Max Lucado Daily: Don’t Settle for Anything Less
God rewards those who seek Him. Not those who seek doctrine or religion or systems or creeds. Many settle for these lesser passions, but the reward goes to those who settle for nothing less than Jesus himself!
And what is the reward? What awaits those who seek Jesus? Nothing short of the heart of Jesus. Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 3:18, “And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him.”
Can you think of a greater gift than to be like Jesus? Christ felt no guilt; God wants to banish yours. Jesus had no bad habits; God wants to remove yours. Jesus had no fear of death; God wants you to be fearless. Jesus had kindness for the diseased and mercy for the rebellious and courage for the challenges.
God wants you to have the same!
From Just Like Jesus
Job 29
Job’s Final Defense
Job continued his discourse:
2 “How I long for the months gone by,
for the days when God watched over me,
3 when his lamp shone on my head
and by his light I walked through darkness!
4 Oh, for the days when I was in my prime,
when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house,
5 when the Almighty was still with me
and my children were around me,
6 when my path was drenched with cream
and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil.
7 “When I went to the gate of the city
and took my seat in the public square,
8 the young men saw me and stepped aside
and the old men rose to their feet;
9 the chief men refrained from speaking
and covered their mouths with their hands;
10 the voices of the nobles were hushed,
and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.
11 Whoever heard me spoke well of me,
and those who saw me commended me,
12 because I rescued the poor who cried for help,
and the fatherless who had none to assist them.
13 The one who was dying blessed me;
I made the widow’s heart sing.
14 I put on righteousness as my clothing;
justice was my robe and my turban.
15 I was eyes to the blind
and feet to the lame.
16 I was a father to the needy;
I took up the case of the stranger.
17 I broke the fangs of the wicked
and snatched the victims from their teeth.
18 “I thought, ‘I will die in my own house,
my days as numerous as the grains of sand.
19 My roots will reach to the water,
and the dew will lie all night on my branches.
20 My glory will not fade;
the bow will be ever new in my hand.’
21 “People listened to me expectantly,
waiting in silence for my counsel.
22 After I had spoken, they spoke no more;
my words fell gently on their ears.
23 They waited for me as for showers
and drank in my words as the spring rain.
24 When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it;
the light of my face was precious to them.[c]
25 I chose the way for them and sat as their chief;
I dwelt as a king among his troops;
I was like one who comforts mourners.
Job 29:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Colossians 1:15-23
The Supremacy of the Son of God
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of[a] your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Footnotes:
Colossians 1:21 Or minds, as shown by
Insight
Some skeptics have cited Colossians 1:15 to argue for Jesus being a created being: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” But in the Jewish mind “firstborn” did not primarily refer to birth order. Instead, it meant the preeminence of the firstborn male over the family property. Clearly, Paul is emphasizing the preeminence of Christ.
Surfacing
By Philip Yancey
By Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible. —Colossians 1:16
Human beings straddle visible and invisible realities—the natural and the supernatural. I thought about these two worlds when I went out in a boat to watch whales off the coast of New Zealand. A whale would rest on the surface for a while, then breathe deeply a few times, his exhalations creating a spectacular spout, before plunging a mile deep to feed on squid.
Despite having its own lively habitat of marine plants and sea creatures, the whale must surface for oxygen from time to time or it dies. Though it knows little about the world above, it needs vital contact with it to survive.
I sometimes feel like that whale, coming up for spiritual air at regular intervals to stay alive. But there is no neat division between the natural and the supernatural. The world we live in is not an either/or world. What I do as a Christian—praying, worshiping, demonstrating God’s love to the sick, needy, and imprisoned—is both supernatural and natural.
The same God who created the world that’s visible to us actively sustains it and has made a way for us to approach Him, the invisible. Paul wrote, “You, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death” (Col. 1:21-22).
All our actions take place in the visible world, which we can touch, smell, and see. Yet the Creator and Sustainer of all things has provided a way for us to breathe the spiritual air we need and crave.
God’s throne is always accessible to His children.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, May 17, 2014
His Ascension and Our Access
It came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven —Luke 24:51
We have no experiences in our lives that correspond to the events in our Lord’s life after the transfiguration. From that moment forward His life was altogether substitutionary. Up to the time of the transfiguration, He had exhibited the normal, perfect life of a man. But from the transfiguration forward— Gethsemane, the Cross, the resurrection— everything is unfamiliar to us. His Cross is the door by which every member of the human race can enter into the life of God; by His resurrection He has the right to give eternal life to anyone, and by His ascension our Lord entered heaven, keeping the door open for humanity.
The transfiguration was completed on the Mount of Ascension. If Jesus had gone to heaven directly from the Mount of Transfiguration, He would have gone alone. He would have been nothing more to us than a glorious Figure. But He turned His back on the glory, and came down from the mountain to identify Himself with fallen humanity.
The ascension is the complete fulfillment of the transfiguration. Our Lord returned to His original glory, but not simply as the Son of God— He returned to His father as the Son of Man as well. There is now freedom of access for anyone straight to the very throne of God because of the ascension of the Son of Man. As the Son of Man, Jesus Christ deliberately limited His omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience. But now they are His in absolute, full power. As the Son of Man, Jesus Christ now has all the power at the throne of God. From His ascension forward He is the King of kings and Lord of lords
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Friday, May 16, 2014
Job 28, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: God is Righteous
The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:18, "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." Yes, righteousness is what God is-and yes, righteousness is what we are not! And, yes, righteousness is what God requires. But Romans 3:21 tells us, "God has a way to make people right with Him."
In the 23rd Psalm, David said it like this, "He leads me in the path of righteousness." And Daniel 9:14 declares, "Our God is right in everything He does."
The path of righteousness is a narrow, winding trail up a steep hill. At the top of the hill is a cross. At the base of the cross are countless bags full of innumerable sins. Get the point? Calvary is the compost pile for guilt. Wouldn't you like to leave yours there as well?
From Traveling Light
Job 28
Interlude: Where Wisdom Is Found
There is a mine for silver
and a place where gold is refined.
2 Iron is taken from the earth,
and copper is smelted from ore.
3 Mortals put an end to the darkness;
they search out the farthest recesses
for ore in the blackest darkness.
4 Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft,
in places untouched by human feet;
far from other people they dangle and sway.
5 The earth, from which food comes,
is transformed below as by fire;
6 lapis lazuli comes from its rocks,
and its dust contains nuggets of gold.
7 No bird of prey knows that hidden path,
no falcon’s eye has seen it.
8 Proud beasts do not set foot on it,
and no lion prowls there.
9 People assault the flinty rock with their hands
and lay bare the roots of the mountains.
10 They tunnel through the rock;
their eyes see all its treasures.
11 They search[a] the sources of the rivers
and bring hidden things to light.
12 But where can wisdom be found?
Where does understanding dwell?
13 No mortal comprehends its worth;
it cannot be found in the land of the living.
14 The deep says, “It is not in me”;
the sea says, “It is not with me.”
15 It cannot be bought with the finest gold,
nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
16 It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,
with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.
17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,
nor can it be had for jewels of gold.
18 Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention;
the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
19 The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it;
it cannot be bought with pure gold.
20 Where then does wisdom come from?
Where does understanding dwell?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
concealed even from the birds in the sky.
22 Destruction[b] and Death say,
“Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”
23 God understands the way to it
and he alone knows where it dwells,
24 for he views the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
25 When he established the force of the wind
and measured out the waters,
26 when he made a decree for the rain
and a path for the thunderstorm,
27 then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
he confirmed it and tested it.
28 And he said to the human race,
“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
and to shun evil is understanding.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Proverbs 15:16-23
Better a little with the fear of the Lord
than great wealth with turmoil.
17 Better a small serving of vegetables with love
than a fattened calf with hatred.
18 A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict,
but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.
19 The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns,
but the path of the upright is a highway.
20 A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish man despises his mother.
21 Folly brings joy to one who has no sense,
but whoever has understanding keeps a straight course.
22 Plans fail for lack of counsel,
but with many advisers they succeed.
23 A person finds joy in giving an apt reply—
and how good is a timely word!
Insight
Proverbs 15:22 instructs us on the importance of seeking wise counsel. Many of the people in Scripture sought out counsel from wise and trusted advisors. Moses asked advice from his father-in-law Jethro about how to lead and judge Israel (Ex. 18:13-24). Ahithophel was so wise that it was said that his advice “was as if one had inquired at the oracle of God” (2 Sam. 16:23). But the greatest counsel we can seek is from God Himself. James tells us that if we lack wisdom, we can ask of God and He will give it to us because He “gives to all liberally and without reproach” (James 1:5).
Many Advisors
By Marvin Williams
Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established. —Proverbs 15:22
The fifteenth-century theologian Thomas à Kempis said, “Who is so wise as to have perfect knowledge of all things? Therefore, trust not too much to your own opinion, but be ready also to hear the opinions of others. Though your own opinion be good, yet if for the love of God you forego it and follow that of another, you shall the more profit thereby.” Thomas recognized the importance of seeking the opinions of trusted advisors when making plans for life.
In order to determine God’s course for life, the wise person should open up to several avenues of counsel, through which God will bring His guiding wisdom. When a person seeks the wise counsel of others, he shows his realization that he might be overlooking some important factors in his decisions.
Solomon, the wisest man in Israel, wrote about how important it is to have counsel from others: “Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established” (Prov. 15:22).
The Lord is the Wonderful Counselor (Isa. 9:6), and He desires to protect us through wise advisors. Seek them out and thank God for them. Let them help you discover a clearer picture of His plan for your life.
If you seek wise counsel, you multiply your chances for sound decisions.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, May 16, 2014
. . you may be partakers of the divine nature . . . —2 Peter 1:4
We are made “partakers of the divine nature,” receiving and sharing God’s own nature through His promises. Then we have to work that divine nature into our human nature by developing godly habits. The first habit to develop is the habit of recognizing God’s provision for us. We say, however, “Oh, I can’t afford it.” One of the worst lies is wrapped up in that statement. We talk as if our heavenly Father has cut us off without a penny! We think it is a sign of true humility to say at the end of the day, “Well, I just barely got by today, but it was a severe struggle.” And yet all of Almighty God is ours in the Lord Jesus! And He will reach to the last grain of sand and the remotest star to bless us if we will only obey Him. Does it really matter that our circumstances are difficult? Why shouldn’t they be! If we give way to self-pity and indulge in the luxury of misery, we remove God’s riches from our lives and hinder others from entering into His provision. No sin is worse than the sin of self-pity, because it removes God from the throne of our lives, replacing Him with our own self-interests. It causes us to open our mouths only to complain, and we simply become spiritual sponges— always absorbing, never giving, and never being satisfied. And there is nothing lovely or generous about our lives.
Before God becomes satisfied with us, He will take everything of our so-called wealth, until we learn that He is our Source; as the psalmist said, “All my springs are in You” (Psalm 87:7). If the majesty, grace, and power of God are not being exhibited in us, God holds us responsible. “God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you . . . may have an abundance . . .” (2 Corinthians 9:8)— then learn to lavish the grace of God on others, generously giving of yourself. Be marked and identified with God’s nature, and His blessing will flow through you all the time.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
The Disposable Commandment - #7135
Friday, May 16, 2014
I was thinking the other day about when my son informed me that our local supermarket near his high school had just installed a new air conditioning system. What he meant was that it had just been bulldozed! That store had been there since I could remember, and then in one day it was rubble in a vacant lot.
You've probably seen something like that happen in your area. Trees and wooded areas all over town are just disappearing quickly, suddenly becoming housing developments. And if there's a tree, let's tear it down and build a house. Couples who have been married for twenty-five or thirty years suddenly aren't couples any more. You and I live in a disposable world where things are dismantled or discarded everywhere we look, including some things that were never meant to be moved.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Disposable Commandment."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Exodus chapter 20. You might recognize that as the Ten Commandments chapter, and I'll begin at verse 8, "Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work." Then it goes on to say, "None of your employees and none of your family should work either."
You can almost hear those that work the land trying to rationalize this and say, "Well, that's pretty good. We'll do that except when it's real busy-like harvest time, planting time." Exodus 34:21, "Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest. Even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest." Well, God's pretty serious about this commandment. He's saying, "Even during your busiest season, whatever that is, you've got to have a day reserved and committed to rest and reverence."
If we look at a typical American Christian's Sunday, we might conclude that this is the disposable commandment. Well, there's no such thing, but no one challenges us if we disobey this one. We don't even have any real guilt; we don't even feel like we disobeyed a commandment. But check your Bible. It hasn't moved. It's still there. It's in the commandments.
In our busy lives, and I speak for myself, Sunday tends to become the catch-all day for the tasks you couldn't get done all week: the yard work, the spill over from your job, getting ready for Monday's work, work on the car, work on the house. Now, look, I'm the last guy who wants to start a new legalism. The Bible says, "When you've got an ox in the ditch and it just absolutely has to be done, well okay, you can take care of that on the Lord's Day."
But I'm talking about a reordering of our lives to do everything possible to reserve one day for rest and reverence. We've been commanded to do it. That's hard for me. My life is jammed. I've got to make that choice. It's going to be God, it's going to be family, it's going to be rest and recovery. That's what happens on the day that is called the Lord's Day.
It's hard to keep that commandment sometimes, but God has consistently honored that by making six days more productive for me than seven. It's kind of like tithing where God can do more with the 90% in your life because you gave Him 10%, than you could do with 100%. God seems to have closed all the loopholes here. He wants us to obey Him, no matter how busy we are.
Let's honor our Lord by reserving a day a week. I don't know who said we could knock down the walls around the Lord's Day, but this isn't like our local store. The commandment was never meant to be knocked down, because there are no disposable commandments.
The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:18, "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." Yes, righteousness is what God is-and yes, righteousness is what we are not! And, yes, righteousness is what God requires. But Romans 3:21 tells us, "God has a way to make people right with Him."
In the 23rd Psalm, David said it like this, "He leads me in the path of righteousness." And Daniel 9:14 declares, "Our God is right in everything He does."
The path of righteousness is a narrow, winding trail up a steep hill. At the top of the hill is a cross. At the base of the cross are countless bags full of innumerable sins. Get the point? Calvary is the compost pile for guilt. Wouldn't you like to leave yours there as well?
From Traveling Light
Job 28
Interlude: Where Wisdom Is Found
There is a mine for silver
and a place where gold is refined.
2 Iron is taken from the earth,
and copper is smelted from ore.
3 Mortals put an end to the darkness;
they search out the farthest recesses
for ore in the blackest darkness.
4 Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft,
in places untouched by human feet;
far from other people they dangle and sway.
5 The earth, from which food comes,
is transformed below as by fire;
6 lapis lazuli comes from its rocks,
and its dust contains nuggets of gold.
7 No bird of prey knows that hidden path,
no falcon’s eye has seen it.
8 Proud beasts do not set foot on it,
and no lion prowls there.
9 People assault the flinty rock with their hands
and lay bare the roots of the mountains.
10 They tunnel through the rock;
their eyes see all its treasures.
11 They search[a] the sources of the rivers
and bring hidden things to light.
12 But where can wisdom be found?
Where does understanding dwell?
13 No mortal comprehends its worth;
it cannot be found in the land of the living.
14 The deep says, “It is not in me”;
the sea says, “It is not with me.”
15 It cannot be bought with the finest gold,
nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
16 It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,
with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.
17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,
nor can it be had for jewels of gold.
18 Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention;
the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
19 The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it;
it cannot be bought with pure gold.
20 Where then does wisdom come from?
Where does understanding dwell?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
concealed even from the birds in the sky.
22 Destruction[b] and Death say,
“Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”
23 God understands the way to it
and he alone knows where it dwells,
24 for he views the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
25 When he established the force of the wind
and measured out the waters,
26 when he made a decree for the rain
and a path for the thunderstorm,
27 then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
he confirmed it and tested it.
28 And he said to the human race,
“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
and to shun evil is understanding.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Proverbs 15:16-23
Better a little with the fear of the Lord
than great wealth with turmoil.
17 Better a small serving of vegetables with love
than a fattened calf with hatred.
18 A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict,
but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.
19 The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns,
but the path of the upright is a highway.
20 A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish man despises his mother.
21 Folly brings joy to one who has no sense,
but whoever has understanding keeps a straight course.
22 Plans fail for lack of counsel,
but with many advisers they succeed.
23 A person finds joy in giving an apt reply—
and how good is a timely word!
Insight
Proverbs 15:22 instructs us on the importance of seeking wise counsel. Many of the people in Scripture sought out counsel from wise and trusted advisors. Moses asked advice from his father-in-law Jethro about how to lead and judge Israel (Ex. 18:13-24). Ahithophel was so wise that it was said that his advice “was as if one had inquired at the oracle of God” (2 Sam. 16:23). But the greatest counsel we can seek is from God Himself. James tells us that if we lack wisdom, we can ask of God and He will give it to us because He “gives to all liberally and without reproach” (James 1:5).
Many Advisors
By Marvin Williams
Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established. —Proverbs 15:22
The fifteenth-century theologian Thomas à Kempis said, “Who is so wise as to have perfect knowledge of all things? Therefore, trust not too much to your own opinion, but be ready also to hear the opinions of others. Though your own opinion be good, yet if for the love of God you forego it and follow that of another, you shall the more profit thereby.” Thomas recognized the importance of seeking the opinions of trusted advisors when making plans for life.
In order to determine God’s course for life, the wise person should open up to several avenues of counsel, through which God will bring His guiding wisdom. When a person seeks the wise counsel of others, he shows his realization that he might be overlooking some important factors in his decisions.
Solomon, the wisest man in Israel, wrote about how important it is to have counsel from others: “Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established” (Prov. 15:22).
The Lord is the Wonderful Counselor (Isa. 9:6), and He desires to protect us through wise advisors. Seek them out and thank God for them. Let them help you discover a clearer picture of His plan for your life.
If you seek wise counsel, you multiply your chances for sound decisions.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, May 16, 2014
. . you may be partakers of the divine nature . . . —2 Peter 1:4
We are made “partakers of the divine nature,” receiving and sharing God’s own nature through His promises. Then we have to work that divine nature into our human nature by developing godly habits. The first habit to develop is the habit of recognizing God’s provision for us. We say, however, “Oh, I can’t afford it.” One of the worst lies is wrapped up in that statement. We talk as if our heavenly Father has cut us off without a penny! We think it is a sign of true humility to say at the end of the day, “Well, I just barely got by today, but it was a severe struggle.” And yet all of Almighty God is ours in the Lord Jesus! And He will reach to the last grain of sand and the remotest star to bless us if we will only obey Him. Does it really matter that our circumstances are difficult? Why shouldn’t they be! If we give way to self-pity and indulge in the luxury of misery, we remove God’s riches from our lives and hinder others from entering into His provision. No sin is worse than the sin of self-pity, because it removes God from the throne of our lives, replacing Him with our own self-interests. It causes us to open our mouths only to complain, and we simply become spiritual sponges— always absorbing, never giving, and never being satisfied. And there is nothing lovely or generous about our lives.
Before God becomes satisfied with us, He will take everything of our so-called wealth, until we learn that He is our Source; as the psalmist said, “All my springs are in You” (Psalm 87:7). If the majesty, grace, and power of God are not being exhibited in us, God holds us responsible. “God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you . . . may have an abundance . . .” (2 Corinthians 9:8)— then learn to lavish the grace of God on others, generously giving of yourself. Be marked and identified with God’s nature, and His blessing will flow through you all the time.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
The Disposable Commandment - #7135
Friday, May 16, 2014
I was thinking the other day about when my son informed me that our local supermarket near his high school had just installed a new air conditioning system. What he meant was that it had just been bulldozed! That store had been there since I could remember, and then in one day it was rubble in a vacant lot.
You've probably seen something like that happen in your area. Trees and wooded areas all over town are just disappearing quickly, suddenly becoming housing developments. And if there's a tree, let's tear it down and build a house. Couples who have been married for twenty-five or thirty years suddenly aren't couples any more. You and I live in a disposable world where things are dismantled or discarded everywhere we look, including some things that were never meant to be moved.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Disposable Commandment."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Exodus chapter 20. You might recognize that as the Ten Commandments chapter, and I'll begin at verse 8, "Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work." Then it goes on to say, "None of your employees and none of your family should work either."
You can almost hear those that work the land trying to rationalize this and say, "Well, that's pretty good. We'll do that except when it's real busy-like harvest time, planting time." Exodus 34:21, "Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest. Even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest." Well, God's pretty serious about this commandment. He's saying, "Even during your busiest season, whatever that is, you've got to have a day reserved and committed to rest and reverence."
If we look at a typical American Christian's Sunday, we might conclude that this is the disposable commandment. Well, there's no such thing, but no one challenges us if we disobey this one. We don't even have any real guilt; we don't even feel like we disobeyed a commandment. But check your Bible. It hasn't moved. It's still there. It's in the commandments.
In our busy lives, and I speak for myself, Sunday tends to become the catch-all day for the tasks you couldn't get done all week: the yard work, the spill over from your job, getting ready for Monday's work, work on the car, work on the house. Now, look, I'm the last guy who wants to start a new legalism. The Bible says, "When you've got an ox in the ditch and it just absolutely has to be done, well okay, you can take care of that on the Lord's Day."
But I'm talking about a reordering of our lives to do everything possible to reserve one day for rest and reverence. We've been commanded to do it. That's hard for me. My life is jammed. I've got to make that choice. It's going to be God, it's going to be family, it's going to be rest and recovery. That's what happens on the day that is called the Lord's Day.
It's hard to keep that commandment sometimes, but God has consistently honored that by making six days more productive for me than seven. It's kind of like tithing where God can do more with the 90% in your life because you gave Him 10%, than you could do with 100%. God seems to have closed all the loopholes here. He wants us to obey Him, no matter how busy we are.
Let's honor our Lord by reserving a day a week. I don't know who said we could knock down the walls around the Lord's Day, but this isn't like our local store. The commandment was never meant to be knocked down, because there are no disposable commandments.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Matthew 12:24-50, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: A Jungle
It's a jungle out there! And for many, hope is in short supply. What would it take to restore your hope?
Though the answers are abundant, three come quickly to mind. The first would be someone who knows the way out. And from that someone you need vision. Someone to look you in the face and say, "Don't give up! There's a better place than this." Most importantly, you need direction. If you have a person with direction who can take you to the right place-ah, then you have one who can restore your hope.
To use David's words in Psalm 23, "HE restores my soul!" God, our Shepherd, majors in restoring hope to the soul! Loneliness diminishes because you have fellowship. Despair decreases because you have vision. Confusion begins to lift because you have direction. Please note- you haven't left the jungle. It hasn't changed, but you have. You have hope!
From Traveling Light
Matthew 12:24-50
New International Version (NIV)
24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”
25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29 “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.
30 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 35 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Sign of Jonah
38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”
39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.
43 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”
Jesus’ Mother and Brothers
46 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”
48 He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Revelation 21:1-8
A New Heaven and a New Earth
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Footnotes:
Revelation 21:1 Isaiah 65:17
Revelation 21:4 Isaiah 25:8
Insight
What will characterize the promised eternal state of the follower of Christ? In verse 5 of our text, God declares from His throne, “Behold, I make all things new.” This includes a new heaven and a new earth (v.1), a new Jerusalem (v.2), a new way of interacting with God (vv.3-4), and so much more.
Slow Healing Process
By Bill Crowder
God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. . . . There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. —Revelation 21:4
Just 4 weeks after our son Mark joined the US Army, he injured his knee seriously in a training exercise. As a result, he was released from the military. So, at age 19, he had to use a cane to get around for a while; and because of the severity of the injury he endured 2 years of recovery, rest, and rehab. Finally, Mark was able to set aside the knee braces he had worn since the accident. Although he still experiences residual pain, the long, slow healing process has brought him back to full use of his leg.
Physical healing is often much slower than we anticipate. This is true of spiritual healing as well. The consequences of unwise choices or the actions of hurtful people can create burdens or wounds that endure for a lifetime. But for the child of God, there is hope. Although full restoration is not always experienced in this life, the promise of healing is sure. The apostle John wrote, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4).
In our seasons of pain, it is comforting to know that eventually, in His awesome presence, we will be whole forever.
Father, I thank You that in all of our pains and
struggles we can find comfort in You. Help us to
bring all our hurts to You—both spiritual and
physical—and to trust that You will make us whole.
When we come to Christ in our brokenness, He makes us whole.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, May 15, 2014
The Habit of Rising to the Occasion
. . . that you may know what is the hope of His calling . . . —Ephesians 1:18
Remember that you have been saved so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in your body (see 2 Corinthians 4:10). Direct the total energy of your powers so that you may achieve everything your election as a child of God provides; rise every time to whatever occasion may come your way.
You did not do anything to achieve your salvation, but you must do something to exhibit it. You must “work out your own salvation” which God has worked in you already (Philippians 2:12). Are your speech, your thinking, and your emotions evidence that you are working it “out”? If you are still the same miserable, grouchy person, set on having your own way, then it is a lie to say that God has saved and sanctified you.
God is the Master Designer, and He allows adversities into your life to see if you can jump over them properly—”By my God I can leap over a wall” (Psalm 18:29). God will never shield you from the requirements of being His son or daughter. First Peter 4:12 says, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you . . . .” Rise to the occasion—do what the trial demands of you. It does not matter how much it hurts as long as it gives God the opportunity to manifest the life of Jesus in your body.
May God not find complaints in us anymore, but spiritual vitality—a readiness to face anything He brings our way. The only proper goal of life is that we manifest the Son of God; and when this occurs, all of our dictating of our demands to God disappears. Our Lord never dictated demands to His Father, and neither are we to make demands on God. We are here to submit to His will so that He may work through us what He wants. Once we realize this, He will make us broken bread and poured-out wine with which to feed and nourish others.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Hands to Hold a Torch - #7134
Thursday, May 15, 2014
I think barbers ought to get like honorary degrees in psychology. I mean, they end up listening to everyone's problems and oftentimes they end up giving counsel. Every once in a while I get to hear some of a barber's feelings, and that's when you kind of get the psychology degree. You see, we sort of turn the tables, or the chair as the case may be in the barber shop.
One day my barber was sounding his very frequent lament. He was telling me that no one wants to learn barbering any more. The hours are too long, the pay isn't enough, you've got to be on your feet all day, and it requires a skill that takes time to learn. He said, "When this generation of hair cutters dies off, there won't be many young barbers to take their place." Well, if that happens, we'll probably figure out something to do with our hair - what's left of it - and some of us will solve the problem by losing it so we don't need a barber any more. Well, the barber was worried about not having the next generation of hair cutters. Okay, well there's a much greater concern that's life-or-death.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Hands to Hold the Torch."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Ezekiel 22:30. "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before Me in the gap on behalf of the land, so I would not have to destroy it." And then these sad words, "But I found none."
A century ago, D. L. Moody would say, "God is looking for gap men." And I would say the same thing today. God says, "I am looking for men and women who will stand in My gap on behalf of the lost." I hope He doesn't have to say, "I found none."
It was 1956, and five American missionaries landed by the Curaray River in Ecuador in their missionary plane. Nate Saint was their pilot. Their objective was to take Christ to the unreached Auca Indians, known for their murderous ways. No one had ever really survived being with them. And those missionaries never came back. They were murdered by the very people they were trying to reach; martyred by them; their bodies left in the river. That news flashed around the world.
The quotation of Jim Elliott, who was one of those martyred missionaries, has now come down to our day, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." That story was told and retold again and again, and hundreds of young people like myself gave ourselves to Christian service and that generation has reached who knows how many people for Christ across the years. And perhaps the greatest miracle is that all of the men who murdered those missionaries came to know Christ as their Savior, and one of them even baptized one of those missionary's sons. Virtually their whole tribe was reached.
The sister of one of those martyrs, Nate Saint, was Rachel Saint. She continued her brother's work with the Waoranis, or the Aucas. She passed away in 1994 at the age of 80 and one of the things she was most concerned about and was very emotional about was, "Who will carry on the work?" You know, that's the cry from aging missionaries around the world. They're dying or retiring, and there just aren't enough to take their place. The torch is about to be dropped in places where some have given their lives to establish a beachhead for Christ.
Other religions in certain parts of the world grow much faster than Christianity. And we can feel Christ's return in the air. Could it be that God is calling you to be a gap person, to pick up the torch; maybe your child or maybe your grandchild? Don't stand in their way.
Charles Spurgeon said, "If God has called you to be a missionary, don't stoop to be a king." There's a gap. I even know Christian parents who are discouraging their children from going into God's service today. But God is asking, "Who will carry on My work in these days before My Son returns?"
Maybe it's time for your heart to say, "Well, send me, Lord. If you want me, you've got me."
It's a jungle out there! And for many, hope is in short supply. What would it take to restore your hope?
Though the answers are abundant, three come quickly to mind. The first would be someone who knows the way out. And from that someone you need vision. Someone to look you in the face and say, "Don't give up! There's a better place than this." Most importantly, you need direction. If you have a person with direction who can take you to the right place-ah, then you have one who can restore your hope.
To use David's words in Psalm 23, "HE restores my soul!" God, our Shepherd, majors in restoring hope to the soul! Loneliness diminishes because you have fellowship. Despair decreases because you have vision. Confusion begins to lift because you have direction. Please note- you haven't left the jungle. It hasn't changed, but you have. You have hope!
From Traveling Light
Matthew 12:24-50
New International Version (NIV)
24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”
25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29 “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.
30 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 35 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Sign of Jonah
38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”
39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.
43 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”
Jesus’ Mother and Brothers
46 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”
48 He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Revelation 21:1-8
A New Heaven and a New Earth
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Footnotes:
Revelation 21:1 Isaiah 65:17
Revelation 21:4 Isaiah 25:8
Insight
What will characterize the promised eternal state of the follower of Christ? In verse 5 of our text, God declares from His throne, “Behold, I make all things new.” This includes a new heaven and a new earth (v.1), a new Jerusalem (v.2), a new way of interacting with God (vv.3-4), and so much more.
Slow Healing Process
By Bill Crowder
God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. . . . There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. —Revelation 21:4
Just 4 weeks after our son Mark joined the US Army, he injured his knee seriously in a training exercise. As a result, he was released from the military. So, at age 19, he had to use a cane to get around for a while; and because of the severity of the injury he endured 2 years of recovery, rest, and rehab. Finally, Mark was able to set aside the knee braces he had worn since the accident. Although he still experiences residual pain, the long, slow healing process has brought him back to full use of his leg.
Physical healing is often much slower than we anticipate. This is true of spiritual healing as well. The consequences of unwise choices or the actions of hurtful people can create burdens or wounds that endure for a lifetime. But for the child of God, there is hope. Although full restoration is not always experienced in this life, the promise of healing is sure. The apostle John wrote, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4).
In our seasons of pain, it is comforting to know that eventually, in His awesome presence, we will be whole forever.
Father, I thank You that in all of our pains and
struggles we can find comfort in You. Help us to
bring all our hurts to You—both spiritual and
physical—and to trust that You will make us whole.
When we come to Christ in our brokenness, He makes us whole.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, May 15, 2014
The Habit of Rising to the Occasion
. . . that you may know what is the hope of His calling . . . —Ephesians 1:18
Remember that you have been saved so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in your body (see 2 Corinthians 4:10). Direct the total energy of your powers so that you may achieve everything your election as a child of God provides; rise every time to whatever occasion may come your way.
You did not do anything to achieve your salvation, but you must do something to exhibit it. You must “work out your own salvation” which God has worked in you already (Philippians 2:12). Are your speech, your thinking, and your emotions evidence that you are working it “out”? If you are still the same miserable, grouchy person, set on having your own way, then it is a lie to say that God has saved and sanctified you.
God is the Master Designer, and He allows adversities into your life to see if you can jump over them properly—”By my God I can leap over a wall” (Psalm 18:29). God will never shield you from the requirements of being His son or daughter. First Peter 4:12 says, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you . . . .” Rise to the occasion—do what the trial demands of you. It does not matter how much it hurts as long as it gives God the opportunity to manifest the life of Jesus in your body.
May God not find complaints in us anymore, but spiritual vitality—a readiness to face anything He brings our way. The only proper goal of life is that we manifest the Son of God; and when this occurs, all of our dictating of our demands to God disappears. Our Lord never dictated demands to His Father, and neither are we to make demands on God. We are here to submit to His will so that He may work through us what He wants. Once we realize this, He will make us broken bread and poured-out wine with which to feed and nourish others.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Hands to Hold a Torch - #7134
Thursday, May 15, 2014
I think barbers ought to get like honorary degrees in psychology. I mean, they end up listening to everyone's problems and oftentimes they end up giving counsel. Every once in a while I get to hear some of a barber's feelings, and that's when you kind of get the psychology degree. You see, we sort of turn the tables, or the chair as the case may be in the barber shop.
One day my barber was sounding his very frequent lament. He was telling me that no one wants to learn barbering any more. The hours are too long, the pay isn't enough, you've got to be on your feet all day, and it requires a skill that takes time to learn. He said, "When this generation of hair cutters dies off, there won't be many young barbers to take their place." Well, if that happens, we'll probably figure out something to do with our hair - what's left of it - and some of us will solve the problem by losing it so we don't need a barber any more. Well, the barber was worried about not having the next generation of hair cutters. Okay, well there's a much greater concern that's life-or-death.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Hands to Hold the Torch."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Ezekiel 22:30. "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before Me in the gap on behalf of the land, so I would not have to destroy it." And then these sad words, "But I found none."
A century ago, D. L. Moody would say, "God is looking for gap men." And I would say the same thing today. God says, "I am looking for men and women who will stand in My gap on behalf of the lost." I hope He doesn't have to say, "I found none."
It was 1956, and five American missionaries landed by the Curaray River in Ecuador in their missionary plane. Nate Saint was their pilot. Their objective was to take Christ to the unreached Auca Indians, known for their murderous ways. No one had ever really survived being with them. And those missionaries never came back. They were murdered by the very people they were trying to reach; martyred by them; their bodies left in the river. That news flashed around the world.
 |
| Nate Saint |
The sister of one of those martyrs, Nate Saint, was Rachel Saint. She continued her brother's work with the Waoranis, or the Aucas. She passed away in 1994 at the age of 80 and one of the things she was most concerned about and was very emotional about was, "Who will carry on the work?" You know, that's the cry from aging missionaries around the world. They're dying or retiring, and there just aren't enough to take their place. The torch is about to be dropped in places where some have given their lives to establish a beachhead for Christ.
Other religions in certain parts of the world grow much faster than Christianity. And we can feel Christ's return in the air. Could it be that God is calling you to be a gap person, to pick up the torch; maybe your child or maybe your grandchild? Don't stand in their way.
Charles Spurgeon said, "If God has called you to be a missionary, don't stoop to be a king." There's a gap. I even know Christian parents who are discouraging their children from going into God's service today. But God is asking, "Who will carry on My work in these days before My Son returns?"
Maybe it's time for your heart to say, "Well, send me, Lord. If you want me, you've got me."
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Job 27, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: One Step Enough for Me
Arthur Hays Sulzberger was the publisher of the New York Times during the second World War. Because of the world conflict, he found it almost impossible to sleep. He was never able to get worries from his mind until he adopted as his motto these five words: "One step enough for me" . . .taken from the old hymn, "Lead Kindly Light."
"Lead, kindly Light. . .
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me."
God isn't going to let you see the distant scene either. So you might as well quit looking for it. He promises a lamp to our feet, not a crystal ball into the future. We don't need to know what will happen tomorrow. We only need to know He leads us. As Hebrews 4:16 promises, "we will find grace to help us when we need it."
From Traveling Light
Job 27
Job’s Final Word to His Friends
And Job continued his discourse:
2 “As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,
the Almighty, who has made my life bitter,
3 as long as I have life within me,
the breath of God in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not say anything wicked,
and my tongue will not utter lies.
5 I will never admit you are in the right;
till I die, I will not deny my integrity.
6 I will maintain my innocence and never let go of it;
my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.
7 “May my enemy be like the wicked,
my adversary like the unjust!
8 For what hope have the godless when they are cut off,
when God takes away their life?
9 Does God listen to their cry
when distress comes upon them?
10 Will they find delight in the Almighty?
Will they call on God at all times?
11 “I will teach you about the power of God;
the ways of the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 You have all seen this yourselves.
Why then this meaningless talk?
13 “Here is the fate God allots to the wicked,
the heritage a ruthless man receives from the Almighty:
14 However many his children, their fate is the sword;
his offspring will never have enough to eat.
15 The plague will bury those who survive him,
and their widows will not weep for them.
16 Though he heaps up silver like dust
and clothes like piles of clay,
17 what he lays up the righteous will wear,
and the innocent will divide his silver.
18 The house he builds is like a moth’s cocoon,
like a hut made by a watchman.
19 He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;
when he opens his eyes, all is gone.
20 Terrors overtake him like a flood;
a tempest snatches him away in the night.
21 The east wind carries him off, and he is gone;
it sweeps him out of his place.
22 It hurls itself against him without mercy
as he flees headlong from its power.
23 It claps its hands in derision
and hisses him out of his place.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Matthew 23:23-31
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.
Insight
Matthew 23 uses the phrase “woe to you” eight times when Jesus condemns the hypocrisy of the religious leaders. They displayed outward religiosity and piety, but neglected the truly important matters of justice, mercy, and faith (v.23; Mic. 6:8). They presented themselves as upright and holy, but inside they were utterly corrupt and evil (vv.25-31).
Looking Good
By Julie Ackerman Link
First cleanse the inside. —Matthew 23:26
Your hair is really healthy,” said my hairdresser after giving me a haircut. “I hope it’s because you use our products.” “No. I’m sorry,” I said. “I just use whatever product is cheap and smells good.” But then I added, “I also try to eat well. I think that makes a big difference.”
When I think about the things we do to make ourselves look good, I’m reminded of some of the things we do to make ourselves look good spiritually. Jesus addressed this issue with the religious leaders in Jerusalem (Matt. 23). They followed an elaborate set of religious rules that went well beyond the ones God had given them. They worked hard to look good to their peers, to prove that they were better than others. But their hard work didn’t impress God. Jesus said to them, “You cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside [you] are full of extortion and self-indulgence” (v.25). What the Pharisees did to make themselves look good to others actually revealed that they were not good at all.
Every culture values different religious behaviors and traditions, but God’s values transcend cultures. And what He values isn’t measured by what others see. God values a clean heart and pure motives. Spiritual health is expressed from the inside out.
You know me, Lord, for who I am. My motives
and heart are open before You. Cleanse me
from the inside out. And help me to live as
Jesus did—with pure and true motives.
We might look good on the outside without really being good on the inside.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
The Habit of Enjoying Adversity
. . . that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body —2 Corinthians 4:10
We have to develop godly habits to express what God’s grace has done in us. It is not just a question of being saved from hell, but of being saved so that “the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” And it is adversity that makes us exhibit His life in our mortal flesh. Is my life exhibiting the essence of the sweetness of the Son of God, or just the basic irritation of “myself” that I would have apart from Him? The only thing that will enable me to enjoy adversity is the acute sense of eagerness of allowing the life of the Son of God to evidence itself in me. No matter how difficult something may be, I must say, “Lord, I am delighted to obey You in this.” Instantly, the Son of God will move to the forefront of my life, and will manifest in my body that which glorifies Him.
You must not debate. The moment you obey the light of God, His Son shines through you in that very adversity; but if you debate with God, you grieve His Spirit (see Ephesians 4:30). You must keep yourself in the proper condition to allow the life of the Son of God to be manifested in you, and you cannot keep yourself fit if you give way to self-pity. Our circumstances are the means God uses to exhibit just how wonderfully perfect and extraordinarily pure His Son is. Discovering a new way of manifesting the Son of God should make our heart beat with renewed excitement. It is one thing to choose adversity, and quite another to enter into adversity through the orchestrating of our circumstances by God’s sovereignty. And if God puts you into adversity, He is adequately sufficient to “supply all your need” (Philippians 4:19).
Keep your soul properly conditioned to manifest the life of the Son of God. Never live on your memories of past experiences, but let the Word of God always be living and active in you.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Suddenly Empty - #7133
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
A long time ago, my wife and I were vacationing in a mid-south state, and she convinced me to explore this back road. It was just marked "Erbie", whatever that is. It's a town I guess. And we never did get to see it, but we sure did drive a long way. Oh, the road was beautiful, it was bumpy, it was endless, but we had time. We were on vacation. We were having fun.
We'd gone a long ways into what seemed like nowhere, when suddenly my laughter turned to a gasp. For the first time all day I looked at my gas gauge-duh! And the needle was on the big red E. Yes that's for empty. And this sudden realization changed everything. The scenery didn't matter any more; the conversation didn't matter any more. I was desperately looking for someone who could answer one question, "Where can I get some gas?" When you're running on empty, filling up is suddenly the only thing that really matters.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Suddenly Empty."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from John 4. It's a story of a woman who's really cruising along in her daily routine pretty much as you might be right now. She's a woman from a place called Samaria. She has been married five times. She's living with a man now, and you really can't tell that there's a search going on inside of her just from her daily routine. But she has, as you find out about her life, gone from relationship to relationship in this lifetime search for something to fill the emptiness in her heart. She needed a fill up. She was running on empty.
Jesus met her at this well, and in John 4:13 He says, pointing to the well, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. The water I give him will become in him a spring of water, welling up to eternal life." Basically, He's looking at the fuel gauge on her heart that it reads "empty". He refers to it as being emotionally thirsty again. Then He says, "I want to give you eternal life. Not just heaven, but an inner life that will never leave you unsatisfied; that will finally quench that spiritual and emotional thirst."
In other words, Jesus says, "I want to fill the tank in your heart for the very first time." And I'll tell you, this lady decided she wanted the relationship with Christ that would do that. And in verse 28 it says, "She left her water jug, (Which remember was the very reason she had come to the well.) went back to the town and said to the people, 'Come see a man who told me everything I ever did.'"
And that was the day that Jesus forced this woman to face her emptiness and show her that only He could fill it. This might be that day for you. Jesus wants to show you what you've been trying to avoid. He wants you to look at the fuel gauge in your soul. And maybe it's very close to empty. Oh, sometimes you get something that will move the needle off empty a little bit; a good time, a vacation, some victory, some relationship. But then it's back down to empty again isn't it?
See, often we're cruising along on empty, and we don't even realize it. Then suddenly we lose our job, our income, or someone we're really depending on, and we're looking at empty. Sometimes it takes a meltdown in your marriage, or one of your kids, or financial paralysis, bad news from the doctor, or a close call. Do you know why that might be happening in your life? To get you to admit that there's a hole in your heart; that you can't go it alone; that your religion is not enough. You need a Savior; a personal Savior.
We're hollow inside because the God we're made by and made for isn't there. We've hijacked our lives from His control and we've created this fatal sin-gap between God and us. When you feel that un-peace; that dissatisfaction, that emptiness, that's the warning light - running on empty. It's Jesus saying, "You were made for Me." He died for you to bridge that gap between you and the God you were made to belong to. He's ready to forgive you today and fill the hole in your heart as only He can if you'll reach out to Him. And I'd love to help you do that if you say, "If I only knew how?" Well, I would love to meet you at our website ANewStory.com.
He can do for you what He did for that woman at the well. He can meet you right where you are to show you where your answer is. You tired of empty? God might be suddenly drawing your attention to that empty in your heart and the only one thing that really matters. Getting to the only place where you can find the peace that has eluded you your whole lifetime. It's time for you to meet Jesus.
Arthur Hays Sulzberger was the publisher of the New York Times during the second World War. Because of the world conflict, he found it almost impossible to sleep. He was never able to get worries from his mind until he adopted as his motto these five words: "One step enough for me" . . .taken from the old hymn, "Lead Kindly Light."
"Lead, kindly Light. . .
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me."
God isn't going to let you see the distant scene either. So you might as well quit looking for it. He promises a lamp to our feet, not a crystal ball into the future. We don't need to know what will happen tomorrow. We only need to know He leads us. As Hebrews 4:16 promises, "we will find grace to help us when we need it."
From Traveling Light
Job 27
Job’s Final Word to His Friends
And Job continued his discourse:
2 “As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,
the Almighty, who has made my life bitter,
3 as long as I have life within me,
the breath of God in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not say anything wicked,
and my tongue will not utter lies.
5 I will never admit you are in the right;
till I die, I will not deny my integrity.
6 I will maintain my innocence and never let go of it;
my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.
7 “May my enemy be like the wicked,
my adversary like the unjust!
8 For what hope have the godless when they are cut off,
when God takes away their life?
9 Does God listen to their cry
when distress comes upon them?
10 Will they find delight in the Almighty?
Will they call on God at all times?
11 “I will teach you about the power of God;
the ways of the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 You have all seen this yourselves.
Why then this meaningless talk?
13 “Here is the fate God allots to the wicked,
the heritage a ruthless man receives from the Almighty:
14 However many his children, their fate is the sword;
his offspring will never have enough to eat.
15 The plague will bury those who survive him,
and their widows will not weep for them.
16 Though he heaps up silver like dust
and clothes like piles of clay,
17 what he lays up the righteous will wear,
and the innocent will divide his silver.
18 The house he builds is like a moth’s cocoon,
like a hut made by a watchman.
19 He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;
when he opens his eyes, all is gone.
20 Terrors overtake him like a flood;
a tempest snatches him away in the night.
21 The east wind carries him off, and he is gone;
it sweeps him out of his place.
22 It hurls itself against him without mercy
as he flees headlong from its power.
23 It claps its hands in derision
and hisses him out of his place.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Matthew 23:23-31
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.
Insight
Matthew 23 uses the phrase “woe to you” eight times when Jesus condemns the hypocrisy of the religious leaders. They displayed outward religiosity and piety, but neglected the truly important matters of justice, mercy, and faith (v.23; Mic. 6:8). They presented themselves as upright and holy, but inside they were utterly corrupt and evil (vv.25-31).
Looking Good
By Julie Ackerman Link
First cleanse the inside. —Matthew 23:26
Your hair is really healthy,” said my hairdresser after giving me a haircut. “I hope it’s because you use our products.” “No. I’m sorry,” I said. “I just use whatever product is cheap and smells good.” But then I added, “I also try to eat well. I think that makes a big difference.”
When I think about the things we do to make ourselves look good, I’m reminded of some of the things we do to make ourselves look good spiritually. Jesus addressed this issue with the religious leaders in Jerusalem (Matt. 23). They followed an elaborate set of religious rules that went well beyond the ones God had given them. They worked hard to look good to their peers, to prove that they were better than others. But their hard work didn’t impress God. Jesus said to them, “You cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside [you] are full of extortion and self-indulgence” (v.25). What the Pharisees did to make themselves look good to others actually revealed that they were not good at all.
Every culture values different religious behaviors and traditions, but God’s values transcend cultures. And what He values isn’t measured by what others see. God values a clean heart and pure motives. Spiritual health is expressed from the inside out.
You know me, Lord, for who I am. My motives
and heart are open before You. Cleanse me
from the inside out. And help me to live as
Jesus did—with pure and true motives.
We might look good on the outside without really being good on the inside.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
The Habit of Enjoying Adversity
. . . that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body —2 Corinthians 4:10
We have to develop godly habits to express what God’s grace has done in us. It is not just a question of being saved from hell, but of being saved so that “the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” And it is adversity that makes us exhibit His life in our mortal flesh. Is my life exhibiting the essence of the sweetness of the Son of God, or just the basic irritation of “myself” that I would have apart from Him? The only thing that will enable me to enjoy adversity is the acute sense of eagerness of allowing the life of the Son of God to evidence itself in me. No matter how difficult something may be, I must say, “Lord, I am delighted to obey You in this.” Instantly, the Son of God will move to the forefront of my life, and will manifest in my body that which glorifies Him.
You must not debate. The moment you obey the light of God, His Son shines through you in that very adversity; but if you debate with God, you grieve His Spirit (see Ephesians 4:30). You must keep yourself in the proper condition to allow the life of the Son of God to be manifested in you, and you cannot keep yourself fit if you give way to self-pity. Our circumstances are the means God uses to exhibit just how wonderfully perfect and extraordinarily pure His Son is. Discovering a new way of manifesting the Son of God should make our heart beat with renewed excitement. It is one thing to choose adversity, and quite another to enter into adversity through the orchestrating of our circumstances by God’s sovereignty. And if God puts you into adversity, He is adequately sufficient to “supply all your need” (Philippians 4:19).
Keep your soul properly conditioned to manifest the life of the Son of God. Never live on your memories of past experiences, but let the Word of God always be living and active in you.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Suddenly Empty - #7133
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
A long time ago, my wife and I were vacationing in a mid-south state, and she convinced me to explore this back road. It was just marked "Erbie", whatever that is. It's a town I guess. And we never did get to see it, but we sure did drive a long way. Oh, the road was beautiful, it was bumpy, it was endless, but we had time. We were on vacation. We were having fun.
We'd gone a long ways into what seemed like nowhere, when suddenly my laughter turned to a gasp. For the first time all day I looked at my gas gauge-duh! And the needle was on the big red E. Yes that's for empty. And this sudden realization changed everything. The scenery didn't matter any more; the conversation didn't matter any more. I was desperately looking for someone who could answer one question, "Where can I get some gas?" When you're running on empty, filling up is suddenly the only thing that really matters.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Suddenly Empty."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from John 4. It's a story of a woman who's really cruising along in her daily routine pretty much as you might be right now. She's a woman from a place called Samaria. She has been married five times. She's living with a man now, and you really can't tell that there's a search going on inside of her just from her daily routine. But she has, as you find out about her life, gone from relationship to relationship in this lifetime search for something to fill the emptiness in her heart. She needed a fill up. She was running on empty.
Jesus met her at this well, and in John 4:13 He says, pointing to the well, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. The water I give him will become in him a spring of water, welling up to eternal life." Basically, He's looking at the fuel gauge on her heart that it reads "empty". He refers to it as being emotionally thirsty again. Then He says, "I want to give you eternal life. Not just heaven, but an inner life that will never leave you unsatisfied; that will finally quench that spiritual and emotional thirst."
In other words, Jesus says, "I want to fill the tank in your heart for the very first time." And I'll tell you, this lady decided she wanted the relationship with Christ that would do that. And in verse 28 it says, "She left her water jug, (Which remember was the very reason she had come to the well.) went back to the town and said to the people, 'Come see a man who told me everything I ever did.'"
And that was the day that Jesus forced this woman to face her emptiness and show her that only He could fill it. This might be that day for you. Jesus wants to show you what you've been trying to avoid. He wants you to look at the fuel gauge in your soul. And maybe it's very close to empty. Oh, sometimes you get something that will move the needle off empty a little bit; a good time, a vacation, some victory, some relationship. But then it's back down to empty again isn't it?
See, often we're cruising along on empty, and we don't even realize it. Then suddenly we lose our job, our income, or someone we're really depending on, and we're looking at empty. Sometimes it takes a meltdown in your marriage, or one of your kids, or financial paralysis, bad news from the doctor, or a close call. Do you know why that might be happening in your life? To get you to admit that there's a hole in your heart; that you can't go it alone; that your religion is not enough. You need a Savior; a personal Savior.
We're hollow inside because the God we're made by and made for isn't there. We've hijacked our lives from His control and we've created this fatal sin-gap between God and us. When you feel that un-peace; that dissatisfaction, that emptiness, that's the warning light - running on empty. It's Jesus saying, "You were made for Me." He died for you to bridge that gap between you and the God you were made to belong to. He's ready to forgive you today and fill the hole in your heart as only He can if you'll reach out to Him. And I'd love to help you do that if you say, "If I only knew how?" Well, I would love to meet you at our website ANewStory.com.
He can do for you what He did for that woman at the well. He can meet you right where you are to show you where your answer is. You tired of empty? God might be suddenly drawing your attention to that empty in your heart and the only one thing that really matters. Getting to the only place where you can find the peace that has eluded you your whole lifetime. It's time for you to meet Jesus.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Job 26, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: He Leads Us
How can a person deal with anxiety? One fellow decided to hire someone to do his worrying for him. He found a man who agreed to do so for a salary of $200,000 a year. After the man accepted the job, his first question to his boss was, "Where are you going to get $200,000 per year?" To which the man responded, "That's your worry!" Worrying is one job you can't farm out-but you can overcome it.
David declares in Psalm 23:2, "He leads me beside the still waters." He leads me! God isn't behind me, yelling, "Go!" He's ahead of me bidding, "Come!" He leads us. He tells us what we need to know when we need to know it. Hebrews 4:16 says, "We will find grace to help us when we need it!"
God leads us. God will do the right thing at the right time. What a difference that makes!
From Traveling Light
Job 26
Then Job replied:
2 “How you have helped the powerless!
How you have saved the arm that is feeble!
3 What advice you have offered to one without wisdom!
And what great insight you have displayed!
4 Who has helped you utter these words?
And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?
5 “The dead are in deep anguish,
those beneath the waters and all that live in them.
6 The realm of the dead is naked before God;
Destruction[a] lies uncovered.
7 He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;
he suspends the earth over nothing.
8 He wraps up the waters in his clouds,
yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
9 He covers the face of the full moon,
spreading his clouds over it.
10 He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters
for a boundary between light and darkness.
11 The pillars of the heavens quake,
aghast at his rebuke.
12 By his power he churned up the sea;
by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces.
13 By his breath the skies became fair;
his hand pierced the gliding serpent.
14 And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
how faint the whisper we hear of him!
Who then can understand the thunder of his power?”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Psalm 139:7-16
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
Insight
In David’s inspired reflections on the presence of God everywhere, we see an eloquent description of the child’s development within the mother’s womb. “My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret” (v.15). God’s providential oversight of the development of new life is a testimony to the image of God in humans. God cares about us and our need for rescue. It was because of this love that He became a man and purchased redemption for all who place their trust in Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection.
New Birth
By Alyson Kieda
You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. —Psalm 139:13
What is there about babies that makes us smile? Many people will stop everything at the sight or sound of a baby and will flock to gaze at the little one. I noticed this when I visited my dad at a nursing home. Though most of the residents were wheelchair-bound and suffered from dementia, the visit of a family with a baby almost unfailingly brought a spark of joy to their eyes that—tentatively at first but then undoubtedly—became a smile. It was amazing to watch.
Perhaps babies bring a smile because of the wonder of a new life—so precious, tiny, and full of promise. Seeing a baby can remind us of our awesome God and the great love He has for us. He loved us so much that He gave us life and formed us in our mother’s womb. “You formed my inward parts,” the psalmist says, “You covered me in my mother’s womb” (Ps. 139:13).
Not only does He give us physical life but He also offers us spiritual rebirth through Jesus (John 3:3-8). God promises believers new bodies and life eternal when Jesus returns (1 Cor. 15:50-52).
Physical life and spiritual rebirth—gifts to celebrate from our Father’s hand.
In His own image God created man,
He formed his body from the dust of earth;
But more than that, to all who are in Christ
He gives eternal life by second birth. —Hess
I will praise You . . . ; marvelous are Your works. —Psalm 139:14
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
The Habit of Keeping a Clear Conscience
. . . strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men —Acts 24:16
God’s commands to us are actually given to the life of His Son in us. Consequently, to our human nature in which God’s Son has been formed (see Galatians 4:19), His commands are difficult. But they become divinely easy once we obey.
Conscience is that ability within me that attaches itself to the highest standard I know, and then continually reminds me of what that standard demands that I do. It is the eye of the soul which looks out either toward God or toward what we regard as the highest standard. This explains why conscience is different in different people. If I am in the habit of continually holding God’s standard in front of me, my conscience will always direct me to God’s perfect law and indicate what I should do. The question is, will I obey? I have to make an effort to keep my conscience so sensitive that I can live without any offense toward anyone. I should be living in such perfect harmony with God’s Son that the spirit of my mind is being renewed through every circumstance of life, and that I may be able to quickly “prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2 ; also see Ephesians 4:23).
God always instructs us down to the last detail. Is my ear sensitive enough to hear even the softest whisper of the Spirit, so that I know what I should do? “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God . . .” (Ephesians 4:30). He does not speak with a voice like thunder— His voice is so gentle that it is easy for us to ignore. And the only thing that keeps our conscience sensitive to Him is the habit of being open to God on the inside. When you begin to debate, stop immediately. Don’t ask, “Why can’t I do this?” You are on the wrong track. There is no debating possible once your conscience speaks. Whatever it is— drop it, and see that you keep your inner vision clear.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Fresh Cooked is Always Better - #7132
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
After all the hamburgers I have eaten in my life, I must be an expert. Now, when they say, "You are what you eat", oh that's scary. I'm the world's largest hamburger. I might have to spend the rest of my life on a bun. No, no, no. Well, my schedule actually sometimes leaves me no choice but fast food. I'm kind of stuck with something like a fast-food hamburger.
But, every once in a while, I can take a few minutes extra and go to our local restaurant that specializes in grilled foods. I'd rather do that. I can get one of those juicy, mouth-watering, succulent, tasty, real hamburgers. I know the difference between pre-cooked and fresh cooked. Fresh cooked takes longer, but it tastes great! When it comes to eating well, we know that fresh cooked is always better.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Fresh Cooked is Always Better."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Jeremiah 15:16. Jeremiah says, "When your words came, I ate them. They were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear Your name, O Lord God Almighty." Now, Jeremiah here is excited about getting direct nourishment from God's Word. He's got his spiritual food fresh, not pre-cooked.
We live in a world that is loaded with "helps" for getting spiritual nutrition. Oh, man, there are a lot of devotional books around; shelves and shelves of them at the Christian book store and they're good. There are these radio programs that people do, or so I've heard. There are lots of sermons, conferences. You can hear messages live, you can hear them on CD, you can hear them on the internet, you can get them on DVD if you like the way the guy looks. There are a lot of things out there that are available, and they're all good. But in a sense, it's all pre-cooked through someone else's life.
For them, when God spoke it to them through His Word, it was fresh. For you, it's sort of spiritual fast food. I mean, we live in a time when time is really precious. We want to have our time with the Lord, but we want to have it quick; sort of microwave Jesus time. So we grab a devotional Big Mac or Whopper, and it's better than nothing. But the heart of your intimacy with your Lord is when you go direct - you to Him/Him to you. You maybe need to put all those helps away for a little while. They're just supplemental. Get your Bible open; speak to the author. Ask Him to connect those words that came from His heart to your heart. And then to something going on in your life, let God's words pass from His heart to yours and no one in the middle. Takes a little longer, just like fresh cooking does, but it's so much better.
That's why Jeremiah says, "I got it from You straight Lord. Your words came. I ate them. My joy, my heart's delight." The Psalmist in Psalm 119 prayed, "Show me wonderful things from Your law O Lord." What a prayer to pray! Every day, "Oh, Lord, show me some wonderful things from Your Word." He said, "I get Your word from Your mouth."
Okay, you meditate on His Word. What does that mean? It means to simply think about it until you have connected it to something that's happening in your life right now. You don't just read the Bible. The Bible should read you. It's supposed to be a life-changer; changing something in your day. You pray through what you have just read and say, "Lord, make it come alive in my heart, make it come alive in my mind, and make it come alive in my life today." And then write down what God has said to you and what you feel you should do about it. Write it down in a journal; put it in your own words. Write down, "What did God say to me today and what am I going to do about what He said?"
Don't just rely on someone else's experience with God's Word. Get it from God direct to you. Don't let a busy schedule or spiritual laziness rob you of a meal God is preparing just for you, just for today-fresh cooked.
How can a person deal with anxiety? One fellow decided to hire someone to do his worrying for him. He found a man who agreed to do so for a salary of $200,000 a year. After the man accepted the job, his first question to his boss was, "Where are you going to get $200,000 per year?" To which the man responded, "That's your worry!" Worrying is one job you can't farm out-but you can overcome it.
David declares in Psalm 23:2, "He leads me beside the still waters." He leads me! God isn't behind me, yelling, "Go!" He's ahead of me bidding, "Come!" He leads us. He tells us what we need to know when we need to know it. Hebrews 4:16 says, "We will find grace to help us when we need it!"
God leads us. God will do the right thing at the right time. What a difference that makes!
From Traveling Light
Job 26
Then Job replied:
2 “How you have helped the powerless!
How you have saved the arm that is feeble!
3 What advice you have offered to one without wisdom!
And what great insight you have displayed!
4 Who has helped you utter these words?
And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?
5 “The dead are in deep anguish,
those beneath the waters and all that live in them.
6 The realm of the dead is naked before God;
Destruction[a] lies uncovered.
7 He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;
he suspends the earth over nothing.
8 He wraps up the waters in his clouds,
yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
9 He covers the face of the full moon,
spreading his clouds over it.
10 He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters
for a boundary between light and darkness.
11 The pillars of the heavens quake,
aghast at his rebuke.
12 By his power he churned up the sea;
by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces.
13 By his breath the skies became fair;
his hand pierced the gliding serpent.
14 And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
how faint the whisper we hear of him!
Who then can understand the thunder of his power?”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Psalm 139:7-16
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
Insight
In David’s inspired reflections on the presence of God everywhere, we see an eloquent description of the child’s development within the mother’s womb. “My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret” (v.15). God’s providential oversight of the development of new life is a testimony to the image of God in humans. God cares about us and our need for rescue. It was because of this love that He became a man and purchased redemption for all who place their trust in Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection.
New Birth
By Alyson Kieda
You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. —Psalm 139:13
What is there about babies that makes us smile? Many people will stop everything at the sight or sound of a baby and will flock to gaze at the little one. I noticed this when I visited my dad at a nursing home. Though most of the residents were wheelchair-bound and suffered from dementia, the visit of a family with a baby almost unfailingly brought a spark of joy to their eyes that—tentatively at first but then undoubtedly—became a smile. It was amazing to watch.
Perhaps babies bring a smile because of the wonder of a new life—so precious, tiny, and full of promise. Seeing a baby can remind us of our awesome God and the great love He has for us. He loved us so much that He gave us life and formed us in our mother’s womb. “You formed my inward parts,” the psalmist says, “You covered me in my mother’s womb” (Ps. 139:13).
Not only does He give us physical life but He also offers us spiritual rebirth through Jesus (John 3:3-8). God promises believers new bodies and life eternal when Jesus returns (1 Cor. 15:50-52).
Physical life and spiritual rebirth—gifts to celebrate from our Father’s hand.
In His own image God created man,
He formed his body from the dust of earth;
But more than that, to all who are in Christ
He gives eternal life by second birth. —Hess
I will praise You . . . ; marvelous are Your works. —Psalm 139:14
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
The Habit of Keeping a Clear Conscience
. . . strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men —Acts 24:16
God’s commands to us are actually given to the life of His Son in us. Consequently, to our human nature in which God’s Son has been formed (see Galatians 4:19), His commands are difficult. But they become divinely easy once we obey.
Conscience is that ability within me that attaches itself to the highest standard I know, and then continually reminds me of what that standard demands that I do. It is the eye of the soul which looks out either toward God or toward what we regard as the highest standard. This explains why conscience is different in different people. If I am in the habit of continually holding God’s standard in front of me, my conscience will always direct me to God’s perfect law and indicate what I should do. The question is, will I obey? I have to make an effort to keep my conscience so sensitive that I can live without any offense toward anyone. I should be living in such perfect harmony with God’s Son that the spirit of my mind is being renewed through every circumstance of life, and that I may be able to quickly “prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2 ; also see Ephesians 4:23).
God always instructs us down to the last detail. Is my ear sensitive enough to hear even the softest whisper of the Spirit, so that I know what I should do? “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God . . .” (Ephesians 4:30). He does not speak with a voice like thunder— His voice is so gentle that it is easy for us to ignore. And the only thing that keeps our conscience sensitive to Him is the habit of being open to God on the inside. When you begin to debate, stop immediately. Don’t ask, “Why can’t I do this?” You are on the wrong track. There is no debating possible once your conscience speaks. Whatever it is— drop it, and see that you keep your inner vision clear.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Fresh Cooked is Always Better - #7132
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
After all the hamburgers I have eaten in my life, I must be an expert. Now, when they say, "You are what you eat", oh that's scary. I'm the world's largest hamburger. I might have to spend the rest of my life on a bun. No, no, no. Well, my schedule actually sometimes leaves me no choice but fast food. I'm kind of stuck with something like a fast-food hamburger.
But, every once in a while, I can take a few minutes extra and go to our local restaurant that specializes in grilled foods. I'd rather do that. I can get one of those juicy, mouth-watering, succulent, tasty, real hamburgers. I know the difference between pre-cooked and fresh cooked. Fresh cooked takes longer, but it tastes great! When it comes to eating well, we know that fresh cooked is always better.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Fresh Cooked is Always Better."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Jeremiah 15:16. Jeremiah says, "When your words came, I ate them. They were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear Your name, O Lord God Almighty." Now, Jeremiah here is excited about getting direct nourishment from God's Word. He's got his spiritual food fresh, not pre-cooked.
We live in a world that is loaded with "helps" for getting spiritual nutrition. Oh, man, there are a lot of devotional books around; shelves and shelves of them at the Christian book store and they're good. There are these radio programs that people do, or so I've heard. There are lots of sermons, conferences. You can hear messages live, you can hear them on CD, you can hear them on the internet, you can get them on DVD if you like the way the guy looks. There are a lot of things out there that are available, and they're all good. But in a sense, it's all pre-cooked through someone else's life.
For them, when God spoke it to them through His Word, it was fresh. For you, it's sort of spiritual fast food. I mean, we live in a time when time is really precious. We want to have our time with the Lord, but we want to have it quick; sort of microwave Jesus time. So we grab a devotional Big Mac or Whopper, and it's better than nothing. But the heart of your intimacy with your Lord is when you go direct - you to Him/Him to you. You maybe need to put all those helps away for a little while. They're just supplemental. Get your Bible open; speak to the author. Ask Him to connect those words that came from His heart to your heart. And then to something going on in your life, let God's words pass from His heart to yours and no one in the middle. Takes a little longer, just like fresh cooking does, but it's so much better.
That's why Jeremiah says, "I got it from You straight Lord. Your words came. I ate them. My joy, my heart's delight." The Psalmist in Psalm 119 prayed, "Show me wonderful things from Your law O Lord." What a prayer to pray! Every day, "Oh, Lord, show me some wonderful things from Your Word." He said, "I get Your word from Your mouth."
Okay, you meditate on His Word. What does that mean? It means to simply think about it until you have connected it to something that's happening in your life right now. You don't just read the Bible. The Bible should read you. It's supposed to be a life-changer; changing something in your day. You pray through what you have just read and say, "Lord, make it come alive in my heart, make it come alive in my mind, and make it come alive in my life today." And then write down what God has said to you and what you feel you should do about it. Write it down in a journal; put it in your own words. Write down, "What did God say to me today and what am I going to do about what He said?"
Don't just rely on someone else's experience with God's Word. Get it from God direct to you. Don't let a busy schedule or spiritual laziness rob you of a meal God is preparing just for you, just for today-fresh cooked.
Monday, May 12, 2014
Job 25, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Rest in His Finished Work
In Psalm 23:2 when David says, "He makes me to lie down in green pastures"-he's saying, "My shepherd makes me lie down in His finished work." With His own pierced hands, Jesus created a pasture for the soul. Can you imagine the satisfaction in the heart of the shepherd when, with work completed, he sees his sheep rest in the tender grass? Can you imagine the satisfaction in the heart of God when we do the same?
His pasture is His gift to us. This is not a pasture you have made. Nor is it one you deserve. It is a gift of God. Ephesians 2:8 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God."
Your Shepherd invites you to nestle deeply hidden, buried, in the tall shoots of His love-and there you will find rest.
From Traveling Light
Job 25
Bildad
Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
2 “Dominion and awe belong to God;
he establishes order in the heights of heaven.
3 Can his forces be numbered?
On whom does his light not rise?
4 How then can a mortal be righteous before God?
How can one born of woman be pure?
5 If even the moon is not bright
and the stars are not pure in his eyes,
6 how much less a mortal, who is but a maggot—
a human being, who is only a worm!”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Deuteronomy 4:1-9
Obedience Commanded
Now, Israel, hear the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 2 Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.
3 You saw with your own eyes what the Lord did at Baal Peor. The Lord your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, 4 but all of you who held fast to the Lord your God are still alive today.
5 See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. 6 Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” 7 What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? 8 And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?
9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.
Insight
Far from being a burden, the commands God gave to the Israelites were life-giving. They outlined a life lived in response to His love. In today’s text, Moses reminded the Israelites that the commands were for their wisdom and understanding (v.6). The result of living by the words of the Lord would be that the nations around them would recognize the one true God (vv.7-8).
Words To Live By
By David C. McCasland
Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments . . . that you should act according to them. —Deuteronomy 4:5
For many years I’ve maintained a file folder labeled “Speaking.” It has become thick with articles, quotations, and illustrations that might be useful. Recently I went through it to discard things that are out of date. I found it difficult to throw away many of the items, not because I haven’t used them in a talk but because I haven’t put them into practice. I closed the folder thinking, “These aren’t words to talk about; these are words to live by.”
After 40 years in the desert, Moses addressed the people poised to enter the Promised Land: “Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you” (Deut. 4:1). Moses’ repeated theme (vv.1,2,5,6,9) is that God’s commandments are to be kept. He said it well, “Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments . . . that you should act according to them” (v.5).
It is so easy to talk about doing more than we actually do and to speak about truth we’re not living by. We can become bloated with words, yet starved for reality, forgetting that all of God’s commands flow from His heart of love for us.
Help us, Lord, not to be just hearers of the Word;
help us to be doers as well. Teach us to be honest
with ourselves about who we really are. We want
to walk in Your ways and to guide others to You.
The strength of our actions should match the strength of our words.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, May 12, 2014
The Habit of Having No Habits
If these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful . . . —2 Peter 1:8
When we first begin to form a habit, we are fully aware of it. There are times when we are aware of becoming virtuous and godly, but this awareness should only be a stage we quickly pass through as we grow spiritually. If we stop at this stage, we will develop a sense of spiritual pride. The right thing to do with godly habits is to immerse them in the life of the Lord until they become such a spontaneous expression of our lives that we are no longer aware of them. Our spiritual life continually causes us to focus our attention inwardly for the determined purpose of self-examination, because each of us has some qualities we have not yet added to our lives.
Your god may be your little Christian habit— the habit of prayer or Bible reading at certain times of your day. Watch how your Father will upset your schedule if you begin to worship your habit instead of what the habit symbolizes. We say, “I can’t do that right now; this is my time alone with God.” No, this is your time alone with your habit. There is a quality that is still lacking in you. Identify your shortcoming and then look for opportunities to work into your life that missing quality.
Love means that there are no visible habits— that your habits are so immersed in the Lord that you practice them without realizing it. If you are consciously aware of your own holiness, you place limitations on yourself from doing certain things— things God is not restricting you from at all. This means there is a missing quality that needs to be added to your life. The only supernatural life is the life the Lord Jesus lived, and He was at home with God anywhere. Is there someplace where you are not at home with God? Then allow God to work through whatever that particular circumstance may be until you increase in Him, adding His qualities. Your life will then become the simple life of a child.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
The Wrong Builder - #7131
Monday, May 12, 2014
My son is old enough to have kids of his own now, but we were looking at pictures of him when he was about three. We were in our back yard and we had just set up our tent. We were going to camp out in it that tent that night. Here was a little guy wanting to help his Daddy, so he played with the poles, held the flaps open on the tent door, he was so excited.
I had to go in the house and so he was alone with the tent that was all... Did I mention to you it was all nicely set up for the night? Then he decided to go inside and run around. He was so excited! I guess he decided that one of the poles wasn't quite where he thought it ought to be. So, he grabbed the pole to hold up the rest of the structure of the tent. The entire tent came crashing down around this little guy. The photo, oh I just wish you could see it. It shows him with that one pole in his hand, the tent totally collapsed next to him. He's got the other hand holding his forehead with this look of sheer bewilderment on his face. He tried to build it, but it just collapsed around him. I know the feeling.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want A Word With You today about "The Wrong Builder."
Our word for today from the Word of God is about some suffering. It's in Psalm 127. I'll be reading verses 1-2. "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand by it in vain. In vain you rise up early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat." I guess at a time you build in vain it's safe to say that you're wasting your time. Why bother wasting your time? I would call this a psalm for men and women who work real hard and are make-it-happen people.
See, these are people who feel like, "Yes, I will pray about it. I will ask for God's help. But it's all up to me ultimately." Well, the problem isn't solved if you just work longer or work harder, or follow your own plan. See, we're like, "I've got to work on an answer for myself." They are sort of control freaks. In the process, I can totally throw my life out-of-balance. Man, it's not working, so I've got to do more, work more, make it happen, get up early, stay up late. You often end up neglecting the things that really matter: your family, your other important relationships, your health, your time with God. Work, work, work, work, that's what I think the solution is. Guess what? My tent is falling down.
The Lord isn't saying to you right now, "Work more." He may be saying, "trust more." So often I'm acting as if I'm the builder. The Lord uses my efforts, sure. But success doesn't depend on my efforts. So often my frantic work is really the story of the old sinful, self-reliant, Ron. "I've got to do it. I've got to be in control." But I need help from God. I need God to be overseeing and actually doing it through me. Unless the Lord builds the house, you're wasting your time.
Maybe God wanted you to hear this today because you've kind of been depending on your own efforts to build something that isn't working. The "hurrieder" you go, the "behinder" you get. So quit acting as if it's all up to you. Philippians 2:13 says, "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure." If the Lord builds it, it won't fall down, and you won't be left holding a pole; holding your head with a bewildered look on your face.
Maybe the project isn't working simply because you are depending on the wrong builder. You know, that's why life doesn't work. That's why we end up watching a life falling down around us that we have tried to build, because we were never meant to build it. We were never meant to be the architect. The Bible says, "We were created by Christ and for Christ." And we've ended up living it for ourselves. That's why He died. That's why He went to a cross. That's why He walked out of His grace so He could rescue us from what our self-effort could never do. I could never get into heaven on my own. All the religion in the world will not get me there. It takes the Man who died for it.
Today, if life's been falling apart, it's time for you to grab the hand of Jesus extended to you today. I would love to help you begin your relationship with Him. Would you just go to our website ANewStory.com and let your new story begin today.
In Psalm 23:2 when David says, "He makes me to lie down in green pastures"-he's saying, "My shepherd makes me lie down in His finished work." With His own pierced hands, Jesus created a pasture for the soul. Can you imagine the satisfaction in the heart of the shepherd when, with work completed, he sees his sheep rest in the tender grass? Can you imagine the satisfaction in the heart of God when we do the same?
His pasture is His gift to us. This is not a pasture you have made. Nor is it one you deserve. It is a gift of God. Ephesians 2:8 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God."
Your Shepherd invites you to nestle deeply hidden, buried, in the tall shoots of His love-and there you will find rest.
From Traveling Light
Job 25
Bildad
Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
2 “Dominion and awe belong to God;
he establishes order in the heights of heaven.
3 Can his forces be numbered?
On whom does his light not rise?
4 How then can a mortal be righteous before God?
How can one born of woman be pure?
5 If even the moon is not bright
and the stars are not pure in his eyes,
6 how much less a mortal, who is but a maggot—
a human being, who is only a worm!”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Deuteronomy 4:1-9
Obedience Commanded
Now, Israel, hear the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 2 Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.
3 You saw with your own eyes what the Lord did at Baal Peor. The Lord your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, 4 but all of you who held fast to the Lord your God are still alive today.
5 See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. 6 Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” 7 What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? 8 And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?
9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.
Insight
Far from being a burden, the commands God gave to the Israelites were life-giving. They outlined a life lived in response to His love. In today’s text, Moses reminded the Israelites that the commands were for their wisdom and understanding (v.6). The result of living by the words of the Lord would be that the nations around them would recognize the one true God (vv.7-8).
Words To Live By
By David C. McCasland
Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments . . . that you should act according to them. —Deuteronomy 4:5
For many years I’ve maintained a file folder labeled “Speaking.” It has become thick with articles, quotations, and illustrations that might be useful. Recently I went through it to discard things that are out of date. I found it difficult to throw away many of the items, not because I haven’t used them in a talk but because I haven’t put them into practice. I closed the folder thinking, “These aren’t words to talk about; these are words to live by.”
After 40 years in the desert, Moses addressed the people poised to enter the Promised Land: “Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you” (Deut. 4:1). Moses’ repeated theme (vv.1,2,5,6,9) is that God’s commandments are to be kept. He said it well, “Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments . . . that you should act according to them” (v.5).
It is so easy to talk about doing more than we actually do and to speak about truth we’re not living by. We can become bloated with words, yet starved for reality, forgetting that all of God’s commands flow from His heart of love for us.
Help us, Lord, not to be just hearers of the Word;
help us to be doers as well. Teach us to be honest
with ourselves about who we really are. We want
to walk in Your ways and to guide others to You.
The strength of our actions should match the strength of our words.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, May 12, 2014
The Habit of Having No Habits
If these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful . . . —2 Peter 1:8
When we first begin to form a habit, we are fully aware of it. There are times when we are aware of becoming virtuous and godly, but this awareness should only be a stage we quickly pass through as we grow spiritually. If we stop at this stage, we will develop a sense of spiritual pride. The right thing to do with godly habits is to immerse them in the life of the Lord until they become such a spontaneous expression of our lives that we are no longer aware of them. Our spiritual life continually causes us to focus our attention inwardly for the determined purpose of self-examination, because each of us has some qualities we have not yet added to our lives.
Your god may be your little Christian habit— the habit of prayer or Bible reading at certain times of your day. Watch how your Father will upset your schedule if you begin to worship your habit instead of what the habit symbolizes. We say, “I can’t do that right now; this is my time alone with God.” No, this is your time alone with your habit. There is a quality that is still lacking in you. Identify your shortcoming and then look for opportunities to work into your life that missing quality.
Love means that there are no visible habits— that your habits are so immersed in the Lord that you practice them without realizing it. If you are consciously aware of your own holiness, you place limitations on yourself from doing certain things— things God is not restricting you from at all. This means there is a missing quality that needs to be added to your life. The only supernatural life is the life the Lord Jesus lived, and He was at home with God anywhere. Is there someplace where you are not at home with God? Then allow God to work through whatever that particular circumstance may be until you increase in Him, adding His qualities. Your life will then become the simple life of a child.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
The Wrong Builder - #7131
Monday, May 12, 2014
My son is old enough to have kids of his own now, but we were looking at pictures of him when he was about three. We were in our back yard and we had just set up our tent. We were going to camp out in it that tent that night. Here was a little guy wanting to help his Daddy, so he played with the poles, held the flaps open on the tent door, he was so excited.
I had to go in the house and so he was alone with the tent that was all... Did I mention to you it was all nicely set up for the night? Then he decided to go inside and run around. He was so excited! I guess he decided that one of the poles wasn't quite where he thought it ought to be. So, he grabbed the pole to hold up the rest of the structure of the tent. The entire tent came crashing down around this little guy. The photo, oh I just wish you could see it. It shows him with that one pole in his hand, the tent totally collapsed next to him. He's got the other hand holding his forehead with this look of sheer bewilderment on his face. He tried to build it, but it just collapsed around him. I know the feeling.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want A Word With You today about "The Wrong Builder."
Our word for today from the Word of God is about some suffering. It's in Psalm 127. I'll be reading verses 1-2. "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand by it in vain. In vain you rise up early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat." I guess at a time you build in vain it's safe to say that you're wasting your time. Why bother wasting your time? I would call this a psalm for men and women who work real hard and are make-it-happen people.
See, these are people who feel like, "Yes, I will pray about it. I will ask for God's help. But it's all up to me ultimately." Well, the problem isn't solved if you just work longer or work harder, or follow your own plan. See, we're like, "I've got to work on an answer for myself." They are sort of control freaks. In the process, I can totally throw my life out-of-balance. Man, it's not working, so I've got to do more, work more, make it happen, get up early, stay up late. You often end up neglecting the things that really matter: your family, your other important relationships, your health, your time with God. Work, work, work, work, that's what I think the solution is. Guess what? My tent is falling down.
The Lord isn't saying to you right now, "Work more." He may be saying, "trust more." So often I'm acting as if I'm the builder. The Lord uses my efforts, sure. But success doesn't depend on my efforts. So often my frantic work is really the story of the old sinful, self-reliant, Ron. "I've got to do it. I've got to be in control." But I need help from God. I need God to be overseeing and actually doing it through me. Unless the Lord builds the house, you're wasting your time.
Maybe God wanted you to hear this today because you've kind of been depending on your own efforts to build something that isn't working. The "hurrieder" you go, the "behinder" you get. So quit acting as if it's all up to you. Philippians 2:13 says, "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure." If the Lord builds it, it won't fall down, and you won't be left holding a pole; holding your head with a bewildered look on your face.
Maybe the project isn't working simply because you are depending on the wrong builder. You know, that's why life doesn't work. That's why we end up watching a life falling down around us that we have tried to build, because we were never meant to build it. We were never meant to be the architect. The Bible says, "We were created by Christ and for Christ." And we've ended up living it for ourselves. That's why He died. That's why He went to a cross. That's why He walked out of His grace so He could rescue us from what our self-effort could never do. I could never get into heaven on my own. All the religion in the world will not get me there. It takes the Man who died for it.
Today, if life's been falling apart, it's time for you to grab the hand of Jesus extended to you today. I would love to help you begin your relationship with Him. Would you just go to our website ANewStory.com and let your new story begin today.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Matthew 12:1-23, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: God So Loved Us
“If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:11, NKJV
Jesus humbled himself. He went from commanding angels to sleeping in the straw. From holding stars to clutching Mary’s finger. The palm that held the universe took the nail of a soldier.
Why? Because that’s what love does. It puts the beloved before itself.
Matthew 12:1-23
New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”
3 He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? 6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’[a] you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
9 Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, 10 and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
11 He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.
God’s Chosen Servant
15 Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. 16 He warned them not to tell others about him. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
18 “Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
19 He will not quarrel or cry out;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he has brought justice through to victory.
21 In his name the nations will put their hope.”[b]
Jesus and Beelzebul
22 Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. 23 All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”
Footnotes:
Matthew 12:7 Hosea 6:6
Matthew 12:21 Isaiah 42:1-4
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: 2 Timothy 4:1-8
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
Insight
Second Timothy is Paul’s final letter, written from a Roman prison where he was awaiting execution (see 4:6). Taking the total sweep of this chapter, we find three distinct sections in what is regarded as Paul’s last words. In verses 1-5, the apostle challenges and urges his young protégé, Timothy, to be faithful in carrying out the calling he has received—particularly the ministry of the Word. In verses 6-8, Paul gives his own testimony of service to Christ and his readiness to see the Savior. The bulk of the remaining verses (vv.9-18) deals with people who have disappointed Paul and how he has responded to that disappointment.
Mom’s Finish Line
By Dennis Fisher
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. —2 Timothy 4:7
When Jeff learned that his mother’s health was rapidly declining, he immediately caught a plane to be with her. He sat at her bedside holding her hand, singing hymns, comforting her, and expressing his love for her. She passed away, and at her funeral many told Jeff what a blessing his mother had been. She was gifted in Bible teaching, counseling others, and leading prayer groups. These were vital parts of serving Christ until near the end of her life. She finished strong for Christ.
To honor his mother’s life, Jeff participated in a 26.5 mile race. During the race he thanked God for her life and grieved her loss. When he crossed the finish line, Jeff pointed his index finger toward heaven—“Where Mom is,” he said. She had honored Christ to the end, which reminded him of the words of the apostle Paul: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord . . . will give to me on that Day” (2 Tim. 4:7-8).
We are involved in a “long-distance race.” Let’s run in such a way that we may obtain the prize of “an imperishable crown” (1 Cor. 9:25). What could be more desirable than to finish strong for Christ and to be with Him forever.
Run the straight race through God’s good grace,
Lift up your eyes and seek His face;
Life with its way before us lies,
Christ is the path and Christ the prize. —Monsell
The Christian’s race is not a sprint—it’s a marathon.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, May 10, 2014
“Love One Another”
. . . add to your . . . brotherly kindness love —2 Peter 1:5, 7
Love is an indefinite thing to most of us; we don’t know what we mean when we talk about love. Love is the loftiest preference of one person for another, and spiritually Jesus demands that this sovereign preference be for Himself (see Luke 14:26). Initially, when “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5), it is easy to put Jesus first. But then we must practice the things mentioned in 2 Peter 1 to see them worked out in our lives.
The first thing God does is forcibly remove any insincerity, pride, and vanity from my life. And the Holy Spirit reveals to me that God loved me not because I was lovable, but because it was His nature to do so. Now He commands me to show the same love to others by saying, “. . . love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). He is saying, “I will bring a number of people around you whom you cannot respect, but you must exhibit My love to them, just as I have exhibited it to you.” This kind of love is not a patronizing love for the unlovable— it is His love, and it will not be evidenced in us overnight. Some of us may have tried to force it, but we were soon tired and frustrated.
“The Lord . . . is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish . . .” (2 Peter 3:9). I should look within and remember how wonderfully He has dealt with me. The knowledge that God has loved me beyond all limits will compel me to go into the world to love others in the same way. I may get irritated because I have to live with an unusually difficult person. But just think how disagreeable I have been with God! Am I prepared to be identified so closely with the Lord Jesus that His life and His sweetness will be continually poured out through Me? Neither natural love nor God’s divine love will remain and grow in me unless it is nurtured. Love is spontaneous, but it has to be maintained through discipline.
“If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:11, NKJV
Jesus humbled himself. He went from commanding angels to sleeping in the straw. From holding stars to clutching Mary’s finger. The palm that held the universe took the nail of a soldier.
Why? Because that’s what love does. It puts the beloved before itself.
Matthew 12:1-23
New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”
3 He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? 6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’[a] you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
9 Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, 10 and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
11 He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.
God’s Chosen Servant
15 Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. 16 He warned them not to tell others about him. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
18 “Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
19 He will not quarrel or cry out;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he has brought justice through to victory.
21 In his name the nations will put their hope.”[b]
Jesus and Beelzebul
22 Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. 23 All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”
Footnotes:
Matthew 12:7 Hosea 6:6
Matthew 12:21 Isaiah 42:1-4
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: 2 Timothy 4:1-8
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
Insight
Second Timothy is Paul’s final letter, written from a Roman prison where he was awaiting execution (see 4:6). Taking the total sweep of this chapter, we find three distinct sections in what is regarded as Paul’s last words. In verses 1-5, the apostle challenges and urges his young protégé, Timothy, to be faithful in carrying out the calling he has received—particularly the ministry of the Word. In verses 6-8, Paul gives his own testimony of service to Christ and his readiness to see the Savior. The bulk of the remaining verses (vv.9-18) deals with people who have disappointed Paul and how he has responded to that disappointment.
Mom’s Finish Line
By Dennis Fisher
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. —2 Timothy 4:7
When Jeff learned that his mother’s health was rapidly declining, he immediately caught a plane to be with her. He sat at her bedside holding her hand, singing hymns, comforting her, and expressing his love for her. She passed away, and at her funeral many told Jeff what a blessing his mother had been. She was gifted in Bible teaching, counseling others, and leading prayer groups. These were vital parts of serving Christ until near the end of her life. She finished strong for Christ.
 |
| Pietà (Michelangelo) |
To honor his mother’s life, Jeff participated in a 26.5 mile race. During the race he thanked God for her life and grieved her loss. When he crossed the finish line, Jeff pointed his index finger toward heaven—“Where Mom is,” he said. She had honored Christ to the end, which reminded him of the words of the apostle Paul: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord . . . will give to me on that Day” (2 Tim. 4:7-8).
We are involved in a “long-distance race.” Let’s run in such a way that we may obtain the prize of “an imperishable crown” (1 Cor. 9:25). What could be more desirable than to finish strong for Christ and to be with Him forever.
Run the straight race through God’s good grace,
Lift up your eyes and seek His face;
Life with its way before us lies,
Christ is the path and Christ the prize. —Monsell
The Christian’s race is not a sprint—it’s a marathon.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, May 10, 2014
“Love One Another”
. . . add to your . . . brotherly kindness love —2 Peter 1:5, 7
Love is an indefinite thing to most of us; we don’t know what we mean when we talk about love. Love is the loftiest preference of one person for another, and spiritually Jesus demands that this sovereign preference be for Himself (see Luke 14:26). Initially, when “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5), it is easy to put Jesus first. But then we must practice the things mentioned in 2 Peter 1 to see them worked out in our lives.
The first thing God does is forcibly remove any insincerity, pride, and vanity from my life. And the Holy Spirit reveals to me that God loved me not because I was lovable, but because it was His nature to do so. Now He commands me to show the same love to others by saying, “. . . love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). He is saying, “I will bring a number of people around you whom you cannot respect, but you must exhibit My love to them, just as I have exhibited it to you.” This kind of love is not a patronizing love for the unlovable— it is His love, and it will not be evidenced in us overnight. Some of us may have tried to force it, but we were soon tired and frustrated.
“The Lord . . . is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish . . .” (2 Peter 3:9). I should look within and remember how wonderfully He has dealt with me. The knowledge that God has loved me beyond all limits will compel me to go into the world to love others in the same way. I may get irritated because I have to live with an unusually difficult person. But just think how disagreeable I have been with God! Am I prepared to be identified so closely with the Lord Jesus that His life and His sweetness will be continually poured out through Me? Neither natural love nor God’s divine love will remain and grow in me unless it is nurtured. Love is spontaneous, but it has to be maintained through discipline.
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Job 24 Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Trash Talk
The Garbage Project was conducted by a researcher convinced we can learn a lot from the trash dumps of the world. He was called a garbologist! What’s it like to be a “garbologist?” When he gives a speech, is it referred to as “trash talk?” Are his business trips called “junkets?” Though I prefer to leave the dirty work to the garbologist, his attitude toward trash intrigues me.
Suppose we changed the way we view the garbage that comes our way? The days that a dumpster couldn't hold all the garbage we face: hospital bills, divorce papers, pay cuts. What do you do when an entire truck of sorrow is dumped on you? Jesus said, “If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar.” (Matthew 6:22-23 MSG).
How we look at life–even the garbage of life– determines how we live life!
from Just Like Jesus
Job 24
“Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment?
Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?
2 There are those who move boundary stones;
they pasture flocks they have stolen.
3 They drive away the orphan’s donkey
and take the widow’s ox in pledge.
4 They thrust the needy from the path
and force all the poor of the land into hiding.
5 Like wild donkeys in the desert,
the poor go about their labor of foraging food;
the wasteland provides food for their children.
6 They gather fodder in the fields
and glean in the vineyards of the wicked.
7 Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked;
they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold.
8 They are drenched by mountain rains
and hug the rocks for lack of shelter.
9 The fatherless child is snatched from the breast;
the infant of the poor is seized for a debt.
10 Lacking clothes, they go about naked;
they carry the sheaves, but still go hungry.
11 They crush olives among the terraces[c];
they tread the winepresses, yet suffer thirst.
12 The groans of the dying rise from the city,
and the souls of the wounded cry out for help.
But God charges no one with wrongdoing.
13 “There are those who rebel against the light,
who do not know its ways
or stay in its paths.
14 When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up,
kills the poor and needy,
and in the night steals forth like a thief.
15 The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk;
he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’
and he keeps his face concealed.
16 In the dark, thieves break into houses,
but by day they shut themselves in;
they want nothing to do with the light.
17 For all of them, midnight is their morning;
they make friends with the terrors of darkness.
18 “Yet they are foam on the surface of the water;
their portion of the land is cursed,
so that no one goes to the vineyards.
19 As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow,
so the grave snatches away those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them,
the worm feasts on them;
the wicked are no longer remembered
but are broken like a tree.
21 They prey on the barren and childless woman,
and to the widow they show no kindness.
22 But God drags away the mighty by his power;
though they become established, they have no assurance of life.
23 He may let them rest in a feeling of security,
but his eyes are on their ways.
24 For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone;
they are brought low and gathered up like all others;
they are cut off like heads of grain.
25 “If this is not so, who can prove me false
and reduce my words to nothing?”
Job 24:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Warnings From Israel’s History
For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”[a] 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ,[b] as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.
11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation[c] has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted[d] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,[e] he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
Footnotes:
1 Corinthians 10:7 Exodus 32:6
1 Corinthians 10:9 Some manuscripts test the Lord
1 Corinthians 10:13 The Greek for temptation and tempted can also mean testing and tested.
1 Corinthians 10:13 The Greek for temptation and tempted can also mean testing and tested.
1 Corinthians 10:13 The Greek for temptation and tempted can also mean testing and tested.
Insight
Paul delved into Israel’s history (Ex. 12:21-23; 14:21-29; 16:4–17:16) to warn the Corinthians not to be led astray (1 Cor. 10:14-22). Despite the Israelites’ experience of God’s grace (vv.1-5), they nevertheless disobeyed and were led into idolatry and rebellion (vv.6-10).
Way Out
By Joe Stowell
God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape. —1 Corinthians 10:13
While in London recently, I decided to take the underground train to my destination. So I paid my fare and descended into the depths of London to catch my train. But getting out of the station can be a scary experience for someone who is unfamiliar with the system. If you don’t find the exit, you can quickly get lost in the tunnels.
Being alone in a sparsely populated underground tunnel is an unsettling feeling, so believe me, you don’t want to get lost. Needless to say, I was glad when I spotted the sign that says, “WAY OUT” and followed it to safety.
Paul reminds us that when we are vulnerable to falling into sin, “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out” (1 Cor. 10:13 niv). It’s easy to assume that God is not with us when we are tempted to sin. But this verse assures us that He is present and not just standing idly by. Rather, He is actively providing a way out so we can endure it.
So, the next time you feel tempted, remember that you are not helpless. There is a divinely provided “way out”! Look for the sign, and follow it to safety.
Lord, keep us mindful that Your presence with us
in times of temptation means that we need not fall.
Give us the desire to seek Your way out so we can
know the joy of living a life that is pleasing to You.
God is actively working to keep you from the danger of getting lost in sin.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Take the Initiative
. . . add to your faith virtue . . . —2 Peter 1:5
Add means that we have to do something. We are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can do. We cannot save nor sanctify ourselves— God does that. But God will not give us good habits or character, and He will not force us to walk correctly before Him. We have to do all that ourselves. We must “work out” our “own salvation” which God has worked in us (Philippians 2:12). Add means that we must get into the habit of doing things, and in the initial stages that is difficult. To take the initiative is to make a beginning— to instruct yourself in the way you must go.
Beware of the tendency to ask the way when you know it perfectly well. Take the initiative— stop hesitating— take the first step. Be determined to act immediately in faith on what God says to you when He speaks, and never reconsider or change your initial decisions. If you hesitate when God tells you to do something, you are being careless, spurning the grace in which you stand. Take the initiative yourself, make a decision of your will right now, and make it impossible to go back. Burn your bridges behind you, saying, “I will write that letter,” or “I will pay that debt”; and then do it! Make it irrevocable.
We have to get into the habit of carefully listening to God about everything, forming the habit of finding out what He says and heeding it. If, when a crisis comes, we instinctively turn to God, we will know that the habit has been formed in us. We have to take the initiative where we are, not where we have not yet been.
The Garbage Project was conducted by a researcher convinced we can learn a lot from the trash dumps of the world. He was called a garbologist! What’s it like to be a “garbologist?” When he gives a speech, is it referred to as “trash talk?” Are his business trips called “junkets?” Though I prefer to leave the dirty work to the garbologist, his attitude toward trash intrigues me.
Suppose we changed the way we view the garbage that comes our way? The days that a dumpster couldn't hold all the garbage we face: hospital bills, divorce papers, pay cuts. What do you do when an entire truck of sorrow is dumped on you? Jesus said, “If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar.” (Matthew 6:22-23 MSG).
How we look at life–even the garbage of life– determines how we live life!
from Just Like Jesus
Job 24
“Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment?
Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?
2 There are those who move boundary stones;
they pasture flocks they have stolen.
3 They drive away the orphan’s donkey
and take the widow’s ox in pledge.
4 They thrust the needy from the path
and force all the poor of the land into hiding.
5 Like wild donkeys in the desert,
the poor go about their labor of foraging food;
the wasteland provides food for their children.
6 They gather fodder in the fields
and glean in the vineyards of the wicked.
7 Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked;
they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold.
8 They are drenched by mountain rains
and hug the rocks for lack of shelter.
9 The fatherless child is snatched from the breast;
the infant of the poor is seized for a debt.
10 Lacking clothes, they go about naked;
they carry the sheaves, but still go hungry.
11 They crush olives among the terraces[c];
they tread the winepresses, yet suffer thirst.
12 The groans of the dying rise from the city,
and the souls of the wounded cry out for help.
But God charges no one with wrongdoing.
13 “There are those who rebel against the light,
who do not know its ways
or stay in its paths.
14 When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up,
kills the poor and needy,
and in the night steals forth like a thief.
15 The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk;
he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’
and he keeps his face concealed.
16 In the dark, thieves break into houses,
but by day they shut themselves in;
they want nothing to do with the light.
17 For all of them, midnight is their morning;
they make friends with the terrors of darkness.
18 “Yet they are foam on the surface of the water;
their portion of the land is cursed,
so that no one goes to the vineyards.
19 As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow,
so the grave snatches away those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them,
the worm feasts on them;
the wicked are no longer remembered
but are broken like a tree.
21 They prey on the barren and childless woman,
and to the widow they show no kindness.
22 But God drags away the mighty by his power;
though they become established, they have no assurance of life.
23 He may let them rest in a feeling of security,
but his eyes are on their ways.
24 For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone;
they are brought low and gathered up like all others;
they are cut off like heads of grain.
25 “If this is not so, who can prove me false
and reduce my words to nothing?”
Job 24:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Warnings From Israel’s History
For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”[a] 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ,[b] as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.
11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation[c] has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted[d] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,[e] he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
Footnotes:
1 Corinthians 10:7 Exodus 32:6
1 Corinthians 10:9 Some manuscripts test the Lord
1 Corinthians 10:13 The Greek for temptation and tempted can also mean testing and tested.
1 Corinthians 10:13 The Greek for temptation and tempted can also mean testing and tested.
1 Corinthians 10:13 The Greek for temptation and tempted can also mean testing and tested.
Insight
Paul delved into Israel’s history (Ex. 12:21-23; 14:21-29; 16:4–17:16) to warn the Corinthians not to be led astray (1 Cor. 10:14-22). Despite the Israelites’ experience of God’s grace (vv.1-5), they nevertheless disobeyed and were led into idolatry and rebellion (vv.6-10).
Way Out
By Joe Stowell
God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape. —1 Corinthians 10:13
While in London recently, I decided to take the underground train to my destination. So I paid my fare and descended into the depths of London to catch my train. But getting out of the station can be a scary experience for someone who is unfamiliar with the system. If you don’t find the exit, you can quickly get lost in the tunnels.
Being alone in a sparsely populated underground tunnel is an unsettling feeling, so believe me, you don’t want to get lost. Needless to say, I was glad when I spotted the sign that says, “WAY OUT” and followed it to safety.
Paul reminds us that when we are vulnerable to falling into sin, “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out” (1 Cor. 10:13 niv). It’s easy to assume that God is not with us when we are tempted to sin. But this verse assures us that He is present and not just standing idly by. Rather, He is actively providing a way out so we can endure it.
So, the next time you feel tempted, remember that you are not helpless. There is a divinely provided “way out”! Look for the sign, and follow it to safety.
Lord, keep us mindful that Your presence with us
in times of temptation means that we need not fall.
Give us the desire to seek Your way out so we can
know the joy of living a life that is pleasing to You.
God is actively working to keep you from the danger of getting lost in sin.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Take the Initiative
. . . add to your faith virtue . . . —2 Peter 1:5
Add means that we have to do something. We are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can do. We cannot save nor sanctify ourselves— God does that. But God will not give us good habits or character, and He will not force us to walk correctly before Him. We have to do all that ourselves. We must “work out” our “own salvation” which God has worked in us (Philippians 2:12). Add means that we must get into the habit of doing things, and in the initial stages that is difficult. To take the initiative is to make a beginning— to instruct yourself in the way you must go.
Beware of the tendency to ask the way when you know it perfectly well. Take the initiative— stop hesitating— take the first step. Be determined to act immediately in faith on what God says to you when He speaks, and never reconsider or change your initial decisions. If you hesitate when God tells you to do something, you are being careless, spurning the grace in which you stand. Take the initiative yourself, make a decision of your will right now, and make it impossible to go back. Burn your bridges behind you, saying, “I will write that letter,” or “I will pay that debt”; and then do it! Make it irrevocable.
We have to get into the habit of carefully listening to God about everything, forming the habit of finding out what He says and heeding it. If, when a crisis comes, we instinctively turn to God, we will know that the habit has been formed in us. We have to take the initiative where we are, not where we have not yet been.
Friday, May 9, 2014
Job 23 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Every Reason to be Content
You have every reason to be content! A man once went to a minister for counseling. He was in the midst of financial collapse.
"I've lost everything," he bemoaned.
"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear you've lost your faith."
"No," the man corrected him, "I haven't lost my faith."
"Well then, I'm sad to hear you've lost your character."
"I didn't say that," he corrected. "I still have my character."
"I'm so sorry to hear that you've lost your salvation."
"That's not what I said," the man objected.
"I haven't lost my salvation."
"You have your faith, your character, your salvation. Seems to me," the minister observed, "that you've lost none of the things that really matter."
We haven't either! You and I could pray like the Puritan. He sat down to a meal of bread and water. He bowed his head and declared, "All this and Jesus too?"
From Traveling Light
Job 23
Then Job replied:
2 “Even today my complaint is bitter;
his hand[a] is heavy in spite of[b] my groaning.
3 If only I knew where to find him;
if only I could go to his dwelling!
4 I would state my case before him
and fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would find out what he would answer me,
and consider what he would say to me.
6 Would he vigorously oppose me?
No, he would not press charges against me.
7 There the upright can establish their innocence before him,
and there I would be delivered forever from my judge.
8 “But if I go to the east, he is not there;
if I go to the west, I do not find him.
9 When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;
when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.
10 But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
11 My feet have closely followed his steps;
I have kept to his way without turning aside.
12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.
13 “But he stands alone, and who can oppose him?
He does whatever he pleases.
14 He carries out his decree against me,
and many such plans he still has in store.
15 That is why I am terrified before him;
when I think of all this, I fear him.
16 God has made my heart faint;
the Almighty has terrified me.
17 Yet I am not silenced by the darkness,
by the thick darkness that covers my face.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Genesis 15:5-21
He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring[a] be.”
6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
7 He also said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.”
8 But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?”
9 So the Lord said to him, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.”
10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.
12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. 15 You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”
17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi[b] of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates— 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”
Footnotes:
Genesis 15:5 Or seed
Genesis 15:18 Or river
Promises Still Kept
By Randy Kilgore
When the sun went down . . . there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. —Genesis 15:17
In the ancient Near East a treaty between a superior (a lord or king) and an inferior (his subjects) was called a suzerain treaty. The ratification ceremony required animals to be sacrificed and cut in half. The animal parts were then arranged in two rows on the ground, forming an aisle between them. As the suzerain walked between the halves, he was publicly declaring he would keep the covenant and would become like the slain animals if he failed to keep his word.
When Abram asked God how he could be sure His promises would come to pass, God used the culturally significant symbolism of the suzerain treaty to affirm His promises (Gen. 15). When the burning torch passed through the pieces of the sacrifice, Abram understood that God was declaring it was His job to keep the covenant.
God’s covenant with Abram and His assurance of its completion extends to followers of Christ. That is why Paul repeatedly refers to believers as sons of Abraham in his New Testament writings (Rom. 4:11-18; Gal. 3:29). Once we accept Jesus Christ as Savior, God becomes the keeper in our covenant of faith (see John 10:28-29).
Because God is the keeper of our salvation, with renewed confidence in Him we trust Him with our lives.
He will never fail us, He will not forsake;
His eternal covenant He will never break.
Onward then, and fear not, children of the day;
For His Word shall never, never pass away. —Havergal
Our salvation is secure because God does the holding.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, May 09, 2014
Reaching Beyond Our Grasp
Where there is no revelation [or prophetic vision], the people cast off restraint . . . —Proverbs 29:18
There is a difference between holding on to a principle and having a vision. A principle does not come from moral inspiration, but a vision does. People who are totally consumed with idealistic principles rarely do anything. A person’s own idea of God and His attributes may actually be used to justify and rationalize his deliberate neglect of his duty. Jonah tried to excuse his disobedience by saying to God, “. . . I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm” (Jonah 4:2). I too may have the right idea of God and His attributes, but that may be the very reason why I do not do my duty. But wherever there is vision, there is also a life of honesty and integrity, because the vision gives me the moral incentive.
Our own idealistic principles may actually lull us into ruin. Examine yourself spiritually to see if you have vision, or only principles.
Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, Or what’s a heaven for?
“Where there is no revelation [or prophetic vision]. . . .” Once we lose sight of God, we begin to be reckless. We cast off certain restraints from activities we know are wrong. We set prayer aside as well and cease having God’s vision in the little things of life. We simply begin to act on our own initiative. If we are eating only out of our own hand, and doing things solely on our own initiative without expecting God to come in, we are on a downward path. We have lost the vision. Is our attitude today an attitude that flows from our vision of God? Are we expecting God to do greater things than He has ever done before? Is there a freshness and a vitality in our spiritual outlook?
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Don't Run Over Your Gift - #7130
Friday, May 9, 2014
It's a big deal when a child can finally start buying gifts with his or her own money. I remember one of the first gifts I was able to buy for my mother. It was a corsage for Mother's Day. I was doing this all on my own. I was so proud. I saved up my allowances, and I rode my bike about six blocks to the florist. I picked out these two carnations. I still remember - one pink, one white. And I made sure they put that little plastic bumble bee in with the flowers. And then I got on my bike and I held the white box on my handle bars. I was so proud of this gift, and then I hit a bump. In one very depressing moment, that white box went flying off the handle bars in front of my bike and I ran over it. So there I was, this forlorn little guy, bike on the ground, looking very sadly at my gift with a tire mark right down the middle.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Don't Run Over Your Gift."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 1 Thessalonians 4. I'll begin reading at verse 3. It says, "It is God's will that you should be sanctified;..." That means to be kept special and reserved for special purposes. "It is God's will that you should be sanctified; that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable." Now notice the sequence here. Stay special. You do that by avoiding sexual immorality-sexual sin-and you do that by controlling your passions.
See, God has given you this unique gift to give to the person you commit your love to for a lifetime-your husband or wife. And there's no greater joy than to present that gift to your permanent lifetime partner. God is saying here, "Stay special. Don't ruin your gift." Take it from the boy who ran over the gift that he wanted to be special. It really hurts when you ruin it.
If you're in a position to influence young people about sexual purity, use the approach God uses-a positive morality. Not a negative, condemning one. It's all about the beauty of the gift of sex, not the dirtiness of it. It's too good to ruin. And you ruin it when you open it early or you run over it. The best of sex and the best of love are reserved for those who keep it special.
And if you're single and you're facing the pressure to have sex outside of marriage, assume God had you tune in today. He's whispering two words in your heart to build your morality on, "No regrets." What might give you some short-term sense of relief or closeness or even love will give you a very long-term sense of guilt and loss. See, you can only give your purity for the first time - one time.
When I was bringing home that corsage I made a fatal mistake. I valued the gift, but I balanced it precariously on the handle bars. You can't decide to keep your gift of sex special and keep flirting with losing it. You've got to avoid being alone with somebody you care about for any length of time. You've got to keep the small expressions of physical affection special so you don't rush up that ladder. Remember, "no regrets."
You say, "Well, Ron, I've already run over the gift." Don't believe the lie that it doesn't matter what you do now. It does. Here's great news. 1 John 1:7, "The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, purifies us from all sin." In Joel 2:25 He says, "He will restore the years the locusts have eaten." Bring your sexuality; bring your sexual sin to the Lord, and let Him purify you and let Him begin to restore your spiritual and emotional virginity.
See, when you understand what a priceless, irreplaceable gift God gave you in the gift of sex, you commit yourself to keep it special. And if you've never experienced the wonderful, spiritual shower of knowing you have been forgiven by God for every wrong thing, every dirty thing, every sinful thing you have ever done, the place that happens is at the cross where Jesus paid for what you wish you had not done; for every sin of your life.
Today you say, "Jesus I'm Yours." And He comes into your life and erases every sin of your life from God's Book. Let it happen today. Let me help you with that. Go to our website today. ANewStory.com.
It hurts a lot to ruin a valuable gift, so hold it close. Don't balance it on the edge. It will be worth the wait when you present that unspoiled gift to your lifetime love.
You have every reason to be content! A man once went to a minister for counseling. He was in the midst of financial collapse.
"I've lost everything," he bemoaned.
"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear you've lost your faith."
"No," the man corrected him, "I haven't lost my faith."
"Well then, I'm sad to hear you've lost your character."
"I didn't say that," he corrected. "I still have my character."
"I'm so sorry to hear that you've lost your salvation."
"That's not what I said," the man objected.
"I haven't lost my salvation."
"You have your faith, your character, your salvation. Seems to me," the minister observed, "that you've lost none of the things that really matter."
We haven't either! You and I could pray like the Puritan. He sat down to a meal of bread and water. He bowed his head and declared, "All this and Jesus too?"
From Traveling Light
Job 23
Then Job replied:
2 “Even today my complaint is bitter;
his hand[a] is heavy in spite of[b] my groaning.
3 If only I knew where to find him;
if only I could go to his dwelling!
4 I would state my case before him
and fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would find out what he would answer me,
and consider what he would say to me.
6 Would he vigorously oppose me?
No, he would not press charges against me.
7 There the upright can establish their innocence before him,
and there I would be delivered forever from my judge.
8 “But if I go to the east, he is not there;
if I go to the west, I do not find him.
9 When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;
when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.
10 But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
11 My feet have closely followed his steps;
I have kept to his way without turning aside.
12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.
13 “But he stands alone, and who can oppose him?
He does whatever he pleases.
14 He carries out his decree against me,
and many such plans he still has in store.
15 That is why I am terrified before him;
when I think of all this, I fear him.
16 God has made my heart faint;
the Almighty has terrified me.
17 Yet I am not silenced by the darkness,
by the thick darkness that covers my face.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Genesis 15:5-21
He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring[a] be.”
6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
7 He also said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.”
8 But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?”
9 So the Lord said to him, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.”
10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.
12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. 15 You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”
17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi[b] of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates— 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”
Footnotes:
Genesis 15:5 Or seed
Genesis 15:18 Or river
Promises Still Kept
By Randy Kilgore
When the sun went down . . . there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. —Genesis 15:17
In the ancient Near East a treaty between a superior (a lord or king) and an inferior (his subjects) was called a suzerain treaty. The ratification ceremony required animals to be sacrificed and cut in half. The animal parts were then arranged in two rows on the ground, forming an aisle between them. As the suzerain walked between the halves, he was publicly declaring he would keep the covenant and would become like the slain animals if he failed to keep his word.
When Abram asked God how he could be sure His promises would come to pass, God used the culturally significant symbolism of the suzerain treaty to affirm His promises (Gen. 15). When the burning torch passed through the pieces of the sacrifice, Abram understood that God was declaring it was His job to keep the covenant.
God’s covenant with Abram and His assurance of its completion extends to followers of Christ. That is why Paul repeatedly refers to believers as sons of Abraham in his New Testament writings (Rom. 4:11-18; Gal. 3:29). Once we accept Jesus Christ as Savior, God becomes the keeper in our covenant of faith (see John 10:28-29).
Because God is the keeper of our salvation, with renewed confidence in Him we trust Him with our lives.
He will never fail us, He will not forsake;
His eternal covenant He will never break.
Onward then, and fear not, children of the day;
For His Word shall never, never pass away. —Havergal
Our salvation is secure because God does the holding.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, May 09, 2014
Reaching Beyond Our Grasp
Where there is no revelation [or prophetic vision], the people cast off restraint . . . —Proverbs 29:18
There is a difference between holding on to a principle and having a vision. A principle does not come from moral inspiration, but a vision does. People who are totally consumed with idealistic principles rarely do anything. A person’s own idea of God and His attributes may actually be used to justify and rationalize his deliberate neglect of his duty. Jonah tried to excuse his disobedience by saying to God, “. . . I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm” (Jonah 4:2). I too may have the right idea of God and His attributes, but that may be the very reason why I do not do my duty. But wherever there is vision, there is also a life of honesty and integrity, because the vision gives me the moral incentive.
Our own idealistic principles may actually lull us into ruin. Examine yourself spiritually to see if you have vision, or only principles.
Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, Or what’s a heaven for?
“Where there is no revelation [or prophetic vision]. . . .” Once we lose sight of God, we begin to be reckless. We cast off certain restraints from activities we know are wrong. We set prayer aside as well and cease having God’s vision in the little things of life. We simply begin to act on our own initiative. If we are eating only out of our own hand, and doing things solely on our own initiative without expecting God to come in, we are on a downward path. We have lost the vision. Is our attitude today an attitude that flows from our vision of God? Are we expecting God to do greater things than He has ever done before? Is there a freshness and a vitality in our spiritual outlook?
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Don't Run Over Your Gift - #7130
Friday, May 9, 2014
It's a big deal when a child can finally start buying gifts with his or her own money. I remember one of the first gifts I was able to buy for my mother. It was a corsage for Mother's Day. I was doing this all on my own. I was so proud. I saved up my allowances, and I rode my bike about six blocks to the florist. I picked out these two carnations. I still remember - one pink, one white. And I made sure they put that little plastic bumble bee in with the flowers. And then I got on my bike and I held the white box on my handle bars. I was so proud of this gift, and then I hit a bump. In one very depressing moment, that white box went flying off the handle bars in front of my bike and I ran over it. So there I was, this forlorn little guy, bike on the ground, looking very sadly at my gift with a tire mark right down the middle.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Don't Run Over Your Gift."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 1 Thessalonians 4. I'll begin reading at verse 3. It says, "It is God's will that you should be sanctified;..." That means to be kept special and reserved for special purposes. "It is God's will that you should be sanctified; that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable." Now notice the sequence here. Stay special. You do that by avoiding sexual immorality-sexual sin-and you do that by controlling your passions.
See, God has given you this unique gift to give to the person you commit your love to for a lifetime-your husband or wife. And there's no greater joy than to present that gift to your permanent lifetime partner. God is saying here, "Stay special. Don't ruin your gift." Take it from the boy who ran over the gift that he wanted to be special. It really hurts when you ruin it.
If you're in a position to influence young people about sexual purity, use the approach God uses-a positive morality. Not a negative, condemning one. It's all about the beauty of the gift of sex, not the dirtiness of it. It's too good to ruin. And you ruin it when you open it early or you run over it. The best of sex and the best of love are reserved for those who keep it special.
And if you're single and you're facing the pressure to have sex outside of marriage, assume God had you tune in today. He's whispering two words in your heart to build your morality on, "No regrets." What might give you some short-term sense of relief or closeness or even love will give you a very long-term sense of guilt and loss. See, you can only give your purity for the first time - one time.
When I was bringing home that corsage I made a fatal mistake. I valued the gift, but I balanced it precariously on the handle bars. You can't decide to keep your gift of sex special and keep flirting with losing it. You've got to avoid being alone with somebody you care about for any length of time. You've got to keep the small expressions of physical affection special so you don't rush up that ladder. Remember, "no regrets."
You say, "Well, Ron, I've already run over the gift." Don't believe the lie that it doesn't matter what you do now. It does. Here's great news. 1 John 1:7, "The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, purifies us from all sin." In Joel 2:25 He says, "He will restore the years the locusts have eaten." Bring your sexuality; bring your sexual sin to the Lord, and let Him purify you and let Him begin to restore your spiritual and emotional virginity.
See, when you understand what a priceless, irreplaceable gift God gave you in the gift of sex, you commit yourself to keep it special. And if you've never experienced the wonderful, spiritual shower of knowing you have been forgiven by God for every wrong thing, every dirty thing, every sinful thing you have ever done, the place that happens is at the cross where Jesus paid for what you wish you had not done; for every sin of your life.
Today you say, "Jesus I'm Yours." And He comes into your life and erases every sin of your life from God's Book. Let it happen today. Let me help you with that. Go to our website today. ANewStory.com.
It hurts a lot to ruin a valuable gift, so hold it close. Don't balance it on the edge. It will be worth the wait when you present that unspoiled gift to your lifetime love.
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