Max Lucado Daily: A Better Option
I spent too much of a high school summer working in the oil field. We donned gas masks, waded into ankle deep, contaminated mire. My mom burned my work clothes. The stink stunk! Yours can do the same. Linger too long in the stench of your hurt, and you'll smell like the toxin you despise. The better option? Join with David as he announces, "The Lord lives. Blessed be my Rock. It is God who avenges me. He delivers me from my enemies. Therefore I will give thanks to You, O God!" (Psalm 18:46-49).
Wander daily through the gallery of God's goodness. Catalog His kindnesses. Look at what you have. Let Jesus be the friend you need. Talk to Him. Spare no details. Disclose your fear and describe your dread. You just found a friend for life in Jesus Christ. What could be better than that?
From Facing Your Giants
Psalm 8
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.[c]
1 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
Your glory is higher than the heavens.
2 You have taught children and infants
to tell of your strength,[d]
silencing your enemies
and all who oppose you.
3 When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
the moon and the stars you set in place—
4 what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
human beings that you should care for them?[e]
5 Yet you made them only a little lower than God[f]
and crowned them[g] with glory and honor.
6 You gave them charge of everything you made,
putting all things under their authority—
7 the flocks and the herds
and all the wild animals,
8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,
and everything that swims the ocean currents.
9 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
Footnotes:
8:Title Hebrew according to the gittith.
8:2 Greek version reads to give you praise. Compare Matt 21:16.
8:4 Hebrew what is man that you should think of him, / the son of man that you should care for him?
8:5a Or Yet you made them only a little lower than the angels; Hebrew reads Yet you made him [i.e., man] a little lower than Elohim.
8:5b Hebrew him [i.e., man]; similarly in 8:6.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Read: Psalm 34:4-18
I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.
He freed me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;
no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
6 In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;
he saved me from all my troubles.
7 For the angel of the Lord is a guard;
he surrounds and defends all who fear him.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
9 Fear the Lord, you his godly people,
for those who fear him will have all they need.
10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,
but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.
11 Come, my children, and listen to me,
and I will teach you to fear the Lord.
12 Does anyone want to live a life
that is long and prosperous?
13 Then keep your tongue from speaking evil
and your lips from telling lies!
14 Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
15 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right;
his ears are open to their cries for help.
16 But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil;
he will erase their memory from the earth.
17 The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help.
He rescues them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
Insight:
Notice the exuberance with which David celebrates God in Psalm 34. In verses 1-3, the king declares his commitment to continual praise and invites others to join him in the celebration. At the root of his exaltation are two great expressions of God’s care—His answers to our prayers (vv. 4-6) and His protection and provision (vv. 7-10). These take on such great value to David because he recognizes his own weakness, marked by his fears (v. 4) and his sense of personal emptiness (“this poor man,” v. 6). God’s rescue in the face of such realities is cause for celebration.
Be Near
By Keila Ochoa
The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart. —Psalm 34:18
My friend was going through some difficult challenges in her life and family. I didn’t know what to say or do, and I told her so. She looked at me and said, “Just be near.” That’s what I did, and later on we started talking about God’s love.
Many times we don’t know how to respond when others are grieving, and words may do more harm than good. Serving others requires that we understand them and find out what they need. Often we can help by meeting practical needs. But one of the best ways to encourage those who are suffering is to be near—to sit beside them and listen.
God is near to us when we call out to Him. “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles,” the psalmist says. “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit” (Ps. 34:17-18).
By putting ourselves in the shoes of others and allowing our hearts to feel compassion, we can help those who are hurting. We can be near them as God is with us and sit close to them. At the right time, the Holy Spirit will give us the words to say, if they are needed.
Who needs my help or for me to sit alongside them this week?
The best way to encourage others may be to just be near.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
The Doorway to the Kingdom
Blessed are the poor in spirit… —Matthew 5:3
Beware of thinking of our Lord as only a teacher. If Jesus Christ is only a teacher, then all He can do is frustrate me by setting a standard before me I cannot attain. What is the point of presenting me with such a lofty ideal if I cannot possibly come close to reaching it? I would be happier if I never knew it. What good is there in telling me to be what I can never be— to be “pure in heart” (Matthew 5:8), to do more than my duty, or to be completely devoted to God? I must know Jesus Christ as my Savior before His teaching has any meaning for me other than that of a lofty ideal which only leads to despair. But when I am born again by the Spirit of God, I know that Jesus Christ did not come only to teach— He came to make me what He teaches I should be. The redemption means that Jesus Christ can place within anyone the same nature that ruled His own life, and all the standards God gives us are based on that nature.
The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount produces a sense of despair in the natural man— exactly what Jesus means for it to do. As long as we have some self-righteous idea that we can carry out our Lord’s teaching, God will allow us to continue until we expose our own ignorance by stumbling over some obstacle in our way. Only then are we willing to come to Him as paupers and receive from Him. “Blessed are the poor in spirit….” This is the first principle in the kingdom of God. The underlying foundation of Jesus Christ’s kingdom is poverty, not possessions; not making decisions for Jesus, but having such a sense of absolute futility that we finally admit, “Lord, I cannot even begin to do it.” Then Jesus says, “Blessed are you…” (Matthew 5:11). This is the doorway to the kingdom, and yet it takes us so long to believe that we are actually poor! The knowledge of our own poverty is what brings us to the proper place where Jesus Christ accomplishes His work.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Trusting Jesus With What You Treasure - #7442
Dino and Nanette are dear Navajo friends of ours and then they became Mr. and Mrs.! Oh, we wanted to be at their wedding because they are two very special friends, very special Native American Christian leaders. We couldn't be there, but our son attended, and that afternoon he described the wedding to us, as well as any man can describe a wedding. I choked up when I heard about their wedding vows. Dino made his vows to Nanette on bended knee. Nanette made her vows to Dino and then handed him a beautiful Navajo blanket. But this wasn't just any blanket. It had belonged to her father who died several years ago and it represented a relationship and memories that she really treasures. That blanket was Nanette's father's love gift to her. And in this moment of commitment, she was handing her new husband this most precious treasure from her most precious person. I guess in a sense, she was handing him her heart.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Trusting Jesus With What You Treasure."
In a tangible, deeply moving way, a young bride was saying with that gift, "I totally trust you, my husband. I'm giving you my heart. I'm giving you my life." She understood the deepest meaning of commitment. And commitment is the key to life's most important relationship; your personal relationship with the Man who died for you - Jesus Christ.
Now, our word for today from the Word of God beginning in Luke 7:37, "A woman in that town who had lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them." Like that Navajo bride, this woman understood the commitment of a heart to Jesus. She brought what may have been the most valuable possession she had and lavished it on Jesus. She worshipped Him with abandonment, not caring what anyone thought. She was pouring out more than expensive perfume; just like that bride was handing over more than a blanket. This lady was pouring out her life to Jesus.
Later, when the religious leader Jesus was dining with objected to what she had done, Jesus said, "You did not put oil even on my head, but she has poured perfume on My feet Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven as her great love has shown. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.' Then Jesus said to her, 'Your sins are forgiven.'" Jesus seems to be saying, "This lady just came to me with all her heart because she knows her need. You don't know your need and you come to Me with all your head."
Could it be that total commitment is "the" issue between you and Jesus right now? I mean, we're talking about the kind that releases to Him the things that matter most to you. Maybe you're clutching whatever is your "blanket", your security blanket. It's a relationship that really matters to you, or a dream you insist on hanging onto, or a possession, a position, your business, your ministry, something from your past. And you're at a crossroads now. You can't go any deeper, can't go any further in Christ until you release that precious treasure to Him. And the nagging, unspoken question really is, "Can I trust Jesus with this?"
Marty struggled with that question at a youth conference where I spoke some years ago. He told me he just couldn't give everything to Jesus because he couldn't surrender basketball, the most important thing in his life. Put your own treasure in there. But at the conclusion of the conference he said, "Ron, I've surrendered everything to Jesus, even basketball." I asked him why. He told me about his walk on the beach the night before where he finally settled the deciding issue. He said, "Anyone who loved me enough to die for me would never do me wrong."
You know, that's why you can trust Jesus with your life, your treasure, your eternity, your soul. Maybe you've never even made this Jesus the Savior from your sin by pinning all your hopes on Him and saying, "Jesus, I'm all yours because you gave everything you had for me." Do you want to begin that relationship? That's why our website's there ANewStory.com. That's why someone is waiting to be in touch with you if you'll just text us at 442-244-WORD.
Jesus can be trusted. Let this be the day you cross over into a relationship with Him, the day you put the treasure you've clutched in your hands into His hands. "Jesus, here. I trust You. I'm handing You my heart."
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Monday, July 20, 2015
Psalm 7, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Words for Misfits
1 Samuel 16:7 says, ". . .man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." Those words were written for misfits and outcasts. God uses them all. Moses ran from justice, but God used him. Jonah ran from God, but God used him. Rahab ran a brothel; Sarah ran out of hope; Lot ran with the wrong crowd; but God used them all. And David? Human eyes saw a gangly teenager, smelling like sheep. Yet the Lord said, "Arise, anoint him, for this is the one!" (1 Samuel 16:12).
God saw what no one else saw- a God-seeking heart. David took after God's heart, because he stayed after God's heart. In the end, that is all God wants or needs. Others measure your waist size or wallet. Not God. He examines hearts. When he finds one set on Him, He calls it and claims it.
From Facing Your Giants
Psalm 7
A psalm[a] of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush of the tribe of Benjamin.
I come to you for protection, O Lord my God.
Save me from my persecutors—rescue me!
2 If you don’t, they will maul me like a lion,
tearing me to pieces with no one to rescue me.
3 O Lord my God, if I have done wrong
or am guilty of injustice,
4 if I have betrayed a friend
or plundered my enemy without cause,
5 then let my enemies capture me.
Let them trample me into the ground
and drag my honor in the dust. Interlude
6 Arise, O Lord, in anger!
Stand up against the fury of my enemies!
Wake up, my God, and bring justice!
7 Gather the nations before you.
Rule over them from on high.
8 The Lord judges the nations.
Declare me righteous, O Lord,
for I am innocent, O Most High!
9 End the evil of those who are wicked,
and defend the righteous.
For you look deep within the mind and heart,
O righteous God.
10 God is my shield,
saving those whose hearts are true and right.
11 God is an honest judge.
He is angry with the wicked every day.
12 If a person does not repent,
God[b] will sharpen his sword;
he will bend and string his bow.
13 He will prepare his deadly weapons
and shoot his flaming arrows.
14 The wicked conceive evil;
they are pregnant with trouble
and give birth to lies.
15 They dig a deep pit to trap others,
then fall into it themselves.
16 The trouble they make for others backfires on them.
The violence they plan falls on their own heads.
17 I will thank the Lord because he is just;
I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
Footnotes:
7:Title Hebrew A shiggaion, probably indicating a musical setting for the psalm.
7:12 Hebrew he.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, July 20, 2015
Read: 2 Timothy 2:1-10
Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. 2 You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.
3 Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. 5 And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. 6 And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor. 7 Think about what I am saying. The Lord will help you understand all these things.
8 Always remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the dead. This is the Good News I preach. 9 And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained. 10 So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.
Insight:
Paul often uses colorful metaphors to describe the Christian. Sheep (John 10:27), salt and light (Matt. 5:13-14), and ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20) are well-known examples. In today’s reading Paul uses three common professions to describe the motivation and challenges of the Christian life. He speaks of the perseverance and allegiance of the soldier (vv. 3-4), the dedication and discipline of the athlete (v. 5), and the diligence and patience of the farmer (v. 6). Paul also uses these metaphors again in his letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 9:7,27).
Faithful Service
By Dennis Fisher
You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. —2 Timothy 2:3
Having served in World War I, C. S. Lewis was no stranger to the stresses of military service. In a public address during the Second World War, he eloquently described the hardships a soldier has to face: “All that we fear from all the kinds of adversity . . . is collected together in the life of the soldier on active service. Like sickness, it threatens pain and death. Like poverty, it threatens ill lodging, cold, heat, thirst, and hunger. Like slavery, it threatens toil, humiliation, injustice, and arbitrary rule. Like exile, it separates you from all you love.”
The apostle Paul used the analogy of a soldier suffering hardship to describe the trials a believer may experience in service to Christ. Paul—now at the end of his life—had faithfully endured suffering for the sake of the gospel. He encourages Timothy to do the same: “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Tim. 2:3).
Serving Christ requires perseverance. We may encounter obstacles of poor health, troubled relationships, or difficult circumstances. But as a good soldier we press on—with God’s strength—because we serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who sacrificed Himself for us!
Dear Father, help me to be faithful in my service to You. Thank You for the strength You provide to help me persevere through suffering.
Share this prayer from our Facebook page with your friends. facebook.com/ourdailybread
God’s love does not keep us from trials, but sees us through them.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, July 20, 2015
Dependent on God’s Presence
Those who wait on the Lord…shall walk and not faint. —Isaiah 40:31
There is no thrill for us in walking, yet it is the test for all of our steady and enduring qualities. To “walk and not faint” is the highest stretch possible as a measure of strength. The word walk is used in the Bible to express the character of a person— “…John…looking at Jesus as He walked…said, ‘Behold the Lamb of God!’ ” (John 1:35-36). There is nothing abstract or obscure in the Bible; everything is vivid and real. God does not say, “Be spiritual,” but He says, “Walk before Me…” (Genesis 17:1).
When we are in an unhealthy condition either physically or emotionally, we always look for thrills in life. In our physical life this leads to our efforts to counterfeit the work of the Holy Spirit; in our emotional life it leads to obsessions and to the destruction of our morality; and in our spiritual life, if we insist on pursuing only thrills, on mounting up “with wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31), it will result in the destruction of our spirituality.
Having the reality of God’s presence is not dependent on our being in a particular circumstance or place, but is only dependent on our determination to keep the Lord before us continually. Our problems arise when we refuse to place our trust in the reality of His presence. The experience the psalmist speaks of— “We will not fear, even though…” (Psalm 46:2)— will be ours once we are grounded on the truth of the reality of God’s presence, not just a simple awareness of it, but an understanding of the reality of it. Then we will exclaim, “He has been here all the time!” At critical moments in our lives it is necessary to ask God for guidance, but it should be unnecessary to be constantly saying, “Oh, Lord, direct me in this, and in that.” Of course He will, and in fact, He is doing it already! If our everyday decisions are not according to His will, He will press through them, bringing restraint to our spirit. Then we must be quiet and wait for the direction of His presence.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, July 20, 2015
The Amazing Plan That Gets You To Jesus - #7441
I had a busy schedule of speaking in the Chicago area that week. But I had one night free. It happened to be during what they call Founder's Week. That's the annual conference that commemorates the birthday of the founder of Moody Bible Institute, D.L. Moody. When I heard that one of my favorite speakers was there that night, I told my wife I wanted to attend. And we did, along with some of our ministry team members.
Since we would be arriving a little late, I called and asked that some seats be reserved and they were kind enough to accommodate us. But something very unexpected happened that night at Founders Week. The president of the Moody Alumni Association began reading a brief biography of the person who was to be honored as that year's Alumnus of the Year. The more he read, the more familiar this life story sounded. To my total shock, he was describing me! My wife says I slowly sank in my chair and I fought a losing battle with the tears in my eyes over God's amazing grace in my life.
Afterwards, I had a thousand questions about how I actually ended up at that session that night. My family and my team members had been involved in an 8-month conspiracy to maneuver me to Chicago for that week and to a schedule that led me right to the right place at the right time. I was pretty sure it had been my choice. Well, I had been skillfully directed to that choice through the imperceptible workings of someone else.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Amazing Plan That Gets You To Jesus."
After that surprising night, I saw one of the most amazing, most debated mysteries of God's Word in a brighter light; our Word for today from the Word of God Ephesians 1:4-5. It's an incredible behind-the-scenes look at what it took to give you a place in God's family. God says, "The Father chose us in Christ before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love, He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ." In other words, God has had His eye on you since before there was a you, since before there was a world!
In verses like these, God takes us behind the scenes of that day when you put your trust in Jesus to be your Savior, that simple choice. And there was, in fact, an eternal rescue plan at work that finally brought you to Christ that day. See what I mean about understanding this through my surprise the night of that award? I thought I was there as a result of my decision, which in a way was true.
No one ever mentioned that meeting to me, and I did make a choice to go there. But behind that, there was a master plan at work that began long before I made "my choice"; a choice to which I had been skillfully and carefully guided. In a way, I did make the choice. But then in another way, it was predestined.
Now don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting I have resolved the centuries-old struggle to understand the tension between predestination and free will and between us choosing Christ and God choosing us. But these verses and the illustration that I lived do make some very encouraging facts very clear.
1. You really matter to God! Maybe you've been mistreated by folks here on earth, passed over, unappreciated, undervalued. But the God of the universe values you so much He's been working on you being in His family from creation to Calvary to your conversion.
2. You're safe with God. After all He's done for all these millennia to bring you into His family, He's not about to let you go now.
3. He is working on an awesome master plan to rescue the people you're concerned about. And you are part of His eternal plan to reach them.
It is really amazing, isn't it? And it answers so many of our self-doubts, our fears, and our feeling of inadequacy. And it should drive us to our knees in amazed praise. The night I received that award, there was a lot more to it than I could ever understand at the time. And for you to come to Jesus that day you did, there was a lot more to it than you may ever be able to understand.
For someone who is listening right now, you are in the middle of that plan, and the whole plan of God for your life has brought you to this moment when you could reach out and make the man who died to be your Savior your own personal Savior. If you want to begin a relationship with Him, you're at that point of choosing.
Would you go to our website and let us help you cross that line into His arms? ANewStory.com. If you want to talk about it, text us at 442-244-WORD. The plan of God has brought you to this very moment to bring you into His family and to take you to His heaven.
1 Samuel 16:7 says, ". . .man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." Those words were written for misfits and outcasts. God uses them all. Moses ran from justice, but God used him. Jonah ran from God, but God used him. Rahab ran a brothel; Sarah ran out of hope; Lot ran with the wrong crowd; but God used them all. And David? Human eyes saw a gangly teenager, smelling like sheep. Yet the Lord said, "Arise, anoint him, for this is the one!" (1 Samuel 16:12).
God saw what no one else saw- a God-seeking heart. David took after God's heart, because he stayed after God's heart. In the end, that is all God wants or needs. Others measure your waist size or wallet. Not God. He examines hearts. When he finds one set on Him, He calls it and claims it.
From Facing Your Giants
Psalm 7
A psalm[a] of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush of the tribe of Benjamin.
I come to you for protection, O Lord my God.
Save me from my persecutors—rescue me!
2 If you don’t, they will maul me like a lion,
tearing me to pieces with no one to rescue me.
3 O Lord my God, if I have done wrong
or am guilty of injustice,
4 if I have betrayed a friend
or plundered my enemy without cause,
5 then let my enemies capture me.
Let them trample me into the ground
and drag my honor in the dust. Interlude
6 Arise, O Lord, in anger!
Stand up against the fury of my enemies!
Wake up, my God, and bring justice!
7 Gather the nations before you.
Rule over them from on high.
8 The Lord judges the nations.
Declare me righteous, O Lord,
for I am innocent, O Most High!
9 End the evil of those who are wicked,
and defend the righteous.
For you look deep within the mind and heart,
O righteous God.
10 God is my shield,
saving those whose hearts are true and right.
11 God is an honest judge.
He is angry with the wicked every day.
12 If a person does not repent,
God[b] will sharpen his sword;
he will bend and string his bow.
13 He will prepare his deadly weapons
and shoot his flaming arrows.
14 The wicked conceive evil;
they are pregnant with trouble
and give birth to lies.
15 They dig a deep pit to trap others,
then fall into it themselves.
16 The trouble they make for others backfires on them.
The violence they plan falls on their own heads.
17 I will thank the Lord because he is just;
I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
Footnotes:
7:Title Hebrew A shiggaion, probably indicating a musical setting for the psalm.
7:12 Hebrew he.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, July 20, 2015
Read: 2 Timothy 2:1-10
Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. 2 You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.
3 Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. 5 And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. 6 And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor. 7 Think about what I am saying. The Lord will help you understand all these things.
8 Always remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the dead. This is the Good News I preach. 9 And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained. 10 So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.
Insight:
Paul often uses colorful metaphors to describe the Christian. Sheep (John 10:27), salt and light (Matt. 5:13-14), and ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20) are well-known examples. In today’s reading Paul uses three common professions to describe the motivation and challenges of the Christian life. He speaks of the perseverance and allegiance of the soldier (vv. 3-4), the dedication and discipline of the athlete (v. 5), and the diligence and patience of the farmer (v. 6). Paul also uses these metaphors again in his letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 9:7,27).
Faithful Service
By Dennis Fisher
You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. —2 Timothy 2:3
Having served in World War I, C. S. Lewis was no stranger to the stresses of military service. In a public address during the Second World War, he eloquently described the hardships a soldier has to face: “All that we fear from all the kinds of adversity . . . is collected together in the life of the soldier on active service. Like sickness, it threatens pain and death. Like poverty, it threatens ill lodging, cold, heat, thirst, and hunger. Like slavery, it threatens toil, humiliation, injustice, and arbitrary rule. Like exile, it separates you from all you love.”
The apostle Paul used the analogy of a soldier suffering hardship to describe the trials a believer may experience in service to Christ. Paul—now at the end of his life—had faithfully endured suffering for the sake of the gospel. He encourages Timothy to do the same: “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Tim. 2:3).
Serving Christ requires perseverance. We may encounter obstacles of poor health, troubled relationships, or difficult circumstances. But as a good soldier we press on—with God’s strength—because we serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who sacrificed Himself for us!
Dear Father, help me to be faithful in my service to You. Thank You for the strength You provide to help me persevere through suffering.
Share this prayer from our Facebook page with your friends. facebook.com/ourdailybread
God’s love does not keep us from trials, but sees us through them.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, July 20, 2015
Dependent on God’s Presence
Those who wait on the Lord…shall walk and not faint. —Isaiah 40:31
There is no thrill for us in walking, yet it is the test for all of our steady and enduring qualities. To “walk and not faint” is the highest stretch possible as a measure of strength. The word walk is used in the Bible to express the character of a person— “…John…looking at Jesus as He walked…said, ‘Behold the Lamb of God!’ ” (John 1:35-36). There is nothing abstract or obscure in the Bible; everything is vivid and real. God does not say, “Be spiritual,” but He says, “Walk before Me…” (Genesis 17:1).
When we are in an unhealthy condition either physically or emotionally, we always look for thrills in life. In our physical life this leads to our efforts to counterfeit the work of the Holy Spirit; in our emotional life it leads to obsessions and to the destruction of our morality; and in our spiritual life, if we insist on pursuing only thrills, on mounting up “with wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31), it will result in the destruction of our spirituality.
Having the reality of God’s presence is not dependent on our being in a particular circumstance or place, but is only dependent on our determination to keep the Lord before us continually. Our problems arise when we refuse to place our trust in the reality of His presence. The experience the psalmist speaks of— “We will not fear, even though…” (Psalm 46:2)— will be ours once we are grounded on the truth of the reality of God’s presence, not just a simple awareness of it, but an understanding of the reality of it. Then we will exclaim, “He has been here all the time!” At critical moments in our lives it is necessary to ask God for guidance, but it should be unnecessary to be constantly saying, “Oh, Lord, direct me in this, and in that.” Of course He will, and in fact, He is doing it already! If our everyday decisions are not according to His will, He will press through them, bringing restraint to our spirit. Then we must be quiet and wait for the direction of His presence.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, July 20, 2015
The Amazing Plan That Gets You To Jesus - #7441
I had a busy schedule of speaking in the Chicago area that week. But I had one night free. It happened to be during what they call Founder's Week. That's the annual conference that commemorates the birthday of the founder of Moody Bible Institute, D.L. Moody. When I heard that one of my favorite speakers was there that night, I told my wife I wanted to attend. And we did, along with some of our ministry team members.
Since we would be arriving a little late, I called and asked that some seats be reserved and they were kind enough to accommodate us. But something very unexpected happened that night at Founders Week. The president of the Moody Alumni Association began reading a brief biography of the person who was to be honored as that year's Alumnus of the Year. The more he read, the more familiar this life story sounded. To my total shock, he was describing me! My wife says I slowly sank in my chair and I fought a losing battle with the tears in my eyes over God's amazing grace in my life.
Afterwards, I had a thousand questions about how I actually ended up at that session that night. My family and my team members had been involved in an 8-month conspiracy to maneuver me to Chicago for that week and to a schedule that led me right to the right place at the right time. I was pretty sure it had been my choice. Well, I had been skillfully directed to that choice through the imperceptible workings of someone else.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Amazing Plan That Gets You To Jesus."
After that surprising night, I saw one of the most amazing, most debated mysteries of God's Word in a brighter light; our Word for today from the Word of God Ephesians 1:4-5. It's an incredible behind-the-scenes look at what it took to give you a place in God's family. God says, "The Father chose us in Christ before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love, He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ." In other words, God has had His eye on you since before there was a you, since before there was a world!
In verses like these, God takes us behind the scenes of that day when you put your trust in Jesus to be your Savior, that simple choice. And there was, in fact, an eternal rescue plan at work that finally brought you to Christ that day. See what I mean about understanding this through my surprise the night of that award? I thought I was there as a result of my decision, which in a way was true.
No one ever mentioned that meeting to me, and I did make a choice to go there. But behind that, there was a master plan at work that began long before I made "my choice"; a choice to which I had been skillfully and carefully guided. In a way, I did make the choice. But then in another way, it was predestined.
Now don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting I have resolved the centuries-old struggle to understand the tension between predestination and free will and between us choosing Christ and God choosing us. But these verses and the illustration that I lived do make some very encouraging facts very clear.
1. You really matter to God! Maybe you've been mistreated by folks here on earth, passed over, unappreciated, undervalued. But the God of the universe values you so much He's been working on you being in His family from creation to Calvary to your conversion.
2. You're safe with God. After all He's done for all these millennia to bring you into His family, He's not about to let you go now.
3. He is working on an awesome master plan to rescue the people you're concerned about. And you are part of His eternal plan to reach them.
It is really amazing, isn't it? And it answers so many of our self-doubts, our fears, and our feeling of inadequacy. And it should drive us to our knees in amazed praise. The night I received that award, there was a lot more to it than I could ever understand at the time. And for you to come to Jesus that day you did, there was a lot more to it than you may ever be able to understand.
For someone who is listening right now, you are in the middle of that plan, and the whole plan of God for your life has brought you to this moment when you could reach out and make the man who died to be your Savior your own personal Savior. If you want to begin a relationship with Him, you're at that point of choosing.
Would you go to our website and let us help you cross that line into His arms? ANewStory.com. If you want to talk about it, text us at 442-244-WORD. The plan of God has brought you to this very moment to bring you into His family and to take you to His heaven.
Sunday, July 19, 2015
John 7:1-27 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: 'Birthdays'
What is it about birthdays that causes us to quiver so? Certainly part of the problem is the mirror. Time may be a great healer, but it’s a lousy beautician. But the real pain is deeper. Sometimes a dream-come-true-world has come true and it’s less than you’d hoped. Regret becomes a major pastime.
Luke 17:33 says, “Whoever tries to keep his life safe will lose it, and the one who’s prepared to lose his life will preserve it.” “There are two ways to view life,” Jesus is saying, “those who protect it or those who pursue it. The wisest are not the ones with the most years in their lives, but the most life in their years.”
You can take the safe route. Or you can hear the voice of adventure—God’s adventure. Adopt the child. Teach the class. Change careers. Make a difference. Sure it isn’t safe, but what is?
from He Still Moves Stones
John 7:1-27
Jesus and His Brothers
After this, Jesus traveled around Galilee. He wanted to stay out of Judea, where the Jewish leaders were plotting his death. 2 But soon it was time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters, 3 and Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! 4 You can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!” 5 For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.
6 Jesus replied, “Now is not the right time for me to go, but you can go anytime. 7 The world can’t hate you, but it does hate me because I accuse it of doing evil. 8 You go on. I’m not going[a] to this festival, because my time has not yet come.” 9 After saying these things, Jesus remained in Galilee.
Jesus Teaches Openly at the Temple
10 But after his brothers left for the festival, Jesus also went, though secretly, staying out of public view. 11 The Jewish leaders tried to find him at the festival and kept asking if anyone had seen him. 12 There was a lot of grumbling about him among the crowds. Some argued, “He’s a good man,” but others said, “He’s nothing but a fraud who deceives the people.” 13 But no one had the courage to speak favorably about him in public, for they were afraid of getting in trouble with the Jewish leaders.
14 Then, midway through the festival, Jesus went up to the Temple and began to teach. 15 The people[b] were surprised when they heard him. “How does he know so much when he hasn’t been trained?” they asked.
16 So Jesus told them, “My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me. 17 Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own. 18 Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies. 19 Moses gave you the law, but none of you obeys it! In fact, you are trying to kill me.”
20 The crowd replied, “You’re demon possessed! Who’s trying to kill you?”
21 Jesus replied, “I did one miracle on the Sabbath, and you were amazed. 22 But you work on the Sabbath, too, when you obey Moses’ law of circumcision. (Actually, this tradition of circumcision began with the patriarchs, long before the law of Moses.) 23 For if the correct time for circumcising your son falls on the Sabbath, you go ahead and do it so as not to break the law of Moses. So why should you be angry with me for healing a man on the Sabbath? 24 Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.”
Is Jesus the Messiah?
25 Some of the people who lived in Jerusalem started to ask each other, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? 26 But here he is, speaking in public, and they say nothing to him. Could our leaders possibly believe that he is the Messiah? 27 But how could he be? For we know where this man comes from. When the Messiah comes, he will simply appear; no one will know where he comes from.”
Footnotes:
7:8 Some manuscripts read not yet going.
7:15 Greek Jewish people.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Read: Ephesians 1:3-14
Spiritual Blessings
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.[a] 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. 11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God,[b] for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.
12 God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. 13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own[c] by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.
Footnotes:
1:6 Greek to us in the beloved.
1:11 Or we have become God’s inheritance.
1:13 Or he put his seal on you.
Insight:
Ephesians 1:3-14 is an extended blessing to God for His work of creation and redemption. Paul goes to great lengths to describe and celebrate the goodness of God for His grace and promise. Twice Paul mentions that our salvation is in accordance with His good pleasure or “according to the purpose of His will” (vv. 5,9 esv). God made the decision to lavish grace on those who would be saved in Jesus Christ, and He took delight in extending that grace.
Eulogize the Living God
By Marvin Williams
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. —Ephesians 1:3
In 2005, when American civil rights hero Rosa Parks died, Oprah Winfrey counted it a privilege to eulogize her. Oprah said of the woman who refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in 1955, “I often thought about what that took—knowing the climate of the times and what could have happened to you—what it took to stay seated. You acted without concern for yourself and made life better for us all.”
We often use the word eulogy to refer to the words spoken at a funeral. But it can also refer to other situations where we give high praise to someone. In the opening lines of Ephesians, the apostle Paul eulogized the living God. When he said, “Blessed be the God and Father,” he used a word for “blessed” that means “eulogy.” Paul invited the Ephesians to join him in praising God for all kinds of spiritual blessings: God had chosen and adopted them; Jesus had redeemed, forgiven, and made known to them the mystery of the gospel; and the Spirit had guaranteed and sealed them. This great salvation was purely an act of God and His grace.
Let us continue to center our thoughts on God’s blessings in Christ. When we do, like Paul, we will find our hearts overflowing with a eulogy that declares: “To the praise of His glory.”
Blessed Father, I am overwhelmed by Your grace. My only adequate response is ceaseless praise. Thank You for choosing me, adopting me, redeeming me, forgiving me, and making known to me the mystery of the gospel.
Praise is the song of a soul set free.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, July 19, 2015
The Submission of the Believer
You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. —John 13:13
Our Lord never insists on having authority over us. He never says, “You will submit to me.” No, He leaves us perfectly free to choose— so free, in fact, that we can spit in His face or we can put Him to death, as others have done; and yet He will never say a word. But once His life has been created in me through His redemption, I instantly recognize His right to absolute authority over me. It is a complete and effective domination, in which I acknowledge that “You are worthy, O Lord…” (Revelation 4:11). It is simply the unworthiness within me that refuses to bow down or to submit to one who is worthy. When I meet someone who is more holy than myself, and I don’t recognize his worthiness, nor obey his instructions for me, it is a sign of my own unworthiness being revealed. God teaches us by using these people who are a little better than we are; not better intellectually, but more holy. And He continues to do so until we willingly submit. Then the whole attitude of our life is one of obedience to Him.
If our Lord insisted on our obedience, He would simply become a taskmaster and cease to have any real authority. He never insists on obedience, but when we truly see Him we will instantly obey Him. Then He is easily Lord of our life, and we live in adoration of Him from morning till night. The level of my growth in grace is revealed by the way I look at obedience. We should have a much higher view of the word obedience, rescuing it from the mire of the world. Obedience is only possible between people who are equals in their relationship to each other; like the relationship between father and son, not that between master and servant. Jesus showed this relationship by saying, “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). “…though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). The Son was obedient as our Redeemer, because He was the Son, not in order to become God’s Son.
What is it about birthdays that causes us to quiver so? Certainly part of the problem is the mirror. Time may be a great healer, but it’s a lousy beautician. But the real pain is deeper. Sometimes a dream-come-true-world has come true and it’s less than you’d hoped. Regret becomes a major pastime.
Luke 17:33 says, “Whoever tries to keep his life safe will lose it, and the one who’s prepared to lose his life will preserve it.” “There are two ways to view life,” Jesus is saying, “those who protect it or those who pursue it. The wisest are not the ones with the most years in their lives, but the most life in their years.”
You can take the safe route. Or you can hear the voice of adventure—God’s adventure. Adopt the child. Teach the class. Change careers. Make a difference. Sure it isn’t safe, but what is?
from He Still Moves Stones
John 7:1-27
Jesus and His Brothers
After this, Jesus traveled around Galilee. He wanted to stay out of Judea, where the Jewish leaders were plotting his death. 2 But soon it was time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters, 3 and Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! 4 You can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!” 5 For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.
6 Jesus replied, “Now is not the right time for me to go, but you can go anytime. 7 The world can’t hate you, but it does hate me because I accuse it of doing evil. 8 You go on. I’m not going[a] to this festival, because my time has not yet come.” 9 After saying these things, Jesus remained in Galilee.
Jesus Teaches Openly at the Temple
10 But after his brothers left for the festival, Jesus also went, though secretly, staying out of public view. 11 The Jewish leaders tried to find him at the festival and kept asking if anyone had seen him. 12 There was a lot of grumbling about him among the crowds. Some argued, “He’s a good man,” but others said, “He’s nothing but a fraud who deceives the people.” 13 But no one had the courage to speak favorably about him in public, for they were afraid of getting in trouble with the Jewish leaders.
14 Then, midway through the festival, Jesus went up to the Temple and began to teach. 15 The people[b] were surprised when they heard him. “How does he know so much when he hasn’t been trained?” they asked.
16 So Jesus told them, “My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me. 17 Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own. 18 Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies. 19 Moses gave you the law, but none of you obeys it! In fact, you are trying to kill me.”
20 The crowd replied, “You’re demon possessed! Who’s trying to kill you?”
21 Jesus replied, “I did one miracle on the Sabbath, and you were amazed. 22 But you work on the Sabbath, too, when you obey Moses’ law of circumcision. (Actually, this tradition of circumcision began with the patriarchs, long before the law of Moses.) 23 For if the correct time for circumcising your son falls on the Sabbath, you go ahead and do it so as not to break the law of Moses. So why should you be angry with me for healing a man on the Sabbath? 24 Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.”
Is Jesus the Messiah?
25 Some of the people who lived in Jerusalem started to ask each other, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? 26 But here he is, speaking in public, and they say nothing to him. Could our leaders possibly believe that he is the Messiah? 27 But how could he be? For we know where this man comes from. When the Messiah comes, he will simply appear; no one will know where he comes from.”
Footnotes:
7:8 Some manuscripts read not yet going.
7:15 Greek Jewish people.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Read: Ephesians 1:3-14
Spiritual Blessings
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.[a] 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. 11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God,[b] for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.
12 God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. 13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own[c] by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.
Footnotes:
1:6 Greek to us in the beloved.
1:11 Or we have become God’s inheritance.
1:13 Or he put his seal on you.
Insight:
Ephesians 1:3-14 is an extended blessing to God for His work of creation and redemption. Paul goes to great lengths to describe and celebrate the goodness of God for His grace and promise. Twice Paul mentions that our salvation is in accordance with His good pleasure or “according to the purpose of His will” (vv. 5,9 esv). God made the decision to lavish grace on those who would be saved in Jesus Christ, and He took delight in extending that grace.
Eulogize the Living God
By Marvin Williams
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. —Ephesians 1:3
In 2005, when American civil rights hero Rosa Parks died, Oprah Winfrey counted it a privilege to eulogize her. Oprah said of the woman who refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in 1955, “I often thought about what that took—knowing the climate of the times and what could have happened to you—what it took to stay seated. You acted without concern for yourself and made life better for us all.”
We often use the word eulogy to refer to the words spoken at a funeral. But it can also refer to other situations where we give high praise to someone. In the opening lines of Ephesians, the apostle Paul eulogized the living God. When he said, “Blessed be the God and Father,” he used a word for “blessed” that means “eulogy.” Paul invited the Ephesians to join him in praising God for all kinds of spiritual blessings: God had chosen and adopted them; Jesus had redeemed, forgiven, and made known to them the mystery of the gospel; and the Spirit had guaranteed and sealed them. This great salvation was purely an act of God and His grace.
Let us continue to center our thoughts on God’s blessings in Christ. When we do, like Paul, we will find our hearts overflowing with a eulogy that declares: “To the praise of His glory.”
Blessed Father, I am overwhelmed by Your grace. My only adequate response is ceaseless praise. Thank You for choosing me, adopting me, redeeming me, forgiving me, and making known to me the mystery of the gospel.
Praise is the song of a soul set free.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, July 19, 2015
The Submission of the Believer
You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. —John 13:13
Our Lord never insists on having authority over us. He never says, “You will submit to me.” No, He leaves us perfectly free to choose— so free, in fact, that we can spit in His face or we can put Him to death, as others have done; and yet He will never say a word. But once His life has been created in me through His redemption, I instantly recognize His right to absolute authority over me. It is a complete and effective domination, in which I acknowledge that “You are worthy, O Lord…” (Revelation 4:11). It is simply the unworthiness within me that refuses to bow down or to submit to one who is worthy. When I meet someone who is more holy than myself, and I don’t recognize his worthiness, nor obey his instructions for me, it is a sign of my own unworthiness being revealed. God teaches us by using these people who are a little better than we are; not better intellectually, but more holy. And He continues to do so until we willingly submit. Then the whole attitude of our life is one of obedience to Him.
If our Lord insisted on our obedience, He would simply become a taskmaster and cease to have any real authority. He never insists on obedience, but when we truly see Him we will instantly obey Him. Then He is easily Lord of our life, and we live in adoration of Him from morning till night. The level of my growth in grace is revealed by the way I look at obedience. We should have a much higher view of the word obedience, rescuing it from the mire of the world. Obedience is only possible between people who are equals in their relationship to each other; like the relationship between father and son, not that between master and servant. Jesus showed this relationship by saying, “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). “…though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). The Son was obedient as our Redeemer, because He was the Son, not in order to become God’s Son.
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Psalm 6, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Sowing Seeds
Many parents aren’t proud of their family trees. The harvest was taken, but no seed was sown. Childhood memories bring more hurt than inspiration. If such is the case, put down the family scrapbook and pick up your Bible. John 3:6 reminds us, “Human life comes from human parents, but spiritual life comes from the Spirit.” Your parents have given you genes, but God gives you grace.
Didn’t have a good father? Galatians 4:7 says God will be your father. Didn’t have a good role model? Ephesians 5:1 says, “You are God’s child whom He loves, so try to be like Him.”
You cannot control the way your forefathers responded to God. But you can control the way you respond to Him. The past does not have to be your prison. Choose well and someday—generations from now—your grandchildren and great-grandchildren will thank God for the seeds you sowed!
From When God Whispers Your Name
Psalm 6
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by an eight-stringed instrument.[b]
1 O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your rage.
2 Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak.
Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.
3 I am sick at heart.
How long, O Lord, until you restore me?
4 Return, O Lord, and rescue me.
Save me because of your unfailing love.
5 For the dead do not remember you.
Who can praise you from the grave?[c]
6 I am worn out from sobbing.
All night I flood my bed with weeping,
drenching it with my tears.
7 My vision is blurred by grief;
my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies.
8 Go away, all you who do evil,
for the Lord has heard my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my plea;
the Lord will answer my prayer.
10 May all my enemies be disgraced and terrified.
May they suddenly turn back in shame.
Footnotes:
6:Title Hebrew with stringed instruments; according to the sheminith.
6:5 Hebrew from Sheol?
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Read: 2 Kings 5:1-15
The Healing of Naaman
The king of Aram had great admiration for Naaman, the commander of his army, because through him the Lord had given Aram great victories. But though Naaman was a mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy.[a]
2 At this time Aramean raiders had invaded the land of Israel, and among their captives was a young girl who had been given to Naaman’s wife as a maid. 3 One day the girl said to her mistress, “I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy.”
4 So Naaman told the king what the young girl from Israel had said. 5 “Go and visit the prophet,” the king of Aram told him. “I will send a letter of introduction for you to take to the king of Israel.” So Naaman started out, carrying as gifts 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold,[b] and ten sets of clothing. 6 The letter to the king of Israel said: “With this letter I present my servant Naaman. I want you to heal him of his leprosy.”
7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and said, “This man sends me a leper to heal! Am I God, that I can give life and take it away? I can see that he’s just trying to pick a fight with me.”
8 But when Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes in dismay, he sent this message to him: “Why are you so upset? Send Naaman to me, and he will learn that there is a true prophet here in Israel.”
9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and waited at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.”
11 But Naaman became angry and stalked away. “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me! 12 Aren’t the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than any of the rivers of Israel? Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?” So Naaman turned and went away in a rage.
13 But his officers tried to reason with him and said, “Sir,[c] if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured!’” 14 So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child, and he was healed!
15 Then Naaman and his entire party went back to find the man of God. They stood before him, and Naaman said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”
Footnotes:
5:1 Or from a contagious skin disease. The Hebrew word used here and throughout this passage can describe various skin diseases.
5:5 Hebrew 10 talents [340 kilograms] of silver, 6,000 [shekels] [68 kilograms] of gold.
5:13 Hebrew My father.
Insight:
In Luke 4:27 Jesus referred to the healing of Naaman: “And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” His words are a reminder that God’s concern and compassion are not limited to His chosen people, Israel, but extend to both Jew and Gentile.
My Way
By Marion Stroud
Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel. —2 Kings 5:15
Two small boys were playing a complicated game with sticks and string. After a few minutes the older boy turned to his friend and said crossly, “You’re not doing it properly. This is my game, and we play it my way. You can’t play anymore!” The desire to have things our own way starts young!
Naaman was a person who was accustomed to having things his way. He was commander of the army of the king of Syria. But Naaman also had an incurable disease. One day his wife’s servant girl, who had been captured from the land of Israel, suggested that he seek healing from Elisha, the prophet of God. Naaman was desperate enough to do this, but he wanted the prophet to come to him. He expected to be treated with great ceremony and respect. So when Elisha simply sent a message that he should bathe seven times in the Jordan River, Naaman was furious! He refused (2 Kings 5:10-12). Only when he finally humbled himself and did it God’s way was he cured (vv. 13-14).
We’ve probably all had times when we’ve said “I’ll do it my way” to God. But His way is always the best way. So let’s ask God to give us humble hearts that willingly choose His way, not our own.
Father, forgive me for my pride and for so often thinking I know best. Give me a humble heart that is willing to follow Your way in everything.
Humility is to make a right estimate of one’s self. Charles Spurgeon
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, July 18, 2015
The Mystery of Believing
He said, "Who are You, Lord?" —Acts 9:5
Through the miracle of redemption, Saul of Tarsus was instantly changed from a strong-willed and forceful Pharisee into a humble and devoted bondservant of the Lord Jesus.
There is nothing miraculous or mysterious about the things we can explain. We control what we are able to explain, consequently it is only natural to seek an explanation for everything. It is not natural to obey, yet it is not necessarily sinful to disobey. There can be no real disobedience, nor any moral virtue in obedience, unless a person recognizes the higher authority of the one giving the orders. If this recognition does not exist, even the one giving the orders may view the other person’s disobedience as freedom. If one rules another by saying, “You must do this,” and, “You will do that,” he breaks the human spirit, making it unfit for God. A person is simply a slave for obeying, unless behind his obedience is the recognition of a holy God.
Many people begin coming to God once they stop being religious, because there is only one master of the human heart— Jesus Christ, not religion. But “Woe is me” if after seeing Him I still will not obey (Isaiah 6:5 , also see Isaiah 6:1). Jesus will never insist that I obey, but if I don’t,I have already begun to sign the death certificate of the Son of God in my soul. When I stand face to face with Jesus Christ and say, “I will not obey,” He will never insist. But when I do this, I am backing away from the recreating power of His redemption. It makes no difference to God’s grace what an abomination I am, if I will only come to the light. But “Woe is me” if I refuse the light (see John 3:19-21).
Many parents aren’t proud of their family trees. The harvest was taken, but no seed was sown. Childhood memories bring more hurt than inspiration. If such is the case, put down the family scrapbook and pick up your Bible. John 3:6 reminds us, “Human life comes from human parents, but spiritual life comes from the Spirit.” Your parents have given you genes, but God gives you grace.
Didn’t have a good father? Galatians 4:7 says God will be your father. Didn’t have a good role model? Ephesians 5:1 says, “You are God’s child whom He loves, so try to be like Him.”
You cannot control the way your forefathers responded to God. But you can control the way you respond to Him. The past does not have to be your prison. Choose well and someday—generations from now—your grandchildren and great-grandchildren will thank God for the seeds you sowed!
From When God Whispers Your Name
Psalm 6
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by an eight-stringed instrument.[b]
1 O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your rage.
2 Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak.
Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.
3 I am sick at heart.
How long, O Lord, until you restore me?
4 Return, O Lord, and rescue me.
Save me because of your unfailing love.
5 For the dead do not remember you.
Who can praise you from the grave?[c]
6 I am worn out from sobbing.
All night I flood my bed with weeping,
drenching it with my tears.
7 My vision is blurred by grief;
my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies.
8 Go away, all you who do evil,
for the Lord has heard my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my plea;
the Lord will answer my prayer.
10 May all my enemies be disgraced and terrified.
May they suddenly turn back in shame.
Footnotes:
6:Title Hebrew with stringed instruments; according to the sheminith.
6:5 Hebrew from Sheol?
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Read: 2 Kings 5:1-15
The Healing of Naaman
The king of Aram had great admiration for Naaman, the commander of his army, because through him the Lord had given Aram great victories. But though Naaman was a mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy.[a]
2 At this time Aramean raiders had invaded the land of Israel, and among their captives was a young girl who had been given to Naaman’s wife as a maid. 3 One day the girl said to her mistress, “I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy.”
4 So Naaman told the king what the young girl from Israel had said. 5 “Go and visit the prophet,” the king of Aram told him. “I will send a letter of introduction for you to take to the king of Israel.” So Naaman started out, carrying as gifts 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold,[b] and ten sets of clothing. 6 The letter to the king of Israel said: “With this letter I present my servant Naaman. I want you to heal him of his leprosy.”
7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and said, “This man sends me a leper to heal! Am I God, that I can give life and take it away? I can see that he’s just trying to pick a fight with me.”
8 But when Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes in dismay, he sent this message to him: “Why are you so upset? Send Naaman to me, and he will learn that there is a true prophet here in Israel.”
9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and waited at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.”
11 But Naaman became angry and stalked away. “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me! 12 Aren’t the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than any of the rivers of Israel? Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?” So Naaman turned and went away in a rage.
13 But his officers tried to reason with him and said, “Sir,[c] if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured!’” 14 So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child, and he was healed!
15 Then Naaman and his entire party went back to find the man of God. They stood before him, and Naaman said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”
Footnotes:
5:1 Or from a contagious skin disease. The Hebrew word used here and throughout this passage can describe various skin diseases.
5:5 Hebrew 10 talents [340 kilograms] of silver, 6,000 [shekels] [68 kilograms] of gold.
5:13 Hebrew My father.
Insight:
In Luke 4:27 Jesus referred to the healing of Naaman: “And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” His words are a reminder that God’s concern and compassion are not limited to His chosen people, Israel, but extend to both Jew and Gentile.
My Way
By Marion Stroud
Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel. —2 Kings 5:15
Two small boys were playing a complicated game with sticks and string. After a few minutes the older boy turned to his friend and said crossly, “You’re not doing it properly. This is my game, and we play it my way. You can’t play anymore!” The desire to have things our own way starts young!
Naaman was a person who was accustomed to having things his way. He was commander of the army of the king of Syria. But Naaman also had an incurable disease. One day his wife’s servant girl, who had been captured from the land of Israel, suggested that he seek healing from Elisha, the prophet of God. Naaman was desperate enough to do this, but he wanted the prophet to come to him. He expected to be treated with great ceremony and respect. So when Elisha simply sent a message that he should bathe seven times in the Jordan River, Naaman was furious! He refused (2 Kings 5:10-12). Only when he finally humbled himself and did it God’s way was he cured (vv. 13-14).
We’ve probably all had times when we’ve said “I’ll do it my way” to God. But His way is always the best way. So let’s ask God to give us humble hearts that willingly choose His way, not our own.
Father, forgive me for my pride and for so often thinking I know best. Give me a humble heart that is willing to follow Your way in everything.
Humility is to make a right estimate of one’s self. Charles Spurgeon
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, July 18, 2015
The Mystery of Believing
He said, "Who are You, Lord?" —Acts 9:5
Through the miracle of redemption, Saul of Tarsus was instantly changed from a strong-willed and forceful Pharisee into a humble and devoted bondservant of the Lord Jesus.
There is nothing miraculous or mysterious about the things we can explain. We control what we are able to explain, consequently it is only natural to seek an explanation for everything. It is not natural to obey, yet it is not necessarily sinful to disobey. There can be no real disobedience, nor any moral virtue in obedience, unless a person recognizes the higher authority of the one giving the orders. If this recognition does not exist, even the one giving the orders may view the other person’s disobedience as freedom. If one rules another by saying, “You must do this,” and, “You will do that,” he breaks the human spirit, making it unfit for God. A person is simply a slave for obeying, unless behind his obedience is the recognition of a holy God.
Many people begin coming to God once they stop being religious, because there is only one master of the human heart— Jesus Christ, not religion. But “Woe is me” if after seeing Him I still will not obey (Isaiah 6:5 , also see Isaiah 6:1). Jesus will never insist that I obey, but if I don’t,I have already begun to sign the death certificate of the Son of God in my soul. When I stand face to face with Jesus Christ and say, “I will not obey,” He will never insist. But when I do this, I am backing away from the recreating power of His redemption. It makes no difference to God’s grace what an abomination I am, if I will only come to the light. But “Woe is me” if I refuse the light (see John 3:19-21).
Friday, July 17, 2015
Psalm 5 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Focus First and Most on God
Giants. We must face them. Yet we need not face them alone. Focus first, and most, on God. Read 1 Samuel 17 and list the observations David made about Goliath. I find only two. One to Saul and one to Goliath's face, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God" (1 Samuel 17:26). David asks nothing about Goliath's skill, age, or the weight of the spear, the size of his shield. But he gives much thought to God. The armies of the living God; The Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel. In all, the God-thoughts outnumber Goliath-thoughts nine to two.
How does this ratio compare with yours? Is your list of blessings four times as long as your list of complaints? Are you four times as likely to describe the strength of God as you are the demands of your day? That's how you face a giant.
From Facing Your Giants
Psalm 5
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by the flute.
O Lord, hear me as I pray;
pay attention to my groaning.
2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God,
for I pray to no one but you.
3 Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.
Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.
4 O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness;
you cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked.
5 Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence,
for you hate all who do evil.
6 You will destroy those who tell lies.
The Lord detests murderers and deceivers.
7 Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house;
I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe.
8 Lead me in the right path, O Lord,
or my enemies will conquer me.
Make your way plain for me to follow.
9 My enemies cannot speak a truthful word.
Their deepest desire is to destroy others.
Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.
Their tongues are filled with flattery.[a]
10 O God, declare them guilty.
Let them be caught in their own traps.
Drive them away because of their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them sing joyful praises forever.
Spread your protection over them,
that all who love your name may be filled with joy.
12 For you bless the godly, O Lord;
you surround them with your shield of love.
Footnotes:
5:9 Greek version reads with lies. Compare Rom 3:13.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, July 17, 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:
The book of Romans is unique in Paul’s New Testament writings. While the rest of his letters are to those with whom he had an existing relationship (either individuals or churches), Romans is written to a group of people that Paul has not yet met. This may explain some of the deep theological themes that he covers. Although Paul was hoping to visit the Christians in Rome in person, one of the reasons he wrote this letter was to ensure they had a solid foundation of belief.
Tears of a Teen
By Dave Branon
I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. —Romans 9:2
As I sat with four teenagers and a 20-something homeless man at a soup kitchen in Alaska, I was touched by the teens’ compassion for him. They listened as he talked about what he believed and then they gently presented the gospel to him—lovingly offering him hope in Jesus. Sadly, the man refused to seriously consider the gospel.
As we were leaving, one of the girls, Grace, expressed through her tears how much she didn’t want the man to die without knowing Jesus. From the heart, she grieved for this young man who, at least at this point, was rejecting the love of the Savior.
The tears of this teen remind me of the apostle Paul who served the Lord humbly and had great sorrow in his heart for his countrymen, desiring that they trust in Christ (Rom. 9:1-5). Paul’s compassion and concern must have brought him to tears on many occasions.
If we care enough for others who have not yet accepted God’s gift of forgiveness through Christ, we will find ways to share with them. With the confidence of our own faith and with tears of compassion, let’s take the good news to those who need to know the Savior.
Is there someone you need to talk to about Jesus today?
Sharing the gospel is one person telling another good news.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, July 17, 2015
The Miracle of Belief
My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom… —1 Corinthians 2:4
Paul was a scholar and an orator of the highest degree; he was not speaking here out of a deep sense of humility, but was saying that when he preached the gospel, he would veil the power of God if he impressed people with the excellency of his speech. Belief in Jesus is a miracle produced only by the effectiveness of redemption, not by impressive speech, nor by wooing and persuading, but only by the sheer unaided power of God. The creative power of redemption comes through the preaching of the gospel, but never because of the personality of the preacher.
Real and effective fasting by a preacher is not fasting from food, but fasting from eloquence, from impressive diction, and from everything else that might hinder the gospel of God being presented. The preacher is there as the representative of God— “…as though God were pleading through us…” (2 Corinthians 5:20). He is there to present the gospel of God. If it is only because of my preaching that people desire to be better, they will never get close to Jesus Christ. Anything that flatters me in my preaching of the gospel will result in making me a traitor to Jesus, and I prevent the creative power of His redemption from doing its work.
“And I, if I am lifted up…, will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:32).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, July 17, 2015
Why You Can Do What You Thought You Couldn't - #7440
All right, let's start with a little magic trick today. I need your imagination if you don't mind. Sitting on this table in front of me is this a paper bag, okay? Next to it is a glove. Here's the trick. My glove is going to pick up the paper bag. I have laid down the glove right next to the paper bag. Okay, "Glove, pick up the paper bag! Ah, Glove! Pick up the paper bag!" Are you surprised? Nothing is happening. Now it doesn't matter what I do, doesn't matter if I baptize this glove, get it confirmed or dedicated or rededicated. It's not ever going to pick up the paper bag!
But watch this. Here we go. Actually, listen to this. The glove is moving and it is moving toward the paper bag. Listen! (Sound of paper bag moving) There! Look! You've got to trust me, it literally is... the glove picking up the paper bag. Are you amazed or what? I can hear your applause. Well, there is one little factor I forgot to mention. I put my hand in the glove before I picked up the paper bag. It's amazing! All of a sudden that glove could do what, otherwise, gloves could never do!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Why You Can Do What You Thought You Couldn't."
Our word for today from the Word of God is one of the most amazing statements in the New Testament I think, Philippians 4:13, you may have heard it. "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength" Through Christ who gives me strength. Now, Paul has just been talking about the extremes of our life's circumstances. He talks about being in need and having plenty. He says I can do it, either one, whatever season through Christ. He talks about being well fed or hungry. "I can do it," He says through Christ. He talks about being in plenty or in want. "I can do it," through Christ. Now you may be facing a challenge right now that looks a lot bigger than your resources to meet it. Well, think about how this affirmation changes that equation! "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."
A lot of people live with this negative voice that has been planted there by others their entire life. Maybe you can hear it inside of you. I call it the "can't chant," even though the story of the little engine taught us to say, "I think I can, I think I can." We have this voice that keeps whispering, "I think I can't, I think I can't." And maybe you struggle with feelings of inferiority, inadequacy, and it's held you down. It's held you back many times.
I remember seeing this refrigerator magnet. It was a picture of a dog and the dog was saying, "My name's No, No, Bad Dog. What's yours?" See, a lot of us have had that kind of negative input in our lives and we think that's who we are! It's torn down our confidence and diminished our sense of worth. Consequently, we miss a lot of mighty things God wants to do in us and through us because we think we can't.
Which brings us to the amazing glove trick! The glove is powerless to pick up anything. But the power of my hand in that glove changes everything. It empowers that glove to do what it never could do on its own power. Now, what God is asking you to be, (You ready?) is His glove. Recognizing that yes, you are powerless to do what He's asking you to do. You can't. You're right. But then trusting that Jesus can! He wants to put His hand in your life, your personality, your life experience, your abilities, your relationships, and do things you alone could never do!
Now, it doesn't say, "I can do everything." No. It says, "I can do everything through Christ who gives me (the) strength" It is not my strength. So the question is, "Are you willing to be God's glove?" If so, you'll go for what maybe you've been running from. You'll risk what you've been shrinking from. You'll run toward that challenge instead of running from it.
God wants to do His amazing glove miracle through you. He's just waiting for you to be willing.
Giants. We must face them. Yet we need not face them alone. Focus first, and most, on God. Read 1 Samuel 17 and list the observations David made about Goliath. I find only two. One to Saul and one to Goliath's face, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God" (1 Samuel 17:26). David asks nothing about Goliath's skill, age, or the weight of the spear, the size of his shield. But he gives much thought to God. The armies of the living God; The Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel. In all, the God-thoughts outnumber Goliath-thoughts nine to two.
How does this ratio compare with yours? Is your list of blessings four times as long as your list of complaints? Are you four times as likely to describe the strength of God as you are the demands of your day? That's how you face a giant.
From Facing Your Giants
Psalm 5
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by the flute.
O Lord, hear me as I pray;
pay attention to my groaning.
2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God,
for I pray to no one but you.
3 Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.
Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.
4 O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness;
you cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked.
5 Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence,
for you hate all who do evil.
6 You will destroy those who tell lies.
The Lord detests murderers and deceivers.
7 Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house;
I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe.
8 Lead me in the right path, O Lord,
or my enemies will conquer me.
Make your way plain for me to follow.
9 My enemies cannot speak a truthful word.
Their deepest desire is to destroy others.
Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.
Their tongues are filled with flattery.[a]
10 O God, declare them guilty.
Let them be caught in their own traps.
Drive them away because of their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them sing joyful praises forever.
Spread your protection over them,
that all who love your name may be filled with joy.
12 For you bless the godly, O Lord;
you surround them with your shield of love.
Footnotes:
5:9 Greek version reads with lies. Compare Rom 3:13.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, July 17, 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:
The book of Romans is unique in Paul’s New Testament writings. While the rest of his letters are to those with whom he had an existing relationship (either individuals or churches), Romans is written to a group of people that Paul has not yet met. This may explain some of the deep theological themes that he covers. Although Paul was hoping to visit the Christians in Rome in person, one of the reasons he wrote this letter was to ensure they had a solid foundation of belief.
Tears of a Teen
By Dave Branon
I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. —Romans 9:2
As I sat with four teenagers and a 20-something homeless man at a soup kitchen in Alaska, I was touched by the teens’ compassion for him. They listened as he talked about what he believed and then they gently presented the gospel to him—lovingly offering him hope in Jesus. Sadly, the man refused to seriously consider the gospel.
As we were leaving, one of the girls, Grace, expressed through her tears how much she didn’t want the man to die without knowing Jesus. From the heart, she grieved for this young man who, at least at this point, was rejecting the love of the Savior.
The tears of this teen remind me of the apostle Paul who served the Lord humbly and had great sorrow in his heart for his countrymen, desiring that they trust in Christ (Rom. 9:1-5). Paul’s compassion and concern must have brought him to tears on many occasions.
If we care enough for others who have not yet accepted God’s gift of forgiveness through Christ, we will find ways to share with them. With the confidence of our own faith and with tears of compassion, let’s take the good news to those who need to know the Savior.
Is there someone you need to talk to about Jesus today?
Sharing the gospel is one person telling another good news.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, July 17, 2015
The Miracle of Belief
My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom… —1 Corinthians 2:4
Paul was a scholar and an orator of the highest degree; he was not speaking here out of a deep sense of humility, but was saying that when he preached the gospel, he would veil the power of God if he impressed people with the excellency of his speech. Belief in Jesus is a miracle produced only by the effectiveness of redemption, not by impressive speech, nor by wooing and persuading, but only by the sheer unaided power of God. The creative power of redemption comes through the preaching of the gospel, but never because of the personality of the preacher.
Real and effective fasting by a preacher is not fasting from food, but fasting from eloquence, from impressive diction, and from everything else that might hinder the gospel of God being presented. The preacher is there as the representative of God— “…as though God were pleading through us…” (2 Corinthians 5:20). He is there to present the gospel of God. If it is only because of my preaching that people desire to be better, they will never get close to Jesus Christ. Anything that flatters me in my preaching of the gospel will result in making me a traitor to Jesus, and I prevent the creative power of His redemption from doing its work.
“And I, if I am lifted up…, will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:32).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, July 17, 2015
Why You Can Do What You Thought You Couldn't - #7440
All right, let's start with a little magic trick today. I need your imagination if you don't mind. Sitting on this table in front of me is this a paper bag, okay? Next to it is a glove. Here's the trick. My glove is going to pick up the paper bag. I have laid down the glove right next to the paper bag. Okay, "Glove, pick up the paper bag! Ah, Glove! Pick up the paper bag!" Are you surprised? Nothing is happening. Now it doesn't matter what I do, doesn't matter if I baptize this glove, get it confirmed or dedicated or rededicated. It's not ever going to pick up the paper bag!
But watch this. Here we go. Actually, listen to this. The glove is moving and it is moving toward the paper bag. Listen! (Sound of paper bag moving) There! Look! You've got to trust me, it literally is... the glove picking up the paper bag. Are you amazed or what? I can hear your applause. Well, there is one little factor I forgot to mention. I put my hand in the glove before I picked up the paper bag. It's amazing! All of a sudden that glove could do what, otherwise, gloves could never do!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Why You Can Do What You Thought You Couldn't."
Our word for today from the Word of God is one of the most amazing statements in the New Testament I think, Philippians 4:13, you may have heard it. "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength" Through Christ who gives me strength. Now, Paul has just been talking about the extremes of our life's circumstances. He talks about being in need and having plenty. He says I can do it, either one, whatever season through Christ. He talks about being well fed or hungry. "I can do it," He says through Christ. He talks about being in plenty or in want. "I can do it," through Christ. Now you may be facing a challenge right now that looks a lot bigger than your resources to meet it. Well, think about how this affirmation changes that equation! "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."
A lot of people live with this negative voice that has been planted there by others their entire life. Maybe you can hear it inside of you. I call it the "can't chant," even though the story of the little engine taught us to say, "I think I can, I think I can." We have this voice that keeps whispering, "I think I can't, I think I can't." And maybe you struggle with feelings of inferiority, inadequacy, and it's held you down. It's held you back many times.
I remember seeing this refrigerator magnet. It was a picture of a dog and the dog was saying, "My name's No, No, Bad Dog. What's yours?" See, a lot of us have had that kind of negative input in our lives and we think that's who we are! It's torn down our confidence and diminished our sense of worth. Consequently, we miss a lot of mighty things God wants to do in us and through us because we think we can't.
Which brings us to the amazing glove trick! The glove is powerless to pick up anything. But the power of my hand in that glove changes everything. It empowers that glove to do what it never could do on its own power. Now, what God is asking you to be, (You ready?) is His glove. Recognizing that yes, you are powerless to do what He's asking you to do. You can't. You're right. But then trusting that Jesus can! He wants to put His hand in your life, your personality, your life experience, your abilities, your relationships, and do things you alone could never do!
Now, it doesn't say, "I can do everything." No. It says, "I can do everything through Christ who gives me (the) strength" It is not my strength. So the question is, "Are you willing to be God's glove?" If so, you'll go for what maybe you've been running from. You'll risk what you've been shrinking from. You'll run toward that challenge instead of running from it.
God wants to do His amazing glove miracle through you. He's just waiting for you to be willing.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Psalm 4 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Lift Your Eyes
You could read David’s story in the Bible and wonder what God saw in him. He fell as often as he stood, he stumbled as often as he conquered. Yet, for those who know the sound of a Goliath, David gives us this reminder: Focus on giants—you stumble. Focus on God—your giants tumble.
You know Goliath. You recognize his walk, his talk. David saw and heard more. David showed up and raised the subject of the living God. He saw the giant, mind you; he just saw God more so. Listen carefully to David’s battle cry: “You come to me with a sword, with a spear and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel” (1 Samuel 17:45).
Lift your eyes, giant-slayer. The God who made a miracle out of David stands ready to make one out of you!
From Facing Your Giants
Psalm 4
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by stringed instruments.
Answer me when I call to you,
O God who declares me innocent.
Free me from my troubles.
Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
2 How long will you people ruin my reputation?
How long will you make groundless accusations?
How long will you continue your lies? Interlude
3 You can be sure of this:
The Lord set apart the godly for himself.
The Lord will answer when I call to him.
4 Don’t sin by letting anger control you.
Think about it overnight and remain silent. Interlude
5 Offer sacrifices in the right spirit,
and trust the Lord.
6 Many people say, “Who will show us better times?”
Let your face smile on us, Lord.
7 You have given me greater joy
than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine.
8 In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Read: Matthew 1:18-25
The Birth of Jesus the Messiah
This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement[a] quietly.
20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,[b] for he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,[c]
which means ‘God is with us.’”
24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.
Footnotes:
1:19 Greek to divorce her.
1:21 Jesus means “The Lord saves.”
1:23 Isa 7:14; 8:8, 10 (Greek version).
Insight:
The Bible contains more than 200 names for Jesus. In today’s passage we see two of them—Jesus and Immanuel—both drawn from the Old Testament. Jesus, the Greek form of the Hebrew word Joshua, means “the Lord saves” and describes what He came to do: “He will save His people from their sins” (v. 21). This phrase comes from Psalm 130:7-8 where Israel is encouraged to “put [their] hope in the Lord. . . . He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins” (niv). Immanuel is an Old Testament name mentioned in the prophecy of Isaiah (7:14; 8:8) and describes His nature: He is “God with us” (Matt. 1:23).
A Given Name
By Bill Crowder
She will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. —Matthew 1:21
Most families have their own family stories. One in our family has to do with how I got my name. Apparently, when my parents were in the early days of their marriage, they disagreed about what to name their first son. Mom wanted a son named after Dad, but Dad wasn’t interested in naming a son “Junior.” After much discussion, they reached a compromise, agreeing that only if a son was born on Dad’s birthday would he be given Dad’s name. Amazingly, I was born on my dad’s birthday. So I was given his name with a “Junior” attached to it.
The naming of children is as old as time. As Joseph wrestled with the news that his fiancée, Mary, was pregnant, the angel brought him insight from the Father about naming the Baby: “She will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). Not only would Jesus be His name, but it would also explain the reason for His coming into the world: To take on Himself the punishment we deserve for our sin. His redemptive purpose behind the manger is wrapped up in the perfectly given Name above all names.
May our heart’s desire be to live in a way that honors His wonderful name!
Thank You, Father, for sending Your Son to rescue us from sin and bring us into relationship with You.
Jesus: His name and His mission are one and the same.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, July 16, 2015
The Concept of Divine Control
…how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! —Matthew 7:11
Jesus is laying down the rules of conduct in this passage for those people who have His Spirit. He urges us to keep our minds filled with the concept of God’s control over everything, which means that a disciple must maintain an attitude of perfect trust and an eagerness to ask and to seek.
Fill your mind with the thought that God is there. And once your mind is truly filled with that thought, when you experience difficulties it will be as easy as breathing for you to remember, “My heavenly Father knows all about this!” This will be no effort at all, but will be a natural thing for you when difficulties and uncertainties arise. Before you formed this concept of divine control so powerfully in your mind, you used to go from person to person seeking help, but now you go to God about it. Jesus is laying down the rules of conduct for those people who have His Spirit, and it works on the following principle: God is my Father, He loves me, and I will never think of anything that He will forget, so why should I worry?
Jesus said there are times when God cannot lift the darkness from you, but you should trust Him. At times God will appear like an unkind friend, but He is not; He will appear like an unnatural father, but He is not; He will appear like an unjust judge, but He is not. Keep the thought that the mind of God is behind all things strong and growing. Not even the smallest detail of life happens unless God’s will is behind it. Therefore, you can rest in perfect confidence in Him. Prayer is not only asking, but is an attitude of the mind which produces the atmosphere in which asking is perfectly natural. “Ask, and it will be given to you…” (Matthew 7:7).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Good Job, Daddy! - #7439
Driving in Mexico? Oh, that's an adventure. Actually, riding with someone who's driving is an adventure!
Some years ago when we had an office in Latin America, I was with our director of Latin American outreach. He was very skillfully and amazingly navigating the challenges of the traffic in his city. Don's little boy, John, was in the back seat and at one point our back seat helper reminded Daddy that he was supposed to be getting in the next lane for an upcoming tunnel! It took a little doing, but Don managed to get over there somehow, at which point little John in the back seat had a word for his father. This little voice said from the back seat, "Good job, Daddy!" See, John says that pretty often. He likes what his father does, and he tells him.
Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about Good Job, Daddy!
Little John has an attitude toward his father that we would do well to have with our Father - our Heavenly Father. Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Colossians 3:15, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts," (Boy, wouldn't you like that - the peace of Christ in charge in your heart?) "Since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, through psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts."
Now, we've got "be thankful," and then "gratitude in your hearts." Here's verse 17, "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." In other words the message is clear. Do everything you do with an attitude of gratitude towards your Father.
It should never cease to amaze us that we've been invited to call the Sovereign of the Universe "Father." Man! Galatians 4:6 shows us that we're now God's children learning to call Him Abba Father. That's the affectionate, childlike name for your Father like Daddy is today. The question is, how often during each day do you stop and say, "Good job, Father, Abba Father"?
It's a whole revolutionizing outlook on life when you look consciously for the things in that day for which you can thank God; things you can compliment your Heavenly Father on. "You sent me someone to encourage me Father. Good job!" Or, "Look at those clouds! You're an incredible artist, Lord!" Or, "You've kept this car running for so long. I just wanted you to know that I noticed, Father. Thank You!" Or, "Thanks for this idea, Lord." Or, "Thanks for this extra money," "Thanks for that verse You brought to my attention today! It's just what I needed."
You get the idea. It's a mindset that expects your loving Father to show His love in dozens of different ways today, that goes through the day looking for His finger prints on the day's events. You compliment Him often on His grace in action in your life. Because you go out in the morning looking for God-sightings and they'll be everywhere, it's like aiming a camera at part of the scene that you want to record. You decide at the beginning of your day to focus on your Father's blessings. And when you become a Father watcher like little John, you start to come out of the complaining business, the self-pity approach, the victim mind set. You begin to experience a new kind of peace, contentment and joy with the peace of Christ ruling in your heart.
Like the wife I read about. She and her husband were unpacking their humble possessions in a new little dwelling place. He said, "Maybe someday we'll have money, and be rich." She said, "Honey, we don't have money but we're already rich." See, that's the viewpoint of someone who is looking for the blessing of God in their day.
When little boy, John, complimented his father on how he did things, I could tell that Dad's heart was really warmed. I think your Heavenly Father thinks the same way when you notice all He's doing for you. And many times a day you echo a little boy's admiration, "Good job, Daddy!"
You could read David’s story in the Bible and wonder what God saw in him. He fell as often as he stood, he stumbled as often as he conquered. Yet, for those who know the sound of a Goliath, David gives us this reminder: Focus on giants—you stumble. Focus on God—your giants tumble.
You know Goliath. You recognize his walk, his talk. David saw and heard more. David showed up and raised the subject of the living God. He saw the giant, mind you; he just saw God more so. Listen carefully to David’s battle cry: “You come to me with a sword, with a spear and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel” (1 Samuel 17:45).
Lift your eyes, giant-slayer. The God who made a miracle out of David stands ready to make one out of you!
From Facing Your Giants
Psalm 4
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by stringed instruments.
Answer me when I call to you,
O God who declares me innocent.
Free me from my troubles.
Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
2 How long will you people ruin my reputation?
How long will you make groundless accusations?
How long will you continue your lies? Interlude
3 You can be sure of this:
The Lord set apart the godly for himself.
The Lord will answer when I call to him.
4 Don’t sin by letting anger control you.
Think about it overnight and remain silent. Interlude
5 Offer sacrifices in the right spirit,
and trust the Lord.
6 Many people say, “Who will show us better times?”
Let your face smile on us, Lord.
7 You have given me greater joy
than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine.
8 In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Read: Matthew 1:18-25
The Birth of Jesus the Messiah
This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement[a] quietly.
20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,[b] for he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,[c]
which means ‘God is with us.’”
24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.
Footnotes:
1:19 Greek to divorce her.
1:21 Jesus means “The Lord saves.”
1:23 Isa 7:14; 8:8, 10 (Greek version).
Insight:
The Bible contains more than 200 names for Jesus. In today’s passage we see two of them—Jesus and Immanuel—both drawn from the Old Testament. Jesus, the Greek form of the Hebrew word Joshua, means “the Lord saves” and describes what He came to do: “He will save His people from their sins” (v. 21). This phrase comes from Psalm 130:7-8 where Israel is encouraged to “put [their] hope in the Lord. . . . He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins” (niv). Immanuel is an Old Testament name mentioned in the prophecy of Isaiah (7:14; 8:8) and describes His nature: He is “God with us” (Matt. 1:23).
A Given Name
By Bill Crowder
She will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. —Matthew 1:21
Most families have their own family stories. One in our family has to do with how I got my name. Apparently, when my parents were in the early days of their marriage, they disagreed about what to name their first son. Mom wanted a son named after Dad, but Dad wasn’t interested in naming a son “Junior.” After much discussion, they reached a compromise, agreeing that only if a son was born on Dad’s birthday would he be given Dad’s name. Amazingly, I was born on my dad’s birthday. So I was given his name with a “Junior” attached to it.
The naming of children is as old as time. As Joseph wrestled with the news that his fiancée, Mary, was pregnant, the angel brought him insight from the Father about naming the Baby: “She will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). Not only would Jesus be His name, but it would also explain the reason for His coming into the world: To take on Himself the punishment we deserve for our sin. His redemptive purpose behind the manger is wrapped up in the perfectly given Name above all names.
May our heart’s desire be to live in a way that honors His wonderful name!
Thank You, Father, for sending Your Son to rescue us from sin and bring us into relationship with You.
Jesus: His name and His mission are one and the same.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, July 16, 2015
The Concept of Divine Control
…how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! —Matthew 7:11
Jesus is laying down the rules of conduct in this passage for those people who have His Spirit. He urges us to keep our minds filled with the concept of God’s control over everything, which means that a disciple must maintain an attitude of perfect trust and an eagerness to ask and to seek.
Fill your mind with the thought that God is there. And once your mind is truly filled with that thought, when you experience difficulties it will be as easy as breathing for you to remember, “My heavenly Father knows all about this!” This will be no effort at all, but will be a natural thing for you when difficulties and uncertainties arise. Before you formed this concept of divine control so powerfully in your mind, you used to go from person to person seeking help, but now you go to God about it. Jesus is laying down the rules of conduct for those people who have His Spirit, and it works on the following principle: God is my Father, He loves me, and I will never think of anything that He will forget, so why should I worry?
Jesus said there are times when God cannot lift the darkness from you, but you should trust Him. At times God will appear like an unkind friend, but He is not; He will appear like an unnatural father, but He is not; He will appear like an unjust judge, but He is not. Keep the thought that the mind of God is behind all things strong and growing. Not even the smallest detail of life happens unless God’s will is behind it. Therefore, you can rest in perfect confidence in Him. Prayer is not only asking, but is an attitude of the mind which produces the atmosphere in which asking is perfectly natural. “Ask, and it will be given to you…” (Matthew 7:7).
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Good Job, Daddy! - #7439
Driving in Mexico? Oh, that's an adventure. Actually, riding with someone who's driving is an adventure!
Some years ago when we had an office in Latin America, I was with our director of Latin American outreach. He was very skillfully and amazingly navigating the challenges of the traffic in his city. Don's little boy, John, was in the back seat and at one point our back seat helper reminded Daddy that he was supposed to be getting in the next lane for an upcoming tunnel! It took a little doing, but Don managed to get over there somehow, at which point little John in the back seat had a word for his father. This little voice said from the back seat, "Good job, Daddy!" See, John says that pretty often. He likes what his father does, and he tells him.
Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about Good Job, Daddy!
Little John has an attitude toward his father that we would do well to have with our Father - our Heavenly Father. Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Colossians 3:15, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts," (Boy, wouldn't you like that - the peace of Christ in charge in your heart?) "Since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, through psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts."
Now, we've got "be thankful," and then "gratitude in your hearts." Here's verse 17, "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." In other words the message is clear. Do everything you do with an attitude of gratitude towards your Father.
It should never cease to amaze us that we've been invited to call the Sovereign of the Universe "Father." Man! Galatians 4:6 shows us that we're now God's children learning to call Him Abba Father. That's the affectionate, childlike name for your Father like Daddy is today. The question is, how often during each day do you stop and say, "Good job, Father, Abba Father"?
It's a whole revolutionizing outlook on life when you look consciously for the things in that day for which you can thank God; things you can compliment your Heavenly Father on. "You sent me someone to encourage me Father. Good job!" Or, "Look at those clouds! You're an incredible artist, Lord!" Or, "You've kept this car running for so long. I just wanted you to know that I noticed, Father. Thank You!" Or, "Thanks for this idea, Lord." Or, "Thanks for this extra money," "Thanks for that verse You brought to my attention today! It's just what I needed."
You get the idea. It's a mindset that expects your loving Father to show His love in dozens of different ways today, that goes through the day looking for His finger prints on the day's events. You compliment Him often on His grace in action in your life. Because you go out in the morning looking for God-sightings and they'll be everywhere, it's like aiming a camera at part of the scene that you want to record. You decide at the beginning of your day to focus on your Father's blessings. And when you become a Father watcher like little John, you start to come out of the complaining business, the self-pity approach, the victim mind set. You begin to experience a new kind of peace, contentment and joy with the peace of Christ ruling in your heart.
Like the wife I read about. She and her husband were unpacking their humble possessions in a new little dwelling place. He said, "Maybe someday we'll have money, and be rich." She said, "Honey, we don't have money but we're already rich." See, that's the viewpoint of someone who is looking for the blessing of God in their day.
When little boy, John, complimented his father on how he did things, I could tell that Dad's heart was really warmed. I think your Heavenly Father thinks the same way when you notice all He's doing for you. And many times a day you echo a little boy's admiration, "Good job, Daddy!"
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
John 6:41-71, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Our Redeemer
See the cross on the hill? Can you hear the soldiers pound the nails? Jesus' enemies smirk. "This time," Satan whispers. "This time I will win." For a sad Friday and a silent Saturday it appeared he had.
What Satan intended as the ultimate evil, God used for the ultimate good. God rolled the rock away and Jesus walked out on Sunday morning. And if you look closely, you can see Satan scampering from the cemetery with his forked tail between his legs. "Will I ever win?" he grumbles. No…he won't.
Do you believe no evil is beyond God's reach? That He can redeem every pit, including the one in which you find yourself? Trust God. He will get you through this. Will it be easy or quick? I hope so, but it seldom is. Yet, God will make good out of this mess. That's His job.
From You'll Get Through This
John 6:41-71
Then the people[a] began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
43 But Jesus replied, “Stop complaining about what I said. 44 For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. 45 As it is written in the Scriptures,[b] ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46 (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.)
47 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. 48 Yes, I am the bread of life! 49 Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. 50 Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”
52 Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they asked.
53 So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. 54 But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever.”
59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Many Disciples Desert Jesus
60 Many of his disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?”
61 Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what will you think if you see the Son of Man ascend to heaven again? 63 The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But some of you do not believe me.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning which ones didn’t believe, and he knew who would betray him.) 65 Then he said, “That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to me.”
66 At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. 67 Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?”
68 Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. 69 We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.[c]”
70 Then Jesus said, “I chose the twelve of you, but one is a devil.” 71 He was speaking of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, one of the Twelve, who would later betray him.
Footnotes:
6:41 Greek Jewish people; also in 6:52.
6:45 Greek in the prophets. Isa 54:13.
6:69 Other manuscripts read you are the Christ, the Holy One of God; still others read you are the Christ, the Son of God; and still others read you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Read: Ezekiel 36:22-31
“Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign Lord: I am bringing you back, but not because you deserve it. I am doing it to protect my holy name, on which you brought shame while you were scattered among the nations. 23 I will show how holy my great name is—the name on which you brought shame among the nations. And when I reveal my holiness through you before their very eyes, says the Sovereign Lord, then the nations will know that I am the Lord. 24 For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land.
25 “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.[a] 27 And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.
28 “And you will live in Israel, the land I gave your ancestors long ago. You will be my people, and I will be your God. 29 I will cleanse you of your filthy behavior. I will give you good crops of grain, and I will send no more famines on the land. 30 I will give you great harvests from your fruit trees and fields, and never again will the surrounding nations be able to scoff at your land for its famines. 31 Then you will remember your past sins and despise yourselves for all the detestable things you did.
Footnotes:
36:26 Hebrew a heart of flesh.
Insight:
Today’s text gives two reasons why God is going to rescue and redeem the people of Israel. He will do it for the sake of His holy name (v. 22) and so the nations will know He is the Lord (v. 23).
Transformed Hearts
By Lawrence Darmani
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. —Proverbs 4:23
During the early 1970s in Ghana, a poster titled “The Heart of Man” appeared on walls and public notice boards. In one picture, all kinds of reptiles—symbols of the vile and despicable—filled the heart-shaped painting with the head of a very unhappy man on top of it. In another image, the heart-shape was clean and serene with the head of a contented man. The caption beneath the images read: “What is the condition of your heart?”
In Matthew 15:18-19, Jesus explained what pollutes a person. “The things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” (niv). That is the condition of a heart separated from God—the situation ancient Israelites found themselves in when their sins forced them into exile (Ezek. 36:23).
God’s promise in Ezekiel 36:26 is beautiful: “I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart” (nlt; see also 11:19). God will take away our stubborn hearts that have been corrupted by all kinds of evil and give to us a clean heart that is responsive to Him. Praise God for such a wonderful gift.
Father in heaven, thank You that when we confess our sin to You, You give us a new heart and a new life. I pray that the life I live reflects the goodness of Your gift and that others may see the difference a new heart has made in me.
For a new start, ask God for a new heart.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
My Life’s Spiritual Honor and Duty
I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians… —Romans 1:14
Paul was overwhelmed with the sense of his indebtedness to Jesus Christ, and he spent his life to express it. The greatest inspiration in Paul’s life was his view of Jesus Christ as his spiritual creditor. Do I feel that same sense of indebtedness to Christ regarding every unsaved soul? As a saint, my life’s spiritual honor and duty is to fulfill my debt to Christ in relation to these lost souls. Every tiny bit of my life that has value I owe to the redemption of Jesus Christ. Am I doing anything to enable Him to bring His redemption into evident reality in the lives of others? I will only be able to do this as the Spirit of God works into me this sense of indebtedness.
I am not a superior person among other people— I am a bondservant of the Lord Jesus. Paul said, “…you are not your own…you were bought at a price…” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Paul sold himself to Jesus Christ and he said, in effect, “I am a debtor to everyone on the face of the earth because of the gospel of Jesus; I am free only that I may be an absolute bondservant of His.” That is the characteristic of a Christian’s life once this level of spiritual honor and duty becomes real. Quit praying about yourself and spend your life for the sake of others as the bondservant of Jesus. That is the true meaning of being broken bread and poured-out wine in real life.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
ONE LITTLE WORD—AND YOUR FOREVER - #7438
I've had the privilege to being on a lot of Native American reservations. And somewhere along the way, I heard the story of that little boy. A missionary was visiting a series of villages and he came on this little boy who was actually taking care of a large flock of sheep. The missionary learned that the boy's dad had died and left him and his mother with the care of the sheep. The little guy was doing his best to be a lot more grown up than you'd expect a boy his age to be.
The missionary shared the story of Jesus with the boy and ultimately the little shepherd opened his heart to Jesus. Just before he left, the missionary taught the boy his first Bible memory verse, "The Lord is my shepherd." He did it by showing him how the fingers on his right hand could each represent a word beginning with your thumb. "The-(now wrap around your second finger) Lord-is-my-Shepherd." Then he left one last encouragement with the little guy. He said, "When you get to that fourth word, wrap your left hand around the fourth finger of your right hand." "The Lord is my Shepherd." And the little boy did.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "One Little Word and Your Forever."
It was a year later before the missionary could return to that village, and he didn't see the little shepherd. So he went to the trailer where he and his mother lived. Mom came to the door, and the missionary said, "Where's your son?" She said, "Oh, you didn't hear? Last winter a terrible blizzard hit us very suddenly and my son was out in the hills trying to bring in the sheep. He never made it back. It took them three days before they found him. He froze to death."
Then she told the missionary, "You know, there was something really unusual about the way they found my boy. When they brushed the snow off of him, they found him with his left hand wrapped around the fourth finger of his right hand." The Lord is my Shepherd.
I wonder, is He yours? That little two-letter word is the difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus. And, therefore, it's the difference between heaven and hell. The word is "my". It was the difference for Thomas; one of Jesus' closest friends. Maybe he was like you. He was a spiritual veteran; someone who had heard a lot of the teachings of Jesus, someone who believed those teachings, someone who had worked for Jesus, but someone who apparently was still without Jesus in his heart.
Thomas was the one disciple missing when Jesus appeared to His men after the resurrection. He said he couldn't believe in a living Christ unless he touched the wounds of the cross. In John 20:28, our word for today from the Word of God, Jesus appears to Thomas, shows Him His nail-scarred hands, and then it says, "Thomas said to Him. ‘My Lord and my God.'"
The question is, has there ever been a time when you have consciously said, "Jesus, here I am. I'm putting all my trust in You to be my Savior from my sin." Have you ever in your heart stood at Jesus' cross and said those two words that are the difference between heaven and hell? "For me. This is for me."
If you've never really begun your personal relationship with Jesus, if you're not sure you have, would you let this be your Jesus-Day? It's the only day we're guaranteed. Tell Him that you're His...beginning right here...right now.
I'd love to help you be sure you have opened up to His love; be sure you truly belong to Him. Our website is there for that reason. Would you go there? ANewStory.com. Or if you'd like to talk with someone about beginning this wonderful, never-ending, unloseable love relationship with Jesus Christ, would you text us? It's 442-244-WORD.
What a way to live and what a way to die - being able to say, with total confidence, "The Lord is my Shepherd. The Lord is my Savior!"
See the cross on the hill? Can you hear the soldiers pound the nails? Jesus' enemies smirk. "This time," Satan whispers. "This time I will win." For a sad Friday and a silent Saturday it appeared he had.
What Satan intended as the ultimate evil, God used for the ultimate good. God rolled the rock away and Jesus walked out on Sunday morning. And if you look closely, you can see Satan scampering from the cemetery with his forked tail between his legs. "Will I ever win?" he grumbles. No…he won't.
Do you believe no evil is beyond God's reach? That He can redeem every pit, including the one in which you find yourself? Trust God. He will get you through this. Will it be easy or quick? I hope so, but it seldom is. Yet, God will make good out of this mess. That's His job.
From You'll Get Through This
John 6:41-71
Then the people[a] began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
43 But Jesus replied, “Stop complaining about what I said. 44 For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. 45 As it is written in the Scriptures,[b] ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46 (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.)
47 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. 48 Yes, I am the bread of life! 49 Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. 50 Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”
52 Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they asked.
53 So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. 54 But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever.”
59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Many Disciples Desert Jesus
60 Many of his disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?”
61 Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what will you think if you see the Son of Man ascend to heaven again? 63 The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But some of you do not believe me.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning which ones didn’t believe, and he knew who would betray him.) 65 Then he said, “That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to me.”
66 At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. 67 Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?”
68 Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. 69 We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.[c]”
70 Then Jesus said, “I chose the twelve of you, but one is a devil.” 71 He was speaking of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, one of the Twelve, who would later betray him.
Footnotes:
6:41 Greek Jewish people; also in 6:52.
6:45 Greek in the prophets. Isa 54:13.
6:69 Other manuscripts read you are the Christ, the Holy One of God; still others read you are the Christ, the Son of God; and still others read you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Read: Ezekiel 36:22-31
“Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign Lord: I am bringing you back, but not because you deserve it. I am doing it to protect my holy name, on which you brought shame while you were scattered among the nations. 23 I will show how holy my great name is—the name on which you brought shame among the nations. And when I reveal my holiness through you before their very eyes, says the Sovereign Lord, then the nations will know that I am the Lord. 24 For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land.
25 “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.[a] 27 And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.
28 “And you will live in Israel, the land I gave your ancestors long ago. You will be my people, and I will be your God. 29 I will cleanse you of your filthy behavior. I will give you good crops of grain, and I will send no more famines on the land. 30 I will give you great harvests from your fruit trees and fields, and never again will the surrounding nations be able to scoff at your land for its famines. 31 Then you will remember your past sins and despise yourselves for all the detestable things you did.
Footnotes:
36:26 Hebrew a heart of flesh.
Insight:
Today’s text gives two reasons why God is going to rescue and redeem the people of Israel. He will do it for the sake of His holy name (v. 22) and so the nations will know He is the Lord (v. 23).
Transformed Hearts
By Lawrence Darmani
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. —Proverbs 4:23
During the early 1970s in Ghana, a poster titled “The Heart of Man” appeared on walls and public notice boards. In one picture, all kinds of reptiles—symbols of the vile and despicable—filled the heart-shaped painting with the head of a very unhappy man on top of it. In another image, the heart-shape was clean and serene with the head of a contented man. The caption beneath the images read: “What is the condition of your heart?”
In Matthew 15:18-19, Jesus explained what pollutes a person. “The things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” (niv). That is the condition of a heart separated from God—the situation ancient Israelites found themselves in when their sins forced them into exile (Ezek. 36:23).
God’s promise in Ezekiel 36:26 is beautiful: “I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart” (nlt; see also 11:19). God will take away our stubborn hearts that have been corrupted by all kinds of evil and give to us a clean heart that is responsive to Him. Praise God for such a wonderful gift.
Father in heaven, thank You that when we confess our sin to You, You give us a new heart and a new life. I pray that the life I live reflects the goodness of Your gift and that others may see the difference a new heart has made in me.
For a new start, ask God for a new heart.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
My Life’s Spiritual Honor and Duty
I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians… —Romans 1:14
Paul was overwhelmed with the sense of his indebtedness to Jesus Christ, and he spent his life to express it. The greatest inspiration in Paul’s life was his view of Jesus Christ as his spiritual creditor. Do I feel that same sense of indebtedness to Christ regarding every unsaved soul? As a saint, my life’s spiritual honor and duty is to fulfill my debt to Christ in relation to these lost souls. Every tiny bit of my life that has value I owe to the redemption of Jesus Christ. Am I doing anything to enable Him to bring His redemption into evident reality in the lives of others? I will only be able to do this as the Spirit of God works into me this sense of indebtedness.
I am not a superior person among other people— I am a bondservant of the Lord Jesus. Paul said, “…you are not your own…you were bought at a price…” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Paul sold himself to Jesus Christ and he said, in effect, “I am a debtor to everyone on the face of the earth because of the gospel of Jesus; I am free only that I may be an absolute bondservant of His.” That is the characteristic of a Christian’s life once this level of spiritual honor and duty becomes real. Quit praying about yourself and spend your life for the sake of others as the bondservant of Jesus. That is the true meaning of being broken bread and poured-out wine in real life.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
ONE LITTLE WORD—AND YOUR FOREVER - #7438
I've had the privilege to being on a lot of Native American reservations. And somewhere along the way, I heard the story of that little boy. A missionary was visiting a series of villages and he came on this little boy who was actually taking care of a large flock of sheep. The missionary learned that the boy's dad had died and left him and his mother with the care of the sheep. The little guy was doing his best to be a lot more grown up than you'd expect a boy his age to be.
The missionary shared the story of Jesus with the boy and ultimately the little shepherd opened his heart to Jesus. Just before he left, the missionary taught the boy his first Bible memory verse, "The Lord is my shepherd." He did it by showing him how the fingers on his right hand could each represent a word beginning with your thumb. "The-(now wrap around your second finger) Lord-is-my-Shepherd." Then he left one last encouragement with the little guy. He said, "When you get to that fourth word, wrap your left hand around the fourth finger of your right hand." "The Lord is my Shepherd." And the little boy did.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "One Little Word and Your Forever."
It was a year later before the missionary could return to that village, and he didn't see the little shepherd. So he went to the trailer where he and his mother lived. Mom came to the door, and the missionary said, "Where's your son?" She said, "Oh, you didn't hear? Last winter a terrible blizzard hit us very suddenly and my son was out in the hills trying to bring in the sheep. He never made it back. It took them three days before they found him. He froze to death."
Then she told the missionary, "You know, there was something really unusual about the way they found my boy. When they brushed the snow off of him, they found him with his left hand wrapped around the fourth finger of his right hand." The Lord is my Shepherd.
I wonder, is He yours? That little two-letter word is the difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus. And, therefore, it's the difference between heaven and hell. The word is "my". It was the difference for Thomas; one of Jesus' closest friends. Maybe he was like you. He was a spiritual veteran; someone who had heard a lot of the teachings of Jesus, someone who believed those teachings, someone who had worked for Jesus, but someone who apparently was still without Jesus in his heart.
Thomas was the one disciple missing when Jesus appeared to His men after the resurrection. He said he couldn't believe in a living Christ unless he touched the wounds of the cross. In John 20:28, our word for today from the Word of God, Jesus appears to Thomas, shows Him His nail-scarred hands, and then it says, "Thomas said to Him. ‘My Lord and my God.'"
The question is, has there ever been a time when you have consciously said, "Jesus, here I am. I'm putting all my trust in You to be my Savior from my sin." Have you ever in your heart stood at Jesus' cross and said those two words that are the difference between heaven and hell? "For me. This is for me."
If you've never really begun your personal relationship with Jesus, if you're not sure you have, would you let this be your Jesus-Day? It's the only day we're guaranteed. Tell Him that you're His...beginning right here...right now.
I'd love to help you be sure you have opened up to His love; be sure you truly belong to Him. Our website is there for that reason. Would you go there? ANewStory.com. Or if you'd like to talk with someone about beginning this wonderful, never-ending, unloseable love relationship with Jesus Christ, would you text us? It's 442-244-WORD.
What a way to live and what a way to die - being able to say, with total confidence, "The Lord is my Shepherd. The Lord is my Savior!"
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
2 Samuel 24, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Evil. God. Good
Life turns every person upside down. No one escapes unscathed. Not the woman who discovers her husband is having an affair. Not the businessman whose investments are embezzled by a crooked colleague. Not the pastor who feels his faith shaken by questions of suffering and fear. We would be foolish to think we're invulnerable.
But we would be just as foolish to think that evil wins the day. The Bible vibrates with the steady drumbeat of faith. God recycles evil into righteousness. Joseph, saddled with family rejection, slavery, and imprisonment emerged triumphant- a hero of his generation. Among his final words to his brothers are these: "You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good" (Genesis 50:20). It is the repeated pattern in Scripture. Evil-God-Good. Trust God. No…really trust Him! God will make good out of this mess.
From You'll Get Through This
2 Samuel 24
David Takes a Census
Once again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he caused David to harm them by taking a census. “Go and count the people of Israel and Judah,” the Lord told him.
2 So the king said to Joab and the commanders[r] of the army, “Take a census of all the tribes of Israel—from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south—so I may know how many people there are.”
3 But Joab replied to the king, “May the Lord your God let you live to see a hundred times as many people as there are now! But why, my lord the king, do you want to do this?”
4 But the king insisted that they take the census, so Joab and the commanders of the army went out to count the people of Israel. 5 First they crossed the Jordan and camped at Aroer, south of the town in the valley, in the direction of Gad. Then they went on to Jazer, 6 then to Gilead in the land of Tahtim-hodshi[s] and to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon. 7 Then they came to the fortress of Tyre, and all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went south to Judah[t] as far as Beersheba.
8 Having gone through the entire land for nine months and twenty days, they returned to Jerusalem. 9 Joab reported the number of people to the king. There were 800,000 capable warriors in Israel who could handle a sword, and 500,000 in Judah.
Judgment for David’s Sin
10 But after he had taken the census, David’s conscience began to bother him. And he said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly by taking this census. Please forgive my guilt, Lord, for doing this foolish thing.”
11 The next morning the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, who was David’s seer. This was the message: 12 “Go and say to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will give you three choices. Choose one of these punishments, and I will inflict it on you.’”
13 So Gad came to David and asked him, “Will you choose three[u] years of famine throughout your land, three months of fleeing from your enemies, or three days of severe plague throughout your land? Think this over and decide what answer I should give the Lord who sent me.”
14 “I’m in a desperate situation!” David replied to Gad. “But let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great. Do not let me fall into human hands.”
15 So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel that morning, and it lasted for three days.[v] A total of 70,000 people died throughout the nation, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south. 16 But as the angel was preparing to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented and said to the death angel, “Stop! That is enough!” At that moment the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
17 When David saw the angel, he said to the Lord, “I am the one who has sinned and done wrong! But these people are as innocent as sheep—what have they done? Let your anger fall against me and my family.”
David Builds an Altar
18 That day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
19 So David went up to do what the Lord had commanded him. 20 When Araunah saw the king and his men coming toward him, he came and bowed before the king with his face to the ground. 21 “Why have you come, my lord the king?” Araunah asked.
David replied, “I have come to buy your threshing floor and to build an altar to the Lord there, so that he will stop the plague.”
22 “Take it, my lord the king, and use it as you wish,” Araunah said to David. “Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and you can use the threshing boards and ox yokes for wood to build a fire on the altar. 23 I will give it all to you, Your Majesty, and may the Lord your God accept your sacrifice.”
24 But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.” So David paid him fifty pieces of silver[w] for the threshing floor and the oxen.
25 David built an altar there to the Lord and sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. And the Lord answered his prayer for the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.
Footnotes:
24:2 As in Greek version (see also 24:4 and 1 Chr 21:2); Hebrew reads Joab the commander.
24:6 Greek version reads to Gilead and to Kadesh in the land of the Hittites.
24:7 Or they went to the Negev of Judah.
24:13 As in Greek version (see also 1 Chr 21:12); Hebrew reads seven.
24:15 Hebrew for the designated time.
24:24 Hebrew 50 shekels of silver, about 20 ounces or 570 grams in weight.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Read: Matthew 9:35-38
The Need for Workers
Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
Insight:
Matthew’s gospel presents Jesus to the Jewish people as their long-promised Messiah. Matthew primarily uses two methods to make this powerful assertion, both of which were intended to resonate deeply with his audience. First, he repeatedly uses Old Testament Scriptures that describe Christ and are fulfilled in Jesus. Second, a critical part of Matthew’s argument for Jesus as the King of the Jews was Jesus’ compassionate power on display. This is seen in Matthew 9 where Jesus rescues the broken, the hurting, the marginalized, and the hated.
The Likes of Us
By Philip Yancey
Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. —Matthew 9:38 niv
In the late 19th century, William Carey felt a call to travel to India as a missionary to share the good news of Jesus. Pastors around him scoffed: “Young man, if God wants to save [anyone] in India, He will do it without your help or mine!” They missed the point of partnership. God does very little on earth without the likes of us.
As partners in God’s work on earth, we insist that God’s will be done while at the same time committing ourselves to whatever that may require of us. “Your kingdom come. Your will be done,” Jesus taught us to pray (Matt. 6:10). These words are not calm requests but holy demands. Give us justice! Set the world aright!
When we extend mercy to the broken, we reach out with the hands of Christ Himself.
We have different roles to play, we and God. It is our role to follow in Jesus’ steps by doing the work of the kingdom both by our deeds and by our prayers.
We are Christ’s body on earth, to borrow Paul’s metaphor in Colossians 1:24. Those we serve, Christ serves. When we extend mercy to the broken, we reach out with the hands of Christ Himself.
Lord, You have called us Your friends. In some small way, help us to show Your love to this hurting world so they will know You.
Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God. William Carey
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Suffering Afflictions and Going the Second Mile
I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. —Matthew 5:39
This verse reveals the humiliation of being a Christian. In the natural realm, if a person does not hit back, it is because he is a coward. But in the spiritual realm, it is the very evidence of the Son of God in him if he does not hit back. When you are insulted, you must not only not resent it, but you must make it an opportunity to exhibit the Son of God in your life. And you cannot imitate the nature of Jesus— it is either in you or it is not. A personal insult becomes an opportunity for a saint to reveal the incredible sweetness of the Lord Jesus.
The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is not, “Do your duty,” but is, in effect, “Do what is not your duty.” It is not your duty to go the second mile, or to turn the other cheek, but Jesus said that if we are His disciples, we will always do these things. We will not say, “Oh well, I just can’t do any more, and I’ve been so misrepresented and misunderstood.” Every time I insist on having my own rights, I hurt the Son of God, while in fact I can prevent Jesus from being hurt if I will take the blow myself. That is the real meaning of filling “up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ…” (Colossians 1:24). A disciple realizes that it is his Lord’s honor that is at stake in his life, not his own honor.
Never look for righteousness in the other person, but never cease to be righteous yourself. We are always looking for justice, yet the essence of the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is— Never look for justice, but never cease to give it.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Hurt and Hiding - #7437
Gal! That's the name of the dog that belongs to our missionary friend. She, and they, have lived on a Native American reservation. Most reservation dogs - they call them rez dogs - are pretty aggressive to say the least. They'll meet you whether you want to meet them or not. Not Gal. As soon as she sees anyone approaching, she runs for cover. You try to befriend her; she just cowers in a corner and trembles. It's pitiful! We asked our friends why Gal was so withdrawn, and it's a sad story. She'd been abused as a puppy by her former owner, and any time anyone got close, she was afraid. Yeah, that they would hurt her like those other people had.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Hurt and Hiding."
Too hurt to trust anyone. That's not just something that happens to a pet. It happens to people a lot. Maybe it's happened to you. Somewhere along the way you've been hurt, you've been abandoned, betrayed, abused, mistreated. And like that little dog, you're afraid to let anyone get close. In fact, you may have built up some pretty elaborate defenses to make sure no one does. But really, you're just afraid they're going to hurt you like somebody else did.
I saw one of our team on that reservation get very close to Gal - that dog. In fact, Gal would seek her out and give and receive a lot of affection. But it was because that person took time to win that dog's trust. She proved that she only wanted to love her and help her, and that love actually broke through the fear and the hurt. That's what I pray will happen for you. See, there's someone who is leaning your direction this very day, someone with outstretched arms, not to hurt you but to hold you and to heal you. It's Jesus! He knows a lot about being hurt.
Listen to these words that describe Him. They are our word for today from the Word of God, Isaiah 61:1-2. "The Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom to the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners."
See, Jesus is the healer of broken hearts and broken lives. He's the liberator from the darkness. But can He be trusted? God's answer - Romans 8:32, "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, will He not also graciously give us all things."
And then later in that chapter it says, "Nothing can ever separate us from His love." Can Jesus be trusted? Just walk up to that garbage dump hill called Skull Hill. Stand there in the pouring rain at the foot of Jesus' cross and see the agony Jesus is suffering there; the nails in His hands and feet, the thorns pressed on His brow, the spear wound in His side. Most of all, the total separation from God. And realize that's for you. That's your sin He's dying to pay for.
Oh you can trust Him. He loves you enough to die for you. And He's been waiting for you to turn your life over to Him so He can start the healing process that only He can bring. But first you have to tell Him that you're putting your total trust in Him to be your Savior. I know that word trust is a hard one after what you've been through. But you can't just go on hurting, and hiding and alone. And this One who loved you so much that He gave everything for you, He's the one person you can finally totally trust. You've been looking for Him. You've been longing for this person for a long time.
I hope you'll reach out to Him today and say, "Jesus, you loved me enough to die for me. I'm yours." Listen, you want to know how to get that relationship started? You want to be sure you've now experienced that love for yourself - you belong to Him? Would you go to our website? It's ANewStory.com. Or if you want to talk with someone about what it means to belong to Jesus, you can text us at 442-244-WORD.
I don't know what you've been through, but Jesus does. And as He approaches you today, don't run from His open arms. As He reaches to you, you will see in His hands nail prints from the suffering He went through for you. He is the Healer that your heart has always wanted.
Life turns every person upside down. No one escapes unscathed. Not the woman who discovers her husband is having an affair. Not the businessman whose investments are embezzled by a crooked colleague. Not the pastor who feels his faith shaken by questions of suffering and fear. We would be foolish to think we're invulnerable.
But we would be just as foolish to think that evil wins the day. The Bible vibrates with the steady drumbeat of faith. God recycles evil into righteousness. Joseph, saddled with family rejection, slavery, and imprisonment emerged triumphant- a hero of his generation. Among his final words to his brothers are these: "You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good" (Genesis 50:20). It is the repeated pattern in Scripture. Evil-God-Good. Trust God. No…really trust Him! God will make good out of this mess.
From You'll Get Through This
2 Samuel 24
David Takes a Census
Once again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he caused David to harm them by taking a census. “Go and count the people of Israel and Judah,” the Lord told him.
2 So the king said to Joab and the commanders[r] of the army, “Take a census of all the tribes of Israel—from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south—so I may know how many people there are.”
3 But Joab replied to the king, “May the Lord your God let you live to see a hundred times as many people as there are now! But why, my lord the king, do you want to do this?”
4 But the king insisted that they take the census, so Joab and the commanders of the army went out to count the people of Israel. 5 First they crossed the Jordan and camped at Aroer, south of the town in the valley, in the direction of Gad. Then they went on to Jazer, 6 then to Gilead in the land of Tahtim-hodshi[s] and to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon. 7 Then they came to the fortress of Tyre, and all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went south to Judah[t] as far as Beersheba.
8 Having gone through the entire land for nine months and twenty days, they returned to Jerusalem. 9 Joab reported the number of people to the king. There were 800,000 capable warriors in Israel who could handle a sword, and 500,000 in Judah.
Judgment for David’s Sin
10 But after he had taken the census, David’s conscience began to bother him. And he said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly by taking this census. Please forgive my guilt, Lord, for doing this foolish thing.”
11 The next morning the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, who was David’s seer. This was the message: 12 “Go and say to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will give you three choices. Choose one of these punishments, and I will inflict it on you.’”
13 So Gad came to David and asked him, “Will you choose three[u] years of famine throughout your land, three months of fleeing from your enemies, or three days of severe plague throughout your land? Think this over and decide what answer I should give the Lord who sent me.”
14 “I’m in a desperate situation!” David replied to Gad. “But let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great. Do not let me fall into human hands.”
15 So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel that morning, and it lasted for three days.[v] A total of 70,000 people died throughout the nation, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south. 16 But as the angel was preparing to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented and said to the death angel, “Stop! That is enough!” At that moment the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
17 When David saw the angel, he said to the Lord, “I am the one who has sinned and done wrong! But these people are as innocent as sheep—what have they done? Let your anger fall against me and my family.”
David Builds an Altar
18 That day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
19 So David went up to do what the Lord had commanded him. 20 When Araunah saw the king and his men coming toward him, he came and bowed before the king with his face to the ground. 21 “Why have you come, my lord the king?” Araunah asked.
David replied, “I have come to buy your threshing floor and to build an altar to the Lord there, so that he will stop the plague.”
22 “Take it, my lord the king, and use it as you wish,” Araunah said to David. “Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and you can use the threshing boards and ox yokes for wood to build a fire on the altar. 23 I will give it all to you, Your Majesty, and may the Lord your God accept your sacrifice.”
24 But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.” So David paid him fifty pieces of silver[w] for the threshing floor and the oxen.
25 David built an altar there to the Lord and sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. And the Lord answered his prayer for the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.
Footnotes:
24:2 As in Greek version (see also 24:4 and 1 Chr 21:2); Hebrew reads Joab the commander.
24:6 Greek version reads to Gilead and to Kadesh in the land of the Hittites.
24:7 Or they went to the Negev of Judah.
24:13 As in Greek version (see also 1 Chr 21:12); Hebrew reads seven.
24:15 Hebrew for the designated time.
24:24 Hebrew 50 shekels of silver, about 20 ounces or 570 grams in weight.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Read: Matthew 9:35-38
The Need for Workers
Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
Insight:
Matthew’s gospel presents Jesus to the Jewish people as their long-promised Messiah. Matthew primarily uses two methods to make this powerful assertion, both of which were intended to resonate deeply with his audience. First, he repeatedly uses Old Testament Scriptures that describe Christ and are fulfilled in Jesus. Second, a critical part of Matthew’s argument for Jesus as the King of the Jews was Jesus’ compassionate power on display. This is seen in Matthew 9 where Jesus rescues the broken, the hurting, the marginalized, and the hated.
The Likes of Us
By Philip Yancey
Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. —Matthew 9:38 niv
In the late 19th century, William Carey felt a call to travel to India as a missionary to share the good news of Jesus. Pastors around him scoffed: “Young man, if God wants to save [anyone] in India, He will do it without your help or mine!” They missed the point of partnership. God does very little on earth without the likes of us.
As partners in God’s work on earth, we insist that God’s will be done while at the same time committing ourselves to whatever that may require of us. “Your kingdom come. Your will be done,” Jesus taught us to pray (Matt. 6:10). These words are not calm requests but holy demands. Give us justice! Set the world aright!
When we extend mercy to the broken, we reach out with the hands of Christ Himself.
We have different roles to play, we and God. It is our role to follow in Jesus’ steps by doing the work of the kingdom both by our deeds and by our prayers.
We are Christ’s body on earth, to borrow Paul’s metaphor in Colossians 1:24. Those we serve, Christ serves. When we extend mercy to the broken, we reach out with the hands of Christ Himself.
Lord, You have called us Your friends. In some small way, help us to show Your love to this hurting world so they will know You.
Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God. William Carey
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Suffering Afflictions and Going the Second Mile
I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. —Matthew 5:39
This verse reveals the humiliation of being a Christian. In the natural realm, if a person does not hit back, it is because he is a coward. But in the spiritual realm, it is the very evidence of the Son of God in him if he does not hit back. When you are insulted, you must not only not resent it, but you must make it an opportunity to exhibit the Son of God in your life. And you cannot imitate the nature of Jesus— it is either in you or it is not. A personal insult becomes an opportunity for a saint to reveal the incredible sweetness of the Lord Jesus.
The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is not, “Do your duty,” but is, in effect, “Do what is not your duty.” It is not your duty to go the second mile, or to turn the other cheek, but Jesus said that if we are His disciples, we will always do these things. We will not say, “Oh well, I just can’t do any more, and I’ve been so misrepresented and misunderstood.” Every time I insist on having my own rights, I hurt the Son of God, while in fact I can prevent Jesus from being hurt if I will take the blow myself. That is the real meaning of filling “up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ…” (Colossians 1:24). A disciple realizes that it is his Lord’s honor that is at stake in his life, not his own honor.
Never look for righteousness in the other person, but never cease to be righteous yourself. We are always looking for justice, yet the essence of the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is— Never look for justice, but never cease to give it.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Hurt and Hiding - #7437
Gal! That's the name of the dog that belongs to our missionary friend. She, and they, have lived on a Native American reservation. Most reservation dogs - they call them rez dogs - are pretty aggressive to say the least. They'll meet you whether you want to meet them or not. Not Gal. As soon as she sees anyone approaching, she runs for cover. You try to befriend her; she just cowers in a corner and trembles. It's pitiful! We asked our friends why Gal was so withdrawn, and it's a sad story. She'd been abused as a puppy by her former owner, and any time anyone got close, she was afraid. Yeah, that they would hurt her like those other people had.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Hurt and Hiding."
Too hurt to trust anyone. That's not just something that happens to a pet. It happens to people a lot. Maybe it's happened to you. Somewhere along the way you've been hurt, you've been abandoned, betrayed, abused, mistreated. And like that little dog, you're afraid to let anyone get close. In fact, you may have built up some pretty elaborate defenses to make sure no one does. But really, you're just afraid they're going to hurt you like somebody else did.
I saw one of our team on that reservation get very close to Gal - that dog. In fact, Gal would seek her out and give and receive a lot of affection. But it was because that person took time to win that dog's trust. She proved that she only wanted to love her and help her, and that love actually broke through the fear and the hurt. That's what I pray will happen for you. See, there's someone who is leaning your direction this very day, someone with outstretched arms, not to hurt you but to hold you and to heal you. It's Jesus! He knows a lot about being hurt.
Listen to these words that describe Him. They are our word for today from the Word of God, Isaiah 61:1-2. "The Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom to the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners."
See, Jesus is the healer of broken hearts and broken lives. He's the liberator from the darkness. But can He be trusted? God's answer - Romans 8:32, "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, will He not also graciously give us all things."
And then later in that chapter it says, "Nothing can ever separate us from His love." Can Jesus be trusted? Just walk up to that garbage dump hill called Skull Hill. Stand there in the pouring rain at the foot of Jesus' cross and see the agony Jesus is suffering there; the nails in His hands and feet, the thorns pressed on His brow, the spear wound in His side. Most of all, the total separation from God. And realize that's for you. That's your sin He's dying to pay for.
Oh you can trust Him. He loves you enough to die for you. And He's been waiting for you to turn your life over to Him so He can start the healing process that only He can bring. But first you have to tell Him that you're putting your total trust in Him to be your Savior. I know that word trust is a hard one after what you've been through. But you can't just go on hurting, and hiding and alone. And this One who loved you so much that He gave everything for you, He's the one person you can finally totally trust. You've been looking for Him. You've been longing for this person for a long time.
I hope you'll reach out to Him today and say, "Jesus, you loved me enough to die for me. I'm yours." Listen, you want to know how to get that relationship started? You want to be sure you've now experienced that love for yourself - you belong to Him? Would you go to our website? It's ANewStory.com. Or if you want to talk with someone about what it means to belong to Jesus, you can text us at 442-244-WORD.
I don't know what you've been through, but Jesus does. And as He approaches you today, don't run from His open arms. As He reaches to you, you will see in His hands nail prints from the suffering He went through for you. He is the Healer that your heart has always wanted.
Monday, July 13, 2015
2 Samuel 23, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Map Out a Strategy
You cannot control the weather. You are not in charge of the economy. You can’t un-wreck the car. But you can map out a strategy. Remember, God is in this crisis. Ask God to give you two or three steps you can take today. Seek counsel from someone who has faced a similar challenge. Ask friends to pray. Reach out to a support group. Most importantly, make a plan.
You’d prefer a miracle for your crisis? You’d rather see the bread multiplied or the stormy sea turned glassy calm in a finger snap? God may do this. Then again, He may say, “I am with you. I can use this for good. Now let’s make a plan.” God’s sovereignty does not negate our responsibility. It empowers it. Don’t let the crisis paralyze you. Trust God to do what you cannot. Obey God, and do what you can.
From You’ll Get Through This
2 Samuel 23
David’s Last Words
These are the last words of David:
“David, the son of Jesse, speaks—
David, the man who was raised up so high,
David, the man anointed by the God of Jacob,
David, the sweet psalmist of Israel.[a]
2 “The Spirit of the Lord speaks through me;
his words are upon my tongue.
3 The God of Israel spoke.
The Rock of Israel said to me:
‘The one who rules righteously,
who rules in the fear of God,
4 is like the light of morning at sunrise,
like a morning without clouds,
like the gleaming of the sun
on new grass after rain.’
5 “Is it not my family God has chosen?
Yes, he has made an everlasting covenant with me.
His agreement is arranged and guaranteed in every detail.
He will ensure my safety and success.
6 But the godless are like thorns to be thrown away,
for they tear the hand that touches them.
7 One must use iron tools to chop them down;
they will be totally consumed by fire.”
David’s Mightiest Warriors
8 These are the names of David’s mightiest warriors. The first was Jashobeam the Hacmonite,[b] who was leader of the Three[c]—the three mightiest warriors among David’s men. He once used his spear to kill 800 enemy warriors in a single battle.[d]
9 Next in rank among the Three was Eleazar son of Dodai, a descendant of Ahoah. Once Eleazar and David stood together against the Philistines when the entire Israelite army had fled. 10 He killed Philistines until his hand was too tired to lift his sword, and the Lord gave him a great victory that day. The rest of the army did not return until it was time to collect the plunder!
11 Next in rank was Shammah son of Agee from Harar. One time the Philistines gathered at Lehi and attacked the Israelites in a field full of lentils. The Israelite army fled, 12 but Shammah[e] held his ground in the middle of the field and beat back the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.
13 Once during the harvest, when David was at the cave of Adullam, the Philistine army was camped in the valley of Rephaim. The Three (who were among the Thirty—an elite group among David’s fighting men) went down to meet him there. 14 David was staying in the stronghold at the time, and a Philistine detachment had occupied the town of Bethlehem.
15 David remarked longingly to his men, “Oh, how I would love some of that good water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem.” 16 So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew some water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out as an offering to the Lord. 17 “The Lord forbid that I should drink this!” he exclaimed. “This water is as precious as the blood of these men[f] who risked their lives to bring it to me.” So David did not drink it. These are examples of the exploits of the Three.
David’s Thirty Mighty Men
18 Abishai son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, was the leader of the Thirty.[g] He once used his spear to kill 300 enemy warriors in a single battle. It was by such feats that he became as famous as the Three. 19 Abishai was the most famous of the Thirty[h] and was their commander, though he was not one of the Three.
20 There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior[i] from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions[j] of Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it. 21 Once, armed only with a club, he killed an imposing Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear. Benaiah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with it. 22 Deeds like these made Benaiah as famous as the Three mightiest warriors. 23 He was more honored than the other members of the Thirty, though he was not one of the Three. And David made him captain of his bodyguard.
24 Other members of the Thirty included:
Asahel, Joab’s brother;
Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem;
25 Shammah from Harod;
Elika from Harod;
26 Helez from Pelon[k];
Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa;
27 Abiezer from Anathoth;
Sibbecai[l] from Hushah;
28 Zalmon from Ahoah;
Maharai from Netophah;
29 Heled[m] son of Baanah from Netophah;
Ithai[n] son of Ribai from Gibeah (in the land of Benjamin);
30 Benaiah from Pirathon;
Hurai[o] from Nahale-gaash[p];
31 Abi-albon from Arabah;
Azmaveth from Bahurim;
32 Eliahba from Shaalbon;
the sons of Jashen;
Jonathan 33 son of Shagee[q] from Harar;
Ahiam son of Sharar from Harar;
34 Eliphelet son of Ahasbai from Maacah;
Eliam son of Ahithophel from Giloh;
35 Hezro from Carmel;
Paarai from Arba;
36 Igal son of Nathan from Zobah;
Bani from Gad;
37 Zelek from Ammon;
Naharai from Beeroth, the armor bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah;
38 Ira from Jattir;
Gareb from Jattir;
39 Uriah the Hittite.
There were thirty-seven in all.
Footnotes:
23:1 Or the favorite subject of the songs of Israel; or the favorite of the Strong One of Israel.
23:8a As in parallel text at 1 Chr 11:11; Hebrew reads Josheb-basshebeth the Tahkemonite.
23:8b As in Greek and Latin versions (see also 1 Chr 11:11); the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
23:8c As in some Greek manuscripts (see also 1 Chr 11:11); the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain, though it might be rendered the Three. It was Adino the Eznite who killed 800 men at one time.
23:12 Hebrew he.
23:17 Hebrew Shall I drink the blood of these men?
23:18 As in a few Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac version; most Hebrew manuscripts read the Three.
23:19 As in Syriac version; Hebrew reads the Three.
23:20a Or son of Jehoiada, son of Ish-hai.
23:20b Hebrew two of Ariel.
23:26 As in parallel text at 1 Chr 11:27 (see also 1 Chr 27:10); Hebrew reads from Palti.
23:27 As in some Greek manuscripts (see also 1 Chr 11:29); Hebrew reads Mebunnai.
23:29a As in some Hebrew manuscripts (see also 1 Chr 11:30); most Hebrew manuscripts read Heleb.
23:29b As in parallel text at 1 Chr 11:31; Hebrew reads Ittai.
23:30a As in some Greek manuscripts (see also 1 Chr 11:32); Hebrew reads Hiddai.
23:30b Or from the ravines of Gaash.
23:33 As in parallel text at 1 Chr 11:34; Hebrew reads Jonathan, Shammah; some Greek manuscripts read Jonathan son of Shammah.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, July 13, 2015
Read: Philippians 4:1-9
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters,[a] stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work.
Words of Encouragement
2 Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. 3 And I ask you, my true partner,[b] to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life.
4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.[c]
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
Footnotes:
4:1 Greek brothers; also in 4:8.
4:3 Or loyal Syzygus.
4:5 Greek the Lord is near.
Insight:
Paul often showed his appreciation for people who had worked with him, and he often singled out individuals for special mention in his letters (see Rom. 16; Col. 4; 2 Tim. 1:16-18; Titus 3:12-13). It is estimated that he designates some 80-90 people as his “fellow workers” in the book of Acts and in his letters. Included are fellow missionaries and interns, independent ministry associates, traveling companions, fellow prisoners, and supporters. In today’s passage, he urges two women to reconcile and lovingly acknowledges that these women, together with Clement (not mentioned anywhere else in the New Testament) and an unnamed list of fellow workers, have labored with him in spreading the gospel (vv. 2-3).
Not Saying Goodbye
By Randy Kilgore
The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. —Philippians 4:9
Francis Allen led me to Jesus, and now it was nearly time for Francis to meet Jesus face to face. I was at his home as it grew time for him to say goodbye. I wanted to say something memorable and meaningful.
For nearly an hour I stood by his bed. He laughed hard at the stories I told on myself. Then he got tired, we got serious, and he spent his energy rounding off some rough edges he still saw in my life. I listened, even as I tried to sort out how to say goodbye.
He stopped me before I got the chance. “You remember, Randy, what I’ve always told you. We have nothing to fear from the story of life because we know how it ends. I’m not afraid. You go do what I’ve taught you.” Those challenging words reminded me of what the apostle Paul said to the believers in Philippi: “The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do” (Phil. 4:9).
Francis had the same twinkle in his eye this last day I saw him as he had the first day I met him. He had no fear in his heart.
So many of the words I write, stories I tell, and people I serve are touched by Francis. As we journey through life, may we remember those who have encouraged us spiritually.
Who has been your mentor? Are you mentoring others?
Live so that when people get to know you, they will want to know Christ.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, July 13, 2015
The Price of the Vision
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord… —Isaiah 6:1
Our soul’s personal history with God is often an account of the death of our heroes. Over and over again God has to remove our friends to put Himself in their place, and that is when we falter, fail, and become discouraged. Let me think about this personally— when the person died who represented for me all that God was, did I give up on everything in life? Did I become ill or disheartened? Or did I do as Isaiah did and see the Lord?
My vision of God is dependent upon the condition of my character. My character determines whether or not truth can even be revealed to me. Before I can say, “I saw the Lord,” there must be something in my character that conforms to the likeness of God. Until I am born again and really begin to see the kingdom of God, I only see from the perspective of my own biases. What I need is God’s surgical procedure— His use of external circumstances to bring about internal purification.
Your priorities must be God first, God second, and God third, until your life is continually face to face with God and no one else is taken into account whatsoever. Your prayer will then be, “In all the world there is no one but You, dear God; there is no one but You.”
Keep paying the price. Let God see that you are willing to live up to the vision.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, July 13, 2015
Four Steps to Turn Your Life Around - #7436
It was sort of good news/bad news for our youngest son. But it was mostly good news. He had sensed the strong leading from the Lord to go into full-time outreach to Native Americans. That meant he would be driving those exciting, rugged reservation roads. But there was no way that was going to be possible without a four wheel drive vehicle.
The amazing good news is that the Lord miraculously gave him the vehicle he needed. The little bad news, it was a stick and our son has never driven a stick shift. He learned quickly. In all the time he drove his miracle on wheels, none of his passengers needed a neck brace after the ride. And he mastered that manual transmission pretty quickly. If there was any roughness, it was when he put it in reverse. He said "Dad, backing up is the hardest part."
Well I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Four Steps to Turn Your Life Around."
Yep, backing up is the hard part, not just "automotively" but morally. When the Lord shows you that you've been going the wrong way, it's smart to start backing up. To get out of that habit, get out of that dishonesty, that compromise, that wrong relationship, that sexual involvement. If Christ is living in your heart, He's going to begin to make you feel about that sin what He feels, and you'll know it's time to change.
God's word for this attitude of "I've got to change this" is repentance. You're tired of the guilt, you're tired of the shame, the cover up, the consequences? You're ready to start heading God's direction, but you've got to back out of that sin. Driving in moral reverse is hard, especially when you've been driving full speed ahead to sin in forward gear.
Some help from our word for today from the Word of God, 2 Corinthians 7:10, "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret." God talks about feeling sorry about what we've been doing. That's a good beginning; it makes you decide to shift gears. But, that's not repentance. Verse 11, "See what this Godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourself, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done." These people were taking aggressive action, not just feeling bad but taking aggressive action to get to the roots of sin and get it out of their lives and make things right. I mean, we're talking about an extreme makeover - a thorough clean up here.
Maybe you've been struggling. You're trying to back out of a sin that you know you need to leave. Let me give you some steps that can help you make that shift a little more smoothly. First, make sure you have repented specifically, bringing the specific times you sinned that sin to Jesus Christ. You don't just repent of the overall general sin. You repent of the sins.
Secondly, go back to any people who have been affected by your sin and make things right with them. This closes a circle of repentance and it actually makes it harder for you to return to that sin.
Thirdly, analyze what people and what places and what influences weakened you, pressured you into that area, and rubbed off on you. If sin is going to go, you've got to get rid of all your sin props and your sin partners. You've got to burn the bridges. Don't go near any situation where you will be tempted to go beyond the limits again.
Last of all, number four, get a mature believer who will hold you accountable, to be your faithful "checker-upper." The Bible says, "Two are better than one. If one falls down, the other can help him up."
Don't let a failure sink you. No! If you mess up, get up right away and start walking again. Passive repentance won't set you free, but active, aggressive repentance can start you down victory highway. As my son learned, backing up can be a bumpy thing initially, but you can end up going the right way if you'll learn to run in reverse. That's the only gear to use when sin is on that road ahead.
You cannot control the weather. You are not in charge of the economy. You can’t un-wreck the car. But you can map out a strategy. Remember, God is in this crisis. Ask God to give you two or three steps you can take today. Seek counsel from someone who has faced a similar challenge. Ask friends to pray. Reach out to a support group. Most importantly, make a plan.
You’d prefer a miracle for your crisis? You’d rather see the bread multiplied or the stormy sea turned glassy calm in a finger snap? God may do this. Then again, He may say, “I am with you. I can use this for good. Now let’s make a plan.” God’s sovereignty does not negate our responsibility. It empowers it. Don’t let the crisis paralyze you. Trust God to do what you cannot. Obey God, and do what you can.
From You’ll Get Through This
2 Samuel 23
David’s Last Words
These are the last words of David:
“David, the son of Jesse, speaks—
David, the man who was raised up so high,
David, the man anointed by the God of Jacob,
David, the sweet psalmist of Israel.[a]
2 “The Spirit of the Lord speaks through me;
his words are upon my tongue.
3 The God of Israel spoke.
The Rock of Israel said to me:
‘The one who rules righteously,
who rules in the fear of God,
4 is like the light of morning at sunrise,
like a morning without clouds,
like the gleaming of the sun
on new grass after rain.’
5 “Is it not my family God has chosen?
Yes, he has made an everlasting covenant with me.
His agreement is arranged and guaranteed in every detail.
He will ensure my safety and success.
6 But the godless are like thorns to be thrown away,
for they tear the hand that touches them.
7 One must use iron tools to chop them down;
they will be totally consumed by fire.”
David’s Mightiest Warriors
8 These are the names of David’s mightiest warriors. The first was Jashobeam the Hacmonite,[b] who was leader of the Three[c]—the three mightiest warriors among David’s men. He once used his spear to kill 800 enemy warriors in a single battle.[d]
9 Next in rank among the Three was Eleazar son of Dodai, a descendant of Ahoah. Once Eleazar and David stood together against the Philistines when the entire Israelite army had fled. 10 He killed Philistines until his hand was too tired to lift his sword, and the Lord gave him a great victory that day. The rest of the army did not return until it was time to collect the plunder!
11 Next in rank was Shammah son of Agee from Harar. One time the Philistines gathered at Lehi and attacked the Israelites in a field full of lentils. The Israelite army fled, 12 but Shammah[e] held his ground in the middle of the field and beat back the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.
13 Once during the harvest, when David was at the cave of Adullam, the Philistine army was camped in the valley of Rephaim. The Three (who were among the Thirty—an elite group among David’s fighting men) went down to meet him there. 14 David was staying in the stronghold at the time, and a Philistine detachment had occupied the town of Bethlehem.
15 David remarked longingly to his men, “Oh, how I would love some of that good water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem.” 16 So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew some water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out as an offering to the Lord. 17 “The Lord forbid that I should drink this!” he exclaimed. “This water is as precious as the blood of these men[f] who risked their lives to bring it to me.” So David did not drink it. These are examples of the exploits of the Three.
David’s Thirty Mighty Men
18 Abishai son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, was the leader of the Thirty.[g] He once used his spear to kill 300 enemy warriors in a single battle. It was by such feats that he became as famous as the Three. 19 Abishai was the most famous of the Thirty[h] and was their commander, though he was not one of the Three.
20 There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior[i] from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions[j] of Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it. 21 Once, armed only with a club, he killed an imposing Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear. Benaiah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with it. 22 Deeds like these made Benaiah as famous as the Three mightiest warriors. 23 He was more honored than the other members of the Thirty, though he was not one of the Three. And David made him captain of his bodyguard.
24 Other members of the Thirty included:
Asahel, Joab’s brother;
Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem;
25 Shammah from Harod;
Elika from Harod;
26 Helez from Pelon[k];
Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa;
27 Abiezer from Anathoth;
Sibbecai[l] from Hushah;
28 Zalmon from Ahoah;
Maharai from Netophah;
29 Heled[m] son of Baanah from Netophah;
Ithai[n] son of Ribai from Gibeah (in the land of Benjamin);
30 Benaiah from Pirathon;
Hurai[o] from Nahale-gaash[p];
31 Abi-albon from Arabah;
Azmaveth from Bahurim;
32 Eliahba from Shaalbon;
the sons of Jashen;
Jonathan 33 son of Shagee[q] from Harar;
Ahiam son of Sharar from Harar;
34 Eliphelet son of Ahasbai from Maacah;
Eliam son of Ahithophel from Giloh;
35 Hezro from Carmel;
Paarai from Arba;
36 Igal son of Nathan from Zobah;
Bani from Gad;
37 Zelek from Ammon;
Naharai from Beeroth, the armor bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah;
38 Ira from Jattir;
Gareb from Jattir;
39 Uriah the Hittite.
There were thirty-seven in all.
Footnotes:
23:1 Or the favorite subject of the songs of Israel; or the favorite of the Strong One of Israel.
23:8a As in parallel text at 1 Chr 11:11; Hebrew reads Josheb-basshebeth the Tahkemonite.
23:8b As in Greek and Latin versions (see also 1 Chr 11:11); the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
23:8c As in some Greek manuscripts (see also 1 Chr 11:11); the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain, though it might be rendered the Three. It was Adino the Eznite who killed 800 men at one time.
23:12 Hebrew he.
23:17 Hebrew Shall I drink the blood of these men?
23:18 As in a few Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac version; most Hebrew manuscripts read the Three.
23:19 As in Syriac version; Hebrew reads the Three.
23:20a Or son of Jehoiada, son of Ish-hai.
23:20b Hebrew two of Ariel.
23:26 As in parallel text at 1 Chr 11:27 (see also 1 Chr 27:10); Hebrew reads from Palti.
23:27 As in some Greek manuscripts (see also 1 Chr 11:29); Hebrew reads Mebunnai.
23:29a As in some Hebrew manuscripts (see also 1 Chr 11:30); most Hebrew manuscripts read Heleb.
23:29b As in parallel text at 1 Chr 11:31; Hebrew reads Ittai.
23:30a As in some Greek manuscripts (see also 1 Chr 11:32); Hebrew reads Hiddai.
23:30b Or from the ravines of Gaash.
23:33 As in parallel text at 1 Chr 11:34; Hebrew reads Jonathan, Shammah; some Greek manuscripts read Jonathan son of Shammah.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, July 13, 2015
Read: Philippians 4:1-9
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters,[a] stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work.
Words of Encouragement
2 Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. 3 And I ask you, my true partner,[b] to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life.
4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.[c]
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
Footnotes:
4:1 Greek brothers; also in 4:8.
4:3 Or loyal Syzygus.
4:5 Greek the Lord is near.
Insight:
Paul often showed his appreciation for people who had worked with him, and he often singled out individuals for special mention in his letters (see Rom. 16; Col. 4; 2 Tim. 1:16-18; Titus 3:12-13). It is estimated that he designates some 80-90 people as his “fellow workers” in the book of Acts and in his letters. Included are fellow missionaries and interns, independent ministry associates, traveling companions, fellow prisoners, and supporters. In today’s passage, he urges two women to reconcile and lovingly acknowledges that these women, together with Clement (not mentioned anywhere else in the New Testament) and an unnamed list of fellow workers, have labored with him in spreading the gospel (vv. 2-3).
Not Saying Goodbye
By Randy Kilgore
The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. —Philippians 4:9
Francis Allen led me to Jesus, and now it was nearly time for Francis to meet Jesus face to face. I was at his home as it grew time for him to say goodbye. I wanted to say something memorable and meaningful.
For nearly an hour I stood by his bed. He laughed hard at the stories I told on myself. Then he got tired, we got serious, and he spent his energy rounding off some rough edges he still saw in my life. I listened, even as I tried to sort out how to say goodbye.
He stopped me before I got the chance. “You remember, Randy, what I’ve always told you. We have nothing to fear from the story of life because we know how it ends. I’m not afraid. You go do what I’ve taught you.” Those challenging words reminded me of what the apostle Paul said to the believers in Philippi: “The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do” (Phil. 4:9).
Francis had the same twinkle in his eye this last day I saw him as he had the first day I met him. He had no fear in his heart.
So many of the words I write, stories I tell, and people I serve are touched by Francis. As we journey through life, may we remember those who have encouraged us spiritually.
Who has been your mentor? Are you mentoring others?
Live so that when people get to know you, they will want to know Christ.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, July 13, 2015
The Price of the Vision
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord… —Isaiah 6:1
Our soul’s personal history with God is often an account of the death of our heroes. Over and over again God has to remove our friends to put Himself in their place, and that is when we falter, fail, and become discouraged. Let me think about this personally— when the person died who represented for me all that God was, did I give up on everything in life? Did I become ill or disheartened? Or did I do as Isaiah did and see the Lord?
My vision of God is dependent upon the condition of my character. My character determines whether or not truth can even be revealed to me. Before I can say, “I saw the Lord,” there must be something in my character that conforms to the likeness of God. Until I am born again and really begin to see the kingdom of God, I only see from the perspective of my own biases. What I need is God’s surgical procedure— His use of external circumstances to bring about internal purification.
Your priorities must be God first, God second, and God third, until your life is continually face to face with God and no one else is taken into account whatsoever. Your prayer will then be, “In all the world there is no one but You, dear God; there is no one but You.”
Keep paying the price. Let God see that you are willing to live up to the vision.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, July 13, 2015
Four Steps to Turn Your Life Around - #7436
It was sort of good news/bad news for our youngest son. But it was mostly good news. He had sensed the strong leading from the Lord to go into full-time outreach to Native Americans. That meant he would be driving those exciting, rugged reservation roads. But there was no way that was going to be possible without a four wheel drive vehicle.
The amazing good news is that the Lord miraculously gave him the vehicle he needed. The little bad news, it was a stick and our son has never driven a stick shift. He learned quickly. In all the time he drove his miracle on wheels, none of his passengers needed a neck brace after the ride. And he mastered that manual transmission pretty quickly. If there was any roughness, it was when he put it in reverse. He said "Dad, backing up is the hardest part."
Well I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Four Steps to Turn Your Life Around."
Yep, backing up is the hard part, not just "automotively" but morally. When the Lord shows you that you've been going the wrong way, it's smart to start backing up. To get out of that habit, get out of that dishonesty, that compromise, that wrong relationship, that sexual involvement. If Christ is living in your heart, He's going to begin to make you feel about that sin what He feels, and you'll know it's time to change.
God's word for this attitude of "I've got to change this" is repentance. You're tired of the guilt, you're tired of the shame, the cover up, the consequences? You're ready to start heading God's direction, but you've got to back out of that sin. Driving in moral reverse is hard, especially when you've been driving full speed ahead to sin in forward gear.
Some help from our word for today from the Word of God, 2 Corinthians 7:10, "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret." God talks about feeling sorry about what we've been doing. That's a good beginning; it makes you decide to shift gears. But, that's not repentance. Verse 11, "See what this Godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourself, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done." These people were taking aggressive action, not just feeling bad but taking aggressive action to get to the roots of sin and get it out of their lives and make things right. I mean, we're talking about an extreme makeover - a thorough clean up here.
Maybe you've been struggling. You're trying to back out of a sin that you know you need to leave. Let me give you some steps that can help you make that shift a little more smoothly. First, make sure you have repented specifically, bringing the specific times you sinned that sin to Jesus Christ. You don't just repent of the overall general sin. You repent of the sins.
Secondly, go back to any people who have been affected by your sin and make things right with them. This closes a circle of repentance and it actually makes it harder for you to return to that sin.
Thirdly, analyze what people and what places and what influences weakened you, pressured you into that area, and rubbed off on you. If sin is going to go, you've got to get rid of all your sin props and your sin partners. You've got to burn the bridges. Don't go near any situation where you will be tempted to go beyond the limits again.
Last of all, number four, get a mature believer who will hold you accountable, to be your faithful "checker-upper." The Bible says, "Two are better than one. If one falls down, the other can help him up."
Don't let a failure sink you. No! If you mess up, get up right away and start walking again. Passive repentance won't set you free, but active, aggressive repentance can start you down victory highway. As my son learned, backing up can be a bumpy thing initially, but you can end up going the right way if you'll learn to run in reverse. That's the only gear to use when sin is on that road ahead.
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