Acts 7:22-43 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: THE RICH YOUNG RULER - January 26, 2023

“If you want to be perfect, then go sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven” (Matthew 19:21). This statement of Jesus leaves the rich young ruler distraught. He thought heaven was just a payment away. You work hard, you pay your dues, and “zap”—your account is paid in full. Jesus says, “No way.”

What you want costs far more than what you can pay. You do not need a system, you need a Savior. You do not need a resume, you need a Redeemer. For “what is impossible with men is possible with God” (Luke 18:27). Don’t miss the thrust of this verse: You cannot save yourself. Not through the right rituals, right doctrine, or right devotion. You see, it wasn’t the money that hindered the rich man; it was the self-sufficiency.

Acts 7:22-43

 “In just such a time Moses was born, a most beautiful baby. He was hidden at home for three months. When he could be hidden no longer, he was put outside—and immediately rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter, who mothered him as her own son. Moses was educated in the best schools in Egypt. He was equally impressive as a thinker and an athlete.

23-26 “When he was forty years old, he wondered how everything was going with his Hebrew kin and went out to look things over. He saw an Egyptian abusing one of them and stepped in, avenging his underdog brother by knocking the Egyptian flat. He thought his brothers would be glad that he was on their side, and even see him as an instrument of God to deliver them. But they didn’t see it that way. The next day two of them were fighting and he tried to break it up, told them to shake hands and get along with each other: ‘Friends, you are brothers, why are you beating up on each other?’

27-29 “The one who had started the fight said, ‘Who put you in charge of us? Are you going to kill me like you killed that Egyptian yesterday?’ When Moses heard that, realizing that the word was out, he ran for his life and lived in exile over in Midian. During the years of exile, two sons were born to him.

30-32 “Forty years later, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to him in the guise of flames of a burning bush. Moses, not believing his eyes, went up to take a closer look. He heard God’s voice: ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Frightened nearly out of his skin, Moses shut his eyes and turned away.

33-34 “God said, ‘Kneel and pray. You are in a holy place, on holy ground. I’ve seen the agony of my people in Egypt. I’ve heard their groans. I’ve come to help them. So get yourself ready; I’m sending you back to Egypt.’

35-39 “This is the same Moses whom they earlier rejected, saying, ‘Who put you in charge of us?’ This is the Moses that God, using the angel flaming in the burning bush, sent back as ruler and redeemer. He led them out of their slavery. He did wonderful things, setting up God-signs all through Egypt, down at the Red Sea, and out in the wilderness for forty years. This is the Moses who said to his congregation, ‘God will raise up a prophet just like me from your descendants.’ This is the Moses who stood between the angel speaking at Sinai and your fathers assembled in the wilderness and took the life-giving words given to him and handed them over to us, words our fathers would have nothing to do with.

39-41 “They craved the old Egyptian ways, whining to Aaron, ‘Make us gods we can see and follow. This Moses who got us out here miles from nowhere—who knows what’s happened to him!’ That was the time when they made a calf-idol, brought sacrifices to it, and congratulated each other on the wonderful religious program they had put together.

42-43 “God wasn’t at all pleased; but he let them do it their way, worship every new god that came down the pike—and live with the consequences, consequences described by the prophet Amos:

Did you bring me offerings of animals and grains

    those forty wilderness years, O Israel?

Hardly. You were too busy building shrines

    to war gods, to sex goddesses,

Worshiping them with all your might.

    That’s why I put you in exile in Babylon.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Thursday, January 26, 2023

Today's Scripture

Colossians 3:12–14

So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

Insight

Compassion is kindness for people in need. More than just feeling pity, compassion moves you to relieve the misery of a person. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan “had compassion” on the injured man (Luke 10:33 esv), which moved him to come to his rescue. The Greeks and Romans valued courage, strength, wisdom, power, and revenge. For them, compassion was a weakness, not a virtue. But for believers in Jesus, compassion is what marks us out as God’s children. Jesus tells us to imitate our heavenly Father: “You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate” (6:36 nlt.) Compassion is God’s very person. In one of the greatest self-revelations in the Bible, He described Himself as “the compassionate and gracious God” (Exodus 34:6). We’re most like our Father when we’re compassionate, kind, and gracious to others. By: K. T. Sim

Love That Forgives

Bear with each other and forgive one another. Colossians 3:13

Eighty years of marriage! My husband’s great-uncle Pete and great-aunt Ruth celebrated this remarkable milestone on May 31, 2021. After a chance meeting in 1941 when Ruth was still in high school, the young couple were so eager to get married that they eloped the day after Ruth graduated. Pete and Ruth believe God brought them together and has guided them all these years.

Reflecting on eight decades of marriage, Pete and Ruth both agree that one key to sustaining their relationship has been the decision to choose forgiveness. Anyone in a healthy relationship understands that we all regularly need forgiveness for the ways we hurt each other, whether through an unkind word, a broken promise, or a forgotten task.

In a section of Scripture written to help believers in Jesus live together in unity, Paul refers to the essential role forgiveness plays. After urging his readers to choose “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12), Paul adds the encouragement to “forgive one another if any of you has a grievance” (v. 13). Most importantly, all their interactions with each were to be guided by love (v. 14).

Relationships that model the characteristics outlined by Paul are a blessing. May God help all of us work to cultivate healthy relationships characterized by love and forgiveness. By:  Lisa M. Samra

Reflect & Pray

How have you experienced healing through forgiving or being forgiven? How are relationships strengthened through practicing both forgiveness and accountability?

Jesus, help me to forgive others just as You’ve forgiven me.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Thursday, January 26, 2023

Look Again and Consecrate

If God so clothes the grass of the field…, will He not much more clothe you…? —Matthew 6:30

A simple statement of Jesus is always a puzzle to us because we will not be simple. How can we maintain the simplicity of Jesus so that we may understand Him? By receiving His Spirit, recognizing and relying on Him, and obeying Him as He brings us the truth of His Word, life will become amazingly simple. Jesus asks us to consider that “if God so clothes the grass of the field…” how “much more” will He clothe you, if you keep your relationship right with Him? Every time we lose ground in our fellowship with God, it is because we have disrespectfully thought that we knew better than Jesus Christ. We have allowed “the cares of this world” to enter in (Matthew 13:22), while forgetting the “much more” of our heavenly Father.

“Look at the birds of the air…” (Matthew 6:26). Their function is to obey the instincts God placed within them, and God watches over them. Jesus said that if you have the right relationship with Him and will obey His Spirit within you, then God will care for your “feathers” too.

“Consider the lilies of the field…” (Matthew 6:28). They grow where they are planted. Many of us refuse to grow where God plants us. Therefore, we don’t take root anywhere. Jesus said if we would obey the life of God within us, He would look after all other things. Did Jesus Christ lie to us? Are we experiencing the “much more” He promised? If we are not, it is because we are not obeying the life God has given us and have cluttered our minds with confusing thoughts and worries. How much time have we wasted asking God senseless questions while we should be absolutely free to concentrate on our service to Him? Consecration is the act of continually separating myself from everything except that which God has appointed me to do. It is not a one-time experience but an ongoing process. Am I continually separating myself and looking to God every day of my life?

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

Am I becoming more and more in love with God as a holy God, or with the conception of an amiable Being who says, “Oh well, sin doesn’t matter much”?  Disciples Indeed, 389 L

Bible in a Year: Exodus 14-15; Matthew 17

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Thursday, January 26, 2023

WHAT YOU MISS WHEN YOU MISS JESUS - #9404

It was many centuries ago in a remote village in India. Word began to spread that something was about to happen that no one had seen in their lifetime - the prince was actually coming to visit this forgotten little village. Well, everyone was excited, but no one was more excited than the village beggar. Every day he eked out another day by sitting by the road with his little cup, hoping to get enough money to buy some rice to live one more day. He actually had two cups, one for collecting money and one for a few grains of rice. But now the prince was coming. I mean, the wealthy prince! And when that prince finally arrived, the beggar mustered his most impassioned appeal, "Alms! Alms for the poor!" And the prince stopped. The beggar's heart was pounding furiously.

"Give me your cup of rice." That's all the prince said. The beggar slumped down in disbelief. Here was the wealthiest man in the land, asking for his lousy little cup of rice. The beggar was about to refuse, but instead he reached in. He put three grains of rice in the prince's hand. The prince turned to his servant and said, "Bring me the bag of gold." The beggar could hardly contain himself. He eagerly stretched out his empty collection cup. The prince reached into his bag and placed three grains of gold in the beggar's cup. And then he disappeared, never to return, but leaving the beggar to wonder for the rest of his life what would have happened if I had given him my whole cup of rice?

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "What You Miss When You Miss Jesus."

Jesus, the Prince of Heaven, may be passing your way today with so much to give you. The forgiveness of every sin you've ever committed, a new beginning, the peace that has eluded you your whole lifetime, and an eternity with Him in heaven. He wants to make you spiritually rich.

In fact, it was very expensive for Him to be able to offer you the heaven that you don't deserve instead of the death penalty that your sin does deserve. In our word for today from the Word of God, God describes the unspeakable sacrifice Jesus made to rescue us. 2 Corinthians 8:9 says, "You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ" (grace, by the way, means undeserved love) "that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich."

When God's Son, the Prince of Heaven, is hanging on that blood-stained cross, He is totally impoverishing Himself so you can have God's love, so you can have God's resources, so you can have God's heaven. It's hard for us to see that we're the beggar, but the Bible says we're spiritually bankrupt because our running of our own life has cut us off from our Creator. Only Jesus can bring us back. God says, "While we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly."

Your life is as big as you can make it, and it's nowhere near enough, is it? Jesus has chosen to pass your way today, asking you to turn over to Him the life that He gave you and the life He died for.

You ready to trade what you have for what Jesus has? Would you tell Him that right now? Tell Him you're putting all your trust in Him. And let me encourage you to visit our website. I've laid out briefly there and non religiously the way you can begin your relationship with Jesus and know you did. The website's ANewStory.com.

Please, don't make the eternal mistake of hanging onto your little cup of rice and missing Jesus' bag of gold.

Song of Solomon 8 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: RAHAB - January 25, 2023

“By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient” (Hebrews 11:31 NIV).

The time had come for the Hebrew people to enter the promised land. Jericho, a formidable town, was their first challenge. Canaanites indwelled the city. They had no regard for human life or respect for God. And it was into this city that the two spies of Joshua crept. They met Rahab, the harlot.

Rahab provided cover for the spies of Joshua, and she came to believe in the God of Abraham before she ever met the children of Abraham. She was grafted into the Hebrew culture. She married a contemporary of Joshua’s, bore a son named Boaz, had a great-grandson named Jesse, a great-great-grandson named David, and a descendant named Jesus.

You know, God has a place for the Rahabs of the world.

Song of Solomon 8

 I wish you’d been my twin brother,

    sharing with me the breasts of my mother,

Playing outside in the street,

    kissing in plain view of everyone,

    and no one thinking anything of it.

I’d take you by the hand and bring you home

    where I was raised by my mother.

You’d drink my wine

    and kiss my cheeks.

3-4 Imagine! His left hand cradling my head,

    his right arm around my waist!

Oh, let me warn you, sisters in Jerusalem:

    Don’t excite love, don’t stir it up,

    until the time is ripe—and you’re ready.

The Chorus

5 Who is this I see coming up from the country,

    arm in arm with her lover?

The Man

I found you under the apricot tree,

    and woke you up to love.

Your mother went into labor under that tree,

    and under that very tree she bore you.

The Woman

6-8 Hang my locket around your neck,

    wear my ring on your finger.

Love is invincible facing danger and death.

    Passion laughs at the terrors of hell.

The fire of love stops at nothing—

    it sweeps everything before it.

Flood waters can’t drown love,

    torrents of rain can’t put it out.

Love can’t be bought, love can’t be sold—

    it’s not to be found in the marketplace.

My brothers used to worry about me:

8-9 “Our little sister has no breasts.

    What shall we do with our little sister

    when men come asking for her?

She’s a virgin and vulnerable,

    and we’ll protect her.

If they think she’s a wall, we’ll top it with barbed wire.

    If they think she’s a door, we’ll barricade it.”

10 Dear brothers, I’m a walled-in virgin still,

    but my breasts are full—

And when my lover sees me,

    he knows he’ll soon be satisfied.

The Man

11-12 King Solomon may have vast vineyards

    in lush, fertile country,

Where he hires others to work the ground.

    People pay anything to get in on that bounty.

But my vineyard is all mine,

    and I’m keeping it to myself.

You can have your vast vineyards, Solomon,

    you and your greedy guests!

13 Oh, lady of the gardens,

    my friends are with me listening.

    Let me hear your voice!

The Woman

14 Run to me, dear lover.

    Come like a gazelle.

Leap like a wild stag

    on the spice mountains.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Today's Scripture

Proverbs 22:1–6

The Cure Comes Through Discipline

A sterling reputation is better than striking it rich;

    a gracious spirit is better than money in the bank.

2 The rich and the poor shake hands as equals—

    God made them both!

3 A prudent person sees trouble coming and ducks;

    a simpleton walks in blindly and is clobbered.

4 The payoff for meekness and Fear-of-God

    is plenty and honor and a satisfying life.

5 The perverse travel a dangerous road, potholed and mud-slick;

    if you know what’s good for you, stay clear of it.

6 Point your kids in the right direction—

    when they’re old they won’t be lost.

Insight

The book of Proverbs frequently emphasizes the importance of adults providing wise guidance and discipline for children. In Proverbs 29, parents are warned that “a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother” (v. 15), but if they discipline their children, “they will give you peace; they will bring you the delights you desire” (v. 17).

But these general principles on the wisdom and necessity of adults providing children guidance don’t imply that parents carry all the responsibility for their children’s choices. Other sections of the book nuance the picture. Proverbs is addressed to the young (1:4–7), emphasizing the importance of every person choosing to humbly listen to the voice of wisdom (v. 20; 2:2–5) and to rely on God for the wisdom only found in Him (2:5–6). Ironically, the man who wrote those words, Solomon, would stray from the paths of wisdom as an adult (1 Kings 11:9–11). By: Monica La Rose

Fighting “Flashy” Things

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

In the 1960s-era TV series The Andy Griffith Show, a man tells Andy he should let his son Opie decide how he wants to live. Andy disagrees: “You can’t let a young’un decide for himself. He’ll grab at the first flashy thing with shiny ribbons on it. Then, when he finds out there’s a hook in it, it’s too late. Wrong ideas come packaged with so much glitter that it’s hard to convince them that other things might be better in the long run.” He concludes that it’s important for parents to model right behavior and help “keep temptation away.”

Andy’s words are related to the wisdom found in Proverbs: “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it” (22:6). Although many may read these words as a promise, they're really a guide. All of us are called to make our own decision to believe in Jesus. But we can help lay a biblical foundation through our love for God and Scripture. And we can pray that as the little ones under our care mature, they choose to receive Christ as Savior and walk in His ways and not “in the paths of the wicked” (v. 5). 

Our own victory over “flashy things” through the Holy Spirit’s enabling is also powerful testimony. Jesus’ Spirit helps us to withstand temptation and molds our lives into examples worth imitating. By:  Alyson Kieda

Reflect & Pray

Why is it helpful to remember that Proverbs 22:6 isn’t a promise but a wise principle? Who can you help to “train up”?

Dear Father, help me to instill Your values into the hearts of the children You’ve placed in my life.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Leave Room for God

When it pleased God… —Galatians 1:15

As servants of God, we must learn to make room for Him— to give God “elbow room.” We plan and figure and predict that this or that will happen, but we forget to make room for God to come in as He chooses. Would we be surprised if God came into our meeting or into our preaching in a way we had never expected Him to come? Do not look for God to come in a particular way, but do look for Him. The way to make room for Him is to expect Him to come, but not in a certain way. No matter how well we may know God, the great lesson to learn is that He may break in at any minute. We tend to overlook this element of surprise, yet God never works in any other way. Suddenly—God meets our life “…when it pleased God….”

Keep your life so constantly in touch with God that His surprising power can break through at any point. Live in a constant state of expectancy, and leave room for God to come in as He decides.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

Beware of bartering the Word of God for a more suitable conception of your own.  Disciples Indeed, 386 R

Bible in a Year: Exodus 12-13; Matthew 16

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

FEAR THAT CAN COST A LIFE - #9403

It may have been the most defining moment in a generation - the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Most of us were marked indelibly by just watching it on television. My friend Mark lived it. It was his first visit to New York, and his business took him high up in one of the Twin Towers. After the attacks, there was still great confusion as to whether to evacuate or stay in the building, Mark disregarded the announcement to "return to your office." That decision saved his life.

He made his way down that long stairwell until he neared the bottom. The rescuers were there. They guided him and a lot of others with him to a safe exit, not long before that tower collapsed in those few unforgettable and horrific moments. I'll never forget when Mark told me about the firefighters he saw as he neared the main floor. He said, "Ron, I looked in their eyes and I thought, 'They've got to be as frightened as I am.' Except I was going down, and they were going up." Is it any wonder we call them heroes?

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Fear That Can Cost A Life."

When rescuers go into a deadly situation in order to save lives, are they afraid? Yeah they are. Does their fear decide what they'll do? No it doesn't. When the Bible talks about rescue, it's not just referring to saving a person so they can live maybe 30 or 40 more years here on earth. When God talks rescue, He's talking about saving a person so they can live forever. Some of the spiritually dying people that Jesus came to save actually work where you work, live where you live, go to school where you go to school, participate in the things you participate in. And He's placed a rescuer in their lives so they can have a chance at Jesus, and a chance at heaven. You probably looked at that rescuer this morning in the mirror.

And what is it that keeps most of us who know Christ from actually talking with the people we know about the Jesus they don't know? Isn't it pretty much fear? We're afraid of what they might think, how it might affect our relationship, what we might lose, how we might mess it up. All too often, our fear decides it. We remain silent, and they remain unwarned and lost.

In Exodus 3, beginning with verse 8, our word for today from the Word of God, the Lord is telling Moses He's no longer going to tolerate the slavery and misery of His people. He says, "I have come down to rescue them." I can just hear Moses saying, "Oh great! Great! That's great!" Then the Lord says, "Now, go. I am sending you." I can just hear Moses saying, "Oh no!" He wants the people He cares about to be rescued, but he's afraid to be the one to try it. Just like us, when God says, "I'm sending you to rescue the people around you." God's answer? "I will be with you...Go, and I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." And Moses becomes God's rescuer.

A correspondent who observed the heroism of the GI's who stormed the beaches on D-Day, he said he knew that they were afraid, but they still went in. The correspondent made this incredible observation. He said, "Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the disregard of it."

That's what will finally give the people you know their chance to belong to Jesus - God's courage in you that will not be the absence of fear. Mine has never gone away. It will be the disregard of that fear. It will no longer be the fear that decides what you do. For two reasons: one, you are simply going to be God's glove, with His hand in your life helping you do what you thought you could never do. And two, because there is a greater fear than what might happen if you do try to rescue that person. It's the fear of what might happen to them if you don't. Nothing could be worse than that.

The heroism of saving a life? It isn't reserved for those who aren't afraid, but for those who disregard their fear because a life is at stake! And you can't just let them die.

Song of Solomon 7 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: A COMMON SAVIOR - January 24, 2023

Walls separated Philip from the eunuch. The Ethiopian was dark skinned; Philip was light. The official hailed from Africa; Philip grew up nearby. The traveler was rich enough to travel. Philip was a simple refugee, banished from Jerusalem. Philip was the father of four girls. The official was a eunuch.

But Philip “preached Jesus to him…And the eunuch said,…“What hinders me from being baptized?’” (Acts 8:35-36 NKJV). Philip, charter member of the bigotry-demolition team, invited, “If you believe with all your heart, you may” (v. 37). Next thing you know, the eunuch is stepping out of the baptism waters, and the church has her first non-Jewish convert.

The cross of Christ creates a new people, a people unhindered by skin color or family feud. A new citizenry, based not on common ancestry or geography, but on a common Savior.

Song of Solomon 7

Shapely and graceful your sandaled feet,

    and queenly your movement—

Your limbs are lithe and elegant,

    the work of a master artist.

Your body is a chalice,

    wine-filled.

Your skin is silken and tawny

    like a field of wheat touched by the breeze.

Your breasts are like fawns,

    twins of a gazelle.

Your neck is carved ivory, curved and slender.

    Your eyes are wells of light, deep with mystery.

    Quintessentially feminine!

Your profile turns all heads,

    commanding attention.

The feelings I get when I see the high mountain ranges

    —stirrings of desire, longings for the heights—

Remind me of you,

    and I’m spoiled for anyone else!

Your beauty, within and without, is absolute,

    dear lover, close companion.

You are tall and supple, like the palm tree,

    and your full breasts are like sweet clusters of dates.

I say, “I’m going to climb that palm tree!

    I’m going to caress its fruit!”

Oh yes! Your breasts

    will be clusters of sweet fruit to me,

Your breath clean and cool like fresh mint,

    your tongue and lips like the best wine.

The Woman

9-12 Yes, and yours are, too—my love’s kisses

    flow from his lips to mine.

I am my lover’s.

    I’m all he wants. I’m all the world to him!

Come, dear lover—

    let’s tramp through the countryside.

Let’s sleep at some wayside inn,

    then rise early and listen to bird-song.

Let’s look for wildflowers in bloom,

    blackberry bushes blossoming white,

Fruit trees adorned

    with cascading flowers.

And there I’ll give myself to you,

    my love to your love!

13 Love-apples drench us with fragrance,

    fertility surrounds, suffuses us,

Fruits fresh and preserved

    that I’ve kept and saved just for you, my love.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Today's Scripture

Matthew 13:44–46

d’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic—what a find!—and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field.

45-46 “Or, God’s kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for exquisite pearls. Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it.

Insight

The two brief parables in Matthew 13:44–46 appear amid the telling of seven parables on the kingdom of heaven (vv. 1–52). After Jesus told the first parable (the farmer scattering seed, vv. 3–9), His disciples asked why He always spoke in parables (v. 10). His answer was telling: “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them” (v. 11). He told the disciples, “Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear” (v. 16). Then He explained the parable (vv. 18–23). The disciples desired to know the true meaning of Jesus’ words, and their desire was rewarded. They’d left everything to follow Him. In essence, they were living out the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl (vv. 44–46) because they were receptive to the message of the gospel. They’d found the treasure. By: Tim Gustafson

No Loss

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure. Matthew 13:44

My friend Ruel attended a high school reunion held in a former classmate’s home. The waterfront mansion near Manila Bay could accommodate two hundred attendees, and it made Ruel feel small. 

“I’ve had many happy years of pastoring remote rural churches,” Ruel told me, “and even though I know I shouldn’t, I couldn’t help but feel envious of my classmate’s material wealth. My thoughts strayed to how different life might be if I’d used my degree to become a businessman instead.”

“But I later reminded myself there’s nothing to feel envious about,” Ruel continued with a smile. “I invested my life in serving God, and the results will last for eternity.” I’ll always remember the peaceful look on his face as he said those words.

Ruel drew peace from Jesus’ parables in Matthew 13:44-46. He knew that God’s kingdom is the ultimate treasure. Seeking and living for His kingdom might take various forms. For some, it might mean full-time ministry, while for others, it may be living out the gospel in a secular workplace. Regardless of how God chooses to use us, we can continue to trust and obey His leading, knowing, like the men in Jesus’ parables, the value of the imperishable treasure we’ve been given. Everything in this world has infinitely less worth than all we gain by following God (1 Peter 1:4-5).

Our life, when placed in His hands, can bear eternal fruit. By:  Karen Huang

Reflect & Pray

What have you had to live without for the sake of following God? How does Matthew 13:44–46 encourage you? 

Father, let each day of my life be a celebration of the treasure I’ve found in You.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

God’s Overpowering Purpose

I have appeared to you for this purpose… —Acts 26:16

The vision Paul had on the road to Damascus was not a passing emotional experience, but a vision that had very clear and emphatic directions for him. And Paul stated, “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19). Our Lord said to Paul, in effect, “Your whole life is to be overpowered or subdued by Me; you are to have no end, no aim, and no purpose but Mine.” And the Lord also says to us, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go…” (John 15:16).

When we are born again, if we are spiritual at all, we have visions of what Jesus wants us to be. It is important that I learn not to be “disobedient to the heavenly vision” — not to doubt that it can be attained. It is not enough to give mental assent to the fact that God has redeemed the world, nor even to know that the Holy Spirit can make all that Jesus did a reality in my life. I must have the foundation of a personal relationship with Him. Paul was not given a message or a doctrine to proclaim. He was brought into a vivid, personal, overpowering relationship with Jesus Christ. Acts 26:16 is tremendously compelling “…to make you a minister and a witness….” There would be nothing there without a personal relationship. Paul was devoted to a Person, not to a cause. He was absolutely Jesus Christ’s. He saw nothing else and he lived for nothing else. “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

To those who have had no agony Jesus says, “I have nothing for you; stand on your own feet, square your own shoulders. I have come for the man who knows he has a bigger handful than he can cope with, who knows there are forces he cannot touch; I will do everything for him if he will let Me. Only let a man grant he needs it, and I will do it for him.” The Shadow of an Agony, 1166 R

Bible in a Year: Exodus 9-11; Matthew 15:21-39

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

When You've Got Religion, But No Power - #9402

I have carpenter friends who never leave home without their tools. There are doctors who never leave home without a stethoscope. And I can understand those kinds of things, but what about a friend of one of my friends who is an electrician. Well, he always carries an outlet box with him - you know, the thing in your wall you plug your things into. But that's all this electrician carries - just the outlet box. He says he carries it just in case he's in a situation where there's a power outage and no electricity available. Now, listen, there's probably something I don't understand here but, like is this going to help?

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When You've Got Religion, But No Power."

So what if you plug an appliance into Mr. Electrician's outlet box? Now if it was connected to some power, you're in business. But with just a little outlet box, you're just plugging into powerlessness. Tragically, that's what all too many sincere people are doing spiritually - maybe you.

The Bible describes those of us who are plugging into something spiritual, something religious, maybe something Christian and coming up powerless. It's in our word for today from the Word of God in 2 Timothy 3:5, God describes some of us as "having a form of godliness, but denying its power." They've got the form, but without the power, like the electrician with his disconnected power box.

Now, if you're listening to this program, and to this station, or catching this on the Internet, you're probably a religious person, possibly even a person with some strong Christian beliefs. It's possible you have church, you have Christianity, you certainly have a "form of godliness," but maybe you don't have Christ. And without a genuine personal relationship with Jesus, Christianity, morality, spirituality is just an outlet without power.

So many of us are struggling with a spiritual power failure. With all our spiritual activity, we still haven't found the power to change our dark side; to conquer the baggage of our past. We can't master those weaknesses that have always brought us down. We haven't found the power to control the passions that just keep controlling us, or to get free from the guilt and shame of the past.

And with so much pressure on you, there just doesn't seem to be the power to handle it all. Your spirituality, your religion may give you some spiritual experiences, but that's not the power we really need. We need spiritual power that changes the things about us we've never been able to change, and to beat the things that have always beaten us.

Well, in 2 Corinthians 5:17 in the Bible, God points us to the real thing. He says, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" There it is; that's the transforming power you've been looking for all your life! And you plug into it when you are "in Christ." And that begins when you, in your heart, go to the cross where Jesus died for all the sin that has stained your life for so long, and you stand there where your death penalty is being paid by the Son of God and you say, "Lord, I am Yours."

If you've never really begun this transforming relationship with Jesus Christ and you want to, be sure to express to Him your total trust in Him to be your spiritual rescuer from your sin. And let me encourage you, go to our website. I've laid out there in simple terms and briefly the way to begin a relationship with Jesus so you can be sure that you have. The website - ANewStory.com.

This could be your day to plug into the power that birthed the universe - the power that was able to blow the doors off His grave and walk out of that grave and conquer death on Easter morning. Isn't it time for you to move from the powerlessness of religion to the awesome power of a love relationship with the very Son of God, Jesus Christ?

Song of Solomon 6 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

 

Max Lucado Daily: A WALL FALLS - January 23, 2023

“Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans” (John 4:9 NLT). The two cultures had hated each other for a thousand years. Most Jews would gladly double the length of their trip rather than go through Samaria.

Jesus, however, played by a different set of rules. He loves to break down walls. That’s why he sent Philip to Samaria. And when he did, the city broke out into a revival. Peter and John traveled from Jerusalem to Samaria to confirm it. According to verses 15 to 17 of Acts chapter 8, “…as yet [the Holy Spirit] had fallen upon none of them…Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”

Why delay the gift? Simple. To celebrate the falling of a wall. The gospel, for the first time, was breaching an ancient bias. Let any doubt be gone: God accepts all people.

Song of Solomon 6

The Chorus

So where has this love of yours gone,

    fair one?

Where on earth can he be?

    Can we help you look for him?

The Woman

2-3 Never mind. My lover is already on his way to his garden,

    to browse among the flowers, touching the colors and forms.

I am my lover’s and my lover is mine.

    He caresses the sweet-smelling flowers.

The Man

4-7 Dear, dear friend and lover,

    you’re as beautiful as Tirzah, city of delights,

Lovely as Jerusalem, city of dreams,

    the ravishing visions of my ecstasy.

Your beauty is too much for me—I’m in over my head.

    I’m not used to this! I can’t take it in.

Your hair flows and shimmers

    like a flock of goats in the distance

    streaming down a hillside in the sunshine.

Your smile is generous and full—

    expressive and strong and clean.

Your veiled cheeks

    are soft and radiant.

8-9 There’s no one like her on earth,

    never has been, never will be.

She’s a woman beyond compare.

    My dove is perfection,

Pure and innocent as the day she was born,

    and cradled in joy by her mother.

Everyone who came by to see her

    exclaimed and admired her—

All the fathers and mothers, the neighbors and friends,

    blessed and praised her:

10 “Has anyone ever seen anything like this—

    dawn-fresh, moon-lovely, sun-radiant,

    ravishing as the night sky with its galaxies of stars?”

11-12 One day I went strolling through the orchard,

    looking for signs of spring,

Looking for buds about to burst into flower,

    anticipating readiness, ripeness.

Before I knew it my heart was raptured,

    carried away by lofty thoughts!

13 Dance, dance, dear Shulammite, Angel-Princess!

    Dance, and we’ll feast our eyes on your grace!

Everyone wants to see the Shulammite dance

    her victory dances of love and peace.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Monday, January 23, 2023

Today's Scripture

Luke 15:1–10

The Story of the Lost Sheep

By this time a lot of men and women of questionable reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, “He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.” Their grumbling triggered this story.

4-7 “Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Celebrate with me! I’ve found my lost sheep!’ Count on it—there’s more joy in heaven over one sinner’s rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.

The Story of the Lost Coin

8-10 “Or imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and scour the house, looking in every nook and cranny until she finds it? And when she finds it you can be sure she’ll call her friends and neighbors: ‘Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!’ Count on it—that’s the kind of party God’s angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God.”

Insight

Tax collectors were seen as betraying their people by colluding with the Roman government. Many tax collectors abused their role by taking more money than required for taxes and keeping the surplus for themselves (Luke 3:12–13). Scholars aren’t sure what specifically caused people to be labeled “sinners” (15:1), but these persons too would have been excluded from the religious community.

Luke portrays these social and religious outcasts sympathetically. Tax collectors came to John the Baptist eager to know how to repent (3:12). Jesus called Levi the tax collector to follow Him, and Levi immediately did, then hosted a banquet for Him (5:27–30). A woman the Pharisees described as a sinner (7:39) is praised by Christ for her faith (v. 50). Luke argued that those who know they’re sinners are most likely to hear and follow Jesus (5:31–32; 15:1). By: Monica La Rose

Lost, Found, Joy

Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep. Luke 15:6

“They call me ‘the ringmaster.’ So far this year I’ve found 167 lost rings.”

During a walk on the beach with my wife, Cari, we struck up a conversation with an older man who was using a metal detector to scan an area just below the surf line. “Sometimes rings have names on them,” he explained, “and I love seeing their owners’ faces when I return them. I post online and check to see if anyone contacted lost and found. I’ve found rings missing for years.” When we mentioned that I enjoy metal detecting as well but didn’t do it frequently, his parting words were, “You never know unless you go!”           

We find another kind of “search and rescue” in Luke 15. Jesus was criticized for caring about people who were far from God (vv. 1–2). In reply, He told three stories about things that were lost and then found—a sheep, a coin, and a son. The man who finds the lost sheep “joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me’ ” (vv. 5–6). All the stories are ultimately about finding lost people for Christ, and the joy that comes as they’re found in Him.

Jesus came “to seek and to save the lost” (19:10), and He calls us to follow Him in loving people back to God (see Matthew 28:19). The joy of seeing others turn to Him awaits. We’ll never know unless we go. By:  James Banks

Reflect & Pray

What joy have you seen when people turn to God? How will you point others to Jesus’ love today?

Thank You, Jesus, for finding and loving me! Please send me in Your joy to another who needs You today.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Monday, January 23, 2023

Transformed by Beholding

We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image… —2 Corinthians 3:18

The greatest characteristic a Christian can exhibit is this completely unveiled openness before God, which allows that person’s life to become a mirror for others. When the Spirit fills us, we are transformed, and by beholding God we become mirrors. You can always tell when someone has been beholding the glory of the Lord, because your inner spirit senses that he mirrors the Lord’s own character. Beware of anything that would spot or tarnish that mirror in you. It is almost always something good that will stain it— something good, but not what is best.

The most important rule for us is to concentrate on keeping our lives open to God. Let everything else including work, clothes, and food be set aside. The busyness of things obscures our concentration on God. We must maintain a position of beholding Him, keeping our lives completely spiritual through and through. Let other things come and go as they will; let other people criticize us as they will; but never allow anything to obscure the life that “is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). Never let a hurried lifestyle disturb the relationship of abiding in Him. This is an easy thing to allow, but we must guard against it. The most difficult lesson of the Christian life is learning how to continue “beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord….”

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The measure of the worth of our public activity for God is the private profound communion we have with Him.… We have to pitch our tents where we shall always have quiet times with God, however noisy our times with the world may be. My Utmost for His Highest, January 6, 736 R

Bible in a Year: Exodus 7-8; Matthew 15:1-20

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Monday, January 23, 2023

WHEN YOU'RE TIRED OF CLIMBING - #9401

I was speaking at a Christian conference center in the Midwest; actually, speaking at least three times a day there! Don't feel bad for me. No, feel bad for the people who had to listen to me all those times! After about three days, I decided to grab some break time to do something I had wanted to do since I arrived. I wanted to climb this monster sand dune that's not far from the conference center. It was just sitting there all week saying, "Climb me, Ron! Climb me!" So I grabbed a couple of friends and we started trudging up this huge mountain of sand. At first, we were charging up that dune, all full of energy. But if you've ever climbed a sand dune, you know it gets pretty exhausting pretty fast. After a while, you could hear the huffing and the puffing and you could feel the steps slowing down. My climbing partners were starting to lose their enthusiasm for the rest of the climb - especially when they looked up and saw how far we still had to go. So I encouraged them to stop for a minute and rest, and to look down. We needed to look at how far we had come - not just how far we still had to go.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When You're Tired Of Climbing."

It could be that you're climbing a pretty steep slope right now. It's been a long climb, and as you look ahead, you've still got a long way to go, maybe spiritually, maybe emotionally, maybe in getting through a time of great pain, or a great need. Maybe it's in working through some family problems. And right now you're battling some discouragement, maybe some feelings of giving up, maybe it's just deep weariness. You're discouraged by how much is left to do; the amount of ground you still have to cover. And it might be bringing you to a standstill.

I want to encourage you to hang onto our word for today from the Word of God like a drowning person would hang onto a life preserver. It's Philippians 1:6. "Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." See, what Jesus starts, Jesus finishes. And He's started something in your life, and He's not about to stop before He finishes it.

You can draw from that promise the courage to take the next step, and to keep going when you feel like quitting. That day we actually finished our climb - that great sand dune conquest. And the view from the top was inspiring; not to mention the exhilaration and the satisfaction of knowing we had reached our goal, no matter how hard it was.

What helped us finish may help you finish, too. If you focus on how far you've got to go, you're going to be discouraged. But you need to look back at where you were before you started climbing - way down at the bottom of that mountain, looking at climbing the whole thing. Look at how far you've come! Look at how far Jesus has brought you! The same Lord who brought you from the bottom to this point will take you the rest of the way!

Something else helped on that day we climbed the big dune. We didn't keep looking at how far we had to go - we concentrated on taking the next step. God's promised strength for our days, mercies that are new every morning, a cross you pick up one day at a time. So all you need to do is take that next step. Don't get all weighed down thinking about all the steps ahead, just that next one. The Bible says, "The steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord, and he delights in his way" (Psalm 37:23).

Yes, it's been a long climb, and yes, you have a ways to go yet. But look at the work Jesus has already done; look at how far He's brought you. Just keep taking that next step. Your Lord has promised He'll take you all the way to the top!

Acts 7:1-21, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: The State of Your Heart ·

Luke 6:45 says,  “. . .out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”  That is why the state of the heart is so critical. So what’s the state of your heart?

When your to-do list is too long, do you lose your cool or keep it?  Well, that depends on the state of your heart. When you’re offered gossip marinated in slander, do you turn it down or pass it on? That depends on the state of your heart. Do you see the bag lady as a burden on society or as an opportunity for God?  That too depends on the state of your heart.

No wonder the wise man in Proverbs begs, “Above all else, guard your heart” (Proverbs 4:23). David’s prayer should be ours: “Create in me a pure heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10).

And Jesus’ statement rings true, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).

From The Applause of Heaven

Acts 7:1-21

Stephen, Full of the Holy Spirit

Then the Chief Priest said, “What do you have to say for yourself?”

2-3 Stephen replied, “Friends, fathers, and brothers, the God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was still in Mesopotamia, before the move to Haran, and told him, ‘Leave your country and family and go to the land I’ll show you.’

4-7 “So he left the country of the Chaldees and moved to Haran. After the death of his father, he immigrated to this country where you now live, but God gave him nothing, not so much as a foothold. He did promise to give the country to him and his son later on, even though Abraham had no son at the time. God let him know that his offspring would move to an alien country where they would be enslaved and brutalized for four hundred years. ‘But,’ God said, ‘I will step in and take care of those slaveholders and bring my people out so they can worship me in this place.’

8 “Then he made a covenant with him and signed it in Abraham’s flesh by circumcision. When Abraham had his son Isaac, within eight days he reproduced the sign of circumcision in him. Isaac became father of Jacob, and Jacob father of twelve ‘fathers,’ each faithfully passing on the covenant sign.

9-10 “But then those ‘fathers,’ burning up with jealousy, sent Joseph off to Egypt as a slave. God was right there with him, though—he not only rescued him from all his troubles but brought him to the attention of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. He was so impressed with Joseph that he put him in charge of the whole country, including his own personal affairs.

11-15 “Later a famine descended on that entire region, stretching from Egypt to Canaan, bringing terrific hardship. Our hungry fathers looked high and low for food, but the cupboard was bare. Jacob heard there was food in Egypt and sent our fathers to scout it out. Having confirmed the report, they went back to Egypt a second time to get food. On that visit, Joseph revealed his true identity to his brothers and introduced the Jacob family to Pharaoh. Then Joseph sent for his father, Jacob, and everyone else in the family, seventy-five in all. That’s how the Jacob family got to Egypt.

15-16 “Jacob died, and our fathers after him. They were taken to Shechem and buried in the tomb for which Abraham paid a good price to the sons of Hamor.

17-19 “When the four hundred years were nearly up, the time God promised Abraham for deliverance, the population of our people in Egypt had become very large. And there was now a king over Egypt who had never heard of Joseph. He exploited our race mercilessly. He went so far as forcing us to abandon our newborn infants, exposing them to the elements to die a cruel death.

20-22 “In just such a time Moses was born, a most beautiful baby. He was hidden at home for three months. When he could be hidden no longer, he was put outside—and immediately rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter, who mothered him as her own son. Moses was educated in the best schools in Egypt. He was equally impressive as a thinker and an athlete.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Sunday, January 22, 2023

Today's Scripture

Psalm 18:16–19

But me he caught—reached all the way

    from sky to sea; he pulled me out

Of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos,

    the void in which I was drowning.

They hit me when I was down,

    but God stuck by me.

He stood me up on a wide-open field;

    I stood there saved—surprised to be loved!

Insight

Because of David’s success and popularity (1 Samuel 17; 18:15–16), the jealous King Saul tried to kill him (18:10–11). On the run for his life, David sought refuge in mountains and caves (22:1; 23:26; 24:3). But David was mindful that it was God who delivered, protected, and kept him safe. Out of his experience as a fugitive, he wrote Psalm 18 as a thanksgiving song, as noted in the superscription: “Of David the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.” This song is also found in 2 Samuel 22. David used various metaphors to describe who God was to him: a rock, fortress, deliverer, refuge, shield, horn of salvation, stronghold, and savior (Psalm 18:2–3)—all pictures of protection, security, deliverance, and safety. By: K. T. Sim

Reaching Out

He reached down from on high and took hold of me. Psalm 18:16

In a recent post, blogger Bonnie Gray recounted the moment when overwhelming sadness began to creep into her heart. “Out of the blue,” she stated, “during the happiest chapter in my life, . . . I suddenly started experiencing panic attacks and depression.” Gray tried to find different ways to address her pain, but she soon realized that she wasn’t strong enough to handle it alone. “I hadn’t wanted anyone to question my faith, so I kept quiet and prayed that my depression would go away. But God wants to heal us, not shame us or make us hide from our pain.” Gray found healing in the solace of His presence; He was her anchor amid the waves that threatened to overwhelm her.

When we’re in a low place and filled with despair, God is there and will sustain us too. In Psalm 18, David praised God for delivering him from the low place he was in after nearly being defeated by his enemies. He proclaimed, “[God] reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters” (v. 16). Even in moments when despair seems to consume us like crashing waves in an ocean, God loves us so much that He’ll reach out to us and help us, bringing us into a “spacious place” of peace and security (v. 19). Let’s look to Him as our refuge when we feel overwhelmed by the challenges of life. By:  Kimya Loder

Reflect & Pray

When have you felt overwhelmed by trials? How did God sustain you?

Heavenly Father, there are times when my burdens become too much to carry. Thank You for continuously reaching out to me, sustaining me, and granting me Your peace, strength, and wisdom.

For further study, read When the Going Gets Tough: Finding Hope and Joy in Our Trials.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Sunday, January 22, 2023

Am I Looking To God?

Look to Me, and be saved… —Isaiah 45:22

Do we expect God to come to us with His blessings and save us? He says, “Look to Me, and be saved….” The greatest difficulty spiritually is to concentrate on God, and His blessings are what make it so difficult. Troubles almost always make us look to God, but His blessings tend to divert our attention elsewhere. The basic lesson of the Sermon on the Mount is to narrow all your interests until your mind, heart, and body are focused on Jesus Christ. “Look to Me….”

Many of us have a mental picture of what a Christian should be, and looking at this image in other Christians’ lives becomes a hindrance to our focusing on God. This is not salvation— it is not simple enough. He says, in effect, “Look to Me and you are saved,” not “You will be saved someday.” We will find what we are looking for if we will concentrate on Him. We get distracted from God and irritable with Him while He continues to say to us, “Look to Me, and be saved….” Our difficulties, our trials, and our worries about tomorrow all vanish when we look to God.

Wake yourself up and look to God. Build your hope on Him. No matter how many things seem to be pressing in on you, be determined to push them aside and look to Him. “Look to Me….” Salvation is yours the moment you look.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The great point of Abraham’s faith in God was that he was prepared to do anything for God.

Not Knowing Whither

Bible in a Year: Exodus 4-6; Matthew 14:22-36

Song of Solomon 5, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

 Max Lucado Daily: Blessed are the Merciful

Could someone actually be forgiven a debt of millions and be unable to forgive a debt of hundreds? Could a person be set free and then imprison another? You don't have to be a theologian to answer those questions; just look in the mirror.

Who among us hasn't begged God for mercy on Sunday and then demanded justice on Monday? Is there anyone who doesn't, at one time or another, show contempt for the riches of God's kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?

Look into the face of the One who forgave you.  Who wept when you pleaded for mercy.  Look into the face of the Father who gave you grace when no one else gave you a chance. "Blessed are the merciful," Jesus said (Matthew 5:7). Why? "Because they will be shown mercy."

You see, forgiving others allows us to see how God has forgiven us!

From The Applause of Heaven

Song of Solomon 5

The Woman

I was sound asleep, but in my dreams I was wide awake.

    Oh, listen! It’s the sound of my lover knocking, calling!

The Man

“Let me in, dear companion, dearest friend,

    my dove, consummate lover!

I’m soaked with the dampness of the night,

    drenched with dew, shivering and cold.”

The Woman

3 “But I’m in my nightgown—do you expect me to get dressed?

    I’m bathed and in bed—do you want me to get dirty?”

4-7 But my lover wouldn’t take no for an answer,

    and the longer he knocked, the more excited I became.

I got up to open the door to my lover,

    sweetly ready to receive him,

Desiring and expectant

    as I turned the door handle.

But when I opened the door he was gone.

    My loved one had tired of waiting and left.

And I died inside—oh, I felt so bad!

    I ran out looking for him

But he was nowhere to be found.

    I called into the darkness—but no answer.

The night watchmen found me

    as they patrolled the streets of the city.

They slapped and beat and bruised me,

    ripping off my clothes,

These watchmen,

    who were supposed to be guarding the city.

8 I beg you, sisters in Jerusalem—

    if you find my lover,

Please tell him I want him,

    that I’m heartsick with love for him.

The Chorus

9 What’s so great about your lover, fair lady?

What’s so special about him that you beg for our help?

The Woman

10-16 My dear lover glows with health—

    red-blooded, radiant!

He’s one in a million.

    There’s no one quite like him!

My golden one, pure and untarnished,

    with raven black curls tumbling across his shoulders.

His eyes are like doves, soft and bright,

    but deep-set, brimming with meaning, like wells of water.

His face is rugged, his beard smells like sage,

    His voice, his words, warm and reassuring.

Fine muscles ripple beneath his skin,

    quiet and beautiful.

His torso is the work of a sculptor,

    hard and smooth as ivory.

He stands tall, like a cedar,

    strong and deep-rooted,

A rugged mountain of a man,

    aromatic with wood and stone.

His words are kisses, his kisses words.

    Everything about him delights me, thrills me

        through and through!

That’s my lover, that’s my man,

    dear Jerusalem sisters.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Saturday, January 21, 2023

Today's Scripture

Ephesians 4:1–5, 25–31

To Be Mature

In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.

4-6 You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness.

25 What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.

26-27 Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.

28 Did you use to make ends meet by stealing? Well, no more! Get an honest job so that you can help others who can’t work.

29 Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.

30 Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.

31-32 Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.

Insight

On his third missionary journey, Paul spent three years teaching the believers in Ephesus (Acts 19; 20:31). Some six years later, concerned for their spiritual well-being and maturity, he wrote from a Roman prison (Ephesians 3:1; 4:1; 6:20) reminding them how God had so richly and graciously blessed them (1:3). After extolling the privileges, position, and possessions they had because of Jesus (chs. 1–3), the apostle instructed them to “live a life worthy of [their] calling” (4:1), an exhortation that Paul similarly made to the Philippian (1:27), Colossian (1:10), and Thessalonian believers (1 Thessalonians 2:12; 2 Thessalonians 1:11). The Ephesian believers were to be like Christ in how they treated one another—humble, gentle, patient, forbearing, loving, encouraging, kind, compassionate, and forgiving (Ephesians 4:2, 29–32).

Learn more about the life of Paul. By: K. T. Sim

Coffee Breath

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2

I was sitting in my chair one morning years ago when my youngest came downstairs. She made a beeline for me, jumping up onto my lap. I gave her a fatherly squeeze and a gentle kiss on the head, and she squealed with delight. But then she furrowed her brow, crinkled her nose, and shot an accusatory glance at my coffee mug. “Daddy,” she announced solemnly. “I love you, and I like you, but I don’t like your smell.”

My daughter couldn’t have known it, but she spoke with grace and truth: she didn’t want to hurt my feelings, but she felt compelled to tell me something. And sometimes we need to do that in our relationships.  

In Ephesians 4, Paul zeroes in on how we relate to each other—especially when telling difficult truths. “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” (v. 2). Humility, gentleness, and patience form our relational foundation. Cultivating those character qualities as God guides us will help us “[speak] the truth in love” (v. 15) and seek to communicate “what is helpful for building others up according to their needs” (v. 29).

No one likes being confronted about weaknesses and blind spots. But when something about us “smells,” God can use faithful friends to speak into our lives with grace, truth, humility, and gentleness.

By:  Adam Holz

Reflect & Pray

When has someone gently confronted you? What do you think is most important when you lovingly address a weakness you see in others?

Father, help me to humbly receive correction, and help me to offer it with love, grace, and gentleness.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Saturday, January 21, 2023

Recall What God Remembers

Thus says the Lord: "I remember…the kindness of your youth…" —Jeremiah 2:2

Am I as spontaneously kind to God as I used to be, or am I only expecting God to be kind to me? Does everything in my life fill His heart with gladness, or do I constantly complain because things don’t seem to be going my way? A person who has forgotten what God treasures will not be filled with joy. It is wonderful to remember that Jesus Christ has needs which we can meet— “Give Me a drink” (John 4:7). How much kindness have I shown Him in the past week? Has my life been a good reflection on His reputation?

God is saying to His people, “You are not in love with Me now, but I remember a time when you were.” He says, “I remember…the love of your betrothal…” (Jeremiah 2:2). Am I as filled to overflowing with love for Jesus Christ as I was in the beginning, when I went out of my way to prove my devotion to Him? Does He ever find me pondering the time when I cared only for Him? Is that where I am now, or have I chosen man’s wisdom over true love for Him? Am I so in love with Him that I take no thought for where He might lead me? Or am I watching to see how much respect I get as I measure how much service I should give Him?

As I recall what God remembers about me, I may also begin to realize that He is not what He used to be to me. When this happens, I should allow the shame and humiliation it creates in my life, because it will bring godly sorrow, and “godly sorrow produces repentance…” (2 Corinthians 7:10).

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

Beware of bartering the Word of God for a more suitable conception of your own.  Disciples Indeed, 386 R

Bible in a Year: Exodus 1-3; Matthew 14:1-21

Song of Solomon 4, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: EVIDENCE OF GOD - January 20, 2023

Everything in creation gives evidence of God’s existence. The intricacy of snowflakes, the roar of a thunderstorm, the bubbling of a cool mountain stream. These miracles and a million more give testimony to the existence of a brilliant, wise, and tireless God. The facts lead to a wonderful conclusion. God is…and God is knowable.

“Since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made” (Romans 1:20 NKJV). He promises success to all who search for him. Of course, we will never know him entirely. Our God is knowable, but he is incomprehensible. The mark of a saint is that he or she is growing in the knowledge of God. Our highest pursuit is the pursuit of our Maker. And he will make himself known to all who seek him.

Song of Solomon 4

The Man

You’re so beautiful, my darling,

    so beautiful, and your dove eyes are veiled

By your hair as it flows and shimmers,

    like a flock of goats in the distance

    streaming down a hillside in the sunshine.

Your smile is generous and full—

    expressive and strong and clean.

Your lips are jewel red,

    your mouth elegant and inviting,

    your veiled cheeks soft and radiant.

The smooth, lithe lines of your neck

    command notice—all heads turn in awe and admiration!

Your breasts are like fawns,

    twins of a gazelle, grazing among the first spring flowers.

6-7 The sweet, fragrant curves of your body,

    the soft, spiced contours of your flesh

Invite me, and I come. I stay

    until dawn breathes its light and night slips away.

You’re beautiful from head to toe, my dear love,

    beautiful beyond compare, absolutely flawless.

8-15 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride.

    Leave Lebanon behind, and come.

Leave your high mountain hideaway.

    Abandon your wilderness seclusion,

Where you keep company with lions

    and panthers guard your safety.

You’ve captured my heart, dear friend.

    You looked at me, and I fell in love.

    One look my way and I was hopelessly in love!

How beautiful your love, dear, dear friend—

    far more pleasing than a fine, rare wine,

    your fragrance more exotic than select spices.

The kisses of your lips are honey, my love,

    every syllable you speak a delicacy to savor.

Your clothes smell like the wild outdoors,

    the fresh scent of high mountains.

Dear lover and friend, you’re a secret garden,

    a private and pure fountain.

Body and soul, you are paradise,

    a whole orchard of succulent fruits—

Ripe apricots and peaches,

    oranges and pears;

Nut trees and cinnamon,

    and all scented woods;

Mint and lavender,

    and all herbs aromatic;

A garden fountain, sparkling and splashing,

    fed by spring waters from the Lebanon mountains.

The Woman

16 Wake up, North Wind,

    get moving, South Wind!

Breathe on my garden,

    fill the air with spice fragrance.

Oh, let my lover enter his garden!

    Yes, let him eat the fine, ripe fruits.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Friday, January 20, 2023

Today's Scripture

Song of Songs 8:5–7

The Chorus

5 Who is this I see coming up from the country,

    arm in arm with her lover?

The Man

I found you under the apricot tree,

    and woke you up to love.

Your mother went into labor under that tree,

    and under that very tree she bore you.

The Woman

6-8 Hang my locket around your neck,

    wear my ring on your finger.

Love is invincible facing danger and death.

    Passion laughs at the terrors of hell.

The fire of love stops at nothing—

    it sweeps everything before it.

Flood waters can’t drown love,

    torrents of rain can’t put it out.

Love can’t be bought, love can’t be sold—

    it’s not to be found in the marketplace.

My brothers used to worry about me:

8-9 “Our little sister has no breasts.

    What shall we do with our little sister

    when men come asking for her?

She’s a virgin and vulnerable,

    and we’ll protect her.

If they think she’s a wall, we’ll top it with barbed wire.

    If they think she’s a door, we’ll barricade it.”

Insight

Scholars have long had difficulty interpreting Song of Songs (also called Song of Solomon). Perhaps uncomfortable with its theme of intimate love, many have attempted to turn the book’s storyline into allegory. Most scholars today, however, view the song as a description of physical love between a man and a woman. In today’s reading (8:5–7), the woman initiates the intimacy. Her reference to the “seal over your heart” (v. 6) represents her desire to claim mutual ownership of her beloved. She has exclusive rights to him and all that he has, as he also has those rights with her.

The book can also be viewed as symbolic in representing genuine marital love as a complete commitment to each other. This comprises an apt representation of the church as the bride of Christ (see 2 Corinthians 11:2).

By: Tim Gustafson

Love like Blazing Fire

[Love] burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Song of Songs 8:6

Poet, painter, and printmaker William Blake enjoyed a forty-five-year marriage with his wife, Catherine. From their wedding day until his death in 1827, they worked side by side. Catherine added color to William’s sketches, and their devotion endured years of poverty and other challenges. Even in his final weeks as his health failed, Blake kept at his art, and his final sketch was his wife’s face. Four years later, Catherine died clutching one of her husband’s pencils in her hand.

The Blakes’ vibrant love offers a reflection of the love discovered in the Song of Songs. And while the Song’s description of love certainly has implications for marriage, early believers in Jesus believed it also points to Jesus’ unquenchable love for all His followers. The Song describes a love “as strong as death,” which is a remarkable metaphor since death is as final and unescapable a reality as humans will ever know (8:6). This strong love “burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame” (v. 6). And unlike fires we’re familiar with, these flames can’t be doused, not even by a deluge. “Many waters cannot quench love,” the Song insists (v. 7).

Who among us doesn’t desire true love? The Song reminds us that whenever we encounter genuine love, God is the ultimate source. And in Jesus, each of us can know a profound and undying love—one that burns like a blazing fire. By:  Winn Collier

Reflect & Pray

Where have you encountered strong love? How does Jesus’ love encourage you?

Dear God, please help me to receive Your love and share it with others.

For further study, read How God Loves Us.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Friday, January 20, 2023

Are You Fresh for Everything?

Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." —John 3:3

Sometimes we are fresh and eager to attend a prayer meeting, but do we feel that same freshness for such mundane tasks as polishing shoes?

Being born again by the Spirit is an unmistakable work of God, as mysterious as the wind, and as surprising as God Himself. We don’t know where it begins— it is hidden away in the depths of our soul. Being born again from above is an enduring, perpetual, and eternal beginning. It provides a freshness all the time in thinking, talking, and living— a continual surprise of the life of God. Staleness is an indication that something in our lives is out of step with God. We say to ourselves, “I have to do this thing or it will never get done.” That is the first sign of staleness. Do we feel fresh this very moment or are we stale, frantically searching our minds for something to do? Freshness is not the result of obedience; it comes from the Holy Spirit. Obedience keeps us “in the light as He is in the light…” (1 John 1:7).

Jealously guard your relationship with God. Jesus prayed “that they may be one just as We are one” — with nothing in between (John 17:22). Keep your whole life continually open to Jesus Christ. Don’t pretend to be open with Him. Are you drawing your life from any source other than God Himself? If you are depending on something else as your source of freshness and strength, you will not realize when His power is gone.

Being born of the Spirit means much more than we usually think. It gives us new vision and keeps us absolutely fresh for everything through the never-ending supply of the life of God.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

Crises reveal character. When we are put to the test the hidden resources of our character are revealed exactly.  Disciples Indeed, 393 R

Bible in a Year: Genesis 49-50; Matthew 13:31-58

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Friday, January 20, 2023

HANDING LOVE BACK - #9400

Ah, Laurie. She may have been my first romantic crush. It was 7th grade. I was insecure - that's a synonym for 7th grade - and I didn't know how she felt about me. So one day I went to the store, I spent all the money I had - which wasn't much - on a little rhinestone necklace. (Yeah, pretty romantic, huh?) And then I wrote this mushy little note to Laurie and I put it in an envelope with that necklace. The next day, as I was sitting in study hall, (the only class we had together), I smelled that perfume. I knew Laurie was approaching. I handed her that love-filled envelope, which she took with her to her desk. The next day - study hall, approach of the killer perfume - my heart was beating out of my chest. Then, as Laurie went by, something very familiar appeared on my desk. It was that envelope - with the necklace and the note inside. Ouch! Of course, it didn't really bother me that much ... then why am I talking about it so many years later?

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Handing Love Back."

It really did hurt - spending everything I had on someone I cared about, and having it just handed back to me. Jesus knows that feeling...maybe from you.

God's Son went out one day and spent everything He had on you - not with money at a store, but with His blood on a cross. The Bible puts it this way, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1 John 4:10). In other words, even though you and I did the sinning, Jesus did the dying for it. He paid the death penalty, not for any sins of His own - He didn't have any - but for every time you've lived your way instead of God's way.

No one's ever loved you like Jesus. He paid this awful price because it was the only way for you to ever have your sins forgiven, for you to ever be able to get into God's heaven. So He bought you a relationship with God...He bought you an eternity in heaven. But what He paid for with His life is a GIFT according to the Bible. Which means it's only yours if you take it.

Like that girl Laurie in 7th grade, she chose to reject that gift and hand it back to me. Well, today there's someone listening who's done that to the Son of God, maybe over and over again. You've heard what Jesus did on the cross for you...you've heard that He asks you to commit yourself to Him as your only hope with God...but you have, in effect, just said, "That's nice. No thanks." Or maybe you've just said, "Keep it for now, Jesus. I'll take it later." But no matter how polite you've been, you have rejected His love.

In our word for today from the Word of God in Matthew 23, Jesus says of people He cared very much about, "How often have I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing" (verse 37). Is He talking about you? "How often have I longed for us to be together ... but you were not willing."

There's only one reason Jesus has kept coming back - He loves you. But some time will be the last time, because your heart will get too hard to respond...or because your heart stops and you've had your last chance...or because Jesus is calling one last time. Haven't you handed back His love too many times already? Today, one more time, He holds out His nail-pierced hand to you to give you His love; to give you His eternal life. It's time to take His love.

Just tell Him, right where you are, "Jesus, I'm Yours, beginning right now, right here." You ready to begin your personal relationship with Him? Our website's there for you for a moment like this. Please, please go there - ANewStory.com. You can be sure you belong to Him.

God's Son has loved you enough to spend His life for you. Now don't hand back His love.

Acts 6 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

 

Max Lucado Daily: CHOSEN, DESTINED, AND LOVED - January 19, 2023

“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,… encouraging one another” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

Two cows were grazing in a pasture when a milk truck drove by. On the side of the truck were the words pasteurized, homogenized, standardized, vitamin A added. Noticing this, one cow said to the other, “Makes you kind of feel inadequate, doesn’t it?” Inadequacy indwells a billion hearts.

Who is going to tell people the truth? Will you distribute encouragement to the world? Will you remind humanity that we are made in God’s image? That we are chosen, destined, and loved? That God is for us, not against us? That we are in God’s hand, in God’s plan? Will you go face-to-face with the tidal wave of inadequacy that sucks people out to sea? Will you encourage someone today?

Acts 6

The Word of God Prospered

During this time, as the disciples were increasing in numbers by leaps and bounds, hard feelings developed among the Greek-speaking believers—“Hellenists”—toward the Hebrew-speaking believers because their widows were being discriminated against in the daily food lines. So the Twelve called a meeting of the disciples. They said, “It wouldn’t be right for us to abandon our responsibilities for preaching and teaching the Word of God to help with the care of the poor. So, friends, choose seven men from among you whom everyone trusts, men full of the Holy Spirit and good sense, and we’ll assign them this task. Meanwhile, we’ll stick to our assigned tasks of prayer and speaking God’s Word.”

5-6 The congregation thought this was a great idea. They went ahead and chose—

Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit,

Philip,

Procorus,

Nicanor,

Timon,

Parmenas,

Nicolas, a convert from Antioch.

Then they presented them to the apostles. Praying, the apostles laid on hands and commissioned them for their task.

7 The Word of God prospered. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased dramatically. Not least, a great many priests submitted themselves to the faith.

* * *

8-10 Stephen, brimming with God’s grace and energy, was doing wonderful things among the people, unmistakable signs that God was among them. But then some men from the meeting place whose membership was made up of freed slaves, Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and some others from Cilicia and Asia, went up against him trying to argue him down. But they were no match for his wisdom and spirit when he spoke.

11 So in secret they bribed men to lie: “We heard him cursing Moses and God.”

12-14 That stirred up the people, the religious leaders, and religion scholars. They grabbed Stephen and took him before the High Council. They put forward their bribed witnesses to testify: “This man talks nonstop against this Holy Place and God’s Law. We even heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth would tear this place down and throw out all the customs Moses gave us.”

15 As all those who sat on the High Council looked at Stephen, they found they couldn’t take their eyes off him—his face was like the face of an angel!

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Thursday, January 19, 2023

Today's Scripture

Matthew 5:43–48

“You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

48 “In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”

Insight

The teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) was a corrective to the teaching and practices of popular religion in His day. Thus, He repeatedly said, “You have heard that it was said . . . . But I tell you” (5:21–44). Of note is His command to “be perfect” (v. 48). As with the other commands, Christ calls His followers to a higher standard. However, the perfection that’s in view isn’t moral perfection (sinlessness). The Greek word teleios (from telos,) translated “perfect,” means “completeness” or “maturity,” something arriving at an intended end. Jesus calls His followers to “relational” maturity—an indiscriminate, mature love like the love of the heavenly Father. It’s a love that’s undeterred by pedigree or label, the kind of love modeled by the Samaritan in the parable in Luke 10:25–37. By: Arthur Jackson

But I’m Telling You

But I tell you, love your enemies. Matthew 5:44

“I know what they’re saying. But I’m telling you . . .” As a boy, I heard my mother give that speech a thousand times. The context was always peer pressure. She was trying to teach me not to follow the herd. I’m not a boy any longer, but herd mentality’s still alive and kicking. A current example is this phrase: “Only surround yourself with positive people.” Now while that phrase may be commonly heard, the question we must ask is: “Is that Christlike?”    

“But I’m telling you . . .” Jesus uses that lead-in a number of times in Matthew 5. He knows full well what the world is constantly telling us. But His desire is that we live differently. In this case, He says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (v. 44). Later in the New Testament, the apostle Paul uses that very word to describe guess who? That’s right: us—“while we were God’s enemies” (Romans 5:10). Far from some “do as I say, not as I do,” Jesus backed up His words with actions. He loved us, and gave His life for us.

What if Christ had only made room in His life for “positive people”? Where would that leave us? Thanks be to God that His love is no respecter of persons. For God so loved the world, and in His strength we are called to do likewise.  By:  John Blase

Reflect & Pray

When’s the last time someone extended love to you when you weren’t “positive”? What’s a tangible way today that you can show love to an enemy?

Father, it’s tempting to surround myself with only those who love me. But that’s not living, at least not the kind of living You desire for me. Help me to love even my enemies.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Thursday, January 19, 2023

Vision and Darkness

When the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. —Genesis 15:12

Whenever God gives a vision to a Christian, it is as if He puts him in “the shadow of His hand” (Isaiah 49:2). The saint’s duty is to be still and listen. There is a “darkness” that comes from too much light— that is the time to listen. The story of Abram and Hagar in Genesis 16 is an excellent example of listening to so-called good advice during a time of darkness, rather than waiting for God to send the light. When God gives you a vision and darkness follows, wait. God will bring the vision He has given you to reality in your life if you will wait on His timing. Never try to help God fulfill His word. Abram went through thirteen years of silence, but in those years all of his self-sufficiency was destroyed. He grew past the point of relying on his own common sense. Those years of silence were a time of discipline, not a period of God’s displeasure. There is never any need to pretend that your life is filled with joy and confidence; just wait upon God and be grounded in Him (see Isaiah 50:10-11).

Do I trust at all in the flesh? Or have I learned to go beyond all confidence in myself and other people of God? Do I trust in books and prayers or other joys in my life? Or have I placed my confidence in God Himself, not in His blessings? “I am Almighty God…”— El-Shaddai, the All-Powerful God (Genesis 17:1). The reason we are all being disciplined is that we will know God is real. As soon as God becomes real to us, people pale by comparison, becoming shadows of reality. Nothing that other saints do or say can ever upset the one who is built on God.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

It is not what a man does that is of final importance, but what he is in what he does. The atmosphere produced by a man, much more than his activities, has the lasting influence.  Baffled to Fight Better, 51 L

Bible in a Year: Genesis 46-48; Matthew 13:1-30

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Thursday, January 19, 2023

HOW TO HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED WHEN YOU NEED IT - #9399

When you've passed thousands of cars on the Interstate, you've seen a whole lot of bumper stickers - most of which you've forgotten. But there's one I saw I've never forgotten. It was just five little words - words which weren't even that original. But as I passed that particular car, I glanced inside at the passengers, and suddenly the bumper sticker took on great meaning. A mother was driving and she had her child in the back seat. It was a little boy, who even with a quick glance, I could see had some severe mental handicaps. You know, this lady had a very challenging life, and I knew how she was handling it because the bumper sticker told me. It simply said, "One day at a time."

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How to Have Everything You Need When You Need It."

God has made His plan for meeting your needs very simple and very clear. One five-letter word sums it up. And one Bible story wonderfully illustrates it - 1 Kings 17, beginning with verse 2. It's our word for today from the Word of God. God's prophet, Elijah, has just delivered an unsettling message from God to Israel's King Ahab - that it will not rain for the next few years. Well, that didn't make Elijah a finalist for "Man of the Year" in the king's book.

So the Bible says, "The word of the Lord came to Elijah: 'Leave here...and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there.' So he did what the Lord had told him... The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook." So, here sits Elijah in the wilderness, totally dependent on God for his next meal. Those ravens didn't bring a month's groceries or even a week's groceries. In fact, they didn't even bring enough for the whole day. Okay, breakfast was there. Sure hope they show up again tonight for dinner, or I'll have nothing to eat. But with all normal sources unavailable to God's man, God has this surprising and creative method of meeting his needs. He "orders the ravens" in twice a day.

Now, if you belong to Jesus Christ, Elijah's God is your God; always making sure your needs are supplied, usually, like that bumper sticker said, one day at a time. See, the key word here, that five-letter word I talked about earlier, "daily." What God does for us, He does on a daily basis. And why one day at a time? Well, to keep you close to Him...to keep you faithful, always asking, "Am I doing what I should be doing with what He's already given me?" And to keep you pure - asking, while you're waiting for the ravens, "Is there anything in my life that might be holding back God's blessing?"

God wants you to live His plan for your life in these little 24-hour, bite-size chunks called days. The Bible says, "This is the day the Lord has made" (Psalm 118:24)..."His mercies are new every morning" (Lamentations 3:23)..."Daily He bears our burdens" (Psalm 68:19). You get it? We're to live out our commitment to Christ by taking up our cross "daily" (Luke 9:23), and the Bible says our "strength will equal" our "days."

The strength you need, the provision you need, the grace you need, the answers you need, the help you need, and the encouragement you need - He's going to send you what you need on the day you need it and not a day earlier. So when you get all worried and fearful about what's beyond today, you're running ahead of your supply lines. Because you don't have tomorrow's "bread," tomorrow's strength, or tomorrow's grace until that day comes. So you're trying to carry tomorrow's burden with today's grace, and you're going to stumble.

So, where is what you need going to come from? From your Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord who provides. How will He supply what you need? Oh, He has so many ways, but you can be sure that, as in Elijah's time of need, God has "ordered His ravens" to deliver it. And when will you have it? You can be sure you'll have everything you need on the day you need it. Until then, your assignment is clear - be where God wants you to be, doing what God wants you to do that day. Oh, and you might want to go open that window to let the ravens in.