Max Lucado Daily: Worry is Anti-Trust
What would parents do without worry? It almost seems as if it's in the job description. "Parents Wanted. Must be able to perform sleepless nights and meaningless pacing, wringing their hands and biting their nails."
In Matthew 6:27, Jesus asked, "Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?" Worry has no positive side effects. In fact, it subtracts moments from your life in heart stress and rising blood pressure.
Worry is anti-trust. If you're worried, you don't trust something: your kids, their friends, strangers, the church, even God. Can He take care of your children? Certainly. Jesus says, "I tell you, stop being anxious and worried about your life." Pretty blunt. Stop it! Easier said than done, huh? Worry tests your trust, so hand your children to God and let him babysit your babies when you're not around. He's pretty good at it!
From Max on Life
Joshua 5
When all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings who lived along the Mediterranean coast[d] heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan River so the people of Israel could cross, they lost heart and were paralyzed with fear because of them.
Israel Reestablishes Covenant Ceremonies
2 At that time the Lord told Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise this second generation of Israelites.[e]” 3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the entire male population of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth.[f]
4 Joshua had to circumcise them because all the men who were old enough to fight in battle when they left Egypt had died in the wilderness. 5 Those who left Egypt had all been circumcised, but none of those born after the Exodus, during the years in the wilderness, had been circumcised. 6 The Israelites had traveled in the wilderness for forty years until all the men who were old enough to fight in battle when they left Egypt had died. For they had disobeyed the Lord, and the Lord vowed he would not let them enter the land he had sworn to give us—a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 So Joshua circumcised their sons—those who had grown up to take their fathers’ places—for they had not been circumcised on the way to the Promised Land. 8 After all the males had been circumcised, they rested in the camp until they were healed.
9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the shame of your slavery in Egypt.” So that place has been called Gilgal[g] to this day.
10 While the Israelites were camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they celebrated Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month.[h] 11 The very next day they began to eat unleavened bread and roasted grain harvested from the land. 12 No manna appeared on the day they first ate from the crops of the land, and it was never seen again. So from that time on the Israelites ate from the crops of Canaan.
The Lord’s Commander Confronts Joshua
13 When Joshua was near the town of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?”
14 “Neither one,” he replied. “I am the commander of the Lord’s army.”
At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. “I am at your command,” Joshua said. “What do you want your servant to do?”
15 The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did as he was told.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, February 06, 2015
Read: Genesis 45:4-8
“Please, come closer,” he said to them. So they came closer. And he said again, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into slavery in Egypt. 5 But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. 6 This famine that has ravaged the land for two years will last five more years, and there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors.[a] 8 So it was God who sent me here, not you! And he is the one who made me an adviser[b] to Pharaoh—the manager of his entire palace and the governor of all Egypt.
Footnotes:
45:7 Or and to save you with an extraordinary rescue. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
45:8 Hebrew a father.
INSIGHT: Because of severe and widespread famine, Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt to buy grain to take home to feed their families (Gen. 42–45). Though Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. It seems that from this point forward he set out to bring reconciliation to his broken family. Eventually, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers (45:4-8), forgives them, and promises to care for them (50:16-21). Joseph’s story is one of the great reconciliation stories of all time.
In Disguise
By Cindy Hess Kasper
Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You. —Psalm 31:19
In the weeks after my husband survived a heart attack, we often thanked God for sparing his life. I was asked many times during the next few months how I was doing. My answer was often a simple one: “Blessed. I feel blessed.”
Blessings, however, come in different sizes and shapes. In fact, we don’t always recognize them. Even when we are doing everything we think God wants us to do, we may still experience suffering. We are sometimes surprised that God does not answer the way we want or that His timing appears to be tardy.
We see this in Joseph’s life. From a human perspective, we would think that God had forgotten all about him. For more than a decade, Joseph experienced suffering. He was tossed in a pit, sold into slavery, falsely accused, unjustly put in prison. Finally, however, God’s faithfulness to him became evident to all as he was lifted up as a ruler of Egypt and saved many people from famine (Gen. 37–46). C. S. Lewis wrote: “When we lose one blessing, another is often most unexpectedly given in its place.”
God had always had His hand of blessing on Joseph, as He does for all who trust Him. “Oh, how great is Your goodness” (Ps. 31:19).
Lord, You love us with an extravagant love,
but so often we don’t trust You in the crisis.
Help us to learn and appreciate that You have
everything we need—and so much more.
True happiness is knowing that God is good.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, February 06, 2015
Are You Ready To Be Poured Out As an Offering? (2)
I am already being poured out as a drink offering… —2 Timothy 4:6
Are you ready to be poured out as an offering? It is an act of your will, not your emotions. Tell God you are ready to be offered as a sacrifice for Him. Then accept the consequences as they come, without any complaints, in spite of what God may send your way. God sends you through a crisis in private, where no other person can help you. From the outside your life may appear to be the same, but the difference is taking place in your will. Once you have experienced the crisis in your will, you will take no thought of the cost when it begins to affect you externally. If you don’t deal with God on the level of your will first, the result will be only to arouse sympathy for yourself.
“Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar” (Psalm 118:27). You must be willing to be placed on the altar and go through the fire; willing to experience what the altar represents— burning, purification, and separation for only one purpose— the elimination of every desire and affection not grounded in or directed toward God. But you don’t eliminate it, God does. You “bind the sacrifice…to the horns of the altar” and see to it that you don’t wallow in self-pity once the fire begins. After you have gone through the fire, there will be nothing that will be able to trouble or depress you. When another crisis arises, you will realize that things cannot touch you as they used to do. What fire lies ahead in your life?
Tell God you are ready to be poured out as an offering, and God will prove Himself to be all you ever dreamed He would be.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, February 06, 2015
How to Move From Jesus-Highs to a Jesus-Life - #7325
My wife and I have some hummingbird feeders. Because those busy little guys, they're fascinating to watch! You know, they come as back porch visitors. You've probably seen them. Their wings go so fast you can hardly see the wings. They're virtually like God's little helicopters. They hover, they fly backwards, and then they fly away. I love to watch them. And do they like sugar! My wife mixes up this concoction that's basically sugar-water and they flock to it. Then they'll fly off in this burst of acrobatic energy, only to return a few minutes later for a refill.
Now, I've been told that if they go very long without some sugar, whether it's the natural kind they get from flowers or from our backyard potion, they become sort of catatonic or whatever...maybe "birdatonic" is a better word! If only birds could talk human talk, you might hear them say as they come back for their forty-seventh consecutive drink, "Must have sugar! Must have sugar!" See, God has got a lot of spiritual hummingbirds in His family. Here comes one now, "Must have sugar!" Spiritual sugar that is; the kind too many of us Christians actually depend on to keep us flying.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How to Move From Jesus-Highs to a Jesus-Life."
Our word today from the Word of God comes from Luke 6:47-49. Jesus is describing here two different kinds of believers. "I will show you what he is like who comes to Me and hears My words and puts them into practice. He's like a man building a house who digs down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears My words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."
All right, two believers; one whom the storm cannot shake because his faith is "well built"; another one who falls apart because he is without a foundation-collapsed. What's the difference? What does it say here? You hear, you study the Bible, and then you do what you read. That's the only way to have a storm-proof durable relationship with Jesus Christ. It all has to do, not just with hearing His words. The difference is putting them into practice in these verses. If you're not strong in His Word, you are not going to be an all-weather follower of Christ. And just when you need to be the closest to Jesus - in a storm - you're going to be falling apart.
I guess we could call the Bible God's spiritual protein; the diet that gives you consistent energy and commitment. But a lot of us are like those hummingbirds. We're addicted to sugar; the major fuel for our relationship with Jesus is that next spiritual high. "Must have a retreat! When's the conference! When's the next spiritual speaker? I need the feeling. I need a sign from God."
For some of God's birds, or children, church is a weekly sugar fix where you feel good and you feel God for a little while only to return to the same old spiritually catatonic state the rest of the week. Maybe you're getting tired, maybe even disillusioned with this spiritual roller coaster. Are you tired of that roller coaster?
I've often said to young people, "You don't need to get another high. You need to get a life." That applies to believers of all ages. You're ready for some spiritual consistency aren't you? Some reality? You ready for a life with Jesus? Well, then, it's graduation time! It's time to step up to the discipline that makes the difference: meeting your Lord Jesus one-on-one each new day in His book; getting up early to get into His Word. To anchor your day to a personal "word with you" from the living God, and not just trying to resurrect some faded spiritual high back there.
You've tried the sugar diets, the bursts of energy followed by the collapse. Aren't you ready for the real food? Well, that's a regular time with Jesus. That's the fuel that's going to keep you flying all the time.
Friday, February 6, 2015
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Joshua 4, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
|
|
Joshua 4
Memorials to the Jordan Crossing
When all the people had crossed the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe. 3 Tell them, ‘Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you will camp tonight.’”
4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen—one from each of the tribes of Israel. 5 He told them, “Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. 6 We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.”
8 So the men did as Joshua had commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan River, one for each tribe, just as the Lord had told Joshua. They carried them to the place where they camped for the night and constructed the memorial there.
9 Joshua also set up another pile of twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, at the place where the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant were standing. And they are there to this day.
10 The priests who were carrying the Ark stood in the middle of the river until all of the Lord’s commands that Moses had given to Joshua were carried out. Meanwhile, the people hurried across the riverbed. 11 And when everyone was safely on the other side, the priests crossed over with the Ark of the Lord as the people watched.
12 The armed warriors from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh led the Israelites across the Jordan, just as Moses had directed. 13 These armed men—about 40,000 strong—were ready for battle, and the Lord was with them as they crossed over to the plains of Jericho.
14 That day the Lord made Joshua a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites, and for the rest of his life they revered him as much as they had revered Moses.
15 The Lord had said to Joshua, 16 “Command the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant[a] to come up out of the riverbed.” 17 So Joshua gave the command. 18 As soon as the priests carrying the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant came up out of the riverbed and their feet were on high ground, the water of the Jordan returned and overflowed its banks as before.
19 The people crossed the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month.[b] Then they camped at Gilgal, just east of Jericho. 20 It was there at Gilgal that Joshua piled up the twelve stones taken from the Jordan River.
21 Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 Then you can tell them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the river right before your eyes, and he kept it dry until you were all across, just as he did at the Red Sea[c] when he dried it up until we had all crossed over. 24 He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the Lord’s hand is powerful, and so you might fear the Lord your God forever.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, February 05, 2015
Read: Psalm 37:1-8
A psalm of David.
Don’t worry about the wicked
or envy those who do wrong.
2 For like grass, they soon fade away.
Like spring flowers, they soon wither.
3 Trust in the Lord and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.
5 Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you.
6 He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.
7 Be still in the presence of the Lord,
and wait patiently for him to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper
or fret about their wicked schemes.
8 Stop being angry!
Turn from your rage!
Do not lose your temper—
it only leads to harm.
Footnotes:
37 This psalm is a Hebrew acrostic poem; each stanza begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
INSIGHT: Psalm 37 is one of the many “wisdom psalms”—psalms that give instructions on how to live wisely. In this psalm, David deals with the perennial perplexity of the injustice of life—the wicked go unpunished while the righteous suffer. He tells the righteous not to fret, be envious, or be angry, for God will ultimately bring justice (vv.1-2,9-10,20,35-36,38). Instead, they are to be patient, to trust, to delight, to rest fully in God, and to continue to live godly lives (vv.3-8). For the “Lord upholds the righteous” (v.17), takes delight in them (v.23), and will not forsake them (vv.28-29).
Habits Of A Healthy Mind
By David C. McCasland
Trust in the Lord, and do good. —Psalm 37:3
There is much said today about improving our health by developing habits of optimism, whether facing a difficult medical diagnosis or a pile of dirty laundry. Barbara Fredrickson, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of North Carolina, says we should try activities that build joy, gratitude, love, and other positive feelings. We know, however, that more is required than a general wish for good feelings. We need a strong conviction that there is a source of joy, peace, and love upon which we can depend.
Psalm 37:1-8 gives positive actions we can take as an antidote to pessimism and discouragement. Consider these mood boosters: Trust in the Lord, do good, dwell in the land, feed on His faithfulness (v.3); delight in the Lord (v.4); commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him (v.5); rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him, do not fret (v.7); cease from anger, forsake wrath (v.8).
Because they are connected to the phrase “in the Lord,” those directives are more than wishful thinking or unrealistic suggestions. It’s because of Jesus, and in His strength, that they become possible.
Our one true source for optimism is the redemption that is in Jesus. He is our reason for hope!
Lord, we can’t manufacture hope, and even if
we tried it wouldn’t be real. Help us to find
hope in You because of what Jesus has done
for us. We know You are walking beside us.
When there’s bad news, our hope is the good news of Jesus.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, February 05, 2015
Are You Ready To Be Poured Out As an Offering? (1)
If I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. —Philippians 2:17
Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for the work of another believer—to pour out your life sacrificially for the ministry and faith of others? Or do you say, “I am not willing to be poured out right now, and I don’t want God to tell me how to serve Him. I want to choose the place of my own sacrifice. And I want to have certain people watching me and saying, ‘Well done.’ ”
It is one thing to follow God’s way of service if you are regarded as a hero, but quite another thing if the road marked out for you by God requires becoming a “doormat” under other people’s feet. God’s purpose may be to teach you to say, “I know how to be abased…” (Philippians 4:12). Are you ready to be sacrificed like that? Are you ready to be less than a mere drop in the bucket— to be so totally insignificant that no one remembers you even if they think of those you served? Are you willing to give and be poured out until you are used up and exhausted— not seeking to be ministered to, but to minister? Some saints cannot do menial work while maintaining a saintly attitude, because they feel such service is beneath their dignity.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, February 05, 2015
Verbal Vomit and How Your Words Can Hurt - #7324
I'll tell you what kind of airline passenger makes an interesting neighbor; someone who has never flown before. Flight attendants refer to them as "white knuckle" fliers from the way they hang on. Well, my friend, John, was on his way to speak somewhere. And since it was just a one-day meeting, he was dressed in the suit that he was going to speak in. And he had the joy that day of sitting next to a lady who was on her rookie flight. She was as nervous, as they used to say, as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Whenever there was a noise, like the landing gear retracting, she would say, "What was that?" And John would patiently explain.
After they had been airborne a few minutes, Mrs. Rookie suddenly muttered, "I feel sick." My friend suddenly found that little discomfort bag in the pouch in front of her; the one they give you when your stomach doesn't want to keep what it has. Wouldn't you know it? A few minutes later John's head was turned and she unloaded her lunch all over his only suit. Oh she did say something after that, though, after she redecorated my friend. She just said, "I feel so much better now." Great! And how was he feeling?
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Verbal Vomit and How Your Words Can Hurt."
That's strong language, I know. But it might be what some of us need to get us thinking about the hurting talk that comes out of our mouth. And it certainly isn't any stronger than the words God himself uses to describe how we sound too much of the time. These are some of the most revealing, convicting words in the Bible.
James 3, beginning with verse 2, our word for today from the Word of God. Think about some of your recent conversations. "If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person; sets the whole course of his life on fire and is set itself on fire by hell. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the same mouth we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who've been made in God's likeness. This should not be." Now this is what God's Word says.
God's been pretty clear here hasn't He? The way to see how godly you really are is to listen to your talk. And that's not just talking about spiritual talk. No sin could do as much damage as verbal sins. Like a forest fire; like deadly poison. Some of our most damaging trash talk takes place, of course, when we're angry or we feel attacked. That's when we dump all the garbage all over the other person. Like, excuse me, verbal vomit. It's that disgusting. It's that repulsive. It's that unacceptable.
And like that woman on the plane, we say to ourselves, "Well, I feel better now. I told them! I put them in their place! I won this one! I had the last word!" You did not put them in their place. What you succeeded in doing was showing them what a miserable place you're in. You didn't win. You lost. You feel better, but look what you did to them. The people we hurt the most are often the ones we claim to love the most.
God says in Proverbs 12:18, "Reckless words pierce like a sword." I wonder how many deep wounds you may have left today, or in the last few weeks. If people bled physically every time we wounded them verbally, I wonder what kind of trail some of us would leave.
I guess it's time we listen to ourselves, and face the hypocrisy between our spiritual image and our private trash talk, and to go to the people we've hurt and to seek their forgiveness, and to make our mouth - our talk - a new frontier for the lordship of Jesus Christ. Maybe then what comes out of your mouth will not only make you feel better, but it will make them feel better too.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Luke 9:1-17, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: What is Worship?
When you think of worship, what do you think of? Outdated songs poorly sung? Dramatic prayers egotistically offered? Irrelevant sermons carelessly delivered? What is worship? The essence of worship is simply this: giving God the honor he deserves; applauding the greatness of God! The definition in the book of Psalms 29:1-2 is this:
Honor the Lord, you heavenly beings;
Honor the Lord for his glory and strength.
Honor the Lord for the glory of his name.
Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
As Paul said in Colossians 3:17, "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
Worship-it's a lifestyle. It's an Action. It's an attitude. It's everything!
From Max on Life
Luke 9:1-17
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Disciples
One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples[a] and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. 2 Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 “Take nothing for your journey,” he instructed them. “Don’t take a walking stick, a traveler’s bag, food, money,[b] or even a change of clothes. 4 Wherever you go, stay in the same house until you leave town. 5 And if a town refuses to welcome you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.”
6 So they began their circuit of the villages, preaching the Good News and healing the sick.
Herod’s Confusion
7 When Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee,[c] heard about everything Jesus was doing, he was puzzled. Some were saying that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead. 8 Others thought Jesus was Elijah or one of the other prophets risen from the dead.
9 “I beheaded John,” Herod said, “so who is this man about whom I hear such stories?” And he kept trying to see him.
Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
10 When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. Then he slipped quietly away with them toward the town of Bethsaida. 11 But the crowds found out where he was going, and they followed him. He welcomed them and taught them about the Kingdom of God, and he healed those who were sick.
12 Late in the afternoon the twelve disciples came to him and said, “Send the crowds away to the nearby villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night. There is nothing to eat here in this remote place.”
13 But Jesus said, “You feed them.”
“But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Or are you expecting us to go and buy enough food for this whole crowd?” 14 For there were about 5,000 men there.
Jesus replied, “Tell them to sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 So the people all sat down. 16 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. 17 They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers!
Footnotes:
9:1 Greek the Twelve; other manuscripts read the twelve apostles.
9:3 Or silver coins.
9:7 Greek Herod the tetrarch. Herod Antipas was a son of King Herod and was ruler over Galilee.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, February 04, 2015
Read: Ephesians 1:3-14
Spiritual Blessings
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.[a] 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. 11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God,[b] for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.
12 God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. 13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own[c] by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.
Footnotes:
1:6 Greek to us in the beloved.
1:11 Or we have become God’s inheritance.
1:13 Or he put his seal on you.
INSIGHT: God’s generosity is immeasurable. He paid the price for the forgiveness of our sins and purchased our salvation (Eph. 1:7). “All praise to God”! (v.3 nlt).
What Money Can’t Buy
By Marvin Williams
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. —Ephesians 1:7
“There are some things money can’t buy—but these days, not many” according to Michael Sandel, author of What Money Can’t Buy. A person can buy a prison-cell upgrade for $90 a night, the right to shoot an endangered black rhino for $250,000, and your doctor’s cell phone number for $1,500. It seems that “almost everything is up for sale.”
But one thing money can’t buy is redemption—freedom from the stranglehold of sin. When the apostle Paul began writing about the rich nature of God’s plan of salvation through Jesus, his heart erupted in praise: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us” (Eph. 1:7-8).
Jesus’ death on the cross was the high cost of delivering us from sin. And only He could pay that price because He was the perfect Son of God. The natural response to such free but costly grace is spontaneous praise from our hearts and commitment to the God who bought us through Jesus (1:13-14).
Praise to our loving God—He has come to set us free!
What amazing love You have for us, heavenly Father!
That You gave Your Son who willingly
died in our place. It seems too good
to be true. Thank You!
Only Jesus’ death could purchase our freedom.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, February 04, 2015
The Compelling Majesty of His Power
The love of Christ compels us… —2 Corinthians 5:14
Paul said that he was overpowered, subdued, and held as in a vise by “the love of Christ.” Very few of us really know what it means to be held in the grip of the love of God. We tend so often to be controlled simply by our own experience. The one thing that gripped and held Paul, to the exclusion of everything else, was the love of God. “The love of Christ compels us….” When you hear that coming from the life of a man or woman it is unmistakable. You will know that the Spirit of God is completely unhindered in that person’s life.
When we are born again by the Spirit of God, our testimony is based solely on what God has done for us, and rightly so. But that will change and be removed forever once you “receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…” (Acts 1:8). Only then will you begin to realize what Jesus meant when He went on to say, “…you shall be witnesses to Me….” Not witnesses to what Jesus can do— that is basic and understood— but “witnesses to Me….” We will accept everything that happens as if it were happening to Him, whether we receive praise or blame, persecution or reward. No one is able to take this stand for Jesus Christ who is not totally compelled by the majesty of His power. It is the only thing that matters, and yet it is strange that it’s the last thing we as Christian workers realize. Paul said that he was gripped by the love of God and that is why he acted as he did. People could perceive him as mad or sane— he did not care. There was only one thing he lived for— to persuade people of the coming judgment of God and to tell them of “the love of Christ.” This total surrender to “the love of Christ” is the only thing that will bear fruit in your life. And it will always leave the mark of God’s holiness and His power, never drawing attention to your personal holiness.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, February 04, 2015
How Your Hurt Can Mean Hope for Others - #7323
72 Hours That Rocked the World
Some people see Easter as just a social event with Easter Egg Hunts and family gatherings. In this booklet, Ron shares that it's so much more! He explains the "72 Hours That Rocked the World" and what it can mean to you personally.
Order "72 Hours That Rocked the World" to share with your family, friends, neighbors, and anyone you know who does not know about this amazing life-changing experience. Right now it's buy one get one free for orders of 10 or more!
Preview & order here!
Of course the most boring part of any youth group outing is the long bus trip, especially if the trip is say from Michigan to Arizona. I once interviewed some kids who went on a mission trip to the Navajo Reservation from Michigan. I don't think they'll remember their trip as boring. Because of the carelessness of another driver, their bus had to swerve sharply at one point and the bus went off the road and started to roll all the way over into a ditch. Well you've got to know that was scary! One by one they emerged from the bus. Some of them were injured and they had to be treated at a local hospital, but thankfully no one was killed.
By the time they finally arrived at that reservation they were a pretty sorry looking bunch. They didn't exactly come running into that Native community. They came limping in and hurting. They weren't able to bring all their luggage with them, and some of the kids were on crutches, in braces, patched up, and bandaged.
And, you know, that's why those Navajo young people listened to those white kids from Michigan. The comments of the Native young people made it pretty clear. If those Michigan young people had arrived looking like they had no idea what pain meant, the Native youth who live in so much hurt probably would have never listened. But as one girl from the youth group said, "Our wounds were our credentials."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How Your Hurt Can Mean Hope for Others."
Our word for today from the Word of God is from 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. It's about finding meaning in your pain; maybe the pain you're going through right now. Here's what it says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."
So you go through a hurting time. You know how the pain feels. You reach out to God for whatever resources He can give you to get through it and you start to experience God's greatness, God's grace, God's resources. And now you're qualified by those experiences to help other hurting people. You can tell them in a very personal way the difference Jesus makes in a hurting time. And just like those Native American young people with those banged-up white kids, they'll listen. You know why? Because you've been there.
It's almost ironic. The worst things that happen to you in your life teach you the most about your God, and they give you the best chance you'll ever have to tell people about Jesus Christ. Day after day you're with people who, just under the surface, are carrying so much pain, a lot of scars. And they won't listen to just anyone. They'll listen to someone who's been through a deep valley too; maybe someone like you.
Your pain can become your credentials to answer hurting lives with the love of Jesus Christ that you've experienced in your darkest hour. They might be close to someone who's had an uneventful journey. But they'll listen to someone whose bus has rolled and who carries some of the scars and the damage. Those are pretty hard earned credentials, ones you'd have never chosen to have. But they are credentials God can use mightily in a hurting world. He uses wounded messengers to become agents of His healing.
Look at His Son. Remember, Doubting Thomas didn't believe until he saw the wounds. You know some people like that. The pain you've been through may never make much sense to you until you see Jesus and He shows you the grand design of which that pain is a part. But until then, offer that pain to Him as credentials to make a difference for Him to other wounded people. To actually, maybe, even help them change their eternity by finding your Jesus. His wounded rescuer - that's you!
Remember, your wounds are your credentials.
When you think of worship, what do you think of? Outdated songs poorly sung? Dramatic prayers egotistically offered? Irrelevant sermons carelessly delivered? What is worship? The essence of worship is simply this: giving God the honor he deserves; applauding the greatness of God! The definition in the book of Psalms 29:1-2 is this:
Honor the Lord, you heavenly beings;
Honor the Lord for his glory and strength.
Honor the Lord for the glory of his name.
Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
As Paul said in Colossians 3:17, "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
Worship-it's a lifestyle. It's an Action. It's an attitude. It's everything!
From Max on Life
Luke 9:1-17
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Disciples
One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples[a] and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. 2 Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 “Take nothing for your journey,” he instructed them. “Don’t take a walking stick, a traveler’s bag, food, money,[b] or even a change of clothes. 4 Wherever you go, stay in the same house until you leave town. 5 And if a town refuses to welcome you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.”
6 So they began their circuit of the villages, preaching the Good News and healing the sick.
Herod’s Confusion
7 When Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee,[c] heard about everything Jesus was doing, he was puzzled. Some were saying that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead. 8 Others thought Jesus was Elijah or one of the other prophets risen from the dead.
9 “I beheaded John,” Herod said, “so who is this man about whom I hear such stories?” And he kept trying to see him.
Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
10 When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. Then he slipped quietly away with them toward the town of Bethsaida. 11 But the crowds found out where he was going, and they followed him. He welcomed them and taught them about the Kingdom of God, and he healed those who were sick.
12 Late in the afternoon the twelve disciples came to him and said, “Send the crowds away to the nearby villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night. There is nothing to eat here in this remote place.”
13 But Jesus said, “You feed them.”
“But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Or are you expecting us to go and buy enough food for this whole crowd?” 14 For there were about 5,000 men there.
Jesus replied, “Tell them to sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 So the people all sat down. 16 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. 17 They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers!
Footnotes:
9:1 Greek the Twelve; other manuscripts read the twelve apostles.
9:3 Or silver coins.
9:7 Greek Herod the tetrarch. Herod Antipas was a son of King Herod and was ruler over Galilee.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, February 04, 2015
Read: Ephesians 1:3-14
Spiritual Blessings
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.[a] 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. 11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God,[b] for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.
12 God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. 13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own[c] by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.
Footnotes:
1:6 Greek to us in the beloved.
1:11 Or we have become God’s inheritance.
1:13 Or he put his seal on you.
INSIGHT: God’s generosity is immeasurable. He paid the price for the forgiveness of our sins and purchased our salvation (Eph. 1:7). “All praise to God”! (v.3 nlt).
What Money Can’t Buy
By Marvin Williams
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. —Ephesians 1:7
“There are some things money can’t buy—but these days, not many” according to Michael Sandel, author of What Money Can’t Buy. A person can buy a prison-cell upgrade for $90 a night, the right to shoot an endangered black rhino for $250,000, and your doctor’s cell phone number for $1,500. It seems that “almost everything is up for sale.”
But one thing money can’t buy is redemption—freedom from the stranglehold of sin. When the apostle Paul began writing about the rich nature of God’s plan of salvation through Jesus, his heart erupted in praise: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us” (Eph. 1:7-8).
Jesus’ death on the cross was the high cost of delivering us from sin. And only He could pay that price because He was the perfect Son of God. The natural response to such free but costly grace is spontaneous praise from our hearts and commitment to the God who bought us through Jesus (1:13-14).
Praise to our loving God—He has come to set us free!
What amazing love You have for us, heavenly Father!
That You gave Your Son who willingly
died in our place. It seems too good
to be true. Thank You!
Only Jesus’ death could purchase our freedom.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, February 04, 2015
The Compelling Majesty of His Power
The love of Christ compels us… —2 Corinthians 5:14
Paul said that he was overpowered, subdued, and held as in a vise by “the love of Christ.” Very few of us really know what it means to be held in the grip of the love of God. We tend so often to be controlled simply by our own experience. The one thing that gripped and held Paul, to the exclusion of everything else, was the love of God. “The love of Christ compels us….” When you hear that coming from the life of a man or woman it is unmistakable. You will know that the Spirit of God is completely unhindered in that person’s life.
When we are born again by the Spirit of God, our testimony is based solely on what God has done for us, and rightly so. But that will change and be removed forever once you “receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…” (Acts 1:8). Only then will you begin to realize what Jesus meant when He went on to say, “…you shall be witnesses to Me….” Not witnesses to what Jesus can do— that is basic and understood— but “witnesses to Me….” We will accept everything that happens as if it were happening to Him, whether we receive praise or blame, persecution or reward. No one is able to take this stand for Jesus Christ who is not totally compelled by the majesty of His power. It is the only thing that matters, and yet it is strange that it’s the last thing we as Christian workers realize. Paul said that he was gripped by the love of God and that is why he acted as he did. People could perceive him as mad or sane— he did not care. There was only one thing he lived for— to persuade people of the coming judgment of God and to tell them of “the love of Christ.” This total surrender to “the love of Christ” is the only thing that will bear fruit in your life. And it will always leave the mark of God’s holiness and His power, never drawing attention to your personal holiness.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, February 04, 2015
How Your Hurt Can Mean Hope for Others - #7323
72 Hours That Rocked the World
Some people see Easter as just a social event with Easter Egg Hunts and family gatherings. In this booklet, Ron shares that it's so much more! He explains the "72 Hours That Rocked the World" and what it can mean to you personally.
Order "72 Hours That Rocked the World" to share with your family, friends, neighbors, and anyone you know who does not know about this amazing life-changing experience. Right now it's buy one get one free for orders of 10 or more!
Preview & order here!
Of course the most boring part of any youth group outing is the long bus trip, especially if the trip is say from Michigan to Arizona. I once interviewed some kids who went on a mission trip to the Navajo Reservation from Michigan. I don't think they'll remember their trip as boring. Because of the carelessness of another driver, their bus had to swerve sharply at one point and the bus went off the road and started to roll all the way over into a ditch. Well you've got to know that was scary! One by one they emerged from the bus. Some of them were injured and they had to be treated at a local hospital, but thankfully no one was killed.
By the time they finally arrived at that reservation they were a pretty sorry looking bunch. They didn't exactly come running into that Native community. They came limping in and hurting. They weren't able to bring all their luggage with them, and some of the kids were on crutches, in braces, patched up, and bandaged.
And, you know, that's why those Navajo young people listened to those white kids from Michigan. The comments of the Native young people made it pretty clear. If those Michigan young people had arrived looking like they had no idea what pain meant, the Native youth who live in so much hurt probably would have never listened. But as one girl from the youth group said, "Our wounds were our credentials."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How Your Hurt Can Mean Hope for Others."
Our word for today from the Word of God is from 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. It's about finding meaning in your pain; maybe the pain you're going through right now. Here's what it says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."
So you go through a hurting time. You know how the pain feels. You reach out to God for whatever resources He can give you to get through it and you start to experience God's greatness, God's grace, God's resources. And now you're qualified by those experiences to help other hurting people. You can tell them in a very personal way the difference Jesus makes in a hurting time. And just like those Native American young people with those banged-up white kids, they'll listen. You know why? Because you've been there.
It's almost ironic. The worst things that happen to you in your life teach you the most about your God, and they give you the best chance you'll ever have to tell people about Jesus Christ. Day after day you're with people who, just under the surface, are carrying so much pain, a lot of scars. And they won't listen to just anyone. They'll listen to someone who's been through a deep valley too; maybe someone like you.
Your pain can become your credentials to answer hurting lives with the love of Jesus Christ that you've experienced in your darkest hour. They might be close to someone who's had an uneventful journey. But they'll listen to someone whose bus has rolled and who carries some of the scars and the damage. Those are pretty hard earned credentials, ones you'd have never chosen to have. But they are credentials God can use mightily in a hurting world. He uses wounded messengers to become agents of His healing.
Look at His Son. Remember, Doubting Thomas didn't believe until he saw the wounds. You know some people like that. The pain you've been through may never make much sense to you until you see Jesus and He shows you the grand design of which that pain is a part. But until then, offer that pain to Him as credentials to make a difference for Him to other wounded people. To actually, maybe, even help them change their eternity by finding your Jesus. His wounded rescuer - that's you!
Remember, your wounds are your credentials.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Joshua 3, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: God's No-Tolerance Policy
Hypocrisy turns people against God, so he has a no-tolerance policy. Let's take hypocrisy as seriously as God does. For starters, expect no credit for good deeds. None! If no one notices, you aren't disappointed. If someone does, you give the credit to God. If no one knew of the good you do, would you still do it? If not, you're doing it to be seen by people.
Give financial gifts in secret. We like to be seen earning money. And we like to be seen giving it. Matthew 6:3 says, "So when you give to someone in need, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."
Don't fake spirituality. Nothing nauseates more than a fake, "Praise the Lord," or a shallow "Hallelujah" or an insincere "Glory be to God."
Bottom line: Don't make a theater production out of your faith!
From Max on Life
Joshua 3
Crossing the Jordan
Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. 2 After three days the officers went throughout the camp, 3 giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. 4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits[c] between you and the ark; do not go near it.”
5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”
6 Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them.
7 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. 8 Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”
9 Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. 10 This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. 11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. 12 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”
14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.
Joshua 3:4 That is, about 3,000 feet or about 900 meters
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, February 03, 2015
Read: 2 Timothy 2:1-6
A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus
Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. 2 You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.
3 Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. 5 And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. 6 And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor.
INSIGHT: Timothy is first introduced in Acts 16:1. Paul and Silas had been working their way through the provinces of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) sharing the gospel of Christ. When Paul and Silas arrived in Lystra, they met Timothy (a follower of Christ) and Paul invited this young man to join them. Timothy became a student of Paul’s and a pastor who, according to tradition, shepherded the church at Ephesus. Eventually, he received the two letters from Paul that bear his name. Each of those letters was intended to instruct and encourage the young pastor in his work with the congregation he served.
Chinese Proverbs
By Poh Fang Chia
Always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. —1 Corinthians 15:58
Chinese proverbs are common and often have stories behind them. The proverb “pulling up a crop to help it grow” is about an impatient man in the Song Dynasty. He was eager to see his rice seedlings grow quickly. So he thought of a solution. He would pull up each plant a few inches. After a day of tedious work, the man surveyed his paddy field. He was happy that his crop seemed to have “grown” taller. But his joy was short-lived. The next day, the plants had begun to wither because their roots were no longer deep.
In 2 Timothy 2:6, the apostle Paul compares the work of being a minister of the gospel to that of a farmer. He wrote to encourage Timothy that, like farming, making disciples can be continuous, hard labor. You plow, you sow, you wait, you pray. You desire to see the fruits of your labor quickly, but growth takes time. And as the Chinese proverb so aptly illustrates, any effort to hurry the process won’t be helpful. Commentator William Hendriksen states: “If Timothy . . . exerts himself to the full in the performance of his God-given spiritual task, he . . . will see in the lives of others . . . the beginnings of those glorious fruits that are mentioned in Galatians 5:22, 23.”
As we labor faithfully, we wait patiently on the Lord, who makes things grow (1 Cor. 3:7).
Dear Lord of the harvest, help us to work faithfully as
we wait patiently on You for the fruit. Encourage us
when we are discouraged and strengthen us when we
are weary. Help us to persevere, for You are faithful.
We sow the seed—God produces the harvest.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, February 03, 2015
We have been made as the filth of the world… —1 Corinthians 4:13
These words are not an exaggeration. The only reason they may not be true of us who call ourselves ministers of the gospel is not that Paul forgot or misunderstood the exact truth of them, but that we are too cautious and concerned about our own desires to allow ourselves to become the refuse or “filth of the world.” “Fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ…” (Colossians 1:24) is not the result of the holiness of sanctification, but the evidence of consecration— being “separated to the gospel of God…” (Romans 1:1).
“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you…” (1 Peter 4:12). If we do think the things we encounter are strange, it is because we are fearful and cowardly. We pay such close attention to our own interests and desires that we stay out of the mire and say, “I won’t submit; I won’t bow or bend.” And you don’t have to— you can be saved by the “skin of your teeth” if you like. You can refuse to let God count you as one who is “separated to the gospel….” Or you can say, “I don’t care if I am treated like ‘the filth of the world’ as long as the gospel is proclaimed.” A true servant of Jesus Christ is one who is willing to experience martyrdom for the reality of the gospel of God. When a moral person is confronted with contempt, immorality, disloyalty, or dishonesty, he is so repulsed by the offense that he turns away and in despair closes his heart to the offender. But the miracle of the redemptive reality of God is that the worst and the vilest offender can never exhaust the depths of His love. Paul did not say that God separated him to show what a wonderful man He could make of him, but “to reveal His Son in me…” (Galatians 1:16).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, February 03, 2015
HOW TO BEAT THE FATAL DISTRACTIONS - #7322
American's are pretty passionate about their sports. And, you know, like which one is the one that takes the most brains, the most brawn, the most talent. I actually think my two sons might vote for basketball as the most exciting sport of all. And basketball action is pretty physical. It's constantly changing, it's intense, it's unpredictable. There's this one point where it does slows down a little, much to the relief of the players probably. If a player is fouled by someone from the other team, he gets to shoot one or two free throws.
And that down time is a time when nobody on the court is bothering you, trying to defend against you. Actually I really shouldn't say no one's bothering you, especially if you're the visiting team. Because when you're facing that basket trying to make your free throw, you're also facing all the local fans who, of course, want you to miss. They're jumping up and down, they're making noise, they're waving their arms, and they're waving signs in your face. If you're going to try to score some points, you've got to concentrate.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How to Beat the Fatal Distractions."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Hebrews 12:1-2. "Since we are surrounded" it says "by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith."
This passage from the Bible suggests an idea that's pretty common in modern athletics. You hear this word a lot - focus. Just like that basketball player. He's got to focus on making that basket; what it takes to sink it when you've got a thousand nuts out there trying to get you to look somewhere else. That player has all kinds of sights and sounds trying to get his attention. But he's got to tune it all out. His eye is fixed on the basket.
The Bible says, "We have a race marked out for us." The Lord has set the course for your life. You've got gifts to use for Him, you've got people to influence for Him, you have work to get done for Him, you have days that are yours with which to glorify Him and read His letter, and keep striving toward His prize. All that matters is getting to that finish line.
That player could look at the crowd. He could look at the competitors all around him. He could look down. But a champion, of course, always focuses on the goal. Now, as you're running your next lap for Jesus, there are plenty of distractions, right? It's easy to have your attention drawn away to a problem person, or your finances, or making more money, or a thousand little annoyances. You can be distracted by temptation, or as I often am, by an overwhelming "to do" list.
Maybe your attention is drawn to this conflict or to something you're afraid of, or something you're worried about. Whatever it is, it's yelling, "Look at me instead!" We have sure thrown away enough days by letting ourselves become frustrated, allowing ourselves to worry and panic and feel sorry for ourselves. What's the answer? Here we go again, focus, focus, focus. It begins when your day begins. You fill up with Jesus in the waking moments. That's a conscious choice you make. You listen to worship music, Christian radio, go to Christian websites. You take time to listen to the Lord in His Word, and then you refocus on Him several times during the day consciously.
That's why I actually get a practical benefit from giving thanks for my meals during the day. That's not just a ritual. Those actually, again, allow me to acknowledge His presence and His provision in my life and to stay in touch with Him. Determine that you're going to look for the Lord at work. In your day, thank Him every time you spot Him doing something. We call them "God sightings" in our family.
How many times have you seen Jesus in your day and thanked Him consciously? Whisper His name as you answer the phone, as you answer a letter or email, as you look at Facebook, as you answer the door, as you answer a question. And when you feel the urge for you to take over, think about the cross, about you at the cross, about Jesus being worshiped in heaven by a hundred million angels.
Refocus on Jesus. All the distracters will always be there waving, shouting, and screaming for your attention. But a champion knows they've got to make the difference. They've got to make the basket. They've got to make the goal.
Make sure your eyes are stubbornly focused on the Christ who is Lord over every distraction.
Hypocrisy turns people against God, so he has a no-tolerance policy. Let's take hypocrisy as seriously as God does. For starters, expect no credit for good deeds. None! If no one notices, you aren't disappointed. If someone does, you give the credit to God. If no one knew of the good you do, would you still do it? If not, you're doing it to be seen by people.
Give financial gifts in secret. We like to be seen earning money. And we like to be seen giving it. Matthew 6:3 says, "So when you give to someone in need, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."
Don't fake spirituality. Nothing nauseates more than a fake, "Praise the Lord," or a shallow "Hallelujah" or an insincere "Glory be to God."
Bottom line: Don't make a theater production out of your faith!
From Max on Life
Joshua 3
Crossing the Jordan
Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. 2 After three days the officers went throughout the camp, 3 giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. 4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits[c] between you and the ark; do not go near it.”
5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”
6 Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them.
7 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. 8 Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”
9 Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. 10 This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. 11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. 12 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”
14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.
Joshua 3:4 That is, about 3,000 feet or about 900 meters
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, February 03, 2015
Read: 2 Timothy 2:1-6
A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus
Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. 2 You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.
3 Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. 5 And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. 6 And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor.
INSIGHT: Timothy is first introduced in Acts 16:1. Paul and Silas had been working their way through the provinces of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) sharing the gospel of Christ. When Paul and Silas arrived in Lystra, they met Timothy (a follower of Christ) and Paul invited this young man to join them. Timothy became a student of Paul’s and a pastor who, according to tradition, shepherded the church at Ephesus. Eventually, he received the two letters from Paul that bear his name. Each of those letters was intended to instruct and encourage the young pastor in his work with the congregation he served.
Chinese Proverbs
By Poh Fang Chia
Always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. —1 Corinthians 15:58
Chinese proverbs are common and often have stories behind them. The proverb “pulling up a crop to help it grow” is about an impatient man in the Song Dynasty. He was eager to see his rice seedlings grow quickly. So he thought of a solution. He would pull up each plant a few inches. After a day of tedious work, the man surveyed his paddy field. He was happy that his crop seemed to have “grown” taller. But his joy was short-lived. The next day, the plants had begun to wither because their roots were no longer deep.
In 2 Timothy 2:6, the apostle Paul compares the work of being a minister of the gospel to that of a farmer. He wrote to encourage Timothy that, like farming, making disciples can be continuous, hard labor. You plow, you sow, you wait, you pray. You desire to see the fruits of your labor quickly, but growth takes time. And as the Chinese proverb so aptly illustrates, any effort to hurry the process won’t be helpful. Commentator William Hendriksen states: “If Timothy . . . exerts himself to the full in the performance of his God-given spiritual task, he . . . will see in the lives of others . . . the beginnings of those glorious fruits that are mentioned in Galatians 5:22, 23.”
As we labor faithfully, we wait patiently on the Lord, who makes things grow (1 Cor. 3:7).
Dear Lord of the harvest, help us to work faithfully as
we wait patiently on You for the fruit. Encourage us
when we are discouraged and strengthen us when we
are weary. Help us to persevere, for You are faithful.
We sow the seed—God produces the harvest.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, February 03, 2015
We have been made as the filth of the world… —1 Corinthians 4:13
These words are not an exaggeration. The only reason they may not be true of us who call ourselves ministers of the gospel is not that Paul forgot or misunderstood the exact truth of them, but that we are too cautious and concerned about our own desires to allow ourselves to become the refuse or “filth of the world.” “Fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ…” (Colossians 1:24) is not the result of the holiness of sanctification, but the evidence of consecration— being “separated to the gospel of God…” (Romans 1:1).
“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you…” (1 Peter 4:12). If we do think the things we encounter are strange, it is because we are fearful and cowardly. We pay such close attention to our own interests and desires that we stay out of the mire and say, “I won’t submit; I won’t bow or bend.” And you don’t have to— you can be saved by the “skin of your teeth” if you like. You can refuse to let God count you as one who is “separated to the gospel….” Or you can say, “I don’t care if I am treated like ‘the filth of the world’ as long as the gospel is proclaimed.” A true servant of Jesus Christ is one who is willing to experience martyrdom for the reality of the gospel of God. When a moral person is confronted with contempt, immorality, disloyalty, or dishonesty, he is so repulsed by the offense that he turns away and in despair closes his heart to the offender. But the miracle of the redemptive reality of God is that the worst and the vilest offender can never exhaust the depths of His love. Paul did not say that God separated him to show what a wonderful man He could make of him, but “to reveal His Son in me…” (Galatians 1:16).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, February 03, 2015
HOW TO BEAT THE FATAL DISTRACTIONS - #7322
American's are pretty passionate about their sports. And, you know, like which one is the one that takes the most brains, the most brawn, the most talent. I actually think my two sons might vote for basketball as the most exciting sport of all. And basketball action is pretty physical. It's constantly changing, it's intense, it's unpredictable. There's this one point where it does slows down a little, much to the relief of the players probably. If a player is fouled by someone from the other team, he gets to shoot one or two free throws.
And that down time is a time when nobody on the court is bothering you, trying to defend against you. Actually I really shouldn't say no one's bothering you, especially if you're the visiting team. Because when you're facing that basket trying to make your free throw, you're also facing all the local fans who, of course, want you to miss. They're jumping up and down, they're making noise, they're waving their arms, and they're waving signs in your face. If you're going to try to score some points, you've got to concentrate.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How to Beat the Fatal Distractions."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Hebrews 12:1-2. "Since we are surrounded" it says "by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith."
This passage from the Bible suggests an idea that's pretty common in modern athletics. You hear this word a lot - focus. Just like that basketball player. He's got to focus on making that basket; what it takes to sink it when you've got a thousand nuts out there trying to get you to look somewhere else. That player has all kinds of sights and sounds trying to get his attention. But he's got to tune it all out. His eye is fixed on the basket.
The Bible says, "We have a race marked out for us." The Lord has set the course for your life. You've got gifts to use for Him, you've got people to influence for Him, you have work to get done for Him, you have days that are yours with which to glorify Him and read His letter, and keep striving toward His prize. All that matters is getting to that finish line.
That player could look at the crowd. He could look at the competitors all around him. He could look down. But a champion, of course, always focuses on the goal. Now, as you're running your next lap for Jesus, there are plenty of distractions, right? It's easy to have your attention drawn away to a problem person, or your finances, or making more money, or a thousand little annoyances. You can be distracted by temptation, or as I often am, by an overwhelming "to do" list.
Maybe your attention is drawn to this conflict or to something you're afraid of, or something you're worried about. Whatever it is, it's yelling, "Look at me instead!" We have sure thrown away enough days by letting ourselves become frustrated, allowing ourselves to worry and panic and feel sorry for ourselves. What's the answer? Here we go again, focus, focus, focus. It begins when your day begins. You fill up with Jesus in the waking moments. That's a conscious choice you make. You listen to worship music, Christian radio, go to Christian websites. You take time to listen to the Lord in His Word, and then you refocus on Him several times during the day consciously.
That's why I actually get a practical benefit from giving thanks for my meals during the day. That's not just a ritual. Those actually, again, allow me to acknowledge His presence and His provision in my life and to stay in touch with Him. Determine that you're going to look for the Lord at work. In your day, thank Him every time you spot Him doing something. We call them "God sightings" in our family.
How many times have you seen Jesus in your day and thanked Him consciously? Whisper His name as you answer the phone, as you answer a letter or email, as you look at Facebook, as you answer the door, as you answer a question. And when you feel the urge for you to take over, think about the cross, about you at the cross, about Jesus being worshiped in heaven by a hundred million angels.
Refocus on Jesus. All the distracters will always be there waving, shouting, and screaming for your attention. But a champion knows they've got to make the difference. They've got to make the basket. They've got to make the goal.
Make sure your eyes are stubbornly focused on the Christ who is Lord over every distraction.
Monday, February 2, 2015
Joshua 2, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Appeal to the Heart
Remember the church at Corinth? A problem on every pew? Territorially selfish. Morally shameless. Theologically reckless. How do you help a congregation like that? You can correct them. Paul did. You can instruct them, which Paul did. You can reason with them; Paul did. But at some point you stop talking to the head and start appealing to the heart. And Paul did that.
I Corinthians 13:4-7 says, "Love. . .bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
He saw only one solution-love! Don't we need the same prescription today? Someday there will be a community where everyone behaves and no one complains. But it won't be this side of heaven. So what do we do? We reason. We confront. We teach. But most of all, we love.
From Max on Life
Joshua 2
Rahab Protects the Spies
Then Joshua secretly sent out two spies from the Israelite camp at Acacia Grove.[b] He instructed them, “Scout out the land on the other side of the Jordan River, especially around Jericho.” So the two men set out and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night.
2 But someone told the king of Jericho, “Some Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” 3 So the king of Jericho sent orders to Rahab: “Bring out the men who have come into your house, for they have come here to spy out the whole land.”
4 Rahab had hidden the two men, but she replied, “Yes, the men were here earlier, but I didn’t know where they were from. 5 They left the town at dusk, as the gates were about to close. I don’t know where they went. If you hurry, you can probably catch up with them.” 6 (Actually, she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them beneath bundles of flax she had laid out.) 7 So the king’s men went looking for the spies along the road leading to the shallow crossings of the Jordan River. And as soon as the king’s men had left, the gate of Jericho was shut.
8 Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went up on the roof to talk with them. 9 “I know the Lord has given you this land,” she told them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror. 10 For we have heard how the Lord made a dry path for you through the Red Sea[c] when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed.[d] 11 No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.
12 “Now swear to me by the Lord that you will be kind to me and my family since I have helped you. Give me some guarantee that 13 when Jericho is conquered, you will let me live, along with my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families.”
14 “We offer our own lives as a guarantee for your safety,” the men agreed. “If you don’t betray us, we will keep our promise and be kind to you when the Lord gives us the land.”
15 Then, since Rahab’s house was built into the town wall, she let them down by a rope through the window. 16 “Escape to the hill country,” she told them. “Hide there for three days from the men searching for you. Then, when they have returned, you can go on your way.”
17 Before they left, the men told her, “We will be bound by the oath we have taken only if you follow these instructions. 18 When we come into the land, you must leave this scarlet rope hanging from the window through which you let us down. And all your family members—your father, mother, brothers, and all your relatives—must be here inside the house. 19 If they go out into the street and are killed, it will not be our fault. But if anyone lays a hand on people inside this house, we will accept the responsibility for their death. 20 If you betray us, however, we are not bound by this oath in any way.”
21 “I accept your terms,” she replied. And she sent them on their way, leaving the scarlet rope hanging from the window.
22 The spies went up into the hill country and stayed there three days. The men who were chasing them searched everywhere along the road, but they finally returned without success.
23 Then the two spies came down from the hill country, crossed the Jordan River, and reported to Joshua all that had happened to them. 24 “The Lord has given us the whole land,” they said, “for all the people in the land are terrified of us.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, February 02, 2015
Read: 1 Chronicles 16:7-14
David’s Song of Praise
On that day David gave to Asaph and his fellow Levites this song of thanksgiving to the Lord:
8 Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.
Let the whole world know what he has done.
9 Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.
Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
10 Exult in his holy name;
rejoice, you who worship the Lord.
11 Search for the Lord and for his strength;
continually seek him.
12 Remember the wonders he has performed,
his miracles, and the rulings he has given,
13 you children of his servant Israel,
you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.
14 He is the Lord our God.
His justice is seen throughout the land.
INSIGHT: The ark of the covenant, the symbol of God’s covenant and presence with His people (Ex. 25:17-22), was neglected by Saul and left abandoned in the Benjamite town of Kirjath Jearim for 20 years (1 Sam. 7:2). After David became king, one of the first things he did was to bring the ark back to Jerusalem (1 Chron. 13:3-14; 15:1-28; 2 Sam. 6:1-3). To commemorate the ark’s return, David composed a song of worship celebrating God’s presence and exalting God’s power (1 Chron. 16:8-36). Asaph (v.7) was one of David’s three music directors (see 1 Chron. 25:1) who sounded the bronze cymbals as the ark was moved into Jerusalem (15:16-19).
For Our Health
By Jennifer Benson Schuldt
Oh, give thanks to the Lord! —1 Chronicles 16:8
According to a prominent Duke University Medical Center researcher, “If thankfulness were a drug, it would be the world’s best-selling product with [health benefits] for every major organ system.”
For some, being thankful means simply living with a sense of gratitude—taking time to recognize and focus on the things we have, instead of the things we wish we had. The Bible takes the idea of thankfulness to a deeper level. The act of giving thanks causes us to recognize the One who provides our blessings (James 1:17).
David knew that God was responsible for the safe delivery of the ark of the covenant in Jerusalem (1 Chron. 15:26). As a result, he penned a song of gratitude that centered on God instead of simply expressing his delight in an important event. The ballad began: “Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples!” (16:8). David’s song went on to rejoice in God’s greatness, highlighting God’s salvation, creative power, and mercy (vv.25-36).
Today we can be truly thankful by worshiping the Giver instead of the gifts we enjoy. Focusing on the good things in our lives may benefit our bodies, but directing our thanks to God benefits our souls.
Gratitude is our natural response to God’s grace.
Nothing so takes the heart out of a person as
ingratitude. Gratitude is not only the greatest of
virtues, but the parent of all the others. —Cicero
True thanksgiving emphasizes the Giver rather than the gifts.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, February 02, 2015
The Compelling Force of the Call
Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! —1 Corinthians 9:16
Beware of refusing to hear the call of God. Everyone who is saved is called to testify to the fact of his salvation. That, however, is not the same as the call to preach, but is merely an illustration which can be used in preaching. In this verse, Paul was referring to the stinging pains produced in him by the compelling force of the call to preach the gospel. Never try to apply what Paul said regarding the call to preach to those souls who are being called to God for salvation. There is nothing easier than getting saved, because it is solely God’s sovereign work— “Look to Me, and be saved…” (Isaiah 45:22). Our Lord never requires the same conditions for discipleship that he requires for salvation. We are condemned to salvation through the Cross of Christ. But discipleship has an option with it— “If anyone…” (Luke 14:26).
Paul’s words have to do with our being made servants of Jesus Christ, and our permission is never asked as to what we will do or where we will go. God makes us as broken bread and poured-out wine to please Himself. To be “separated to the gospel” means being able to hear the call of God (Romans 1:1). Once someone begins to hear that call, a suffering worthy of the name of Christ is produced. Suddenly, every ambition, every desire of life, and every outlook is completely blotted out and extinguished. Only one thing remains— “…separated to the gospel…” Woe be to the soul who tries to head in any other direction once that call has come to him. The Bible Training College exists so that each of you may know whether or not God has a man or woman here who truly cares about proclaiming His gospel and to see if God grips you for this purpose. Beware of competing calls once the call of God grips you.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, February 02, 2015
Family Resemblances - Avoiding the Mistakes of Your Parents - #7321
It can be pretty amusing if you listen in on conversations that revolve around a newborn baby. I'm wondering how they ever learn to talk, the way we adults talk to them. We just lean over and go, "buga, buga, buga" or something like that. And I don't know how they ever learn. But I really think it's funny when the conversation turns to, "Well, who do you think he looks like?"
How can you tell who that wrinkled little guy or girl really looks like? I never can tell. And you know what? You wouldn't necessarily want to have them look like you the way they look right there. But adults will say, "Well, you know, I think he kind of looks like his good old Dad. That's me." Or, "I think he looks like Mom or Grandma." Who does this baby look like?
As the child grows, we begin to see more and more similarities develop. He talks like a certain member of the family, walks, moves, reacts like a certain member of the family. Our kids are so much like us, and we are so much like our parents in many ways. The problem is the resemblance isn't always cute.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Family Resemblances - Avoiding the Mistakes of Your Parents."
Our word for today from the Word of God is found in 1 Peter 1; I'm in verse 18. "You were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers." We're talking about hand-me-downs here. Maybe you've had clothes handed down to you, or you have heirlooms in your house that Aunt Tilley passed on and you dare not, or the kids had better not do anything to break it or damage it. Well, we're talking here about hand-me-downs in our...I guess our personality. This is saying that we get some empty ways of living handed down from parent to child, and grandchild, and so on.
There's a communication of generational weaknesses that goes from one generation to the next. The Bible says this in Exodus. It calls them "...the sins of the fathers being passed on to the third and fourth generation." I remember talking to Gary a while back, and Gary said, "My Mom's driving me crazy, Ron! I can do ten things right and one thing wrong, and all she's going to see is the one thing wrong. She is so critical." I said, "Gary, now look, I've never met your grandparents, but do you have a grandparent who's very hard to please?" He said, "Oh, my grandma! How did you know? She is so rough on my Mother." And then he looked at me for a minute and he said, "You know what? Come to think of it, I'm starting to become a negative, critical person."
What were we seeing there? Three generations of a critical spirit being passed on. Sin crosses generations because we do things the same empty way our folks did them. And family sins are sort of acceptable because we think they're just part of the personality; it sort of goes with having my name. We tend to ignore these problems and not do anything about them, and they continue to hurt new generations.
Listen to some of these family sins. Maybe one will ring a bell: The tendency to manipulate the next generation with guilt and to really make them feel crummy about themselves. Maybe that's been passed on to you or you're passing it on. The tendency to get things done by belittling other people, or to ignore problems until they explode and then you try to patch them over. Maybe you were raised with a hard-to-please person and you've become that kind of person. Or maybe you were raised around people who never complimented you, and you find it hard to give praise now yourself. Maybe they never showed you much affection and it could be that you, too, seldom touch, or hold, or express your love to the people around you. Or maybe it was a parent who always had to be right, and now you've always got to be right. I don't know what it is, but I know there's probably a family sin that is passed on in all of our personalities.
Your strategy is to identify it, call it what it is, say, "I'm not going to tolerate it any more", and in the power of Christ counter attack it. Because this verse says, "We have been redeemed by the blood of Christ from that empty way of life." If you have never begun a relationship with this Savior, this isn't just some religious deal. This is about changing things in you that only a Savior who died on the cross for your sins and walked out of His grave has the power to change.
So many people have found the power to become a new mom, a new dad, a new person, not passing on the sins of the past to other people. You can be forgiven. You can be changed by this Jesus. You say, "Ron, I don't think I have that kind of real relationship with Him." That's why we have a website ANewStory.com.
I want to invite you to meet me there and let me help you begin that relationship today - AnewStory.com. Then you'll be able to say, "That family sin stops with me! It stops now!"
Remember the church at Corinth? A problem on every pew? Territorially selfish. Morally shameless. Theologically reckless. How do you help a congregation like that? You can correct them. Paul did. You can instruct them, which Paul did. You can reason with them; Paul did. But at some point you stop talking to the head and start appealing to the heart. And Paul did that.
I Corinthians 13:4-7 says, "Love. . .bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
He saw only one solution-love! Don't we need the same prescription today? Someday there will be a community where everyone behaves and no one complains. But it won't be this side of heaven. So what do we do? We reason. We confront. We teach. But most of all, we love.
From Max on Life
Joshua 2
Rahab Protects the Spies
Then Joshua secretly sent out two spies from the Israelite camp at Acacia Grove.[b] He instructed them, “Scout out the land on the other side of the Jordan River, especially around Jericho.” So the two men set out and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night.
2 But someone told the king of Jericho, “Some Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” 3 So the king of Jericho sent orders to Rahab: “Bring out the men who have come into your house, for they have come here to spy out the whole land.”
4 Rahab had hidden the two men, but she replied, “Yes, the men were here earlier, but I didn’t know where they were from. 5 They left the town at dusk, as the gates were about to close. I don’t know where they went. If you hurry, you can probably catch up with them.” 6 (Actually, she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them beneath bundles of flax she had laid out.) 7 So the king’s men went looking for the spies along the road leading to the shallow crossings of the Jordan River. And as soon as the king’s men had left, the gate of Jericho was shut.
8 Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went up on the roof to talk with them. 9 “I know the Lord has given you this land,” she told them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror. 10 For we have heard how the Lord made a dry path for you through the Red Sea[c] when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed.[d] 11 No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.
12 “Now swear to me by the Lord that you will be kind to me and my family since I have helped you. Give me some guarantee that 13 when Jericho is conquered, you will let me live, along with my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families.”
14 “We offer our own lives as a guarantee for your safety,” the men agreed. “If you don’t betray us, we will keep our promise and be kind to you when the Lord gives us the land.”
15 Then, since Rahab’s house was built into the town wall, she let them down by a rope through the window. 16 “Escape to the hill country,” she told them. “Hide there for three days from the men searching for you. Then, when they have returned, you can go on your way.”
17 Before they left, the men told her, “We will be bound by the oath we have taken only if you follow these instructions. 18 When we come into the land, you must leave this scarlet rope hanging from the window through which you let us down. And all your family members—your father, mother, brothers, and all your relatives—must be here inside the house. 19 If they go out into the street and are killed, it will not be our fault. But if anyone lays a hand on people inside this house, we will accept the responsibility for their death. 20 If you betray us, however, we are not bound by this oath in any way.”
21 “I accept your terms,” she replied. And she sent them on their way, leaving the scarlet rope hanging from the window.
22 The spies went up into the hill country and stayed there three days. The men who were chasing them searched everywhere along the road, but they finally returned without success.
23 Then the two spies came down from the hill country, crossed the Jordan River, and reported to Joshua all that had happened to them. 24 “The Lord has given us the whole land,” they said, “for all the people in the land are terrified of us.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, February 02, 2015
Read: 1 Chronicles 16:7-14
David’s Song of Praise
On that day David gave to Asaph and his fellow Levites this song of thanksgiving to the Lord:
8 Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.
Let the whole world know what he has done.
9 Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.
Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
10 Exult in his holy name;
rejoice, you who worship the Lord.
11 Search for the Lord and for his strength;
continually seek him.
12 Remember the wonders he has performed,
his miracles, and the rulings he has given,
13 you children of his servant Israel,
you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.
14 He is the Lord our God.
His justice is seen throughout the land.
INSIGHT: The ark of the covenant, the symbol of God’s covenant and presence with His people (Ex. 25:17-22), was neglected by Saul and left abandoned in the Benjamite town of Kirjath Jearim for 20 years (1 Sam. 7:2). After David became king, one of the first things he did was to bring the ark back to Jerusalem (1 Chron. 13:3-14; 15:1-28; 2 Sam. 6:1-3). To commemorate the ark’s return, David composed a song of worship celebrating God’s presence and exalting God’s power (1 Chron. 16:8-36). Asaph (v.7) was one of David’s three music directors (see 1 Chron. 25:1) who sounded the bronze cymbals as the ark was moved into Jerusalem (15:16-19).
For Our Health
By Jennifer Benson Schuldt
Oh, give thanks to the Lord! —1 Chronicles 16:8
According to a prominent Duke University Medical Center researcher, “If thankfulness were a drug, it would be the world’s best-selling product with [health benefits] for every major organ system.”
For some, being thankful means simply living with a sense of gratitude—taking time to recognize and focus on the things we have, instead of the things we wish we had. The Bible takes the idea of thankfulness to a deeper level. The act of giving thanks causes us to recognize the One who provides our blessings (James 1:17).
David knew that God was responsible for the safe delivery of the ark of the covenant in Jerusalem (1 Chron. 15:26). As a result, he penned a song of gratitude that centered on God instead of simply expressing his delight in an important event. The ballad began: “Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples!” (16:8). David’s song went on to rejoice in God’s greatness, highlighting God’s salvation, creative power, and mercy (vv.25-36).
Today we can be truly thankful by worshiping the Giver instead of the gifts we enjoy. Focusing on the good things in our lives may benefit our bodies, but directing our thanks to God benefits our souls.
Gratitude is our natural response to God’s grace.
Nothing so takes the heart out of a person as
ingratitude. Gratitude is not only the greatest of
virtues, but the parent of all the others. —Cicero
True thanksgiving emphasizes the Giver rather than the gifts.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, February 02, 2015
The Compelling Force of the Call
Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! —1 Corinthians 9:16
Beware of refusing to hear the call of God. Everyone who is saved is called to testify to the fact of his salvation. That, however, is not the same as the call to preach, but is merely an illustration which can be used in preaching. In this verse, Paul was referring to the stinging pains produced in him by the compelling force of the call to preach the gospel. Never try to apply what Paul said regarding the call to preach to those souls who are being called to God for salvation. There is nothing easier than getting saved, because it is solely God’s sovereign work— “Look to Me, and be saved…” (Isaiah 45:22). Our Lord never requires the same conditions for discipleship that he requires for salvation. We are condemned to salvation through the Cross of Christ. But discipleship has an option with it— “If anyone…” (Luke 14:26).
Paul’s words have to do with our being made servants of Jesus Christ, and our permission is never asked as to what we will do or where we will go. God makes us as broken bread and poured-out wine to please Himself. To be “separated to the gospel” means being able to hear the call of God (Romans 1:1). Once someone begins to hear that call, a suffering worthy of the name of Christ is produced. Suddenly, every ambition, every desire of life, and every outlook is completely blotted out and extinguished. Only one thing remains— “…separated to the gospel…” Woe be to the soul who tries to head in any other direction once that call has come to him. The Bible Training College exists so that each of you may know whether or not God has a man or woman here who truly cares about proclaiming His gospel and to see if God grips you for this purpose. Beware of competing calls once the call of God grips you.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, February 02, 2015
Family Resemblances - Avoiding the Mistakes of Your Parents - #7321
It can be pretty amusing if you listen in on conversations that revolve around a newborn baby. I'm wondering how they ever learn to talk, the way we adults talk to them. We just lean over and go, "buga, buga, buga" or something like that. And I don't know how they ever learn. But I really think it's funny when the conversation turns to, "Well, who do you think he looks like?"
How can you tell who that wrinkled little guy or girl really looks like? I never can tell. And you know what? You wouldn't necessarily want to have them look like you the way they look right there. But adults will say, "Well, you know, I think he kind of looks like his good old Dad. That's me." Or, "I think he looks like Mom or Grandma." Who does this baby look like?
As the child grows, we begin to see more and more similarities develop. He talks like a certain member of the family, walks, moves, reacts like a certain member of the family. Our kids are so much like us, and we are so much like our parents in many ways. The problem is the resemblance isn't always cute.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Family Resemblances - Avoiding the Mistakes of Your Parents."
Our word for today from the Word of God is found in 1 Peter 1; I'm in verse 18. "You were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers." We're talking about hand-me-downs here. Maybe you've had clothes handed down to you, or you have heirlooms in your house that Aunt Tilley passed on and you dare not, or the kids had better not do anything to break it or damage it. Well, we're talking here about hand-me-downs in our...I guess our personality. This is saying that we get some empty ways of living handed down from parent to child, and grandchild, and so on.
There's a communication of generational weaknesses that goes from one generation to the next. The Bible says this in Exodus. It calls them "...the sins of the fathers being passed on to the third and fourth generation." I remember talking to Gary a while back, and Gary said, "My Mom's driving me crazy, Ron! I can do ten things right and one thing wrong, and all she's going to see is the one thing wrong. She is so critical." I said, "Gary, now look, I've never met your grandparents, but do you have a grandparent who's very hard to please?" He said, "Oh, my grandma! How did you know? She is so rough on my Mother." And then he looked at me for a minute and he said, "You know what? Come to think of it, I'm starting to become a negative, critical person."
What were we seeing there? Three generations of a critical spirit being passed on. Sin crosses generations because we do things the same empty way our folks did them. And family sins are sort of acceptable because we think they're just part of the personality; it sort of goes with having my name. We tend to ignore these problems and not do anything about them, and they continue to hurt new generations.
Listen to some of these family sins. Maybe one will ring a bell: The tendency to manipulate the next generation with guilt and to really make them feel crummy about themselves. Maybe that's been passed on to you or you're passing it on. The tendency to get things done by belittling other people, or to ignore problems until they explode and then you try to patch them over. Maybe you were raised with a hard-to-please person and you've become that kind of person. Or maybe you were raised around people who never complimented you, and you find it hard to give praise now yourself. Maybe they never showed you much affection and it could be that you, too, seldom touch, or hold, or express your love to the people around you. Or maybe it was a parent who always had to be right, and now you've always got to be right. I don't know what it is, but I know there's probably a family sin that is passed on in all of our personalities.
Your strategy is to identify it, call it what it is, say, "I'm not going to tolerate it any more", and in the power of Christ counter attack it. Because this verse says, "We have been redeemed by the blood of Christ from that empty way of life." If you have never begun a relationship with this Savior, this isn't just some religious deal. This is about changing things in you that only a Savior who died on the cross for your sins and walked out of His grave has the power to change.
So many people have found the power to become a new mom, a new dad, a new person, not passing on the sins of the past to other people. You can be forgiven. You can be changed by this Jesus. You say, "Ron, I don't think I have that kind of real relationship with Him." That's why we have a website ANewStory.com.
I want to invite you to meet me there and let me help you begin that relationship today - AnewStory.com. Then you'll be able to say, "That family sin stops with me! It stops now!"
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Joshua 1 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Max Lucado Daily: Just Like Jesus
When they were young, my daughters loved playing “dress-up.” They’d put on their mom’s shoes, fill up a grown-up purse with crayons and pretend grown-up scenarios. For the moment, they wanted to be just like mom.
Don’t we do the same? We look at ourselves, with our immaturity, our sinfulness, and we want to clothe ourselves in something better. We want to be just like Jesus. This seems like an impossible goal until we accept one simple truth: God will help us. He loves us. Not only does God love each of us exactly as we are, but he wants us, little by little, to become like him. Why? Because he wants us to have a heart like his.
Need to hear that message a few more times? Don’t we all? God loves you just the way you are, but he refuses to leave you that way! He wants you to be just like Jesus!
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26).
From Just Like Jesus
Joshua 1
The Lord’s Charge to Joshua
After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3 I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you— 4 from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea[a] in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.
6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua’s Charge to the Israelites
10 Joshua then commanded the officers of Israel, 11 “Go through the camp and tell the people to get their provisions ready. In three days you will cross the Jordan River and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
12 Then Joshua called together the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. He told them, 13 “Remember what Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded you: ‘The Lord your God is giving you a place of rest. He has given you this land.’ 14 Your wives, children, and livestock may remain here in the land Moses assigned to you on the east side of the Jordan River. But your strong warriors, fully armed, must lead the other tribes across the Jordan to help them conquer their territory. Stay with them 15 until the Lord gives them rest, as he has given you rest, and until they, too, possess the land the Lord your God is giving them. Only then may you return and settle here on the east side of the Jordan River in the land that Moses, the servant of the Lord, assigned to you.”
16 They answered Joshua, “We will do whatever you command us, and we will go wherever you send us. 17 We will obey you just as we obeyed Moses. And may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses. 18 Anyone who rebels against your orders and does not obey your words and everything you command will be put to death. So be strong and courageous!”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Sunday, February 01, 2015
Read: Ephesians 4:5-16 |
here is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all,
who is over all, in all, and living through all.
7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift[a] through the generosity of Christ. 8 That is why the Scriptures say,
“When he ascended to the heights,
he led a crowd of captives
and gave gifts to his people.”[b]
9 Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world.[c] 10 And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
Footnotes:
4:7 Greek a grace.
4:8 Ps 68:18.
4:9 Some manuscripts read to the lower parts of the earth.
NSIGHT: The unity of believers is an important topic for Paul. He spends a great deal of time in several different letters talking about the goal and the purpose of unity (1 Cor. 12; Eph. 4; Phil. 2). In Ephesians 4, Paul says the ultimate goal of all believers is to measure up “to the full and complete standard of Christ” (v.13 nlt).
Blended Together
By Dennis Fisher
We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. —Ephesians 2:10
My wife, Janet, bought me a new Dreadnought D-35 guitar for my 65th birthday. Originally developed in the early 1900s, the Dreadnought style is larger than most guitars designed during that time, and it’s known for its bold and loud tone. It was named after the large World War I British battleship the HMS Dreadnought. The back of the D-35 is unique. Because of the shortage of wide pieces of high quality rosewood, the craftsmen innovatively fit three smaller pieces of wood together, which resulted in a richer tone.
God’s workmanship is a lot like that innovative guitar design. Jesus takes fragments and blends them together to bring Him praise. He recruited tax collectors, Jewish revolutionaries, fishermen, and others to be His followers. And down through the centuries Christ continues to call out people from varied walks of life. The apostle Paul tells us, “He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love” (Eph. 4:16 nlt).
In the Master’s hand many kinds of people are fit together and are being built into something with great potential for praise to God and service for others.
Thank You, Lord, that you have placed us
in Your family—that You are using us
individually and together to bring You
honor. Help us to live in Your power.
We can accomplish more together than we can alone.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, February 01, 2015
The Call of God
Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel… —1 Corinthians 1:17
Paul states here that the call of God is to preach the gospel. But remember what Paul means by “the gospel,” namely, the reality of redemption in our Lord Jesus Christ. We are inclined to make sanctification the goal of our preaching. Paul refers to personal experiences only by way of illustration, never as the end of the matter. We are not commissioned to preach salvation or sanctification— we are commissioned to lift up Jesus Christ (see John 12:32). It is an injustice to say that Jesus Christ labored in redemption to make me a saint. Jesus Christ labored in redemption to redeem the whole world and to place it perfectly whole and restored before the throne of God. The fact that we can experience redemption illustrates the power of its reality, but that experience is a byproduct and not the goal of redemption. If God were human, how sick and tired He would be of the constant requests we make for our salvation and for our sanctification. We burden His energies from morning till night asking for things for ourselves or for something from which we want to be delivered! When we finally touch the underlying foundation of the reality of the gospel of God, we will never bother Him anymore with little personal complaints.
The one passion of Paul’s life was to proclaim the gospel of God. He welcomed heartbreak, disillusionment, and tribulation for only one reason— these things kept him unmovable in his devotion to the gospel of God.
When they were young, my daughters loved playing “dress-up.” They’d put on their mom’s shoes, fill up a grown-up purse with crayons and pretend grown-up scenarios. For the moment, they wanted to be just like mom.
Don’t we do the same? We look at ourselves, with our immaturity, our sinfulness, and we want to clothe ourselves in something better. We want to be just like Jesus. This seems like an impossible goal until we accept one simple truth: God will help us. He loves us. Not only does God love each of us exactly as we are, but he wants us, little by little, to become like him. Why? Because he wants us to have a heart like his.
Need to hear that message a few more times? Don’t we all? God loves you just the way you are, but he refuses to leave you that way! He wants you to be just like Jesus!
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26).
From Just Like Jesus
Joshua 1
The Lord’s Charge to Joshua
After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3 I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you— 4 from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea[a] in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.
6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua’s Charge to the Israelites
10 Joshua then commanded the officers of Israel, 11 “Go through the camp and tell the people to get their provisions ready. In three days you will cross the Jordan River and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
12 Then Joshua called together the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. He told them, 13 “Remember what Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded you: ‘The Lord your God is giving you a place of rest. He has given you this land.’ 14 Your wives, children, and livestock may remain here in the land Moses assigned to you on the east side of the Jordan River. But your strong warriors, fully armed, must lead the other tribes across the Jordan to help them conquer their territory. Stay with them 15 until the Lord gives them rest, as he has given you rest, and until they, too, possess the land the Lord your God is giving them. Only then may you return and settle here on the east side of the Jordan River in the land that Moses, the servant of the Lord, assigned to you.”
16 They answered Joshua, “We will do whatever you command us, and we will go wherever you send us. 17 We will obey you just as we obeyed Moses. And may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses. 18 Anyone who rebels against your orders and does not obey your words and everything you command will be put to death. So be strong and courageous!”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Sunday, February 01, 2015
Read: Ephesians 4:5-16 |
here is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all,
who is over all, in all, and living through all.
7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift[a] through the generosity of Christ. 8 That is why the Scriptures say,
“When he ascended to the heights,
he led a crowd of captives
and gave gifts to his people.”[b]
9 Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world.[c] 10 And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
Footnotes:
4:7 Greek a grace.
4:8 Ps 68:18.
4:9 Some manuscripts read to the lower parts of the earth.
NSIGHT: The unity of believers is an important topic for Paul. He spends a great deal of time in several different letters talking about the goal and the purpose of unity (1 Cor. 12; Eph. 4; Phil. 2). In Ephesians 4, Paul says the ultimate goal of all believers is to measure up “to the full and complete standard of Christ” (v.13 nlt).
Blended Together
By Dennis Fisher
We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. —Ephesians 2:10
My wife, Janet, bought me a new Dreadnought D-35 guitar for my 65th birthday. Originally developed in the early 1900s, the Dreadnought style is larger than most guitars designed during that time, and it’s known for its bold and loud tone. It was named after the large World War I British battleship the HMS Dreadnought. The back of the D-35 is unique. Because of the shortage of wide pieces of high quality rosewood, the craftsmen innovatively fit three smaller pieces of wood together, which resulted in a richer tone.
God’s workmanship is a lot like that innovative guitar design. Jesus takes fragments and blends them together to bring Him praise. He recruited tax collectors, Jewish revolutionaries, fishermen, and others to be His followers. And down through the centuries Christ continues to call out people from varied walks of life. The apostle Paul tells us, “He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love” (Eph. 4:16 nlt).
In the Master’s hand many kinds of people are fit together and are being built into something with great potential for praise to God and service for others.
Thank You, Lord, that you have placed us
in Your family—that You are using us
individually and together to bring You
honor. Help us to live in Your power.
We can accomplish more together than we can alone.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, February 01, 2015
The Call of God
Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel… —1 Corinthians 1:17
Paul states here that the call of God is to preach the gospel. But remember what Paul means by “the gospel,” namely, the reality of redemption in our Lord Jesus Christ. We are inclined to make sanctification the goal of our preaching. Paul refers to personal experiences only by way of illustration, never as the end of the matter. We are not commissioned to preach salvation or sanctification— we are commissioned to lift up Jesus Christ (see John 12:32). It is an injustice to say that Jesus Christ labored in redemption to make me a saint. Jesus Christ labored in redemption to redeem the whole world and to place it perfectly whole and restored before the throne of God. The fact that we can experience redemption illustrates the power of its reality, but that experience is a byproduct and not the goal of redemption. If God were human, how sick and tired He would be of the constant requests we make for our salvation and for our sanctification. We burden His energies from morning till night asking for things for ourselves or for something from which we want to be delivered! When we finally touch the underlying foundation of the reality of the gospel of God, we will never bother Him anymore with little personal complaints.
The one passion of Paul’s life was to proclaim the gospel of God. He welcomed heartbreak, disillusionment, and tribulation for only one reason— these things kept him unmovable in his devotion to the gospel of God.
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Luke 8:26-56 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: The Big News
The big news of the Bible is not that you love God, but that God loves you; not that you can know God, but that God already knows you!
God tattooed your name on the palm of his hand. You never leave his mind, escape his sight, flee his thoughts. He sees the worst of you and loves you still. Your sins of tomorrow and failings of the future will not surprise him, he sees them now. Every day and deed of your life has passed before his eyes and been calculated in his decision. He knows you better than you know you and reached his verdict: He loves you still!
No discovery will disillusion him, no rebellion will dissuade him. You need not win his love. You already have it. And since you can't win it, you can't lose it! He loves you with an everlasting love!
From The Lucado Inspirational Reader
Luke 8:26-56
Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Man
So they arrived in the region of the Gerasenes,[a] across the lake from Galilee. 27 As Jesus was climbing out of the boat, a man who was possessed by demons came out to meet him. For a long time he had been homeless and naked, living in a cemetery outside the town.
28 As soon as he saw Jesus, he shrieked and fell down in front of him. Then he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Please, I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had already commanded the evil[b] spirit to come out of him. This spirit had often taken control of the man. Even when he was placed under guard and put in chains and shackles, he simply broke them and rushed out into the wilderness, completely under the demon’s power.
30 Jesus demanded, “What is your name?”
“Legion,” he replied, for he was filled with many demons. 31 The demons kept begging Jesus not to send them into the bottomless pit.[c]
32 There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby, and the demons begged him to let them enter into the pigs.
So Jesus gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned.
34 When the herdsmen saw it, they fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. 35 People rushed out to see what had happened. A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been freed from the demons. He was sitting at Jesus’ feet, fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. 36 Then those who had seen what happened told the others how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 37 And all the people in the region of the Gerasenes begged Jesus to go away and leave them alone, for a great wave of fear swept over them.
So Jesus returned to the boat and left, crossing back to the other side of the lake. 38 The man who had been freed from the demons begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him home, saying, 39 “No, go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you.” So he went all through the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him.
Jesus Heals in Response to Faith
40 On the other side of the lake the crowds welcomed Jesus, because they had been waiting for him. 41 Then a man named Jairus, a leader of the local synagogue, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come home with him. 42 His only daughter,[d] who was about twelve years old, was dying.
As Jesus went with him, he was surrounded by the crowds. 43 A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding,[e] and she could find no cure. 44 Coming up behind Jesus, she touched the fringe of his robe. Immediately, the bleeding stopped.
45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.
Everyone denied it, and Peter said, “Master, this whole crowd is pressing up against you.”
46 But Jesus said, “Someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me.” 47 When the woman realized that she could not stay hidden, she began to tremble and fell to her knees in front of him. The whole crowd heard her explain why she had touched him and that she had been immediately healed. 48 “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”
49 While he was still speaking to her, a messenger arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. He told him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.”
50 But when Jesus heard what had happened, he said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith, and she will be healed.”
51 When they arrived at the house, Jesus wouldn’t let anyone go in with him except Peter, John, James, and the little girl’s father and mother. 52 The house was filled with people weeping and wailing, but he said, “Stop the weeping! She isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.”
53 But the crowd laughed at him because they all knew she had died. 54 Then Jesus took her by the hand and said in a loud voice, “My child, get up!” 55 And at that moment her life[f] returned, and she immediately stood up! Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 56 Her parents were overwhelmed, but Jesus insisted that they not tell anyone what had happened.
Footnotes:
8:26 Other manuscripts read Gadarenes; still others read Gergesenes; also in 8:37. See Matt 8:28; Mark 5:1.
8:29 Greek unclean.
8:31 Or the abyss, or the underworld.
8:42 Or His only child, a daughter.
8:43 Some manuscripts add having spent everything she had on doctors.
8:55 Or her spirit.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Read: 2 Corinthians 5:18-6:2
And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,[a] so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
6 As God’s partners,[b] we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. 2 For God says,
“At just the right time, I heard you.
On the day of salvation, I helped you.”[c]
Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.
Footnotes:
5:21 Or to become sin itself.
6:1 Or As we work together.
6:2 Isa 49:8 (Greek version).
INSIGHT: One of the great biblical texts on salvation is 2 Corinthians 5:21. There we see the partnership of the Father and Son producing our rescue. First, all of our sins were placed on Christ, who bore them on the cross on our behalf (1 Peter 2:24). Then, Christ’s right standing with the Father is given to those who trust Him by faith (John 1:12). Now we are no longer enemies of God, for we have been brought to the Father by the Son’s work for us. God demonstrated His love for us when He gave up His one and only Son.
A Closing Door
By Poh Fang Chia
Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. —2 Corinthians 6:2
Beep, beep, beep, beep. The warning sound and flashing lights alerted commuters that the train door was about to close. Yet a few tardy individuals still made a frenzied scramble across the platform and onto the train. The door closed on one of them. Thankfully, it rebounded and the passenger boarded the train safely. I wondered why people took such risks when the next train would arrive in a mere 4 minutes.
There is a far more important door that we must enter before it closes. It is the door of God’s mercy. The apostle Paul tells us, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). Christ has come, died for our sins, and has risen from the grave. He has opened the way for us to be reconciled to God and has proclaimed for us the day of salvation.
Today is that day. But one day the door of mercy will close. To those who received and served Christ, He will say, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you” (Matt. 25:34). But those who don’t know Him will be turned away (v.46).
Our response to Jesus Christ determines our destiny. Today Jesus invites, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved” (John 10:9).
Today Thy gate is open,
And all who enter in
Shall find a Father’s welcome,
And pardon for their sin. —Allen
There’s no better day than today to enter into God’s family.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Do You See Your Calling?
…separated to the gospel of God… —Romans 1:1
Our calling is not primarily to be holy men and women, but to be proclaimers of the gospel of God. The one all-important thing is that the gospel of God should be recognized as the abiding reality. Reality is not human goodness, or holiness, or heaven, or hell— it is redemption. The need to perceive this is the most vital need of the Christian worker today. As workers, we have to get used to the revelation that redemption is the only reality. Personal holiness is an effect of redemption, not the cause of it. If we place our faith in human goodness we will go under when testing comes.
Paul did not say that he separated himself, but “when it pleased God, who separated me…” (Galatians 1:15). Paul was not overly interested in his own character. And as long as our eyes are focused on our own personal holiness, we will never even get close to the full reality of redemption. Christian workers fail because they place their desire for their own holiness above their desire to know God. “Don’t ask me to be confronted with the strong reality of redemption on behalf of the filth of human life surrounding me today; what I want is anything God can do for me to make me more desirable in my own eyes.” To talk that way is a sign that the reality of the gospel of God has not begun to touch me. There is no reckless abandon to God in that. God cannot deliver me while my interest is merely in my own character. Paul was not conscious of himself. He was recklessly abandoned, totally surrendered, and separated by God for one purpose— to proclaim the gospel of God (see Romans 9:3).
The big news of the Bible is not that you love God, but that God loves you; not that you can know God, but that God already knows you!
God tattooed your name on the palm of his hand. You never leave his mind, escape his sight, flee his thoughts. He sees the worst of you and loves you still. Your sins of tomorrow and failings of the future will not surprise him, he sees them now. Every day and deed of your life has passed before his eyes and been calculated in his decision. He knows you better than you know you and reached his verdict: He loves you still!
No discovery will disillusion him, no rebellion will dissuade him. You need not win his love. You already have it. And since you can't win it, you can't lose it! He loves you with an everlasting love!
From The Lucado Inspirational Reader
Luke 8:26-56
Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Man
So they arrived in the region of the Gerasenes,[a] across the lake from Galilee. 27 As Jesus was climbing out of the boat, a man who was possessed by demons came out to meet him. For a long time he had been homeless and naked, living in a cemetery outside the town.
28 As soon as he saw Jesus, he shrieked and fell down in front of him. Then he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Please, I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had already commanded the evil[b] spirit to come out of him. This spirit had often taken control of the man. Even when he was placed under guard and put in chains and shackles, he simply broke them and rushed out into the wilderness, completely under the demon’s power.
30 Jesus demanded, “What is your name?”
“Legion,” he replied, for he was filled with many demons. 31 The demons kept begging Jesus not to send them into the bottomless pit.[c]
32 There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby, and the demons begged him to let them enter into the pigs.
So Jesus gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned.
34 When the herdsmen saw it, they fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. 35 People rushed out to see what had happened. A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been freed from the demons. He was sitting at Jesus’ feet, fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. 36 Then those who had seen what happened told the others how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 37 And all the people in the region of the Gerasenes begged Jesus to go away and leave them alone, for a great wave of fear swept over them.
So Jesus returned to the boat and left, crossing back to the other side of the lake. 38 The man who had been freed from the demons begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him home, saying, 39 “No, go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you.” So he went all through the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him.
Jesus Heals in Response to Faith
40 On the other side of the lake the crowds welcomed Jesus, because they had been waiting for him. 41 Then a man named Jairus, a leader of the local synagogue, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come home with him. 42 His only daughter,[d] who was about twelve years old, was dying.
As Jesus went with him, he was surrounded by the crowds. 43 A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding,[e] and she could find no cure. 44 Coming up behind Jesus, she touched the fringe of his robe. Immediately, the bleeding stopped.
45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.
Everyone denied it, and Peter said, “Master, this whole crowd is pressing up against you.”
46 But Jesus said, “Someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me.” 47 When the woman realized that she could not stay hidden, she began to tremble and fell to her knees in front of him. The whole crowd heard her explain why she had touched him and that she had been immediately healed. 48 “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”
49 While he was still speaking to her, a messenger arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. He told him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.”
50 But when Jesus heard what had happened, he said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith, and she will be healed.”
51 When they arrived at the house, Jesus wouldn’t let anyone go in with him except Peter, John, James, and the little girl’s father and mother. 52 The house was filled with people weeping and wailing, but he said, “Stop the weeping! She isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.”
53 But the crowd laughed at him because they all knew she had died. 54 Then Jesus took her by the hand and said in a loud voice, “My child, get up!” 55 And at that moment her life[f] returned, and she immediately stood up! Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 56 Her parents were overwhelmed, but Jesus insisted that they not tell anyone what had happened.
Footnotes:
8:26 Other manuscripts read Gadarenes; still others read Gergesenes; also in 8:37. See Matt 8:28; Mark 5:1.
8:29 Greek unclean.
8:31 Or the abyss, or the underworld.
8:42 Or His only child, a daughter.
8:43 Some manuscripts add having spent everything she had on doctors.
8:55 Or her spirit.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Read: 2 Corinthians 5:18-6:2
And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,[a] so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
6 As God’s partners,[b] we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. 2 For God says,
“At just the right time, I heard you.
On the day of salvation, I helped you.”[c]
Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.
Footnotes:
5:21 Or to become sin itself.
6:1 Or As we work together.
6:2 Isa 49:8 (Greek version).
INSIGHT: One of the great biblical texts on salvation is 2 Corinthians 5:21. There we see the partnership of the Father and Son producing our rescue. First, all of our sins were placed on Christ, who bore them on the cross on our behalf (1 Peter 2:24). Then, Christ’s right standing with the Father is given to those who trust Him by faith (John 1:12). Now we are no longer enemies of God, for we have been brought to the Father by the Son’s work for us. God demonstrated His love for us when He gave up His one and only Son.
A Closing Door
By Poh Fang Chia
Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. —2 Corinthians 6:2
Beep, beep, beep, beep. The warning sound and flashing lights alerted commuters that the train door was about to close. Yet a few tardy individuals still made a frenzied scramble across the platform and onto the train. The door closed on one of them. Thankfully, it rebounded and the passenger boarded the train safely. I wondered why people took such risks when the next train would arrive in a mere 4 minutes.
There is a far more important door that we must enter before it closes. It is the door of God’s mercy. The apostle Paul tells us, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). Christ has come, died for our sins, and has risen from the grave. He has opened the way for us to be reconciled to God and has proclaimed for us the day of salvation.
Today is that day. But one day the door of mercy will close. To those who received and served Christ, He will say, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you” (Matt. 25:34). But those who don’t know Him will be turned away (v.46).
Our response to Jesus Christ determines our destiny. Today Jesus invites, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved” (John 10:9).
Today Thy gate is open,
And all who enter in
Shall find a Father’s welcome,
And pardon for their sin. —Allen
There’s no better day than today to enter into God’s family.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Do You See Your Calling?
…separated to the gospel of God… —Romans 1:1
Our calling is not primarily to be holy men and women, but to be proclaimers of the gospel of God. The one all-important thing is that the gospel of God should be recognized as the abiding reality. Reality is not human goodness, or holiness, or heaven, or hell— it is redemption. The need to perceive this is the most vital need of the Christian worker today. As workers, we have to get used to the revelation that redemption is the only reality. Personal holiness is an effect of redemption, not the cause of it. If we place our faith in human goodness we will go under when testing comes.
Paul did not say that he separated himself, but “when it pleased God, who separated me…” (Galatians 1:15). Paul was not overly interested in his own character. And as long as our eyes are focused on our own personal holiness, we will never even get close to the full reality of redemption. Christian workers fail because they place their desire for their own holiness above their desire to know God. “Don’t ask me to be confronted with the strong reality of redemption on behalf of the filth of human life surrounding me today; what I want is anything God can do for me to make me more desirable in my own eyes.” To talk that way is a sign that the reality of the gospel of God has not begun to touch me. There is no reckless abandon to God in that. God cannot deliver me while my interest is merely in my own character. Paul was not conscious of himself. He was recklessly abandoned, totally surrendered, and separated by God for one purpose— to proclaim the gospel of God (see Romans 9:3).
Friday, January 30, 2015
Deuteronomy 34, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Better to be Quiet
When you sense the volume increasing and the heat rising, close your mouth. It’s better to be quiet and keep a brother than be loud and lose one. Romans 14:4 makes it clear… “they are God’s servants, not yours. They are responsible to him, not to you. Let him tell them whether they are right or wrong.”
We judge others when we stop addressing the controversy and start attacking the character. Example? “You’d expect such an opinion out of a person who never studies the Bible!” If we disagree, let us disagree agreeably. Unity demands that we discuss the issues, not the person. Paul said, “Let us try to do what makes peace and helps one another” (Rom. 14:19).
1 Peter 4:8 says, “Love shall cover the multitude of sins.” So, if love covers a multitude of sins, can it not cover a multitude of opinions?
From Max on Life
Deuteronomy 34
Moses Dies and Is Buried in the Land of Moab
Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, 2 all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, 3 the Negeb, and the Plain—that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees—as far as Zoar. 4 The Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” 5 Then Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord’s command. 6 He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. 7 Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated. 8 The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended.
9 Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the Lord had commanded Moses.
10 Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. 11 He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, 12 and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, January 30, 2015
Read: Mark 14:32-42
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
They went to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated. 34 And he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.” 35 And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 He said, “Abba,[a] Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.” 37 He came and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep awake one hour? 38 Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial;[b] the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40 And once more he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to say to him. 41 He came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come; the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.”
Footnotes:
Mark 14:36 Aramaic for Father
Mark 14:38 Or into temptation
INSIGHT: Prayer was the essence of Jesus’ relationship with the Father. He often withdrew to a solitary place to pray (Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16; 9:18). Sometimes He spent long hours communicating with His Father (Luke 6:12; John 17) and other times He prayed short, quick prayers (Matt. 14:19; Luke 23:34,46; John 12:27).
Sledding And Praying
By Dave Branon
Now it came to pass in those days that [Jesus] went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. —Luke 6:12
When the snow flies in Michigan, I like to get my grandkids, grab our plastic sleds, and go slipping and sliding down our backyard. We zoom down the hill for about 10 seconds, and then climb back up for more.
When I travel to Alaska with a bunch of teenagers, we also go sledding. We are hauled by bus nearly to the top of a mountain. We jump on our sleds and, for the next 10 to 20 minutes (depending on levels of bravery), we slide at breakneck speeds down the mountain, holding on for dear life.
Ten seconds in my backyard or 10 minutes down an Alaskan mountain. They’re both called sledding, but there is clearly a difference.
I’ve been thinking about this in regard to prayer. Sometimes we do the “10 seconds in the backyard” kind of praying—a quick, spur-of-the-moment prayer or a short thanks before eating. At other times, we’re drawn to “down the mountain” praying—extended, intense times that require concentration and passion in our relationship with Him. Both have their place and are vital to our lives.
Jesus prayed often, and sometimes for a long time (Luke 6:12; Mark 14:32-42). Either way, let us bring the desires of our heart to the God of the backyards and the mountains of our lives.
Lord, please challenge us to pray constantly—both in
short sessions and long. As we face the valleys, hills,
and mountains of our lives, may we lift our hearts
and minds to You in constant communication.
The heart of prayer is prayer from the heart.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, January 30, 2015
The Dilemma of Obedience
Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision. —1 Samuel 3:15
God never speaks to us in dramatic ways, but in ways that are easy to misunderstand. Then we say, “I wonder if that is God’s voice?” Isaiah said that the Lord spoke to him “with a strong hand,” that is, by the pressure of his circumstances (Isaiah 8:11). Without the sovereign hand of God Himself, nothing touches our lives. Do we discern His hand at work, or do we see things as mere occurrences?
Get into the habit of saying, “Speak, Lord,” and life will become a romance (1 Samuel 3:9). Every time circumstances press in on you, say, “Speak, Lord,” and make time to listen. Chastening is more than a means of discipline— it is meant to bring me to the point of saying, “Speak, Lord.” Think back to a time when God spoke to you. Do you remember what He said? Was it Luke 11:13, or was it 1 Thessalonians 5:23? As we listen, our ears become more sensitive, and like Jesus, we will hear God all the time.
Should I tell my “Eli” what God has shown to me? This is where the dilemma of obedience hits us. We disobey God by becoming amateur providences and thinking, “I must shield ‘Eli,’ ” who represents the best people we know. God did not tell Samuel to tell Eli— he had to decide that for himself. God’s message to you may hurt your “Eli,” but trying to prevent suffering in another’s life will prove to be an obstruction between your soul and God. It is at your own risk that you prevent someone’s right hand being cut off or right eye being plucked out (see Matthew 5:29-30).
Never ask another person’s advice about anything God makes you decide before Him. If you ask advice, you will almost always side with Satan. “…I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood…” (Galatians 1:16).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, January 30, 2015
Reservation Tested - #7320
Our family's had the wonderful privilege to spend some unforgettable ministry days on Native American reservations in the southwest. And when you're there you do a lot of driving. Now, the vehicle of choice there is not a car. No, no, no you want a truck. The roads there are, shall we say, of uneven quality. A lot of places are only accessible on roads that are steep and bumpy, and it challenges the durability of any vehicle or passenger for that matter.
Now, I heard the radio stations in that area, advertised some trucks. And they often use one phrase to promote the quality of their trucks and everybody knew what they meant. This macho voice would come on and say, "It's reservation tested!"
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Reservation Tested."
Our word for today from the Word of God, we're in Luke 4, beginning at verse 1. It's the familiar story of the temptation of Jesus. It says, "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan." Now remember that's when He had just been baptized. The Spirit had come down from heaven in the form of a dove, and He heard the Father's voice saying, 'This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.'" In essence the Trinity was reconvened at that moment. For Jesus, that was probably the ultimate spiritual high.
And then it says, "Then He was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days He was tempted by the Devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them He was hungry. And the Devil said to Him, 'If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.' Jesus answered, 'It is written, man does not live on bread alone.'"
There are two more temptations that come right at the weak spots of Jesus. And He again answers with the Word of God. After the Devil finally gives up and leaves, it says in verse 14, "Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit and news about Him spread through the whole countryside. He taught in the synagogues and everyone praised Him."
See this is the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus Christ. And there is a cycle in this incident in Jesus' life that is repeated many times in yours and mine. First, the Spirit's touch. For Jesus that was His baptism at the Jordan River. That's when the Lord comes in this most evident, almost tangible way. You remember times like that. A feeling in your life when the Lord was so dramatic in the way He revealed Himself when He spoke to you? There's no doubt that He's there.
That's the beginning. At the end of the cycle comes the Spirit's triumph. We saw it at the end of this story that Jesus' life exploded into ministry. Now, the end of that cycle for you is that the Spirit's touch ultimately ends with your life becoming very powerful, affecting many other lives. But did you notice what's in-between the Spirit touch, and the Spirit triumph? It's a Spirit test. That's your time to be reservation tested.
It's hot. It's bumpy. It's lonely, You've taken a beating. There is no dove there. There's no voice from heaven. The Devil feels more real than God does. There's doubt and temptation and deprivation. Your feelings - they're not inspired any more. You're just numb. Does that sound familiar at all? Well you know what we learn from Jesus' Experience - that's the road to power, but you have to go through the desert.
The Bible says the Old Testament saints were led into the desert to test what was in their heart. It's not the spiritual high that makes the work of God real in your life. It's the time when there's no feeling, there's no outward evidence of God at work. Notice, the wilderness isn't the Devil's idea. It's his opportunity. But it's the Spirit's idea. It's the wilderness that proves the reality of what God said to you in the high times. Your Lord leads you into this wilderness to wean you from depending on evidence of Him to depending only on Him. He wants you to test the power of God's Word by taking down the Prince of Darkness with only God's Word in your hand. Because it's all you've got.
You'll feel more powerful after the Spirit's touch. But you really are more powerful after the Spirit's triumph. Remember, the reason God may be driving you over difficult roads is to make you a powerful vehicle for Him.
When you sense the volume increasing and the heat rising, close your mouth. It’s better to be quiet and keep a brother than be loud and lose one. Romans 14:4 makes it clear… “they are God’s servants, not yours. They are responsible to him, not to you. Let him tell them whether they are right or wrong.”
We judge others when we stop addressing the controversy and start attacking the character. Example? “You’d expect such an opinion out of a person who never studies the Bible!” If we disagree, let us disagree agreeably. Unity demands that we discuss the issues, not the person. Paul said, “Let us try to do what makes peace and helps one another” (Rom. 14:19).
1 Peter 4:8 says, “Love shall cover the multitude of sins.” So, if love covers a multitude of sins, can it not cover a multitude of opinions?
From Max on Life
Deuteronomy 34
Moses Dies and Is Buried in the Land of Moab
Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, 2 all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, 3 the Negeb, and the Plain—that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees—as far as Zoar. 4 The Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” 5 Then Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord’s command. 6 He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. 7 Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated. 8 The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended.
9 Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the Lord had commanded Moses.
10 Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. 11 He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, 12 and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, January 30, 2015
Read: Mark 14:32-42
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
They went to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated. 34 And he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.” 35 And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 He said, “Abba,[a] Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.” 37 He came and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep awake one hour? 38 Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial;[b] the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40 And once more he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to say to him. 41 He came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come; the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.”
Footnotes:
Mark 14:36 Aramaic for Father
Mark 14:38 Or into temptation
INSIGHT: Prayer was the essence of Jesus’ relationship with the Father. He often withdrew to a solitary place to pray (Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16; 9:18). Sometimes He spent long hours communicating with His Father (Luke 6:12; John 17) and other times He prayed short, quick prayers (Matt. 14:19; Luke 23:34,46; John 12:27).
Sledding And Praying
By Dave Branon
Now it came to pass in those days that [Jesus] went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. —Luke 6:12
When the snow flies in Michigan, I like to get my grandkids, grab our plastic sleds, and go slipping and sliding down our backyard. We zoom down the hill for about 10 seconds, and then climb back up for more.
When I travel to Alaska with a bunch of teenagers, we also go sledding. We are hauled by bus nearly to the top of a mountain. We jump on our sleds and, for the next 10 to 20 minutes (depending on levels of bravery), we slide at breakneck speeds down the mountain, holding on for dear life.
Ten seconds in my backyard or 10 minutes down an Alaskan mountain. They’re both called sledding, but there is clearly a difference.
I’ve been thinking about this in regard to prayer. Sometimes we do the “10 seconds in the backyard” kind of praying—a quick, spur-of-the-moment prayer or a short thanks before eating. At other times, we’re drawn to “down the mountain” praying—extended, intense times that require concentration and passion in our relationship with Him. Both have their place and are vital to our lives.
Jesus prayed often, and sometimes for a long time (Luke 6:12; Mark 14:32-42). Either way, let us bring the desires of our heart to the God of the backyards and the mountains of our lives.
Lord, please challenge us to pray constantly—both in
short sessions and long. As we face the valleys, hills,
and mountains of our lives, may we lift our hearts
and minds to You in constant communication.
The heart of prayer is prayer from the heart.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, January 30, 2015
The Dilemma of Obedience
Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision. —1 Samuel 3:15
God never speaks to us in dramatic ways, but in ways that are easy to misunderstand. Then we say, “I wonder if that is God’s voice?” Isaiah said that the Lord spoke to him “with a strong hand,” that is, by the pressure of his circumstances (Isaiah 8:11). Without the sovereign hand of God Himself, nothing touches our lives. Do we discern His hand at work, or do we see things as mere occurrences?
Get into the habit of saying, “Speak, Lord,” and life will become a romance (1 Samuel 3:9). Every time circumstances press in on you, say, “Speak, Lord,” and make time to listen. Chastening is more than a means of discipline— it is meant to bring me to the point of saying, “Speak, Lord.” Think back to a time when God spoke to you. Do you remember what He said? Was it Luke 11:13, or was it 1 Thessalonians 5:23? As we listen, our ears become more sensitive, and like Jesus, we will hear God all the time.
Should I tell my “Eli” what God has shown to me? This is where the dilemma of obedience hits us. We disobey God by becoming amateur providences and thinking, “I must shield ‘Eli,’ ” who represents the best people we know. God did not tell Samuel to tell Eli— he had to decide that for himself. God’s message to you may hurt your “Eli,” but trying to prevent suffering in another’s life will prove to be an obstruction between your soul and God. It is at your own risk that you prevent someone’s right hand being cut off or right eye being plucked out (see Matthew 5:29-30).
Never ask another person’s advice about anything God makes you decide before Him. If you ask advice, you will almost always side with Satan. “…I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood…” (Galatians 1:16).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, January 30, 2015
Reservation Tested - #7320
Our family's had the wonderful privilege to spend some unforgettable ministry days on Native American reservations in the southwest. And when you're there you do a lot of driving. Now, the vehicle of choice there is not a car. No, no, no you want a truck. The roads there are, shall we say, of uneven quality. A lot of places are only accessible on roads that are steep and bumpy, and it challenges the durability of any vehicle or passenger for that matter.
Now, I heard the radio stations in that area, advertised some trucks. And they often use one phrase to promote the quality of their trucks and everybody knew what they meant. This macho voice would come on and say, "It's reservation tested!"
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Reservation Tested."
Our word for today from the Word of God, we're in Luke 4, beginning at verse 1. It's the familiar story of the temptation of Jesus. It says, "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan." Now remember that's when He had just been baptized. The Spirit had come down from heaven in the form of a dove, and He heard the Father's voice saying, 'This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.'" In essence the Trinity was reconvened at that moment. For Jesus, that was probably the ultimate spiritual high.
And then it says, "Then He was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days He was tempted by the Devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them He was hungry. And the Devil said to Him, 'If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.' Jesus answered, 'It is written, man does not live on bread alone.'"
There are two more temptations that come right at the weak spots of Jesus. And He again answers with the Word of God. After the Devil finally gives up and leaves, it says in verse 14, "Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit and news about Him spread through the whole countryside. He taught in the synagogues and everyone praised Him."
See this is the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus Christ. And there is a cycle in this incident in Jesus' life that is repeated many times in yours and mine. First, the Spirit's touch. For Jesus that was His baptism at the Jordan River. That's when the Lord comes in this most evident, almost tangible way. You remember times like that. A feeling in your life when the Lord was so dramatic in the way He revealed Himself when He spoke to you? There's no doubt that He's there.
That's the beginning. At the end of the cycle comes the Spirit's triumph. We saw it at the end of this story that Jesus' life exploded into ministry. Now, the end of that cycle for you is that the Spirit's touch ultimately ends with your life becoming very powerful, affecting many other lives. But did you notice what's in-between the Spirit touch, and the Spirit triumph? It's a Spirit test. That's your time to be reservation tested.
It's hot. It's bumpy. It's lonely, You've taken a beating. There is no dove there. There's no voice from heaven. The Devil feels more real than God does. There's doubt and temptation and deprivation. Your feelings - they're not inspired any more. You're just numb. Does that sound familiar at all? Well you know what we learn from Jesus' Experience - that's the road to power, but you have to go through the desert.
The Bible says the Old Testament saints were led into the desert to test what was in their heart. It's not the spiritual high that makes the work of God real in your life. It's the time when there's no feeling, there's no outward evidence of God at work. Notice, the wilderness isn't the Devil's idea. It's his opportunity. But it's the Spirit's idea. It's the wilderness that proves the reality of what God said to you in the high times. Your Lord leads you into this wilderness to wean you from depending on evidence of Him to depending only on Him. He wants you to test the power of God's Word by taking down the Prince of Darkness with only God's Word in your hand. Because it's all you've got.
You'll feel more powerful after the Spirit's touch. But you really are more powerful after the Spirit's triumph. Remember, the reason God may be driving you over difficult roads is to make you a powerful vehicle for Him.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)