Proverbs 11, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Know and Remember

Romans 6:11 says, "Consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God." When the devil draws near, stand against him. Don't take his lies. When he dredges up your past, tell him whose you are. He has no recourse to this truth. He knows who you are. He just hopes that you don't, or that you will forget.
So prove to him that you know and remember. Tell him what 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind." Romans 8:35- "I cannot be separated from the love of God." And Philippians 4:13- "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Promised Land people think like this. They live out of their inheritance. They show the devil the new name on their spiritual passport. Remember whose you are!
From Glory Days

Proverbs 11

The Lord detests dishonest scales,
    but accurate weights find favor with him.
2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
    but with humility comes wisdom.
3 The integrity of the upright guides them,
    but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.
4 Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath,
    but righteousness delivers from death.
5 The righteousness of the blameless makes their paths straight,
    but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
    but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.
7 Hopes placed in mortals die with them;
    all the promise of[c] their power comes to nothing.
8 The righteous person is rescued from trouble,
    and it falls on the wicked instead.
9 With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors,
    but through knowledge the righteous escape.
10 When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices;
    when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.
11 Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
    but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.
12 Whoever derides their neighbor has no sense,
    but the one who has understanding holds their tongue.
13 A gossip betrays a confidence,
    but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.
14 For lack of guidance a nation falls,
    but victory is won through many advisers.
15 Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer,
    but whoever refuses to shake hands in pledge is safe.
16 A kindhearted woman gains honor,
    but ruthless men gain only wealth.
17 Those who are kind benefit themselves,
    but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.
18 A wicked person earns deceptive wages,
    but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.
19 Truly the righteous attain life,
    but whoever pursues evil finds death.
20 The Lord detests those whose hearts are perverse,
    but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.
21 Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished,
    but those who are righteous will go free.
22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
    is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.
23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good,
    but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.
24 One person gives freely, yet gains even more;
    another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.
25 A generous person will prosper;
    whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
26 People curse the one who hoards grain,
    but they pray God’s blessing on the one who is willing to sell.
27 Whoever seeks good finds favor,
    but evil comes to one who searches for it.
28 Those who trust in their riches will fall,
    but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.
29 Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind,
    and the fool will be servant to the wise.
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
    and the one who is wise saves lives.
31 If the righteous receive their due on earth,
    how much more the ungodly and the sinner!

Footnotes:
Proverbs 11:7 Two Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts, Vulgate, Syriac and Targum When the wicked die, their hope perishes; / all they expected from

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Read: Hebrews 11:8-16

It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. 9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. 10 Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.

11 It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed[a] that God would keep his promise. 12 And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.

13 All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. 14 Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. 15 If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. 16 But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Footnotes:
11:11 Or It was by faith that he [Abraham] was able to have a child, even though Sarah was barren and he was too old. He believed.

INSIGHT:
We can take courage and hope from those who have preceded us in the life of faith. The author of Hebrews lists many examples of people who acted in faith despite their circumstances and despite the fact that they had not yet received what “had been promised” (11:39). This is why Hebrews 11 begins by saying that “faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” J.R. Hudberg

All Safe! All Well!

By Randy Kilgore

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

In January 1915, the ship Endurance was trapped and crushed in the ice off the coast of Antarctica. The group of polar explorers, led by Ernest Shackleton, survived and managed to reach Elephant Island in three small lifeboats. Trapped on this uninhabited island, far from normal shipping lanes, they had one hope. On April 24, 1916, 22 men watched as Shackleton and five comrades set out in a tiny lifeboat for South Georgia, an island 800 miles away. The odds seemed impossible, and if they failed, they would all certainly die. What joy, then, when more than four months later a boat appeared on the horizon with Shackleton on its bow shouting, “Are you all well?” And the call came back, “All safe! All well!”

Ernest Shackleton, 752 days

What held those men together and kept them alive over those months? Faith and hope placed in one man. They believed that Shackleton would find a way to save them.

This human example of faith and hope echoes the faith of the heroes listed in Hebrews 11. Their faith in the “substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” kept them going through great difficulties and trials (Heb. 11:1 nkjv).

As we look out upon the horizon of our own problems, may we not despair. May we have hope through the certainty of our faith in the One Man—Jesus, our God and Savior.

Thank You, Father, for the promise of forgiveness made possible by Jesus. May that promise lighten the darkest of our days.

The hope of Jesus shines brightly even on our darkest day.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, October 14, 2015

The Key to the Missionary’s Work

Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…" —Matthew 28:18-19

The key to the missionary’s work is the authority of Jesus Christ, not the needs of the lost. We are inclined to look on our Lord as one who assists us in our endeavors for God. Yet our Lord places Himself as the absolute sovereign and supreme Lord over His disciples. He does not say that the lost will never be saved if we don’t go— He simply says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations….” He says, “Go on the basis of the revealed truth of My sovereignty, teaching and preaching out of your living experience of Me.”

“Then the eleven disciples went…to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them” (Matthew 28:16). If I want to know the universal sovereignty of Christ, I must know Him myself. I must take time to worship the One whose name I bear. Jesus says, “Come to Me…”— that is the place to meet Jesus— “all you who labor and are heavy laden…” (Matthew 11:28)— and how many missionaries are! We completely dismiss these wonderful words of the universal Sovereign of the world, but they are the words of Jesus to His disciples meant for here and now.

“Go therefore….” To “go” simply means to live. Acts 1:8 is the description of how to go. Jesus did not say in this verse, “Go into Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria,” but, “…you shall be witnesses to Me in [all these places].” He takes upon Himself the work of sending us.

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you…” (John 15:7)— that is the way to keep going. Where we are placed is then a matter of indifference to us, because God sovereignly engineers our goings.

“None of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus…” (Acts 20:24). That is how to keep going until we are gone from this life.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else. “Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord”;…  The Highest Good—The Pilgrim’s Song Book, 537 L

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Guarding My Morsel, Missing the Meal - #7503

Curtis and his Great Puppy Adventure. That was the lunch time talk around our office when one of our team members became the proud owner of eight new puppies – thanks to his trusty dog, Sister. Each day seemed to bring a new episode; especially as Curtis would compare the way of the puppy with the ways of people. He told us one day about trying to replenish their food. His intention was to load up their container with a lot of good things. But they really made it very difficult. See, the puppies were too busy fighting over two little pieces that were left in the corner.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I'd like to have A Word With You today about "Guarding My Morsel, Missing the Meal."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Psalm 133:1, "How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity...it is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows His blessing, even life forevermore."

Do you get what God's saying here? "I've got so many good things I want to give you." Notice when He gives it, when we "live together in unity." I wonder how often God feels a little like my friend Curtis did. He wanted to pour out good things for the puppies, "I want to, but they're all getting in the way. You're too busy fighting over a little piece for yourself."

It happens in marriages. God wants to do some wonderful things in a couple, for a couple, but they're just focused on each defending their territory, getting their way in their marriage. God wants to bless some parents and children, but they're too busy staking out their ground, trying to again get their way. When people are just fighting for what they think are their rights, their way, the Lord just can't give them all He wants them to have. He responds to people working together, not working separately. He blesses peace and unity. He likes people looking out for each other, not looking out for themselves.

This same preoccupation with "my stuff" limits God's blessing on ministries and on churches. Where Christian leaders are only concerned with their turf, their work, their needs, then the atmosphere there is stressful, self-centered, and even cold. If they only knew the power and the joy they could have with God's unhindered blessing on them.

But they're living way below what could be because there isn't that unselfishness and unity where God says He'll pour out His blessing.

Even whole communities are missing God's outpouring because churches, ministries and leaders are not working together. Again, each one is fighting for their program, their budget, their territory, and God just turns away and says, "If you only knew what could happen in your town if you could ever get together."

Those crazy puppies – they missed so much because they were so busy only caring about their own little piece. Just like us. Would you be willing to lay down your sense of entitlement, to release your rights, your interests, your little piece and let God pour out all those good things that He's been wanting to give you?

Proverbs 10, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Don't Forget a Single Blessing

Some years back as I was driving my daughter Andrea to middle school, she noticed I was anxious.
"Why are you so quiet, Dad?"  I told her I was worried about a book deadline.
She asked me, "Haven't you written other books?"  "Yes," I replied.
"How many?" At that point the answer was fifteen.
She responded, "have you ever missed a deadline before?" "No," I said.
"So God helped you fifteen times already?" "Yes," I winced. She was sounding like her mother.
She reasoned further, "if he has helped you fifteen different times, don't you think he will help you this time?"
Satan has no recourse to your testimony! Your best weapon against his attacks is a good memory. Don't forget a single blessing! 1 Corinthians 6:20 says, "You have been bought with a price. You belong to God." God's message for you? Remember whose you are. Live out your inheritance!
From Glory Days

Proverbs 10

The Proverbs of Solomon

A wise child[a] brings joy to a father;
    a foolish child brings grief to a mother.
2 Tainted wealth has no lasting value,
    but right living can save your life.
3 The Lord will not let the godly go hungry,
    but he refuses to satisfy the craving of the wicked.
4 Lazy people are soon poor;
    hard workers get rich.
5 A wise youth harvests in the summer,
    but one who sleeps during harvest is a disgrace.
6 The godly are showered with blessings;
    the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions.
7 We have happy memories of the godly,
    but the name of a wicked person rots away.
8 The wise are glad to be instructed,
    but babbling fools fall flat on their faces.
9 People with integrity walk safely,
    but those who follow crooked paths will be exposed.
10 People who wink at wrong cause trouble,
    but a bold reproof promotes peace.[b]
11 The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain;
    the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions.
12 Hatred stirs up quarrels,
    but love makes up for all offenses.
13 Wise words come from the lips of people with understanding,
    but those lacking sense will be beaten with a rod.
14 Wise people treasure knowledge,
    but the babbling of a fool invites disaster.
15 The wealth of the rich is their fortress;
    the poverty of the poor is their destruction.
16 The earnings of the godly enhance their lives,
    but evil people squander their money on sin.
17 People who accept discipline are on the pathway to life,
    but those who ignore correction will go astray.
18 Hiding hatred makes you a liar;
    slandering others makes you a fool.
19 Too much talk leads to sin.
    Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.
20 The words of the godly are like sterling silver;
    the heart of a fool is worthless.
21 The words of the godly encourage many,
    but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense.
22 The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich,
    and he adds no sorrow with it.
23 Doing wrong is fun for a fool,
    but living wisely brings pleasure to the sensible.
24 The fears of the wicked will be fulfilled;
    the hopes of the godly will be granted.
25 When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away,
    but the godly have a lasting foundation.
26 Lazy people irritate their employers,
    like vinegar to the teeth or smoke in the eyes.
27 Fear of the Lord lengthens one’s life,
    but the years of the wicked are cut short.
28 The hopes of the godly result in happiness,
    but the expectations of the wicked come to nothing.
29 The way of the Lord is a stronghold to those with integrity,
    but it destroys the wicked.
30 The godly will never be disturbed,
    but the wicked will be removed from the land.
31 The mouth of the godly person gives wise advice,
    but the tongue that deceives will be cut off.
32 The lips of the godly speak helpful words,
    but the mouth of the wicked speaks perverse words.

Footnotes:

10:1 Hebrew son; also in 10:1b.
10:10 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads but babbling fools fall flat on their faces.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Read: Exodus 3:1-6,10-14

Moses and the Burning Bush

One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro,[a] the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai,[b] the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. 3 “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.”

4 When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

“Here I am!” Moses replied.

5 “Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. 6 I am the God of your father[c]—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.

Footnotes:

3:1a Moses’ father-in-law went by two names, Jethro and Reuel.
3:1b Hebrew Horeb, another name for Sinai.
3:6 Greek version reads your fathers.

Exodus 3:10-14New Living Translation (NLT)

10 Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”

11 But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”

12 God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.”

13 But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?”

14 God replied to Moses, “I am who i am.[a] Say this to the people of Israel: I am has sent me to you.”

Footnotes:

3:14 Or I will be what i will be.

INSIGHT:
Moses’ early life was marked by great opportunities for education, and his status as prince of Egypt allowed him to speak with great authority (Acts 7:22). How different from his life in the Midian desert, where he served his father-in-law as a shepherd, even as God prepared him to lead His people out of Egypt. Bill Crowder

Burning Questions

By David Egner

“I am who I am” Exodus 3:14

An old Native American story tells of a young boy who was sent into the woods alone on an autumn night to prove his courage. Soon the sky darkened and the sounds of night filled the air. Trees creaked and groaned, an owl screeched, and a coyote howled. Even though he was frightened, the boy remained in the woods all night, as the test of courage required. Finally morning came, and he saw a solitary figure nearby. It was his grandfather, who had been watching over him all night long.

When Moses went deep into the desert, he saw a burning bush that didn’t burn up. Then God began talking to him from the bush, commissioning him to go back to Egypt and lead the Israelites out of cruel slavery to freedom. A reluctant Moses began to ask questions: “Who am I that I should go?”

God has promised always to be present with those who believe in Jesus.
God simply answered, “I will be with you.”

“Suppose I . . . say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

God replied, “I am who I am. . . . [Say to them,] I am has sent me to you’ ” (Ex. 3:11-14). The phrase “I am who I am” can be interpreted, “I will be who I will be” and reveals God’s eternal and all-sufficient character.

God has promised always to be present with those who believe in Jesus. No matter how dark the night, the unseen God is ready to respond appropriately to our need.

Dear Father, thank You for Your never-changing character.

God is always present and at work.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Individual Discouragement and Personal Growth

…when Moses was grown…he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. —Exodus 2:11

Moses saw the oppression of his people and felt certain that he was the one to deliver them, and in the righteous indignation of his own spirit he started to right their wrongs. After he launched his first strike for God and for what was right, God allowed Moses to be driven into empty discouragement, sending him into the desert to feed sheep for forty years. At the end of that time, God appeared to Moses and said to him, “ ‘…bring My people…out of Egypt.’ But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go…?’ ” (Exodus 3:10-11). In the beginning Moses had realized that he was the one to deliver the people, but he had to be trained and disciplined by God first. He was right in his individual perspective, but he was not the person for the work until he had learned true fellowship and oneness with God.

We may have the vision of God and a very clear understanding of what God wants, and yet when we start to do it, there comes to us something equivalent to Moses’ forty years in the wilderness. It’s as if God had ignored the entire thing, and when we are thoroughly discouraged, God comes back and revives His call to us. And then we begin to tremble and say, “Who am I that I should go…?” We must learn that God’s great stride is summed up in these words— “I AM WHO I AM…has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). We must also learn that our individual effort for God shows nothing but disrespect for Him— our individuality is to be rendered radiant through a personal relationship with God, so that He may be “well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). We are focused on the right individual perspective of things; we have the vision and can say, “I know this is what God wants me to do.” But we have not yet learned to get into God’s stride. If you are going through a time of discouragement, there is a time of great personal growth ahead.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

An intellectual conception of God may be found in a bad vicious character. The knowledge and vision of God is dependent entirely on a pure heart. Character determines the revelation of God to the individual. The pure in heart see God. Biblical Ethics, 125 R


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Believing In Spring - #7502

I was about halfway through my hamburger at a cookout when a friend of our son asked me a provocative question. She worked with a group of junior high kids and she asked them what they thought the purpose of life was. They said, "To die." She continued to probe and then she started to talk to them about hope. But she said, "Ron, they have no concept of hope. They're like concrete people. Hope is too abstract. How can I explain hope to them?"

Well, by the last bite of that burger I was telling her about this big blizzard I had been in a few years before. We ended up with three feet of snow in our yard. By the time the snow plow had finished in our driveway we had these towering mountains of snow around us. My wife and I both said, "We will never see our yard again!" For many weeks it was inconceivable that those towering mountains would ever go away. That is if you based your judgment solely on what you could see at the time. But we knew that when we saw that yard again, there would be blooming flowers there. We had hope. It wasn't always going to be like this.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Believing In Spring."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 1 Thessalonians 4:13. It talks about those who have already died and it says, "We do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men," listen to this, "who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him." Verse 17, "And we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with those people in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever."

Notice it says, "We do not grieve as others who have no hope." I'm glad it doesn't say, "We do not grieve" because we do. But the difference is there's something on the other side of the scale from the grief. It's called hope. Now, hope is hard to come by during the "winters" of your life – like the loss of someone you love.

Like Matt and Kelly, our friends whose little daughter died in a tragic accident. Or Tony, whose mother just died suddenly. It's cold right now. The grief is almost unbearable. Almost. But they both are talking about the hope factor because their life is anchored to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They know death can't ultimately win. Death is reduced to being a painful interruption. Very painful, but only an interruption.

The winter will not last forever. The reunion in the spring is coming and it will last forever. Why? Because Jesus died to remove the great separator – sin; the sin that separates us from God, that separates us from each other. Because Jesus conquered death the moment He walked out of His grave He assures those who belong to Him that they will share His victory over death. He's a living Savior who gives Eternal Life to those who belong to Him.

So what is hope? It is the confident expectation that there is something better than this. It won't always be this way. It's what got me through an otherwise depressing winter. There will be a spring. What you see isn't what you get! Maybe it's winter for you right now. The pain, the struggle, the wounds are very real. If what you can see is all there is, the outlook is bleak, but it's not all there is if you belong to Jesus.

The Bible describes it this way, "Christ in you, the hope of Glory." Do those three words describe you? Christ in you. Your relationship begins the day you do what the Bible says. It says, "To all who received Jesus, to those who believed in His name He gave the right to become the children of God" So the Bible asks us so beautifully, "If God be for us who can be against us?"

Are you assured of hope? Hope has a name. His name is Jesus. The very hopelessness of your winter could be the very thing that drives you to His waiting arms; this man who loved you enough to die for your sin on the cross. He's driving you to the hope that only a living Savior can give and you'll have it forever.

If you've never begun a relationship with Him, tell Him today, "Jesus, I'm Yours." We'd love to be there for you in the middle of all this. You can text us at 442-244-WORD.

With Jesus you can live in real and lasting hope. The confident expectation that there will be something better than this - guaranteed by the Son of God Himself. He brings the spring.

John 21, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: God Has a Place for You

Jericho's shady lady found God-or better worded, God found Rahab the harlot. He spotted a tender heart in the hard city of Jericho and reached out to save her. He would have saved the entire city, but no one else made the request. Then again, Rahab the harlot had an advantage. She had nothing to lose. She was at the bottom of the rung. She had already lost her reputation. She was at the bottom of the pit.
Perhaps that's where you are as well. You may or may not sell your body, but you've sold your allegiance, affection, attention, and talents. You've sold out. Glory days? Perhaps for him or for her. But not for me. I'm too soiled, dirty. I've sinned too much. No Glory Days for me!
God's one-word reply for such doubt? Rahab! God has a place for the Rahabs of the world! He has a place for you!
From Glory Days

John 21

Epilogue: Jesus Appears to Seven Disciples

Later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee.[a] This is how it happened. 2 Several of the disciples were there—Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin),[b] Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples.

3 Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.”

“We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.

4 At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. 5 He called out, “Fellows,[c] have you caught any fish?”

“No,” they replied.

6 Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.

7 Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore. 8 The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards[d] from shore. 9 When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.

10 “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said. 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.

12 “Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. 14 This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.

15 After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?[e]”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”

“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.

16 Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”

“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.

17 A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.

18 “I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others[f] will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.”

20 Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved—the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, “Lord, who will betray you?” 21 Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?”

22 Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.” 23 So the rumor spread among the community of believers[g] that this disciple wouldn’t die. But that isn’t what Jesus said at all. He only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”

24 This disciple is the one who testifies to these events and has recorded them here. And we know that his account of these things is accurate.

25 Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written.

Footnotes:

21:1 Greek Sea of Tiberias, another name for the Sea of Galilee.
21:2 Greek Thomas, who was called Didymus.
21:5 Greek Children.
21:8 Greek 200 cubits [90 meters].
21:15 Or more than these others do?
21:18 Some manuscripts read and another one.
21:23 Greek the brothers.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, October 12, 2015

Read: Isaiah 40:25-31

“To whom will you compare me?
    Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.
26 Look up into the heavens.
    Who created all the stars?
He brings them out like an army, one after another,
    calling each by its name.
Because of his great power and incomparable strength,
    not a single one is missing.
27 O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles?
    O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights?
28 Have you never heard?
    Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
    No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
29 He gives power to the weak
    and strength to the powerless.
30 Even youths will become weak and tired,
    and young men will fall in exhaustion.
31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
    They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
    They will walk and not faint.

INSIGHT:
The title “the Holy One” or “the Holy One of Israel” is the common designation for God in Isaiah, occurring about 26 times. This title is often accompanied by other names, such as “the Lord Almighty” (5:24; 47:4), “the Light of Israel” (10:17), “the Mighty God” (10:21), “Maker” (17:7; 45:11; 54:5), “the Sovereign Lord” (30:15), “Savior” (43:3), “Israel’s Creator, your King” (43:15), and “the God of all the earth” (54:5). In calling God “the Holy One of Israel,” Isaiah extols His complete holiness. Yet within the same breath Isaiah speaks of God as the “Redeemer,” celebrating His tender mercy and compassion (41:14; 54:5; 59:20; 60:16). Sim Kay Tee

Not My Worry

By Poh Fang Chia

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you. Psalm 55:22

A man worried constantly about everything. Then one day his friends heard him whistling happily and looking noticeably relaxed. “What happened?” they asked him in astonishment.

He said, “I’m paying a man to do my worrying for me.”

“How much do you pay him?” they asked.

“Two thousand dollars a week,” he replied.

“Wow! How can you afford that?”

“I can’t,” he said, “but that’s his worry.”

While this humorous way to handle stress doesn’t work in real life, as God’s children we can turn our worries over to Someone who has everything perfectly under control even—especially—when we feel it is not.

The prophet Isaiah reminds us that God brings out the stars and calls them all by name (40:25-26). Because of “his great power and mighty strength” not one of them is missing (v. 26). And just as God knows the stars by name, He knows us individually and personally. We are each under His watchful care (v. 27).

If we are inclined to worry, we can turn that worry over to the Lord. He is never too weary or too tired to pay attention to us. He has all wisdom and all power, and He loves to use it on our behalf. The Holy One who directs the stars has His loving arms around us.

Lord, You know there are times when I get really scared. And I forget that You have promised that You will never leave me to face difficulty or loss alone. Help me to trust.

Worry ends where faith begins.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, October 12, 2015

Getting into God’s Stride

Enoch walked with God… —Genesis 5:24

The true test of a person’s spiritual life and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during the ordinary times when there is nothing tremendous or exciting happening. A person’s worth is revealed in his attitude toward the ordinary things of life when he is not under the spotlight (see John 1:35-37 and John 3:30). It is painful work to get in step with God and to keep pace with Him— it means getting your second wind spiritually. In learning to walk with God, there is always the difficulty of getting into His stride, but once we have done so, the only characteristic that exhibits itself is the very life of God Himself. The individual person is merged into a personal oneness with God, and God’s stride and His power alone are exhibited.

It is difficult to get into stride with God, because as soon as we start walking with Him we find that His pace has surpassed us before we have even taken three steps. He has different ways of doing things, and we have to be trained and disciplined in His ways. It was said of Jesus— “He will not fail nor be discouraged…” (Isaiah 42:4) because He never worked from His own individual standpoint, but always worked from the standpoint of His Father. And we must learn to do the same. Spiritual truth is learned through the atmosphere that surrounds us, not through intellectual reasoning. It is God’s Spirit that changes the atmosphere of our way of looking at things, and then things begin to be possible which before were impossible. Getting into God’s stride means nothing less than oneness with Him. It takes a long time to get there, but keep at it. Don’t give up because the pain is intense right now— get on with it, and before long you will find that you have a new vision and a new purpose.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

To those who have had no agony Jesus says, “I have nothing for you; stand on your own feet, square your own shoulders. I have come for the man who knows he has a bigger handful than he can cope with, who knows there are forces he cannot touch; I will do everything for him if he will let Me. Only let a man grant he needs it, and I will do it for him.”
The Shadow of an Agony

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, October 12, 2015

Whose Hero - #7501

My story! Yeah, that's what made kids want to play with me when I was little. Wait a minute! Is this how "A Word With You" got started? No, I love to make up stories. I don't make them all up, you know, I do tell you true stories too. But I was giving my friends parts in a story that I would make up and they would act out. But I always left it at an exciting part that was this cliff-hanger so they'd want to come back tomorrow and see how it turned out. I also had some time, then, to figure out how to get out of the predicament I had just created.

Now, I've got to confess to you, I usually reserved the hero part for me. I loved to put a tablecloth around my neck and play Superman. Or I'd put swimming trunks on and be Tarzan. Or I'd put on a black mask and play the Lone Ranger. Today that would be Iron Man or Captain America. Look, I couldn't do all the moves of the super heroes, but I always wanted to be a hero. A lot of kids do. I don't think that ever changes.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Whose Hero?"

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Proverbs 17:6. This is a verse that will make every parent think. It's pretty quick. Listen. "Parents are the pride of their children." Wait a minute! Don't we usually think of that in reverse? "Oh, yeah. This is my pride and joy. Look at these pictures. These are my kids." But God says kids are supposed to feel that way about their mom and dad. They hold up their picture and they say, "Here's my Mom and Dad. They're my pride and joy."

I've been ministering to young people and their families for a long time. I've got to tell you, a lot of kids don't feel like that. One reason is this: their mom and dad have come up with the wrong answer to a very important life question, "Whose hero do you want to be?" See, we all need to be a hero to somebody; to some group of people. Some men and women work day and night to be a hero to their company, their friends, their boss, their community. "I want to be a hero at church, a hero in my organization." But sadly they're strangers to their own children; maybe to their own mate. And they're anything but a hero where it really counts – at home.

But if you're not a hero at home, are you really a hero at all? See, those are the people who know the real you; who've been trusted to your care by God. They were meant to be your primary zone of achievement. I don't mean creating super kids necessarily; just giving your children the best of your love, and the best of your listening, and the best of your energy, and the best of your time. Too often they get our leftovers.

Family is hard work. Because of that, it's tempting to run to other arenas where maybe it's easier to be a hero. And if we feel like we're not being a hero at home, sometimes we just give up and we run somewhere else for our fulfillment. But no other people can be your family or do for your soul what only a family can do. Could it be time to reevaluate your priorities? If you've not been what your family needs, if they've not been top priority, would you ask for their forgiveness?

You would not believe the walls that come down when a parent is willing to be vulnerable, to be wrong, to ask for forgiveness, to apologize, to ask for a chance at a new beginning. It's never too late to start putting your family first; even adult children still carry the need for the love, the affirmation and the blessing of the people from whom they came.

So, listen to this verse again. "Parents are the pride of their children." Whatever your priorities have been, why don't you make it your goal to make the rest of your years with your kids the best of your years. After all, you were meant to be a hero - at home.

Proverbs 9 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Defiant Joy

My friend Rob cried freely telling his story about his young son's challenging life.
Daniel was born with a double cleft palate, dramatically disfiguring his face.  He had surgery, but the evidence remains, so people constantly notice and occasionally make remarks.
Daniel, however, is unfazed! He just tells people God made him this way so, what's the big deal?  He was named student of the week, so was asked to bring something to show his classmates for show and tell. Daniel told his mom he wanted to take the pictures that showed his face prior to the surgery. His mom was concerned. "Won't that make you feel a bit funny?" she asked. But Daniel insisted, "Oh, no, I want everyone to see what God did for me!"
Try Daniel's defiant joy and see what happens. God has handed you a cup of blessings. Sweeten it with a heaping spoonful of gratitude!
From You'll Get Through This

Proverbs 9

Wisdom has built her house;
    she has carved its seven columns.
2 She has prepared a great banquet,
    mixed the wines, and set the table.
3 She has sent her servants to invite everyone to come.
    She calls out from the heights overlooking the city.
4 “Come in with me,” she urges the simple.
    To those who lack good judgment, she says,
5 “Come, eat my food,
    and drink the wine I have mixed.
6 Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live;
    learn to use good judgment.”
7 Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return.
    Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt.
8 So don’t bother correcting mockers;
    they will only hate you.
But correct the wise,
    and they will love you.
9 Instruct the wise,
    and they will be even wiser.
Teach the righteous,
    and they will learn even more.
10 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.
    Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.
11 Wisdom will multiply your days
    and add years to your life.
12 If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit.
    If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.
Folly Calls for a Hearing
13 The woman named Folly is brash.
    She is ignorant and doesn’t know it.
14 She sits in her doorway
    on the heights overlooking the city.
15 She calls out to men going by
    who are minding their own business.
16 “Come in with me,” she urges the simple.
    To those who lack good judgment, she says,
17 “Stolen water is refreshing;
    food eaten in secret tastes the best!”
18 But little do they know that the dead are there.
    Her guests are in the depths of the grave.[c]
Footnotes:

9:18 Hebrew in Sheol

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Sunday, October 11, 2015

Read: Colossians 3:1-14

Living the New Life

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your[a] life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.

5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.[b] 7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. 11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile,[c] circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized,[d] slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

Footnotes:

3:4 Some manuscripts read our.
3:6 Some manuscripts read is coming on all who disobey him.
3:11a Greek a Greek.
3:11b Greek Barbarian, Scythian.

INSIGHT:
We may find it difficult at times to motivate ourselves in Christian living and service to God and others. However, Paul reminds the church in Colossae that the reason we are to focus on God and serve Him well is that we have been “raised with Christ” (3:1). Because of what Jesus accomplished for us, we are to serve Him faithfully. J.R. Hudberg

Spiritual Checkup

By Julie Ackerman Link

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Mark 12:30

To detect health problems before they become serious, doctors recommend a routine physical exam. We can do the same for our spiritual health by asking a few questions rooted in the great commandment (Mark 12:30) Jesus referred to.

Do I love God with all my heart because He first loved me? Which is stronger, my desire for earthly gain or the treasures that are mine in Christ? (Col. 3:1). He desires that His peace rule our hearts.

I choose today to exchange my #strength for Yours, God.
Do I love God with all my soul? Do I listen to God telling me who I am? Am I moving away from self-centered desires? (v. 5). Am I becoming more compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, and patient? (v. 12).

Do I love God with all my mind? Do I focus on my relationship with His Son or do I let my mind wander wherever it wants to go? (v. 2). Do my thoughts lead to problems or solutions? To unity or division? Forgiveness or revenge? (v. 13).

Do I love God with all my strength? Am I willing to be seen as weak so that God can show His strength on my behalf? (v. 17). Am I relying on His grace to be strong in His Spirit?

As we let “the message of Christ dwell among [us] richly . . . with all wisdom” (v. 16), He will equip us to build each other up as we become spiritually fit and useful to Him.

Heavenly Father, when I rely on anything other than love in my efforts to initiate change in people, I am neglecting to love You with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I choose today to exchange my strength for Yours.

To be spiritually fit, feed on God’s Word and exercise your faith.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, October 11, 2015

God’s Silence— Then What?

When He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. —John 11:6

Has God trusted you with His silence— a silence that has great meaning? God’s silences are actually His answers. Just think of those days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything comparable to those days in your life? Can God trust you like that, or are you still asking Him for a visible answer? God will give you the very blessings you ask if you refuse to go any further without them, but His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into an even more wonderful understanding of Himself. Are you mourning before God because you have not had an audible response? When you cannot hear God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible— with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation. If God has given you a silence, then praise Him— He is bringing you into the mainstream of His purposes. The actual evidence of the answer in time is simply a matter of God’s sovereignty. Time is nothing to God. For a while you may have said, “I asked God to give me bread, but He gave me a stone instead” (see Matthew 7:9). He did not give you a stone, and today you find that He gave you the “bread of life” (John 6:35).

A wonderful thing about God’s silence is that His stillness is contagious— it gets into you, causing you to become perfectly confident so that you can honestly say, “I know that God has heard me.” His silence is the very proof that He has. As long as you have the idea that God will always bless you in answer to prayer, He will do it, but He will never give you the grace of His silence. If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, then He will give you the first sign of His intimacy— silence.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

Jesus Christ can afford to be misunderstood; we cannot. Our weakness lies in always wanting to vindicate ourselves.  The Place of Help, 1051 L

Proverbs 8, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily:  The Land is Conquered

If we are co-heirs with Christ, why do we struggle through life? Our inheritance is perfect peace, yet we feel like a perfect mess. God promises to meet every need, yet we still worry and fret. Why? Perhaps no one ever told us about what Paul describes in Ephesians 1:19- "the exceeding greatness of His (God's) power toward us who believe." No one told us the land is already conquered. The gift has been given. Will you trust it? Joshua 1:3 is the reminder, "I made this offer to the people of Moses' day but they didn't take it. They chose the wilderness."
You are embedded with the presence of God. You can't break the habit, but God can. You can't control your temper, or sexual urges, but God can. You can say with confidence, "These days are Glory Days…God will get me through!"
Join me at GloryDaysToday.com.

Proverbs 8

Wisdom Calls for a Hearing
8 Listen as Wisdom calls out!
    Hear as understanding raises her voice!
2 On the hilltop along the road,
    she takes her stand at the crossroads.
3 By the gates at the entrance to the town,
    on the road leading in, she cries aloud,
4 “I call to you, to all of you!
    I raise my voice to all people.
5 You simple people, use good judgment.
    You foolish people, show some understanding.
6 Listen to me! For I have important things to tell you.
    Everything I say is right,
7 for I speak the truth
    and detest every kind of deception.
8 My advice is wholesome.
    There is nothing devious or crooked in it.
9 My words are plain to anyone with understanding,
    clear to those with knowledge.
10 Choose my instruction rather than silver,
    and knowledge rather than pure gold.
11 For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies.
    Nothing you desire can compare with it.
12 “I, Wisdom, live together with good judgment.
    I know where to discover knowledge and discernment.
13 All who fear the Lord will hate evil.
    Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance,
    corruption and perverse speech.
14 Common sense and success belong to me.
    Insight and strength are mine.
15 Because of me, kings reign,
    and rulers make just decrees.
16 Rulers lead with my help,
    and nobles make righteous judgments.[a]
17 “I love all who love me.
    Those who search will surely find me.
18 I have riches and honor,
    as well as enduring wealth and justice.
19 My gifts are better than gold, even the purest gold,
    my wages better than sterling silver!
20 I walk in righteousness,
    in paths of justice.
21 Those who love me inherit wealth.
    I will fill their treasuries.
22 “The Lord formed me from the beginning,
    before he created anything else.
23 I was appointed in ages past,
    at the very first, before the earth began.
24 I was born before the oceans were created,
    before the springs bubbled forth their waters.
25 Before the mountains were formed,
    before the hills, I was born—
26 before he had made the earth and fields
    and the first handfuls of soil.
27 I was there when he established the heavens,
    when he drew the horizon on the oceans.
28 I was there when he set the clouds above,
    when he established springs deep in the earth.
29 I was there when he set the limits of the seas,
    so they would not spread beyond their boundaries.
And when he marked off the earth’s foundations,
30     I was the architect at his side.
I was his constant delight,
    rejoicing always in his presence.
31 And how happy I was with the world he created;
    how I rejoiced with the human family!
32 “And so, my children,[b] listen to me,
    for all who follow my ways are joyful.
33 Listen to my instruction and be wise.
    Don’t ignore it.
34 Joyful are those who listen to me,
    watching for me daily at my gates,
    waiting for me outside my home!
35 For whoever finds me finds life
    and receives favor from the Lord.
36 But those who miss me injure themselves.
    All who hate me love death.”

Footnotes:

8:16 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Greek version read and nobles are judges over the earth.
8:32 Hebrew my sons.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Saturday, October 10, 2015

Read: 1 John 4:7-19

Loving One Another
7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.

13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. 16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.

God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other[a] because he loved us first.

Footnotes:

4:19 Greek We love. Other manuscripts read We love God; still others read We love him.

INSIGHT:
John’s gospel carries the themes of light (1:5; 8:12) and truth (1:14; 18:38) throughout his record of Christ’s earthly ministry. In 1 John, he revisits both of those themes (1:5-6). Today’s reading focuses primarily on the character of God’s great love. Bill Crowder

Love Comes First

By Cindy Hess Kasper

We love [God] because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

One evening my friend showed me one of the three decorative plaques that would be part of a wall arrangement in her living room. “See, I’ve already got Love,” she said, holding up the plaque with the word written on it. “Faith and Hope are on order.”

So Love comes first, I thought. Faith and Hope soon follow!

Love did come first. In fact, it originated with God. First John 4:19 reminds us that “We love [God] because he first loved us.” God’s love, described in 1 Corinthians 13 (known as the “love chapter”), explains a characteristic of real love when it says, “Love never fails” (v. 8).

Faith and hope are essential to the believer. It is only because we are justified by faith that “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). And hope is described in Hebrews 6 as “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (v. 19).

One day we will have no need of faith and hope. Faith will become sight and our hope will be realized when we see our Savior face to face. But love is eternal, for love is of God and God is love (1 John 4:7-8). “Now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love”—it’s first and last (1 Cor. 13:13).

Thank You, Lord, for Your faithful love and for the love of family and friends. Please help me find ways to show Your love to others today.

We love because God first loved us.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, October 10, 2015

Building on the Atonement

…present…your members as instruments of righteousness to God. —Romans 6:13

I cannot save and sanctify myself; I cannot make atonement for sin; I cannot redeem the world; I cannot right what is wrong, purify what is impure, or make holy what is unholy. That is all the sovereign work of God. Do I have faith in what Jesus Christ has done? He has made the perfect atonement for sin. Am I in the habit of constantly realizing it? The greatest need we have is not to do things, but to believe things. The redemption of Christ is not an experience, it is the great act of God which He has performed through Christ, and I have to build my faith on it. If I construct my faith on my own experience, I produce the most unscriptural kind of life— an isolated life, with my eyes focused solely on my own holiness. Beware of that human holiness that is not based on the atonement of the Lord. It has no value for anything except a life of isolation— it is useless to God and a nuisance to man. Measure every kind of experience you have by our Lord Himself. We cannot do anything pleasing to God unless we deliberately build on the foundation of the atonement by the Cross of Christ.

The atonement of Jesus must be exhibited in practical, unassuming ways in my life. Every time I obey, the absolute deity of God is on my side, so that the grace of God and my natural obedience are in perfect agreement. Obedience means that I have completely placed my trust in the atonement, and my obedience is immediately met by the delight of the supernatural grace of God.

Beware of the human holiness that denies the reality of the natural life— it is a fraud. Continually bring yourself to the trial or test of the atonement and ask, “Where is the discernment of the atonement in this, and in that?”

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

John 20, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Your “Go-To” for Life

Glory Days require an ongoing trust in God’s Word! Wilderness people trust scripture just enough to escape Egypt. Canaan dwellers, on the other hand, make the Bible their “go-to” book for life! God told Joshua in Joshua 1:8 to meditate on God’s Word day and night. The literal translation reads, you shall mutter over this Torah document. It is the image of a person reciting, rehearsing, and reconsidering God’s Word over and over again.

Canaan is loud with enemy voices. The devil megaphones doubt and death into our ears. Take heed to the voice you hear. Begin with a prayer, God, please speak to my heart today as I read. Then with an open heart continue until a message hits you. Keep meditating. Great rewards come to those who do. God promised Joshua, “You will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8).

Visit GloryDaysToday.com

John 20

The Resurrection
20 Early on Sunday morning,[a] while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 2 She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

3 Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. 4 They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. 6 Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, 7 while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. 8 Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed— 9 for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. 10 Then they went home.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. 12 She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her.

“Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

14 She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him. 15 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?”

She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”

16 “Mary!” Jesus said.

She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”).

17 “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

18 Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message.

Jesus Appears to His Disciples
19 That Sunday evening[b] the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. 20 As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! 21 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Jesus Appears to Thomas
24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin),[c] was not with the others when Jesus came. 25 They told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”

26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”

28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.

29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

Purpose of the Book
30 The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may continue to believe[d] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.

Footnotes:

20:1 Greek On the first day of the week.
20:19 Greek In the evening of that day, the first day of the week.
20:24 Greek Thomas, who was called Didymus.
20:31 Some manuscripts read that you may believe.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, October 09, 2015

Read: Job 29:1-6; 30:1-9

ob Speaks of His Former Blessings
29 Job continued speaking:

2 “I long for the years gone by
    when God took care of me,
3 when he lit up the way before me
    and I walked safely through the darkness.
4 When I was in my prime,
    God’s friendship was felt in my home.
5 The Almighty was still with me,
    and my children were around me.
6 My steps were awash in cream,
    and the rocks gushed olive oil for me.

ob Speaks of His Anguish
30 “But now I am mocked by people younger than I,
    by young men whose fathers are not worthy to run with my sheepdogs.
2 A lot of good they are to me—
    those worn-out wretches!
3 They are gaunt from poverty and hunger.
    They claw the dry ground in desolate wastelands.
4 They pluck wild greens from among the bushes
    and eat from the roots of broom trees.
5 They are driven from human society,
    and people shout at them as if they were thieves.
6 So now they live in frightening ravines,
    in caves and among the rocks.
7 They sound like animals howling among the bushes,
    huddled together beneath the nettles.
8 They are nameless fools,
    outcasts from society.
9 “And now they mock me with vulgar songs!
    They taunt me!

INSIGHT:
Job’s world had been turned upside down, having lost his wealth (1:14-17), his family (1:18-19), and his health (2:7). Even as he reached an impasse with his three friends while trying to unravel the real reasons for his suffering and pain (chs. 3–31), Job was trying to come to terms with the consequences of his physical and financial losses. Spiritually, he felt that God had abandoned him (29:1-5); emotionally, he was deprived of happiness and enjoyment (29:5-6); and socially, he had lost his standing, power, respect, and honor (30:1-9). Despite his many questions, Job proclaimed his trust in the sovereign God (42:1-6). Sim Kay Tee

The Song of Our Lives

By Keila Ochoa

The Lord God is my strength and my song. —nlt Isaiah 12:2

Everyone touched by a piece of music hears it differently. The composer hears it in the chamber of his imagination. The audience hears it with their senses and emotions. The members of the orchestra hear most clearly the sound of the instruments closest to them.

In a sense, we are the members of God’s orchestra. Often we hear only the music closest to us. Because we don’t hear a balanced work, we are like Job who cried as he suffered: “Now those young men mock me in song; I have become a byword among them” (Job 30:9).

Job recalled how princes and officials had respected him. His life was “awash in cream, and the rocks gushed olive oil for me” (29:6 nlt). But now, he had become the target of mockers. “My harp plays sad music,” he lamented (30:31 nlt). Yet there was much, much more to the symphony. Job simply couldn’t hear the whole song.

Maybe today you can hear only the sad notes of your own violin. Don’t lose heart. Every detail in your life is part of God’s composition. Or perhaps you are listening to a cheerful flute. Praise God for it and share your joy with someone else.

God’s masterpiece of redemption is the symphony we are playing, and ultimately everything will work together for His good purposes. God is the composer of our lives. His song is perfect, and we can trust Him.

Lord, help me to trust You, especially when my life seems discordant and out of tune. I thank You because I’m part of Your symphony and Your song is perfect.

Faith in God’s goodness puts a song in the heart.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, October 09, 2015

Building on the Atonement

…present…your members as instruments of righteousness to God. —Romans 6:13

I cannot save and sanctify myself; I cannot make atonement for sin; I cannot redeem the world; I cannot right what is wrong, purify what is impure, or make holy what is unholy. That is all the sovereign work of God. Do I have faith in what Jesus Christ has done? He has made the perfect atonement for sin. Am I in the habit of constantly realizing it? The greatest need we have is not to do things, but to believe things. The redemption of Christ is not an experience, it is the great act of God which He has performed through Christ, and I have to build my faith on it. If I construct my faith on my own experience, I produce the most unscriptural kind of life— an isolated life, with my eyes focused solely on my own holiness. Beware of that human holiness that is not based on the atonement of the Lord. It has no value for anything except a life of isolation— it is useless to God and a nuisance to man. Measure every kind of experience you have by our Lord Himself. We cannot do anything pleasing to God unless we deliberately build on the foundation of the atonement by the Cross of Christ.

The atonement of Jesus must be exhibited in practical, unassuming ways in my life. Every time I obey, the absolute deity of God is on my side, so that the grace of God and my natural obedience are in perfect agreement. Obedience means that I have completely placed my trust in the atonement, and my obedience is immediately met by the delight of the supernatural grace of God.

Beware of the human holiness that denies the reality of the natural life— it is a fraud. Continually bring yourself to the trial or test of the atonement and ask, “Where is the discernment of the atonement in this, and in that?”

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

Re-state to yourself what you believe, then do away with as much of it as possible, and get back to the bedrock of the Cross of Christ.  My Utmost for His Highest, November 25, 848 R

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, October 09, 2015

4 Words For the Hard Times - #7500

You'd think "teenager" is a disease instead of an age. I mean, the way parents talk about it when they suddenly have a teenager on their hands. You know, they get this apprehensive look on their face, and they say, "My daughter's about to be a teenager!" You can hear the pain in their voice; the fear. Thirteen is a tough year. Sometimes we want them to go away somewhere and come back like when they're fifteen or sixteen! Not really, we really do love them. But when kids navigate through junior high and those kind of years, parents often look at one another – my wife and I did – and say four letters which stand for four words, "T.T.S.P."

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "4 Words For the Hard Times."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, and it's about T.T.S.P. What does that mean? It's pretty simple, This Too Shall Pass. I love the way the old King James says, "And it came to pass." Well, when we said that about our kids in junior high, guess what? It did! It came to pass. This, too, did pass.

Let's go to 2 Corinthians chapter 4, "Therefore, we do not lose heart." Okay, you got my attention, Paul. After all you got beat up, why did you not lose heart? "Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles..." Did you get that? Doesn't it feel like when you're going through a hard time that it's going to go on forever? He says, "Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

You know, when our son was, I think eight years old, he and I went to the grocery store together. I had just gotten my allowance and he had just gotten his. And I heard him jingling his change in his pocket, and we both headed out the door shopping. I was pretty sure when I saw him in that long aisle of junk food that he was going to come out broke. Well, I did after I bought all the groceries. I said, "What did you get?" He said, "Oh, I didn't spend anything, Dad." I said, "Really? Why not?" He said, "Well, Dad, I decided it's best just to spend on what lasts." Wow!

That's what Paul's talking about here; to think about the things that are going to last, not the things that are going to pass. You're going to make bad choices if you make choices based on what's temporary. This is not always going to be here. Some other things always will be. You can't just decide based on the situation. You've got to have non-negotiables that are based upon what's eternal. Even if the storm gets pretty bumpy, you ride out the storm. You don't bale out because of the storm.

You know why? Because the storm is temporary; this too shall pass. Don't give up something permanent for something temporary. You almost always give up something permanent for something temporary when you make just "now" kinds of choices.

So, if you're facing turbulent times, ask yourself this question, "What's temporary here?" Then, "What's lasting here?" Base your decision on that. Make that the basis of all your choices – your non-negotiables. Don't look at what is temporary; look at what is eternal. T.T.S.P. – this too shall pass. It is a great clarifier when you're about to make a decision and it helps you sort out life's two lists: The things that really matter and the things that really don't. Because guess what? Those things get jumbled don't they? They clarify when you realize, "This is going to pass. This is going to be eternal."

Because of Christ, our temporary situation can be put against the vast backdrop of the eternal. So, decide on what will last forever, because the other stuff - T.T.S.P.

Proverbs 7, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Click the Save Button

Do the teachings of the Bible change us? There's only one way to find out. Click the "Save" button! What great satisfaction occurs when having created a document, we reach up and press the Save button. It earns its name. We curse the little monster as it gobbles up our hard work. But once we save it, it is safe.
Are you clicking the button on Scripture? We save truth when we deliberately and consciously allow what we've heard to become part of who we are. In John 8:32 Jesus said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Free from guilt; free from anger; and free from fear.
Allow the truth of Scripture to be the authority in your life. Make it your goal to memorize it, to press the Save button. Join me at GloryDaysToday.com-let's memorize Scripture together!

Proverbs 7

Warning Against the Adulterous Woman

My son, keep my words
    and store up my commands within you.
2 Keep my commands and you will live;
    guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers;
    write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
    and to insight, “You are my relative.”
5 They will keep you from the adulterous woman,
    from the wayward woman with her seductive words.
6 At the window of my house
    I looked down through the lattice.
7 I saw among the simple,
    I noticed among the young men,
    a youth who had no sense.
8 He was going down the street near her corner,
    walking along in the direction of her house
9 at twilight, as the day was fading,
    as the dark of night set in.
10 Then out came a woman to meet him,
    dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.
11 (She is unruly and defiant,
    her feet never stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the squares,
    at every corner she lurks.)
13 She took hold of him and kissed him
    and with a brazen face she said:
14 “Today I fulfilled my vows,
    and I have food from my fellowship offering at home.
15 So I came out to meet you;
    I looked for you and have found you!
16 I have covered my bed
    with colored linens from Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed
    with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning;
    let’s enjoy ourselves with love!
19 My husband is not at home;
    he has gone on a long journey.
20 He took his purse filled with money
    and will not be home till full moon.”
21 With persuasive words she led him astray;
    she seduced him with her smooth talk.
22 All at once he followed her
    like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer[c] stepping into a noose[d]
23     till an arrow pierces his liver,
like a bird darting into a snare,
    little knowing it will cost him his life.
24 Now then, my sons, listen to me;
    pay attention to what I say.
25 Do not let your heart turn to her ways
    or stray into her paths.
26 Many are the victims she has brought down;
    her slain are a mighty throng.
27 Her house is a highway to the grave,
    leading down to the chambers of death.
Footnotes:

Proverbs 7:22 Syriac (see also Septuagint); Hebrew fool
Proverbs 7:22 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, October 08, 2015

Read: 1 Peter 2:13-25

Respecting People in Authority
13 For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, 14 or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right.

15 It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. 16 For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. 17 Respect everyone, and love the family of believers.[a] Fear God, and respect the king.

Slaves
18 You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect.[b] Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel. 19 For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. 20 Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.

21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered[c] for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.

22 He never sinned,
    nor ever deceived anyone.[d]
23 He did not retaliate when he was insulted,
    nor threaten revenge when he suffered.
He left his case in the hands of God,
    who always judges fairly.
24 He personally carried our sins
    in his body on the cross
so that we can be dead to sin
    and live for what is right.
By his wounds
    you are healed.
25 Once you were like sheep
    who wandered away.
But now you have turned to your Shepherd,
    the Guardian of your souls.
Footnotes:

2:17 Greek love the brotherhood.
2:18 Or because you fear God; Greek reads in all fear.
2:21 Some manuscripts read died.
2:22 Isa 53:9.

INSIGHT:
To “follow in [Christ’s] steps” means we are called to pursue a walk of purity and honesty (vv. 21-22), a walk that is not vengeful or vindictive (v. 23), and a walk of deep trust in God the Father (v. 23). This is not only an example of how to build personal relationships, but it’s also the essence of the gospel of grace—God’s favor to those who do not deserve it. Bill Crowder

Reckless Words

By Jennifer Benson Schuldt

When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate. 1 Peter 2:23

I had been driving for almost half an hour when my daughter suddenly wailed from the backseat. When I asked, “What happened?” she said her brother had grabbed her arm. He claimed he had grabbed her arm because she had pinched him. She said she pinched him because he had said something mean.

Unfortunately, this pattern, which is common between children, can show up in adult relationships too. One person offends another, and the hurt person shoots back a verbal blow. The original offender retaliates with another insult. Before long, anger and cruel words have damaged the relationship.

When we trust the Lord, we don't need to use words as weapons.
The Bible says that “the words of the reckless pierce like swords,” and that “a harsh word stirs up anger” but “a gentle answer turns away wrath” (Prov. 12:18; 15:1). And sometimes not answering at all is the best way to deal with mean or cruel words or comments.

Before Jesus’ crucifixion, the religious authorities tried to provoke Him with their words (Matt. 27:41-43). Yet, “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate . . . . Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23).

Jesus’ example and the Spirit’s help offer us a way to respond to people who offend us. Trusting the Lord, we don’t need to use words as weapons.

Dear God, please give me self-control through Your Holy Spirit when I am tempted to retaliate with words.

A soft answer has often been the means of breaking a hard heart.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, October 08, 2015

Coming to Jesus

Come to Me… —Matthew 11:28

Isn’t it humiliating to be told that we must come to Jesus! Think of the things about which we will not come to Jesus Christ. If you want to know how real you are, test yourself by these words— “Come to Me….” In every dimension in which you are not real, you will argue or evade the issue altogether rather than come; you will go through sorrow rather than come; and you will do anything rather than come the last lap of the race of seemingly unspeakable foolishness and say, “Just as I am, I come.” As long as you have even the least bit of spiritual disrespect, it will always reveal itself in the fact that you are expecting God to tell you to do something very big, and yet all He is telling you to do is to “Come….”

“Come to Me….” When you hear those words, you will know that something must happen in you before you can come. The Holy Spirit will show you what you have to do, and it will involve anything that will uproot whatever is preventing you from getting through to Jesus. And you will never get any further until you are willing to do that very thing. The Holy Spirit will search out that one immovable stronghold within you, but He cannot budge it unless you are willing to let Him do so.

How often have you come to God with your requests and gone away thinking, “I’ve really received what I wanted this time!” And yet you go away with nothing, while all the time God has stood with His hands outstretched not only to take you but also for you to take Him. Just think of the invincible, unconquerable, and untiring patience of Jesus, who lovingly says, “Come to Me….”

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

It is perilously possible to make our conceptions of God like molten lead poured into a specially designed mould, and when it is cold and hard we fling it at the heads of the religious people who don’t agree with us.
Disciples Indeed

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, October 08, 2015

Transformer Trouble - #7499

I was in mid-shave one morning, all lathered up, attacking my whiskers with my razor and I heard a little "bang" down the street, and the power went out. Now fortunately I was still able to find my face in the dark; it's about where it always was. But I knew the rest of the morning was going to be very interesting. See, it wasn't just a circuit breaker. No, no, the power was out on the whole block. Well, we won't be having a toasted bagel today! No hair dryer for my wife, no lamp to read my Bible by. Why? That grey cylinder that hangs on that telephone pole down the street. We had no power because the transformer had blown!

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

I remember the day after a hurricane when I saw electric wires on the ground. They were arcing all over the place with power spitting out. Now, the problem with that morning when my face was half shaved is that there wasn't any power. Oh, it was still up there in those wires. Yeah, the power was there, and our needs were still down here, and the lights and the appliances were there, but the transformer that brought all the power to our need wasn't there. That's what happened in Jesus' home town in our word for today from the Word of God.

Matthew 13:54, "Coming to His home town, Jesus began teaching the people in their synagogue and they were amazed 'Where did this man get his wisdom and these miraculous powers?' they asked, 'Isn't this the carpenters son? Isn't his mother's name Mary and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren't all his sisters here with us? Where, then, did this man get all these things?' And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, 'Only in His home town, and in his own house is a prophet without honor.' And He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith."

Well, the miracle power sure was there. He'd healed and changed so many lives in many other places and those same needs were there in Nazareth. But one thing made the difference between the places where Jesus' power did make a difference and the place where He did very little. Faith, or the absence of it; total trust in Jesus as the miracle maker, the mountain mover.

See, faith is the transformer that connects all the voltage of heaven to the situation or the need in front of you. Wouldn't it be sad if it was said of you, or your family, or your ministry, or your business, "He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith." You're not expecting any. You're not believing that Jesus is going to do something powerful, so He won't.

The most unsettling thing about this power failure in Nazareth is that these are the people who knew Jesus best. Well, that's us Bible believing Christians today. The people who know Jesus best may be the people who believe Jesus for the least. Familiarity can breed lazy, limited faith. We put God in a box and this is how He always works, and He's surely going to work within those limits right now, right?

Well, this account seems to tell us that our faith determines the size of the box in which God will work. If we draw a small box within which we ask Him and believe He'll work, He apparently will stay in that box. But He promised in Ephesians 3:20 "to do immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine."

Now maybe you're facing some situations right now where you really need the full power of the Lord Jesus working for you. But honestly things have seemed pretty powerless recently. The power is there, the current of God flows undiminished. The need is there, but the power isn't connecting with the need. Sounds like there's trouble in the transformer. Your faith in what your Savior can do, that's what's missing.

Well, let this be the day when you open yourself up to something bolder and bigger. It might be what you ask Him for, or He may give you something equally miraculous that He knows is better than you ask for. But one way or another, the transformer of faith will bring down the voltage of heaven to light your life.

Proverbs 6, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Strongholds

Does one prevailing problem stalk your life? Where does Satan have a hook in you?
Some are prone to cheat. Others quick to doubt. Maybe you worry. Yes, everyone worries some - but you own the national distributorship of anxiety. Perhaps you are judgmental. Sure, everybody can be critical, but you pass more judgments than the Supreme Court.
What is that one weakness, bad habit, rotten attitude? Where does the devil have a stronghold on you? Ahh, there is the word that fits-stronghold-fortress, citadel, thick walls, tall gates. It's as if the devil has fenced in one negative attribute, one bad habit, one weakness and constructed a rampart around it. "You ain't touching this flaw," he defies to heaven and he places himself squarely between God's help and your:
-explosive temper
-fragile self-image
-voracious appetite
-distrust for authority
Seasons come and go and this Loch Ness monster still lurks in the watery lake bottom of your soul. He won't go away. He lives up to both sides of his compound name: strong enough to grip like a vice and stubborn enough to hold on. He clings like a bear trap; the harder you shake, the more it hurts.
Strongholds: old, difficult, discouraging challenges.
The term stronghold appears at least fifty times in the Bible. It commonly referred to a fortress with a difficult access (see Judges 6:2; I Sam. 23:14). When King David first saw the city of Jerusalem, it was an old, ancient, cheerless fortress inhabited by enemies. No wonder it was twice called a stronghold (see II Sam. 5:7,9).
The Apostle Paul uses the term to describe a mindset or attitude.
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh (for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds), casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ; and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience shall be made full." (2 Corinthians 10:3-6 ASV)
We do not grit our teeth and redouble our efforts. No, this is the way of the flesh. Our weapons are from God. They have divine power to demolish strongholds. Isn't that what we want? We long to see our strongholds turned into rubble, once and for all, forever and ever, kaboom!
Maybe it's time for a different strategy.
Have you asked others to help you? Everything inside you says: keep the struggle a secret. Wear a mask, hide the pain. God says just the opposite: "Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed" (James 5:16 MSG). Satan indwells the domain of shadows and secrets. God lives in the land of light and honesty. Bring your problem into the open.
I know a young couple who battled the stronghold of sexual temptation. They wanted to save sex for the honeymoon, but didn't know if they could. So, they called for help. They enlisted the support of a mentoring, understanding married couple. They put the older couple's phone number on speed dial and asked their permission to call them, regardless of the hour, when the temptation was severe. When the wall was too tall, they took the tunnel.
Maybe it is time to get drastic. I had a friend who battled the stronghold of alcohol. He tried a fresh approach. If I ever saw him drinking, he gave me, and a few choice people, permission to slug him in the nose. The wall was too tall, so he tried the tunnel.
One woman counters her anxiety by memorizing long sections of Scripture. A traveling salesman asks the hotels to remove the TV from his room so he won't be tempted. Another man grew so weary of his prejudice toward non-whites, that he moved into an ethnically diverse neighborhood, made new friends and changed his attitude.
"God's power is very great for us who believe. That power is the same as the great strength God used to raise Christ from the dead and put him at his right side in the heavenly world." (Eph. 1:19, 20 NCV).
Ask for help. Get drastic. Try a fresh approach. Who knows, you may be a prayer away from a breakthrough.
©Max Lucado, September 2015

Proverbs 6

Warnings Against Folly

My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,
    if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,
2 you have been trapped by what you said,
    ensnared by the words of your mouth.
3 So do this, my son, to free yourself,
    since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands:
Go—to the point of exhaustion—[b]
    and give your neighbor no rest!
4 Allow no sleep to your eyes,
    no slumber to your eyelids.
5 Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
    like a bird from the snare of the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard;
    consider its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander,
    no overseer or ruler,
8 yet it stores its provisions in summer
    and gathers its food at harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
    When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest—
11 and poverty will come on you like a thief
    and scarcity like an armed man.
12 A troublemaker and a villain,
    who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
13     who winks maliciously with his eye,
    signals with his feet
    and motions with his fingers,
14     who plots evil with deceit in his heart—
    he always stirs up conflict.
15 Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant;
    he will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.
16 There are six things the Lord hates,
    seven that are detestable to him:
17         haughty eyes,
        a lying tongue,
        hands that shed innocent blood,
18         a heart that devises wicked schemes,
        feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19         a false witness who pours out lies
        and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
Warning Against Adultery
20 My son, keep your father’s command
    and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
21 Bind them always on your heart;
    fasten them around your neck.
22 When you walk, they will guide you;
    when you sleep, they will watch over you;
    when you awake, they will speak to you.
23 For this command is a lamp,
    this teaching is a light,
and correction and instruction
    are the way to life,
24 keeping you from your neighbor’s wife,
    from the smooth talk of a wayward woman.
25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty
    or let her captivate you with her eyes.
26 For a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread,
    but another man’s wife preys on your very life.
27 Can a man scoop fire into his lap
    without his clothes being burned?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals
    without his feet being scorched?
29 So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife;
    no one who touches her will go unpunished.
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
    to satisfy his hunger when he is starving.
31 Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold,
    though it costs him all the wealth of his house.
32 But a man who commits adultery has no sense;
    whoever does so destroys himself.
33 Blows and disgrace are his lot,
    and his shame will never be wiped away.
34 For jealousy arouses a husband’s fury,
    and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
35 He will not accept any compensation;
    he will refuse a bribe, however great it is.

Footnotes:
Proverbs 6:3 Or Go and humble yourself,


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, October 07, 2015

Read: Job 19:1-21

Job’s Sixth Speech: A Response to Bildad

Then Job spoke again:

2 “How long will you torture me?
    How long will you try to crush me with your words?
3 You have already insulted me ten times.
    You should be ashamed of treating me so badly.
4 Even if I have sinned,
    that is my concern, not yours.
5 You think you’re better than I am,
    using my humiliation as evidence of my sin.
6 But it is God who has wronged me,
    capturing me in his net.[a]
7 “I cry out, ‘Help!’ but no one answers me.
    I protest, but there is no justice.
8 God has blocked my way so I cannot move.
    He has plunged my path into darkness.
9 He has stripped me of my honor
    and removed the crown from my head.
10 He has demolished me on every side, and I am finished.
    He has uprooted my hope like a fallen tree.
11 His fury burns against me;
    he counts me as an enemy.
12 His troops advance.
    They build up roads to attack me.
    They camp all around my tent.
13 “My relatives stay far away,
    and my friends have turned against me.
14 My family is gone,
    and my close friends have forgotten me.
15 My servants and maids consider me a stranger.
    I am like a foreigner to them.
16 When I call my servant, he doesn’t come;
    I have to plead with him!
17 My breath is repulsive to my wife.
    I am rejected by my own family.
18 Even young children despise me.
    When I stand to speak, they turn their backs on me.
19 My close friends detest me.
    Those I loved have turned against me.
20 I have been reduced to skin and bones
    and have escaped death by the skin of my teeth.
21 “Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy,
    for the hand of God has struck me.
Footnotes:

19:6 Or for I am like a city under siege.

Unclear Vision

By Anne Cetas

My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Job 42:5

My friend Meaghan is an accomplished equestrian, and I’ve been learning some interesting things about horses from her. For instance, despite having the largest eyes of all land mammals, horses have poor eyesight and can see fewer colors than humans. Because of this, they can’t always identify objects on the ground. When they see a pole, they don’t know if it’s a pole they can easily step over or a large snake that might harm them. For this reason, until they are properly trained horses are easily frightened and quick to run away.

We too may want to run from alarming circumstances. We may feel like Job who misunderstood his troubles and wished he’d never been born. Since he couldn’t see that it was Satan who was trying to break him down, he feared that the Lord, in whom he had trusted, was trying to destroy him. Overwhelmed, he cried out, “God has wronged me and drawn his net around me” (Job 19:6).

Like Job’s vision, ours is limited. We want to run away from the difficult situations that scare us. From God’s perspective, we are not alone. He understands what confuses and frightens us. He knows we are safe with Him by our side. This is our opportunity to trust His understanding rather than our own.

In what ways have you doubted God’s goodness? How have you seen Him working in your life during a difficult time?

Trusting God’s faithfulness dispels our fearfulness.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, October 07, 2015

The Nature of Reconciliation

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. —2 Corinthians 5:21

Sin is a fundamental relationship— it is not wrong doing, but wrong being— it is deliberate and determined independence from God. The Christian faith bases everything on the extreme, self-confident nature of sin. Other faiths deal with sins— the Bible alone deals with sin. The first thing Jesus Christ confronted in people was the heredity of sin, and it is because we have ignored this in our presentation of the gospel that the message of the gospel has lost its sting and its explosive power.

The revealed truth of the Bible is not that Jesus Christ took on Himself our fleshly sins, but that He took on Himself the heredity of sin that no man can even touch. God made His own Son “to be sin” that He might make the sinner into a saint. It is revealed throughout the Bible that our Lord took on Himself the sin of the world through identification with us, not through sympathy for us. He deliberately took on His own shoulders, and endured in His own body, the complete, cumulative sin of the human race. “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us…” and by so doing He placed salvation for the entire human race solely on the basis of redemption. Jesus Christ reconciled the human race, putting it back to where God designed it to be. And now anyone can experience that reconciliation, being brought into oneness with God, on the basis of what our Lord has done on the cross.

A man cannot redeem himself— redemption is the work of God, and is absolutely finished and complete. And its application to individual people is a matter of their own individual action or response to it. A distinction must always be made between the revealed truth of redemption and the actual conscious experience of salvation in a person’s life.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

Both nations and individuals have tried Christianity and abandoned it, because it has been found too difficult; but no man has ever gone through the crisis of deliberately making Jesus Lord and found Him to be a failure. The Love of God—The Making of a Christian, 680 R

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, October 07, 2015

Someone Else's Treasure - #7498

That night our car was totaled in an accident, and thank God, we weren't. We were hit by a drunk driver, and I had no car to get around in for the month of December, which was a very busy month for the youth ministry that I worked for at that time. I received a call from a friend one day. Much to my surprise, he said, "Ron, could we lend you a car for the next few weeks while we're in Florida." This was like a huge answer to prayer. I said, "Well, bring me the oldest one you have."

Well, he drove over his brand new Cadillac Coupe Deville. Now, that's good news and bad news. The good news is, "I'm going to be driving my friend's brand new Coupe Deville. The bad news is, "I'm going to be driving my friend's brand new Coupe Deville." This car was capable of things I didn't even know cars did, and here I am for the next six weeks driving around in my good friends' brand new Cadillac. To be honest, I drove like a different person when I drove that car! I was more careful, I took it and had it washed every other day. I made sure the kids didn't eat any potato chips in there. You know, you treat something like extra special when you know it belongs to somebody else.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Someone Else's Treasure."

Our word for today from the Word of God is about being trusted with somebody else's treasure. And it comes as a quiet, almost hidden lesson out of what we normally think of as the Christmas Story. It's in Matthew 1, where our word for today from the Word of God is in verses 20 and 21. We're in that part of the story where Joseph gets the news about what has happened to his fiancé Mary, and that in fact she is going to be a virgin mother of the Son of God.

Verse 20, "After he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.'"

You might think of this as good news/bad news for Joseph. Because isn't it great news for a father to be told, "You're going to have a son!"? That's like music to every dad's ears.

The down side is that he will be playing a supporting role in the life of this son that's going to be born. First of all, he's not even going to get to pick the name. God's going to do that. And then he's going to be the supporting cast. This child, basically God is saying here, is "not really yours Joseph." But then, in a sense, isn't every parent Joseph. You have, if you are a parent, in your care a child invented by God, for whom God has His own plans – a Cadillac He has entrusted to you. As Joseph was, so you are in a sense, a supporting actor to God's fathering in that child's life. Your mission is to support God's program for the children He trusted to you; not to live your life through them or to carry out your wonderful plan for their life.

So, how are you doing? Are you carrying out His plans for them and not yours? Are you accepting the gifts that God has given them and the limitations He's given them? Are you teaching God's boundaries to them? Are you bathing them in His values? Do you pray every day, "Dear Jesus, help me see this child through your eyes. Help me see what you're doing in my son or daughter's life and I want to follow you there, and I want to be a part of it."

He's given you this child to raise; He's trusted you. It is perhaps the greatest trust God can ever give a human being. You have someone else's treasure.

I think about the prayer of that grandmother that was up on the wall in her room, "Lord, I pray that on that Resurrection Day I may be able to say, 'Here am I, Lord, and the children you gave me.'" Yes, you've got somebody else's treasure.