2 Kings 12 bible reading and devotionals.

Click here to listen to Jesus' teachings.

Max Lucado Daily: Take Your Heart to the Cross

“He willingly gave his life . . . He carried away the sins of many people.” Isaiah 53:12

You can’t go to the cross with just your head and not your heart. It doesn’t work that way. Calvary is not a mental trip. It’s not an intellectual exercise . . .

It’s a heart-splitting hour of emotion . . .

That’s God on that cross. It’s us who put him there.

2 Kings 12

Joash Repairs the Temple

12 [g]In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash[h] became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. 2 Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3 The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

4 Joash said to the priests, “Collect all the money that is brought as sacred offerings to the temple of the Lord—the money collected in the census, the money received from personal vows and the money brought voluntarily to the temple. 5 Let every priest receive the money from one of the treasurers, then use it to repair whatever damage is found in the temple.”

6 But by the twenty-third year of King Joash the priests still had not repaired the temple. 7 Therefore King Joash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and asked them, “Why aren’t you repairing the damage done to the temple? Take no more money from your treasurers, but hand it over for repairing the temple.” 8 The priests agreed that they would not collect any more money from the people and that they would not repair the temple themselves.

9 Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid. He placed it beside the altar, on the right side as one enters the temple of the Lord. The priests who guarded the entrance put into the chest all the money that was brought to the temple of the Lord. 10 Whenever they saw that there was a large amount of money in the chest, the royal secretary and the high priest came, counted the money that had been brought into the temple of the Lord and put it into bags. 11 When the amount had been determined, they gave the money to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. With it they paid those who worked on the temple of the Lord—the carpenters and builders, 12 the masons and stonecutters. They purchased timber and blocks of dressed stone for the repair of the temple of the Lord, and met all the other expenses of restoring the temple.

13 The money brought into the temple was not spent for making silver basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets or any other articles of gold or silver for the temple of the Lord; 14 it was paid to the workers, who used it to repair the temple. 15 They did not require an accounting from those to whom they gave the money to pay the workers, because they acted with complete honesty. 16 The money from the guilt offerings and sin offerings[i] was not brought into the temple of the Lord; it belonged to the priests.

17 About this time Hazael king of Aram went up and attacked Gath and captured it. Then he turned to attack Jerusalem. 18 But Joash king of Judah took all the sacred objects dedicated by his predecessors—Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and Ahaziah, the kings of Judah—and the gifts he himself had dedicated and all the gold found in the treasuries of the temple of the Lord and of the royal palace, and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram, who then withdrew from Jerusalem.

19 As for the other events of the reign of Joash, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 20 His officials conspired against him and assassinated him at Beth Millo, on the road down to Silla. 21 The officials who murdered him were Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer. He died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. And Amaziah his son succeeded him as king.


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: Psalm 118:19-29

19 Open for me the gates of the righteous;
    I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord
    through which the righteous may enter.
21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
    you have become my salvation.
22 The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
23 the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 The Lord has done it this very day;
    let us rejoice today and be glad.
25 Lord, save us!
    Lord, grant us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
    From the house of the Lord we bless you.[a]
27 The Lord is God,
    and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
    up[b] to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise you;
    you are my God, and I will exalt you.
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

A New Day

July 2, 2012 — by Bill Crowder

This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. —Psalm 118:24

In a morning meeting I recently attended, the person who opened the gathering began by praying, “Lord, thanks for today. It is the beginning of a new day we have never seen before.” Although the idea seemed obvious, that prayer got me thinking about a couple of different things. First, because each day is a new opportunity, it will be filled with things we cannot anticipate or even prepare for. Therefore, it’s important that we recognize our limitations and lean heavily on God—intentionally choosing to live in His grace and strength rather than relying on our own resources.

The second thing that occurred to me is that the newness of each day is a gift worth celebrating. Perhaps this concept was what prompted the psalmist to declare, “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps. 118:24).

Of course, we face many unknowns today—and some could be difficult. But the treasure of each brand-new day is so special that Moses was led to write, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (90:12). Every new day is a precious gift. May we thankfully embrace each one with confident trust and humble celebration.

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
Each new day gives us new reasons to praise the Lord.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
July 2, 2012

The Conditions of Discipleship

If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also . . . . And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me . . . . So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple —Luke 14:26-27, 33

If the closest relationships of a disciple’s life conflict with the claims of Jesus Christ, then our Lord requires instant obedience to Himself. Discipleship means personal, passionate devotion to a Person— our Lord Jesus Christ. There is a vast difference between devotion to a person and devotion to principles or to a cause. Our Lord never proclaimed a cause— He proclaimed personal devotion to Himself. To be a disciple is to be a devoted bondservant motivated by love for the Lord Jesus. Many of us who call ourselves Christians are not truly devoted to Jesus Christ. No one on earth has this passionate love for the Lord Jesus unless the Holy Spirit has given it to him. We may admire, respect, and revere Him, but we cannot love Him on our own. The only One who truly loves the Lord Jesus is the Holy Spirit, and it is He who has “poured out in our hearts” the very “love of God” (Romans 5:5). Whenever the Holy Spirit sees an opportunity to glorify Jesus through you, He will take your entire being and set you ablaze with glowing devotion to Jesus Christ.

The Christian life is a life characterized by true and spontaneous creativity. Consequently, a disciple is subject to the same charge that was leveled against Jesus Christ, namely, the charge of inconsistency. But Jesus Christ was always consistent in His relationship to God, and a Christian must be consistent in his relationship to the life of the Son of God in him, not consistent to strict, unyielding doctrines. People pour themselves into their own doctrines, and God has to blast them out of their preconceived ideas before they can become devoted to Jesus Christ.


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

The Final Exam - #6646

Monday, July 2, 2012

There are two words that send a shudder through almost everyone who is either in school or was ever in school, because you remember the fear that goes with these words. And if you're currently a student, you don't have to remember them at all; you're right there living with them. The words - final exam! See, a chill just goes through the room when you hear that.

Now, different students have learned different ways of dealing with final exam time. You remember the teacher that said that the exam was going to be on the honor system. The only problem was that the teachers had the honor and the students had the system.

Well, occasionally you'll hear of an incident where students will actually get a copy of the exam, take a peek at the questions so they can be prepared. Well, I don't recommend that as a good way to get through finals, but I want to tell you this: whatever your situation as far as being a student is concerned, there is a final exam scheduled for you... uh-huh. In fact, it's scheduled for all of us.

Now, our final exam will come at different times. I don't know when mine will be or yours. But you know what? I've taken a peek at the one question on the exam, and you can be ready for this one.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Final Exam."

Our word for today from the Word of God is a peek at that final exam. It says in Hebrews 2:3, "How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?" Now see, this is looking ahead to the time when we're going to stand before God and have to answer that final exam question related to what we did with this wonderful thing He describes as "such great salvation."

Now, what He's referring to is what happened on that middle cross outside of Jerusalem 2,000 years ago, when the only son God has, took my rap - took your rap - paid our payment for our sins so we could get back into the orbit we were built to live in; an orbit around God.

You notice here it says that we neglect salvation. Now, that's the way that most good things end up being wasted. I mean, you don't say, "Oh, I think I'm going to grow some weeds in my garden this year. Yeah, I'd like to see what kind of weed crop I could have?"

No, no no! The way weeds grow is by neglect. You don't intend to grow them. How about your weight? I'm sorry to bring that up, but I'm an expert on this. A lot of times the old pounds just start piling up again, and you see, you don't say, "I want to gain ten pounds this month." It's just done through neglect; it just kind of creeps up. We didn't mean to do it; we didn't do anything, it just happened. We just didn't exercise! We didn't control our eating.

How about our car? All of a sudden our car grinds to a halt and starts smoking. Why? You neglected the maintenance, that's all. You didn't do anything bad; you just didn't do what you could have done. The same thing holds true for marriages - they can die from neglect.

Okay now, about neglecting such a great salvation. Do you know that most people don't reject Christ; they just neglect Him. They've got other things to think about until they neglect themselves right into eternity. That might be something you're in danger of right now. You're not against Jesus; you've just neglected making your peace with Him.

Do you want to know the question on your final exam when you keep your appointment with God? He's going to ask you, "What did you do with My Son?" No, not what did you do with your church, or your religion, or that guy on the radio. "What did you do with My Son?" That's the issue that will settle your eternal address, because what God cares about most is what His Son did for you.

See, His death on the cross is your only hope of getting into heaven, because you can't get into heaven with your sin. It can only be forgiven by the One who paid the penalty for it. That's Jesus! And you've got to grab Him and take that gift of eternal life. And maybe you've been sitting around church for years, and you've been through all kinds of opportunities to do something with Jesus. But you've just kind of passed them by. Today's your day! Today's your day to change your eternal address from hell to heaven, and to go from dirty inside to clean and forgiven. You just say, "Jesus, this is my day. Today I'm making "the Savior" my savior."

And let me encourage you if you're at that point, to go to our website - YoursForLife.net. I've laid out there for you a very simple and clear path to begin your relationship with Jesus.

You've had opportunities to reach out to Christ before maybe and you didn't. Isn't it time now that you say, "On this day, Lord, I give my life to You." See, He made His move on the cross. It's your move now.

2 Kings 11 bible reading and devotionals.

Click to hear the message from our Savior Jesus.

Max Lucado Daily: As in Christ

“Let us love one another, for love is of God.” I John 4:7, NKJV

Long to be more loving? Begin by accepting your place as a dearly loved child. “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children” (Ephesians 5:1, NIV).

Want to learn to forgive? Then consider how you’ve been forgiven. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32, NIV).

2 Kings  11

Athaliah and Joash

11 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family. 2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram[b] and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes, who were about to be murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah; so he was not killed. 3 He remained hidden with his nurse at the temple of the Lord for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.

4 In the seventh year Jehoiada sent for the commanders of units of a hundred, the Carites and the guards and had them brought to him at the temple of the Lord. He made a covenant with them and put them under oath at the temple of the Lord. Then he showed them the king’s son. 5 He commanded them, saying, “This is what you are to do: You who are in the three companies that are going on duty on the Sabbath —a third of you guarding the royal palace, 6 a third at the Sur Gate, and a third at the gate behind the guard, who take turns guarding the temple— 7 and you who are in the other two companies that normally go off Sabbath duty are all to guard the temple for the king. 8 Station yourselves around the king, each of you with weapon in hand. Anyone who approaches your ranks[c] is to be put to death. Stay close to the king wherever he goes.”

9 The commanders of units of a hundred did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered. Each one took his men—those who were going on duty on the Sabbath and those who were going off duty—and came to Jehoiada the priest. 10 Then he gave the commanders the spears and shields that had belonged to King David and that were in the temple of the Lord. 11 The guards, each with weapon in hand, stationed themselves around the king—near the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple.

12 Jehoiada brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him; he presented him with a copy of the covenant and proclaimed him king. They anointed him, and the people clapped their hands and shouted, “Long live the king!”

13 When Athaliah heard the noise made by the guards and the people, she went to the people at the temple of the Lord. 14 She looked and there was the king, standing by the pillar, as the custom was. The officers and the trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her robes and called out, “Treason! Treason!”

15 Jehoiada the priest ordered the commanders of units of a hundred, who were in charge of the troops: “Bring her out between the ranks[d] and put to the sword anyone who follows her.” For the priest had said, “She must not be put to death in the temple of the Lord.” 16 So they seized her as she reached the place where the horses enter the palace grounds, and there she was put to death.

17 Jehoiada then made a covenant between the Lord and the king and people that they would be the Lord’s people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people. 18 All the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols to pieces and killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.

Then Jehoiada the priest posted guards at the temple of the Lord. 19 He took with him the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, the guards and all the people of the land, and together they brought the king down from the temple of the Lord and went into the palace, entering by way of the gate of the guards. The king then took his place on the royal throne. 20 All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was calm, because Athaliah had been slain with the sword at the palace.

21 Joash[e] was seven years old when he began to reign.[f]



Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: 2 Corinthians 8:1-9

The Collection for the Lord’s People

8 And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. 5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. 6 So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. 7 But since you excel in everything —in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you[a]—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

The Offering Plate

July 1, 2012 — by Anne Cetas

See that you abound in this grace also. —2 Corinthians 8:7

Ed Dobson, my former pastor, often said that he disliked preaching about financial giving to the church. He said his previous job required fundraising, so he didn’t like putting any unnecessary pressure on people. But when he was teaching through 2 Corinthians, and he came to chapters 8 and 9, he couldn’t avoid the topic of giving. What I remember most about his sermon was the illustration he used. He placed an offering plate on the floor, stepped into it, and stood there as he talked about the importance of giving our whole selves to the Lord, not just our wallets.

Those two chapters in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians give us a number of attitudes and actions that we are to display in our giving to the Lord:

• Give yourself to the Lord first (8:5).

• Give, remembering the example of the Lord Jesus (8:9).

• Give according to your means (8:11-12).

• Give enthusiastically because of God’s love (9:2).

• Give generously, not grudgingly or because of outside pressure (9:5-7).

Next time the offering plate comes around at church, imagine yourself stepping into it. It will help you to excel in the grace of giving (8:7).

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for giving Yourself for me on
the cross. Because of Your love, I give all of me—
my heart, my time, my funds, my will—to You.
I love You.
When we give ourselves completely to the Lord, all lesser giving becomes easier.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
July 1, 2012

The Inevitable Penalty

You will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny —Matthew 5:26

There is no heaven that has a little corner of hell in it. God is determined to make you pure, holy, and right, and He will not allow you to escape from the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit for even one moment. He urged you to come to judgment immediately when He convicted you, but you did not obey. Then the inevitable process began to work, bringing its inevitable penalty. Now you have been “thrown into prison, [and] . . . you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny” (5:25-26). Yet you ask, “Is this a God of mercy and love?” When seen from God’s perspective, it is a glorious ministry of love. God is going to bring you out pure, spotless, and undefiled, but He wants you to recognize the nature you were exhibiting— the nature of demanding your right to yourself. The moment you are willing for God to change your nature, His recreating forces will begin to work. And the moment you realize that God’s purpose is to get you into the right relationship with Himself and then with others, He will reach to the very limits of the universe to help you take the right road. Decide to do it right now, saying, “Yes, Lord, I will write that letter,” or, “I will be reconciled to that person now.”

These sermons of Jesus Christ are meant for your will and your conscience, not for your head. If you dispute these verses from the Sermon on the Mount with your head, you will dull the appeal to your heart.

If you find yourself asking, “I wonder why I’m not growing spiritually with God?”— then ask yourself if you are paying your debts from God’s standpoint. Do now what you will have to do someday. Every moral question or call comes with an “ought” behind it— the knowledge of knowing what we ought to do.

2 Kings 10 bible reading and devotionals.

Click here the hear the word of the Lord Jesus.

Max Lucado Daily: The State of Your Heart

The State of Your Heart

“The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart.” Luke 6:45, NIV

When you are offered a morsel of gossip marinated in slander, do you turn it down or pass it on? That depends on the state of your heart . . .

The state of your heart dictates whether you harbor a grudge or give grace, seek self-pity or seek Christ, drink human misery or taste God’s mercy.

2 Kings 10

Ahab’s Family Killed

10 Now there were in Samaria seventy sons of the house of Ahab. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria: to the officials of Jezreel,[a] to the elders and to the guardians of Ahab’s children. He said, 2 “You have your master’s sons with you and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city and weapons. Now as soon as this letter reaches you, 3 choose the best and most worthy of your master’s sons and set him on his father’s throne. Then fight for your master’s house.”

4 But they were terrified and said, “If two kings could not resist him, how can we?”

5 So the palace administrator, the city governor, the elders and the guardians sent this message to Jehu: “We are your servants and we will do anything you say. We will not appoint anyone as king; you do whatever you think best.”

6 Then Jehu wrote them a second letter, saying, “If you are on my side and will obey me, take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me in Jezreel by this time tomorrow.”

Now the royal princes, seventy of them, were with the leading men of the city, who were rearing them. 7 When the letter arrived, these men took the princes and slaughtered all seventy of them. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu in Jezreel. 8 When the messenger arrived, he told Jehu, “They have brought the heads of the princes.”

Then Jehu ordered, “Put them in two piles at the entrance of the city gate until morning.”

9 The next morning Jehu went out. He stood before all the people and said, “You are innocent. It was I who conspired against my master and killed him, but who killed all these? 10 Know, then, that not a word the Lord has spoken against the house of Ahab will fail. The Lord has done what he announced through his servant Elijah.” 11 So Jehu killed everyone in Jezreel who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his chief men, his close friends and his priests, leaving him no survivor.

12 Jehu then set out and went toward Samaria. At Beth Eked of the Shepherds, 13 he met some relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and asked, “Who are you?”

They said, “We are relatives of Ahaziah, and we have come down to greet the families of the king and of the queen mother. ”

14 “Take them alive!” he ordered. So they took them alive and slaughtered them by the well of Beth Eked—forty-two of them. He left no survivor.

15 After he left there, he came upon Jehonadab son of Rekab, who was on his way to meet him. Jehu greeted him and said, “Are you in accord with me, as I am with you?”

“I am,” Jehonadab answered.

“If so,” said Jehu, “give me your hand.” So he did, and Jehu helped him up into the chariot. 16 Jehu said, “Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.” Then he had him ride along in his chariot.

17 When Jehu came to Samaria, he killed all who were left there of Ahab’s family; he destroyed them, according to the word of the Lord spoken to Elijah.

Servants of Baal Killed

18 Then Jehu brought all the people together and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much. 19 Now summon all the prophets of Baal, all his servants and all his priests. See that no one is missing, because I am going to hold a great sacrifice for Baal. Anyone who fails to come will no longer live.” But Jehu was acting deceptively in order to destroy the servants of Baal.

20 Jehu said, “Call an assembly in honor of Baal.” So they proclaimed it. 21 Then he sent word throughout Israel, and all the servants of Baal came; not one stayed away. They crowded into the temple of Baal until it was full from one end to the other. 22 And Jehu said to the keeper of the wardrobe, “Bring robes for all the servants of Baal.” So he brought out robes for them.

23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab son of Rekab went into the temple of Baal. Jehu said to the servants of Baal, “Look around and see that no one who serves the Lord is here with you—only servants of Baal.” 24 So they went in to make sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had posted eighty men outside with this warning: “If one of you lets any of the men I am placing in your hands escape, it will be your life for his life.”

25 As soon as Jehu had finished making the burnt offering, he ordered the guards and officers: “Go in and kill them; let no one escape.” So they cut them down with the sword. The guards and officers threw the bodies out and then entered the inner shrine of the temple of Baal. 26 They brought the sacred stone out of the temple of Baal and burned it. 27 They demolished the sacred stone of Baal and tore down the temple of Baal, and people have used it for a latrine to this day.

28 So Jehu destroyed Baal worship in Israel. 29 However, he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit—the worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.

30 The Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in accomplishing what is right in my eyes and have done to the house of Ahab all I had in mind to do, your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.” 31 Yet Jehu was not careful to keep the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, which he had caused Israel to commit.

32 In those days the Lord began to reduce the size of Israel. Hazael overpowered the Israelites throughout their territory 33 east of the Jordan in all the land of Gilead (the region of Gad, Reuben and Manasseh), from Aroer by the Arnon Gorge through Gilead to Bashan.

34 As for the other events of Jehu’s reign, all he did, and all his achievements, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?

35 Jehu rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son succeeded him as king. 36 The time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: Romans 5:12-21

Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ

12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned —

13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.

15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ignorance & Innocence

June 30, 2012 — by Julie Ackerman Link

As sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. —Romans 5:21

Some people avoid going to the doctor because they don’t want to find out that anything is wrong with them. Some people avoid going to church for the same reason. But ignorance of our sickness doesn’t make us healthy, and ignorance of our sin doesn’t make us innocent

Roman law is considered to be the source of the idea that ignorance of the law excuses no one. But the concept originated much earlier. When God gave the law to Israel, He established that even unintentional sin required a sacrifice for forgiveness (Lev. 4; Ezek. 45:18-20).

In his letter to Christians living in Rome, the apostle Paul addressed the issue of ignorance or lack of understanding. When people were ignorant of God’s righteousness, they made up their own (Rom. 10:3). When we live according to our own standards of right and wrong, we might feel good about ourselves, but that doesn’t make us spiritually healthy. Only when we are measured by God’s standard of righteousness (Jesus) do we know the condition of our spiritual health.

None of us can achieve the righteousness of Christ, but thankfully we don’t have to. He shares His righteousness with us (5:21). The good news about finding out what’s wrong with us is that the Great Physician can make us well.

Great Physician, You know my heart. I bow
before You now and ask that You show me
any attitude or action that doesn’t please You.
Make me clean; make me well.
God is the Measurer and Healer of our spiritual health.



My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
June 30, 2012

Do It Now!

Agree with your adversary quickly . . . —Matthew 5:25

In this verse, Jesus Christ laid down a very important principle by saying, “Do what you know you must do— now. Do it quickly. If you don’t, an inevitable process will begin to work ’till you have paid the last penny’ (Matthew 5:26) in pain, agony, and distress.” God’s laws are unchangeable and there is no escape from them. The teachings of Jesus always penetrate right to the heart of our being.

Wanting to make sure that my adversary gives me all my rights is a natural thing. But Jesus says that it is a matter of inescapable and eternal importance to me that I pay my adversary what I owe him. From our Lord’s standpoint it doesn’t matter whether I am cheated or not, but what does matter is that I don’t cheat someone else. Am I insisting on having my own rights, or am I paying what I owe from Jesus Christ’s standpoint?

Do it quickly— bring yourself to judgment now. In moral and spiritual matters, you must act immediately. If you don’t, the inevitable, relentless process will begin to work. God is determined to have His child as pure, clean, and white as driven snow, and as long as there is disobedience in any point of His teaching, He will allow His Spirit to use whatever process it may take to bring us to obedience. The fact that we insist on proving that we are right is almost always a clear indication that we have some point of disobedience. No wonder the Spirit of God so strongly urges us to stay steadfastly in the light! (see John 3:19-21).

“Agree with your adversary quickly . . . .” Have you suddenly reached a certain place in your relationship with someone, only to find that you have anger in your heart? Confess it quickly— make it right before God. Be reconciled to that person— do it now!

James 3 bible reading and devotionals.

Click to hear the word of the Lord.
MaxLucado.com: Come and Drink

On  my list of things I wish I’d learned earlier, this truth hovers near the top.  Grace came my way packaged in a church.  Congregations and their leaders changed me.  But then the churches struggled, even divided.  Mature men acted less than that.  The box ripped, the faucet clogged, and my heart, for a time, sank.

Not a moment too soon, I heard the invitation of the still-running fountain.  “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.“  God describes himself as “the fountain of living water.”  (John 7:37-38).

Thank him for the faucets, but don’t trust them to nourish you.  Thank him for the boxes in which his gifts come, but don’t fail to open them.  And most of all, don’t fail to read the note:

Dear child of mine.  Are you thirsty?  Come and drink.  I delight in you.  I will never fail or forsake you!

From Come Thirsty

James 3
New International Version (NIV)
Taming the Tongue

3 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.

3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Two Kinds of Wisdom

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.



Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: Revelation 2:12-17

To the Church in Pergamum

12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.

14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.

Help Is On The Way!

June 29, 2012 — by Joe Stowell

I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. —Revelation 2:13

When 33 miners were trapped in a Chilean mine deep under the earth’s surface, I wonder if they felt totally lost and doomed to a slow and painful death. Imagine how they must have been filled with joy when they got a message from above that the rescue team knew exactly where they were and that the process of getting them out had already begun!

There are times in all of our lives when we feel like we’re stuck in a really bad place. Anxious and alone, we despair that we are out of options and that no one understands where we really are in life. But in such moments we need to remember God’s comforting words to the early Christians who were stuck in a world where Satan’s presence dominated all that was around them: “I know . . . where you dwell” (Rev. 2:13). Their situation had not escaped the heavenly Father’s notice. And as they were faithful to Him, He would sustain them until He rescued them and brought them safely home (v.17).

The fact that God knows where you are and that He is very much aware of the difficult situation you are in provides the confidence and strength needed to live for His glory. So be encouraged. Remember God’s words of comfort. Help is on the way!

For further study read Where Can We Find Comfort?

You know the struggles that we face, Lord.
You know just what we need to endure them.
Give us the confidence to trust You because of Your
goodness and to walk by faith. Amen.
Our greatest hope here below is help from God above.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
June 29, 2012

The Strictest Discipline

If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell —Matthew 5:30

Jesus did not say that everyone must cut off his right hand, but that “if your right hand causes you to sin” in your walk with Him, then it is better to “cut it off.” There are many things that are perfectly legitimate, but if you are going to concentrate on God you cannot do them. Your right hand is one of the best things you have, but Jesus says that if it hinders you in following His precepts, then “cut it off.” The principle taught here is the strictest discipline or lesson that ever hit humankind.

When God changes you through regeneration, giving you new life through spiritual rebirth, your life initially has the characteristic of being maimed. There are a hundred and one things that you dare not do— things that would be sin for you, and would be recognized as sin by those who really know you. But the unspiritual people around you will say, “What’s so wrong with doing that? How absurd you are!” There has never yet been a saint who has not lived a maimed life initially. Yet it is better to enter into life maimed but lovely in God’s sight than to appear lovely to man’s eyes but lame to God’s. At first, Jesus Christ through His Spirit has to restrain you from doing a great many things that may be perfectly right for everyone else but not right for you. Yet, see that you don’t use your restrictions to criticize someone else.

The Christian life is a maimed life initially, but in Matthew 5:48 Jesus gave us the picture of a perfectly well-rounded life— “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

An Air of Expectancy - #6645

Friday, June 29, 2012

I saw one of those bumper frames for your license plate. It said, "Happiness is being a grandparent." Oh, that's the truth! I mean, I remember when I was a little kid. Happiness was having a grandparent with you, especially my grandmother. Because it always meant surprises; it meant going out to eat, and it almost always meant money! That's what grandparents are for, of course, to spoil kids. Any time I knew that I would be seeing Grandma I was excited to see what surprises she would bring. If we're that way about grandma, we should really be looking forward to what Father has for us today; that's Father with a capital F.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "An Air of Expectancy."

As you know, life is divided into 24-hour chunks. We have this sort of death and resurrection thing that takes place every day. You know, we sort of die about 10:00, 11:00, or 12:00 o'clock at night, and sort of start all over again the next morning. It's like beginning again the next day. So, life isn't this big old blob - life. It just really comes down to these 24-hour things doesn't it: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, etc.?

There's a very interesting look in the Bible at a day in the life of a child of God, because that's really what it amounts to...have a good day. That's how you live the life of a Christian, you have a good day.

Go back to the book of Psalms, and here's what a day in the life looks like at beginning and end; sunrise and sunset in the life of a child of God. Our word for today from the Word of God, Psalm 5:3: "In the morning, O Lord, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation."

Okay, that's one end of the day. Let's go to the other end of the day. The sun has gone down now. Psalm 4:8 (same page in my Bible) says this; "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." Now, it's interesting as you read this morning beginning with the Lord, beginning this 24-hour period of time. It talks about the many moods of praying. There's not just one mood of praying; it's sort of like Baskin Robbins. There are a lot of flavors you can pray in. It says, "Give ear to my words, O Lord." Okay, that's just kind of making a statement. Then it says, "Consider my sighing." This is the kind of praying when you're totally depleted; you don't even know what to say. "O Lord, I can hardly get this out." And then it says, "Listen to my cry..." my cry for help. This is desperation. And then he says, "I lay my requests before the Lord" every morning laying out the concerns of my heart.

By the way, did you do that this morning? Do you do that every morning? Talk to Him and say, "Lord, here's what I'm afraid of today; here's what I'm hoping for today; here's what I'm dreaming about; here's what I'm crying about; here are the people I love; here are the needs I'm anticipating." You empty your hands. Now, how can you tell if you've really prayed or if you just went through the motions? Notice that it says, "I lay my request before the Lord and wait in expectation." Hey, that's like Grandma's visit; waiting in expectation for her surprises.

You know you've really prayed when you get off your knees expectantly and you go through your day looking for the fingerprints of God on that day. It may not be like I thought it would be, but there will be His surprises. Expectation is the byproduct of faith. So, are you uh... expecting? You say, "No, I'm a man. How could I be expecting?" No, I mean expecting good things from God. Expecting God's touch on what you've turned over to Him.

No wonder at night we can lie down and sleep in peace. You allow time each morning to turn over the specifics of that day to Jesus, and then you live in an air of expectancy. My grandmother seldom disappointed me, and your Heavenly Father never will.

2 Kings 9 bible reading and devotionals.

Click to listen to the word of the Lord Jesus Christ.

MaxLucado.com: Perfect Love

Dry mouth.  Moist palms.  Pulse pounding!  Eyes darting over your shoulder.  Heart in your throat.  You know the feeling…you know the moment.  You know exactly what it’s like.  Policemen have stirred more prayers than a thousand pulpits!

Upward prayers become backward thoughts.  What did I do?  How fast was I going?  Then, the policeman is standing at your door.  No one likes the thought of judgment.

I John 4:17 says, “Perfect love expels all fear.”  You need never fear God’s judgment.  Not today.  Not on Judgment Day.  With perfect knowledge of the past and perfect vision of the future, he loves you perfectly in spite of both.

Jesus is speaking on your behalf.  “That’s my friend,” he says.  And when he does, the door of heaven opens.

Trust God’s love.  His perfect love.  It can handle your fear of judgment.

And slower driving can handle your fear of policemen!

From Come Thirsty


2 Kings 9

Jehu Anointed King of Israel

9 The prophet Elisha summoned a man from the company of the prophets and said to him, “Tuck your cloak into your belt, take this flask of olive oil with you and go to Ramoth Gilead. 2 When you get there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go to him, get him away from his companions and take him into an inner room. 3 Then take the flask and pour the oil on his head and declare, ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and run; don’t delay!”

4 So the young prophet went to Ramoth Gilead. 5 When he arrived, he found the army officers sitting together. “I have a message for you, commander,” he said.

“For which of us?” asked Jehu.

“For you, commander,” he replied.

6 Jehu got up and went into the house. Then the prophet poured the oil on Jehu’s head and declared, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anoint you king over the Lord’s people Israel. 7 You are to destroy the house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the Lord’s servants shed by Jezebel. 8 The whole house of Ahab will perish. I will cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel—slave or free.[h] 9 I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah. 10 As for Jezebel, dogs will devour her on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and no one will bury her.’” Then he opened the door and ran.

11 When Jehu went out to his fellow officers, one of them asked him, “Is everything all right? Why did this maniac come to you?”

“You know the man and the sort of things he says,” Jehu replied.

12 “That’s not true!” they said. “Tell us.”

Jehu said, “Here is what he told me: ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.’”

13 They quickly took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, “Jehu is king!”

Jehu Kills Joram and Ahaziah

14 So Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. (Now Joram and all Israel had been defending Ramoth Gilead against Hazael king of Aram, 15 but King Joram[i] had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him in the battle with Hazael king of Aram.) Jehu said, “If you desire to make me king, don’t let anyone slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezreel.” 16 Then he got into his chariot and rode to Jezreel, because Joram was resting there and Ahaziah king of Judah had gone down to see him.

17 When the lookout standing on the tower in Jezreel saw Jehu’s troops approaching, he called out, “I see some troops coming.”

“Get a horseman,” Joram ordered. “Send him to meet them and ask, ‘Do you come in peace? ’”

18 The horseman rode off to meet Jehu and said, “This is what the king says: ‘Do you come in peace?’”

“What do you have to do with peace?” Jehu replied. “Fall in behind me.”

The lookout reported, “The messenger has reached them, but he isn’t coming back.”

19 So the king sent out a second horseman. When he came to them he said, “This is what the king says: ‘Do you come in peace?’”

Jehu replied, “What do you have to do with peace? Fall in behind me.”

20 The lookout reported, “He has reached them, but he isn’t coming back either. The driving is like that of Jehu son of Nimshi—he drives like a maniac.”

21 “Hitch up my chariot,” Joram ordered. And when it was hitched up, Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah rode out, each in his own chariot, to meet Jehu. They met him at the plot of ground that had belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite. 22 When Joram saw Jehu he asked, “Have you come in peace, Jehu?”

“How can there be peace,” Jehu replied, “as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?”

23 Joram turned about and fled, calling out to Ahaziah, “Treachery, Ahaziah!”

24 Then Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders. The arrow pierced his heart and he slumped down in his chariot. 25 Jehu said to Bidkar, his chariot officer, “Pick him up and throw him on the field that belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite. Remember how you and I were riding together in chariots behind Ahab his father when the Lord spoke this prophecy against him: 26 ‘Yesterday I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons, declares the Lord, and I will surely make you pay for it on this plot of ground, declares the Lord.’[j] Now then, pick him up and throw him on that plot, in accordance with the word of the Lord.”

27 When Ahaziah king of Judah saw what had happened, he fled up the road to Beth Haggan.[k] Jehu chased him, shouting, “Kill him too!” They wounded him in his chariot on the way up to Gur near Ibleam, but he escaped to Megiddo and died there. 28 His servants took him by chariot to Jerusalem and buried him with his ancestors in his tomb in the City of David. 29 (In the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king of Judah.)

Jezebel Killed

30 Then Jehu went to Jezreel. When Jezebel heard about it, she put on eye makeup, arranged her hair and looked out of a window. 31 As Jehu entered the gate, she asked, “Have you come in peace, you Zimri, you murderer of your master?”[l]

32 He looked up at the window and called out, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked down at him. 33 “Throw her down!” Jehu said. So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered the wall and the horses as they trampled her underfoot.

34 Jehu went in and ate and drank. “Take care of that cursed woman,” he said, “and bury her, for she was a king’s daughter.” 35 But when they went out to bury her, they found nothing except her skull, her feet and her hands. 36 They went back and told Jehu, who said, “This is the word of the Lord that he spoke through his servant Elijah the Tishbite: On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs will devour Jezebel’s flesh.[m] 37 Jezebel’s body will be like dung on the ground in the plot at Jezreel, so that no one will be able to say, ‘This is Jezebel.’”



Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: Psalm 103:15-22

New International Version (NIV)
15 The life of mortals is like grass,
    they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
    and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
    the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
    and his righteousness with their children’s children —
18 with those who keep his covenant
    and remember to obey his precepts.
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
    and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the Lord, you his angels,
    you mighty ones who do his bidding,
    who obey his word.
21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
    you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the Lord, all his works
    everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul.

In Praise Of Sovereignty

June 28, 2012 — by Dennis Fisher

The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. —Psalm 103:19

In James Fenimore Cooper’s book The Last of the Mohicans, we become acquainted with a character named David Gamut. He is a devout Christian who delights in setting the Psalms to music and singing them no matter what circumstances life brings his way. Gamut believes that God can be trusted in crisis as well as in good times. He lives a life in praise of God’s sovereignty—His supreme power, authority, and control over the world.

The Bible tells us about another David, a flesh-and-blood person who was no stranger to unpredictable life circumstances and who loved to respond to God in praise: King David of Israel. He saw the giant Goliath fall by his sling, he was chased by the murderous King Saul, and he watched the nation of Israel rally under his own leadership. Yet in all these situations, David took time to write and sing psalms of praise to his sovereign God. For example, he wrote, “The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all” (Ps. 103:19). David understood that in all circumstances we can worship and thank God for His care and control.

What are you experiencing today? A time of blessing or of testing? In any event, remember David’s example, and sing praises to God for His rule in our lives.

Lord, shape my life as only You can,
Guiding each day by Your loving plan;
Take what You need and give what You will;
My life is Yours to use and to fill. —Branon
Praise the Lord! Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! —Psalm 150:1-2



My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
June 28, 2012

Held by the Grip of God

I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me —Philippians 3:12

Never choose to be a worker for God, but once God has placed His call on you, woe be to you if you “turn aside to the right hand or to the left” (Deuteronomy 5:32). We are not here to work for God because we have chosen to do so, but because God has “laid hold of” us. And once He has done so, we never have this thought, “Well, I’m really not suited for this.” What you are to preach is also determined by God, not by your own natural leanings or desires. Keep your soul steadfastly related to God, and remember that you are called not simply to convey your testimony but also to preach the gospel. Every Christian must testify to the truth of God, but when it comes to the call to preach, there must be the agonizing grip of God’s hand on you— your life is in the grip of God for that very purpose. How many of us are held like that?

Never water down the Word of God, but preach it in its undiluted sternness. There must be unflinching faithfulness to the Word of God, but when you come to personal dealings with others, remember who you are— you are not some special being created in heaven, but a sinner saved by grace.

“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do. . . I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Picking Up Momentum as You Near the Bottom - #6644

Thursday, June 28, 2012

I know I really need to exercise. My blood and my pulse - they don't really get going very fast as I sit many days doing my work. You know, like what I'm doing right now. I'm sitting at a microphone, and I haven't made too much progress in my form of exercise since my childhood. Well, you know, I used to chug around on my bicycle when I was a little kid. And when I was little, it was for fun or just basic transportation.

But then it became a discipline; I had to get on my bike. And it was fun occasionally, especially when I sped down a nice long hill like we had near our house. When I did that I experienced a law at work that was responsible for the excitement: the closer I got to the bottom of the hill, the more I picked up speed.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Picking Up Momentum As You Near the Bottom."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Joshua 14. Here's a man I think you would say was nearing the bottom of life's hill. This is Caleb; he's 85. Time to go to Florida, right? Well, listen to what he says. They are now in the Promised Land. He comes at the age of 85 to Joshua and says, "Now then, just as the Lord promised, He has kept me alive for 45 years since the time He said this to Moses while Israel moved about in the desert, so here I am today, 85 years old. I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out. I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now, give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there," (those are giants, by the way) "...and their cities were large and fortified. But the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as He said."

Oh, by the way, that's exactly what 85-year-old Caleb did. As he nears the bottom of the hill in his life, he's picking up momentum like me on my bicycle. Now, Americans look forward to this place on the horizon called retirement, and we talk about our IRAs, and our condo, and our favorite place to go and retire, retirement communities, and I guess there's nothing wrong with retiring from your job. That's fine!

But I don't understand how you can retire from God's work. How can we retire from ministry? How can we retire from making a difference? How do you retire from Kingdom leadership, from reaching a lost world, from spiritual challenge? How do you retire from saying, "God, give me my mountain. Until the day I come to see You, I'm going to go after mountains for You." I think Caleb gets not only the Senior Citizen of the Year award; he gets the Senior Citizen of the Centuries award. "Give me my mountain, Lord!"

Somehow we have allowed our potential Calebs to basically retire from the war, except to cut the church lawn, or write some checks, or serve on a committee. But these are the people who may know the most, who've walked with the Lord the longest. Older believers are sometimes almost programmed to fossilize at a time when they should energize. There may be physical limitations, of course, but is there any such thing as retiring from active service; retiring from making a difference for Christ?

The Chinese have an old proverb. They say, "To the foolish, old age is winter. To the wise, old age is harvest time." Listen, if you're an older believer or a veteran in the work of the church who feels like, "Well, I'll just let somebody else do it now" or you're someone with physical limitations, don't just pull off the road as you get near the bottom of the hill. God may want to call you to a mission that will use all your wisdom, skill and experience that it took a lifetime to acquire.

One lifetime, no matter how long it is, is not enough to serve Christ. We only get one; use every day to the max. Look for a mountain; look for giants to fight! And let your definition of retire change. Yeah, you should retire; you should re-tire and get a new set of tires on and drive faster and farther than ever before.

You should be picking up momentum as you get closer to the bottom of the hill.

2 Kings 8 bible reading and devotionals

Click here to receive a message from the Lord

MaxLucado.com: A Good, Healthy Struggle

God is using your struggles to toughen you up!

It’s like viewing a movie after you’ve read the book.  When something bad happens, everyone else gasps at the crisis on the screen.  Not you.  Why?  You’ve read the book.  You know how the good guy gets out of the tight spot.

God views your life with the same confidence.  He’s not only read your story, he wrote it.  His perspective is different, and his purpose is clear.  One of God’s cures for weak faith?  A good, healthy struggle.

Consider it a gift when tests and challenges come at you from all sides.  Under pressure, your faith-life is forced into open and shows its true colors.  Scripture says, let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. (James 1:2-3)

Join with the Old Testament prophet Isaiah who resolved, “I will trust in him and not be afraid!”  (Isaiah 12:2)

From Come Thirsty

2 Kings 8

The Shunammite’s Land Restored

8 Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Go away with your family and stay for a while wherever you can, because the Lord has decreed a famine in the land that will last seven years.” 2 The woman proceeded to do as the man of God said. She and her family went away and stayed in the land of the Philistines seven years.

3 At the end of the seven years she came back from the land of the Philistines and went to appeal to the king for her house and land. 4 The king was talking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, and had said, “Tell me about all the great things Elisha has done.” 5 Just as Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, the woman whose son Elisha had brought back to life came to appeal to the king for her house and land.

Gehazi said, “This is the woman, my lord the king, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life.” 6 The king asked the woman about it, and she told him.

Then he assigned an official to her case and said to him, “Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now.”

Hazael Murders Ben-Hadad

7 Elisha went to Damascus, and Ben-Hadad king of Aram was ill. When the king was told, “The man of God has come all the way up here,” 8 he said to Hazael, “Take a gift with you and go to meet the man of God. Consult the Lord through him; ask him, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’”

9 Hazael went to meet Elisha, taking with him as a gift forty camel-loads of all the finest wares of Damascus. He went in and stood before him, and said, “Your son Ben-Hadad king of Aram has sent me to ask, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’”

10 Elisha answered, “Go and say to him, ‘You will certainly recover.’ Nevertheless,[e] the Lord has revealed to me that he will in fact die.” 11 He stared at him with a fixed gaze until Hazael was embarrassed. Then the man of God began to weep.

12 “Why is my lord weeping?” asked Hazael.

“Because I know the harm you will do to the Israelites,” he answered. “You will set fire to their fortified places, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little children to the ground, and rip open their pregnant women.”

13 Hazael said, “How could your servant, a mere dog, accomplish such a feat?”

“The Lord has shown me that you will become king of Aram,” answered Elisha.

14 Then Hazael left Elisha and returned to his master. When Ben-Hadad asked, “What did Elisha say to you?” Hazael replied, “He told me that you would certainly recover.” 15 But the next day he took a thick cloth, soaked it in water and spread it over the king’s face, so that he died. Then Hazael succeeded him as king.

Jehoram King of Judah

16 In the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat began his reign as king of Judah. 17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. 18 He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. 19 Nevertheless, for the sake of his servant David, the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah. He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.

20 In the time of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against Judah and set up its own king. 21 So Jehoram[f] went to Zair with all his chariots. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he rose up and broke through by night; his army, however, fled back home. 22 To this day Edom has been in rebellion against Judah. Libnah revolted at the same time.

23 As for the other events of Jehoram’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 24 Jehoram rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. And Ahaziah his son succeeded him as king.

Ahaziah King of Judah

25 In the twelfth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign. 26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri king of Israel. 27 He followed the ways of the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was related by marriage to Ahab’s family.

28 Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram; 29 so King Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramoth[g] in his battle with Hazael king of Aram.

Then Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to see Joram son of Ahab, because he had been wounded.



Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: Galatians 5:14–6:2

14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[a] 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[b] you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Doing Good to All

6 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

A Commitment To Care

June 27, 2012 — by David C. McCasland

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. —Galatians 6:2

During the months following the death of my wife’s mother, we received a number of cards and letters from the hospice team who had so lovingly cared for Mom and walked with our family along the pathway of loss. One letter offered thoughts on dealing constructively with grief. Another said, “As the date of your mother’s birthday approaches, we remember her, and our prayers and thoughts are with you and your family.” These wonderful caregivers know that grieving is an ongoing process that requires continuing help and support. They exhibit deep compassion in all they do.

Paul’s words “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2) come as an exclamation point to his description of life in the Spirit. In contrast to the destructive, self-centered acts of the sinful nature (Gal. 5:19-21), the fruit of the Holy Spirit in and through us is “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (vv.22-23). The great freedom we have in Christ allows us to serve each other in love (v.13).

A word of encouragement to a hurting friend can come like a refreshing rain. When we continue to care in tangible ways, it grows into a life-giving stream of healing and love.

Love is giving for the world’s needs,
Love is sharing as the Spirit leads,
Love is caring when the world cries,
Love is compassion with Christlike eyes. —Brandt
Compassion is the capacity to put Christlike love into action.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
June 27, 2012

The Overshadowing of God’s Personal Deliverance

. . . I am with you to deliver you,’ says the Lord —Jeremiah 1:8

God promised Jeremiah that He would deliver him personally— “. . . your life shall be as a prize to you . . .” (Jeremiah 39:18). That is all God promises His children. Wherever God sends us, He will guard our lives. Our personal property and possessions are to be a matter of indifference to us, and our hold on these things should be very loose. If this is not the case, we will have panic, heartache, and distress. Having the proper outlook is evidence of the deeply rooted belief in the overshadowing of God’s personal deliverance.

The Sermon on the Mount indicates that when we are on a mission for Jesus Christ, there is no time to stand up for ourselves. Jesus says, in effect, “Don’t worry about whether or not you are being treated justly.” Looking for justice is actually a sign that we have been diverted from our devotion to Him. Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it. If we look for justice, we will only begin to complain and to indulge ourselves in the discontent of self-pity, as if to say, “Why should I be treated like this?” If we are devoted to Jesus Christ, we have nothing to do with what we encounter, whether it is just or unjust. In essence, Jesus says, “Continue steadily on with what I have told you to do, and I will guard your life. If you try to guard it yourself, you remove yourself from My deliverance.” Even the most devout among us become atheistic in this regard— we do not believe Him. We put our common sense on the throne and then attach God’s name to it. We do lean to our own understanding, instead of trusting God with all our hearts (see Proverbs 3:5-6).


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Catching Up With a Great Vocabulary - #6643

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Scotty just came strolling in my office the other day, he didn't have an appointment, didn't check with my assistant. Oh, he doesn't need an appointment. He's about 18 months old. Yeah, he just kind of pushed the door open and there he was, and he came in talking and he almost never stopped. His mother was visiting our office, and I'll tell you, she said, "He's got a great vocabulary." And she was right! He's at that fascinating stage where his vocabulary is exploding!

In fact, even as I was talking to his mom, he was copying many of the words that I was saying and...he was getting it right. He's been doing that a lot lately they tell me. One of his mother's friends returned recently from a trip to the islands, and she had a picture of something called a flamboyant tree. Believe it or not, Scotty over in the corner says, "Flamboyant." This kid sounds like he's ready for his S.A.T.s already. The only problem is this: He's saying a lot more words than he understands. Of course, he's not the only one.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Catching Up With a Great Vocabulary."

Now, our word for today from the Word of God is from Mark 7:6. Jesus is speaking of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law when He says these words, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites. As it is written, 'The people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.'"

The Pharisees - well, they had an impressive spiritual vocabulary, but their hearts were cold. They didn't understand; they didn't apply all the great God words that they knew. What always disturbs me about the Pharisees is that they were the Bible people of that day, but they missed the reality of Jesus right in front of them.

Now, you and I are the Bible people of today. And like little Scotty, we have a great vocabulary. It doesn't take long to learn all the God talk: dedicate, consecrate, devotions, prayer, victorious Christian living, do God's will, "the Lord led me," witness, glorify God. But I wonder if we're like Scottie in another way? Do we understand all the words we keep using?

We talk about witnessing, but do you know how to do it, or is it just God talk for you? We talk about dedicating our life to Christ, but are we actually daily doing that - giving something new and specific to Him? Or is it just a phrase we've picked up, "I've dedicated my life to Christ." We talk about devotions. Great word, but have you ever asked anyone how to make it work, or is it just God talk? Victorious living; that's a great phrase, but are we making daily progress in conquering that specific sin? Or did we just find a phrase that we can use in a testimony or in a prayer meeting?

I'm afraid sometimes we become a believer; we learn the words and then we settle back and hide behind answers we really don't understand and we certainly don't know how to live. Even leaders; we just get more sophisticated in our rhetoric, but oftentimes the reality just doesn't match. It's as if, "Well, we're okay if we know the words, right?"

We wouldn't accept that for a little guy like Scotty. We'd say, "Well, he knows the words, but he's got to understand them before he's all grown up." He needs to understand and use what he's parroting, and so do we.

I think there are people who are in church every week and they know all the words, and they think they know the Lord. But you can know all the words, and the Bible says some people who knew all the words and did all the right things. Well, He will say to them on judgment day, "I never knew you." I don't want you to hear those words, because somewhere you learned the vocabulary. You learned the lifestyle, but you somehow missed giving yourself to Jesus. Maybe He asked me to say that today because He wants you to come home to Him today and know Him for real. Tell Him, "Jesus, I'm Yours. It's more than words; it's more than a head trip. I want You in my heart. I want to belong to You beginning today."

Go to our website and follow there the little road I've laid out to make sure you really belong to Him. Go to YoursForLife.net. Hey, Following Christ isn't just a new vocabulary, it's a new you.

2 Kings 7 bible reading and devotionals.

Click to hear a message from the Lord Jesus.
MaxLucado.com: Host this Event at Your Church!

The sign said: “Found:  Pot-bellied Pig.”

Did I just read what I think I read?  I’d never seen such an announcement.  Similar ones, sure.  But “Found: Potbellied Pig?”  Who loses a pig?  The sign presupposes a curious moment.  Someone spots the pig lumbering down the sidewalk.  “Poor thing.  Climb in little piggy.  The street is no place for you.  I’ll take you home.”  I wouldn’t claim one.  But God did.

God did when he claimed us.  We assume God cares for the purebreds of the world.  The tidy-living.  But what about the rest of us?  Do we warrant his oversight?

Psalm 91:1-2 offers a rousing yes!  “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”  The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.  I will protect those who trust in my name!”

From Come Thirsty

2 Kings 7

7 Elisha replied, “Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says: About this time tomorrow, a seah[a] of the finest flour will sell for a shekel[b] and two seahs[c] of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.”

2 The officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?”

“You will see it with your own eyes,” answered Elisha, “but you will not eat any of it!”

The Siege Lifted

3 Now there were four men with leprosy[d] at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, “Why stay here until we die? 4 If we say, ‘We’ll go into the city’—the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.”

5 At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, no one was there, 6 for the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!” 7 So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives.

8 The men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp, entered one of the tents and ate and drank. Then they took silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them. They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also.

9 Then they said to each other, “What we’re doing is not right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let’s go at once and report this to the royal palace.”

10 So they went and called out to the city gatekeepers and told them, “We went into the Aramean camp and no one was there—not a sound of anyone—only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents left just as they were.” 11 The gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was reported within the palace.

12 The king got up in the night and said to his officers, “I will tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving; so they have left the camp to hide in the countryside, thinking, ‘They will surely come out, and then we will take them alive and get into the city.’”

13 One of his officers answered, “Have some men take five of the horses that are left in the city. Their plight will be like that of all the Israelites left here—yes, they will only be like all these Israelites who are doomed. So let us send them to find out what happened.”

14 So they selected two chariots with their horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army. He commanded the drivers, “Go and find out what has happened.” 15 They followed them as far as the Jordan, and they found the whole road strewn with the clothing and equipment the Arameans had thrown away in their headlong flight. So the messengers returned and reported to the king. 16 Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. So a seah of the finest flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a shekel, as the Lord had said.

17 Now the king had put the officer on whose arm he leaned in charge of the gate, and the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king came down to his house. 18 It happened as the man of God had said to the king: “About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.”

19 The officer had said to the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?” The man of God had replied, “You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it!” 20 And that is exactly what happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died.


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: Luke 6:27-36

Love for Enemies

27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Cornered

June 26, 2012 — by Jennifer Benson Schuldt

Pray for those who spitefully use you. —Luke 6:28

One Sunday morning, D. L. Moody entered a house in Chicago to escort some children to Sunday school. During his visit, three men backed him into a corner and threatened him. “Look here,” Moody said. “Give a fellow a chance to say his prayers, won’t you?” The men actually allowed him to call out to God, and Moody prayed for them so earnestly that they left the room.

Had I been in Moody’s situation, I might have called for help or looked for the back door. I’m not sure I would have acted on Jesus’ command to His followers: “Pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:28 NIV).

Praying for the people who treat us with contempt is one way to “do good to those who hate [us]” (v.27). Jesus explained that Christians get no credit for swapping acts of kindness with other “nice” people. He said, “Even sinners do the same” (v.33). However, blessing our persecutors (Rom. 12:14) sets us apart from them and aligns us with the Most High, because God is kind even to wicked people (Luke 6:35).

Today, if you feel “cornered” by someone, seek safety if the situation calls for it, and follow Jesus’ teaching: Pray for that person (Luke 23:34). Prayer is your best defense.

We want to know Your heart, Lord, and have Your
wisdom to know how to handle opposition.
Give us patience to show kindness.
Guide us, we pray.
Returning good for good is human; returning good for evil is divine.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
June 26, 2012

Drawing on the Grace of God— Now

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

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

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

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


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft


How can I have sex at its best?

Don't Open Your Gift Too Soon - #6642

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

One time Andy told me about the worst Christmas he ever had. Oh, he'd always had a hard time waiting for Christmas morning. I think most kids do. He felt that Christmas Eve was the longest night of the year just waiting. But there were a lot of long nights before then. And he was a little unsure of that Santa Claus business, and didn't quite have all that figured out.

So a few days before Christmas, he managed to discover the closet in which all of his presents were kept. Well, he got in there, saw them before they were wrapped, and saw everything he was getting. He felt so smart...briefly. He put them all back where he found them, closed the door, and then came Christmas morning. Well, Christmas - needless to say - was a bit of a drag that year. Everyone else is jumping up and down and going, "Hey, look at this!" and celebrating their surprises.

And there's Andy over there just moping through the motions trying to look like it's fun and look like it's a surprise. He said, "You know, Ron, I decided I'd never do that again." Something special could be ruined if you open it too early.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Don't Open Your Gift Too Soon."

Our word for today from the Word of God, Hebrews 13:4. It says this: "Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure." Now, this is a verse about a gift. It's a gift you don't want to open too soon. The gift is the gift of sexual love as it was meant to be by its Creator. And God says, "Do not open that gift until you are married and have made that lifetime commitment to each other."

Now, of course, that message is all through scripture. Proverbs 5:15 says in more figurative language, "Drink water from your own cistern and running water only from your own well." Okay, do not open until you are married. See, the excitement of married love is based on its specialness. It's not unlike my friend Andy and the excitement of those gifts. They were very special when you opened them at Christmas. But when he opened them too soon, they weren't special any more.

This gift God's given us, the ability to give sexual love, is the same thing. You're supposed to keep it special to express a lifetime commitment. Like Andy, if you open it before, you miss the thrill of opening it at the right time.

Oh, hey! There are tons of temptations to open it too soon. You say, "Well, there's someone I might not be able to keep in my life if I don't do this. I might lose them." I'm not sure they're worth keeping if that's the price they're asking for. You say, "Well, I've been single for a while, and you know, maybe I need to get it while I can, and have this relationship while I have this chance." Don't believe that lie. You say, "Well, I'm sure we'll get married some day. You'll be so sorry you rushed it, and so outside of the blessing of God!

You'll always wonder if that person will think the fence is important enough to keep them in, because see, it wasn't important enough to uh...keep them out was it? Sex before marriage, even a day before, costs you so much in guilt, resentment, loss of worth, loss of specialness, and loss of the blessing of God.

Someone is listening right now and you say, "Ron, I wish I'd heard this, or I wish I'd heeded it earlier." And there are memories, and there is guilt, and there are regrets. The good news is that I speak on behalf of a Jesus who said, "I will remember your sins no more." I come speaking to you from a Bible that says, "The blood of Jesus' Son purifies us from all sin." Did you get that...made pure again? That's because all the things that you wish you hadn't done, that He wishes you hadn't done, He died to pay for on a cross. And then He came back to life again on Easter morning, so He can come into your life, forgive you, and give you that clean heart and new beginning that only He can.

If that's something you want, if you'd like to have that new beginning and to be clean inside, would you tell Jesus that? And go to our website. There you'll find a simple explanation of how to be sure you've been forgiven by God and you belong to Jesus. It's YoursForLife.net.

Whatever you've done until now, commit yourself to protect and restore the specialness of sex. And don't ruin it by opening it too soon.

James 2 bible reading and devotionals.

Click to hear the message from the Lord Jesus
MaxLucado.com:Worry is an Option

Some of us have postgraduate degrees from the University of Anxiety.  We got to sleep worried that we won’t wake up.  We wake up worried that we didn’t sleep.  We worry that someone will discover that lettuce was fattening all along.

Wouldn’t you love to stop worrying?  Could you use a strong shelter from life’s harsh elements?  God offers you just that.  The possibility of a worry-free life.  Not just less worry–but no worry.

Philippians 4:7 says “His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Worry is an option, not an assignment.  Be quick to pray.  Rather than worry about anything, Scripture says, “pray about everything.”   Focus less on the problem ahead and more on the victories behind.  In everything–let your requests be made known to God!

Do your part, and God will do his.

From Come Thirsty


James 2
New International Version (NIV)
Favoritism Forbidden

2 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?

8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”[a] you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,”[b] also said, “You shall not murder.”[c] If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Faith and Deeds

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that —and shudder.

20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless[d]? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”[e] and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Read: John 6:42-51

42 They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

43 “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. 44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’[a] Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

Pureed Pursuit

June 25, 2012 — by Anne Cetas

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him. —John 6:44

James was diagnosed with heart problems, and his wife, Becky, was no longer able to care for him or herself very well. They started looking for an assisted living home. One of Becky’s first questions as she visited each home was, “Do you puree your food?” She was concerned that James have the kind of food he needed for his swallowing difficulty. Several places answered “no,” so she kept searching. Finally she heard “yes” at a Christian assisted living home.

Even though they weren’t believers in Jesus and had often argued with a Christian neighbor about Him, James and Becky chose the Christian home because of the pureed food. They began attending chapel services, heard the gospel, and felt well cared for by the workers there. One day James surrendered his life to Christ. He believes that God was pursuing him (John 6:44), and He used pureed food to bring them to the Christian home where he received the care of God’s people and heard of Christ’s forgiveness.

Conversion is a work of God; in love He draws people to Himself. He uses circumstances, His Word, people, and even pureed food to pursue hearts. Be encouraged in your witness for Him. He will use your words and deeds in His pursuit of those who need Christ.

It is not always words galore
Nor brilliancy of speech
That opens wide the gospel door
Within the sinner’s reach. —Rotz
Love is the magnet that draws believers together and attracts unbelievers to Christ.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
June 25, 2012

Receiving Yourself in the Fires of Sorrow

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

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

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

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


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Frequent Calls Home - #6641

Monday, June 25, 2012

My wife hit her 40th birthday without the trauma you're supposed to have; very well-adjusted lady. No big deal - 40th birthday. And then a couple of months later our oldest son, who was then 12 said, "Hey, Mom, you know you've been alive for 14,662 days?" Well, that's a different matter. Actually, life really isn't years; it is days. All the little choices, experiences, hurts, happiness's of each 24-hour period, isn't that what makes the years?

That's really true when it comes to parenting children. Their lives unfold in these 24-hour episodes. They're shaped by their days. I know our own kids lives were filled with daily developments as they were growing up. Academic developments, frustrations, changes in friends, it seemed like there were soap operas that were changing daily. Questions, remarks! If I missed many days, well I'll never catch up with what I missed. See, it was tough when I traveled, so I was thankful for well, like phones and e-mails. When I was away, I would contact home frequently and get those important updates of what happened in that 24-hour period. I got out of step with my wife and children if I didn't stay in frequent contact. You just can't afford to be out of touch very long in any relationship.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Frequent Calls Home."

Now, our word for today from the Word of God comes from Luke 5; I'm going to begin at verse 16. "The news about Jesus spread all the more so that crowds of people came to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." Underscore these words, "...the crowds came, but Jesus withdrew." See, when you're besieged, when you're pressured, your only hope of staying on course is regular time out to touch God. Jesus knew that. He made frequent calls home.

There's a lot to learn from these simple few words we just read. First it says often. See, you've got to take many time-outs during the day. Not necessarily going in a room all by yourself; not necessarily stopping everything and saying, "Wait a minute, I've got to take an hour off." Just even a momentary, spiritual time-out many times during the day. You make too many choices in a day; there are too many needs.

And then it says, "He withdrew" and I get the feeling you have to tear yourself away from the urgent demands. He had people all around Him at that point and they all needed Him. But you know, the time out might only be brief, but it's a quick moment in the middle of the battle to focus on your Father; to spiritually and mentally withdraw from every voice but one voice. And then it says He often withdrew "alone." We spend a lot of time listening to God's voice in Bible studies, and church, and group settings. But the key is time alone when there's no other voice. And then it says, "He prayed." He didn't get alone to plan, to listen to the radio, or listen to music. It was time to touch God.

Frankly, I've gone too many days where God and I consulted at the beginning and at the end, but not near enough in the heat of the battle. So many times a day we need deployment, or courage, or help with our priorities. We need an answer.

The greater your responsibilities, the more often you need to check with God even when it seems like you have less time than ever to do it. The daily rush? Well, it can quickly push you right out of the mainstream of the will of God. But take it from a Dad who's traveled.

You can't afford to be out of touch for long. So, make frequent calls home.