay, let's go back to the fist. See, the power of independent fingers? Eh, not nearly so great. I mean, look at your five fingers right now. If you stretched them way apart from each other like I'm doing... Now, if you hit yourself in the face like that, it doesn't hurt very much. But if you pull those together into one fist...well now you're going to do a lot of damage.
See, here's the truth. The power of the Christian community in any town is when they work together as a fist and not as separate fingers. So what do you think the Devil focuses his attack on? Dividing God's people. Maybe you can see it right now happening in your church. Don't fall for that. Don't waste any ammunition on each other. He's the only enemy we ought to be shooting at. Save it all for him. The Devil knows the power of the family that's pulling together in a crisis.
So he wants to use the crisis to get you to turn on each other. Is he succeeding? A crisis in a family, or a church, or a ministry can either divide us into fingers that are working alone, or unite us into a fist that has knockout power. Whatever situation you're in, would you help people rally and stay together? Encourage them to confront their differences. Get people with differences in a room kneeling together, praying together, and covenant with each other to aim all your ammo at the real enemy - the Devil. He's the one trying to divide us. We don't wrestle against flesh and blood. He knows that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.
So you be the one who makes the people around you make a fist, and then together you can use that fist to knock out the enemy.
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.
Numbers 6
The Nazirite
The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of dedication to the Lord as a Nazirite, 3 they must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or other fermented drink. They must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins. 4 As long as they remain under their Nazirite vow, they must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins.
5 “‘During the entire period of their Nazirite vow, no razor may be used on their head. They must be holy until the period of their dedication to the Lord is over; they must let their hair grow long.
6 “‘Throughout the period of their dedication to the Lord, the Nazirite must not go near a dead body. 7 Even if their own father or mother or brother or sister dies, they must not make themselves ceremonially unclean on account of them, because the symbol of their dedication to God is on their head. 8 Throughout the period of their dedication, they are consecrated to the Lord.
9 “‘If someone dies suddenly in the Nazirite’s presence, thus defiling the hair that symbolizes their dedication, they must shave their head on the seventh day—the day of their cleansing. 10 Then on the eighth day they must bring two doves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 11 The priest is to offer one as a sin offering[f] and the other as a burnt offering to make atonement for the Nazirite because they sinned by being in the presence of the dead body. That same day they are to consecrate their head again. 12 They must rededicate themselves to the Lord for the same period of dedication and must bring a year-old male lamb as a guilt offering. The previous days do not count, because they became defiled during their period of dedication.
13 “‘Now this is the law of the Nazirite when the period of their dedication is over. They are to be brought to the entrance to the tent of meeting. 14 There they are to present their offerings to the Lord: a year-old male lamb without defect for a burnt offering, a year-old ewe lamb without defect for a sin offering, a ram without defect for a fellowship offering, 15 together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and a basket of bread made with the finest flour and without yeast—thick loaves with olive oil mixed in, and thin loaves brushed with olive oil.
16 “‘The priest is to present all these before the Lord and make the sin offering and the burnt offering. 17 He is to present the basket of unleavened bread and is to sacrifice the ram as a fellowship offering to the Lord, together with its grain offering and drink offering.
18 “‘Then at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the Nazirite must shave off the hair that symbolizes their dedication. They are to take the hair and put it in the fire that is under the sacrifice of the fellowship offering.
19 “‘After the Nazirite has shaved off the hair that symbolizes their dedication, the priest is to place in their hands a boiled shoulder of the ram, and one thick loaf and one thin loaf from the basket, both made without yeast. 20 The priest shall then wave these before the Lord as a wave offering; they are holy and belong to the priest, together with the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.
21 “‘This is the law of the Nazirite who vows offerings to the Lord in accordance with their dedication, in addition to whatever else they can afford. They must fulfill the vows they have made, according to the law of the Nazirite.’”
The Priestly Blessing
22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:
24 “‘“The Lord bless you
and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”’
27 “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I w
Numbers 6:11 Or purification offering; also in verses 14 and 16
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, November 03, 2014
Read: Psalm 30
A psalm of David. A song for the dedication of the Temple.
I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me.
You refused to let my enemies triumph over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
and you restored my health.
3 You brought me up from the grave,[a] O Lord.
You kept me from falling into the pit of death.
4 Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones!
Praise his holy name.
5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime!
Weeping may last through the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
6 When I was prosperous, I said,
“Nothing can stop me now!”
7 Your favor, O Lord, made me as secure as a mountain.
Then you turned away from me, and I was shattered.
8 I cried out to you, O Lord.
I begged the Lord for mercy, saying,
9 “What will you gain if I die,
if I sink into the grave?
Can my dust praise you?
Can it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear me, Lord, and have mercy on me.
Help me, O Lord.”
11 You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.
You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,
12 that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!
Footnotes:
30:3 Hebrew from Sheol.
Insight
“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Ps. 30:5). David was no stranger to sadness and grief. In these two poignant lines of Scripture we see how anguish can disturb sleep and seem to last throughout the night. But there is always the assurance that each new day brings the hope of God’s providential deliverance and help. This realization can bring joy even to those who grieve.
Does God Care?
By Randy Kilgore
Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; Lord, be my helper! —Psalm 30:10
Minnie and George Lacy were faced with some questions: “Is Jesus enough? Is our relationship with Christ sufficient to sustain us? Will He be enough to help us want to go on living? Does He care?”
While serving as missionaries in 1904, the Lacys’ youngest daughter fell ill. Then in rapid succession, all five of their children died from scarlet fever, none living to see the new year. In letters to the mission board George Lacy wrote about their deep loneliness and grief: “Sometimes it seems more than we can bear.” But then he added, “The Lord is with us and is wonderfully helping us.” In this, their darkest time, they found that Jesus was near and He was enough.
Many of us will face moments when we will wonder if we can go on. If our health fails, if our job disappears, if we lose those closest to us, will we find our relationship with the Lord real enough to keep us pressing forward?
The psalmist reminds us of God’s presence and faithfulness (Ps. 30). When he was deeply depressed, he cried out, “Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; Lord, be my helper!” (v.10). God gave Him healing and comfort (vv.2-3).
As believers in Jesus, we will never lack what we need to persevere. The Lord will always be near.
Though tempted and sadly discouraged,
My soul to this refuge will flee
And rest in the blessed assurance,
“My grace is sufficient for thee.” —Anon.
Faith in an all-sufficient Christ enables us to press on.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, November 03, 2014
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?
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, November 03, 2014
The Power of a Fist - #7256
Okay, are you ready for some exercise? Well listen, only do this if both hands are available. If you're driving, I'd rather you wouldn't try this. Okay here we go! Extend one hand so it's out straight. Okay, Now I'm doing this same thing. Now, poke your index finger full force into that open palm. Okay, got it. Okay now here's part two of the exercise. You got that same hand open? Now make your other hand into a fist. Now, hit that hand full-force with the fist. Okay, here we go. Well...which one had more power?
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Power of a Fist."
Our word for today from the Word of God, we're in Nehemiah chapter 4, and we are beginning in verse 12. Let me give you the situation: Nehemiah has rallied the Jewish people to begin rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem that's been down for many years. The gates have been burned, all kinds of enemies and other things are getting in and out of there. It's a total disaster, and these folks are leading the charge to rebuild it. The people who have had previous access to Jerusalem and to that area, well they're not very happy about this. They'd rather it stayed in rubble, and they are threatening to attack.
Okay we've got this pretty heated scene here and in Nehemiah 4:12 some people go, "Wherever you turn, they will attack us." Well thank you, I think that's pretty obvious. Here's how Nehemiah fights back. "Therefore, I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families with their swords, spears and bows. After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, 'Don't be afraid of them. Remember, the Lord...He is great and awesome and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, your homes."
Now it's interesting to see how Nehemiah organizes people to fight when there is this overwhelming army against them; an overwhelming threat. It says here that he posted them by families. See, they've been working independent of each other. But he got them all together in family groupings. And then he says, "Now, I want you to fight, not for the city, not for me, not for our building project. I want you to fight for your family, your brothers, your sons, your daughters, and so on." What he's doing here is he's talking about the power of fighting as a unit when the pressure's on.
Okay, let's go back to the fist. See, the power of independent fingers? Eh, not nearly so great. I mean, look at your five fingers right now. If you stretched them way apart from each other like I'm doing... Now, if you hit yourself in the face like that, it doesn't hurt very much. But if you pull those together into one fist...well now you're going to do a lot of damage.
See, here's the truth. The power of the Christian community in any town is when they work together as a fist and not as separate fingers. So what do you think the Devil focuses his attack on? Dividing God's people. Maybe you can see it right now happening in your church. Don't fall for that. Don't waste any ammunition on each other. He's the only enemy we ought to be shooting at. Save it all for him. The Devil knows the power of the family that's pulling together in a crisis.
So he wants to use the crisis to get you to turn on each other. Is he succeeding? A crisis in a family, or a church, or a ministry can either divide us into fingers that are working alone, or unite us into a fist that has knockout power. Whatever situation you're in, would you help people rally and stay together? Encourage them to confront their differences. Get people with differences in a room kneeling together, praying together, and covenant with each other to aim all your ammo at the real enemy - the Devil. He's the one trying to divide us. We don't wrestle against flesh and blood. He knows that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.
So you be the one who makes the people around you make a fist, and then together you can use that fist to knock out the enemy.
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Numbers 5, 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
Numbers 5
The Purity of the Camp
The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone who has a defiling skin disease[a] or a discharge of any kind, or who is ceremonially unclean because of a dead body. 3 Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them.” 4 The Israelites did so; they sent them outside the camp. They did just as the Lord had instructed Moses.
Restitution for Wrongs
5 The Lord said to Moses, 6 “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any man or woman who wrongs another in any way[b] and so is unfaithful to the Lord is guilty 7 and must confess the sin they have committed. They must make full restitution for the wrong they have done, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the person they have wronged. 8 But if that person has no close relative to whom restitution can be made for the wrong, the restitution belongs to the Lord and must be given to the priest, along with the ram with which atonement is made for the wrongdoer. 9 All the sacred contributions the Israelites bring to a priest will belong to him. 10 Sacred things belong to their owners, but what they give to the priest will belong to the priest.’”
The Test for an Unfaithful Wife
11 Then the Lord said to Moses, 12 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him 13 so that another man has sexual relations with her, and this is hidden from her husband and her impurity is undetected (since there is no witness against her and she has not been caught in the act), 14 and if feelings of jealousy come over her husband and he suspects his wife and she is impure—or if he is jealous and suspects her even though she is not impure— 15 then he is to take his wife to the priest. He must also take an offering of a tenth of an ephah[c] of barley flour on her behalf. He must not pour olive oil on it or put incense on it, because it is a grain offering for jealousy, a reminder-offering to draw attention to wrongdoing.
16 “‘The priest shall bring her and have her stand before the Lord. 17 Then he shall take some holy water in a clay jar and put some dust from the tabernacle floor into the water. 18 After the priest has had the woman stand before the Lord, he shall loosen her hair and place in her hands the reminder-offering, the grain offering for jealousy, while he himself holds the bitter water that brings a curse. 19 Then the priest shall put the woman under oath and say to her, “If no other man has had sexual relations with you and you have not gone astray and become impure while married to your husband, may this bitter water that brings a curse not harm you. 20 But if you have gone astray while married to your husband and you have made yourself impure by having sexual relations with a man other than your husband”— 21 here the priest is to put the woman under this curse—“may the Lord cause you to become a curse[d] among your people when he makes your womb miscarry and your abdomen swell. 22 May this water that brings a curse enter your body so that your abdomen swells or your womb miscarries.”
“‘Then the woman is to say, “Amen. So be it.”
23 “‘The priest is to write these curses on a scroll and then wash them off into the bitter water. 24 He shall make the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and this water that brings a curse and causes bitter suffering will enter her. 25 The priest is to take from her hands the grain offering for jealousy, wave it before the Lord and bring it to the altar. 26 The priest is then to take a handful of the grain offering as a memorial[e] offering and burn it on the altar; after that, he is to have the woman drink the water. 27 If she has made herself impure and been unfaithful to her husband, this will be the result: When she is made to drink the water that brings a curse and causes bitter suffering, it will enter her, her abdomen will swell and her womb will miscarry, and she will become a curse. 28 If, however, the woman has not made herself impure, but is clean, she will be cleared of guilt and will be able to have children.
29 “‘This, then, is the law of jealousy when a woman goes astray and makes herself impure while married to her husband, 30 or when feelings of jealousy come over a man because he suspects his wife. The priest is to have her stand before the Lord and is to apply this entire law to her. 31 The husband will be innocent of any wrongdoing, but the woman will bear the consequences of her sin.’”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Sunday, November 02, 2014
Read: Psalm 46
For the choir director: A song of the descendants of Korah, to be sung by soprano voices.[a]
God is our refuge and strength,
always ready to help in times of trouble.
2 So we will not fear when earthquakes come
and the mountains crumble into the sea.
3 Let the oceans roar and foam.
Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! Interlude
4 A river brings joy to the city of our God,
the sacred home of the Most High.
5 God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed.
From the very break of day, God will protect it.
6 The nations are in chaos,
and their kingdoms crumble!
God’s voice thunders,
and the earth melts!
7 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us;
the God of Israel[b] is our fortress. Interlude
8 Come, see the glorious works of the Lord:
See how he brings destruction upon the world.
9 He causes wars to end throughout the earth.
He breaks the bow and snaps the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation.
I will be honored throughout the world.”
11 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us;
the God of Israel is our fortress. Interlude
Footnotes:
46:Title Hebrew according to alamoth.
46:7 Hebrew of Jacob; also in 46:11. See note on 44:4.
Insight
We often think of this passage in times of busyness and stress, and we emphasize that the stillness means “to cease striving.” But the imagery in verses 2-4 and 8-9 (the destruction of the earth and the weapons of war) suggests that even when self-preservation is the aim, our hands should be at our sides and our trust should be in God.
Hands Off!
By Joe Stowell
Be still, and know that I am God. —Psalm 46:10
I remember bobbing for apples when I was a child, a game that required me to have my hands tied behind my back. Trying to grab a floating apple with my teeth without the use of my hands was a frustrating experience. It reminded me of the vital importance of our hands—we eat with them, greet with them, and use them to do just about anything that is vital to our existence.
When I read Psalm 46:10, I find it interesting that God says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” The Hebrew word for “still” means to “cease striving,” or, literally, “to put our hands at our side.” At first glance this seems to be a rather risky piece of advice, since our first instinct in trouble is to keep our hands on the situation and control it to our advantage. God in essence is saying, “Hands off! Let Me deal with your problem, and rest assured that the outcome is in My hands.”
But knowing when to take our hands off and let God work can make us feel vulnerable. Unless, that is, we believe that God is indeed “our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (v.1) and that “the Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge” (v.7). In the midst of trouble, we can rest in God’s care.
Lord, forgive me for always wanting
to manage my own affairs.
Teach me to trust in Your wise and timely
intervention in my life and to keep my hands out of Your way.
When we put our problems in God’s hands, He puts His peace in our hearts.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, November 02, 2014
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.
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