1 Samuel 23 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Eternal Creatures

We are eternal creatures. We ask eternal questions. Where did I come from? Where am I going? Is there life after death? These are the primal questions of the soul. And if left unanswered, such questions steal our rest.
Only one other living creature has as much trouble resting as we do. Not dogs…they doze. Cats invented the catnap. Most animals know how to rest-with one exception. These creatures are woolly, simpleminded, and slow. Sheep! Sheep can't sleep. For them to do so everything must be just right. No tension in the flock…no hunger in the belly…everything has to be just so. Unfortunately sheep cannot find safe pasture or find food. They need help. They need a shepherd to lead them, and help them to lie down in green pastures. Without a shepherd they can't rest. Without a Shepherd, neither can we!
From Traveling Light

1 Samuel 23

David Protects the Town of Keilah

One day news came to David that the Philistines were at Keilah stealing grain from the threshing floors. 2 David asked the Lord, “Should I go and attack them?”

“Yes, go and save Keilah,” the Lord told him.

3 But David’s men said, “We’re afraid even here in Judah. We certainly don’t want to go to Keilah to fight the whole Philistine army!”

4 So David asked the Lord again, and again the Lord replied, “Go down to Keilah, for I will help you conquer the Philistines.”

5 So David and his men went to Keilah. They slaughtered the Philistines and took all their livestock and rescued the people of Keilah. 6 Now when Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he brought the ephod with him.

7 Saul soon learned that David was at Keilah. “Good!” he exclaimed. “We’ve got him now! God has handed him over to me, for he has trapped himself in a walled town!” 8 So Saul mobilized his entire army to march to Keilah and besiege David and his men.

9 But David learned of Saul’s plan and told Abiathar the priest to bring the ephod and ask the Lord what he should do. 10 Then David prayed, “O Lord, God of Israel, I have heard that Saul is planning to come and destroy Keilah because I am here. 11 Will the leaders of Keilah betray me to him?[a] And will Saul actually come as I have heard? O Lord, God of Israel, please tell me.”

And the Lord said, “He will come.”

12 Again David asked, “Will the leaders of Keilah betray me and my men to Saul?”

And the Lord replied, “Yes, they will betray you.”

David Hides in the Wilderness
13 So David and his men—about 600 of them now—left Keilah and began roaming the countryside. Word soon reached Saul that David had escaped, so he didn’t go to Keilah after all. 14 David now stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness and in the hill country of Ziph. Saul hunted him day after day, but God didn’t let Saul find him.

15 One day near Horesh, David received the news that Saul was on the way to Ziph to search for him and kill him. 16 Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God. 17 “Don’t be afraid,” Jonathan reassured him. “My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware.” 18 So the two of them renewed their solemn pact before the Lord. Then Jonathan returned home, while David stayed at Horesh.

19 But now the men of Ziph went to Saul in Gibeah and betrayed David to him. “We know where David is hiding,” they said. “He is in the strongholds of Horesh on the hill of Hakilah, which is in the southern part of Jeshimon. 20 Come down whenever you’re ready, O king, and we will catch him and hand him over to you!”

21 “The Lord bless you,” Saul said. “At last someone is concerned about me! 22 Go and check again to be sure of where he is staying and who has seen him there, for I know that he is very crafty. 23 Discover his hiding places, and come back when you are sure. Then I’ll go with you. And if he is in the area at all, I’ll track him down, even if I have to search every hiding place in Judah!” 24 So the men of Ziph returned home ahead of Saul.

Meanwhile, David and his men had moved into the wilderness of Maon in the Arabah Valley south of Jeshimon. 25 When David heard that Saul and his men were searching for him, he went even farther into the wilderness to the great rock, and he remained there in the wilderness of Maon. But Saul kept after him in the wilderness.

26 Saul and David were now on opposite sides of a mountain. Just as Saul and his men began to close in on David and his men, 27 an urgent message reached Saul that the Philistines were raiding Israel again. 28 So Saul quit chasing David and returned to fight the Philistines. Ever since that time, the place where David was camped has been called the Rock of Escape.[b] 29 [c]David then went to live in the strongholds of En-gedi.

Footnotes:

23:11 Some manuscripts lack the first sentence of 23:11.
23:28 Hebrew Sela-hammahlekoth.
23:29 Verse 23:29 is numbered 24:1 in Hebrew text.


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, May 15, 2015

Read: Romans 9:1-5

God’s Selection of Israel

With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it. 2 My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief 3 for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters.[a] I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them. 4 They are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children.[b] God revealed his glory to them. He made covenants with them and gave them his law. He gave them the privilege of worshiping him and receiving his wonderful promises. 5 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.[c]

Footnotes:

9:3 Greek my brothers.
9:4 Greek chosen for sonship.
9:5 Or May God, the one who rules over everything, be praised forever. Amen.

INSIGHT: Even though Paul was “an apostle to the Gentiles” (Rom. 11:13; Gal. 2:8), his heart’s desire was to see his own people—the Jews—come to faith in Jesus (Rom. 9:2-3). In Romans 9–11 Paul discussed the continuing unbelief of the Jews, but he assured them that they had not been rejected. He reminded them of their privileged status (v. 4), and the climax of these privileges is that the Messiah—the Savior—is Himself a Jew (v. 5).

A Survivor’s Thoughts

By Mart DeHaan

I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren. —Romans 9:3
After a 71-year-old South Korean woman was rescued during the tragic sinking of a ferry boat, she struggled with survivor’s guilt. From her hospital bed she said she couldn’t understand how it could be right for her to have lived through an accident that had taken the lives of many who were so much younger. She also regretted not knowing the name of the young man who had pulled her out of the water after she had given up hope. Then she added, “I want to buy him a meal at least, or hold his hand, or give him a hug.”

This woman’s heart for others reminds me of the apostle Paul. He was so concerned about his neighbors and countrymen that he said he wished he could trade his own relationship with Christ for their rescue: “I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren” (Rom. 9:2-3).

Paul also expressed a deep sense of personal gratitude. He knew he didn’t understand the ways and judgments of God (see vv.14-24). So while doing everything he could to proclaim the gospel to all, he found peace and joy in trusting the heart of a God who loves the whole world so much more than we ever could.

Lord God, Your ways are so far beyond our comprehension, yet we know without doubt that You love us. Help us trust Your loving heart with the things we don’t understand.
Gratitude to God leads to growth in godliness.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, May 15, 2015

The Habit of Rising to the Occasion

…that you may know what is the hope of His calling… —Ephesians 1:18

Remember that you have been saved so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in your body (see 2 Corinthians 4:10). Direct the total energy of your powers so that you may achieve everything your election as a child of God provides; rise every time to whatever occasion may come your way.

You did not do anything to achieve your salvation, but you must do something to exhibit it. You must “work out your own salvation” which God has worked in you already (Philippians 2:12). Are your speech, your thinking, and your emotions evidence that you are working it “out”? If you are still the same miserable, grouchy person, set on having your own way, then it is a lie to say that God has saved and sanctified you.

God is the Master Designer, and He allows adversities into your life to see if you can jump over them properly— “By my God I can leap over a wall” (Psalm 18:29). God will never shield you from the requirements of being His son or daughter. First Peter 4:12  says, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you….” Rise to the occasion— do what the trial demands of you. It does not matter how much it hurts as long as it gives God the opportunity to manifest the life of Jesus in your body.

May God not find complaints in us anymore, but spiritual vitality— a readiness to face anything He brings our way. The only proper goal of life is that we manifest the Son of God; and when this occurs, all of our dictating of our demands to God disappears. Our Lord never dictated demands to His Father, and neither are we to make demands on God. We are here to submit to His will so that He may work through us what He wants. Once we realize this, He will make us broken bread and poured-out wine with which to feed and nourish others.

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, May 15, 2015

Quake Insurance - #7395

I know about tornadoes. We had one go through our backyard when I was a kid. And then we moved to the East Coast, so I also got the opportunity to get acquainted with hurricanes. But there's one natural disaster I don't know too much about, and that's just fine - earthquakes! What I do know, I've learned from people who have been through them. Like Mike, for example, the man in the seat next to me on a long airplane flight. He had lived in Northridge, California until recently. You might remember that was the epicenter of a major earthquake in 1994.

Well, he told me that he and his family were lucky to be alive after that quake. And the day after, he was out in his backyard picking up some of the damage, and suddenly the ground started moving around him and he literally saw the ground moving in waves toward him. That was an after-shock and it was scary to see. And he summed up what he had learned from that earthquake in just a few words. He said, "Things you're sure will always be there - may not be."

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Quake Insurance."

Now, you may have never been through an actual earthquake, but you may have had enough upheavals of your own to realize the truth of that man's conclusion. Things you're sure will always be there may not be. Life's moving along pretty much as usual, and suddenly the ground starts moving underneath you. One sudden malfunction in your heart, one medical report, one driver's mistake, and suddenly things you felt like would always be there are moving.

There's a lot we don't control. It might be something that happens work, your job, your paycheck, your income; so many things. It may be a relationship that suddenly is in turmoil. We can't control so many things, and the waves of one of life's quakes come rolling at you, rocking your security, rocking your world.

It's not a question of whether one of life's quakes hits you. It's only a question of when, which means you and I need to be sure we're fully covered with comprehensive quake insurance. And it's available from the only One who cannot be rocked by the quakes.

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Romans 8:37-39. This might be the best news you ever heard. After talking about many of life's most turbulent and destructive experiences, the writer says, "In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." This is a testimony of a man who's found a relationship that doesn't move, no matter what's moving.

He goes on to describe it, "I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Wow! The message here is that there is a love that is unloseable, unmovable, unconditional; a relationship that will sustain you when everything else is out-of-control. And there is only one love like that.

I learned that when my wife almost died of hepatitis years ago. There are some things that can separate you from the love of your life partner, the love of your children, your friends. But the Bible says, "Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

But this love is only yours if you've had the wall removed; the one that separates you and God. Once you've found Him, you will never be separated again. But you do have to find Him, and that's what Jesus' dying on the cross is all about; dying to pay for that sin that is what separates us from God. And that wall can only come down when you put all your trust in what Jesus did on that cross for you.

Here's the question, "Has there ever been a time when in your heart you've gone to that cross and said, 'Jesus, I'm putting all my trust in what you did here on this cross to tear down that wall between me and God. I'm yours.'" If not, let this be the day you do that.

You say, "Ron, I need to know more." Please go to our website. That's why it's there - ANewStory.com.

It's really true! Things you're sure will always be there may not be...except for one. Life has no quake so severe that it can touch the unshakable love of Jesus Christ for you.

Luke 22:24-46, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: A Big Deal About Rest

Life can get so loud we forget to shut it down. Maybe that’s why God made such a big deal about rest in the Ten Commandments! Of the ten, which one occupies the most space? Murder…adultery…stealing? You’d think so. But curiously, these commands are tributes to brevity. God needed only five English words to condemn them all.

But when it came to the topic of rest, it took a paragraph in Exodus 20: 8-11. But. . .but. . .who’s going to run the store? We offer up one reason after another, but God silences them all with one poignant reminder. “In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day.” God’s message is plain. If creation didn’t crash when I rested, it won’t crash when you do!

From Traveling Light

Luke 22:24-46

Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. 25 Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ 26 But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. 27 Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.

28 “You have stayed with me in my time of trial. 29 And just as my Father has granted me a Kingdom, I now grant you the right 30 to eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom. And you will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial
31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. 32 But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”

33 Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.”

34 But Jesus said, “Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.”

35 Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you out to preach the Good News and you did not have money, a traveler’s bag, or an extra pair of sandals, did you need anything?”

“No,” they replied.

36 “But now,” he said, “take your money and a traveler’s bag. And if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one! 37 For the time has come for this prophecy about me to be fulfilled: ‘He was counted among the rebels.’[a] Yes, everything written about me by the prophets will come true.”

38 “Look, Lord,” they replied, “we have two swords among us.”

“That’s enough,” he said.

Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives
39 Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. 40 There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”

41 He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” 43 Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. 44 He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.[b]

45 At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.”

Footnotes:

22:37 Isa 53:12.
22:43-44 Verses 43 and 44 are not included in the most ancient manuscripts.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, May 14, 2015

Read: Luke 18:9-14

Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector

Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: 10 “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer[a]: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ 14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Footnotes:

18:11 Some manuscripts read stood and prayed this prayer to himself.

INSIGHT: The story that Jesus tells of the two men who went into the temple to pray reminds us of what God considers important. The religious Pharisee focused entirely on himself and his efforts, highlighting what he did and didn’t do. However, the tax collector, who would have been considered one of the worst sinners of his day, recognized his unworthiness and focused on God and His mercy. Jesus said it was the “sinner” who went away justified before God (vv. 13-14). Jesus wants His listeners to understand that it is not what we do that makes us right with God; it is God who makes us right with Him.

Listening With Love

By Randy Kilgore

Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. —Luke 18:14
One August evening in Vermont, a young missionary spoke at our small church. The country where he and his wife served was in religious turmoil, and it was considered too dangerous for children. In one of his stories, he told us about a heart-wrenching episode when his daughter pleaded with him not to leave her behind at a boarding school.

I was a new dad at that time, having recently been blessed with a daughter, and the story upset me. How could loving parents leave their daughter alone like that? I muttered to myself. By the time the talk was finished, I was so worked up that I ignored the offer to visit with the missionary. I charged out of the church, saying out loud as I left: “I’m sure glad I’m not like . . .”

In that instant, the Holy Spirit stopped me cold. I couldn’t even finish the sentence. Here I was, saying almost word for word what the Pharisee said to God: “I thank You that I am not like other men” (Luke 18:11). How disappointed I was in myself! How disappointed God must have been! Since that evening, I’ve asked God to help me listen to others with humility and restraint as they pour their hearts out in confession, profession, or pain.

Lord, may we be quick to listen and slow to speak and to judge. A proud attitude so easily infects our lives. Give us instead a humility that reflects Your heart and love.
We don’t get closer to God by passing judgment on others.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, May 14, 2015

The Habit of Enjoying Adversity

…that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. —2 Corinthians 4:10

We have to develop godly habits to express what God’s grace has done in us. It is not just a question of being saved from hell, but of being saved so that “the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” And it is adversity that makes us exhibit His life in our mortal flesh. Is my life exhibiting the essence of the sweetness of the Son of God, or just the basic irritation of “myself” that I would have apart from Him? The only thing that will enable me to enjoy adversity is the acute sense of eagerness of allowing the life of the Son of God to evidence itself in me. No matter how difficult something may be, I must say, “Lord, I am delighted to obey You in this.” Instantly, the Son of God will move to the forefront of my life, and will manifest in my body that which glorifies Him.

You must not debate. The moment you obey the light of God, His Son shines through you in that very adversity; but if you debate with God, you grieve His Spirit (see Ephesians 4:30). You must keep yourself in the proper condition to allow the life of the Son of God to be manifested in you, and you cannot keep yourself fit if you give way to self-pity. Our circumstances are the means God uses to exhibit just how wonderfully perfect and extraordinarily pure His Son is. Discovering a new way of manifesting the Son of God should make our heart beat with renewed excitement. It is one thing to choose adversity, and quite another to enter into adversity through the orchestrating of our circumstances by God’s sovereignty. And if God puts you into adversity, He is adequately sufficient to “supply all your need” (Philippians 4:19).

Keep your soul properly conditioned to manifest the life of the Son of God. Never live on your memories of past experiences, but let the Word of God always be living and active in you.

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, May 14, 2015

How Valuable You Really Are - #7394

When our oldest son was little he started a hobby that really helped him pay his way through college eventually - collecting baseball cards. He was doing pretty well collecting, when he asked me to start taking him to these shows on the baseball circuit. One summer I was scheduled to speak at Ocean City, New Jersey, and he wanted to go down a day early so we could catch the last day of this huge card show. He walked into a large hall with all the money the little guy could have saved from recent chores and allowances.

As we strolled along together, something caught my eye. It was the baseball card I had tried so hard to get as a little boy and I never could. See, growing up in Chicago, my hero was the second baseman of the Chicago White Sox, Nellie Fox. He was the hero of a lot of kids. I bought tons of baseball cards. I had the whole Chicago White Sox team, but I could never get Nellie Fox.

We found a table with one of those very rare Fox cards that I could never find as a kid, and I said, "This guy had it!" My son said, "Are you going to buy it, Dad?" I said, "No, it's too much. I'm just going to keep looking around." So we went our separate ways for a few minutes, until I felt a tug on my pants. It was my son, looking up at me with eyes I'll never forget. "Here, Dad. I love you." I looked down and he handed me that Nellie Fox baseball card. My son had basically spent everything he had on that gift for me. That card is on my desk in a plastic protector. There have been few times in my life when I felt so loved as I did that moment.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How Valuable You Really Are."

Our word for today from the Word of God is in 1 Corinthians 6:20, "You were bought with a price. Therefore, honor God with your body." The Bible says Jesus paid a very high price for you. Actually the book of Revelation pulls the curtain on heaven and lets us see Jesus there surrounded by billions of angels and people who have died and gone there. And part of what they sing about is what never ceases to amaze everyone in heaven.

It says in Revelation 5:9, "With your blood you purchased men for God." So this price you are bought with is the life blood of Jesus Christ, God's one and only Son. Now, I knew my son loved me. He proved it by what he gave me that day. You can tell how much God loves you because He spent everything He had on you. No one has ever loved you like that; this is the price tag of the blood of God's Son spent for you.

The Bible says, "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." Forgiveness means erasing our sin from God's book, because the penalty for our sin is clear. It's death. My sins are only going to be paid for by dying. If you want to know that God really loves you, here is His overwhelming best. He sacrificed His Son to die your eternal death penalty on a cross. He spent it all on you.

Maybe it's hard to accept this gift of God. Maybe there's never been that time when you have experienced that love for yourself; taken the gift He paid for with His life. I don't know who's been there for you in your life. I don't know who's betrayed you, who's abandoned you, made it hard for you to trust. But I know that the One who made you, who holds your eternity in His hands loves you desperately. He loves you so very much. Look at the price He paid for you. This is the love you've spent a lifetime looking for, and it's yours for the taking when you tell Jesus Christ that you're putting all your hopes, all your trust in what He did on the cross for you.

If you've never done that, it you're ready to open up to that love and experience it for yourself, tell Him, "Jesus, I'm yours." Go to our website ANewStory.com. Meet me there and let me help you be sure you belong to this Jesus.

I knew my son loved me, because he sacrificed everything he had to give to me. You know what? That's just a small picture of how much Jesus loves you. The Son of God has come to you, knocking on the door of your heart saying, "I loved you enough to spend everything on you." This is your day to start belonging to Him.

Psalm 142, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Change Your Focus and Relax

Psalm 23:2 says, "He makes me to lie down in green pastures; leads me beside the still waters." Note the two pronouns preceding the two verbs. He makes me. . .He leads me. Who is the active one? Who is in charge? The Shepherd!
We see the waves of the water rather than the Savior walking through them. We focus on our paltry provisions rather than on the One who can feed five thousand hungry people. Change your focus-and relax! While you're at it, change your schedule and rest! Life can get so loud we forget to shut it down. When David says, "He makes me lie down in green pastures," he is saying my shepherd makes me lie down in his finished work. His pasture is his gift to us. This is not the pasture you've made. It is a gift from God, and your Shepherd invites you there!
From Traveling Light

Psalm 142

A psalm[a] of David, regarding his experience in the cave. A prayer.

I cry out to the Lord;
    I plead for the Lord’s mercy.
2 I pour out my complaints before him
    and tell him all my troubles.
3 When I am overwhelmed,
    you alone know the way I should turn.
Wherever I go,
    my enemies have set traps for me.
4 I look for someone to come and help me,
    but no one gives me a passing thought!
No one will help me;
    no one cares a bit what happens to me.
5 Then I pray to you, O Lord.
    I say, “You are my place of refuge.
    You are all I really want in life.
6 Hear my cry,
    for I am very low.
Rescue me from my persecutors,
    for they are too strong for me.
7 Bring me out of prison
    so I can thank you.
The godly will crowd around me,
    for you are good to me.”
Footnotes:

142:Title Hebrew maskil. This may be a literary or musical term.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Read: Psalm 119:14,33-40 |

14 I have rejoiced in your laws
    as much as in riches.

33 Teach me your decrees, O Lord;
    I will keep them to the end.
34 Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions;
    I will put them into practice with all my heart.
35 Make me walk along the path of your commands,
    for that is where my happiness is found.
36 Give me an eagerness for your laws
    rather than a love for money!
37 Turn my eyes from worthless things,
    and give me life through your word.[a]
38 Reassure me of your promise,
    made to those who fear you.
39 Help me abandon my shameful ways;
    for your regulations are good.
40 I long to obey your commandments!
    Renew my life with your goodness.
Footnotes:

119:37 Some manuscripts read in your ways.

INSIGHT: Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. Its 176 verses are presented in 22 stanzas of 8 verses each, and each stanza corresponds to the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Because it is an acrostic song, Spurgeon said it could be called “the alphabet of love,” for it unfolds God’s loving provision of wisdom for His children.

The Riches Of Obedience

By David C. McCasland

I have rejoiced in your laws as much as in riches. —Psalm 119:14 nlt
Publicly operated lotteries exist in more than 100 countries. In a recent year, lottery ticket sales totaled more than $85 billion in just the US and Canada, only part of the total sales worldwide. The lure of huge jackpots has created a mindset among many that all of life’s problems would be solved “if I won the lottery.”

There’s nothing wrong with wealth itself, but it has the power to deceive us into thinking that money is the answer to all our needs. The psalmist, expressing a different point of view, wrote: “I have rejoiced in your laws as much as in riches. . . . I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word” (Ps. 119:14,16 nlt). This concept of spiritual treasure is focused on obedience to God and walking “in the path of [His] commandments” (v.35).

What if we were more excited about following the Lord’s Word than about winning a jackpot worth millions? With the psalmist we might pray, “Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way” (vv.36-37).

The riches of obedience—true riches—belong to all who walk with the Lord.

Dear Lord, may I commit each day to standing on the unchanging truth of Your Word and to growing in my relationship with You, the only measure of success in this life and in eternity.
Success is knowing and loving God.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, May 13, 2015

The Habit of Keeping a Clear Conscience

…strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men. —Acts 24:16

God’s commands to us are actually given to the life of His Son in us. Consequently, to our human nature in which God’s Son has been formed (see Galatians 4:19), His commands are difficult. But they become divinely easy once we obey.

Conscience is that ability within me that attaches itself to the highest standard I know, and then continually reminds me of what that standard demands that I do. It is the eye of the soul which looks out either toward God or toward what we regard as the highest standard. This explains why conscience is different in different people. If I am in the habit of continually holding God’s standard in front of me, my conscience will always direct me to God’s perfect law and indicate what I should do. The question is, will I obey? I have to make an effort to keep my conscience so sensitive that I can live without any offense toward anyone. I should be living in such perfect harmony with God’s Son that the spirit of my mind is being renewed through every circumstance of life, and that I may be able to quickly “prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2 ; also see Ephesians 4:23).

God always instructs us down to the last detail. Is my ear sensitive enough to hear even the softest whisper of the Spirit, so that I know what I should do? “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God…” (Ephesians 4:30). He does not speak with a voice like thunder— His voice is so gentle that it is easy for us to ignore. And the only thing that keeps our conscience sensitive to Him is the habit of being open to God on the inside. When you begin to debate, stop immediately. Don’t ask, “Why can’t I do this?” You are on the wrong track. There is no debating possible once your conscience speaks. Whatever it is— drop it, and see that you keep your inner vision clear.

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Carried When You Can't Make It - #7393

At one time our offices were on the third floor of an old factory building. There were a lot of stairs, and they had a pretty steep pitch. One of our team members dropped by one day with her beautiful four-month-old daughter, Katie. Mom was tired. And needless to say, the child wasn't able to climb up the stairs to the third floor on her own. Sometimes adults could barely make it. Mom needed to carry Katie in her arms the whole way. The sight of her carrying her daughter? I hate to say it was almost amusing. Mom was out of breath as she tried to recover. But not Katie! No, she was all cute and wide-eyed. She's not sweating; she's not panting. No, she's totally relaxed, totally cool. Of course she didn't have to do any of the work.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Carried When You Can't Make It."

Which leads us to our word for today from the Word of God from Deuteronomy 1:29; a wonderful passage on the relationship God the Father has with us, His kids. He says, "Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them." With Jesus you don't have to be afraid of anything. "The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you." And then He says, "The Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place."

That's a beautiful picture! Notice I said a loving parent had come to our office carrying a child where that child could have never gone on her own. All the work was done by the parent. The child? Totally relaxed.

Let's talk about where you are right now. You may be at the end of your strength, the end of your answers, the end of your resources, the end of your money, or the end of your hope. You know what? It's time for "carry power." "As a father carries his son" God says. God has His big arms wide open right now saying, "My child, quit trying to do this on your own. You'll never make it. It's carry time. Come on!"

For some of us self-reliant, stubborn types it's hard to surrender our self-effort. We're not going to make it. God leads us through the desert where we can't survive so we'll finally surrender to being carried. So we'll finally exchange our weakness for His strength and our stress for His peace. That's the exchange that He invites us to in Philippians 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything."

But there we are huffing and puffing, trying to crawl up the stairs on our own. He said, "But in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Give the whole load to your Father. Let Him carry you. And He says, "The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

That's the lightness of Spirit, the calm in your heart. That's what I saw in little Katie when she came to the office. The one who was carrying her was doing all the work; taking all the strain. Maybe you've got something right now that Jesus needs to carry. And remember, He paid a high price so He would be available; there would be no wall between you and Him so He could carry you and carry your burden.

The hymn says, "What a friend we have in Jesus; all our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer. Oh, what peace we often forfeit. Oh what needless pain we bear all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer."

Now, would you let Him carry what you've carried for way too long? The problem stressing you, whose problem is it to solve? Is it yours or Almighty God's? The mountain that needs to be moved? The person who needs to change? Whose job is it? How you answer those questions will be the difference between great peace or great stress.

With God, you can go to heights you cannot go to alone. Like Katie and her mother carrying her, your Heavenly Father is ready to do that for you if you'll trust His "carry power."

Psalm 57, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: What Really Matters

A man once went to a minister for counseling.
"I've lost everything," he told the minister.
"Oh I'm so sorry to hear you've lost your faith," the minister responded.
"No," the man corrected him, "I haven't lost my faith."
"Well, then I'm sad to hear you've lost your character."
"I didn't say that," the man corrected. "I still have my character."
"I'm so sorry you've lost your salvation," said the minister.
"That's not what I said," the man objected.
"You have your faith, your character, and your salvation. Seems to me," the minister observed, "that you've lost none of the things that really matter."
You and I could pray like the Puritan. He sat down to a meal of bread and water.  He bowed his head and declared, "All this and Jesus, too?" What will you gain with contentment? You may gain joy-and the faith to say, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want!"
From Traveling Light

Psalm 57

For the choir director: A psalm[a] of David, regarding the time he fled from Saul and went into the cave. To be sung to the tune “Do Not Destroy!”

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy!
    I look to you for protection.
I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings
    until the danger passes by.
2 I cry out to God Most High,[b]
    to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.
3 He will send help from heaven to rescue me,
    disgracing those who hound me. Interlude
My God will send forth his unfailing love and faithfulness.
4 I am surrounded by fierce lions
    who greedily devour human prey—
whose teeth pierce like spears and arrows,
    and whose tongues cut like swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens!
    May your glory shine over all the earth.
6 My enemies have set a trap for me.
    I am weary from distress.
They have dug a deep pit in my path,
    but they themselves have fallen into it. Interlude
7 My heart is confident in you, O God;
    my heart is confident.
    No wonder I can sing your praises!
8 Wake up, my heart!
    Wake up, O lyre and harp!
    I will wake the dawn with my song.
9 I will thank you, Lord, among all the people.
    I will sing your praises among the nations.
10 For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens.
    Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens.
    May your glory shine over all the earth.
Footnotes:

57:Title Hebrew miktam. This may be a literary or musical term.
57:2 Hebrew Elohim-Elyon.


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Read: 2 Samuel 9

David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth

One day David asked, “Is anyone in Saul’s family still alive—anyone to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 He summoned a man named Ziba, who had been one of Saul’s servants. “Are you Ziba?” the king asked.

“Yes sir, I am,” Ziba replied.

3 The king then asked him, “Is anyone still alive from Saul’s family? If so, I want to show God’s kindness to them.”

Ziba replied, “Yes, one of Jonathan’s sons is still alive. He is crippled in both feet.”

4 “Where is he?” the king asked.

“In Lo-debar,” Ziba told him, “at the home of Makir son of Ammiel.”

5 So David sent for him and brought him from Makir’s home. 6 His name was Mephibosheth[a]; he was Jonathan’s son and Saul’s grandson. When he came to David, he bowed low to the ground in deep respect. David said, “Greetings, Mephibosheth.”

Mephibosheth replied, “I am your servant.”

7 “Don’t be afraid!” David said. “I intend to show kindness to you because of my promise to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the property that once belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will eat here with me at the king’s table!”

8 Mephibosheth bowed respectfully and exclaimed, “Who is your servant, that you should show such kindness to a dead dog like me?”

9 Then the king summoned Saul’s servant Ziba and said, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 10 You and your sons and servants are to farm the land for him to produce food for your master’s household.[b] But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, will eat here at my table.” (Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)

11 Ziba replied, “Yes, my lord the king; I am your servant, and I will do all that you have commanded.” And from that time on, Mephibosheth ate regularly at David’s table,[c] like one of the king’s own sons.

12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica. From then on, all the members of Ziba’s household were Mephibosheth’s servants. 13 And Mephibosheth, who was crippled in both feet, lived in Jerusalem and ate regularly at the king’s table.

Footnotes:

9:6 Mephibosheth is another name for Merib-baal.
9:10 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads your master’s grandson.
9:11 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads my table.

INSIGHT: Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, could have been heir to his grandfather’s (King Saul) throne and a potential threat to David’s kingship. But David promised his best friend, Jonathan (1 Sam. 20:42), that he would care for his family. In today’s passage we read how David made good on that promise (2 Sam. 9:9-13).

Where Can We Lean?

By Anne Cetas

I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake. —2 Samuel 9:7
“What a wonderful funeral!” Cindy remarked as we walked out. Helen, our friend, had died. And friend after friend celebrated her by sharing stories of her all-around fun behavior. But Helen’s life wasn’t all jokes and laughter. Her nephew spoke of her faith in Jesus and her care for others. She had taken him into her home when he was young and struggling. Now in his twenties, he said of his Aunt Helen, “She was like a mom to me. She never gave up on me in my struggles. I am sure that if it wasn’t for her, I would have lost my faith.” Wow! What an influence! Helen leaned on Jesus and wanted her nephew to trust Him too.

In the Old Testament, we read that King David took a young man named Mephibosheth into his home with the purpose of showing him kindness for the sake of his father, Jonathan (David’s friend who had died; see 2 Sam. 9:1). Years earlier, Mephibosheth had been injured when his nurse dropped him as they fled after the news that his father had been killed (4:4). He was surprised that the king would care for him; he even referred to himself as “a dead dog” (9:8). Yet the king treated him as his own son (9:11).

I’d like to be that kind of person, wouldn’t you? Someone who cares for others and helps them hang on to faith in Jesus even when life looks hopeless.

Lord, You showed the ultimate kindness by rescuing us when we were helpless in our sins. May our lives be marked by kindness so that others will see You in us.
God does most of His work for people through people.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, May 12, 2015

The Habit of Having No Habits

If these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful… —2 Peter 1:8

When we first begin to form a habit, we are fully aware of it. There are times when we are aware of becoming virtuous and godly, but this awareness should only be a stage we quickly pass through as we grow spiritually. If we stop at this stage, we will develop a sense of spiritual pride. The right thing to do with godly habits is to immerse them in the life of the Lord until they become such a spontaneous expression of our lives that we are no longer aware of them. Our spiritual life continually causes us to focus our attention inwardly for the determined purpose of self-examination, because each of us has some qualities we have not yet added to our lives.

Your god may be your little Christian habit— the habit of prayer or Bible reading at certain times of your day. Watch how your Father will upset your schedule if you begin to worship your habit instead of what the habit symbolizes. We say, “I can’t do that right now; this is my time alone with God.” No, this is your time alone with your habit. There is a quality that is still lacking in you. Identify your shortcoming and then look for opportunities to work into your life that missing quality.

Love means that there are no visible habits— that your habits are so immersed in the Lord that you practice them without realizing it. If you are consciously aware of your own holiness, you place limitations on yourself from doing certain things— things God is not restricting you from at all. This means there is a missing quality that needs to be added to your life. The only supernatural life is the life the Lord Jesus lived, and He was at home with God anywhere. Is there someplace where you are not at home with God? Then allow God to work through whatever that particular circumstance may be until you increase in Him, adding His qualities. Your life will then become the simple life of a child.

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Your Daily God Hunt - #7392

When I was a kid, someone came up with a new idea for entertainment. No, not hieroglyphics! It's called 3-D movies. They've actually made a comeback in recent years and they might even be more popular than they were back then. Back then, we put on these cardboard sunglasses. Boy, what a fashion statement! Now they are at least plastic. And just like then, things begin walking toward the screen, and then they walk right out of the screen and they walk practically into your face. Of course, when you take those glasses off, it's just a flat old screen again. But when you have those glasses on, you see things you otherwise would never have seen.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Your Daily God Hunt."

People ask me, "How do you get the analogies you use in A Word With You?" Our word for today from the Word of God is actually part of the answer. Proverbs 24:32, "I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw." Now, here was King Solomon, a very wise man. He said, "I go out looking for lessons. And from what I see, I apply my heart to the things that I see around me all day." See, he got his glasses on. And when he did, he got to see the hand of God in everyday stuff.

There's a hymn called I Am His And He Is Mine. I just remember so vividly the words of the second verse. "Heaven above is deeper blue; earth below is deeper green. There's a brightness in each hue Christless eyes have never seen." See, if you know God as your Father, and you put your trust in Jesus as Savior, then you can say, "This is my Father's world." He's working all around you all the time, every day, and you can see Him. You can learn from Him if you put your glasses on each day. I call them your 4-D, 4-dimension glasses to see the God dimension, because it's working all around us.

You been moping around lately? It's probably because you've lost the perspective of David that he said makes people joyful. Psalm 118:24, "This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." He made this day what it is. You say, "My boss! My family made this day, my mate made this day, my bills, my health, my to-do list makes this day what it is. I'm sorry you're stuck in the middle of your 3-dimensional world. "This is the day the Lord has made!"

So you go on a "God hunt" every day; looking for the Lord in the events of your day, the conversations of your day, your traffic jams, your delays, your surprises, your interruptions, the people, the stores. Moses saw the Lord in a desert bush. Balaam heard God's voice through his donkey. Levi met Jesus in the middle of a workday.

This is where praise comes from, in the common stuff of a day. See, if you look through your 4-D glasses, your God glasses, suddenly you've sensed God in your phone calls, your emails, your interruptions that can't be avoided, that word of encouragement somebody gives you. There's the Lord in that little child. He's speaking in that powerful storm now, in the geese flying by overhead. He's in the unanticipated help you just got in your life. You find yourself thanking God often throughout the day. Guess what? You don't complain as much.

How many times have we confined our God in our theology and our beliefs; this religious compartment of our life? But when you put on your 4-D glasses, you start to walk with your God throughout your day. You see His fingerprints on things you never saw them on before and God becomes more and more real to you. As you do that with your family, He becomes more and more real to them as you share your God-sightings.

He wants to show you all kinds of things about Him in the everyday stuff of your day. So, put on your God-tinted glasses and see in 4-D the beauty of the world your Father has made.

Psalm 52, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: The Power of Love

May I meddle for a moment? What's the one thing separating you from joy? How do you fill in this blank: "I will be happy when____?" When I'm healed…when I'm promoted…when I'm married…when I'm single…when I'm rich?  With your answer firmly in mind, answer this. If your dream never comes true, if the situation never changes, would you be happy? If not, then you're sleeping in the cold cell of discontent.
You need to know what you have in your Shepherd. You have a God who hears you, the power of love behind you, the Holy Spirit within you, and all of heaven ahead of you. If you have the Shepherd, you have grace for every sin, direction for every turn, a candle for every corner, and an anchor for every storm. You have everything you need!
From Traveling Light

Psalm 52

For the choir director: A psalm[a] of David, regarding the time Doeg the Edomite said to Saul, “David has gone to see Ahimelech.”

Why do you boast about your crimes, great warrior?
    Don’t you realize God’s justice continues forever?
2 All day long you plot destruction.
    Your tongue cuts like a sharp razor;
    you’re an expert at telling lies.
3 You love evil more than good
    and lies more than truth. Interlude
4 You love to destroy others with your words,
    you liar!
5 But God will strike you down once and for all.
    He will pull you from your home
    and uproot you from the land of the living. Interlude
6 The righteous will see it and be amazed.
    They will laugh and say,
7 “Look what happens to mighty warriors
    who do not trust in God.
They trust their wealth instead
    and grow more and more bold in their wickedness.”
8 But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God.
    I will always trust in God’s unfailing love.
9 I will praise you forever, O God,
    for what you have done.
I will trust in your good name
    in the presence of your faithful people.
Footnotes:

52:Title Hebrew maskil. This may be a literary or musical term.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, May 11, 2015

Read: 1 Timothy 1:12-20

Paul’s Gratitude for God’s Mercy

 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him, 13 even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. 14 Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus.

15 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. 16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. 17 All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.

Timothy’s Responsibility
18 Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles. 19 Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. 20 Hymenaeus and Alexander are two examples. I threw them out and handed them over to Satan so they might learn not to blaspheme God.

INSIGHT: Before Paul’s conversion he put Christian believers in prison and was present for at least one murder—that of Stephen, who was stoned for preaching about Christ (Acts 7:59–8:1). Yet after his conversion Paul sums up his former life in just three words, telling Timothy that he was “a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man” (1 Tim. 1:13). He then tells what God has done for him (vv. 13-17), reminding us that it is not who we were that is important; it is what God has done for us.

Tell Your Story

By Poh Fang Chia

Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue; I will proclaim Your greatness. —Psalm 145:6 nlt

Michael Dinsmore, a former prisoner and relatively new Christian, was asked to give his testimony in a prison. After he spoke, some inmates came to him and said, “This is the most exciting meeting we’ve ever been to!” Michael was amazed that God could use his simple story.

In 1 Timothy, after Paul had charged Timothy to stay the course preaching the gospel (1:1-11), he shared his personal testimony to encourage the young man (vv.12-16). He told about God’s mercy in his own life. Paul said that he had mocked the Lord, but He changed him. In His mercy, God not only counted him faithful and gave him a job to do, but He also enabled him to do His work (v.12). Paul considered himself the worst of sinners, but God saved him (v.15).

The Lord is able! That is what Paul wanted Timothy to see, and what we need to see too. Through Paul’s testimony, we see God’s mercy. If God could use someone like Paul, He can use us. If God could save the worst of sinners, then no one is beyond His reach.

Our story of God’s work in our lives can encourage others. Let those around you know that the God of the Bible is still at work today!

Father, thank You for the salvation You offer and that no one, including me, is beyond the reach of Your mercy, grace, and transforming power. Help me share my story with others so that people can see Your love.
No one is beyond the reach of God’s love.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, May 11, 2015

“Love One Another”

…add to your…brotherly kindness love. —2 Peter 1:5, 7

Love is an indefinite thing to most of us; we don’t know what we mean when we talk about love. Love is the loftiest preference of one person for another, and spiritually Jesus demands that this sovereign preference be for Himself (see Luke 14:26). Initially, when “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5), it is easy to put Jesus first. But then we must practice the things mentioned in 2 Peter 1 to see them worked out in our lives.

The first thing God does is forcibly remove any insincerity, pride, and vanity from my life. And the Holy Spirit reveals to me that God loved me not because I was lovable, but because it was His nature to do so. Now He commands me to show the same love to others by saying, “…love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). He is saying, “I will bring a number of people around you whom you cannot respect, but you must exhibit My love to them, just as I have exhibited it to you.” This kind of love is not a patronizing love for the unlovable— it is His love, and it will not be evidenced in us overnight. Some of us may have tried to force it, but we were soon tired and frustrated.

“The Lord…is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish…” (2 Peter 3:9). I should look within and remember how wonderfully He has dealt with me. The knowledge that God has loved me beyond all limits will compel me to go into the world to love others in the same way. I may get irritated because I have to live with an unusually difficult person. But just think how disagreeable I have been with God! Am I prepared to be identified so closely with the Lord Jesus that His life and His sweetness will be continually poured out through Me? Neither natural love nor God’s divine love will remain and grow in me unless it is nurtured. Love is spontaneous, but it has to be maintained through discipline.

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, May 11, 2015

My Child, My Mirror - When a Parent Looks Up - #7391

One of the more lovable guys on TV, I think, is the weatherman named Al Roker. You've seen him on The Today Show or The Weather Channel maybe in the morning, or hosting, or covering special events, or he's even got a book about his battle with losing weight.

At one point Al was quoted as saying that he weighed in at 340 pounds at 5'8". Notice I said weighed in. That was past tense. After carrying around all those pounds for a while, one day he suddenly goes out to a gym and asked them to put him on a diet and an exercise program that will radically reduce his size. He lost 140 pounds.

And what was it that suddenly got him wanting to do something about weight that he'd carried around for a long time? His young daughter came up to him one day when he had his shirt off and she made the kind of blunt, off-the-cuff observation about how he looked that only a child can make in all innocence and get away with it. Well that was it! Hello gymnasium! Goodbye fat.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "My Child, My Mirror - When a Parent Looks Up."

Our word for today from the Word of God takes us way back to nearly the beginning of the human race to a man named Enoch. Now, God has some especially complimentary things to say about Enoch. In Genesis 5:21-24, he reveals a change that took place in this man's life that could change the course of your life too.

The Bible says, "When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah." Then it says, "After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God." Now, did you notice the math here? Not just the longer life they enjoyed back then. Enoch lived the first 65 years of his life with no mention of a relationship with God.

Then suddenly he starts walking with God, and continues to have this intimate relationship with his Creator through the rest of his life. What was the catalyst that changed Enoch? The same thing that changed an overweight TV personality - his child. After he became a father, it says, is when Enoch walked with God.

There's something about having a child that makes you start thinking about yourself in ways you've never thought of yourself before. They're mirrors to us. As a dad or a mom, trying to shape this life that we've been entrusted with, knowing the dangers, the challenges, the consequences, we begin to see things we may have never seen fully before. Like our own incompleteness, our inadequacies, our baggage, our weaknesses that can now do serious damage to this vulnerable life in our hands; our own unmet needs, unanswered questions, unconquered sins.

Suddenly we consider looking up as we maybe have never have done before and saying, "Help!" Well, the good news is that God stands ready to answer our cry for help big time. In fact, He may have been waiting a long time for you to finally recognize that you are incomplete. You are inadequate and you've always been in need of what only He can do for you - a Savior.

Ultimately, our children show us the real weight we've been carrying all these years; the weight of our own self-centeredness, our unresolved issues, our dark side, our sin. We can never walk with a perfect God carrying all this. And being a mom or dad shows us like nothing else how deep our need is for this personal relationship we were made for and how much we need a rescue.

In spite of our sin, God loves us and He wants to walk with you for the rest of your life. But that walk can only begin one place - at the cross where God's one and only Son died to pay the death penalty you and I deserve. We did the sinning, but Jesus did the dying. The Bible says, "You who were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ."

Your walk with God begins when you say, "Jesus, I'm putting all my trust in You to be my Savior from my sin." If you've never done that, let this be the day you say, "Jesus, I'm yours." I'd love to tell you more about this relationship and help you make sure you belong to Jesus. Just go to our website ANewStory.com.

If you're a mom or dad, there are feet now following you wherever you walk. For their sake and for yours, be sure you're walking with God.

Luke 21:20-3, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Luke 21:20-3, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: A Worry-Slapper

Become a “worry-slapper!”  Treat frets like mosquitoes!

Do you procrastinate when a bloodsucking bug lights on your skin?  Do you say, “I’ll take care of that in a moment.”  Of course you don’t!  You give the critter the slap it deserves.

Be equally decisive with anxiety.  The moment a concern surfaces, deal with it.  Don’t dwell on it.  Head it off before it gets the best of you.

Don’t waste an hour wondering what your boss thinks; ask her.  Before you diagnose that blemish as cancer, have it examined.  Instead of assuming you’ll never get out of debt, consult an expert.  Be a doer—not a stewer!

In Matthew 6:32-33,. Jesus said, “Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.  See the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need!”

On that you can depend and never worry!

Luke 21:20-3

“And when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will know that the time of its destruction has arrived. 21 Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. Those in Jerusalem must get out, and those out in the country should not return to the city. 22 For those will be days of God’s vengeance, and the prophetic words of the Scriptures will be fulfilled. 23 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. For there will be disaster in the land and great anger against this people. 24 They will be killed by the sword or sent away as captives to all the nations of the world. And Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the period of the Gentiles comes to an end.

25 “And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. 26 People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then everyone will see the Son of Man[a] coming on a cloud with power and great glory.[b] 28 So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”

29 Then he gave them this illustration: “Notice the fig tree, or any other tree. 30 When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near. 31 In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that the Kingdom of God is near. 32 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things have taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.

34 “Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, 35 like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. 36 Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”

37 Every day Jesus went to the Temple to teach, and each evening he returned to spend the night on the Mount of Olives. 38 The crowds gathered at the Temple early each morning to hear him.

Footnotes:

21:27a “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
21:27b See Dan 7:13.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
May 08, 2015

Read: 2 Peter 3:1-13

The Day of the Lord Is Coming

This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory. 2 I want you to remember what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Savior commanded through your apostles.

3 Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. 4 They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.”

5 They deliberately forget that God made the heavens long ago by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. 6 Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. 7 And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.

8 But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. 9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.[a]

11 Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, 12 looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. 13 But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.

Footnotes:

3:10 Other manuscripts read will be burned up; still others read will be found destroyed.

INSIGHT: Peter wrote to a persecuted and suffering group of Christians, which is why he highlighted the faithfulness of God. Peter wanted them to remember that the Lord would fulfill the promise of His second coming (v. 13).

All Aboard

By Jennifer Benson Schuldt

The Lord is . . . longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish. —2 Peter 3:9
One day when I dropped my husband off at our local train station, I watched as the conductor scanned the area for stragglers. A woman with wet hair bounded from the parking lot and up into the train. Then, a man in a dark suit strode to the platform and climbed aboard. The conductor waited patiently while several more late-comers sprinted to the tracks and boarded at the last moment.

Just as the conductor was patient with people boarding the train, God patiently waits for people to come to know Him. However, someday Jesus will return and “the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat” (2 Peter 3:10). When this happens, or when our physical bodies die, it will be too late to establish a relationship with God.

“The Lord is . . . longsuffering toward us,” Peter says, “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (v.9). If you have delayed deciding to follow Christ, there is good news—you can still commit yourself to Him. “If you declare with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9 niv). He is calling. Will you run in His direction?

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
Calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,
Watching for you and for me. —Thompson
Now is the time to choose the Lord.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
May 08, 2015

The Faith to Persevere

Because you have kept My command to persevere… —Revelation 3:10

Perseverance means more than endurance— more than simply holding on until the end. A saint’s life is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see, but our Lord continues to stretch and strain, and every once in a while the saint says, “I can’t take any more.” Yet God pays no attention; He goes on stretching until His purpose is in sight, and then He lets the arrow fly. Entrust yourself to God’s hands. Is there something in your life for which you need perseverance right now? Maintain your intimate relationship with Jesus Christ through the perseverance of faith. Proclaim as Job did, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15).

Faith is not some weak and pitiful emotion, but is strong and vigorous confidence built on the fact that God is holy love. And even though you cannot see Him right now and cannot understand what He is doing, you know Him. Disaster occurs in your life when you lack the mental composure that comes from establishing yourself on the eternal truth that God is holy love. Faith is the supreme effort of your life— throwing yourself with abandon and total confidence upon God.

God ventured His all in Jesus Christ to save us, and now He wants us to venture our all with total abandoned confidence in Him. There are areas in our lives where that faith has not worked in us as yet— places still untouched by the life of God. There were none of those places in Jesus Christ’s life, and there are to be none in ours. Jesus prayed, “This is eternal life, that they may know You…” (John 17:3). The real meaning of eternal life is a life that can face anything it has to face without wavering. If we will take this view, life will become one great romance— a glorious opportunity of seeing wonderful things all the time. God is disciplining us to get us into this central place of power.

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Another Eternity Moment - #6607

May 8, 2012/15

Jonesboro. Paducah. Columbine. And then this year add Chardon, Ohio - another school shooting. You know, having spent so much of my life on high school campuses, my heart sinks every time I see these all-too-familiar scenes. Students running, crying, parents desperately seeking information, SWAT teams moving in, law enforcement briefings, shooter profiles, ambulances converging, and then those heartbreaking candlelight vigils.

And, you know, when those happen, once again for a very brief window in time, there's an eternity moment. After the Chardon shootings, one national reporter said, "These students are talking way beyond their years today." See, suddenly checking Facebook, and sweating the test, and talking about everyone's social "drama" seems so unimportant. Because, well, a brush with eternity changes everything. At least for a little while.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Another Eternity Moment."

You know, for those traumatized teenagers in a shocked and grieving town where there had been a school shooting, the eternity moment came with gunshots in the cafeteria. But we all have those moments. I mean, that narrow miss, like in traffic, or in a natural disaster when we know how close we were to no tomorrow. The sudden death of someone we didn't expect to lose, and then the unwelcome, insistent reminder of our own mortality. The ominous symptoms. The sobering news from the doctor. The medical procedure we know that we might not have come back from.

It's hard, and it's slightly unnatural, I guess, to imagine ourselves as being the obituary, being the name and the picture on that funeral home memorial card. But then comes that brush with eternity when we realize, "It could have been me."

It's not something to dwell on, but it is something to be ready for. After all, we go to a lot of effort to be ready for a job interview, a date, an exam, a vacation, a financial future, or our retirement. None of which holds a candle to eternity; that vast forever that's just beyond our final breath.

The circumstances that bring our mortality close are often painful. They're even tragic like the wrenching events of the school shooting. But those brushes with eternity can also serve to help save our soul.

A Biblical prophet warned us to "...prepare to meet your God" in our word today from the Word of God, Amos 4:12, because that's what's on the other side of our last heartbeat - our un-postponeable appointment with God. The Bible says, "Man is destined to die once and after that to face judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). Grade points and bank accounts and "to do" lists and earth stuff? In an instant, they're going to matter no more. All that will matter is whether we're right with God. In a moment, we're suddenly facing destination time; where I'm going to spend forever.

Surveys show that most Americans think they'll go to heaven when they die. Jesus, though, talked about "the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Matthew 7:14). That's not His fault. He did everything He could to clear away the curse that disqualifies all of us from God's heaven - our sin. Our arrogant control of a life that God gave us and that He was supposed to run. All those lying things, hurting things, selfish things, and dirty things, the God-ignoring things we've done. The verdict is clear: "Nothing impure will ever enter" God's heaven (Revelation 21:27).

No religion can get us in, because my sin carries an eternal death penalty, "the soul who sins will die" (Ezekiel 18:4) the Bible says. And no religion can die for me. A perfect God cannot welcome me into His perfect heaven with my sin.

And a death penalty can't be paid by being a good boy. Somebody has to die, and somebody did. Jesus did. God's one and only Son. The Bible says He's, "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). And the moment you give your heart to Jesus, every sin you've ever committed is erased from God's book forever. And what would keep you out of heaven is removed.

One day, when a church leader used a ringing alarm clock to show time running out, I put all my trust in Jesus to be my Savior from my sin. I'm not worried about eternity, and I've had several close brushes with it. There's just no fear. I put my total trust in Jesus to be my Rescuer from my sin, and I know He'll keep His promise.


It's awesome to know that because of Jesus, you're ready for eternity whenever it comes. If you're not sure you are, would you please today say, "Jesus you died for me. I give me to You." Go to our website YoursForLife.net and make sure you belong to Him.

The Bible describes "eternal life" as a gift that becomes yours at the point you take it for yourself. And this could be your day!

Psalm 56, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Give Your Child to God

You’ve wept a monsoon of tears for your child, enough to summon the attention of every angel and their neighbor to your cause.  But you’re not so sure anymore.

You find yourself wondering if Christ has forgotten you and your child.  He hasn’t!  Keep giving your child to God.  In the right time, the right way, he will give your child back to you.

A quarter century ago, I gave my daughter to God.  I remembered the way Abraham had placed Isaac on the altar.  I made my apartment living room my altar and lifted my daughter toward heaven.  I can’t raise this girl, I confessed, but You can.  I give her back to you!  Must have been a sight to behold, a pajama-clad father lifting his blanket-wrapped baby toward the ceiling.  But something tells me one parent appreciated the gesture.

Abraham.  And, of course, God!

Psalm 56

For the choir director: A psalm[a] of David, regarding the time the Philistines seized him in Gath. To be sung to the tune “Dove on Distant Oaks.”

O God, have mercy on me,
    for people are hounding me.
    My foes attack me all day long.
2 I am constantly hounded by those who slander me,
    and many are boldly attacking me.
3 But when I am afraid,
    I will put my trust in you.
4 I praise God for what he has promised.
    I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?
    What can mere mortals do to me?
5 They are always twisting what I say;
    they spend their days plotting to harm me.
6 They come together to spy on me—
    watching my every step, eager to kill me.
7 Don’t let them get away with their wickedness;
    in your anger, O God, bring them down.
8 You keep track of all my sorrows.[b]
    You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
    You have recorded each one in your book.
9 My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help.
    This I know: God is on my side!
10 I praise God for what he has promised;
    yes, I praise the Lord for what he has promised.
11 I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?
    What can mere mortals do to me?
12 I will fulfill my vows to you, O God,
    and will offer a sacrifice of thanks for your help.
13 For you have rescued me from death;
    you have kept my feet from slipping.
So now I can walk in your presence, O God,
    in your life-giving light.
Footnotes:

56:Title Hebrew miktam. This may be a literary or musical term.
56:8 Or my wanderings.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
May 10, 2015

Read: Isaiah 49:13-18

Sing for joy, O heavens!
    Rejoice, O earth!
    Burst into song, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted his people
    and will have compassion on them in their suffering.
14 Yet Jerusalem[a] says, “The Lord has deserted us;
    the Lord has forgotten us.”
15 “Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child?
    Can she feel no love for the child she has borne?
But even if that were possible,
    I would not forget you!
16 See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.
    Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins.
17 Soon your descendants will come back,
    and all who are trying to destroy you will go away.
18 Look around you and see,
    for all your children will come back to you.
As surely as I live,” says the Lord,
    “they will be like jewels or bridal ornaments for you to display.
Footnotes:

49:14 Hebrew Zion.

INSIGHT: Isaiah has the most messianic references of any Old Testament prophetic book, containing extraordinary prophecies of both Christ’s miraculous birth and His atoning death. Today’s reading begins a section of prophecies about the Divine Servant, highlighted by the description of His suffering in Isaiah 53. This suffering comes to the Servant from God’s own hand and ultimately finds its fulfillment at the cross where Christ bore the sins of the world.

No Need Is Too Trivial

By Joanie Yoder

As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. —Psalm 103:13
Several mothers of small children were sharing encouraging answers to prayer. Yet one woman said she felt selfish about troubling God with her personal needs. “Compared with the huge global needs God faces,” she explained, “my circumstances must seem trivial to Him.”

Moments later, her little son pinched his fingers in a door and ran screaming to his mother. She didn’t say, “How selfish of you to bother me with your throbbing fingers when I’m busy!” She showed him great compassion and tenderness.

As Psalm 103:13 reminds us, this is the response of love, both human and divine. In Isaiah 49, God said that even though a mother may forget to have compassion on her child, the Lord never forgets His children (v.15). God assured His people, “I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands” (v.16).

Such intimacy with God belongs to those who fear Him and who rely on Him rather than on themselves. As that child with throbbing fingers ran freely to his mother, so may we run to God with our daily problems.

Our compassionate God doesn’t neglect others to respond to our concerns. He has limitless time and love for each of His children. No need is too trivial for Him.

You take great delight in me, Lord, and quiet me with Your love. You rejoice over me with singing, like a mother singing a lullaby over her child. Thank You for Your tender love for me.
God holds His children in the palm of His hand.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
May 10, 2015


Take the Initiative

…add to your faith virtue… —2 Peter 1:5

Add means that we have to do something. We are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can do. We cannot save nor sanctify ourselves— God does that. But God will not give us good habits or character, and He will not force us to walk correctly before Him. We have to do all that ourselves. We must “work out” our “own salvation” which God has worked in us (Philippians 2:12). Add means that we must get into the habit of doing things, and in the initial stages that is difficult. To take the initiative is to make a beginning— to instruct yourself in the way you must go.

Beware of the tendency to ask the way when you know it perfectly well. Take the initiative— stop hesitating— take the first step. Be determined to act immediately in faith on what God says to you when He speaks, and never reconsider or change your initial decisions. If you hesitate when God tells you to do something, you are being careless, spurning the grace in which you stand. Take the initiative yourself, make a decision of your will right now, and make it impossible to go back. Burn your bridges behind you, saying, “I will write that letter,” or “I will pay that debt”; and then do it! Make it irrevocable.

We have to get into the habit of carefully listening to God about everything, forming the habit of finding out what He says and heeding it. If, when a crisis comes, we instinctively turn to God, we will know that the habit has been formed in us. We have to take the initiative where we are, not where we have not yet been.

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

When Your Children Expect Too Much - #6609

May 10, 2012/15

My friend Bill was talking to me about his son's "microwave expectations" - "I want it quick!" See, Bill was in his early 50s, and his son had been married about a year at that point. And Bill said, "You know, I just can't believe it. My son and his wife want a home right now. They want to own a home immediately, they want furniture now, and they want a new car now!" Then he kind of summed it up by saying, "They want in one year what it took us 20 years to get." Well, that's fairly typical these days. The child expects a lot more than the father had.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When Your Children Expect Too Much."

Now, our word for today from the Word of God comes from Luke 9, and I'm going to begin reading at verse 57. I want you to notice here that Jesus gives very realistic expectations to anyone who is going to follow Him, unlike the Devil, who deceives you and tells you nothing about the price tag. Jesus gives it to you all up front. "As they were walking along the road, a man said to Him, 'I will follow you wherever you go.' Jesus replied, 'Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.'" It's interesting here that Jesus is saying, "Listen, adjust your expectations, man! You're following someone who sleeps every night on the Mount of Olives. So don't expect a lot materially."

I had been asked to speak at a conference, and they lodged in a very nice hotel room. And I was looking out over the city lights and I'd just gotten off the phone with my wife and sort of luxuriating in the room and the nice things that it had. And all of a sudden it hit me. I said, "You know, I'm being treated so much better than my Lord ever was. "I've got a place to live, I've got a vehicle to drive, I've got clothes, I have choices of clothes, sometimes I stay in places like this."

See, our problem is that we compare what we have to what others have and then guess what? We get discontent. That's where coveting comes from. You never covet if you don't compare. You see, we're measuring by the wrong standard. How are you doing compared to what your Lord Jesus had? He said, "The servant is not better than his master." Jesus taught us to ask for daily bread. Those are biblical expectations. If He gives us more, well that's okay. Enjoy it; be very grateful for the bonuses beyond daily bread. But the problem comes when we expect more than the basics; when we demand more than the basics.

Maybe you're wrestling with discontentment right now because you've been expecting too much...more than your Lord had when He was here. Oh, you've looked around at a greedy world and you've looked at other people your age, or other people in your situation, and you're thinking, "I want what they have." Well, see, for people in the world, that's all they get. You're going to have your rich rewards forever.


Now, there's no promise of heaven on earth. Jesus said, "Expect a few years of sacrifice and then an eternity of wealth." See, you won't seek first His kingdom if you're expecting to get a lot of earth's kingdom. You can't go after both.

When our Heavenly Father gave His Son, there wasn't even an address for Him. Are you doing better than your Lord did? I think most of us are. Well, then, thank Him for that and look forward to an eternity of celebrating His riches with Him in heaven.

1 Samuel 22, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Loaded With Fears

I don’t care how tough you are. You may be a Navy SEAL.  Doesn’t matter.  Every parent melts the moment he or she feels the full force of parenthood!

How did I get myself into this?  My moment came in the midnight quiet of an apartment in downtown Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, as I held a human being—my daughter—in my arms.

The semi-truck of parenting comes loaded with fears. Will we have enough money?  Enough answers?  Enough education?  It’s enough to keep a parent awake at night.

God has a heart for parents!  Are we surprised?  After all, God himself is a father. What parental emotion has he not felt?  But because of his great love for us, Romans says, “he did not spare his own son but gave him for us all.  So with Jesus, God will surely give us all things!”

ALL THINGS—must include courage and hope!

1 Samuel 22

David at the Cave of Adullam

So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. Soon his brothers and all his other relatives joined him there. 2 Then others began coming—men who were in trouble or in debt or who were just discontented—until David was the captain of about 400 men.

3 Later David went to Mizpeh in Moab, where he asked the king, “Please allow my father and mother to live here with you until I know what God is going to do for me.” 4 So David’s parents stayed in Moab with the king during the entire time David was living in his stronghold.

5 One day the prophet Gad told David, “Leave the stronghold and return to the land of Judah.” So David went to the forest of Hereth.

6 The news of his arrival in Judah soon reached Saul. At the time, the king was sitting beneath the tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah, holding his spear and surrounded by his officers.

7 “Listen here, you men of Benjamin!” Saul shouted to his officers when he heard the news. “Has that son of Jesse promised every one of you fields and vineyards? Has he promised to make you all generals and captains in his army?[a] 8 Is that why you have conspired against me? For not one of you told me when my own son made a solemn pact with the son of Jesse. You’re not even sorry for me. Think of it! My own son—encouraging him to kill me, as he is trying to do this very day!”

9 Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing there with Saul’s men, spoke up. “When I was at Nob,” he said, “I saw the son of Jesse talking to the priest, Ahimelech son of Ahitub. 10 Ahimelech consulted the Lord for him. Then he gave him food and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

The Slaughter of the Priests
11 King Saul immediately sent for Ahimelech and all his family, who served as priests at Nob. 12 When they arrived, Saul shouted at him, “Listen to me, you son of Ahitub!”

“What is it, my king?” Ahimelech asked.

13 “Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me?” Saul demanded. “Why did you give him food and a sword? Why have you consulted God for him? Why have you encouraged him to kill me, as he is trying to do this very day?”

14 “But sir,” Ahimelech replied, “is anyone among all your servants as faithful as David, your son-in-law? Why, he is the captain of your bodyguard and a highly honored member of your household! 15 This was certainly not the first time I had consulted God for him! May the king not accuse me and my family in this matter, for I knew nothing at all of any plot against you.”

16 “You will surely die, Ahimelech, along with your entire family!” the king shouted. 17 And he ordered his bodyguards, “Kill these priests of the Lord, for they are allies and conspirators with David! They knew he was running away from me, but they didn’t tell me!” But Saul’s men refused to kill the Lord’s priests.

18 Then the king said to Doeg, “You do it.” So Doeg the Edomite turned on them and killed them that day, eighty-five priests in all, still wearing their priestly garments. 19 Then he went to Nob, the town of the priests, and killed the priests’ families—men and women, children and babies—and all the cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats.

20 Only Abiathar, one of the sons of Ahimelech, escaped and fled to David. 21 When he told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord, 22 David exclaimed, “I knew it! When I saw Doeg the Edomite there that day, I knew he was sure to tell Saul. Now I have caused the death of all your father’s family. 23 Stay here with me, and don’t be afraid. I will protect you with my own life, for the same person wants to kill us both.”

Footnotes:

22:7 Hebrew commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds?

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
May 09, 2015

Read: Titus 3:1-8

Do What Is Good

Remind the believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good. 2 They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone.

3 Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. 4 But—

When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.[a] 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.

8 This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone.

Footnotes:

3:5 Greek He saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.

INSIGHT: Twice Paul asked his protégé Titus to remind believers to always be ready to do good works (vv. 1,8). Although we are saved by God’s mercy and grace and not by what we do (vv. 4-7), our works are the evidence of our faith. Paul taught in Ephesians 2:8-10: “God saved you by his grace . . . . Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done. . . . He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (NLT).

Remind The People

By Dave Branon |

Remind the believers to . . . show true humility to everyone. —Titus 3:1–2 nlt
In a typical week, many of us receive a number of emails reminding us of appointments or upcoming events or requests to pray for someone. All of them are needed reminders.

When Paul wrote his “papyrus mail” to Titus, he ended his note by saying, “Remind the believers . . .” (3:1 nlt). We can assume from Paul’s word choice that he had already written about these things. But they were of such importance to the people in the church that he repeated them so they wouldn’t forget.

Notice what Paul didn’t want them to miss. He reminded the people— living under the oppressive Roman rule—“to be subject to rulers and authorities” (v.1). It was important to be known for obedience; for doing what is good; for not slandering; for being peaceful and considerate; and for humility rather than for complaining. Their behavior was to showcase the change made in their lives by following Christ (vv.3-5).

How could they—and we—do that? “The Holy Spirit whom He poured out on us . . . through Jesus Christ” enables us to “devote [ourselves] to doing what is good” (vv.5-6,8 niv). It is through Jesus’ great gift of salvation that we are equipped to influence our world for good. That’s a reminder we all need.

Lord, remind us how important it is that we obey You and treat others the way we want to be treated. Remind us that Your salvation enables us to live as lights in a dark world.
A Christian’s life is a window through which others can see Jesus.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
May 09, 2015

Reaching Beyond Our Grasp

Where there is no revelation [or prophetic vision], the people cast off restraint… —Proverbs 29:18

There is a difference between holding on to a principle and having a vision. A principle does not come from moral inspiration, but a vision does. People who are totally consumed with idealistic principles rarely do anything. A person’s own idea of God and His attributes may actually be used to justify and rationalize his deliberate neglect of his duty. Jonah tried to excuse his disobedience by saying to God, “…I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm” (Jonah 4:2). I too may have the right idea of God and His attributes, but that may be the very reason why I do not do my duty. But wherever there is vision, there is also a life of honesty and integrity, because the vision gives me the moral incentive.

Our own idealistic principles may actually lull us into ruin. Examine yourself spiritually to see if you have vision, or only principles.

Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp,
Or what’s a heaven for?

“Where there is no revelation [or prophetic vision]….” Once we lose sight of God, we begin to be reckless. We cast off certain restraints from activities we know are wrong. We set prayer aside as well and cease having God’s vision in the little things of life. We simply begin to act on our own initiative. If we are eating only out of our own hand, and doing things solely on our own initiative without expecting God to come in, we are on a downward path. We have lost the vision. Is our attitude today an attitude that flows from our vision of God? Are we expecting God to do greater things than He has ever done before? Is there a freshness and a vitality in our spiritual outlook?

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Cleared For Takeoff - #6608

May 9, 2012/15

We were sitting on the runway at O'Hare Airport for a long time, in an airplane that is. I thought we were on our way when we left the gate. I said to myself "Okay, in a couple of minutes we'll be in the air and on our way." And then they routed us across the backside of O'Hare, and I saw some lovely storage facilities by the way. But, we finally we ended up in a long, long line of aircraft. I've got a little problem with impatience, but I sure don't want the pilot to have that problem. See, he knows that you do not take off until you get clearance from the tower...no matter how long that means you have to wait.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Cleared For Takeoff."

Now, our word for today from the Word of God comes from Genesis 27. It's a pretty powerful lesson in faith and patience from the life of Rebecca, Isaac's wife. Maybe you remember that God had promised that the younger son, Jacob, would actually end up with the blessing rather than the usual thing, which would be that his older brother, Esau, would get it. Unfortunately, it looked like Isaac was dying and he hadn't given the blessing to Jacob. And Rebecca kind of panics and says, "Oh boy, I'd better do something about this to make sure that my favorite son here gets the blessing. God said he should."

Now, she has no clearance from the tower to do this. God didn't tell her to do it; she doesn't even talk to Him about it. She just takes off. And she has this scheme where he will wear various hairy things on his arms and try to smell like the outdoors so he'll feel like his brother and smell like his brother, who's a hunter, and he'll just lie about who he is. And you know what? Isaac can't see very well. He does deceive his father and he gets the blessing. So, do they win? They lose.

Listen to the expensive result beginning in Genesis 27:41, "Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, 'The days of mourning for my father are near, and then I will kill my brother Jacob.'" Then it goes on to say as Rebecca now counsels Jacob, "Now, then, my son, do what I say. Flee to my brother Laban. Stay with him for a while until your brother's fury subsides. When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him (you think that's going to happen?), I'll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?" And in a sense that's exactly what happened. She didn't see Jacob for 14 years; her relationship was broken with Esau. Oh, by the way, Isaac didn't die; he lived 20 more years!

All of this agony happened in this family because Rebecca couldn't wait for God to do it His way. Oh, she knew Jacob should have the blessing, but it just wasn't happening fast enough. Does that sound familiar at all? You thought God was going to act by now, but you're still waiting. The temptation is to panic and say, "Oh, man! It's now or never!" Now, you don't have a "go" from the Lord, but you're still starting to take off.


You know, if a pilot does that without the person who can see all the other aircraft, who can see all the implications of taking off right now, he's going to be flying into disaster. If the child of God does that, he's flying into disaster. Ask God for the patience to wait on the runway. And remember that old wisdom, "Don't doubt in the darkness, or shall I say in the waiting room, what God has told you in the light."

Avoid the heartache that comes from taking off without clearance from the flight controller of your life.