Proverbs 8, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: LINGERING SHEPHERDS - December 13, 2022

Christianity was born in one big heavenly interruption. Just ask the Bethlehem shepherds. They had no expectations of excitement – these are sheep they’re watching. We count sheep to go to sleep!

Shepherds, however, treasured the predictable. This was the night shift. Any excitement was bad excitement—wolves, lions, poachers. Just because they wanted a calm night, didn’t mean they would get it. Luke says, “Then an angel of the Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord shining around them, and they became very frightened.”

We always assume the worst before we look for the best. Good thing the shepherds lingered. Otherwise they might have missed the second verse. “Today your Savior was born in the town of David. He is Christ the Lord.” I hope you’ll do what the shepherds did—linger near the manger.

Proverbs 8

Lady Wisdom Calls Out

Do you hear Lady Wisdom calling?

    Can you hear Madame Insight raising her voice?

She’s taken her stand at First and Main,

    at the busiest intersection.

Right in the city square

    where the traffic is thickest, she shouts,

“You—I’m talking to all of you,

    everyone out here on the streets!

Listen, you idiots—learn good sense!

    You blockheads—shape up!

Don’t miss a word of this—I’m telling you how to live well,

    I’m telling you how to live at your best.

My mouth chews and savors and relishes truth—

    I can’t stand the taste of evil!

You’ll only hear true and right words from my mouth;

    not one syllable will be twisted or skewed.

You’ll recognize this as true—you with open minds;

    truth-ready minds will see it at once.

Prefer my life-disciplines over chasing after money,

    and God-knowledge over a lucrative career.

For Wisdom is better than all the trappings of wealth;

    nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her.

12-21 “I am Lady Wisdom, and I live next to Sanity;

    Knowledge and Discretion live just down the street.

The Fear-of-God means hating Evil,

    whose ways I hate with a passion—

    pride and arrogance and crooked talk.

Good counsel and common sense are my characteristics;

    I am both Insight and the Virtue to live it out.

With my help, leaders rule,

    and lawmakers legislate fairly;

With my help, governors govern,

    along with all in legitimate authority.

I love those who love me;

    those who look for me find me.

Wealth and Glory accompany me—

    also substantial Honor and a Good Name.

My benefits are worth more than a big salary, even a very big salary;

    the returns on me exceed any imaginable bonus.

You can find me on Righteous Road—that’s where I walk—

    at the intersection of Justice Avenue,

Handing out life to those who love me,

    filling their arms with life—armloads of life!

22-31 “God sovereignly made me—the first, the basic—

    before he did anything else.

I was brought into being a long time ago,

    well before Earth got its start.

I arrived on the scene before Ocean,

    yes, even before Springs and Rivers and Lakes.

Before Mountains were sculpted and Hills took shape,

    I was already there, newborn;

Long before God stretched out Earth’s Horizons,

    and tended to the minute details of Soil and Weather,

And set Sky firmly in place,

    I was there.

When he mapped and gave borders to wild Ocean,

    built the vast vault of Heaven,

    and installed the fountains that fed Ocean,

When he drew a boundary for Sea,

    posted a sign that said no trespassing,

And then staked out Earth’s Foundations,

    I was right there with him, making sure everything fit.

Day after day I was there, with my joyful applause,

    always enjoying his company,

Delighted with the world of things and creatures,

    happily celebrating the human family.

32-36 “So, my dear friends, listen carefully;

    those who embrace these my ways are most blessed.

Mark a life of discipline and live wisely;

    don’t squander your precious life.

Blessed the man, blessed the woman, who listens to me,

    awake and ready for me each morning,

    alert and responsive as I start my day’s work.

When you find me, you find life, real life,

    to say nothing of God’s good pleasure.

But if you wrong me, you damage your very soul;

    when you reject me, you’re flirting with death.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Today's Scripture

1 Corinthians 15:50–58

 I need to emphasize, friends, that our natural, earthy lives don’t in themselves lead us by their very nature into the kingdom of God. Their very “nature” is to die, so how could they “naturally” end up in the Life kingdom?

51-57 But let me tell you something wonderful, a mystery I’ll probably never fully understand. We’re not all going to die—but we are all going to be changed. You hear a blast to end all blasts from a trumpet, and in the time that you look up and blink your eyes—it’s over. On signal from that trumpet from heaven, the dead will be up and out of their graves, beyond the reach of death, never to die again. At the same moment and in the same way, we’ll all be changed. In the resurrection scheme of things, this has to happen: everything perishable taken off the shelves and replaced by the imperishable, this mortal replaced by the immortal. Then the saying will come true:

Death swallowed by triumphant Life!

Who got the last word, oh, Death?

Oh, Death, who’s afraid of you now?

It was sin that made death so frightening and law-code guilt that gave sin its leverage, its destructive power. But now in a single victorious stroke of Life, all three—sin, guilt, death—are gone, the gift of our Master, Jesus Christ. Thank God!

58 With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort.

Insight

As the apostle Paul concluded a masterful defense of bodily resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:54–55, he quoted from two Old Testament passages that highlight the defeat of death (see Isaiah 25:8; Hosea 13:14). The word victory is used three times in 1 Corinthians 15:54–57. The “Lord Jesus Christ” gets the credit for victory over death (v. 57). The Greek word for “victory” is nikos. A popular shoe company uses a form of this word as their brand name (nike). In Revelation, we see the word victorious (niv) from the same root (see 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21; 15:2; 21:7). Other translations use the terms overcomes or conquers. In Romans 8:37, the word appears in compound form and is translated “more than conquerors.” How assuring to know that the One who was victorious over death is our source of victory in all of life. By: Arthur Jackson

The Meaning of Life

Death has been swallowed up in victory. 1 Corinthians 15:54

A short story by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges tells of a Roman soldier, Marcus Rufus, who drinks from a “secret river that purifies men of death.” In time, though, Marcus realizes immortality wasn’t all it was cracked up to be: life without limits was life without significance. In fact, it is death itself that gives meaning to life. Marcus finds an antidote—a spring of clear water. After drinking from it, he scratches his hand on a thorn, and a drop of blood forms, signifying his restored mortality.

Like Marcus, we too sometimes despair over the decline of life and the prospect of death (Psalm 88:3). We agree that death gives significance to life. But this is where the stories diverge. Unlike Marcus, we know it’s in Christ’s death that we find the true meaning of our lives. With the shedding of His blood on the cross, Christ conquered death, swallowing it up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54). For us, the antidote is in the “living water” of Jesus Christ (John 4:10). Because we drink that, all the rules of life, death, and life immortal have changed (1 Corinthians 15:52).

It’s true, we won’t escape physical death, but that isn’t the point. Jesus upends all our despair about life and death (Hebrews 2:11–15). In Christ, we’re reassured with the hope of heaven and of meaningful joy in eternal life with Him. By:  Kenneth Petersen

Reflect & Pray

What are you worried about? What are your thoughts about the prospect of death? How does 1 Corinthians 15 encourage you?

God, help me to embrace Your promises about deliverance into eternal life with You.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Intercessory Prayer

…men always ought to pray and not lose heart. —Luke 18:1

You cannot truly intercede through prayer if you do not believe in the reality of redemption. Instead, you will simply be turning intercession into useless sympathy for others, which will serve only to increase the contentment they have for remaining out of touch with God. True intercession involves bringing the person, or the circumstance that seems to be crashing in on you, before God, until you are changed by His attitude toward that person or circumstance. Intercession means to “fill up…[with] what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ” (Colossians 1:24), and this is precisely why there are so few intercessors. People describe intercession by saying, “It is putting yourself in someone else’s place.” That is not true! Intercession is putting yourself in God’s place; it is having His mind and His perspective.

As an intercessor, be careful not to seek too much information from God regarding the situation you are praying about, because you may be overwhelmed. If you know too much, more than God has ordained for you to know, you can’t pray; the circumstances of the people become so overpowering that you are no longer able to get to the underlying truth.

Our work is to be in such close contact with God that we may have His mind about everything, but we shirk that responsibility by substituting doing for interceding. And yet intercession is the only thing that has no drawbacks, because it keeps our relationship completely open with God.

What we must avoid in intercession is praying for someone to be simply “patched up.” We must pray that person completely through into contact with the very life of God. Think of the number of people God has brought across our path, only to see us drop them! When we pray on the basis of redemption, God creates something He can create in no other way than through intercessory prayer.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The fiery furnaces are there by God’s direct permission. It is misleading to imagine that we are developed in spite of our circumstances; we are developed because of them. It is mastery in circumstances that is needed, not mastery over them. The Love of God—The Message of Invincible Consolation, 674 R

Bible in a Year: Hosea 12-14; Revelation 4

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Tuesday, December 13, 2022

DELIVERING SOMEONE ELSE'S PACKAGES - #9372

Well, it's got to be the Christmas season! You know, you keep seeing the UPS trucks going up and down like a fleet, and those drivers are busy! They must collapse into bed at night after those long, long hours they work. But their job could be worse. I mean, what if they had to shop for all those packages, and buy them, and package them and deliver them? Well, fortunately it's not up to the UPS guy to create the package; he's just got to deliver it. It's kind of like you and me.

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

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Luke 1. I'm going to begin reading at verse 31, where Mary is being given Mission Impossible. Oh, it's long before the TV program or the movies ever came along, but she's got mission impossible. Listen to this as the angel comes to her, "You will be with child and give birth to a son. You are to give Him the name Jesus."

This is the virgin named Mary. "You will give birth to a son. You will be with child." Well, her question is reasonable. "'How will this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?' The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.'" Mary looks around and what God is asking her to do, and it just can't happen based on any human ability or anything human experience would support.

Is there something big in your life like that right now? You say, "Man, this one is so tough, so big, so beyond me, I just honestly can't see any way by any human plan or any human ability this could ever happen. This mountain cannot move." Well, Mary was there. If you're there, stay tuned.

God's answer to impossible situations is the same 2,000 years later. Mary's question might be your question, "How will..." God's answer, "He will." "How will it be?" "The Holy Spirit will" is His answer. You don't have to be the answer. You don't have to create the answer. You don't have to think up the answer. You're the UPS man; you just deliver the answer. You just deliver the package. You and I are his instruments. The instrument doesn't play its own music; someone plays through the instrument. The answer doesn't come from you any more than the packages come from the UPS man. They come through you.

The solution is God's intervention, not man's invention. As long as you try to face this challenge with human calculation you're going to be overwhelmed. But Mary found something better than being overwhelmed; it's overshadowed. The passage says, "You'll be overshadowed by the power of the Holy Spirit." You want to be overwhelmed? Well, you will be if you focus on your ability. Or you can be overshadowed by God's power.

When you realize that you only deliver God's packages, you develop two vital mindsets. First, you develop humility; you know that all the credit goes to the giver, not to the deliverer. We don't hug and kiss the UPS man when he comes and say, "Oh, thank you for this wonderful gift!" He didn't give it, he just delivered it. So you know now you have every reason for humility.

Secondly, it gives you confidence. I can row into this storm right now because God's power will be the difference, not mine. So, relax. Even if you're in the middle of mission impossible right now, God is getting the solution ready. All you have to do is be available to deliver someone else's package.

John 20, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: GOD COMES TO THE COMMON - December 12, 2022

There’s one word that describes the night Jesus came – ordinary. It was an ordinary night with ordinary sheep and ordinary shepherds. And were it not for a God who loves to hook an “extra” on the front of the ordinary, the night would have gone unnoticed. But God dances amidst the common, and that night he did a waltz.

The night was ordinary no more. The announcement went first to the shepherds. They didn’t ask God if he was sure he knew what he was doing. Theologians would have consulted their commentaries. The elite would have looked to see if anyone was watching. The successful would have first looked to their calendars. The angels went to the shepherds. Men who didn’t know enough to tell God that messiahs aren’t found sleeping in a feed trough. God comes to the common, because his most powerful tools are the simplest.

John 20

Resurrection!

Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone was moved away from the entrance. She ran at once to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, gasping for breath. “They took the Master from the tomb. We don’t know where they’ve put him.”

3-10 Peter and the other disciple left immediately for the tomb. They ran, neck and neck. The other disciple got to the tomb first, outrunning Peter. Stooping to look in, he saw the pieces of linen cloth lying there, but he didn’t go in. Simon Peter arrived after him, entered the tomb, observed the linen cloths lying there, and the kerchief used to cover his head not lying with the linen cloths but separate, neatly folded by itself. Then the other disciple, the one who had gotten there first, went into the tomb, took one look at the evidence, and believed. No one yet knew from the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead. The disciples then went back home.

11-13 But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she knelt to look into the tomb and saw two angels sitting there, dressed in white, one at the head, the other at the foot of where Jesus’ body had been laid. They said to her, “Woman, why do you weep?”

13-14 “They took my Master,” she said, “and I don’t know where they put him.” After she said this, she turned away and saw Jesus standing there. But she didn’t recognize him.

15 Jesus spoke to her, “Woman, why do you weep? Who are you looking for?”

She, thinking that he was the gardener, said, “Sir, if you took him, tell me where you put him so I can care for him.”

16 Jesus said, “Mary.”

Turning to face him, she said in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” meaning “Teacher!”

17 Jesus said, “Don’t cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.’”

18 Mary Magdalene went, telling the news to the disciples: “I saw the Master!” And she told them everything he said to her.

To Believe

19-20 Later on that day, the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.” Then he showed them his hands and side.

20-21 The disciples, seeing the Master with their own eyes, were awestruck. Jesus repeated his greeting: “Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you.”

22-23 Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. “Receive the Holy Spirit,” he said. “If you forgive someone’s sins, they’re gone for good. If you don’t forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?”

24-25 But Thomas, sometimes called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We saw the Master.”

But he said, “Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in his side, I won’t believe it.”

26 Eight days later, his disciples were again in the room. This time Thomas was with them. Jesus came through the locked doors, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.”

27 Then he focused his attention on Thomas. “Take your finger and examine my hands. Take your hand and stick it in my side. Don’t be unbelieving. Believe.”

28 Thomas said, “My Master! My God!”

29 Jesus said, “So, you believe because you’ve seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing.”

30-31 Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book. These are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Monday, December 12, 2022

Today's Scripture

Psalm 43

Clear my name, God; stick up for me

    against these loveless, immoral people.

Get me out of here, away

    from these lying degenerates.

I counted on you, God.

    Why did you walk out on me?

Why am I pacing the floor, wringing my hands

    over these outrageous people?

3-4 Give me your lantern and compass,

    give me a map,

So I can find my way to the sacred mountain,

    to the place of your presence,

To enter the place of worship,

    meet my exuberant God,

Sing my thanks with a harp,

    magnificent God, my God.

5 Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?

    Why are you crying the blues?

Fix my eyes on God—

    soon I’ll be praising again.

He puts a smile on my face.

    He’s my God.

Insight

The book of Psalms is Israel’s official hymnbook. It consists of 150 songs written over a thousand-year period by several composers, including Moses, David, Solomon, Asaph, and the sons of Korah. Used in individual and corporate worship, these songs are variously categorized as thanksgiving, praise, imprecatory, messianic, kingship, wisdom, and lament psalms. Psalm 43 falls into the category of a lament psalm. These songs express cries to God for deliverance and help in times of suffering, discouragement, disappointment, distress, and abandonment. In many Hebrew manuscripts, Psalms 42 and 43 are combined as one song. In a series of psalms composed by the sons of Korah (Psalms 42–49), Psalm 43 is the only one with no title, suggesting that it belongs with Psalm 42. The refrain “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?” (43:5) is also found in 42:5 and 42:11.

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

I Heard the Bells

Why, my soul, are you downcast? . . . Put your hope in God. Psalm 43:5

“I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” based on an 1863 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, is a truly unusual Christmas song. Instead of the expected Christmas joy and mirth, the lyric forms a lament, crying out, “And in despair I bowed my head / There is no peace on earth I said / For hate is strong and mocks the song / Of peace on earth, good will to men.” This lament, however, moves forward into hope, reassuring us that “God is not dead, nor does he sleep / The wrong shall fail, the right prevail / With peace on earth goodwill toward men.”

The pattern of hope rising out of lament is also found in the lament psalms of the Bible. As such, Psalm 43 begins with the psalmist crying out about his enemies who attack him (v. 1) and his God who seems to have forgotten him (v. 2). But the singer doesn’t stay in lament—he looks up to the God he doesn’t fully understand but still trusts, singing, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (v. 5).

Life is filled with reasons for lament, and we all experience them on a regular basis. But, if we allow that lament to point us to the God of hope, we can sing joyfully—even if we sing through our tears.

By:  Bill Crowder

Reflect & Pray

What concerns are you experiencing in this moment? From the testimony of Scripture, how can God offer you hope in this season of life?

I cry to You, Father, as I struggle under the burdens of life. Remind me that my help comes from above, from the Maker of heaven and earth.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Monday, December 12, 2022

Personality

…that they may be one just as We are one… —John 17:22

Personality is the unique, limitless part of our life that makes us distinct from everyone else. It is too vast for us even to comprehend. An island in the sea may be just the top of a large mountain, and our personality is like that island. We don’t know the great depths of our being, therefore we cannot measure ourselves. We start out thinking we can, but soon realize that there is really only one Being who fully understands us, and that is our Creator.

Personality is the characteristic mark of the inner, spiritual man, just as individuality is the characteristic of the outer, natural man. Our Lord can never be described in terms of individuality and independence, but only in terms of His total Person— “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). Personality merges, and you only reach your true identity once you are merged with another person. When love or the Spirit of God come upon a person, he is transformed. He will then no longer insist on maintaining his individuality. Our Lord never referred to a person’s individuality or his isolated position, but spoke in terms of the total person— “…that they may be one just as We are one….” Once your rights to yourself are surrendered to God, your true personal nature begins responding to God immediately. Jesus Christ brings freedom to your total person, and even your individuality is transformed. The transformation is brought about by love— personal devotion to Jesus. Love is the overflowing result of one person in true fellowship with another.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The Bible is the only Book that gives us any indication of the true nature of sin, and where it came from. The Philosophy of Sin, 1107 R

Bible in a Year: Hosea 9-11; Revelation 3

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Monday, December 12, 2022

TREASURE IN THE DIRT - #9371

A friend of ours told us about a lady in this area who had just lost her husband. They had this beautiful farm, but it was really more than she wanted to maintain without him. Some of it was devoted to a wonderful vegetable garden that she'd cared for many years. After her husband's death, she offered to let her neighbors treat that garden as if it was their garden. Well, one day the man next door was picking carrots. and he suddenly stopped to examine one carrot that was very unusual. It seemed to have grown into an hourglass shape; it was wide at the top and at the bottom. It was really, like, narrow at the center. And as he brushed the dirt off that carrot, he was shocked at what he found. There was a gold ring right in the center of the carrot!

Somehow this carrot had grown all around and through that ring. And inside that ring was a date from 50 years ago. So the neighbor took it to the widow who promptly melted into tears. Her husband, who had died just after their 50th anniversary, had given her this ring on their wedding day. But she'd lost it many years ago. And now this precious treasure had been found in a most unlikely place.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Treasure in the Dirt."

Our word for today from the Word of God Philippians 3:10. It expresses the passion of the Apostle Paul's heart in five little words that really framed his whole life. Here they are: "I want to know Christ." See, Paul understood that this Jesus relationship is the center of this life and it's what our life will be all about for all eternity.

So, after 30 years of a dynamic walk with and ministry for Jesus, he is still in pursuit, "I want to know Christ." And he goes on, "And I want to know the power of His resurrection." Well, couldn't you use more of that resurrection power in your life to handle what's happening right now? Then he says, "And the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings; becoming like Him in His death." "The power of His resurrection" - good. Suffering? Not so much.

But the way to power is through the pain. But remember what happened in that garden. They found precious treasure in the dirt, in a place you could never expect to find it. That's how it is with getting really close to Jesus. The greatest treasures are often found in the grit and the dirt of our pain and our pressure.

Notice the beautiful word that redeems that painful word suffering, "The fellowship of sharing in His suffering." You can touch Jesus in the valley in ways you'll never touch Him on the mountain top. Those who know Jesus most intimately, who radiate His power most evidently, are those who have walked through the deepest valleys with Him. As a matter of fact, the valley you are in right now may be the place where you will meet Jesus to be your own Savior from your own sin, and where you will finally get the assurance that you will be in heaven for all eternity with Him. It is often in the dirt and the grim and the hurt of our life that we reach the end of ourselves and realize we were never meant to live with us in control.

We've hijacked our life from our Creator. Jesus came to heal the breach with His blood between us and God, and walked out of His grave so He can walk into your life. Today, tell Him you want Him to do that. Check out our website, because it will help you get started with Him. It's ANewStory.com.

See, there's a bonding with Jesus that can happen when you've run out of you; when you've run out of your resources and you just collapse in His strong and loving arms. There's a release of His power in your life that wasn't possible when you were still able to go on your power. Those who know Jesus best are those who have needed Him the most. Those who need Him the most are those who are going through the most.

You don't get to choose whether or not you go through this painful time. But you can decide that you will capture this time to know Jesus as you've never known Him before.

You're in a position now to discover what that gardener found in a very unlikely place; what suffering believers have discovered in God's garden for centuries. There is great treasure in the dirt.

Proverbs 7, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Linger Near the Manger

Christianity was born in one big heavenly interruption! Just ask the Bethlehem shepherds!  They had no expectations of excitement. These are sheep they're watching. We count sheep to go to sleep! Shepherds treasured the predictable. This was the night shift. Any excitement was bad excitement-wolves, lions, poachers. Just because they wanted a calm night, didn't mean they would get it.

Luke 2 says, "Then an angel of the Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord shining around them, and they became very frightened" (v 9). We always assume the worst before we look for the best. It's a good thing the shepherds lingered; otherwise, they might have missed the second message. "Today your Savior was born in the town of David. He is Christ the Lord" (v 11).

I hope you'll do what the shepherds did-linger near the manger!

From In the Manger

Proverbs 7

Dressed to Seduce

Dear friend, do what I tell you;

    treasure my careful instructions.

Do what I say and you’ll live well.

    My teaching is as precious as your eyesight—guard it!

Write it out on the back of your hands;

    etch it on the chambers of your heart.

Talk to Wisdom as to a sister.

    Treat Insight as your companion.

They’ll be with you to fend off the Temptress—

    that smooth-talking, honey-tongued Seductress.

6-12 As I stood at the window of my house

    looking out through the shutters,

Watching the mindless crowd stroll by,

    I spotted a young man without any sense

Arriving at the corner of the street where she lived,

    then turning up the path to her house.

It was dusk, the evening coming on,

    the darkness thickening into night.

Just then, a woman met him—

    she’d been lying in wait for him, dressed to seduce him.

Brazen and brash she was,

    restless and roaming, never at home,

Walking the streets, loitering in the mall,

    hanging out at every corner in town.

13-20 She threw her arms around him and kissed him,

    boldly took his arm and said,

“I’ve got all the makings for a feast—

    today I made my offerings, my vows are all paid,

So now I’ve come to find you,

    hoping to catch sight of your face—and here you are!

I’ve spread fresh, clean sheets on my bed,

    colorful imported linens.

My bed is aromatic with spices

    and exotic fragrances.

Come, let’s make love all night,

    spend the night in ecstatic lovemaking!

My husband’s not home; he’s away on business,

    and he won’t be back for a month.”

21-23 Soon she has him eating out of her hand,

    bewitched by her honeyed speech.

Before you know it, he’s trotting behind her,

    like a calf led to the butcher shop,

Like a stag lured into ambush

    and then shot with an arrow,

Like a bird flying into a net

    not knowing that its flying life is over.

24-27 So, friends, listen to me,

    take these words of mine most seriously.

Don’t fool around with a woman like that;

    don’t even stroll through her neighborhood.

Countless victims come under her spell;

    she’s the death of many a poor man.

She runs a halfway house to hell,

    fits you out with a shroud and a coffin.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Sunday, December 11, 2022

Today's Scripture

Romans 12:9–13

Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

11-13 Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

Insight

The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12:9 that “love must be sincere.” The word used to describe love here is sincere (anypokritos), which simply means “unhypocritical” or “behavior free from hidden agendas.” A hidden agenda is when a person appears to demonstrate love for someone but really has a selfish motive. It would be easy to read the statements that follow this verse as separate exhortations. However, verses 9–13 are meant to describe what genuine love should look like. This vision of love matches Paul’s encouragement in Philippians 2:3–4: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Jesus said we’re to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37–39). True and sincere love focuses on others and doesn’t seek its own pleasure. By: J.R. Hudberg

Clinging to What’s Good

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Romans 12:9

When we park our car near an open field and walk across it to get to our house, we almost always get some sticky cockleburs on our clothes—especially in the fall. These tiny “hitchhikers” attach to clothing, shoes, or whatever is passing by and ride to their next destination. It’s nature’s way of spreading cocklebur seeds in my local field and around the world.

As I try to carefully remove clinging cockleburs, I’ve often thought about the message that admonishes believers in Jesus to “cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9). When we’re trying to love others, it can be challenging. However, as the Holy Spirit helps us hold on to what’s good with all we have, we can repel evil and be “sincere” in our love as He guides us (v. 9).

Cocklebur seeds don’t fall off with a mere brush of the hand, they hang on to you. And when we focus on what’s good, keeping our mind on God’s mercy, compassion, and commands, we too—in His strength—can hang on tightly to those we love. He helps us stay “devoted to one another in love,” remembering to place other’s needs before our own (v. 10).

Yes, those cockleburs can be challenging, but they also remind me to cling to others in love and by God’s power to grip tightly “what is good” (v. 9; see also Philippians 4:8–9). By:  Katara Patton

Reflect & Pray

How can clinging to what’s good help you love a challenging friend or family member? How is sincere love also a tenacious love?

Remind me to cling with all my might to what’s good, Jesus. I desire to reflect Your love to others.

For further study, read What Do You Do with a Broken Relationship?

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Sunday, December 11, 2022

Individuality

Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself…" —Matthew 16:24

Individuality is the hard outer layer surrounding the inner spiritual life. Individuality shoves others aside, separating and isolating people. We see it as the primary characteristic of a child, and rightly so. When we confuse individuality with the spiritual life, we remain isolated. This shell of individuality is God’s created natural covering designed to protect the spiritual life. But our individuality must be yielded to God so that our spiritual life may be brought forth into fellowship with Him. Individuality counterfeits spirituality, just as lust counterfeits love. God designed human nature for Himself, but individuality corrupts that human nature for its own purposes.

The characteristics of individuality are independence and self-will. We hinder our spiritual growth more than any other way by continually asserting our individuality. If you say, “I can’t believe,” it is because your individuality is blocking the way; individuality can never believe. But our spirit cannot help believing. Watch yourself closely when the Spirit of God is at work in you. He pushes you to the limits of your individuality where a choice must be made. The choice is either to say, “I will not surrender,” or to surrender, breaking the hard shell of individuality, which allows the spiritual life to emerge. The Holy Spirit narrows it down every time to one thing (see Matthew 5:23-24). It is your individuality that refuses to “be reconciled to your brother” (Matthew 5:24). God wants to bring you into union with Himself, but unless you are willing to give up your right to yourself, He cannot. “…let him deny himself…”— deny his independent right to himself. Then the real life-the spiritual life-is allowed the opportunity to grow.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The Christian Church should not be a secret society of specialists, but a public manifestation of believers in Jesus.  Facing Reality, 34 R

Bible in a Year: Hosea 5-8; Revelation 2

Proverbs 6, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: God Dances Amidst the Common ·

There’s one word that describes the night Jesus came—ordinary. It was an ordinary night with ordinary sheep and ordinary shepherds. And were it not for a God who loves to hook an “extra” on the front of the ordinary, the night would have gone unnoticed. But God dances amidst the common. And that night, He did a waltz! The night was ordinary no more.

The announcement went first to the shepherds. They didn’t ask God if He was sure He knew what He was doing. Theologians would have consulted their commentaries.  The elite would have looked to see if anyone was watching. The successful would have first looked to their calendars. The angels went to the shepherds. Men who didn’t know enough to tell God that messiahs aren’t found sleeping in a feed trough. God comes to the common—because His most powerful tools are the simplest!

From In the Manger

Proverbs 6 

Like a Deer from the Hunter

Dear friend, if you’ve gone into hock with your neighbor

    or locked yourself into a deal with a stranger,

If you’ve impulsively promised the shirt off your back

    and now find yourself shivering out in the cold,

Friend, don’t waste a minute, get yourself out of that mess.

    You’re in that man’s clutches!

    Go, put on a long face; act desperate.

Don’t procrastinate—

    there’s no time to lose.

Run like a deer from the hunter,

    fly like a bird from the trapper!

A Lesson from the Ant

6-11 You lazy fool, look at an ant.

    Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two.

Nobody has to tell it what to do.

    All summer it stores up food;

    at harvest it stockpiles provisions.

So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing?

    How long before you get out of bed?

A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there,

    sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next?

Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life,

    poverty your permanent houseguest!

Always Cooking Up Something Nasty

12-15 Swindlers and scoundrels

    talk out of both sides of their mouths.

They wink at each other, they shuffle their feet,

    they cross their fingers behind their backs.

Their perverse minds are always cooking up something nasty,

    always stirring up trouble.

Catastrophe is just around the corner for them,

    a total wreck, their lives ruined beyond repair.

Seven Things God Hates

16-19 Here are six things God hates,

    and one more that he loathes with a passion:

        eyes that are arrogant,

        a tongue that lies,

        hands that murder the innocent,

        a heart that hatches evil plots,

        feet that race down a wicked track,

        a mouth that lies under oath,

        a troublemaker in the family.

Warning on Adultery

20-23 Good friend, follow your father’s good advice;

    don’t wander off from your mother’s teachings.

Wrap yourself in them from head to foot;

    wear them like a scarf around your neck.

Wherever you walk, they’ll guide you;

    whenever you rest, they’ll guard you;

    when you wake up, they’ll tell you what’s next.

For sound advice is a beacon,

    good teaching is a light,

    moral discipline is a life path.

24-35 They’ll protect you from promiscuous women,

    from the seductive talk of some temptress.

Don’t lustfully fantasize on her beauty,

    nor be taken in by her bedroom eyes.

You can buy an hour with a prostitute for a loaf of bread,

    but a promiscuous woman may well eat you alive.

Can you build a fire in your lap

    and not burn your pants?

Can you walk barefoot on hot coals

    and not get blisters?

It’s the same when you have sex with your neighbor’s wife:

    Touch her and you’ll pay for it. No excuses.

Hunger is no excuse

    for a thief to steal;

When he’s caught he has to pay it back,

    even if he has to put his whole house in hock.

Adultery is a brainless act,

    soul-destroying, self-destructive;

Expect a bloody nose, a black eye,

    and a reputation ruined for good.

For jealousy detonates rage in a cheated husband;

    wild for revenge, he won’t make allowances.

Nothing you say or pay will make it all right;

    neither bribes nor reason will satisfy him.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Saturday, December 10, 2022

Today's Scripture

2 Samuel 22:1–7

David prayed to God the words of this song after God saved him from all his enemies and from Saul.

2-3 God is bedrock under my feet,

    the castle in which I live,

    my rescuing knight.

My God—the high crag

    where I run for dear life,

    hiding behind the boulders,

    safe in the granite hideout;

My mountaintop refuge,

    he saves me from ruthless men.

4 I sing to God the Praise-Lofty,

    and find myself safe and saved.

5-6 The waves of death crashed over me,

    devil waters rushed over me.

Hell’s ropes cinched me tight;

    death traps barred every exit.

7 A hostile world! I called to God,

    to my God I cried out.

From his palace he heard me call;

    my cry brought me right into his presence—

    a private audience!

Insight

David’s song of praise in 2 Samuel 22 comes toward the end of his life. It recounts his history with his enemies and how God rescued the king over and over through years of challenges, danger, and hardship.

At the beginning of the books of Samuel, Israel wanted a king who would fight for them “like all the other nations” (1 Samuel 8:20). After the failure of Saul, David became that king. He fought their battles, and he won. But in his final song of praise to God, he pointed out that it was ultimately God—not himself—who did the true saving. His words became the song we know as Psalm 18. The Israelites incorporated the king’s personal words of praise into their liturgy. Whenever the song was sung, it reminded them—and should remind us—that their true deliverer was and always will be their God. By: Jed Ostoich

Running to Our Shelter

The Lord is my rock, . . . He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior. 

2 Samuel 22:2–3

The sixth-grade basketball game was well underway. Parents and grandparents were cheering on their players, while younger brothers and sisters of the boys on the teams entertained themselves out in the school hallway. Suddenly, sirens blared and lights flashed in the gym. A fire alarm had been tripped. Soon the siblings came streaming back into the gym in panic, looking for their parents.

There was no fire; the alarm had accidentally been activated. But as I watched, I was struck by the way the children—sensing a crisis—unashamedly ran to embrace their parents. What a picture of confidence in those who could provide a sense of safety and reassurance in a time of fear!

Scripture presents a time when David experienced great fear. Saul and numerous other enemies (2 Samuel 22:1) pursued him. After God delivered David to safety, the grateful man sang an eloquent song of praise about His help. He called God “my rock, my fortress and my deliverer” (v. 2). When the “cords of the grave” and “the snares of death” (v. 6) hounded him, David “called out” to God and his “cry came to [God’s] ears” (v. 7). In the end, David proclaimed He “rescued me” (vv. 18, 20, 49).

In times of fear and uncertainty, we can run to the “Rock” (v. 32). As we call on God’s name, He alone provides the refuge and shelter we need (vv. 2–3). By:  Dave Branon

Reflect & Pray

What fear are you dealing with these days? How can God help you face it and deal with it?

Dear God, when I’m afraid, remind me to trust You—to depend on You—and praise Your name.

For further study, read Hope: Discovering the One True Source.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Saturday, December 10, 2022

The Offering of the Natural

It is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. —Galatians 4:22

Paul was not dealing with sin in this chapter of Galatians, but with the relation of the natural to the spiritual. The natural can be turned into the spiritual only through sacrifice. Without this a person will lead a divided life. Why did God demand that the natural must be sacrificed? God did not demand it. It is not God’s perfect will, but His permissive will. God’s perfect will was for the natural to be changed into the spiritual through obedience. Sin is what made it necessary for the natural to be sacrificed.

Abraham had to offer up Ishmael before he offered up Isaac (see Genesis 21:8-14). Some of us are trying to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God before we have sacrificed the natural. The only way we can offer a spiritual sacrifice to God is to “present [our] bodies a living sacrifice…” (Romans 12:1). Sanctification means more than being freed from sin. It means the deliberate commitment of myself to the God of my salvation, and being willing to pay whatever it may cost.

If we do not sacrifice the natural to the spiritual, the natural life will resist and defy the life of the Son of God in us and will produce continual turmoil. This is always the result of an undisciplined spiritual nature. We go wrong because we stubbornly refuse to discipline ourselves physically, morally, or mentally. We excuse ourselves by saying, “Well, I wasn’t taught to be disciplined when I was a child.” Then discipline yourself now! If you don’t, you will ruin your entire personal life for God.

God is not actively involved with our natural life as long as we continue to pamper and gratify it. But once we are willing to put it out in the desert and are determined to keep it under control, God will be with it. He will then provide wells and oases and fulfill all His promises for the natural (see Genesis 21:15-19).

   

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The root of faith is the knowledge of a Person, and one of the biggest snares is the idea that God is sure to lead us to success. My Utmost for His Highest, March 19, 761 L

Bible in a Year: Hosea 1-4; Revelation 1

Proverbs 5, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: SEARCHING FOR A LIGHT - December 9, 2022

On the night when Jesus was born, I wonder if Joseph prayed, “Father, this all seems so…bizarre. The angel you sent? Any chance you could send another?”

You’ve stood where Joseph stood. Each of us knows what it’s like to search the night for a light. Not outside a stable, but perhaps outside an emergency room or the manicured grass of a cemetery. We’ve asked our questions. We’ve wondered why God does what he does.

If you’re asking what Joseph asked, let me urge you to do what Joseph did – obey. He didn’t let his confusion disrupt his obedience. What about you? You have a choice: to obey or disobey. Because Joseph obeyed, God used him to change the world. Can he do the same with you? Will you be that kind of person? Will you serve, even when you don’t understand?

Proverbs 5

Nothing but Sin and Bones

Dear friend, pay close attention to this, my wisdom;

    listen very closely to the way I see it.

Then you’ll acquire a taste for good sense;

    what I tell you will keep you out of trouble.

3-6 The lips of a seductive woman are oh so sweet,

    her soft words are oh so smooth.

But it won’t be long before she’s gravel in your mouth,

    a pain in your gut, a wound in your heart.

She’s dancing down the perfumed path to Death;

    she’s headed straight for Hell and taking you with her.

She hasn’t a clue about Real Life,

    about who she is or where she’s going.

7-14 So, my friend, listen closely;

    don’t treat my words casually.

Keep your distance from such a woman;

    absolutely stay out of her neighborhood.

You don’t want to squander your wonderful life,

    to waste your precious life among the hardhearted.

Why should you allow strangers to take advantage of you?

    Why be exploited by those who care nothing for you?

You don’t want to end your life full of regrets,

    nothing but sin and bones,

Saying, “Oh, why didn’t I do what they told me?

    Why did I reject a disciplined life?

Why didn’t I listen to my mentors,

    or take my teachers seriously?

My life is ruined!

    I haven’t one blessed thing to show for my life!”

Never Take Love for Granted

15-16 Do you know the saying, “Drink from your own rain barrel,

    draw water from your own spring-fed well”?

It’s true. Otherwise, you may one day come home

    and find your barrel empty and your well polluted.

17-20 Your spring water is for you and you only,

    not to be passed around among strangers.

Bless your fresh-flowing fountain!

    Enjoy the wife you married as a young man!

Lovely as an angel, beautiful as a rose—

    don’t ever quit taking delight in her body.

    Never take her love for granted!

Why would you trade enduring intimacies for cheap thrills with a prostitute?

    for dalliance with a promiscuous stranger?

21-23 Mark well that God doesn’t miss a move you make;

    he’s aware of every step you take.

The shadow of your sin will overtake you;

    you’ll find yourself stumbling all over yourself in the dark.

Death is the reward of an undisciplined life;

    your foolish decisions trap you in a dead end.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Friday, December 09, 2022

Today's Scripture

Galatians 6:1–10

Nothing but the Cross

Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.

4-5 Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.

6 Be very sure now, you who have been trained to a self-sufficient maturity, that you enter into a generous common life with those who have trained you, sharing all the good things that you have and experience.

7-8 Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.

9-10 So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.

Insight

The apostle Paul urged believers to “serve one another humbly in love” (Galatians 5:13)—a lifestyle only possible through continual reliance on the Spirit (vv. 16–18, 22–26). Galatians 6:1–10 offers practical guidance on what such a Spirit-led life looks like in practice. Paul focused on both corporate responsibility (of the faith community) and individual responsibility (of each person). For example, the community of faith seeks to correct and restore someone caught in sin, while the individual believer must always be on guard to “watch [them]selves” (v. 1). Similarly, as a group sharing life together, the believing community can “carry each other’s burdens” (v. 2), while each individual takes responsibility to “test their own actions” and “carry their own load” (vv. 4–5). Paul invites the community of faith to both serve in community and to individually take responsibility so that they can do “good to all people” (v. 10). By: Monica La Rose

Lighten the Load

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

When the women in our newly formed Bible study faced a series of tragedies, we suddenly found ourselves sharing deeply personal experiences. Facing the loss of a father, the pain of a wedding anniversary after divorce, the birth of a child who was completely deaf, the experience of racing to bring a child to the emergency room—it was too much for anyone to carry alone. Each person’s vulnerability led to more transparency. We cried and prayed together, and what started as a group of strangers became a group of close friends in a matter of weeks. 

As part of the church body, believers in Jesus are able to come alongside people in their suffering in a deep and personal way. The relational ties that bind together brothers and sisters in Christ aren’t dependent on the length of time we’ve known each other or the things we have in common. Instead, we do what Paul calls “[carrying] each other’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2). Relying on God’s strength, we listen, we empathize, we help where we can, and we pray. We can look for ways to “do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (v. 10). Paul says that when we do so, we fulfill the law of Christ (v. 2): to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. The burdens of life can be heavy, but He’s given us our church family to lighten the load. By:  Karen Pimpo

Reflect & Pray

Who’s suffering around you? How can you lighten their load today?

Dear God, thank You for walking alongside me no matter what I face. Help me love others in that way today.

Learn how to care for others spiritually.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Friday, December 09, 2022

The Opposition of the Natural

Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. —Galatians 5:24

The natural life itself is not sinful. But we must abandon sin, having nothing to do with it in any way whatsoever. Sin belongs to hell and to the devil. I, as a child of God, belong to heaven and to God. It is not a question of giving up sin, but of giving up my right to myself, my natural independence, and my self-will. This is where the battle has to be fought. The things that are right, noble, and good from the natural standpoint are the very things that keep us from being God’s best. Once we come to understand that natural moral excellence opposes or counteracts surrender to God, we bring our soul into the center of its greatest battle. Very few of us would debate over what is filthy, evil, and wrong, but we do debate over what is good. It is the good that opposes the best. The higher up the scale of moral excellence a person goes, the more intense the opposition to Jesus Christ. “Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh….” The cost to your natural life is not just one or two things, but everything. Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself…” (Matthew 16:24). That is, he must deny his right to himself, and he must realize who Jesus Christ is before he will bring himself to do it. Beware of refusing to go to the funeral of your own independence.

The natural life is not spiritual, and it can be made spiritual only through sacrifice. If we do not purposely sacrifice the natural, the supernatural can never become natural to us. There is no high or easy road. Each of us has the means to accomplish it entirely in his own hands. It is not a question of praying, but of sacrificing, and thereby performing His will.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

We all have the trick of saying—If only I were not where I am!—If only I had not got the kind of people I have to live with! If our faith or our religion does not help us in the conditions we are in, we have either a further struggle to go through, or we had better abandon that faith and religion.  The Shadow of an Agony, 1178 L

Bible in a Year: Daniel 11-12; Jude

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Friday, December 09, 2022

THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT YOUR DARK TIME - #9370

If you've ever had to make a marathon drive over a long distance, or if you just wanted to squeeze every possible hour out of your vacation, you know what it's like to drive all night probably. If you're a long-haul truck driver, pushing through the night, that could well be a way of life for you. For me, that last hour or two before dawn, oh, man, that's tough. That's when you turn on the most obnoxious radio station you can find and you blast it. That's when you start doing aerobic workouts behind the wheel. It's when you roll down the window in spite of the 30-below wind chill and the hurricane force winds. What makes the last hours of the night particularly challenging is the truth of that old cliché, "It's always darkest before the dawn." It usually is the darkest time, right when the night is seeming to be the very longest. Then suddenly, you start to see that glow on the horizon. The glow gets steadily brighter, and it starts radiating light across more and more of the dark sky. And then, there it is - the sunrise! Hallelujah, the long night is over! Just when it felt like it was never going to end!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Good News About Your Dark Time."

That's what time it might be in your life right now. It's been a long drive - a long night. It feels as if it's been dark forever, doesn't it? In fact, it just got even darker. This is as bad as it's ever been. You're fighting hard to keep driving, especially when you feel like just giving up on the trip. But God wants to put a little glow in your dark sky right now. If it's getting darker, that means sunrise is coming soon! God has given you His word and this promise: "Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5).

It's no secret that I like pictures of spiritual truth. And Jesus gives us a wonderful real-life picture of this "darkest before the dawn" truth in our word for today from the Word of God in Luke 5, beginning with verse 4. Simon, who is a veteran fisherman, has been unsuccessful in his fishing expedition on the Sea of Galilee. He's back in port, cleaning his nets when Jesus asks to use his boat as a pulpit. Then, Jesus "said to Simon, 'Put out into the deep water and let down the nets for a catch.' Simon answered, 'Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.'"

Well, it may be daytime, but it's dark time for Simon. He's done everything that his great ability and his vast experience know how to do in order to bring in a catch. And all his efforts to succeed, to change the situation? They've failed. Sound familiar at all? He is, in fact, accepting failure and, at least for the time being, giving up. It's dark. But the light is just about to dawn. The story concludes: "When they had done so (that is, let down the nets), they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break." The most amazing catch of Simon's life! Now, here's the principle of how Jesus works. A night of failure often sets the stage for a day of fantastic results if you don't give up; if you keep fighting under the orders of Captain Jesus. So, as Galatians 6:9 says, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap if we do not give up."

God uses the long dark night to accomplish some important spiritual changes. He wants us to have those times when no human answers, no human consolation, no human heroes; no human efforts can change things. He's bringing you to the end of what you can do; the end of anything you can even think of doing. Because that's the beginning of the things only God can do. First, He has to get us out of the way.

John 19:23-42, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: GO OUT ON A LIMB - December 8, 2022

“After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18).

Joseph was perched firmly on his branch in the tree. Predictable and solid, Joseph had no intention of leaving it. That is, until he was told to go out on a limb. “Conceived by the Holy Spirit? Come on! Who will believe me?” Pride told him not to do it, but God told him to do it.

I have a feeling you can relate to Joseph. One foot in your will and one foot in His. His or yours? Disrupting, isn’t it? You can bet it won’t be easy. Limb-climbing has never been easy. Ask Joseph. Or better yet, ask Jesus! He knows better than anyone the cost of hanging on a tree.

John 19:23-42

When they crucified him, the Roman soldiers took his clothes and divided them up four ways, to each soldier a fourth. But his robe was seamless, a single piece of weaving, so they said to each other, “Let’s not tear it up. Let’s throw dice to see who gets it.” This confirmed the Scripture that said, “They divided up my clothes among them and threw dice for my coat.” (The soldiers validated the Scriptures!)

24-27 While the soldiers were looking after themselves, Jesus’ mother, his aunt, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene stood at the foot of the cross. Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her. He said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that moment the disciple accepted her as his own mother.

28 Jesus, seeing that everything had been completed so that the Scripture record might also be complete, then said, “I’m thirsty.”

29-30 A jug of sour wine was standing by. Someone put a sponge soaked with the wine on a javelin and lifted it to his mouth. After he took the wine, Jesus said, “It’s done?.?.?.?complete.” Bowing his head, he offered up his spirit.

31-34 Then the Jews, since it was the day of Sabbath preparation, and so the bodies wouldn’t stay on the crosses over the Sabbath (it was a high holy day that year), petitioned Pilate that their legs be broken to speed death, and the bodies taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man crucified with Jesus, and then the other. When they got to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs. One of the soldiers stabbed him in the side with his spear. Blood and water gushed out.

35 The eyewitness to these things has presented an accurate report. He saw it himself and is telling the truth so that you, also, will believe.

36-37 These things that happened confirmed the Scripture, “Not a bone in his body was broken,” and the other Scripture that reads, “They will stare at the one they pierced.”

* * *

38 After all this, Joseph of Arimathea (he was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, because he was intimidated by the Jews) petitioned Pilate to take the body of Jesus. Pilate gave permission. So Joseph came and took the body.

39-42 Nicodemus, who had first come to Jesus at night, came now in broad daylight carrying a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. They took Jesus’ body and, following the Jewish burial custom, wrapped it in linen with the spices. There was a garden near the place he was crucified, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been placed. So, because it was Sabbath preparation for the Jews and the tomb was convenient, they placed Jesus in it.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Thursday, December 08, 2022

Today's Scripture

Ruth 2:15–20

When she got up to go back to work, Boaz ordered his servants: “Let her glean where there’s still plenty of grain on the ground—make it easy for her. Better yet, pull some of the good stuff out and leave it for her to glean. Give her special treatment.”

17-18 Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. When she threshed out what she had gathered, she ended up with nearly a full sack of barley! She gathered up her gleanings, went back to town, and showed her mother-in-law the results of her day’s work; she also gave her the leftovers from her lunch.

19 Naomi asked her, “So where did you glean today? Whose field? God bless whoever it was who took such good care of you!”

Ruth told her mother-in-law, “The man with whom I worked today? His name is Boaz.”

20 Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Why, God bless that man! God hasn’t quite walked out on us after all! He still loves us, in bad times as well as good!”

Naomi went on, “That man, Ruth, is one of our circle of covenant redeemers, a close relative of ours!”

Insight

God gave the Israelites “a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8) and commanded His people to take care of the poor living among them. Landowners were to intentionally not harvest all the grain so that the poor could glean the leftovers (Leviticus 19:9–10; 23:22; Deuteronomy 24:19–22). God’s solution for the hungry is the generous hearts and open hands of His people (Deuteronomy 15:4–11). The law of gleaning was the backdrop for the story of Ruth. Boaz, a close relative of Naomi, was a God-fearing landowner who permitted the poor to glean in his fields (Ruth 2:1–3, 20). He even ordered his servants to deliberately “pull out some stalks for [Ruth] from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up” (v. 16). As a result of Boaz’s grace and generosity, Ruth gleaned “an ephah” or about 30 pounds (v. 17) of barley, enough to last for several weeks.

Dive deeper in the story of Ruth.

By: K. T. Sim

Fast-Food Encouragement

May you be richly rewarded by the Lord . . . under whose wings you have come to take refuge.

Ruth 2:12

Maria carried her fast-food lunch to an empty table. As she bit into her burger, her eyes locked on those of a young man seated several tables away. His clothes were soiled, his hair hung limply, and he clutched at an empty paper cup. Clearly, he was hungry. How could she help? A gift of cash seemed unwise. If she bought a meal and presented it to him, might he be embarrassed? 

Just then Maria remembered the story of Ruth where Boaz, a wealthy landowner, invited the impoverished immigrant widow to glean from his fields. He ordered his men: “Let her gather among the sheaves and don’t reprimand her. Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her” (Ruth 2:15–16). In a culture where women were utterly dependent on their connection to men for survival, Boaz demonstrated God’s loving provision. Eventually, Boaz married Ruth, redeeming her from her serious need (4:9–10). 

As Maria rose to leave, she placed her untouched packet of fries on a nearby table, meeting the man’s eyes as she did so. If he was hungry, he might glean from her “fast-food field.” God’s heart is revealed in the stories of Scripture as they illustrate creative solutions to encourage.

By:  Elisa Morgan

Reflect & Pray

Is there someone around you today that you might invite to “glean” from the abundance in your life? Ask God to reveal the needs around you that you might respond with His heart.

Dear Father, show me who needs me to extend Your love to them today.

For further study, read Living Justly, Loving Mercy: A Biblical Response to Our Broken World.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Thursday, December 08, 2022

The Impartial Power of God

By one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. —Hebrews 10:14

We trample the blood of the Son of God underfoot if we think we are forgiven because we are sorry for our sins. The only reason for the forgiveness of our sins by God, and the infinite depth of His promise to forget them, is the death of Jesus Christ. Our repentance is merely the result of our personal realization of the atonement by the Cross of Christ, which He has provided for us. “…Christ Jesus…became for us wisdom from God— and righteousness and sanctification and redemption…” (1 Corinthians 1:30). Once we realize that Christ has become all this for us, the limitless joy of God begins in us. And wherever the joy of God is not present, the death sentence is still in effect.

No matter who or what we are, God restores us to right standing with Himself only by means of the death of Jesus Christ. God does this, not because Jesus pleads with Him to do so but because He died. It cannot be earned, just accepted. All the pleading for salvation which deliberately ignores the Cross of Christ is useless. It is knocking at a door other than the one which Jesus has already opened. We protest by saying, “But I don’t want to come that way. It is too humiliating to be received as a sinner.” God’s response, through Peter, is, “… there is no other name…by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). What at first appears to be heartlessness on God’s part is actually the true expression of His heart. There is unlimited entrance His way. “In Him we have redemption through His blood…” (Ephesians 1:7). To identify with the death of Jesus Christ means that we must die to everything that was never a part of Him.

God is just in saving bad people only as He makes them good. Our Lord does not pretend we are all right when we are all wrong. The atonement by the Cross of Christ is the propitiation God uses to make unholy people holy.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The place for the comforter is not that of one who preaches, but of the comrade who says nothing, but prays to God about the matter. The biggest thing you can do for those who are suffering is not to talk platitudes, not to ask questions, but to get into contact with God, and the “greater works” will be done by prayer (see John 14:12–13).  Baffled to Fight Better, 56 R

Bible in a Year: Daniel 8-10; 3 John

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Thursday, December 08, 2022

WIMPY DEATH - #9369

Years ago a friend of mine told me this, "If people who don't know Jesus want to know the difference Jesus makes, let them come to our funerals."

Well, I thought of that again recently. I had joined one of our dear friends in mourning the loss of his precious wife and our precious friend. They've poured out their lives for other people in one of the world's most troubled places. And because of the violence around them, one of their little daughter's first words was "rocket." But a year ago the bomb that changed everything was a word that they heard in the doctor's office - "cancer." That week, after a brave fight against that killer, Nancy breathed her last. And that little daughter, who is now a beautiful young woman who really mirrors her mother, sang at Nancy's memorial service. And she had this glow that defied the grief. The song said:

"Be still, my soul, be still, and do not fear

Though winds of change may rage tomorrow

God is at your side, no longer dread

The fires of unexpected sorrow.

God, You are my God, and I will trust in You and not be shaken."

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

Was there grieving? Yeah, I was there; you bet there was. Were there tears? Of course. Was Nancy's absence felt in the midst of all these people that she loved and who really loved her? Yeah, painfully so. But grief did not carry the day. Or the days when both John and Nancy knew she was dying. Death won a skirmish, but death lost the battle a long time ago, at a grave that was vacated forever after only three days' occupancy.

Our word for today from the Word of God, 1 Corinthians 15:3. It declares the victory this way: "Christ died for our sins...He was buried...He was raised on the third day...Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?...Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:3; 54-56).

I saw the impotence of death! I saw the power of Jesus' victory everywhere I looked during those difficult days around Nancy's death and funeral. Just like at my mother's funeral, my father's funeral, and my own wife's funeral; countless funerals of people I have loved. And they had each taken up Jesus on the gift that He bought with His blood when He paid for their sins on the cross. The Bible says, "Whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). Only someone who's conquered death Himself can give eternal life to other people. And someone did, but only one someone. His name is Jesus.

And Jesus was all over the place again that week at Nancy's funeral. And more personally, at the time when the love of my life was suddenly gone. We mourn the temporary absence of one who belonged to Him. But we all knew that death had not won. All death could do was see our friend, Nancy, home; the same home that her husband and I will be promoted to some day, and our children, and grandchildren. Yeah, that's right. Because of Jesus...only Jesus.

Grief? Yes, but much more hope and celebration. Because every funeral of a Jesus-forgiven child of God is the ultimate declaration of what a Savior He is. There's "hope." This hope isn't wishful thinking or sympathy card sentiments. It's the surest of all sure things because it's anchored to the Man who blew death away when He walked out of His grave. It is a hope; it is an anchor that is one prayer away for you. A prayer that says, "Jesus, You died for me. You walked out of Your grave for me. I am Yours."

Listen, you want to get this settled? Go to our website. You'll find there the information that will help you begin your relationship with Him. ANewStory.com is the web address. Even in "the valley of the shadow of death," "we have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure" (Hebrews 6:19). In the deepest, in the darkest hour, the anchor holds, and it always will.

Proverbs 4, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: CHRIST IN US - December 7, 2022

Proliferating throughout Scripture is an enticing and inviting preposition – the preposition “in.” Jesus lives in his children. From Revelation 3:20, Jesus says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” God in us

Have we sounded the depth of this promise? He will do what you cannot do. With God in you, you have a million resources you didn’t have before. Can’t stop worrying? Christ can, and he lives within you. Can’t forget the past, forgive the jerk, or forsake your bad habits? Christ can! And he lives in you.

Oh to be so full of him that we could say with the apostle Paul, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 3:20).

Proverbs 4

Your Life Is at Stake

 1-2 Listen, friends, to some fatherly advice;

    sit up and take notice so you’ll know how to live.

I’m giving you good counsel;

    don’t let it go in one ear and out the other.

3-9 When I was a boy at my father’s knee,

    the pride and joy of my mother,

He would sit me down and drill me:

    “Take this to heart. Do what I tell you—live!

Sell everything and buy Wisdom! Forage for Understanding!

    Don’t forget one word! Don’t deviate an inch!

Never walk away from Wisdom—she guards your life;

    love her—she keeps her eye on you.

Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom!

    Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding!

Throw your arms around her—believe me, you won’t regret it;

    never let her go—she’ll make your life glorious.

She’ll garland your life with grace,

    she’ll festoon your days with beauty.”

10-15 Dear friend, take my advice;

    it will add years to your life.

I’m writing out clear directions to Wisdom Way,

    I’m drawing a map to Righteous Road.

I don’t want you ending up in blind alleys,

    or wasting time making wrong turns.

Hold tight to good advice; don’t relax your grip.

    Guard it well—your life is at stake!

Don’t take Wicked Bypass;

    don’t so much as set foot on that road.

Stay clear of it; give it a wide berth.

    Make a detour and be on your way.

16-17 Evil people are restless

    unless they’re making trouble;

They can’t get a good night’s sleep

    unless they’ve made life miserable for somebody.

Perversity is their food and drink,

    violence their drug of choice.

18-19 The ways of right-living people glow with light;

    the longer they live, the brighter they shine.

But the road of wrongdoing gets darker and darker—

    travelers can’t see a thing; they fall flat on their faces.

Learn It by Heart

20-22 Dear friend, listen well to my words;

    tune your ears to my voice.

Keep my message in plain view at all times.

    Concentrate! Learn it by heart!

Those who discover these words live, really live;

    body and soul, they’re bursting with health.

23-27 Keep vigilant watch over your heart;

    that’s where life starts.

Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth;

    avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.

Keep your eyes straight ahead;

    ignore all sideshow distractions.

Watch your step,

    and the road will stretch out smooth before you.

Look neither right nor left;

    leave evil in the dust.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Wednesday, December 07, 2022

Today's Scripture

Psalm 23

God, my shepherd!

    I don’t need a thing.

You have bedded me down in lush meadows,

    you find me quiet pools to drink from.

True to your word,

    you let me catch my breath

    and send me in the right direction.

4 Even when the way goes through

    Death Valley,

I’m not afraid

    when you walk at my side.

Your trusty shepherd’s crook

    makes me feel secure.

5 You serve me a six-course dinner

    right in front of my enemies.

You revive my drooping head;

    my cup brims with blessing.

6 Your beauty and love chase after me

    every day of my life.

I’m back home in the house of God

    for the rest of my life.

Insight

Although Psalm 23 is the best-known Scripture passage that employs the shepherd metaphor to speak of God, this figure of speech appears throughout the Bible. In Genesis 48:15, Jacob (Israel) referred to God as his shepherd. The prophet Isaiah said, “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young” (40:11). The Shepherd gets a name and a face in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). Hebrews 13:20 speaks of Jesus as “that great Shepherd of the sheep.” Peter called Him “the Chief Shepherd” (1 Peter 5:4), and Revelation 7:17 says, “the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd.” By: Arthur Jackson

God’s Sure Pursuit

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life. Psalm 23:6

Some years ago, a man walked about a block ahead of me. I could clearly see that his arms were full of packages. All of a sudden, he tripped, dropping everything. A couple of people helped him to his feet, assisting him in collecting what he’d dropped. But they missed something—his wallet. I picked it up and took off in hot pursuit of the stranger, hoping to return that important item. I yelled “Sir, sir!” and finally got his attention. He turned just as I reached him. As I held out the wallet, I’ll never forget his look of surprised relief and immense gratitude. 

What began as following after that man turned into something quite different. Most English translations use the word follow in the final verse of the familiar Psalm 23—“Surely your goodness and love will follow me” (v. 6). And while “follow” fits, the actual Hebrew word used is more forceful, aggressive even. The word literally means “to pursue or chase,” much like a predator pursues his prey (think of a wolf pursuing sheep).

God’s goodness and love don’t merely follow along after us at a casual pace, in no real hurry, like a pet might leisurely follow you home. No, “surely” we are being pursued—chased even—with intention. Much like pursuing a man to return his wallet, we’re pursued by the Good Shepherd who loves us with an everlasting love (vv. 1, 6).  By:  John Blase

Reflect & Pray

Do you believe God’s goodness is actually pursuing you? If not, why not, since Scripture includes the word surely?

Good Shepherd, thank You that Your goodness and love pursue me always.

For further study, read The Lord Is My Shepherd: Rest and Renewal from Psalm 23.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Wednesday, December 07, 2022

Repentance

Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation… —2 Corinthians 7:10

Conviction of sin is best described in the words:

My sins, my sins, my Savior,

How sad on Thee they fall.

Conviction of sin is one of the most uncommon things that ever happens to a person. It is the beginning of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict people of sin (see John 16:8). And when the Holy Spirit stirs a person’s conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not that person’s relationship with others that bothers him but his relationship with God— “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight…” (Psalm 51:4). The wonders of conviction of sin, forgiveness, and holiness are so interwoven that it is only the forgiven person who is truly holy. He proves he is forgiven by being the opposite of what he was previously, by the grace of God. Repentance always brings a person to the point of saying, “I have sinned.” The surest sign that God is at work in his life is when he says that and means it. Anything less is simply sorrow for having made foolish mistakes— a reflex action caused by self-disgust.

The entrance into the kingdom of God is through the sharp, sudden pains of repentance colliding with man’s respectable “goodness.” Then the Holy Spirit, who produces these struggles, begins the formation of the Son of God in the person’s life (see Galatians 4:19). This new life will reveal itself in conscious repentance followed by unconscious holiness, never the other way around. The foundation of Christianity is repentance. Strictly speaking, a person cannot repent when he chooses— repentance is a gift of God. The old Puritans used to pray for “the gift of tears.” If you ever cease to understand the value of repentance, you allow yourself to remain in sin. Examine yourself to see if you have forgotten how to be truly repentant.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The great thing about faith in God is that it keeps a man undisturbed in the midst of disturbance. Notes on Isaiah, 1376 R

Bible in a Year: Daniel 5-7; 2 John

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Wednesday, December 07, 2022

EVEN SANTA KNOWS WHAT TIME IT IS - #9368

That particular Christmas I saw something I would not soon forget. I was visiting a theme park that has a wonderful Christmas festival, including a service in their old log chapel. We sang some of the old carols and then there was a short time when we had our eyes closed in prayer. As I opened my eyes, I noticed that someone had slipped in to the old wooden bench across from me - Santa Claus. Yep, there he was red suit, real white hair, real white beard - except for his Santa hat which he had removed to pray. There was Santa Claus, eyes closed and head bowed on his folded hands praying. Look, I've seen a lot of Santas. I've never seen one praying before. As I visited with him afterwards, he told me how he tried to remind each boy and girl who sat on his lap of the Savior who came on Christmas to die for us. Now, that's one amazing Santa!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Even Santa Knows What Time It Is."

In this memorable Christmas encounter, even Santa knew what Christmas is for. Christmas is the time to be telling people about Jesus. Yes, Santa and shopping and social demands can monopolize this season and marginalize Jesus, but it's when we celebrate His birthday. And it's the time of year when the hearts of the lost people you know are softer toward Jesus and more aware of Jesus than any other time of the year.

Christmas has been the time to tell about Jesus since the day He arrived on earth. The shepherds must have understood that when the angels said this was "good news" and it was "for all the people" (Luke 2:10). They must have understood that it was up to them to tell the news. In Luke 2:16-18, our word for today from the Word of God, the Bible says, "They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed."

It was clear from day one of Jesus on earth. When you've met Jesus, you're supposed to tell about Jesus. There's some research that shows that up to 90% of those who know Jesus never tell anyone about Jesus. Now, they live a good Christian life and that's important because it shows the difference Jesus makes. But someone could watch you for the next 50 years and they're not going to figure this out. They're not going to say, "Oh, you know, Charlie is such a nice guy. I'll bet Jesus died on the cross for my sins." They're not going to figure that out! You have to tell them! From the shepherds to the Santa in the chapel, Christmas has been the time to tell what you know about Jesus.

The shepherds weren't trained, professional God-salesmen. They were, at best, everyday guys with an extraordinary story to tell, and that's who you are. And they'll listen to you like they listened to those shepherds because you're an ordinary person like the lost people you know. Your ordinariness is your best qualification to be the one to tell them about Jesus. And you have the information on which their eternity depends. Silence is a sin that could cost them heaven.

Take advantage of this season when Jesus is more on people's minds than any other time. Write that letter to someone you love, thanking them for what they mean to you and telling them what Jesus has done for you. Have those lost neighbors or friends over, and pray for open doors to speak about your personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Give something special to people in your world - something nice that helps point them to Jesus. Be intentional about sharing Jesus in these days before Christmas. It may be the best - and in some cases, the last - opportunity you will have with some of those people. And there is no greater gift you could give to your Savior this Christmas than the life of someone He died for!