Genesis 36 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: She Called Me Daddy

When my daughter Sara was in the second grade, we took her desk hunting at a store that specializes in unpainted furniture. But when she learned we weren't taking the desk home that day, she was upset. "But, Daddy, I wanted to take it home today." Much to her credit, she didn't stomp her feet and demand her way. She did, however, set out on an urgent course to change her father's mind.

"Daddy, don't you think we could paint it ourselves?" "Daddy, please, let's take it home today." After a bit she disappeared, only to return, arms open wide, bubbling with a discovery. "Guess what, Daddy.  It'll fit in the back of the car!" The fact that she'd measured the trunk with her arms softened my heart.  The clincher, though, was the name she called me… Daddy.  The Lucado family took a desk home that day.

From Dad Time

Genesis 36

Esau’s Descendants

This is the account of the family line of Esau (that is, Edom).

2 Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite— 3 also Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.

4 Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel, 5 and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam and Korah. These were the sons of Esau, who were born to him in Canaan.

6 Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the members of his household, as well as his livestock and all his other animals and all the goods he had acquired in Canaan, and moved to a land some distance from his brother Jacob. 7 Their possessions were too great for them to remain together; the land where they were staying could not support them both because of their livestock. 8 So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the hill country of Seir.

9 This is the account of the family line of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir.

10 These are the names of Esau’s sons:

Eliphaz, the son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel, the son of Esau’s wife Basemath.

11 The sons of Eliphaz:

Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam and Kenaz.

12 Esau’s son Eliphaz also had a concubine named Timna, who bore him Amalek. These were grandsons of Esau’s wife Adah.

13 The sons of Reuel:

Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath.

14 The sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon, whom she bore to Esau:

Jeush, Jalam and Korah.

15 These were the chiefs among Esau’s descendants:

The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau:

Chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, 16 Korah,[a] Gatam and Amalek. These were the chiefs descended from Eliphaz in Edom; they were grandsons of Adah.

17 The sons of Esau’s son Reuel:

Chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were the chiefs descended from Reuel in Edom; they were grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath.

18 The sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah:

Chiefs Jeush, Jalam and Korah. These were the chiefs descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah.

19 These were the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and these were their chiefs.

20 These were the sons of Seir the Horite, who were living in the region:

Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21 Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These sons of Seir in Edom were Horite chiefs.

22 The sons of Lotan:

Hori and Homam.[b] Timna was Lotan’s sister.

23 The sons of Shobal:

Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho and Onam.

24 The sons of Zibeon:

Aiah and Anah. This is the Anah who discovered the hot springs[c] in the desert while he was grazing the donkeys of his father Zibeon.

25 The children of Anah:

Dishon and Oholibamah daughter of Anah.

26 The sons of Dishon[d]:

Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran and Keran.

27 The sons of Ezer:

Bilhan, Zaavan and Akan.

28 The sons of Dishan:

Uz and Aran.

29 These were the Horite chiefs:

Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 30 Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These were the Horite chiefs, according to their divisions, in the land of Seir.

The Rulers of Edom

31 These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned:

32 Bela son of Beor became king of Edom. His city was named Dinhabah.

33 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah succeeded him as king.

34 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites succeeded him as king.

35 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, succeeded him as king. His city was named Avith.

36 When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah succeeded him as king.

37 When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the river succeeded him as king.

38 When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Akbor succeeded him as king.

39 When Baal-Hanan son of Akbor died, Hadad[e] succeeded him as king. His city was named Pau, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab.

40 These were the chiefs descended from Esau, by name, according to their clans and regions:

Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 41 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 43 Magdiel and Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements in the land they occupied.

This is the family line of Esau, the father of the Edomites.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion 

Read: Psalm 46

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth.[b] A song.

God is our refuge and strength,

    an ever-present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3 though its waters roar and foam

    and the mountains quake with their surging.[c]

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

    the holy place where the Most High dwells.

5 God is within her, she will not fall;

    God will help her at break of day.

6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;

    he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7 The Lord Almighty is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

8 Come and see what the Lord has done,

    the desolations he has brought on the earth.

9 He makes wars cease

    to the ends of the earth.

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

    he burns the shields[d] with fire.

10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

    I will be exalted among the nations,

    I will be exalted in the earth.”

11 The Lord Almighty is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Footnotes:

Psalm 46:1 In Hebrew texts 46:1-11 is numbered 46:2-12.

Psalm 46:1 Title: Probably a musical term

Psalm 46:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 7 and 11.

Psalm 46:9 Or chariots

Insight

Psalm 46 celebrates God as the supreme defender of His people. This particular psalm inspired Martin Luther to write: “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing. For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; his craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal.”

Roadside Assistance

By Joe Stowell

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. —Psalm 46:1

An acquaintance of mine was hunting with friends near Balmoral, the country estate of the queen of England. As they walked, he twisted his ankle so badly that he couldn’t go on, so he told his friends to continue and he would wait by the side of the road.

As he sat there, a car came down the road, slowed, and stopped. The woman driving rolled the window down and asked if he was okay. He explained and said he was waiting for his friends to return. She said, “Get in; I’ll take you back to where you are staying.” He limped to the car and opened the door only to realize that it was Queen Elizabeth!

As shocking as receiving help from the queen of England may be, we have an offer of help that is even more astounding. The Creator-God of the universe descends into our world, sees our trouble, and offers to marshal His resources to help us. As the psalmist confidently affirms, “God is . . . a very present help in trouble” (Ps. 46:1). Our Savior helps by giving us grace to endure, His Word to sustain us, friends to encourage and pray for us, and the confidence that He will ultimately work it all together for our spiritual good.

Next time you feel stranded along life’s road, look for your Helper.

Lord, I’m thankful that when I experience trouble

You are waiting and wanting to help. Teach

me to look to You and to rest in Your kind and

loving care until You deliver me safely home.

Rejoice! Your God is a helping King!

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Drawing on the Grace of God— Now

We . . . plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain —2 Corinthians 6:1

The grace you had yesterday will not be sufficient for today. Grace is the overflowing favor of God, and you can always count on it being available to draw upon as needed. “. . . in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses”— that is where our patience is tested (2 Corinthians 6:4). Are you failing to rely on the grace of God there? Are you saying to yourself, “Oh well, I won’t count this time”? It is not a question of praying and asking God to help you— it is taking the grace of God now. We tend to make prayer the preparation for our service, yet it is never that in the Bible. Prayer is the practice of drawing on the grace of God. Don’t say, “I will endure this until I can get away and pray.” Pray now — draw on the grace of God in your moment of need. Prayer is the most normal and useful thing; it is not simply a reflex action of your devotion to God. We are very slow to learn to draw on God’s grace through prayer.

“. . . in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors . . .” (2 Corinthians 6:5)— in all these things, display in your life a drawing on the grace of God, which will show evidence to yourself and to others that you are a miracle of His. Draw on His grace now, not later. The primary word in the spiritual vocabulary is now. Let circumstances take you where they will, but keep drawing on the grace of God in whatever condition you may find yourself. One of the greatest proofs that you are drawing on the grace of God is that you can be totally humiliated before others without displaying even the slightest trace of anything but His grace.

“. . . having nothing . . . .” Never hold anything in reserve. Pour yourself out, giving the best that you have, and always be poor. Never be diplomatic and careful with the treasure God gives you. “. . . and yet possessing all things”— this is poverty triumphant (2 Corinthians 6:10).

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Close Because You Can't - #7164

Thursday, June 26, 2014

In his senior year, our son got a dog; a little shih tzu named Missy. Now our son went off to college and the dog stayed with us. So in the midst of our wall-to-wall schedules, we got to take care of Missy, too. Now, she was a fun dog, I have to admit that. She was smart, responsive, and she also needed food and water, and walking, etc. Now, I know a dog is man's best friend. In this case, Aunt Vicky, my wife's sister, was this dog's best friend. She was so faithful in caring for Missy's needs; especially when my wife and I were traveling or gone early or late.

Now, this dog greeted any of us who came in with enthusiasm. But it was usually on a scale of excitement that was roughly proportionate to the percentage of care she received from that person. Now, I got the dog equivalent of "Hi!" My wife got "Great to see you!" And Vicky, "Whoa! Jumping up and down dog, laughing, hugging (or the dog's equivalent)." This dog was not a dummy. She knew that it was time to eat, time to walk, time to play, anytime Vicky walked in. And she knew she couldn't get her own dog food! That's one thing the dog had figured out, "It's easy to be excited about the person who makes sure you're always cared for."

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Close Because You Can't."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Psalm 37, verse 3. David says, "Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture." Now, this is written by a former shepherd, and he's giving shepherd imagery here; describing a life of living by faith as the sheep is totally dependant on the shepherd. Verses 4-5, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." This talks about enjoying the Lord and His taking care of you. Then it says, "Commit your way to the Lord. Trust in Him and He will do this."

David's talking about turning over what this day holds to the Lord. When he talks about "commit your way to the Lord", for me that means my date book, my to do list for today, my contacts, the places I'm going today, the people I'll be around. And the bottom line of this lifestyle is Psalm 37:25, "I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread." This is a man who's excited about his Lord. You know why? The same reason Missy is excited about Aunt Vicky. David knows who his primary care giver is.

Which leads us to something that just hit me the other day. Those who must live by faith are the ones who live closest to the heart of God. Did you notice I said, "must live by faith"? Because we seldom choose to do that. We always try to live by what we can see. Faith is kind of our last option. So we depend on things like paychecks, family, doctors, plans, retirement funds, savings, etc.

But into the life of every child of God comes challenges that leave us no one to lean on but Jesus. Maybe you're there right now; no option but to live by faith; totally dependent on what God is going to do each new day. It's got to be God or it isn't going to be. Do you know that's the most secure place you can live? Missy couldn't get her own food and water, and if she ever did I would let everybody know. No, she was totally dependent on someone else. She felt close to the person who did for her what she couldn't do for herself; who was always there to meet her needs. She was excited about her primary care giver.

Maybe the Lord has you facing a situation where the most realistic evaluation is, "I can't." Well, good! You're at the point where a person touches the love and power of God as nowhere else. The people who know God the best are those who have to depend on Him the most. Our need drives us deep into the heart and resources of a living God; the most secure, most excited place you can be. In essence, you get close to God because there's something you can't handle without Him.

So don't be afraid of a situation that creates total dependency on the Lord Jesus. Welcome! You'll never know Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you've got.

Matthew 20:17-34, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Our Ability to Hear

When our daughter Jenna was five years old, I took her to get a bike. And Andrea, age three, decided she wanted one as well. I explained to her she was too young for a two-wheeler. That when she was older she would get a bike too. No luck. She still wanted a bike. She turned her head and said nothing. Finally I sighed and said this time her daddy knew best.

Her response?  She screamed it loud enough for everyone in the store to hear…“Then I want a new daddy!” Andrea, with three-year-old reasoning powers, couldn’t believe that a new bike would be anything less than ideal for her. And the one to grant that bliss was sitting on his hands.

If you’ve heard the silence of God, you may learn that the problem is not as much in God’s silence as it is in your ability to hear and your capacity to understand!

From Dad Time

Matthew 20:17-34

Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time

17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18 “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”

A Mother’s Request

20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

21 “What is it you want?” he asked.

She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

“We can,” they answered.

23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Two Blind Men Receive Sight

29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

32 Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

33 “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”

34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: 1 Samuel 24:1-10

David Spares Saul’s Life

After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.” 2 So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats.

3 He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. 4 The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said[b] to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.

5 Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. 6 He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” 7 With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.

8 Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. 9 He said to Saul, “Why do you listen when men say, ‘David is bent on harming you’? 10 This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on my lord, because he is the Lord’s anointed.’

Footnotes:

1 Samuel 24:1 In Hebrew texts 24:1-22 is numbered 24:2-23.

1 Samuel 24:4 Or “Today the Lord is saying

Wisdom From Above

By Jennifer Benson Schuldt

The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable. —James 3:17

If Kiera Wilmot had performed her experiment during her high school science class, it might have earned her an A. But instead she was charged with causing an explosion. Although she had planned to have her teacher approve the experiment, her classmates persuaded her to perform it outside the classroom. When she mixed chemicals inside a plastic bottle, it exploded and she unintentionally unsettled some fellow students.

The Old Testament tells the story of another case of peer pressure. David and his men were hiding from Saul in a cave when Saul entered (1 Sam. 24). David’s companions suggested that God had delivered Saul to them, and they urged David to kill him (vv.4,10). If David killed Saul, they thought they could stop hiding and David could become king. But David refused to harm Saul because he was “the Lord’s anointed” (v.6).

People in our lives may sometimes suggest we do what seems most gratifying or practical in the moment. But there is a difference between worldly and spiritual wisdom (1 Cor. 2:6-7). Wisdom from above “is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy” (James 3:17). When others are urging us to take a certain course of action, we can invite God to influence our response.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Hold o’er my being absolute sway!

Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see

Christ only, always, living in me. —Pollard

One is truly wise who gains his wisdom from above.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Monday, June 23, 2014

Receiving Yourself in the Fires of Sorrow

. . . what shall I say? ’Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. ’Father, glorify Your name’ —John 12:27-28

As a saint of God, my attitude toward sorrow and difficulty should not be to ask that they be prevented, but to ask that God protect me so that I may remain what He created me to be, in spite of all my fires of sorrow. Our Lord received Himself, accepting His position and realizing His purpose, in the midst of the fire of sorrow. He was saved not from the hour, but out of the hour.

We say that there ought to be no sorrow, but there is sorrow, and we have to accept and receive ourselves in its fires. If we try to evade sorrow, refusing to deal with it, we are foolish. Sorrow is one of the biggest facts in life, and there is no use in saying it should not be. Sin, sorrow, and suffering are, and it is not for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them.

Sorrow removes a great deal of a person’s shallowness, but it does not always make that person better. Suffering either gives me to myself or it destroys me. You cannot find or receive yourself through success, because you lose your head over pride. And you cannot receive yourself through the monotony of your daily life, because you give in to complaining. The only way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrow. Why it should be this way is immaterial. The fact is that it is true in the Scriptures and in human experience. You can always recognize who has been through the fires of sorrow and received himself, and you know that you can go to him in your moment of trouble and find that he has plenty of time for you. But if a person has not been through the fires of sorrow, he is apt to be contemptuous, having no respect or time for you, only turning you away. If you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people.

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Buzzard Vision - #7163

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

I have a pastor friend who lives in a beautiful spot in the country. And he sees things there that I couldn't see where I lived for many years in an urban area. Like the bird life there was pretty much limited to sparrows, and there were a few rowdy crows, an occasional robin or blue jay. Oh, yeah, and then the parrot in our kitchen. But my friend, he was able to see and still is, all of those things with one of the classiest birds around-the hummingbird. You've seen them probably doing their amazing hovering thing and flying from one flower to the next. And they're always attracted to the most beautiful things in the yard. Now, my friend also gets to see one of the un-classiest birds around too-the buzzard. I mean, here's this amazing contrast. You've got the hummingbird and the buzzard flying over the same ground. But the hummingbird sees the meadow; the buzzard sees the carnage.

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

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from the book of Lamentations, written by the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah, and really written out of a broken heart. His country is devastated, his personal life is devastated, and he talks about his feelings in chapter 3, verses 19-20. He says, "I remember my affliction and my wandering. I remember the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them. And my soul is downcast within me." We're talking about a depressed prophet here. And he's thinking about all of the negatives and the pain and the failures. Folks, that's buzzard vision! Looking at the ugly, looking at what's dying, or looking at what's dead.

But then he turns a corner in verse 21. He says this: "Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope." He's going from downcast to hope. What's making the difference? "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.'"

What a change here! Jeremiah starts looking at the hope factors instead of the hurt factors. Now, has the situation changed? No. But his focus is about to, because he talks first of all about the margin of difference when times are tough. He says, "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed." He is suddenly deciding to focus on the Lord's great love.

Then he talks about the Lord's compassions that are new every morning. Those compassions, I think, are like specific, customized actions of love from God that are in each 24-hour period of time. And you'll see them if you'll look for "God sightings" every day. They're God's little interventions; big interventions. And Jeremiah has decided to look at those instead. And because they're new every morning, God never misses a day. There's always some to see. He always supplies us with mercies for what this day will need. "Great is Your faithfulness" he says.

It's like that suffering saint one time said, "Jesus is enough." Now, he has just moved from buzzard vision, focusing on the carnage, to hummingbird vision, focusing on the beautiful - the evidences of God's love. Are you doing that? Maybe you've been dwelling on the pain, you've been kind of falling into the identity of being a victim. Maybe the monster of self-pity is consuming you. You've been focusing on your failures and building this wave of self-doubt and paralysis.

It's only Satan who focuses on the past, because it can't be changed. God points to the future that has yet to be written. Aren't you tired of just seeing the carnage, the ugly, the hurting, the negative? Why don't you choose to focus on what you can thank God for each morning? Look for His love. Review His interventions and His blessings and you'll feel wind start to rise under your wings instead of weights growing on them pulling you down. It's a daily, hourly choice. You decide what you want to focus on as you fly over today's ground.

And don't be a buzzard. Go for hummingbird vision. Look for the beauty. "His compassions never fail. Great is His faithfulness."

Genesis 35, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: A Song for Dad

Psalm 127:3 says:  “Don’t you see that children are God’s best gift?  . . .His generous legacy?”

I remember many years ago when I was at a conference. I called home and talked with Denalyn and the girls. Jenna was about five years old at the time and said she had a special treat for me.  She took the phone over to the piano and began to play an original composition.

From a musical standpoint, everything was wrong with the song. She pounded more than she played. There was more random than rhythm in the piece. The lyrics didn’t rhyme. The syntax was sinful. Technically the song was a failure. But to me, the song was a masterpiece. Why? Because she wrote it for me.

You are a great daddy. I miss you so much.

When you’re away I’m very sad and I cry.

Please come home very soon.

What dad wouldn’t like that? Your heavenly Father feels the same when he hears you talk to him.

From Dad Time

Genesis 35

Jacob Returns to Bethel

Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.”

2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. 3 Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem. 5 Then they set out, and the terror of God fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.

6 Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. 7 There he built an altar, and he called the place El Bethel,[h] because it was there that God revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother.

8 Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak outside Bethel. So it was named Allon Bakuth.[i]

9 After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram,[j] God appeared to him again and blessed him. 10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob,[k] but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.[l]” So he named him Israel.

11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty[m]; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants. 12 The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.” 13 Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him.

14 Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. 15 Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.[n]

The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac

16 Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and had great difficulty. 17 And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife said to her, “Don’t despair, for you have another son.” 18 As she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named her son Ben-Oni.[o] But his father named him Benjamin.[p]

19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20 Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel’s tomb.

21 Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. 22 While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it.

Jacob had twelve sons:

23 The sons of Leah:

Reuben the firstborn of Jacob,

Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun.

24 The sons of Rachel:

Joseph and Benjamin.

25 The sons of Rachel’s servant Bilhah:

Dan and Naphtali.

26 The sons of Leah’s servant Zilpah:

Gad and Asher.

These were the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan Aram.

27 Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre, near Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. 28 Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years. 29 Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Genesis 35:8 Allon Bakuth means oak of weeping.

Genesis 35:9 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia; also in verse 26

Genesis 35:10 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he deceives.

Genesis 35:10 Israel probably means he struggles with God.

Genesis 35:11 Hebrew El-Shaddai

Genesis 35:15 Bethel means house of God.

Genesis 35:18 Ben-Oni means son of my trouble.

Genesis 35:18 Benjamin means son of my right hand.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: Romans 6:1-14

Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

Footnotes:

Romans 6:6 Or be rendered powerless

Insight

In verse 1, the apostle Paul reminds us of the danger of presuming on the grace of God. It is possible that there were those in the church at Rome who were advocating an immoral lifestyle, believing that God overlooked such things because that is how grace operated. Such a view, however, fails to balance the grace of God with His holiness and can lead to lives that dishonor Him.

Veins Of Gold

By Julie Ackerman Link

If we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection. —Romans 6:5

While visiting the charming Cotswold area of England, I purchased some bone china mugs as souvenirs. I used them carefully, but eventually one fell into the sink and shattered. I thought about that mug recently when I learned about the Japanese art of Kintsugi.

Usually when something breaks we are happy to repair it enough to make it functional again. But several hundred years ago, a Japanese artist decided he would make broken china beautiful. So he started using golden resin to hold the fragments together. Pieces repaired by using his method have intricate veins of gold.

Early in the human story, sin entered the world (Gen. 3). Theologians refer to the event as “the fall.” The inevitable result is brokenness. Life is painful because we keep getting hurt and hurting others with our sharp, jagged edges. But God doesn’t want us to stay broken, and His repair work turns our brokenness into beauty.

Like a Kintsugi artist, God repairs us. But He uses something more precious than gold—the blood of His Son. Instead of having veins of gold, we are united by the very veins of Christ. “We have been united together in the likeness of His death” (Rom. 6:5). Nothing is more beautiful than that.

He shed His blood, poured out His life;

He gave His all at Calvary;

Oh what can we give in return

For love so rich, so full, so free? —Anon.

The price of our freedom from sin was paid by Jesus’ blood.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Monday, June 23, 2014

Reconciling Yourself to the Fact of Sin

This is your hour, and the power of darkness —Luke 22:53

Not being reconciled to the fact of sin— not recognizing it and refusing to deal with it— produces all the disasters in life. You may talk about the lofty virtues of human nature, but there is something in human nature that will mockingly laugh in the face of every principle you have. If you refuse to agree with the fact that there is wickedness and selfishness, something downright hateful and wrong, in human beings, when it attacks your life, instead of reconciling yourself to it, you will compromise with it and say that it is of no use to battle against it. Have you taken this “hour, and the power of darkness” into account, or do you have a view of yourself which includes no recognition of sin whatsoever? In your human relationships and friendships, have you reconciled yourself to the fact of sin? If not, just around the next corner you will find yourself trapped and you will compromise with it. But if you will reconcile yourself to the fact of sin, you will realize the danger immediately and say, “Yes, I see what this sin would mean.” The recognition of sin does not destroy the basis of friendship— it simply establishes a mutual respect for the fact that the basis of sinful life is disastrous. Always beware of any assessment of life which does not recognize the fact that there is sin.

Jesus Christ never trusted human nature, yet He was never cynical nor suspicious, because He had absolute trust in what He could do for human nature. The pure man or woman is the one who is shielded from harm, not the innocent person. The so-called innocent man or woman is never safe. Men and women have no business trying to be innocent; God demands that they be pure and virtuous. Innocence is the characteristic of a child. Any person is deserving of blame if he is unwilling to reconcile himself to the fact of sin.

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

When Your Checkbook Doesn't Balance - #7162

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Look, it's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it. And the bank does their part; they send you that photocopy of all the checks that you've written in the last month. And you get to compare those with what you've recorded in your checkbook. Don't you look forward to doing that? You get to participate in the necessary evil called balancing your checkbook.

Sometimes you can kick back and say, "Yep, it all adds up." But I remember a few times when it didn't. How about you? This is why I may not have as much hair as I used to. While you're pulling out your hair, you're thinking, "I'm spending an awful lot!" One college student said, "Hey, I must still have money, I still have checks!" Well, fortunately it's never been that bad for me, but I'll tell you this, "You dare not rest until your checkbook tells you exactly where you are and gives you the accurate picture."

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When Your Checkbook Doesn't Balance."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew chapter 6, and we'll begin at verse 19. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy; where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Let me give you kind of an up-to-date version of what I think Jesus is saying here. "Show Me your checkbook, and I'll show you your heart." See, your checkbook is a history of your life. Did you ever think of it that way? If you went back over all the checks you've ever written in your lifetime, it's kind of like there's your life. Maybe you wrote a check for your wedding expenses one day, or the funeral home when you lost a loved one, or to the doctor when you had a baby or an illness.

There have been a lot of checks to the bank where you paid for that house that was your dream. Remember? Or for new clothes, or all those charges you built up-and most of that stuff is interest-new toys, your possessions, your vacations. You see, your checkbook is the history of your life. It's also a history of your heart. That's what Jesus was saying. He says your checkbook shows where your real love is; much more than saying your theology does.

So how does God say He finds out what's in our heart? Well, not by your vocabulary; not by your date book saying, "If you're really busy doing Christian things." Not by your reputation or asking all the other Christian folks. No, He says, "Show Me your checkbook." See where you're spending the biggest share of what you have. It tells you where your heart is. And for the most part, we're spending it on earth stuff. That's like putting your valuables on the Titanic. This planet, this world system is going down. Would you put your valuables on the Titanic?

See, some look at the unarguable evidence of their checkbook and finally they go, "You know what? This is out-of-balance. Not mathematically, but eternally. I'm spending way too much on earth stuff." What we spend on interest, what we spend on luxuries alone could probably pay for most of the ministry needs you've heard of in the world today.

The fact is, most of our checkbook entries point to ourselves; spending on me, spending on earth stuff. Isn't it time we balanced our checkbook in line with what will last; steadily decreasing the percentage we spend on our kingdom, and steadily increasing the amount we spend on Christ's forever kingdom?

Jesus is saying, "If I don't have your treasures, I don't have your heart." Your life could be so much more significant and so much more satisfying if you would just balance your checkbook with heaven in mind.

Genesis 34 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: What Pleases a Father

When our daughters were young, Denalyn went away for a couple of days and left me alone with the girls. Though the time was not without the typical children’s quarrels and occasional misbehavior, it went fine.

“How were the girls?” Denalyn asked when she got home. “Good. No problem at all.” Jenna overheard me. “We weren’t good, Daddy,” she objected. “We fought once; we didn’t do what you said once. We weren’t good.”

Jenna and I had different perceptions of what pleases a father. She thought it depended on what she did. It didn’t. We think the same about God. We think His love rises and falls with our performance. It doesn’t. I didn’t love Jenna for what she did. I loved her—and love her still—for whose she is. She’s mine. God loves you for the same reason. He loves you for whose you are; and you are His child!

From Dad Time

Genesis 34

Dinah and the Shechemites

Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. 2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and raped her. 3 His heart was drawn to Dinah daughter of Jacob; he loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. 4 And Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me this girl as my wife.”

5 When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled, his sons were in the fields with his livestock; so he did nothing about it until they came home.

6 Then Shechem’s father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob. 7 Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked and furious, because Shechem had done an outrageous thing in[e] Israel by sleeping with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done.

8 But Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife. 9 Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves. 10 You can settle among us; the land is open to you. Live in it, trade[f] in it, and acquire property in it.”

11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and I will give you whatever you ask. 12 Make the price for the bride and the gift I am to bring as great as you like, and I’ll pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the young woman as my wife.”

13 Because their sister Dinah had been defiled, Jacob’s sons replied deceitfully as they spoke to Shechem and his father Hamor. 14 They said to them, “We can’t do such a thing; we can’t give our sister to a man who is not circumcised. That would be a disgrace to us. 15 We will enter into an agreement with you on one condition only: that you become like us by circumcising all your males. 16 Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves. We’ll settle among you and become one people with you. 17 But if you will not agree to be circumcised, we’ll take our sister and go.”

18 Their proposal seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. 19 The young man, who was the most honored of all his father’s family, lost no time in doing what they said, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter. 20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city to speak to the men of their city. 21 “These men are friendly toward us,” they said. “Let them live in our land and trade in it; the land has plenty of room for them. We can marry their daughters and they can marry ours. 22 But the men will agree to live with us as one people only on the condition that our males be circumcised, as they themselves are. 23 Won’t their livestock, their property and all their other animals become ours? So let us agree to their terms, and they will settle among us.”

24 All the men who went out of the city gate agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male in the city was circumcised.

25 Three days later, while all of them were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male. 26 They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword and took Dinah from Shechem’s house and left. 27 The sons of Jacob came upon the dead bodies and looted the city where[g] their sister had been defiled. 28 They seized their flocks and herds and donkeys and everything else of theirs in the city and out in the fields. 29 They carried off all their wealth and all their women and children, taking as plunder everything in the houses.

30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me obnoxious to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”

31 But they replied, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read Colossians 3:8-17

But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Insight

Today’s reading reminds us of two influences in our lives (vv.9-10). One is “the old man,” that is, the person we were before trusting Christ. The other is “the new man” who is becoming more like Christ. We are to “put off” the behavior patterns of our old ways and “put on” the new character qualities of Christ.

Restored By The Master

By David C. McCasland

[You] have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him. —Colossians 3:10

Over the centuries, many attempts have been made to restore damaged and time-worn masterpieces of art. While some of these efforts have skillfully preserved the original work of artists, others have actually damaged many works of genius, including ancient Greek statues and at least two paintings by da Vinci.

In Paul’s letter to the Christians at Colosse, he described a restoration process that is impossible in the world of art. It’s a restoration of God’s people. Paul wrote, “You have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him” (Col. 3:9-10). This is no attempt at renovating the work of a deceased artist. It is a spiritual renewal from the living God who created us and gave us new life in His Son, Jesus Christ. His forgiveness brightens the colors of our lives while His grace sharpens the lines of His purpose for us.

The canvas of our lives is in the skilled hands of our Lord who knows who and what He designed us to be. No matter how sin-damaged and dirty we may be, there is hope for renewal and restoration. The Master Artist is alive and at work within us.

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven,

To His feet thy tribute bring;

Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,

Evermore His praises sing. —Lyte

Jesus specializes in restoration.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Monday, June 23, 2014

He is . . . a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief —Isaiah 53:3

We are not “acquainted with grief” in the same way our Lord was acquainted with it. We endure it and live through it, but we do not become intimate with it. At the beginning of our lives we do not bring ourselves to the point of dealing with the reality of sin. We look at life through the eyes of reason and say that if a person will control his instincts, and educate himself, he can produce a life that will slowly evolve into the life of God. But as we continue on through life, we find the presence of something which we have not yet taken into account, namely, sin— and it upsets all of our thinking and our plans. Sin has made the foundation of our thinking unpredictable, uncontrollable, and irrational.

We have to recognize that sin is a fact of life, not just a shortcoming. Sin is blatant mutiny against God, and either sin or God must die in my life. The New Testament brings us right down to this one issue— if sin rules in me, God’s life in me will be killed; if God rules in me, sin in me will be killed. There is nothing more fundamental than that. The culmination of sin was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and what was true in the history of God on earth will also be true in your history and in mine— that is, sin will kill the life of God in us. We must mentally bring ourselves to terms with this fact of sin. It is the only explanation why Jesus Christ came to earth, and it is the explanation of the grief and sorrow of life.

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Pursued By Love - #7161

Monday, June 23, 2014

If you want to ask me the five greatest victories in my life, I'm not sure I can tell you what two, three, four or five would be. But I could sure tell you what number one would be - my wife! See, she wasn't an easy conquest. She was dating this other guy, and I was after her long before she had any romantic thoughts about me. So I really had to work on this one. And I knew it would require almost a military campaign. So I plotted ways to be with her, I plotted ways to impress her. (Don't tell her all this, okay?) I plotted ways to try to help her. Of course this is all under the heading of "Oh, we have a brother and sister relationship."

After several months of this brother/sister thing, I blurted out to her one night, standing by a water fountain-I remember it. We were in college. I said, "I'm tired of this brother/sister thing. I want us to have more than that." See, I loved her before she loved me and I pursued her, and I got her.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Pursued By Love."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from John chapter 1 beginning at verse 45. It's a little known encounter in the life of Jesus, but it's actually loaded with revealing information about what Jesus might be doing in your life right now. Philip has just come to Christ. And it says, "Philip found Nathanael and told him, 'We have found the One Moses wrote about in the law and about whom the prophets also wrote-Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.' (Here's what Nathanael says.) 'Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?' 'Come and see' said Philip. When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, 'Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.' 'How do you know me?' Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, 'I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.' Then Nathanael declared, 'Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.'"

Okay, you notice here Nathanael's not initially interested in Jesus. But then Jesus says, "I saw you long before you saw me." Well that melted Nathanael's heart and it ultimately made him one of the disciples of Jesus Christ.

Actually, Jesus has had His eye on you for a long time. Here's what the Bible says in Ephesians 1:4 , "He chose us in Christ before the creation of the world." God has had His eye on you since before there was a world. And over the years of your life He's been pursuing you with His love whether you were paying any attention to Him or not. Like this guy I know who pursued this girl, and she was beautiful and attractive. The Bible says we're not beautiful and attractive to God. In fact it says, "While we were yet sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8 ).

God's love for you and me isn't romantic love. It isn't because we're lovable. In fact, we're sinners who've hijacked our life from Him - the life that He gave us. Listen to this description of God's love for you. "This is love. Not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (John 4:10 ).

Now, I know on a finite level what it means to love someone before that person responds; to pursue the one you love. Well, the God of the universe has been doing that with you. He's been waiting for you while you've been checking out all those other options for your heart. Today, again, He's knocking on the door of your heart saying, "Isn't it time you opened your heart; opened your life to Me?"

He won't wait forever. That's why the Bible says, "Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near." Today's really the only day you can be sure He'll still be found. Don't run from the love of Jesus any longer. He's pursued you one more time to find you right where you are right now.

See, you can't have a one-way love affair. You need to respond to God's love by committing yourself to Jesus Christ with all your heart. How I would love; how I would be honored to help you get that settled this very day. I want to encourage you to meet me at our website ANewStory.com. And there in just a very few minutes I think I can walk you through beginning your relationship with Jesus Christ.

Christ has loved you enough to sacrifice His life for yours; to pursue you with His love, and now to wait patiently for you to respond. Don't risk losing the love that your heart was made for.

Genesis 33, and daily devotions:

Max Lucado Daily: He Wants You To Fly

“If you believe, you will get anything you ask for in prayer.” Matthew 21:22

Don’t reduce this grand statement to the category of new cars and paychecks . . .

God wants you to fly. He wants you to fly free of yesterday’s guilt. He wants you to fly free of today’s fears. He wants you to fly free of tomorrow’s grave. Sin, fear, and death. These are the mountains he has moved. These are the prayers he will answer.

Genesis 33

Jacob Meets Esau

Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men; so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two female servants. 2 He put the female servants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph in the rear. 3 He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.

4 But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept. 5 Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children. “Who are these with you?” he asked.

Jacob answered, “They are the children God has graciously given your servant.”

6 Then the female servants and their children approached and bowed down. 7 Next, Leah and her children came and bowed down. Last of all came Joseph and Rachel, and they too bowed down.

8 Esau asked, “What’s the meaning of all these flocks and herds I met?”

“To find favor in your eyes, my lord,” he said.

9 But Esau said, “I already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.”

10 “No, please!” said Jacob. “If I have found favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably. 11 Please accept the present that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me and I have all I need.” And because Jacob insisted, Esau accepted it.

12 Then Esau said, “Let us be on our way; I’ll accompany you.”

13 But Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are tender and that I must care for the ewes and cows that are nursing their young. If they are driven hard just one day, all the animals will die. 14 So let my lord go on ahead of his servant, while I move along slowly at the pace of the flocks and herds before me and the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.”

15 Esau said, “Then let me leave some of my men with you.”

“But why do that?” Jacob asked. “Just let me find favor in the eyes of my lord.”

16 So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir. 17 Jacob, however, went to Sukkoth, where he built a place for himself and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place is called Sukkoth.[a]

18 After Jacob came from Paddan Aram,[b] he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in Canaan and camped within sight of the city. 19 For a hundred pieces of silver,[c] he bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, the plot of ground where he pitched his tent. 20 There he set up an altar and called it El Elohe Israel.[d]

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: 1 Timothy 1:15-17

 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Insight

Many followers of Christ would take exception to Paul’s self-assessment that he was the chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). Considering the sacrifices Paul made for the gospel, the churches he planted, and the books of the New Testament he wrote, we might prefer to think of him as chief among the saints! Paul, however, was no doubt thinking of who he had been and would be without Christ. He also affirmed, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find” (Rom. 7:18). Like Paul, all of us are desperately in need of Christ.

The Day My Dad Met Jesus

By Randy Kilgore

I obtained mercy . . . as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. —1 Timothy 1:16

My grandfather, my father, and his brothers were all tough men who, understandably, didn’t appreciate people who “got up in their faces about faith.” When my father, Howard, was diagnosed with a rapid and deadly cancer, I was so concerned that I took every opportunity to talk to him about Jesus’ love. Inevitably he would end the discussion with a polite but firm: “I know what I need to know.”

I promised not to raise the issue again and gave him a set of cards that shared the forgiveness God offers, which he could read when he wanted. I entrusted Dad to God and prayed. A friend also asked God to keep my dad alive long enough to know Jesus.

One afternoon the call came telling me Dad was gone. When my brother met me at the airport, he said, “Dad told me to tell you he asked Jesus to forgive his sin.” “When?” “The morning he passed,” Mark replied. God had shown him “mercy” as He had shown us (1 Tim. 1:16).

Sometimes we talk about the gospel, other times we share our story, still other times we just show a silent Christlike example, and always we pray. We know that salvation is ultimately a work of God and not something we can do for another. God is a gracious God, and no matter what the outcome of our prayers, He can be trusted.

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling—

Calling for you and for me;

Patiently Jesus is waiting and watching—

Watching for you and for me! —Thompson

We plant and water, but God gives the increase.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Sunday, June 22, 2014

The Unchanging Law of Judgment

With what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you —Matthew 7:2

This statement is not some haphazard theory, but it is an eternal law of God. Whatever judgment you give will be the very way you are judged. There is a difference between retaliation and retribution. Jesus said that the basis of life is retribution— “with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” If you have been shrewd in finding out the shortcomings of others, remember that will be exactly how you will be measured. The way you pay is the way life will pay you back. This eternal law works from God’s throne down to us (see Psalm 18:25-26).

Romans 2:1 applies it in even a more definite way by saying that the one who criticizes another is guilty of the very same thing. God looks not only at the act itself, but also at the possibility of committing it, which He sees by looking at our hearts. To begin with, we do not believe the statements of the Bible. For instance, do we really believe the statement that says we criticize in others the very things we are guilty of ourselves? The reason we see hypocrisy, deceit, and a lack of genuineness in others is that they are all in our own hearts. The greatest characteristic of a saint is humility, as evidenced by being able to say honestly and humbly, “Yes, all those, as well as other evils, would have been exhibited in me if it were not for the grace of God. Therefore, I have no right to judge.”

Jesus said, “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). He went on to say, in effect, “If you do judge, you will be judged in exactly the same way.” Who of us would dare to stand before God and say, “My God, judge me as I have judged others”? We have judged others as sinners— if God should judge us in the same way, we would be condemned to hell. Yet God judges us on the basis of the miraculous atonement by the Cross of Christ.

Matthew 20:1-16, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: He Leads

Worrying is one job you can’t farm out, but you can overcome it. There’s no better place to begin than in Psalm 23:2. “He leads me beside the still waters,” David declares. “He leads me.”  God isn’t behind me, yelling, “Go!”  He’s ahead of me bidding, “Come!”  He’s in front, clearing the path, cutting the brush. Standing next to the rocks, He warns, “Watch your step there.”

Isn’t this what God gave the children of Israel? He promised to supply them with manna each day. But He told them to collect only one day’s supply at a time. Matthew 6:34 says, “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow.  God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”

God is leading you! Leave tomorrow’s problems until tomorrow!

From Traveling Light

Matthew 20:1-16

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.

“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Footnotes:

Matthew 20:2 A denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer.


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: Luke 10:38-42

At the Home of Martha and Mary

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Footnotes:

Luke 10:42 Some manuscripts but only one thing is needed

Insight
The “certain village” unidentified in today’s reading is Bethany (v.38), a small village on the eastern slopes of the Mount of Olives (Mark 11:1), about 2 miles from Jerusalem (John 11:18). Home to three siblings—Martha, Mary, and Lazarus (vv.38-39; John 11)—this was probably the home where Jesus stayed whenever he was in Jerusalem (Matt. 21:17; Mark 11:11; John 11:1; 12:1). Bethany was where Lazarus was raised from the dead (John 11), where Simon the leper held a feast to honor Jesus (Mark 14:3), and where, during that dinner, Mary anointed Jesus with an expensive perfume to prepare Him for His death (vv.3-9). Jesus’ ascension also took place in Bethany (Luke 24:50-52).

World’s Fastest Walkers
By Poh Fang Chia

She had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. —Luke 10:39

According to a study measuring the pace of life of cities in 32 countries, people in the biggest hurry live here in Singapore. We walk 60 feet in 10:55 seconds, compared to 12:00 seconds for New Yorkers and 31:60 seconds for those living in the African city of Blantyre, Malawi.

But regardless of where you live, the study shows that walking speeds have increased by an average of 10 percent in the past 20 years. And if walking speed is any indicator for the pace of life, we are certainly much busier than before.

Are you caught up in the frenzy of a busy life? Pause and consider Jesus’ words to Martha: “You are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42).

Notice Jesus’ gentle words. He didn’t rebuke Martha for wanting to be a good host but rather reminded her about her priorities. Martha had allowed the necessary to get out of proportion. And, in the process, she was so busy doing good that she didn’t take time to sit at Jesus’ feet.

In our drive to be productive for the Lord, let’s remember the one thing worth being concerned about—enjoying time with our Savior.

Jesus longs for our fellowship even more than we long for His.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, June 20, 2014

The Ministry of the Inner Life

You are . . . a royal priesthood . . . —1 Peter 2:9
By what right have we become “a royal priesthood”? It is by the right of the atonement by the Cross of Christ that this has been accomplished. Are we prepared to purposely disregard ourselves and to launch out into the priestly work of prayer? The continual inner-searching we do in an effort to see if we are what we ought to be generates a self-centered, sickly type of Christianity, not the vigorous and simple life of a child of God. Until we get into this right and proper relationship with God, it is simply a case of our “hanging on by the skin of our teeth,” although we say, “What a wonderful victory I have!” Yet there is nothing at all in that which indicates the miracle of redemption. Launch out in reckless, unrestrained belief that the redemption is complete. Then don’t worry anymore about yourself, but begin to do as Jesus Christ has said, in essence, “Pray for the friend who comes to you at midnight, pray for the saints of God, and pray for all men.” Pray with the realization that you are perfect only in Christ Jesus, not on the basis of this argument: “Oh, Lord, I have done my best; please hear me now.”

How long is it going to take God to free us from the unhealthy habit of thinking only about ourselves? We must get to the point of being sick to death of ourselves, until there is no longer any surprise at anything God might tell us about ourselves. We cannot reach and understand the depths of our own meagerness. There is only one place where we are right with God, and that is in Christ Jesus. Once we are there, we have to pour out our lives for all we are worth in this ministry of the inner life.

Exodus 16, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: A FRIEND FOR LIFE - June 20, 2025

I spent too much of a high school summer working in the old field. We donned gas masks, waded into ankle deep, contaminated mire. My mom burned my work clothes. The stink stuck!

Yours can do the same. Linger too long in the stench of your hurt, and you’ll smell like the toxin you despise. The better option?  Join with David as he announces, “The Lord lives. Blessed be my Rock…It is God who avenges me…He delivers me from my enemies…Therefore, I will give thanks to You, O Lord” (Psalm 18:46-49 NKJV).

Wander daily through the gallery of God’s goodness. Catalog his kindnesses. Look at what you have. Let Jesus be the friend you need. Talk to him. Spare no details. Disclose your fear, describe your dread. You just found a friend for life in Jesus Christ. What could be better than that?

Facing Your Giants: God Still Does the Impossible

Exodus 16

On the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left Egypt, the whole company of Israel moved on from Elim to the Wilderness of Sin which is between Elim and Sinai. The whole company of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron there in the wilderness. The Israelites said, “Why didn’t God let us die in comfort in Egypt where we had lamb stew and all the bread we could eat? You’ve brought us out into this wilderness to starve us to death, the whole company of Israel!”

4–5  God said to Moses, “I’m going to rain bread down from the skies for you. The people will go out and gather each day’s ration. I’m going to test them to see if they’ll live according to my Teaching or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they have gathered, it will turn out to be twice as much as their daily ration.”

6–7  Moses and Aaron told the People of Israel, “This evening you will know that it is God who brought you out of Egypt; and in the morning you will see the Glory of God. Yes, he’s listened to your complaints against him. You haven’t been complaining against us, you know, but against God.”

8  Moses said, “Since it will be God who gives you meat for your meal in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, it’s God who will have listened to your complaints against him. Who are we in all this? You haven’t been complaining to us—you’ve been complaining to God!”

9  Moses instructed Aaron: “Tell the whole company of Israel: ‘Come near to God. He’s heard your complaints.’ ”

10  When Aaron gave out the instructions to the whole company of Israel, they turned to face the wilderness. And there it was: the Glory of God visible in the Cloud.

11–12  God spoke to Moses, “I’ve listened to the complaints of the Israelites. Now tell them: ‘At dusk you will eat meat and at dawn you’ll eat your fill of bread; and you’ll realize that I am God, your God.’ ”

13–15  That evening quail flew in and covered the camp and in the morning there was a layer of dew all over the camp. When the layer of dew had lifted, there on the wilderness ground was a fine flaky something, fine as frost on the ground. The Israelites took one look and said to one another, man-hu (What is it?). They had no idea what it was.

15–16  So Moses told them, “It’s the bread God has given you to eat. And these are God’s instructions: ‘Gather enough for each person, about two quarts per person; gather enough for everyone in your tent.’ ”

17–18  The People of Israel went to work and started gathering, some more, some less, but when they measured out what they had gathered, those who gathered more had no extra and those who gathered less weren’t short—each person had gathered as much as was needed.

19  Moses said to them, “Don’t leave any of it until morning.”

20  But they didn’t listen to Moses. A few of the men kept back some of it until morning. It got wormy and smelled bad. And Moses lost his temper with them.

21–22  They gathered it every morning, each person according to need. Then the sun heated up and it melted. On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, about four quarts per person.

Then the leaders of the company came to Moses and reported.

23–24  Moses said, “This is what God was talking about: Tomorrow is a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to God. Whatever you plan to bake, bake today; and whatever you plan to boil, boil today. Then set aside the leftovers until morning.” They set aside what was left until morning, as Moses had commanded. It didn’t smell bad and there were no worms in it.

25–26  Moses said, “Now eat it; this is the day, a Sabbath for God. You won’t find any of it on the ground today. Gather it every day for six days, but the seventh day is Sabbath; there won’t be any of it on the ground.”

27  On the seventh day, some of the people went out to gather anyway but they didn’t find anything.

28–29  God said to Moses, “How long are you going to disobey my commands and not follow my instructions? Don’t you see that God has given you the Sabbath? So on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. So, each of you, stay home. Don’t leave home on the seventh day.”

30  So the people quit working on the seventh day.

31  The Israelites named it manna (What is it?). It looked like coriander seed, whitish. And it tasted like a cracker with honey.

32  Moses said, “This is God’s command: ‘Keep a two-quart jar of it, an omer, for future generations so they can see the bread that I fed you in the wilderness after I brought you out of Egypt.’ ”

33  Moses told Aaron, “Take a jar and fill it with two quarts of manna. Place it before God, keeping it safe for future generations.”

34  Aaron did what God commanded Moses. He set it aside before The Testimony to preserve it.

35  The Israelites ate the manna for forty years until they arrived at the land where they would settle down. They ate manna until they reached the border into Canaan.

36  According to ancient measurements, an omer is one-tenth of an ephah.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Friday, June 20, 2025

by Adam R. Holz

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Matthew 6:25-34

 “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.

27–29  “Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

30–33  “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

34  “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

Today's Insights

Three times in Matthew 6, Jesus counsels His hearers about money and material possessions. First, He addresses giving to the poor, advising us to give discreetly “so that your giving may be in secret” (v. 4). Then He cautions against hoarding: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth” (v. 19), adding, “You cannot serve both God and money” (v. 24). In today’s reading, Christ notes the futility of fretting about our daily needs: “Do not worry about your life” (v. 25). God’s care for creation reminds us that He’s good, and we can trust Him to provide for us (v. 26).

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And God Sent . . . Moths?

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Matthew 6:26

“AaaaAAAAHHHK!” my daughter shrieked. “DaaaaDDDYY! Get UP here!”

I knew what was wrong: a moth. Every spring, an armada of these dusty insects migrates from the plains of Nebraska to the mountains of Colorado, where they summer. Each year, we brace for their arrival. This year had been especially bad.

To humans, miller moths are unwanted pests that often fly right into your face. But to birds, well, it’s a feast. Doing a little research, I learned that the moths provide incredible nutrition for the region’s swallows. As annoying as they are, these moths are veritable “manna” for the birds.

I don’t know if Israel had moth migrations in Jesus’ day. But Christ took note of God’s provision for the birds there, saying in the Sermon on the Mount, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26).

So these days, I look at moths differently. Not as dirty pests but as winged reminders of God’s provision for His creation—and as a living metaphor for His provision for me too. If God provides so richly for the swallows, how much more does He care for me and for you?

Reflect & Pray

How do you see God’s provision for creation where you live? How might that serve as a reminder of His care for you too?

Father, the beauty of Your provision is ever on display. Thank You for the richness of Your creation. Please give me eyes to see Your handiwork, and let it remind me of Your goodness.

Learn more about God's creation by reading Get Outside - Life from Discovery Series..

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Friday, June 20, 2025

Have You Come to “After” Yet?

After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. — Job 42:10

A self-centered, pleading prayer—the kind of prayer in which I vow to “get right” with God if only he’ll help me—is never found in the New Testament. Am I telling God that I’ll purify my heart if he’ll hear my plea? That I’ll make myself good and righteous if he’ll extend his grace to me? I have to realize I can’t make myself right with God; I can’t make my life perfect, no matter how I plead. The only way I can be right with God is by accepting the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ as an absolute gift.

Am I humble enough to accept the gift Jesus bought for me on the cross? I have to stop every effort I’m making and leave myself entirely alone in God’s hands. If I find myself constantly trying to get right with him, it’s a sign that I’m rebelling against the atonement. Many prayers are made in total disbelief of the atonement. We beg Jesus to save us, forgetting he already has. Asking him to do it again is an insult.

“After Job had prayed for his friends . . .” If your fortunes haven’t been restored, if you aren’t getting insight into God’s word, stop praying in a self-centered way and start praying for others. Intercessory prayer is the real business of your life as a saved soul. Wherever God places you, no matter the circumstances, pray immediately for those around you. Pray that the atonement will be realized for others as it has for you. Pray for your friends; pray for your acquaintances; pray for all whose lives have been brought into contact with your own.

Esther 1-2; Acts 5:1-21

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

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

The Place of Help, 1032 L

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Friday, June 20, 2025

CHAMPIONS WITH NO TROPHY - #10030

Okay, I admit it. I talk pretty fast. But maybe that's because I lived in the New York area for so long. Everyone there talks fast! Or maybe it's because I always have so much to say before the time runs out. But I am sort of a, I guess, a verbal machine gun. But I did come across someone who finally succeeded in slowing me down by about maybe two-thirds.

He's a Russian doctor who had recently immigrated to the United States. He hadn't planned to come here, but persecution and the prospect of threatened imprisonment in the days of the Cold War had driven him to America. I groped for words that he would understand, and he groped for what would be the English word to express his feelings. It was kind of a long conversation. It took a while to exchange just basic information, but it was worth the effort.

The doctor - a committed Christian, and for years he was secretly copying the scriptures and Christian literature when that door was closed in his country. He also ran a network of people who did the same - getting precious scriptures out to people. All that time he risked his secure, professional position to be spreading the Gospel. Finally, he had to leave, and he was trying to find some place to work in the United States.

And I said to him, "You know, you are one of God's heroes." And he had kind of a pained look on his face like he didn't understand. I said, "Winner! One of God's champions. Olympics!" I was trying to be understood. And then I realized that his pained expression wasn't because he didn't understand; it was because he did. Then in this one line of broken English he gave me a Christ-like perspective on all the work we do.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Champions With No Trophy."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Mark 14:3. "While Jesus was in Bethany reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar (very expensive perfume, that is). She broke the jar and poured the perfume on His head." Now, there is some criticism for that. After that in verse 8 He says, "She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body and forehead to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the Gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.'" And sure enough we just did it today again, didn't we? We talked about her.

Now, in a sense, what the doctor said about his serving the Lord at such a great price in the Soviet Union is what we all ought to say. He said in his broken English, "I only do what I could." He didn't want to be a hero. He said, "I've only done what I could. No big deal."

You know, I think the ultimate epitaph for our life would be what Jesus said about this woman, "She/he has done what she/he could." I wonder if that could be said about your life? My Russian friend knew that that's really all God expects. Now, He does expect all we have to give as this woman literally lavished her most expensive possession on the Lord. But He also wants us to know that it's no big deal to give Him all you have.

Jesus thinks it's a big enough deal to reward though. It's important that we don't think that it's that big of a sacrifice. We shouldn't think, "Wow! Look what I just did." But on the other hand, He'll never forget it. Maybe you've got a sense of inadequacy right now, you compare yourself. You say, "Well, I don't have much to give. I'm not as talented. I can't do as much for the Lord as somebody else can." Are you giving what you have for Jesus' sake? That's all He asks.

Lavish what you have...all the little or all the much on Jesus. Maybe the problem is pride. But then, how could you do any less for the Lord. Don't be proud, it's no big deal to give all the little that you have for the much that He gave for you. That Russian doctor? He didn't think he was a hero. None of us should.

But if you just give it, don't be surprised if Jesus welcomes you in heaven with a hero's welcome.