Max Lucado Daily: So Many Hurts
If hurts were hairs-we'd all look like grizzlies! So many hurts. When teachers ignore your work, their neglect hurts. When your girlfriend drops you, when your husband abandons you, when the company fires you, it hurts. Rejection always hurts.
People bring pain. Sometimes deliberately. Sometimes randomly. So where do you turn? Hitman.com? Jim Beam and friends? Pity Party Catering Service? Retaliation has its appeal, but Jesus has a better idea! Grace is not blind. It sees the hurt full well. But Grace chooses to see God's forgiveness even more. Hebrews 12:15 urges us, "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many."
Where grace is lacking, bitterness abounds. Where grace abounds, forgiveness grows. Forgiveness may not happen all at once. But it can happen with you.
From GRACE
2 Chronicles 28
Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He didn’t live right in the eyes of God; he wasn’t at all like his ancestor David. Instead he followed in the track of Israel in the north, even casting metal figurines for worshiping the pagan Baal gods. He participated in the outlawed burning of incense in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and—incredibly!—indulged in the outrageous practice of “passing his sons through the fire,” a truly abominable thing he picked up from the pagans God had earlier thrown out of the country. He also joined in the activities of the neighborhood sex-and-religion shrines that flourished all over the place.
5-8 God, fed up, handed him over to the king of Aram, who beat him badly and took many prisoners to Damascus. God also let the king of Israel loose on him and that resulted in a terrible slaughter: Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 in one day, all of them first-class soldiers, and all because they had deserted God, the God of their ancestors. Furthermore, Zicri, an Ephraimite hero, killed the king’s son Maaseiah, Azrikam the palace steward, and Elkanah, second in command to the king. And that wasn’t the end of it—the Israelites captured 200,000 men, women, and children, besides huge cartloads of plunder that they took to Samaria.
9-11 God’s prophet Oded was in the neighborhood. He met the army when it entered Samaria and said, “Stop right where you are and listen! God, the God of your ancestors, was angry with Judah and used you to punish them; but you took things into your own hands and used your anger, uncalled for and irrational, to turn your brothers and sisters from Judah and Jerusalem into slaves. Don’t you see that this is a terrible sin against your God? Careful now; do exactly what I say—return these captives, every last one of them. If you don’t, you’ll find out how real anger, God’s anger, works.”
12-13 Some of their Ephraimite leaders—Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berekiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai—stood up against the returning army and said, “Don’t bring the captives here! We’ve already sinned against God; and now you are about to compound our sin and guilt. We’re guilty enough as it is, enough to set off an explosion of divine anger.”
14-15 So the soldiers turned over both the captives and the plunder to the leaders and the people. Personally designated men gathered the captives together, dressed the ones who were naked using clothing from the stores of plunder, put shoes on their feet, gave them all a square meal, provided first aid to the injured, put the weak ones on donkeys, and then escorted them to Jericho, the City of Palms, restoring them to their families. Then they went back to Samaria.
16-21 At about that time King Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria asking for personal help. The Edomites had come back and given Judah a bad beating, taking off a bunch of captives. Adding insult to injury the Philistines raided the cities in the foothills to the west and the southern desert and captured Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth, along with Soco, Timnah, and Gimzo, with their surrounding villages, and moved in, making themselves at home. Arrogant King Ahaz, acting as if he could do without God’s help, had unleashed an epidemic of depravity. Judah, brought to its knees by God, was now reduced to begging for a handout. But the king of Assyria, Tiglath-Pileser, wouldn’t help—he came instead and humiliated Ahaz even more by attacking and bullying him. Desperate, Ahaz ransacked The Temple of God, the royal palace, and every other place he could think of, scraping together everything he could, and gave it to the king of Assyria—and got nothing in return, not a bit of help.
22-25 But King Ahaz didn’t learn his lesson—at the very time that everyone was turning against him, he continued to be against God! He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus. He had just been defeated by Damascus; he thought, “If I worship the gods who helped Damascus, those gods just might help me, too.” But things only went from bad to worse: first Ahaz in ruins and then the country. He cleaned out The Temple of God of everything useful and valuable, boarded up the doors of The Temple, and then went out and set up pagan shrines for his own use all over Jerusalem. And not only in Jerusalem, but all over Judah—neighborhood shrines for worshiping any and every god on sale. And was God ever angry!
26-27 The rest of Ahaz’s infamous life, all that he did from start to finish, is written in the Royal Annals of the Kings of Judah and Israel. When Ahaz died, they buried him in Jerusalem, but he was not honored with a burial in the cemetery of the kings. His son Hezekiah was the next king.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight: 1 Kings 17:2–6
Elijah Fed by Ravens
2 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: 3 “Leave here, turn eastward and hidef in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. 4 You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravensg to supply you with food there.”
5 So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morningh and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
Insight
Ahab (874–853 bc), eighth king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel (1 Kings 16:29–22:40), made the worship of Baal—the Canaanite fertility god of storm and rain—a state-sponsored religion. He was Israel’s most wicked king, for he “did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him” (16:33). God warned He would send drought and famine if His people were unfaithful (Deuteronomy 11:16–17; 28:22–24). The withholding of rain for three and a half years (1 Kings 17:1; Luke 4:25) was a direct assault on Baal, climaxing in Yahweh’s victory over the false god on Mount Carmel with the dramatic downpour of rain (1 Kings 18:16–46).
Chirpy
The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. 1 Kings 17:6
For twelve years, Chirpy, a seagull, has made daily visits to a man who’d helped him heal from a broken leg. John wooed Chirpy to himself with dog biscuits and was then able to nurse him back to health. Though Chirpy only resides in Instow Beach in Devon, England, between September and March, he and John Sumner find each other easily—Chirpy flies straight to him when he arrives at the beach each day, though he doesn’t approach any other human. It’s an uncommon relationship, to be sure.
John and Chirpy’s bond reminds me of another uncommon relationship between man and bird. When Elijah, one of God’s prophets, was sent into the wilderness to “hide in the Kerith Ravine” during a time of drought, God said he was to drink from the brook, and He’d send ravens to supply him with food (1 Kings 17:3–4). Despite the difficult circumstances and surroundings, Elijah would have his needs for food and water met. Ravens were unlikely caterers—naturally feeding on unseemly meals themselves—yet they brought Elijah wholesome food.
It may not surprise us that a man would help a bird, but when birds provide for a man with “bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening,” it can only be explained by God’s power and care (v. 6). Like Elijah, we too can trust in His provision for us. By: Kirsten Holmberg
Reflect & Pray
How has God provided for your needs in surprising ways? How has this deepened your trust in Him?
Loving God, please help me to trust in You to meet my needs no matter what my circumstances might be.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Identified or Simply Interested?
I have been crucified with Christ… —Galatians 2:20
The inescapable spiritual need each of us has is the need to sign the death certificate of our sin nature. I must take my emotional opinions and intellectual beliefs and be willing to turn them into a moral verdict against the nature of sin; that is, against any claim I have to my right to myself. Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ….” He did not say, “I have made a determination to imitate Jesus Christ,” or, “I will really make an effort to follow Him” —but— “I have been identified with Him in His death.” Once I reach this moral decision and act on it, all that Christ accomplished for me on the Cross is accomplished in me. My unrestrained commitment of myself to God gives the Holy Spirit the opportunity to grant to me the holiness of Jesus Christ.
“…it is no longer I who live….” My individuality remains, but my primary motivation for living and the nature that rules me are radically changed. I have the same human body, but the old satanic right to myself has been destroyed.
“…and the life which I now live in the flesh,” not the life which I long to live or even pray that I live, but the life I now live in my mortal flesh— the life which others can see, “I live by faith in the Son of God….” This faith was not Paul’s own faith in Jesus Christ, but the faith the Son of God had given to him (see Ephesians 2:8). It is no longer a faith in faith, but a faith that transcends all imaginable limits— a faith that comes only from the Son of God.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The Bible is the only Book that gives us any indication of the true nature of sin, and where it came from. The Philosophy of Sin, 1107 R
Bible in a Year: Joshua 7-9; Luke 1:21-38
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Friday, March 20, 2020
2 Chronicles 27, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS
If anyone had a reason to be anxious it was the apostle Paul! Envision an old man as he gazes out the window of a Roman prison. Half-blind, squinting just to read, and awaiting trial before the Roman emperor. His future is as gloomy as his jail cell.
Yet to read his words, you would think he’d just arrived at a Jamaican beach hotel. His letter to the Philippians bears not a word of fear or complaint. Not one! Instead, he lifts his thanks to God and calls on his readers to do the same. “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).
Paul’s challenge is a decision deeply rooted in the confidence that God exists, that he is in control, and that he is good. Rejoice in the Lord—always! You can’t run the world but you can entrust it to God!
2 Chronicles 27
Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king; he reigned sixteen years at Jerusalem. His mother was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. In God’s eyes he lived a good life, following the path marked out by his father Uzziah. Unlike his father, though, he didn’t desecrate The Temple of God. But the people pushed right on in their lives of corruption.
3-6 Jotham constructed the Upper Gate of The Temple of God, considerably extended the Wall of the Ophel, and built cities in the high country of Judah and forts and towers down in the forests. He fought and beat the king of the Ammonites—that year the Ammonites turned over three and a quarter tons of silver and about 65,000 bushels of wheat, and another 65,000 bushels of barley. They repeated this for the next two years. Jotham’s strength was rooted in his steady and determined life of obedience to God.
7-9 The rest of the history of Jotham, including his wars and achievements, are all written in the Royal Annals of the Kings of Israel and Judah. He was twenty-five years old when he became king; he reigned for sixteen years at Jerusalem. Jotham died and was buried in the City of David. His son Ahaz became the next king.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, March 20, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Nehemiah 9:9, 13–21
“You saw the suffering of our ancestors in Egypt;x you heard their cry at the Red Sea.
“You came down on Mount Sinai;j you spokek to them from heaven.l You gave them regulations and laws that are justm and right, and decrees and commands that are good.n 14 You made known to them your holy Sabbatho and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses. 15 In their hunger you gave them bread from heavenp and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock;q you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted handr to give them.s
16 “But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked,t and they did not obey your commands.u 17 They refused to listen and failed to rememberv the miraclesw you performed among them. They became stiff-neckedx and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery.y But you are a forgiving God,z gracious and compassionate,a slow to angerb and abounding in love.c Therefore you did not desert them,d 18 even when they cast for themselves an image of a calfe and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.f
19 “Because of your great compassion you did not abandong them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloudh did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. 20 You gave your good Spiriti to instructj them. You did not withhold your mannak from their mouths, and you gave them waterl for their thirst. 21 For forty yearsm you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing,n their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.
Slow for a Reason
You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Nehemiah 9:17
In the BBC video series The Life of Mammals, host David Attenborough climbs a tree to take a humorous look at a three-toed sloth. Getting face to face with the world’s slowest moving mammal, he greets it with a “boo!” Failing to get a reaction, he explains that going slow is what you do if you are a three-toed sloth living primarily on leaves that are not easily digested and not very nutritious.
In a rehearsal of Israel’s history, Nehemiah reminds us of another example and explanation for going slow (9:9–21), but this one isn’t comical. According to Nehemiah, our God is the ultimate example of going slow—when it comes to anger. Nehemiah recounted how God cared for His people, instructing them with life-giving laws, sustaining them on their journey out of Egypt and providing them with the Promised Land (vv. 9–15). Although Israel constantly rebelled (v. 16), God never stopped loving them. Nehemiah’s explanation? Our Creator is by nature “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (v. 17). Why else would He have borne so patiently His people’s complaints, disbelief, and distrust for forty years? (v. 21). It was because of God’s “great compassion” (v. 19).
What about us? A hot temper signals a cold heart. But the greatness of God’s heart gives us room to patiently live and love with Him. By: Mart DeHaan
Reflect & Pray
In what areas of your life do you need to practice being slow to anger? How does it make you feel that God is slow to anger with you?
Father in heaven, fill us with the Spirit of Your graciousness, compassion, mercy, and love so that others can see not just our restraint, but our love because of You.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, March 20, 2020
Friendship with God
Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing…? —Genesis 18:17
The Delights of His Friendship. Genesis 18 brings out the delight of true friendship with God, as compared with simply feeling His presence occasionally in prayer. This friendship means being so intimately in touch with God that you never even need to ask Him to show you His will. It is evidence of a level of intimacy which confirms that you are nearing the final stage of your discipline in the life of faith. When you have a right-standing relationship with God, you have a life of freedom, liberty, and delight; you are God’s will. And all of your commonsense decisions are actually His will for you, unless you sense a feeling of restraint brought on by a check in your spirit. You are free to make decisions in the light of a perfect and delightful friendship with God, knowing that if your decisions are wrong He will lovingly produce that sense of restraint. Once he does, you must stop immediately.
The Difficulties of His Friendship. Why did Abraham stop praying when he did? He stopped because he still was lacking the level of intimacy in his relationship with God, which would enable him boldly to continue on with the Lord in prayer until his desire was granted. Whenever we stop short of our true desire in prayer and say, “Well, I don’t know, maybe this is not God’s will,” then we still have another level to go. It shows that we are not as intimately acquainted with God as Jesus was, and as Jesus would have us to be— “…that they may be one just as We are one…” (John 17:22). Think of the last thing you prayed about— were you devoted to your desire or to God? Was your determination to get some gift of the Spirit for yourself or to get to God? “For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8). The reason for asking is so you may get to know God better. “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). We should keep praying to get a perfect understanding of God Himself.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The Bible is a relation of facts, the truth of which must be tested. Life may go on all right for a while, when suddenly a bereavement comes, or some crisis; unrequited love or a new love, a disaster, a business collapse, or a shocking sin, and we turn up our Bibles again and God’s word comes straight home, and we say, “Why, I never saw that there before.” Shade of His Hand, 1223 L
Bible in a Year: Joshua 4-6; Luke 1:1-20
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, March 20, 2020
When Waiting is Deadly - #8660
I can't begin to count how many hundreds of thousands of miles I've flown commercially. And I don't think I've ever missed a flight where it was my fault. Well, almost never. Recently, I was on a ministry trip with one of our young Native American leaders - not a very seasoned traveler. We had one more connection to reach our destination. It was a smaller plane - so our gate was at the far end of the airport with flights being called right and left. No call yet for our flight. So I excused myself to go to a nearby counter for some health food - actually, a pastry. There are different kinds of health, don't judge me. There's like emotional health you know. When I got back to our gate, I went to check on our flight. That's when I saw the dreaded words I had not seen before - FLIGHT CLOSED. NO FURTHER BOARDING. My young associate was quite impressed with Mr. Seasoned Traveler. No way we were going to get on that plane!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When Waiting is Deadly."
Eventually, we got another flight that day. But it felt awful to realize we had gotten to that one flight too late - the scheduled one. My mind raced to another "missed flight" - another closed door. It's actually in a disturbing scene described in the Bible in our word for today from the Word of God.
We're in Luke 13, beginning in verse 25, "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many will try to enter and will not be able to." So Jesus is talking here about entrance to heaven. "Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.' But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from."
Then later it says, "There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God - but you yourselves thrown out." That is the ultimate "flight closed. No more boarding." Someone's final opportunity to go to heaven. Missed. Door closed. How does this happen? Is there a worse nightmare then missing heaven for all eternity?
Jesus came here because there was no way we could ever open heaven's door. In the Bible's words, "All have sinned and fallen short of God's glorious ideal" (Romans 3:23). Rebelling against our Creator, running our own lives is punishable by forever separation from Him. "Your sins have separated you from your God," the Bible says. And I think we can feel that in our heart.
But God loves you too much to leave you lost. So in the Bible's words, "He gave His one and only Son" so if you would "believe in Him," you "will not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). On that cross, Jesus was absorbing all the guilt, all the penalty, and all the hell of your sin. That's why He said, "I am the way...no one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).
The Bible actually pictures Jesus knocking on our door - giving us a chance to open the door and let Him come in to be our Savior from our sin. But He won't knock forever. That's why the Bible says, "Today is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2). And, "seek the Lord while He may be found. Call on Him while He is near" (Isaiah 55:7). Which would seem to say He won't always be able to be found. He won't always be near.
But if you feel a tug in His direction, He is today. He's knocking today. That's Him, giv
ing you another opportunity to open that door of your heart. There's no guarantee there'll be another opportunity.
If there's never been a time when you've pinned all your hopes on Jesus - and told Him so - please don't risk putting it off again. Let this be the day when you say, "Jesus, You died for my sin. You walked out of your grave so you could walk into my life. The door is open, Jesus. I'm Yours!"
If you want to be sure you belong to Him, I encourage you to check out our website as soon as you can - ANewStory.com. It's a roadmap to a life-saving relationship with Jesus.
Today, He knocks on your door. Some day you will knock on His. Grab Him now - before the flight is closed. And there is no further boarding.
If anyone had a reason to be anxious it was the apostle Paul! Envision an old man as he gazes out the window of a Roman prison. Half-blind, squinting just to read, and awaiting trial before the Roman emperor. His future is as gloomy as his jail cell.
Yet to read his words, you would think he’d just arrived at a Jamaican beach hotel. His letter to the Philippians bears not a word of fear or complaint. Not one! Instead, he lifts his thanks to God and calls on his readers to do the same. “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).
Paul’s challenge is a decision deeply rooted in the confidence that God exists, that he is in control, and that he is good. Rejoice in the Lord—always! You can’t run the world but you can entrust it to God!
2 Chronicles 27
Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king; he reigned sixteen years at Jerusalem. His mother was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. In God’s eyes he lived a good life, following the path marked out by his father Uzziah. Unlike his father, though, he didn’t desecrate The Temple of God. But the people pushed right on in their lives of corruption.
3-6 Jotham constructed the Upper Gate of The Temple of God, considerably extended the Wall of the Ophel, and built cities in the high country of Judah and forts and towers down in the forests. He fought and beat the king of the Ammonites—that year the Ammonites turned over three and a quarter tons of silver and about 65,000 bushels of wheat, and another 65,000 bushels of barley. They repeated this for the next two years. Jotham’s strength was rooted in his steady and determined life of obedience to God.
7-9 The rest of the history of Jotham, including his wars and achievements, are all written in the Royal Annals of the Kings of Israel and Judah. He was twenty-five years old when he became king; he reigned for sixteen years at Jerusalem. Jotham died and was buried in the City of David. His son Ahaz became the next king.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, March 20, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Nehemiah 9:9, 13–21
“You saw the suffering of our ancestors in Egypt;x you heard their cry at the Red Sea.
“You came down on Mount Sinai;j you spokek to them from heaven.l You gave them regulations and laws that are justm and right, and decrees and commands that are good.n 14 You made known to them your holy Sabbatho and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses. 15 In their hunger you gave them bread from heavenp and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock;q you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted handr to give them.s
16 “But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked,t and they did not obey your commands.u 17 They refused to listen and failed to rememberv the miraclesw you performed among them. They became stiff-neckedx and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery.y But you are a forgiving God,z gracious and compassionate,a slow to angerb and abounding in love.c Therefore you did not desert them,d 18 even when they cast for themselves an image of a calfe and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.f
19 “Because of your great compassion you did not abandong them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloudh did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. 20 You gave your good Spiriti to instructj them. You did not withhold your mannak from their mouths, and you gave them waterl for their thirst. 21 For forty yearsm you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing,n their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.
Slow for a Reason
You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Nehemiah 9:17
In the BBC video series The Life of Mammals, host David Attenborough climbs a tree to take a humorous look at a three-toed sloth. Getting face to face with the world’s slowest moving mammal, he greets it with a “boo!” Failing to get a reaction, he explains that going slow is what you do if you are a three-toed sloth living primarily on leaves that are not easily digested and not very nutritious.
In a rehearsal of Israel’s history, Nehemiah reminds us of another example and explanation for going slow (9:9–21), but this one isn’t comical. According to Nehemiah, our God is the ultimate example of going slow—when it comes to anger. Nehemiah recounted how God cared for His people, instructing them with life-giving laws, sustaining them on their journey out of Egypt and providing them with the Promised Land (vv. 9–15). Although Israel constantly rebelled (v. 16), God never stopped loving them. Nehemiah’s explanation? Our Creator is by nature “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (v. 17). Why else would He have borne so patiently His people’s complaints, disbelief, and distrust for forty years? (v. 21). It was because of God’s “great compassion” (v. 19).
What about us? A hot temper signals a cold heart. But the greatness of God’s heart gives us room to patiently live and love with Him. By: Mart DeHaan
Reflect & Pray
In what areas of your life do you need to practice being slow to anger? How does it make you feel that God is slow to anger with you?
Father in heaven, fill us with the Spirit of Your graciousness, compassion, mercy, and love so that others can see not just our restraint, but our love because of You.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, March 20, 2020
Friendship with God
Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing…? —Genesis 18:17
The Delights of His Friendship. Genesis 18 brings out the delight of true friendship with God, as compared with simply feeling His presence occasionally in prayer. This friendship means being so intimately in touch with God that you never even need to ask Him to show you His will. It is evidence of a level of intimacy which confirms that you are nearing the final stage of your discipline in the life of faith. When you have a right-standing relationship with God, you have a life of freedom, liberty, and delight; you are God’s will. And all of your commonsense decisions are actually His will for you, unless you sense a feeling of restraint brought on by a check in your spirit. You are free to make decisions in the light of a perfect and delightful friendship with God, knowing that if your decisions are wrong He will lovingly produce that sense of restraint. Once he does, you must stop immediately.
The Difficulties of His Friendship. Why did Abraham stop praying when he did? He stopped because he still was lacking the level of intimacy in his relationship with God, which would enable him boldly to continue on with the Lord in prayer until his desire was granted. Whenever we stop short of our true desire in prayer and say, “Well, I don’t know, maybe this is not God’s will,” then we still have another level to go. It shows that we are not as intimately acquainted with God as Jesus was, and as Jesus would have us to be— “…that they may be one just as We are one…” (John 17:22). Think of the last thing you prayed about— were you devoted to your desire or to God? Was your determination to get some gift of the Spirit for yourself or to get to God? “For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8). The reason for asking is so you may get to know God better. “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). We should keep praying to get a perfect understanding of God Himself.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The Bible is a relation of facts, the truth of which must be tested. Life may go on all right for a while, when suddenly a bereavement comes, or some crisis; unrequited love or a new love, a disaster, a business collapse, or a shocking sin, and we turn up our Bibles again and God’s word comes straight home, and we say, “Why, I never saw that there before.” Shade of His Hand, 1223 L
Bible in a Year: Joshua 4-6; Luke 1:1-20
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, March 20, 2020
When Waiting is Deadly - #8660
I can't begin to count how many hundreds of thousands of miles I've flown commercially. And I don't think I've ever missed a flight where it was my fault. Well, almost never. Recently, I was on a ministry trip with one of our young Native American leaders - not a very seasoned traveler. We had one more connection to reach our destination. It was a smaller plane - so our gate was at the far end of the airport with flights being called right and left. No call yet for our flight. So I excused myself to go to a nearby counter for some health food - actually, a pastry. There are different kinds of health, don't judge me. There's like emotional health you know. When I got back to our gate, I went to check on our flight. That's when I saw the dreaded words I had not seen before - FLIGHT CLOSED. NO FURTHER BOARDING. My young associate was quite impressed with Mr. Seasoned Traveler. No way we were going to get on that plane!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When Waiting is Deadly."
Eventually, we got another flight that day. But it felt awful to realize we had gotten to that one flight too late - the scheduled one. My mind raced to another "missed flight" - another closed door. It's actually in a disturbing scene described in the Bible in our word for today from the Word of God.
We're in Luke 13, beginning in verse 25, "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many will try to enter and will not be able to." So Jesus is talking here about entrance to heaven. "Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.' But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from."
Then later it says, "There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God - but you yourselves thrown out." That is the ultimate "flight closed. No more boarding." Someone's final opportunity to go to heaven. Missed. Door closed. How does this happen? Is there a worse nightmare then missing heaven for all eternity?
Jesus came here because there was no way we could ever open heaven's door. In the Bible's words, "All have sinned and fallen short of God's glorious ideal" (Romans 3:23). Rebelling against our Creator, running our own lives is punishable by forever separation from Him. "Your sins have separated you from your God," the Bible says. And I think we can feel that in our heart.
But God loves you too much to leave you lost. So in the Bible's words, "He gave His one and only Son" so if you would "believe in Him," you "will not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). On that cross, Jesus was absorbing all the guilt, all the penalty, and all the hell of your sin. That's why He said, "I am the way...no one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).
The Bible actually pictures Jesus knocking on our door - giving us a chance to open the door and let Him come in to be our Savior from our sin. But He won't knock forever. That's why the Bible says, "Today is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2). And, "seek the Lord while He may be found. Call on Him while He is near" (Isaiah 55:7). Which would seem to say He won't always be able to be found. He won't always be near.
But if you feel a tug in His direction, He is today. He's knocking today. That's Him, giv
ing you another opportunity to open that door of your heart. There's no guarantee there'll be another opportunity.
If there's never been a time when you've pinned all your hopes on Jesus - and told Him so - please don't risk putting it off again. Let this be the day when you say, "Jesus, You died for my sin. You walked out of your grave so you could walk into my life. The door is open, Jesus. I'm Yours!"
If you want to be sure you belong to Him, I encourage you to check out our website as soon as you can - ANewStory.com. It's a roadmap to a life-saving relationship with Jesus.
Today, He knocks on your door. Some day you will knock on His. Grab Him now - before the flight is closed. And there is no further boarding.
Thursday, March 19, 2020
2 Corinthians 13, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: GOD OVERSEES YOUR WORLD
It is not God’s will that you face every day with dread and trepidation! I have a childhood memory that I cherish. My father loved corn bread and buttermilk. About ten o’clock each night he would meander into the kitchen and crumble a piece of corn bread into a glass of buttermilk, stand at the counter and drink it.
Then he’d make the rounds to the front and back doors, checking the locks. Once everything was secure, he would step into the bedroom I shared with my brother and say something like, “Everything is secure, boys. You can go to sleep now.”
I have no inclination to believe that God loves corn bread and buttermilk, but I do believe he loves his children. He keeps everything secure and he oversees your world! By his power you will “be anxious for nothing” and discover the “peace. . .that passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:4-8).
2 Corinthians 13
Well, this is my third visit coming up. Remember the Scripture that says, “A matter becomes clear after two or three witnesses give evidence”? On my second visit I warned that bunch that keeps sinning over and over in the same old ways that when I came back I wouldn’t go easy on them. Now, preparing for the third, I’m saying it again from a distance. If you haven’t changed your ways by the time I get there, look out. You who have been demanding proof that Christ speaks through me will get more than you bargained for. You’ll get the full force of Christ, don’t think you won’t. He was sheer weakness and humiliation when he was killed on the cross, but oh, he’s alive now—in the mighty power of God! We weren’t much to look at, either, when we were humiliated among you, but when we deal with you this next time, we’ll be alive in Christ, strengthened by God.
5-9 Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it. I hope the test won’t show that we have failed. But if it comes to that, we’d rather the test showed our failure than yours. We’re rooting for the truth to win out in you. We couldn’t possibly do otherwise.
We don’t just put up with our limitations; we celebrate them, and then go on to celebrate every strength, every triumph of the truth in you. We pray hard that it will all come together in your lives.
10 I’m writing this to you now so that when I come I won’t have to say another word on the subject. The authority the Master gave me is for putting people together, not taking them apart. I want to get on with it, and not have to spend time on reprimands.
11-13 And that’s about it, friends. Be cheerful. Keep things in good repair. Keep your spirits up. Think in harmony. Be agreeable. Do all that, and the God of love and peace will be with you for sure. Greet one another with a holy embrace. All the brothers and sisters here say hello.
14 The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Joshua 1:1–9
Joshua Installed as Leader
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord,a the Lord said to Joshuab son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan Riverc into the landd I am about to give to theme—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot,f as I promised Moses.g 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon,h and from the great river, the Euphratesi—all the Hittitej country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.k 5 No one will be able to stand against youl all the days of your life. As I was withm Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsaken you. 6 Be strongo and courageous,p because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestorsq to give them.
7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obeyr all the laws my servant Mosest gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left,u that you may be successful wherever you go.v 8 Keep this Book of the Laww always on your lips;x meditatey on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.z 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid;a do not be discouraged,b for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”c
Insight
God’s promise to Joshua that “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5) was a promise first given to Israel (Deuteronomy 4:31; 31:6) to prepare the Israelites for the journey into Canaan. After the death of Moses (Joshua 1:1), God gave this promise directly to Joshua, promising to be with him just as He had promised to be with his predecessor (Exodus 3:12). By resting in God’s presence and meditating on “God’s law” (Joshua 1:8, referring primarily to the portion of Scripture we now call Deuteronomy), this new leader could find the courage to take on the great responsibility of leading God’s people.
To learn more about the time of Joshua, visit bit.ly/2ksiRrR.
Delight in the Book
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night. Joshua 1:8
Tsundoku. It’s the word I’ve always needed! A Japanese term, it refers to the stack of books on a bedside table waiting to be read. Books offer the potential for learning or an escape to a different time or place, and I long for the delights and insights found within their pages. So, the stack remains.
The idea that we can find enjoyment and help in a book is even more true for the book of books—the Bible. I see the encouragement to immerse oneself in Scripture in God’s instructions to Joshua, the newly appointed leader of Israel, commissioned to lead them into the land promised to the Israelites (Joshua 1:8).
Knowing the difficulty ahead, God assured Joshua, “I will be with you” (v. 5). His help would come, in part, through Joshua’s obedience to God’s commands. So God instructed him to “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it” (v. 8). Although Joshua had the Book of the Law, he needed to regularly search it to gain insight and understanding into who God is and His will for His people.
Do you need instruction, truth, or encouragement for your day? As we take time to read, obey, and find nourishment through Scripture, we can savor all that’s contained in its pages (2 Timothy 3:16). By: Lisa M. Samra
Reflect & Pray
What are the most common issues that keep you from opening Scripture? How might you commit to reading more this week?
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your guidance through Scripture. Help us to desire more and more to hear from You in all the ways You speak.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Abraham’s Life of Faith
He went out, not knowing where he was going. —Hebrews 11:8
In the Old Testament, a person’s relationship with God was seen by the degree of separation in that person’s life. This separation is exhibited in the life of Abraham by his separation from his country and his family. When we think of separation today, we do not mean to be literally separated from those family members who do not have a personal relationship with God, but to be separated mentally and morally from their viewpoints. This is what Jesus Christ was referring to in Luke 14:26.
Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led. But it does mean loving and knowing the One who is leading. It is literally a life of faith, not of understanding and reason— a life of knowing Him who calls us to go. Faith is rooted in the knowledge of a Person, and one of the biggest traps we fall into is the belief that if we have faith, God will surely lead us to success in the world.
The final stage in the life of faith is the attainment of character, and we encounter many changes in the process. We feel the presence of God around us when we pray, yet we are only momentarily changed. We tend to keep going back to our everyday ways and the glory vanishes. A life of faith is not a life of one glorious mountaintop experience after another, like soaring on eagles’ wings, but is a life of day-in and day-out consistency; a life of walking without fainting (see Isaiah 40:31). It is not even a question of the holiness of sanctification, but of something which comes much farther down the road. It is a faith that has been tried and proved and has withstood the test. Abraham is not a type or an example of the holiness of sanctification, but a type of the life of faith— a faith, tested and true, built on the true God. “Abraham believed God…” (Romans 4:3).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We all have the trick of saying—If only I were not where I am!—If only I had not got the kind of people I have to live with! If our faith or our religion does not help us in the conditions we are in, we have either a further struggle to go through, or we had better abandon that faith and religion. The Shadow of an Agony, 1178 L
Bible in a Year: Joshua 1-3; Mark 16
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Monitoring Heaven - #8659
Over the years, with the arrival of each new grandchild, I've watched this device appear in their home - a little transistor radio-like looking thing. Really not much channel selection on this little radio. In fact, there was only one channel. It's tuned to Baby. When Mom put the little angel to sleep, she'd go into another room and turns on what they call a baby monitor. With it, you can hear unusual noise coming from the baby's room, and then you know baby needs you. My observation in our family was that no matter what else was going on in the room, Mommy remained mentally tuned to that one channel; always listening for a sound from baby.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Monitoring Heaven."
There's an old Gospel song called "Turn Your Radio On." One verse says, "Each of us is a radio receiver," the idea being that we should be tuned to one channel - God's channel. If you want a life with solid direction instead of confusion, that's not a bad idea. The problem is, there are so many voices on so many channels broadcasting into your heart that too many times we miss our Creator's voice. Oh, He's speaking, but we're not hearing. So we're on our own. We're on the wrong road.
That's why the example of Samuel in our word for today is so intriguing and so important. It's in 1 Samuel 3:10. Six words that, if they are frequently in your heart and on your lips, can literally change the course of your life. Because you'll know what God wants you to do in each situation, and you'll be living the plan you were made for.
Samuel is a young man. He's living in God's temple, training for spiritual leadership under the chief priest, Eli. Three times a voice calling Samuel's name woke him from his night's sleep. And three times Samuel got up and reported it to Eli. Well, the third time Eli got it; the Lord must have something to say to this boy. So, following Eli's instruction, Samuel goes back, lies down, ready to respond in the way Eli had wisely advised him to. The Bible says, "Then the Lord came and stood there, calling as at other times, 'Samuel! Samuel!' Then Samuel said," - now here are those six powerful words, one of the most significant prayers in the Bible - "'Speak, for your servant is listening.'"
Sadly, a more honest prayer many times would be this. "Listen, Lord, your servant is speaking." We talk to God a lot more than we listen to God. Instead, like a young mother attentively listening to that monitor for the one voice she always responds to, you and I should always be listening for a voice from heaven in our heart. It's hard to pick up what God's saying if you're talking all the time, if you're running so fast and so hard that you run right past God's still, small voice, if you're a controlling person who basically wants God to bless what you do rather than you doing what God will bless. God may have been trying to say something to you on many occasions, and you missed it because you were too busy, you were too distracted, or just too set on your own way. Great way to mess up the beautiful thing God's trying to do.
Nehemiah, the Bible says, "prayed to the God of heaven" before he "answered the king" (Nehemiah 2:4). He "prayed to our God" it says, when he was suddenly facing serious danger (Nehemiah 4:9). David, it says, "inquired of God" before he decided whether or not to become involved in a battle (1 Chronicles 14:10). Jesus, it says, "spent the night praying to God" before He made His staff selections (Luke 6:13).
Always, for those who want what's God's best, there is that stopping to say, "Speak, Lord, Your servant's listening." Every time you open your Bible, every time you go to church, every time you consult with a spiritual brother or sister, say it: "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening."
There probably have been too many times when God was calling your name with
a message just for you and you missed it, because you weren't consciously listening for Him. If you want to make regret-free, error-free decisions in your life, make a lifestyle of always listening for the voice of God.
It is not God’s will that you face every day with dread and trepidation! I have a childhood memory that I cherish. My father loved corn bread and buttermilk. About ten o’clock each night he would meander into the kitchen and crumble a piece of corn bread into a glass of buttermilk, stand at the counter and drink it.
Then he’d make the rounds to the front and back doors, checking the locks. Once everything was secure, he would step into the bedroom I shared with my brother and say something like, “Everything is secure, boys. You can go to sleep now.”
I have no inclination to believe that God loves corn bread and buttermilk, but I do believe he loves his children. He keeps everything secure and he oversees your world! By his power you will “be anxious for nothing” and discover the “peace. . .that passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:4-8).
2 Corinthians 13
Well, this is my third visit coming up. Remember the Scripture that says, “A matter becomes clear after two or three witnesses give evidence”? On my second visit I warned that bunch that keeps sinning over and over in the same old ways that when I came back I wouldn’t go easy on them. Now, preparing for the third, I’m saying it again from a distance. If you haven’t changed your ways by the time I get there, look out. You who have been demanding proof that Christ speaks through me will get more than you bargained for. You’ll get the full force of Christ, don’t think you won’t. He was sheer weakness and humiliation when he was killed on the cross, but oh, he’s alive now—in the mighty power of God! We weren’t much to look at, either, when we were humiliated among you, but when we deal with you this next time, we’ll be alive in Christ, strengthened by God.
5-9 Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it. I hope the test won’t show that we have failed. But if it comes to that, we’d rather the test showed our failure than yours. We’re rooting for the truth to win out in you. We couldn’t possibly do otherwise.
We don’t just put up with our limitations; we celebrate them, and then go on to celebrate every strength, every triumph of the truth in you. We pray hard that it will all come together in your lives.
10 I’m writing this to you now so that when I come I won’t have to say another word on the subject. The authority the Master gave me is for putting people together, not taking them apart. I want to get on with it, and not have to spend time on reprimands.
11-13 And that’s about it, friends. Be cheerful. Keep things in good repair. Keep your spirits up. Think in harmony. Be agreeable. Do all that, and the God of love and peace will be with you for sure. Greet one another with a holy embrace. All the brothers and sisters here say hello.
14 The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Joshua 1:1–9
Joshua Installed as Leader
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord,a the Lord said to Joshuab son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan Riverc into the landd I am about to give to theme—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot,f as I promised Moses.g 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon,h and from the great river, the Euphratesi—all the Hittitej country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.k 5 No one will be able to stand against youl all the days of your life. As I was withm Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsaken you. 6 Be strongo and courageous,p because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestorsq to give them.
7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obeyr all the laws my servant Mosest gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left,u that you may be successful wherever you go.v 8 Keep this Book of the Laww always on your lips;x meditatey on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.z 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid;a do not be discouraged,b for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”c
Insight
God’s promise to Joshua that “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5) was a promise first given to Israel (Deuteronomy 4:31; 31:6) to prepare the Israelites for the journey into Canaan. After the death of Moses (Joshua 1:1), God gave this promise directly to Joshua, promising to be with him just as He had promised to be with his predecessor (Exodus 3:12). By resting in God’s presence and meditating on “God’s law” (Joshua 1:8, referring primarily to the portion of Scripture we now call Deuteronomy), this new leader could find the courage to take on the great responsibility of leading God’s people.
To learn more about the time of Joshua, visit bit.ly/2ksiRrR.
Delight in the Book
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night. Joshua 1:8
Tsundoku. It’s the word I’ve always needed! A Japanese term, it refers to the stack of books on a bedside table waiting to be read. Books offer the potential for learning or an escape to a different time or place, and I long for the delights and insights found within their pages. So, the stack remains.
The idea that we can find enjoyment and help in a book is even more true for the book of books—the Bible. I see the encouragement to immerse oneself in Scripture in God’s instructions to Joshua, the newly appointed leader of Israel, commissioned to lead them into the land promised to the Israelites (Joshua 1:8).
Knowing the difficulty ahead, God assured Joshua, “I will be with you” (v. 5). His help would come, in part, through Joshua’s obedience to God’s commands. So God instructed him to “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it” (v. 8). Although Joshua had the Book of the Law, he needed to regularly search it to gain insight and understanding into who God is and His will for His people.
Do you need instruction, truth, or encouragement for your day? As we take time to read, obey, and find nourishment through Scripture, we can savor all that’s contained in its pages (2 Timothy 3:16). By: Lisa M. Samra
Reflect & Pray
What are the most common issues that keep you from opening Scripture? How might you commit to reading more this week?
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your guidance through Scripture. Help us to desire more and more to hear from You in all the ways You speak.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Abraham’s Life of Faith
He went out, not knowing where he was going. —Hebrews 11:8
In the Old Testament, a person’s relationship with God was seen by the degree of separation in that person’s life. This separation is exhibited in the life of Abraham by his separation from his country and his family. When we think of separation today, we do not mean to be literally separated from those family members who do not have a personal relationship with God, but to be separated mentally and morally from their viewpoints. This is what Jesus Christ was referring to in Luke 14:26.
Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led. But it does mean loving and knowing the One who is leading. It is literally a life of faith, not of understanding and reason— a life of knowing Him who calls us to go. Faith is rooted in the knowledge of a Person, and one of the biggest traps we fall into is the belief that if we have faith, God will surely lead us to success in the world.
The final stage in the life of faith is the attainment of character, and we encounter many changes in the process. We feel the presence of God around us when we pray, yet we are only momentarily changed. We tend to keep going back to our everyday ways and the glory vanishes. A life of faith is not a life of one glorious mountaintop experience after another, like soaring on eagles’ wings, but is a life of day-in and day-out consistency; a life of walking without fainting (see Isaiah 40:31). It is not even a question of the holiness of sanctification, but of something which comes much farther down the road. It is a faith that has been tried and proved and has withstood the test. Abraham is not a type or an example of the holiness of sanctification, but a type of the life of faith— a faith, tested and true, built on the true God. “Abraham believed God…” (Romans 4:3).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We all have the trick of saying—If only I were not where I am!—If only I had not got the kind of people I have to live with! If our faith or our religion does not help us in the conditions we are in, we have either a further struggle to go through, or we had better abandon that faith and religion. The Shadow of an Agony, 1178 L
Bible in a Year: Joshua 1-3; Mark 16
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Monitoring Heaven - #8659
Over the years, with the arrival of each new grandchild, I've watched this device appear in their home - a little transistor radio-like looking thing. Really not much channel selection on this little radio. In fact, there was only one channel. It's tuned to Baby. When Mom put the little angel to sleep, she'd go into another room and turns on what they call a baby monitor. With it, you can hear unusual noise coming from the baby's room, and then you know baby needs you. My observation in our family was that no matter what else was going on in the room, Mommy remained mentally tuned to that one channel; always listening for a sound from baby.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Monitoring Heaven."
There's an old Gospel song called "Turn Your Radio On." One verse says, "Each of us is a radio receiver," the idea being that we should be tuned to one channel - God's channel. If you want a life with solid direction instead of confusion, that's not a bad idea. The problem is, there are so many voices on so many channels broadcasting into your heart that too many times we miss our Creator's voice. Oh, He's speaking, but we're not hearing. So we're on our own. We're on the wrong road.
That's why the example of Samuel in our word for today is so intriguing and so important. It's in 1 Samuel 3:10. Six words that, if they are frequently in your heart and on your lips, can literally change the course of your life. Because you'll know what God wants you to do in each situation, and you'll be living the plan you were made for.
Samuel is a young man. He's living in God's temple, training for spiritual leadership under the chief priest, Eli. Three times a voice calling Samuel's name woke him from his night's sleep. And three times Samuel got up and reported it to Eli. Well, the third time Eli got it; the Lord must have something to say to this boy. So, following Eli's instruction, Samuel goes back, lies down, ready to respond in the way Eli had wisely advised him to. The Bible says, "Then the Lord came and stood there, calling as at other times, 'Samuel! Samuel!' Then Samuel said," - now here are those six powerful words, one of the most significant prayers in the Bible - "'Speak, for your servant is listening.'"
Sadly, a more honest prayer many times would be this. "Listen, Lord, your servant is speaking." We talk to God a lot more than we listen to God. Instead, like a young mother attentively listening to that monitor for the one voice she always responds to, you and I should always be listening for a voice from heaven in our heart. It's hard to pick up what God's saying if you're talking all the time, if you're running so fast and so hard that you run right past God's still, small voice, if you're a controlling person who basically wants God to bless what you do rather than you doing what God will bless. God may have been trying to say something to you on many occasions, and you missed it because you were too busy, you were too distracted, or just too set on your own way. Great way to mess up the beautiful thing God's trying to do.
Nehemiah, the Bible says, "prayed to the God of heaven" before he "answered the king" (Nehemiah 2:4). He "prayed to our God" it says, when he was suddenly facing serious danger (Nehemiah 4:9). David, it says, "inquired of God" before he decided whether or not to become involved in a battle (1 Chronicles 14:10). Jesus, it says, "spent the night praying to God" before He made His staff selections (Luke 6:13).
Always, for those who want what's God's best, there is that stopping to say, "Speak, Lord, Your servant's listening." Every time you open your Bible, every time you go to church, every time you consult with a spiritual brother or sister, say it: "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening."
There probably have been too many times when God was calling your name with
a message just for you and you missed it, because you weren't consciously listening for Him. If you want to make regret-free, error-free decisions in your life, make a lifestyle of always listening for the voice of God.
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Isaiah 6, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: A NEW CHAPTER FOR YOUR LIFE
Do you need encouragement right about now? Are you feeling anxious and uncertain? Do you find yourself in a season of isolation as events cancel, schools shift online, and even churches need to close their doors to large gatherings?
I know I could use some peace during these chaotic times. When I need to stay calm, I turn to this Scripture: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7, NIV).
If you need help finding peace that transcends all understanding, I would like to invite you to join me for a special Facebook Live series we’re calling “Online Church.”
We know that many will be unable to worship with their local congregation, either because of the need to remain at home, or because their church is taking a hiatus from regular gathering. Or maybe you just need some extra support from a community of faith from around the world. We’ll meet online, via Facebook Live at 8:30 am Central on Sunday, March 15, for a few minutes of prayer and encouragement, and will continue for the next several Sundays. Join us and invite others as well at: www.facebook.com/maxlucado
As we spend time together over the next few Sundays, we can encourage one another to recognize that these times are tough, but God is tougher. These challenges are great, but God is greater.
Let us cast our worries on the Savior and Sustainer of our lives.
~ Max
Isaiah 6
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Master sitting on a throne—high, exalted!—and the train of his robes filled the Temple. Angel-seraphs hovered above him, each with six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two their feet, and with two they flew. And they called back and forth one to the other,
Holy, Holy, Holy is God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
His bright glory fills the whole earth.
The foundations trembled at the sound of the angel voices, and then the whole house filled with smoke. I said,
“Doom! It’s Doomsday!
I’m as good as dead!
Every word I’ve ever spoken is tainted—
blasphemous even!
And the people I live with talk the same way,
using words that corrupt and desecrate.
And here I’ve looked God in the face!
The King! God-of-the-Angel-Armies!”
Then one of the angel-seraphs flew to me. He held a live coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth with the coal and said,
“Look. This coal has touched your lips.
Gone your guilt,
your sins wiped out.”
And then I heard the voice of the Master:
“Whom shall I send?
Who will go for us?”
I spoke up,
“I’ll go.
Send me!”
9-10 He said, “Go and tell this people:
“‘Listen hard, but you aren’t going to get it;
look hard, but you won’t catch on.’
Make these people blockheads,
with fingers in their ears and blindfolds on their eyes,
So they won’t see a thing,
won’t hear a word,
So they won’t have a clue about what’s going on
and, yes, so they won’t turn around and be made whole.”
11-13 Astonished, I said,
“And Master, how long is this to go on?”
He said, “Until the cities are emptied out,
not a soul left in the cities—
Houses empty of people,
countryside empty of people.
Until I, God, get rid of everyone, sending them off,
the land totally empty.
And even if some should survive, say a tenth,
the devastation will start up again.
The country will look like pine and oak forest
with every tree cut down—
Every tree a stump, a huge field of stumps.
But there’s a holy seed in those stumps.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
1 Peter 1:3–9
Praise to God for a Living Hope
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!m In his great mercyn he has given us new birtho into a living hopep through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,q 4 and into an inheritancer that can never perish, spoil or fade.s This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,t 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s poweru until the coming of the salvationv that is ready to be revealedw in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice,x though now for a little whiley you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.z 7 These have come so that the proven genuinenessa of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fireb—may result in praise, glory and honorc when Jesus Christ is revealed.d 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in hime and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Insight
When reading 1 Peter 1:3–9, we may mistakenly think Peter was telling the recipients of his letter they should rejoice because of their suffering. A closer look at the text, however, indicates that Peter wanted the readers to rejoice that their suffering would result in “praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (v. 7). Later in this letter, Peter states that believers in Jesus shouldn’t be surprised when trials or “fiery ordeal[s]” happen to test them (4:12). Again, he states that suffering for Christ is a reason to be joyful because it means “the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you” (v. 14). Additionally, those trials are insignificant compared to the joy of the eternal glory they’d experience. Through trials, their faith would be proven genuine (1:7), and genuine faith would result in salvation (v. 9)—an excellent reason to rejoice!
Death Row Joy
Though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. 1 Peter 1:8
In 1985 Anthony Ray Hinton was charged with the murders of two restaurant managers. It was a set up—he’d been miles away when the crimes happened—but he was found guilty and sentenced to death. At the trial, Ray forgave those who lied about him, adding that he still had joy despite this injustice. “After my death, I’m going to heaven,” he said. “Where are you going?”
Life on death row was hard for Ray. Prison lights flickered whenever the electric chair was used for others, a grim reminder of what lay ahead. Ray passed a lie detector test but the results were ignored, one of many injustices he faced getting his case reheard.
Finally, on Good Friday 2015, Ray’s conviction was overturned by the US Supreme Court. He’d been on death row for nearly thirty years. His life is a testament to the reality of God. Because of his faith in Jesus, Ray had a hope beyond his trials (1 Peter 1:3–5) and experienced supernatural joy in the face of injustice (v. 8). “This joy that I have,” Ray said after his release, “they couldn’t ever take that away in prison.” Such joy proved his faith to be genuine (vv. 7–8).
Death row joy? That’s hard to fabricate. It points us to a God who exists even though He’s unseen and who’s ready to sustain us in our own ordeals. By: Sheridan Voysey
Reflect & Pray
Reflect on others who’ve experienced God’s joy in their ordeals. What have been the qualities of their faith? How can you bring God’s joy to someone facing injustice right now?
God of all hope, fill us with Your joy and peace as we trust in You despite our circumstances. We love You!
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Will I Bring Myself Up to This Level?
…perfecting holiness in the fear of God. —2 Corinthians 7:1
“Therefore, having these promises….” I claim God’s promises for my life and look to their fulfillment, and rightly so, but that shows only the human perspective on them. God’s perspective is that through His promises I will come to recognize His claim of ownership on me. For example, do I realize that my “body is the temple of the Holy Spirit,” or am I condoning some habit in my body which clearly could not withstand the light of God on it? (1 Corinthians 6:19). God formed His Son in me through sanctification, setting me apart from sin and making me holy in His sight (see Galatians 4:19). But I must begin to transform my natural life into spiritual life by obedience to Him. God instructs us even in the smallest details of life. And when He brings you conviction of sin, do not “confer with flesh and blood,” but cleanse yourself from it at once (Galatians 1:16). Keep yourself cleansed in your daily walk.
I must cleanse myself from all filthiness in my flesh and my spirit until both are in harmony with the nature of God. Is the mind of my spirit in perfect agreement with the life of the Son of God in me, or am I mentally rebellious and defiant? Am I allowing the mind of Christ to be formed in me? (see Philippians 2:5). Christ never spoke of His right to Himself, but always maintained an inner vigilance to submit His spirit continually to His Father. I also have the responsibility to keep my spirit in agreement with His Spirit. And when I do, Jesus gradually lifts me up to the level where He lived— a level of perfect submission to His Father’s will— where I pay no attention to anything else. Am I perfecting this kind of holiness in the fear of God? Is God having His way with me, and are people beginning to see God in my life more and more?
Be serious in your commitment to God and gladly leave everything else alone. Literally put God first in your life.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
God engineers circumstances to see what we will do. Will we be the children of our Father in heaven, or will we go back again to the meaner, common-sense attitude? Will we stake all and stand true to Him? “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” The crown of life means I shall see that my Lord has got the victory after all, even in me. The Highest Good—The Pilgrim’s Song Book, 530 L
Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 32-34; Mark 15:26-47
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Two-Legged Bait - #8658
Frankly, I have never enjoyed eating worms. I don't know about you, but I assume you would agree with that. It's never really been appealing to me. But I know the saying, "The early bird gets the worm." Well, if that's the case, why would anyone would want to be the early bird? I mean, fish like worms. Oh, yeah! I never understood that, but they really do. I like pizza. But how would you like to go fishing and try to put a slice of pizza on the hook? See how many fish you catch when you use what you like to eat. Now, if you're not catching fish, I think any fisherman would tell you it's time to check your bait.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Two-Legged Bait."
Our word for today from the Word of God is about fishermen; in fact, James and John and Simon Peter, to be exact. And I'm reading from Luke 5:10 where Jesus says to Simon, "Don't be afraid. From now on, you will catch men." Now, I like that. That's an interesting image of your influence and my influence in the world. I'm sure that Jesus would walk up to you and maybe say much the same thing.
Now these guys had as their point of reference fishing. But He might walk up to you and say, "The real mission of the rest of your life is to catch men and women - spiritual fishing." You notice He doesn't just say, "I want you to go out and fish." He says, "I want you to catch fish." Sometimes we say, "Well, you know what? I'll just try to be a Christian influence, I'll just live the life in front of them." God says, "I don't want you to just go out there and fish. I want you to ask people to come to Christ. I want you to bring them home to me. I want you to catch them."
Sometimes Christians say, "Well, I'll just let them watch my life. You know, my life is a witness. I don't ever really tell them about Christ, but I know they're watching me." Well, that's really good because your life should back up your message. But, you know, never in a million years of watching you are they going to say, "You know, he is such a nice guy. I'll bet Jesus died on the cross for my sin." They're not going to figure that out! You have to tell them!
Now let me ask you this, "Who is it you really care enough about that you really want them in heaven with you?" The most appealing bait is not some clever witnessing gimmick, or some very contrived way to get into sharing Christ with them. See, the two-legged bait for the Gospel would be changes Christ could make in you that demand an explanation. That would get their attention. Look, what changes do your friends and family see in you that would make them want to have an explanation for those changes? That's how you draw men and women to Christ.
It's far more costly than handing out a tract or having a one-shot conversation. For example, what difference would your parents respect in you right now; something Jesus could change in you that would get their attention? How about your good friend? What change would be noticeable to those friends? What about your coworkers? They might not care about your beliefs or the meetings you go to, but they care about how you treat them. They care about how you handle office gossip. They care about how you act around the water cooler. They care about how you get your work done. How about your boss?
And then as you look at those friends, you say, "What's the hole in his life or her life that might show them that God's missing? Is he lonely? Is he trying to cope with pressure? Is he trying to keep a marriage together? Is he afraid of death? Is he having trouble with relationships? Is he stressed out? Start at that point. Your
loved ones will be attracted by your behavior much more than your beliefs.
Don't expect them to swim to a bare hook. You! Your winsome life, your Jesus-changing life. You're the lure that will attract them to your Jesus.
Do you need encouragement right about now? Are you feeling anxious and uncertain? Do you find yourself in a season of isolation as events cancel, schools shift online, and even churches need to close their doors to large gatherings?
I know I could use some peace during these chaotic times. When I need to stay calm, I turn to this Scripture: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7, NIV).
If you need help finding peace that transcends all understanding, I would like to invite you to join me for a special Facebook Live series we’re calling “Online Church.”
We know that many will be unable to worship with their local congregation, either because of the need to remain at home, or because their church is taking a hiatus from regular gathering. Or maybe you just need some extra support from a community of faith from around the world. We’ll meet online, via Facebook Live at 8:30 am Central on Sunday, March 15, for a few minutes of prayer and encouragement, and will continue for the next several Sundays. Join us and invite others as well at: www.facebook.com/maxlucado
As we spend time together over the next few Sundays, we can encourage one another to recognize that these times are tough, but God is tougher. These challenges are great, but God is greater.
Let us cast our worries on the Savior and Sustainer of our lives.
~ Max
Isaiah 6
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Master sitting on a throne—high, exalted!—and the train of his robes filled the Temple. Angel-seraphs hovered above him, each with six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two their feet, and with two they flew. And they called back and forth one to the other,
Holy, Holy, Holy is God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
His bright glory fills the whole earth.
The foundations trembled at the sound of the angel voices, and then the whole house filled with smoke. I said,
“Doom! It’s Doomsday!
I’m as good as dead!
Every word I’ve ever spoken is tainted—
blasphemous even!
And the people I live with talk the same way,
using words that corrupt and desecrate.
And here I’ve looked God in the face!
The King! God-of-the-Angel-Armies!”
Then one of the angel-seraphs flew to me. He held a live coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth with the coal and said,
“Look. This coal has touched your lips.
Gone your guilt,
your sins wiped out.”
And then I heard the voice of the Master:
“Whom shall I send?
Who will go for us?”
I spoke up,
“I’ll go.
Send me!”
9-10 He said, “Go and tell this people:
“‘Listen hard, but you aren’t going to get it;
look hard, but you won’t catch on.’
Make these people blockheads,
with fingers in their ears and blindfolds on their eyes,
So they won’t see a thing,
won’t hear a word,
So they won’t have a clue about what’s going on
and, yes, so they won’t turn around and be made whole.”
11-13 Astonished, I said,
“And Master, how long is this to go on?”
He said, “Until the cities are emptied out,
not a soul left in the cities—
Houses empty of people,
countryside empty of people.
Until I, God, get rid of everyone, sending them off,
the land totally empty.
And even if some should survive, say a tenth,
the devastation will start up again.
The country will look like pine and oak forest
with every tree cut down—
Every tree a stump, a huge field of stumps.
But there’s a holy seed in those stumps.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
1 Peter 1:3–9
Praise to God for a Living Hope
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!m In his great mercyn he has given us new birtho into a living hopep through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,q 4 and into an inheritancer that can never perish, spoil or fade.s This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,t 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s poweru until the coming of the salvationv that is ready to be revealedw in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice,x though now for a little whiley you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.z 7 These have come so that the proven genuinenessa of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fireb—may result in praise, glory and honorc when Jesus Christ is revealed.d 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in hime and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Insight
When reading 1 Peter 1:3–9, we may mistakenly think Peter was telling the recipients of his letter they should rejoice because of their suffering. A closer look at the text, however, indicates that Peter wanted the readers to rejoice that their suffering would result in “praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (v. 7). Later in this letter, Peter states that believers in Jesus shouldn’t be surprised when trials or “fiery ordeal[s]” happen to test them (4:12). Again, he states that suffering for Christ is a reason to be joyful because it means “the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you” (v. 14). Additionally, those trials are insignificant compared to the joy of the eternal glory they’d experience. Through trials, their faith would be proven genuine (1:7), and genuine faith would result in salvation (v. 9)—an excellent reason to rejoice!
Death Row Joy
Though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. 1 Peter 1:8
In 1985 Anthony Ray Hinton was charged with the murders of two restaurant managers. It was a set up—he’d been miles away when the crimes happened—but he was found guilty and sentenced to death. At the trial, Ray forgave those who lied about him, adding that he still had joy despite this injustice. “After my death, I’m going to heaven,” he said. “Where are you going?”
Life on death row was hard for Ray. Prison lights flickered whenever the electric chair was used for others, a grim reminder of what lay ahead. Ray passed a lie detector test but the results were ignored, one of many injustices he faced getting his case reheard.
Finally, on Good Friday 2015, Ray’s conviction was overturned by the US Supreme Court. He’d been on death row for nearly thirty years. His life is a testament to the reality of God. Because of his faith in Jesus, Ray had a hope beyond his trials (1 Peter 1:3–5) and experienced supernatural joy in the face of injustice (v. 8). “This joy that I have,” Ray said after his release, “they couldn’t ever take that away in prison.” Such joy proved his faith to be genuine (vv. 7–8).
Death row joy? That’s hard to fabricate. It points us to a God who exists even though He’s unseen and who’s ready to sustain us in our own ordeals. By: Sheridan Voysey
Reflect & Pray
Reflect on others who’ve experienced God’s joy in their ordeals. What have been the qualities of their faith? How can you bring God’s joy to someone facing injustice right now?
God of all hope, fill us with Your joy and peace as we trust in You despite our circumstances. We love You!
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Will I Bring Myself Up to This Level?
…perfecting holiness in the fear of God. —2 Corinthians 7:1
“Therefore, having these promises….” I claim God’s promises for my life and look to their fulfillment, and rightly so, but that shows only the human perspective on them. God’s perspective is that through His promises I will come to recognize His claim of ownership on me. For example, do I realize that my “body is the temple of the Holy Spirit,” or am I condoning some habit in my body which clearly could not withstand the light of God on it? (1 Corinthians 6:19). God formed His Son in me through sanctification, setting me apart from sin and making me holy in His sight (see Galatians 4:19). But I must begin to transform my natural life into spiritual life by obedience to Him. God instructs us even in the smallest details of life. And when He brings you conviction of sin, do not “confer with flesh and blood,” but cleanse yourself from it at once (Galatians 1:16). Keep yourself cleansed in your daily walk.
I must cleanse myself from all filthiness in my flesh and my spirit until both are in harmony with the nature of God. Is the mind of my spirit in perfect agreement with the life of the Son of God in me, or am I mentally rebellious and defiant? Am I allowing the mind of Christ to be formed in me? (see Philippians 2:5). Christ never spoke of His right to Himself, but always maintained an inner vigilance to submit His spirit continually to His Father. I also have the responsibility to keep my spirit in agreement with His Spirit. And when I do, Jesus gradually lifts me up to the level where He lived— a level of perfect submission to His Father’s will— where I pay no attention to anything else. Am I perfecting this kind of holiness in the fear of God? Is God having His way with me, and are people beginning to see God in my life more and more?
Be serious in your commitment to God and gladly leave everything else alone. Literally put God first in your life.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
God engineers circumstances to see what we will do. Will we be the children of our Father in heaven, or will we go back again to the meaner, common-sense attitude? Will we stake all and stand true to Him? “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” The crown of life means I shall see that my Lord has got the victory after all, even in me. The Highest Good—The Pilgrim’s Song Book, 530 L
Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 32-34; Mark 15:26-47
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Two-Legged Bait - #8658
Frankly, I have never enjoyed eating worms. I don't know about you, but I assume you would agree with that. It's never really been appealing to me. But I know the saying, "The early bird gets the worm." Well, if that's the case, why would anyone would want to be the early bird? I mean, fish like worms. Oh, yeah! I never understood that, but they really do. I like pizza. But how would you like to go fishing and try to put a slice of pizza on the hook? See how many fish you catch when you use what you like to eat. Now, if you're not catching fish, I think any fisherman would tell you it's time to check your bait.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Two-Legged Bait."
Our word for today from the Word of God is about fishermen; in fact, James and John and Simon Peter, to be exact. And I'm reading from Luke 5:10 where Jesus says to Simon, "Don't be afraid. From now on, you will catch men." Now, I like that. That's an interesting image of your influence and my influence in the world. I'm sure that Jesus would walk up to you and maybe say much the same thing.
Now these guys had as their point of reference fishing. But He might walk up to you and say, "The real mission of the rest of your life is to catch men and women - spiritual fishing." You notice He doesn't just say, "I want you to go out and fish." He says, "I want you to catch fish." Sometimes we say, "Well, you know what? I'll just try to be a Christian influence, I'll just live the life in front of them." God says, "I don't want you to just go out there and fish. I want you to ask people to come to Christ. I want you to bring them home to me. I want you to catch them."
Sometimes Christians say, "Well, I'll just let them watch my life. You know, my life is a witness. I don't ever really tell them about Christ, but I know they're watching me." Well, that's really good because your life should back up your message. But, you know, never in a million years of watching you are they going to say, "You know, he is such a nice guy. I'll bet Jesus died on the cross for my sin." They're not going to figure that out! You have to tell them!
Now let me ask you this, "Who is it you really care enough about that you really want them in heaven with you?" The most appealing bait is not some clever witnessing gimmick, or some very contrived way to get into sharing Christ with them. See, the two-legged bait for the Gospel would be changes Christ could make in you that demand an explanation. That would get their attention. Look, what changes do your friends and family see in you that would make them want to have an explanation for those changes? That's how you draw men and women to Christ.
It's far more costly than handing out a tract or having a one-shot conversation. For example, what difference would your parents respect in you right now; something Jesus could change in you that would get their attention? How about your good friend? What change would be noticeable to those friends? What about your coworkers? They might not care about your beliefs or the meetings you go to, but they care about how you treat them. They care about how you handle office gossip. They care about how you act around the water cooler. They care about how you get your work done. How about your boss?
And then as you look at those friends, you say, "What's the hole in his life or her life that might show them that God's missing? Is he lonely? Is he trying to cope with pressure? Is he trying to keep a marriage together? Is he afraid of death? Is he having trouble with relationships? Is he stressed out? Start at that point. Your
loved ones will be attracted by your behavior much more than your beliefs.
Don't expect them to swim to a bare hook. You! Your winsome life, your Jesus-changing life. You're the lure that will attract them to your Jesus.
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Isaiah 5, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: ANXIETY AIN’T FUN
Anxiety is a meteor shower of what-ifs. The sky is falling, and it’s falling disproportionately on you. Anxiety ain’t fun!
One would think Christians would be exempt from anxiety, but we are not. It’s enough to make us wonder if the apostle Paul was out of touch with reality when he wrote in Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing.”
Is that what he meant? Not exactly. He wrote the phrase in the present active tense— implying an ongoing state…as if to say Don’t let anything in life leave you perpetually breathless and in angst. The presence of anxiety is unavoidable, but the prison of anxiety is optional.
Could you use some calm? Of course you could. We all could! We all could use a word of comfort. And God is ready to give it.
Isaiah 5
I’ll sing a ballad to the one I love,
a love ballad about his vineyard:
The one I love had a vineyard,
a fine, well-placed vineyard.
He hoed the soil and pulled the weeds,
and planted the very best vines.
He built a lookout, built a winepress,
a vineyard to be proud of.
He looked for a vintage yield of grapes,
but for all his pains he got junk grapes.
3-4 “Now listen to what I’m telling you,
you who live in Jerusalem and Judah.
What do you think is going on
between me and my vineyard?
Can you think of anything I could have done
to my vineyard that I didn’t do?
When I expected good grapes,
why did I get bitter grapes?
5-6 “Well now, let me tell you
what I’ll do to my vineyard:
I’ll tear down its fence
and let it go to ruin.
I’ll knock down the gate
and let it be trampled.
I’ll turn it into a patch of weeds, untended, uncared for—
thistles and thorns will take over.
I’ll give orders to the clouds:
‘Don’t rain on that vineyard, ever!’”
7 Do you get it? The vineyard of God-of-the-Angel-Armies
is the country of Israel.
All the men and women of Judah
are the garden he was so proud of.
He looked for a crop of justice
and saw them murdering each other.
He looked for a harvest of righteousness
and heard only the moans of victims.
8-10 Doom to you who buy up all the houses
and grab all the land for yourselves—
Evicting the old owners,
posting no trespassing signs,
Taking over the country,
leaving everyone homeless and landless.
I overheard God-of-the-Angel-Armies say:
“Those mighty houses will end up empty.
Those extravagant estates will be deserted.
A ten-acre vineyard will produce a pint of wine,
a fifty-pound sack of seed, a quart of grain.”
11-17 Doom to those who get up early
and start drinking booze before breakfast,
Who stay up all hours of the night
drinking themselves into a stupor.
They make sure their banquets are well-furnished
with harps and flutes and plenty of wine,
But they’ll have nothing to do with the work of God,
pay no mind to what he is doing.
Therefore my people will end up in exile
because they don’t know the score.
Their “big men” will starve to death
and the common people die of thirst.
Sheol developed a huge appetite,
swallowing people nonstop!
Big people and little people alike
down that gullet, to say nothing of all the drunks.
The down-and-out on a par
with the high-and-mighty,
Windbag boasters crumpled,
flaccid as a punctured bladder.
But by working justice,
God-of-the-Angel-Armies will be a mountain.
By working righteousness,
Holy God will show what “holy” is.
And lambs will graze
as if they owned the place,
Kids and calves
right at home in the ruins.
18-19 Doom to you who use lies to sell evil,
who haul sin to market by the truckload,
Who say, “What’s God waiting for?
Let him get a move on so we can see it.
Whatever The Holy of Israel has cooked up,
we’d like to check it out.”
20 Doom to you who call evil good
and good evil,
Who put darkness in place of light
and light in place of darkness,
Who substitute bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter!
21-23 Doom to you who think you’re so smart,
who hold such a high opinion of yourselves!
All you’re good at is drinking—champion boozers
who collect trophies from drinking bouts
And then line your pockets with bribes from the guilty
while you violate the rights of the innocent.
24 But they won’t get by with it. As fire eats stubble
and dry grass goes up in smoke,
Their souls will atrophy,
their achievements crumble into dust,
Because they said no to the revelation
of God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
Would have nothing to do
with The Holy of Israel.
25-30 That’s why God flamed out in anger against his people,
reached out and knocked them down.
The mountains trembled
as their dead bodies piled up in the streets.
But even after that, he was still angry,
his fist still raised, ready to hit them again.
He raises a flag, signaling a distant nation,
whistles for people at the ends of the earth.
And here they come—
on the run!
None drag their feet, no one stumbles,
no one sleeps or dawdles.
Shirts are on and pants buckled,
every boot is spit-polished and tied.
Their arrows are sharp,
bows strung,
The hooves of their horses shod,
chariot wheels greased.
Roaring like a pride of lions,
the full-throated roars of young lions,
They growl and seize their prey,
dragging it off—no rescue for that one!
They’ll roar and roar and roar on that Day,
like the roar of ocean billows.
Look as long and hard as you like at that land,
you’ll see nothing but darkness and trouble.
Every light in the sky
will be blacked out by the clouds.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Isaiah 65:17–25
New Heavens and a New Earth
17 “See, I will create
new heavens and a new earth.g
The former things will not be remembered,h
nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoicei forever
in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalemj to be a delight
and its people a joy.
19 I will rejoicek over Jerusalem
and take delightl in my people;
the sound of weeping and of cryingm
will be heard in it no more.
20 “Never again will there be in it
an infantn who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not live out his years;o
the one who dies at a hundred
will be thought a mere child;
the one who fails to reacha a hundred
will be considered accursed.
21 They will build housesp and dwell in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.q
22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them,r
or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,s
so will be the dayst of my people;
my chosenu ones will long enjoy
the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor in vain,v
nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;w
for they will be a people blessedx by the Lord,
they and their descendantsy with them.
24 Before they callz I will answer;a
while they are still speakingb I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lambc will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox,d
and dust will be the serpent’se food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,”f
says the Lord.
Insight
Although written to ancient Israel, Isaiah’s words anticipate a time we still await. The prophet writes, “The sound of weeping and crying will be heard in [the new Jerusalem] no more” (65:19). This matches well with John’s vision in Revelation 21, where John writes, “I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth’ ” (v. 1). In this future existence there “ ‘will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain” (v. 4).
Before You Even Ask
Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. Isaiah 65:24
My friends Robert and Colleen have experienced a healthy marriage for decades, and I love watching them interact. One will pass the butter to the other at dinner before being asked for it. The other will refill a glass at the perfect moment. When they tell stories, they finish each other’s sentences. Sometimes it seems they can read each other’s mind.
It’s comforting that God knows and cares for us even more than any person we know and love. When the prophet Isaiah describes the relationship between God and His people in the coming kingdom, he describes a tender, intimate relationship. God says about His people, “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24).
But how can this be true? There are things I’ve prayed about for years without receiving a response. I believe that as we grow in intimacy with God, aligning our hearts with His, we can learn to trust in His timing and care. We can begin to desire what God desires. When we pray, we ask for—among other things—the things that are part of God’s kingdom as described in Isaiah 65: An end to sorrow (v. 19). Safe homes and full bellies and meaningful work for all people (vv. 21–23). Peace in the natural world (v. 25). When God’s kingdom comes in its fullness, God will answer these prayers completely. By: Amy Peterson
Reflect & Pray
How might you participate in bringing God’s kingdom to earth? What will you ask God for today?
God, thank You for always hearing my prayers. I trust that You love me and are working all things together for good for those whom You’ve called. Please transform my desires so that I want what You want.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
The Servant’s Primary Goal
We make it our aim…to be well pleasing to Him. —2 Corinthians 5:9
“We make it our aim….” It requires a conscious decision and effort to keep our primary goal constantly in front of us. It means holding ourselves to the highest priority year in and year out; not making our first priority to win souls, or to establish churches, or to have revivals, but seeking only “to be well pleasing to Him.” It is not a lack of spiritual experience that leads to failure, but a lack of working to keep our eyes focused and on the right goal. At least once a week examine yourself before God to see if your life is measuring up to the standard He has for you. Paul was like a musician who gives no thought to audience approval, if he can only catch a look of approval from his Conductor.
Any goal we have that diverts us even to the slightest degree from the central goal of being “approved to God” (2 Timothy 2:15) may result in our rejection from further service for Him. When you discern where the goal leads, you will understand why it is so necessary to keep “looking unto Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2). Paul spoke of the importance of controlling his own body so that it would not take him in the wrong direction. He said, “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest…I myself should become disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27).
I must learn to relate everything to the primary goal, maintaining it without interruption. My worth to God publicly is measured by what I really am in my private life. Is my primary goal in life to please Him and to be acceptable to Him, or is it something less, no matter how lofty it may sound?
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
I have no right to say I believe in God unless I order my life as under His all-seeing Eye. Disciples Indeed, 385 L
Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 30-31; Mark 15:1-25
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
The Evidence You Are Loved - #8657
Most of us don't have a friendly neighborhood blacksmith anymore. Some of us city folks might never see one if they didn't have them at historic sites and some old-time American theme parks. I'm pretty sure the first blacksmith our three-year-old granddaughter ever saw was the one at the park we took her to. When we stopped by the blacksmith's shop, we were the only ones there. Our granddaughter was really interested in his fire and how he pounded those hot, shapeless metal things into useful objects. Later, as we started to leave, Mr. Blacksmith stopped us. Even though he does some pretty tough work, he's obviously a caring man. He caught up with us because he wanted to do something special for our little girl - he handed her a nail that he had just made. She wouldn't let go of that nail for most of the rest of the day. And last I knew, it was still one of her treasures.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Evidence You Are Loved."
Our granddaughter carried a reminder of a blacksmith who took a special interest in her - the evidence was a nail. It's hard for me to think about that without thinking of the man who demonstrated His love for me with the same kind of evidence - a nail. Actually, three nails - the two they drove through His hands and the one they drove through His feet when they hung Him on a cross.
Jesus brought back to heaven only one thing from His visit to earth - the nail prints in His hands and feet. They are the unarguable evidence of how very much Jesus loves you. I don't know what your experiences with love have been in your life. Maybe you've been blessed to have lots of love over the years. You can still be missing the love you were made for - the love on which your eternity depends - the love of Jesus Christ. Or maybe love - or the absence of it - has been the source of a lot of hurt and disappointment in your life. Because we tend to expect from God the same kind of treatment we got from humans. Well, it just might be hard for you to believe that the greatest person in the universe deeply loves you.
Consider the nails. Consider His wounds. It was, in fact, the sight of those wounds that drove a man named Thomas to throw open his life to Jesus. Thomas had followed Jesus for three years. He had heard all the sermons, seen all the miracles, but apparently he had withheld his total commitment. When Jesus came back from the grave and appeared to all the disciples but Thomas, Thomas said he would not believe that Jesus was alive unless he touched the wounds from His death on the cross. When Jesus appeared a second time with Thomas in the room, He invited the doubter to come and touch the holes the nails and the spear had left. All Thomas could do was fall on his knees and cry out, "My Lord and My God." (John 20:28).
The awful punishment that Jesus submitted Himself to was, in reality, the punishment for my sin and for your sin. And the worst punishment wasn't what people could see. It was the Son of God being totally cut off from God the Father as He carried all the horror and all the hell of all our sin.
The certainty of His love is powerfully expressed in Isaiah 49:15-16, our word for today from the Word of God: "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands." Every time Jesus looks at His hands, He thinks of you and me because His love for us is engraved there in the print of the nails.
That's why it's so unforgivable to reject His love. You may not mean to reject Him, but if a gift is offered to you and you just sit there, you've rejected both the gift and the giver. Jesus is holding out to you eternal life in heaven; the forgiving of every sin of your life. The greatest mistake a person can make is to fail to respond to this love of Jesus. If you've never actually given yourself to this Savior who gave His life for you, don't risk one more day without Him. Today, tell Him , "Jesus, I am Yours."
We've set up our website as a bridge where you can go and find the biblical information that will help you be sure you now belong to Jesus. That website is ANewStory.com.
Jesus has been reaching for you for a long time. Isn't it time you grabbed His hand?
Anxiety is a meteor shower of what-ifs. The sky is falling, and it’s falling disproportionately on you. Anxiety ain’t fun!
One would think Christians would be exempt from anxiety, but we are not. It’s enough to make us wonder if the apostle Paul was out of touch with reality when he wrote in Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing.”
Is that what he meant? Not exactly. He wrote the phrase in the present active tense— implying an ongoing state…as if to say Don’t let anything in life leave you perpetually breathless and in angst. The presence of anxiety is unavoidable, but the prison of anxiety is optional.
Could you use some calm? Of course you could. We all could! We all could use a word of comfort. And God is ready to give it.
Isaiah 5
I’ll sing a ballad to the one I love,
a love ballad about his vineyard:
The one I love had a vineyard,
a fine, well-placed vineyard.
He hoed the soil and pulled the weeds,
and planted the very best vines.
He built a lookout, built a winepress,
a vineyard to be proud of.
He looked for a vintage yield of grapes,
but for all his pains he got junk grapes.
3-4 “Now listen to what I’m telling you,
you who live in Jerusalem and Judah.
What do you think is going on
between me and my vineyard?
Can you think of anything I could have done
to my vineyard that I didn’t do?
When I expected good grapes,
why did I get bitter grapes?
5-6 “Well now, let me tell you
what I’ll do to my vineyard:
I’ll tear down its fence
and let it go to ruin.
I’ll knock down the gate
and let it be trampled.
I’ll turn it into a patch of weeds, untended, uncared for—
thistles and thorns will take over.
I’ll give orders to the clouds:
‘Don’t rain on that vineyard, ever!’”
7 Do you get it? The vineyard of God-of-the-Angel-Armies
is the country of Israel.
All the men and women of Judah
are the garden he was so proud of.
He looked for a crop of justice
and saw them murdering each other.
He looked for a harvest of righteousness
and heard only the moans of victims.
8-10 Doom to you who buy up all the houses
and grab all the land for yourselves—
Evicting the old owners,
posting no trespassing signs,
Taking over the country,
leaving everyone homeless and landless.
I overheard God-of-the-Angel-Armies say:
“Those mighty houses will end up empty.
Those extravagant estates will be deserted.
A ten-acre vineyard will produce a pint of wine,
a fifty-pound sack of seed, a quart of grain.”
11-17 Doom to those who get up early
and start drinking booze before breakfast,
Who stay up all hours of the night
drinking themselves into a stupor.
They make sure their banquets are well-furnished
with harps and flutes and plenty of wine,
But they’ll have nothing to do with the work of God,
pay no mind to what he is doing.
Therefore my people will end up in exile
because they don’t know the score.
Their “big men” will starve to death
and the common people die of thirst.
Sheol developed a huge appetite,
swallowing people nonstop!
Big people and little people alike
down that gullet, to say nothing of all the drunks.
The down-and-out on a par
with the high-and-mighty,
Windbag boasters crumpled,
flaccid as a punctured bladder.
But by working justice,
God-of-the-Angel-Armies will be a mountain.
By working righteousness,
Holy God will show what “holy” is.
And lambs will graze
as if they owned the place,
Kids and calves
right at home in the ruins.
18-19 Doom to you who use lies to sell evil,
who haul sin to market by the truckload,
Who say, “What’s God waiting for?
Let him get a move on so we can see it.
Whatever The Holy of Israel has cooked up,
we’d like to check it out.”
20 Doom to you who call evil good
and good evil,
Who put darkness in place of light
and light in place of darkness,
Who substitute bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter!
21-23 Doom to you who think you’re so smart,
who hold such a high opinion of yourselves!
All you’re good at is drinking—champion boozers
who collect trophies from drinking bouts
And then line your pockets with bribes from the guilty
while you violate the rights of the innocent.
24 But they won’t get by with it. As fire eats stubble
and dry grass goes up in smoke,
Their souls will atrophy,
their achievements crumble into dust,
Because they said no to the revelation
of God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
Would have nothing to do
with The Holy of Israel.
25-30 That’s why God flamed out in anger against his people,
reached out and knocked them down.
The mountains trembled
as their dead bodies piled up in the streets.
But even after that, he was still angry,
his fist still raised, ready to hit them again.
He raises a flag, signaling a distant nation,
whistles for people at the ends of the earth.
And here they come—
on the run!
None drag their feet, no one stumbles,
no one sleeps or dawdles.
Shirts are on and pants buckled,
every boot is spit-polished and tied.
Their arrows are sharp,
bows strung,
The hooves of their horses shod,
chariot wheels greased.
Roaring like a pride of lions,
the full-throated roars of young lions,
They growl and seize their prey,
dragging it off—no rescue for that one!
They’ll roar and roar and roar on that Day,
like the roar of ocean billows.
Look as long and hard as you like at that land,
you’ll see nothing but darkness and trouble.
Every light in the sky
will be blacked out by the clouds.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Isaiah 65:17–25
New Heavens and a New Earth
17 “See, I will create
new heavens and a new earth.g
The former things will not be remembered,h
nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoicei forever
in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalemj to be a delight
and its people a joy.
19 I will rejoicek over Jerusalem
and take delightl in my people;
the sound of weeping and of cryingm
will be heard in it no more.
20 “Never again will there be in it
an infantn who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not live out his years;o
the one who dies at a hundred
will be thought a mere child;
the one who fails to reacha a hundred
will be considered accursed.
21 They will build housesp and dwell in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.q
22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them,r
or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,s
so will be the dayst of my people;
my chosenu ones will long enjoy
the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor in vain,v
nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;w
for they will be a people blessedx by the Lord,
they and their descendantsy with them.
24 Before they callz I will answer;a
while they are still speakingb I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lambc will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox,d
and dust will be the serpent’se food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,”f
says the Lord.
Insight
Although written to ancient Israel, Isaiah’s words anticipate a time we still await. The prophet writes, “The sound of weeping and crying will be heard in [the new Jerusalem] no more” (65:19). This matches well with John’s vision in Revelation 21, where John writes, “I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth’ ” (v. 1). In this future existence there “ ‘will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain” (v. 4).
Before You Even Ask
Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. Isaiah 65:24
My friends Robert and Colleen have experienced a healthy marriage for decades, and I love watching them interact. One will pass the butter to the other at dinner before being asked for it. The other will refill a glass at the perfect moment. When they tell stories, they finish each other’s sentences. Sometimes it seems they can read each other’s mind.
It’s comforting that God knows and cares for us even more than any person we know and love. When the prophet Isaiah describes the relationship between God and His people in the coming kingdom, he describes a tender, intimate relationship. God says about His people, “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24).
But how can this be true? There are things I’ve prayed about for years without receiving a response. I believe that as we grow in intimacy with God, aligning our hearts with His, we can learn to trust in His timing and care. We can begin to desire what God desires. When we pray, we ask for—among other things—the things that are part of God’s kingdom as described in Isaiah 65: An end to sorrow (v. 19). Safe homes and full bellies and meaningful work for all people (vv. 21–23). Peace in the natural world (v. 25). When God’s kingdom comes in its fullness, God will answer these prayers completely. By: Amy Peterson
Reflect & Pray
How might you participate in bringing God’s kingdom to earth? What will you ask God for today?
God, thank You for always hearing my prayers. I trust that You love me and are working all things together for good for those whom You’ve called. Please transform my desires so that I want what You want.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
The Servant’s Primary Goal
We make it our aim…to be well pleasing to Him. —2 Corinthians 5:9
“We make it our aim….” It requires a conscious decision and effort to keep our primary goal constantly in front of us. It means holding ourselves to the highest priority year in and year out; not making our first priority to win souls, or to establish churches, or to have revivals, but seeking only “to be well pleasing to Him.” It is not a lack of spiritual experience that leads to failure, but a lack of working to keep our eyes focused and on the right goal. At least once a week examine yourself before God to see if your life is measuring up to the standard He has for you. Paul was like a musician who gives no thought to audience approval, if he can only catch a look of approval from his Conductor.
Any goal we have that diverts us even to the slightest degree from the central goal of being “approved to God” (2 Timothy 2:15) may result in our rejection from further service for Him. When you discern where the goal leads, you will understand why it is so necessary to keep “looking unto Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2). Paul spoke of the importance of controlling his own body so that it would not take him in the wrong direction. He said, “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest…I myself should become disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27).
I must learn to relate everything to the primary goal, maintaining it without interruption. My worth to God publicly is measured by what I really am in my private life. Is my primary goal in life to please Him and to be acceptable to Him, or is it something less, no matter how lofty it may sound?
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
I have no right to say I believe in God unless I order my life as under His all-seeing Eye. Disciples Indeed, 385 L
Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 30-31; Mark 15:1-25
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
The Evidence You Are Loved - #8657
Most of us don't have a friendly neighborhood blacksmith anymore. Some of us city folks might never see one if they didn't have them at historic sites and some old-time American theme parks. I'm pretty sure the first blacksmith our three-year-old granddaughter ever saw was the one at the park we took her to. When we stopped by the blacksmith's shop, we were the only ones there. Our granddaughter was really interested in his fire and how he pounded those hot, shapeless metal things into useful objects. Later, as we started to leave, Mr. Blacksmith stopped us. Even though he does some pretty tough work, he's obviously a caring man. He caught up with us because he wanted to do something special for our little girl - he handed her a nail that he had just made. She wouldn't let go of that nail for most of the rest of the day. And last I knew, it was still one of her treasures.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Evidence You Are Loved."
Our granddaughter carried a reminder of a blacksmith who took a special interest in her - the evidence was a nail. It's hard for me to think about that without thinking of the man who demonstrated His love for me with the same kind of evidence - a nail. Actually, three nails - the two they drove through His hands and the one they drove through His feet when they hung Him on a cross.
Jesus brought back to heaven only one thing from His visit to earth - the nail prints in His hands and feet. They are the unarguable evidence of how very much Jesus loves you. I don't know what your experiences with love have been in your life. Maybe you've been blessed to have lots of love over the years. You can still be missing the love you were made for - the love on which your eternity depends - the love of Jesus Christ. Or maybe love - or the absence of it - has been the source of a lot of hurt and disappointment in your life. Because we tend to expect from God the same kind of treatment we got from humans. Well, it just might be hard for you to believe that the greatest person in the universe deeply loves you.
Consider the nails. Consider His wounds. It was, in fact, the sight of those wounds that drove a man named Thomas to throw open his life to Jesus. Thomas had followed Jesus for three years. He had heard all the sermons, seen all the miracles, but apparently he had withheld his total commitment. When Jesus came back from the grave and appeared to all the disciples but Thomas, Thomas said he would not believe that Jesus was alive unless he touched the wounds from His death on the cross. When Jesus appeared a second time with Thomas in the room, He invited the doubter to come and touch the holes the nails and the spear had left. All Thomas could do was fall on his knees and cry out, "My Lord and My God." (John 20:28).
The awful punishment that Jesus submitted Himself to was, in reality, the punishment for my sin and for your sin. And the worst punishment wasn't what people could see. It was the Son of God being totally cut off from God the Father as He carried all the horror and all the hell of all our sin.
The certainty of His love is powerfully expressed in Isaiah 49:15-16, our word for today from the Word of God: "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands." Every time Jesus looks at His hands, He thinks of you and me because His love for us is engraved there in the print of the nails.
That's why it's so unforgivable to reject His love. You may not mean to reject Him, but if a gift is offered to you and you just sit there, you've rejected both the gift and the giver. Jesus is holding out to you eternal life in heaven; the forgiving of every sin of your life. The greatest mistake a person can make is to fail to respond to this love of Jesus. If you've never actually given yourself to this Savior who gave His life for you, don't risk one more day without Him. Today, tell Him , "Jesus, I am Yours."
We've set up our website as a bridge where you can go and find the biblical information that will help you be sure you now belong to Jesus. That website is ANewStory.com.
Jesus has been reaching for you for a long time. Isn't it time you grabbed His hand?
Monday, March 16, 2020
2 Corinthians 12, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: NO ORDINARY NIGHT
Only one word describes the night Jesus came—ordinary. No reason to expect a surprise. An ordinary night with ordinary sheep and ordinary shepherds. And were it not for a God who loves to hook an extra on the front of the ordinary, the night would have gone unnoticed.
But God dances amid the common. And that night he did a waltz. The black sky exploded with brightness. Trees that had been shadows jumped into clarity. Sheep that had been silent became a chorus of curiosity. One minute the shepherd was dead asleep. The next he was rubbing his eyes and staring into the face of an angel who declared, “There is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).
The night was ordinary no more. God had entered the world as a baby.
2 Corinthians 12
You’ve forced me to talk this way, and I do it against my better judgment. But now that we’re at it, I may as well bring up the matter of visions and revelations that God gave me. For instance, I know a man who, fourteen years ago, was seized by Christ and swept in ecstasy to the heights of heaven. I really don’t know if this took place in the body or out of it; only God knows. I also know that this man was hijacked into paradise—again, whether in or out of the body, I don’t know; God knows. There he heard the unspeakable spoken, but was forbidden to tell what he heard. This is the man I want to talk about. But about myself, I’m not saying another word apart from the humiliations.
6 If I had a mind to brag a little, I could probably do it without looking ridiculous, and I’d still be speaking plain truth all the way. But I’ll spare you. I don’t want anyone imagining me as anything other than the fool you’d encounter if you saw me on the street or heard me talk.
7-10 Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,
My grace is enough; it’s all you need.
My strength comes into its own in your weakness.
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.
11-13 Well, now I’ve done it! I’ve made a complete fool of myself by going on like this. But it’s not all my fault; you put me up to it. You should have been doing this for me, sticking up for me and commending me instead of making me do it for myself. You know from personal experience that even if I’m a nobody, a nothing, I wasn’t second-rate compared to those big-shot apostles you’re so taken with. All the signs that mark a true apostle were in evidence while I was with you through both good times and bad: signs of portent, signs of wonder, signs of power. Did you get less of me or of God than any of the other churches? The only thing you got less of was less responsibility for my upkeep. Well, I’m sorry. Forgive me for depriving you.
14-15 Everything is in readiness now for this, my third visit to you. But don’t worry about it; you won’t have to put yourselves out. I’ll be no more of a bother to you this time than on the other visits. I have no interest in what you have—only in you. Children shouldn’t have to look out for their parents; parents look out for the children. I’d be most happy to empty my pockets, even mortgage my life, for your good. So how does it happen that the more I love you, the less I’m loved?
16-18 And why is it that I keep coming across these whiffs of gossip about how my self-support was a front behind which I worked an elaborate scam? Where’s the evidence? Did I cheat or trick you through anyone I sent? I asked Titus to visit, and sent some brothers along. Did they swindle you out of anything? And haven’t we always been just as aboveboard, just as honest?
19 I hope you don’t think that all along we’ve been making our defense before you, the jury. You’re not the jury; God is the jury—God revealed in Christ—and we make our case before him. And we’ve gone to all the trouble of supporting ourselves so that we won’t be in the way or get in the way of your growing up.
20-21 I do admit that I have fears that when I come you’ll disappoint me and I’ll disappoint you, and in frustration with each other everything will fall to pieces—quarrels, jealousy, flaring tempers, taking sides, angry words, vicious rumors, swelled heads, and general bedlam. I don’t look forward to a second humiliation by God among you, compounded by hot tears over that crowd that keeps sinning over and over in the same old ways, who refuse to turn away from the pigsty of evil, sexual disorder, and indecency in which they wallow.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, March 16, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Psalm 139:7–16
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I fleep from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens,q you are there;
if I make my bedr in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,s
your right handt will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be darku to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;v
you knit me togetherw in my mother’s womb.x
14 I praise youy because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,z
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was madea in the secret place,
when I was woven togetherb in the depths of the earth.c
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordainedd for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
Insight
In this psalm, the author, King David, describes two of God’s fundamental characteristics: His omnipresence—God being present in all places at all times (vv. 1–6) and His omniscience—God’s knowledge of all things (vv. 7–18). The author describes his inability to go anyplace outside the presence of God: “If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast” (vv. 9–10). But then there comes an interesting turn in verse 13: the author connects God’s constant presence to God’s creation of him. God is even present in the womb and will continue to be with us everywhere we go.
Amazing Skill
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14
The leader of our college singing group directed the group and accompanied us on the piano at the same time, skillfully balancing those responsibilities. At the close of one concert, he looked particularly weary, so I asked him if he was okay. He responded, “I’ve never had to do that before.” Then he explained. “The piano was so out of tune that I had to play the whole concert in two different keys—my left hand playing in one key and my right hand in another!” I was blown away by the startling skill he displayed, and I was amazed at the One who creates humans to be capable of such things.
King David expressed an even greater sense of wonder when he wrote, “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it” (Psalm 139:14 nlt). Whether in people’s abilities or nature’s marvels, the wonders of creation point us to the majesty of our Creator.
One day, when we’re in God’s presence, people from every generation will worship Him with the words, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being” (Revelation 4:11). The amazing skills God gives us and the great beauty God has created are ample reason to worship Him. By: Bill Crowder
Reflect & Pray
What parts of God’s creation cause you to respond in worship? Why is it important for you to thank and praise God for the skills He’s given you?
How wonderful You are, God! I see Your fingerprints everywhere. Thank You for all that You’ve made.
To learn more about Psalm 139, listen to discovertheword.org/series/search-me.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, March 16, 2020
The Master Will Judge
We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ… —2 Corinthians 5:10
Paul says that we must all, preachers and other people alike, “appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” But if you will learn here and now to live under the scrutiny of Christ’s pure light, your final judgment will bring you only delight in seeing the work God has done in you. Live constantly reminding yourself of the judgment seat of Christ, and walk in the knowledge of the holiness He has given you. Tolerating a wrong attitude toward another person causes you to follow the spirit of the devil, no matter how saintly you are. One carnal judgment of another person only serves the purposes of hell in you. Bring it immediately into the light and confess, “Oh, Lord, I have been guilty there.” If you don’t, your heart will become hardened through and through. One of the penalties of sin is our acceptance of it. It is not only God who punishes for sin, but sin establishes itself in the sinner and takes its toll. No struggling or praying will enable you to stop doing certain things, and the penalty of sin is that you gradually get used to it, until you finally come to the place where you no longer even realize that it is sin. No power, except the power that comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit, can change or prevent the inherent consequences of sin.
“If we walk in the light as He is in the light…” (1 John 1:7). For many of us, walking in the light means walking according to the standard we have set up for another person. The deadliest attitude of the Pharisees that we exhibit today is not hypocrisy but that which comes from unconsciously living a lie.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
If a man cannot prove his religion in the valley, it is not worth anything. Shade of His Hand, 1200 L
Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 28-29; Mark 14:54-72
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, March 16, 2020
A Morsel for Me - #8656
Snacks. Oh, I know a lot of them aren't the most healthy stuff in the world to put in your body. But when you're driving, I view them as something that helps with an essential function. It's called staying alive. As in staying awake at the wheel, you know. A number of times I've asked my wife to open up some cookies or chips or some other goodies for me, only to find that when she passed them to me that they weren't all there. At first, I thought maybe the company had robbed me. No. No, see, I only had to look across the seat to the passenger side to find the culprit. It was the woman I love. Yeah, the crumbs on her lip and the chewing in her mouth; that was my first clue. Our conversation predictably would go like this: I would say, "What happened?" Then, with a whimsical smile, she would answer: "Tax. There was a small service tax." Right!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "A Morsel for Me."
It's no big deal when your spouse snatches a little of what's yours. It's a very big deal when you do that with something that belongs to God; which a whole lot of us do, maybe without even knowing it. That's why we need the story in our word for today from the Word of God. It's in 1 Samuel 2, beginning with verse 12. It's more than a story. It is a sober warning.
Eli was the Chief Jewish Priest, and the Bible says, "Eli's sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the Lord. Now it was the practice of the priests with the people that whenever anyone offered a sacrifice and while the meat was being boiled, the servant of the priest would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand. He would plunge it into the pan...and the priest would take for himself whatever the fork brought up."
Now remember, this is a sacrifice that belongs totally to the Lord. The Bible goes on: "The sin of the young men was very great in the Lord's sight, for they were treating the Lord's offering with contempt." And then Eli learns how his sons have even "slept with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting."
God announces the price tag to Eli: "Your two sons...will both die on the same day. I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind." I told you the lesson here was sobering. God will not continue to tolerate someone who is using what is God's for their own benefit.
Does that happen today? Oh, way too much! It's so easy to be serving the Lord while sticking your fork in to get something for yourself. Some people stick their fork into God's work or God's people to get a little glory for themselves, to get a little attention or recognition for themselves; maybe some money or some strokes. Jesus taught us to pray to God, "Thy Kingdom come." Well, for too many, it's all about, "My kingdom come."
If you're using what is God's to meet your needs, to somehow advance yourself, you are stealing from the Lord God Almighty. That can't have a happy ending. God's work, God's people were never meant to be a base from which you could have some personal power trip, a place to feed your ego, your lust, your selfishness. That's holy ground you're on!
Jesus modeled something so radically different from being a self-serving servant. The Bible says, "He made Himself nothing...He humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:7-8). How dare we, in the name of this One who gave up everything for us, try taking for ourselves?
Look in the mirror. Search your heart. Search your motives. Have you been using
the work of God or the people of God to get something for yourself? Face it. Repent of it before God comes to take back what you have stolen from Him.
Only one word describes the night Jesus came—ordinary. No reason to expect a surprise. An ordinary night with ordinary sheep and ordinary shepherds. And were it not for a God who loves to hook an extra on the front of the ordinary, the night would have gone unnoticed.
But God dances amid the common. And that night he did a waltz. The black sky exploded with brightness. Trees that had been shadows jumped into clarity. Sheep that had been silent became a chorus of curiosity. One minute the shepherd was dead asleep. The next he was rubbing his eyes and staring into the face of an angel who declared, “There is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).
The night was ordinary no more. God had entered the world as a baby.
2 Corinthians 12
You’ve forced me to talk this way, and I do it against my better judgment. But now that we’re at it, I may as well bring up the matter of visions and revelations that God gave me. For instance, I know a man who, fourteen years ago, was seized by Christ and swept in ecstasy to the heights of heaven. I really don’t know if this took place in the body or out of it; only God knows. I also know that this man was hijacked into paradise—again, whether in or out of the body, I don’t know; God knows. There he heard the unspeakable spoken, but was forbidden to tell what he heard. This is the man I want to talk about. But about myself, I’m not saying another word apart from the humiliations.
6 If I had a mind to brag a little, I could probably do it without looking ridiculous, and I’d still be speaking plain truth all the way. But I’ll spare you. I don’t want anyone imagining me as anything other than the fool you’d encounter if you saw me on the street or heard me talk.
7-10 Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,
My grace is enough; it’s all you need.
My strength comes into its own in your weakness.
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.
11-13 Well, now I’ve done it! I’ve made a complete fool of myself by going on like this. But it’s not all my fault; you put me up to it. You should have been doing this for me, sticking up for me and commending me instead of making me do it for myself. You know from personal experience that even if I’m a nobody, a nothing, I wasn’t second-rate compared to those big-shot apostles you’re so taken with. All the signs that mark a true apostle were in evidence while I was with you through both good times and bad: signs of portent, signs of wonder, signs of power. Did you get less of me or of God than any of the other churches? The only thing you got less of was less responsibility for my upkeep. Well, I’m sorry. Forgive me for depriving you.
14-15 Everything is in readiness now for this, my third visit to you. But don’t worry about it; you won’t have to put yourselves out. I’ll be no more of a bother to you this time than on the other visits. I have no interest in what you have—only in you. Children shouldn’t have to look out for their parents; parents look out for the children. I’d be most happy to empty my pockets, even mortgage my life, for your good. So how does it happen that the more I love you, the less I’m loved?
16-18 And why is it that I keep coming across these whiffs of gossip about how my self-support was a front behind which I worked an elaborate scam? Where’s the evidence? Did I cheat or trick you through anyone I sent? I asked Titus to visit, and sent some brothers along. Did they swindle you out of anything? And haven’t we always been just as aboveboard, just as honest?
19 I hope you don’t think that all along we’ve been making our defense before you, the jury. You’re not the jury; God is the jury—God revealed in Christ—and we make our case before him. And we’ve gone to all the trouble of supporting ourselves so that we won’t be in the way or get in the way of your growing up.
20-21 I do admit that I have fears that when I come you’ll disappoint me and I’ll disappoint you, and in frustration with each other everything will fall to pieces—quarrels, jealousy, flaring tempers, taking sides, angry words, vicious rumors, swelled heads, and general bedlam. I don’t look forward to a second humiliation by God among you, compounded by hot tears over that crowd that keeps sinning over and over in the same old ways, who refuse to turn away from the pigsty of evil, sexual disorder, and indecency in which they wallow.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, March 16, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Psalm 139:7–16
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I fleep from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens,q you are there;
if I make my bedr in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,s
your right handt will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be darku to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;v
you knit me togetherw in my mother’s womb.x
14 I praise youy because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,z
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was madea in the secret place,
when I was woven togetherb in the depths of the earth.c
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordainedd for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
Insight
In this psalm, the author, King David, describes two of God’s fundamental characteristics: His omnipresence—God being present in all places at all times (vv. 1–6) and His omniscience—God’s knowledge of all things (vv. 7–18). The author describes his inability to go anyplace outside the presence of God: “If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast” (vv. 9–10). But then there comes an interesting turn in verse 13: the author connects God’s constant presence to God’s creation of him. God is even present in the womb and will continue to be with us everywhere we go.
Amazing Skill
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14
The leader of our college singing group directed the group and accompanied us on the piano at the same time, skillfully balancing those responsibilities. At the close of one concert, he looked particularly weary, so I asked him if he was okay. He responded, “I’ve never had to do that before.” Then he explained. “The piano was so out of tune that I had to play the whole concert in two different keys—my left hand playing in one key and my right hand in another!” I was blown away by the startling skill he displayed, and I was amazed at the One who creates humans to be capable of such things.
King David expressed an even greater sense of wonder when he wrote, “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it” (Psalm 139:14 nlt). Whether in people’s abilities or nature’s marvels, the wonders of creation point us to the majesty of our Creator.
One day, when we’re in God’s presence, people from every generation will worship Him with the words, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being” (Revelation 4:11). The amazing skills God gives us and the great beauty God has created are ample reason to worship Him. By: Bill Crowder
Reflect & Pray
What parts of God’s creation cause you to respond in worship? Why is it important for you to thank and praise God for the skills He’s given you?
How wonderful You are, God! I see Your fingerprints everywhere. Thank You for all that You’ve made.
To learn more about Psalm 139, listen to discovertheword.org/series/search-me.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, March 16, 2020
The Master Will Judge
We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ… —2 Corinthians 5:10
Paul says that we must all, preachers and other people alike, “appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” But if you will learn here and now to live under the scrutiny of Christ’s pure light, your final judgment will bring you only delight in seeing the work God has done in you. Live constantly reminding yourself of the judgment seat of Christ, and walk in the knowledge of the holiness He has given you. Tolerating a wrong attitude toward another person causes you to follow the spirit of the devil, no matter how saintly you are. One carnal judgment of another person only serves the purposes of hell in you. Bring it immediately into the light and confess, “Oh, Lord, I have been guilty there.” If you don’t, your heart will become hardened through and through. One of the penalties of sin is our acceptance of it. It is not only God who punishes for sin, but sin establishes itself in the sinner and takes its toll. No struggling or praying will enable you to stop doing certain things, and the penalty of sin is that you gradually get used to it, until you finally come to the place where you no longer even realize that it is sin. No power, except the power that comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit, can change or prevent the inherent consequences of sin.
“If we walk in the light as He is in the light…” (1 John 1:7). For many of us, walking in the light means walking according to the standard we have set up for another person. The deadliest attitude of the Pharisees that we exhibit today is not hypocrisy but that which comes from unconsciously living a lie.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
If a man cannot prove his religion in the valley, it is not worth anything. Shade of His Hand, 1200 L
Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 28-29; Mark 14:54-72
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, March 16, 2020
A Morsel for Me - #8656
Snacks. Oh, I know a lot of them aren't the most healthy stuff in the world to put in your body. But when you're driving, I view them as something that helps with an essential function. It's called staying alive. As in staying awake at the wheel, you know. A number of times I've asked my wife to open up some cookies or chips or some other goodies for me, only to find that when she passed them to me that they weren't all there. At first, I thought maybe the company had robbed me. No. No, see, I only had to look across the seat to the passenger side to find the culprit. It was the woman I love. Yeah, the crumbs on her lip and the chewing in her mouth; that was my first clue. Our conversation predictably would go like this: I would say, "What happened?" Then, with a whimsical smile, she would answer: "Tax. There was a small service tax." Right!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "A Morsel for Me."
It's no big deal when your spouse snatches a little of what's yours. It's a very big deal when you do that with something that belongs to God; which a whole lot of us do, maybe without even knowing it. That's why we need the story in our word for today from the Word of God. It's in 1 Samuel 2, beginning with verse 12. It's more than a story. It is a sober warning.
Eli was the Chief Jewish Priest, and the Bible says, "Eli's sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the Lord. Now it was the practice of the priests with the people that whenever anyone offered a sacrifice and while the meat was being boiled, the servant of the priest would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand. He would plunge it into the pan...and the priest would take for himself whatever the fork brought up."
Now remember, this is a sacrifice that belongs totally to the Lord. The Bible goes on: "The sin of the young men was very great in the Lord's sight, for they were treating the Lord's offering with contempt." And then Eli learns how his sons have even "slept with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting."
God announces the price tag to Eli: "Your two sons...will both die on the same day. I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind." I told you the lesson here was sobering. God will not continue to tolerate someone who is using what is God's for their own benefit.
Does that happen today? Oh, way too much! It's so easy to be serving the Lord while sticking your fork in to get something for yourself. Some people stick their fork into God's work or God's people to get a little glory for themselves, to get a little attention or recognition for themselves; maybe some money or some strokes. Jesus taught us to pray to God, "Thy Kingdom come." Well, for too many, it's all about, "My kingdom come."
If you're using what is God's to meet your needs, to somehow advance yourself, you are stealing from the Lord God Almighty. That can't have a happy ending. God's work, God's people were never meant to be a base from which you could have some personal power trip, a place to feed your ego, your lust, your selfishness. That's holy ground you're on!
Jesus modeled something so radically different from being a self-serving servant. The Bible says, "He made Himself nothing...He humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:7-8). How dare we, in the name of this One who gave up everything for us, try taking for ourselves?
Look in the mirror. Search your heart. Search your motives. Have you been using
the work of God or the people of God to get something for yourself? Face it. Repent of it before God comes to take back what you have stolen from Him.
Sunday, March 15, 2020
Isaiah 4, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: What’s Done is Done
What do you do with your failures? Could you do it all over again, you’d do it differently. You’d be more patient. You’d control your tongue. You’d finish what you started. You’d get married first. But as many times as you tell yourself, “What’s done is done,” what you did can’t be undone.
That’s part of what the apostle Paul meant when he said, “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23). He didn’t say, “The wages of sin is a bad mood.” Or “The wages of sin is a hard day.” Read it again. “The wages of sin is death.” Sin is fatal.
What do you do? Don’t we all long for a father who will love us? A father who cares for us in spite of our failures? We have that kind of a father. A father whose grace is strongest when our devotion is weakest. Your failures are not fatal, my friend!
from Six Hours One Friday
Isaiah 4
That will be the day when seven women
will gang up on one man, saying,
“We’ll take care of ourselves,
get our own food and clothes.
Just give us a child. Make us pregnant
so we’ll have something to live for!”
2-4 And that’s when God’s Branch will sprout green and lush. The produce of the country will give Israel’s survivors something to be proud of again. Oh, they’ll hold their heads high! Everyone left behind in Zion, all the discards and rejects in Jerusalem, will be reclassified as “holy”—alive and therefore precious. God will give Zion’s women a good bath. He’ll scrub the bloodstained city of its violence and brutality, purge the place with a firestorm of judgment.
5-6 Then God will bring back the ancient pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night and mark Mount Zion and everyone in it with his glorious presence, his immense, protective presence, shade from the burning sun and shelter from the driving rain.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Sunday, March 15, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight: Deuteronomy 26:12–15
hen you have finished setting aside a tenthk of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe,l you shall give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. 13 Then say to the Lord your God: “I have removed from my house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, according to all you commanded. I have not turned aside from your commands nor have I forgotten any of them.m 14 I have not eaten any of the sacred portion while I was in mourning, nor have I removed any of it while I was unclean,n nor have I offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the Lord my God; I have done everything you commanded me. 15 Look down from heaven,o your holy dwelling place, and blessp your people Israel and the land you have given us as you promised on oath to our ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey.”
Insight
In the Hebrew Bible, books are generally named on the basis of their opening words. The book of Deuteronomy is referred to in the Hebrew Bible as “these are the words”—the opening statement of Deuteronomy 1:1. The title speaks more to the book’s function, for the word Deuteronomy comes from two Greek words deuteros (second) and nomos (law). This book, then, serves as a second telling of the law by Moses just prior to his death and Israel’s passage into the promised land. It reminds them of their covenant agreement with God—a covenant they were called to live out in the land. The book divides into three parts: the historical context (1:1–4), the restatement of the law (1:5–30:20), and the appointment of Joshua in preparation for the death of Moses (chs. 31–34). Clearly, this “second telling” of the law is the main purpose of the book of Deuteronomy.
The Bill Is Paid
You shall give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. Deuteronomy 26:12
“What happened to you?” asked Zeal, a Nigerian businessman, as he bent over a hospital bed in Lagos. “Someone shot me,” replied the young man, his thigh bandaged. Although the injured man was well enough to return home, he wouldn’t be released until he settled his bill—a policy that many government hospitals in the region follow. After consulting with a social worker, Zeal anonymously covered the bill through the charitable fund he’d earlier set up as a way to express his Christian faith. In return, he hopes that those receiving the gift of release will one day give to others too.
The theme of giving from God’s bounty pulses throughout the Bible. For instance, when Moses instructed the Israelites on how to live in the Promised Land, he told them to give back to God first (see Deuteronomy 26:1–3) and to care for those in need—the foreigners, orphans, and widows (v. 12). Because they dwelled in a “land flowing with milk and honey” (v. 15), they were to express God’s love to the needy.
We too can spread God’s love through sharing our material goods, whether big or small. We might not have the opportunity to personally give exactly like Zeal did, but we can ask God to show us how to give or who needs our help. By: Amy Boucher Pye
Reflect & Pray
How do you think the patients felt who were released because of Zeal? If you’ve experienced an unexpected gift of grace, how did you respond?
God, thank You for caring for those in need. Open my eyes to the material and spiritual needs of those near and far to me, and help me to know how to respond.
To learn more about finances and the Christian life, visit christianuniversity.org/ML101.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, March 15, 2020
The Discipline of Dismay
As they followed they were afraid. —Mark 10:32
At the beginning of our life with Jesus Christ, we were sure we knew all there was to know about following Him. It was a delight to forsake everything else and to throw ourselves before Him in a fearless statement of love. But now we are not quite so sure. Jesus is far ahead of us and is beginning to seem different and unfamiliar— “Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed” (Mark 10:32).
There is an aspect of Jesus that chills even a disciple’s heart to its depth and makes his entire spiritual life gasp for air. This unusual Person with His face set “like a flint” (Isaiah 50:7) is walking with great determination ahead of me, and He strikes terror right through me. He no longer seems to be my Counselor and Friend and has a point of view about which I know nothing. All I can do is stand and stare at Him in amazement. At first I was confident that I understood Him, but now I am not so sure. I begin to realize that there is a distance between Jesus and me and I can no longer be intimate with Him. I have no idea where He is going, and the goal has become strangely distant.
Jesus Christ had to understand fully every sin and sorrow that human beings could experience, and that is what makes Him seem unfamiliar. When we see this aspect of Him, we realize we really don’t know Him. We don’t recognize even one characteristic of His life, and we don’t know how to begin to follow Him. He is far ahead of us, a Leader who seems totally unfamiliar, and we have no friendship with Him.
The discipline of dismay is an essential lesson which a disciple must learn. The danger is that we tend to look back on our times of obedience and on our past sacrifices to God in an effort to keep our enthusiasm for Him strong (see Isaiah 50:10-11). But when the darkness of dismay comes, endure until it is over, because out of it will come the ability to follow Jesus truly, which brings inexpressibly wonderful joy.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We are not to preach the doing of good things; good deeds are not to be preached, they are to be performed. So Send I You, 1330 L
Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 26-27; Mark 14:27-53
What do you do with your failures? Could you do it all over again, you’d do it differently. You’d be more patient. You’d control your tongue. You’d finish what you started. You’d get married first. But as many times as you tell yourself, “What’s done is done,” what you did can’t be undone.
That’s part of what the apostle Paul meant when he said, “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23). He didn’t say, “The wages of sin is a bad mood.” Or “The wages of sin is a hard day.” Read it again. “The wages of sin is death.” Sin is fatal.
What do you do? Don’t we all long for a father who will love us? A father who cares for us in spite of our failures? We have that kind of a father. A father whose grace is strongest when our devotion is weakest. Your failures are not fatal, my friend!
from Six Hours One Friday
Isaiah 4
That will be the day when seven women
will gang up on one man, saying,
“We’ll take care of ourselves,
get our own food and clothes.
Just give us a child. Make us pregnant
so we’ll have something to live for!”
2-4 And that’s when God’s Branch will sprout green and lush. The produce of the country will give Israel’s survivors something to be proud of again. Oh, they’ll hold their heads high! Everyone left behind in Zion, all the discards and rejects in Jerusalem, will be reclassified as “holy”—alive and therefore precious. God will give Zion’s women a good bath. He’ll scrub the bloodstained city of its violence and brutality, purge the place with a firestorm of judgment.
5-6 Then God will bring back the ancient pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night and mark Mount Zion and everyone in it with his glorious presence, his immense, protective presence, shade from the burning sun and shelter from the driving rain.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Sunday, March 15, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight: Deuteronomy 26:12–15
hen you have finished setting aside a tenthk of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe,l you shall give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. 13 Then say to the Lord your God: “I have removed from my house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, according to all you commanded. I have not turned aside from your commands nor have I forgotten any of them.m 14 I have not eaten any of the sacred portion while I was in mourning, nor have I removed any of it while I was unclean,n nor have I offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the Lord my God; I have done everything you commanded me. 15 Look down from heaven,o your holy dwelling place, and blessp your people Israel and the land you have given us as you promised on oath to our ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey.”
Insight
In the Hebrew Bible, books are generally named on the basis of their opening words. The book of Deuteronomy is referred to in the Hebrew Bible as “these are the words”—the opening statement of Deuteronomy 1:1. The title speaks more to the book’s function, for the word Deuteronomy comes from two Greek words deuteros (second) and nomos (law). This book, then, serves as a second telling of the law by Moses just prior to his death and Israel’s passage into the promised land. It reminds them of their covenant agreement with God—a covenant they were called to live out in the land. The book divides into three parts: the historical context (1:1–4), the restatement of the law (1:5–30:20), and the appointment of Joshua in preparation for the death of Moses (chs. 31–34). Clearly, this “second telling” of the law is the main purpose of the book of Deuteronomy.
The Bill Is Paid
You shall give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. Deuteronomy 26:12
“What happened to you?” asked Zeal, a Nigerian businessman, as he bent over a hospital bed in Lagos. “Someone shot me,” replied the young man, his thigh bandaged. Although the injured man was well enough to return home, he wouldn’t be released until he settled his bill—a policy that many government hospitals in the region follow. After consulting with a social worker, Zeal anonymously covered the bill through the charitable fund he’d earlier set up as a way to express his Christian faith. In return, he hopes that those receiving the gift of release will one day give to others too.
The theme of giving from God’s bounty pulses throughout the Bible. For instance, when Moses instructed the Israelites on how to live in the Promised Land, he told them to give back to God first (see Deuteronomy 26:1–3) and to care for those in need—the foreigners, orphans, and widows (v. 12). Because they dwelled in a “land flowing with milk and honey” (v. 15), they were to express God’s love to the needy.
We too can spread God’s love through sharing our material goods, whether big or small. We might not have the opportunity to personally give exactly like Zeal did, but we can ask God to show us how to give or who needs our help. By: Amy Boucher Pye
Reflect & Pray
How do you think the patients felt who were released because of Zeal? If you’ve experienced an unexpected gift of grace, how did you respond?
God, thank You for caring for those in need. Open my eyes to the material and spiritual needs of those near and far to me, and help me to know how to respond.
To learn more about finances and the Christian life, visit christianuniversity.org/ML101.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, March 15, 2020
The Discipline of Dismay
As they followed they were afraid. —Mark 10:32
At the beginning of our life with Jesus Christ, we were sure we knew all there was to know about following Him. It was a delight to forsake everything else and to throw ourselves before Him in a fearless statement of love. But now we are not quite so sure. Jesus is far ahead of us and is beginning to seem different and unfamiliar— “Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed” (Mark 10:32).
There is an aspect of Jesus that chills even a disciple’s heart to its depth and makes his entire spiritual life gasp for air. This unusual Person with His face set “like a flint” (Isaiah 50:7) is walking with great determination ahead of me, and He strikes terror right through me. He no longer seems to be my Counselor and Friend and has a point of view about which I know nothing. All I can do is stand and stare at Him in amazement. At first I was confident that I understood Him, but now I am not so sure. I begin to realize that there is a distance between Jesus and me and I can no longer be intimate with Him. I have no idea where He is going, and the goal has become strangely distant.
Jesus Christ had to understand fully every sin and sorrow that human beings could experience, and that is what makes Him seem unfamiliar. When we see this aspect of Him, we realize we really don’t know Him. We don’t recognize even one characteristic of His life, and we don’t know how to begin to follow Him. He is far ahead of us, a Leader who seems totally unfamiliar, and we have no friendship with Him.
The discipline of dismay is an essential lesson which a disciple must learn. The danger is that we tend to look back on our times of obedience and on our past sacrifices to God in an effort to keep our enthusiasm for Him strong (see Isaiah 50:10-11). But when the darkness of dismay comes, endure until it is over, because out of it will come the ability to follow Jesus truly, which brings inexpressibly wonderful joy.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We are not to preach the doing of good things; good deeds are not to be preached, they are to be performed. So Send I You, 1330 L
Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 26-27; Mark 14:27-53
Saturday, March 14, 2020
Isaiah 3, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals
Max Lucado Daily: An Advocate
Not all guilt is bad. God uses appropriate doses of guilt to awaken us to sin! God's guilt brings enough regret to change us! Satan's guilt, on the other hand, brings enough regret to enslave us. Don't let Satan lock his shackles on you!
Colossians 3:3 reminds us, "your life is hidden with Christ in God." When God looks at you, he sees Jesus first. In the Chinese language the word for "righteousness" is a combination of two characters, the figure of a lamb and a person. The lamb is on top, covering the person. Whenever God looks down at you, this is what he sees: The perfect Lamb of God covering you.
So, do you trust your Advocate, Jesus, or do you trust your Accuser-Satan? Give no heed to Satan's voice! You have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous! (I John 2:1).
From GRACE
Isaiah 3
The Master, God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
is emptying Jerusalem and Judah
Of all the basic necessities,
plain bread and water to begin with.
He’s withdrawing police and protection,
judges and courts,
pastors and teachers,
captains and generals,
doctors and nurses,
and, yes, even the repairmen and jacks-of-all-trades.
He says, “I’ll put little kids in charge of the city.
Schoolboys and schoolgirls will order everyone around.
People will be at each other’s throats,
stabbing one another in the back:
Neighbor against neighbor, young against old,
the no-account against the well-respected.
One brother will grab another and say,
‘You look like you’ve got a head on your shoulders.
Do something!
Get us out of this mess.’
And he’ll say, ‘Me? Not me! I don’t have a clue.
Don’t put me in charge of anything.’
8-9 “Jerusalem’s on its last legs.
Judah is soon down for the count.
Everything people say and do
is at cross-purposes with God,
a slap in my face.
Brazen in their depravity,
they flaunt their sins like degenerate Sodom.
Doom to their eternal souls! They’ve made their bed;
now they’ll sleep in it.
10-11 “Reassure the righteous
that their good living will pay off.
But doom to the wicked! Disaster!
Everything they did will be done to them.
12 “Skinny kids terrorize my people.
Silly girls bully them around.
My dear people! Your leaders are taking you down a blind alley.
They’re sending you off on a wild-goose chase.”
13-15 God enters the courtroom.
He takes his place at the bench to judge his people.
God calls for order in the court,
hauls the leaders of his people into the dock:
“You’ve played havoc with this country.
Your houses are stuffed with what you’ve stolen from the poor.
What is this anyway? Stomping on my people,
grinding the faces of the poor into the dirt?”
That’s what the Master,
God-of-the-Angel-Armies, says.
16-17 God says, “Zion women are stuck-up,
prancing around in their high heels,
Making eyes at all the men in the street,
swinging their hips,
Tossing their hair,
gaudy and garish in cheap jewelry.”
The Master will fix it so those Zion women
will all turn bald—
Scabby, bald-headed women.
The Master will do it.
18-23 The time is coming when the Master will strip them of their fancy baubles—the dangling earrings, anklets and bracelets, combs and mirrors and silk scarves, diamond brooches and pearl necklaces, the rings on their fingers and the rings on their toes, the latest fashions in hats, exotic perfumes and aphrodisiacs, gowns and capes, all the world’s finest in fabrics and design.
24 Instead of wearing seductive scents,
these women are going to smell like rotting cabbages;
Instead of modeling flowing gowns,
they’ll be sporting rags;
Instead of their stylish hairdos,
scruffy heads;
Instead of beauty marks,
scabs and scars.
25-26 Your finest fighting men will be killed,
your soldiers left dead on the battlefield.
The entrance gate to Zion will be clotted
with people mourning their dead—
A city stooped under the weight of her loss,
brought to her knees by her sorrows.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Saturday, March 14, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Psalm 63:1–8
You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,m
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.n
2 I have seen you in the sanctuaryo
and beheld your power and your glory.p
3 Because your love is better than life,q
my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,r
and in your name I will lift up my hands.s
5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;t
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.u
7 Because you are my help,v
I sing in the shadow of your wings.w
8 I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.
Insight
The superscription to Psalm 63 provides the author and setting: “A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.” In verse 11, David refers to himself as “the king,” so we know it wasn’t written when King Saul was pursuing him. Instead it likely was written later during the events of 2 Samuel 15 when David’s son Absalom conspired against his father to gain the throne, gathered supporters, and even enlisted David’s close friend and counselor Ahithophel (vv. 10–12). These events drove David in haste from Jerusalem into the desert (vv. 14, 23).
Better than Life
Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. Psalm 63:3
Though Mary loved Jesus—life was hard, real hard. Two sons preceded her in death as did two grandsons, both victims of shootings. And Mary herself suffered a crippling stroke that left her paralyzed on one side. Yet, as soon as she was able she made her way to church services where it wasn’t uncommon for her—with fractured speech—to express praise to the Lord with words like, “My soul loves Jesus; bless His name!”
Long before Mary expressed her praise to God, David penned the words of Psalm 63. The heading of the psalm notes that David wrote it “when he was in the Desert of Judah.” Though in a less than desirable—even desperate—situation, he didn’t despair because he hoped in God. “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you . . . in a dry and parched land where there is no water” (v. 1).
Perhaps you’ve found yourself in a place of difficulty, without clear direction or adequate resources. Uncomfortable situations can confuse us, but they need not derail us when we cling to the One who loves us (v. 3), satisfies us (v. 5), helps us (v. 7), and whose right hand upholds us (v. 8). Because God’s love is better than life, like Mary and David, we can express our satisfaction with lips that praise and honor God (vv. 3–5). By: Arthur Jackson
Reflect & Pray
How would you describe your attitude when you find yourself in a “desert season” of life? How can Psalm 63 help you to better prepare for such seasons?
Jesus, I’m so grateful that I can praise You in the dry, desperate times of my life because Your love is better than life!
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, March 14, 2020
Yielding
…you are that one’s slaves whom you obey… —Romans 6:16
The first thing I must be willing to admit when I begin to examine what controls and dominates me is that I am the one responsible for having yielded myself to whatever it may be. If I am a slave to myself, I am to blame because somewhere in the past I yielded to myself. Likewise, if I obey God I do so because at some point in my life I yielded myself to Him.
If a child gives in to selfishness, he will find it to be the most enslaving tyranny on earth. There is no power within the human soul itself that is capable of breaking the bondage of the nature created by yielding. For example, yield for one second to anything in the nature of lust, and although you may hate yourself for having yielded, you become enslaved to that thing. (Remember what lust is— “I must have it now,” whether it is the lust of the flesh or the lust of the mind.) No release or escape from it will ever come from any human power, but only through the power of redemption. You must yield yourself in utter humiliation to the only One who can break the dominating power in your life, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ. “…He has anointed Me…to proclaim liberty to the captives…” (Luke 4:18 and Isaiah 61:1).
When you yield to something, you will soon realize the tremendous control it has over you. Even though you say, “Oh, I can give up that habit whenever I like,” you will know you can’t. You will find that the habit absolutely dominates you because you willingly yielded to it. It is easy to sing, “He will break every fetter,” while at the same time living a life of obvious slavery to yourself. But yielding to Jesus will break every kind of slavery in any person’s life.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We never enter into the Kingdom of God by having our head questions answered, but only by commitment. The Highest Good—Thy Great Redemption, 565 R
Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 23-25; Mark 14:1-26
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