Max Lucado Daily: JOINT HEIRS WITH CHRIST
God sought you. He searched you out. Before you knew you needed adopting, he’d already filed the papers. Listen to this passage from Romans 8:29, “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”
What’s more, he covered the adoption fees. “God sent him, speaking of Christ, to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children” (Galatians 4:5).
The moment we accept his offer we go from orphans to heirs. Heirs! Heirs with a new name. A new home…a new life! Heaven knows no stepchildren or grandchildren. You and Christ share the same will. What he inherits, you inherit. And you are headed home.
Joel 2
Blow the ram’s horn trumpet in Zion!
Trumpet the alarm on my holy mountain!
Shake the country up!
God’s Judgment’s on its way—the Day’s almost here!
A black day! A Doomsday!
Clouds with no silver lining!
Like dawn light moving over the mountains,
a huge army is coming.
There’s never been anything like it
and never will be again.
Wildfire burns everything before this army
and fire licks up everything in its wake.
Before it arrives, the country is like the Garden of Eden.
When it leaves, it is Death Valley.
Nothing escapes unscathed.
4-6 The locust army seems all horses—
galloping horses, an army of horses.
It sounds like thunder
leaping on mountain ridges,
Or like the roar of wildfire
through grass and brush,
Or like an invincible army shouting for blood,
ready to fight, straining at the bit.
At the sight of this army,
the people panic, faces white with terror.
7-11 The invaders charge.
They climb barricades. Nothing stops them.
Each soldier does what he’s told,
so disciplined, so determined.
They don’t get in each other’s way.
Each one knows his job and does it.
Undaunted and fearless,
unswerving, unstoppable.
They storm the city,
swarm its defenses,
Loot the houses,
breaking down doors, smashing windows.
They arrive like an earthquake,
sweep through like a tornado.
Sun and moon turn out their lights,
stars black out.
God himself bellows in thunder
as he commands his forces.
Look at the size of that army!
And the strength of those who obey him!
God’s Judgment Day—great and terrible.
Who can possibly survive this?
12 But there’s also this, it’s not too late—
God’s personal Message!—
“Come back to me and really mean it!
Come fasting and weeping, sorry for your sins!”
13-14 Change your life, not just your clothes.
Come back to God, your God.
And here’s why: God is kind and merciful.
He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot,
This most patient God, extravagant in love,
always ready to cancel catastrophe.
Who knows? Maybe he’ll do it now,
maybe he’ll turn around and show pity.
Maybe, when all’s said and done,
there’ll be blessings full and robust for your God!
15-17 Blow the ram’s horn trumpet in Zion!
Declare a day of repentance, a holy fast day.
Call a public meeting.
Get everyone there. Consecrate the congregation.
Make sure the elders come,
but bring in the children, too, even the nursing babies,
Even men and women on their honeymoon—
interrupt them and get them there.
Between Sanctuary entrance and altar,
let the priests, God’s servants, weep tears of repentance.
Let them intercede: “Have mercy, God, on your people!
Don’t abandon your heritage to contempt.
Don’t let the pagans take over and rule them
and sneer, ‘And so where is this God of theirs?’”
18-20 At that, God went into action to get his land back.
He took pity on his people.
God answered and spoke to his people,
“Look, listen—I’m sending a gift:
Grain and wine and olive oil.
The fast is over—eat your fill!
I won’t expose you any longer
to contempt among the pagans.
I’ll head off the final enemy coming out of the north
and dump them in a wasteland.
Half of them will end up in the Dead Sea,
the other half in the Mediterranean.
There they’ll rot, a stench to high heaven.
The bigger the enemy, the stronger the stench!”
21-24 Fear not, Earth! Be glad and celebrate!
God has done great things.
Fear not, wild animals!
The fields and meadows are greening up.
The trees are bearing fruit again:
a bumper crop of fig trees and vines!
Children of Zion, celebrate!
Be glad in your God.
He’s giving you a teacher
to train you how to live right—
Teaching, like rain out of heaven, showers of words
to refresh and nourish your soul, just as he used to do.
And plenty of food for your body—silos full of grain,
casks of wine and barrels of olive oil.
25-27 “I’ll make up for the years of the locust,
the great locust devastation—
Locusts savage, locusts deadly,
fierce locusts, locusts of doom,
That great locust invasion
I sent your way.
You’ll eat your fill of good food.
You’ll be full of praises to your God,
The God who has set you back on your heels in wonder.
Never again will my people be despised.
You’ll know without question
that I’m in the thick of life with Israel,
That I’m your God, yes, your God,
the one and only real God.
Never again will my people be despised.
28-32 “And that’s just the beginning: After that—
“I will pour out my Spirit
on every kind of people:
Your sons will prophesy,
also your daughters.
Your old men will dream,
your young men will see visions.
I’ll even pour out my Spirit on the servants,
men and women both.
I’ll set wonders in the sky above
and signs on the earth below:
Blood and fire and billowing smoke,
the sun turning black and the moon blood-red,
Before the Judgment Day of God,
the Day tremendous and awesome.
Whoever calls, ‘Help, God!’
gets help.
On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
there will be a great rescue—just as God said.
Included in the survivors
are those that God calls.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, March 04, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Mark 9:2–10
The Transfiguration
After six days Jesus took Peter, James and Johnr with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white,s whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi,t it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)
7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud:u “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”v
8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyonew what they had seen until the Son of Manx had risen from the dead. 10 They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant.
Insight
It’s interesting to see both Moses and Elijah join Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9:4). Though separated by many years, the ministries of Moses and Elijah had much in common. God used Moses to part the Red Sea with the symbol of his authority, the shepherd’s staff (Exodus 14:15–16). Meanwhile, Elijah parted the Jordan River with his cloak—which represented his prophetic office (2 Kings 2:6–8). Both had a significant encounter with God on Mount Sinai/Horeb (Exodus 34; 1 Kings 19). God provided food miraculously for Moses (and Israel) in the wilderness (Exodus 16), and did the same for Elijah during the drought-induced famine he’d prophesied (1 Kings 17). And both Moses and Elijah were succeeded by men (Joshua and Elisha—see Joshua 1:1–2; 1 Kings 19:16) whose names mean “The Lord/God saves.” Scholar H. H. Rowley said of the ministries of these Old Testament giants, “Without Moses the religion of Yahweh as it figured in the Old Testament would never have been born. Without Elijah it would have died.”
Live Wire
We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 2 Peter 1:16
I felt like I had touched a live wire,” said Professor Holly Ordway, describing her reaction to John Donne’s majestic poem “Holy Sonnet 14.” There’s something happening in this poetry, she thought. I wonder what it is. Ordway recalls it as the moment her previously atheistic worldview allowed for the possibility of the supernatural. Eventually she would believe in the transforming reality of the resurrected Christ.
Touching a live wire—that must have been how Peter, James, and John felt on the day Jesus took them to a mountaintop, where they witnessed a dramatic transformation. Christ’s “clothes became dazzling white” (Mark 9:3) and Elijah and Moses appeared—an event we know today as the transfiguration.
Descending from the mountain, Jesus told the disciples not to tell anyone what they’d seen until He’d risen (v. 9). But they didn’t even know what He meant by “rising from the dead” (v. 10).
The disciples’ understanding of Jesus was woefully incomplete, because they couldn’t conceive of a destiny that included His death and resurrection. But eventually their experiences with their resurrected Lord would utterly transform their lives. Late in his life, Peter described his encounter with Christ’s transfiguration as the time when the disciples were first “eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16).
As Professor Ordway and the disciples learned, when we encounter the power of Jesus we touch a “live wire.” There’s something happening here. The living Christ beckons us. By: Tim Gustafson
Reflect & Pray
What are some of your “live wire” experiences: moments when you encountered God in a radically new way? How has your knowledge of Him changed over time?
Father, when we approach You in prayer, we come to what we don’t comprehend. Forgive us for taking for granted the majesty of Your presence.
To learn more about the life of Jesus, visit christianuniversity.org/NT111.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, March 04, 2020
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
To live a life alone with God does not mean that we live it apart from everyone else. The connection between godly men and women and those associated with them is continually revealed in the Bible, e.g., 1 Timothy 4:10. Not Knowing Whither, 867 L
Bible in a Year: Numbers 31-33; Mark 9:1-29
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, March 04, 2020
Making the Days Left Really Count - #8648
It was one of those unexpected phone calls that leaves you stunned. Our friend Curt, one of the most experienced private pilots we know, had crashed two hours earlier. He was landing on a grass strip near his home, a strip where he's landed hundreds of times. This time he somehow went into a skid that propelled his plane right into a tree. The plane caught fire and exploded, and our friend Curt was in heaven. As a beloved leader in our community, I can tell you that his death rocked a lot of people, including me. Because of a collapsed wheel, he had been in a crash fourteen months earlier; one which should have been fatal but which he actually escaped from with serious but survivable injuries. I can't tell you how grateful I am he did not die then. See, something very important happened between those two crashes.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Making the Days Left Really Count."
It was my privilege to be asked by Curt's wife to talk about his faith at his funeral and the powerful changes that had taken place since that first crash. The word for that day from the Word of God is our word today. It's like a scale on which you can weigh the significance of your life and what you're living it for. You ready? Here it is: Philippians 1:20-21 - "I eagerly expect and hope that...Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain."
Now, we all need to honestly fill in the blank, "For to me to live is _________." See, the true answer - not the spiritual answer - might be, "For me to live is my business, my sports, my home, my kids, my success. For me to live is my family, or my friends, or my education, my dream. And maybe you should just put the name of the most important person in your life in that blank to fill it in. Here's the problem: if you're living for any of those things, to die is to lose it all. It's only when for you "to live is Christ" that to die will be gain.
When our friend Curt went down the first time, I'm not sure what he was living for. He was always a good man, but I think he would have said he wasn't always God's man. But after that crash he said, "God spared me for a reason." And he concluded that one major reason was for him to live for Christ in such a way that the people he cared about, the people who looked to him, would want his Jesus so they could be in heaven with him someday. And you know what? Curt began to live in such a way that "Christ would be exalted" by his life. And because he did, Christ was really exalted by his death.
In the months after that first crash, Curt had boldly told so many people in his large circle of influence about the Christ who died for them and for him. And it was only logical that his funeral would do the same thing - to give those he had touched the opportunity he had had - a wakeup call from a plane crash that would bring them into a vital relationship with Jesus Christ. But if you haven't lived to show Christ to people, well then, your death really can't lift Him up.
The death of a man or a woman who has really lived passionately for Christ can have such incredible meaning - helping others be in heaven with you. But a life not lived for Christ just can't have that kind of meaning. Death destroys every reason for living but one - living for Jesus and what matters to Him.
If Curt were here today, I believe he would tell you, "Don't wait to surrender your life and your influence to Jesus. You never know how many days you have left to
make your life count for something that's going to last forever." And, for sure, Jesus would tell you that. In fact, I believe He is telling you that - right now.
"Someday" isn't soon enough to give everything you've got to Jesus. No, it needs to be this day.
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
2 Chronicles 23, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: LOOK AT JESUS
These words are found in the book of Psalms: “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand” (Psalm 37:23–24). Do the words of the psalmist surprise you? Where did we get this idea of a God who does not care, who is not near? We certainly didn’t get it from Jesus.
Jesus Christ is the perfect picture of God. Want to know how God feels about the sick? Look at Jesus. What angers God? Look at Jesus. Does God ever give up on people? Does he stand up for people? Find the answer in Jesus. Hebrews 1:3 says, “The Son is the radiance and only expression of the glory of our awesome God…and the exact representation and perfect imprint of His Father’s essence.”
2 Chronicles 23
In the seventh year the priest Jehoiada decided to make his move and worked out a strategy with certain influential officers in the army. He picked Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zicri as his associates. They dispersed throughout Judah and called in the Levites from all the towns in Judah along with the heads of families. They met in Jerusalem. The gathering met in The Temple of God. They made a covenant there in The Temple.
3-7 The priest Jehoiada showed them the young prince and addressed them: “Here he is—the son of the king. He is going to rule just as God promised regarding the sons of David. Now this is what you must do: A third of you priests and Levites who come on duty on the Sabbath are to be posted as security guards at the gates; another third will guard the palace; and the other third will guard the foundation gate. All the people will gather in the courtyards of The Temple of God. No one may enter The Temple of God except the priests and designated Levites—they are permitted in because they’ve been consecrated, but all the people must do the work assigned them. The Levites are to form a ring around the young king, weapons at the ready. Kill anyone who tries to break through your ranks. Your job is to stay with the king at all times and places, coming and going.”
8-10 All the Levites and officers obeyed the orders of Jehoiada the priest. Each took charge of his men, both those who came on duty on the Sabbath and those who went off duty on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest hadn’t exempted any of them from duty. Then the priest armed the officers with spears and the large and small shields originally belonging to King David that were stored in The Temple of God. Well-armed, the guards took up their assigned positions for protecting the king, from one end of The Temple to the other, surrounding both Altar and Temple.
11 Then the priest brought the prince into view, crowned him, handed him the scroll of God’s covenant, and made him king. As Jehoiada and his sons anointed him they shouted, “Long live the king!”
12-13 Athaliah, hearing all the commotion, the people running around and praising the king, came to The Temple to see what was going on. Astonished, she saw the young king standing at the entrance flanked by the captains and heralds, with everybody beside themselves with joy, trumpets blaring, the choir and orchestra leading the praise. Athaliah ripped her robes in dismay and shouted, “Treason! Treason!”
14-15 Jehoiada the priest ordered the military officers, “Drag her outside—and kill anyone who tries to follow her!” (The priest had said, “Don’t kill her inside The Temple of God.”) So they dragged her out to the palace’s horse corral and there they killed her.
16 Jehoiada now made a covenant between himself and the king and the people: they were to be God’s special people.
17 The people poured into the temple of Baal and tore it down, smashing altar and images to smithereens. They killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altar.
18-21 Jehoiada turned the care of God’s Temple over to the priests and Levites, the way David had directed originally. They were to offer the Whole-Burnt-Offerings of God as set out in The Revelation of Moses, and with praise and song as directed by David. He also assigned security guards at the gates of God’s Temple so that no one who was unprepared could enter. Then he got everyone together—officers, nobles, governors, and the people themselves—and escorted the king down from The Temple of God, through the Upper Gate, and placed him on the royal throne. Everybody celebrated the event. And the city was safe and undisturbed—Athaliah had been killed; no more Athaliah terror.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, March 03, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Jeremiah 1:1–8
The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathotha in the territory of Benjamin. 2 The word of the Lord cameb to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiahc son of Amon king of Judah, 3 and through the reign of Jehoiakimd son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiahe son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.f
The Call of Jeremiah
4 The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
5 “Before I formed you in the wombg I knewa h you,
before you were borni I set you apart;j
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.k”
6 “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak;l I am too young.”m
7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraidn of them, for I am with youo and will rescuep you,” declares the Lord.q
Insight
Scripture records God speaking directly to only a few people; for example, Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden (Genesis 1–3), Abram (ch. 12), Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3) and on Mount Sinai (ch. 31), and Elijah on Mount Horeb/Sinai (1 Kings 19). He also spoke directly to the prophets who wrote the prophetic books of the Old Testament. The phrase “the word of the Lord came to me” or “this is what the Lord says” is found throughout most of the prophetic books (see Jeremiah 1:4). When God speaks, He reveals something of Himself. In Jeremiah 1:1–8, He reveals Himself as creator (v. 5), director (v. 7), and rescuer (v. 8). We learn who God is through His own self-revelation.
Fully Known
Before I formed you . . . I knew you. Jeremiah 1:5
“You shouldn’t be here right now. Someone up there was looking out for you,” the tow truck driver told my mother after he had pulled her car from the edge of a steep mountain ravine and studied the tire tracks leading up to the wreck. Mom was pregnant with me at the time. As I grew, she often recounted the story of how God saved both our lives that day, and she assured me that God valued me even before I was born.
None of us escape our omniscient (all-knowing) Creator’s notice. More than 2,500 years ago He told the prophet Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5). God knows us more intimately than any person ever could and is able to give our lives purpose and meaning unlike any other. He not only formed us through His wisdom and power, but He also sustains every moment of our existence—including the personal details that occur every moment without our awareness: from the beating of our hearts to the intricate functioning of our brains. Reflecting on how our heavenly Father holds together every aspect of our existence, David exclaimed, “How precious to me are your thoughts, God!” (Psalm 139:17).
God is closer to us than our last breath. He made us, knows us, and loves us, and He’s ever worthy of our worship and praise. By: James Banks
Reflect & Pray
For what aspect of God’s care would you like to praise Him this moment? How can you encourage someone with the thought that He cares for them today?
You’re amazing, God! Thank You for holding me up and getting me through every moment of the day.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, March 03, 2020
His Commission to Us
Feed My sheep. —John 21:17
This is love in the making. The love of God is not created— it is His nature. When we receive the life of Christ through the Holy Spirit, He unites us with God so that His love is demonstrated in us. The goal of the indwelling Holy Spirit is not just to unite us with God, but to do it in such a way that we will be one with the Father in exactly the same way Jesus was. And what kind of oneness did Jesus Christ have with the Father? He had such a oneness with the Father that He was obedient when His Father sent Him down here to be poured out for us. And He says to us, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21).
Peter now realizes that he does love Him, due to the revelation that came with the Lord’s piercing question. The Lord’s next point is— “Pour yourself out. Don’t testify about how much you love Me and don’t talk about the wonderful revelation you have had, just ‘Feed My sheep.’ ” Jesus has some extraordinarily peculiar sheep: some that are unkempt and dirty, some that are awkward or pushy, and some that have gone astray! But it is impossible to exhaust God’s love, and it is impossible to exhaust my love if it flows from the Spirit of God within me. The love of God pays no attention to my prejudices caused by my natural individuality. If I love my Lord, I have no business being guided by natural emotions— I have to feed His sheep. We will not be delivered or released from His commission to us. Beware of counterfeiting the love of God by following your own natural human emotions, sympathies, or understandings. That will only serve to revile and abuse the true love of God.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Am I getting nobler, better, more helpful, more humble, as I get older? Am I exhibiting the life that men take knowledge of as having been with Jesus, or am I getting more self-assertive, more deliberately determined to have my own way? It is a great thing to tell yourself the truth.
The Place of Help
Bible in a Year: Numbers 28-30; Mark 8:22-38
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, March 03, 2020
How to Travel Far - #8647
For some people, a long drive is anything more than an hour or two. Over the years for my wife and me, well, it just had to be many hours before we could call it a long drive. Oh, good night, I think back! We've driven so many marathon trips over the years and, for the most part, we've enjoyed it...if we traveled together. It's not fun driving a long haul alone. In fact, unless you're a professional long-hauler, it's not even safe to drive a long trip alone. It never is a good idea to nap and drive simultaneously I believe. If you really want to cover a lot of miles, take somebody with you. You can go a lot longer. Oh sure, that second person might slow you down a little sometimes, but hey, they're worth it. There's an old African proverb that says it pretty well: "If you want to travel fast, travel alone. If you want to travel far, travel together." That's cool, huh?
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How to Travel Far."
Of course, that proverb applies to much more than just a long-haul drive. You need to travel together with others for most of life's journeys: physical journeys, emotional journeys, and spiritual journeys. You'll just get a lot more done together.
That was one of the secrets of the survival and the amazing success of the first followers of Jesus Christ. They were new believers trying to stand for Christ in a city that was very hostile to anything about Jesus. They were a tiny minority. The odds were against them, but they won big-time!
Well, here's our word for today from the Word of God - tells us how they did it. Acts 2:44 says, "All the believers were together and had everything in common...they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." Did you catch that powerful word that was repeated three times in that passage - together! They traveled a long, long way because they traveled together.
How about you? I wonder if you tend to be more of a Lone Ranger type, doing it by yourself? You may travel fast, but you won't be able to travel nearly as far as you could teamed up with others. How about your church? How about your ministry? Are you trying to do Jesus' work by yourselves or are you forming partnerships with other believers in your area?
The lost world around us doesn't understand why we can't work together. They seem to understand our Lord's heart for us better than we do. After all, Jesus prayed, "May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me" (John 17:23). That togetherness we read about in Acts 2 was the answer to that prayer.
But what about where you are? Are believers together? Are you all in your silos? You know, kind of all about your own turf? Are you separated by denominational turf, by neighborhoods, by racial backgrounds, by doctrinal differences, jealousies, or by leader's egos? We could go so much farther in rescuing the dying people around us and being taken seriously by a lost world if we'd just get together and travel together!
But getting together may start much closer to home for you. In fact, it may start at home. Maybe your family has become a group of Lone Rangers, each going in their own direction, each going it alone. That's wrong, and it's dangerous.
Are you willing to make whatever sacrifices you have to, to try to bring them together? It has to start with you. Or maybe the family of God you're a part of, a church, is more apart than together honestly. What is dividing you is probably nowhere near as important as the name and the cause of Christ that you have in common.
The journey is just too long, the challenges are just too great for you to keep going it alone. If you want to travel far, travel together.
These words are found in the book of Psalms: “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand” (Psalm 37:23–24). Do the words of the psalmist surprise you? Where did we get this idea of a God who does not care, who is not near? We certainly didn’t get it from Jesus.
Jesus Christ is the perfect picture of God. Want to know how God feels about the sick? Look at Jesus. What angers God? Look at Jesus. Does God ever give up on people? Does he stand up for people? Find the answer in Jesus. Hebrews 1:3 says, “The Son is the radiance and only expression of the glory of our awesome God…and the exact representation and perfect imprint of His Father’s essence.”
2 Chronicles 23
In the seventh year the priest Jehoiada decided to make his move and worked out a strategy with certain influential officers in the army. He picked Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zicri as his associates. They dispersed throughout Judah and called in the Levites from all the towns in Judah along with the heads of families. They met in Jerusalem. The gathering met in The Temple of God. They made a covenant there in The Temple.
3-7 The priest Jehoiada showed them the young prince and addressed them: “Here he is—the son of the king. He is going to rule just as God promised regarding the sons of David. Now this is what you must do: A third of you priests and Levites who come on duty on the Sabbath are to be posted as security guards at the gates; another third will guard the palace; and the other third will guard the foundation gate. All the people will gather in the courtyards of The Temple of God. No one may enter The Temple of God except the priests and designated Levites—they are permitted in because they’ve been consecrated, but all the people must do the work assigned them. The Levites are to form a ring around the young king, weapons at the ready. Kill anyone who tries to break through your ranks. Your job is to stay with the king at all times and places, coming and going.”
8-10 All the Levites and officers obeyed the orders of Jehoiada the priest. Each took charge of his men, both those who came on duty on the Sabbath and those who went off duty on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest hadn’t exempted any of them from duty. Then the priest armed the officers with spears and the large and small shields originally belonging to King David that were stored in The Temple of God. Well-armed, the guards took up their assigned positions for protecting the king, from one end of The Temple to the other, surrounding both Altar and Temple.
11 Then the priest brought the prince into view, crowned him, handed him the scroll of God’s covenant, and made him king. As Jehoiada and his sons anointed him they shouted, “Long live the king!”
12-13 Athaliah, hearing all the commotion, the people running around and praising the king, came to The Temple to see what was going on. Astonished, she saw the young king standing at the entrance flanked by the captains and heralds, with everybody beside themselves with joy, trumpets blaring, the choir and orchestra leading the praise. Athaliah ripped her robes in dismay and shouted, “Treason! Treason!”
14-15 Jehoiada the priest ordered the military officers, “Drag her outside—and kill anyone who tries to follow her!” (The priest had said, “Don’t kill her inside The Temple of God.”) So they dragged her out to the palace’s horse corral and there they killed her.
16 Jehoiada now made a covenant between himself and the king and the people: they were to be God’s special people.
17 The people poured into the temple of Baal and tore it down, smashing altar and images to smithereens. They killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altar.
18-21 Jehoiada turned the care of God’s Temple over to the priests and Levites, the way David had directed originally. They were to offer the Whole-Burnt-Offerings of God as set out in The Revelation of Moses, and with praise and song as directed by David. He also assigned security guards at the gates of God’s Temple so that no one who was unprepared could enter. Then he got everyone together—officers, nobles, governors, and the people themselves—and escorted the king down from The Temple of God, through the Upper Gate, and placed him on the royal throne. Everybody celebrated the event. And the city was safe and undisturbed—Athaliah had been killed; no more Athaliah terror.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, March 03, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Jeremiah 1:1–8
The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathotha in the territory of Benjamin. 2 The word of the Lord cameb to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiahc son of Amon king of Judah, 3 and through the reign of Jehoiakimd son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiahe son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.f
The Call of Jeremiah
4 The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
5 “Before I formed you in the wombg I knewa h you,
before you were borni I set you apart;j
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.k”
6 “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak;l I am too young.”m
7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraidn of them, for I am with youo and will rescuep you,” declares the Lord.q
Insight
Scripture records God speaking directly to only a few people; for example, Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden (Genesis 1–3), Abram (ch. 12), Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3) and on Mount Sinai (ch. 31), and Elijah on Mount Horeb/Sinai (1 Kings 19). He also spoke directly to the prophets who wrote the prophetic books of the Old Testament. The phrase “the word of the Lord came to me” or “this is what the Lord says” is found throughout most of the prophetic books (see Jeremiah 1:4). When God speaks, He reveals something of Himself. In Jeremiah 1:1–8, He reveals Himself as creator (v. 5), director (v. 7), and rescuer (v. 8). We learn who God is through His own self-revelation.
Fully Known
Before I formed you . . . I knew you. Jeremiah 1:5
“You shouldn’t be here right now. Someone up there was looking out for you,” the tow truck driver told my mother after he had pulled her car from the edge of a steep mountain ravine and studied the tire tracks leading up to the wreck. Mom was pregnant with me at the time. As I grew, she often recounted the story of how God saved both our lives that day, and she assured me that God valued me even before I was born.
None of us escape our omniscient (all-knowing) Creator’s notice. More than 2,500 years ago He told the prophet Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5). God knows us more intimately than any person ever could and is able to give our lives purpose and meaning unlike any other. He not only formed us through His wisdom and power, but He also sustains every moment of our existence—including the personal details that occur every moment without our awareness: from the beating of our hearts to the intricate functioning of our brains. Reflecting on how our heavenly Father holds together every aspect of our existence, David exclaimed, “How precious to me are your thoughts, God!” (Psalm 139:17).
God is closer to us than our last breath. He made us, knows us, and loves us, and He’s ever worthy of our worship and praise. By: James Banks
Reflect & Pray
For what aspect of God’s care would you like to praise Him this moment? How can you encourage someone with the thought that He cares for them today?
You’re amazing, God! Thank You for holding me up and getting me through every moment of the day.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, March 03, 2020
His Commission to Us
Feed My sheep. —John 21:17
This is love in the making. The love of God is not created— it is His nature. When we receive the life of Christ through the Holy Spirit, He unites us with God so that His love is demonstrated in us. The goal of the indwelling Holy Spirit is not just to unite us with God, but to do it in such a way that we will be one with the Father in exactly the same way Jesus was. And what kind of oneness did Jesus Christ have with the Father? He had such a oneness with the Father that He was obedient when His Father sent Him down here to be poured out for us. And He says to us, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21).
Peter now realizes that he does love Him, due to the revelation that came with the Lord’s piercing question. The Lord’s next point is— “Pour yourself out. Don’t testify about how much you love Me and don’t talk about the wonderful revelation you have had, just ‘Feed My sheep.’ ” Jesus has some extraordinarily peculiar sheep: some that are unkempt and dirty, some that are awkward or pushy, and some that have gone astray! But it is impossible to exhaust God’s love, and it is impossible to exhaust my love if it flows from the Spirit of God within me. The love of God pays no attention to my prejudices caused by my natural individuality. If I love my Lord, I have no business being guided by natural emotions— I have to feed His sheep. We will not be delivered or released from His commission to us. Beware of counterfeiting the love of God by following your own natural human emotions, sympathies, or understandings. That will only serve to revile and abuse the true love of God.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Am I getting nobler, better, more helpful, more humble, as I get older? Am I exhibiting the life that men take knowledge of as having been with Jesus, or am I getting more self-assertive, more deliberately determined to have my own way? It is a great thing to tell yourself the truth.
The Place of Help
Bible in a Year: Numbers 28-30; Mark 8:22-38
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, March 03, 2020
How to Travel Far - #8647
For some people, a long drive is anything more than an hour or two. Over the years for my wife and me, well, it just had to be many hours before we could call it a long drive. Oh, good night, I think back! We've driven so many marathon trips over the years and, for the most part, we've enjoyed it...if we traveled together. It's not fun driving a long haul alone. In fact, unless you're a professional long-hauler, it's not even safe to drive a long trip alone. It never is a good idea to nap and drive simultaneously I believe. If you really want to cover a lot of miles, take somebody with you. You can go a lot longer. Oh sure, that second person might slow you down a little sometimes, but hey, they're worth it. There's an old African proverb that says it pretty well: "If you want to travel fast, travel alone. If you want to travel far, travel together." That's cool, huh?
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How to Travel Far."
Of course, that proverb applies to much more than just a long-haul drive. You need to travel together with others for most of life's journeys: physical journeys, emotional journeys, and spiritual journeys. You'll just get a lot more done together.
That was one of the secrets of the survival and the amazing success of the first followers of Jesus Christ. They were new believers trying to stand for Christ in a city that was very hostile to anything about Jesus. They were a tiny minority. The odds were against them, but they won big-time!
Well, here's our word for today from the Word of God - tells us how they did it. Acts 2:44 says, "All the believers were together and had everything in common...they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." Did you catch that powerful word that was repeated three times in that passage - together! They traveled a long, long way because they traveled together.
How about you? I wonder if you tend to be more of a Lone Ranger type, doing it by yourself? You may travel fast, but you won't be able to travel nearly as far as you could teamed up with others. How about your church? How about your ministry? Are you trying to do Jesus' work by yourselves or are you forming partnerships with other believers in your area?
The lost world around us doesn't understand why we can't work together. They seem to understand our Lord's heart for us better than we do. After all, Jesus prayed, "May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me" (John 17:23). That togetherness we read about in Acts 2 was the answer to that prayer.
But what about where you are? Are believers together? Are you all in your silos? You know, kind of all about your own turf? Are you separated by denominational turf, by neighborhoods, by racial backgrounds, by doctrinal differences, jealousies, or by leader's egos? We could go so much farther in rescuing the dying people around us and being taken seriously by a lost world if we'd just get together and travel together!
But getting together may start much closer to home for you. In fact, it may start at home. Maybe your family has become a group of Lone Rangers, each going in their own direction, each going it alone. That's wrong, and it's dangerous.
Are you willing to make whatever sacrifices you have to, to try to bring them together? It has to start with you. Or maybe the family of God you're a part of, a church, is more apart than together honestly. What is dividing you is probably nowhere near as important as the name and the cause of Christ that you have in common.
The journey is just too long, the challenges are just too great for you to keep going it alone. If you want to travel far, travel together.
Monday, March 2, 2020
2 Corinthians 9, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: HE KNOWS YOU
Are you open to the idea of a Father, a heavenly Father, who knows you? A soon-to-be home that awaits you? Would you consider this life- changing idea? The almighty and all-knowing God has set his affection on you. Every detail about you he knows. Your interests, your hang- ups, your fears, and your failures…He knows you!
About his children God says, “The Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought” (1 Chronicles 28:9). King David wrote, “When my spirit was overwhelmed within me…you knew my path” (Psalm 142:3).
Do you know this God who knows you? He knows your name. And he can’t wait to get you home. The ever-recurring, soul-lifting message of heaven is this— “The Lord delights in you” (Isaiah 62:4).
2 Corinthians 9
If I wrote any more on this relief offering for the poor Christians, I’d be repeating myself. I know you’re on board and ready to go. I’ve been bragging about you all through Macedonia province, telling them, “Achaia province has been ready to go on this since last year.” Your enthusiasm by now has spread to most of them.
3-5 Now I’m sending the brothers to make sure you’re ready, as I said you would be, so my bragging won’t turn out to be just so much hot air. If some Macedonians and I happened to drop in on you and found you weren’t prepared, we’d all be pretty red-faced—you and us—for acting so sure of ourselves. So to make sure there will be no slipup, I’ve recruited these brothers as an advance team to get you and your promised offering all ready before I get there. I want you to have all the time you need to make this offering in your own way. I don’t want anything forced or hurried at the last minute.
6-7 Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.
8-11 God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it,
He throws caution to the winds,
giving to the needy in reckless abandon.
His right-living, right-giving ways
never run out, never wear out.
This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.
12-15 Carrying out this social relief work involves far more than helping meet the bare needs of poor Christians. It also produces abundant and bountiful thanksgivings to God. This relief offering is a prod to live at your very best, showing your gratitude to God by being openly obedient to the plain meaning of the Message of Christ. You show your gratitude through your generous offerings to your needy brothers and sisters, and really toward everyone. Meanwhile, moved by the extravagance of God in your lives, they’ll respond by praying for you in passionate intercession for whatever you need. Thank God for this gift, his gift. No language can praise it enough!
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, March 02, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Matthew 4:18–22
Jesus Calls His First Disciples
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee,p he saw two brothers, Simon called Peterq and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,”r Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.s
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John.t They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.u
Insight
Jesus appointed twelve men as His apostles: “Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot” (Luke 6:14–16). All of these men left something or someone behind to follow Jesus (Matthew 19:27). We know from Matthew 4:18–22 that brothers Simon Peter and Andrew and brothers James and John all left their nets. But what about the others? Simon the Zealot was either a member of an extremist political group who fought against the Roman occupation of Israel or a member of the religious group noted for zeal for the Law. He no doubt left his extreme views behind. But the only other disciple we’re told about specifically was Matthew (Levi). Jesus told him, “Follow me,” and Matthew got up and left his “tax collector’s booth” (his lucrative career) to follow Christ (9:9).
A Call to Leave
At once they left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4:20
As a young woman, I imagined myself married to my high school sweetheart—until we broke up. My future yawned emptily before me and I struggled with what to do with my life. At last I sensed God leading me to serve Him by serving others and enrolled in seminary. Then the reality crashed through that I’d be moving away from my roots, friends, and family. In order to respond to God’s call, I had to leave.
Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee when He saw Peter and his brother Andrew casting nets into the sea, fishing for a living. He invited them to “Come, follow me . . . and I will send you out to fish for people” (Matthew 4:19). Then Jesus saw two other fishermen, James and his brother John, and offered them a similar invitation (v. 21).
When these disciples came to Jesus, they also left something. Peter and Andrew “left their nets” (v. 20). James and John “left the boat and their father and followed him” (v. 22). Luke puts it this way: “So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him” (Luke 5:11).
Every call to Jesus also includes a call from something else. Net. Boat. Father. Friends. Home. God calls all of us to a relationship with Himself. Then He calls each of us to serve. By: Elisa Morgan
Reflect & Pray
How could God’s call to follow Him also call you from something else? In what ways can you trust Him with what you may be leaving?
Loving God, help me understand what I might need to leave in order to respond to Your call.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, March 02, 2020
Have You Felt the Pain Inflicted by the Lord?
He said to him the third time, "…do you love Me?" —John 21:17
Have you ever felt the pain, inflicted by the Lord, at the very center of your being, deep down in the most sensitive area of your life? The devil never inflicts pain there, and neither can sin nor human emotions. Nothing can cut through to that part of our being but the Word of God. “Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ ” Yet he was awakened to the fact that at the center of his personal life he was devoted to Jesus. And then he began to see what Jesus’ patient questioning meant. There was not the slightest bit of doubt left in Peter’s mind; he could never be deceived again. And there was no need for an impassioned response; no need for immediate action or an emotional display. It was a revelation to him to realize how much he did love the Lord, and with amazement he simply said, “Lord, You know all things….” Peter began to see how very much he did love Jesus, and there was no need to say, “Look at this or that as proof of my love.” Peter was beginning to discover within himself just how much he really did love the Lord. He discovered that his eyes were so fixed on Jesus Christ that he saw no one else in heaven above or on the earth below. But he did not know it until the probing, hurting questions of the Lord were asked. The Lord’s questions always reveal the true me to myself.
Oh, the wonder of the patient directness and skill of Jesus Christ with Peter! Our Lord never asks questions until the perfect time. Rarely, but probably once in each of our lives, He will back us into a corner where He will hurt us with His piercing questions. Then we will realize that we do love Him far more deeply than our words can ever say.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Defenders of the faith are inclined to be bitter until they learn to walk in the light of the Lord. When you have learned to walk in the light of the Lord, bitterness and contention are impossible.
Biblical Psychology
Bible in a Year: Numbers 26-27; Mark 8:1-21
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, March 02, 2020
Kobe Bryant's Biggest Game - and Yours - #8646
I think most of us remember hearing that news first about Kobe Bryant's sudden death in the helicopter crash. I notice a deep sense of sadness people have. A lot of times it was like they almost had lost somebody that they knew. And then we learned his 13-year-old daughter had died and seven other extraordinary people were also lost in that crash.
You know, Kobe Bryant did have amazing basketball achievements and had superstar status that made this crash a tragedy that was kind of felt around the world. Five NBA championships. Two Olympic gold medals. His famous "work ethic" that a lot of young players called their inspiration. One time he said, "I was blessed with talent, but I worked as if I had none."
Now, I've done a lot of life-coaching over the years, and I'm thinking that Kobe played his biggest and best game after his NBA career ended. Because of where his values seemed to land. A lot of the tributes for Kobe referenced some of the darkest chapters in his life. But it's the way Kobe Bryant lived his remaining years that, measured spiritually, might have been his "biggest game."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Kobe Bryant's Biggest Game - and Yours."
As evidenced even by what he did in his final hours we saw his values. He went to church. And he was being a dad. Now none of us can know a person's heart or the depth of their faith. But we can acknowledge choices that elevate the things that really matter in this life.
People close to the Bryants called Kobe "a hands-on dad." That's a good thing. The biggest points a man will ever score in his life aren't on a court. They're the legacy of love and encouragement that he gives his children. A lot of people can be a hero on the "court" of life. But you're the only guy in the whole world who's "Dad" for your kids. Apparently, Kobe Bryant answered that wakeup call. He invested in his marriage and his daughters. You know, being a hero at home; that's where heroism really matters.
But even more important than investing in your family is what Jesus called "seeking first the kingdom of God" (Matthew 6:33). Because the One who gives us life and breath is often pushed to the edge of our life because we're seeking our kingdom. But the challenges of family, the reality check of our personal failures, the things that are beyond our control to fix - they can force you beyond "I believe in God." To "I really need God."
Kobe Bryant was actually pressed in an interview to explain what he had learned from that darkest chapter in his life. And he said, "God is great. It don't get no simpler than that." "Well, didn't he know that before the interview?" the interviewer asked. Bryant said, "You can know it all you want. But until He picks up that cross that you can't carry and carries you and the cross - then you know."
Well, I get that, because that's what Jesus did for me when the love of my life, my amazing Karen, was suddenly gone
to heaven. In the deepest, darkest valley of my life, He picked me up, and the heaviest "cross" of my life, and He carried me.
And when our "eternity moment" comes - as it did for nine people on a California hillside that Sunday, that relationship is really all that matters. All the trophies, the applause suddenly mean nothing. The Bible says, "Your life is like the morning fog - it's here a little while, then it's gone" (James 4:14). In our word for today from the Word of God in Proverbs 27:1, God says, "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring."
One heart malfunction. One driver crossing the middle line. As a friend said in his Facebook post, "Here's the sobering reality. Any moment could be our last." He's right. In that moment, all that will matter is whether I'm right with God. I can't get into heaven with my sin. You can't either. And only one person can forgive our sin. The One who died to pay our death penalty for hijacking our life from God. That's why I'm so grateful for Jesus' promise: "Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die" (John 11:26).
Look, if you want that resurrection power in your life, you want that love in your life, you want to be sure you're ready for eternity, would you tell Jesus today "I'm yours" because you died for me. You rose from the dead for me."
Go to our website and let us help you there be sure you belong to Him. That website is ANewStory.com. Because there is no greater peace than knowing you're ready for eternity. Whenever it comes, however it comes.
Are you open to the idea of a Father, a heavenly Father, who knows you? A soon-to-be home that awaits you? Would you consider this life- changing idea? The almighty and all-knowing God has set his affection on you. Every detail about you he knows. Your interests, your hang- ups, your fears, and your failures…He knows you!
About his children God says, “The Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought” (1 Chronicles 28:9). King David wrote, “When my spirit was overwhelmed within me…you knew my path” (Psalm 142:3).
Do you know this God who knows you? He knows your name. And he can’t wait to get you home. The ever-recurring, soul-lifting message of heaven is this— “The Lord delights in you” (Isaiah 62:4).
2 Corinthians 9
If I wrote any more on this relief offering for the poor Christians, I’d be repeating myself. I know you’re on board and ready to go. I’ve been bragging about you all through Macedonia province, telling them, “Achaia province has been ready to go on this since last year.” Your enthusiasm by now has spread to most of them.
3-5 Now I’m sending the brothers to make sure you’re ready, as I said you would be, so my bragging won’t turn out to be just so much hot air. If some Macedonians and I happened to drop in on you and found you weren’t prepared, we’d all be pretty red-faced—you and us—for acting so sure of ourselves. So to make sure there will be no slipup, I’ve recruited these brothers as an advance team to get you and your promised offering all ready before I get there. I want you to have all the time you need to make this offering in your own way. I don’t want anything forced or hurried at the last minute.
6-7 Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.
8-11 God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it,
He throws caution to the winds,
giving to the needy in reckless abandon.
His right-living, right-giving ways
never run out, never wear out.
This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.
12-15 Carrying out this social relief work involves far more than helping meet the bare needs of poor Christians. It also produces abundant and bountiful thanksgivings to God. This relief offering is a prod to live at your very best, showing your gratitude to God by being openly obedient to the plain meaning of the Message of Christ. You show your gratitude through your generous offerings to your needy brothers and sisters, and really toward everyone. Meanwhile, moved by the extravagance of God in your lives, they’ll respond by praying for you in passionate intercession for whatever you need. Thank God for this gift, his gift. No language can praise it enough!
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, March 02, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Matthew 4:18–22
Jesus Calls His First Disciples
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee,p he saw two brothers, Simon called Peterq and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,”r Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.s
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John.t They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.u
Insight
Jesus appointed twelve men as His apostles: “Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot” (Luke 6:14–16). All of these men left something or someone behind to follow Jesus (Matthew 19:27). We know from Matthew 4:18–22 that brothers Simon Peter and Andrew and brothers James and John all left their nets. But what about the others? Simon the Zealot was either a member of an extremist political group who fought against the Roman occupation of Israel or a member of the religious group noted for zeal for the Law. He no doubt left his extreme views behind. But the only other disciple we’re told about specifically was Matthew (Levi). Jesus told him, “Follow me,” and Matthew got up and left his “tax collector’s booth” (his lucrative career) to follow Christ (9:9).
A Call to Leave
At once they left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4:20
As a young woman, I imagined myself married to my high school sweetheart—until we broke up. My future yawned emptily before me and I struggled with what to do with my life. At last I sensed God leading me to serve Him by serving others and enrolled in seminary. Then the reality crashed through that I’d be moving away from my roots, friends, and family. In order to respond to God’s call, I had to leave.
Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee when He saw Peter and his brother Andrew casting nets into the sea, fishing for a living. He invited them to “Come, follow me . . . and I will send you out to fish for people” (Matthew 4:19). Then Jesus saw two other fishermen, James and his brother John, and offered them a similar invitation (v. 21).
When these disciples came to Jesus, they also left something. Peter and Andrew “left their nets” (v. 20). James and John “left the boat and their father and followed him” (v. 22). Luke puts it this way: “So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him” (Luke 5:11).
Every call to Jesus also includes a call from something else. Net. Boat. Father. Friends. Home. God calls all of us to a relationship with Himself. Then He calls each of us to serve. By: Elisa Morgan
Reflect & Pray
How could God’s call to follow Him also call you from something else? In what ways can you trust Him with what you may be leaving?
Loving God, help me understand what I might need to leave in order to respond to Your call.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, March 02, 2020
Have You Felt the Pain Inflicted by the Lord?
He said to him the third time, "…do you love Me?" —John 21:17
Have you ever felt the pain, inflicted by the Lord, at the very center of your being, deep down in the most sensitive area of your life? The devil never inflicts pain there, and neither can sin nor human emotions. Nothing can cut through to that part of our being but the Word of God. “Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ ” Yet he was awakened to the fact that at the center of his personal life he was devoted to Jesus. And then he began to see what Jesus’ patient questioning meant. There was not the slightest bit of doubt left in Peter’s mind; he could never be deceived again. And there was no need for an impassioned response; no need for immediate action or an emotional display. It was a revelation to him to realize how much he did love the Lord, and with amazement he simply said, “Lord, You know all things….” Peter began to see how very much he did love Jesus, and there was no need to say, “Look at this or that as proof of my love.” Peter was beginning to discover within himself just how much he really did love the Lord. He discovered that his eyes were so fixed on Jesus Christ that he saw no one else in heaven above or on the earth below. But he did not know it until the probing, hurting questions of the Lord were asked. The Lord’s questions always reveal the true me to myself.
Oh, the wonder of the patient directness and skill of Jesus Christ with Peter! Our Lord never asks questions until the perfect time. Rarely, but probably once in each of our lives, He will back us into a corner where He will hurt us with His piercing questions. Then we will realize that we do love Him far more deeply than our words can ever say.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Defenders of the faith are inclined to be bitter until they learn to walk in the light of the Lord. When you have learned to walk in the light of the Lord, bitterness and contention are impossible.
Biblical Psychology
Bible in a Year: Numbers 26-27; Mark 8:1-21
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, March 02, 2020
Kobe Bryant's Biggest Game - and Yours - #8646
I think most of us remember hearing that news first about Kobe Bryant's sudden death in the helicopter crash. I notice a deep sense of sadness people have. A lot of times it was like they almost had lost somebody that they knew. And then we learned his 13-year-old daughter had died and seven other extraordinary people were also lost in that crash.
You know, Kobe Bryant did have amazing basketball achievements and had superstar status that made this crash a tragedy that was kind of felt around the world. Five NBA championships. Two Olympic gold medals. His famous "work ethic" that a lot of young players called their inspiration. One time he said, "I was blessed with talent, but I worked as if I had none."
Now, I've done a lot of life-coaching over the years, and I'm thinking that Kobe played his biggest and best game after his NBA career ended. Because of where his values seemed to land. A lot of the tributes for Kobe referenced some of the darkest chapters in his life. But it's the way Kobe Bryant lived his remaining years that, measured spiritually, might have been his "biggest game."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Kobe Bryant's Biggest Game - and Yours."
As evidenced even by what he did in his final hours we saw his values. He went to church. And he was being a dad. Now none of us can know a person's heart or the depth of their faith. But we can acknowledge choices that elevate the things that really matter in this life.
People close to the Bryants called Kobe "a hands-on dad." That's a good thing. The biggest points a man will ever score in his life aren't on a court. They're the legacy of love and encouragement that he gives his children. A lot of people can be a hero on the "court" of life. But you're the only guy in the whole world who's "Dad" for your kids. Apparently, Kobe Bryant answered that wakeup call. He invested in his marriage and his daughters. You know, being a hero at home; that's where heroism really matters.
But even more important than investing in your family is what Jesus called "seeking first the kingdom of God" (Matthew 6:33). Because the One who gives us life and breath is often pushed to the edge of our life because we're seeking our kingdom. But the challenges of family, the reality check of our personal failures, the things that are beyond our control to fix - they can force you beyond "I believe in God." To "I really need God."
Kobe Bryant was actually pressed in an interview to explain what he had learned from that darkest chapter in his life. And he said, "God is great. It don't get no simpler than that." "Well, didn't he know that before the interview?" the interviewer asked. Bryant said, "You can know it all you want. But until He picks up that cross that you can't carry and carries you and the cross - then you know."
Well, I get that, because that's what Jesus did for me when the love of my life, my amazing Karen, was suddenly gone
to heaven. In the deepest, darkest valley of my life, He picked me up, and the heaviest "cross" of my life, and He carried me.
And when our "eternity moment" comes - as it did for nine people on a California hillside that Sunday, that relationship is really all that matters. All the trophies, the applause suddenly mean nothing. The Bible says, "Your life is like the morning fog - it's here a little while, then it's gone" (James 4:14). In our word for today from the Word of God in Proverbs 27:1, God says, "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring."
One heart malfunction. One driver crossing the middle line. As a friend said in his Facebook post, "Here's the sobering reality. Any moment could be our last." He's right. In that moment, all that will matter is whether I'm right with God. I can't get into heaven with my sin. You can't either. And only one person can forgive our sin. The One who died to pay our death penalty for hijacking our life from God. That's why I'm so grateful for Jesus' promise: "Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die" (John 11:26).
Look, if you want that resurrection power in your life, you want that love in your life, you want to be sure you're ready for eternity, would you tell Jesus today "I'm yours" because you died for me. You rose from the dead for me."
Go to our website and let us help you there be sure you belong to Him. That website is ANewStory.com. Because there is no greater peace than knowing you're ready for eternity. Whenever it comes, however it comes.
Sunday, March 1, 2020
Joel 1, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: Because of What He Did
Few things can weary you more than the fast pace of the human race. Too many sprints for success. Too many days of doing whatever it takes eventually take their toll. You’re left gasping for air, holding your sides on the side of the track. You’re asking yourself, “When I get what I want, will it be worth the price I paid?”
It’s this weariness that makes the words of Jesus so compelling. “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28).
Come to Me. Why Him? He offers the invitation as a penniless rabbi in an oppressed nation. He has no political office. He hasn’t written a best-seller or earned a diploma. Yet they called Him Lord. They called Him Savior. Not so much because of what He said, but because of what He did. What He did—on the Cross! He did it for the weary people of this world.
from Six Hours One Friday
Joel 1
God’s Message to Joel son of Pethuel:
Attention, elder statesmen! Listen closely,
everyone, whoever and wherever you are!
Have you ever heard of anything like this?
Has anything like this ever happened before—ever?
Make sure you tell your children,
and your children tell their children,
And their children their children.
Don’t let this message die out.
4 What the chewing locust left,
the gobbling locust ate;
What the gobbling locust left,
the munching locust ate;
What the munching locust left,
the chomping locust ate.
5-7 Sober up, you drunks!
Get in touch with reality—and weep!
Your supply of booze is cut off.
You’re on the wagon, like it or not.
My country’s being invaded
by an army invincible, past numbering,
Teeth like those of a lion,
fangs like those of a tiger.
It has ruined my vineyards,
stripped my orchards,
And clear-cut the country.
The landscape’s a moonscape.
8-10 Weep like a young virgin dressed in black,
mourning the loss of her fiancé.
Without grain and grapes,
worship has been brought to a standstill
in the Sanctuary of God.
The priests are at a loss.
God’s ministers don’t know what to do.
The fields are sterile.
The very ground grieves.
The wheat fields are lifeless,
vineyards dried up, olive oil gone.
11-12 Dirt farmers, despair!
Grape growers, wring your hands!
Lament the loss of wheat and barley.
All crops have failed.
Vineyards dried up,
fig trees withered,
Pomegranates, date palms, and apple trees—
deadwood everywhere!
And joy is dried up and withered
in the hearts of the people.
13-14 And also you priests,
put on your robes and join the outcry.
You who lead people in worship,
lead them in lament.
Spend the night dressed in gunnysacks,
you servants of my God.
Nothing’s going on in the place of worship,
no offerings, no prayers—nothing.
Declare a holy fast, call a special meeting,
get the leaders together,
Round up everyone in the country.
Get them into God’s Sanctuary for serious prayer to God.
15-18 What a day! Doomsday!
God’s Judgment Day has come.
The Strong God has arrived.
This is serious business!
Food is just a memory at our tables,
as are joy and singing from God’s Sanctuary.
The seeds in the field are dead,
barns deserted,
Grain silos abandoned.
Who needs them? The crops have failed!
The farm animals groan—oh, how they groan!
The cattle mill around.
There’s nothing for them to eat.
Not even the sheep find anything.
19-20 God! I pray, I cry out to you!
The fields are burning up,
The country is a dust bowl,
forest and prairie fires rage unchecked.
Wild animals, dying of thirst,
look to you for a drink.
Springs and streams are dried up.
The whole country is burning up.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Sunday, March 01, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight: Acts 20:17–24
From Miletus,a Paul sent to Ephesus for the eldersb of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you,c from the first day I came into the province of Asia.d 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tearse and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents.f 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anythingg that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jewsh and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentancei and have faith in our Lord Jesus.j
22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem,k not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns mel that prison and hardships are facing me.m 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me;n my only aim is to finish the raceo and complete the taskp the Lord Jesus has given meq—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.r
Insight
Ephesus was the Roman capital of western Asia Minor (modern Turkey) and home of the temple to the goddess Artemis—a temple that’s listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Artemis was considered the fertility goddess and was honored in an annual festival called the Artemisia, celebrated in the month of the Artemision (March–April). The festival involved athletic competitions and theatrical events and was also a popular time for men and women to choose their marriage partners. As a result, this event attracted a large crowd of visitors. Paul’s gospel ministry saw people abandoning the worship of Artemis to follow Jesus—resulting in the riot described in Acts 19:23–41.
A Goal and a Purpose
My only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me. Acts 20:24
In 2018, endurance athlete Colin O’Brady took a walk that had never been taken before. Pulling a supply sled behind him, O’Brady trekked across Antarctica entirely alone—a total of 932 miles in 54 days. It was a momentous journey of dedication and courage.
Commenting on his time alone with the ice, the cold, and the daunting distance, O’Brady said, “I was locked in a deep flow state [fully immersed in the endeavor] the entire time, equally focused on the end goal, while allowing my mind to recount the profound lessons of this journey.”
For those of us who have put our faith in Jesus, that statement might strike a familiar chord. It sounds a lot like our calling as believers: focused on the goal of walking through life in a way that glorifies (honors) God and reveals Him to others. In Acts 20:24, Paul, no stranger to dangerous journeys, said, “I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”
As we walk on in our relationship with Jesus, may we recognize what we know about the purpose for our journey and press on to the day we’ll see our Savior face to face. By: Dave Branon
Reflect & Pray
How does your relationship with Jesus affect your walk in life? What can you do today to reveal to others your love for Him?
Dear heavenly Father, as we walk through life, help us to honor You in all we do. And may we encourage others to journey with You.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, March 01, 2020
The Piercing Question
Do you love Me? —John 21:17
Peter’s response to this piercing question is considerably different from the bold defiance he exhibited only a few days before when he declared, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” (Matthew 26:35; also see Matthew 26:33-34). Our natural individuality, or our natural self, boldly speaks out and declares its feelings. But the true love within our inner spiritual self can be discovered only by experiencing the hurt of this question of Jesus Christ. Peter loved Jesus in the way any natural man loves a good person. Yet that is nothing but emotional love. It may reach deeply into our natural self, but it never penetrates to the spirit of a person. True love never simply declares itself. Jesus said, “Whoever confesses Me before men [that is, confesses his love by everything he does, not merely by his words], him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God” (Luke 12:8).
Unless we are experiencing the hurt of facing every deception about ourselves, we have hindered the work of the Word of God in our lives. The Word of God inflicts hurt on us more than sin ever could, because sin dulls our senses. But this question of the Lord intensifies our sensitivities to the point that this hurt produced by Jesus is the most exquisite pain conceivable. It hurts not only on the natural level, but also on the deeper spiritual level. “For the Word of God is living and powerful…, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit…”— to the point that no deception can remain (Hebrews 4:12). When the Lord asks us this question, it is impossible to think and respond properly, because when the Lord speaks directly to us, the pain is too intense. It causes such a tremendous hurt that any part of our life which may be out of line with His will can feel the pain. There is never any mistaking the pain of the Lord’s Word by His children, but the moment that pain is felt is the very moment at which God reveals His truth to us.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Sincerity means that the appearance and the reality are exactly the same.
Studies in the Sermon on the Mount
Bible in a Year: Numbers 23-25; Mark 7:14-37
Few things can weary you more than the fast pace of the human race. Too many sprints for success. Too many days of doing whatever it takes eventually take their toll. You’re left gasping for air, holding your sides on the side of the track. You’re asking yourself, “When I get what I want, will it be worth the price I paid?”
It’s this weariness that makes the words of Jesus so compelling. “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28).
Come to Me. Why Him? He offers the invitation as a penniless rabbi in an oppressed nation. He has no political office. He hasn’t written a best-seller or earned a diploma. Yet they called Him Lord. They called Him Savior. Not so much because of what He said, but because of what He did. What He did—on the Cross! He did it for the weary people of this world.
from Six Hours One Friday
Joel 1
God’s Message to Joel son of Pethuel:
Attention, elder statesmen! Listen closely,
everyone, whoever and wherever you are!
Have you ever heard of anything like this?
Has anything like this ever happened before—ever?
Make sure you tell your children,
and your children tell their children,
And their children their children.
Don’t let this message die out.
4 What the chewing locust left,
the gobbling locust ate;
What the gobbling locust left,
the munching locust ate;
What the munching locust left,
the chomping locust ate.
5-7 Sober up, you drunks!
Get in touch with reality—and weep!
Your supply of booze is cut off.
You’re on the wagon, like it or not.
My country’s being invaded
by an army invincible, past numbering,
Teeth like those of a lion,
fangs like those of a tiger.
It has ruined my vineyards,
stripped my orchards,
And clear-cut the country.
The landscape’s a moonscape.
8-10 Weep like a young virgin dressed in black,
mourning the loss of her fiancé.
Without grain and grapes,
worship has been brought to a standstill
in the Sanctuary of God.
The priests are at a loss.
God’s ministers don’t know what to do.
The fields are sterile.
The very ground grieves.
The wheat fields are lifeless,
vineyards dried up, olive oil gone.
11-12 Dirt farmers, despair!
Grape growers, wring your hands!
Lament the loss of wheat and barley.
All crops have failed.
Vineyards dried up,
fig trees withered,
Pomegranates, date palms, and apple trees—
deadwood everywhere!
And joy is dried up and withered
in the hearts of the people.
13-14 And also you priests,
put on your robes and join the outcry.
You who lead people in worship,
lead them in lament.
Spend the night dressed in gunnysacks,
you servants of my God.
Nothing’s going on in the place of worship,
no offerings, no prayers—nothing.
Declare a holy fast, call a special meeting,
get the leaders together,
Round up everyone in the country.
Get them into God’s Sanctuary for serious prayer to God.
15-18 What a day! Doomsday!
God’s Judgment Day has come.
The Strong God has arrived.
This is serious business!
Food is just a memory at our tables,
as are joy and singing from God’s Sanctuary.
The seeds in the field are dead,
barns deserted,
Grain silos abandoned.
Who needs them? The crops have failed!
The farm animals groan—oh, how they groan!
The cattle mill around.
There’s nothing for them to eat.
Not even the sheep find anything.
19-20 God! I pray, I cry out to you!
The fields are burning up,
The country is a dust bowl,
forest and prairie fires rage unchecked.
Wild animals, dying of thirst,
look to you for a drink.
Springs and streams are dried up.
The whole country is burning up.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Sunday, March 01, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight: Acts 20:17–24
From Miletus,a Paul sent to Ephesus for the eldersb of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you,c from the first day I came into the province of Asia.d 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tearse and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents.f 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anythingg that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jewsh and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentancei and have faith in our Lord Jesus.j
22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem,k not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns mel that prison and hardships are facing me.m 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me;n my only aim is to finish the raceo and complete the taskp the Lord Jesus has given meq—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.r
Insight
Ephesus was the Roman capital of western Asia Minor (modern Turkey) and home of the temple to the goddess Artemis—a temple that’s listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Artemis was considered the fertility goddess and was honored in an annual festival called the Artemisia, celebrated in the month of the Artemision (March–April). The festival involved athletic competitions and theatrical events and was also a popular time for men and women to choose their marriage partners. As a result, this event attracted a large crowd of visitors. Paul’s gospel ministry saw people abandoning the worship of Artemis to follow Jesus—resulting in the riot described in Acts 19:23–41.
A Goal and a Purpose
My only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me. Acts 20:24
In 2018, endurance athlete Colin O’Brady took a walk that had never been taken before. Pulling a supply sled behind him, O’Brady trekked across Antarctica entirely alone—a total of 932 miles in 54 days. It was a momentous journey of dedication and courage.
Commenting on his time alone with the ice, the cold, and the daunting distance, O’Brady said, “I was locked in a deep flow state [fully immersed in the endeavor] the entire time, equally focused on the end goal, while allowing my mind to recount the profound lessons of this journey.”
For those of us who have put our faith in Jesus, that statement might strike a familiar chord. It sounds a lot like our calling as believers: focused on the goal of walking through life in a way that glorifies (honors) God and reveals Him to others. In Acts 20:24, Paul, no stranger to dangerous journeys, said, “I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”
As we walk on in our relationship with Jesus, may we recognize what we know about the purpose for our journey and press on to the day we’ll see our Savior face to face. By: Dave Branon
Reflect & Pray
How does your relationship with Jesus affect your walk in life? What can you do today to reveal to others your love for Him?
Dear heavenly Father, as we walk through life, help us to honor You in all we do. And may we encourage others to journey with You.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, March 01, 2020
The Piercing Question
Do you love Me? —John 21:17
Peter’s response to this piercing question is considerably different from the bold defiance he exhibited only a few days before when he declared, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” (Matthew 26:35; also see Matthew 26:33-34). Our natural individuality, or our natural self, boldly speaks out and declares its feelings. But the true love within our inner spiritual self can be discovered only by experiencing the hurt of this question of Jesus Christ. Peter loved Jesus in the way any natural man loves a good person. Yet that is nothing but emotional love. It may reach deeply into our natural self, but it never penetrates to the spirit of a person. True love never simply declares itself. Jesus said, “Whoever confesses Me before men [that is, confesses his love by everything he does, not merely by his words], him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God” (Luke 12:8).
Unless we are experiencing the hurt of facing every deception about ourselves, we have hindered the work of the Word of God in our lives. The Word of God inflicts hurt on us more than sin ever could, because sin dulls our senses. But this question of the Lord intensifies our sensitivities to the point that this hurt produced by Jesus is the most exquisite pain conceivable. It hurts not only on the natural level, but also on the deeper spiritual level. “For the Word of God is living and powerful…, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit…”— to the point that no deception can remain (Hebrews 4:12). When the Lord asks us this question, it is impossible to think and respond properly, because when the Lord speaks directly to us, the pain is too intense. It causes such a tremendous hurt that any part of our life which may be out of line with His will can feel the pain. There is never any mistaking the pain of the Lord’s Word by His children, but the moment that pain is felt is the very moment at which God reveals His truth to us.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Sincerity means that the appearance and the reality are exactly the same.
Studies in the Sermon on the Mount
Bible in a Year: Numbers 23-25; Mark 7:14-37
Saturday, February 29, 2020
2 Chronicles 22, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: What’s Your Part?
“It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. Ephesians 1:11-12”
The poster read: High School Musical - Oklahoma! Tryouts next Thursday and Friday.
I was a high school sophomore, brimming with untapped and undiscovered talent. Besides, I already had the boots, hat and accent. Why not?
My audition was stellar until I opened my mouth to sing. The director asked about my theater experience. I told him I went to the movies about once a month. That was enough for him. He gave me a script and the page number for my part. Page number, not numbers. As I knelt over the body of a just-shot cowboy, I was to cry in desperation, “He’s daid!” I poured my heart and soul into that line!
What’s your part? Don’t think for a moment you don’t have one. God wrote you into his story. No assignment too small. No lines too brief.
Play the part God prepared for you! And get ready for some great days!
2 Chronicles 22
The people of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, Jehoram’s youngest son, king. Raiders from the desert, who had come with the Arabs against the settlement, had killed all the older sons. That’s how Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah became king. Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, but reigned only one year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, granddaughter of Omri. He lived and ruled just like the Ahab family had done, his mother training him in evil ways. God also considered him evil, related by both marriage and sin to the Ahab clan. After the death of his father, he attended the sin school of Ahab, and graduated with a degree in doom. He did what they taught him, went with Joram son of Ahab king of Israel in the war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. Joram, wounded by the Arameans, retreated to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received in Ramah in his war with Hazael king of Aram. Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah paid a visit to Joram son of Ahab on his sickbed at Jezreel.
7-9 The fate of Ahaziah when he went to visit was God’s judgment on him. When Ahaziah arrived at Jezreel, he and Joram met with Jehu son of Nimshi, whom God had already authorized to destroy the dynasty of Ahab. Jehu, already at work, executing doom on the dynasty of Ahab, came upon the captains of Judah and Ahaziah’s nephews, part of the Ahaziah delegation, and killed them outright. Then he sent out a search party looking for Ahaziah himself. They found him hiding out in Samaria and hauled him back to Jehu. And Jehu killed him.
They didn’t, though, just leave his body there. Out of respect for his grandfather Jehoshaphat, famous as a sincere seeker after God, they gave him a decent burial. But there was no one left in Ahaziah’s family capable of ruling the kingdom.
10-12 When Ahaziah’s mother Athaliah saw that her son was dead, she took over. She began by massacring the entire royal family. Jehosheba, daughter of King Jehoram, took Ahaziah’s son Joash, and kidnapped him from among the king’s sons slated for slaughter. She hid him and his nurse in a private room away from Athaliah. So Jehosheba, daughter of King Jehoram and Ahaziah’s sister—she was also the wife of Jehoiada the priest—saved Joash from the murderous Queen Athaliah. He was there with her, hidden away for six years in The Temple of God. Athaliah, oblivious to his existence, ruled the country.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Saturday, February 29, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Philippians 4:10–19
Thanks for Their Gifts
10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me.w Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be contentx whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry,y whether living in plenty or in want.z 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.a
14 Yet it was good of you to shareb in my troubles. 15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early daysc of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia,d not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only;e 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica,f you sent me aid more than once when I was in need.g 17 Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.h 18 I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditusi the gifts you sent. They are a fragrantj offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needsk according to the riches of his gloryl in Christ Jesus.
Insight
Paul truly did know how to find contentment in all situations. Born a Roman citizen, he came from an inherited privilege. As “a Hebrew of Hebrews” (Philippians 3:5) who studied under the highly respected rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), Paul enjoyed a strong religious heritage as well. Yet he endured intense hardships. Second Corinthians 11 outlines the litany of travails he experienced, including imprisonment, beatings, floggings, stoning, shipwrecks, hunger, thirst, and sleeplessness (vv. 23–28). Keep these ordeals in mind as you hear Paul say, “I can do all this [remain content] through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). By: Tim Gustafson
The Secret
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation. Philippians 4:12
Sometimes I suspect my cat Heathcliff suffers from a bad case of FOMO (fear of missing out). When I come home with groceries, Heathcliff rushes over to inspect the contents. When I’m chopping vegetables, he stands up on his back paws peering at the produce and begging me to share. But when I actually give Heathcliff whatever’s caught his fancy, he quickly loses interest, walking away with an air of bored resentment.
But it’d be hypocritical for me to be hard on my little buddy. He reflects a bit of my own insatiable hunger for more, my assumption that “now” is never enough.
According to Paul, contentment isn’t natural—it’s learned (Philippians 4:11). On our own, we desperately pursue whatever we think will satisfy, moving on to the next thing the minute we realize it won’t. Other times, our discontent takes the form of anxiously shielding ourselves from any and all suspected threats.
Ironically, sometimes it takes experiencing what we’d feared the most in order to stumble into real joy. Having experienced much of the worst life has to offer, Paul could testify firsthand to “the secret” of true contentment (vv. 11–12)—the mysterious reality that as we lift up to God our longings for wholeness, we experience unexplainable peace (vv. 6–7), carried ever deeper into the depths of Christ’s power, beauty, and grace. By: Monica La Rose
Reflect & Pray
How have you experienced mysterious peace when you least expected it? What desperate longings or fears might you need to lift up to God?
Father, help me to surrender my attempts to secure my own happiness in exchange for embracing the gift of each moment with You.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, February 29, 2020
What Do You Want The Lord to Do for You?
"What do you want Me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, that I may receive my sight." —Luke 18:41
Is there something in your life that not only disturbs you, but makes you a disturbance to others? If so, it is always something you cannot handle yourself. “Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more…” (Luke 18:39). Be persistent with your disturbance until you get face to face with the Lord Himself. Don’t deify common sense. To sit calmly by, instead of creating a disturbance, serves only to deify our common sense. When Jesus asks what we want Him to do for us about the incredible problem that is confronting us, remember that He doesn’t work in commonsense ways, but only in supernatural ways.
Look at how we limit the Lord by only remembering what we have allowed Him to do for us in the past. We say, “I always failed there, and I always will.” Consequently, we don’t ask for what we want. Instead, we think, “It is ridiculous to ask God to do this.” If it is an impossibility, it is the very thing for which we have to ask. If it is not an impossible thing, it is not a real disturbance. And God will do what is absolutely impossible.
This man received his sight. But the most impossible thing for you is to be so closely identified with the Lord that there is literally nothing of your old life remaining. God will do it if you will ask Him. But you have to come to the point of believing Him to be almighty. We find faith by not only believing what Jesus says, but, even more, by trusting Jesus Himself. If we only look at what He says, we will never believe. Once we see Jesus, the impossible things He does in our lives become as natural as breathing. The agony we suffer is only the result of the deliberate shallowness of our own heart. We won’t believe; we won’t let go by severing the line that secures the boat to the shore— we prefer to worry.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Jesus Christ can afford to be misunderstood; we cannot. Our weakness lies in always wanting to vindicate ourselves. The Place of Help, 1051 L
Friday, February 28, 2020
2 Corinthians 8, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: PRAYER FOR REPENTANCE FROM ARROGANCE
I’m wondering if you’d be willing to join me in a prayer of repentance—repentance from arrogance. What have we done that God didn’t first do? What do we have that God didn’t first give us? Have any of us ever built anything that God could not destroy? Have we created any monument that the Master of the stars can’t reduce to dust?
God asked this question through the Prophet Isaiah:
“To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal? says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing (Isaiah 40:25 -26).
Let’s humble ourselves before the hand of God. The Bible reminds us that those who walk in pride God is able to humble. And… we don’t want God to humble us, do we? Because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable!
2 Corinthians 8
Now, friends, I want to report on the surprising and generous ways in which God is working in the churches in Macedonia province. Fierce troubles came down on the people of those churches, pushing them to the very limit. The trial exposed their true colors: They were incredibly happy, though desperately poor. The pressure triggered something totally unexpected: an outpouring of pure and generous gifts. I was there and saw it for myself. They gave offerings of whatever they could—far more than they could afford!—pleading for the privilege of helping out in the relief of poor Christians.
5-7 This was totally spontaneous, entirely their own idea, and caught us completely off guard. What explains it was that they had first given themselves unreservedly to God and to us. The other giving simply flowed out of the purposes of God working in their lives. That’s what prompted us to ask Titus to bring the relief offering to your attention, so that what was so well begun could be finished up. You do so well in so many things—you trust God, you’re articulate, you’re insightful, you’re passionate, you love us—now, do your best in this, too.
8-9 I’m not trying to order you around against your will. But by bringing in the Macedonians’ enthusiasm as a stimulus to your love, I am hoping to bring the best out of you. You are familiar with the generosity of our Master, Jesus Christ. Rich as he was, he gave it all away for us—in one stroke he became poor and we became rich.
10-20 So here’s what I think: The best thing you can do right now is to finish what you started last year and not let those good intentions grow stale. Your heart’s been in the right place all along. You’ve got what it takes to finish it up, so go to it. Once the commitment is clear, you do what you can, not what you can’t. The heart regulates the hands. This isn’t so others can take it easy while you sweat it out. No, you’re shoulder to shoulder with them all the way, your surplus matching their deficit, their surplus matching your deficit. In the end you come out even. As it is written,
Nothing left over to the one with the most,
Nothing lacking to the one with the least.
I thank God for giving Titus the same devoted concern for you that I have. He was most considerate of how we felt, but his eagerness to go to you and help out with this relief offering is his own idea. We’re sending a companion along with him, someone very popular in the churches for his preaching of the Message. But there’s far more to him than popularity. He’s rock-solid trustworthy. The churches handpicked him to go with us as we travel about doing this work of sharing God’s gifts to honor God as well as we can, taking every precaution against scandal.
20-22 We don’t want anyone suspecting us of taking one penny of this money for ourselves. We’re being as careful in our reputation with the public as in our reputation with God. That’s why we’re sending another trusted friend along. He’s proved his dependability many times over, and carries on as energetically as the day he started. He’s heard much about you, and liked what he’s heard—so much so that he can’t wait to get there.
23-24 I don’t need to say anything further about Titus. We’ve been close associates in this work of serving you for a long time. The brothers who travel with him are delegates from churches, a real credit to Christ. Show them what you’re made of, the love I’ve been talking up in the churches. Let them see it for themselves!
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, February 28, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Acts 27:27–38
The Shipwreck
27 On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriaticc Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 28 They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feetd deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feete deep. 29 Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. 30 In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboaty down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. 31 Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.”z 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away.
33 Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. 34 Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.”a 35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke itb and began to eat. 36 They were all encouragedc and ate some food themselves. 37 Altogether there were 276 of us on board. 38 When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.d
Insight
The journey from Jerusalem to Rome consumed about three years of Paul’s life, beginning with his arrest in Jerusalem—which happened all the way back in Acts 21:27! That arrest wasn’t prompted by Paul’s actions but by those of his Jewish countrymen who had rioted. His arrest nearly resulted in a flogging (22:25–29) and generated a series of trials before Roman-appointed officials—none of whom found Paul guilty of anything (26:30–32). As was his right as a Roman citizen, Paul appealed his case to Caesar, and that choice set him on the journey that would include the shipwreck events in Acts 27.
To learn more about Paul, visit bit.ly/2M4RQag. By: Bill Crowder
The Faith to Endure
Suffering produces endurance. Romans 5:3 esv
Ernest Shackleton (1874–1922) led an unsuccessful expedition to cross Antarctica in 1914. When his ship, aptly named Endurance, became trapped in heavy ice in the Weddell Sea, it became an endurance race just to survive. With no means of communicating with the rest of the world, Shackleton and his crew used lifeboats to make the journey to the nearest shore—Elephant Island. While most of the crew stayed behind on the island, Shackleton and five crewmen spent two weeks traveling 800 miles across the ocean to South Georgia to get help for those left behind. The “failed” expedition became a victorious entry in the history books when all of Shackleton’s men survived, thanks to their courage and endurance.
The apostle Paul knew what it meant to endure. During a stormy sea voyage to Rome to face trial for his belief in Jesus, Paul learned from an angel of God that the ship would sink. But the apostle kept the men aboard encouraged, thanks to God’s promise that all would survive, despite the loss of the ship (Acts 27:23–24).
When disaster strikes, we tend to want God to immediately make everything better. But God gives us the faith to endure and grow. As Paul wrote to the Romans, “Suffering produces endurance” (Romans 5:3 esv). Knowing that, we can encourage each other to keep trusting God in hard times. By: Linda Washington
Reflect & Pray
What’s your usual response to hardship? How can you encourage someone who’s going through difficult times?
Heavenly Father, I need Your help to keep going, even when it’s tough.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, February 28, 2020
“Do You Now Believe?”
"By this we believe…." Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe?" —John 16:30-31
“Now we believe….” But Jesus asks, “Do you…? Indeed the hour is coming…that you…will leave Me alone” (John 16:31-32). Many Christian workers have left Jesus Christ alone and yet tried to serve Him out of a sense of duty, or because they sense a need as a result of their own discernment. The reason for this is actually the absence of the resurrection life of Jesus. Our soul has gotten out of intimate contact with God by leaning on our own religious understanding (see Proverbs 3:5-6). This is not deliberate sin and there is no punishment attached to it. But once a person realizes how he has hindered his understanding of Jesus Christ, and caused uncertainties, sorrows, and difficulties for himself, it is with shame and remorse that he has to return.
We need to rely on the resurrection life of Jesus on a much deeper level than we do now. We should get in the habit of continually seeking His counsel on everything, instead of making our own commonsense decisions and then asking Him to bless them. He cannot bless them; it is not in His realm to do so, and those decisions are severed from reality. If we do something simply out of a sense of duty, we are trying to live up to a standard that competes with Jesus Christ. We become a prideful, arrogant person, thinking we know what to do in every situation. We have put our sense of duty on the throne of our life, instead of enthroning the resurrection life of Jesus. We are not told to “walk in the light” of our conscience or in the light of a sense of duty, but to “walk in the light as He is in the light…” (1 John 1:7). When we do something out of a sense of duty, it is easy to explain the reasons for our actions to others. But when we do something out of obedience to the Lord, there can be no other explanation— just obedience. That is why a saint can be so easily ridiculed and misunderstood.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Jesus Christ is always unyielding to my claim to my right to myself. The one essential element in all our Lord’s teaching about discipleship is abandon, no calculation, no trace of self-interest.
Disciples Indeed
Bible in a Year: Numbers 20-22; Mark 7:1-13
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, February 28, 2020
How "Lost" Ends - #8645
Several years ago, it was like the talk of people watching TV. It was that show "Lost." I never got hooked on that series, but a whole lot of my friends did. I would often see the day after that they'd be shaking their heads, rolling their eyes, and they're kind of tongue-tied when it came to trying to explain what happened the night before. Well, one Sunday night, their long journey ended with this 2 ½ hour finale, creatively titled, "The End." I don't know how long they worked on that title.
The journey actually had started six years before with a plane crash on a remote island. And it ended that Sunday night in an ethereal chapel, somewhere on the other side of death. In between was this convoluted roller coaster of mysterious twists, unexplained dark forces, and revealing flashbacks of the checkered pasts of the crash survivors. Fans were left with a pile of questions and theories exchanged on the worldwide web trying to answer them.
But the journey finally ended that one night. "Lost" fans had a wide variety of feelings about the destination. Some loved it - some didn't. I, of course, didn't have an opinion because I didn't spend any time on what they called "the island." But I'll tell you this, I know about loss.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How 'Lost' Ends."
From the time that series roared into center stage in our pop culture, the title haunted me. Sure, one-word TV titles aren't new: "Seinfeld," "Survivor," "M.A.S.H." But this one got to me a little, probably because "lost" is a God-word.
Over and over in the Bible, God describes our spiritual condition using that word. In a way, "Lost" could be the title for the long-running series of every life on this planet. Jesus called us "lost sheep." He told a story about us being like a "lost son." And then in our word for today from the Word of God in Luke 19:10, He said His whole reason for coming into our world was - here it is - "to seek and save what was lost." I was one of those "lost" that He came to save. That's why I know about "lost."
Lost means that you don't know for sure where you are. You don't know the way to get home. You're alone. You're afraid. That's a pretty vivid description of how we feel deep in ou
r soul so many times. It isn't that we haven't tried some roads to get home, to get off "the island"; none of which have taken us there so far.
That's why Jesus came! We wouldn't look for Him. He came looking for us, because "home" is a relationship with the One who made us. The Bible literally says that, "All things were created by Him and for Him." You could put your name in that. You were created by Him and for a relationship with Him.
But then the Bible says, "we have all wandered away like sheep" (Isaiah 53:6). We're away from God. We are lost. But Jesus went all the way to a cross to find us; to die for us, to pay our death penalty that keeps us from being forgiven, from going to God's heaven, from having the hole in our heart ever filled.
Today He wants to bring you home to a relationship with Him. If you've never begun that relationship and you're tired of "lost," I hope you'll go to our website today. It's a place where many have gone and walked through there the way they begin a relationship with God forever. It's called ANewStory.com. I hope you'll go there.
I'll tell you, I'll thank Him forever for the day He found me; the day I grabbed Him with both hands, this One who paid so much to bring me Home. See, "Lost" ends in Jesus' arms.
I’m wondering if you’d be willing to join me in a prayer of repentance—repentance from arrogance. What have we done that God didn’t first do? What do we have that God didn’t first give us? Have any of us ever built anything that God could not destroy? Have we created any monument that the Master of the stars can’t reduce to dust?
God asked this question through the Prophet Isaiah:
“To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal? says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing (Isaiah 40:25 -26).
Let’s humble ourselves before the hand of God. The Bible reminds us that those who walk in pride God is able to humble. And… we don’t want God to humble us, do we? Because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable!
2 Corinthians 8
Now, friends, I want to report on the surprising and generous ways in which God is working in the churches in Macedonia province. Fierce troubles came down on the people of those churches, pushing them to the very limit. The trial exposed their true colors: They were incredibly happy, though desperately poor. The pressure triggered something totally unexpected: an outpouring of pure and generous gifts. I was there and saw it for myself. They gave offerings of whatever they could—far more than they could afford!—pleading for the privilege of helping out in the relief of poor Christians.
5-7 This was totally spontaneous, entirely their own idea, and caught us completely off guard. What explains it was that they had first given themselves unreservedly to God and to us. The other giving simply flowed out of the purposes of God working in their lives. That’s what prompted us to ask Titus to bring the relief offering to your attention, so that what was so well begun could be finished up. You do so well in so many things—you trust God, you’re articulate, you’re insightful, you’re passionate, you love us—now, do your best in this, too.
8-9 I’m not trying to order you around against your will. But by bringing in the Macedonians’ enthusiasm as a stimulus to your love, I am hoping to bring the best out of you. You are familiar with the generosity of our Master, Jesus Christ. Rich as he was, he gave it all away for us—in one stroke he became poor and we became rich.
10-20 So here’s what I think: The best thing you can do right now is to finish what you started last year and not let those good intentions grow stale. Your heart’s been in the right place all along. You’ve got what it takes to finish it up, so go to it. Once the commitment is clear, you do what you can, not what you can’t. The heart regulates the hands. This isn’t so others can take it easy while you sweat it out. No, you’re shoulder to shoulder with them all the way, your surplus matching their deficit, their surplus matching your deficit. In the end you come out even. As it is written,
Nothing left over to the one with the most,
Nothing lacking to the one with the least.
I thank God for giving Titus the same devoted concern for you that I have. He was most considerate of how we felt, but his eagerness to go to you and help out with this relief offering is his own idea. We’re sending a companion along with him, someone very popular in the churches for his preaching of the Message. But there’s far more to him than popularity. He’s rock-solid trustworthy. The churches handpicked him to go with us as we travel about doing this work of sharing God’s gifts to honor God as well as we can, taking every precaution against scandal.
20-22 We don’t want anyone suspecting us of taking one penny of this money for ourselves. We’re being as careful in our reputation with the public as in our reputation with God. That’s why we’re sending another trusted friend along. He’s proved his dependability many times over, and carries on as energetically as the day he started. He’s heard much about you, and liked what he’s heard—so much so that he can’t wait to get there.
23-24 I don’t need to say anything further about Titus. We’ve been close associates in this work of serving you for a long time. The brothers who travel with him are delegates from churches, a real credit to Christ. Show them what you’re made of, the love I’ve been talking up in the churches. Let them see it for themselves!
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, February 28, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Acts 27:27–38
The Shipwreck
27 On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriaticc Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 28 They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feetd deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feete deep. 29 Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. 30 In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboaty down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. 31 Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.”z 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away.
33 Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. 34 Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.”a 35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke itb and began to eat. 36 They were all encouragedc and ate some food themselves. 37 Altogether there were 276 of us on board. 38 When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.d
Insight
The journey from Jerusalem to Rome consumed about three years of Paul’s life, beginning with his arrest in Jerusalem—which happened all the way back in Acts 21:27! That arrest wasn’t prompted by Paul’s actions but by those of his Jewish countrymen who had rioted. His arrest nearly resulted in a flogging (22:25–29) and generated a series of trials before Roman-appointed officials—none of whom found Paul guilty of anything (26:30–32). As was his right as a Roman citizen, Paul appealed his case to Caesar, and that choice set him on the journey that would include the shipwreck events in Acts 27.
To learn more about Paul, visit bit.ly/2M4RQag. By: Bill Crowder
The Faith to Endure
Suffering produces endurance. Romans 5:3 esv
Ernest Shackleton (1874–1922) led an unsuccessful expedition to cross Antarctica in 1914. When his ship, aptly named Endurance, became trapped in heavy ice in the Weddell Sea, it became an endurance race just to survive. With no means of communicating with the rest of the world, Shackleton and his crew used lifeboats to make the journey to the nearest shore—Elephant Island. While most of the crew stayed behind on the island, Shackleton and five crewmen spent two weeks traveling 800 miles across the ocean to South Georgia to get help for those left behind. The “failed” expedition became a victorious entry in the history books when all of Shackleton’s men survived, thanks to their courage and endurance.
The apostle Paul knew what it meant to endure. During a stormy sea voyage to Rome to face trial for his belief in Jesus, Paul learned from an angel of God that the ship would sink. But the apostle kept the men aboard encouraged, thanks to God’s promise that all would survive, despite the loss of the ship (Acts 27:23–24).
When disaster strikes, we tend to want God to immediately make everything better. But God gives us the faith to endure and grow. As Paul wrote to the Romans, “Suffering produces endurance” (Romans 5:3 esv). Knowing that, we can encourage each other to keep trusting God in hard times. By: Linda Washington
Reflect & Pray
What’s your usual response to hardship? How can you encourage someone who’s going through difficult times?
Heavenly Father, I need Your help to keep going, even when it’s tough.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, February 28, 2020
“Do You Now Believe?”
"By this we believe…." Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe?" —John 16:30-31
“Now we believe….” But Jesus asks, “Do you…? Indeed the hour is coming…that you…will leave Me alone” (John 16:31-32). Many Christian workers have left Jesus Christ alone and yet tried to serve Him out of a sense of duty, or because they sense a need as a result of their own discernment. The reason for this is actually the absence of the resurrection life of Jesus. Our soul has gotten out of intimate contact with God by leaning on our own religious understanding (see Proverbs 3:5-6). This is not deliberate sin and there is no punishment attached to it. But once a person realizes how he has hindered his understanding of Jesus Christ, and caused uncertainties, sorrows, and difficulties for himself, it is with shame and remorse that he has to return.
We need to rely on the resurrection life of Jesus on a much deeper level than we do now. We should get in the habit of continually seeking His counsel on everything, instead of making our own commonsense decisions and then asking Him to bless them. He cannot bless them; it is not in His realm to do so, and those decisions are severed from reality. If we do something simply out of a sense of duty, we are trying to live up to a standard that competes with Jesus Christ. We become a prideful, arrogant person, thinking we know what to do in every situation. We have put our sense of duty on the throne of our life, instead of enthroning the resurrection life of Jesus. We are not told to “walk in the light” of our conscience or in the light of a sense of duty, but to “walk in the light as He is in the light…” (1 John 1:7). When we do something out of a sense of duty, it is easy to explain the reasons for our actions to others. But when we do something out of obedience to the Lord, there can be no other explanation— just obedience. That is why a saint can be so easily ridiculed and misunderstood.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Jesus Christ is always unyielding to my claim to my right to myself. The one essential element in all our Lord’s teaching about discipleship is abandon, no calculation, no trace of self-interest.
Disciples Indeed
Bible in a Year: Numbers 20-22; Mark 7:1-13
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, February 28, 2020
How "Lost" Ends - #8645
Several years ago, it was like the talk of people watching TV. It was that show "Lost." I never got hooked on that series, but a whole lot of my friends did. I would often see the day after that they'd be shaking their heads, rolling their eyes, and they're kind of tongue-tied when it came to trying to explain what happened the night before. Well, one Sunday night, their long journey ended with this 2 ½ hour finale, creatively titled, "The End." I don't know how long they worked on that title.
The journey actually had started six years before with a plane crash on a remote island. And it ended that Sunday night in an ethereal chapel, somewhere on the other side of death. In between was this convoluted roller coaster of mysterious twists, unexplained dark forces, and revealing flashbacks of the checkered pasts of the crash survivors. Fans were left with a pile of questions and theories exchanged on the worldwide web trying to answer them.
But the journey finally ended that one night. "Lost" fans had a wide variety of feelings about the destination. Some loved it - some didn't. I, of course, didn't have an opinion because I didn't spend any time on what they called "the island." But I'll tell you this, I know about loss.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How 'Lost' Ends."
From the time that series roared into center stage in our pop culture, the title haunted me. Sure, one-word TV titles aren't new: "Seinfeld," "Survivor," "M.A.S.H." But this one got to me a little, probably because "lost" is a God-word.
Over and over in the Bible, God describes our spiritual condition using that word. In a way, "Lost" could be the title for the long-running series of every life on this planet. Jesus called us "lost sheep." He told a story about us being like a "lost son." And then in our word for today from the Word of God in Luke 19:10, He said His whole reason for coming into our world was - here it is - "to seek and save what was lost." I was one of those "lost" that He came to save. That's why I know about "lost."
Lost means that you don't know for sure where you are. You don't know the way to get home. You're alone. You're afraid. That's a pretty vivid description of how we feel deep in ou
r soul so many times. It isn't that we haven't tried some roads to get home, to get off "the island"; none of which have taken us there so far.
That's why Jesus came! We wouldn't look for Him. He came looking for us, because "home" is a relationship with the One who made us. The Bible literally says that, "All things were created by Him and for Him." You could put your name in that. You were created by Him and for a relationship with Him.
But then the Bible says, "we have all wandered away like sheep" (Isaiah 53:6). We're away from God. We are lost. But Jesus went all the way to a cross to find us; to die for us, to pay our death penalty that keeps us from being forgiven, from going to God's heaven, from having the hole in our heart ever filled.
Today He wants to bring you home to a relationship with Him. If you've never begun that relationship and you're tired of "lost," I hope you'll go to our website today. It's a place where many have gone and walked through there the way they begin a relationship with God forever. It's called ANewStory.com. I hope you'll go there.
I'll tell you, I'll thank Him forever for the day He found me; the day I grabbed Him with both hands, this One who paid so much to bring me Home. See, "Lost" ends in Jesus' arms.
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Obadiah 1, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: WHY GOD HATES PRIDE
Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them” (Proverbs 26:12). God hates pride. How do we explain God’s abhorrence of the haughty heart? Simple. God resists the proud because the proud resist God. Arrogance will not admit to sin. The heart of pride never confesses, never repents, never asks for forgiveness. Pride is the hidden reef that shipwrecks the soul.
Pride comes at a high price. Don’t pay it. Choose instead to stand on the offer of grace. “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). Isn’t it easy to see why? Humility is happy to do what pride will not. The humble heart is quick to acknowledge the need for God, eager to confess sin, willing to kneel before heaven’s mighty hand. And because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable!
Obadiah 1
Obadiah’s Message to Edom
from God, the Master.
We got the news straight from God
by a special messenger sent out to the godless nations:
“On your feet, prepare for battle;
get ready to make war on Edom!
2-4 “Listen to this, Edom:
I’m turning you to a no-account,
the runt of the godless nations, despised.
You thought you were so great,
perched high among the rocks, king of the mountain,
Thinking to yourself,
‘Nobody can get to me! Nobody can touch me!’
Think again. Even if, like an eagle,
you hang out on a high cliff-face,
Even if you build your nest in the stars,
I’ll bring you down to earth.”
God’s sure Word.
5-14 “If thieves crept up on you,
they’d rob you blind—isn’t that so?
If they mugged you on the streets at night,
they’d pick you clean—isn’t that so?
Oh, they’ll take Esau apart, piece by piece,
empty his purse and pockets.
All your old partners will drive you to the edge.
Your old friends will lie to your face.
Your old drinking buddies will stab you in the back.
Your world will collapse. You won’t know what hit you.
So don’t be surprised”—it’s God’s sure Word!—
“when I wipe out all sages from Edom
and rid the Esau mountains of its famous wise men.
Your great heroes will desert you, Teman.
There’ll be nobody left in Esau’s mountains.
Because of the murderous history compiled
against your brother Jacob,
You will be looked down on by everyone.
You’ll lose your place in history.
On that day you stood there and didn’t do anything.
Strangers took your brother’s army into exile.
Godless foreigners invaded and pillaged Jerusalem.
You stood there and watched.
You were as bad as they were.
You shouldn’t have gloated over your brother
when he was down-and-out.
You shouldn’t have laughed and joked at Judah’s sons
when they were facedown in the mud.
You shouldn’t have talked so big
when everything was so bad.
You shouldn’t have taken advantage of my people
when their lives had fallen apart.
You of all people should not have been amused
by their troubles, their wrecked nation.
You shouldn’t have taken the shirt off their back
when they were knocked flat, defenseless.
And you shouldn’t have stood waiting at the outskirts
and cut off refugees,
And traitorously turned in helpless survivors
who had lost everything.
15-18 “God’s Judgment Day is near
for all the godless nations.
As you have done, it will be done to you.
What you did will boomerang back
and hit your own head.
Just as you partied on my holy mountain,
all the godless nations will drink God’s wrath.
They’ll drink and drink and drink—
they’ll drink themselves to death.
But not so on Mount Zion—there’s respite there!
a safe and holy place!
The family of Jacob will take back their possessions
from those who took them from them.
That’s when the family of Jacob will catch fire,
the family of Joseph become fierce flame,
while the family of Esau will be straw.
Esau will go up in flames,
nothing left of Esau but a pile of ashes.”
God said it, and it is so.
19-21 People from the south will take over the Esau mountains;
people from the foothills will overrun the Philistines.
They’ll take the farms of Ephraim and Samaria,
and Benjamin will take Gilead.
Earlier, Israelite exiles will come back
and take Canaanite land to the north at Zarephath.
Jerusalem exiles from the far northwest in Sepharad
will come back and take the cities in the south.
The remnant of the saved in Mount Zion
will go into the mountains of Esau
And rule justly and fairly,
a rule that honors God’s kingdom.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
James 4:13–17
oasting About Tomorrow
13 Now listen,f you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”g 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.h 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will,i we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.j 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.
Insight
James warns the rich against arrogant boasting, a worldly and materialistic outlook, and exploiting the poor (James 4:13–17; 5:1–6). Instead of helping believers who were suffering because of persecution, rich believers were exploiting them (2:5–7). In contrast, we’re to use our material wealth to do good (4:15–17). James reminded self-confident and arrogant wealthy believers who believed they had the future in their hands not only to be aware of the uncertainties, brevity, and frailty of life, but also to trust in God who controls it (v. 14). Alluding to Christ’s parable of the rich man in Luke 12:16–21, he warns that trusting in their own selves is sin. The apostle Paul gave similar advice in 1 Timothy 6:17–19.
Unexpected Change
You do not even know what will happen tomorrow. James 4:14
In January 1943, warm Chinook winds hit Spearfish, South Dakota, quickly raising the temperatures from –4° to 45°F (–20° to 7°C). That drastic weather change—a swing of 49 degrees—took place in just two minutes. The widest temperature change recorded in the USA over a twenty-four-hour period is an incredible 103 degrees! On January 15, 1972, Loma, Montana, saw the temperature jump from -54° to 49°F (–48° to 9°C).
Sudden change, however, is not simply a weather phenomenon. It’s sometimes the very nature of life. James reminds us, “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow” (4:13–14). An unexpected loss. A surprise diagnosis. A financial reversal. Sudden changes.
Life is a journey with many unpredictable elements. This is precisely why James warns us to turn from “arrogant schemes” (v. 16) that do not take the Almighty into account. As he advised us, “You ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that’ ” (v. 15). The events of our lives may be uncertain, but one thing is sure: through all of life’s unexpected moments, our God will never leave us. He’s our one constant throughout life. By: Bill Crowder
Reflect & Pray
When facing sudden change, how do you respond? What do you think an appropriate faith response to life’s surprises should look like?
Father, forgive me for the times I worry over things I couldn’t anticipate or can’t control, and help me to find my rest in You.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, February 27, 2020
The Impoverished Ministry of Jesus
Where then do You get that living water? —John 4:11
“The well is deep” — and even a great deal deeper than the Samaritan woman knew! (John 4:11). Think of the depths of human nature and human life; think of the depth of the “wells” in you. Have you been limiting, or impoverishing, the ministry of Jesus to the point that He is unable to work in your life? Suppose that you have a deep “well” of hurt and trouble inside your heart, and Jesus comes and says to you, “Let not your heart be troubled…” (John 14:1). Would your response be to shrug your shoulders and say, “But, Lord, the well is too deep, and even You can’t draw up quietness and comfort out of it.” Actually, that is correct. Jesus doesn’t bring anything up from the wells of human nature— He brings them down from above. We limit the Holy One of Israel by remembering only what we have allowed Him to do for us in the past, and also by saying, “Of course, I cannot expect God to do this particular thing.” The thing that approaches the very limits of His power is the very thing we as disciples of Jesus ought to believe He will do. We impoverish and weaken His ministry in us the moment we forget He is almighty. The impoverishment is in us, not in Him. We will come to Jesus for Him to be our comforter or our sympathizer, but we refrain from approaching Him as our Almighty God.
The reason some of us are such poor examples of Christianity is that we have failed to recognize that Christ is almighty. We have Christian attributes and experiences, but there is no abandonment or surrender to Jesus Christ. When we get into difficult circumstances, we impoverish His ministry by saying, “Of course, He can’t do anything about this.” We struggle to reach the bottom of our own well, trying to get water for ourselves. Beware of sitting back, and saying, “It can’t be done.” You will know it can be done if you will look to Jesus. The well of your incompleteness runs deep, but make the effort to look away from yourself and to look toward Him.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Awe is the condition of a man’s spirit realizing Who God is and what He has done for him personally. Our Lord emphasizes the attitude of a child; no attitude can express such solemn awe and familiarity as that of a child. Not Knowing Whither, 882 L
Bible in a Year: Numbers 17-19; Mark 6:30-56
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Drinking Dirt - #8644
When you use our kitchen sink, you might notice this little contraption attached to the faucet. It's one of those sophisticated water filters. Before the water arrives in your glass or your container, it passes through that filter. I don't like surprises in my H2O, you know? I don't know about you, but I don't. I was amazed the first time we took that filter off to clean it. Oh, it needed lots of cleaning! It had screened out of our drinking water this layer of dirty stuff. I didn't even want to think about that stuff going into my body. Let's hear it for the filter!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Drinking Dirt."
That's actually what a lot of people are doing - drinking dirt. Mentally, that is. Just letting a lot of things that are spiritually and morally impure pour right into their soul - un-filtered input, like drinking dirt. And if you belong to Jesus Christ, the dirt is rushing into what the Bible describes as the "temple of the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). God literally lives in you through His Holy Spirit. That's Holy Spirit. Dirty stuff should never defile His temple.
In fact, our word for today from the Word of God, tells us that God clearly commands us to filter what's coming in. 2 Corinthians 7:1 says, "Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." A lot of times we either don't have a spiritual filter for what we see and hear. Or we have a pretty wide screen on that filter; one porous enough to let in a lot that has no place in a heart or mind that's owned by Jesus and inhabited by the Holy Spirit of God.
Sometimes it takes a child to show us "sophisticated" adults how we should be living. There was a time when the teacher was a five-year-old in our family - our grandson. Yeah, he was watching a whole new crop of kids' shows. You know, the old days of Captain Kangaroo and Mister Rogers are gone; and yes, Big Bird. Well, he's still flying around Sesame Street I guess. But then we started learning about Dora the Explorer, Bob the Builder, a tomato named Bob, a cucumber named Larry.
Well, anyway, that was going on when our five-year-old grandson had a few favorites he liked to watch. There was one he watched almost every day. But he walked over to the television one day and did something he didn't do with this program that he likes a lot. He turned it off in the middle of the show. The story was starting to involve some ghost and witch stuff. When Daddy asked our grandson why he had turned off one of his favorites, he just said, "It was a bad one, Daddy."
You know, the radar of a five-year-old boy in whom Jesus lives. He knew that no matter how much he liked the show, no matter how many shows they have when there's nothing bad, when it is bad, it isn't for him. That's a model for Jesus-followers of any age. But all too often, we watch portrayed, or we read about, or we listen to something that is part of the sin that Jesus had to die for.
The Bible says He carried our sins in His body on the tree "that we might die to sins" (1 Peter 2:24). So what business do we have letting in things that portray premarital sex, or adultery, or occult practices that the Bible calls an "abomination," or that portrays violence, or disrespect for God and His Son? You can't turn on the TV or video, go to a website and then turn off being a temple of the Holy Spirit. We're most likely to let in the garbage when it's wrapped in a package that's funny, or entertaining, or brilliant, or clever, or popular. Satan's no dummy! He comes in under the radar, like a Stealth Bomber, when your guard is down.
It's not to be taken lightly when God gives a command that says, "Above all else..." He does in Proverbs 4:23 - "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Guard your heart as the spiritual reservoir from which you drink all day
long. If it's a "bad one," you've got to turn it off if you're serious about really being His man or woman.
If you don't want to let dirt into the Holy Spirit's house, filter what you let come in. You wouldn't unknowingly let your mouth drink dirt. Well, then, don't let your soul do it!
Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them” (Proverbs 26:12). God hates pride. How do we explain God’s abhorrence of the haughty heart? Simple. God resists the proud because the proud resist God. Arrogance will not admit to sin. The heart of pride never confesses, never repents, never asks for forgiveness. Pride is the hidden reef that shipwrecks the soul.
Pride comes at a high price. Don’t pay it. Choose instead to stand on the offer of grace. “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). Isn’t it easy to see why? Humility is happy to do what pride will not. The humble heart is quick to acknowledge the need for God, eager to confess sin, willing to kneel before heaven’s mighty hand. And because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable!
Obadiah 1
Obadiah’s Message to Edom
from God, the Master.
We got the news straight from God
by a special messenger sent out to the godless nations:
“On your feet, prepare for battle;
get ready to make war on Edom!
2-4 “Listen to this, Edom:
I’m turning you to a no-account,
the runt of the godless nations, despised.
You thought you were so great,
perched high among the rocks, king of the mountain,
Thinking to yourself,
‘Nobody can get to me! Nobody can touch me!’
Think again. Even if, like an eagle,
you hang out on a high cliff-face,
Even if you build your nest in the stars,
I’ll bring you down to earth.”
God’s sure Word.
5-14 “If thieves crept up on you,
they’d rob you blind—isn’t that so?
If they mugged you on the streets at night,
they’d pick you clean—isn’t that so?
Oh, they’ll take Esau apart, piece by piece,
empty his purse and pockets.
All your old partners will drive you to the edge.
Your old friends will lie to your face.
Your old drinking buddies will stab you in the back.
Your world will collapse. You won’t know what hit you.
So don’t be surprised”—it’s God’s sure Word!—
“when I wipe out all sages from Edom
and rid the Esau mountains of its famous wise men.
Your great heroes will desert you, Teman.
There’ll be nobody left in Esau’s mountains.
Because of the murderous history compiled
against your brother Jacob,
You will be looked down on by everyone.
You’ll lose your place in history.
On that day you stood there and didn’t do anything.
Strangers took your brother’s army into exile.
Godless foreigners invaded and pillaged Jerusalem.
You stood there and watched.
You were as bad as they were.
You shouldn’t have gloated over your brother
when he was down-and-out.
You shouldn’t have laughed and joked at Judah’s sons
when they were facedown in the mud.
You shouldn’t have talked so big
when everything was so bad.
You shouldn’t have taken advantage of my people
when their lives had fallen apart.
You of all people should not have been amused
by their troubles, their wrecked nation.
You shouldn’t have taken the shirt off their back
when they were knocked flat, defenseless.
And you shouldn’t have stood waiting at the outskirts
and cut off refugees,
And traitorously turned in helpless survivors
who had lost everything.
15-18 “God’s Judgment Day is near
for all the godless nations.
As you have done, it will be done to you.
What you did will boomerang back
and hit your own head.
Just as you partied on my holy mountain,
all the godless nations will drink God’s wrath.
They’ll drink and drink and drink—
they’ll drink themselves to death.
But not so on Mount Zion—there’s respite there!
a safe and holy place!
The family of Jacob will take back their possessions
from those who took them from them.
That’s when the family of Jacob will catch fire,
the family of Joseph become fierce flame,
while the family of Esau will be straw.
Esau will go up in flames,
nothing left of Esau but a pile of ashes.”
God said it, and it is so.
19-21 People from the south will take over the Esau mountains;
people from the foothills will overrun the Philistines.
They’ll take the farms of Ephraim and Samaria,
and Benjamin will take Gilead.
Earlier, Israelite exiles will come back
and take Canaanite land to the north at Zarephath.
Jerusalem exiles from the far northwest in Sepharad
will come back and take the cities in the south.
The remnant of the saved in Mount Zion
will go into the mountains of Esau
And rule justly and fairly,
a rule that honors God’s kingdom.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
James 4:13–17
oasting About Tomorrow
13 Now listen,f you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”g 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.h 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will,i we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.j 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.
Insight
James warns the rich against arrogant boasting, a worldly and materialistic outlook, and exploiting the poor (James 4:13–17; 5:1–6). Instead of helping believers who were suffering because of persecution, rich believers were exploiting them (2:5–7). In contrast, we’re to use our material wealth to do good (4:15–17). James reminded self-confident and arrogant wealthy believers who believed they had the future in their hands not only to be aware of the uncertainties, brevity, and frailty of life, but also to trust in God who controls it (v. 14). Alluding to Christ’s parable of the rich man in Luke 12:16–21, he warns that trusting in their own selves is sin. The apostle Paul gave similar advice in 1 Timothy 6:17–19.
Unexpected Change
You do not even know what will happen tomorrow. James 4:14
In January 1943, warm Chinook winds hit Spearfish, South Dakota, quickly raising the temperatures from –4° to 45°F (–20° to 7°C). That drastic weather change—a swing of 49 degrees—took place in just two minutes. The widest temperature change recorded in the USA over a twenty-four-hour period is an incredible 103 degrees! On January 15, 1972, Loma, Montana, saw the temperature jump from -54° to 49°F (–48° to 9°C).
Sudden change, however, is not simply a weather phenomenon. It’s sometimes the very nature of life. James reminds us, “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow” (4:13–14). An unexpected loss. A surprise diagnosis. A financial reversal. Sudden changes.
Life is a journey with many unpredictable elements. This is precisely why James warns us to turn from “arrogant schemes” (v. 16) that do not take the Almighty into account. As he advised us, “You ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that’ ” (v. 15). The events of our lives may be uncertain, but one thing is sure: through all of life’s unexpected moments, our God will never leave us. He’s our one constant throughout life. By: Bill Crowder
Reflect & Pray
When facing sudden change, how do you respond? What do you think an appropriate faith response to life’s surprises should look like?
Father, forgive me for the times I worry over things I couldn’t anticipate or can’t control, and help me to find my rest in You.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, February 27, 2020
The Impoverished Ministry of Jesus
Where then do You get that living water? —John 4:11
“The well is deep” — and even a great deal deeper than the Samaritan woman knew! (John 4:11). Think of the depths of human nature and human life; think of the depth of the “wells” in you. Have you been limiting, or impoverishing, the ministry of Jesus to the point that He is unable to work in your life? Suppose that you have a deep “well” of hurt and trouble inside your heart, and Jesus comes and says to you, “Let not your heart be troubled…” (John 14:1). Would your response be to shrug your shoulders and say, “But, Lord, the well is too deep, and even You can’t draw up quietness and comfort out of it.” Actually, that is correct. Jesus doesn’t bring anything up from the wells of human nature— He brings them down from above. We limit the Holy One of Israel by remembering only what we have allowed Him to do for us in the past, and also by saying, “Of course, I cannot expect God to do this particular thing.” The thing that approaches the very limits of His power is the very thing we as disciples of Jesus ought to believe He will do. We impoverish and weaken His ministry in us the moment we forget He is almighty. The impoverishment is in us, not in Him. We will come to Jesus for Him to be our comforter or our sympathizer, but we refrain from approaching Him as our Almighty God.
The reason some of us are such poor examples of Christianity is that we have failed to recognize that Christ is almighty. We have Christian attributes and experiences, but there is no abandonment or surrender to Jesus Christ. When we get into difficult circumstances, we impoverish His ministry by saying, “Of course, He can’t do anything about this.” We struggle to reach the bottom of our own well, trying to get water for ourselves. Beware of sitting back, and saying, “It can’t be done.” You will know it can be done if you will look to Jesus. The well of your incompleteness runs deep, but make the effort to look away from yourself and to look toward Him.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Awe is the condition of a man’s spirit realizing Who God is and what He has done for him personally. Our Lord emphasizes the attitude of a child; no attitude can express such solemn awe and familiarity as that of a child. Not Knowing Whither, 882 L
Bible in a Year: Numbers 17-19; Mark 6:30-56
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Drinking Dirt - #8644
When you use our kitchen sink, you might notice this little contraption attached to the faucet. It's one of those sophisticated water filters. Before the water arrives in your glass or your container, it passes through that filter. I don't like surprises in my H2O, you know? I don't know about you, but I don't. I was amazed the first time we took that filter off to clean it. Oh, it needed lots of cleaning! It had screened out of our drinking water this layer of dirty stuff. I didn't even want to think about that stuff going into my body. Let's hear it for the filter!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Drinking Dirt."
That's actually what a lot of people are doing - drinking dirt. Mentally, that is. Just letting a lot of things that are spiritually and morally impure pour right into their soul - un-filtered input, like drinking dirt. And if you belong to Jesus Christ, the dirt is rushing into what the Bible describes as the "temple of the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). God literally lives in you through His Holy Spirit. That's Holy Spirit. Dirty stuff should never defile His temple.
In fact, our word for today from the Word of God, tells us that God clearly commands us to filter what's coming in. 2 Corinthians 7:1 says, "Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." A lot of times we either don't have a spiritual filter for what we see and hear. Or we have a pretty wide screen on that filter; one porous enough to let in a lot that has no place in a heart or mind that's owned by Jesus and inhabited by the Holy Spirit of God.
Sometimes it takes a child to show us "sophisticated" adults how we should be living. There was a time when the teacher was a five-year-old in our family - our grandson. Yeah, he was watching a whole new crop of kids' shows. You know, the old days of Captain Kangaroo and Mister Rogers are gone; and yes, Big Bird. Well, he's still flying around Sesame Street I guess. But then we started learning about Dora the Explorer, Bob the Builder, a tomato named Bob, a cucumber named Larry.
Well, anyway, that was going on when our five-year-old grandson had a few favorites he liked to watch. There was one he watched almost every day. But he walked over to the television one day and did something he didn't do with this program that he likes a lot. He turned it off in the middle of the show. The story was starting to involve some ghost and witch stuff. When Daddy asked our grandson why he had turned off one of his favorites, he just said, "It was a bad one, Daddy."
You know, the radar of a five-year-old boy in whom Jesus lives. He knew that no matter how much he liked the show, no matter how many shows they have when there's nothing bad, when it is bad, it isn't for him. That's a model for Jesus-followers of any age. But all too often, we watch portrayed, or we read about, or we listen to something that is part of the sin that Jesus had to die for.
The Bible says He carried our sins in His body on the tree "that we might die to sins" (1 Peter 2:24). So what business do we have letting in things that portray premarital sex, or adultery, or occult practices that the Bible calls an "abomination," or that portrays violence, or disrespect for God and His Son? You can't turn on the TV or video, go to a website and then turn off being a temple of the Holy Spirit. We're most likely to let in the garbage when it's wrapped in a package that's funny, or entertaining, or brilliant, or clever, or popular. Satan's no dummy! He comes in under the radar, like a Stealth Bomber, when your guard is down.
It's not to be taken lightly when God gives a command that says, "Above all else..." He does in Proverbs 4:23 - "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Guard your heart as the spiritual reservoir from which you drink all day
long. If it's a "bad one," you've got to turn it off if you're serious about really being His man or woman.
If you don't want to let dirt into the Holy Spirit's house, filter what you let come in. You wouldn't unknowingly let your mouth drink dirt. Well, then, don't let your soul do it!
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
2 Chronicles 21, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: WHEN YOU SPEAK, GOD LISTENS
You may find yourself in an impossible situation; outnumbered and outmaneuvered. You want to quit. Could I implore you to memorize this promise and ask God to bring it to mind? Write it where you’ll find it. Tattoo it, if not on your skin, at least on your heart…“When a believing person prays, great things happen” (James 5:16).
If you’ve taken on the name of Christ, you have clout with the most powerful being in the universe. When you speak, God listens. Jesus said, “When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action” (Matthew 18:19).
Prayer is just the first step! God has power you’ve never seen, strength you’ve never known; and he delights in answering prayer! And… because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable.
2 Chronicles 21
Jehoshaphat died and was buried in the family cemetery in the City of David. Jehoram his son was the next king.
2-4 Jehoram’s brothers were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael, and Shephatiah—the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. Their father had lavished them with gifts—silver, gold, and other valuables, plus the fortress cities in Judah. But Jehoram was his firstborn son and he gave him the kingdom of Judah. But when Jehoram had taken over his father’s kingdom and had secured his position, he killed all his brothers along with some of the government officials.
5-7 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king and ruled in Jerusalem for eight years. He imitated Israel’s kings and married into the Ahab dynasty. God considered him an evil man. But despite that, because of his covenant with David, God was not yet ready to destroy the descendants of David; he had, after all, promised to keep a light burning for David and his sons.
8-9 During Jehoram’s reign, Edom revolted from Judah’s rule and set up their own king. Jehoram responded by setting out with his officers and chariots. Edom surrounded him, but in the middle of the night he and his charioteers broke through the lines and hit Edom hard.
10-11 Edom continues in revolt against Judah right up to the present. Even little Libnah revolted at that time. The evidence accumulated: Since Jehoram had abandoned God, the God of his ancestors, God was abandoning him. He even went so far as to build pagan sacred shrines in the mountains of Judah. He brazenly led Jerusalem away from God, seducing the whole country.
12-15 One day he got a letter from Elijah the prophet. It read, “From God, the God of your ancestor David—a message: Because you have not kept to the ways of Jehoshaphat your father and Asa your grandfather, kings of Judah, but have taken up with the ways of the kings of Israel in the north, leading Judah and Jerusalem away from God, going step by step down the apostate path of Ahab and his crew—why, you even killed your own brothers, all of them better men than you!—God is going to afflict your people, your wives, your sons, and everything you have with a terrible plague. And you are going to come down with a terrible disease of the colon, painful and humiliating.”
16-20 The trouble started with an invasion. God incited the Philistines and the Arabs who lived near the Ethiopians to attack Jehoram. They came to the borders of Judah, forced their way in, and plundered the place—robbing the royal palace of everything in it including his wives and sons. One son, his youngest, Ahaziah, was left behind. The terrible and fatal disease in his colon followed. After about two years he was totally incontinent and died writhing in pain. His people didn’t honor him by lighting a great bonfire, as was customary with his ancestors. He was thirty-two years old when he became king and reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. There were no tears shed when he died—it was good riddance!—and they buried him in the City of David, but not in the royal cemetery.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Philippians 4:4–9
Final Exhortations
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!o 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.p 6 Do not be anxious about anything,q but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.r 7 And the peace of God,s which transcends all understanding,t will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.u And the God of peacev will be with you.
Insight
Unlike many of Paul’s other epistles, his letter to the Philippians doesn’t seem to be a response to a serious crisis or conflict within the congregation (only one relational conflict is mentioned in 4:2). Instead, Paul’s primary motivation seems to be to express his deep gratitude for the support of the Philippian believers (vv. 14–18) as well as to rejoice with and encourage a greatly loved community of faith. The tone of the letter conveys that he shares a unique spirit of comradery and trust with this faith community, which he describes as his “joy and crown” (v. 1). Paul senses with these believers a deep unity as those who “share in God’s grace” (1:7). Instead of focusing on addressing weaknesses within the congregation, he’s able to joyfully encourage them to go deeper in their walk with Christ (v. 27), learning to experience joy in Christ even when suffering (v. 29). By: Monica La Rose
Thoughts of Joy
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4
In What We Keep, a collection of interviews by Bill Shapiro, each person tells of a single item that holds such importance and joy that he or she would never part with it.
This caused me to reflect on the possessions that mean the most to me and bring me joy. One is a simple forty-year-old recipe card in my mom’s handwriting. Another is one of my grandma’s pink teacups. Other people may value treasured memories—a compliment that encouraged them, a grandchild’s giggle, or a special insight they gleaned from Scripture.
What we often keep stashed away in our hearts, though, are things that have brought us great unhappiness: Anxiety—hidden, but easily retrieved. Anger—below the surface, but ready to strike. Resentment—silently corroding the core of our thoughts.
The apostle Paul addressed a more positive way to “think” in a letter to the church at Philippi. He encouraged the people of the church to always rejoice, to be gentle, and to bring everything to God in prayer (Philippians 4:4–9).
Paul’s uplifting words on what to think about helps us see that it’s possible to push out dark thoughts and allow the peace of God to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (v. 7). It’s when the thoughts that fill up our minds are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and praiseworthy that we keep His peace in our hearts (v. 8). By: Cindy Hess Kasper
Reflect & Pray
What unwelcome thoughts have stubbornly taken residence in my mind and heart? What’s one way I can daily fill up my mind with good things?
Guide my thoughts this day, O God, as You hold my heart and life in Your care.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Our Misgivings About Jesus
The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw [water] with, and the well is deep." —John 4:11
Have you ever said to yourself, “I am impressed with the wonderful truths of God’s Word, but He can’t really expect me to live up to that and work all those details into my life!” When it comes to confronting Jesus Christ on the basis of His qualities and abilities, our attitudes reflect religious superiority. We think His ideals are lofty and they impress us, but we believe He is not in touch with reality— that what He says cannot actually be done. Each of us thinks this about Jesus in one area of our life or another. These doubts or misgivings about Jesus begin as we consider questions that divert our focus away from God. While we talk of our dealings with Him, others ask us, “Where are you going to get enough money to live? How will you live and who will take care of you?” Or our misgivings begin within ourselves when we tell Jesus that our circumstances are just a little too difficult for Him. We say, “It’s easy to say, ‘Trust in the Lord,’ but a person has to live; and besides, Jesus has nothing with which to draw water— no means to be able to give us these things.” And beware of exhibiting religious deceit by saying, “Oh, I have no misgivings about Jesus, only misgivings about myself.” If we are honest, we will admit that we never have misgivings or doubts about ourselves, because we know exactly what we are capable or incapable of doing. But we do have misgivings about Jesus. And our pride is hurt even at the thought that He can do what we can’t.
My misgivings arise from the fact that I search within to find how He will do what He says. My doubts spring from the depths of my own inferiority. If I detect these misgivings in myself, I should bring them into the light and confess them openly— “Lord, I have had misgivings about You. I have not believed in Your abilities, but only my own. And I have not believed in Your almighty power apart from my finite understanding of it.”
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The life of Abraham is an illustration of two things: of unreserved surrender to God, and of God’s complete possession of a child of His for His own highest end.
Not Knowing Whither
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Challenger's Challenge For Us - #8643
It still sickens me to see it on a news replay. Those plumes of smoke over Cape Canaveral - the awful trail from what had been the Space Shuttle "Challenger." Teacher Christa McCauliffe and six other crew members were gone before our eyes. Hard to believe it was so many years ago. Hard to believe the memories and the feelings are still so vivid.
Once we had mourned those devastating losses, the national outcry was, "What happened? How could something like this happen?" The answer was found by an investigative commission, and it seemed so simple it was almost surreal. The shuttle blew up and seven American heroes died because a little "O-ring" seal on the solid-fuel rocket failed. An O-ring did this???
According to the commission report, it turns out that space officials had ignored warnings about the possible flaws in that seal. And so, something very small caused a disaster that was very big.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Challenger's Challenge For Us."
That happens a lot in our personal lives where something very small can cause a very big disaster. The life of a family, a church, a business, a ministry. You ignore a small problem, and ultimately everything blows up. A little "innocent" flirtation today becomes the betrayal of adultery you could never have imagined. You let the "sun go down on your anger" as Ephesians 4:27 says. Just tonight. Never dreaming that "stuffed" bitterness will grow into a bomb that can shatter your marriage. You put off dealing with a "small" problem until it morphs into a conflict that can ruin everything. Under pressure, you make a couple of small compromises in telling the truth, in doing everything with integrity - and later you drink the bitter cup of the trust you lost.
It's just so easy to bury it or ignore it because it seems so small. After all, you're on a mission, and who's got time for little malfunctions? You can be sure that ultimately you'll have time for it - when it's a raging inferno. When it's too big to ignore, maybe too big to fix.
So in our word for today from the Word of God in Song of Solomon 2:15, the Bible says it is "the little foxes that ruin the vineyards." So today would be a good day for me to look at my anchor relationships, my work, my personal walk with God and ask myself, "Is there a small problem that I've put off dealing with? It's not going to go away just because I ignore it." It will never be smaller than it is today. It will never be easier to deal than it is today. I don't need any more explosions from what I could have fixed when it was small.
I think about the people who have Jesus in the category of "something I'll deal with later." People who consider the sin-wall between us and God something that just doesn't seem as important as today's screaming agenda. You know, in reality, we have nothing more important to get settled than getting right with God. Nothing more urgent than facing Jesus and saying, "You died for me. I'm Yours."
And maybe all the hurriedness and the busyness and the trivia of life have kept you from getting eternity settled with Jesus. Would you do that today? He died for you. He rose again from the dead to show you He can guarantee you heaven. Today, say, "Jesus, I'm finally dealing with the most important thing in the whole world - You. And I'm yours."
Our website will help you do that. That's why it's there. It's ANewStory.com, and I urge you to go there today.
The bill for putting things off is unthinkably high. Especially if you're putting off God.
You may find yourself in an impossible situation; outnumbered and outmaneuvered. You want to quit. Could I implore you to memorize this promise and ask God to bring it to mind? Write it where you’ll find it. Tattoo it, if not on your skin, at least on your heart…“When a believing person prays, great things happen” (James 5:16).
If you’ve taken on the name of Christ, you have clout with the most powerful being in the universe. When you speak, God listens. Jesus said, “When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action” (Matthew 18:19).
Prayer is just the first step! God has power you’ve never seen, strength you’ve never known; and he delights in answering prayer! And… because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable.
2 Chronicles 21
Jehoshaphat died and was buried in the family cemetery in the City of David. Jehoram his son was the next king.
2-4 Jehoram’s brothers were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael, and Shephatiah—the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. Their father had lavished them with gifts—silver, gold, and other valuables, plus the fortress cities in Judah. But Jehoram was his firstborn son and he gave him the kingdom of Judah. But when Jehoram had taken over his father’s kingdom and had secured his position, he killed all his brothers along with some of the government officials.
5-7 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king and ruled in Jerusalem for eight years. He imitated Israel’s kings and married into the Ahab dynasty. God considered him an evil man. But despite that, because of his covenant with David, God was not yet ready to destroy the descendants of David; he had, after all, promised to keep a light burning for David and his sons.
8-9 During Jehoram’s reign, Edom revolted from Judah’s rule and set up their own king. Jehoram responded by setting out with his officers and chariots. Edom surrounded him, but in the middle of the night he and his charioteers broke through the lines and hit Edom hard.
10-11 Edom continues in revolt against Judah right up to the present. Even little Libnah revolted at that time. The evidence accumulated: Since Jehoram had abandoned God, the God of his ancestors, God was abandoning him. He even went so far as to build pagan sacred shrines in the mountains of Judah. He brazenly led Jerusalem away from God, seducing the whole country.
12-15 One day he got a letter from Elijah the prophet. It read, “From God, the God of your ancestor David—a message: Because you have not kept to the ways of Jehoshaphat your father and Asa your grandfather, kings of Judah, but have taken up with the ways of the kings of Israel in the north, leading Judah and Jerusalem away from God, going step by step down the apostate path of Ahab and his crew—why, you even killed your own brothers, all of them better men than you!—God is going to afflict your people, your wives, your sons, and everything you have with a terrible plague. And you are going to come down with a terrible disease of the colon, painful and humiliating.”
16-20 The trouble started with an invasion. God incited the Philistines and the Arabs who lived near the Ethiopians to attack Jehoram. They came to the borders of Judah, forced their way in, and plundered the place—robbing the royal palace of everything in it including his wives and sons. One son, his youngest, Ahaziah, was left behind. The terrible and fatal disease in his colon followed. After about two years he was totally incontinent and died writhing in pain. His people didn’t honor him by lighting a great bonfire, as was customary with his ancestors. He was thirty-two years old when he became king and reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. There were no tears shed when he died—it was good riddance!—and they buried him in the City of David, but not in the royal cemetery.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Philippians 4:4–9
Final Exhortations
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!o 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.p 6 Do not be anxious about anything,q but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.r 7 And the peace of God,s which transcends all understanding,t will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.u And the God of peacev will be with you.
Insight
Unlike many of Paul’s other epistles, his letter to the Philippians doesn’t seem to be a response to a serious crisis or conflict within the congregation (only one relational conflict is mentioned in 4:2). Instead, Paul’s primary motivation seems to be to express his deep gratitude for the support of the Philippian believers (vv. 14–18) as well as to rejoice with and encourage a greatly loved community of faith. The tone of the letter conveys that he shares a unique spirit of comradery and trust with this faith community, which he describes as his “joy and crown” (v. 1). Paul senses with these believers a deep unity as those who “share in God’s grace” (1:7). Instead of focusing on addressing weaknesses within the congregation, he’s able to joyfully encourage them to go deeper in their walk with Christ (v. 27), learning to experience joy in Christ even when suffering (v. 29). By: Monica La Rose
Thoughts of Joy
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4
In What We Keep, a collection of interviews by Bill Shapiro, each person tells of a single item that holds such importance and joy that he or she would never part with it.
This caused me to reflect on the possessions that mean the most to me and bring me joy. One is a simple forty-year-old recipe card in my mom’s handwriting. Another is one of my grandma’s pink teacups. Other people may value treasured memories—a compliment that encouraged them, a grandchild’s giggle, or a special insight they gleaned from Scripture.
What we often keep stashed away in our hearts, though, are things that have brought us great unhappiness: Anxiety—hidden, but easily retrieved. Anger—below the surface, but ready to strike. Resentment—silently corroding the core of our thoughts.
The apostle Paul addressed a more positive way to “think” in a letter to the church at Philippi. He encouraged the people of the church to always rejoice, to be gentle, and to bring everything to God in prayer (Philippians 4:4–9).
Paul’s uplifting words on what to think about helps us see that it’s possible to push out dark thoughts and allow the peace of God to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (v. 7). It’s when the thoughts that fill up our minds are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and praiseworthy that we keep His peace in our hearts (v. 8). By: Cindy Hess Kasper
Reflect & Pray
What unwelcome thoughts have stubbornly taken residence in my mind and heart? What’s one way I can daily fill up my mind with good things?
Guide my thoughts this day, O God, as You hold my heart and life in Your care.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Our Misgivings About Jesus
The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw [water] with, and the well is deep." —John 4:11
Have you ever said to yourself, “I am impressed with the wonderful truths of God’s Word, but He can’t really expect me to live up to that and work all those details into my life!” When it comes to confronting Jesus Christ on the basis of His qualities and abilities, our attitudes reflect religious superiority. We think His ideals are lofty and they impress us, but we believe He is not in touch with reality— that what He says cannot actually be done. Each of us thinks this about Jesus in one area of our life or another. These doubts or misgivings about Jesus begin as we consider questions that divert our focus away from God. While we talk of our dealings with Him, others ask us, “Where are you going to get enough money to live? How will you live and who will take care of you?” Or our misgivings begin within ourselves when we tell Jesus that our circumstances are just a little too difficult for Him. We say, “It’s easy to say, ‘Trust in the Lord,’ but a person has to live; and besides, Jesus has nothing with which to draw water— no means to be able to give us these things.” And beware of exhibiting religious deceit by saying, “Oh, I have no misgivings about Jesus, only misgivings about myself.” If we are honest, we will admit that we never have misgivings or doubts about ourselves, because we know exactly what we are capable or incapable of doing. But we do have misgivings about Jesus. And our pride is hurt even at the thought that He can do what we can’t.
My misgivings arise from the fact that I search within to find how He will do what He says. My doubts spring from the depths of my own inferiority. If I detect these misgivings in myself, I should bring them into the light and confess them openly— “Lord, I have had misgivings about You. I have not believed in Your abilities, but only my own. And I have not believed in Your almighty power apart from my finite understanding of it.”
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The life of Abraham is an illustration of two things: of unreserved surrender to God, and of God’s complete possession of a child of His for His own highest end.
Not Knowing Whither
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Challenger's Challenge For Us - #8643
It still sickens me to see it on a news replay. Those plumes of smoke over Cape Canaveral - the awful trail from what had been the Space Shuttle "Challenger." Teacher Christa McCauliffe and six other crew members were gone before our eyes. Hard to believe it was so many years ago. Hard to believe the memories and the feelings are still so vivid.
Once we had mourned those devastating losses, the national outcry was, "What happened? How could something like this happen?" The answer was found by an investigative commission, and it seemed so simple it was almost surreal. The shuttle blew up and seven American heroes died because a little "O-ring" seal on the solid-fuel rocket failed. An O-ring did this???
According to the commission report, it turns out that space officials had ignored warnings about the possible flaws in that seal. And so, something very small caused a disaster that was very big.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Challenger's Challenge For Us."
That happens a lot in our personal lives where something very small can cause a very big disaster. The life of a family, a church, a business, a ministry. You ignore a small problem, and ultimately everything blows up. A little "innocent" flirtation today becomes the betrayal of adultery you could never have imagined. You let the "sun go down on your anger" as Ephesians 4:27 says. Just tonight. Never dreaming that "stuffed" bitterness will grow into a bomb that can shatter your marriage. You put off dealing with a "small" problem until it morphs into a conflict that can ruin everything. Under pressure, you make a couple of small compromises in telling the truth, in doing everything with integrity - and later you drink the bitter cup of the trust you lost.
It's just so easy to bury it or ignore it because it seems so small. After all, you're on a mission, and who's got time for little malfunctions? You can be sure that ultimately you'll have time for it - when it's a raging inferno. When it's too big to ignore, maybe too big to fix.
So in our word for today from the Word of God in Song of Solomon 2:15, the Bible says it is "the little foxes that ruin the vineyards." So today would be a good day for me to look at my anchor relationships, my work, my personal walk with God and ask myself, "Is there a small problem that I've put off dealing with? It's not going to go away just because I ignore it." It will never be smaller than it is today. It will never be easier to deal than it is today. I don't need any more explosions from what I could have fixed when it was small.
I think about the people who have Jesus in the category of "something I'll deal with later." People who consider the sin-wall between us and God something that just doesn't seem as important as today's screaming agenda. You know, in reality, we have nothing more important to get settled than getting right with God. Nothing more urgent than facing Jesus and saying, "You died for me. I'm Yours."
And maybe all the hurriedness and the busyness and the trivia of life have kept you from getting eternity settled with Jesus. Would you do that today? He died for you. He rose again from the dead to show you He can guarantee you heaven. Today, say, "Jesus, I'm finally dealing with the most important thing in the whole world - You. And I'm yours."
Our website will help you do that. That's why it's there. It's ANewStory.com, and I urge you to go there today.
The bill for putting things off is unthinkably high. Especially if you're putting off God.
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