Psalm 110, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: An Invitation

In Joshua Chapter 1 God said, "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth; but you shall meditate on it day and night that you may observe to do all that is written in it, for then you will make your way prosperous, and you will have good success."
God's word to Joshua is God's word to us! I invite you to join me at GloryDaysToday.com for a 4-week journey in a Glory Days Scripture Memorization Challenge to memorize a verse a week.
Start with Joshua 1:9- the reminder that God has given you power. Then 2 Timothy 3:16-17- Scripture is a weapon useful in all situations. John 1:12- a reminder to inherit your inheritance. And then Joshua 21:43-45- the reminder that God fights for you, in the power of God's Word, to face down every stronghold that stands against us!
From Glory Days


Psalm 110
Of David. A psalm.

1 The Lord says to my lord:[b]
“Sit at my right hand
    until I make your enemies
    a footstool for your feet.”
2 The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying,
    “Rule in the midst of your enemies!”
3 Your troops will be willing
    on your day of battle.
Arrayed in holy splendor,
    your young men will come to you
    like dew from the morning’s womb.[c]
4 The Lord has sworn
    and will not change his mind:
“You are a priest forever,
    in the order of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord is at your right hand[d];
    he will crush kings on the day of his wrath.
6 He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead
    and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.
7 He will drink from a brook along the way,[e]
    and so he will lift his head high.

Footnotes:

Psalm 110:1 Or Lord
Psalm 110:3 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.
Psalm 110:5 Or My lord is at your right hand, Lord
Psalm 110:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, September 14, 2015

Read: Matthew 21:28-32

Parable of the Two Sons
28 “But what do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 The son answered, ‘No, I won’t go,’ but later he changed his mind and went anyway. 30 Then the father told the other son, ‘You go,’ and he said, ‘Yes, sir, I will.’ But he didn’t go.

31 “Which of the two obeyed his father?”

They replied, “The first.”[a]

Then Jesus explained his meaning: “I tell you the truth, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do. 32 For John the Baptist came and showed you the right way to live, but you didn’t believe him, while tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even when you saw this happening, you refused to believe him and repent of your sins.

Footnotes:

21:29-31 Other manuscripts read “The second.” In still other manuscripts the first son says “Yes” but does nothing, the second son says “No” but then repents and goes, and the answer to Jesus’ question is that the second son obeyed his father.

INSIGHT:
Matthew 21 describes several events in the life of Christ. This chapter opens with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (vv. 1-11) followed by the cleansing of the temple (vv. 12-17) and the cursing of the fig tree (vv. 18-22). Then the parable of the two sons follows a debate with the religious leaders about Jesus’ authority (vv. 23-32). It is this issue that forms the context of the parable, for it deals with how the sons responded to authority. The son who did his father’s wishes was the one who honored his father. Bill Crowder

Words and Actions

By Dave Branon

Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18

The email from the student in my college writing class expressed urgency. It was the end of the semester, and he realized he needed a better grade to participate in sports. What could he do? He had missed some assignments, so I gave him two days to complete those papers and improve his grade. His response: “Thank you. I’ll do it.”

Two days—and the deadline—passed, and no papers appeared. He didn’t back up his words with action.

Jesus told about a young man who did something similar. The boy’s dad asked him to do some work in the vineyard. The son said, “I will, sir” (Matt. 21:30). But he was all talk and no action.

In commenting on this parable, Matthew Henry concluded: “Buds and blossoms are not fruit.” The buds and blossoms of our words, which breed anticipation of what we might do, are empty without the fruit of our follow-through. Jesus’ main application was to religious leaders who spoke of obedience yet refused to follow through with repentance. But the words apply to us as well. It is in following God “with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18)—not in making empty promises—that we honor our Lord and Savior.

Our actions in obeying God show Him more love, honor, and praise than any empty words we might say to try to appear good.

Dear Father, help me to follow through on my promises to You and to all who depend on me. Especially help me to do Your will and not just talk about it.

Words are the blossoms, action the fruit.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, September 14, 2015


Arguments or Obedience

…the simplicity that is in Christ.  —2 Corinthians 11:3

Simplicity is the secret to seeing things clearly. A saint does not think clearly until a long time passes, but a saint ought to see clearly without any difficulty. You cannot think through spiritual confusion to make things clear; to make things clear, you must obey. In intellectual matters you can think things out, but in spiritual matters you will only think yourself into further wandering thoughts and more confusion. If there is something in your life upon which God has put His pressure, then obey Him in that matter. Bring all your “arguments and…every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” regarding the matter, and everything will become as clear as daylight to you (2 Corinthians 10:5). Your reasoning capacity will come later, but reasoning is not how we see. We see like children, and when we try to be wise we see nothing (see Matthew 11:25).

Even the very smallest thing that we allow in our lives that is not under the control of the Holy Spirit is completely sufficient to account for spiritual confusion, and spending all of our time thinking about it will still never make it clear. Spiritual confusion can only be conquered through obedience. As soon as we obey, we have discernment. This is humiliating, because when we are confused we know that the reason lies in the state of our mind. But when our natural power of sight is devoted and submitted in obedience to the Holy Spirit, it becomes the very power by which we perceive God’s will, and our entire life is kept in simplicity.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

Am I learning how to use my Bible? The way to become complete for the Master’s service is to be well soaked in the Bible; some of us only exploit certain passages. Our Lord wants to give us continuous instruction out of His word; continuous instruction turns hearers into disciples.  Approved Unto God, 11 L

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, September 14, 2015

When Idols Crash - #7481

I've lived long enough to see a lot of crashes. Not cars or planes - people. Actually, we see it in the news all too often don't we? Sometimes it happens to our teams that we root for. My football team, for example in the NFL went one year from the Super Bowl to a very embarrassing losing season. They had been at the top of the heap and they ended up at the bottom the next year. But we've watched heroes crash haven't we; pastors, Christian leaders, politicians, judges, athletes? We see it all the time. In fact, maybe you've heard some crashes in your own life.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When Idols Crash."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 1 Samuel 5. Now, the Ark of God is where the presence of God was located in the Old Testament. So, remember that as we read this word, "After the Philistines had captured the Ark of God, they took it to Ashdod. Then they carried the ark into Dagon's temple and set it beside Dagon. (That's their god.) When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the Ark of the Lord! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the Ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained."

Well, here's the idol, Dagon, the center of the Philistines' worship. They'd pinned their hopes on him, or it, and it kept falling over. I mean, what do you expect though, when you put that idol next to the Lord himself? The idol just couldn't stand up. Idols never can. They all eventually crash, leaving only God for us to worship.

It's interesting that the Apostle John concludes his book of 1 John written to Christians with this word, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." See, there's a tendency for us, even as Christians, to unintentionally make gods out of earthly things and earthly people. No, it's not a statue in the closet. You don't burn incense. It just becomes the main focus of your time, your energy, your planning, your money. And every idol either has let you down or is about to. That's why we keep hearing the crashes of idols.

I remember several years ago in the middle of an economic earthquake, how my friends on Wall Street would say, "Ron, we always thought we were depending on the Lord until this happened. And then we find out what we were really depending on. And when it let us down, we were a mess."

There is a man who has given so much to his career and his institution, only to be suddenly attacked by the people he's given so much for. Again, something was crashing. The dad who's worked and planned so hard for his son to receive a top honor, only to watch him lose it in the final round. He said, "Ron, it was the death of a dream."

See, our idols are subtle. Your career can become your focus, your children can, a position you really want, maybe someone you're in love with, a financial goal, a home, a dream - just an idolatrous dream you have. And instead of it revolving around God, you've drifted into having God revolve around it. It is an idol.

The First Commandment said, "You shall have no other gods before Me." Either it has crashed, it is crashing, or it will crash. It has to, so you'll come back to where you started; depending on, living for the Lord Christ alone. The hymn writer said it so well, "The dearest idol I have known; help me tear it from the throne."

It hurts to have an idol crash, but it's a loss that will bring you back to God's best. Your idol will crash; it has to. But that's okay. When it does, the only God worth worshiping is there for you, beckoning for you to come back home.

Psalm 109 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: God Surrounds Us

God surrounds us like the Pacific surrounds an ocean floor pebble. He is everywhere:  above, below, on all sides. We choose our response—rock or sponge? Resist or receive? Everything within you says, harden your heart. Run from God, resist God, blame God.

But be careful.  Hard hearts never heal.  Spongy ones do! Open every pore of your soul to God’s presence.  Here’s how. Lay claim to the nearness of God. He says in Hebrews 13:5, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Grip this promise like the parachute it is. Repeat it over and over until it trumps the voices of fear. The Lord God is with you, and He is mighty to save. Cling to His character.  Quarry from your Bible a list of the deep qualities of God and press them into your heart. He is sovereign. You will get through this!

From You’ll Get Through This

Psalm 109
For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1 O God, whom I praise,
    don’t stand silent and aloof
2 while the wicked slander me
    and tell lies about me.
3 They surround me with hateful words
    and fight against me for no reason.
4 I love them, but they try to destroy me with accusations
    even as I am praying for them!
5 They repay evil for good,
    and hatred for my love.
6 They say,[a] “Get an evil person to turn against him.
    Send an accuser to bring him to trial.
7 When his case comes up for judgment,
    let him be pronounced guilty.
    Count his prayers as sins.
8 Let his years be few;
    let someone else take his position.
9 May his children become fatherless,
    and his wife a widow.
10 May his children wander as beggars
    and be driven from[b] their ruined homes.
11 May creditors seize his entire estate,
    and strangers take all he has earned.
12 Let no one be kind to him;
    let no one pity his fatherless children.
13 May all his offspring die.
    May his family name be blotted out in the next generation.
14 May the Lord never forget the sins of his fathers;
    may his mother’s sins never be erased from the record.
15 May the Lord always remember these sins,
    and may his name disappear from human memory.
16 For he refused all kindness to others;
    he persecuted the poor and needy,
    and he hounded the brokenhearted to death.
17 He loved to curse others;
    now you curse him.
He never blessed others;
    now don’t you bless him.
18 Cursing is as natural to him as his clothing,
    or the water he drinks,
    or the rich food he eats.
19 Now may his curses return and cling to him like clothing;
    may they be tied around him like a belt.”
20 May those curses become the Lord’s punishment
    for my accusers who speak evil of me.
21 But deal well with me, O Sovereign Lord,
    for the sake of your own reputation!
Rescue me
    because you are so faithful and good.
22 For I am poor and needy,
    and my heart is full of pain.
23 I am fading like a shadow at dusk;
    I am brushed off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak from fasting,
    and I am skin and bones.
25 I am a joke to people everywhere;
    when they see me, they shake their heads in scorn.
26 Help me, O Lord my God!
    Save me because of your unfailing love.
27 Let them see that this is your doing,
    that you yourself have done it, Lord.
28 Then let them curse me if they like,
    but you will bless me!
When they attack me, they will be disgraced!
    But I, your servant, will go right on rejoicing!
29 May my accusers be clothed with disgrace;
    may their humiliation cover them like a cloak.
30 But I will give repeated thanks to the Lord,
    praising him to everyone.
31 For he stands beside the needy,
    ready to save them from those who condemn them.

Footnotes:

109:6 Hebrew lacks They say.
109:10 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads and seek.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Sunday, September 13, 2015

Read: John 3:13-19

3 No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man[a] has come down from heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.[b]

16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave[c] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.

Footnotes:

3:13 Some manuscripts add who lives in heaven. “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
3:15 Or everyone who believes will have eternal life in him.
3:16 Or For God loved the world so much that he gave.

INSIGHT:
Jesus spoke of Himself as “the Son of Man” (John 3:13), a title used exclusively to refer to Himself in the Gospels. In today’s passage, Jesus used it synonymously with “God’s one and only Son” (v. 18; see Matt. 26:63-64). Jews who were familiar with the book of Daniel would have recognized Jesus as the Messiah (see Dan. 7:13-14). Although “Son of Man” is a Messianic title, Jesus often used it in connection with His humiliation and suffering and His dying on the cross (Matt. 12:40; 17:9,12,22; Luke 9:22,44; 18:31-33; John 3:14-16). Making a typological reference to the bronze snake in Number 21:4-9, Jesus said that He too would be lifted up and anyone who looks to Him will not die but have eternal life (John 3:14-15). Sim Kay Tee

God So Loved . . .

By Marion Stroud

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34

July 28, 2014, marked the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War I. In the British media many discussions and documentaries recalled the start of that 4-year conflict. Even the TV program Mr. Selfridge, which is based on an actual department store in London, included an episode set in 1914 that showed young male employees lining up to volunteer for the army. As I observed these portrayals of self-sacrifice, I felt a lump in my throat. The soldiers they depicted had been so young, so eager, and so unlikely to return from the horror of the trenches.

Although Jesus didn’t go off to war to defeat an earthly foe, He did go to the cross to defeat the ultimate enemy—sin and death. Jesus came to earth to demonstrate God’s love in action and to die a horrendous death so that we could be forgiven of our sins. And He was even prepared to forgive the men who flogged and crucified Him (Luke 23:34). He conquered death by His resurrection and now we can become part of God’s forever family (John 3:13-16).

Jesus came to earth to demonstrate God’s love in action.
Anniversaries and memorials remind us of important historical events and heroic deeds. The cross reminds us of the pain of Jesus’ death and the beauty of His sacrifice for our salvation.

Dear Lord, thank You for loving me so much that You left Your home in heaven, came to earth, and willingly went to the cross for me. Thank You for paying the penalty for my sins and forgiving me.

The cross of Jesus is the supreme evidence of the love of God. Oswald Chambers

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, September 13, 2015


After Surrender— Then What?

I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. —John 17:4

True surrender is not simply surrender of our external life but surrender of our will— and once that is done, surrender is complete. The greatest crisis we ever face is the surrender of our will. Yet God never forces a person’s will into surrender, and He never begs. He patiently waits until that person willingly yields to Him. And once that battle has been fought, it never needs to be fought again.

Surrender for Deliverance. “Come to Me…and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). It is only after we have begun to experience what salvation really means that we surrender our will to Jesus for rest. Whatever is causing us a sense of uncertainty is actually a call to our will— “Come to Me.” And it is a voluntary coming.

Surrender for Devotion. “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself…” (Matthew 16:24). The surrender here is of my self to Jesus, with His rest at the heart of my being. He says, “If you want to be My disciple, you must give up your right to yourself to Me.” And once this is done, the remainder of your life will exhibit nothing but the evidence of this surrender, and you never need to be concerned again with what the future may hold for you. Whatever your circumstances may be, Jesus is totally sufficient (see 2 Corinthians 12:9 and Philippians 4:19).

Surrender for Death. “…another will gird you…” (John 21:18; also see John 21:19). Have you learned what it means to be girded for death? Beware of some surrender that you make to God in an ecstatic moment in your life, because you are apt to take it back again. True surrender is a matter of being “united together [with Jesus] in the likeness of His death” (Romans 6:5) until nothing ever appeals to you that did not appeal to Him.

And after you surrender— then what? Your entire life should be characterized by an eagerness to maintain unbroken fellowship and oneness with God.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The vital relationship which the Christian has to the Bible is not that he worships the letter, but that the Holy Spirit makes the words of the Bible spirit and life to him.  The Psychology of Redemption, 1066 L

John 15, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: We Don't Know Enough
God is the One who judges. We don't know enough! We condemn a man for stumbling this morning, but we didn't see the blows he took yesterday. We judge a woman for the limp in her walk but cannot see the tack in her shoe. Only one who has followed yesterday's steps can be their judge. Not only are we ignorant about yesterday, we are ignorant about tomorrow. How can you dismiss a soul until God's work is complete? Philippians 1:6 says, "God began doing a good work in you, and I am sure he will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again."
Be careful! A stammering shepherd in this generation may be the mighty Moses of the next.  Don't call Noah a fool. You may be asking him for a lift. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 4:5, "Do not judge before the right time; wait until the Lord comes."
From In the Grip of Grace

John 15

Jesus, the True Vine
15 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. 16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

The World’s Hatred
18 “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. 19 The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. 20 Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. 21 They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me. 22 They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Anyone who hates me also hates my Father. 24 If I hadn’t done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be guilty. But as it is, they have seen everything I did, yet they still hate me and my Father. 25 This fulfills what is written in their Scriptures[a]: ‘They hated me without cause.’

26 “But I will send you the Advocate[b]—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me. 27 And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry.

Footnotes:

15:25 Greek in their law. Pss 35:19; 69:4.
15:26 Or Comforter, or Encourager, or Counselor. Greek reads Paraclete.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Saturday, September 12, 2015

Read: Proverbs 13:10-20

Pride leads to conflict;
    those who take advice are wise.
11 Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears;
    wealth from hard work grows over time.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
    but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.
13 People who despise advice are asking for trouble;
    those who respect a command will succeed.
14 The instruction of the wise is like a life-giving fountain;
    those who accept it avoid the snares of death.
15 A person with good sense is respected;
    a treacherous person is headed for destruction.[a]
16 Wise people think before they act;
    fools don’t—and even brag about their foolishness.
17 An unreliable messenger stumbles into trouble,
    but a reliable messenger brings healing.
18 If you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace;
    if you accept correction, you will be honored.
19 It is pleasant to see dreams come true,
    but fools refuse to turn from evil to attain them.
20 Walk with the wise and become wise;
    associate with fools and get in trouble.
Footnotes:

13:15 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads the way of the treacherous is lasting.

INSIGHT:
The book of Proverbs is often quoted for its practical and down-to-earth advice for living. However, the pithy sayings that the book is noted for are not the only part of the book. Several entire chapters are dedicated to the virtue of wisdom and how important it is to everyday life. Wisdom is more than quick wit; it is living life in pursuit of God and His plans for us. J.R. Hudberg

The Two Bears

By David Roper

Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. Proverbs 13:10

Some years ago, my wife, Carolyn, and I spent a few days camping on the flanks of Mount Rainier in Washington State. When we were returning to our campsite one evening, we saw in the middle of a meadow two male bears boxing each other’s ears. We stopped to watch.

There was a hiker nearby, and I asked him what the conflict was about. “A young female,” he said.

“Where is she?” I asked.

“Oh, she left about 20 minutes ago,” he chuckled. Thus, I gathered, the conflict at this point was not about the female bear but about being the toughest bear.

Most fights aren’t about policy and principle, or about right and wrong; they’re almost always about pride. The wise man of Proverbs swings his axe at the root of the problem when he writes: “Pride leads to conflict” (13:10 nlt). Quarrels are fueled by pride, by needing to be right, by wanting our way, or by defending our turf or our egos.

On the other side, wisdom resides with the well-advised—those who listen and learn, those who allow themselves to be instructed. There is wisdom in those who humble themselves—those who set aside their own selfish ambition; who acknowledge the limits of their own understanding; who listen to the other person’s point of view; who allow their own ideas to be corrected. This is the wisdom from God that spreads peace wherever it goes.

Dear heavenly Father, help me as I battle pride today. It’s so easy to take my eyes off You and focus on myself. Give me a humble heart.

Humility brings wisdom.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, September 12, 2015


Going Through Spiritual Confusion

Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask." —Matthew 20:22

There are times in your spiritual life when there is confusion, and the way out of it is not simply to say that you should not be confused. It is not a matter of right and wrong, but a matter of God taking you through a way that you temporarily do not understand. And it is only by going through the spiritual confusion that you will come to the understanding of what God wants for you.

The Shrouding of His Friendship (see Luke 11:5-8). Jesus gave the illustration here of a man who appears not to care for his friend. He was saying, in effect, that is how the heavenly Father will appear to you at times. You will think that He is an unkind friend, but remember— He is not. The time will come when everything will be explained. There seems to be a cloud on the friendship of the heart, and often even love itself has to wait in pain and tears for the blessing of fuller fellowship and oneness. When God appears to be completely shrouded, will you hang on with confidence in Him?

The Shadow on His Fatherhood (see Luke 11:11-13). Jesus said that there are times when your Father will appear as if He were an unnatural father— as if He were callous and indifferent— but remember, He is not. “Everyone who asks receives…” (Luke 11:10). If all you see is a shadow on the face of the Father right now, hang on to the fact that He will ultimately give you clear understanding and will fully justify Himself in everything that He has allowed into your life.

The Strangeness of His Faithfulness (see Luke 18:1-8). “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). Will He find the kind of faith that counts on Him in spite of the confusion? Stand firm in faith, believing that what Jesus said is true, although in the meantime you do not understand what God is doing. He has bigger issues at stake than the particular things you are asking of Him right now.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

Beware of pronouncing any verdict on the life of faith if you are not living it. Not Knowing Whither, 900 R

Psalm 108, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: A Deposit of Power

Many Christians view their conversion something like a car wash. You go in a filthy clunker, and you come out with your sins washed away-a cleansed clunker. But conversion is more than a removal of sin. It is a deposit of power! It is as if a brand-new Ferrari engine was mounted in your frame. God removed the old motor that was caked, cracked, and broken with rebellion and evil; and he replaced it with a humming, roaring version of himself.
The Apostle Paul described it as being "a new creation, old things have passed away; behold all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). You are fully equipped. Do you need more energy? You have it. More kindness? It's yours.
Hebrews 13:21 promises that God will equip you with all you need for doing His will. Just press the gas pedal. God has given you everything you need for living a godly life!
From Glory Days

Psalm 108
A song. A psalm of David.

1 My heart is confident in you, O God;
    no wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart!
2 Wake up, lyre and harp!
    I will wake the dawn with my song.
3 I will thank you, Lord, among all the people.
    I will sing your praises among the nations.
4 For your unfailing love is higher than the heavens.
    Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens.
    May your glory shine over all the earth.
6 Now rescue your beloved people.
    Answer and save us by your power.
7 God has promised this by his holiness[a]:
“I will divide up Shechem with joy.
    I will measure out the valley of Succoth.
8 Gilead is mine,
    and Manasseh, too.
Ephraim, my helmet, will produce my warriors,
    and Judah, my scepter, will produce my kings.
9 But Moab, my washbasin, will become my servant,
    and I will wipe my feet on Edom
    and shout in triumph over Philistia.”
10 Who will bring me into the fortified city?
    Who will bring me victory over Edom?
11 Have you rejected us, O God?
    Will you no longer march with our armies?
12 Oh, please help us against our enemies,
    for all human help is useless.
13 With God’s help we will do mighty things,
    for he will trample down our foes.
Footnotes:

108:7 Or in his sanctuary.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, September 11, 2015

Read: Matthew 26:36-42

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
36 Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” 37 He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. 38 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

40 Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? 41 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”

42 Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away[a] unless I drink it, your will be done.”

Footnotes:

26:42 Greek If this cannot pass.

INSIGHT:
While Gethsemane is usually referred to as a “garden,” it was in reality more like an orchard of olive trees. A portion of that orchard still remains today at the foot of the Mount of Olives, just across the Brook Kidron from the old city of Jerusalem and the temple mount. From Gethsemane, you have a clear view of the Eastern Gate where it is believed the Messiah will enter Jerusalem when He returns to earth at His second coming. Imagine: In the shadow of the place where Jesus will be greatly honored as the arriving King is the garden where His sufferings began. Bill Crowder

In the Garden

By Joe Stowell

My Father, . . . may your will be done. Matthew 26:42

My forefathers were pioneers in Michigan. They cleared the land, planted crops, and cultivated gardens to raise food for their families. This agrarian bent has been passed down through the generations. My dad grew up on a Michigan farm and loved gardening, which may explain why I love gardening and the smell of fertile soil. Cultivating plants that bear beautiful flowers and tending roses that fragrantly grace our yard with beauty are enjoyable pastimes for me. If it weren’t for the weeds it would be wonderful!

When I have to wrestle with the weeds, I am reminded of the garden of Eden; it was a perfect garden until Adam and Eve disobeyed God and thorns and thistles became a reality for them and every gardener since then (Gen. 3:17-18).

The Bible also mentions another garden—the garden of Gethsemane where Christ, in deep distress, pleaded with His Father to find another way to reverse sin’s consequences that were born in Eden. In Gethsemane, Jesus surrendered to His Father by uttering words of full obedience in the face of great pain: “Your will be done” (Matt. 26:42).

Because Jesus surrendered in that garden, we now harvest the benefits of His amazing grace. May this lead us to surrender to His weeding of sin from our lives.

Lord, thank You for the amazing price You paid to free me from sin. May the reality of the victory You won encourage me to reject the sin that entangles my ability to be fruitful for You.

Spiritual growth occurs when faith is cultivated.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, September 11, 2015

Missionary Weapons (2)

If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. —John 13:14

Ministering in Everyday Opportunities. Ministering in everyday opportunities that surround us does not mean that we select our own surroundings— it means being God’s very special choice to be available for use in any of the seemingly random surroundings which He has engineered for us. The very character we exhibit in our present surroundings is an indication of what we will be like in other surroundings.

The things Jesus did were the most menial of everyday tasks, and this is an indication that it takes all of God’s power in me to accomplish even the most common tasks in His way. Can I use a towel as He did? Towels, dishes, sandals, and all the other ordinary things in our lives reveal what we are made of more quickly than anything else. It takes God Almighty Incarnate in us to do the most menial duty as it ought to be done.

Jesus said, “I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you” (John 13:15). Notice the kind of people that God brings around you, and you will be humiliated once you realize that this is actually His way of revealing to you the kind of person you have been to Him. Now He says we should exhibit to those around us exactly what He has exhibited to us.

Do you find yourself responding by saying, “Oh, I will do all that once I’m out on the mission field”? Talking in this way is like trying to produce the weapons of war while in the trenches of the battlefield— you will be killed while trying to do it.

We have to go the “second mile” with God (see Matthew 5:41). Yet some of us become worn out in the first ten steps. Then we say, “Well, I’ll just wait until I get closer to the next big crisis in my life.” But if we do not steadily minister in everyday opportunities, we will do nothing when the crisis comes.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The sympathy which is reverent with what it cannot understand is worth its weight in gold.  Baffled to Fight Better, 69 L

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, September 11, 2015

Talking With God - Monologue or Dialogue - #7480

Well, depending on what generation you might be from, there's a bunch of us who would have never imagined we'd get a telephone call from a computer. But here we are, and we've all at one time or another answered a call and there was a computer on the other end. But it's really not a meaningful communication experience. The computer does all the talking. You ever tried to say, "Hello! Hello! Who is this?" There's no answer. Don't even try to talk to that computer caller. He only does one-way communication. You know that God gets a lot of calls like that?

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Talking With God - Monologue or Dialogue."

Our word for today from the Word of God; we are in the life of Samuel. Not when he is that great judge of Israel, but when he is just a young boy in training in the home of Eli. Eli is the Priest at the temple, and we read that several times during the night young Samuel has heard a voice calling for him. He thinks it's Eli, and Eli says, "Not me. Go back to bed." Finally he discovers on the third call who it is that has been calling him. "The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, 'Samuel, Samuel?' Then Samuel said, 'Speak, for your servant is listening.'" (1 Samuel 3:10)

Now that's the right approach. But a lot of times we rewrite that, "Listen, Lord, your servant is speaking." I mean, look, we've got busy lives. We run into the Throne Room from which the universe is governed, dump what we have to say and run out again-sort of like that computer-before the Lord can say what He has to say.

Now if I came to your house and I sat down in the living room and talked for an hour solid-never let you say anything, never let you ask anything, went to the door and walked out, you'd say, "Man, that Hutchcraft guy is rude!" Well, we do that to God all the time and it is rude. He says, "Be still and know that I am God. Wait on the Lord." Elijah found out that God's voice was not in the wind, not in the fire, not in the earthquake, but was a still, small voice. God speaks when you give Him space to do it, when you give Him silence to do it.

We're uncomfortable with silence. We feel like nothing's happening. But with God, silence is where it happens. Feel free to give God your thanks, and your needs, and your hurts, and your praise, and your questions. But then, allow time to be quiet. Linger in God's presence.

That gives Him opportunity to show you a perspective you didn't have before; to break a log jam in your mind; to show you a solution or an insight; to speak something to your heart-a new way of looking at a person or a new way of looking at a step you ought to take or a situation you have to manage. Those are blessed moments; moments that we busy Christians often miss out on. "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening."

If you're like me, listening to God is going to take a lot of self-control and a little practice, but it is so worth it. God has so much He wants to show you, but He probably won't interrupt you while you're talking. So would you let prayer be a dialogue, not just a monologue? You're not a computer caller are you?

Listen and let God write His thoughts on the blank slate of your waiting heart.

Psalm 103 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Promised-Land Property

Most babies cry, “Mama!” I cried, “Mustang!” I had asked my dad for a car every day of my life! My father’s stock reply was, “You’ll have a car once you earn it, save for it, & pay for it.” But then came that glorious night when dad handed me keys. Not payment vouchers or requirements, but keys! He said, “Take the car I’m giving you.” I had a new car because he declared it.

In Joshua’s day, the Hebrews had a new land because their Father did the same. “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you.” So Joshua let the people depart, each to their own inheritance.

You have an inheritance! If you’ve given your heart to Christ, the Bible says “God has blessed you with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). Promised Land property—placed in your name!

From Glory Days

Psalm 103
A psalm of David.

1 Let all that I am praise the Lord;
    with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
2 Let all that I am praise the Lord;
    may I never forget the good things he does for me.
3 He forgives all my sins
    and heals all my diseases.
4 He redeems me from death
    and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
5 He fills my life with good things.
    My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!
6 The Lord gives righteousness
    and justice to all who are treated unfairly.
7 He revealed his character to Moses
    and his deeds to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
    slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9 He will not constantly accuse us,
    nor remain angry forever.
10 He does not punish us for all our sins;
    he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
    is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 He has removed our sins as far from us
    as the east is from the west.
13 The Lord is like a father to his children,
    tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
14 For he knows how weak we are;
    he remembers we are only dust.
15 Our days on earth are like grass;
    like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
16 The wind blows, and we are gone—
    as though we had never been here.
17 But the love of the Lord remains forever
    with those who fear him.
His salvation extends to the children’s children
18     of those who are faithful to his covenant,
    of those who obey his commandments!
19 The Lord has made the heavens his throne;
    from there he rules over everything.
20 Praise the Lord, you angels,
    you mighty ones who carry out his plans,
    listening for each of his commands.
21 Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels
    who serve him and do his will!
22 Praise the Lord, everything he has created,
    everything in all his kingdom.
Let all that I am praise the Lord.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, September 10, 2015

Read: Psalm 34:1-7

A psalm of David, regarding the time he pretended to be insane in front of Abimelech, who sent him away.

1 I will praise the Lord at all times.
    I will constantly speak his praises.
2 I will boast only in the Lord;
    let all who are helpless take heart.
3 Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;
    let us exalt his name together.
4 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.
Footnotes:

34 This psalm is a Hebrew acrostic poem; each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

INSIGHT:
The superscription to Psalm 34 gives the occasion for David writing this song of deliverance. While a fugitive from the jealous King Saul, David foolishly took refuge in the Philistine territory of Gath (1 Sam. 21:10-15). This was a dangerous thing to do because Gath was the hometown of Goliath (17:23). When the Philistines realized that David was the Jew who had slain their champion Goliath, they captured him (21:11,13). Aware that his life was now in danger, David feigned insanity and the ploy succeeded for he was released and made his escape. In response to God’s deliverance, David wrote, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me” (Ps. 34:4). Sim Kay Tee

Holding Me Up

By Cindy Hess Kasper

I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Isaiah 41:13

After I no longer went on family road trips with my parents, it became a rare occasion to visit my grandparents who lived hundreds of miles away from us. So one year, I decided to fly to visit them in the small town of Land O’Lakes, Wisconsin, for a long weekend. As we drove to the airport for my return flight, Grandma, who had never flown, began to express her fears to me: “That was such a small plane you flew on . . . . There’s nothing really holding you up there, is there? . . . I would be so afraid to go up that high.”

By the time I boarded the small aircraft, I was as fearful as the first time I had flown. What exactly is holding up this plane, anyway?

Irrational fears, or even legitimate ones, don’t need to terrify us. David lived as a fugitive, afraid of King Saul who relentlessly pursued him because he was jealous of David’s popularity with the people. David found true solace and comfort only in his relationship with God. In Psalm 34 he wrote: “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears” (v. 4).

Our Father in heaven is all-wise and all-loving. When fear starts to overwhelm us, we need to stop and remember that He is our God and He will always hold us up.  

My fears sometimes overwhelm me, Father. Yet I know that You are here with me. May Your perfect love cast out my fear and still my troubled heart!

When we believe that God is good, we can learn to release our fears.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, September 10, 2015

Missionary Weapons (1)

When you were under the fig tree, I saw you. —John 1:48

Worshiping in Everyday Occasions. We presume that we would be ready for battle if confronted with a great crisis, but it is not the crisis that builds something within us— it simply reveals what we are made of already. Do you find yourself saying, “If God calls me to battle, of course I will rise to the occasion”? Yet you won’t rise to the occasion unless you have done so on God’s training ground. If you are not doing the task that is closest to you now, which God has engineered into your life, when the crisis comes, instead of being fit for battle, you will be revealed as being unfit. Crises always reveal a person’s true character.

A private relationship of worshiping God is the greatest essential element of spiritual fitness. The time will come, as Nathanael experienced in this passage, that a private “fig-tree” life will no longer be possible. Everything will be out in the open, and you will find yourself to be of no value there if you have not been worshiping in everyday occasions in your own home. If your worship is right in your private relationship with God, then when He sets you free, you will be ready. It is in the unseen life, which only God saw, that you have become perfectly fit. And when the strain of the crisis comes, you can be relied upon by God.

Are you saying, “But I can’t be expected to live a sanctified life in my present circumstances; I have no time for prayer or Bible study right now; besides, my opportunity for battle hasn’t come yet, but when it does, of course I will be ready”? No, you will not. If you have not been worshiping in everyday occasions, when you get involved in God’s work, you will not only be useless yourself but also a hindrance to those around you.

God’s training ground, where the missionary weapons are found, is the hidden, personal, worshiping life of the saint.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The measure of the worth of our public activity for God is the private profound communion we have with Him.… We have to pitch our tents where we shall always have quiet times with God, however noisy our times with the world may be. My Utmost for His Highest, January 6, 736 R

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, September 10, 2015

Summoned By Name - #7479

I was a pretty little guy, and my dad thought I should meet Paul Bunyan. You know, the legendary giant lumberjack. We were vacationing in Minnesota and there was this tourist attraction there, in Brainerd. Inside was this huge animated figure of Paul Bunyan. I mean, he's massive! He's sitting down with his giant ax and his giant ox next to him and a little log cabin at his feet. My dad paid for our tickets and I walked in unsuspectingly, and suddenly Paul's voice boomed out across the park, "Hellooo, Ronnie!" Man, you talk about unsettling! This guy knew my name. It took me a lot more birthdays to figure out that the man at the ticket booth had gotten my name from my Dad and then relayed it to the Paul guy in the cabin. Yeah, he was hiding in the little log cabin.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Summoned By Name."

Our word for today from the Word of God, Luke 19, beginning in verse 1, "Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zaccheus. He was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore fig tree to see Him once Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, He looked up and said to him, 'Zaccheus, come down immediately! I must stay at your house today.'" So he came down at once and welcomed Him gladly.

This turned out to be the most life-changing day Zaccheus ever lived. He not only invited Jesus into his house, but ultimately into his life that day! A man who had felt small his whole life, and as a greedy tax collector treated other people as if they were small, suddenly became a really "big" man. In verse 8, he says, "Look, Lord, here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I've cheated anybody out of anything I will pay back four times the amount."

That's a changed life! But it all began when Jesus called Zaccheus by name. They'd never met (like a certain lumberjack and me), but although Zaccheus didn't know Jesus, Jesus knew Zaccheus. And He knows you! Jesus has been lovingly pursuing a relationship with you for a long time. 1 John 4:19 in the Bible says, "We love Him because He first loved us." He knows a lot more than your name. He knows your pain, your dreams, your past, all the details of your life. He knows your failures and your sins. He has seen them. He has felt them all.

You say, "Well, He wouldn't be interested in a relationship with me then." Don't you underestimate His love! Romans 5:8 says "God demonstrated His love for us in this way: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Because of His deep, deep love for you, God's Son gave His life as the payment for the death penalty that you and I deserve, and for quite awhile now He's been trying to get your attention.

Today, even as you're listening to my voice, you may be hearing His voice in your heart, and He's calling you by name. He's inviting you to respond to His love, to put all your trust in Him, to have your sins erased from God's Book forever and to receive eternal life in heaven. Look, it's been one-way love long enough?

In your heart, the tug you feel, that might be Jesus calling you by name, as He did "Zaccheus" that day. He says your name, and that means it's your day to finally come to Him. He's saying, "I want you to belong to Me!" The Savior's coming one on one to you today. The day when He calls your name can be your "God" day; the one when you open your life to the greatest love a man or woman can ever experience.

You want that to happen for you today? This can be the pivot point of your life - the turning point. I invite you to say, "Jesus, I'm Yours." And go to our website and let me help you there be sure you've begun that relationship. It's ANewStory.com. Or if you want to talk with someone, text us at 442-244-WORD or 442-244-9673.

The bible gives this sobering advice, "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart." If Jesus is calling, answer Him. You can't afford to miss His call!

Psalm 101, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Certain Victory

"It's time to declare war on the pestilence that goes by the name, I can't. It attacks our self-control with I can't keep a job and it attacks our marriages with I can't forgive. It even attacks our faith with I can't believe God cares for me.
Had Joshua mumbled those words, who would've blamed him? Joshua 1:1 begins with bad news, "Moses, my servant, is dead." To lose Moses was to lose the cause. Imagine the dismay, the grief, the fear! And yet, God told Joshua, "Moses is dead. Now therefore, arise." Moses may be dead, but God is alive! Even so, Joshua had reason to say, I can't. Moses was dead. And the Canaanites ate folks like the Israelites for breakfast! But Joshua never declared defeat. God gave him reason for faith. Victory was certain because the victory was God's!  The same is true for you.
From Glory Days

Psalm 101
A psalm of David.

1 I will sing of your love and justice, Lord.
    I will praise you with songs.
2 I will be careful to live a blameless life—
    when will you come to help me?
I will lead a life of integrity
    in my own home.
3 I will refuse to look at
    anything vile and vulgar.
I hate all who deal crookedly;
    I will have nothing to do with them.
4 I will reject perverse ideas
    and stay away from every evil.
5 I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors.
    I will not endure conceit and pride.
6 I will search for faithful people
    to be my companions.
Only those who are above reproach
    will be allowed to serve me.
7 I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house,
    and liars will not stay in my presence.
8 My daily task will be to ferret out the wicked
    and free the city of the Lord from their grip.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, September 09, 2015

Read: 2 Corinthians 2:14–3:3

Ministers of the New Covenant
14 But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. 15 Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. 16 To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?

17 You see, we are not like the many hucksters[a] who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us.

3 Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? Are we like others, who need to bring you letters of recommendation, or who ask you to write such letters on their behalf? Surely not! 2 The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in our[b] hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. 3 Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.

Footnotes:

2:17 Some manuscripts read the rest of the hucksters.
3:2 Some manuscripts read your.

INSIGHT:
Paul had a strained relationship with the church in Corinth. Within this troubled church were those who undermined unity, holy living, and sound doctrine. The Corinthian church was the recipient of three visits and multiple letters from the apostle Paul. Yet despite all the problems the church was facing—doubting Paul’s authority, allowing and perhaps bragging about sin, suggesting there is no resurrection—Paul continually reassured them of both his own affection and God’s affection for them. Paul’s message is clear—for Corinth and for us. Yes, we will experience problems that need to be corrected, but our position in Christ is secure. J.R. Hudberg

A Fragrance and a Letter

By Lawrence Darmani

We are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ. 2 Corinthians 2:15

Every time I get close to a rosebush or a bouquet of flowers, I’m unable to resist the temptation to pull a flower toward my nose to savor the fragrance. The sweet aroma lifts up my heart and triggers good feelings within me.

Writing to the Christians in Corinth centuries ago, the apostle Paul says that because we belong to Christ, God “uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere” (2 Cor. 2:14). Through His strength we can live a victorious life, exchanging our selfishness for His love and kindness and proclaiming the goodness of His salvation. When we do this, we are indeed a sweet fragrance to God.

Paul then switches to a second image, describing Christians as a “letter from Christ” (3:3). The letter of our lives is not written with ordinary ink, but by the Spirit of God. God changes us by writing His Word on our hearts for others to read.

Both word pictures encourage us to allow the beauty of Christ to be seen in us so we can point people to Him. He is the One who, as Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:2, “loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Lord, let Your splendor fill my life, that I may draw people to You. Help me walk in the way that spreads the fragrance of Your love to others.

Our actions speak louder than our words.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, September 09, 2015

Do It Yourself (2)

…bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ… —2 Corinthians 10:5

Determinedly Discipline Other Things. This is another difficult aspect of the strenuous nature of sainthood. Paul said, according to the Moffatt translation of this verse, “…I take every project prisoner to make it obey Christ….” So much Christian work today has never been disciplined, but has simply come into being by impulse! In our Lord’s life every project was disciplined to the will of His Father. There was never the slightest tendency to follow the impulse of His own will as distinct from His Father’s will— “the Son can do nothing of Himself…” (John 5:19). Then compare this with what we do— we take “every thought” or project that comes to us by impulse and jump into action immediately, instead of imprisoning and disciplining ourselves to obey Christ.

Practical work for Christians is greatly overemphasized today, and the saints who are “bringing every thought [and project] into captivity” are criticized and told that they are not determined, and that they lack zeal for God or zeal for the souls of others. But true determination and zeal are found in obeying God, not in the inclination to serve Him that arises from our own undisciplined human nature. It is inconceivable, but true nevertheless, that saints are not “bringing every thought [and project] into captivity,” but are simply doing work for God that has been instigated by their own human nature, and has not been made spiritual through determined discipline.

We have a tendency to forget that a person is not only committed to Jesus Christ for salvation, but is also committed, responsible, and accountable to Jesus Christ’s view of God, the world, and of sin and the devil. This means that each person must recognize the responsibility to “be transformed by the renewing of [his] mind….” (Romans 12:2).

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

Crises reveal character. When we are put to the test the hidden resources of our character are revealed exactly.  Disciples Indeed, 393 R

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, September 09, 2015

What God Looks For In A Person He Can Use - #7478

Well, with a whole lot of people who want to be President of the United States in an upcoming election, I was looking back at something that happened years ago. Actually it was the 1996 election, and a very interesting issue arose. It was called character. At least the Republicans tried to make that the issue of the campaign - the President's character. They thought they had enough troubling questions about the Democratic leadership that character questions could help turn the tide in the race. Well, to the surprise of many commentators, it was not an issue that many Americans consider decisive. In fact, during the campaign, here is what a front page article in a major news paper had to say about the "Character Counts Campaign". They said, "The message voters are sending back is that they don't care." Interesting! I think that's true many times when there's a fall in church leadership, or when there's a problem with a presidential or congressional candidate, or a governor candidate. Voters kind of go, "It's the performance that gets our vote, not character." Well, not everyone votes that way.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "What God Looks For In A Person He Can Use."

Actually, the character vote is the one that ultimately is the one that really counts. Do you have God's vote? Do you have His full blessing, His smile, all the wonderful rewards that go with having God's approval for the way you're living? Well, here's what God bases His vote on when it comes to you and me.

King David talks about it in 2 Samuel 22:25. One characteristic: "The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to my cleanness in His sight." See, human supporters want to know you're just doing a good job. If you're delivering, you're performing, that's fine. Character? We're not so concerned about. God's approval is based much more on your character than your performance, than your talent.

David said the good things that God has done in his life were based on one thing; his personal cleanness. David's words remind me of what Paul says qualifies a person to be an instrument of God. He said in 2 Timothy 2, "If a man cleanses himself, he will then be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, (I love these words.) useful to the Master." What an epitaph for your life - useful to the Master.

Now, who does God reward? Who does God use? It's obvious. It's the person who's clean. This is good news really, because God's work in and through your life isn't based on how intelligent you are, how many degrees you have, how good looking you are, how educated, how charismatic your personality is, how impressive your resume is, who you know. Those are things only some people have. But God puts this within the reach of all of us, within your reach. He's looking for someone who's keeping himself or herself clean. That's something anyone can be.

Right now the Lord is surveying the earth. The Bible says, "The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth." He's looking for people He can bless, people He can trust, someone He can use. It could be you if you would root out the sin that's holding you back and make your choices based on one thing, "What's the clean thing to do?"

In college, the fellow next door to me always wanted to be like Billy Graham. His method was to take Billy Graham's sermon, analyze it, and he even had down how many words the evangelist averaged a minute. And then he tried to copy his style as closely as he could. Now, what my friend was missing was this, God was using Billy Graham, not because of how he preaches, but because of how he lives.

If you want to copy a great spiritual leader, don't copy what he or she does. Copy their integrity, their purity, their uncompromising biblical principles, their walk with God. When God casts His vote for you, it's not about your performance. It's about your character. Be a candidate for the awesome blessing of Almighty God.

John 14, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Your Promised-Land Life

Think about the Christian you want to be. What qualities do you want to have? More compassion? More conviction? More courage? What attitudes do you want to discontinue? Greed? Guilt? Endless negativity?

Here’s the good news. You can. With God’s help you can close the gap between the person you are and the person you want to be—indeed, the person God made you to be. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3:18 that we can live “from glory to glory.”

The walls of Jericho—are already condemned. The giants already on the run. The deed to your new life already signed. It just falls to you to possess the land. Joshua 21:43 says, “So the Lord gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to their fathers—and they took possession of it and dwelt in it.”

Your promised-land life— It’s yours for the taking.

From Glory Days

John 14

Jesus, the Way to the Father
14 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home.[a] If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?[b] 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”

5 “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 7 If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is.[c] From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

9 Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. 11 Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.

12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. 13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, obey[d] my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,[e] who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.[f] 18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. 19 Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. 20 When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”

22 Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but the other disciple with that name) said to him, “Lord, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us and not to the world at large?”

23 Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. 24 Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me. 25 I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. 26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. 28 Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really loved me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, who is greater than I am. 29 I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe.

30 “I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over me, 31 but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let’s be going.

Footnotes:

14:2a Or There are many rooms in my Father’s house.
14:2b Or If this were not so, I would have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you. Some manuscripts read If this were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you.
14:7 Some manuscripts read If you have really known me, you will know who my Father is.
14:15 Other manuscripts read you will obey; still others read you should obey.
14:16 Or Comforter, or Encourager, or Counselor. Greek reads Paraclete; also in 14:26.
14:17 Some manuscripts read and is in you.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, September 08, 2015

Read: Joshua 5:13–6:2

The Lord’s Commander Confronts Joshua
13 When Joshua was near the town of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?”

14 “Neither one,” he replied. “I am the commander of the Lord’s army.”

At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. “I am at your command,” Joshua said. “What do you want your servant to do?”

15 The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did as he was told.

The Fall of Jericho
6 Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go out or in. 2 But the Lord said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors.

INSIGHT:
Easton’s Bible Dictionary provides some insight into the life of Joshua. He was “the son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, the successor of Moses as the leader of Israel. . . . He was born in Egypt, and was probably of the age of Caleb, with whom he is generally associated. He shared in all the events of the Exodus, and held the place of commander of the host of the Israelites at their great battle against the Amalekites in Rephidim. He became Moses' minister or servant, and accompanied him part of the way when he ascended Mount Sinai to receive the two tables. He was also one of the twelve who were sent on by Moses to explore the land of Canaan, and only he and Caleb gave an encouraging report.” Bill Crowder

God’s Plans

By Keila Ochoa

What do you want your servant to do? (nlt) Joshua 5:14

An army officer may have an overall plan, but before each battle he has to receive and give out new instructions. Joshua, a leader of the Israelites, had to learn this lesson. After God’s people spent 40 years in the wilderness, God chose Joshua to lead them into the land He had promised to them.

The first stronghold they faced was the city of Jericho. Before the battle, Joshua saw the “commander of the Lord’s army” (probably the Lord Himself) standing opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. Joshua fell on his face and worshiped. In other words, he recognized God’s greatness and his own smallness. Then he asked, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” (Josh. 5:14). Joshua experienced victory at Jericho because he followed the Lord’s instructions.

Recognizing God's greatness & our own smallness makes us more dependent on Him.
On another occasion, however, Joshua and his people “did not inquire of the Lord” (9:14). As a result, they were deceived into making a peace treaty with the people of Gibeon, enemies in the land of Canaan. This displeased the Lord (vv. 3-26).

We too are dependent on the Lord as we face life’s struggles. He longs for us to come near to Him today in humility. And He’ll be there again for us tomorrow.

In what area do you need God’s guidance today? Ask God to lead the way.


Share your response to this question on facebook.com/ourdailybread or odb.org

Spiritual victory comes to those who humble themselves and seek God’s will.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, September 08, 2015

Do It Yourself (1)

…casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God… —2 Corinthians 10:5

Determinedly Demolish Some Things. Deliverance from sin is not the same as deliverance from human nature. There are things in human nature, such as prejudices, that the saint can only destroy through sheer neglect. But there are other things that have to be destroyed through violence, that is, through God’s divine strength imparted by His Spirit. There are some things over which we are not to fight, but only to “stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord…” (see Exodus 14:13). But every theory or thought that raises itself up as a fortified barrier “against the knowledge of God” is to be determinedly demolished by drawing on God’s power, not through human effort or by compromise (see 2 Corinthians 10:4).

It is only when God has transformed our nature and we have entered into the experience of sanctification that the fight begins. The warfare is not against sin; we can never fight against sin— Jesus Christ conquered that in His redemption of us. The conflict is waged over turning our natural life into a spiritual life. This is never done easily, nor does God intend that it be so. It is accomplished only through a series of moral choices. God does not make us holy in the sense that He makes our character holy. He makes us holy in the sense that He has made us innocent before Him. And then we have to turn that innocence into holy character through the moral choices we make. These choices are continually opposed and hostile to the things of our natural life which have become so deeply entrenched— the very things that raise themselves up as fortified barriers “against the knowledge of God.” We can either turn back, making ourselves of no value to the kingdom of God, or we can determinedly demolish these things, allowing Jesus to bring another son to glory (see Hebrews 2:10).

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

There is no allowance whatever in the New Testament for the man who says he is saved by grace but who does not produce the graceful goods. Jesus Christ by His Redemption can make our actual life in keeping with our religious profession. Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, 1465 R

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, September 08, 2015

The Most Important Mission You Will Ever Have - #7477

Who would think you'd miss a fleet of big brown trucks? If they say UPS on the side, you'll miss them if they're off the streets for long! That's what America found out a few years ago when the UPS drivers went on strike. Within hours in some cases, days in almost every case, thousands of UPS customers were in a crisis. I couldn't believe what the strike revealed. At that time they said 80% of America's packages were carried by UPS! Apparently, all the other guys were fighting it out for the other 20%.

On the first day back after the strike, I'll bet some of those drivers were greeted with a standing ovation by some of their customers, "You're back! We're saved!" What a mess, huh? Businesses were almost on the ropes in a few days. They were manufacturing their product; the folks on the other end needed their product, but it wasn't happening. A sender and a receiver are not enough if the person delivering it isn't doing their job!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Most Important Mission You Will Ever Have."

There's an ongoing strike that's affecting many lives, in fact, costing many lives. Some of the people who are not getting their delivery might be folks you know, folks you love.

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 2 Kings 6. God's people, the Jews, are under siege in their capital city of Samaria. Their food supplies have been cut off by an invading enemy and no one is coming out or going into the city. The siege got so long and the starvation in the city so desperate, people were spending big money for even a morsel of food. There had even been incidents of cannibalism.

Enter the four lepers. Because of their disease, they are forced to live outside the city walls. So they are really starving. In one last act of desperation, they decide to walk over to the enemy camp, surrender, and throw themselves on the mercy of those soldiers. They figure they're going to die either way. But they don't know that God is carrying out this miraculous deliverance that scatters the enemy army and leaves their camp totally untended, food and all.

It's almost amusing to think of these four lepers just expecting an arrow at any moment. Then wandering around this empty camp, looking for someone to surrender to, and realizing they are now the new owners of enough food to feed an army! That's when it stops being amusing. They're gorging themselves, totally forgetting about the people who are dying in their city. The package was there loaded with food, the people who needed the food were there, desperate for food, but they went on dying. Why? Because the people who should have been delivering it were on strike.

2 Kings 6:9, a word for those overstuffed lepers and for us overstuffed Christians, surrounded by people dying of spiritual starvation. The Bible says, "Then they said to each other, 'We're not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait, punishment will overtake us.'" Thankfully, the delivery guys woke up; they realized they couldn't wait any longer to bring life to people who were dying without the food they had so much of.

I don't think there's a lot of comment needed here. It's quite a picture. But let me just say, it could be the place where you work, or where you live, or where you go to school has no one delivering Jesus to them right now. God paid with the life of His only Son for the eternal life He wants to give them. And the people you know are so in need of a Savior. But none of that matters if the person assigned by God to be delivering Jesus to them is on strike. That could be you.

This is a day of good news; we can't keep it to ourselves. You are the precious link between your Savior and someone He died to rescue. Please, be sure the delivery gets through, whatever it takes. Lives depend on it!

Psalm 86 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Our Best Days Are Ahead

Perhaps you can relate to the deflated little fellow I saw in an airport terminal. Everything about the dad’s expression said, Hurry up! We have to run if we’re going to make the connection. Can the little fellow keep up? Mom could. The big brothers could. But the little guy? He tried to match his parents’ pace, but he just couldn’t. Can you relate? Sometimes the challenge is just too much. It’s not that you don’t try. You just run out of fight.

The story of Joshua in the Bible dares us to believe our best days are ahead of us. A life in which the Bible says we are anxious for nothing, we are praying always; a life in which Paul says, we are giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Philippians 4:6). We may stumble but we don’t collapse. God has a promised land for us to take!

From Glory Days

Psalm 86
A prayer of David.

1 Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer;
    answer me, for I need your help.
2 Protect me, for I am devoted to you.
    Save me, for I serve you and trust you.
    You are my God.
3 Be merciful to me, O Lord,
    for I am calling on you constantly.
4 Give me happiness, O Lord,
    for I give myself to you.
5 O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive,
    so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.
6 Listen closely to my prayer, O Lord;
    hear my urgent cry.
7 I will call to you whenever I’m in trouble,
    and you will answer me.
8 No pagan god is like you, O Lord.
    None can do what you do!
9 All the nations you made
    will come and bow before you, Lord;
    they will praise your holy name.
10 For you are great and perform wonderful deeds.
    You alone are God.
11 Teach me your ways, O Lord,
    that I may live according to your truth!
Grant me purity of heart,
    so that I may honor you.
12 With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God.
    I will give glory to your name forever,
13 for your love for me is very great.
    You have rescued me from the depths of death.[a]
14 O God, insolent people rise up against me;
    a violent gang is trying to kill me.
    You mean nothing to them.
15 But you, O Lord,
    are a God of compassion and mercy,
slow to get angry
    and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
16 Look down and have mercy on me.
    Give your strength to your servant;
    save me, the son of your servant.
17 Send me a sign of your favor.
    Then those who hate me will be put to shame,
    for you, O Lord, help and comfort me.
Footnotes:

86:13 Hebrew of Sheol.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, September 07, 2015

Read: 1 Peter 1:3-9

The Hope of Eternal Life
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5 And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.

6 So be truly glad.[a] There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

8 You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 9 The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.

Footnotes:

1:6 Or So you are truly glad.

INSIGHT:
Peter wrote this letter to encourage believers in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) who were suffering because of persecution. He tells them that their sufferings serve a divine purpose by proving the genuineness and quality of their faith (1:7). These believers can “greatly rejoice” (v. 6) because they have “a living hope” that is eternal, guaranteed by the risen Christ, and divinely reserved by God (vv. 3-4). Suffering believers have the privilege of following Jesus’ example (2:21), participating not only in His sufferings, but also in His glory (1:7; 4:13). They have the opportunity and responsibility to tell others about their living hope (3:15). Sim Kay Tee

Ripples of Hope

By Bill Crowder |

In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:3

In 1966, U.S. Senator Robert Kennedy made an influential visit to South Africa. There he offered words of hope to opponents of apartheid in his famous “Ripple of Hope” speech at the University of Cape Town. In his speech, he declared, “Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

At times in this world, hope seems scarce. Yet there is an ultimate hope readily available for the follower of Christ. Peter wrote, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).

Jesus can infuse #hope into the most hopeless of situations.
Through the certainty of Christ’s resurrection, the child of God has a hope that is more than a ripple. It is an overwhelming current of confidence in the faithfulness of the One who conquered death for us. Jesus, in His victory over death—our greatest enemy—can infuse hope into the most hopeless of situations.

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. Edward Mote

In Christ the hopeless find hope.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, September 07, 2015

Do It Yourself (1)

…casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God… —2 Corinthians 10:5

Determinedly Demolish Some Things. Deliverance from sin is not the same as deliverance from human nature. There are things in human nature, such as prejudices, that the saint can only destroy through sheer neglect. But there are other things that have to be destroyed through violence, that is, through God’s divine strength imparted by His Spirit. There are some things over which we are not to fight, but only to “stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord…” (see Exodus 14:13). But every theory or thought that raises itself up as a fortified barrier “against the knowledge of God” is to be determinedly demolished by drawing on God’s power, not through human effort or by compromise (see 2 Corinthians 10:4).

It is only when God has transformed our nature and we have entered into the experience of sanctification that the fight begins. The warfare is not against sin; we can never fight against sin— Jesus Christ conquered that in His redemption of us. The conflict is waged over turning our natural life into a spiritual life. This is never done easily, nor does God intend that it be so. It is accomplished only through a series of moral choices. God does not make us holy in the sense that He makes our character holy. He makes us holy in the sense that He has made us innocent before Him. And then we have to turn that innocence into holy character through the moral choices we make. These choices are continually opposed and hostile to the things of our natural life which have become so deeply entrenched— the very things that raise themselves up as fortified barriers “against the knowledge of God.” We can either turn back, making ourselves of no value to the kingdom of God, or we can determinedly demolish these things, allowing Jesus to bring another son to glory (see Hebrews 2:10).

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The great word of Jesus to His disciples is Abandon. When God has brought us into the relationship of disciples, we have to venture on His word; trust entirely to Him and watch that when He brings us to the venture, we take it.
Studies in the Sermon on the Mount


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, September 07, 2015

Why God Slows You Down - #7476

It was Fall, and my wife and I were making our annual pilgrimage to go "Falling" in northwest New Jersey. We had our cider, we had our donuts and our eyes were filled with God's great autumn art show. We were headed home, and of course, I wanted to make the return trip as short as possible. That's why I wasn't very thrilled when I crested the hill and saw this long traffic jam. What is this bumper-to-bumper stuff doing in my country paradise?

I was forced to do something I can't ever remember doing on that little country highway. Drive slow! But it turned out that I did not drum my fingers on the steering wheel once or even wish I could go faster. For the first time, I noticed this beautiful little lake I had never seen before with the colorful trees all reflected in it. I saw animals and panoramas that I had missed all these years of traveling this road. Oh, they'd always been there, but I was always moving too fast.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Why God Slows You Down."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God." Well, those things really go together. "Be still", and then while you're still you'll "know that I am God." It could be that God has been trying to get you to realize that He is God - for most of your life. And once you do, your life takes on a peace and a beauty you've probably never known possible before. You might finally be ready for some of that.

I had missed so much all those years on that country road because I'd always been in such a hurry. You know, people miss a relationship with their Creator the same way. The sad thing is that this is the relationship you've been looking for all your life; the one you've hoped every other person in your life would be for you and they couldn't.

The Bible says, speaking of Jesus in Colossians 1:16, "All things were made by Him and for Him." Well, that includes you and me. He's the one you were made by; He's the one you were made for, and it could be you've missed Him all these years. That's why the hole in your heart never goes away. We're traveling at high speed, high stress, high impact, and low fulfillment.

Maybe God's suddenly slowed you down, just like I was slowed down that day in the country, so I could see what I'd never seen before. Maybe He slowed you down with a change in your health, or your job, or your finances, or your marriage, or one of your children. Somehow God's forced you to hit the brakes, and He's saying, "Would you be still and know that I am God." Don't miss this incredible opportunity to finally find what you've been looking for your whole life.

The first step to experiencing God for yourself is realizing that you're not God in a sense of being boss of your own life. Most of us approach life like this, "God, I've got this idea. Why don't you run the universe and I'll run me, thank you." The Bible has a word for that - sin. And it makes it clear, "The soul that sins, it will die." We will never know God until we have faced the seriousness of us trying to be our own God. And then you've got to get rid of the sin that has separated you from your Creator. And it will separate you for all eternity if it's not removed somehow.

That can only be done by One person; the One of whom the Bible says, "God demonstrated His love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." The view God has slowed you down to see is the cross of His Son, Jesus Christ, so you can make your way to that cross to make your peace with God. Maybe you've sped by it your whole life. This is your day to stop and see that it was for you.

Haven't you lived long enough without the relationship you were made for? Let this be the day you begin your personal relationship with the man who loved you enough to die for you and was powerful enough to walk out of His grave and is ready to walk into your life this very day. You tell Him, "Jesus, I'm yours."

Listen, if you are at that point and you want to get started with Jesus, that's why our website is there. I would invite you to meet us at ANewStory.com. If you want to talk with someone text us at 442-244-WORD.

After years of running so fast, He's slowed you down so you can know His love and know His peace. Don't drive by Him again.