Max Lucado Daily: Respect Your Body
God has a high regard for your body. In 1 Corinthians 6:19, Paul calls our body the "temple" of God. Be careful how you feed it, use it, and maintain it. You wouldn't want anyone trashing your home; God doesn't want anyone trashing his. After all, it is his, isn't it? A little jogging and dieting to the glory of God wouldn't hurt most of us.
Your body, in some form, will last forever. God will glorify your body. He will remove all weakness and disease. Isn't that great news? Your pain will not last forever. Is your heart weak? It will be strong in heaven. Has cancer corrupted your system? There is no cancer in heaven. For a season, your soul will be in heaven while your body is in the grave. But the seed buried in the earth will blossom in heaven. And you will be like Jesus!
From When Christ Comes
Psalm 95
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
3 For the Lord is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
7 for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.
Today, if only you would hear his voice,
8 “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,[a]
as you did that day at Massah[b] in the wilderness,
9 where your ancestors tested me;
they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
10 For forty years I was angry with that generation;
I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they have not known my ways.’
11 So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’”
Footnotes:
Psalm 95:8 Meribah means quarreling.
Psalm 95:8 Massah means testing.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, March 11, 2016
Read: Hebrews 12:1-11
God’s Discipline Proves His Love
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.[a] Because of the joy[b] awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people;[c] then you won’t become weary and give up. 4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.
5 And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children?[d] He said,
“My child,[e] don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and don’t give up when he corrects you.
6 For the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”[f]
7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8 If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. 9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?[g]
10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. 11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.
Footnotes:
12:2a Or Jesus, the originator and perfecter of our faith.
12:2b Or Instead of the joy.
12:3 Some manuscripts read Think of how people hurt themselves by opposing him.
12:5a Greek sons; also in 12:7, 8.
12:5b Greek son; also in 12:6, 7.
12:5-6 Prov 3:11-12 (Greek version).
12:9 Or and really live?
NSIGHT:
Using the metaphor of a marathon and a stadium of cheering supporters, the writer of Hebrews encouraged persecuted Christians to persevere and to remain faithful. The constant call of Scripture is: Don’t give up! Keep your eye on the finish line! Finish the race! (1 Cor. 9:24–27; Phil. 3:13–14; 2 Tim. 4:7; Heb. 12:1–2).
Don’t Quit!
By Dennis Fisher
Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 12:1-2
In 1952 Florence Chadwick attempted to swim 26 miles from the coast of California to Catalina Island. After 15 hours, a heavy fog began to block her view, she became disoriented, and she gave up. To her chagrin, Chadwick learned that she had quit just 1 mile short of her destination.
Two months later Chadwick tried a second time to swim to Catalina Island from the coast. Again a thick fog settled in, but this time she reached her destination, becoming the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel. Chadwick said she kept an image of the shoreline in her mind even when she couldn’t see it.
Let us fix our eyes upon Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
When the problems of life cloud our vision, we have an opportunity to learn to see our goal with the eyes of faith. The New Testament letter to the Hebrews urges us to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (12:1-2). When we feel like quitting, this is our signal to remember not only what Jesus suffered for us but what He now helps us to endure—until the day we see Him face to face.
Dear Father, sometimes the challenges of life seem insurmountable. Help me to fix my eyes on You and trust You. I’m thankful You are bringing about Your good purposes in me.
We can finish strong when we focus on Christ.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, March 11, 2016
Obedience to the “Heavenly Vision”
I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. —Acts 26:19
If we lose “the heavenly vision” God has given us, we alone are responsible— not God. We lose the vision because of our own lack of spiritual growth. If we do not apply our beliefs about God to the issues of everyday life, the vision God has given us will never be fulfilled. The only way to be obedient to “the heavenly vision” is to give our utmost for His highest— our best for His glory. This can be accomplished only when we make a determination to continually remember God’s vision. But the acid test is obedience to the vision in the details of our everyday life— sixty seconds out of every minute, and sixty minutes out of every hour, not just during times of personal prayer or public meetings.
“Though it tarries, wait for it…” (Habakkuk 2:3). We cannot bring the vision to fulfillment through our own efforts, but must live under its inspiration until it fulfills itself. We try to be so practical that we forget the vision. At the very beginning we saw the vision but did not wait for it. We rushed off to do our practical work, and once the vision was fulfilled we could no longer even see it. Waiting for a vision that “tarries” is the true test of our faithfulness to God. It is at the risk of our own soul’s welfare that we get caught up in practical busy-work, only to miss the fulfillment of the vision.
Watch for the storms of God. The only way God plants His saints is through the whirlwind of His storms. Will you be proven to be an empty pod with no seed inside? That will depend on whether or not you are actually living in the light of the vision you have seen. Let God send you out through His storm, and don’t go until He does. If you select your own spot to be planted, you will prove yourself to be an unproductive, empty pod. However, if you allow God to plant you, you will “bear much fruit” (John 15:8).
It is essential that we live and “walk in the light” of God’s vision for us (1 John 1:7).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The emphasis to-day is placed on the furtherance of an organization; the note is, “We must keep this thing going.” If we are in God’s order the thing will go; if we are not in His order, it won’t. Conformed to His Image, 357 R
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, March 11, 2016
Personal Power Failures - #7610
You think you've had a bad day? Oh, I'll tell you about a bad day. It was the summer of 1997; you're a cosmonaut on Russia's space station Mir. So far, you've battled a fire on board. Then a supply ship runs into you in a docking procedure. You lose 40% of your power. You think you've already had your fill of bad days for one mission. But then, the central computer on the space station suddenly shuts down. You are tumbling through space in what reporters called "chaotic flight." Hard to believe! It happened!
The day the computer failed, those cosmonauts were thrown into a particularly dangerous situation. That space station was solar-powered and all of a sudden, as one reporter put it, it lost its orientation to the sun, which means you don't have the power to meet the demands of your flight, and worst case your life is in jeopardy. Why? All because Mir turned its back on the sun.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Personal Power Failures."
The crisis that faced that space station? Not enough power to meet the demands. That's a feeling a lot of us have had in our lives. Trying to meet the demands of our family, our relationships, our work responsibilities, and frankly, our resources just aren't enough. Do you ever feel like you're running without the personal peace you need, the love, the power? Maybe the description of that space station's situation describes your own life - "Chaotic flight."
It could be that the confusion and the power failure is for a similar reason, too, that space station is designed to draw its life from the sun. Listen to these words from the Bible about how God designed us. Speaking of Jesus, it says we were "created by Him and for Him" (Colossians 1:16). That Him is the Son of God - S - O - N. Our lives? Well, they're essentially tumbling aimlessly when we lose our proper orientation to the Son. And according to God's Book, we all have.
Here we go from our Word for today from the Word of God in Isaiah 53:6, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way." Three words explain why we feel so spiritually disoriented, "his own way." The One who gave us our life was supposed to run our life and we simply took our life and we've run it "our own way."
If you wanted to draw that in picture form, you'd probably put you on the left side of the page, God on the right, and you'd be walking away from Him, with your back to Him; with your back to the source of the love and the peace and the power and the meaning you need. If you die with your back still to Him, erase God from your picture forever. And that's hell. Unless you can find a way to get rid of your sin and get back to Him, like the space station without the sun, the result is ultimately death.
I'm so glad that "gone astray" verse doesn't stop there. It also tells us the way to find the God we've lost. It says, "And the Lord has laid on Him the wrongdoing of us all." The Him is Jesus and all the sin that cuts us off from God was laid on Jesus, God's sinless Son, when He died on that cross. You can literally walk up to that cross and say, "For me. He's doing that for me."
The day you tell Jesus you're putting your total trust in Him to rescue you from your sin is the day you find your Creator, the Son you were created for. For you, it could be today. That's why God brought us together, so this could be your day.
If you want to know how to begin with Him and how to know you belong to Him, that's what our website's all about. I urge you as soon as you can today to go to ANewStory.com. Let your new story begin there.
Hasn't your "chaotic flight" lasted long enough? It's the Son - the Son of God - you need right now. He has all the power you'll ever need to meet every demand of your life.
Friday, March 11, 2016
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Psalm 94, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: We Don't Like to Say Goodbye
The cemetery is a sad place. We don't like to say goodbye to those whom we love. It's right for us to weep, but there is no need to despair. They are, at this very moment, at peace in the presence of God.
One of our church members asked me to speak at the funeral of his mother. Her name was Ida, but her friends called her Polly. Her son told me his mother had been unresponsive the last few hours of her life. She never spoke a word. But moments before her death, she opened her eyes and in a clear voice said, "My name is Ida, but my friends call me Polly."
Meaningless words of hallucination? Perhaps. Or maybe she was in the presence of God-maybe she was getting acquainted!
From When Christ Comes
Psalm 94
The Lord is a God who avenges.
O God who avenges, shine forth.
2 Rise up, Judge of the earth;
pay back to the proud what they deserve.
3 How long, Lord, will the wicked,
how long will the wicked be jubilant?
4 They pour out arrogant words;
all the evildoers are full of boasting.
5 They crush your people, Lord;
they oppress your inheritance.
6 They slay the widow and the foreigner;
they murder the fatherless.
7 They say, “The Lord does not see;
the God of Jacob takes no notice.”
8 Take notice, you senseless ones among the people;
you fools, when will you become wise?
9 Does he who fashioned the ear not hear?
Does he who formed the eye not see?
10 Does he who disciplines nations not punish?
Does he who teaches mankind lack knowledge?
11 The Lord knows all human plans;
he knows that they are futile.
12 Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord,
the one you teach from your law;
13 you grant them relief from days of trouble,
till a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not reject his people;
he will never forsake his inheritance.
15 Judgment will again be founded on righteousness,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who will rise up for me against the wicked?
Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?
17 Unless the Lord had given me help,
I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
18 When I said, “My foot is slipping,”
your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.
19 When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought me joy.
20 Can a corrupt throne be allied with you—
a throne that brings on misery by its decrees?
21 The wicked band together against the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord has become my fortress,
and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.
23 He will repay them for their sins
and destroy them for their wickedness;
the Lord our God will destroy them.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, March 10, 2016
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:
Hebrews 11 has been referred to as the “Hall of Faith.” Its contents celebrate the deep and impressive faith of our spiritual ancestors. Their faith, demonstrated through their actions, is put on display by the writer of Hebrews for the encouragement of those who follow in their spiritual footsteps. The examples of those who have preceded us—those who lived as “foreigners and strangers on earth” (v. 13)—help us to fix our eyes on Jesus (12:2). This focus allows us to press on toward a “country of [our] own” (11:14).
Strangers and Foreigners
By Amy Boucher Pye
He was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Hebrews 11:10
I parked my bicycle, fingering my map of Cambridge for reassurance. Directions not being my strength, I knew I could easily get lost in this maze of roads bursting with historic buildings.
Life should have felt idyllic, for I had just married my Englishman and moved to the UK. But I felt adrift. When I kept my mouth closed I blended in, but when I spoke I immediately felt branded as an American tourist. I didn’t yet know what my role was, and I quickly realized that blending two stubborn people into one shared life was harder than I had anticipated.
By faith we press forward, knowing that God will lead and guide us.
I related to Abraham, who left all that he knew as he obeyed the Lord’s call to live as a foreigner and stranger in a new land (Gen. 12:1). He pressed through the cultural challenges while keeping faith in God, and 2,000 years later the writer to the Hebrews named him a hero (11:9). Like the other men and women listed in this chapter, Abraham lived by faith, longing for things promised, hoping and waiting for his heavenly home.
Perhaps you’ve always lived in the same town, but as Christ-followers we’re all foreigners and strangers on this earth. By faith we press forward, knowing that God will lead and guide us, and by faith we believe He will never leave nor abandon us. By faith we long for home.
Father God, I want to live by faith, believing Your promises and knowing that You welcome me into Your kingdom. Enlarge my faith, I pray.
God calls us to live by faith, believing that He will fulfill His promises.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Being an Example of His Message
Preach the word! —2 Timothy 4:2
We are not saved only to be instruments for God, but to be His sons and daughters. He does not turn us into spiritual agents but into spiritual messengers, and the message must be a part of us. The Son of God was His own message— “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). As His disciples, our lives must be a holy example of the reality of our message. Even the natural heart of the unsaved will serve if called upon to do so, but it takes a heart broken by conviction of sin, baptized by the Holy Spirit, and crushed into submission to God’s purpose to make a person’s life a holy example of God’s message.
There is a difference between giving a testimony and preaching. A preacher is someone who has received the call of God and is determined to use all his energy to proclaim God’s truth. God takes us beyond our own aspirations and ideas for our lives, and molds and shapes us for His purpose, just as He worked in the disciples’ lives after Pentecost. The purpose of Pentecost was not to teach the disciples something, but to make them the incarnation of what they preached so that they would literally become God’s message in the flesh. “…you shall be witnesses to Me…” (Acts 1:8).
Allow God to have complete liberty in your life when you speak. Before God’s message can liberate other people, His liberation must first be real in you. Gather your material carefully, and then allow God to “set your words on fire” for His glory.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
There is no condition of life in which we cannot abide in Jesus. We have to learn to abide in Him wherever we are placed. Our Brilliant Heritage
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Contagious Joy - #7609
How much would you pay for a piece of cardboard; $100, $500, $2,000? Actually, people do it all the time, if that cardboard is a valuable baseball card. My sons, over the years, they really profited from collecting that cardboard strategically. They tried to anticipate rookies who would be stars and they bought their cards before there was much demand. Later, when lots of people wanted those cards and there weren't many to be found, our guys cleaned up. Now, they didn't have any of those cards that sold for thousands, because they're most valuable for one reason. There just aren't many of them. You have something like that.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Contagious Joy."
There's an asset that is increasingly rare in our world today, and if you have it, it will make you really valuable wherever you are. Apparently, the Old Testament leader, Nehemiah, was known for this asset. So much so, that his boss noticed the rare occasion when he didn't have it.
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Nehemiah 2:1-2. Nehemiah works for the king (he's the king's cup bearer), but he's pretty down because of news he's gotten about the conditions back home. The Bible says, "I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before. So the king asked me, 'Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.'"
Nehemiah wasn't smiling – and apparently, that was an event. Remember, this is the man who said in Nehemiah 8:10, "The joy of the Lord is your strength." From the king's reaction, it appears that Nehemiah stood out at work for at least one big reason – his consistent smile.
You know, a smile is a powerful, attention-getting witness for Jesus Christ. Remember, baseball cards are valuable when they're rare. Smiles are increasingly rare today. Just look around. I remember our daughter's first day of high school. She came home and she said, "No one smiles there!" So, we challenged her to try to change that, and she made it a personal mission to have her smile be her trademark. Years after she graduated, teachers would still tell us how they remembered her smile. And partly as a result of the joy on her face, she saw ten of her high school friends come to Christ.
Don is a businessman I know who was asked, "How can you be so positive all the time?" His smile opened the door for him to say, "Wouldn't you be happy if you'd just spent 30 minutes with the Creator of the universe?" People like this get to experience the life-giving scenario described in 1 Peter 3:15, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." Now, that's what's going to make people curious. It's going to be your hope, your positiveness – your smile.
And this kind of joy begins in Jesus' presence every morning, where you see your Lord being so much bigger than your circumstances. So, He determines your attitude for the day. And if you're the joyful one in your situation, I think you're going to have a chance to explain the relationship that brightens your life.
I think about what the king said about Nehemiah, and it says that "he had never been sad in his presence before." Would your boss say that about you? Would your neighbors say that about you? Would the people around you a lot say, "Wow, I can't remember... They've not been sad in my presence very much." See, if the joy of the Lord is there, it is not dependant on your circumstances. It is anchored to your relationship with Christ.
If you've ever wondered, "How can I get people interested in Jesus?" have you considered the power of a positive spirit where you work, at home, at school? Believe me, you'll stand out in a world where smiles are getting more rare, more valuable all the time. Each day, ask the Lord to help you be known for your joy.
Make the rejoice choice; that you will have His joy radiating on your face. When it comes to attracting people to Christ, your best weapon might be your teeth!
The cemetery is a sad place. We don't like to say goodbye to those whom we love. It's right for us to weep, but there is no need to despair. They are, at this very moment, at peace in the presence of God.
One of our church members asked me to speak at the funeral of his mother. Her name was Ida, but her friends called her Polly. Her son told me his mother had been unresponsive the last few hours of her life. She never spoke a word. But moments before her death, she opened her eyes and in a clear voice said, "My name is Ida, but my friends call me Polly."
Meaningless words of hallucination? Perhaps. Or maybe she was in the presence of God-maybe she was getting acquainted!
From When Christ Comes
Psalm 94
The Lord is a God who avenges.
O God who avenges, shine forth.
2 Rise up, Judge of the earth;
pay back to the proud what they deserve.
3 How long, Lord, will the wicked,
how long will the wicked be jubilant?
4 They pour out arrogant words;
all the evildoers are full of boasting.
5 They crush your people, Lord;
they oppress your inheritance.
6 They slay the widow and the foreigner;
they murder the fatherless.
7 They say, “The Lord does not see;
the God of Jacob takes no notice.”
8 Take notice, you senseless ones among the people;
you fools, when will you become wise?
9 Does he who fashioned the ear not hear?
Does he who formed the eye not see?
10 Does he who disciplines nations not punish?
Does he who teaches mankind lack knowledge?
11 The Lord knows all human plans;
he knows that they are futile.
12 Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord,
the one you teach from your law;
13 you grant them relief from days of trouble,
till a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not reject his people;
he will never forsake his inheritance.
15 Judgment will again be founded on righteousness,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who will rise up for me against the wicked?
Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?
17 Unless the Lord had given me help,
I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
18 When I said, “My foot is slipping,”
your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.
19 When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought me joy.
20 Can a corrupt throne be allied with you—
a throne that brings on misery by its decrees?
21 The wicked band together against the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord has become my fortress,
and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.
23 He will repay them for their sins
and destroy them for their wickedness;
the Lord our God will destroy them.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, March 10, 2016
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:
Hebrews 11 has been referred to as the “Hall of Faith.” Its contents celebrate the deep and impressive faith of our spiritual ancestors. Their faith, demonstrated through their actions, is put on display by the writer of Hebrews for the encouragement of those who follow in their spiritual footsteps. The examples of those who have preceded us—those who lived as “foreigners and strangers on earth” (v. 13)—help us to fix our eyes on Jesus (12:2). This focus allows us to press on toward a “country of [our] own” (11:14).
Strangers and Foreigners
By Amy Boucher Pye
He was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Hebrews 11:10
I parked my bicycle, fingering my map of Cambridge for reassurance. Directions not being my strength, I knew I could easily get lost in this maze of roads bursting with historic buildings.
Life should have felt idyllic, for I had just married my Englishman and moved to the UK. But I felt adrift. When I kept my mouth closed I blended in, but when I spoke I immediately felt branded as an American tourist. I didn’t yet know what my role was, and I quickly realized that blending two stubborn people into one shared life was harder than I had anticipated.
By faith we press forward, knowing that God will lead and guide us.
I related to Abraham, who left all that he knew as he obeyed the Lord’s call to live as a foreigner and stranger in a new land (Gen. 12:1). He pressed through the cultural challenges while keeping faith in God, and 2,000 years later the writer to the Hebrews named him a hero (11:9). Like the other men and women listed in this chapter, Abraham lived by faith, longing for things promised, hoping and waiting for his heavenly home.
Perhaps you’ve always lived in the same town, but as Christ-followers we’re all foreigners and strangers on this earth. By faith we press forward, knowing that God will lead and guide us, and by faith we believe He will never leave nor abandon us. By faith we long for home.
Father God, I want to live by faith, believing Your promises and knowing that You welcome me into Your kingdom. Enlarge my faith, I pray.
God calls us to live by faith, believing that He will fulfill His promises.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Being an Example of His Message
Preach the word! —2 Timothy 4:2
We are not saved only to be instruments for God, but to be His sons and daughters. He does not turn us into spiritual agents but into spiritual messengers, and the message must be a part of us. The Son of God was His own message— “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). As His disciples, our lives must be a holy example of the reality of our message. Even the natural heart of the unsaved will serve if called upon to do so, but it takes a heart broken by conviction of sin, baptized by the Holy Spirit, and crushed into submission to God’s purpose to make a person’s life a holy example of God’s message.
There is a difference between giving a testimony and preaching. A preacher is someone who has received the call of God and is determined to use all his energy to proclaim God’s truth. God takes us beyond our own aspirations and ideas for our lives, and molds and shapes us for His purpose, just as He worked in the disciples’ lives after Pentecost. The purpose of Pentecost was not to teach the disciples something, but to make them the incarnation of what they preached so that they would literally become God’s message in the flesh. “…you shall be witnesses to Me…” (Acts 1:8).
Allow God to have complete liberty in your life when you speak. Before God’s message can liberate other people, His liberation must first be real in you. Gather your material carefully, and then allow God to “set your words on fire” for His glory.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
There is no condition of life in which we cannot abide in Jesus. We have to learn to abide in Him wherever we are placed. Our Brilliant Heritage
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Contagious Joy - #7609
How much would you pay for a piece of cardboard; $100, $500, $2,000? Actually, people do it all the time, if that cardboard is a valuable baseball card. My sons, over the years, they really profited from collecting that cardboard strategically. They tried to anticipate rookies who would be stars and they bought their cards before there was much demand. Later, when lots of people wanted those cards and there weren't many to be found, our guys cleaned up. Now, they didn't have any of those cards that sold for thousands, because they're most valuable for one reason. There just aren't many of them. You have something like that.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Contagious Joy."
There's an asset that is increasingly rare in our world today, and if you have it, it will make you really valuable wherever you are. Apparently, the Old Testament leader, Nehemiah, was known for this asset. So much so, that his boss noticed the rare occasion when he didn't have it.
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Nehemiah 2:1-2. Nehemiah works for the king (he's the king's cup bearer), but he's pretty down because of news he's gotten about the conditions back home. The Bible says, "I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before. So the king asked me, 'Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.'"
Nehemiah wasn't smiling – and apparently, that was an event. Remember, this is the man who said in Nehemiah 8:10, "The joy of the Lord is your strength." From the king's reaction, it appears that Nehemiah stood out at work for at least one big reason – his consistent smile.
You know, a smile is a powerful, attention-getting witness for Jesus Christ. Remember, baseball cards are valuable when they're rare. Smiles are increasingly rare today. Just look around. I remember our daughter's first day of high school. She came home and she said, "No one smiles there!" So, we challenged her to try to change that, and she made it a personal mission to have her smile be her trademark. Years after she graduated, teachers would still tell us how they remembered her smile. And partly as a result of the joy on her face, she saw ten of her high school friends come to Christ.
Don is a businessman I know who was asked, "How can you be so positive all the time?" His smile opened the door for him to say, "Wouldn't you be happy if you'd just spent 30 minutes with the Creator of the universe?" People like this get to experience the life-giving scenario described in 1 Peter 3:15, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." Now, that's what's going to make people curious. It's going to be your hope, your positiveness – your smile.
And this kind of joy begins in Jesus' presence every morning, where you see your Lord being so much bigger than your circumstances. So, He determines your attitude for the day. And if you're the joyful one in your situation, I think you're going to have a chance to explain the relationship that brightens your life.
I think about what the king said about Nehemiah, and it says that "he had never been sad in his presence before." Would your boss say that about you? Would your neighbors say that about you? Would the people around you a lot say, "Wow, I can't remember... They've not been sad in my presence very much." See, if the joy of the Lord is there, it is not dependant on your circumstances. It is anchored to your relationship with Christ.
If you've ever wondered, "How can I get people interested in Jesus?" have you considered the power of a positive spirit where you work, at home, at school? Believe me, you'll stand out in a world where smiles are getting more rare, more valuable all the time. Each day, ask the Lord to help you be known for your joy.
Make the rejoice choice; that you will have His joy radiating on your face. When it comes to attracting people to Christ, your best weapon might be your teeth!
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Psalm 93 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Everything Changes
In Romans 6:9, the apostle Paul says, "When Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end."
The resurrection of Jesus is an exploding flare announcing to all sincere seekers that it is safe to believe! Because of the resurrection, everything changes. Death changes. It used to be the end; now it is the beginning. The cemetery changes. People once went there to say good-bye but now they go to say we'll be together again. Even the coffin changes. It is no longer a box where we hide bodies, but rather a cocoon in which the body is kept until God sets it free to fly.
In John 14:3, Jesus says "I will come back and take you to be with me!" And to prove that he was serious about this promise, the stone was rolled away and his body was raised from the dead!
From When Christ Comes
Psalm 93
The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty;
the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength;
indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.
2 Your throne was established long ago;
you are from all eternity.
3 The seas have lifted up, Lord,
the seas have lifted up their voice;
the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.
4 Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea—
the Lord on high is mighty.
5 Your statutes, Lord, stand firm;
holiness adorns your house
for endless days.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, March 09, 2016
Read: Hebrews 10:19-25
A Call to Persevere
And so, dear brothers and sisters,[a] we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 By his death,[b] Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
Footnotes:
10:19 Greek brothers.
10:20 Greek Through his flesh.
INSIGHT:
The letter to the Hebrews contains images and ideas that would have been very familiar to the Jewish recipients of this epistle. The Most Holy Place (Heb. 10:19) was the holiest part of the temple in Jerusalem. The curtain (v. 20) refers to the temple veil that was torn in two when Christ died (Matt. 27:51). The great priest (Heb. 10:21) is Jesus, who succeeds in perfectly taking us to God—something that the human priesthood could not do. While this imagery would have been particularly meaningful to the Jewish readers of this letter, it also reminds us how wonderfully the Scriptures are put together. The practices of Old Testament Judaism create wonderful portraits of the person and work of Jesus.
Please Come In
By Marion Stroud
Let us draw near to God . . . with the full assurance that faith brings. Hebrews 10:22
Jenny’s house is situated on a little country lane, which is often used in rush hour by drivers who want to avoid the nearby main road and traffic lights. A few weeks ago workmen arrived to repair the badly damaged road surface, bringing with them large barriers and “No Entry” signs. “I was really worried at first,” said Jenny, “thinking that I would be unable to get my car out until the road work was finished. But then I went to look at the signs more closely and realized that they said ‘No Entry: Access for Residents Only.’ No detours or barriers for me. I had the right to go in and out whenever I liked because I lived there. I felt very special!”
In the Old Testament, access to God in the tabernacle and the temple was strictly limited. Only the high priest could go in through the curtain and offer sacrifices in the Most Holy Place, and then only once a year (Lev. 16:2-20; Heb. 9:25-26). But at the very moment Jesus died, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, showing that the barrier between man and God was destroyed forever (Mark 15:38).
Because of Christ's sacrifice, all who love and follow Him can come into His presence.
Because of Christ’s sacrifice for our sins, all those who love and follow Him can come into His presence at any time. He has given us the right of access.
Lord, thank You for paying such a price to enable me to have unrestricted entry into Your presence!
Access to God’s throne is always open.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, March 09, 2016
Turning Back or Walking with Jesus?
Do you also want to go away? —John 6:67
What a penetrating question! Our Lord’s words often hit home for us when He speaks in the simplest way. In spite of the fact that we know who Jesus is, He asks, “Do you also want to go away?” We must continually maintain an adventurous attitude toward Him, despite any potential personal risk.
“From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more” (John 6:66). They turned back from walking with Jesus; not into sin, but away from Him. Many people today are pouring their lives out and working for Jesus Christ, but are not really walking with Him. One thing God constantly requires of us is a oneness with Jesus Christ. After being set apart through sanctification, we should discipline our lives spiritually to maintain this intimate oneness. When God gives you a clear determination of His will for you, all your striving to maintain that relationship by some particular method is completely unnecessary. All that is required is to live a natural life of absolute dependence on Jesus Christ. Never try to live your life with God in any other way than His way. And His way means absolute devotion to Him. Showing no concern for the uncertainties that lie ahead is the secret of walking with Jesus.
Peter saw in Jesus only someone who could minister salvation to him and to the world. But our Lord wants us to be fellow laborers with Him.
In John 6:70 Jesus lovingly reminded Peter that he was chosen to go with Him. And each of us must answer this question for ourselves and no one else: “Do you also want to go away?”
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We are all based on a conception of importance, either our own importance, or the importance of someone else; Jesus tells us to go and teach based on the revelation of His importance. “All power is given unto Me.… Go ye therefore ….” So Send I You, 1325 R
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, March 09, 2016
Seeing Ourselves in the Star Wars Mirror - #7608
I was expecting a great story in that record-crushing "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" blockbuster. I wasn't expecting to find a mirror reflecting the lives of so many people I've known. In the story, it's Rey's story. She's a young woman on a desolate planet, surviving by scavenging parts from a space junkyard. When she's asked, "Who are you?" she just zero-sums her life this way: "I am no one" until she discovers the truth that changes her life forever.
She's made for more. She finds that she's here for something much greater than just scavenging. She's destined for greatness as a warrior for a better world. And that's the image in the mirror of so many of us who've settled for just surviving, for just doing life, one predictable, one purposeless day at a time. Not a bad life, just an insignificant, too-small life – scavenging.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Seeing Ourselves in the Star Wars Mirror."
You know, maybe that's why a light has gone on inside millions of people when they've met a man named Jesus. He said in John 10:10 in the Bible, "I have come that they may have life and have it to the full." To the full, implying that we've been settling for less than full. Maybe we've been settling for empty; for less than we were created for.
I think we know that something or someone is missing. No matter how far, or not far, we may have climbed up Mount Happiness. No friendship, no scholarship, no championship, no relationship has filled the hole in our heart. They can't, because we're made for more. The "more" the Bible reveals in this statement about Jesus Christ - our word for today from the Word of God from Colossians 1:16. "All things were created by Him and for Him."
So, I am created by Jesus, for a relationship with Jesus, just as the earth is created to revolve around the sun – its source of life. Anything less is, in reality, spiritual scavenging. It's not God's fault I've lived beneath my destiny. I, along with all my fellow humans, decided to live for me with God on the margins at best; maybe a compartment, but not my reason to live.
God had every right to let us have the life without Him that we seem to want. But He loves us too much for that. He proved it by sending His one and only Son not from "a galaxy far, far away," but from heaven to become one of us. And this takes my breath away – to die for us; absorbing on a cross all the pain, all the penalty for all our hijacking of our life from Him.
I still can't get over it. From the day I trusted this Jesus to forgive my sin and pilot my life I've been discovering the "more" I was searching for, and I want you to. If you never have, you know all that you've experienced and all the relationships and all the things you've been and done haven't filled the hole in your heart.
Well, with the love of Jesus and His grave-conquering power that He proved when He walked out of his grave, I've graduated from scavenging to being a warrior. He wants that for you; unleashing the force of His love in your family, and your work, and your personal world.
It doesn't have to be the way it's always been because of Jesus. But you take the initiative to begin that relationship with Him. He describes it as knocking on the door of your heart. I believe He is, perhaps today. And if you feel that tug in your heart, would you take an action step and say, "Jesus, I am yours from this day on."
Go to our website and make sure from what you'll find from God's Word there, you have this relationship with Him, that you have begun it. Go to ANewStory.com.
Finding Jesus. Finding your destiny. Never "settling" again.
In Romans 6:9, the apostle Paul says, "When Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end."
The resurrection of Jesus is an exploding flare announcing to all sincere seekers that it is safe to believe! Because of the resurrection, everything changes. Death changes. It used to be the end; now it is the beginning. The cemetery changes. People once went there to say good-bye but now they go to say we'll be together again. Even the coffin changes. It is no longer a box where we hide bodies, but rather a cocoon in which the body is kept until God sets it free to fly.
In John 14:3, Jesus says "I will come back and take you to be with me!" And to prove that he was serious about this promise, the stone was rolled away and his body was raised from the dead!
From When Christ Comes
Psalm 93
The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty;
the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength;
indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.
2 Your throne was established long ago;
you are from all eternity.
3 The seas have lifted up, Lord,
the seas have lifted up their voice;
the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.
4 Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea—
the Lord on high is mighty.
5 Your statutes, Lord, stand firm;
holiness adorns your house
for endless days.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, March 09, 2016
Read: Hebrews 10:19-25
A Call to Persevere
And so, dear brothers and sisters,[a] we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 By his death,[b] Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
Footnotes:
10:19 Greek brothers.
10:20 Greek Through his flesh.
INSIGHT:
The letter to the Hebrews contains images and ideas that would have been very familiar to the Jewish recipients of this epistle. The Most Holy Place (Heb. 10:19) was the holiest part of the temple in Jerusalem. The curtain (v. 20) refers to the temple veil that was torn in two when Christ died (Matt. 27:51). The great priest (Heb. 10:21) is Jesus, who succeeds in perfectly taking us to God—something that the human priesthood could not do. While this imagery would have been particularly meaningful to the Jewish readers of this letter, it also reminds us how wonderfully the Scriptures are put together. The practices of Old Testament Judaism create wonderful portraits of the person and work of Jesus.
Please Come In
By Marion Stroud
Let us draw near to God . . . with the full assurance that faith brings. Hebrews 10:22
Jenny’s house is situated on a little country lane, which is often used in rush hour by drivers who want to avoid the nearby main road and traffic lights. A few weeks ago workmen arrived to repair the badly damaged road surface, bringing with them large barriers and “No Entry” signs. “I was really worried at first,” said Jenny, “thinking that I would be unable to get my car out until the road work was finished. But then I went to look at the signs more closely and realized that they said ‘No Entry: Access for Residents Only.’ No detours or barriers for me. I had the right to go in and out whenever I liked because I lived there. I felt very special!”
In the Old Testament, access to God in the tabernacle and the temple was strictly limited. Only the high priest could go in through the curtain and offer sacrifices in the Most Holy Place, and then only once a year (Lev. 16:2-20; Heb. 9:25-26). But at the very moment Jesus died, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, showing that the barrier between man and God was destroyed forever (Mark 15:38).
Because of Christ's sacrifice, all who love and follow Him can come into His presence.
Because of Christ’s sacrifice for our sins, all those who love and follow Him can come into His presence at any time. He has given us the right of access.
Lord, thank You for paying such a price to enable me to have unrestricted entry into Your presence!
Access to God’s throne is always open.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, March 09, 2016
Turning Back or Walking with Jesus?
Do you also want to go away? —John 6:67
What a penetrating question! Our Lord’s words often hit home for us when He speaks in the simplest way. In spite of the fact that we know who Jesus is, He asks, “Do you also want to go away?” We must continually maintain an adventurous attitude toward Him, despite any potential personal risk.
“From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more” (John 6:66). They turned back from walking with Jesus; not into sin, but away from Him. Many people today are pouring their lives out and working for Jesus Christ, but are not really walking with Him. One thing God constantly requires of us is a oneness with Jesus Christ. After being set apart through sanctification, we should discipline our lives spiritually to maintain this intimate oneness. When God gives you a clear determination of His will for you, all your striving to maintain that relationship by some particular method is completely unnecessary. All that is required is to live a natural life of absolute dependence on Jesus Christ. Never try to live your life with God in any other way than His way. And His way means absolute devotion to Him. Showing no concern for the uncertainties that lie ahead is the secret of walking with Jesus.
Peter saw in Jesus only someone who could minister salvation to him and to the world. But our Lord wants us to be fellow laborers with Him.
In John 6:70 Jesus lovingly reminded Peter that he was chosen to go with Him. And each of us must answer this question for ourselves and no one else: “Do you also want to go away?”
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We are all based on a conception of importance, either our own importance, or the importance of someone else; Jesus tells us to go and teach based on the revelation of His importance. “All power is given unto Me.… Go ye therefore ….” So Send I You, 1325 R
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, March 09, 2016
Seeing Ourselves in the Star Wars Mirror - #7608
I was expecting a great story in that record-crushing "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" blockbuster. I wasn't expecting to find a mirror reflecting the lives of so many people I've known. In the story, it's Rey's story. She's a young woman on a desolate planet, surviving by scavenging parts from a space junkyard. When she's asked, "Who are you?" she just zero-sums her life this way: "I am no one" until she discovers the truth that changes her life forever.
She's made for more. She finds that she's here for something much greater than just scavenging. She's destined for greatness as a warrior for a better world. And that's the image in the mirror of so many of us who've settled for just surviving, for just doing life, one predictable, one purposeless day at a time. Not a bad life, just an insignificant, too-small life – scavenging.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Seeing Ourselves in the Star Wars Mirror."
You know, maybe that's why a light has gone on inside millions of people when they've met a man named Jesus. He said in John 10:10 in the Bible, "I have come that they may have life and have it to the full." To the full, implying that we've been settling for less than full. Maybe we've been settling for empty; for less than we were created for.
I think we know that something or someone is missing. No matter how far, or not far, we may have climbed up Mount Happiness. No friendship, no scholarship, no championship, no relationship has filled the hole in our heart. They can't, because we're made for more. The "more" the Bible reveals in this statement about Jesus Christ - our word for today from the Word of God from Colossians 1:16. "All things were created by Him and for Him."
So, I am created by Jesus, for a relationship with Jesus, just as the earth is created to revolve around the sun – its source of life. Anything less is, in reality, spiritual scavenging. It's not God's fault I've lived beneath my destiny. I, along with all my fellow humans, decided to live for me with God on the margins at best; maybe a compartment, but not my reason to live.
God had every right to let us have the life without Him that we seem to want. But He loves us too much for that. He proved it by sending His one and only Son not from "a galaxy far, far away," but from heaven to become one of us. And this takes my breath away – to die for us; absorbing on a cross all the pain, all the penalty for all our hijacking of our life from Him.
I still can't get over it. From the day I trusted this Jesus to forgive my sin and pilot my life I've been discovering the "more" I was searching for, and I want you to. If you never have, you know all that you've experienced and all the relationships and all the things you've been and done haven't filled the hole in your heart.
Well, with the love of Jesus and His grave-conquering power that He proved when He walked out of his grave, I've graduated from scavenging to being a warrior. He wants that for you; unleashing the force of His love in your family, and your work, and your personal world.
It doesn't have to be the way it's always been because of Jesus. But you take the initiative to begin that relationship with Him. He describes it as knocking on the door of your heart. I believe He is, perhaps today. And if you feel that tug in your heart, would you take an action step and say, "Jesus, I am yours from this day on."
Go to our website and make sure from what you'll find from God's Word there, you have this relationship with Him, that you have begun it. Go to ANewStory.com.
Finding Jesus. Finding your destiny. Never "settling" again.
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Psalm 89, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Alive Again
The 1989 Armenian earthquake needed only four minutes to kill thirty-thousand people! One father refused to believe his son was dead. He dug in the rubble-refusing to quit. After thirty-eight hours, he pulled back a boulder and heard his son's voice! The father called his son's name, and the voice answered him, "Dad, it's me!" Then the boy added these priceless words: "I told the other kids not to worry-if you were alive you'd save me and when you saved me, they'd be saved, too. Because you promised!"
God has made the same promise to us in 1 Corinthians 15:22-23. "Christ rose first; then when Christ comes back, all his people will become alive again."
Christ's resurrection is the keystone in the archway of the Christian faith. His death is real. His resurrection is sure! Trust him.
From When Christ Comes
Psalm 89
A maskil[b] of Ethan the Ezrahite.
I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
through all generations.
2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
3 You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,
4 ‘I will establish your line forever
and make your throne firm through all generations.’”[c]
5 The heavens praise your wonders, Lord,
your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord?
Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?
7 In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared;
he is more awesome than all who surround him.
8 Who is like you, Lord God Almighty?
You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.
9 You rule over the surging sea;
when its waves mount up, you still them.
10 You crushed Rahab like one of the slain;
with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
11 The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth;
you founded the world and all that is in it.
12 You created the north and the south;
Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.
13 Your arm is endowed with power;
your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
love and faithfulness go before you.
15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.
16 They rejoice in your name all day long;
they celebrate your righteousness.
17 For you are their glory and strength,
and by your favor you exalt our horn.[d]
18 Indeed, our shield[e] belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.
19 Once you spoke in a vision,
to your faithful people you said:
“I have bestowed strength on a warrior;
I have raised up a young man from among the people.
20 I have found David my servant;
with my sacred oil I have anointed him.
21 My hand will sustain him;
surely my arm will strengthen him.
22 The enemy will not get the better of him;
the wicked will not oppress him.
23 I will crush his foes before him
and strike down his adversaries.
24 My faithful love will be with him,
and through my name his horn[f] will be exalted.
25 I will set his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.
26 He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, the Rock my Savior.’
27 And I will appoint him to be my firstborn,
the most exalted of the kings of the earth.
28 I will maintain my love to him forever,
and my covenant with him will never fail.
29 I will establish his line forever,
his throne as long as the heavens endure.
30 “If his sons forsake my law
and do not follow my statutes,
31 if they violate my decrees
and fail to keep my commands,
32 I will punish their sin with the rod,
their iniquity with flogging;
33 but I will not take my love from him,
nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.
34 I will not violate my covenant
or alter what my lips have uttered.
35 Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness—
and I will not lie to David—
36 that his line will continue forever
and his throne endure before me like the sun;
37 it will be established forever like the moon,
the faithful witness in the sky.”
38 But you have rejected, you have spurned,
you have been very angry with your anointed one.
39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant
and have defiled his crown in the dust.
40 You have broken through all his walls
and reduced his strongholds to ruins.
41 All who pass by have plundered him;
he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
you have made all his enemies rejoice.
43 Indeed, you have turned back the edge of his sword
and have not supported him in battle.
44 You have put an end to his splendor
and cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short the days of his youth;
you have covered him with a mantle of shame.
46 How long, Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember how fleeting is my life.
For what futility you have created all humanity!
48 Who can live and not see death,
or who can escape the power of the grave?
49 Lord, where is your former great love,
which in your faithfulness you swore to David?
50 Remember, Lord, how your servant has[g] been mocked,
how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations,
51 the taunts with which your enemies, Lord, have mocked,
with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one.
52 Praise be to the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen.
Footnotes:
Psalm 89:1 In Hebrew texts 89:1-52 is numbered 89:2-53.
Psalm 89:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
Psalm 89:4 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 37, 45 and 48.
Psalm 89:17 Horn here symbolizes strong one.
Psalm 89:18 Or sovereign
Psalm 89:24 Horn here symbolizes strength.
Psalm 89:50 Or your servants have
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, March 08, 2016
Read: Psalm 36:5-12
Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the ocean depths.
You care for people and animals alike, O Lord.
7 How precious is your unfailing love, O God!
All humanity finds shelter
in the shadow of your wings.
8 You feed them from the abundance of your own house,
letting them drink from your river of delights.
9 For you are the fountain of life,
the light by which we see.
10 Pour out your unfailing love on those who love you;
give justice to those with honest hearts.
11 Don’t let the proud trample me
or the wicked push me around.
12 Look! Those who do evil have fallen!
They are thrown down, never to rise again.
INSIGHT:
David—opposed and persecuted by powerful enemies—wrote of these threats to his life in Psalms 34–36, asking and thanking God for His protection and deliverance. In Psalm 36, David contrasts the wicked and the righteous. The wicked commit evil because they have no fear of God (v. 1). David, however, chose to live differently—he chose to live a life of trust in a merciful, faithful, righteous, and just God (vv. 5-7). David affirms that God will protect and sustain the faithful.
Abundant Supply
By Keila Ochoa
You give them drink from your river of delights. Psalm 36:8
We have a hummingbird feeder in the garden, and we love to see the little birds come and drink from its sugary water. Recently, however, we went on a short trip and forgot to replenish its contents. When we came back, it was completely dry. Poor birds! I thought. Because of my forgetfulness, they haven’t had any nourishment. Then I was reminded that I am not the one who feeds them: God is.
Sometimes we may feel that all of the demands of life have depleted our strength and there is no one to replenish it. But others don’t feed our souls: God does.
In Psalm 36 we read about God’s lovingkindness. It describes those who put their trust in Him and are abundantly satisfied. God gives them water from His “river of delights” (v. 8). He is the fountain of life!
We can go to God every day for the supply of our needs. As Charles Spurgeon wrote, “The springs of my faith and all my graces; the springs of my life and all my pleasures; the springs of my activity and all its right doings; the springs of my hope, and all its heavenly anticipations, all lie in thee, my Lord.”
Let us be filled with His abundant supply. His fountain will never run dry.
Lord, I come to You with the confidence that You will fill me with what I need.
God's love is abundant.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, March 08, 2016
I have been crucified with Christ… —Galatians 2:20
To become one with Jesus Christ, a person must be willing not only to give up sin, but also to surrender his whole way of looking at things. Being born again by the Spirit of God means that we must first be willing to let go before we can grasp something else. The first thing we must surrender is all of our pretense or deceit. What our Lord wants us to present to Him is not our goodness, honesty, or our efforts to do better, but real solid sin. Actually, that is all He can take from us. And what He gives us in exchange for our sin is real solid righteousness. But we must surrender all pretense that we are anything, and give up all our claims of even being worthy of God’s consideration.
Once we have done that, the Spirit of God will show us what we need to surrender next. Along each step of this process, we will have to give up our claims to our rights to ourselves. Are we willing to surrender our grasp on all that we possess, our desires, and everything else in our lives? Are we ready to be identified with the death of Jesus Christ?
We will suffer a sharp painful disillusionment before we fully surrender. When people really see themselves as the Lord sees them, it is not the terribly offensive sins of the flesh that shock them, but the awful nature of the pride of their own hearts opposing Jesus Christ. When they see themselves in the light of the Lord, the shame, horror, and desperate conviction hit home for them.
If you are faced with the question of whether or not to surrender, make a determination to go on through the crisis, surrendering all that you have and all that you are to Him. And God will then equip you to do all that He requires of you.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The vital relationship which the Christian has to the Bible is not that he worships the letter, but that the Holy Spirit makes the words of the Bible spirit and life to him. The Psychology of Redemption, 1066 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, March 08, 2016
How to Guarantee You're Never Content
When our daughter came into our family, she had Mom and Dad all to herself. It was a wonderful life! Life was a little more complicated for our next child. He got to do what every second-born gets to do. He competed with the first born for Mom's and Dad's attention! He also had someone to measure everything by. Obviously, at every age our daughter could have a few more privileges, a little more money, a little more freedom. So when our son wanted a little different response from us on something, we would often hear sentences that began with the same few words "How come she gets to...?" - sound familiar? When in doubt, compare yourself with a brother or sister.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How to Guarantee You're Never Content."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from John 21 beginning at verse 19. Jesus had just told Peter in symbolic terms that he was going to end up giving his life for the Savior who he had just declared his love for. And then the Bible says, "Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then He said to him, 'Follow Me.' Peter turned and saw the disciple who Jesus loved was following them." By the way, that would be John. "When Peter saw him he asked, 'Lord, what about him?' Jesus answered, 'If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.'"
Can you hear Peter here, "Well what about John?" Peter was falling into the trap that always leads to frustration and discontentment. He was comparing himself with someone else. That's how discontentment starts – with comparison. It's easy to start comparing your appearance with someone else's, or your lifestyle, or your ministry, your income, your ability, or how people are treating you. So many areas in which we tend to measure how we're doing by someone else, and we guarantee ourselves we'll never be at peace and we'll never be content.
God warns us about this frustrating way of living in 2 Corinthians 10:12. Here it is: "Comparing themselves by themselves, they are not wise." It's unwise because it just causes a lot of negative results like resentment towards the brother or sister we think is getting a better deal or resentment toward God because we think He's not being fair with us.
Of course we always compare ourselves with someone whose situation looks better, right? And we almost never compare ourselves with many people whose situation makes ours look good. And comparing usually makes us feel worse about ourselves.
Now Jesus stops this comparing cancer in its tracks. He says, "What is that to you, Peter?" You have neither the right nor the information to compare His work in your life with His work in someone else's. Jesus says, "Listen, you follow Me." He's got a different plan for each life, a different timetable, a different blueprint for His glory and your good. There's a wonderful peace for those who decide to relax in God's unique plan for their life, for those who will stop this childish game of measuring their lives by someone else's. It's addictive and it's almost always depressing.
Focus on your leader. Focus on Jesus, and not the other followers, and trust that He has you on a track that's just right for you to become and to do all that He put you on earth to do. Comparing and discontentment are ultimately a huge insult to the Savior who loves you deeply and who daily leads you with His perfect wisdom. I can tell you it never made my son happy to live asking "How come she gets to...?" Comparing to a brother or sister never makes a child happy, including a child of God.
If you must compare, compare your life to your Savior's. He had no home but a hillside, no possessions but a robe, and a life totally poured out for the needs of others. Keep your eyes on this incredible Shepherd.
The 1989 Armenian earthquake needed only four minutes to kill thirty-thousand people! One father refused to believe his son was dead. He dug in the rubble-refusing to quit. After thirty-eight hours, he pulled back a boulder and heard his son's voice! The father called his son's name, and the voice answered him, "Dad, it's me!" Then the boy added these priceless words: "I told the other kids not to worry-if you were alive you'd save me and when you saved me, they'd be saved, too. Because you promised!"
God has made the same promise to us in 1 Corinthians 15:22-23. "Christ rose first; then when Christ comes back, all his people will become alive again."
Christ's resurrection is the keystone in the archway of the Christian faith. His death is real. His resurrection is sure! Trust him.
From When Christ Comes
Psalm 89
A maskil[b] of Ethan the Ezrahite.
I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
through all generations.
2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
3 You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,
4 ‘I will establish your line forever
and make your throne firm through all generations.’”[c]
5 The heavens praise your wonders, Lord,
your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord?
Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?
7 In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared;
he is more awesome than all who surround him.
8 Who is like you, Lord God Almighty?
You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.
9 You rule over the surging sea;
when its waves mount up, you still them.
10 You crushed Rahab like one of the slain;
with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
11 The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth;
you founded the world and all that is in it.
12 You created the north and the south;
Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.
13 Your arm is endowed with power;
your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
love and faithfulness go before you.
15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.
16 They rejoice in your name all day long;
they celebrate your righteousness.
17 For you are their glory and strength,
and by your favor you exalt our horn.[d]
18 Indeed, our shield[e] belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.
19 Once you spoke in a vision,
to your faithful people you said:
“I have bestowed strength on a warrior;
I have raised up a young man from among the people.
20 I have found David my servant;
with my sacred oil I have anointed him.
21 My hand will sustain him;
surely my arm will strengthen him.
22 The enemy will not get the better of him;
the wicked will not oppress him.
23 I will crush his foes before him
and strike down his adversaries.
24 My faithful love will be with him,
and through my name his horn[f] will be exalted.
25 I will set his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.
26 He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, the Rock my Savior.’
27 And I will appoint him to be my firstborn,
the most exalted of the kings of the earth.
28 I will maintain my love to him forever,
and my covenant with him will never fail.
29 I will establish his line forever,
his throne as long as the heavens endure.
30 “If his sons forsake my law
and do not follow my statutes,
31 if they violate my decrees
and fail to keep my commands,
32 I will punish their sin with the rod,
their iniquity with flogging;
33 but I will not take my love from him,
nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.
34 I will not violate my covenant
or alter what my lips have uttered.
35 Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness—
and I will not lie to David—
36 that his line will continue forever
and his throne endure before me like the sun;
37 it will be established forever like the moon,
the faithful witness in the sky.”
38 But you have rejected, you have spurned,
you have been very angry with your anointed one.
39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant
and have defiled his crown in the dust.
40 You have broken through all his walls
and reduced his strongholds to ruins.
41 All who pass by have plundered him;
he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
you have made all his enemies rejoice.
43 Indeed, you have turned back the edge of his sword
and have not supported him in battle.
44 You have put an end to his splendor
and cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short the days of his youth;
you have covered him with a mantle of shame.
46 How long, Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember how fleeting is my life.
For what futility you have created all humanity!
48 Who can live and not see death,
or who can escape the power of the grave?
49 Lord, where is your former great love,
which in your faithfulness you swore to David?
50 Remember, Lord, how your servant has[g] been mocked,
how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations,
51 the taunts with which your enemies, Lord, have mocked,
with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one.
52 Praise be to the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen.
Footnotes:
Psalm 89:1 In Hebrew texts 89:1-52 is numbered 89:2-53.
Psalm 89:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
Psalm 89:4 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 37, 45 and 48.
Psalm 89:17 Horn here symbolizes strong one.
Psalm 89:18 Or sovereign
Psalm 89:24 Horn here symbolizes strength.
Psalm 89:50 Or your servants have
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, March 08, 2016
Read: Psalm 36:5-12
Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the ocean depths.
You care for people and animals alike, O Lord.
7 How precious is your unfailing love, O God!
All humanity finds shelter
in the shadow of your wings.
8 You feed them from the abundance of your own house,
letting them drink from your river of delights.
9 For you are the fountain of life,
the light by which we see.
10 Pour out your unfailing love on those who love you;
give justice to those with honest hearts.
11 Don’t let the proud trample me
or the wicked push me around.
12 Look! Those who do evil have fallen!
They are thrown down, never to rise again.
INSIGHT:
David—opposed and persecuted by powerful enemies—wrote of these threats to his life in Psalms 34–36, asking and thanking God for His protection and deliverance. In Psalm 36, David contrasts the wicked and the righteous. The wicked commit evil because they have no fear of God (v. 1). David, however, chose to live differently—he chose to live a life of trust in a merciful, faithful, righteous, and just God (vv. 5-7). David affirms that God will protect and sustain the faithful.
Abundant Supply
By Keila Ochoa
You give them drink from your river of delights. Psalm 36:8
We have a hummingbird feeder in the garden, and we love to see the little birds come and drink from its sugary water. Recently, however, we went on a short trip and forgot to replenish its contents. When we came back, it was completely dry. Poor birds! I thought. Because of my forgetfulness, they haven’t had any nourishment. Then I was reminded that I am not the one who feeds them: God is.
Sometimes we may feel that all of the demands of life have depleted our strength and there is no one to replenish it. But others don’t feed our souls: God does.
In Psalm 36 we read about God’s lovingkindness. It describes those who put their trust in Him and are abundantly satisfied. God gives them water from His “river of delights” (v. 8). He is the fountain of life!
We can go to God every day for the supply of our needs. As Charles Spurgeon wrote, “The springs of my faith and all my graces; the springs of my life and all my pleasures; the springs of my activity and all its right doings; the springs of my hope, and all its heavenly anticipations, all lie in thee, my Lord.”
Let us be filled with His abundant supply. His fountain will never run dry.
Lord, I come to You with the confidence that You will fill me with what I need.
God's love is abundant.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, March 08, 2016
I have been crucified with Christ… —Galatians 2:20
To become one with Jesus Christ, a person must be willing not only to give up sin, but also to surrender his whole way of looking at things. Being born again by the Spirit of God means that we must first be willing to let go before we can grasp something else. The first thing we must surrender is all of our pretense or deceit. What our Lord wants us to present to Him is not our goodness, honesty, or our efforts to do better, but real solid sin. Actually, that is all He can take from us. And what He gives us in exchange for our sin is real solid righteousness. But we must surrender all pretense that we are anything, and give up all our claims of even being worthy of God’s consideration.
Once we have done that, the Spirit of God will show us what we need to surrender next. Along each step of this process, we will have to give up our claims to our rights to ourselves. Are we willing to surrender our grasp on all that we possess, our desires, and everything else in our lives? Are we ready to be identified with the death of Jesus Christ?
We will suffer a sharp painful disillusionment before we fully surrender. When people really see themselves as the Lord sees them, it is not the terribly offensive sins of the flesh that shock them, but the awful nature of the pride of their own hearts opposing Jesus Christ. When they see themselves in the light of the Lord, the shame, horror, and desperate conviction hit home for them.
If you are faced with the question of whether or not to surrender, make a determination to go on through the crisis, surrendering all that you have and all that you are to Him. And God will then equip you to do all that He requires of you.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The vital relationship which the Christian has to the Bible is not that he worships the letter, but that the Holy Spirit makes the words of the Bible spirit and life to him. The Psychology of Redemption, 1066 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, March 08, 2016
How to Guarantee You're Never Content
When our daughter came into our family, she had Mom and Dad all to herself. It was a wonderful life! Life was a little more complicated for our next child. He got to do what every second-born gets to do. He competed with the first born for Mom's and Dad's attention! He also had someone to measure everything by. Obviously, at every age our daughter could have a few more privileges, a little more money, a little more freedom. So when our son wanted a little different response from us on something, we would often hear sentences that began with the same few words "How come she gets to...?" - sound familiar? When in doubt, compare yourself with a brother or sister.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How to Guarantee You're Never Content."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from John 21 beginning at verse 19. Jesus had just told Peter in symbolic terms that he was going to end up giving his life for the Savior who he had just declared his love for. And then the Bible says, "Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then He said to him, 'Follow Me.' Peter turned and saw the disciple who Jesus loved was following them." By the way, that would be John. "When Peter saw him he asked, 'Lord, what about him?' Jesus answered, 'If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.'"
Can you hear Peter here, "Well what about John?" Peter was falling into the trap that always leads to frustration and discontentment. He was comparing himself with someone else. That's how discontentment starts – with comparison. It's easy to start comparing your appearance with someone else's, or your lifestyle, or your ministry, your income, your ability, or how people are treating you. So many areas in which we tend to measure how we're doing by someone else, and we guarantee ourselves we'll never be at peace and we'll never be content.
God warns us about this frustrating way of living in 2 Corinthians 10:12. Here it is: "Comparing themselves by themselves, they are not wise." It's unwise because it just causes a lot of negative results like resentment towards the brother or sister we think is getting a better deal or resentment toward God because we think He's not being fair with us.
Of course we always compare ourselves with someone whose situation looks better, right? And we almost never compare ourselves with many people whose situation makes ours look good. And comparing usually makes us feel worse about ourselves.
Now Jesus stops this comparing cancer in its tracks. He says, "What is that to you, Peter?" You have neither the right nor the information to compare His work in your life with His work in someone else's. Jesus says, "Listen, you follow Me." He's got a different plan for each life, a different timetable, a different blueprint for His glory and your good. There's a wonderful peace for those who decide to relax in God's unique plan for their life, for those who will stop this childish game of measuring their lives by someone else's. It's addictive and it's almost always depressing.
Focus on your leader. Focus on Jesus, and not the other followers, and trust that He has you on a track that's just right for you to become and to do all that He put you on earth to do. Comparing and discontentment are ultimately a huge insult to the Savior who loves you deeply and who daily leads you with His perfect wisdom. I can tell you it never made my son happy to live asking "How come she gets to...?" Comparing to a brother or sister never makes a child happy, including a child of God.
If you must compare, compare your life to your Savior's. He had no home but a hillside, no possessions but a robe, and a life totally poured out for the needs of others. Keep your eyes on this incredible Shepherd.
Monday, March 7, 2016
Psalm 92, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: On Tiptoe Watching
Funny how Scripture remembers different people.
Abraham is remembered trusting; John loving; Paul's place is carved out by his writing. But Simeon was the man… looking! Eight days after the birth of Jesus, Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to the temple. And Luke 2:27 contains this curious statement: "Prompted by the Spirit he (Simeon) came to the Temple." The previous verse 26 tells us "The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen him-God's anointed King."
Simeon was a man on tiptoe, wide-eyed and waiting for the one who would come to save Israel. Haven't we, like Simeon, been told of the coming Christ? Aren't we, like Simeon, prompted by the Spirit? Are we not longing to see the same face?
Simeon reminds us to wait patiently, vigilant, always ready!
From When Christ Comes
Psalm 92
A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day.
It is good to praise the Lord
and make music to your name, O Most High,
2 proclaiming your love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night,
3 to the music of the ten-stringed lyre
and the melody of the harp.
4 For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord;
I sing for joy at what your hands have done.
5 How great are your works, Lord,
how profound your thoughts!
6 Senseless people do not know,
fools do not understand,
7 that though the wicked spring up like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they will be destroyed forever.
8 But you, Lord, are forever exalted.
9 For surely your enemies, Lord,
surely your enemies will perish;
all evildoers will be scattered.
10 You have exalted my horn[b] like that of a wild ox;
fine oils have been poured on me.
11 My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries;
my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.
12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
13 planted in the house of the Lord,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
15 proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”
Footnotes:
Psalm 92:1 In Hebrew texts 92:1-15 is numbered 92:2-16.
Psalm 92:10 Horn here symbolizes strength.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, March 07, 2016
Read: Ezra 5:6-17
Tattenai’s Letter to King Darius
This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai the governor, Shethar-bozenai, and the other officials of the province west of the Euphrates River sent to King Darius:
7 “To King Darius. Greetings.
8 “The king should know that we went to the construction site of the Temple of the great God in the province of Judah. It is being rebuilt with specially prepared stones, and timber is being laid in its walls. The work is going forward with great energy and success.
9 “We asked the leaders, ‘Who gave you permission to rebuild this Temple and restore this structure?’ 10 And we demanded their names so that we could tell you who the leaders were.
11 “This was their answer: ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the Temple that was built here many years ago by a great king of Israel. 12 But because our ancestors angered the God of heaven, he abandoned them to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon,[a] who destroyed this Temple and exiled the people to Babylonia. 13 However, King Cyrus of Babylon,[b] during the first year of his reign, issued a decree that the Temple of God should be rebuilt. 14 King Cyrus returned the gold and silver cups that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple of God in Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of Babylon. These cups were taken from that temple and presented to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom King Cyrus appointed as governor of Judah. 15 The king instructed him to return the cups to their place in Jerusalem and to rebuild the Temple of God there on its original site. 16 So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the Temple of God in Jerusalem. The people have been working on it ever since, though it is not yet completed.’
17 “Therefore, if it pleases the king, we request that a search be made in the royal archives of Babylon to discover whether King Cyrus ever issued a decree to rebuild God’s Temple in Jerusalem. And then let the king send us his decision in this matter.”
Footnotes:
5:12 Aramaic Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean.
5:13 King Cyrus of Persia is here identified as the king of Babylon because Persia had conquered the Babylonian Empire.
With Respect
By Dave Branon
If it pleases the king, let a search be made in the royal archives of Babylon to see if King Cyrus . . . issue[d] a decree. Ezra 5:17
The citizens of Israel were having some trouble with the government. It was the late 500s bc, and the Jewish people were eager to complete their temple that had been destroyed in 586 bc by Babylon. However, the governor of their region was not sure they should be doing that, so he sent a note to King Darius (Ezra 5:6-17).
In the letter, the governor says he found the Jews working on the temple and asks the king if they had permission to do so. The letter also records the Jews’ respectful response that they had indeed been given permission by an earlier king (Cyrus) to rebuild. When the king checked out their story, he found it to be true: King Cyrus had said they could build the temple. So Darius not only gave them permission to rebuild, but he also paid for it! (see 6:1-12). After the Jews finished building the temple, they “celebrated with joy” because they knew God had “[changed] the attitude of the king” (6:22).
God is in control of every situation.
When we see a situation that needs to be addressed, we honor God when we plead our case in a respectful way, trust that He is in control of every situation, and express gratitude for the outcome.
Lord, help us to respond respectfully to situations around us. We need Your wisdom for this. May we always honor, trust, and praise You.
Respect for authority brings glory to God.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, March 07, 2016
The Source of Abundant Joy
In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. —Romans 8:37
Paul was speaking here of the things that might seem likely to separate a saint from the love of God. But the remarkable thing is that nothing can come between the love of God and a saint. The things Paul mentioned in this passage can and do disrupt the close fellowship of our soul with God and separate our natural life from Him. But none of them is able to come between the love of God and the soul of a saint on the spiritual level. The underlying foundation of the Christian faith is the undeserved, limitless miracle of the love of God that was exhibited on the Cross of Calvary; a love that is not earned and can never be. Paul said this is the reason that “in all these things we are more than conquerors.” We are super-victors with a joy that comes from experiencing the very things which look as if they are going to overwhelm us.
Huge waves that would frighten an ordinary swimmer produce a tremendous thrill for the surfer who has ridden them. Let’s apply that to our own circumstances. The things we try to avoid and fight against— tribulation, suffering, and persecution— are the very things that produce abundant joy in us. “We are more than conquerors through Him” “in all these things”; not in spite of them, but in the midst of them. A saint doesn’t know the joy of the Lord in spite of tribulation, but because of it. Paul said, “I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation” (2 Corinthians 7:4).
The undiminished radiance, which is the result of abundant joy, is not built on anything passing, but on the love of God that nothing can change. And the experiences of life, whether they are everyday events or terrifying ones, are powerless to “separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The great word of Jesus to His disciples is Abandon. When God has brought us into the relationship of disciples, we have to venture on His word; trust entirely to Him and watch that when He brings us to the venture, we take it.
Studies in the Sermon on the Mount
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, March 07, 2016
Love Even When You Lose - #7606
When it comes to the Olympics, it seems as if there are always certain athletes that give the Games this personal touch for us. Let's go back to the 1994 Winter Olympics. I remember we all wanted to see the women's skating showdown between Nancy Kerrigan and Tanya Harding. In 1998, it was two teenagers named Michelle and Tara. Michelle Kwan was heavily favored to leave Japan and the Olympics with that gold medal; 15-year old Tara Lipinski was expected to bring home the silver maybe.
But in a stunning performance, and an Olympic upset, young Tara Lipinski captured the gold. Michelle Kwan, who had skated an almost flawless program, was disappointed but she was gracious. She won a silver medal that so many would love to win, but you know it still had to hurt. Some of that hurt slipped out as she sent a message to her family, and TV carried it around the world. She said, "I love you, Mom and Dad, and Karen and Jimmy. I hope you still love me." Ouch!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Love Even When You Lose."
"I hope you still love me." That's not just a feeling a disappointed Olympian has felt. Many of us have had those moments when we have wondered, "Can you love me like this? I mean, the way I've failed you or hurt you? I'm not very lovable right now."
It's just a fact that a lot of love in our lives is "performance love". People will love us if we perform. Athletes know you're only as good as this week's game. Sales people know a company and co-workers base your worth on this month's sales. Did you get the grades? Did you get the win? But who loves you when you lose? When you're not as young and attractive anymore? Who loves you when you've blown it? When you can't do the things that have always brought you approval? You may know all too well the sting of love that used to be there for you. The love that was supposed to always be there, but it's gone.
Conditional love. There are lots of people who are willing to say, "I love you if..." What your heart cries for, though, is someone who will just say, "I love you. There is nothing you can do to make me love you more. There is nothing you can do to make me love you less. I have made my choice. I love you. That will never change."
Maybe you think that kind of "never-leave-you" love is impossible. Well, there really is a love you cannot lose, because it's a love you cannot earn. The undeniable proof of that love is described in our word for today from the Word of God in Romans 5:8. "God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." In other words, God loved us enough to sacrifice His only Son for us even though we were doing the things God hates.
Maybe you've tried to earn God's love by being a good person, a religious person, a Christian person. But God says clearly that the way to begin a relationship with Him is "not by works" (Ephesians 2:9). It's by His "grace", the Bible says, which means undeserved love. All your goodness cannot erase a lifetime of sinning. Sin puts us on eternity's Death Row. But even with all our "sin-garbage" – totally unlovable spiritually – God sent His Son to die for us; to die for you. If He didn't turn His back on you when His Son was hanging on that cross for you, He will never turn His back on you.
Once you put your total trust in Jesus to be your Rescuer from your sin, you have His unloseable love. And on your very worst days, you can ask God, "Do You love me like this?" and He will always answer, "Yes." This is the love your heart has been aching for all these years. He's within your reach right now. Just tell Jesus you're giving your life to Him.
I'd love to help you know how for sure you belong to Him if you would just go to our website. That's literally why we have it is so you can know that you belong to Him. It's ANewStory.com. I hope you'll go there as soon as you can today.
Imagine, never unloved again, never another day alone. Not because you deserve it. You can't, but because Jesus died to remove what could ever take you out of God's love. He made His move on the cross, and now it's your move.
Funny how Scripture remembers different people.
Abraham is remembered trusting; John loving; Paul's place is carved out by his writing. But Simeon was the man… looking! Eight days after the birth of Jesus, Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to the temple. And Luke 2:27 contains this curious statement: "Prompted by the Spirit he (Simeon) came to the Temple." The previous verse 26 tells us "The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen him-God's anointed King."
Simeon was a man on tiptoe, wide-eyed and waiting for the one who would come to save Israel. Haven't we, like Simeon, been told of the coming Christ? Aren't we, like Simeon, prompted by the Spirit? Are we not longing to see the same face?
Simeon reminds us to wait patiently, vigilant, always ready!
From When Christ Comes
Psalm 92
A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day.
It is good to praise the Lord
and make music to your name, O Most High,
2 proclaiming your love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night,
3 to the music of the ten-stringed lyre
and the melody of the harp.
4 For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord;
I sing for joy at what your hands have done.
5 How great are your works, Lord,
how profound your thoughts!
6 Senseless people do not know,
fools do not understand,
7 that though the wicked spring up like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they will be destroyed forever.
8 But you, Lord, are forever exalted.
9 For surely your enemies, Lord,
surely your enemies will perish;
all evildoers will be scattered.
10 You have exalted my horn[b] like that of a wild ox;
fine oils have been poured on me.
11 My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries;
my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.
12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
13 planted in the house of the Lord,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
15 proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”
Footnotes:
Psalm 92:1 In Hebrew texts 92:1-15 is numbered 92:2-16.
Psalm 92:10 Horn here symbolizes strength.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, March 07, 2016
Read: Ezra 5:6-17
Tattenai’s Letter to King Darius
This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai the governor, Shethar-bozenai, and the other officials of the province west of the Euphrates River sent to King Darius:
7 “To King Darius. Greetings.
8 “The king should know that we went to the construction site of the Temple of the great God in the province of Judah. It is being rebuilt with specially prepared stones, and timber is being laid in its walls. The work is going forward with great energy and success.
9 “We asked the leaders, ‘Who gave you permission to rebuild this Temple and restore this structure?’ 10 And we demanded their names so that we could tell you who the leaders were.
11 “This was their answer: ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the Temple that was built here many years ago by a great king of Israel. 12 But because our ancestors angered the God of heaven, he abandoned them to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon,[a] who destroyed this Temple and exiled the people to Babylonia. 13 However, King Cyrus of Babylon,[b] during the first year of his reign, issued a decree that the Temple of God should be rebuilt. 14 King Cyrus returned the gold and silver cups that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple of God in Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of Babylon. These cups were taken from that temple and presented to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom King Cyrus appointed as governor of Judah. 15 The king instructed him to return the cups to their place in Jerusalem and to rebuild the Temple of God there on its original site. 16 So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the Temple of God in Jerusalem. The people have been working on it ever since, though it is not yet completed.’
17 “Therefore, if it pleases the king, we request that a search be made in the royal archives of Babylon to discover whether King Cyrus ever issued a decree to rebuild God’s Temple in Jerusalem. And then let the king send us his decision in this matter.”
Footnotes:
5:12 Aramaic Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean.
5:13 King Cyrus of Persia is here identified as the king of Babylon because Persia had conquered the Babylonian Empire.
With Respect
By Dave Branon
If it pleases the king, let a search be made in the royal archives of Babylon to see if King Cyrus . . . issue[d] a decree. Ezra 5:17
The citizens of Israel were having some trouble with the government. It was the late 500s bc, and the Jewish people were eager to complete their temple that had been destroyed in 586 bc by Babylon. However, the governor of their region was not sure they should be doing that, so he sent a note to King Darius (Ezra 5:6-17).
In the letter, the governor says he found the Jews working on the temple and asks the king if they had permission to do so. The letter also records the Jews’ respectful response that they had indeed been given permission by an earlier king (Cyrus) to rebuild. When the king checked out their story, he found it to be true: King Cyrus had said they could build the temple. So Darius not only gave them permission to rebuild, but he also paid for it! (see 6:1-12). After the Jews finished building the temple, they “celebrated with joy” because they knew God had “[changed] the attitude of the king” (6:22).
God is in control of every situation.
When we see a situation that needs to be addressed, we honor God when we plead our case in a respectful way, trust that He is in control of every situation, and express gratitude for the outcome.
Lord, help us to respond respectfully to situations around us. We need Your wisdom for this. May we always honor, trust, and praise You.
Respect for authority brings glory to God.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, March 07, 2016
The Source of Abundant Joy
In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. —Romans 8:37
Paul was speaking here of the things that might seem likely to separate a saint from the love of God. But the remarkable thing is that nothing can come between the love of God and a saint. The things Paul mentioned in this passage can and do disrupt the close fellowship of our soul with God and separate our natural life from Him. But none of them is able to come between the love of God and the soul of a saint on the spiritual level. The underlying foundation of the Christian faith is the undeserved, limitless miracle of the love of God that was exhibited on the Cross of Calvary; a love that is not earned and can never be. Paul said this is the reason that “in all these things we are more than conquerors.” We are super-victors with a joy that comes from experiencing the very things which look as if they are going to overwhelm us.
Huge waves that would frighten an ordinary swimmer produce a tremendous thrill for the surfer who has ridden them. Let’s apply that to our own circumstances. The things we try to avoid and fight against— tribulation, suffering, and persecution— are the very things that produce abundant joy in us. “We are more than conquerors through Him” “in all these things”; not in spite of them, but in the midst of them. A saint doesn’t know the joy of the Lord in spite of tribulation, but because of it. Paul said, “I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation” (2 Corinthians 7:4).
The undiminished radiance, which is the result of abundant joy, is not built on anything passing, but on the love of God that nothing can change. And the experiences of life, whether they are everyday events or terrifying ones, are powerless to “separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The great word of Jesus to His disciples is Abandon. When God has brought us into the relationship of disciples, we have to venture on His word; trust entirely to Him and watch that when He brings us to the venture, we take it.
Studies in the Sermon on the Mount
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, March 07, 2016
Love Even When You Lose - #7606
When it comes to the Olympics, it seems as if there are always certain athletes that give the Games this personal touch for us. Let's go back to the 1994 Winter Olympics. I remember we all wanted to see the women's skating showdown between Nancy Kerrigan and Tanya Harding. In 1998, it was two teenagers named Michelle and Tara. Michelle Kwan was heavily favored to leave Japan and the Olympics with that gold medal; 15-year old Tara Lipinski was expected to bring home the silver maybe.
But in a stunning performance, and an Olympic upset, young Tara Lipinski captured the gold. Michelle Kwan, who had skated an almost flawless program, was disappointed but she was gracious. She won a silver medal that so many would love to win, but you know it still had to hurt. Some of that hurt slipped out as she sent a message to her family, and TV carried it around the world. She said, "I love you, Mom and Dad, and Karen and Jimmy. I hope you still love me." Ouch!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Love Even When You Lose."
"I hope you still love me." That's not just a feeling a disappointed Olympian has felt. Many of us have had those moments when we have wondered, "Can you love me like this? I mean, the way I've failed you or hurt you? I'm not very lovable right now."
It's just a fact that a lot of love in our lives is "performance love". People will love us if we perform. Athletes know you're only as good as this week's game. Sales people know a company and co-workers base your worth on this month's sales. Did you get the grades? Did you get the win? But who loves you when you lose? When you're not as young and attractive anymore? Who loves you when you've blown it? When you can't do the things that have always brought you approval? You may know all too well the sting of love that used to be there for you. The love that was supposed to always be there, but it's gone.
Conditional love. There are lots of people who are willing to say, "I love you if..." What your heart cries for, though, is someone who will just say, "I love you. There is nothing you can do to make me love you more. There is nothing you can do to make me love you less. I have made my choice. I love you. That will never change."
Maybe you think that kind of "never-leave-you" love is impossible. Well, there really is a love you cannot lose, because it's a love you cannot earn. The undeniable proof of that love is described in our word for today from the Word of God in Romans 5:8. "God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." In other words, God loved us enough to sacrifice His only Son for us even though we were doing the things God hates.
Maybe you've tried to earn God's love by being a good person, a religious person, a Christian person. But God says clearly that the way to begin a relationship with Him is "not by works" (Ephesians 2:9). It's by His "grace", the Bible says, which means undeserved love. All your goodness cannot erase a lifetime of sinning. Sin puts us on eternity's Death Row. But even with all our "sin-garbage" – totally unlovable spiritually – God sent His Son to die for us; to die for you. If He didn't turn His back on you when His Son was hanging on that cross for you, He will never turn His back on you.
Once you put your total trust in Jesus to be your Rescuer from your sin, you have His unloseable love. And on your very worst days, you can ask God, "Do You love me like this?" and He will always answer, "Yes." This is the love your heart has been aching for all these years. He's within your reach right now. Just tell Jesus you're giving your life to Him.
I'd love to help you know how for sure you belong to Him if you would just go to our website. That's literally why we have it is so you can know that you belong to Him. It's ANewStory.com. I hope you'll go there as soon as you can today.
Imagine, never unloved again, never another day alone. Not because you deserve it. You can't, but because Jesus died to remove what could ever take you out of God's love. He made His move on the cross, and now it's your move.
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Philippians 3 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Why Did He Do It?
Why did Jesus live on the earth as long as He did? To take on our sins is one thing; to experience death, yes, but to put up with long roads and long days? Why did He do it? Because He wants you to trust Him. Even His final act on earth was intended to win your trust.
Mark 15:22.says, "They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha where they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified Him." Why? Why did He endure all this suffering-all these feelings? Because He knew you'd be weary, disturbed, and angry. He knew you'd be grief-stricken, and hungry, that you'd face pain.
A pauper knows better than to beg from another pauper. He knows he needs someone who's stronger than he is. Jesus' message from the Cross is this: I am that Person. Trust Me.
From He Chose the Nails
Philippians 3
No Confidence in the Flesh
Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence.
If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Following Paul’s Example
15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
17 Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. 18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
Footnotes:
Philippians 3:9 Or through the faithfulness of
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Sunday, March 06, 2016
Read: Colossians 3:12-17
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. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
INSIGHT:
The book of Colossians has a strong emphasis on the person and work of Christ. In his letter to the church in Colossae, Paul takes the time to celebrate who Christ is (see 1:15–20) and to encourage the believers there to imitate Him. Paul admonishes the Colossians not only to speak encouragement to one another, but also to encourage each other with music (3:16). In the early church, singing wasn’t just a celebration; it was a way to teach and learn theology. In fact, Colossians 1:15–20 is widely considered to be an ancient hymn.
The Power of God’s Music
By David McCasland
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly . . . with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Colossians 3:16
The Sound of Music, one of the most successful musical films ever produced, was released as a motion picture in 1965. It won many accolades, including five Academy Awards, as it captured the hearts and voices of people around the world. More than half a century later, people still attend special showings of the film where viewers come dressed as their favorite character and sing along during the performance.
Music is deeply rooted in our souls. And for followers of Jesus, it is a powerful means of encouraging each other along the journey of faith. Paul urged the believers in Colossae, “Let Christ’s teaching live in your hearts, making you rich in the true wisdom. Teach and help one another along the right road with your psalms and hymns and Christian songs, singing God’s praises with joyful hearts” (Col. 3:16 Phillips).
Singing together to the Lord embeds the message of His love in our minds and souls. It is a powerful ministry of teaching and encouragement that we share together. Whether our hearts cry out, “Create in me a pure heart, O God” (Ps. 51:10), or joyfully shout, “And he will reign forever and ever” (Rev. 11:15), the power of music that exalts God lifts our spirits and grants us peace.
Let us sing to the Lord today.
Thank You, Lord, for Your gift of music. We sing Your praise together and learn more of Your love and power.
What is your favorite hymn or worship song? Share yours on our Facebook page.
Music washes from the soul the dust of everyday life.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, March 06, 2016
Taking the Next Step
…in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses. —2 Corinthians 6:4
When you have no vision from God, no enthusiasm left in your life, and no one watching and encouraging you, it requires the grace of Almighty God to take the next step in your devotion to Him, in the reading and studying of His Word, in your family life, or in your duty to Him. It takes much more of the grace of God, and a much greater awareness of drawing upon Him, to take that next step, than it does to preach the gospel.
Every Christian must experience the essence of the incarnation by bringing the next step down into flesh-and-blood reality and by working it out with his hands. We lose interest and give up when we have no vision, no encouragement, and no improvement, but only experience our everyday life with its trivial tasks. The thing that really testifies for God and for the people of God in the long run is steady perseverance, even when the work cannot be seen by others. And the only way to live an undefeated life is to live looking to God. Ask God to keep the eyes of your spirit open to the risen Christ, and it will be impossible for drudgery to discourage you. Never allow yourself to think that some tasks are beneath your dignity or too insignificant for you to do, and remind yourself of the example of Christ inJohn 13:1-17.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We are apt to think that everything that happens to us is to be turned into useful teaching; it is to be turned into something better than teaching, viz. into character. We shall find that the spheres God brings us into are not meant to teach us something but to make us something. The Love of God—The Ministry of the Unnoticed, 664 L
Why did Jesus live on the earth as long as He did? To take on our sins is one thing; to experience death, yes, but to put up with long roads and long days? Why did He do it? Because He wants you to trust Him. Even His final act on earth was intended to win your trust.
Mark 15:22.says, "They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha where they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified Him." Why? Why did He endure all this suffering-all these feelings? Because He knew you'd be weary, disturbed, and angry. He knew you'd be grief-stricken, and hungry, that you'd face pain.
A pauper knows better than to beg from another pauper. He knows he needs someone who's stronger than he is. Jesus' message from the Cross is this: I am that Person. Trust Me.
From He Chose the Nails
Philippians 3
No Confidence in the Flesh
Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence.
If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Following Paul’s Example
15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
17 Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. 18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
Footnotes:
Philippians 3:9 Or through the faithfulness of
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Sunday, March 06, 2016
Read: Colossians 3:12-17
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. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
INSIGHT:
The book of Colossians has a strong emphasis on the person and work of Christ. In his letter to the church in Colossae, Paul takes the time to celebrate who Christ is (see 1:15–20) and to encourage the believers there to imitate Him. Paul admonishes the Colossians not only to speak encouragement to one another, but also to encourage each other with music (3:16). In the early church, singing wasn’t just a celebration; it was a way to teach and learn theology. In fact, Colossians 1:15–20 is widely considered to be an ancient hymn.
The Power of God’s Music
By David McCasland
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly . . . with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Colossians 3:16
The Sound of Music, one of the most successful musical films ever produced, was released as a motion picture in 1965. It won many accolades, including five Academy Awards, as it captured the hearts and voices of people around the world. More than half a century later, people still attend special showings of the film where viewers come dressed as their favorite character and sing along during the performance.
Music is deeply rooted in our souls. And for followers of Jesus, it is a powerful means of encouraging each other along the journey of faith. Paul urged the believers in Colossae, “Let Christ’s teaching live in your hearts, making you rich in the true wisdom. Teach and help one another along the right road with your psalms and hymns and Christian songs, singing God’s praises with joyful hearts” (Col. 3:16 Phillips).
Singing together to the Lord embeds the message of His love in our minds and souls. It is a powerful ministry of teaching and encouragement that we share together. Whether our hearts cry out, “Create in me a pure heart, O God” (Ps. 51:10), or joyfully shout, “And he will reign forever and ever” (Rev. 11:15), the power of music that exalts God lifts our spirits and grants us peace.
Let us sing to the Lord today.
Thank You, Lord, for Your gift of music. We sing Your praise together and learn more of Your love and power.
What is your favorite hymn or worship song? Share yours on our Facebook page.
Music washes from the soul the dust of everyday life.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, March 06, 2016
Taking the Next Step
…in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses. —2 Corinthians 6:4
When you have no vision from God, no enthusiasm left in your life, and no one watching and encouraging you, it requires the grace of Almighty God to take the next step in your devotion to Him, in the reading and studying of His Word, in your family life, or in your duty to Him. It takes much more of the grace of God, and a much greater awareness of drawing upon Him, to take that next step, than it does to preach the gospel.
Every Christian must experience the essence of the incarnation by bringing the next step down into flesh-and-blood reality and by working it out with his hands. We lose interest and give up when we have no vision, no encouragement, and no improvement, but only experience our everyday life with its trivial tasks. The thing that really testifies for God and for the people of God in the long run is steady perseverance, even when the work cannot be seen by others. And the only way to live an undefeated life is to live looking to God. Ask God to keep the eyes of your spirit open to the risen Christ, and it will be impossible for drudgery to discourage you. Never allow yourself to think that some tasks are beneath your dignity or too insignificant for you to do, and remind yourself of the example of Christ inJohn 13:1-17.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We are apt to think that everything that happens to us is to be turned into useful teaching; it is to be turned into something better than teaching, viz. into character. We shall find that the spheres God brings us into are not meant to teach us something but to make us something. The Love of God—The Ministry of the Unnoticed, 664 L
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Philippians 2 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Jesus' Seamless Perfection
Scripture often describes our behavior as the clothes we wear. In 1 Peter 5:5, Peter urges us to be "clothed with humility." David speaks of evil people who clothe themselves "with cursing." Garments can symbolize character, and like His garment, Jesus' character was seamless. The character of Jesus was a seamless fabric woven from heaven to earth-from God's thoughts to Jesus' actions. From God's tears to Jesus' compassion. From God's word to Jesus' response. All one piece. A picture of the character of Jesus.
But when Christ was nailed to the cross, He took off His robe of seamless perfection and assumed a different wardrobe. He wore our sin so we could wear His righteousness.
From He Chose the Nails
Philippians 2
Imitating Christ’s Humility
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Do Everything Without Grumbling
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”[c] Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. 17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.
Timothy and Epaphroditus
19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. 20 I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. 21 For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. 23 I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. 24 And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.
25 But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. 26 For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. 28 Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. 29 So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him, 30 because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me.
Footnotes:
Philippians 2:6 Or in the form of
Philippians 2:7 Or the form
Philippians 2:15 Deut. 32:5
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Saturday, March 05, 2016
Read: 2 Kings 19:9-20
Soon afterward King Sennacherib received word that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia[a] was leading an army to fight against him. Before leaving to meet the attack, he sent messengers back to Hezekiah in Jerusalem with this message:
10 “This message is for King Hezekiah of Judah. Don’t let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you with promises that Jerusalem will not be captured by the king of Assyria. 11 You know perfectly well what the kings of Assyria have done wherever they have gone. They have completely destroyed everyone who stood in their way! Why should you be any different? 12 Have the gods of other nations rescued them—such nations as Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Tel-assar? My predecessors destroyed them all! 13 What happened to the king of Hamath and the king of Arpad? What happened to the kings of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?”
14 After Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the Lord’s Temple and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the Lord: “O Lord, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth. 16 Bend down, O Lord, and listen! Open your eyes, O Lord, and see! Listen to Sennacherib’s words of defiance against the living God.
17 “It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations. 18 And they have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. But of course the Assyrians could destroy them! They were not gods at all—only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands. 19 Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone, O Lord, are God.”
Isaiah Predicts Judah’s Deliverance
20 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer about King Sennacherib of Assyria.
Footnotes:
19:9 Hebrew of Cush.
INSIGHT:
It is interesting that the account of King Sennacherib’s siege of Jerusalem and Hezekiah’s refusal to submit to him (2 Kings 18–19) is also recorded on the Taylor Prism—a six-sided baked clay document that was discovered in 1830 in the ancient Assyrian capital city of Nineveh. King Hezekiah’s answered prayer for deliverance (19:19) should underscore what we know but sometimes forget—God hears our cries, He has spoken to us through the Scriptures, and whatever we face we can trust Him.
Forward to God
By Lawrence Darmani
Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see.
2 Kings 19:16
In the days before telephones, email, and mobile phones, the telegram was usually the fastest means of communication. But only important news was sent by telegram, and such news was usually bad. Hence the saying, “The telegram boy always brings bad news.”
It was wartime in ancient Israel when Hezekiah was king of Judah. Sennacherib, king of Assyria, had invaded and captured the cities of Judah. He then sent a letter to Hezekiah, a bad-news “telegram” urging his surrender. Hezekiah described the moment as “a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace” (2 Kings 19:3).
Go before the Lord with prayers and hear His reassurance.
With taunts and scoffs, Sennacherib boasted of his past military campaigns, belittling the God of Israel and threatening mayhem (vv. 11-13). In that dreadful moment, King Hezekiah did an unusual thing with the bad-news letter: “He went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord” (v. 14). Then he prayed earnestly, acknowledging the power of God over their gloomy situation (vv. 15-19). God intervened in a powerful way (vv. 35-36).
Bad news can reach us at any time. In those moments, Hezekiah’s action is a good example to follow. Spread out the news before the Lord in prayer and hear His reassurance: “I have heard your prayer” (v. 20).
Heavenly Father, when people attack us, we tend to react defensively. Teach us to turn to You instead of taking matters into our own hands. We trust You and love You. Defend us today.
Prayer is the child’s helpless cry to the Father’s attentive ear.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, March 05, 2016
Is He Really My Lord?
…so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus… —Acts 20:24
Joy comes from seeing the complete fulfillment of the specific purpose for which I was created and born again, not from successfully doing something of my own choosing. The joy our Lord experienced came from doing what the Father sent Him to do. And He says to us, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21). Have you received a ministry from the Lord? If so, you must be faithful to it— to consider your life valuable only for the purpose of fulfilling that ministry. Knowing that you have done what Jesus sent you to do, think how satisfying it will be to hear Him say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). We each have to find a niche in life, and spiritually we find it when we receive a ministry from the Lord. To do this we must have close fellowship with Jesus and must know Him as more than our personal Savior. And we must be willing to experience the full impact of Acts 9:16 — “I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
“Do you love Me?” Then, “Feed My sheep” (John 21:17). He is not offering us a choice of how we can serve Him; He is asking for absolute loyalty to His commission, a faithfulness to what we discern when we are in the closest possible fellowship with God. If you have received a ministry from the Lord Jesus, you will know that the need is not the same as the call— the need is the opportunity to exercise the call. The call is to be faithful to the ministry you received when you were in true fellowship with Him. This does not imply that there is a whole series of differing ministries marked out for you. It does mean that you must be sensitive to what God has called you to do, and this may sometimes require ignoring demands for service in other areas.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Much of the misery in our Christian life comes not because the devil tackles us, but because we have never understood the simple laws of our make-up. We have to treat the body as the servant of Jesus Christ: when the body says “Sit,” and He says “Go,” go! When the body says “Eat,” and He says “Fast,” fast! When the body says “Yawn,” and He says “Pray,” pray! Biblical Ethics, 107 R
Scripture often describes our behavior as the clothes we wear. In 1 Peter 5:5, Peter urges us to be "clothed with humility." David speaks of evil people who clothe themselves "with cursing." Garments can symbolize character, and like His garment, Jesus' character was seamless. The character of Jesus was a seamless fabric woven from heaven to earth-from God's thoughts to Jesus' actions. From God's tears to Jesus' compassion. From God's word to Jesus' response. All one piece. A picture of the character of Jesus.
But when Christ was nailed to the cross, He took off His robe of seamless perfection and assumed a different wardrobe. He wore our sin so we could wear His righteousness.
From He Chose the Nails
Philippians 2
Imitating Christ’s Humility
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Do Everything Without Grumbling
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”[c] Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. 17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.
Timothy and Epaphroditus
19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. 20 I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. 21 For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. 23 I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. 24 And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.
25 But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. 26 For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. 28 Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. 29 So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him, 30 because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me.
Footnotes:
Philippians 2:6 Or in the form of
Philippians 2:7 Or the form
Philippians 2:15 Deut. 32:5
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Saturday, March 05, 2016
Read: 2 Kings 19:9-20
Soon afterward King Sennacherib received word that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia[a] was leading an army to fight against him. Before leaving to meet the attack, he sent messengers back to Hezekiah in Jerusalem with this message:
10 “This message is for King Hezekiah of Judah. Don’t let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you with promises that Jerusalem will not be captured by the king of Assyria. 11 You know perfectly well what the kings of Assyria have done wherever they have gone. They have completely destroyed everyone who stood in their way! Why should you be any different? 12 Have the gods of other nations rescued them—such nations as Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Tel-assar? My predecessors destroyed them all! 13 What happened to the king of Hamath and the king of Arpad? What happened to the kings of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?”
14 After Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the Lord’s Temple and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the Lord: “O Lord, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth. 16 Bend down, O Lord, and listen! Open your eyes, O Lord, and see! Listen to Sennacherib’s words of defiance against the living God.
17 “It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations. 18 And they have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. But of course the Assyrians could destroy them! They were not gods at all—only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands. 19 Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone, O Lord, are God.”
Isaiah Predicts Judah’s Deliverance
20 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer about King Sennacherib of Assyria.
Footnotes:
19:9 Hebrew of Cush.
INSIGHT:
It is interesting that the account of King Sennacherib’s siege of Jerusalem and Hezekiah’s refusal to submit to him (2 Kings 18–19) is also recorded on the Taylor Prism—a six-sided baked clay document that was discovered in 1830 in the ancient Assyrian capital city of Nineveh. King Hezekiah’s answered prayer for deliverance (19:19) should underscore what we know but sometimes forget—God hears our cries, He has spoken to us through the Scriptures, and whatever we face we can trust Him.
Forward to God
By Lawrence Darmani
Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see.
2 Kings 19:16
In the days before telephones, email, and mobile phones, the telegram was usually the fastest means of communication. But only important news was sent by telegram, and such news was usually bad. Hence the saying, “The telegram boy always brings bad news.”
It was wartime in ancient Israel when Hezekiah was king of Judah. Sennacherib, king of Assyria, had invaded and captured the cities of Judah. He then sent a letter to Hezekiah, a bad-news “telegram” urging his surrender. Hezekiah described the moment as “a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace” (2 Kings 19:3).
Go before the Lord with prayers and hear His reassurance.
With taunts and scoffs, Sennacherib boasted of his past military campaigns, belittling the God of Israel and threatening mayhem (vv. 11-13). In that dreadful moment, King Hezekiah did an unusual thing with the bad-news letter: “He went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord” (v. 14). Then he prayed earnestly, acknowledging the power of God over their gloomy situation (vv. 15-19). God intervened in a powerful way (vv. 35-36).
Bad news can reach us at any time. In those moments, Hezekiah’s action is a good example to follow. Spread out the news before the Lord in prayer and hear His reassurance: “I have heard your prayer” (v. 20).
Heavenly Father, when people attack us, we tend to react defensively. Teach us to turn to You instead of taking matters into our own hands. We trust You and love You. Defend us today.
Prayer is the child’s helpless cry to the Father’s attentive ear.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, March 05, 2016
Is He Really My Lord?
…so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus… —Acts 20:24
Joy comes from seeing the complete fulfillment of the specific purpose for which I was created and born again, not from successfully doing something of my own choosing. The joy our Lord experienced came from doing what the Father sent Him to do. And He says to us, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21). Have you received a ministry from the Lord? If so, you must be faithful to it— to consider your life valuable only for the purpose of fulfilling that ministry. Knowing that you have done what Jesus sent you to do, think how satisfying it will be to hear Him say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). We each have to find a niche in life, and spiritually we find it when we receive a ministry from the Lord. To do this we must have close fellowship with Jesus and must know Him as more than our personal Savior. And we must be willing to experience the full impact of Acts 9:16 — “I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
“Do you love Me?” Then, “Feed My sheep” (John 21:17). He is not offering us a choice of how we can serve Him; He is asking for absolute loyalty to His commission, a faithfulness to what we discern when we are in the closest possible fellowship with God. If you have received a ministry from the Lord Jesus, you will know that the need is not the same as the call— the need is the opportunity to exercise the call. The call is to be faithful to the ministry you received when you were in true fellowship with Him. This does not imply that there is a whole series of differing ministries marked out for you. It does mean that you must be sensitive to what God has called you to do, and this may sometimes require ignoring demands for service in other areas.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Much of the misery in our Christian life comes not because the devil tackles us, but because we have never understood the simple laws of our make-up. We have to treat the body as the servant of Jesus Christ: when the body says “Sit,” and He says “Go,” go! When the body says “Eat,” and He says “Fast,” fast! When the body says “Yawn,” and He says “Pray,” pray! Biblical Ethics, 107 R
Friday, March 4, 2016
Psalm 71, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: THE PERFECT PLACE
Several years ago I spent a week speaking at a church in California—and had incredible hosts. All my meals were at a different house. But after a few meals I noticed all we ate was salad! No meat, no dessert—just salad. At first I thought it was a California thing. But when I finally asked, the answer was, “We were told you eat nothing but salads!” Well, I quickly corrected them! The hosts meant well, but their information was bad! I’m happy to say we corrected the problem and enjoyed some good meat!
I’m even happier to say Jesus won’t make the same mistake with you! He is preparing the perfect place, the perfect meal! He says, “I have a prepared place for you!” (John 14:2). Trust the promises of Christ! He knows exactly what you need.
From When Christ Comes
Psalm 71
In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
2 In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me;
turn your ear to me and save me.
3 Be my rock of refuge,
to which I can always go;
give the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
4 Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.
5 For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord,
my confidence since my youth.
6 From birth I have relied on you;
you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.
I will ever praise you.
7 I have become a sign to many;
you are my strong refuge.
8 My mouth is filled with your praise,
declaring your splendor all day long.
9 Do not cast me away when I am old;
do not forsake me when my strength is gone.
10 For my enemies speak against me;
those who wait to kill me conspire together.
11 They say, “God has forsaken him;
pursue him and seize him,
for no one will rescue him.”
12 Do not be far from me, my God;
come quickly, God, to help me.
13 May my accusers perish in shame;
may those who want to harm me
be covered with scorn and disgrace.
14 As for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.
15 My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds,
of your saving acts all day long—
though I know not how to relate them all.
16 I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign Lord;
I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
17 Since my youth, God, you have taught me,
and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.
18 Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your mighty acts to all who are to come.
19 Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,
you who have done great things.
Who is like you, God?
20 Though you have made me see troubles,
many and bitter,
you will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
you will again bring me up.
21 You will increase my honor
and comfort me once more.
22 I will praise you with the harp
for your faithfulness, my God;
I will sing praise to you with the lyre,
Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips will shout for joy
when I sing praise to you—
I whom you have delivered.
24 My tongue will tell of your righteous acts
all day long,
for those who wanted to harm me
have been put to shame and confusion.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, March 04, 2016
Read: James 1:2-4
Faith and Endurance
Dear brothers and sisters,[a] when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
Footnotes:
1:2 Greek brothers; also in 1:16, 19.
INSIGHT:
James saw himself as a servant of Christ (James 1:1), even though he was Christ’s half-brother (Matt. 13:55). He did not come to faith until after Jesus’s resurrection (John 7:3–5; Acts 1:14; 1 Cor. 15:7) and eventually became a leader in the church at Jerusalem (Acts 15:13). In writing this letter to Jewish believers who had been scattered because of persecution, he focuses on Jewish thinking and values: It is highly practical, intensely candid, and wisdom-oriented. Because of its practical application, it has been referred to as the “Proverbs” of the New Testament.
For His Time
By David Roper
My times are in your hands. Psalm 31:15
When South African pastor Andrew Murray was visiting England in 1895, he began to suffer pain from a previous back injury. While he was recuperating, his hostess told him of a woman who was in great trouble and wanted to know if he had any counsel for her. Murray said, “Give her this paper which I have been writing for my own [encouragement]. It may be that she will find it helpful.” This is what Murray wrote:
“In time of trouble say:
God will keep us by His love. By His grace, we can rest in Him.
First—God brought me here. It is by His will I am in this strait place. In that I will rest.
Next—He will keep me in His love and give me grace in this trial to behave as His child.
Then—He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me lessons He intends me to learn, and working in me the grace He means to bestow.
Last—In His good time He can bring me out again—how and when He knows.
I am here—by God’s appointment, in His keeping, under His training, for His time.”
We want the instant solution, the quick fix, but some things cannot be disposed of so readily; they can only be accepted. God will keep us by His love. By His grace, we can rest in Him.
Dear Lord, it’s hard to endure times of illness and suffering. Comfort me and help me to trust You.
When God permits suffering, He also provides comfort.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, March 04, 2016
Is This True of Me?
None of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself… —Acts 20:24
It is easier to serve or work for God without a vision and without a call, because then you are not bothered by what He requires. Common sense, covered with a layer of Christian emotion, becomes your guide. You may be more prosperous and successful from the world’s perspective, and will have more leisure time, if you never acknowledge the call of God. But once you receive a commission from Jesus Christ, the memory of what God asks of you will always be there to prod you on to do His will. You will no longer be able to work for Him on the basis of common sense.
What do I count in my life as “dear to myself”? If I have not been seized by Jesus Christ and have not surrendered myself to Him, I will consider the time I decide to give God and my own ideas of service as dear. I will also consider my own life as “dear to myself.” But Paul said he considered his life dear so that he might fulfill the ministry he had received, and he refused to use his energy on anything else. This verse shows an almost noble annoyance by Paul at being asked to consider himself. He was absolutely indifferent to any consideration other than that of fulfilling the ministry he had received. Our ordinary and reasonable service to God may actually compete against our total surrender to Him. Our reasonable work is based on the following argument which we say to ourselves, “Remember how useful you are here, and think how much value you would be in that particular type of work.” That attitude chooses our own judgment, instead of Jesus Christ, to be our guide as to where we should go and where we could be used the most. Never consider whether or not you are of use— but always consider that “you are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19). You are His.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Wherever the providence of God may dump us down, in a slum, in a shop, in the desert, we have to labour along the line of His direction. Never allow this thought—“I am of no use where I am,” because you certainly can be of no use where you are not! Wherever He has engineered your circumstances, pray. So Send I You, 1325 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, March 04, 2016
Verbal Overkill - #7605
I'll never forget the summer we heard the story about the moonshiner. We were on vacation and we'd just made some new friends, Bill and Darlene. They lived on this beautiful farm. But not always. When they first moved to the south, they lived in a fairly primitive cabin along a river.
Darlene shared that one of their neighbors was a classic moonshiner. He had invited them over for a dinner a number of times and Darlene said they finally ran out of excuses. When they arrived for the dinner, the moonshiner told Bill, "Go pick out what chicken you want for dinner out there on the front porch." Well, Bill did and the moonshiner shot it down dead right there. Then they all went inside and the moonshiner and his wife cleaned and prepared it right in front of their guests.
After dinner the moonshiner was sitting in his rocking chair in the living room talking with Bill. Bill noticed some large holes along the floor of the cabin and he asked how they got there. The moonshiner said, "Well, we got mice. I decided I'd stay up late and I'd just sit here in my rocking chair. I'd see one and I'd pull out my gun and I'd shoot it."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Verbal Overkill."
Wouldn't you say that the moonshiner was guilty of a little overkill? So are we; except we don't do it with a gun, we do it with our mouth. Which leads us to one of the wisest prayers David ever prayed I think. It's our word for today from the Word of God. It comes from Psalm 141:3, "Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips." Guard my mouth, Lord, watch my lips. It's something you would do with a dangerous criminal or a wild animal, something that could do a lot of damage like your mouth.
Proverbs 12:18 says, "Reckless words pierce like a sword." You ever had any of those reckless words? The problem is when we get angry or frustrated, we tend to start shooting verbally – sometimes at, shall we say, mice; things that don't really merit all that fire power?
Anger is one primary area in which we really tend to overkill. We fire away with killer sarcasm, or a killer put-down, or a killer line just to vent our frustration or to get our way or to win. We leave huge holes that are there long after the incident or the issues are remembered. Oh we may win a little, but we lose a lot with reckless, sword-like words.
Nagging – that's another form of verbal overkill especially when someone you love is doing something you don't like or they're doing something you're afraid will hurt them. Husbands get nagged, wives, children, parents; and nagging can become a way of life. We just keep shooting all the time until that person just becomes immune to our words, immune to our concerns. We're always firing at them.
That's why we need to learn to choose our battlegrounds. Don't fight every battle. Ask yourself, "Does this battle really, really matter?" Save your ammunition for the battles that really matter – parents especially. Man, we're noted for nagging about every little thing and then finding ourselves unheard when a really significant issue comes along. You shut people down with the verbal overkill of nagging.
We need to make the prayer of David our prayer. I know I do. "Lord, guard my mouth. Watch my lips." Our angry words, our insensitive words, our nagging words are always trying to get out, and we've got to always be guarding them with the power of Jesus Christ. The alternative is big holes that last a long time because we shot at too many mice. Save your ammunition for the battles that really count.
Several years ago I spent a week speaking at a church in California—and had incredible hosts. All my meals were at a different house. But after a few meals I noticed all we ate was salad! No meat, no dessert—just salad. At first I thought it was a California thing. But when I finally asked, the answer was, “We were told you eat nothing but salads!” Well, I quickly corrected them! The hosts meant well, but their information was bad! I’m happy to say we corrected the problem and enjoyed some good meat!
I’m even happier to say Jesus won’t make the same mistake with you! He is preparing the perfect place, the perfect meal! He says, “I have a prepared place for you!” (John 14:2). Trust the promises of Christ! He knows exactly what you need.
From When Christ Comes
Psalm 71
In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
2 In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me;
turn your ear to me and save me.
3 Be my rock of refuge,
to which I can always go;
give the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
4 Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.
5 For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord,
my confidence since my youth.
6 From birth I have relied on you;
you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.
I will ever praise you.
7 I have become a sign to many;
you are my strong refuge.
8 My mouth is filled with your praise,
declaring your splendor all day long.
9 Do not cast me away when I am old;
do not forsake me when my strength is gone.
10 For my enemies speak against me;
those who wait to kill me conspire together.
11 They say, “God has forsaken him;
pursue him and seize him,
for no one will rescue him.”
12 Do not be far from me, my God;
come quickly, God, to help me.
13 May my accusers perish in shame;
may those who want to harm me
be covered with scorn and disgrace.
14 As for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.
15 My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds,
of your saving acts all day long—
though I know not how to relate them all.
16 I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign Lord;
I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
17 Since my youth, God, you have taught me,
and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.
18 Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your mighty acts to all who are to come.
19 Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,
you who have done great things.
Who is like you, God?
20 Though you have made me see troubles,
many and bitter,
you will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
you will again bring me up.
21 You will increase my honor
and comfort me once more.
22 I will praise you with the harp
for your faithfulness, my God;
I will sing praise to you with the lyre,
Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips will shout for joy
when I sing praise to you—
I whom you have delivered.
24 My tongue will tell of your righteous acts
all day long,
for those who wanted to harm me
have been put to shame and confusion.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, March 04, 2016
Read: James 1:2-4
Faith and Endurance
Dear brothers and sisters,[a] when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
Footnotes:
1:2 Greek brothers; also in 1:16, 19.
INSIGHT:
James saw himself as a servant of Christ (James 1:1), even though he was Christ’s half-brother (Matt. 13:55). He did not come to faith until after Jesus’s resurrection (John 7:3–5; Acts 1:14; 1 Cor. 15:7) and eventually became a leader in the church at Jerusalem (Acts 15:13). In writing this letter to Jewish believers who had been scattered because of persecution, he focuses on Jewish thinking and values: It is highly practical, intensely candid, and wisdom-oriented. Because of its practical application, it has been referred to as the “Proverbs” of the New Testament.
For His Time
By David Roper
My times are in your hands. Psalm 31:15
When South African pastor Andrew Murray was visiting England in 1895, he began to suffer pain from a previous back injury. While he was recuperating, his hostess told him of a woman who was in great trouble and wanted to know if he had any counsel for her. Murray said, “Give her this paper which I have been writing for my own [encouragement]. It may be that she will find it helpful.” This is what Murray wrote:
“In time of trouble say:
God will keep us by His love. By His grace, we can rest in Him.
First—God brought me here. It is by His will I am in this strait place. In that I will rest.
Next—He will keep me in His love and give me grace in this trial to behave as His child.
Then—He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me lessons He intends me to learn, and working in me the grace He means to bestow.
Last—In His good time He can bring me out again—how and when He knows.
I am here—by God’s appointment, in His keeping, under His training, for His time.”
We want the instant solution, the quick fix, but some things cannot be disposed of so readily; they can only be accepted. God will keep us by His love. By His grace, we can rest in Him.
Dear Lord, it’s hard to endure times of illness and suffering. Comfort me and help me to trust You.
When God permits suffering, He also provides comfort.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, March 04, 2016
Is This True of Me?
None of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself… —Acts 20:24
It is easier to serve or work for God without a vision and without a call, because then you are not bothered by what He requires. Common sense, covered with a layer of Christian emotion, becomes your guide. You may be more prosperous and successful from the world’s perspective, and will have more leisure time, if you never acknowledge the call of God. But once you receive a commission from Jesus Christ, the memory of what God asks of you will always be there to prod you on to do His will. You will no longer be able to work for Him on the basis of common sense.
What do I count in my life as “dear to myself”? If I have not been seized by Jesus Christ and have not surrendered myself to Him, I will consider the time I decide to give God and my own ideas of service as dear. I will also consider my own life as “dear to myself.” But Paul said he considered his life dear so that he might fulfill the ministry he had received, and he refused to use his energy on anything else. This verse shows an almost noble annoyance by Paul at being asked to consider himself. He was absolutely indifferent to any consideration other than that of fulfilling the ministry he had received. Our ordinary and reasonable service to God may actually compete against our total surrender to Him. Our reasonable work is based on the following argument which we say to ourselves, “Remember how useful you are here, and think how much value you would be in that particular type of work.” That attitude chooses our own judgment, instead of Jesus Christ, to be our guide as to where we should go and where we could be used the most. Never consider whether or not you are of use— but always consider that “you are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19). You are His.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Wherever the providence of God may dump us down, in a slum, in a shop, in the desert, we have to labour along the line of His direction. Never allow this thought—“I am of no use where I am,” because you certainly can be of no use where you are not! Wherever He has engineered your circumstances, pray. So Send I You, 1325 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, March 04, 2016
Verbal Overkill - #7605
I'll never forget the summer we heard the story about the moonshiner. We were on vacation and we'd just made some new friends, Bill and Darlene. They lived on this beautiful farm. But not always. When they first moved to the south, they lived in a fairly primitive cabin along a river.
Darlene shared that one of their neighbors was a classic moonshiner. He had invited them over for a dinner a number of times and Darlene said they finally ran out of excuses. When they arrived for the dinner, the moonshiner told Bill, "Go pick out what chicken you want for dinner out there on the front porch." Well, Bill did and the moonshiner shot it down dead right there. Then they all went inside and the moonshiner and his wife cleaned and prepared it right in front of their guests.
After dinner the moonshiner was sitting in his rocking chair in the living room talking with Bill. Bill noticed some large holes along the floor of the cabin and he asked how they got there. The moonshiner said, "Well, we got mice. I decided I'd stay up late and I'd just sit here in my rocking chair. I'd see one and I'd pull out my gun and I'd shoot it."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Verbal Overkill."
Wouldn't you say that the moonshiner was guilty of a little overkill? So are we; except we don't do it with a gun, we do it with our mouth. Which leads us to one of the wisest prayers David ever prayed I think. It's our word for today from the Word of God. It comes from Psalm 141:3, "Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips." Guard my mouth, Lord, watch my lips. It's something you would do with a dangerous criminal or a wild animal, something that could do a lot of damage like your mouth.
Proverbs 12:18 says, "Reckless words pierce like a sword." You ever had any of those reckless words? The problem is when we get angry or frustrated, we tend to start shooting verbally – sometimes at, shall we say, mice; things that don't really merit all that fire power?
Anger is one primary area in which we really tend to overkill. We fire away with killer sarcasm, or a killer put-down, or a killer line just to vent our frustration or to get our way or to win. We leave huge holes that are there long after the incident or the issues are remembered. Oh we may win a little, but we lose a lot with reckless, sword-like words.
Nagging – that's another form of verbal overkill especially when someone you love is doing something you don't like or they're doing something you're afraid will hurt them. Husbands get nagged, wives, children, parents; and nagging can become a way of life. We just keep shooting all the time until that person just becomes immune to our words, immune to our concerns. We're always firing at them.
That's why we need to learn to choose our battlegrounds. Don't fight every battle. Ask yourself, "Does this battle really, really matter?" Save your ammunition for the battles that really matter – parents especially. Man, we're noted for nagging about every little thing and then finding ourselves unheard when a really significant issue comes along. You shut people down with the verbal overkill of nagging.
We need to make the prayer of David our prayer. I know I do. "Lord, guard my mouth. Watch my lips." Our angry words, our insensitive words, our nagging words are always trying to get out, and we've got to always be guarding them with the power of Jesus Christ. The alternative is big holes that last a long time because we shot at too many mice. Save your ammunition for the battles that really count.
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