Jeremiah 10, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: FOLKS LIKE US - April 3, 2024

“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8 NIV). Does Jesus still use simple folks like us to change the world? You know, we suffer from such ordinariness. But God does not call the qualified. He qualifies the called.

So don’t let Satan convince you otherwise. He will tell you that God has an IQ requirement or an entry fee. And when Satan whispers such lies, dismiss him with this truth: God stampeded the first-century society with swaybacks, not thoroughbreds. There is no evidence that Jesus chose the disciples because they were smarter or nicer than the guy next door. The one thing they had going for them was a willingness to take a step when Jesus said, “Follow me.” God changes the world with folks like you.

Jeremiah 10

The Stick Gods

1–5  10 Listen to the Message that God is sending your way, House of Israel. Listen most carefully:

“Don’t take the godless nations as your models.

Don’t be impressed by their glamour and glitz,

no matter how much they’re impressed.

The religion of these peoples

is nothing but smoke.

An idol is nothing but a tree chopped down,

then shaped by a woodsman’s ax.

They trim it with tinsel and balls,

use hammer and nails to keep it upright.

It’s like a scarecrow in a cabbage patch—can’t talk!

Dead wood that has to be carried—can’t walk!

Don’t be impressed by such stuff.

It’s useless for either good or evil.”

6–9  All this is nothing compared to you, O God.

You’re wondrously great, famously great.

Who can fail to be impressed by you, King of the nations?

It’s your very nature to be worshiped!

Look far and wide among the elite of the nations.

The best they can come up with is nothing compared to you.

Stupidly, they line them up—a lineup of sticks,

good for nothing but making smoke.

Gilded with silver foil from Tarshish,

covered with gold from Uphaz,

Hung with violet and purple fabrics—

no matter how fancy the sticks, they’re still sticks.

10  But God is the real thing—

the living God, the eternal King.

When he’s angry, Earth shakes.

Yes, and the godless nations quake.

11–15  “Tell them this, ‘The stick gods

who made nothing, neither sky nor earth,

Will come to nothing

on the earth and under the sky.’ ”

But it is God whose power made the earth,

whose wisdom gave shape to the world,

who crafted the cosmos.

He thunders, and rain pours down.

He sends the clouds soaring.

He embellishes the storm with lightnings,

launches wind from his warehouse.

Stick-god worshipers looking mighty foolish,

god-makers embarrassed by their hand-made gods!

Their gods are frauds—dead sticks,

deadwood gods, tasteless jokes.

When the fires of judgment come, they’ll be ashes.

16  But the Portion-of-Jacob is the real thing.

He put the whole universe together

And pays special attention to Israel.

His name? God-of-the-Angel-Armies!

17–18  Grab your bags,

all you who are under attack.

God has given notice:

“Attention! I’m evicting

Everyone who lives here,

And right now—yes, right now!

I’m going to press them to the limit,

squeeze the life right out of them.”

19–20  But it’s a black day for me!

Hopelessly wounded,

I said, “Why, oh why

did I think I could bear it?”

My house is ruined—

the roof caved in.

Our children are gone—

we’ll never see them again.

No one left to help in rebuilding,

no one to make a new start!

21  It’s because our leaders are stupid.

They never asked God for counsel,

And so nothing worked right.

The people are scattered all over.

22  But listen! Something’s coming!

A big commotion from the northern borders!

Judah’s towns about to be smashed,

left to all the stray dogs and cats!

23–25  I know, God, that mere mortals

can’t run their own lives,

That men and women

don’t have what it takes to take charge of life.

So correct us, God, as you see best.

Don’t lose your temper. That would be the end of us.

Vent your anger on the godless nations,

who refuse to acknowledge you,

And on the people

who won’t pray to you—

The very ones who’ve made hash out of Jacob,

yes, made hash

And devoured him whole,

people and pastures alike.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Wednesday, April 03, 2024

Today's Scripture

John 10:1-11, 16

He Calls His Sheep by Name

1–5  10 “Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate, you know he’s up to no good—a sheep rustler! The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won’t follow a stranger’s voice but will scatter because they aren’t used to the sound of it.”

6–10  Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he tried again. “I’ll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep stealers, every one of them. But the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.

11–13  “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd puts the sheep before himself, sacrifices himself if necessary.

You need to know that I have other sheep in addition to those in this pen. I need to gather and bring them, too. They’ll also recognize my voice. Then it will be one flock, one Shepherd.

Insight

References to God as shepherd, including the well-known Psalm 23, are found throughout the Old Testament. Jacob says God has been “my shepherd all my life” and calls Him “the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel” (Genesis 48:15; 49:24).

In the New Testament, Jesus says He is “the good shepherd [who] lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11), and those who listen and respond to His voice are His sheep (vv. 3-5). In Hebrews 13:20, the author calls Christ the “great Shepherd of the sheep.” Peter refers to Him as “the Shepherd and Overseer of [our] souls” (1 Peter 2:25). As God’s sheep, we’re to listen to our Shepherd and respond in obedience (John 10:27). By: Alyson Kieda

I Hear You, God!

The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. John 10:3

Baby Graham fussed and wiggled as his mother held him in her lap while the doctors inserted his first hearing aid. Moments after the doctor turned on the device, Graham stopped crying. His eyes widened. He grinned. He could hear his mother’s voice comforting him, encouraging him, and calling his name.

Baby Graham heard his mother speaking, but he needed help learning how to recognize her voice and understand the meaning of her words. Jesus invites people into a similar learning process. Once we accept Christ as our Savior, we become the sheep He knows intimately and guides personally (John 10:3). We can grow to trust and obey Him as we practice hearing and heeding His voice (v. 4).

In the Old Testament, God spoke through the prophets. In the New Testament, Jesus—God in the flesh—spoke directly to people. Today, believers in Jesus have access to the power of the Holy Spirit, who helps us understand and obey God’s words which He inspired and preserved in the Bible. We can communicate directly with Jesus through our prayers as He speaks to us through Scripture and through His people. As we come to recognize God’s voice, which is always in alignment with His words in the Bible, we can cry out with grateful praise, “I hear You, God!” By:  Xochitl Dixon

Reflect & Pray

How has God used the Scriptures to reveal Himself to you this week? How can you speak His wisdom to others who need comfort or encouragement today?

I hear You, God! Please help me receive and share the truth and love You reveal to me as I read the Bible.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Wednesday, April 03, 2024

If you had known…in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. —Luke 19:42

Jesus entered Jerusalem triumphantly and the city was stirred to its very foundations, but a strange god was there– the pride of the Pharisees. It was a god that seemed religious and upright, but Jesus compared it to “whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27).

What is it that blinds you to the peace of God “in this your day”? Do you have a strange god– not a disgusting monster but perhaps an unholy nature that controls your life? More than once God has brought me face to face with a strange god in my life, and I knew that I should have given it up, but I didn’t do it. I got through the crisis “by the skin of my teeth,” only to find myself still under the control of that strange god. I am blind to the very things that make for my own peace. It is a shocking thing that we can be in the exact place where the Spirit of God should be having His completely unhindered way with us, and yet we only make matters worse, increasing our blame in God’s eyes.

“If you had known….” God’s words here cut directly to the heart, with the tears of Jesus behind them. These words imply responsibility for our own faults. God holds us accountable for what we refuse to see or are unable to see because of our sin. And “now they are hidden from your eyes” because you have never completely yielded your nature to Him. Oh, the deep, unending sadness for what might have been! God never again opens the doors that have been closed. He opens other doors, but He reminds us that there are doors which we have shut– doors which had no need to be shut. Never be afraid when God brings back your past. Let your memory have its way with you. It is a minister of God bringing its rebuke and sorrow to you. God will turn what might have been into a wonderful lesson of growth for the future.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

No one could have had a more sensitive love in human relationship than Jesus; and yet He says there are times when love to father and mother must be hatred in comparison to our love for Him.   So Send I You, 1301 L

Bible in a Year: Judges 19-21; Luke 7:31-50

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Wednesday, April 03, 2024

Why You Matter So Much to the People You Know - #9713

You sit there staring at the phone for 45 minutes. There's this girl you really want to ask out, but every time you try to pick up the phone to call her, you freeze. Finally, you realize she probably isn't going to call you, and the phone isn't going to call her all by itself. So, you punch in her number. Are you still afraid? Yes. But courage is not the absence of fear, it's the disregard of it! So here goes! Yes, that actually was my life at one time.

That battle with fear must be exponentially greater when there's a life-or-death situation where you could make a difference. Like the day a commuter flight crashed on takeoff from the Lexington, Kentucky airport. Fifty passengers - only one survived - the co-pilot. He owes his life to three emergency workers who were there as the flames began to engulf the plane. They said the heat from thousands of gallons of flaming jet fuel was almost overwhelming. There was a lot of reason to be afraid. But they went in anyway. One of the workers put it this way: "We just knew we had to get him out of there." He's alive today because they did.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Why You Matter So Much to the People You Know."

If you belong to Jesus Christ, you've probably heard sermons about how you're supposed to "witness" and "share your faith." Well, research shows that only a really small percentage of us Christians ever tell anyone what we know about Jesus Christ. If it's just "witnessing" or "sharing your faith," it's one thing not to do it. If it's the difference between someone within your reach living or dying, it's something much bigger. And that's exactly what it is - life-or-death.

There's a simple eight-word command in Jude 23. It is our word for today from the Word of God. It captures the urgency of the mission that God has assigned to every follower of Jesus. Here are your orders and mine: "Snatch others from the fire and save them." The fire is the awful eternity that awaits anyone you know who doesn't know your Jesus.

Jesus took the punishment for their sins so they wouldn't have to, but they have to put their trust in Him. And to do that, they have to understand what Jesus did for them on the cross. And someone's going to have to tell them about that, someone who knows this Jesus, someone who knows them. You have that information upon which their eternity depends. And because you're already a part of their life, they're more likely to listen to you than probably any other Christian on earth.

It's our fear, though, that keeps us from going in for the rescue isn't it? What can help you overcome that fear, the fear that's kept you from telling people you know about your Jesus, maybe over and over again? First, understanding that this really is life-or-death, not just sharing your beliefs with someone.

Without Jesus, the Bible says, they will "be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord" (2 Thessalonians 1:9). He doesn't want that. He died so that wouldn't have to happen, but they need to know that.

Secondly, you have to realize that fear always goes with rescue; rescue always means risk. It did for Jesus - it does for you. The fear is real, but it doesn't have to decide what you do. Listen to the words of the man who went into that burning plane, "We just knew we had to get him out of there."

That's what will open your mouth. Deciding that whatever you're risking to tell them about Jesus, it can't be anywhere near as terrible as what will happen if you don't tell them. You can't just leave them lost. You can't just let them die without a chance. You're in a position to rescue them.

This isn't just witnessing. This isn't just sharing your faith. It's rescuing the dying. Thank God you were snatched from the fire. Now it's your turn to "snatch others from the fire and save them."

Jeremiah 9, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

 Max Lucado Daily: AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE - April 2, 2024

A few years back, three questions came from different people in the span of a month. Question number 1: Had you been a German Christian during World War II, would you have taken a stand against Hitler? Question number 2: Had you lived in the South during the civil rights conflict, would you have taken a stand against racism? And question number 3: When your grandchildren discover you lived during a day in which 1.75 billion people were poor and 1 billion were hungry, how will they judge your response?

I did not mind the first two questions. Those choices were not mine. But the third question has kept me awake at night. We are given an opportunity to make a big difference during a difficult time. We are created by a God to do great works. He invites us to outlive our lives, not just in heaven but here on earth.

Jeremiah 9

I wish my head were a well of water

and my eyes fountains of tears

So I could weep day and night

for casualties among my dear, dear people.

At times I wish I had a wilderness hut,

a backwoods cabin,

Where I could get away from my people

and never see them again.

They’re a faithless, feckless bunch,

a congregation of degenerates.

3–6  “Their tongues shoot out lies

like a bow shoots arrows—

A mighty army of liars,

the sworn enemies of truth.

They advance from one evil to the next,

ignorant of me.”

God’s Decree.

“Be wary of even longtime neighbors.

Don’t even trust your grandmother!

Brother schemes against brother,

like old cheating Jacob.

Friend against friend

spreads malicious gossip.

Neighbors gyp neighbors,

never telling the truth.

They’ve trained their tongues to tell lies,

and now they can’t tell the truth.

They pile wrong upon wrong, stack lie upon lie,

and refuse to know me.”

God’s Decree.

7–9  Therefore, God-of-the-Angel-Armies says:

“Watch this! I’ll melt them down

and see what they’re made of.

What else can I do

with a people this wicked?

Their tongues are poison arrows!

Deadly lies stream from their mouths.

Neighbor greets neighbor with a smile,

‘Good morning! How’re things?’

while scheming to do away with him.

Do you think I’m going to stand around and do nothing?”

God’s Decree.

“Don’t you think I’ll take serious measures

against a people like this?

10–11  “I’m lamenting the loss of the mountain pastures.

I’m chanting dirges for the old grazing grounds.

They’ve become deserted wastelands too dangerous for travelers.

No sounds of sheep bleating or cattle mooing.

Birds and wild animals, all gone.

Nothing stirring, no sounds of life.

I’m going to make Jerusalem a pile of rubble,

fit for nothing but stray cats and dogs.

I’m going to reduce Judah’s towns to piles of ruins

where no one lives!”

12  I asked, “Is there anyone around bright enough to tell us what’s going on here? Anyone who has the inside story from God and can let us in on it?

“Why is the country wasted?

“Why no travelers in this desert?”

13–15  God’s answer: “Because they abandoned my plain teaching. They wouldn’t listen to anything I said, refused to live the way I told them to. Instead they lived any way they wanted and took up with the Baal gods, who they thought would give them what they wanted—following the example of their parents.” And this is the consequence. God-of-the-Angel-Armies says so:

“I’ll feed them with pig slop.

“I’ll give them poison to drink.

16  “Then I’ll scatter them far and wide among godless peoples that neither they nor their parents have ever heard of, and I’ll send Death in pursuit until there’s nothing left of them.”

A Life That Is All Outside but No Inside

17–19  A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:

“Look over the trouble we’re in and call for help.

Send for some singers who can help us mourn our loss.

Tell them to hurry—

to help us express our loss and lament,

Help us get our tears flowing,

make tearful music of our crying.

Listen to it!

Listen to that torrent of tears out of Zion:

‘We’re a ruined people,

we’re a shamed people!

We’ve been driven from our homes

and must leave our land!’ ”

20–21  Mourning women! Oh, listen to God’s Message!

Open your ears. Take in what he says.

Teach your daughters songs for the dead

and your friends the songs of heartbreak.

Death has climbed in through the window,

broken into our bedrooms.

Children on the playgrounds drop dead,

and young men and women collapse at their games.

22  Speak up! “God’s Message:

“ ‘Dead bodies everywhere, scattered at random

like sheep and goat dung in the fields,

Like wheat cut down by reapers

and left to rot where it falls.’ ”

23–24  God’s Message:

“Don’t let the wise brag of their wisdom.

Don’t let heroes brag of their exploits.

Don’t let the rich brag of their riches.

If you brag, brag of this and this only:

That you understand and know me.

I’m God, and I act in loyal love.

I do what’s right and set things right and fair,

and delight in those who do the same things.

These are my trademarks.”

God’s Decree.

25–26  “Stay alert! It won’t be long now”—God’s Decree!—“when I will personally deal with everyone whose life is all outside but no inside: Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab. All these nations are big on performance religion—including Israel, who is no better.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Tuesday, April 02, 2024

Today's Scripture

Psalm 72:1-7

Give the gift of wise rule to the king, O God,

the gift of just rule to the crown prince.

May he judge your people rightly,

be honorable to your meek and lowly.

Let the mountains give exuberant witness;

shape the hills with the contours of right living.

Please stand up for the poor,

help the children of the needy,

come down hard on the cruel tyrants.

Outlast the sun, outlive the moon—

age after age after age.

Be rainfall on cut grass,

earth-refreshing rain showers.

Let righteousness burst into blossom

and peace abound until the moon fades to nothing.

Insight

Psalm 72 bears a striking resemblance to Solomon’s request for wisdom in 1 Kings 3:7-9. Upon taking the throne, God told him in a dream that he could ask for whatever he wished. In response, he asked for “a discerning heart” so that he could “govern [God’s] people” and “distinguish between right and wrong” (v. 9). In Psalm 72, we see the same themes. The author asks God to “endow the king with your justice, . . . the royal son with your righteousness” so he may “judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice” (vv. 1-2). God’s wisdom, justice, and righteousness were essential to being a good king and governing well. The psalm ends with praise to God “who alone does marvelous deeds” (v. 18). By: J.R. Hudberg

Psalm 72 Leaders

May he be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth. Psalm 72:6

In July 2022, Britain’s prime minister was forced to step down after what many felt were lapses in integrity (the newly appointed prime minister stepped down just months later!). The event was triggered when the country’s health minister attended an annual parliamentary prayer breakfast, felt convicted about the need for integrity in public life, and resigned. When other ministers resigned too, the prime minister realized he had to leave. It was a remarkable moment, originating from a peaceful prayer meeting.

Believers in Jesus are called to pray for their political leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-2), and Psalm 72 is a good guide for doing so, being both a ruler’s job description and a prayer to help them achieve it. It describes the ideal leader as a person of justice and integrity (vv. 1-2), who defends the vulnerable (v. 4), serves the needy (vv. 12-13), and stands against oppression (v. 14). Their time in office is so refreshing, it’s like “showers watering the earth” (v. 6), bringing prosperity to the land (vv. 3, 7, 16). While only the Messiah can perfectly fulfill such a role (v. 11), what better standard of leadership could be aimed for?

The health of a country is governed by the integrity of its office-bearers. Let’s seek “Psalm 72 leaders” for our nations and help them to embody the qualities found in this psalm by praying it for them. By:  Sheridan Voysey

Reflect & Pray

What qualities do you look for in a leader? How can you pray more often for your local and national leaders?

Father, please empower our leaders to be people of justice, integrity, and goodness.

Learn more about Psalm 72.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Tuesday, April 02, 2024

The Glory That’s Unsurpassed

…the Lord Jesus…has sent me that you may receive your sight… —Acts 9:17

When Paul received his sight, he also received spiritual insight into the Person of Jesus Christ. His entire life and preaching from that point on were totally consumed with nothing but Jesus Christ— “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). Paul never again allowed anything to attract and hold the attention of his mind and soul except the face of Jesus Christ.

We must learn to maintain a strong degree of character in our lives, even to the level that has been revealed in our vision of Jesus Christ.

The lasting characteristic of a spiritual man is the ability to understand correctly the meaning of the Lord Jesus Christ in his life, and the ability to explain the purposes of God to others. The overruling passion of his life is Jesus Christ. Whenever you see this quality in a person, you get the feeling that he is truly a man after God’s own heart (see Acts 13:22).

Never allow anything to divert you from your insight into Jesus Christ. It is the true test of whether you are spiritual or not. To be unspiritual means that other things have a growing fascination for you.

Since mine eyes have looked on Jesus,

I’ve lost sight of all beside,

So enchained my spirit’s vision,

Gazing on the Crucified.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

We begin our Christian life by believing what we are told to believe, then we have to go on to so assimilate our beliefs that they work out in a way that redounds to the glory of God. The danger is in multiplying the acceptation of beliefs we do not make our own. Conformed to His Image, 381 L

Bible in a Year: Judges 16-18; Luke 7:1-30

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Tuesday, April 02, 2024

The Warning You Can't Afford to Ignore - #9712

Now it's always been my impression that the police like to have the element of surprise in their favor. Suddenly there's a police car coming up behind you, or appearing out of nowhere. That's why I was surprised by something I saw when I was meeting with some staff we had in Latin America in Guadalajara, Mexico. At night we were driving around with our Director, Timothy, and we saw a police car in front of us. Now, he was in no particular hurry, but his lights were flashing. Timothy said, "You know, the police cars here do that all the time. They leave their lights on whether they are on call or not." Now, that's an interesting approach to law enforcement - let them know you're coming.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Warning You Can't Afford to Ignore."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew 24:30. Jesus says, "At that time the sign of the Son of Man (that's Him) will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory." Look, Jesus lets us know here - He's coming back! The world is not done with Him. There's no doubt about how it's all going to end. The same Jesus who ascended into heaven after his resurrection will return to this earth. The first time He came to take the death sentence for our sins. The second time He's coming to take over.

It's described again over in Luke 21:27. Here we are in the words of Jesus, He says, "At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud, with power and great glory." What time? Well, verses 10 and 11 say, "There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places and fearful events and great signs from Heaven." Actually the Bible describes many signs that will come just before Jesus returns. The warning lights will come on first. A lot of those signs sound strangely familiar.

Like the Bible says there will be a nation of Israel, before Jesus comes back, and for two thousand years there wasn't. There is now. There will be great turbulence in the environment, and there is. They'll talk about trying to make peace in the Middle East, but there will be turmoil in the Middle East. Jesus said the Gospel will spread to the ends of the earth to every nation. That's a prophecy that can finally be fulfilled now by the technology that reaches every corner of the planet. Now, is Jesus coming soon? I don't know. But I know He'll return to a world that looks very much like ours is starting to look.

Here's the warning of Jesus in Matthew 24:44. "You must be ready because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him." He's coming. The warning lights are on. Are you ready? Well, only if you have asked this Jesus to be your personal Savior from the penalty of your personal sin.

Here's John 3:18, " Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the Name of God's one and only Son." Now, what does it mean to believe in Him? It's recognizing that your sin is a life or death issue. And that your only hope of forgiveness, your only hope of heaven is the One who loved you enough to pay your sin bill, Jesus Christ. And you believe when you consciously put all your trust in Him to be your personal rescuer from your personal sin. Knowing that He rose from the dead and He's ready to walk into your heart at your invitation.

If you've never done that you're not ready for His coming. Whether it's His second coming to earth or the time He comes for you at your last heartbeat. If you'd like to be sure you belong to Jesus, and why wouldn't you? Why would you risk another day without Him?

Let me invite you to our website, because it's there to help you get this relationship started? There's nothing for you to join. There is no religion to give you, but we can show you from God's Word how to begin this relationship. Just go to ANewStory.com.

It's time to get serious about Jesus, because He is your future. Someday, maybe soon, one way or the other you're going to be facing Jesus. He's warned you He's coming. It's time to get ready.

Acts 28, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: LIVE IN SUCH A WAY - April 1, 2024

Can God use us?

I have 120 answers to that question—the charter members of the Jerusalem church (Acts 1:15). They had nothing more than this going for them, and that is a fire in the belly to change the world. Luke recorded their stories in the book of Acts. It cracks with the sounds of God’s ever-expanding work. Would God do with us what he did with his first followers?

You know ours is the wealthiest generation of Christians ever. We have enough food to feed the hungry. We have enough bedrooms to house the orphans. I don’t mean to oversimplify these terribly complicated questions. But this much is clear: God has given this generation, our generation, everything we need to alter the course of human suffering. Let’s live in such a way that the world will be glad we did.

Acts 28

Once everyone was accounted for and we realized we had all made it, we learned that we were on the island of Malta. The natives went out of their way to be friendly to us. The day was rainy and cold and we were already soaked to the bone, but they built a huge bonfire and gathered us around it.

3–6  Paul pitched in and helped. He had gathered up a bundle of sticks, but when he put it on the fire, a venomous snake, roused from its torpor by the heat, struck his hand and held on. Seeing the snake hanging from Paul’s hand like that, the natives jumped to the conclusion that he was a murderer getting his just deserts. Paul shook the snake off into the fire, none the worse for wear. They kept expecting him to drop dead, but when it was obvious he wasn’t going to, they jumped to the conclusion that he was a god!

7–9  The head man in that part of the island was Publius. He took us into his home as his guests, drying us out and putting us up in fine style for the next three days. Publius’s father was sick at the time, down with a high fever and dysentery. Paul went to the old man’s room, and when he laid hands on him and prayed, the man was healed. Word of the healing got around fast, and soon everyone on the island who was sick came and got healed.

Rome

10–11  We spent a wonderful three months on Malta. They treated us royally, took care of all our needs and outfitted us for the rest of the journey. When an Egyptian ship that had wintered there in the harbor prepared to leave for Italy, we got on board. The ship had a carved Gemini for its figurehead: “the Heavenly Twins.”

12–14  We put in at Syracuse for three days and then went up the coast to Rhegium. Two days later, with the wind out of the south, we sailed into the Bay of Naples. We found Christian friends there and stayed with them for a week.

14–16  And then we came to Rome. Friends in Rome heard we were on the way and came out to meet us. One group got as far as Appian Court; another group met us at Three Taverns—emotion-packed meetings, as you can well imagine. Paul, brimming over with praise, led us in prayers of thanksgiving. When we actually entered Rome, they let Paul live in his own private quarters with a soldier who had been assigned to guard him.

17–20  Three days later, Paul called the Jewish leaders together for a meeting at his house. He said, “The Jews in Jerusalem arrested me on trumped-up charges, and I was taken into custody by the Romans. I assure you that I did absolutely nothing against Jewish laws or Jewish customs. After the Romans investigated the charges and found there was nothing to them, they wanted to set me free, but the Jews objected so fiercely that I was forced to appeal to Caesar. I did this not to accuse them of any wrongdoing or to get our people in trouble with Rome. We’ve had enough trouble through the years that way. I did it for Israel. I asked you to come and listen to me today to make it clear that I’m on Israel’s side, not against her. I’m a hostage here for hope, not doom.”

21–22  They said, “Nobody wrote warning us about you. And no one has shown up saying anything bad about you. But we would like very much to hear more. The only thing we know about this Christian sect is that nobody seems to have anything good to say about it.”

23  They agreed on a time. When the day arrived, they came back to his home with a number of their friends. Paul talked to them all day, from morning to evening, explaining everything involved in the kingdom of God, and trying to persuade them all about Jesus by pointing out what Moses and the prophets had written about him.

24–27  Some of them were persuaded by what he said, but others refused to believe a word of it. When the unbelievers got cantankerous and started bickering with each other, Paul interrupted: “I have just one more thing to say to you. The Holy Spirit sure knew what he was talking about when he addressed our ancestors through Isaiah the prophet:

Go to this people and tell them this:

“You’re going to listen with your ears,

but you won’t hear a word;

You’re going to stare with your eyes,

but you won’t see a thing.

These people are blockheads!

They stick their fingers in their ears

so they won’t have to listen;

They screw their eyes shut

so they won’t have to look,

so they won’t have to deal with me face-to-face

and let me heal them.”

28  “You’ve had your chance. The non-Jewish outsiders are next on the list. And believe me, they’re going to receive it with open arms!”

30–31  Paul lived for two years in his rented house. He welcomed everyone who came to visit. He urgently presented all matters of the kingdom of God. He explained everything about Jesus Christ. His door was always open.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Monday, April 01, 2024

Today's Scripture

Hebrews 10:19-25

Don’t Throw It All Away

19–21  So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God, into “the Holy Place.” Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The “curtain” into God’s presence is his body.

22–25  So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.

Insight

The author of the letter to the Hebrews is anonymous. Authorship theories over the years have ranged from Paul to Apollos to Luke and to others. What we do know about this important letter is that it was written to Jewish believers in Jesus who were experiencing persecution. The writer seems to be addressing a kind of spiritual fatigue that had these readers contemplating abandoning the faith. It’s in that context that the teaching of Hebrews 10 is best understood. As a faith community, they needed each other and the strength and support uniquely found in the body of Christ. More than just a wagging finger to admonish them to attend church, it was a strong encouragement that together they were stronger. By: Bill Crowder

Meeting Together in Jesus

[Don’t give] up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but [encourage] one another. Hebrews 10:25

When I went through an extended period of emotional and spiritual pain and struggle due to difficult circumstances in my life, it would have been easy for me to withdraw from church. (And sometimes I did wonder, Why bother?) But I felt compelled to keep attending each Sunday.

Although my situation remained the same for many long years, worshiping and gathering with other believers in services, prayer meetings, and Bible study supplied the encouragement I needed to persevere and remain hopeful. And often I’d not only hear an uplifting message or teaching, but I’d receive comfort, a listening ear, or a hug I needed from others.

The author of Hebrews wrote, “[Don’t give] up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but [encourage] one another” (Hebrews 10:25). This author knew that when we face hardships and difficulties, we’ll need the reassurance of others—and that others would need ours. So this Scripture writer reminded readers to “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess” and to consider how to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (vv. 23-24). That’s a big part of what encouragement is. That’s why God leads us to keep meeting together. Someone may need your loving encouragement, and you may be surprised by what you receive in return. By:  Alyson Kieda

Reflect & Pray

When have you felt encouraged after leaving a worship service? Why? Who needs your support and reassurance?

Loving God, please help me not to give up meeting together with other believers, but to experience together Your peace and love.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Monday, April 01, 2024

Helpful or Heartless Toward Others?

It is Christ…who also makes intercession for us….the Spirit…makes intercession for the saints… —Romans 8:34, 27

Do we need any more arguments than these to become intercessors– that Christ “always lives to make intercession” (Hebrews 7:25), and that the Holy Spirit “makes intercession for the saints”? Are we living in such a relationship with others that we do the work of intercession as a result of being the children of God who are taught by His Spirit? We should take a look at our current circumstances. Do crises which affect us or others in our home, business, country, or elsewhere, seem to be crushing in on us? Are we being pushed out of the presence of God and left with no time for worship? If so, we must put a stop to such distractions and get into such a living relationship with God that our relationship with others is maintained through the work of intercession, where God works His miracles.

Beware of getting ahead of God by your very desire to do His will. We run ahead of Him in a thousand and one activities, becoming so burdened with people and problems that we don’t worship God, and we fail to intercede. If a burden and its resulting pressure come upon us while we are not in an attitude of worship, it will only produce a hardness toward God and despair in our own souls. God continually introduces us to people in whom we have no interest, and unless we are worshiping God the natural tendency is to be heartless toward them. We give them a quick verse of Scripture, like jabbing them with a spear, or leave them with a hurried, uncaring word of counsel before we go. A heartless Christian must be a terrible grief to our Lord.

Are our lives in the proper place so that we may participate in the intercession of our Lord and the Holy Spirit?

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

Defenders of the faith are inclined to be bitter until they learn to walk in the light of the Lord. When you have learned to walk in the light of the Lord, bitterness and contention are impossible. Biblical Psychology, 199 R

Bible in a Year: Judges 13-15; Luke 6:27-49

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Monday, April 01, 2024

Very Needy, Very Close - #9711

"We were closer when we were poorer." The lady who told me that was speaking about her marriage, and she wasn't poor any more. You could tell that by looking at her. She was very affluent. But she was telling me that she and her husband were closer in the early days of their relationship when they were pinching pennies, and scraping by, and wondering how they were going to pay the rent, and fighting the wolf at the door. But they were at least fighting the wolf together.

Now, since that conversation with that lady I've had many opportunities to quote her at women's luncheons and dinners. And I always see women's heads nodding in agreement as if that's been the case in their life too. Apparently there's something about not having much that can make a relationship stronger.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Very Needy, Very Close."

The Apostle Paul knew about poor making you close, in life's most important relationship that is. He talked about it in our word for today from the Word of God. It's in 2 Corinthians 12:9. He says (quoting the Lord), "But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore," Paul says, "I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power will rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

I've had the wonderful privilege of meeting believers from a lot of other countries: Haiti, Africa, India, a lot of places like that. And I've noticed something about them. It's something, honestly, that I covet. They seem to live in the supernatural more than I do, and more than most Christians I know in this country. They seem to pray powerfully and they expect and honestly they often get miracles. They're radically Christian. And I feel like a pale office worker who hasn't been out in the sun all year, standing next to someone who just got back from Florida with a savage tan. I want what they have. And one believer summed up their secret. He said, "Ron, we live in a poor village. We have no regular support. We don't have organizations or manuals or tools. We only have God." I can't get those words out of my heart, "We only have God."

See, they're rich in God because they're poor in earth. They're very needy and they're very close to God. Now, our Christianity is active, and sophisticated, and well-managed, well-planned, well-financed, and often pretty powerless. The early church had little machinery and much power. We seem to have a lot of machinery and, yeah, little power.

I guess there are three roads that we rich Christians can take. One, we can continue with our mediocrity, doing the biggest things that man can do. Two, we can learn God's power through a time when He strips us of all the earth things that we are depending on. Or three, we could use all God has given us, but put no trust in it.

You know, couples can have a lot but hold it loosely and still love each other as if they were living on pork and beans. A Christian can live in America and have it all but ask God to teach them childlike dependency. All that we have blinds us to our total need - our desperate need - of God and His power. We're as needy as the Christian from India, barely surviving in his village. We just don't recognize it. We just don't admit it. We just don't acknowledge it. We just don't live like it.

When you recognize how poor we really are, that's when you're really rich. Whether we live in a condo or a hut, whether we eat filet or rice, we only have God.

Jeremiah 26 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: You Are His

God's grace defines you! Society labels you like a can on an assembly line. Stupid. Unproductive. Slow learner. Fast talker. Quitter. But as grace infiltrates, criticism disintegrates. You know you aren't who they say you are. You are who God says you are.  Spiritually alive; heavenly positioned…"seated with him in the heavenly realms" and "one with Jesus Christ."

Of course, not all labels are negative. Some people regard you as clever, successful. But it doesn't compare with being "seated with him in the heavenly realms!" God creates the Christian's resume! Grace defines who you are. The parent you can't please is as mistaken as the doting uncle you can't disappoint.

Listen, God wrote your story. He cast you in his drama. You hang as God's work of art, a testimony in his gallery of grace. According to Him, you are His. Period.

From Cast of Characters

Jeremiah 26

Change the Way You’re Living

1  26 At the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this Message came from God to Jeremiah:

2–3  “God’s Message: Stand in the court of God’s Temple and preach to the people who come from all over Judah to worship in God’s Temple. Say everything I tell you to say to them. Don’t hold anything back. Just maybe they’ll listen and turn back from their bad lives. Then I’ll reconsider the disaster that I’m planning to bring on them because of their evil behavior.

4–6  “Say to them, ‘This is God’s Message: If you refuse to listen to me and live by my teaching that I’ve revealed so plainly to you, and if you continue to refuse to listen to my servants the prophets that I tirelessly keep on sending to you—but you’ve never listened! Why would you start now?—then I’ll make this Temple a pile of ruins like Shiloh, and I’ll make this city nothing but a bad joke worldwide.’ ”

7–9  Everybody there—priests, prophets, and people—heard Jeremiah preaching this Message in the Temple of God. When Jeremiah had finished his sermon, saying everything God had commanded him to say, the priests and prophets and people all grabbed him, yelling, “Death! You’re going to die for this! How dare you preach—and using God’s name!—saying that this Temple will become a heap of rubble like Shiloh and this city be wiped out without a soul left in it!”

All the people mobbed Jeremiah right in the Temple itself.

10  Officials from the royal court of Judah were told of this. They left the palace immediately and came to God’s Temple to investigate. They held court on the spot, at the New Gate entrance to God’s Temple.

11  The prophets and priests spoke first, addressing the officials, but also the people: “Death to this man! He deserves nothing less than death! He has preached against this city—you’ve heard the evidence with your own ears.”

12–13  Jeremiah spoke next, publicly addressing the officials before the crowd: “God sent me to preach against both this Temple and city everything that’s been reported to you. So do something about it! Change the way you’re living, change your behavior. Listen obediently to the Message of your God. Maybe God will reconsider the disaster he has threatened.

14–15  “As for me, I’m at your mercy—do whatever you think is best. But take warning: If you kill me, you’re killing an innocent man, and you and the city and the people in it will be liable. I didn’t say any of this on my own. God sent me and told me what to say. You’ve been listening to God speak, not Jeremiah.”

16  The court officials, backed by the people, then handed down their ruling to the priests and prophets: “Acquittal. No death sentence for this man. He has spoken to us with the authority of our God.”

17–18  Then some of the respected leaders stood up and addressed the crowd: “In the reign of Hezekiah king of Judah, Micah of Moresheth preached to the people of Judah this sermon: This is God-of-the-Angel-Armies’ Message for you:

“ ‘Because of people like you,

Zion will be turned back into farmland,

Jerusalem end up as a pile of rubble,

and instead of the Temple on the mountain,

a few scraggly scrub pines.’

19  “Did King Hezekiah or anyone else in Judah kill Micah of Moresheth because of that sermon? Didn’t Hezekiah honor him and pray for mercy from God? And then didn’t God call off the disaster he had threatened?

“Friends, we’re at the brink of bringing a terrible calamity upon ourselves.”

20–23  (At another time there had been a man, Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim, who had preached similarly in the name of God. He preached against this same city and country just as Jeremiah did. When King Jehoiakim and his royal court heard his sermon, they determined to kill him. Uriah, afraid for his life, went into hiding in Egypt. King Jehoiakim sent Elnathan son of Achbor with a posse of men after him. They brought him back from Egypt and presented him to the king. And the king had him killed. They dumped his body unceremoniously outside the city.

24  But in Jeremiah’s case, Ahikam son of Shaphan stepped forward and took his side, preventing the mob from lynching him.)

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Sunday, March 31, 2024

Today's Scripture

Matthew 28:1–10

Risen from the Dead

1–4  28 After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God’s angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it. Shafts of lightning blazed from him. His garments shimmered snow-white. The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened, they couldn’t move.

5–6  The angel spoke to the women: “There is nothing to fear here. I know you’re looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed.

7  “Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.’ That’s the message.”

8–10  The women, deep in wonder and full of joy, lost no time in leaving the tomb. They ran to tell the disciples. Then Jesus met them, stopping them in their tracks. “Good morning!” he said. They fell to their knees, embraced his feet, and worshiped him. Jesus said, “You’re holding on to me for dear life! Don’t be frightened like that. Go tell my brothers that they are to go to Galilee, and that I’ll meet them there.”

Insight

Matthew’s resurrection account is stunning, particularly in its honesty. In addition to the joy of the women upon seeing the risen Jesus (28:8), we’re also told of the disciples’ unbelief (v. 17). When you weave together the resurrection accounts in the various gospels (and 1 Corinthians 15), it’s clear that Jesus had appeared to His disciples several times at this point, yet some still doubted. We might find a small measure of comfort in that. In spite of all Christ has done for us and the ways He’s proven Himself merciful and faithful, we still can struggle with doubts as they did. Like the father of the demonized boy, we find ourselves praying, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). By: Bill Crowder

Jesus Christ Is Risen Today!

He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Matthew 28:6

Before Charles Simeon attended university in Cambridge, England, he loved horses and clothes, spending a huge sum on his attire yearly. But because his college required him to attend regular Communion services, he started to explore what he believed. After reading books written by believers in Jesus, he experienced a dramatic conversion on Easter Sunday. Awaking early on April 4, 1779, he cried out, “Jesus Christ is risen today! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!” As he grew in his faith in God, he devoted himself to Bible study, prayer, and attending chapel services.

On the first Easter, life changed for the two women who arrived at Jesus’ tomb. There they witnessed a violent earthquake as an angel rolled back the stone. He said to them, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said” (Matthew 28:5–6). Overjoyed, the women worshiped Jesus and ran back to tell their friends the good news.

Encountering the risen Christ isn’t something reserved for ancient times—He promises to meet us here and now. We might experience a dramatic encounter, such as the women at the tomb or as Charles Simeon did, but we might not. In whatever way Jesus reveals Himself to us, we can trust that He loves us. By:  Amy Boucher Pye

Reflect & Pray

How has God shown Himself to you? How have you changed because of your encounter with Him?

Risen Jesus, thank You for coming and dying on the cross that I might have life eternal. I worship You.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Sunday, March 31, 2024

Heedfulness or Hypocrisy in Ourselves?

If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. —1 John 5:16

If we are not heedful and pay no attention to the way the Spirit of God works in us, we will become spiritual hypocrites. We see where other people are failing, and then we take our discernment and turn it into comments of ridicule and criticism, instead of turning it into intercession on their behalf. God reveals this truth about others to us not through the sharpness of our minds but through the direct penetration of His Spirit. If we are not attentive, we will be completely unaware of the source of the discernment God has given us, becoming critical of others and forgetting that God says, “…he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death.” Be careful that you don’t become a hypocrite by spending all your time trying to get others right with God before you worship Him yourself.

One of the most subtle and illusive burdens God ever places on us as saints is this burden of discernment concerning others. He gives us discernment so that we may accept the responsibility for those souls before Him and form the mind of Christ about them (see Philippians 2:5). We should intercede in accordance with what God says He will give us, namely, “life for those who commit sin not leading to death.” It is not that we are able to bring God into contact with our minds, but that we awaken ourselves to the point where God is able to convey His mind to us regarding the people for whom we intercede.

Can Jesus Christ see the agony of His soul in us? He can’t unless we are so closely identified with Him that we have His view concerning the people for whom we pray. May we learn to intercede so wholeheartedly that Jesus Christ will be completely and overwhelmingly satisfied with us as intercessors.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

We have no right to judge where we should be put, or to have preconceived notions as to what God is fitting us for. God engineers everything; wherever He puts us, our one great aim is to pour out a whole-hearted devotion to Him in that particular work. “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.” My Utmost for His Highest, April 23, 773 L

Bible in a Year: Judges 11-12; Luke 6:1-26

Jeremiah 8, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: On Behalf Of Jesus

“This man has done nothing wrong.” Luke 23:41

Finally someone is defending Jesus. Peter fled. The disciples hid. The Jews accused. Pilate washed his hands. Many could have spoken on behalf of Jesus, but none did. Until now.

Kind words from the lips of a thief. He makes his request. “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42).

The Savior turns his heavy head toward the prodigal child and promises, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

Jeremiah 8

 “And when the time comes”—God’s Decree!—“I’ll see to it that they dig up the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of the princes and priests and prophets, and yes, even the bones of the common people. They’ll dig them up and spread them out like a congregation at worship before sun, moon, and stars, all those sky gods they’ve been so infatuated with all these years, following their ‘lucky stars’ in doglike devotion. The bones will be left scattered and exposed, to re-enter the soil as fertilizer, like manure.

3  “Everyone left—all from this evil generation unlucky enough to still be alive in whatever godforsaken place I will have driven them to—will wish they were dead.” Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.

To Know Everything but God’s Word

4–7  “Tell them this, God’s Message:

“ ‘Do people fall down and not get up?

Or take the wrong road and then just keep going?

So why does this people go backward,

and just keep on going—backward!

They stubbornly hold on to their illusions,

refuse to change direction.

I listened carefully

but heard not so much as a whisper.

No one expressed one word of regret.

Not a single “I’m sorry” did I hear.

They just kept at it, blindly and stupidly

banging their heads against a brick wall.

Cranes know when it’s time

to move south for winter.

And robins, warblers, and bluebirds

know when it’s time to come back again.

But my people? My people know nothing,

not the first thing of God and his rule.

8–9  “ ‘How can you say, “We know the score.

We’re the proud owners of God’s revelation”?

Look where it’s gotten you—stuck in illusion.

Your religion experts have taken you for a ride!

Your know-it-alls will be unmasked,

caught and shown up for what they are.

Look at them! They know everything but God’s Word.

Do you call that “knowing”?

10–12  “ ‘So here’s what will happen to the know-it-alls:

I’ll make them wifeless and homeless.

Everyone’s after the dishonest dollar,

little people and big people alike.

Prophets and priests and everyone in between

twist words and doctor truth.

My dear Daughter—my people—broken, shattered,

and yet they put on Band-Aids,

Saying, “It’s not so bad. You’ll be just fine.”

But things are not “just fine”!

Do you suppose they are embarrassed

over this outrage?

Not really. They have no shame.

They don’t even know how to blush.

There’s no hope for them. They’ve hit bottom

and there’s no getting up.

As far as I’m concerned,

they’re finished.’ ” God has spoken.

13  “ ‘I went out to see if I could salvage anything’ ”

—God’s Decree—

“ ‘but found nothing:

Not a grape, not a fig,

just a few withered leaves.

I’m taking back

everything I gave them.’ ”

14–16  So why are we sitting here, doing nothing?

Let’s get organized.

Let’s go to the big city

and at least die fighting.

We’ve gotten God’s ultimatum:

We’re damned if we do and damned if we don’t—

damned because of our sin against him.

We hoped things would turn out for the best,

but it didn’t happen that way.

We were waiting around for healing—

and terror showed up!

From Dan at the northern borders

we hear the hooves of horses,

Horses galloping, horses neighing.

The ground shudders and quakes.

They’re going to swallow up the whole country.

Towns and people alike—fodder for war.

17  “ ‘What’s more, I’m dispatching

poisonous snakes among you,

Snakes that can’t be charmed,

snakes that will bite you and kill you.’ ”

God’s Decree!

Advancing from One Evil to the Next

18–22  I drown in grief.

I’m heartsick.

Oh, listen! Please listen! It’s the cry of my dear people

reverberating through the country.

Is God no longer in Zion?

Has the King gone away?

Can you tell me why they flaunt their plaything-gods,

their silly, imported no-gods before me?

The crops are in, the summer is over,

but for us nothing’s changed.

We’re still waiting to be rescued.

For my dear broken people, I’m heartbroken.

I weep, seized by grief.

Are there no healing ointments in Gilead?

Isn’t there a doctor in the house?

So why can’t something be done

to heal and save my dear, dear people?

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Saturday, March 30, 2024

Today's Scripture

Isaiah 53:4–7, 10–12

But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—

our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.

We thought he brought it on himself,

that God was punishing him for his own failures.

But it was our sins that did that to him,

that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!

He took the punishment, and that made us whole.

Through his bruises we get healed.

We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost.

We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way.

And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong,

on him, on him.

7–9  He was beaten, he was tortured,

but he didn’t say a word.

Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered

and like a sheep being sheared,

he took it all in silence.

 Yet it was the Lord’s willc to crushd him and cause him to suffer,e

and though the Lord makesc his life an offering for sin,f

he will see his offspringg and prolong his days,

and the will of the Lord will prosperh in his hand.

11 After he has suffered,i

he will see the lightj of lifed and be satisfiede;

by his knowledgef my righteous servantk will justifyl many,

and he will bear their iniquities.m

12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,g n

and he will divide the spoilso with the strong,h

because he poured out his life unto death,p

and was numbered with the transgressors.q

For he borer the sin of many,s

and made intercessiont for the transgressors.

Insight

The Song of the Suffering Servant we most often associate with Isaiah 53 actually begins in the previous chapter at verse 13. There, the servant is introduced as one who is wise and who will be “raised and lifted up and highly exalted” (52:13). If that final phrase sounds familiar, that’s because it’s one of Isaiah’s favorite ways to describe his encounters with Yahweh (God) Himself.

In Isaiah 6:1, the prophet recounts seeing the God of Israel in His temple “high [rum] and exalted [nasa’]”; in 52:13, the niv translates the same two Hebrew words as “raised and lifted up.” Isaiah associates the exaltation of the Suffering Servant with the very person of Yahweh, looking ahead to the Son Himself, Jesus. By: Jed Ostoich

The Passion of Christ

The punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

Before Jim Caviezel played Jesus in the film The Passion of the Christ, director Mel Gibson warned that the role would be extremely difficult and could negatively impact his career in Hollywood. Caviezel took on the role anyway, saying, “I think we have to make it, even if it is difficult.”

During the filming, Caviezel was struck by lightning, lost forty-five pounds, and was accidentally whipped during the flogging scene. Afterwards, he stated, “I didn’t want people to see me. I just wanted them to see Jesus. Conversions will happen through that.” The film deeply affected Caviezel and others on the set, and only God knows how many of the millions who watched it experienced changed lives.

The passion of Christ refers to the time of Jesus’ greatest suffering, from His triumphal entry on Palm Sunday and including His betrayal, mocking, flogging, and crucifixion. Accounts are found in all four gospels.

In Isaiah 53, His suffering and its outcome are foretold: “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (v. 5). All of us, “like sheep, have gone astray” (v. 6). But because of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, we can have peace with God. His suffering opened the way for us to be with Him. By:  Alyson Kieda

Reflect & Pray

What aspect of Christ’s life most impacts you? How does His suffering affect you?

Precious Savior, it’s hard to express how grateful I am that You suffered, died, and rose again for me. Thank You.

For further study, read I Am the Way: The Amazing Claims of Jesus.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Saturday, March 30, 2024

Holiness or Hardness Toward God?

He…wondered that there was no intercessor… —Isaiah 59:16

The reason many of us stop praying and become hard toward God is that we only have an emotional interest in prayer. It sounds good to say that we pray, and we read books on prayer which tell us that prayer is beneficial— that our minds are quieted and our souls are uplifted when we pray. But Isaiah implied in this verse that God is amazed at such thoughts about prayer.

Worship and intercession must go together; one is impossible without the other. Intercession means raising ourselves up to the point of getting the mind of Christ regarding the person for whom we are praying (see Philippians 2:5). Instead of worshiping God, we recite speeches to God about how prayer is supposed to work. Are we worshiping God or disputing Him when we say, “But God, I just don’t see how you are going to do this”? This is a sure sign that we are not worshiping. When we lose sight of God, we become hard and dogmatic. We throw our petitions at His throne and dictate to Him what we want Him to do. We don’t worship God, nor do we seek to conform our minds to the mind of Christ. And if we are hard toward God, we will become hard toward other people.

Are we worshiping God in a way that will raise us up to where we can take hold of Him, having such intimate contact with Him that we know His mind about the ones for whom we pray? Are we living in a holy relationship with God, or have we become hard and dogmatic?

Do you find yourself thinking that there is no one interceding properly? Then be that person yourself. Be a person who worships God and lives in a holy relationship with Him. Get involved in the real work of intercession, remembering that it truly is work— work that demands all your energy, but work which has no hidden pitfalls. Preaching the gospel has its share of pitfalls, but intercessory prayer has none whatsoever.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The place for the comforter is not that of one who preaches, but of the comrade who says nothing, but prays to God about the matter. The biggest thing you can do for those who are suffering is not to talk platitudes, not to ask questions, but to get into contact with God, and the “greater works” will be done by prayer (see John 14:12–13).  Baffled to Fight Better, 56 R

Bible in a Year: Judges 9-10; Luke 5:17-39

Jeremiah 7, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: ACCURATE THINKING - March 29, 2024

Everyone has assumptions about life. Many are useful and constructive. Some assumptions, however, are toxic.  Even worse, they are contrary to the truth. A sample of unhealthy assumptions include: I’m unworthy. People abandon me. It’s all my fault. The world feels dangerous.

False assumptions create an anxiety-ridden life. God’s solution is truth. Bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 ASV). Correct faulty thinking with accurate thoughts. I matter to God. He made me, he knows me, he has a plan for my life. I’ve made mistakes, but I’m forgiven by God. I’m protected. I serve a mighty God who knows me and loves me. Suggestions for your thinking. Clean your life lens.

Jeremiah 7

The Nation That Wouldn’t Obey God

1–2  7 The Message from God to Jeremiah: “Stand in the gate of God’s Temple and preach this Message.

2–3  “Say, ‘Listen, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship God. God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel’s God, has this to say to you:

3–7  “ ‘Clean up your act—the way you live, the things you do—so I can make my home with you in this place. Don’t for a minute believe the lies being spoken here—“This is God’s Temple, God’s Temple, God’s Temple!” Total nonsense! Only if you clean up your act (the way you live, the things you do), only if you do a total spring cleaning on the way you live and treat your neighbors, only if you quit exploiting the street people and orphans and widows, no longer taking advantage of innocent people on this very site and no longer destroying your souls by using this Temple as a front for other gods—only then will I move into your neighborhood. Only then will this country I gave your ancestors be my permanent home, my Temple.

8–11  “ ‘Get smart! Your leaders are handing you a pack of lies, and you’re swallowing them! Use your heads! Do you think you can rob and murder, have sex with the neighborhood wives, tell lies nonstop, worship the local gods, and buy every novel religious commodity on the market—and then march into this Temple, set apart for my worship, and say, “We’re safe!” thinking that the place itself gives you a license to go on with all this outrageous sacrilege? A cave full of criminals! Do you think you can turn this Temple, set apart for my worship, into something like that? Well, think again. I’ve got eyes in my head. I can see what’s going on.’ ” God’s Decree!

12  “ ‘Take a trip down to the place that was once in Shiloh, where I met my people in the early days. Take a look at those ruins, what I did to it because of the evil ways of my people Israel.

13–15  “ ‘So now, because of the way you have lived and failed to listen, even though time and again I took you aside and talked seriously with you, and because you refused to change when I called you to repent, I’m going to do to this Temple, set aside for my worship, this place you think is going to keep you safe no matter what, this place I gave as a gift to your ancestors and you, the same as I did to Shiloh. And as for you, I’m going to get rid of you, the same as I got rid of those old relatives of yours around Shiloh, your fellow Israelites in that former kingdom to the north.’

16–18  “And you, Jeremiah, don’t waste your time praying for this people. Don’t offer to make petitions or intercessions. Don’t bother me with them. I’m not listening. Can’t you see what they’re doing in all the villages of Judah and in the Jerusalem streets? Why, they’ve got the children gathering wood while the fathers build fires and the mothers make bread to be offered to ‘the Queen of Heaven’! And as if that weren’t bad enough, they go around pouring out libations to any other gods they come across, just to hurt me.

19  “But is it me they’re hurting?” God’s Decree! “Aren’t they just hurting themselves? Exposing themselves shamefully? Making themselves ridiculous?

20  “Here’s what the Master God has to say: ‘My white-hot anger is about to descend on this country and everything in it—people and animals, trees in the field and vegetables in the garden—a raging wildfire that no one can put out.’

21–23  “The Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel’s God: ‘Go ahead! Put your burnt offerings with all your other sacrificial offerings and make a good meal for yourselves. I sure don’t want them! When I delivered your ancestors out of Egypt, I never said anything to them about wanting burnt offerings and sacrifices as such. But I did say this, commanded this: “Obey me. Do what I say and I will be your God and you will be my people. Live the way I tell you. Do what I command so that your lives will go well.”

24–26  “ ‘But do you think they listened? Not a word of it. They did just what they wanted to do, indulged any and every evil whim and got worse day by day. From the time your ancestors left the land of Egypt until now, I’ve supplied a steady stream of my servants the prophets, but do you think the people listened? Not once. Stubborn as mules and worse than their ancestors!’

27–28  “Tell them all this, but don’t expect them to listen. Call out to them, but don’t expect an answer. Tell them, ‘You are the nation that wouldn’t obey God, that refused all discipline. Truth has disappeared. There’s not a trace of it left in your mouths.

29  “ ‘So shave your heads.

Go bald to the hills and lament,

For God has rejected and left

this generation that has made him so angry.’

30–31  “The people of Judah have lived evil lives while I’ve stood by and watched.” God’s Decree. “In deliberate insult to me, they’ve set up their obscene god-images in the very Temple that was built to honor me. They’ve constructed Topheth altars for burning babies in prominent places all through the valley of Ben-hinnom, altars for burning their sons and daughters alive in the fire—a shocking perversion of all that I am and all I command.

32–34  “But soon, very soon”—God’s Decree!—“the names Topheth and Ben-hinnom will no longer be used. They’ll call the place what it is: Murder Meadow. Corpses will be stacked up in Topheth because there’s no room left to bury them! Corpses abandoned in the open air, fed on by crows and coyotes, who have the run of the place. And I’ll empty both smiles and laughter from the villages of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. No wedding songs, no holiday sounds. Dead silence.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Friday, March 29, 2024

Today's Scripture

1 Peter 3:13–18

If with heart and soul you’re doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you’re still better off. Don’t give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They’ll end up realizing that they’re the ones who need a bath. It’s better to suffer for doing good, if that’s what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. That’s what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others’ sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all—was put to death and then made alive—to bring us to God.

Insight

In 1 Peter 3:13-14, the apostle encourages believers in Jesus to “do good,” even if they suffer for it. Believers in Christ aren’t to fear but are to trust in God and be prepared to witness for Him. Peter reminds us that Jesus suffered unjustly and died for our sins, “the righteous for the unrighteous” (v. 18). His was a once-for-all sacrifice. Whoever believes in Him as their Savior and repents of their sins receives His forgiveness. Our salvation doesn’t guarantee we won’t suffer; today’s passage and other Scripture passages tell us something quite different. Jesus said, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18); also, “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (v. 20). And Paul tells us, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).  By: Alyson Kieda

Jesus, Our Substitute

Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18

A wealthy twenty-year-old was drag-racing with his friends when he struck and killed a pedestrian. Although the young man received a three-year prison sentence, some believe that the man who appeared in court (and who subsequently served a prison sentence) was a hired surrogate for the driver who committed the crime. This type of thing has been known to occur in some countries where people hire body doubles to avoid paying for their crimes.

This may sound scandalous and outrageous, but more than two thousand years ago, Jesus became our substitute and “suffered once for [our] sins, the righteous for the unrighteous” (1 Peter 3:18). As God’s sinless sacrifice, Christ suffered and died once and for all (Hebrews 10:10), for all who believe in Him. He took the penalty for all our sins in His own body on the cross. Unlike a person today who chooses to be a substitute for a criminal to get some cash, Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross provided “hope” for us as He freely, willingly gave His life for us (1 Peter 3:15, 18; John 10:15). He did so to bridge the chasm between us and God.

May we rejoice and find comfort and confidence in this profound truth: Only by the substitutionary death of Jesus can we—sinners in need—have a relationship with and complete spiritual access to our loving God. By:  Marvin Williams

Reflect & Pray

How has Christ’s substitutionary death changed your life? What does it mean for you to have access to God and eternal life because of Jesus' death on the cross?

Dear Jesus, thank You for dying in my place so that I might have access to God.

Learn more about having a personal relationship with God.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Friday, March 29, 2024

Our Lord’s Surprise Visits

You also be ready… —Luke 12:40

A Christian worker’s greatest need is a readiness to face Jesus Christ at any and every turn. This is not easy, no matter what our experience has been. This battle is not against sin, difficulties, or circumstances, but against being so absorbed in our service to Jesus Christ that we are not ready to face Jesus Himself at every turn. The greatest need is not facing our beliefs or doctrines, or even facing the question of whether or not we are of any use to Him, but the need is to face Him.

Jesus rarely comes where we expect Him; He appears where we least expect Him, and always in the most illogical situations. The only way a servant can remain true to God is to be ready for the Lord’s surprise visits. This readiness will not be brought about by service, but through intense spiritual reality, expecting Jesus Christ at every turn. This sense of expectation will give our life the attitude of childlike wonder He wants it to have. If we are going to be ready for Jesus Christ, we have to stop being religious. In other words, we must stop using religion as if it were some kind of a lofty lifestyle— we must be spiritually real.

If you are avoiding the call of the religious thinking of today’s world, and instead are “looking unto Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2), setting your heart on what He wants, and thinking His thoughts, you will be considered impractical and a daydreamer. But when He suddenly appears in the work of the heat of the day, you will be the only one who is ready. You should trust no one, and even ignore the finest saint on earth if he blocks your sight of Jesus Christ.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The attitude of a Christian towards the providential order in which he is placed is to recognize that God is behind it for purposes of His own.  Biblical Ethics, 99 R

Bible in a Year: Judges 7-8; Luke 5:1-16

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Friday, March 29, 2024

Good Friday - What the Jesus Movies Miss - #9710

You can always tell when Easter's on its way. All the Jesus shows start popping up on TV. And that's a good thing. I remember a few years ago there was one that was pretty good called A.D. - The Bible Continues. That's the sequel to a series called The Bible.

When that series The Bible showed the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus, it was amazing. The social media lit up with shocked viewers who were saying, "I had no idea what Jesus went through." I'm glad they got an idea. The brutalizing of Jesus was so violent that Hollywood had to make The Passion of the Christ movie R-rated. But for all the realism and all the effects that Hollywood has brought to its' portrayal of Jesus' death, there's something very important they haven't shown, because they can't.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Good Friday - What the Jesus Movies Miss."

You see, what they miss revolves around that heart-wrenching moment before Jesus breathes His last. When He cries out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken Me?" Because, you see, that was the decisive moment in the eternal mission of Jesus - the moment when God the Father abandoned the One the Bible calls "His one and only Son." Rending that holy relationship that had never been broken throughout all the ages of eternity until that horrific but holy moment when my sin forced God to turn His back on His Son so He wouldn't have to turn His back on me or on you.

I'm the rebel, the hijacker of the throne made for God to reign in my soul. I'm the one who pushed the God of 100 billion galaxies to the margins of a life that He gave me. If I harbored any illusions that I could ever get into God's heaven by doing some good things, that illusion dies at the foot of Jesus' bloody cross. That's where the price of human sin is spelled out in blood for all to see. That's what it takes to pay for a lifetime of rebellion against God.

That's why the Bible says, "The wages of sin is death." Death as in forever being cut off from a holy God, who cannot touch sin. He's the source of everything good. You see, that penalty can only be paid by me, the sinner, who earned those wages or unthinkably, by a sinless substitute, Jesus. Who in that unfathomable moment of unspeakable, soul agony was going to my hell - taking on himself all the eternal torment of a world of sinners.

It is a love I cannot comprehend. It is a love I can't resist. Those much-traveled Bible words well up in me every time I visit that cross. Like a million-voice choir in my soul, and those words are our word for today from the Word of God from John 3:16, "God so loved the world..." God loved me. "...so much that He gave His one and only Son that whoever (even me)... whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Have you ever grabbed the hand of the Savior who died for you as if you were a drowning person grabbing a lifeguard? As if He's your only hope? Because He is. The only response to that sacrifice is to say, "Jesus, I'm yours. You bought me. You've got me. Here's my life. Here's my heart. Here's the throne of my life."

If you've never done that, you tell Him today, "Jesus, I'm yours." And I would love to give you all the information you need to begin that relationship and be sure you have it. If you'll just go to our website - ANewStory.com.

You can go to His heaven because He took your hell. That Good Friday was an awful Friday. Oh, but it was such a good Friday.

Jeremiah 12, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: THE TRANQUIL SOUL - March 28, 2024

Paul gave his guilt to Jesus. As a result, Paul would later write, “…Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us up to heaven because of what Christ Jesus did for us” (Philippians 3:13-14 TLB).

What would the apostle say to the guilt-laden person? Simply this: “Rejoice in the Lord’s mercy. Trust in his ability to forgive. Cast yourself upon the grace of Christ and Christ alone.”

A happy saint is one who is, at the same time, aware of the severity of sin and the immensity of grace. The saint dwells in grace, not guilt. This is the tranquil soul.

Jeremiah 12

What Makes You Think You Can Race Against Horses?

1–4  12 You are right, O God, and you set things right.

I can’t argue with that. But I do have some questions:

Why do bad people have it so good?

Why do con artists make it big?

You planted them and they put down roots.

They flourished and produced fruit.

They talk as if they’re old friends with you,

but they couldn’t care less about you.

Meanwhile, you know me inside and out.

You don’t let me get by with a thing!

Make them pay for the way they live,

pay with their lives, like sheep marked for slaughter.

How long do we have to put up with this—

the country depressed, the farms in ruin—

And all because of wickedness, these wicked lives?

Even animals and birds are dying off

Because they’ll have nothing to do with God

and think God has nothing to do with them.

5–6  “So, Jeremiah, if you’re worn out in this footrace with men,

what makes you think you can race against horses?

And if you can’t keep your wits during times of calm,

what’s going to happen when troubles break loose

like the Jordan in flood?

Those closest to you, your own brothers and cousins,

are working against you.

They’re out to get you. They’ll stop at nothing.

Don’t trust them, especially when they’re smiling.

7–11  “I will abandon the House of Israel,

walk away from my beloved people.

I will turn over those I most love

to those who are her enemies.

She’s been, this one I held dear,

like a snarling lion in the jungle,

Growling and baring her teeth at me—

and I can’t take it anymore.

Has this one I hold dear become a preening peacock?

But isn’t she under attack by vultures?

Then invite all the hungry animals at large,

invite them in for a free meal!

Foreign, scavenging shepherds

will loot and trample my fields,

Turn my beautiful, well-cared-for fields

into vacant lots of tin cans and thistles.

They leave them littered with junk—

a ruined land, a land in lament.

The whole countryside is a wasteland,

and no one will really care.

12–13  “The barbarians will invade,

swarm over hills and plains.

The judgment sword of God will take its toll

from one end of the land to the other.

Nothing living will be safe.

They will plant wheat and reap weeds.

Nothing they do will work out.

They will look at their meager crops and wring their hands.

All this the result of God’s fierce anger!”

14–17  God’s Message: “Regarding all the bad neighbors who abused the land I gave to Israel as their inheritance: I’m going to pluck them out of their lands, and then pluck Judah out from among them. Once I’ve pulled the bad neighbors out, I will relent and take them tenderly to my heart and put them back where they belong, put each of them back in their home country, on their family farms. Then if they will get serious about living my way and pray to me as well as they taught my people to pray to that god Baal, everything will go well for them. But if they won’t listen, then I’ll pull them out of their land by the roots and cart them off to the dump. Total destruction!” God’s Decree.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Today's Scripture

John 13:3–5, 12–15, 31–35

Jesus knew that the Father had put him in complete charge of everything, that he came from God and was on his way back to God. So he got up from the supper table, set aside his robe, and put on an apron. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, drying them with his apron.

After he had finished washing their feet, he took his robe, put it back on, and went back to his place at the table.

12–17  Then he said, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as ‘Teacher’ and ‘Master,’ and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other’s feet. I’ve laid down a pattern for you. What I’ve done, you do.

A New Command

31–32  When he had left, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is seen for who he is, and God seen for who he is in him. The moment God is seen in him, God’s glory will be on display. In glorifying him, he himself is glorified—glory all around!

33  “Children, I am with you for only a short time longer. You are going to look high and low for me. But just as I told the Jews, I’m telling you: ‘Where I go, you are not able to come.’

34–35  “Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”

Insight

What does it mean that Jesus gave a “new” command to love (John 13:34)? A command to love was already central in Jewish faith (Leviticus 19:18). But what seems “new” is to love “as I have loved you” (John 13:34). Through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, the disciples would be given a new example of self-giving love that should shape their lives. But far more than just an example, Jesus would also give them the ability to love this way. Through the gift of Christ’s Spirit, they could experience and share the love Jesus shared with the Father (17:22-24). By: Monica La Rose

A New Command to Love

A new command I give you: Love one another. John 13:34

In a tradition starting as early as the thirteenth century, members of the royal family in the United Kingdom give gifts to people in need on Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday. The practice is rooted in the meaning of the word maundy, which comes from the Latin mandatum, “command.” The command being commemorated is the new one that Jesus gave to His friends on the night before He died: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34).

Jesus was a leader who took on the role of a servant as He washed His friends’ feet (v. 5). He then called them to do the same: “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (v. 15). And in an even greater act of sacrifice, He lay down His life, dying on the cross (19:30). Out of mercy and love, He gave Himself that we might enjoy the fullness of life.

The tradition of the British royal family serving people in need continues as a symbol of following Jesus’ great example. We may not have been born into a place of privilege, but when we place our faith in Jesus, we become members of His family. And we too can show our love by living out His new command. As we depend on God’s Spirit to change us from within, we can reach out to others with care, affirmation, and grace. By:  Amy Boucher Pye

Reflect & Pray

How have you observed or embodied servant leadership? In what ways could you “love one another” today?

My great Savior, what a gift of love You give! Thank You for being the ultimate Servant, laying down Your life for me.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Isn’t There Some Misunderstanding?

"Let us go to Judea again." The disciples said to Him, "…are You going there again?" —John 11:7-8

Just because I don’t understand what Jesus Christ says, I have no right to determine that He must be mistaken in what He says. That is a dangerous view, and it is never right to think that my obedience to God’s directive will bring dishonor to Jesus. The only thing that will bring dishonor is not obeying Him. To put my view of His honor ahead of what He is plainly guiding me to do is never right, even though it may come from a real desire to prevent Him from being put to an open shame. I know when the instructions have come from God because of their quiet persistence. But when I begin to weigh the pros and cons, and doubt and debate enter into my mind, I am bringing in an element that is not of God. This will only result in my concluding that His instructions to me were not right. Many of us are faithful to our ideas about Jesus Christ, but how many of us are faithful to Jesus Himself? Faithfulness to Jesus means that I must step out even when and where I can’t see anything (see Matthew 14:29). But faithfulness to my own ideas means that I first clear the way mentally. Faith, however, is not intellectual understanding; faith is a deliberate commitment to the Person of Jesus Christ, even when I can’t see the way ahead.

Are you debating whether you should take a step of faith in Jesus, or whether you should wait until you can clearly see how to do what He has asked? Simply obey Him with unrestrained joy. When He tells you something and you begin to debate, it is because you have a misunderstanding of what honors Him and what doesn’t. Are you faithful to Jesus, or faithful to your ideas about Him? Are you faithful to what He says, or are you trying to compromise His words with thoughts that never came from Him? “Whatever He says to you, do it” (John 2:5).

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The great point of Abraham’s faith in God was that he was prepared to do anything for God.  Not Knowing Whither, 903 R

Bible in a Year: Judges 4-6; Luke 4:31-44

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Thursday, March 28, 2024

A Tragic Collapse, An Empty Grave - #9709

It started with an almost unthinkable radio transmission to an emergency number.

"The entire Key Bridge has fallen into the harbor."

Unbelievable, I mean, and then the video - like something from a sci-fi movie. One minute the heavily-traveled Outer Harbor Bridge in Baltimore, stood there majestically. The next minute it was gone, in pieces in the river. And then the deep sadness of knowing the workers on the bridge had gone with it.

As I awoke to that heartbreaking scene on the news, I immediately had two reactions.

One was to go to God for all the people who were hurt, or lost, or missing, grieving, or helping. Because He is, as the Bible says, "The God of all comfort and the Father of all compassion" (2 Corinthians 1:3).

My second thought was, "The 'always be there' things in our life are like that bridge aren't they can be there one minute, then so suddenly be gone." That collapsing bridge, I thought, is a picture of what happens in so many grieving hearts.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You about "A Tragic Collapse, and an Empty Grave."

You know each day, all around us, people watch a piece of their life infrastructure crumble before their eyes. That marriage that was supposed to bring so much happiness, not so much pain. The future that is suddenly threatened by health issues that may change everything. The plans that just blew up... the relationship on the rocks... the child in trouble... the return of a ghost from the past.

The Bible bluntly calls out how insecure our security really is. In Job it says, "What they trust in is fragile; what they rely on is a spider's web. They lean on the web, but it gives way" (Job 8:14-15).

A fire. A tornado. A drunk driver crossing the line. A heart attack. It can collapse in a moment.

Like the day I suddenly lost the love of my life. The day before was filled with the joy of our first grandchild's graduation. My Karen was so alive. The next afternoon, she was gone. My mirror, my cheerleader, my wise counselor, my very best friend - a lot came crashing down that day. One thing did not.

In one of Jesus' many parables, He tells about two houses - one built on sand, one on rock. It's our word for the day from the Word of God, from Luke 6:48-49. He said they both look good until a violent storm comes. And then He described, when it hits the house "without a foundation" the verse says "the floods sweep down against that house, and it will collapse in a heap of ruins." Jesus goes on to say, "But when the floodwaters break against the house with its "foundation on solid rock... it stands firm because it is well built" (Luke 6:48-49).

The storms, the crashes, the collapses, they're actually reminders that we were never meant to build everything on life's shifting sand. We need the "solid rock."

And God reveals where our restless, fearful hearts can find it. In the words of Scripture, "He has planted eternity in the human heart" (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

We're created for something that's indestructible. That lasts forever.

Which is why so many searching hearts turn to Jesus. Because He put a transforming word in front of the word "life." The word "eternal." The Bible tells us "that God has given us eternal life, quote, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son, has life!" (1 John 5:11-12).

There's only one Man who can give us unshakable, unlosable life - the one Man who proved He has it. Of the estimated 100 billion people who have lived on this planet, only one has ever walked out of His grave under His own power. And that's Jesus. The One who, on Good Friday, loved me so much that He poured out His life on a cross to pay for the sin that had cut me off from God.

On a dark May day, I lost the love of my life. But not the One who loves me most. And who promises, "Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5).

Unending life. Unlosable love. Finally, the eternity hole in my heart filled by the One it was made for.

This is the glory of Easter. For when the Savior who walked out of His grave walks into your life, something transforming happens.

You're safe. Forever.