Psalm 17, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals (Click to listen to God’s teaching)

Max Lucado Daily: What Are You Worried About?

I was young, and now I am old, but I have never seen good people left helpless or their children begging for food. Psalm 37:25

What are you worried about?

We worry about the IRS, the SAT, and the TSA!

We worry that we won’t have enough money. And when we have enough money, we worry that we won’t manage it well.

We worry that the world will end before the parking meter expires. We worry what the dog thinks if he sees us step out of the shower. We worry that someday we’ll learn that fat-free yogurt was fattening!

Honestly now. Did God save you so you would fret? Would he teach you to walk just to watch you fall?

Would he be nailed to the cross for your sins and then disregard your prayers? Come on!

Is scripture teasing us when it reads, “He has put his angels in charge of you to watch over you wherever you go?” (Psalm 91:11)

I don’t think so either!

Psalm 17

A prayer of David.
1 Hear me, LORD, my plea is just;
listen to my cry.
Hear my prayer—
it does not rise from deceitful lips.
2 Let my vindication come from you;
may your eyes see what is right.

3 Though you probe my heart,
though you examine me at night and test me,
you will find that I have planned no evil;
my mouth has not transgressed.
4 Though people tried to bribe me,
I have kept myself from the ways of the violent
through what your lips have commanded.
5 My steps have held to your paths;
my feet have not stumbled.

6 I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
7 Show me the wonders of your great love,
you who save by your right hand
those who take refuge in you from their foes.
8 Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings
9 from the wicked who are out to destroy me,
from my mortal enemies who surround me.

10 They close up their callous hearts,
and their mouths speak with arrogance.
11 They have tracked me down, they now surround me,
with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.
12 They are like a lion hungry for prey,
like a fierce lion crouching in cover.

13 Rise up, LORD, confront them, bring them down;
with your sword rescue me from the wicked.
14 By your hand save me from such people, LORD,
from those of this world whose reward is in this life.
May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies;
may their children gorge themselves on it,
and may there be leftovers for their little ones.

15 As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face;
when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: Ephesians 2:1-10

Made Alive in Christ

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

A Perfect Fit

January 11, 2012 — by Cindy Hess Kasper

Those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. —Titus 3:8

“What kind of skill set do you bring?” That question, posed in a job interview, was intended to determine if my friend would be a good fit for a position. My friend quickly did a mental review of his skills and talents, hoping to emphasize the unique characteristics he possessed that would contribute to the success of the company.
What if we already had the perfect set of skills required to accomplish what God wants us to do? Well—as a matter of fact—we do! The spiritual gifts we possess, along with our experiences, training, natural talents, and a submissive heart make up a unique individual who has the skills needed for the “good works” that God has “prepared beforehand” (Eph. 2:10). If God has something He wants to accomplish and that you feel He is calling you to do, He will provide what you need to complete the task. Or, as one paraphrase emphasizes, God wants us “to join Him in the work He does, the good work He has gotten ready for us to do” (Eph. 2:10 The Message). The one thing He requires of us is that we “be found faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2).
Have you found a place in God’s service where you can be used of Him? Let’s “do good” and “be rich in good works” (1 Tim. 6:18).

Think not that you are limited
Because of what you cannot do,
But think instead of all you have—
The talents God has given you. —D. De Haan
Spiritual gifts are meant to be used, not admired.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, January 11, 2012

What My Obedience to God Costs Other People

As they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon . . . , and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus —Luke 23:26

If we obey God, it is going to cost other people more than it costs us, and that is where the pain begins. If we are in love with our Lord, obedience does not cost us anything— it is a delight. But to those who do not love Him, our obedience does cost a great deal. If we obey God, it will mean that other people’s plans are upset. They will ridicule us as if to say, “You call this Christianity?” We could prevent the suffering, but not if we are obedient to God. We must let the cost be paid.
When our obedience begins to cost others, our human pride entrenches itself and we say, “I will never accept anything from anyone.” But we must, or disobey God. We have no right to think that the type of relationships we have with others should be any different from those the Lord Himself had (see Luke 8:1-3).
A lack of progress in our spiritual life results when we try to bear all the costs ourselves. And actually, we cannot. Because we are so involved in the universal purposes of God, others are immediately affected by our obedience to Him. Will we remain faithful in our obedience to God and be willing to suffer the humiliation of refusing to be independent? Or will we do just the opposite and say, “I will not cause other people to suffer”? We can disobey God if we choose, and it will bring immediate relief to the situation, but it will grieve our Lord. If, however, we obey God, He will care for those who have suffered the consequences of our obedience. We must simply obey and leave all the consequences with Him.
Beware of the inclination to dictate to God what consequences you would allow as a condition of your obedience to Him.


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

The "Man With the Red Bandana" - #6523

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

In the old Westerns, they said the hero was the guy in the white hat. In the life-or-death moments of September 11, 2001, it was the man with the red bandana.

A red bandana had been Welles Crowther's trademark, I guess, since he was a boy. He still carried one even when he was a 24-year-old equities trader in the South Tower of the World Trade Center. And he had it on that fateful September day when the tower was in flames.

Ling Young will never forget the man she called "the man with the red bandana." She was sitting, bloody and dazed, waiting with others for help in the Elevator Sky Lobby. It was on the 78th floor that the second hijacked plane had sliced through the tower, and that's where she was. She said, "All of a sudden I heard a gentleman come out of the corner saying, 'I found the stairs. Follow me.'" The man was carrying a woman on his back, and he had a red bandana in his hand. After leading the group to a stairwell and giving them a fire extinguisher, he disappeared back up the stairs to help some other people.

That was the last time she saw him, and she said, "He's been on my mind every day."

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Man With the Red Bandana."

Judy Wein was in that same Sky Lobby, badly injured, and that's when she saw a man with a red bandana over his nose and mouth come running across the room, and he led them to the unseen staircase that would take them to safety. And in her words, "He was the cowboy coming in to save the town...he basically gave his life." Ling Young is sure that "Without him, I would not be here. He definitely saved my life." Six months after the towers fell, they found his body in the rubble.

I can't read this story without remembering the Man who gave His life to save mine, and to save so many others. On the fateful day when He died to rescue me, it was not a red bandana He wore. It was a crown of thorns, jammed into His head. He bled red for me. And the way I'll know Him when I see Him is by those awful nail prints in His hands. The scars that will forever declare how much my sin cost and how deeply He loves me and you. Our word for today from the Word of God, Isaiah 49:15-16. He tells me, "I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands."

See, I'm not alone in my desperate need for a spiritual rescuer. We all sit in the darkness, the danger of being away from God. We're all away from Him. We're on the edge of being swept into an awful eternity after our last heartbeat, because we've run our own lives. We've hijacked our life from God. We've said, "God, I'll do it my way instead of Your way." And the only way to pay for that is to pay that penalty for an eternity in hell. But here comes Jesus with His hand extended saying, "I have made a way out. Come on, follow Me!"

Our eternal destiny depends on whether or not we do follow Him to the way out. He said, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life" (John 3:36). That's the crossroads we all come to; it is the crossroads to which God may have brought you today, "What will you do with Jesus, My Son, who gave His life for you?" The crown of thorns, the nails in His hands and feet, the spear in His side, the separation from God the Father Himself, all for you because of your sin and because of His love for you.

Today, as He reaches out His hand your direction, are you going to grab it or are you going to walk away? This could be the day you settle your eternity and trade in that hell for His heaven. Reach out and grab Him. Say, "Jesus, I'm pinning all my hopes on You as my Rescuer." Go to our website and we can help you there find your way into a personal relationship with Jesus - YoursForLife.net.

Welles Crowther's father said, "His last hour was his legacy." Well, Jesus' last hour, when He was on that cross and chose to be cut off from God so we would never have to be, that was His legacy.


And with a very full heart, I can tell you, I'm part of that legacy, and you can be too.

Account is based on a story by Liza Porteus on FoxNews.com - Sept. 10, 2002

John 9, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals (Click to listen to God’s teaching)

Max Lucado Daily: You’re Pre-Packed

There are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. I Corinthians 12:6

You were born pre-packed! God looked at your entire life, determined your assignment, and gave you the tools to do the job!

You do something very similar before you travel. You consider the demands of the journey and pack accordingly.

Cold weather? Bring a jacket. Business meeting? Carry the laptop.

Time with grandchildren? Better take some sneakers and pain medication!

God did the same with you. Joe will do research—install curiosity! Megan will lead a private school—an extra dose of management.

I need Eric to comfort the sick—include a healthy share of compassion. Denalyn will marry Max!—instill a double portion of patience.

Exodus 35:35 says: God has filled them with skill!

God packed you on purpose for a purpose!

John 9

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was.

Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”

But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”

10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.

11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”

12 “Where is this man?” they asked him.

“I don’t know,” he said.

The Pharisees Investigate the Healing

13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”
16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”

But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.

17 Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”

The man replied, “He is a prophet.”

18 They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. 19 “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”

20 “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: Ruth 2:17-23

17 So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah.[a] 18 She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough.

19 Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!”

Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said.

20 “The LORD bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian-redeemers.[b]”

21 Then Ruth the Moabite said, “He even said to me, ‘Stay with my workers until they finish harvesting all my grain.’”

22 Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It will be good for you, my daughter, to go with the women who work for him, because in someone else’s field you might be harmed.”

23 So Ruth stayed close to the women of Boaz to glean until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

Surprised By God

January 10, 2012 — by David C. McCasland

The Lord . . . has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead! —Ruth 2:20

If Naomi had dreamed about returning to her former home prosperous and successful, entering Bethlehem would have been a nightmare. While living in a foreign land, she had lost her husband and two sons and returned with only her daughter-in-law Ruth and a heart full of sorrow. “Do not call me Naomi [pleasant]; call me Mara [bitter],” she told her former neighbors, “for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (Ruth 1:20).
But this wasn’t the end of the story. When the discouraged Naomi saw God’s hand in Ruth’s life, she said, “The Lord . . . has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!” (2:20). What appeared to be a dead-end had become a doorway for these two women who had lost so much.
The Old Testament book of Ruth is a wonderful story. The brief narrative is infused with an amazing sweetness and grace as “the Lord” is mentioned time after time.
Through Naomi and Ruth, we are reminded that God works in surprising ways to make His love known and to accomplish His purposes—even during difficult times.
God’s surprises continue so we can take heart. He has not stopped showing His kindness to you and me.

He whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best—
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest. —Berg
What we see of God’s provisions teaches us to trust Him for what we cannot see of His purposes.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, January 10, 2012


The Opened Sight

I now send you, to open their eyes . . . that they may receive forgiveness of sins . . . —Acts 26:17-18

This verse is the greatest example of the true essence of the message of a disciple of Jesus Christ in all of the New Testament.
God’s first sovereign work of grace is summed up in the words, “. . . that they may receive forgiveness of sins . . . .” When a person fails in his personal Christian life, it is usually because he has never received anything. The only sign that a person is saved is that he has received something from Jesus Christ. Our job as workers for God is to open people’s eyes so that they may turn themselves from darkness to light. But that is not salvation; it is conversion-only the effort of an awakened human being. I do not think it is too broad a statement to say that the majority of so-called Christians are like this. Their eyes are open, but they have received nothing. Conversion is not regeneration. This is a neglected fact in our preaching today. When a person is born again, he knows that it is because he has received something as a gift from Almighty God and not because of his own decision. People may make vows and promises, and may be determined to follow through, but none of this is salvation. Salvation means that we are brought to the place where we are able to receive something from God on the authority of Jesus Christ, namely, forgiveness of sins.
This is followed by God’s second mighty work of grace: “. . . an inheritance among those who are sanctified . . . .” In sanctification, the one who has been born again deliberately gives up his right to himself to Jesus Christ, and identifies himself entirely with God’s ministry to others.


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

The Answer in the Mirror - #6522

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Whether you're in your car, or in your home, or almost anywhere you are right now, I think you probably have available to you what you're going to need for our next few minutes together. Yeah, because you're either near one or you might even carry one. Now, some people use this object too much; other people could afford to use it a little more. Maybe you've guessed what it is by now. Yep, it's a mirror, and you'll need it today, because that's where we're going to end up.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Answer in the Mirror."

Now, our word for today from the Word of God will take us ultimately to the mirror. In fact, it's found in Luke 15:17. If you're real conversant with your New Testament, you might recognize Luke 15 as being the home of that familiar story we call the Prodigal Son. And you know in that story he had gone to his apparently well-to-do father and said, "Dad, I'm restless. I don't know if I want to stay home anymore. I wonder if you could give me my share of the inheritance, and then I'm going to get this out of my system. I want to get out of here. I know you didn't die yet, but could I have my inheritance?"

Now, I don't really know what was on his mind, and we don't know why he wanted to leave. Maybe he was tired of the rules his dad had, and then he had an older brother. Maybe he didn't get along with him. But he went away, and the Bible says, "He went to a far country." So he wanted to get far away. It didn't take him long to blow all his money. He had a lot of friends as long as he had that money.

Then he lost his friends when he lost his "bucks." And he ended up working for a pig farmer - the worst possible thing a Jewish boy could end up doing would be feeding the pigs. But he was so desperate; he had to do an un-kosher job. And here he said, "Boy, I wonder if my dad would even take me back as one of his servants?" And there he is sorting it out; trying to figure out, "How did I ever get in this mess? How did I end up in a pig pen?"

Maybe for you, you're looking at your life and you're not in the pig pen right now, but things aren't going right. You're restless, you're feeling disoriented, confused, disappointed, there's a lot of frustration that's built up over the last few months, maybe some anger. You're really looking for some answers, and you're saying, "Whose fault is it I'm in this mess?"

Luke 15:17 tells us the end of the Prodigal Son's search for the answer. And in these simple words recorded in the King James Version of the New Testament it says this: "And he came to himself." Now, I know that means he came to his senses. But I think it also implies to us that after he went down the list and he said, "Okay, it's not my Father's fault. Okay, well let's see, if I didn't have that brother. No, no, it's not my brother's fault. If my friends weren't so fickle. No, I guess I can't blame my friends. If only I hadn't run out of money; if I hadn't invested in the wrong thing, or if it weren't for this boss who is giving me this crummy job."

Finally, after scratching off all the other causes, he ends up looking in the mirror. I told you we'd come back there. It says, "He came finally to himself." Maybe that's the first place you're going to begin to find deliverance from your restlessness, your frustration. You've got to look in the mirror and say, "Lord, I think I'm the one who needs to be changed. I'm not going to blame it on my circumstances, or the problem people in my life, or my wife, or my husband, or my kids, or my parents, or the economy, a lack of resources. It's not my brother, not my sister, but it's me, oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer."


Every counselor's first job is to get a person to take the responsibility for their own situation. Whether you're a parent, or a son, or a daughter, or a worker, or a boss, I trust that you will begin to say, "Lord, begin with me."

Look in the mirror. Offer what you see to the Father, and just like the father of the Prodigal Son, He's going to clean you up and make you look like royalty.

Psalm 16, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals (Click to listen to God’s teaching)

Max Lucado Daily: The Choice is Yours

Then they [those who rejected God] will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. Matthew 25:46 NIV

It would be nice if God let us order life like we order a meal.

“I’ll take good health and a high IQ, please!”

Would’ve been nice. But it didn’t happen. When it came to your life on earth, you weren’t given a voice or a vote. But when it comes to life after death, you were!

Have you been given any greater privilege than that of choice? You’ve made some bad choices in life, haven’t you? You’ve chosen the wrong friends, maybe the wrong career, even the wrong spouse. You say, “If only… if only I could make up for those bad choices.”

You can! One good choice for eternity offsets a thousand bad ones on earth

The choice is yours!



Psalm 16

A miktam[a] of David.
1 Keep me safe, my God,
for in you I take refuge.

2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing.”
3 I say of the holy people who are in the land,
“They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
or take up their names on my lips.

5 LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the LORD.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful[b] one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: Psalm 33:10-15

10 The LORD foils the plans of the nations;
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
11 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations.

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he chose for his inheritance.
13 From heaven the LORD looks down
and sees all mankind;
14 from his dwelling place he watches
all who live on earth—
15 he who forms the hearts of all,
who considers everything they do.


Bless The Interruptions

January 9, 2012 — by Joe Stowell

The Lord . . . makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever. —Psalm 33:10-11

If your life is anything like mine, it’s pretty well planned out. I have a calendar that reminds me of appointments, meetings, and other “to-do” items. Inevitably, interruptions change my day dramatically; and while they can be frustrating, they also can be productive.
Some of the great advances in God’s plans have come through “interruptions” to the normal routine. Take Mary, for example. An angel interrupted her life with the announcement that she would have a son named Jesus. Since she was a virgin and engaged to be married, this news was undoubtedly shocking and deeply troubling (Luke 1:26-31). And Saul, the Jewish zealot who persecuted early Christians, was on his way to Damascus to arrest more followers of “the Way” when he was blinded by Jesus Himself (Acts 9:1-9). This life-changing interruption had huge implications for the future of Christianity.
The psalmist reminds us that the Lord can make “the plans of the peoples of no effect” (Ps. 33:10). Yet all too often we respond to the interruptions of our well-ordered lives with attitudes like frustration, irritation, fear, and doubt. God’s surprises in our day are full of opportunities. Let’s welcome them as a new “to-do list” from Him.

Lord, if I’m feeling rushed today,
I need Your eyes to help me see
That when an interruption comes,
It is an opportunity. —Sper
Look for God’s purpose in your next interruption.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, January 09, 2012


Prayerful Inner-Searching

May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless . . . —1 Thessalonians 5:23

“Your whole spirit . . . .” The great, mysterious work of the Holy Spirit is in the deep recesses of our being which we cannot reach. Read Psalm 139 . The psalmist implies— “O Lord, You are the God of the early mornings, the God of the late nights, the God of the mountain peaks, and the God of the sea. But, my God, my soul has horizons further away than those of early mornings, deeper darkness than the nights of earth, higher peaks than any mountain peaks, greater depths than any sea in nature. You who are the God of all these, be my God. I cannot reach to the heights or to the depths; there are motives I cannot discover, dreams I cannot realize. My God, search me.”
Do we believe that God can fortify and protect our thought processes far beyond where we can go? “. . . the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). If this verse means cleansing only on our conscious level, may God have mercy on us. The man who has been dulled by sin will say that he is not even conscious of it. But the cleansing from sin we experience will reach to the heights and depths of our spirit if we will “walk in the light as He is in the light” (1 John 1:7). The same Spirit that fed the life of Jesus Christ will feed the life of our spirit. It is only when we are protected by God with the miraculous sacredness of the Holy Spirit that our spirit, soul, and body can be preserved in pure uprightness until the coming of Jesus-no longer condemned in God’s sight.
We should more frequently allow our minds to meditate on these great, massive truths of God.


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

The Effect Your Name Has - #6521

Monday, January 9, 2012

If you really want to impress somebody, remember their name after you meet them. It's important, you know, to concentrate on somebody's name and then try to repeat it several times in the conversation, "Yes, George. It's nice to meet you, George, and say hi to your family, George." Because, see, there's nothing someone would rather hear than their own name. And they'll just think you're something really special if you can remember that name, because names are really important to people.

In fact, names are so important in our society that they're protected by slander and liable laws. If someone publicly damages your name, and it's something that isn't true and that they can't really defend, well that could be worth millions of dollars in a lawsuit. Your name is really important!

Now, here's something to think about: what kind of reaction does your name bring when it's brought up in a group of people? Maybe a group of people who know who you are, maybe a little, maybe a lot, but you're not in the room when your name comes up. What's the reaction? See, I'm sure that it makes people feel some way!

Maybe there's laughter when they think of your name, or maybe there's respect. Maybe there's like a shrug of the shoulders, "I don't know." Maybe it creates suspicion when they hear you're involved, or maybe there's tension, or maybe there's peace, confidence. Your name gets a reaction.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Effect Your Name Has."

Our word for today from the Word of God is about your name. Proverbs 22:1 says this: "A good name is more desirable than great riches. To be esteemed is better than silver or gold." When the Bible talks about your name, it's really talking about your reputation. What kind of reaction does your name or your reputation bring?

Interesting thing about reputation, a good one takes a long time to get and a very short time to lose. And as you know, a bad reputation is very easy to get, and then later on it can be very hard to lose. In fact, I've known people with a wonderful reputation - years that it took to build - and in a night, or a day, in one incident a reputation is lost. It's worth much sacrifice; it's worth a lot of self-denial; a lot of self-discipline to protect your good name. It's the most valuable thing you have. That's why our society protects it with laws.

I think a good name, like the Bible talks about here, belongs to people that you can always expect certain things from. See how you measure up with this check list. First of all, you can always expect excellence in what they do. You don't have to wonder if it's going to be shoddy work or if they're going to give it a half-hearted effort. Excellence - they're committed to doing it in the big things and the little things. That's a good name.

Secondly, people with a good name cause people to expect consistency from them; they're faithful, they deliver. You know they'll be there, they'll have the same kind of quality, the same kind of commitment whether things are going bad, or whether they're going well, or whether things are hard or easy, or whether there's money or not; there's going to be consistency. That's a good name.


Thirdly, they're known for their judgment. They don't just jump into things; they're not impulsive, they're not glandular people, they ponder, they consider, they get the facts and they make responsible decisions that stand the test of time, not that just look good for a day, a week, or a month. And then a good name, well, I think it belongs to people who are known for the truth, for integrity. You can always believe, you can always trust what they're saying; you don't have to divide it by two and try to get the truth or wonder if it's really the facts. You can trust their word.

Your good name? Man, it's worth everything. Don't compromise it. Don't put a mark on anyone else's name either, because according to the Bible, if you've got a good name, you're a moral millionaire.

Psalm 15, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals (Click to listen to God’s teaching)

Max Lucado Daily: He Was God-man

“In Christ there is all of God in a human body.” Colossians 2:9 TLB

Jesus was not a godlike man, nor a manlike God. He was God-man . . . The maker of the world with a bellybutton . . .

What do we do with such a person? We applaud men for doing good things? We enshrine God for doing great things. But when a man does God things?

One thing is certain, we can’t ignore him. Why would we want to?

Psalm 15

A psalm of David.
1 LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
Who may live on your holy mountain?

2 The one whose walk is blameless,
who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from their heart;
3 whose tongue utters no slander,
who does no wrong to a neighbor,
and casts no slur on others;
4 who despises a vile person
but honors those who fear the LORD;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
and does not change their mind;
5 who lends money to the poor without interest;
who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

Whoever does these things
will never be shaken.


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: 1 Chronicles 29:1-14

Gifts for Building the Temple

1 Then King David said to the whole assembly: “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the LORD God. 2 With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God—gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise,[a] stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble—all of these in large quantities. 3 Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple: 4 three thousand talents[b] of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents[c] of refined silver, for the overlaying of the walls of the buildings, 5 for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is willing to consecrate themselves to the LORD today?”
6 Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly. 7 They gave toward the work on the temple of God five thousand talents[d] and ten thousand darics[e] of gold, ten thousand talents[f] of silver, eighteen thousand talents[g] of bronze and a hundred thousand talents[h] of iron. 8 Anyone who had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the temple of the LORD in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9 The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the LORD. David the king also rejoiced greatly.

David’s Prayer

10 David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,
“Praise be to you, LORD,
the God of our father Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
11 Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, LORD, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.
12 Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.
13 Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name.

14 “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.

Birthday Giveaway

January 8, 2012 — by Jennifer Benson Schuldt

God loves a cheerful giver. —2 Corinthians 9:7

When I reminded my husband that his 39th birthday was just around the corner, he declared that he didn’t want any presents. Yeah, right, I thought, and I continued to press him for gift ideas. That’s when he told me he wanted to give away the money we would have spent on his birthday.
The Bible calls us to give willingly—not grudgingly or of necessity—to support God’s work and to help people (2 Cor. 9:7). This kind of freewill giving often results in joy for the giver. When King David donated his personal stash of gold and silver to help build the temple, many Israelite officials followed his example. After they contributed bronze, iron, gemstones, and precious metal, “the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly” (1 Chron. 29:9).
As part of the celebration, David praised God, saying, “Of Your own we have given You” (v.14). His point was that God owns everything. Remembering this allows us to give eagerly, because we are just returning our resources to their rightful owner—God Himself.
The next time you contribute cash, services, or belongings to support the cause of Christ, examine your attitude. Are you giving freely and willingly? God loves a cheerful giver.

Lord, You love the cheerful giver,
Who with open heart and hand
Blesses freely, as a river
That refreshes all the land. —Murray
How we give is more important than how much we give.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, January 08, 2012

Is My Sacrifice Living?

Abraham built an altar . . . ; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar . . . —Genesis 22:9

This event is a picture of the mistake we make in thinking that the ultimate God wants of us is the sacrifice of death. What God wants is the sacrifice through death which enables us to do what Jesus did, that is, sacrifice our lives. Not— “Lord, I am ready to go with You . . . to death” (Luke 22:33). But— “I am willing to be identified with Your death so that I may sacrifice my life to God.”
We seem to think that God wants us to give up things! God purified Abraham from this error, and the same process is at work in our lives. God never tells us to give up things just for the sake of giving them up, but He tells us to give them up for the sake of the only thing worth having, namely, life with Himself. It is a matter of loosening the bands that hold back our lives. Those bands are loosened immediately by identification with the death of Jesus. Then we enter into a relationship with God whereby we may sacrifice our lives to Him.
It is of no value to God to give Him your life for death. He wants you to be a “living sacrifice”— to let Him have all your strengths that have been saved and sanctified through Jesus (Romans 12:1). This is what is acceptable to God.

John 8, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals (Click to listen to God’s teaching)

Max Lucado Daily: Love Like God

“Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God.” Philippians 2:6 NLT

Need more patience? Drink from the patience of God (2 Peter 3:9). Is generosity an elusive virtue? Then consider how generous God has been with you (Romans 5:8). Having trouble putting up with ungrateful relatives or cranky neighbors? God puts up with you when you act the same. “He is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked” (Luke 6:35 NIV).

Can’t we love like this?

John 8:28-59
New International Version (NIV)
28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up[a] the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” 30 Even as he spoke, many believed in him.

Dispute Over Whose Children Jesus’ Opponents Are

31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.[b]”

39 “Abraham is our father,” they answered.

“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would[c] do what Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the works of your own father.”

“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”

42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

Jesus’ Claims About Himself

48 The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”
49 “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50 I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”

52 At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”

54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”

57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”

58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: 2 Samuel 12:1-15

Nathan Rebukes David

1 The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.
4 “Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”

5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this must die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”

7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. 9 Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’

11 “This is what the LORD says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. 12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’”

13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”

Nathan replied, “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. 14 But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for[a] the LORD, the son born to you will die.”

15 After Nathan had gone home, the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became ill.

Collision Course

January 7, 2012 — by Dennis Fisher

Be sure your sin will find you out. —Numbers 32:23

My wife and I were driving on an expressway when we saw a driver turn left into a median turnaround that was intended for emergency vehicles only. He was planning to make a U-turn and head back the other way.
Looking to his right, the driver waited for an opening in oncoming traffic, so he failed to notice that a police car was backing up toward him on his left. Finally seeing an opening in traffic, the U-turn driver pulled out and rammed into the back of the police car.
It’s not unusual for us to think we can get away with doing something wrong. After King David committed adultery with Bathsheba, he too was focused on “getting away with it.” But he was on a collision course with Nathan. His adultery, deceit, and murder “displeased the Lord” (2 Sam. 11:27), so when Nathan exposed David’s grievous sin, the king was deeply remorseful. He confessed, repented, and received God’s forgiveness. But the consequences of his sin never departed from his household (12:10).
If you’ve been trying to get away with something, remember that “your sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23). Turn yourself in to God. Don’t hide. Instead, seek His gracious forgiveness.

God knows all you’ve thought or done—
From Him you cannot hide;
Confess to Him and He’ll forgive
Through Christ the crucified. —Hess
We have to face our sins before we can put them behind us.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, January 07, 2012

Intimate With Jesus

Jesus said to him, ’Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?’ —John 14:9

These words were not spoken as a rebuke, nor even with surprise; Jesus was encouraging Philip to draw closer. Yet the last person we get intimate with is Jesus. Before Pentecost the disciples knew Jesus as the One who gave them power to conquer demons and to bring about a revival (see Luke 10:18-20). It was a wonderful intimacy, but there was a much closer intimacy to come: “. . . I have called you friends . . .” (John 15:15). True friendship is rare on earth. It means identifying with someone in thought, heart, and spirit. The whole experience of life is designed to enable us to enter into this closest relationship with Jesus Christ. We receive His blessings and know His Word, but do we really know Him?
Jesus said, “It is to your advantage that I go away . . .” (John 16:7). He left that relationship to lead them even closer. It is a joy to Jesus when a disciple takes time to walk more intimately with Him. The bearing of fruit is always shown in Scripture to be the visible result of an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ (see John 15:1-4).
Once we get intimate with Jesus we are never lonely and we never lack for understanding or compassion. We can continually pour out our hearts to Him without being perceived as overly emotional or pitiful. The Christian who is truly intimate with Jesus will never draw attention to himself but will only show the evidence of a life where Jesus is completely in control. This is the outcome of allowing Jesus to satisfy every area of life to its depth. The picture resulting from such a life is that of the strong, calm balance that our Lord gives to those who are intimate with Him.

Psalm 14, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals (Click to listen to God’s teaching)

Max Lucado Daily: Your Failures

The righteousness of God is revealed through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…Romans 3:22

Perhaps the heaviest burden we try to carry is the burden of mistakes and failures. What do you do with your failures?

Even if you’ve fallen, even if you’ve failed, even if everyone else has rejected you, Christ will not turn away from you.

Psalm 68:19 says, “Praise the Lord, God our Savior, who helps us every day.” Every day!

Christ came first and foremost to those who have not hope. He goes to those no one else would go to and says, “I’ll give you eternity!”

Only you can surrender your concerns to the Father. No one else can take those away and give them to God.

What better way to start the day than by laying your cares at Jesus’ feet?

Psalm 14

For the director of music. Of David.
1 The fool[e] says in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
there is no one who does good.

2 The LORD looks down from heaven
on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.
3 All have turned away, all have become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.

4 Do all these evildoers know nothing?

They devour my people as though eating bread;
they never call on the LORD.
5 But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
for God is present in the company of the righteous.
6 You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,
but the LORD is their refuge.

7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When the LORD restores his people,
let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: Philippians 1:21-30

21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

Life Worthy of the Gospel

27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit,[a] striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

Longing For Home

January 6, 2012 — by Bill Crowder

I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. —Philippians 1:23

When our son Stephen was a youngster, he went away for a week at a Christian summer camp. Later that week, we got a letter from him that was addressed to “Mom and Dad Crowder” and simply said, “Please come and take me home today.” What his child’s mind couldn’t comprehend, of course, was that it would be days before we got his letter and more time before we could come for him. All his young heart knew was that he longed for home and for Mom and Dad—and that can be tough for a child.
Sometimes we can be like Stephen as we think about this world. It’s easy to think longingly about being with Jesus and begin to wish we could go to our “eternal home” (Eccl. 12:5) where we will “be with Christ” (Phil. 1:23). As God’s children (John 1:12), we know that this world will never truly be home to us. Like the apostle Paul, we especially feel that way when the struggles of life are hard. While in Rome awaiting trial, Paul wrote, “I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better” (Phil. 1:23). He loved serving Christ, but a part of him longed to be with the Savior.
It’s comforting to know that we can think ahead to being with Jesus—in a home that is far better.

To see His face, this is my goal;
The deepest longing of my soul;
Through storm and stress my path I’ll trace
Till, satisfied, I see His face! —Chisholm
There is no place like home—especially when home is heaven.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, January 06, 2012

Worship

He moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord —Genesis 12:8

Worship is giving God the best that He has given you. Be careful what you do with the best you have. Whenever you get a blessing from God, give it back to Him as a love-gift. Take time to meditate before God and offer the blessing back to Him in a deliberate act of worship. If you hoard it for yourself, it will turn into spiritual dry rot, as the manna did when it was hoarded (see Exodus 16:20). God will never allow you to keep a spiritual blessing completely for yourself. It must be given back to Him so that He can make it a blessing to others.
Bethel is the symbol of fellowship with God; Ai is the symbol of the world. Abram “pitched his tent” between the two. The lasting value of our public service for God is measured by the depth of the intimacy of our private times of fellowship and oneness with Him. Rushing in and out of worship is wrong every time— there is always plenty of time to worship God. Days set apart for quiet can be a trap, detracting from the need to have daily quiet time with God. That is why we must “pitch our tents” where we will always have quiet times with Him, however noisy our times with the world may be. There are not three levels of spiritual life— worship, waiting, and work. Yet some of us seem to jump like spiritual frogs from worship to waiting, and from waiting to work. God’s idea is that the three should go together as one. They were always together in the life of our Lord and in perfect harmony. It is a discipline that must be developed; it will not happen overnight.


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

A Hurricane Named Peace - #6520

Friday, January 6, 2012

A few months ago I thought they were talking about my grandmother storming up the East Coast. Actually, it was a hurricane with the same name - Irene. Oh, and I know what that name means. It means peace. How ironic.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "A Hurricane Named Peace."

Of course, it was in the face of a monster life-hurricane that Jesus gave His disciples one of the greatest promises of peace ever made. Within hours, the Man for whom they have left everything would be arrested, and tortured and crucified like a criminal.

Our word for today from the Word of God, John 14{bible} beginning in verse 27, tells us that as this Category 5 "hurricane" was on the verge of ripping apart their world, Jesus said: "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" ({bible}John 14:27).

Excuse me, but how can a devastating life-storm go hand-in-hand with peace?

I got a hint of how on the day they thought the plane I was on might crash. The hydraulic system had failed and we were being diverted to the nearest airport. The flight attendants were barely concealing their own anxiety, and they were drilling us as fast as they could in how to prepare for a crash landing (of course, they never mentioning that "c" word, but you could tell that's what it was about). Needless to say, it was suddenly very tense, very quiet on our flight.

There was a grandma next to me, and she was I guess pretty much a nervous wreck. She talked about seeing her grandchildren in New Jersey, and I listened and I did my best to be of some comfort to her, and even tried to lighten it up a little bit with a little humor. Then it was time to land on a runway that was flanked with these emergency vehicles; lights flashing everywhere. And thankfully, we landed safely, just a little bumpy.

We were packing up to leave, and grandma said to me, "How could you be so calm when everybody else was so uptight?" And I said, "Well, I had total peace the whole time, actually, because my peace isn't based on what's going on around me. It's based on Who's going on inside me. One day I asked Jesus to come into my life and take over, and He did, and nothing can take Him from me."

Now, that's the secret of hurricane peace. Your response to the tempest is defined by your anchor relationship with Jesus Christ, not the screaming winds of the storm. Or as the Bible says, "You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You" (Isaiah 26:3). The wind and the water won't determine what happens to me. Jesus will. And whatever may get washed away, I cannot lose the One who is my reason to live, my defining love, my unloseable security.

Of course, the peace that Jesus promised to His followers that dark night would come at an unthinkable price; His horrific death on a cross, because there is no peace for someone who's away from the God who made them. And, according to the Bible, we all are. Having the unshakeable peace of God depends on being at peace with God, and that couldn't happen without my sin being paid for. So the road to peace is paved with the blood of Jesus. Or as the Bible says, "He was crushed for our iniquities (or wrongdoings); the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him" (Isaiah 53:5).

So, for you, peace will begin at the foot of Jesus' cross; the peace place where Jesus died to pay the price to make peace between you and God. And that peace becomes yours, that gift of eternal life becomes yours when you reach out and make it your own; when you personalize it by saying, "Jesus, I give myself to You because You died for me, and You're alive because You walked out of your grave. I want You to walk into my life." Let the peace begin! Let it happen today. Tell Him, "Jesus, I'm Yours."


Please go visit our website and you can watch, or read, or listen to a presentation there that will help you understand how to begin your relationship with Him.

Hurricane-proof peace is a Person, and He'll be there when the storm is howling, and He'll be there when the storm has passed.

Psalm 13, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals (Click to listen to God’s teaching)

Max Lucado Daily: Doubt—An Unwanted Visitor

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23

Doubt. He’s a lousy neighbor. An unwanted visitor. An obnoxious guest. And he’ll pester you. He’ll irritate you. He’ll criticize your judgment.

His aim is not to convince you, but to confuse you. He doesn’t offer solutions. Doubt only raises questions.

Had any visit from this fellow lately? If you find yourself going to church in order to be saved and not because you’re saved, then you’ve been listening to him.

If you find yourself doubting that God could forgive you again for that, you’ve been sold some snake oil.

If you’re more cynical about Christians than sincere about Christ, then guess who came to dinner?

I suggest you put a lock on your gate. I suggest you post a “Do not enter” sign on your door! Say no to doubt.



Psalm 13[d]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

3 Look on me and answer, LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
4 and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing the LORD’s praise,
for he has been good to me.


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: James 4:13-17

Boasting About Tomorrow

13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

Facing The Future

January 5, 2012 — by David C. McCasland

If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that. —James 4:15

While going through some old files, I came across a 1992 special issue of TIME magazine titled “Beyond the Year 2000: What To Expect in the New Millennium.” It was fascinating to read the predictions made 2 decades ago about what the future would hold. Some general observations were on target, but no one foresaw many of the events and innovations that have radically changed our lives. The most telling statement to me was, “The first rule of forecasting should be that the unforeseen keeps making the future unforeseeable.”
James reminds us that any view of the future that omits God is foolish and proud. “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. . . . Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that’” (James 4:13-15).
Many people used to begin their statement of plans with, “Lord willing.” The phrase may have become trite, but the acknowledgment of God’s overruling hand is not.
As we look ahead with God firmly in view, we can face the future with confidence in His loving plan.

God holds the future in His hands
With grace sufficient day by day,
Through good or ill He gently leads,
If we but let Him have His way. —Rohrs
Those who know Christ as Savior can face the future with joy.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, January 05, 2012

The Life of Power to Follow

Jesus answered him, ’Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward’ —John 13:36

“And when He had spoken this, He said to him, ’Follow Me’ ” (John 21:19). Three years earlier Jesus had said, “Follow Me” (Matthew 4:19), and Peter followed with no hesitation. The irresistible attraction of Jesus was upon him and he did not need the Holy Spirit to help him do it. Later he came to the place where he denied Jesus, and his heart broke. Then he received the Holy Spirit and Jesus said again, “Follow Me” (John 21:19). Now no one is in front of Peter except the Lord Jesus Christ. The first “Follow Me” was nothing mysterious; it was an external following. Jesus is now asking for an internal sacrifice and yielding (see John 21:18).
Between these two times Peter denied Jesus with oaths and curses (see Matthew 26:69-75). But then he came completely to the end of himself and all of his self-sufficiency. There was no part of himself he would ever rely on again. In his state of destitution, he was finally ready to receive all that the risen Lord had for him. “. . . He breathed on them, and said to them, ’Receive the Holy Spirit’ ” (John 20:22). No matter what changes God has performed in you, never rely on them. Build only on a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, and on the Spirit He gives.
All our promises and resolutions end in denial because we have no power to accomplish them. When we come to the end of ourselves, not just mentally but completely, we are able to “receive the Holy Spirit.” “Receive the Holy Spirit “— the idea is that of invasion. There is now only One who directs the course of your life, the Lord Jesus Christ.


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Within My Reach - #6519

Thursday, January 5, 2012

I've frequently visited the beaches on the East coast with my family. Oh, we love them! One visit, it wasn't just another day with the family at the beach. No. No, see, the lifeguards at Ocean City, N.J. suddenly made everyone get out of the water - fast! And you know what I'm thinking. I'm thinking "Jaws"! So I was really cooperative. I got out real fast! Well, instead, it was all about these two children, and they had to plunge in and rescue them because they were in trouble out by a jetty there.

And then there are those times when you just can't wait for the big guys to get there. That's what happened with 12-year-old Nicole Kissel who was boogie boarding about five months ago on Washington's Long Beach. And suddenly she heard somebody screaming near her, "Help! Help!" It turned out it was another 12-year-old. It was 7th grader Dale Ostrander. He was there that day with his youth group, and suddenly he was in deadly trouble in the surf.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Within My Reach."

Nicole actually was able to maneuver over to the drowning boy; she pulled him onto her board and started paddling toward shore. Then this huge wave came along, threw them both off the board and carried the board away. Nicole managed to resurface, but there was no trace of Dale. It took the surf rescue team about ten minutes to get to the scene and a few more minutes to find Dale and bring him to shore. Honestly, the rescuers didn't think he'd make it. I remember seeing them bringing him ashore just as limp as a dish rag. But miraculously, he was revived and began recovering.

Now, I'm grateful for courageous guys like those trained rescuers at Ocean City or the guys who were there at Long Beach that day. But it's young Nicole who's my hero in this story. The professionals were doing what it's their job to do. Nicole didn't have to risk her life to save someone else's, but she did. And they believe now that she kept him out of the water just long enough to have made the life-or-death difference.

She took the risk for one simple reason. That person who was in danger was within her reach. Now, if she had said, "Oh, I'm not a rescuer...I'll just wait for the guys who do this for a living," Dale would almost surely have been lost. Which is causing me to ask myself, "Who is there within my reach who may die if I don't do something?" That's "die" as in the words of the Bible, a person who "will be taken away because of his sin"...who "will die for his sin."

Our word for today from the Word of God, Ezekiel 33:8 tells us "I will hold you accountable for his blood." Sobering words! Why will I be held accountable? Because I knew that as the Bible says, "whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

When you let Jesus help you see the people in your personal world through His eyes, you'll see them as more than just coworkers or neighbors or fellow students or customers. You'll see that person as an eternity person, a future inhabitant of eternity in heaven or in hell; someone whose eternity can be changed, if only I'll reach out and tell them what I know about Jesus.

Each of us who knows Christ has someone within our reach who doesn't. And we can't just wait for that "professional rescuer" or "someone who has the gift of evangelism" to attempt the rescue. The rescue responsibility rests with the believer who is there. There's nothing random about where we work or where we live or recreate or go to school. You've been divinely positioned to be God's designated "lifeguard" for your stretch of beach.

And why don't we reach out? Why don't we try to rescue? Fear: fear of being rejected, fear of losing, fear of messing it up. Fears that have one thing in common: they're all about me. Young Nicole was scared that day. She said, "I actually said out loud, 'I'm going to die.'" But her fear didn't decide what she did. Her bottom line in her own words, "No matter who it is, if they need help, I will risk my life. I will do it."

Well, that is just like Jesus.

Psalm 12, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals (Click to listen to God’s teaching)

Max Lucado Daily: He’s Faithful

If we are not faithful, God will still be faithful, because he cannot be false to himself. 2 Timothy 2:13”

We don’t get it!

Because God’s blessings are dispensed according to the riches of his grace, not according to the depth of our faith.

Why’s that important to know? So you won’t get cynical. Look around you. Aren’t there more mouths than bread? More wounds than physicians? More who need the truth than those who tell it?

So what do we do? Throw up our hands and walk away? Tell the world we can’t help them? No, we don’t give up!

We look up. We trust. We believe.

Christ has proven worthy. He never fails!

That’s what makes God—God.

Psalm 12[a]

For the director of music. According to sheminith.[b] A psalm of David.
1 Help, LORD, for no one is faithful anymore;
those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.
2 Everyone lies to their neighbor;
they flatter with their lips
but harbor deception in their hearts.

3 May the LORD silence all flattering lips
and every boastful tongue—
4 those who say,
“By our tongues we will prevail;
our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?”

5 “Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan,
I will now arise,” says the LORD.
“I will protect them from those who malign them.”
6 And the words of the LORD are flawless,
like silver purified in a crucible,
like gold[c] refined seven times.

7 You, LORD, will keep the needy safe
and will protect us forever from the wicked,
8 who freely strut about
when what is vile is honored by the human race.



Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: 1 Timothy 4:6-11

6 If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters,[a] you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 9 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. 10 That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.

11 Command and teach these things.

An Exercise In Godliness

January 4, 2012 — by David H. Roper

Bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things. —1 Timothy 4:8

The New Year is often the time when we resolve to take better care of ourselves—to exercise, eat right, and perhaps shed some of the pounds we gained over the holidays. Paul says, “Exercise profits a little” (1 Tim. 4:8), so I struggle to be as fit as I can be. I try to eat right, more or less, though I do love fried chicken. I lift weights and walk, but I know that my body is not long for this world. Its strength is fading.
It’s better to concentrate on godliness, because it holds promise for this life and the life to come (v.8). Contrary to the old adage, we can take something with us after all.
Godliness may sound dull, scary, and unattainable, but the essence of godliness is simply self-giving love—caring more for others than we care for ourselves. This kind of love is hard to come by, but it’s one that grows in the presence of love. We grow loving and more lovely by sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening to Him, talking things over—gaining in likeness to the One who is love (1 John 4:8).
Life is a journey into love, it seems to me, and there’s nothing so beautiful as a godly soul. Physical exercise is good, no doubt, but there is something far, far better: It is to love.

That I may love Him is my soul’s ambition—
Love Him with all my mind and strength and heart,
Seek out His will and choose it, in submission,
And with the joy He only can impart. —Anon.
Love is godliness in action.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Why Can I Not Follow You Now?

Peter said to Him, ’Lord, why can I not follow You now?’ —John 13:37

There are times when you can’t understand why you cannot do what you want to do. When God brings a time of waiting, and appears to be unresponsive, don’t fill it with busyness, just wait. The time of waiting may come to teach you the meaning of sanctification— to be set apart from sin and made holy— or it may come after the process of sanctification has begun to teach you what service means. Never run before God gives you His direction. If you have the slightest doubt, then He is not guiding. Whenever there is doubt— wait.
At first you may see clearly what God’s will is— the severance of a friendship, the breaking off of a business relationship, or something else you feel is distinctly God’s will for you to do. But never act on the impulse of that feeling. If you do, you will cause difficult situations to arise which will take years to untangle. Wait for God’s timing and He will do it without any heartache or disappointment. When it is a question of the providential will of God, wait for God to move.
Peter did not wait for God. He predicted in his own mind where the test would come, and it came where he did not expect it. “I will lay down my life for Your sake.” Peter’s statement was honest but ignorant. “Jesus answered him, ’ . . . the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times’ ” (John 13:38). This was said with a deeper knowledge of Peter than Peter had of himself. He could not follow Jesus because he did not know himself or his own capabilities well enough. Natural devotion may be enough to attract us to Jesus, to make us feel His irresistible charm, but it will never make us disciples. Natural devotion will deny Jesus, always falling short of what it means to truly follow Him.


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Running Ahead of Your Supply Lines - #6518

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Americans are a medical basket case. I mean, if you look at the statistics about ulcers, and blood pressure, and heart disease, you begin to realize that we're like unraveling as a people. And I'm sure that some kind of stress-related illness like that has to affect either you, or a member of your family, or someone close to you. It's almost impossible to live in a vacuum and not be affected by it.

In fact, the American Academy of Family Physicians says that most of the illnesses they treat are stress related. And it says that the six major causes of death in America all find stress as a contributing factor. Our bodies, our personalities are screaming at us about a sin that we seldom talk about, but we often commit.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Running Ahead of Your Supply Lines."

Now, our word for today from the Word of God is in Matthew 6:34. Jesus is speaking, and here He names what I guess we could call the stress sin. Here it is: "Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Did you catch it? Yeah, the stress sin - worry.

Now, it's not on our list of the big five sins usually, or the big ten sins that we as Christians are against, the "thou shalt nots," and yet worry may in fact be one of the most common and most damaging sins in our Christian experience. Jesus, in this particular passage in the Sermon on the Mount, gives us the reasons why worry is a waste of time.

First of all in verse 27, it says, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Okay, worry is a waste of time because it doesn't change anything. I don't think I've ever known anybody who has ever been able to change their health by worrying about it. Okay, let's go to verses 28-30. "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They don't labor or spin. Did I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these? If that is how God clothes the grass of the field which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you, oh you of little faith?"

The second reason we shouldn't be worrying is that your Father is looking out for you. You know what? He doesn't need the bird's help for them to be taken care of. He doesn't need any help from the lilies, those gorgeous flowers, to be what they are in the springtime. And He certainly doesn't need your help to meet your needs. Because your Father is looking out for you, you really have no need to worry.

The third reason Jesus gives for not worrying is in verse 32. It says, "The pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them." So, thirdly when you worry, you insult God. It's like saying to your Dad, "Dad, you don't provide for me." It's insulting His fatherhood to worry, as if somehow He's going to mess this one up and leave you stranded.

And then in verse 33, there's one more reason not to worry. It says this: "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well." The fourth reason? Worry distracts you from the real concerns; the things that really matter. Get busy with making things like Jesus wants them here on earth. Bring in His Kingdom; at least be a taste of it in the world around you.


Jesus said, "Each day has enough trouble of its own." We're made only to handle today. Don't waste energy on tomorrow and get the old ulcer juices flowing about things that haven't even happened yet. "Your strength will equal your days." That's what the Bible promises. So, handle only this 24-hour period, because that's as much strength as God will give you. His supply lines come through on a 24-hour basis.

When worry comes, get the hook, get it off center stage, and don't run ahead of your supply lines by worrying into tomorrow. Remember, your Father has everything under control!

John 8, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals (Click to listen to God’s teaching)

Max Lucado Daily: Why Did He Do It?

He himself likewise shared in flesh and blood, that through death he might destroy the one who had the power of death, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were in bondage. Hebrews 3:15

Why do we do it? Endure the airports, cram the trunks of our cars and SUV’s? You know the answer. We love to be with the ones we love!

It’s the four-year-old running up the sidewalk into the arms of grandpa. The cup of coffee with mom before the rest of the house awakes. That moment when, for a moment, everyone is quiet as we hold hands around the table and thank God for family and friends and pumpkin pie!

We love to be with the ones we love.

May I remind you? So does God. He loves to be with the ones He loves. How else do you explain what He did? Between him and us there was a distance—a great span. And he couldn’t bear it. So he did something about it.

He gave up his place—and made himself—nothing! He did it for you and me.



John 8

1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

11 “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Dispute Over Jesus’ Testimony

12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
13 The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.”

14 Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16 But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17 In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. 18 I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”

19 Then they asked him, “Where is your father?”

“You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20 He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.

Dispute Over Who Jesus Is

21 Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”
22 This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”

23 But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”

25 “Who are you?” they asked.

“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. 26 “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”

27 They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father.


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: Proverbs 2:1-9

Moral Benefits of Wisdom

1 My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
3 indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He holds success in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
8 for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones.
9 Then you will understand what is right and just
and fair—every good path.

The Pursuit

January 3, 2012 — by Anne Cetas

. . . seek [wisdom] as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures. —Proverbs 2:4

When my husband, Carl, pursued a relationship with me while we were dating, he was serious about it. He called. He wrote notes. He asked thoughtful questions. He bought me flowers, candy, books, dinner, and other gifts. He spent a lot of time and effort in his pursuit of me.
Way back in the 10th century bc, Solomon recommended that kind of serious commitment when pursuing something else—wisdom. A dictionary definition of wisdom, “understanding what is true, right, or lasting,” sounds crucial if we want a life that glorifies our holy God.
Maybe that’s why Solomon used so many active verbs in Proverbs 2 to describe our needed efforts to gain wisdom. He said, “incline your ear,” “apply your heart,” “cry out,” “lift up your voice,” “seek her,” “search for her” (vv.2-4).
Seeking wisdom takes effort, and Scripture tells us where it can be found: “For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” He isn’t storing up wisdom for Himself; “He stores up sound wisdom for the upright” (vv.6-7).
Seek God with all your heart. He is the source of all wisdom for your life.

What will it profit when life here is o’er,
Though great worldly wisdom I gain,
If seeking knowledge I utterly fail
The wisdom of God to obtain? —Nelson
You can acquire much knowledge,
but true wisdom comes only from God.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Clouds and Darkness

Clouds and darkness surround Him . . . —Psalm 97:2

A person who has not been born again by the Spirit of God will tell you that the teachings of Jesus are simple. But when he is baptized by the Holy Spirit, he finds that “clouds and darkness surround Him . . . .” When we come into close contact with the teachings of Jesus Christ we have our first realization of this. The only possible way to have full understanding of the teachings of Jesus is through the light of the Spirit of God shining inside us. If we have never had the experience of taking our casual, religious shoes off our casual, religious feet— getting rid of all the excessive informality with which we approach God— it is questionable whether we have ever stood in His presence. The people who are flippant and disrespectful in their approach to God are those who have never been introduced to Jesus Christ. Only after the amazing delight and liberty of realizing what Jesus Christ does, comes the impenetrable “darkness” of realizing who He is.
Jesus said, “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). Once, the Bible was just so many words to us — “clouds and darkness”— then, suddenly, the words become spirit and life because Jesus re-speaks them to us when our circumstances make the words new. That is the way God speaks to us; not by visions and dreams, but by words. When a man gets to God, it is by the most simple way— words.


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Swallowing What You Eat - #6517

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

I was speaking at a youth conference, and we all had breakfast in the cafeteria together. And then when we got together for our morning session I said, "Now, I want you guys to imagine that somebody who was at breakfast with us comes in the room and his cheeks are all puffy and you ask him what's wrong, and he just goes, "uh...uh... uh..." And you go, "Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Here's a piece of paper." And you give him a piece of paper and he writes down, "I'm starved." Now I ask him, "Did you eat breakfast?" "Uh-huh." "And you're still hungry?" "Uh-huh." And then I would ask him, "Did you swallow it?" "Huh-uh." "Oh, maybe that's why you're still hungry." See, it isn't enough just to ingest your food; you've got to swallow it for it to do anything for you.

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Swallowing What You Eat."

Now, our word for today from the Word of God is in Joshua 1:8. And you might say it's about spiritual eating and spiritual digestion, because ingestion is not enough to satisfy your appetite. Ingesting food is not enough to nourish you. Joshua 1:8 puts it this way in the biblical formula for personal success. It says this, "Do not let this book of the law (the Bible) depart from your mouth. Meditate on it day and night."

In other words, be saturated with the Bible. Take a Bible bath. You should be in it day and night, really knowing what it's saying. But listen, it says, "So that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."

Did you catch those words "careful to do"? It doesn't say, "I want you to read the Bible to just know what it says." I want you to read the Bible to do what it says. The purpose of being in God's Word is to memorize it, meditate on it, but then to do what you read. In other words, until the Bible gets into your real life; until you've found a change you're going to make because of what you've read, all you've done is sort of take it in, kind of hold it in your mouth spiritually, but it's not in your system.

So when you study the Bible, if you're going to read it to do something, that means before you close the Bible each morning when you're with the Lord, you say, "Lord, help me make a connection to something I'm going to face today." Always make that connection between what you're reading and what your life is doing right now. So, if you're reading about loving your brother, you say, "Okay, which brother am I having a hard time loving?" Okay, "Love your Ralph." Or whoever's the hard guy to love.

If it's talking about patience, you say, "Let's see, who do I need to be more patient with right now? Okay, Lord, help me be more patient with my Mom, or my wife." If it's talking about temptation, then you say, "Which temptation am I facing right now?" And you put that temptation into the verse. So if it says, "Do not let sin control your body." Then which sin? Okay, so you put in there, "Do not let gossip control your body (the one you struggle with, whatever it is)."

For example, in James 1. Let's try this. You're reading the book of James, and it says, "Consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds." Now if you're just ingesting, you'd kind of go, "Today I read about trials." Now, wait a minute. No, no! Which trial are you facing right now?" You go, "Oh, man, my boss!" Or you might say if you're married, "My in-laws." Okay, then make it in the verse, "Whenever you face trials of many kinds (with your boss), (with your in-laws) because you know that the testing of your faith (by your boss), (your in-laws) develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Now, that verse could just be about trials in general, or it could be about someone or something you're facing today. When you make that connection, you begin to swallow what you're eating. God's got a lot of fat children who've never put into use what they're reading.


Every day ask yourself the question, "What am I going to do because of what I read?" And once you do that and start to make those changes, you are well on your way to an exciting new you; one day, one change at a time.

Hey, don't be content to just ingest the Bible, digest it. That's the only way you grow.