Exodus 19, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: The Hope the World Needs - October 13, 2021

You know, we’re caretakers of the message of Jesus. As you and I live out our faith, he is delivered into a faith-famished culture. We have the hope this world needs, but sometimes we forget. Billion-dollar industries are conning you by luring you into lifestyles that will leave you wounded and weary.

How about some examples? Pornography is one. Pornography, they say, is a harmless expression of sexuality. Hardly – it is as addictive as alcohol and drugs. Or this one: Whoever dies with the most toys wins. Take on the liability. Borrow the money. But your Maker tells you, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth…but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19-20).

The lies are everywhere, and their consequences are devastating. Be careful! Don’t get too cozy in this culture.

Exodus 19

Mount Sinai

Three months after leaving Egypt the Israelites entered the Wilderness of Sinai. They followed the route from Rephidim, arrived at the Wilderness of Sinai, and set up camp. Israel camped there facing the mountain.

3-6 As Moses went up to meet God, God called down to him from the mountain: “Speak to the House of Jacob, tell the People of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to me. If you will listen obediently to what I say and keep my covenant, out of all peoples you’ll be my special treasure. The whole Earth is mine to choose from, but you’re special: a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.’

“This is what I want you to tell the People of Israel.”

7 Moses came back and called the elders of Israel together and set before them all these words which God had commanded him.

8 The people were unanimous in their response: “Everything God says, we will do.” Moses took the people’s answer back to God.

* * *

9 God said to Moses, “Get ready. I’m about to come to you in a thick cloud so that the people can listen in and trust you completely when I speak with you.” Again Moses reported the people’s answer to God.

10-13 God said to Moses, “Go to the people. For the next two days get these people ready to meet the Holy God. Have them scrub their clothes so that on the third day they’ll be fully prepared, because on the third day God will come down on Mount Sinai and make his presence known to all the people. Post boundaries for the people all around, telling them, ‘Warning! Don’t climb the mountain. Don’t even touch its edge. Whoever touches the mountain dies—a certain death. And no one is to touch that person, he’s to be stoned. That’s right—stoned. Or shot with arrows, shot to death. Animal or man, whichever—put to death.’

“A long blast from the horn will signal that it’s safe to climb the mountain.”

14-15 Moses went down the mountain to the people and prepared them for the holy meeting. They gave their clothes a good scrubbing. Then he addressed the people: “Be ready in three days. Don’t sleep with a woman.”

16 On the third day at daybreak, there were loud claps of thunder, flashes of lightning, a thick cloud covering the mountain, and an ear-piercing trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp shuddered in fear.

17 Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God. They stood at attention at the base of the mountain.

18-20 Mount Sinai was all smoke because God had come down on it as fire. Smoke poured from it like smoke from a furnace. The whole mountain shuddered and heaved. The trumpet blasts grew louder and louder. Moses spoke and God answered in thunder. God descended to the peak of Mount Sinai. God called Moses up to the peak and Moses climbed up.

21-22 God said to Moses, “Go down. Warn the people not to break through the barricades to get a look at God lest many of them die. And the priests also, warn them to prepare themselves for the holy meeting, lest God break out against them.”

23 Moses said to God, “But the people can’t climb Mount Sinai. You’ve already warned us well telling us: ‘Post boundaries around the mountain. Respect the holy mountain.’”

24 God told him, “Go down and then bring Aaron back up with you. But make sure that the priests and the people don’t break through and come up to God, lest he break out against them.”

25 So Moses went down to the people. He said to them:

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Today's Scripture
Jeremiah 36:27–32
(NIV)

After the king burned the scroll containing the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah’s dictation,b the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 28 “Take another scrollc and write on it all the words that were on the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah burned up. 29 Also tell Jehoiakim king of Judah, ‘This is what the Lord says: You burned that scroll and said, “Why did you write on it that the king of Babylon would certainly come and destroy this land and wipe from itd both man and beast?”e 30 Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakimf king of Judah: He will have no one to sit on the throne of David; his body will be thrown outg and exposedh to the heat by day and the frost by night.i 31 I will punish him and his childrenj and his attendants for their wickedness; I will bring on them and those living in Jerusalem and the people of Judah every disasterk I pronounced against them, because they have not listened.l’ ”

32 So Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah, and as Jeremiah dictated,m Baruch wroten on it all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burnedo in the fire. And many similar words were added to them.

Insight

King Jehoiakim’s rejection of the words of God demonstrated by his reckless burning of Jeremiah’s scroll wasn’t an isolated event. The prophet Jeremiah had touched a nerve in a land once entrusted to a nation of freed slaves. Since the days of Moses, there'd been a humane law in Israel requiring Hebrew slaves to be freed after seven years (Exodus 21:2). But this law had long since been ignored by wealthy land owners accustomed to living off the backs of a captive and oppressed workforce (Jeremiah 34:8–17). Their social privilege made it easy to ignore a troublesome prophet who claimed to speak the word of Israel’s God (37:1–2). According to Jeremiah, a looming Babylonian invasion was the inevitable corrective. What even Jeremiah couldn’t foresee, however, is that the flagrant burning of a scroll would foreshadow something far more horrific—a literal rejection and crucifixion of Jesus, the living Word of God. By: Mart DeHaan

Words that Endure

This word came to Jeremiah from the Lord.
Jeremiah 36:1

In the early nineteenth century, Thomas Carlyle gave a manuscript to philosopher John Stuart Mill to review. Somehow, whether accidentally or intentionally, the manuscript got tossed into a fire. It was Carlyle’s only copy. Undaunted, he set to work rewriting the lost chapters. Mere flames couldn’t stop the story, which remained intact in his mind. Out of great loss, Carlyle produced his monumental work The French Revolution.

In the waning days of ancient Judah’s decadent kingdom, God told the prophet Jeremiah, “Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you” (Jeremiah 36:2). The message revealed God’s tender heart, calling on His people to repent in order to avoid imminent invasion (v. 3).

Jeremiah did as he was told. The scroll soon found its way to Judah’s king, Jehoiakim, who methodically shredded it and threw it into the fire (vv. 23–25). The king’s act of arson only made matters worse. God told Jeremiah to write another scroll with the same message. He said, “[Jehoiakim] will have no one to sit on the throne of David; his body will be thrown out and exposed to the heat by day and the frost by night” (v. 30).

It’s possible to burn the words of God by tossing a book into a fire. Possible, but utterly futile. The Word behind the words endures forever. By:  Tim Gustafson

Reflect & Pray

What has caused you or those you know to ignore the words of God? Why is it vital for you to submit to and obediently follow what He’s instructed?

Father, help me to take Your words to heart, even if they’re difficult to hear. Please give me a heart of repentance—not defiance.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
    
Individual Discouragement and Personal Growth

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

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

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

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

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

Bible in a Year: Isaiah 41-42; 1 Thessalonians 1

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Where is Malaysia Air 370 and its 239 passengers? Boy, a few years ago, that question obsessed people around the world and in the news day after day after day. I can't remember a time when so many nations (I think there were something like 26 at some point) mounted such a huge search-and-rescue effort across such a wide swath of the world. It was incredible. Why? Well, to search for and, if possible, try to save the people who were lost.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Four Lessons From the Search for a Missing Plane."

As I was watching the unfolding news...and praying at that time, God seemed to say to me, "There's something else I want you to see here, Ron." Suddenly I was hearing in my heart the words of Jesus. He said, "I've come to seek and to save what was lost" (Luke 19:10).

Then it hit me. Jesus has launched a search-and-rescue force from every corner of the globe to seek and save hijacked lives that are heading for an unthinkable destination. His worldwide rescue force is His church; His people from "every nation, tribe...and language" (Revelation 7:9).

As ships and planes and computers were searching for that missing plane, they were looking by "grids." In other words, each one had its own assigned stretch of ocean or land to cover. That's like the rescue forces of Christ. Each of us who follows Christ has our assigned "grid." And it's the spiritually dying people who are in our circle of influence. We all have a circle of influence. There's so much ground to cover; there's so many eternities in the balance. The only way every unbeliever is going to have a chance at Jesus is if every believer is a rescuer.

Now our word for today from the Word of God asks these haunting questions in Romans 10:14. "How can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?" The life-saving mission of my Jesus compels me to consider those questions in light of the people I know. "How can (fill in the blank) __________ hear about Him (in my case) unless Ron tells them if they're in my circle of influence?"

Neighbors. Coworkers. Online friends. Social media friends. Family social acquaintances. They're the "grid" where the Great Rescuer has assigned me and you to "seek and to save." And the desperate search that dominated our headlines several years ago for that missing plane has a lot to teach us about our rescue assignment from Jesus.

1. Seek them - We can't expect those who are lost to show up where we are. We have to go where they are, taking that eternity-changing news of Jesus outside the walls of the church. Showing up with Jesus at the office, the gym, the club, the store, the school, the game, the hospital.

2. Deploy every means possible. They put out ships and planes and computers to find that missing plane - every conceivable tool for the mission. We who know the eternal stakes of our life-saving mission can do no less. Social networks. Websites. Acts of kindness. Fervent prayer. Intentional relationships. Paul said, "That by all possible means, I might save some" (1 Corinthians 9:23).

3. Work together - The Malaysian Air search depended on people from all kinds of different backgrounds coming together for a cause larger than their differences. Our failure to do so as the rescue force of Jesus is costing lives.

4. Time is lives - That's what a Chinese official said about delays in that search. You know, that must echo God's heart as His rescuers focus on themselves while lost people just keep slipping away into an awful eternity.

I answer and you answer to the Final Orders of our Jesus - as does every child of God. "Go and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere" (Mark 16:15 NLT). It's the passion of God's heart. It must be mine.

Matthew 27:1-26, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Billboards of God’s Message - October 12, 2021

In the story of Esther, the Jews were three generations and more than a thousand miles removed from their days in Jerusalem. The Jews who remained in Persia chose to remain in Persia. Exile had been kind to them. All they had to do was abide by the rules and fade into the fabric of the culture.

The book of Esther depicts a people who are distant from their land. Jerusalem was far away, and Persia was, well, so relevant, so lush, so inviting. The point of the first chapter of Esther is simply this: Persia is lying to you.

Do we need the same reminder? God displays his glory, God displays his goodness through the church. As we worship God, as we love our neighbors, as we cherish our families, we become billboards of God’s message. We were made for this moment.

Matthew 27:1-26

Thirty Silver Coins

In the first light of dawn, all the high priests and religious leaders met and put the finishing touches on their plot to kill Jesus. Then they tied him up and paraded him to Pilate, the governor.

3-4 Judas, the one who betrayed him, realized that Jesus was doomed. Overcome with remorse, he gave back the thirty silver coins to the high priests, saying, “I’ve sinned. I’ve betrayed an innocent man.”

They said, “What do we care? That’s your problem!”

5 Judas threw the silver coins into the Temple and left. Then he went out and hung himself.

6-10 The high priests picked up the silver pieces, but then didn’t know what to do with them. “It wouldn’t be right to give this—a payment for murder!—as an offering in the Temple.” They decided to get rid of it by buying the “Potter’s Field” and use it as a burial place for the homeless. That’s how the field got called “Murder Meadow,” a name that has stuck to this day. Then Jeremiah’s words became history:

They took the thirty silver pieces,
The price of the one priced by some sons of Israel,
And they purchased the potter’s field.

And so they unwittingly followed the divine instructions to the letter.
Pilate

11 Jesus was placed before the governor, who questioned him: “Are you the ‘King of the Jews’?”

Jesus said, “If you say so.”

12-14 But when the accusations rained down hot and heavy from the high priests and religious leaders, he said nothing. Pilate asked him, “Do you hear that long list of accusations? Aren’t you going to say something?” Jesus kept silence—not a word from his mouth. The governor was impressed, really impressed.

15-18 It was an old custom during the Feast for the governor to pardon a single prisoner named by the crowd. At the time, they had the infamous Jesus Barabbas in prison. With the crowd before him, Pilate said, “Which prisoner do you want me to pardon: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus the so-called Christ?” He knew it was through sheer spite that they had turned Jesus over to him.

19 While court was still in session, Pilate’s wife sent him a message: “Don’t get mixed up in judging this noble man. I’ve just been through a long and troubled night because of a dream about him.”

20 Meanwhile, the high priests and religious leaders had talked the crowd into asking for the pardon of Barabbas and the execution of Jesus.

21 The governor asked, “Which of the two do you want me to pardon?”

They said, “Barabbas!”

22 “Then what do I do with Jesus, the so-called Christ?”

They all shouted, “Nail him to a cross!”

23 He objected, “But for what crime?”

But they yelled all the louder, “Nail him to a cross!”

24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere and that a riot was imminent, he took a basin of water and washed his hands in full sight of the crowd, saying, “I’m washing my hands of responsibility for this man’s death. From now on, it’s in your hands. You’re judge and jury.”

25 The crowd answered, “We’ll take the blame, we and our children after us.”

26 Then he pardoned Barabbas. But he had Jesus whipped, and then handed over for crucifixion.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Tuesday, October 12, 2021
Today's Scripture Isaiah 40:12–14 (NIV)

Who has measured the watersd in the hollow of his hand,e

or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?f

Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,

or weighed the mountains on the scales

and the hills in a balance?g

13 Who can fathom the Spiritd h of the Lord,

or instruct the Lord as his counselor?i

14 Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him,

and who taught him the right way?

Who was it that taught him knowledge,j

or showed him the path of understanding?

Insight

Scholars generally divide the book of Isaiah into two major sections. Chapters 1–39 deal primarily with warnings of divine chastening upon the people of Judah, represented often by Jerusalem; chapters 40–66 focus on God’s promises to deliver and restore Judah from the coming season of discipline they’d encounter in captivity in Babylon. As such, Isaiah 40 launches this section of promise and hope by reflecting on the greatness of God with whom they have a special relationship. This dramatic overture of His majesty is of critical importance because it serves as a reminder to the people that though they’d be distanced from their homeland, God was more than capable to bring them back and restore them—initially to the land and ultimately to Himself. It’s that assurance of His abiding care that underscores the offer of comfort in Isaiah 40:1. By: Bill Crowder

The Greatest Teacher

Who was it that taught [the Lord] knowledge? Isaiah 40:14

“I don’t get it!” My daughter slapped her pencil down on the desk. She was working on a math assignment, and I’d just begun my “job” as a homeschooling mom/teacher. We were in trouble. I couldn’t recall what I’d learned thirty-five years ago about changing decimals into fractions. I couldn’t teach her something I didn’t already know, so we watched an online teacher explain the skill.

As human beings, we’ll struggle at times with things we don’t know or understand. But not God; He’s the all-knowing One—the omniscient One. Isaiah wrote, “Who can . . . instruct the Lord as his counselor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding?” (Isaiah 40:13–14). The answer? No one!

Humans have intelligence because God created us in His own image. Still, our intelligence is just an inkling of His. Our knowledge is limited, but God knows everything from eternity past to eternity future (Psalm 147:5). Our knowledge is increasing today with the aid of technology, but we still get things wrong. Jesus, however, knows all things “immediately, simultaneously, exhaustively and truly,” as one theologian put it.

No matter how much humans advance in knowledge, we’ll never surpass Christ’s all-knowing status. We’ll always need Him to bless our understanding and to teach us what’s good and true. By:  Jennifer Benson Schuldt

Reflect & Pray

In what types of situations are you thankful for God’s omniscience? How does knowing that Jesus understands everything encourage you?

Jesus, I praise You as the One who knows everything. Teach me what You want me to learn, and help me to love You with all my mind.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, October 12, 2021
Getting into God’s Stride

Enoch walked with God… —Genesis 5:24

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

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

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

To read the Bible according to God’s providential order in your circumstances is the only way to read it, viz., in the blood and passion of personal life. Disciples Indeed, 387 R

Bible in a Year: Isaiah 39-40; Colossians 4

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, October 12, 2021

Sunsets Should Be Beautiful - #9067

Ah, sunset! It must be one of the favorite times of the day for photographers and for couples going on a romantic walk. Actually, for just about all of us. I've had the privilege to see the sun sinking beautifully into the horizon of the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, over many of America's majestic mountain ranges, the flaming desert sunsets, and even from many parts of this world. It just doesn't matter where you are on this planet, sunset is just plain beautiful.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Sunsets Should Be Beautiful."

I've had the great joy of being there when the sun rose on the lives of each of our children, and now on the lives of grandchildren who lead our next generation. Beautiful sunrises! But sooner than any of us can comprehend, life's sun has moved across the sky to the West, and it starts to set.

Sunsets should be beautiful, right? Sadly, for many people who are beginning to see the sun of their life move slowly but surely toward sunset, their sunset isn't very beautiful. In the years when you have so much to give, when every day should count more than ever, too many of us actually become uglier as we get older.

Oh, we've all seen it - the older person who is often complaining, self-pitying, demanding. Honestly, it's not very pretty. The older some of us get, the more we can - if we let ourselves - become people who are bitter, picky, mean-spirited. That's the word that describes some folks as they move toward their sunset. And self-absorption? That's ugly at any age!

Yes, our later years can have their share of physical pain, disappointed dreams (that's true), financial strain, grievous losses, frustrating limitation, and even hurtful neglect. We can't choose our circumstances, but we can, whatever our age, choose our attitude. We can choose what kind of climate we're going to bring with us wherever we go: selfish or unselfish, gentle or harsh, praising or griping, critical or encouraging.

Our word for today from the Word of God in Psalm 71, beginning with verse 17, is an exciting perspective as the sun of your life drifts toward the western sky. It's how later life can be when you focus on the faithful God who has been your anchor through it all. "Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, and your might to all who are to come."

This is life with a mission - to be a display window for the grace of God, especially to the next generations. And I can focus my life on showing the love and the greatness of God whether I'm healthy or hurting, living by myself or in a senior housing facility, I can be in a neighborhood, a nursing home, even a hospital bed. A man or woman on a mission to show Jesus, however I am, wherever I am.

See, if you belong to Jesus, you discover that He's the one who makes our sunset beautiful. And you have this promise from the one who began your life and who will decide when your work is done. It's from Isaiah 46:3-4. He says, "I have upheld you since you were conceived, and have carried you since your birth. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you."

You know, as you begin to see the sun starting to set, it's so important to be sure that you're ready for what's beyond for eternity. Jesus came to take down the wall between us and God to pay on the cross for the sin that would make it impossible for us to go to heaven. And then to walk out of His grave so He could walk into our life upon our invitation. Make sure that you belong to Him. You know what? You'll never walk another day alone.

How to do that? Would you visit our website? It will really help with that. It's ANewStory.com.

When you can say no to the darkness of the sunset years, that's when your sunset can be what a sunset ought to be. Remember? Unforgettably beautiful!

Exodus 18, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Caretakers of God’s Covenant - October 11, 2021

God gave this promise to Abraham: “I will bless those who bless you, and I will place a curse on those who harm you. And all the people on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3 NCV). When God called Abraham out of Ur, he made a covenant—a promise—that Abraham would be the father of a holy nation.

Exactly how would God bless the world through Israel? First, they would model a way of living that reflected the glory and goodness of God. And secondly, they would provide a lineage through whom Jesus Christ, the greatest global blessing, would be born. They were the curators and caretakers of God’s covenant to Abraham. For this reason they were to remain separate. Different. Holy. Set apart. And so are we. The assignment given to the Jews has been passed on to us.

Exodus 18

Jethro, priest of Midian and father-in-law to Moses, heard the report of all that God had done for Moses and Israel his people, the news that God had delivered Israel from Egypt. Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, had taken in Zipporah, Moses’ wife who had been sent back home, and her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom (Sojourner) for he had said, “I’m a sojourner in a foreign land”; the name of the other was Eliezer (God’s-Help) because “The God of my father is my help and saved me from death by Pharaoh.”

5-6 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought Moses his sons and his wife there in the wilderness where he was camped at the mountain of God. He had sent a message ahead to Moses: “I, your father-in-law, am coming to you with your wife and two sons.”

7-8 Moses went out to welcome his father-in-law. He bowed to him and kissed him. Each asked the other how things had been with him. Then they went into the tent. Moses told his father-in-law the story of all that God had done to Pharaoh and Egypt in helping Israel, all the trouble they had experienced on the journey, and how God had delivered them.

9-11 Jethro was delighted in all the good that God had done for Israel in delivering them from Egyptian oppression. Jethro said, “Blessed be God who has delivered you from the power of Egypt and Pharaoh, who has delivered his people from the oppression of Egypt. Now I know that God is greater than all gods because he’s done this to all those who treated Israel arrogantly.”

12 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a Whole-Burnt-Offering and sacrifices to God. And Aaron, along with all the elders of Israel, came and ate the meal with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.

13-14 The next day Moses took his place to judge the people. People were standing before him all day long, from morning to night. When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What’s going on here? Why are you doing all this, and all by yourself, letting everybody line up before you from morning to night?”

15-16 Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me with questions about God. When something comes up, they come to me. I judge between a man and his neighbor and teach them God’s laws and instructions.”

17-23 Moses’ father-in-law said, “This is no way to go about it. You’ll burn out, and the people right along with you. This is way too much for you—you can’t do this alone. Now listen to me. Let me tell you how to do this so that God will be in this with you. Be there for the people before God, but let the matters of concern be presented to God. Your job is to teach them the rules and instructions, to show them how to live, what to do. And then you need to keep a sharp eye out for competent men—men who fear God, men of integrity, men who are incorruptible—and appoint them as leaders over groups organized by the thousand, by the hundred, by fifty, and by ten. They’ll be responsible for the everyday work of judging among the people. They’ll bring the hard cases to you, but in the routine cases they’ll be the judges. They will share your load and that will make it easier for you. If you handle the work this way, you’ll have the strength to carry out whatever God commands you, and the people in their settings will flourish also.”

24-27 Moses listened to the counsel of his father-in-law and did everything he said. Moses picked competent men from all Israel and set them as leaders over the people who were organized by the thousand, by the hundred, by fifty, and by ten. They took over the everyday work of judging among the people. They brought the hard cases to Moses, but in the routine cases they were the judges. Then Moses said good-bye to his father-in-law who went home to his own country.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Monday, October 11, 2021

Today's Scripture
2 Samuel 9:6–13
(NIV)

When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor.l

David said, “Mephibosheth!”

“At your service,” he replied.

7 “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan.m I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.n”

8 Mephiboshetho bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dogp like me?”

9 Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s steward, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 10 You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandsonq may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)

11 Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’sa table like one of the king’s sons.r

12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mika, and all the members of Ziba’s household were servants of Mephibosheth.s 13 And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table; he was lame in both feet.

Insight

David made a covenant with his best friend Jonathan (1 Samuel 20:12–17) that even after Jonathan’s death, David would treat his family with covenantal love and unfailing kindness (Hebrew hesed, v. 14). Second Samuel 9:6–13 records how David, having become king, now fulfills that promise to Jonathan. As the heir to Saul’s throne, Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son and Saul’s grandson, ought to have been killed under the new regime. Instead, David gave Mephibosheth all of Saul’s land and wealth and appointed servants to look after him. He even honored him as if he were a prince—one of David’s own sons. By: K. T. Sim

At the King’s Table

So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons.
2 Samuel 9:11

“He’ll live,” the vet announced, “but his leg will have to be amputated.” The stray mongrel my friend had brought in had been run over by a car. “Are you the owner?” There would be a hefty surgery bill, and the puppy would need care as it recovered. “I am now,” my friend replied. Her kindness has given that dog a future in a loving home.

Mephibosheth saw himself as a “dead dog,” unworthy of favor (2 Samuel 9:8). Being lame in both feet due to an accident, he was dependent on others to protect and provide for him (see 4:4). Furthermore, after the death of his grandfather, King Saul, he probably feared that David, the new king, would order all enemies and rivals to the throne killed, as was the common practice of the time.

Yet, out of love for his friend Jonathan, David ensured that Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth would always be safe and cared for as his own son (9:7). In the same way, we who were once God’s enemies, marked for death, have been saved by Jesus and given a place with Him in heaven forever. That’s what it means to eat at the banquet in the kingdom of God that Luke describes in his gospel (Luke 14:15). Here we are—the sons and daughters of a King! What extravagant, undeserved kindness we’ve received! Let’s draw near to God in gratitude and joy. By:  Karen Kwek

Reflect & Pray

When are you likely to forget that God protects and cares for you? How could 2 Samuel 9:6–13 encourage you during such times?

Dear Jesus, thank You for saving me and giving me a place at Your table forever. Remind me that I’m Your dear child, and help me to always praise and trust You.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, October 11, 2021
God’s Silence— Then What?

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

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

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

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

Is He going to help Himself to your life, or are you taken up with your conception of what you are going to do? God is responsible for our lives, and the one great keynote is reckless reliance upon Him. Approved Unto God, 10 R

Bible in a Year: Isaiah 37-38; Colossians 3

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, October 11, 2021

Brighter Skies Ahead - #9066

It was April in the mountains of the West, which means you can experience any or all of the four seasons in just one trip. We'd recently started our journey in warm temperatures, but by the time we hit that mountain pass, it started to snow - I mean the thick, big flakes kind of snow. You know what? Actually all of us started singing Christmas carols - even though it was just a few days before Easter. We were racing a deadline, so the snow was a mixed blessing. It was incredibly beautiful, but it was almost blinding at times, and it made our trip slower; it made it more treacherous. And then we saw it - this thin line of sunshine between the bottom of the snow clouds and the tops of the mountains ahead. We were excited because that was our future.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Brighter Skies Ahead."

It was tough driving, and the journey was getting more difficult and more dangerous. But we were okay with that because we knew there were brighter skies ahead. And soon we were actually basking in sunshine everywhere.

It could be that you're driving a stretch in your life-journey right now that's pretty rough. You're getting tired of how hard it is to keep moving. You're anxious about what could happen and you're wondering how long it's going to be like this. You need to see some sunshine. And there is some. I love this simple reassurance of Psalm 30:5. It's our word for today from the Word of God, where He says, "Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." That's some sunshine, huh? The Bible never denies that we will have seasons of hurt then weeping, but God wants us to see the sun beneath the clouds ahead. It won't always be this way. He promises that. He says that after tears in the night, there will be joy in the morning.

My wife was driving when we hit that heavy snow in the mountains. But when she saw that line of sunlight ahead, she said, "If I knew I had to drive like this all night, it would be tough. But I know there's better road ahead." Well, that's God's guarantee for every child of His. Whenever I think I've got a heavy burden, it helps me to think about the load the Apostle Paul carried - shipwrecks, beatings, imprisonments, rejection, and death threats. I mean, major storms. That was one perilous journey.

But he said, "We do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal weight of glory that far outweighs them all." Paul calls all those painful times (did you notice?) "light and momentary" even though he's in the middle of some of that pain. He's comparing it to the sunshine ahead, knowing that compared to how good and how long the good times are going to be, this junk is light and momentary. So, he says, "we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." Temporary. This too shall pass. And the day on the other side of this night is going to be awesome!

The difference is what you choose to fix your eyes on. If you focus on the storm you're in, you'll lose hope. You'll give up. But if you keep your eyes on the sun on the horizon - the rewards for your faithfulness, the deepening of your relationship with your Lord, the better thing God will give you in place of what you have lost - then there will be joy in the journey. So, keep on driving. Drive carefully. Look down the road at the beauty that's ahead. For just like us on that snowy, stormy day, you'll soon be celebrating a break in the clouds and a day that is flooded with glorious sunlight. No matter how dark it looks now, there are brighter skies ahead!

Exodus 17 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily:  The Land is Conquered

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

Exodus 17

Directed by God, the whole company of Israel moved on by stages from the Wilderness of Sin. They set camp at Rephidim. And there wasn’t a drop of water for the people to drink. The people took Moses to task: “Give us water to drink.” But Moses said, “Why pester me? Why are you testing God?”

3 But the people were thirsty for water there. They complained to Moses, “Why did you take us from Egypt and drag us out here with our children and animals to die of thirst?”

4 Moses cried out in prayer to God, “What can I do with these people? Any minute now they’ll kill me!”

5-6 God said to Moses, “Go on out ahead of the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel. Take the staff you used to strike the Nile. And go. I’m going to be present before you there on the rock at Horeb. You are to strike the rock. Water will gush out of it and the people will drink.”

6-7 Moses did what he said, with the elders of Israel right there watching. He named the place Massah (Testing-Place) and Meribah (Quarreling) because of the quarreling of the Israelites and because of their testing of God when they said, “Is God here with us, or not?”

* * *

8-9 Amalek came and fought Israel at Rephidim. Moses ordered Joshua: “Select some men for us and go out and fight Amalek. Tomorrow I will take my stand on top of the hill holding God’s staff.”

10-13 Joshua did what Moses ordered in order to fight Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill. It turned out that whenever Moses raised his hands, Israel was winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, Amalek was winning. But Moses’ hands got tired. So they got a stone and set it under him. He sat on it and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on each side. So his hands remained steady until the sun went down. Joshua defeated Amalek and its army in battle.

14 God said to Moses, “Write this up as a reminder to Joshua, to keep it before him, because I will most certainly wipe the very memory of Amalek off the face of the Earth.”

15-16 Moses built an altar and named it “God My Banner.” He said,

Salute God’s rule!
God at war with Amalek
Always and forever!

* * *

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Sunday, October 10, 2021
Today's Scripture
Romans 14:13–21
(NIV)

Therefore let us stop passing judgmentb on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.c 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself.d But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.e 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love.f Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died.g 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil.h 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking,i but of righteousness, peacej and joy in the Holy Spirit,k 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.l

19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peacem and to mutual edification.n 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.o All food is clean,p but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.q 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.

Insight

Key to understanding today’s passage (Romans 14:13–21) is Paul’s statement in verse 1: “Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.” What is meant by weak faith? In this context, Paul is talking about followers of Christ whose conscience required them to adhere to certain Jewish dietary laws. A “strong” Christian (15:1) understands that as believers in Christ saved by grace we’re not bound to the law. A person who insists on imposing their standards on others in these “disputable matters” is misguidedly judgmental. We’re never to insist that others give up their freedoms based on our personal convictions. By: Tim Gustafson

For Others’ Sake

All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.
Romans 14:20

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many Singaporeans stayed home to avoid being infected. But I blissfully continued swimming, believing it was safe.

My wife, however, feared that I might pick up an infection at the public pool and pass it on to her aged mother—who, like other seniors, was more vulnerable to the virus. “Can you just avoid swimming for some time, for my sake?” she asked.

At first, I wanted to argue that there was little risk. Then I realized that this mattered less than her feelings. Why would I insist on swimming—hardly an essential thing—when it made her worry unnecessarily?

In Romans 14, Paul addressed issues like whether believers in Christ should eat certain foods or celebrate certain festivals. He was concerned that some people were imposing their views on others.

Paul reminded the church in Rome, and us, that believers in Jesus may view situations differently. We also have diverse backgrounds that color our attitudes and practices. He wrote, “Let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister” (v. 13).

God’s grace gives us great freedom even as it helps us express His love to fellow believers. We can use that freedom to put the spiritual needs of others above our own convictions about rules and practices that don’t contradict the essential truths found in the gospel (v. 20). By:  Leslie Koh

Reflect & Pray

What are some of the rules and practices you keep as a believer in Christ? How might they affect other believers who think differently?

Jesus, give me the grace to give way on things that don’t contradict the gospel truth and the love to put the feelings of others above my own.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Sunday, October 10, 2021

How Will I Know?

Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father…that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes." —Matthew 11:25

We do not grow into a spiritual relationship step by step— we either have a relationship or we do not. God does not continue to cleanse us more and more from sin— “But if we walk in the light,” we are cleansed “from all sin” (1 John 1:7). It is a matter of obedience, and once we obey, the relationship is instantly perfected. But if we turn away from obedience for even one second, darkness and death are immediately at work again.

All of God’s revealed truths are sealed until they are opened to us through obedience. You will never open them through philosophy or thinking. But once you obey, a flash of light comes immediately. Let God’s truth work into you by immersing yourself in it, not by worrying into it. The only way you can get to know the truth of God is to stop trying to find out and by being born again. If you obey God in the first thing He shows you, then He instantly opens up the next truth to you. You could read volumes on the work of the Holy Spirit, when five minutes of total, uncompromising obedience would make things as clear as sunlight. Don’t say, “I suppose I will understand these things someday!” You can understand them now. And it is not study that brings understanding to you, but obedience. Even the smallest bit of obedience opens heaven, and the deepest truths of God immediately become yours. Yet God will never reveal more truth about Himself to you, until you have obeyed what you know already. Beware of becoming one of the “wise and prudent.” “If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know…” (John 7:17).

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

The message of the prophets is that although they have forsaken God, it has not altered God. The Apostle Paul emphasizes the same truth, that God remains God even when we are unfaithful (see 2 Timothy 2:13). Never interpret God as changing with our changes. He never does; there is no variableness in Him.  Notes on Ezekiel, 1477 L

Bible in a Year: Isaiah 34-36; Colossians 2

Exodus 16 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

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

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

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

Visit GloryDaysToday.com

Exodus 16

On the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left Egypt, the whole company of Israel moved on from Elim to the Wilderness of Sin which is between Elim and Sinai. The whole company of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron there in the wilderness. The Israelites said, “Why didn’t God let us die in comfort in Egypt where we had lamb stew and all the bread we could eat? You’ve brought us out into this wilderness to starve us to death, the whole company of Israel!”

4-5 God said to Moses, “I’m going to rain bread down from the skies for you. The people will go out and gather each day’s ration. I’m going to test them to see if they’ll live according to my Teaching or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they have gathered, it will turn out to be twice as much as their daily ration.”

6-7 Moses and Aaron told the People of Israel, “This evening you will know that it is God who brought you out of Egypt; and in the morning you will see the Glory of God. Yes, he’s listened to your complaints against him. You haven’t been complaining against us, you know, but against God.”

8 Moses said, “Since it will be God who gives you meat for your meal in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, it’s God who will have listened to your complaints against him. Who are we in all this? You haven’t been complaining to us—you’ve been complaining to God!”

9 Moses instructed Aaron: “Tell the whole company of Israel: ‘Come near to God. He’s heard your complaints.’”

10 When Aaron gave out the instructions to the whole company of Israel, they turned to face the wilderness. And there it was: the Glory of God visible in the Cloud.

11-12 God spoke to Moses, “I’ve listened to the complaints of the Israelites. Now tell them: ‘At dusk you will eat meat and at dawn you’ll eat your fill of bread; and you’ll realize that I am God, your God.’”

13-15 That evening quail flew in and covered the camp and in the morning there was a layer of dew all over the camp. When the layer of dew had lifted, there on the wilderness ground was a fine flaky something, fine as frost on the ground. The Israelites took one look and said to one another, man-hu (What is it?). They had no idea what it was.

15-16 So Moses told them, “It’s the bread God has given you to eat. And these are God’s instructions: ‘Gather enough for each person, about two quarts per person; gather enough for everyone in your tent.’”

17-18 The People of Israel went to work and started gathering, some more, some less, but when they measured out what they had gathered, those who gathered more had no extra and those who gathered less weren’t short—each person had gathered as much as was needed.

19 Moses said to them, “Don’t leave any of it until morning.”

20 But they didn’t listen to Moses. A few of the men kept back some of it until morning. It got wormy and smelled bad. And Moses lost his temper with them.

21-22 They gathered it every morning, each person according to need. Then the sun heated up and it melted. On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, about four quarts per person.

Then the leaders of the company came to Moses and reported.

23-24 Moses said, “This is what God was talking about: Tomorrow is a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to God. Whatever you plan to bake, bake today; and whatever you plan to boil, boil today. Then set aside the leftovers until morning.” They set aside what was left until morning, as Moses had commanded. It didn’t smell bad and there were no worms in it.

25-26 Moses said, “Now eat it; this is the day, a Sabbath for God. You won’t find any of it on the ground today. Gather it every day for six days, but the seventh day is Sabbath; there won’t be any of it on the ground.”

27 On the seventh day, some of the people went out to gather anyway but they didn’t find anything.

28-29 God said to Moses, “How long are you going to disobey my commands and not follow my instructions? Don’t you see that God has given you the Sabbath? So on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. So, each of you, stay home. Don’t leave home on the seventh day.”

30 So the people quit working on the seventh day.

31 The Israelites named it manna (What is it?). It looked like coriander seed, whitish. And it tasted like a cracker with honey.

32 Moses said, “This is God’s command: ‘Keep a two-quart jar of it, an omer, for future generations so they can see the bread that I fed you in the wilderness after I brought you out of Egypt.’”

33 Moses told Aaron, “Take a jar and fill it with two quarts of manna. Place it before God, keeping it safe for future generations.”

34 Aaron did what God commanded Moses. He set it aside before The Testimony to preserve it.

35 The Israelites ate the manna for forty years until they arrived at the land where they would settle down. They ate manna until they reached the border into Canaan.

36 According to ancient measurements, an omer is one-tenth of an ephah.

* * *

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Saturday, October 09, 2021
Today's Scripture Exodus 18:17–24 (NIV)

 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.i 19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you.j You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputesk to him. 20 Teach them his decrees and instructions,l and show them the way they are to livem and how they are to behave.n 21 But select capable meno from all the people—men who fearp God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gainq—and appoint them as officialsr over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult cases to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will sharet it with you. 23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”

24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said.

Insight

Leading over two million Israelites through the wilderness to Mount Sinai was a task fraught with difficulties and dangers. Moses had already dealt with many crises (lack of food and water, attacks from enemies) amid the many grumblings and criticisms from his people. In Exodus 18:17–24, we read how he experienced a crisis of overwork and inefficiency. Jethro, his father-in-law, advised Moses to manage his workload by delegating some of his functions and authority. Moses was to “select capable men . . . who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain” (v. 21). The leaders were to be “wise, understanding and respected men” who “judge fairly” (Deuteronomy 1:13–16). Similar high standards and qualifications are also required for leaders of the church (Acts 6:3; 1 Timothy 3:1–13; Titus 1:6–9).

Learn more about the exodus. By: K. T. Sim

The Need for Wisdom

Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said.
Exodus 18:24

Growing up without a dad, Rob felt he missed out on a lot of practical wisdom that fathers often pass on to their children. Not wanting anyone to lack important life skills, Rob made a series of practical “Dad, How Do I?” videos demonstrating everything from how to put up a shelf to how to change a tire. With his kind compassion and warm style, Rob has become a YouTube sensation, amassing millions of subscribers.

Many of us long for the expertise of a parental figure to teach us valuable skills as well as help us navigate difficult situations. Moses needed some wisdom after he and the Israelites fled captivity in Egypt and were establishing themselves as a nation. Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, saw the strain that settling disputes among the people was having on Moses. So Jethro gave Moses thoughtful advice on how to delegate responsibility in leadership (Exodus 18:17–23). Moses “listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said” (v. 24).

God knows we all need wisdom. Some may be blessed with godly parents who offer wise advice, and some aren't. But God’s wisdom is available to all who ask (James 1:5). He’s also provided wisdom throughout the pages of Scripture, which reminds us that when we humbly and sincerely listen to the wise, we “will be counted among the wise” (Proverbs 19:20) and have wisdom to share with others.
By:  Lisa M. Samra

Reflect & Pray

In what ways have you benefited from sage advice? Who might you come alongside?

Heavenly Father, help me to seek out and listen to wise counsel from the people You’ve put in my life.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Saturday, October 09, 2021

Building on the Atonement

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

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

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

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

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

Am I getting nobler, better, more helpful, more humble, as I get older? Am I exhibiting the life that men take knowledge of as having been with Jesus, or am I getting more self-assertive, more deliberately determined to have my own way? It is a great thing to tell yourself the truth. The Place of Help, 1005 R

Bible in a Year: Isaiah 32-33; Colossians 1

Matthew 26:36-75 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Don’t Get Cozy in Persia - October 8, 2021

The book of Esther relates the story of a Persian king, Xerxes, who was thirty-five years of age and rich beyond imagination. He staged a six-month extravaganza of fine food, who’s who, pinot noir, and excess. A bit tipsy, Xerxes decided to show off his wife, Queen Vashti. Apparently he expected her to dance in front of his buddies. But boy, was he in for a surprise! She refused to comply. Xerxes’ display of importance became his display of ignorance.

What if all the glitz and glamour are only folly and foibles? And what if the lure of the lights is just a hoax? Friend, don’t romp in it. Don’t fall for it. Don’t take the bait. Don’t get cozy in Persia. Stay faithful to your call as a covenant people.

Matthew 26:36-75

Then Jesus went with them to a garden called Gethsemane and told his disciples, “Stay here while I go over there and pray.” Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he plunged into an agonizing sorrow. Then he said, “This sorrow is crushing my life out. Stay here and keep vigil with me.”

39 Going a little ahead, he fell on his face, praying, “My Father, if there is any way, get me out of this. But please, not what I want. You, what do you want?”

40-41 When he came back to his disciples, he found them sound asleep. He said to Peter, “Can’t you stick it out with me a single hour? Stay alert; be in prayer so you don’t wander into temptation without even knowing you’re in danger. There is a part of you that is eager, ready for anything in God. But there’s another part that’s as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire.”

42 He then left them a second time. Again he prayed, “My Father, if there is no other way than this, drinking this cup to the dregs, I’m ready. Do it your way.”

43-44 When he came back, he again found them sound asleep. They simply couldn’t keep their eyes open. This time he let them sleep on, and went back a third time to pray, going over the same ground one last time.

45-46 When he came back the next time, he said, “Are you going to sleep on and make a night of it? My time is up, the Son of Man is about to be handed over to the hands of sinners. Get up! Let’s get going! My betrayer is here.”
With Swords and Clubs

47-49 The words were barely out of his mouth when Judas (the one from the Twelve) showed up, and with him a gang from the high priests and religious leaders brandishing swords and clubs. The betrayer had worked out a sign with them: “The one I kiss, that’s the one—seize him.” He went straight to Jesus, greeted him, “How are you, Rabbi?” and kissed him.

50-51 Jesus said, “Friend, why this charade?”

Then they came on him—grabbed him and roughed him up. One of those with Jesus pulled his sword and, taking a swing at the Chief Priest’s servant, cut off his ear.

52-54 Jesus said, “Put your sword back where it belongs. All who use swords are destroyed by swords. Don’t you realize that I am able right now to call to my Father, and twelve companies—more, if I want them—of fighting angels would be here, battle-ready? But if I did that, how would the Scriptures come true that say this is the way it has to be?”

55-56 Then Jesus addressed the mob: “What is this—coming out after me with swords and clubs as if I were a dangerous criminal? Day after day I have been sitting in the Temple teaching, and you never so much as lifted a hand against me. You’ve done it this way to confirm and fulfill the prophetic writings.”

Then all the disciples cut and ran.
False Charges

57-58 The gang that had seized Jesus led him before Caiaphas the Chief Priest, where the religion scholars and leaders had assembled. Peter followed at a safe distance until they got to the Chief Priest’s courtyard. Then he slipped in and mingled with the servants, watching to see how things would turn out.

59-60 The high priests, conspiring with the Jewish Council, tried to cook up charges against Jesus in order to sentence him to death. But even though many stepped up, making up one false accusation after another, nothing was believable.

60-61 Finally two men came forward with this: “He said, ‘I can tear down this Temple of God and after three days rebuild it.’”

62 The Chief Priest stood up and said, “What do you have to say to the accusation?”

63 Jesus kept silent.

Then the Chief Priest said, “I command you by the authority of the living God to say if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

64 Jesus was curt: “You yourself said it. And that’s not all. Soon you’ll see it for yourself:

The Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Mighty One,
Arriving on the clouds of heaven.”

65-66 At that, the Chief Priest lost his temper, ripping his robes, yelling, “He blasphemed! Why do we need witnesses to accuse him? You all heard him blaspheme! Are you going to stand for such blasphemy?”

They all said, “Death! That seals his death sentence.”

67-68 Then they were spitting in his face and knocking him around. They jeered as they slapped him: “Prophesy, Messiah: Who hit you that time?”
Denial in the Courtyard

69 All this time, Peter was sitting out in the courtyard. One servant girl came up to him and said, “You were with Jesus the Galilean.”

70 In front of everybody there, he denied it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

71 As he moved over toward the gate, someone else said to the people there, “This man was with Jesus the Nazarene.”

72 Again he denied it, salting his denial with an oath: “I swear, I never laid eyes on the man.”

73 Shortly after that, some bystanders approached Peter. “You’ve got to be one of them. Your accent gives you away.”

74-75 Then he got really nervous and swore. “I don’t know the man!”

Just then a rooster crowed. Peter remembered what Jesus had said: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” He went out and cried and cried and cried.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Friday, October 08, 2021

Today's Scripture
Hebrews 11:1, 32–40
(NIV)

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon,j Barak,k Samsonl and Jephthah,m about Davidn and Samuelo and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms,p administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,q 34 quenched the fury of the flames,r and escaped the edge of the sword;s whose weakness was turned to strength;t and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.u 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again.v There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging,w and even chains and imprisonment.x 37 They were put to death by stoning;e y they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword.z They went about in sheepskins and goatskins,a destitute, persecuted and mistreated—38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in cavesb and in holes in the ground.

39 These were all commendedc for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised,d 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with use would they be made perfect.f

Insight

Hebrews 11 is referred to as the “Hall of Faith.” Writing to encourage Jewish believers in Jesus to remain faithful in the midst of suffering brought about by severe persecution, the unnamed author lists specific examples of people who’ve lived “by faith” (vv. 4–31). He closes this chapter with an overview of countless unnamed faithful people (vv. 32–38) “commended for their faith” but who haven’t yet “received what had been promised” (v. 39). Hebrews 11 is a reminder that the only way to live and to please God is by faith (v. 6). Those who lived “by faith” chose to live as “foreigners and strangers on earth” (v. 13). They refused to return to the sinful life they’d left behind but longed “for a better country—a heavenly one” (v. 16). By: K. T. Sim

No Such Thing as Ordinary

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.
Hebrews 11:39

When Anita passed away in her sleep on her ninetieth birthday, the quietness of her departure reflected the quietness of her life. A widow, she had been devoted to her children and grandchildren and to being a friend to younger women in the church.

Anita wasn’t particularly remarkable in talent or achievement. But her deep faith in God inspired those who knew her. “When I don’t know what to do about a problem,” a friend of mine said, “I don’t think about the words of a famous preacher or author. I think about what Anita would say.”

Many of us are like Anita—ordinary people living ordinary lives. Our names will never be in the news, and we won’t have monuments built in our honor. But a life lived with faith in Jesus is never ordinary. Some of the people listed in Hebrews 11 were not named (vv. 35–38); they walked the path of obscurity and didn't receive the reward promised to them in this life (v. 39). Yet, because they obeyed God, their faith wasn’t in vain. God used their lives in ways that went beyond their lack of notoriety (v. 40).

If you feel discouraged about the seeming ordinary state of your life, remember that a life lived by faith in God has an impact throughout eternity. Even if we’re ordinary, we can have an extraordinary faith.
By:  Karen Huang

Reflect & Pray

In what area of your daily life might God be calling you to exercise faith in Him? How can He help you be more obedient and faithful in what you do every day?

Faithful God, please help me to trust and obey You always.

Learn how to find your true identity.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, October 08, 2021

Coming to Jesus

Come to Me… —Matthew 11:28

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

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

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

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

Our danger is to water down God’s word to suit ourselves. God never fits His word to suit me; He fits me to suit His word. Not Knowing Whither, 901 R

Bible in a Year: Isaiah 30-31; Phil 4


A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, October 08, 2021

How to Prove You're a Man - #9065

I don't think this is a surprise to anybody, but high school athletes are pretty impressed with their own bodies. You know, they lift, they work out, they admire their new build, and they compare how much weight they can bench press, and how fast and how far they can run. And that's fine. But the problem is you begin to think that manhood is that physical strength. Well, listen, manhood goes way beyond that. But men of all ages, not just high school athletes, seem to believe that conquest is what shows you're a man: the conquest of a woman, of a goal, of a competitor. Actually there are some very little boys in some very big bodies, and there are some people we might call wimps who are really in the winner's circle. See, we might be missing what manhood really is.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How to Prove You're a Man."

Well, our word for today from the Word of God is about how to prove you're a man, and it's in Titus 2:6. Actually, Titus is a young pastor, and he's being instructed as to what to teach each of the age groups in the church. And here now are the young men. So he turns to the young men - the people who are just forming their concept of manhood, and interestingly enough he wraps up his description of manhood in one word. "Similarly" he says here, "encourage the young men to be self-controlled." That's it...God's message to men in one compound word - self-controlled!

Proverbs 16:32 is one of my favorite verses about manhood. It says that "the man who controls his spirit is stronger than the man who conquers a city." Okay, look. he can control himself, and God says that's more impressive. That's biblical manhood. The Bible is saying it's more impressive to do that than to make a big conquest. So, the question about manhood really is this: "How well are you managing conquering yourself?"

Now, what does it mean to have self-control? What do you have to control? Well, for example, how well do you control your temper? Strangely enough, some people think that the opposite of controlling your temper is manly; that you can show how mad you are. No, the inventor of manhood says it's the ability to control your temper that makes you a man.

How about controlling your passions? See, a biblical man is not one who turns to a woman and says, "How far can we go?" No, he's the one who sets a high standard and takes the moral cat-and-mouse game out of a relationship and says, "We're going to be pure." He's able to control his passions. He's able to control his mouth and tame his tongue - the profanity and the put-downs. He controls his time; he uses his time carefully, not carelessly. He's not an impatient person; he's able to control his impatience. That's manhood! He can control his selfishness. You can tell because he puts others first.

See, sometimes biblical manhood is the opposite of the superficial, self-serving myths that we've been fed about manhood, guys. I trust the manufacturer of manhood. I mean, He knows best. God knows what it is, and He tells us where we get self-control. He says, "The fruit of the spirit is self-control."

Many of us have tried in our own efforts to become the man that all the people around us needed us to be. But, you know, we can't change ourselves. The Bible says, "If anyone is in Christ he's a new creation. The old is gone; a new life has begun. There were 12 very manly men in Jesus' day who found the one place, the one person, the one cause for which they could give everything. And that was following Jesus.

And maybe today you need to heed that same invitation that He gave men 2,000 years ago and He's been giving men for 2,000 years since - "Follow Me." What's that like? How do you get started in that relationship? Go to our website ANewStory.com.

If you're a woman today, would you encourage this kind of self-control in the men you know? And if you're a man, understand one of the most important muscles you have to develop - the spiritual muscles that give you control over your temper, your passions, your mouth, and your impatience. Self-control - that's how you prove you're a man.

Exodus 15, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Relief Will Come - October 7, 2021

When all seems lost, it’s not. When evil seems to own the day, God still has the final say. He has a Joseph for every famine, he has a David for every Goliath, he always has his person. He had someone in the story of Esther, and in your story he has you. Relief will come, my friend. Will you be a part of it?

The world gets messy, for sure. But God’s solutions come through people of courage. People like Mordecai, people like Esther, people like you. People who dare to believe that they, by God’s grace, were made to face a moment like this. In God’s plan confusion and crisis give way to conquest. Winters do not last forever, and springtime is only a turn of the calendar away. For all we know God’s hand is about to turn the page.

Exodus 15

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to God, giving voice together,

I’m singing my heart out to God—what a victory!
    He pitched horse and rider into the sea.
God is my strength, God is my song,
    and, yes! God is my salvation.
This is the kind of God I have
    and I’m telling the world!
This is the God of my father—
    I’m spreading the news far and wide!
God is a fighter,
    pure God, through and through.
Pharaoh’s chariots and army
    he dumped in the sea,
The elite of his officers
    he drowned in the Red Sea.
Wild ocean waters poured over them;
    they sank like a rock in the deep blue sea.
Your strong right hand, God, shimmers with power;
    your strong right hand shatters the enemy.
In your mighty majesty
    you smash your upstart enemies,
You let loose your hot anger
    and burn them to a crisp.
At a blast from your nostrils
    the waters piled up;
Tumbling streams dammed up,
    wild oceans curdled into a swamp.

9
The enemy spoke,
    “I’ll pursue, I’ll hunt them down,
I’ll divide up the plunder,
    I’ll glut myself on them;
I’ll pull out my sword,
    my fist will send them reeling.”

10-11
You blew with all your might
    and the sea covered them.
They sank like a lead weight
    in the majestic waters.
Who compares with you
    among gods, O God?
Who compares with you in power,
    in holy majesty,
In awesome praises,
    wonder-working God?

12-13
You stretched out your right hand
    and the Earth swallowed them up.
But the people you redeemed,
    you led in merciful love;
You guided them under your protection
    to your holy pasture.

14-18
When people heard, they were scared;
    Philistines writhed and trembled;
Yes, even the head men in Edom were shaken,
    and the big bosses in Moab.
Everybody in Canaan
    panicked and fell faint.
Dread and terror
    sent them reeling.
Before your brandished right arm
    they were struck dumb like a stone,
Until your people crossed over and entered, O God,
    until the people you made crossed over and entered.
You brought them and planted them
    on the mountain of your heritage,
The place where you live,
    the place you made,
Your sanctuary, Master,
    that you established with your own hands.
Let God rule
    forever, for eternity!

19 Yes, Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and riders went into the sea and God turned the waters back on them; but the Israelites walked on dry land right through the middle of the sea.

* * *

20-21 Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine, and all the women followed her with tambourines, dancing. Miriam led them in singing,

Sing to God—
    what a victory!
He pitched horse and rider
    into the sea!
Traveling Through the Wilderness

22-24 Moses led Israel from the Red Sea on to the Wilderness of Shur. They traveled for three days through the wilderness without finding any water. They got to Marah, but they couldn’t drink the water at Marah; it was bitter. That’s why they called the place Marah (Bitter). And the people complained to Moses, “So what are we supposed to drink?”

25 So Moses cried out in prayer to God. God pointed him to a stick of wood. Moses threw it into the water and the water turned sweet.

26 That’s the place where God set up rules and procedures; that’s where he started testing them.

God said, “If you listen, listen obediently to how God tells you to live in his presence, obeying his commandments and keeping all his laws, then I won’t strike you with all the diseases that I inflicted on the Egyptians; I am God your healer.”

27 They came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. They set up camp there by the water.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Thursday, October 07, 2021
Today's Scripture
Philippians 3:12–16 ;4:1–2
(NIV)

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal,l but I press on to take holdm of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.n 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behindo and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press onp toward the goal to win the prizeq for which God has calledr me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Following Paul’s Example

15 All of us, then, who are matures should take such a view of things.t And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.u 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for,j my joy and crown, stand firmk in the Lord in this way, dear friends!

2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mindl in the Lord.

Insight

When Paul says “one thing I do” (Philippians 3:13), “one thing” refers to being single-minded or constantly driven by a single, all-encompassing purpose. Like an athlete who must ignore distraction to succeed (vv. 13–14), believers in Jesus are called to single-minded focus and action toward one purpose. That purpose is identified in verse 10: “to know Christ [and] the power of his resurrection and [to participate] in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”

To “know” Christ here, therefore, isn’t about intellectual knowledge but intimate, experiential “participation” (v. 10) in who Jesus is through our union with Him through the Spirit. As we draw ever closer to Christ through the Spirit, we also experience His resurrection power—and ultimately, when He returns, the resurrection of our bodies. By: Monica La Rose

Current Battles

If on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.
Philippians 3:15

When you plug in your toaster, you benefit from the results of a bitter feud from the late nineteenth century. Back then, inventors Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla battled over which was the best kind of electricity for development: direct current (DC), like the current that goes from a battery to a flashlight; or alternating current (AC), which we get from an electrical outlet.

Eventually, Tesla’s AC ideas powered through and have been used to provide electricity for homes, businesses, and communities around the world. AC is much more efficient at sending electricity across great distances and proved to be the wiser choice.

Sometimes we need wisdom as we face issues of concern between believers in Jesus (see Romans 14:1–12). The apostle Paul called us to seek God’s help for clarity in such matters. He said, “If on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you” (Philippians 3:15). A few verses later, we see the results of two people who let a difference divide them—a conflict that grieved Paul: “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord” (4:2).

Whenever a disagreement starts to tear us apart, may we seek God’s grace and wisdom in the Scriptures, the counsel of mature believers, and power of prayer. Let’s strive to “be of the same mind” in Him (v. 2). By:  Dave Branon

Reflect & Pray

How can you apply God’s grace and wisdom to a current battle of personal preferences? Why is prayer vital as you face this conflict?

Dear God, life is complicated. I have a situation, and I’m not sure which way to go. Please help me discern, with the help of the Holy Spirit, what to do next.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, October 07, 2021
The Nature of Reconciliation

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

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

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

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

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

The life of Abraham is an illustration of two things: of unreserved surrender to God, and of God’s complete possession of a child of His for His own highest end.
Not Knowing Whither

Bible in a Year: Isaiah 28-29; Philippians 3

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, October 07, 2021
Where to Go When It's Impossible - #9064

Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen! Recognize that? Well, maybe not. They were reporters of The Daily Planet newspaper in a city called Metropolis. At least according to the story of the "man of steel" called Superman. He was, according to the old Superman TV show, "faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound." (I've got to calm down here.) He had been sent here as a baby from the planet Krypton by parents on a dying planet. And he came to earth with, as the announcer used to say, "powers far beyond those of mortal man." So when Lois and Jimmy faced a situation that no normal person could possibly resolve, they would invariably say those words that always precede an amazing solution, "This is a job for Superman!" (I'm okay now.)

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Where to Go When It's Impossible."

I hope this doesn't come as a shock to you. I don't want to ruin your day, but there is no Superman. Oh there is one the Bible calls, though, Sovereign Lord and the Most High God. And if you're facing a situation or a need that's going to require "powers far beyond those of mortal man," you have this awesome God to turn to. And that's when you get a ringside seat to see the greatness of the Most High God.

There's a thrilling picture of going to God for your "mission impossible" in our word for today from the Word of God in Daniel 2, beginning with verse 17. King Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, where Daniel had been taken as a captive and elevated to being a royal advisor, has had a very troubling prophetic dream. He calls in all of his astrologers and spiritual advisors, and asks them to not only figure out what his dream meant, but what his dream was or they would die. See, he doesn't want any magician scamming him with some made-up interpretation. If a man can tell him the dream, then he can trust his interpretation of the dream.

Of course, no one can tell him what he dreamed. Then Daniel, God's man of the court, is called in as the king's last resort. Even for Daniel, it's "mission impossible." What Daniel did is a pattern for us when we're facing our "mission impossible." It says, "Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends; he urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven. During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said: 'Praise be to the name of God forever and ever; wisdom and power are His.'" What follows is a powerful prayer of extravagant praise. When Daniel reveals the mystery to the king, he says, "No wise man can explain the mystery" - this is the king speaking - "but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries."

There's the plan for your "mission impossible." First, you recruit prayer partners to intercede for you and for this situation. This battle is going to be pre-won in prayer. Step two: focus on the power of your God rather than the impossibilities of the situation. Then, as Daniel did, download resources that only God has. Daniel said, "You have given me wisdom and power. You have made known to us the dream of the king."

God has resources that no one on earth could ever give you. And the last step in this plan for winning your "mission impossible" is to give God all the glory for the breakthrough. Folks may express amazement or admiration for you. But you let them know that it all belongs to the mighty Lord you serve. You don't have the answers - He does. And He chose to send those particular answers, this particular solution, through you.

Well, are you kind of like Daniel, facing something that's far beyond what earth could do? Then do a Daniel; "This is a job for the God of heaven...the Lord who is my God!"

Exodus 14, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Our Whispering God - October 6, 2021

For every divine shout there are a million whispers. The book of Esther relates the story of our whispering God, who, in unseen and inscrutable ways, superintends all the actions and circumstances for the good of his people. This priceless book reminds us that he need not be loud to be strong. He need not cast a shadow to be present. God is still eloquent in his seeming silence and still active when he appears most distant.

The theme of the book of Esther—indeed, the theme of the Bible—is that all the injustices of the world will be turned on their head. Grand reversals are God’s trademark. And he invites you and me to partner with him in this work. The headline of the book of Esther reads: Relief will come. Will you be a part of it?

Exodus 14

The Story and Song of Salvation

God spoke to Moses: “Tell the Israelites to turn around and make camp at Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. Camp on the shore of the sea opposite Baal Zephon.

3-4 “Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are lost; they’re confused. The wilderness has closed in on them.’ Then I’ll make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn again and he’ll chase after them. And I’ll use Pharaoh and his army to put my Glory on display. Then the Egyptians will realize that I am God.”

And that’s what happened.

5-7 When the king of Egypt was told that the people were gone, he and his servants changed their minds. They said, “What have we done, letting Israel, our slave labor, go free?” So he had his chariots harnessed up and got his army together. He took six hundred of his best chariots, with the rest of the Egyptian chariots and their drivers coming along.

8-9 God made Pharaoh king of Egypt stubborn, determined to chase the Israelites as they walked out on him without even looking back. The Egyptians gave chase and caught up with them where they had made camp by the sea—all Pharaoh’s horse-drawn chariots and their riders, all his foot soldiers there at Pi Hahiroth opposite Baal Zephon.

10-12 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and saw them—Egyptians! Coming at them!

They were totally afraid. They cried out in terror to God. They told Moses, “Weren’t the cemeteries large enough in Egypt so that you had to take us out here in the wilderness to die? What have you done to us, taking us out of Egypt? Back in Egypt didn’t we tell you this would happen? Didn’t we tell you, ‘Leave us alone here in Egypt—we’re better off as slaves in Egypt than as corpses in the wilderness.’”

13 Moses spoke to the people: “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and watch God do his work of salvation for you today. Take a good look at the Egyptians today for you’re never going to see them again.

14
God will fight the battle for you.
    And you? You keep your mouths shut!”

* * *

15-16 God said to Moses: “Why cry out to me? Speak to the Israelites. Order them to get moving. Hold your staff high and stretch your hand out over the sea: Split the sea! The Israelites will walk through the sea on dry ground.

17-18 “Meanwhile I’ll make sure the Egyptians keep up their stubborn chase—I’ll use Pharaoh and his entire army, his chariots and horsemen, to put my Glory on display so that the Egyptians will realize that I am God.”

19-20 The angel of God that had been leading the camp of Israel now shifted and got behind them. And the Pillar of Cloud that had been in front also shifted to the rear. The Cloud was now between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel. The Cloud enshrouded one camp in darkness and flooded the other with light. The two camps didn’t come near each other all night.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and God, with a terrific east wind all night long, made the sea go back. He made the sea dry ground. The seawaters split.

22-25 The Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground with the waters a wall to the right and to the left. The Egyptians came after them in full pursuit, every horse and chariot and driver of Pharaoh racing into the middle of the sea. It was now the morning watch. God looked down from the Pillar of Fire and Cloud on the Egyptian army and threw them into a panic. He clogged the wheels of their chariots; they were stuck in the mud.

The Egyptians said, “Run from Israel! God is fighting on their side and against Egypt!”

26 God said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea and the waters will come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots, over their horsemen.”

27-28 Moses stretched his hand out over the sea: As the day broke and the Egyptians were running, the sea returned to its place as before. God dumped the Egyptians in the middle of the sea. The waters returned, drowning the chariots and riders of Pharaoh’s army that had chased after Israel into the sea. Not one of them survived.

29-31 But the Israelites walked right through the middle of the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall to the right and to the left. God delivered Israel that day from the oppression of the Egyptians. And Israel looked at the Egyptian dead, washed up on the shore of the sea, and realized the tremendous power that God brought against the Egyptians. The people were in reverent awe before God and trusted in God and his servant Moses.

* * *

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Wednesday, October 06, 2021

Today's Scripture
1 Thessalonians 5:11–25
(NIV)

Therefore encourage one anotherb and build each other up,c just as in fact you are doing.

Final Instructions

12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hardd among you, who care for you in the Lorde and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.f 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idleg and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak,h be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong,i but always strive to do what is good for each otherj and for everyone else.

16 Rejoice always,k 17 pray continually,l 18 give thanks in all circumstances;m for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

19 Do not quench the Spirit.n 20 Do not treat prophecieso with contempt 21 but test them all;p hold on to what is good,q 22 reject every kind of evil.

23 May God himself, the God of peace,r sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, souls and body be kept blamelesst at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.u 24 The one who callsv you is faithful,w and he will do it.x

25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us.

Insight

When Paul urged his readers to encourage one another” (1 Thessalonians 5:11), he used a Greek word (parakaleo) that can also mean to comfort. The word translated “advocate” (referring to the Holy Spirit) in John 14:16, 26 and 16:7 comes from the same root word.

Paul used his letter to lovingly urge believers in Jesus to help one another live together in the Spirit of Christ who died for them (1 Thessalonians 5:10). But Paul gave them more than words; he also showed how much he cared for them. He honored them by letting them know how much they’d encouraged him (1:2–10). Then he gently reminded them how, like a little child, he’d humbled himself among them (2:6–7); how he’d cared for them like a nursing mother (vv. 7–10), and how he’d looked after them like a father who comforts and encourages his own children (vv. 11–12). By: Mart DeHaan

Helping Each Other

Always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
1 Thessalonians 5:15

When playing basketball with her girlfriends, Amber realized her community could benefit from an all-female league. So she started a nonprofit organization to foster teamwork and impact the next generation. The leaders of Ladies Who Hoop strive to build confidence and character in the women and girls and encourage them to become meaningful contributors to their local communities. One of the original players who now mentors other girls said, “There is so much camaraderie among us. This is something I’d been missing. We support each other in so many different ways. I love seeing the girls succeed and grow.”

God intends His people to team up to help each other as well. The apostle Paul urged the Thessalonians to “encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). God has put us into the family of His people for support in our lives. We need each other to keep walking the path of life in Christ. Sometimes that may mean listening to someone who’s struggling, providing for a practical need, or speaking a few words of encouragement. We can celebrate successes, offer a prayer for strength in a difficulty, or challenge each other to grow in faith. And in everything, we can “always strive to do what is good for each other” (v. 15).

What camaraderie we can enjoy as we team up with other believers in Jesus to keep trusting God together! By:  Anne Cetas

Reflect & Pray

In what ways have others encouraged you? How can you prepare yourself to receive and give support to others?

I love being a part of Your family, God. Show me how I can have a part in the lives of others.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, October 06, 2021
The Nature of Regeneration

When it pleased God…to reveal His Son in me… —Galatians 1:15-16

If Jesus Christ is going to regenerate me, what is the problem He faces? It is simply this— I have a heredity in which I had no say or decision; I am not holy, nor am I likely to be; and if all Jesus Christ can do is tell me that I must be holy, His teaching only causes me to despair. But if Jesus Christ is truly a regenerator, someone who can put His own heredity of holiness into me, then I can begin to see what He means when He says that I have to be holy. Redemption means that Jesus Christ can put into anyone the hereditary nature that was in Himself, and all the standards He gives us are based on that nature— His teaching is meant to be applied to the life which He puts within us. The proper action on my part is simply to agree with God’s verdict on sin as judged on the Cross of Christ.

The New Testament teaching about regeneration is that when a person is hit by his own sense of need, God will put the Holy Spirit into his spirit, and his personal spirit will be energized by the Spirit of the Son of God— “…until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19). The moral miracle of redemption is that God can put a new nature into me through which I can live a totally new life. When I finally reach the edge of my need and know my own limitations, then Jesus says, “Blessed are you…” (Matthew 5:11). But I must get to that point. God cannot put into me, the responsible moral person that I am, the nature that was in Jesus Christ unless I am aware of my need for it.

Just as the nature of sin entered into the human race through one man, the Holy Spirit entered into the human race through another Man (see Romans 5:12-19). And redemption means that I can be delivered from the heredity of sin, and that through Jesus Christ I can receive a pure and spotless heredity, namely, the Holy Spirit.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

For the past three hundred years men have been pointing out how similar Jesus Christ’s teachings are to other good teachings. We have to remember that Christianity, if it is not a supernatural miracle, is a sham.  The Highest Good, 548 L

Bible in a Year: Isaiah 26-27; Philippians 2

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, October 06, 2021

The Ultimate Outrage - #9063

Our dog, Missy, was easily entertained. We just threw her a plastic bottle. That was accidentally discovered one day when a two-liter soda bottle fell on the floor in the kitchen. She pounced on it, grabbed the bottle in her mouth, and shook it viciously. You could tell from three rooms away she was fighting with one of those bottles, because she'd throw it in the air and then she'd try to catch it with her nose. And then it ended up bouncing all over the kitchen. Are you imagining this? You should have seen her ten minutes later. She's sprawled lifelessly on the floor - a blob of fur, totally exhausted from that fight with a plastic bottle. It's amazing how much energy she put into a battle that didn't matter.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Ultimate Outrage."

Our word for today from the Word of God, it's from 2 Timothy 2:4. God says, "No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs. He wants to please his commanding officer." Actually that word in the Greek language that the Bible was written in? It's prágmatas, or the pragmatics. You don't get all tied up or involved in the pragmatics of life; the little mechanics. No plastic bottle wars, no little battles for a soldier in Jesus' army.

In fact, here's the mission. Two verses earlier in verse 2 it says, "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others." In other words, your mission is passing on the gospel that was passed on to you. The number one battle is the battle for people's eternal souls. A Jesus soldier is supposed to focus on that battle like your Jesus did.

Now, Christians today get excited over many bottles... excuse me, I mean battles. For example, there are a lot of talk show hosts whose books and programs are always really hot, and people get intrigued with those. Or, you know, people's social media posts. Some are amusing, some are articulate. Their views on moral and political issues are right up the alley of a lot of believers. So I hear a lot of Christians talking excitedly about. you know, what their latest social media or radio or TV hero had had to say. And they have great power to get their viewers and listeners all up-in-arms over things that are happening like politically. In fact, after decades of being politically passive, (and I've lived through that period) Christians are putting a lot of energy into fighting political battles, and public policy battles, and lifestyle battles. And not that those are bad; some of those are very important.

We spend a lot of time, sometime, trying to get certain candidates elected. We want to get certain trends stopped, and some certainly should be. We want to get prayer back in schools. You know, they're worthy causes. And while those are noble battles, they're not the ultimate battle, because they do not address the ultimate outrage.

Ezekiel 33:8 - "When I say to the wicked, 'Oh wicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin and I will hold you accountable for his blood." God thinks the ultimate outrage is when a person who is created in His image ends up spending eternity without Him - lost; eternity in hell because maybe one of us did not warn him. That outweighs any other issue.

The early believers got that. I mean, it was the time of Nero, and slavery, and aborted babies, and violence, and murder as a public sport. But they're not spending much time or energy demonstrating about those social issues. That wasn't what they fought for. The early Christians believed that the gospel of Christ was the most powerful force for social change in the world; more than politicians, or marchers, or laws.

Listen, it's right to take a Christlike stand on the moral issues of our day. But we dare not just lose sight of the one cause that has forever consequences. We need to be sure that the best of our time, the best of our energy, our money, our enthusiasm is marshaled against the ultimate outrage. That the reaching of the lost with the love of Christ be the one cause that consumes us most.

Look, if we're going to get exhausted in battle, let's do it for the battles that matter the most, that matter forever.