Romans 5
Peace and Joy
1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a]have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we[c] also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ
12Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— 13for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.
15But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
18Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. 19For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
20The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion:
1 Corinthians 13
Love
1If I speak in the tongues[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
June 10, 2008
Loving Our Grown-Up Children
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READ: 1 Corinthians 13
Now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. —1 Corinthians 13:13
Comedian Henny Youngman used to say, “I’ve got two wonderful children—and two out of five isn’t bad.”
When children reach adulthood, most parents have an opinion about how their offspring have “turned out.” Some are proud of everything their kids have done, while other parents express misgivings or disappointment about the choices their children have made. How can we continue a positive parenting role after the birds have left our nest?
In 1 Corinthians 13, often called “the love chapter” of the Bible, Paul writes that the greatest gifts of speaking, understanding, and sacrificial service are worthless without love (vv.1-3). Love itself is the foundation of winsome behavior, and its influence never ends. “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails” (vv.4-8).
When our children no longer seek our advice, they still value our love. In every stage of parenting, it’s not only what we say but what we do that counts.
— David C. McCasland
May God in mercy grant to us
A home where Christ holds sway,
Where peace and joy from heaven above
Abide from day to day. —Crane
A parent’s love never ends.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers:
June 10, 2008
And After That What’s Next To Do?
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READ:
. . . seek, and you will find . . . —Luke 11:9
Seek if you have not found. "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss . . ." ( James 4:3 ). If you ask for things from life instead of from God, "you ask amiss"; that is, you ask out of your desire for self-fulfillment. The more you fulfill yourself the less you will seek God. ". . . seek, and you will find . . . ." Get to work— narrow your focus and interests to this one thing. Have you ever sought God with your whole heart, or have you simply given Him a feeble cry after some emotionally painful experience? ". . . seek, [focus,] and you will find . . . ."
"Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. . ." (Isaiah 55:1 ). Are you thirsty, or complacent and indifferent— so satisfied with your own experience that you want nothing more of God? Experience is a doorway, not a final goal. Beware of building your faith on experience, or your life will not ring true and will only sound the note of a critical spirit. Remember that you can never give another person what you have found, but you can cause him to have a desire for it.
". . . knock, and it will be opened to you" ( Luke 11:9 ). "Draw near to God . . ." ( James 4:8 ). Knock— the door is closed, and your heartbeat races as you knock. "Cleanse your hands . . ." ( James 4:8 ). Knock a bit louder— you begin to find that you are dirty. ". . . purify your hearts . . ." ( James 4:8 ). It is becoming even more personal— you are desperate and serious now— you will do anything. "Lament . . . " ( James 4:9 ). Have you ever lamented, expressing your sorrow before God for the condition of your inner life? There is no thread of self-pity left, only the heart-rending difficulty and amazement which comes from seeing what kind of person you really are. "Humble yourselves . . . " (James 4:10 ). It is a humbling experience to knock at God’s door— you have to knock with the crucified thief. ". . . to him who knocks it will be opened" ( Luke 11:10 ).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft:
The Sunrise, Sunset Strategy - #5587
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Download MP3 (right click to save)
When our daughter got married there was one song I told her I did not want to hear at the wedding. Remember that, "Where is that little girl I carried, where is that little boy at play?" Mercifully - I'm not going to sing it for you, but you know the song. I'll tell you, the time really did fly, like the song says, "Sunrise, sunset, swiftly pass the years." I'll tell you, that is a song that taps into some very deep feelings about the mystery of life, and I don't think I could have handled it at my daughter's wedding. It really points out how that parade of Saturdays and Tuesdays and Thursdays just sort of seem to flow together into years - so yesterday my daughter is a bouncy little girl cuddling on my lap. And then she's a poised bride on the arm of her new husband. But that song also captures the real practical essence of this massive entity we call "my life" - it really boils down to those bite-size chunks called days. It's almost as if we die each night when we hit the bed and get resurrected each new morning to a fresh new day.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Sunrise, Sunset Strategy."
Exodus 16, that's where we find our word for today from the Word of God, and it's not just a museum piece out of ancient Jewish history. It's a miracle that is referred to over and over in the Bible. It provides us a flesh-and-blood picture of the divine strategy for following the Lord; a strategy that could graduate you to a relationship with God that is much more real.
Exodus 16:4, "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'I will rain down bread from heaven for you." They are in the wilderness where there is no source of bread. "The people are to go out each new day and gather enough for that day." (Wait a minute - do I hear any music in the background - "sunrise, sunrise.") God says, "I will provide for you what you need for that day." Then He goes on to say, "Tell them at twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God." For those who wanted to exceed the boundaries of a day-at-a-time provision, Moses said, "No one is to keep any of it until morning. However, some of them paid no attention to Moses. They kept part of it until morning but it was full of maggots and began to smell." Gross! It says, "Each morning everyone gathered as much as he needed, and when the sun grew hot it melted away." Exodus goes on to say that God's provision for them was there every sunrise for forty years. Actually 14,600 days!
Remember how Jesus said we were to follow him, "Take up your cross daily and follow Me"? He taught us to pray for how much bread - daily bread. It's obvious that the divine strategy for following Him, from the Jews in the wilderness to us believers today, is to take one day at a time. To focus on what God wants to do between this morning's sunrise and tonight's sunset, so to speak.
The manna miracle shows us how to do that: First, get fresh nourishment from God each new day. It's still your Lord's desire to meet you each new day with a word for you - a word from His heart for you this never before/never again day.
Secondly, don't run ahead to tomorrow. God provides all the strength you'll need for this one day, but only this day. Worry about some future day and you're on your own!
Finally, count on enough. There will always be - as there was for God's ancient people - "enough for that day." No more, no less. Enough insight, enough money, enough energy, enough strength.
Yes, the years pass swiftly. We experience them one sunrise, one sunset at a time. It's how we're made to live, to love, and to experience our God whose mercies are "new every morning."
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
Romans 4, daily readings and devotionals.
Romans 4
Abraham Justified by Faith
1What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? 2If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."[a]
4Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. 6David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
7"Blessed are they
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
8Blessed is the man
whose sin the Lord will never count against him."[b]
9Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 11And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
13It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, 15because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.
16Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations."[c] He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.
18Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be."[d] 19Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. 20Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." 23The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, 24but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion:
Ephesians 1:3-10
Spiritual Blessings in Christ
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5he[a] predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9And he[b] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
June 9, 2008
Liberating Truth
ODB RADIO: Listen Now | Download
READ: Ephesians 1:3-10
He made us accepted in the Beloved. —Ephesians 1:6
An unmarried missionary had been disparaging herself. She was unhappy with her life in general, but she was especially displeased with what she felt was her low level of spiritual growth.
One morning she looked searchingly at herself in the mirror. Then, very slowly, she said, “God, I thank You that I am myself and can never be anybody else.”
That was her moment of liberating self-acceptance. She realized that by God’s design she was an absolutely unique person, a Christ-redeemed human being who could never be replaced or duplicated.
Do you condemn yourself because you aren’t as spiritual as you think you ought to be? Do you see yourself as a second-rate disciple, lacking the gifts and graces possessed by fellow believers who seem to be models of prayer, witness, and service? We can rise above the mood of self-rejection and enjoy grateful self-acceptance when we put our lives into the nail-pierced hands of Jesus. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, [and] the forgiveness of sins” (Eph. 1:7). We are accepted and chosen by Him (vv.4-6).
If the Lord has accepted us, surely we can accept ourselves! That’s the liberating truth.
— Vernon C. Grounds
All praise to the Lamb, accepted I am,
Through faith in the Savior’s adorable name;
In Him I confide, His blood is applied;
For me He hath suffered, for me He hath died. —Wesley
Accepting Jesus’ free gift of salvation frees us to accept ourselves.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
June 9, 2008
Then What’s Next To Do?
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READ:
Everyone who asks receives . . . —Luke 11:10
Ask if you have not received. There is nothing more difficult than asking. We will have yearnings and desires for certain things, and even suffer as a result of their going unfulfilled, but not until we are at the limit of desperation will we ask. It is the sense of not being spiritually real that causes us to ask. Have you ever asked out of the depths of your total insufficiency and poverty? "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God . . . " ( James 1:5 ), but be sure that you do lack wisdom before you ask. You cannot bring yourself to the point of spiritual reality anytime you choose. The best thing to do, once you realize you are not spiritually real, is to ask God for the Holy Spirit, basing your request on the promise of Jesus Christ (see Luke 11:13 ). The Holy Spirit is the one who makes everything that Jesus did for you real in your life.
"Everyone who asks receives . . . ." This does not mean that you will not get if you do not ask, but it means that until you come to the point of asking, you will not receive from God (seeMatthew 5:45 ). To be able to receive means that you have to come into the relationship of a child of God, and then you comprehend and appreciate mentally, morally, and with spiritual understanding, that these things come from God.
"If any of you lacks wisdom . . . ." If you realize that you are lacking, it is because you have come in contact with spiritual reality— do not put the blinders of reason on again. The word ask actually means "beg." Some people are poor enough to be interested in their poverty, and some of us are poor enough spiritually to show our interest. Yet we will never receive if we ask with a certain result in mind, because we are asking out of our lust, not out of our poverty. A pauper does not ask out of any reason other than the completely hopeless and painful condition of his poverty. He is not ashamed to beg— blessed are the paupers in spirit (see Matthew 5:3 ).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft:
In Search of the Anchor - #5586
Monday, June 9, 2008
Download MP3 (right click to save)
It started on a family vacation in Southern California. The kids were asking about earthquakes which were not a part of our regular growing up years in New Jersey. We started this whimsical little exercise where I would yell, "Earthquake drill!" Now, invariably our older son would run over to his older sister and he would hug her. I would ask innocently, "What are you doing?" to which he would reply, "Dad, you told us to hang on to something heavy!" Oooh, she wasn't, but I'll tell you, that boy was lucky he lived to have a sixth birthday! Actually, when things are shaking, it's really a pretty good idea - hang on to something heavy!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "In Search of the Anchor."
A pop culture analyst named Faith Popcorn, released a book, and was a guest on the same radio talk show that I was a guest on. We got to talk for a few minutes. and I was introduced to what was then her new book. Faith Popcorn is name very well known to people who are involved with marketing in the country. In fact, Fortune Magazine called her "the Nostradamus of marketing." She has had a phenomenal track record for predicting the trends that are going to affect our businesses, our families, and our lives in the future. In that book she listed several trends that she thought would shape our futures. One that particularly intrigued me was anchoring. She described our search for something we can count on to anchor our lives in an increasingly uncertain and unpredictable world. Let me quote a few things she says. "There is a new trend about the inner spirit called anchoring. The search for life's anchor is a must for filling the void that so many are feeling. We're looking for ourselves - our lost souls. A relationship with the divine may be the ultimate expression of anchoring."
Does that sound like anything that's going on inside of you recently? I think we know that the anchor is going to be a person; it's going to be a relationship. We're looking for that anchor relationship that we know will be, let's call it unloseable. But the word "anchor" wouldn't describe our relationships for the most part, today, would it? Relationships would be better described as superficial, disappointing. We've never needed a count-on-able relationship more, and it's never been harder to find. The result? A deepening loneliness.
See, with our need for an anchor in mind, I want to ask you to listen to our word for today from the Word of God, Hebrews 13:5, "God has said, 'Never will I leave you, and never will I forsake you." What a promise! Love that will never leave you abandoned, never alone. Now, do you trust this promise? Yeah, you can because of the price God paid to make it.
Paul, one of the writers in the New Testament talks about it when he tells about the new anchor in his life. He says in Galatians 2:20, "I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." The Bible says that the one and only Son of God came here to deal with the ultimate cause of our loneliness. We're lonely for God. Because of our sin we're away from the one who alone can fill the spiritual hole in our heart. That's why no earth relationship has ever been enough.
The only way for us to have access to God's great love was the death penalty for out sin had to be paid. That is what Jesus did as He died on that cross so you could say, "He loved me, and gave Himself for me." When you commit yourself to this Jesus, the sin wall between you and God comes down and you have begun the anchor relationship you were made for - that you've been looking for so long.
If you don't have that relationship, and you want to, would you tell God that right now? In the words of a little boy, "Hang onto something heavy." Well, really, Someone who will never leave you.
You say, "Ron, I wish I knew more about how to begin this unloseable relationship with God through Christ. That's what our website's there for, and I want to invite you to visit us at yoursforlife.net. Or I'll send you my booklet called Yours For Life if you'll just call and ask for it. It's a toll free number. It's 877-741-1200. Because if you'll anchor yourself to Jesus Christ, you have just spent your last day alone!
Abraham Justified by Faith
1What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? 2If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."[a]
4Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. 6David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
7"Blessed are they
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
8Blessed is the man
whose sin the Lord will never count against him."[b]
9Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 11And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
13It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, 15because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.
16Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations."[c] He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.
18Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be."[d] 19Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. 20Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." 23The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, 24but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion:
Ephesians 1:3-10
Spiritual Blessings in Christ
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5he[a] predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9And he[b] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
June 9, 2008
Liberating Truth
ODB RADIO: Listen Now | Download
READ: Ephesians 1:3-10
He made us accepted in the Beloved. —Ephesians 1:6
An unmarried missionary had been disparaging herself. She was unhappy with her life in general, but she was especially displeased with what she felt was her low level of spiritual growth.
One morning she looked searchingly at herself in the mirror. Then, very slowly, she said, “God, I thank You that I am myself and can never be anybody else.”
That was her moment of liberating self-acceptance. She realized that by God’s design she was an absolutely unique person, a Christ-redeemed human being who could never be replaced or duplicated.
Do you condemn yourself because you aren’t as spiritual as you think you ought to be? Do you see yourself as a second-rate disciple, lacking the gifts and graces possessed by fellow believers who seem to be models of prayer, witness, and service? We can rise above the mood of self-rejection and enjoy grateful self-acceptance when we put our lives into the nail-pierced hands of Jesus. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, [and] the forgiveness of sins” (Eph. 1:7). We are accepted and chosen by Him (vv.4-6).
If the Lord has accepted us, surely we can accept ourselves! That’s the liberating truth.
— Vernon C. Grounds
All praise to the Lamb, accepted I am,
Through faith in the Savior’s adorable name;
In Him I confide, His blood is applied;
For me He hath suffered, for me He hath died. —Wesley
Accepting Jesus’ free gift of salvation frees us to accept ourselves.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
June 9, 2008
Then What’s Next To Do?
ODB RADIO: | Download
READ:
Everyone who asks receives . . . —Luke 11:10
Ask if you have not received. There is nothing more difficult than asking. We will have yearnings and desires for certain things, and even suffer as a result of their going unfulfilled, but not until we are at the limit of desperation will we ask. It is the sense of not being spiritually real that causes us to ask. Have you ever asked out of the depths of your total insufficiency and poverty? "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God . . . " ( James 1:5 ), but be sure that you do lack wisdom before you ask. You cannot bring yourself to the point of spiritual reality anytime you choose. The best thing to do, once you realize you are not spiritually real, is to ask God for the Holy Spirit, basing your request on the promise of Jesus Christ (see Luke 11:13 ). The Holy Spirit is the one who makes everything that Jesus did for you real in your life.
"Everyone who asks receives . . . ." This does not mean that you will not get if you do not ask, but it means that until you come to the point of asking, you will not receive from God (seeMatthew 5:45 ). To be able to receive means that you have to come into the relationship of a child of God, and then you comprehend and appreciate mentally, morally, and with spiritual understanding, that these things come from God.
"If any of you lacks wisdom . . . ." If you realize that you are lacking, it is because you have come in contact with spiritual reality— do not put the blinders of reason on again. The word ask actually means "beg." Some people are poor enough to be interested in their poverty, and some of us are poor enough spiritually to show our interest. Yet we will never receive if we ask with a certain result in mind, because we are asking out of our lust, not out of our poverty. A pauper does not ask out of any reason other than the completely hopeless and painful condition of his poverty. He is not ashamed to beg— blessed are the paupers in spirit (see Matthew 5:3 ).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft:
In Search of the Anchor - #5586
Monday, June 9, 2008
Download MP3 (right click to save)
It started on a family vacation in Southern California. The kids were asking about earthquakes which were not a part of our regular growing up years in New Jersey. We started this whimsical little exercise where I would yell, "Earthquake drill!" Now, invariably our older son would run over to his older sister and he would hug her. I would ask innocently, "What are you doing?" to which he would reply, "Dad, you told us to hang on to something heavy!" Oooh, she wasn't, but I'll tell you, that boy was lucky he lived to have a sixth birthday! Actually, when things are shaking, it's really a pretty good idea - hang on to something heavy!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "In Search of the Anchor."
A pop culture analyst named Faith Popcorn, released a book, and was a guest on the same radio talk show that I was a guest on. We got to talk for a few minutes. and I was introduced to what was then her new book. Faith Popcorn is name very well known to people who are involved with marketing in the country. In fact, Fortune Magazine called her "the Nostradamus of marketing." She has had a phenomenal track record for predicting the trends that are going to affect our businesses, our families, and our lives in the future. In that book she listed several trends that she thought would shape our futures. One that particularly intrigued me was anchoring. She described our search for something we can count on to anchor our lives in an increasingly uncertain and unpredictable world. Let me quote a few things she says. "There is a new trend about the inner spirit called anchoring. The search for life's anchor is a must for filling the void that so many are feeling. We're looking for ourselves - our lost souls. A relationship with the divine may be the ultimate expression of anchoring."
Does that sound like anything that's going on inside of you recently? I think we know that the anchor is going to be a person; it's going to be a relationship. We're looking for that anchor relationship that we know will be, let's call it unloseable. But the word "anchor" wouldn't describe our relationships for the most part, today, would it? Relationships would be better described as superficial, disappointing. We've never needed a count-on-able relationship more, and it's never been harder to find. The result? A deepening loneliness.
See, with our need for an anchor in mind, I want to ask you to listen to our word for today from the Word of God, Hebrews 13:5, "God has said, 'Never will I leave you, and never will I forsake you." What a promise! Love that will never leave you abandoned, never alone. Now, do you trust this promise? Yeah, you can because of the price God paid to make it.
Paul, one of the writers in the New Testament talks about it when he tells about the new anchor in his life. He says in Galatians 2:20, "I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." The Bible says that the one and only Son of God came here to deal with the ultimate cause of our loneliness. We're lonely for God. Because of our sin we're away from the one who alone can fill the spiritual hole in our heart. That's why no earth relationship has ever been enough.
The only way for us to have access to God's great love was the death penalty for out sin had to be paid. That is what Jesus did as He died on that cross so you could say, "He loved me, and gave Himself for me." When you commit yourself to this Jesus, the sin wall between you and God comes down and you have begun the anchor relationship you were made for - that you've been looking for so long.
If you don't have that relationship, and you want to, would you tell God that right now? In the words of a little boy, "Hang onto something heavy." Well, really, Someone who will never leave you.
You say, "Ron, I wish I knew more about how to begin this unloseable relationship with God through Christ. That's what our website's there for, and I want to invite you to visit us at yoursforlife.net. Or I'll send you my booklet called Yours For Life if you'll just call and ask for it. It's a toll free number. It's 877-741-1200. Because if you'll anchor yourself to Jesus Christ, you have just spent your last day alone!
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Romans 3, daily readings and devotions:
Romans 3
God's Faithfulness
1What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 2Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.
3What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? 4Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written:
"So that you may be proved right when you speak
and prevail when you judge."[a]
5But if our unrighteousness brings out God's righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) 6Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? 7Someone might argue, "If my falsehood enhances God's truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?" 8Why not say—as we are being slanderously reported as saying and as some claim that we say—"Let us do evil that good may result"? Their condemnation is deserved.
No One is Righteous
9What shall we conclude then? Are we any better[b]? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. 10As it is written:
"There is no one righteous, not even one;
11there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.
12All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one."[c]
13"Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit."[d]
"The poison of vipers is on their lips."[e]
14"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."[f]
15"Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16ruin and misery mark their ways,
17and the way of peace they do not know."[g]
18"There is no fear of God before their eyes."[h]
19Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
Righteousness Through Faith
21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
27Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. 28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. 29Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion:
Proverbs 17:14-19
Listen to this passage
14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.
15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent—
the LORD detests them both.
16 Of what use is money in the hand of a fool,
since he has no desire to get wisdom?
17 A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.
18 A man lacking in judgment strikes hands in pledge
and puts up security for his neighbor.
19 He who loves a quarrel loves sin;
he who builds a high gate invites destruction.
Proverbs 17:27-28
Listen to this passage
27 A man of knowledge uses words with restraint,
and a man of understanding is even-tempered.
28 Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent,
and discerning if he holds his tongue.
June 8, 2008
Air Wars
ODB RADIO: Listen Now | Download
READ: Proverbs 17:14-19,27-28
A man of understanding is of a calm spirit. —Proverbs 17:27
A spectacular air battle raged outside our window. Skilled, speedy flyers swarmed through the air, diving down from above, zooming in from left and right, climbing from underneath to knock the others out of the fight. The air was alive with sound as they attacked, eluded, hovered, and struck out at one another.
“Scrappy little things, aren’t they?” my wife, Shirley, observed. Six hummingbirds filled the air with darting motion, hovering and whirring as they fought for the three positions on our red hummingbird feeder. “Why can’t they just be patient?” she wondered.
Like so many disputes and quarrels that plague the church, these battles were totally unnecessary. The feeder held plenty of nectared water. We refilled it every day. Yet, for hours at a time, no hummers came near it—until they all wanted it. They seemed to prefer a good scrap.
Quarrels among believers in Jesus Christ bring dishonor to Him. They create wounds in our brothers and sisters, leaving scars. “It is honorable for a man to stop striving, since any fool can start a quarrel,” says Proverbs 20:3. And “He who has knowledge spares his words” (17:27).
How much better it is when we speak gentle words of peace, not angry words of strife!
— David C. Egner
Like bullets flying through the air,
Our words can shatter peace;
The Spirit helps control the tongue,
And then the quarrels cease. —Egner
Two cannot quarrel when one will not.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers:
June 8, 2008
What’s Next To Do?
ODB RADIO: | Download
READ:
If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them —John 13:17
Be determined to know more than others. If you yourself do not cut the lines that tie you to the dock, God will have to use a storm to sever them and to send you out to sea. Put everything in your life afloat upon God, going out to sea on the great swelling tide of His purpose, and your eyes will be opened. If you believe in Jesus, you are not to spend all your time in the calm waters just inside the harbor, full of joy, but always tied to the dock. You have to get out past the harbor into the great depths of God, and begin to know things for yourself— begin to have spiritual discernment.
When you know that you should do something and you do it, immediately you know more. Examine where you have become sluggish, where you began losing interest spiritually, and you will find that it goes back to a point where you did not do something you knew you should do. You did not do it because there seemed to be no immediate call to do it. But now you have no insight or discernment, and at a time of crisis you are spiritually distracted instead of spiritually self-controlled. It is a dangerous thing to refuse to continue learning and knowing more.
The counterfeit of obedience is a state of mind in which you create your own opportunities to sacrifice yourself, and your zeal and enthusiasm are mistaken for discernment. It is easier to sacrifice yourself than to fulfill your spiritual destiny, which is stated in Romans 12:1-2. It is much better to fulfill the purpose of God in your life by discerning His will than it is to perform great acts of self-sacrifice. "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice . . ." ( 1 Samuel 15:22 ). Beware of paying attention or going back to what you once were, when God wants you to be something that you have never been. "If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know . . ." ( John 7:17 ).
Max Lucado's devotion:
Don’t Give Up!
Sunday, June 08, 2008
“It is finished.”
John 19:30
Our inability to finish what we start is seen in the smallest of things: A partly mowed lawn. A half-read book.
Or, it shows up in life’s most painful areas: An abandoned child. A wrecked marriage.
Any chance I’m addressing someone who is considering giving up? If I am, I want to encourage you to remain. I want to encourage you to remember Jesus’ determination on the cross.
Jesus didn’t quit. But don’t think for one minute that he wasn’t tempted to. Did he ever want to quit? You bet.
That’s why his words are so splendid. “It is finished.”
God's Faithfulness
1What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 2Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.
3What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? 4Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written:
"So that you may be proved right when you speak
and prevail when you judge."[a]
5But if our unrighteousness brings out God's righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) 6Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? 7Someone might argue, "If my falsehood enhances God's truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?" 8Why not say—as we are being slanderously reported as saying and as some claim that we say—"Let us do evil that good may result"? Their condemnation is deserved.
No One is Righteous
9What shall we conclude then? Are we any better[b]? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. 10As it is written:
"There is no one righteous, not even one;
11there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.
12All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one."[c]
13"Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit."[d]
"The poison of vipers is on their lips."[e]
14"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."[f]
15"Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16ruin and misery mark their ways,
17and the way of peace they do not know."[g]
18"There is no fear of God before their eyes."[h]
19Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
Righteousness Through Faith
21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
27Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. 28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. 29Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion:
Proverbs 17:14-19
Listen to this passage
14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.
15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent—
the LORD detests them both.
16 Of what use is money in the hand of a fool,
since he has no desire to get wisdom?
17 A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.
18 A man lacking in judgment strikes hands in pledge
and puts up security for his neighbor.
19 He who loves a quarrel loves sin;
he who builds a high gate invites destruction.
Proverbs 17:27-28
Listen to this passage
27 A man of knowledge uses words with restraint,
and a man of understanding is even-tempered.
28 Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent,
and discerning if he holds his tongue.
June 8, 2008
Air Wars
ODB RADIO: Listen Now | Download
READ: Proverbs 17:14-19,27-28
A man of understanding is of a calm spirit. —Proverbs 17:27
A spectacular air battle raged outside our window. Skilled, speedy flyers swarmed through the air, diving down from above, zooming in from left and right, climbing from underneath to knock the others out of the fight. The air was alive with sound as they attacked, eluded, hovered, and struck out at one another.
“Scrappy little things, aren’t they?” my wife, Shirley, observed. Six hummingbirds filled the air with darting motion, hovering and whirring as they fought for the three positions on our red hummingbird feeder. “Why can’t they just be patient?” she wondered.
Like so many disputes and quarrels that plague the church, these battles were totally unnecessary. The feeder held plenty of nectared water. We refilled it every day. Yet, for hours at a time, no hummers came near it—until they all wanted it. They seemed to prefer a good scrap.
Quarrels among believers in Jesus Christ bring dishonor to Him. They create wounds in our brothers and sisters, leaving scars. “It is honorable for a man to stop striving, since any fool can start a quarrel,” says Proverbs 20:3. And “He who has knowledge spares his words” (17:27).
How much better it is when we speak gentle words of peace, not angry words of strife!
— David C. Egner
Like bullets flying through the air,
Our words can shatter peace;
The Spirit helps control the tongue,
And then the quarrels cease. —Egner
Two cannot quarrel when one will not.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers:
June 8, 2008
What’s Next To Do?
ODB RADIO: | Download
READ:
If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them —John 13:17
Be determined to know more than others. If you yourself do not cut the lines that tie you to the dock, God will have to use a storm to sever them and to send you out to sea. Put everything in your life afloat upon God, going out to sea on the great swelling tide of His purpose, and your eyes will be opened. If you believe in Jesus, you are not to spend all your time in the calm waters just inside the harbor, full of joy, but always tied to the dock. You have to get out past the harbor into the great depths of God, and begin to know things for yourself— begin to have spiritual discernment.
When you know that you should do something and you do it, immediately you know more. Examine where you have become sluggish, where you began losing interest spiritually, and you will find that it goes back to a point where you did not do something you knew you should do. You did not do it because there seemed to be no immediate call to do it. But now you have no insight or discernment, and at a time of crisis you are spiritually distracted instead of spiritually self-controlled. It is a dangerous thing to refuse to continue learning and knowing more.
The counterfeit of obedience is a state of mind in which you create your own opportunities to sacrifice yourself, and your zeal and enthusiasm are mistaken for discernment. It is easier to sacrifice yourself than to fulfill your spiritual destiny, which is stated in Romans 12:1-2. It is much better to fulfill the purpose of God in your life by discerning His will than it is to perform great acts of self-sacrifice. "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice . . ." ( 1 Samuel 15:22 ). Beware of paying attention or going back to what you once were, when God wants you to be something that you have never been. "If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know . . ." ( John 7:17 ).
Max Lucado's devotion:
Don’t Give Up!
Sunday, June 08, 2008
“It is finished.”
John 19:30
Our inability to finish what we start is seen in the smallest of things: A partly mowed lawn. A half-read book.
Or, it shows up in life’s most painful areas: An abandoned child. A wrecked marriage.
Any chance I’m addressing someone who is considering giving up? If I am, I want to encourage you to remain. I want to encourage you to remember Jesus’ determination on the cross.
Jesus didn’t quit. But don’t think for one minute that he wasn’t tempted to. Did he ever want to quit? You bet.
That’s why his words are so splendid. “It is finished.”
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Romans 2, daily readings and devotions
Romans 2
God's Righteous Judgment
1You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? 4Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?
5But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6God "will give to each person according to what he has done."[a] 7To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11For God does not show favoritism.
12All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) 16This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
The Jews and the Law
17Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God; 18if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, 20an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24As it is written: "God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."[b]
25Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. 26If those who are not circumcised keep the law's requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? 27The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the[c] written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker.
28A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion:
Galatians 5:13-16
13You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature[a]; rather, serve one another in love. 14The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."[b] 15If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
Life by the Spirit
16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
June 7, 2008
Serving Together
ODB RADIO: Listen Now | Download
READ: Galatians 5:13-16
Through love serve one another. —Galatians 5:13
When Cristine Bouwkamp and Kyle Kramer got married in the spring of 2007, they did something most of us wouldn’t think of doing. Instead of hosting a “sit-down dinner,” they held a simple reception at the church and invited their guests to help distribute food to people in need.
They bought a truckload of food and had it delivered to the church parking lot. Then they and their wedding guests served the people of the neighborhood. Cristine and Kyle said the first thing they wished to do as a married couple was to serve others. Because God had changed their lives so radically, they wanted to “bless God for blessing us with each other.”
The Kramers chose a great start for their new marriage—blessing God by serving others. The apostle Paul encouraged the Christians of Galatia: “Through love serve one another” (Gal. 5:13). Some of them believed that the ceremonial practices of the Old Testament were still binding on the church. So Paul wrote that salvation is by grace through faith. It is by faith we live out our new life in Christ. He reminded them that the law was fulfilled in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (v.14).
As followers of Jesus, we’re here to serve Him out of love—to “bless God for blessing us.”
— Anne Cetas
O that my life may useful be
As I serve Jesus faithfully;
And may His love be seen in me—
This is my earnest prayer. —Hess
God blesses us so that we can be a blessing to others.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers:
June 7, 2008
The Greatest Source of Power
ODB RADIO: | Download
READ:
Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do . . . —John 14:13
Am I fulfilling this ministry of intercession deep within the hidden recesses of my life? There is no trap nor any danger at all of being deceived or of showing pride in true intercession. It is a hidden ministry that brings forth fruit through which the Father is glorified. Am I allowing my spiritual life to waste away, or am I focused, bringing everything to one central point— the atonement of my Lord? Is Jesus Christ more and more dominating every interest of my life? If the central point, or the most powerful influence, of my life is the atonement of the Lord, then every aspect of my life will bear fruit for Him.
However, I must take the time to realize what this central point of power is. Am I willing to give one minute out of every hour to concentrate on it? "If you abide in Me . . . "— that is, if you continue to act, and think, and work from that central point— "you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you" ( John 15:7 ). Am I abiding? Am I taking the time to abide? What is the greatest source of power in my life? Is it my work, service, and sacrifice for others, or is it my striving to work for God? It should be none of these— what ought to exert the greatest power in my life is the atonement of the Lord. It is not on what we spend the greatest amount of time that molds us the most, but whatever exerts the most power over us. We must make a determination to limit and concentrate our desires and interests on the atonement by the Cross of Christ.
"Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do . . . ." The disciple who abides in Jesus is the will of God, and what appears to be his free choices are actually God’s foreordained decrees. Is this mysterious? Does it appear to contradict sound logic or seem totally absurd? Yes, but what a glorious truth it is to a saint of God.
TGIF devotional:
Your Testimony
by Os Hillman
I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. - John 3:11
Over the last several years I have seen two distinct types of Christian workplace believers. One type enthusiastically teaches their Bible knowledge to others. These people, though they may be genuine in their motive, lack one essential ingredient to being effectively used by God - a testimony. The second type of people I have encountered has a genuine testimony of what God is doing and continues to do in their lives. This was the case in the early Church. Men and women were able to give powerful testimony of events and experiences that could only be explained as a work of God.
God desires to build a testimony in each of us. Each of us is one of God's chosen vessels to reflect His power in and through us. When others see this power reflected, they are impacted because they cannot explain that power. God desires to frame your life with experiences designed to reflect the character and nature of Christ. Sometimes these events can be very devastating, but they are designed to reveal His power in and through us.
Every one of us has a testimony. What would others say your testimony is today? Can others see God's work in your life? Is your testimony one of Bible knowledge only? Are things happening in your life that can only be explained as God? These can be problematic questions for each of us. Ask God to build a testimony of His life in and through you today.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Romans 1, daily reading and devotions
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Romans 1
1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4and who through the Spirit[a] of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God[b] by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. 6And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
7To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul's Longing to Visit Rome
8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God's will the way may be opened for me to come to you.
11I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. 13I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.
14I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome.
16I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,[c] just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."[d]
God's Wrath Against Mankind
18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion:
1 John 4:7-14
God's Love and Ours
7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son[a] into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for[b] our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
13We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
June 6, 2008
Linked Hearts
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READ: 1 John 4:7-14
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. —1 John 4:11
Each new day, it seems, brings new ways our family sees the body of Christ at work. One demonstration of the fellowship of Christians sits on my desk as I write.
It’s a basket overflowing with letters from people I have never met. Since the time Our Daily Bread readers first learned of the car accident that ushered our daughter Melissa into heaven 6 years ago, we’ve received hundreds of messages from our brothers and sisters in the faith.
They’ve said things such as: “I grieve with you, my brother, and I will keep you and your family in my prayers.” “I weep at your loss.” “I hurt with you.” Many recommended books to read. Others sent poems or articles of comfort and hope. Some shared their own stories of bereavement as we discovered new partners on the path of pain. They demonstrate the principle of love among the family of God that’s commanded in 1 John 4:11.
Each of those gracious notes is different from the others, but they contain a common thread: Because of our shared faith in Christ, I find my heart joined to the hearts of the writers of these messages.
Hearts linked by Jesus create a chain of love that can encourage even the most grieving heart.
— Dave Branon
Bearing people’s heavy burdens,
Shouldering their pain and grief,
Shows the love of Christ to others,
Bringing them His sure relief. —Sper
Our hearts are linked through the love of Christ.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers:
June 6, 2008
"Work Out" What God "Works in" You
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. . . work out your own salvation . . . for it is God who works in you . . . —Philippians 2:12-13
Your will agrees with God, but in your flesh there is a nature that renders you powerless to do what you know you ought to do. When the Lord initially comes in contact with our conscience, the first thing our conscience does is awaken our will, and our will always agrees with God. Yet you say, "But I don’t know if my will is in agreement with God." Look to Jesus and you will find that your will and your conscience are in agreement with Him every time. What causes you to say "I will not obey" is something less deep and penetrating than your will. It is perversity or stubbornness, and they are never in agreement with God. The most profound thing in a person is his will, not sin.
The will is the essential element in God’s creation of human beings— sin is a perverse nature which entered into people. In someone who has been born again, the source of the will is Almighty God. ". . . for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." With focused attention and great care, you have to "work out" what God "works in" you— not work to accomplish or earn "your own salvation," but work it out so you will exhibit the evidence of a life based with determined, unshakable faith on the complete and perfect redemption of the Lord. As you do this, you do not bring an opposing will up against God’s will— God’s will is your will. Your natural choices will be in accordance with God’s will, and living this life will be as natural as breathing. Stubbornness is an unintelligent barrier, refusing enlightenment and blocking its flow. The only thing to do with this barrier of stubbornness is to blow it up with "dynamite," and the "dynamite" is obedience to the Holy Spirit.
Do I believe that Almighty God is the Source of my will? God not only expects me to do His will, but He is in me to do it.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft:
Untouchable Worth - #5585
Friday, June 6, 2008
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What a deal I got on a masterpiece! I was in Paris, touring what is probably the world's most famous art museum - the Louvre, as they say. All day long I had been seeing these works by great artists like Michelangelo, and Rembrandt, and you know all the biggies! And then I rounded this one corner and I was this room jammed with people. It was lit with special lighting, it was guarded by security guards. And when I finally got into that room, there she was, the one painting you've heard of if you've only heard of one painting. That's right, the Mona Lisa! There she was smiling at me in a painting that took up an entire wall. At the bottom was this signature - Leonardo da Vinci, the artist. Now, you can't buy the Mona Lisa, she's literally priceless. But I bought the Mona Lisa for .25 that day! Oh, yes I did. It's in a drawer at home. I could show it to you. Well, actually, it's a postcard of the Mona Lisa. What's the difference? Well, the postcard is a copy. It's cheap! The one in the museum is an original, signed by the artist - she's priceless.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Untouchable Worth."
Let's get an estimate of what you're worth...
Our word for today from the Word of God, Ephesians 2:10, "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Did you hear that? God's workmanship! Put your name in there, "______ is God's workmanship." You're unique! You're a one-of-a-kind original masterpiece! You may not feel like you're a masterpiece. You may not have been treated like you're a masterpiece, but the One who designed you says that's exactly what you are. From the time that egg and sperm came together to begin you, God was creating an original and building into you the qualities and the experiences and the capabilities to make a unique difference, to as that verse says, "do good works which God prepared in advance for you to do." You're a one of a kind original! You're priceless - unless you become a copy of someone else, in which case you go for cheap.
You've probably had plenty of messages in your life that have made you feel more like the postcard than the masterpiece. Maybe you've been rejected, ignored, hurt, or used. Maybe you've been criticized a lot, put down, and all by people who didn't know who you really are. But because of all those negative messages, you have this lie playing in your brain - "you're not worth much; you can't do much; you're not good enough." Remember it's not your friends who determine what you're worth, or your critics, or your family, or your culture, or your boss. It is your Designer. He gave you your worth the moment you were conceived by Him. It is intrinsic value - so your worth is not because of how much you make, or what title you have, or whether anyone asks you out or not - you are God's workmanship. No one on earth gave you your worth, and no one on earth can take it away. Your worth from God is untouchable!
There are three words in this verse that point us in the direction of where personal worth can be found, it says, "in Christ Jesus." It's when you're in Christ Jesus that you finally realize how much you're worth. You don't know who you are until you're in the hands of the one who loves you the most - who thinks you are so valuable, He paid for your sin with His life. God's Son died for you. That's how much He thinks you're worth!
Now, it may be you've never given yourself to Jesus. You've never put all your trust in Him to be your personal Rescuer from the sin that keeps you from knowing who created you. This could be your day to open up to His love and get a personal relationship with the One who gave you your worth. See, God wants you to live like the masterpiece He created you to be.
Maybe you've never said to Him, "Jesus, I'm Yours." I really want to invite you, really at your first opportunity today to get to our website, where there's a simple road map for how you can begin that relationship this very day. Go to yoursforlife.net. I hope you'll meet us there. You've been designed by the Master Artist. You are priceless!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Acts 28, daily readings and devotions
Acts 28
Ashore on Malta
1Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. 2The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. 3Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, "This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live." 5But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.
7There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and for three days entertained us hospitably. 8His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. 9When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. 10They honored us in many ways and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.
Arrival at Rome
11After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island. It was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux. 12We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. 13From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli. 14There we found some brothers who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome. 15The brothers there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these men Paul thanked God and was encouraged. 16When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him.
Paul Preaches at Rome Under Guard
17Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: "My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. 18They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death. 19But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar—not that I had any charge to bring against my own people. 20For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain."
21They replied, "We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of the brothers who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. 22But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect."
23They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 24Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. 25They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: "The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet:
26" 'Go to this people and say,
"You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving."
27For this people's heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.'[a]
28"Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!"[b]
30For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion:
Psalm 42
BOOK II : Psalms 42-72
1
For the director of music. A maskil of the Sons of Korah. [a]
[b] As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while men say to me all day long,
"Where is your God?"
4 These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go with the multitude,
leading the procession to the house of God,
with shouts of joy and thanksgiving
among the festive throng.
5 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and 6 my God.
My [c] soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.
8 By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God my Rock,
"Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?"
10 My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
"Where is your God?"
11 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
June 5, 2008
A Graduation Wish
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READ: Psalm 42
Why are you cast down, O my soul? . . . Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him. —Psalm 42:5
The high school commencement speaker was the president of a large corporation. He was chosen for the occasion because of his success. Yet his speech came with a most unusual wish for the graduates.
The speaker told the students sitting before him in their graduation gowns, “If I could have one hope for you as you go out into the world, it would be this: I hope you fail. I hope that you fail at something that is important to you.” He went on to say how his own early life had been one failure after another, until he learned to see failure as an effective teacher.
Many of the songs of Israel were born in seasons of failure. Out of desperation came the cry, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Ps. 42:1-2).
Sometimes we are not ready to see the wonder of God’s wisdom and strength until we are gasping for breath in the exhaustion of our own strength.
A recurring story of the Bible is that mountains of faith rise from the valleys of failure. Before discovering the high ground we are looking for, we may need to see the failure of the dreams we hold in our hearts and trust instead in the love, wisdom, and guidance of our God.
— Mart De Haan
The lessons we learn from our failures
Are lessons that help us succeed,
And if we are wise and we heed them,
Then failure is just what we need. —D. De Haan
Learn from your failures, or you will fail to learn.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
June 5, 2008
God’s Assurance
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He Himself has said . . . . So we may boldly say . . . —Hebrews 13:5-6
My assurance is to be built upon God’s assurance to me. God says, "I will never leave you," so that then I "may boldly say, ’The Lord is my helper; I will not fear’ " ( Hebrews 13:5-6 ). In other words, I will not be obsessed with apprehension. This does not mean that I will not be tempted to fear, but I will remember God’s words of assurance. I will be full of courage, like a child who strives to reach the standard his father has set for him. The faith of many people begins to falter when apprehensions enter their thinking, and they forget the meaning of God’s assurance— they forget to take a deep spiritual breath. The only way to remove the fear from our lives is to listen to God’s assurance to us.
What are you fearing? Whatever it may be, you are not a coward about it— you are determined to face it, yet you still have a feeling of fear. When it seems that there is nothing and no one to help you, say to yourself, "But ’The Lord is my helper’ this very moment, even in my present circumstance." Are you learning to listen to God before you speak, or are you saying things and then trying to make God’s Word fit what you have said? Take hold of the Father’s assurance, and then say with strong courage, "I will not fear." It does not matter what evil or wrong may be in our way, because "He Himself has said, ’I will never leave you . . . .’ "
Human frailty is another thing that gets between God’s words of assurance and our own words and thoughts. When we realize how feeble we are in facing difficulties, the difficulties become like giants, we become like grasshoppers, and God seems to be nonexistent. But remember God’s assurance to us— "I will never. . . forsake you." Have we learned to sing after hearing God’s keynote? Are we continually filled with enough courage to say, "The Lord is my helper," or are we yielding to fear?
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft:
Thursday, June 5, 2008
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I always thought they were buzzards - but a friend of mine who grew up with them circling overhead told me they're officially turkey vultures. Most of us think of them as nature's garbage collectors, but on our last vacation I developed an appreciation for their grace in flight. Watching them every day I saw them soaring in these graceful circles above me. And, amazingly, they almost never flapped their wings once they were airborne! They ride the warm air currents that rise from the earth as the days temperature gets warmer. They seem to just go where the thermals carry them. And I've got to tell you, it's beautiful.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Unflappable."
Some people live where they can watch eagles soar. I pretty much had to settle for turkey vultures. Apparently, Isaiah was an eagle watcher and one whom God had taught to live like one. Our word for today from the Word of God, Isaiah 40:30-31, "Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall. But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles (and maybe turkey vultures); they will run and now grow weary; they will walk and not grow faint."
These great soaring birds are ultimately not sustained in flight by the flapping of their own wings but by the currents that carry them. That's why they can go so far and so long. God is inviting us here to a new kind of soaring - it's for those who hope, who trust in the Lord - because they realize their wings can't do it for them. The King James Version says it's "those who wait on the Lord." It reminds me of those turkey vultures; they wait for those thermal currents to carry them before they even tackle their day.
The problem is that a lot of us are instinctive, addicted wing-flappers! I'm one. I can get it done if I make a good plan, motivate the right people, work enough hours, sacrifice enough sleep, have enough control. Listen to those wings flapping wildly in the wind! I'm flying as high and as long as my resources can carry me. For too many years I settled for that altitude and the stress of trying to make things happen myself.
But I'm learning something about waiting for God's thermals - to not push to make things happen, but to wait until the Lord does it in His way, in His time. This doesn't mean that you're totally passive sitting there doing nothing. You still plan, and prepare, and work hard, but only after seeing what God wants you planning, and preparing, and working on. The issue is this: do you think it's just your wings flapping that will get you there? No, it will be finding where God's current is going, and then you spread your wings to be carried that direction that day. That's what Jesus meant when he said "follow Me," checking with Him to see where He is taking you instead of trying to take Him where you want Him to go.
When you're totally riding on God's provision, you can fly when you have no fly left. I'm broke, but God isn't. I'm exhausted, but God isn't. I'm out of answers, but God isn't. It's at that point where you experience the promise of Isaiah 40:29, "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak."
I watched those soaring birds and I asked God to help me fly as they do. Not carried by the flapping of my own wings, but only by those warm currents of God.
Max Lucado's devotion
A Second Transformation
Thursday, June 05, 2008
“We shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.”
I Corinthians 15:51-52
“I am with you always” are the words of a God who in one instant did the impossible to make it all possible for you and me. (Matt. 28:20)
It all happened in a moment. In one moment…a most remarkable moment. The Word became flesh.
There will be another. The world will see another instantaneous transformation. You see, in becoming man, God made it possible for man to see God. When Jesus went home he left the back door open. As a result, “we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.”
The first moment of transformation went unnoticed by the world. But you can bet your sweet September that the second one won’t.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Acts 27, daily readings and devotionals:
Acts 27
Paul Sails for Rome
1When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment. 2We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.
3The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs. 4From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 5When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. 6There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. 8We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.
9Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Fast.[a] So Paul warned them, 10"Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also." 11But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. 12Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest.
The Storm
13When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had obtained what they wanted; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. 14Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the "northeaster," swept down from the island. 15The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. 16As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure. 17When the men had hoisted it aboard, they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. 18We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. 19On the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. 20When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.
21After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: "Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. 22But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 23Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me 24and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.' 25So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. 26Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island."
The Shipwreck
27On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic[b] Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 28They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet[c] deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet[d] deep. 29Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. 30In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. 31Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved." 32So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it fall away.
33Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. "For the last fourteen days," he said, "you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven't eaten anything. 34Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head." 35After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. 36They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37Altogether there were 276 of us on board. 38When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.
39When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 40Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. 41But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf.
42The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. 43But the centurion wanted to spare Paul's life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44The rest were to get there on planks or on pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land in safety.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion:
John 14:15-24
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15"If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[a] in you. 18I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
22Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"
23Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
June 4, 2008
Don’t Go Down There
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READ: John 14:15-24
This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. —2 John 1:6
In his book Lessons Learned Early, Jerry Jenkins tells a story about his freshman year in college. It was 1968, a year of tremendous political and social upheaval in the US.
Riots had broken out in many major cities. From the rooftop of his dorm in Chicago, Jerry heard sirens and saw fires burning. Students had been told to stay on campus, but Jerry wanted to see what was happening.
As he ran toward a store that was blazing a few blocks away, a police car pulled up beside him. “Don’t go down there,” the officer warned.
Jerry waited till the car pulled away and then kept walking. The officer returned. This time he made it more clear as he repeated, “Don’t go down there”—and leveled a shotgun out the window.
Our rebellious or willful streaks often lead to unhappy outcomes. In anger, Moses struck the rock to get water rather than just speak to it as God had commanded. He forfeited the privilege of entering the Promised Land with his people (Num. 20:7-12). Jonah disobeyed an order to go to Nineveh and was given 3 days to think about his choice—inside a big fish (Jonah 1).
What does it take for us to obey Him? Will we obey simply because we love Him? (John 14:15,21).
— Cindy Hess Kasper
Nothing between, like worldly pleasure:
Habits of life, though harmless they seem,
Must not my heart from Him ever sever—
He is my all! There’s nothing between. —Tindley
© 1968 by Singspiration, Inc.
Obedience is another word for love and loyalty
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
June 4, 2008
The Never-forsaking God
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He Himself has said, ’I will never leave you nor forsake you’ —Hebrews 13:5
What line of thinking do my thoughts take? Do I turn to what God says or to my own fears? Am I simply repeating what God says, or am I learning to truly hear Him and then to respond after I have heard what He says? "For He Himself has said, ’I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ’The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’ " ( Hebrews 13:5-6 ).
"I will never leave you . . ."— not for any reason; not my sin, selfishness, stubbornness, nor waywardness. Have I really let God say to me that He will never leave me? If I have not truly heard this assurance of God, then let me listen again.
"I will never . . . forsake you." Sometimes it is not the difficulty of life but the drudgery of it that makes me think God will forsake me. When there is no major difficulty to overcome, no vision from God, nothing wonderful or beautiful— just the everyday activities of life— do I hear God’s assurance even in these?
We have the idea that God is going to do some exceptional thing— that He is preparing and equipping us for some extraordinary work in the future. But as we grow in His grace we find that God is glorifying Himself here and now, at this very moment. If we have God’s assurance behind us, the most amazing strength becomes ours, and we learn to sing, glorifying Him even in the ordinary days and ways of life.
A Word With You, by Ron Hutchcraft:
The Temporary Difference - #5583
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
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My administrative assistant decided to bring her two young nephews into the office one lunch hour. She wanted them to meet the people she works with and vice versa. Daniel was probably about five, and I'm sure he left wondering who that weird guy is that his aunt works with. When I met Daniel he flashed a big smile that revealed some missing teeth. I asked him what happened and he said, "I lost those teeth." Now, I don't know what possess me at times like that, but I told Daniel I was sorry he lost them and I wanted to help him find them, after which, I got down on the floor and proceeded to crawl around looking for them. Mercifully, he told me I didn't have to keep looking; Daniel said he didn't mind loosing those teeth. He said, "I got permanent ones coming!"
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Temporary Difference."
Now, the first time a child loses a tooth could be pretty upsetting - there's this big hole that makes you look sorta funny. But every child quickly learns that this is no big problem; you lose the temporary, but you're about to trade it for a permanent!
Our word for today from the Word of God, 2 Corinthians 4:14-16. The perspective of a man who has been severely hammered - and he has the physical and emotional scars to prove it. He opens by saying, "We do not lose heart." Now, how can you be unsinkable like this when there is so much hardship and pain? He says, "Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." You may be in a pretty low time right now and you're sinking physically, or financially, or emotionally. Wouldn't it be nice to know what Paul's secret of daily renewal is? It's the Daniel with the missing teeth perspective. He says, "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all! So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." Paul says, when you're feeling the weight of heavy troubles, get out your scale, put your troubles on one side and your eternal rewards on the other, and the scale will go "clunk" as your eternity with your Savior far outweighs any pain now.
In fact, Paul says in Romans 8:18, "Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Maybe that's why he says later in the chapter, "We are more than conquerors through Him who loves us." When our kids were going through their junior high-itis, my wife and I would just turn to each other and just say, "TTSP" - we knew that meant This Too Shall Pass.
It's that perspective on earth's hard times that makes them bearable and even victorious, if you focus on what's going to last forever rather than on what's going to last just a little while. That is what is so wonderful about the promise of God's heaven with no pain, no tears, no sin. It's wonderful to hear about the prospect of God's unimaginable rewards for those who have been faithful to Him. 1 Corinthians 2:9, "No one has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God had prepared for those who love Him." Focus on that!
When you focus on the temporary loss, you are vulnerable to do something, anything, to relieve the pain. And you often make a permanent mistake to get through some temporary pain. But you don't have to do that when your eyes are on the prize instead of on the pain of the race.
Even if a little boy with a lost tooth can understand that losing something is okay if it's only temporary and if you will soon trade it in for something you will never lose! You can make it through this. This is only temporary, and it is nothing compared to what you're going to have forever!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Acts 26, daily readings and devotionals
Acts 26
1Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You have permission to speak for yourself." So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense: 2"King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews, 3and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently.
4"The Jews all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. 5They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee. 6And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today. 7This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. O king, it is because of this hope that the Jews are accusing me. 8Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?
9"I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.
12"On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. 14We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic,[a] 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'
15"Then I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?'
" 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' the Lord replied. 16'Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. 17I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'
19"So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. 20First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds. 21That is why the Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me. 22But I have had God's help to this very day, and so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen— 23that the Christ[b] would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles."
24At this point Festus interrupted Paul's defense. "You are out of your mind, Paul!" he shouted. "Your great learning is driving you insane."
25"I am not insane, most excellent Festus," Paul replied. "What I am saying is true and reasonable. 26The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. 27King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do."
28Then Agrippa said to Paul, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?"
29Paul replied, "Short time or long—I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains."
30The king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them. 31They left the room, and while talking with one another, they said, "This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment."
32Agrippa said to Festus, "This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar."
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion:
Ecclesiastes 3:14-22
14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.
15 Whatever is has already been,
and what will be has been before;
and God will call the past to account. [a]
16 And I saw something else under the sun:
In the place of judgment—wickedness was there,
in the place of justice—wickedness was there.
17 I thought in my heart,
"God will bring to judgment
both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
a time for every deed."
18 I also thought, "As for men, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. 19 Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath [b] ; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless. 20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal [c] goes down into the earth?"
22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?
June 3, 2008
The Search For Justice
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READ: Ecclesiastes 3:14-22
I saw under the sun: In the place of judgment, wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, iniquity was there. —Ecclesiastes 3:16
A trial has just ended, and the reactions to the verdict could not be more different. The family of the alleged murderer celebrates the declaration of a mistrial due to a legal technicality. Meanwhile, the grieving parents whose daughter has died wonder about a justice system that would allow such a decision. As they stand weeping before a mass of microphones and cameras, they exclaim: “Where is the justice in this? Where is the justice?”
We’ve seen this scenario played out in the news or on TV crime dramas. We instinctively long for justice but cannot seem to find it. The wisest man of his day, Solomon, faced a similar frustration and disappointment. He saw that imperfect human beings could never administer perfect justice. He wrote: “I saw under the sun: In the place of judgment, wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, iniquity was there” (Eccl. 3:16).
If all we trusted in were imperfect people, we would lose all hope. But Solomon wisely added in verse 17: “God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.”
The search for justice can be satisfied only by trusting the God who is always just.
— Bill Crowder
Though sin seems to triumph and wrong conquers right,
Though lies can put justice to flight,
God’s truth is eternal, His Word shows His might,
And He will bring justice to light. —Gustafson
Someday the scales of justice will be perfectly balanced.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers:
June 3, 2008
"The Secret of the Lord"
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The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him . . . —Psalm 25:14
What is the sign of a friend? Is it that he tells you his secret sorrows? No, it is that he tells you his secret joys. Many people will confide their secret sorrows to you, but the final mark of intimacy is when they share their secret joys with you. Have we ever let God tell us any of His joys? Or are we continually telling God our secrets, leaving Him no time to talk to us? At the beginning of our Christian life we are full of requests to God. But then we find that God wants to get us into an intimate relationship with Himself— to get us in touch with His purposes. Are we so intimately united to Jesus Christ’s idea of prayer— "Your will be done" ( Matthew 6:10 )— that we catch the secrets of God? What makes God so dear to us is not so much His big blessings to us, but the tiny things, because they show His amazing intimacy with us— He knows every detail of each of our individual lives.
"Him shall He teach in the way He chooses" ( Psalm 25:12 ). At first, we want the awareness of being guided by God. But then as we grow spiritually, we live so fully aware of God that we do not even need to ask what His will is, because the thought of choosing another way will never occur to us. If we are saved and sanctified, God guides us by our everyday choices. And if we are about to choose what He does not want, He will give us a sense of doubt or restraint, which we must heed. Whenever there is doubt, stop at once. Never try to reason it out, saying, "I wonder why I shouldn’t do this?" God instructs us in what we choose; that is, He actually guides our common sense. And when we yield to His teachings and guidance, we no longer hinder His Spirit by continually asking, "Now, Lord, what is Your will?"
A Word With You, by Ron Hutchcraft:
Fun Giving - #5582
Tuesday, June 2, 2008
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Of course you know McDonald's - the hamburger people? They have to some of the most brilliant marketers in history. They have advertised McDonald's as such a warm, friendly, fun place. I think every child in America wants to eat there! It seems that you're a lousy parent if you don't take them to Ronald's place - to get a Happy Meal - to pick up the toys or cups or whatever from the hottest new movie and to play under the Golden Arches. The other day I was in a McDonald's - just doing research, of course - and I saw another sign of their marketing genius. They wanted to get donations for their hospital where families of young cancer victims can stay. How did they get people to give? They made it fun! Near the counter, they stationed this brightly colored plastic container - it was funnel-shaped with a hole at the bottom and the money would go down into the bottom and into a bank. But if you threw a coin into it, it went into these wide spirals, around and around, down and down the funnel. It was really neat watching your donation spin, and spin its way to its destination - I mean, according to my research.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Fun Giving."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 2 Corinthians 9:7, where God describes how He wants us to feel about giving to Him. "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, for God loves a cheerful giver." That word in the Greek is the word we get hilarious from! Give hilariously! McDonald's makes it fun to give. They don't pressure you or guilt trip you into giving to their cause. They provide an opportunity to contribute and then make it fun to contribute!
I'm not recommending that we trade in offering plates for brightly colored funnels that slowly swirl your offering into a bank at the bottom. But I am suggesting that God intended it to be pleasurable and exciting to give to His work! Paul encourages us not to give like it's a spiritual tax we've got to pay - like your dues for being in "God's Club." He says to give with a giant smile. "I can't wait for the next chance to give. I love to give some of what I have to the work of Christ." Honestly, is that how you feel?
How can giving be fun as God intended it to be? First, give it to Jesus, not to a ministry, not to a church, not to an organization. On that day the disciples were challenged by Jesus to find a way to feed those five thousand people, they got a little boy to give his lunch which Jesus multiplied miraculously. I think the only reason the boy gave up his lunch was because it was for Jesus. He actually handed it to one of Jesus' helpers, but he knew it was going to Jesus. That's how we ought to give any offering. When you see the offering plate coming, when you're considering your response to that request from one of God's servants, don't give it unless it is Jesus you're actually giving it to. You can lose the joy for giving it to a Christian organization, but it's always exciting to put it ultimately in the nail-scarred hand of Jesus your Savior - who withheld nothing for you!
Another factor that makes giving fun is thinking about the return on what you're giving. In the verse before the hilarious giving verse, Paul says, "Remember this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly; whoever sows generously will also reap generously." You're building a reward account in Heaven that you can enjoy forever. It will be huge compared to whatever you gave. Plus, for all eternity, you will be celebrating those who were reached for Christ with gifts you gave!
So who needs a gimmick to make giving to God's work fun? Think about the Savior it's for, and the returns it will bring, You won't be able to give without a smile!
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