Ecclesiastes 7 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: EYES FIXED ON THE UNSEEN - February 14, 2023

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, “We do not lose heart…for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.”

Hear what Paul called light and momentary. Not what I’d have called them, and I think you’ll agree: Imprisoned. Beaten. Stoned. Shipwrecked three times. In constant danger. Hungry and thirsty. Light and momentary troubles? How could Paul describe endless trials with that phrase? He tells us. He could see “an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”

And you, you’re tired. Understandably so, rightfully so. You want to go on, but some days the road seems so long. God never said the journey would be easy, but he did say that the arrival would be worth it!

Ecclesiastes 7

Don’t Take Anything for Granted

A good reputation is better than a fat bank account.

Your death date tells more than your birth date.

2 You learn more at a funeral than at a feast—

After all, that’s where we’ll end up. We might discover

    something from it.

3 Crying is better than laughing.

It blotches the face but it scours the heart.

4 Sages invest themselves in hurt and grieving.

Fools waste their lives in fun and games.

5 You’ll get more from the rebuke of a sage

Than from the song and dance of fools.

6 The giggles of fools are like the crackling of twigs

Under the cooking pot. And like smoke.

7 Brutality stupefies even the wise

And destroys the strongest heart.

8 Endings are better than beginnings.

Sticking to it is better than standing out.

9 Don’t be quick to fly off the handle.

Anger boomerangs. You can spot a fool by the lumps on his head.

10 Don’t always be asking, “Where are the good old days?”

Wise folks don’t ask questions like that.

11-12 Wisdom is better when it’s paired with money,

Especially if you get both while you’re still living.

Double protection: wisdom and wealth!

Plus this bonus: Wisdom energizes its owner.

13 Take a good look at God’s work.

Who could simplify and reduce Creation’s curves and angles

To a plain straight line?

14 On a good day, enjoy yourself;

On a bad day, examine your conscience.

God arranges for both kinds of days

So that we won’t take anything for granted.

Stay in Touch with Both Sides

15-17 I’ve seen it all in my brief and pointless life—here a good person cut down in the middle of doing good, there a bad person living a long life of sheer evil. So don’t knock yourself out being good, and don’t go overboard being wise. Believe me, you won’t get anything out of it. But don’t press your luck by being bad, either. And don’t be reckless. Why die needlessly?

18 It’s best to stay in touch with both sides of an issue. A person who fears God deals responsibly with all of reality, not just a piece of it.

19 Wisdom puts more strength in one wise person

Than ten strong men give to a city.

20 There’s not one totally good person on earth,

Not one who is truly pure and sinless.

21-22 Don’t eavesdrop on the conversation of others.

What if the gossip’s about you and you’d rather not hear it?

You’ve done that a few times, haven’t you—said things

Behind someone’s back you wouldn’t say to his face?

How to Interpret the Meaning of Life

23-25 I tested everything in my search for wisdom. I set out to be wise, but it was beyond me, far beyond me, and deep—oh so deep! Does anyone ever find it? I concentrated with all my might, studying and exploring and seeking wisdom—the meaning of life. I also wanted to identify evil and stupidity, foolishness and craziness.

26-29 One discovery: A woman can be a bitter pill to swallow, full of seductive scheming and grasping. The lucky escape her; the undiscerning get caught. At least this is my experience—what I, the Quester, have pieced together as I’ve tried to make sense of life. But the wisdom I’ve looked for I haven’t found. I didn’t find one man or woman in a thousand worth my while. Yet I did spot one ray of light in this murk: God made men and women true and upright; we’re the ones who’ve made a mess of things.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Today's Scripture

Isaiah 62:1–5

Look, Your Savior Comes!

 Regarding Zion, I can’t keep my mouth shut,

    regarding Jerusalem, I can’t hold my tongue,

Until her righteousness blazes down like the sun

    and her salvation flames up like a torch.

Foreign countries will see your righteousness,

    and world leaders your glory.

You’ll get a brand-new name

    straight from the mouth of God.

You’ll be a stunning crown in the palm of God’s hand,

    a jeweled gold cup held high in the hand of your God.

No more will anyone call you Rejected,

    and your country will no more be called Ruined.

You’ll be called Hephzibah (My Delight),

    and your land Beulah (Married),

Because God delights in you

    and your land will be like a wedding celebration.

For as a young man marries his virgin bride,

    so your builder marries you,

And as a bridegroom is happy in his bride,

    so your God is happy with you.

Insight

After prophesying that God would use the Assyrians and the Babylonians to discipline His people for their idolatrous unfaithfulness (Isaiah 1–39), Isaiah comforted the Israelites with the promise that God would restore and bless them once the discipline was complete (chs. 40–66). In chapter 62, God speaks of the vindication and restoration of Jerusalem or Zion. God will personally make a grand spectacle of Jerusalem, so much so that the world “will be blinded by [its] glory” (vv. 2–3 nlt). Instead of being known as an abandoned and forsaken city, Jerusalem will be renowned as “Hephzibah” (v. 4), which the New Living Translation renders as “The City of God’s Delight,” and as “Beulah” (meaning “married”), rendered as “The Bride of God.” God presents Himself as the faithful and loving Builder and Bridegroom who will establish, cherish, and protect His beloved (v. 5). By: K. T. Sim

Rejoicing Love

As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. Isaiah 62:5

Brendan and Katie beamed at each other. Looking at the pure joy on their faces, you would have never guessed the difficult ways so many of their wedding plans had been dramatically altered due to COVID-19 restrictions. Even with only twenty-five family members present, joy and peace radiated from the two as they said their vows because of their love for each other and expressed their gratefulness for God’s love sustaining them.

The image of a bride and groom delighting over each other is the picture the prophet Isaiah painted to describe the type of delight and love God has for His people. In a beautifully poetic description of His promised deliverance, Isaiah reminded his readers that the salvation He offered them reflected the reality of living in a broken world—comfort for the brokenhearted, joy for those who mourn, and provision for the needs of His people (Isaiah 61:1–3). God offered help to His people because, just like a bride and groom celebrate their love for each other, “so will your God rejoice over you” (62:5).

It’s a remarkable truth that God delights in us and wants a relationship with us. Even when we struggle because of the effects of living in a broken world, we have a God who loves us, not begrudgingly, but with a rejoicing, lasting love that “endures forever” (Psalm 136:1). By:  Lisa M. Samra

Reflect & Pray

What images remind you of God’s love? How does His rejoicing love bring you joy?

Loving God, thank You for rejoicing over me in love.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. —Matthew 10:27

Sometimes God puts us through the experience and discipline of darkness to teach us to hear and obey Him. Song birds are taught to sing in the dark, and God puts us into “the shadow of His hand” until we learn to hear Him (Isaiah 49:2). “Whatever I tell you in the dark…” — pay attention when God puts you into darkness, and keep your mouth closed while you are there. Are you in the dark right now in your circumstances, or in your life with God? If so, then remain quiet. If you open your mouth in the dark, you will speak while in the wrong mood— darkness is the time to listen. Don’t talk to other people about it; don’t read books to find out the reason for the darkness; just listen and obey. If you talk to other people, you cannot hear what God is saying. When you are in the dark, listen, and God will give you a very precious message for someone else once you are back in the light.

After every time of darkness, we should experience a mixture of delight and humiliation. If there is only delight, I question whether we have really heard God at all. We should experience delight for having heard God speak, but mostly humiliation for having taken so long to hear Him! Then we will exclaim, “How slow I have been to listen and understand what God has been telling me!” And yet God has been saying it for days and even weeks. But once you hear Him, He gives you the gift of humiliation, which brings a softness of heart— a gift that will always cause you to listen to God now.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

Jesus Christ is always unyielding to my claim to my right to myself. The one essential element in all our Lord’s teaching about discipleship is abandon, no calculation, no trace of self-interest. Disciples Indeed, 395 L

Bible in a Year: Leviticus 15-16; Matthew 27:1-26

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

CHARLIE BROWN VALENTINES - #9417

Poor ol' Charlie Brown; staring into his mailbox on Valentine's Day, hoping to find a Valentine. He never does. And when he yells "hello" into the mailbox, the only answer he gets back is his own echo. "Hello! Hello! Happy Valentine's Day!" Man, that's an oxymoron for Charlie, and for lots of real-life folks.

Like our friend Holly, for example, when she went through her first Valentine's Day a while back without Jack. It all happened so fast. He got the headaches, and then there was the emergency flight to better medical facilities, the hospital vigil and the final goodbyes. And that first morning of waking up and realizing your status has suddenly changed to "widow."

Three times in my life I came painfully close to losing my lifetime love. Thank God, He gave her back to me each of those times. And then there was the day that was her day to go to heaven. The undeniable reality is that in every close relationship some day one of them will be gone and the other one left. So you cherish each day.

No doubt Valentine's Day is special and romantic for lots of people. Just ask the local florist. And at that point, even Mr. "Nomance" at least coughs up some coins for a card or some candy. Maybe even a candlelight dinner at McDonald's, huh?

But for too many, a holiday about love is a taunting reminder that there's no one there to send you a Valentine. Maybe because they're gone, maybe because they left, or maybe because there just isn't anyone at this point.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Charlie Brown Valentines."

Love is wonderful. There's a problem with it. It's "loseable": desertion, divorce, dying. One way or another, every love sooner or later leaves.

Well, not every. In those moments after the love of my life was gone, I had an anchor from someone who had promised me, "I will never leave you or forsake you." Someone who has never broken that promise; someone who backed it up with His life.

Jesus made that promise (Hebrews 13:5). Not just to me, but to everyone who belongs to Him. We watched the video of that memorial service for our friend Jack. And while it was evident he will be greatly missed, hope was all over the place. All over the people he loved, because as they testified, they were being carried by that greater love. I know that feeling.

You can find love and romance and companionship in lots of places. But there's only one place you can find a love you cannot lose. The love you were made for, and that is in the arms of Jesus Christ. Of whom the Bible says in our word for today from the Word of God in Romans 8:39, "Nothing can ever separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

I know He'ill never leave me, because if He was ever going to, it would have been when His love for me meant being nailed to a cross. But He went the distance. Because there was no other way I could ever know God; no way I could ever escape the hellish penalty for hijacking my life from God. And no other way I could be with Him in His heaven forever.

In the greatest act of love in human history, the Bible says, "He carried our sins in His own body on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24). He didn't deserve that cross. I didn't deserve to have God's Son dying in my place. But He did. Then, three days later, He walked out of His grave. And when I invited Him, He walked into my life and will never walk out.

This could be the love you've spent your whole life looking for. This could be the day you experience that love for yourself. Open up to Him and say, "Jesus, I'm Yours." I want to invite you to join me at our website as soon as you can get to it today and find out how you can be sure you belong to Jesus yourself. It's ANewStory.com.

There is an unloseable love, but only one. A love that will never desert you, never divorce you, never die on you. and His name is Jesus.

Acts 9:23-43, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: GOD IS IN CHARGE OF YOUR JOURNEY - February 13, 2023

A day transporting a family from one city to another is closely akin to God transporting us from our home to his. And some of life’s stormiest hours occur when the passenger and the driver disagree on what takes place during the trip. Can you imagine the chaos if a parent indulged every child’s wishes? Can you imagine the chaos if God indulged each of ours?

God’s overarching desire is that you reach that destiny. His itinerary includes stops that encourage your journey. He frowns on stops that deter you. When his sovereign plan and your earthly plan collide, a decision must be made: who’s in charge of this journey? If God must choose between your earthly satisfaction and your heavenly salvation, which do you hope he chooses? Me too.

Acts 9:23-43

After this had gone on quite a long time, some Jews conspired to kill him, but Saul got wind of it. They were watching the city gates around the clock so they could kill him. Then one night the disciples engineered his escape by lowering him over the wall in a basket.

26-27 Back in Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him. They didn’t trust him one bit. Then Barnabas took him under his wing. He introduced him to the apostles and stood up for him, told them how Saul had seen and spoken to the Master on the Damascus Road and how in Damascus itself he had laid his life on the line with his bold preaching in Jesus’ name.

28-30 After that he was accepted as one of them, going in and out of Jerusalem with no questions asked, uninhibited as he preached in the Master’s name. But then he ran afoul of a group called Hellenists—he had been engaged in a running argument with them—who plotted his murder. When his friends learned of the plot, they got him out of town, took him to Caesarea, and then shipped him off to Tarsus.

31 Things calmed down after that and the church had smooth sailing for a while. All over the country—Judea, Samaria, Galilee—the church grew. They were permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God. The Holy Spirit was with them, strengthening them. They prospered wonderfully.

Tabitha

32-35 Peter went off on a mission to visit all the churches. In the course of his travels he arrived in Lydda and met with the believers there. He came across a man—his name was Aeneas—who had been in bed eight years paralyzed. Peter said, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed!” And he did it—jumped right out of bed. Everybody who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him walking around and woke up to the fact that God was alive and active among them.

36-37 Down the road a way in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, “Gazelle” in our language. She was well-known for doing good and helping out. During the time Peter was in the area she became sick and died. Her friends prepared her body for burial and put her in a cool room.

38-40 Some of the disciples had heard that Peter was visiting in nearby Lydda and sent two men to ask if he would be so kind as to come over. Peter got right up and went with them. They took him into the room where Tabitha’s body was laid out. Her old friends, most of them widows, were in the room mourning. They showed Peter pieces of clothing the Gazelle had made while she was with them. Peter put the widows all out of the room. He knelt and prayed. Then he spoke directly to the body: “Tabitha, get up.”

40-41 She opened her eyes. When she saw Peter, she sat up. He took her hand and helped her up. Then he called in the believers and widows, and presented her to them alive.

42-43 When this became known all over Joppa, many put their trust in the Master. Peter stayed on a long time in Joppa as a guest of Simon the Tanner.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Monday, February 13, 2023

Today's Scripture

Psalm 118:5–14

Pushed to the wall, I called to God;

    from the wide open spaces, he answered.

God’s now at my side and I’m not afraid;

    who would dare lay a hand on me?

God’s my strong champion;

    I flick off my enemies like flies.

Far better to take refuge in God

    than trust in people;

Far better to take refuge in God

    than trust in celebrities.

Hemmed in by barbarians,

    in God’s name I rubbed their faces in the dirt;

Hemmed in and with no way out,

    in God’s name I rubbed their faces in the dirt;

Like swarming bees, like wild prairie fire, they hemmed me in;

    in God’s name I rubbed their faces in the dirt.

I was right on the cliff-edge, ready to fall,

    when God grabbed and held me.

God’s my strength, he’s also my song,

    and now he’s my salvation.

Hear the shouts, hear the triumph songs

    in the camp of the saved?

        “The hand of God has turned the tide!

        The hand of God is raised in victory!

        The hand of God has turned the tide!”

Insight

Many scholars believe Psalm 118 was written during the time when the ruined walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt (around 444 bc; see Nehemiah 12:27–43). As such, it would have been sung by the entire congregation as they gathered to dedicate the work. The triple repetition of verses 10, 11, and 12—“in the name of the Lord I cut them down”—lends itself well to a congregational response in worship. Such strong militaristic language would also be encouraging to a people long subjugated by oppressors and now keeping a watchful eye on those who opposed the efforts of rebuilding. Interestingly, the early church fathers, Cyprian and Augustine among them, viewed the entire psalm as a particular encouragement to believers who faced the danger of martyrdom for their faith in Christ. By: Tim Gustafson

When Hard Pressed

The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. Psalm 118:6

Many years ago, a friend told me how intimidated she was while trying to cross a street where several roads intersected. “I’d never seen anything like this; the rules I’d been taught for crossing the street seemed ineffective. I was so frightened that I’d stand on the corner, wait for the bus, and ask the bus driver if he’d please allow me to ride to the other side of the street. It would take a long time before I successfully learned to navigate this intersection both as a pedestrian and later as a driver.”

As complicated as a dangerous traffic intersection can be, navigating life’s complexities can be even more menacing. Although the psalmist’s specific situation in Psalm 118 is uncertain, we know it was difficult and just right for prayer: “When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord” (v. 5), the psalmist exclaimed. And his confidence in God was unmistakable: “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. . . .  The Lord is with me; he is my helper” (vv. 6–7).

It’s not unusual to be fearful when we need to change jobs or schools or housing. Anxieties arise when health declines, relationships change, or dollars disappear. But these challenges needn’t be interpreted as abandonment by God. When hard pressed, may we find ourselves prayerfully pressing into His presence. By:  Arthur Jackson

Reflect & Pray

What difficulty has brought you closer to God? With whom can you share your experience of His gracious help? 

Gracious Father, please help me to trust You when I’m hard pressed.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Monday, February 13, 2023

The Devotion of Hearing

Samuel answered, "Speak, for Your servant hears." —1 Samuel 3:10

Just because I have listened carefully and intently to one thing from God does not mean that I will listen to everything He says. I show God my lack of love and respect for Him by the insensitivity of my heart and mind toward what He says. If I love my friend, I will instinctively understand what he wants. And Jesus said, “You are My friends…” (John 15:14). Have I disobeyed some command of my Lord’s this week? If I had realized that it was a command of Jesus, I would not have deliberately disobeyed it. But most of us show incredible disrespect to God because we don’t even hear Him. He might as well never have spoken to us.

The goal of my spiritual life is such close identification with Jesus Christ that I will always hear God and know that God always hears me (see John 11:41). If I am united with Jesus Christ, I hear God all the time through the devotion of hearing. A flower, a tree, or a servant of God may convey God’s message to me. What hinders me from hearing is my attention to other things. It is not that I don’t want to hear God, but I am not devoted in the right areas of my life. I am devoted to things and even to service and my own convictions. God may say whatever He wants, but I just don’t hear Him. The attitude of a child of God should always be, “Speak, for Your servant hears.” If I have not developed and nurtured this devotion of hearing, I can only hear God’s voice at certain times. At other times I become deaf to Him because my attention is to other things— things which I think I must do. This is not living the life of a child of God. Have you heard God’s voice today?

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

Beware of isolation; beware of the idea that you have to develop a holy life alone. It is impossible to develop a holy life alone; you will develop into an oddity and a peculiarism, into something utterly unlike what God wants you to be. The only way to develop spiritually is to go into the society of God’s own children, and you will soon find how God alters your set. God does not contradict our social instincts; He alters them.  Biblical Psychology, 189 L

Bible in a Year: Leviticus 14; Matthew 26:51-75

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Monday, February 13, 2023

THE ONLY APPLAUSE THAT MATTERS - #9416

I happen to be the only member of our family who will eat mincemeat pie. That's fine with me. Don't feel bad for me. Certain holiday seasons of the year, someone in the family will indulge me with my very own mincemeat pie. And it is my very own! Sharing is really not an issue here. Now, what I do since I don't get it very often is I try to make it last, because I don't get a lot, you know. So, I take these small slices over an extended period of time and it's great! Well, one problem: If I make it last too long, it starts to lose something. It's called freshness. A lot of times by the time I get to the end of that pie, I kind of wish I'd eaten it faster. See, that's the sad thing about a treat like that. It starts spoiling the minute it comes out of the oven really. Maybe I should eat the whole pie at one sitting. Actually, a lot of life's rewards are like that...I mean spoiling.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Only Applause That Matters."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from John 6, and it begins with verse 15 after Jesus feeds the 5,000. It says, "Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make Him king by force..." Wait a minute. You'd think it would say here, "He went to meet them." No, it says, "He withdrew again to a mountain by himself." Verse 26, "When they chased Him across the lake of Galilee and they catch up with Him, Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, you look for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life which the Son of Man will give you. On Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval."

You notice here Jesus talks about food that spoils. He just gave them a lot of food, and now He's talking about food that spoils. One of the issues He seems to be referring to here is human approval. When they wanted to make Him king, they didn't really want Him to rule their lives. He refused to compromise to get human approval. In fact, He withdrew from them. Then He announces here that He can satisfy their souls, not just their stomachs. And He declares what food He's after...food that doesn't spoil - God's personal seal of approval.

In fact, in John 4:34 Jesus said, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work." Jesus knew what we all discover - that the approval of man is very short-lived. Oh, you can get a standing ovation one day, and you can be everybody's target the next. Like my mincemeat pie, people's applause starts to spoil from the moment it comes out of the oven.

The athlete who was cheered last game is jeered this game. Who cares about what you did last game? The newspaper that had your name in it yesterday, is wrapping somebody's garbage today. The position you held for so long was filled very quickly by someone else, and you're a memory in that place where you gave so much. It's food that spoils - human approval...human applause. We're approval junkies...addicted to approval. We make all kinds of sacrifices to get other people to like us, only to have them turn on us, or forget us, or disappoint us.

Jesus said, "Don't work for it." Once you arrive at the point where only God's approval matters, oh man, you are wise; you are free at last. You're wise because you'll make decisions based on what's good for a long time, not what will get you liked today. You're free because you don't have to complicate your life with riding the public opinion roller coaster. It's so satisfying to live for what's right, rather than for what will just get you through.

The only vote that matters ultimately is your Heavenly Father's smile. His goodies last. Psalm 16:11 says, "You will show me the path of life. At your right hand, are pleasures for evermore." The rewards men give you are goodies that spoil. But in the words of 1 John 2:15, "He that does the will of God abides forever."

Ecclesiastes 6, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Hucksters and Faith Peddlers

When religion is used for profit and prestige, people are exploited and God is infuriated! When Jesus entered Jerusalem the first day of Passover week, Matthew 21:12-13 says, "He went into the temple and threw out all the people who were buying and selling there.  He turned over the tables of those who were exchanging different kinds of money, and he upset the benches of those who were selling doves. Jesus said to all the people there, 'It is written in the Scriptures, My temple will be called a house for prayer. But you are changing it into a hideout for robbers!'"

Hucksters. Faith peddlers. People making a franchise out of the faith. This was not a temper tantrum. It was an intentional message from Jesus. Cash in on my people and you've got me to answer to. God will never hold guiltless those who exploit the privilege of worship.

From And the Angels Were Silent

Ecclesiastes 6

Things Are Bad

 I looked long and hard at what goes on around here, and let me tell you, things are bad. And people feel it. There are people, for instance, on whom God showers everything—money, property, reputation—all they ever wanted or dreamed of. And then God doesn’t let them enjoy it. Some stranger comes along and has all the fun. It’s more of what I’m calling smoke. A bad business.

3-5 Say a couple have scores of children and live a long, long life but never enjoy themselves—even though they end up with a big funeral! I’d say that a stillborn baby gets the better deal. It gets its start in a mist and ends up in the dark—unnamed. It sees nothing and knows nothing, but is better off by far than anyone living.

6 Even if someone lived a thousand years—make it two thousand!—but didn’t enjoy anything, what’s the point? Doesn’t everyone end up in the same place?

7 We work to feed our appetites;

Meanwhile our souls go hungry.

8-9 So what advantage has a sage over a fool, or over some poor wretch who barely gets by? Just grab whatever you can while you can; don’t assume something better might turn up by and by. All it amounts to anyway is smoke. And spitting into the wind.

10 Whatever happens, happens. Its destiny is fixed.

You can’t argue with fate.

11-12 The more words that are spoken, the more smoke there is in the air. And who is any better off? And who knows what’s best for us as we live out our meager smoke-and-shadow lives? And who can tell any of us the next chapter of our lives?

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Sunday, February 12, 2023

Today's Scripture

John 20:26–31

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

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

28 Thomas said, “My Master! My God!”

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

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

Insight

Life is a central theme in the book of John. The book begins introducing Jesus as God’s Word and the source of life: “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind” (John 1:4). Life is identified as being found in the Father and Son (5:25–26) and the Spirit (6:63). Jesus describes Himself as the “bread of life” (v. 35), coming to earth so that “they may have life, and have it to the full” (10:10). After the death of Lazarus, Jesus revealed Himself to Martha as “the resurrection and the life” (11:25) before raising Lazarus from the dead (v. 43). Nearing the close of the book, John emphasized once more that the purpose of all that’s recorded in his gospel is “that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (20:31). By: Monica La Rose

Information and Evidence

These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. John 20:31

When Doris Kearns Goodwin decided to write a book about Abraham Lincoln, the fact that some fourteen thousand books had already been written about America’s sixteenth president intimidated her. What could be left to say about this beloved leader? Undeterred, Goodwin’s work resulted in A Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. Her fresh insights on Lincoln’s leadership style became a top-rated and top-reviewed book.

The apostle John faced a different challenge as he wrote his account of the ministry and passion of Jesus. The final verse of John’s gospel says, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25). John had more material than he could possibly use!

So John’s strategy was to focus on only a few selected miracles (signs) that supported Jesus’ “I am” claims throughout his account. Yet behind this strategy was this eternal purpose: “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (v. 31). Out of the mountains of evidence, John provided plenty of reasons to believe in Jesus. Who can you tell about Him today? By:  Bill Crowder

Reflect & Pray

How do you view the biblical evidence for Jesus and His claims? What does it mean for you to believe in Him?

Heavenly Father, please strengthen my faith with solid evidence so that I may truly live for Jesus.

Learn how to better defend your faith.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Sunday, February 12, 2023

Are You Listening to God?

They said to Moses, "You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die." —Exodus 20:19

We don’t consciously and deliberately disobey God— we simply don’t listen to Him. God has given His commands to us, but we pay no attention to them— not because of willful disobedience, but because we do not truly love and respect Him. “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Once we realize we have constantly been showing disrespect to God, we will be filled with shame and humiliation for ignoring Him.

“You speak with us,…but let not God speak with us….” We show how little love we have for God by preferring to listen to His servants rather than to Him. We like to listen to personal testimonies, but we don’t want God Himself to speak to us. Why are we so terrified for God to speak to us? It is because we know that when God speaks we must either do what He asks or tell Him we will not obey. But if it is simply one of God’s servants speaking to us, we feel obedience is optional, not imperative. We respond by saying, “Well, that’s only your own idea, even though I don’t deny that what you said is probably God’s truth.”

Am I constantly humiliating God by ignoring Him, while He lovingly continues to treat me as His child? Once I finally do hear Him, the humiliation I have heaped on Him returns to me. My response then becomes, “Lord, why was I so insensitive and obstinate?” This is always the result once we hear God. But our real delight in finally hearing Him is tempered with the shame we feel for having taken so long to do so.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

Wherever the providence of God may dump us down, in a slum, in a shop, in the desert, we have to labour along the line of His direction. Never allow this thought—“I am of no use where I am,” because you certainly can be of no use where you are not! Wherever He has engineered your circumstances, pray. So Send I You, 1325 L

Bible in a Year: Leviticus 13; Matthew 26:26-50

Ecclesiastes 5, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: He Gave a Donkey

I don't know his name or what he looks like. I only know what he gave. He gave a donkey for Jesus to use on the Sunday he entered Jerusalem. An interesting bit of history is found in Matthew 21:3. It is the story of the man who gave the donkey to Jesus. The scripture says, "If anyone asks you why you are taking the donkeys, say that the Master needs them, and he will send them at once."

Did the man have any idea his generosity would be used for such a noble purpose? Did it occur to him God was going to ride that donkey?

All of us have a donkey. Something that, if given to God, could move Jesus and His story further down the road. Maybe you sing or program a computer or speak Swahili or write a check. Whichever it may be…that's your donkey. Do you give it?

The guy who gave Jesus the donkey is just one in a long line of folks who gave little things to a big God.

From And the Angels Were Silent

Ecclesiastes 5

God’s in Charge, Not You

Watch your step when you enter God’s house.

    Enter to learn. That’s far better than mindlessly offering

        a sacrifice,

    Doing more harm than good.

2 Don’t shoot off your mouth, or speak before you think.

Don’t be too quick to tell God what you think he wants to hear.

God’s in charge, not you—the less you speak, the better.

3 Overwork makes for restless sleep.

Overtalk shows you up as a fool.

4-5 When you tell God you’ll do something, do it—now.

God takes no pleasure in foolish drivel. Vow it, then do it.

Far better not to vow in the first place than to vow and not pay up.

6 Don’t let your mouth make a total sinner of you.

When called to account, you won’t get by with

    “Sorry, I didn’t mean it.”

Why risk provoking God to angry retaliation?

7 But against all illusion and fantasy and empty talk

There’s always this rock foundation: Fear God!

A Salary of Smoke

8-9 Don’t be too upset when you see the poor kicked around, and justice and right violated all over the place. Exploitation filters down from one petty official to another. There’s no end to it, and nothing can be done about it. But the good earth doesn’t cheat anyone—even a bad king is honestly served by a field.

10 The one who loves money is never satisfied with money,

Nor the one who loves wealth with big profits. More smoke.

11 The more loot you get, the more looters show up.

And what fun is that—to be robbed in broad daylight?

12 Hard and honest work earns a good night’s sleep,

Whether supper is beans or steak.

But a rich man’s belly gives him insomnia.

13-17 Here’s a piece of bad luck I’ve seen happen:

A man hoards far more wealth than is good for him

And then loses it all in a bad business deal.

He fathered a child but hasn’t a cent left to give him.

He arrived naked from the womb of his mother;

He’ll leave in the same condition—with nothing.

This is bad luck, for sure—naked he came, naked he went.

So what was the point of working for a salary of smoke?

All for a miserable life spent in the dark?

Make the Most of What God Gives

18-20 After looking at the way things are on this earth, here’s what I’ve decided is the best way to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life. And that’s about it. That’s the human lot. Yes, we should make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what’s given and delighting in the work. It’s God’s gift! God deals out joy in the present, the now. It’s useless to brood over how long we might live.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Saturday, February 11, 2023

Today's Scripture

1 Timothy 1:12–16

 I’m so grateful to Christ Jesus for making me adequate to do this work. He went out on a limb, you know, in trusting me with this ministry. The only credentials I brought to it were violence and witch hunts and arrogance. But I was treated mercifully because I didn’t know what I was doing—didn’t know Who I was doing it against! Grace mixed with faith and love poured over me and into me. And all because of Jesus.

15-19 Here’s a word you can take to heart and depend on: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. I’m proof—Public Sinner Number One—of someone who could never have made it apart from sheer mercy. And now he shows me off—evidence of his endless patience—to those who are right on the edge of trusting him forever.

Deep honor and bright glory

    to the King of All Time—

One God, Immortal, Invisible,

    ever and always. Oh, yes!

I’m passing this work on to you, my son Timothy. The prophetic word that was directed to you prepared us for this. All those prayers are coming together now so you will do this well, fearless in your struggle, keeping a firm grip on your faith and on yourself. After all, this is a fight we’re in.

19-20 There are some, you know, who by relaxing their grip and thinking anything goes have made a thorough mess of their faith. Hymenaeus and Alexander are two of them. I let them wander off to Satan to be taught a lesson or two about not blaspheming.

Insight

Stephen was one of the seven men chosen by the twelve apostles to help them with some of their duties (Acts 6:3–6). Soon he began performing great signs and wonders (v. 8). But false charges were made against him, and he was brought before the Sanhedrin, the supreme judicial council of Judaism at that time. There Stephen gave an impassioned speech, concluding with condemning them for their part in the murder of Jesus (7:52). Furious, the members of the Sanhedrin dragged Stephen away and stoned him to death. That’s where Paul (then called Saul) stepped into the story. “The witnesses laid their coats at the feet of . . . Saul” (v. 58), who approved of the killing (8:1). Saul began to persecute the church, dragging off men and women to prison (v. 3). In Acts 9, he was on his way to Damascus to arrest followers of “the Way” (vv. 1–2) when Jesus suddenly appeared, and Saul was forever changed (vv. 3–19).  By: Alyson Kieda

An Undeserved Gift

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.  1 Timothy 1:15

When my friend gave me a gift recently, I was surprised. I didn’t think I deserved such a nice present from her. She’d sent it after hearing about some work stress I was experiencing. Yet she was going through just as much stress, if not more, than I was, with an aging parent, challenging children, upheaval at work, and strain on her marriage. I couldn’t believe she had thought of me before herself, and her simple gift brought me to tears.

In truth, we’re all recipients of a gift that we could never deserve. Paul put it this way: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst” (1 Timothy 1:15). Although he “was once a blasphemer and persecutor and a violent man, . . . the grace of our Lord was poured out on [him] abundantly” (vv. 13–14). The risen Jesus gave Paul a deep understanding of the free gift of grace. As a result, he learned what it meant to be an undeserving recipient of that gift and he became a powerful instrument of God’s love and told many people about what He had done for him.

It’s only through His grace that we receive love instead of condemnation, and mercy instead of judgment. Today, let’s celebrate the undeserved grace that God has given and be on the lookout for ways to demonstrate that grace to others. By:  Karen Pimpo

Reflect & Pray

How have you lost sight of the miraculous gift of grace? What would it look like to be motivated by grace once again?

Dear God, help me understand more fully what it means to extend Your gift of grace to others.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Saturday, February 11, 2023

Is Your Mind Stayed on God?

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. —Isaiah 26:3

Is your mind stayed on God or is it starved? Starvation of the mind, caused by neglect, is one of the chief sources of exhaustion and weakness in a servant’s life. If you have never used your mind to place yourself before God, begin to do it now. There is no reason to wait for God to come to you. You must turn your thoughts and your eyes away from the face of idols and look to Him and be saved (see Isaiah 45:22).

Your mind is the greatest gift God has given you and it ought to be devoted entirely to Him. You should seek to be “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10:5). This will be one of the greatest assets of your faith when a time of trial comes, because then your faith and the Spirit of God will work together. When you have thoughts and ideas that are worthy of credit to God, learn to compare and associate them with all that happens in nature— the rising and the setting of the sun, the shining of the moon and the stars, and the changing of the seasons. You will begin to see that your thoughts are from God as well, and your mind will no longer be at the mercy of your impulsive thinking, but will always be used in service to God.

“We have sinned with our fathers…[and]…did not remember…” (Psalm 106:6-7). Then prod your memory and wake up immediately. Don’t say to yourself, “But God is not talking to me right now.” He ought to be. Remember whose you are and whom you serve. Encourage yourself to remember, and your affection for God will increase tenfold. Your mind will no longer be starved, but will be quick and enthusiastic, and your hope will be inexpressibly bright.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

We are apt to think that everything that happens to us is to be turned into useful teaching; it is to be turned into something better than teaching, viz. into character. We shall find that the spheres God brings us into are not meant to teach us something but to make us something. The Love of God—The Ministry of the Unnoticed, 664 L

Bible in a Year: Leviticus 11-12; Matthew 26:1-25

Ecclesiastes 4, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: CHOOSING WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT - February 10, 2023

I remember receiving an invitation to speak at a church in the Midwest. I turned it down. If I’d gone, I would have had the attention of a great number of people for an hour. The opportunity to speak about Jesus to some people who didn’t know him.

Is a Tuesday evening at home with three children and a spouse more important than preaching to an audience? I decided to make a list of what I’d lose by saying no to my family one night. I wouldn’t have been there to hold Andrea when her finger got slammed in the door. I wouldn’t have been there to answer Jenna’s question: “Daddy what’s a handicapped person?” I would have missed Jenna telling the story of Jesus on the cross during our family devotional.

There are a hundred speakers who could have addressed that crowd, but my girls have just one daddy! I think I made the right choice.

Ecclesiastes 4

Slow Suicide

 Next I turned my attention to all the outrageous violence that takes place on this planet—the tears of the victims, no one to comfort them; the iron grip of oppressors, no one to rescue the victims from them. So I congratulated the dead who are already dead instead of the living who are still alive. But luckier than the dead or the living is the person who has never even been, who has never seen the bad business that takes place on this earth.

4 Then I observed all the work and ambition motivated by envy. What a waste! Smoke. And spitting into the wind.

5 The fool sits back and takes it easy,

His sloth is slow suicide.

6 One handful of peaceful repose

Is better than two fistfuls of worried work—

More spitting into the wind.

Why Am I Working Like a Dog?

7-8 I turned my head and saw yet another wisp of smoke on its way to nothingness: a solitary person, completely alone—no children, no family, no friends—yet working obsessively late into the night, compulsively greedy for more and more, never bothering to ask, “Why am I working like a dog, never having any fun? And who cares?” More smoke. A bad business.

9-10 It’s better to have a partner than go it alone.

Share the work, share the wealth.

And if one falls down, the other helps,

But if there’s no one to help, tough!

11 Two in a bed warm each other.

Alone, you shiver all night.

12 By yourself you’re unprotected.

With a friend you can face the worst.

Can you round up a third?

A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped.

* * *

13-16 A poor child with some wisdom is better off than an old but foolish king who doesn’t know which end is up. I saw a youth just like this start with nothing and go from rags to riches, and I saw everyone rally to the rule of this young successor to the king. Even so, the excitement died quickly, the throngs of people soon lost interest. Can’t you see it’s only smoke? And spitting into the wind?

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Friday, February 10, 2023

Today's Scripture

Psalm 91:1

You who sit down in the High God’s presence,

    spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow,

Say this: “God, you’re my refuge.

    I trust in you and I’m safe!”

That’s right—he rescues you from hidden traps,

    shields you from deadly hazards.

His huge outstretched arms protect you—

    under them you’re perfectly safe;

    his arms fend off all harm.

Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night,

    not flying arrows in the day,

Not disease that prowls through the darkness,

    not disaster that erupts at high noon.

Even though others succumb all around,

    drop like flies right and left,

    no harm will even graze you.

You’ll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance,

    watch the wicked turn into corpses.

Yes, because God’s your refuge,

    the High God your very own home,

Evil can’t get close to you,

    harm can’t get through the door.

He ordered his angels

    to guard you wherever you go.

If you stumble, they’ll catch you;

    their job is to keep you from falling.

You’ll walk unharmed among lions and snakes,

    and kick young lions and serpents from the path.

Insight

Psalm 91:11–12 is among the many Old Testament psalms quoted in the New Testament. When Jesus was tempted in Jerusalem, the devil said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, . . . throw yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone’ ” (Luke 4:9–11). Psalm 91 is indeed a song about God’s protection, but the verses Satan quoted were misapplied. What the devil did amounted to abuse of Scripture. His quote was meant to tempt Jesus to test God by putting Himself in harm’s way. But rather than foolishly test God, Jesus would trust the One who declared Him to be the “Son, whom I love” (Luke 3:22) all the way to the cross. By: Arthur Jackson

Come Home to God

He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. Psalm 91:2

One early evening while I was jogging near a construction site in our neighborhood, a skinny, dirty kitten meowed at me plaintively and followed me home. Today, Mickey is a healthy, handsome adult cat, enjoying a comfortable life in our household and deeply loved by my family. Whenever I jog on the road where I found him, I often think, Thank You, God. Mickey was spared from living on the streets. He has a home now.

Psalm 91 speaks of those who “[dwell] in the shelter of the Most High” (v. 1), making their home with God. The Hebrew word for dwells here means “to remain, to stay permanently.” As we remain in Him, He helps us live according to His wisdom and to love Him above all (v. 14; John 15:10). God promises us the comfort of being with Him for eternity, as well as the security of His being with us through earthly hardship. Although trouble may come, we can rest in His sovereignty, wisdom, and love, and in His promises to protect and deliver us.

When we make God our refuge, we live “in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). No trouble can touch us except that which His infinite wisdom and love allow. This is the safety of God as our home.

By:  Karen Huang

Reflect & Pray

What does being home in God mean? How would your response to hardship change if you chose to live in the shelter of the Most High?

Heavenly Father, thank You for the home I have in You.

Learn more about what it means to live in union with Christ.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Friday, February 10, 2023

Is Your Ability to See God Blinded?

Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things… —Isaiah 40:26

The people of God in Isaiah’s time had blinded their minds’ ability to see God by looking on the face of idols. But Isaiah made them look up at the heavens; that is, he made them begin to use their power to think and to visualize correctly. If we are children of God, we have a tremendous treasure in nature and will realize that it is holy and sacred. We will see God reaching out to us in every wind that blows, every sunrise and sunset, every cloud in the sky, every flower that blooms, and every leaf that fades, if we will only begin to use our blinded thinking to visualize it.

The real test of spiritual focus is being able to bring your mind and thoughts under control. Is your mind focused on the face of an idol? Is the idol yourself? Is it your work? Is it your idea of what a servant should be, or maybe your experience of salvation and sanctification? If so, then your ability to see God is blinded. You will be powerless when faced with difficulties and will be forced to endure in darkness. If your power to see has been blinded, don’t look back on your own experiences, but look to God. It is God you need. Go beyond yourself and away from the faces of your idols and away from everything else that has been blinding your thinking. Wake up and accept the ridicule that Isaiah gave to his people, and deliberately turn your thoughts and your eyes to God.

One of the reasons for our sense of futility in prayer is that we have lost our power to visualize. We can no longer even imagine putting ourselves deliberately before God. It is actually more important to be broken bread and poured-out wine in the area of intercession than in our personal contact with others. The power of visualization is what God gives a saint so that he can go beyond himself and be firmly placed into relationships he never before experienced.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

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

Bible in a Year: Leviticus 8-10; Matthew 25:31-46

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Friday, February 10, 2023

MORE VALUABLE THAN YOU COULD IMAGINE - #9415

Some years ago I had an opportunity to be at the famous art museum in Paris called "The Louvre." Well, if you haven't had French, you could say The Louvre, but that would be gauche. As I stared at these tremendous masterpieces, I actually became overwhelmed with emotion.

I mean, all of a sudden I came around a corner, and I saw something I hadn't seen all day - special lighting, security guards. It was the most crowded spot I had seen all day. Well, I walked up to a painting there, and I'll bet you could guess what it was - the Mona Lisa. In fact, if you've only heard of one painting, you've probably heard of little Miss Mona Lisa. There she was, kind of leaping out of the canvas in da Vinci's masterpiece, and she was smiling at me. Now, what if I walked up to the Mona Lisa and decided I didn't like the Mona Lisa And I might say, "This painting is dumb!" Well, if I did that, who am I insulting?

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "More Valuable Than You Could Imagine."

Our word for today from the Word of God - great verse - Ephesians 2:10. "We are God's workmanship." You know, when each of our grandchildren has been born I've actually held them in my arms and those are the first words I spoke to them. "You are God's workmanship." So this is about them; it's about you. "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do." This verse is saying that God did something really special, really unique when He designed you. You're wired by God for assignments He's prepared long before you were born. No one's ever been created like you to do what He's put you on earth to do.

He's given you the strong points that you're going to need for what you're here for. You're just the right build for it, you were born in the right place for it, you have the right background for it, and you're blessed with just the right spiritual equipment. Maybe He's given you some great radar for people, or an ability to really listen, or the ability to organize, or communicate, or analyze.

And then there are things that you don't have. Well, guess what? You don't need them. Maybe you know someone who has a gift you wish you had. They need it for their work; apparently you don't need it for yours! You have everything you need. So you can honestly say, "Everything I need, I have. And what I don't have, I don't need. The weaknesses, the struggles of your life - they're God's tools to soften and sensitize you for the very people He's planned for you to touch.

Let's get back to the Mona Lisa. If I say, "I don't like that painting," who am I putting down? The painting? No, Leonardo da Vinci. I'm insulting the painter. Maybe you've been down on yourself, maybe for a long time, maybe for years. You say, "Well, at least I'm humble. I don't like me very much." That's not humility. That's an insult to the One whose workmanship you are! When you criticize you, you're criticizing the One who created you.

Of course, we should be down on the sin that we allow to devalue us, but we should be grateful for the basic person God made us to be. You're God's masterpiece. He only does masterpieces, no matter what you've been called, no matter how you've been treated, no matter how you've failed. He does masterpieces. So, be careful about comparing yourself to someone else or putting yourself down. After all, you don't want to be guilty of insulting your own personal artist.

It may be that one of the reasons, you say, "Well, man, I just don't feel like I'm worth that much." Could it be that there's a wall between you and the One who gave you your worth? The Bible says, "You were created by Him and for Him." It took Jesus dying on the cross and then coming back from His grave to go through all that to take away the sin that has stained the beautiful creation God made you and me to be. He'd love to bring you into His family today and let you begin to feel the love and the worth that He built into you from the day you were born.

I'd love to help you begin that relationship. That's why we have our website. It's ANewStory.com. Would you go check it out? Experience for yourself the love of the One who thinks you are worth so much - He died for you.

Acts 9:1-22, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: TIME IN THE HOURGLASS - February 9, 2023

There’s only so much sand in the hourglass. Who gets it? You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? Each June I put my calendar together for the coming year. Decisions to be made. You may not stockpile your requests until June, but your situation is every bit as real. It’s a tug-of-war, and you’re the rope.

On one side are the requests for your time and energy. They call. They compliment. They’re valid and good. Great opportunities to do good things. If they were evil, it’d be easy to say no. But they aren’t, so it’s easy to rationalize.

On the other side are the loved ones in your world. They don’t ask you to consult your calendar. They don’t use terms like “appointment” and “engagement” or “do lunch.” They don’t want you for what you can do for them; they want you for who you are. Are you making time for them?

Acts 9:1-22

The Blinding of Saul

All this time Saul was breathing down the necks of the Master’s disciples, out for the kill. He went to the Chief Priest and got arrest warrants to take to the meeting places in Damascus so that if he found anyone there belonging to the Way, whether men or women, he could arrest them and bring them to Jerusalem.

3-4 He set off. When he got to the outskirts of Damascus, he was suddenly dazed by a blinding flash of light. As he fell to the ground, he heard a voice: “Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?”

5-6 He said, “Who are you, Master?”

“I am Jesus, the One you’re hunting down. I want you to get up and enter the city. In the city you’ll be told what to do next.”

7-9 His companions stood there dumbstruck—they could hear the sound, but couldn’t see anyone—while Saul, picking himself up off the ground, found himself stone-blind. They had to take him by the hand and lead him into Damascus. He continued blind for three days. He ate nothing, drank nothing.

10 There was a disciple in Damascus by the name of Ananias. The Master spoke to him in a vision: “Ananias.”

“Yes, Master?” he answered.

11-12 “Get up and go over to Straight Avenue. Ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus. His name is Saul. He’s there praying. He has just had a dream in which he saw a man named Ananias enter the house and lay hands on him so he could see again.”

13-14 Ananias protested, “Master, you can’t be serious. Everybody’s talking about this man and the terrible things he’s been doing, his reign of terror against your people in Jerusalem! And now he’s shown up here with papers from the Chief Priest that give him license to do the same to us.”

15-16 But the Master said, “Don’t argue. Go! I have picked him as my personal representative to non-Jews and kings and Jews. And now I’m about to show him what he’s in for—the hard suffering that goes with this job.”

17-19 So Ananias went and found the house, placed his hands on blind Saul, and said, “Brother Saul, the Master sent me, the same Jesus you saw on your way here. He sent me so you could see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” No sooner were the words out of his mouth than something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes—he could see again! He got to his feet, was baptized, and sat down with them to a hearty meal.

Plots Against Saul

19-21 Saul spent a few days getting acquainted with the Damascus disciples, but then went right to work, wasting no time, preaching in the meeting places that this Jesus was the Son of God. They were caught off guard by this and, not at all sure they could trust him, they kept saying, “Isn’t this the man who wreaked havoc in Jerusalem among the believers? And didn’t he come here to do the same thing—arrest us and drag us off to jail in Jerusalem for sentencing by the high priests?”

22 But their suspicions didn’t slow Saul down for even a minute. His momentum was up now and he plowed straight into the opposition, disarming the Damascus Jews and trying to show them that this Jesus was the Messiah.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Thursday, February 09, 2023

Today's Scripture

John 14:1–11

The Road

 “Don’t let this rattle you. You trust God, don’t you? Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father’s home. If that weren’t so, would I have told you that I’m on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I’m on my way to get your room ready, I’ll come back and get you so you can live where I live. And you already know the road I’m taking.”

5 Thomas said, “Master, we have no idea where you’re going. How do you expect us to know the road?”

6-7 Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You’ve even seen him!”

8 Philip said, “Master, show us the Father; then we’ll be content.”

9-10 “You’ve been with me all this time, Philip, and you still don’t understand? To see me is to see the Father. So how can you ask, ‘Where is the Father?’ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you aren’t mere words. I don’t just make them up on my own. The Father who resides in me crafts each word into a divine act.

11-14 “Believe me: I am in my Father and my Father is in me. If you can’t believe that, believe what you see—these works. The person who trusts me will not only do what I’m doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I’ve been doing. You can count on it. From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I’ll do it. That’s how the Father will be seen for who he is in the Son. I mean it. Whatever you request in this way, I’ll do.

Insight

As we think about the nature of the universe, “heaven” is the upper part of the physical world represented by the sky where the sun, moon, and stars are found and where birds fly (Genesis 1:6–8, 14–17, 20). Theologically, heaven is God’s sanctuary, His dwelling place (Psalm 33:13–14; 150:1). Christ promised a “paradise”—a place of blessedness—to a dying thief (Luke 23:43). At His incarnation, Jesus descended from heaven to earth to save us from our sins (John 3:13). Here in John 14, Jesus tenderly speaks of heaven as “my Father’s house” (v. 2). After completing His work as Savior, He returned to heaven, promising to come back again (Acts 1:11). By: K. T. Sim

Seeing Jesus

Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. John 14:9

At four months old, Leo had never seen his parents. He’d been born with a rare condition that left his vision blurred. For him, it was like living in dense fog. But then eye doctors fit him with a special set of glasses.

Leo’s father posted the video of Mom placing the new glasses over his eyes for the first time. We watch as Leo’s eyes slowly focus. A smile spreads wide across his face as he truly sees his mom for the first time. Priceless. In that moment, little Leo could see clearly.

John reports a conversation Jesus had with His disciples. Philip asked Him, “Show us the Father” (John 14:8). Even after all this time together, Jesus’ disciples couldn’t recognize who was right in front of them. He replied, “Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?” (v. 10). Earlier Jesus had said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (v. 6). This is the sixth of Jesus’ seven “I am” statements. He’s telling us to look through these “I am” lenses and see who He truly is—God Himself.

We’re a lot like the disciples. In difficult times, we struggle and develop blurred vision. We fail to focus on what God has done and can do. When little Leo put on the special glasses, he could see his parents clearly. Perhaps we need to put on our God-glasses so we can clearly see who Jesus really is. By:  Kenneth Petersen

Reflect & Pray

What are some ways in which your vision of Jesus may have become cloudy? How can you look to Him again with clear vision?

Jesus, please help me turn my eyes on You. Show me clearly Your path for me.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Thursday, February 09, 2023

Are You Exhausted Spiritually?

The everlasting God…neither faints nor is weary. —Isaiah 40:28

Exhaustion means that our vital energies are completely worn out and spent. Spiritual exhaustion is never the result of sin, but of service. Whether or not you experience exhaustion will depend on where you get your supplies. Jesus said to Peter, “Feed My sheep,” but He gave him nothing with which to feed them (John 21:17). The process of being made broken bread and poured-out wine means that you have to be the nourishment for other people’s souls until they learn to feed on God. They must drain you completely— to the very last drop. But be careful to replenish your supply, or you will quickly be utterly exhausted. Until others learn to draw on the life of the Lord Jesus directly, they will have to draw on His life through you. You must literally be their source of supply, until they learn to take their nourishment from God. We owe it to God to be our best for His lambs and sheep, as well as for Him.

Have you delivered yourself over to exhaustion because of the way you have been serving God? If so, then renew and rekindle your desires and affections. Examine your reasons for service. Is your source based on your own understanding or is it grounded on the redemption of Jesus Christ? Continually look back to the foundation of your love and affection and remember where your Source of power lies. You have no right to complain, “O Lord, I am so exhausted.” He saved and sanctified you to exhaust you. Be exhausted for God, but remember that He is your supply. “All my springs are in you” (Psalm 87:7).

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

When a man’s heart is right with God the mysterious utterances of the Bible are spirit and life to him. Spiritual truth is discernible only to a pure heart, not to a keen intellect. It is not a question of profundity of intellect, but of purity of heart. Bringing Sons Unto Glory, 231 L

Bible in a Year: Leviticus 6-7; Matthew 25:1-30

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Thursday, February 09, 2023

HOW GOD MAKES YOU A MASTERPIECE - #9414

OK, I'm a history buff. So my kids had opportunity to visit many houses and villages that are historic preservations or restorations. They might put that a little differently. "We got dragged to all this history stuff!" Our two sons especially got to dreading that word "tour." In fact, you know what? They made it a much longer word. It went something like this: "Oh, we're not going on another toooooo-urrrrr?" Well, one thing that made the tours a little more interesting, were the craftsmen working their crafts. Like the potter, for example. Even the kids enjoyed stopping to watch him do his work. He'd start with this worthless lump of clay and slowly, painstakingly, he would transform it into something really beautiful and valuable. I could tell that by the prices in the gift shop for that pottery.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How God Makes You a Masterpiece."

I'm glad I've had the opportunities to watch the ways of the potter. Because, according to the Bible, when I watch the potter, I'm watching a picture of the ways of my God. And that potter picture might give you some meaning to what's going on in your life right now.

Here's how the ways of God are described in Isaiah 64:8. It's our word for today from the Word of God. "Yet, O lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand." There it is. Me clay. Lord, you potter.

When God wanted to explain to His people the painful events in their lives, He sent His prophet Jeremiah down to the potter's house for an illustration. Jeremiah said: "I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as it seemed best to him." Then the Lord sent this message: "Like the clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in My hand" (Jeremiah 18:1-6).

Since this potter parallel is God's idea, let's consider how the ways of the potter may shed some light on the ways of God in your life, maybe in the past and maybe even in your current circumstances. We're all that shapeless lump of clay until we put ourselves in the hands of the Master Potter. Only the One who gave you your life can shape your life into what it was created to be.

How does He make you into a masterpiece? First, there's the purifying. The Potter works to wash out and work out impurities that keep you from becoming something beautiful. And then, there's the poking and the squeezing - the pain which makes us want to ask the Potter, "Why?"

His answer: "I'm shaping you into something of great value. Trust Me." And then there's the heat - 2,000 degrees in that kiln oven. If the clay could talk, it would probably scream, "You're killin' me in here!" No, see the heat solidifies and makes permanent the beautifying work that the Potter's been doing. Without the heat, you lose what He's made you. The heat makes it last.

So, whatever you're going through right now is a tool in the hands of the Master Potter. It's not random, it's not just about the situation you can see in front of you. It's the chosen tool of the Potter who, by the way, is also your loving Father. Let Him do His wonderful work. Trust His loving hands even when you can't understand what He's doing. He's using what's happening to make you more beautiful and more valuable than you could ever imagine.

Ecclesiastes 3 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: THE VOICE OF JESUS - February 8, 2023

Jesus says in Revelation 3:20, “Here I am. I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”

The world rams at your door; Jesus taps at your door. The voices scream for your allegiance; Jesus softly and tenderly requests it. Which voice do you hear? There is never a time that Jesus is not speaking. There’s never a room so dark that the ever-present, ever-pursuing, relentlessly tender Father is not there, tapping gently on the doors of our hearts—waiting to be invited in.

Few hear his voice. Fewer still open the door. But never interpret your numbness as his absence. He says, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Never.

Ecclesiastes 3

There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:

2-8 A right time for birth and another for death,

A right time to plant and another to reap,

A right time to kill and another to heal,

A right time to destroy and another to construct,

A right time to cry and another to laugh,

A right time to lament and another to cheer,

A right time to make love and another to abstain,

A right time to embrace and another to part,

A right time to search and another to count your losses,

A right time to hold on and another to let go,

A right time to rip out and another to mend,

A right time to shut up and another to speak up,

A right time to love and another to hate,

A right time to wage war and another to make peace.

9-13 But in the end, does it really make a difference what anyone does? I’ve had a good look at what God has given us to do—busywork, mostly. True, God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time—but he’s left us in the dark, so we can never know what God is up to, whether he’s coming or going. I’ve decided that there’s nothing better to do than go ahead and have a good time and get the most we can out of life. That’s it—eat, drink, and make the most of your job. It’s God’s gift.

14 I’ve also concluded that whatever God does, that’s the way it’s going to be, always. No addition, no subtraction. God’s done it and that’s it. That’s so we’ll quit asking questions and simply worship in holy fear.

15 Whatever was, is.

Whatever will be, is.

That’s how it always is with God.

God’s Testing Us

16-18 I took another good look at what’s going on: The very place of judgment—corrupt! The place of righteousness—corrupt! I said to myself, “God will judge righteous and wicked.” There’s a right time for every thing, every deed—and there’s no getting around it. I said to myself regarding the human race, “God’s testing the lot of us, showing us up as nothing but animals.”

19-22 Humans and animals come to the same end—humans die, animals die. We all breathe the same air. So there’s really no advantage in being human. None. Everything’s smoke. We all end up in the same place—we all came from dust, we all end up as dust. Nobody knows for sure that the human spirit rises to heaven or that the animal spirit sinks into the earth. So I made up my mind that there’s nothing better for us men and women than to have a good time in whatever we do—that’s our lot. Who knows if there’s anything else to life?

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Wednesday, February 08, 2023

Today's Scripture

1 John 1:5–10

Walk in the Light

5 This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light; there’s not a trace of darkness in him.

6-7 If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth—we’re not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin.

8-10 If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—simply come clean about them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.

Insight

The Greek word peripateo is used ten times in the apostle John’s three letters (1 John [5x]; 2 John [3x]; 3 John [2x]). It means “to tread all around”; “to walk”; “to conduct one’s life.” It’s often translated as “walk” or “live”: “If we claim to have fellowship with God and yet walk in the darkness” (1 John 1:6); “If we walk in the light” (v. 7). First John 2:6 succinctly describes what it means to be a believer in Jesus: “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”

Paul also uses this word to describe how the believer in Christ should live: “Walk by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16); “Walk in the way of love” (Ephesians 5:2); “Live as children of light” (v. 8); “Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him” (Colossians 2:6); “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders” (4:5 esv). By: Arthur Jackson

God’s Arms Are Open

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins. 1 John 1:9

I frowned at my cellphone and sighed. Worry wrinkled my brow. A friend and I had had a serious disagreement over an issue with our children, and I knew I needed to call her and apologize. I didn’t want to do it because our viewpoints were still in conflict, yet I knew I hadn’t been kind or humble the last time we discussed the matter.

Anticipating the phone call, I wondered, What if she doesn’t forgive me? What if she doesn’t want to continue our friendship? Just then, lyrics to a song came to mind and took me back to the moment when I confessed my sin in the situation to God. I felt relief because I knew God had forgiven me and released me from guilt.

We can’t control how people will respond to us when we try to work out relational problems. As long as we own up to our part, humbly ask for forgiveness, and make any changes needed, we can let God handle the healing. Even if we have to endure the pain of unresolved “people problems,” peace with Him is always possible. God’s arms are open, and He is waiting to show us the grace and mercy we need. “If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

By:  Jennifer Benson Schuldt

Reflect & Pray

How does forgiveness create peace? What steps will you take in God’s power toward reconciliation with someone this week?

Dear God, remind me of Your unending grace. Help me to be more humble and to commit all my relationships to You.

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

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Wednesday, February 08, 2023

The Cost of Sanctification

May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely… —1 Thessalonians 5:23

When we pray, asking God to sanctify us, are we prepared to measure up to what that really means? We take the word sanctification much too lightly. Are we prepared to pay the cost of sanctification? The cost will be a deep restriction of all our earthly concerns, and an extensive cultivation of all our godly concerns. Sanctification means to be intensely focused on God’s point of view. It means to secure and to keep all the strength of our body, soul, and spirit for God’s purpose alone. Are we really prepared for God to perform in us everything for which He separated us? And after He has done His work, are we then prepared to separate ourselves to God just as Jesus did? “For their sakes I sanctify Myself…” (John 17:19). The reason some of us have not entered into the experience of sanctification is that we have not realized the meaning of sanctification from God’s perspective. Sanctification means being made one with Jesus so that the nature that controlled Him will control us. Are we really prepared for what that will cost? It will cost absolutely everything in us which is not of God.

Are we prepared to be caught up into the full meaning of Paul’s prayer in this verse? Are we prepared to say, “Lord, make me, a sinner saved by grace, as holy as You can”? Jesus prayed that we might be one with Him, just as He is one with the Father (see John 17:21-23). The resounding evidence of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life is the unmistakable family likeness to Jesus Christ, and the freedom from everything which is not like Him. Are we prepared to set ourselves apart for the Holy Spirit’s work in us?

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

There is no allowance whatever in the New Testament for the man who says he is saved by grace but who does not produce the graceful goods. Jesus Christ by His Redemption can make our actual life in keeping with our religious profession.

Studies in the Sermon on the Mount

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Wednesday, February 08, 2023

UNITED WE STAND - #9413

It was a sight many of us never expected to see in our lifetime. Now I wish we could see it again. In the times we live in, we'd love to see something like this, except for what caused it. Here were the members of Congress, Republicans and Democrats standing together, singing "God Bless America" with all their hearts. What a moment!

Of course you know what it took. It took the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, to bring them together like that. I remember seeing similar scenes of the leaders of both parties emerging from White House meetings with the President, speaking in one voice basically; the combined Senate and the House responding in total unity to the President's address to Congress. An unprecedented bipartisanship that left most of us totally amazed. Suddenly, it seemed as if our leaders had discovered an identity that transcended Republican or Democrat. Suddenly, we were all just Americans.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "United We Stand."

The followers of Jesus Christ have something to learn from what happened among America's national leaders those years ago after the terrorist attacks. Indeed, as a nation, as the Church of Jesus Christ, "united we stand." I know you remember the rest of that, right? "Divided we fall."

America's leaders were united by a common enemy who took lives indiscriminately. We have such an enemy - the one the Bible calls the "thief" who "comes to steal, to kill, and destroy," Jesus said in John 10:10 - Satan himself. America's leaders were united by the recognition that suddenly they had a war to win. The followers of Jesus are faced with no less a challenge - to win a war against our enemy and save the lives he's determined to take with him to hell.

The common enemy and the war to win caused people in leadership to suddenly realize they had an identity higher than the partisan labels that usually defined them. They had a transcendent identity called "American." How then can we who know Christ, whose cause has stakes that are eternal; how can we continue to be divided by our denominational and theological and even racial labels? We, of all people, have a transcendent identity - we're Christians! We're followers of Jesus! We've been to the same cross. We've been to the same empty tomb to have our sins forgiven, we worship the same Christ, and we'll be together in the same heaven. How can we allow ourselves to be so divided? Yeahs, we must be uncompromising with God's Word, but we've got to recognize a spiritual brother and sister and stand with them, not against them.

Philippians 1:27, our word for today from the Word of God, challenges us to "conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." What kind of living is that? What kind of living brings credit to the Good News about Jesus? Here we go: "Stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel." Honestly now, does that describe how God's people are working where you live? Even in your own church or your ministry? Standing firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel? If not, why not? Have we allowed our distinctives, our denomination, our pride, our competitiveness, our opinions, our turf to keep us from joining hands to rescue the dying people all around us? That's unworthy of the Gospel!

Let's not waste any more bullets shooting at our own soldiers. Let's remember that turf doesn't matter when people are dying; that what unites us is so much greater than what divides us. The enemy is too powerful, the hour is too late, and the stakes are just too high for us to continue to work in our own separate worlds.

United, the army of Christ is unstoppable. Divided, we're just helping our enemy. United we stand!

Ecclesiastes 2, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: JUST CALL HOME - February 7, 2023

The plane arrived late, folks were mad. I got off the plane with a cramp in my leg, an empty stomach, a bad attitude, and three more hours of travel to go. I skipped lunch and called home. Denalyn answered. She’s always glad when I call. We made no decisions. We solved no problems. We just talked, and I felt better. I can handle being a pilgrim as long as I know that I can call home whenever I want.

Maybe that’s the rationale behind Matthew 14:19. “Taking the five loaves and two fish…Jesus gave thanks.” Jesus was surrounded by people who wanted food and disciples who wanted a break. He needed a minute with someone who would understand. He needed to call home. Maybe you should call home, too. God will be glad when you do, but not half as glad as you will be.

Ecclesiastes 2

 I said to myself, “Let’s go for it—experiment with pleasure, have a good time!” But there was nothing to it, nothing but smoke.

What do I think of the fun-filled life? Insane! Inane!

    My verdict on the pursuit of happiness? Who needs it?

With the help of a bottle of wine

    and all the wisdom I could muster,

I tried my level best

    to penetrate the absurdity of life.

I wanted to get a handle on anything useful we mortals might do

    during the years we spend on this earth.

I Never Said No to Myself

4-8 Oh, I did great things:

    built houses,

    planted vineyards,

    designed gardens and parks

        and planted a variety of fruit trees in them,

    made pools of water

        to irrigate the groves of trees.

I bought slaves, male and female,

        who had children, giving me even more slaves;

    then I acquired large herds and flocks,

        larger than any before me in Jerusalem.

I piled up silver and gold,

        loot from kings and kingdoms.

I gathered a chorus of singers to entertain me with song,

    and—most exquisite of all pleasures—

    voluptuous maidens for my bed.

9-10 Oh, how I prospered! I left all my predecessors in Jerusalem far behind, left them behind in the dust. What’s more, I kept a clear head through it all. Everything I wanted I took—I never said no to myself. I gave in to every impulse, held back nothing. I sucked the marrow of pleasure out of every task—my reward to myself for a hard day’s work!

I Hate Life

11 Then I took a good look at everything I’d done, looked at all the sweat and hard work. But when I looked, I saw nothing but smoke. Smoke and spitting into the wind. There was nothing to any of it. Nothing.

12-14 And then I took a hard look at what’s smart and what’s stupid. What’s left to do after you’ve been king? That’s a hard act to follow. You just do what you can, and that’s it. But I did see that it’s better to be smart than stupid, just as light is better than darkness. Even so, though the smart ones see where they’re going and the stupid ones grope in the dark, they’re all the same in the end. One fate for all—and that’s it.

15-16 When I realized that my fate’s the same as the fool’s, I had to ask myself, “So why bother being wise?” It’s all smoke, nothing but smoke. The smart and the stupid both disappear out of sight. In a day or two they’re both forgotten. Yes, both the smart and the stupid die, and that’s it.

17 I hate life. As far as I can see, what happens on earth is a bad business. It’s smoke—and spitting into the wind.

18-19 And I hated everything I’d accomplished and accumulated on this earth. I can’t take it with me—no, I have to leave it to whoever comes after me. Whether they’re worthy or worthless—and who’s to tell?—they’ll take over the earthly results of my intense thinking and hard work. Smoke.

20-23 That’s when I called it quits, gave up on anything that could be hoped for on this earth. What’s the point of working your fingers to the bone if you hand over what you worked for to someone who never lifted a finger for it? Smoke, that’s what it is. A bad business from start to finish. So what do you get from a life of hard labor? Pain and grief from dawn to dusk. Never a decent night’s rest. Nothing but smoke.

24-26 The best you can do with your life is have a good time and get by the best you can. The way I see it, that’s it—divine fate. Whether we feast or fast, it’s up to God. God may give wisdom and knowledge and joy to his favorites, but sinners are assigned a life of hard labor, and end up turning their wages over to God’s favorites. Nothing but smoke—and spitting into the wind.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Tuesday, February 07, 2023

Today's Scripture

Ezekiel 34:11–16

“‘God, the Master, says: From now on, I myself am the shepherd. I’m going looking for them. As shepherds go after their flocks when they get scattered, I’m going after my sheep. I’ll rescue them from all the places they’ve been scattered to in the storms. I’ll bring them back from foreign peoples, gather them from foreign countries, and bring them back to their home country. I’ll feed them on the mountains of Israel, along the streams, among their own people. I’ll lead them into lush pasture so they can roam the mountain pastures of Israel, graze at leisure, feed in the rich pastures on the mountains of Israel. And I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep. I myself will make sure they get plenty of rest. I’ll go after the lost, I’ll collect the strays, I’ll doctor the injured, I’ll build up the weak ones and oversee the strong ones so they’re not exploited.

Insight

Along with Jeremiah and Daniel, Ezekiel is one of the three “captivity prophets.” Exiled from Judah to Babylon in 597 bc, Ezekiel received his prophetic calling in Babylon (Ezekiel 1:2–3). In Ezekiel 33, God pleads with His people to “Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’ ” (v. 11). Then, in chapter 34, He speaks against “the shepherds of Israel” (v. 2). These negligent shepherds were the kings, prophets, and priests charged with the spiritual well-being of the nation. God accused them of caring for themselves and not the flock (v. 8). The description of “wild animals” in verse 8 refers to the armies who had conquered and plundered the nation. Finally, in verses 11–16, the Good Shepherd is anticipated. Jesus said of Himself, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). By: Tim Gustafson

The Good Shepherd

As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock . . . , so will I look after my sheep. Ezekiel 34:12

When Pastor Warren heard that a man in his church had deserted his wife and family, he asked God to help him meet the man as if by accident so they could chat. And He did! When Warren walked into a restaurant, he spotted the gentleman in a nearby booth. “Got some room for another hungry man?” he asked, and soon they were sharing deeply and praying together.

As a pastor, Warren was acting as a shepherd for those in his church community, even as God through the prophet Ezekiel said He would tend His flock. God promised to look after His scattered sheep, rescuing them and gathering them together (Ezekiel 34:12–13). He would “tend them in a good pasture” and “search for the lost and bring back the strays”; He would “bind up the injured and strengthen the weak” (vv. 14–16). God’s love for His people reverberates through each of these images. Though Ezekiel’s words anticipate God’s future actions, they reflect the eternal heart of the God and Shepherd who would one day reveal Himself in Jesus.

No matter our situation, God reaches out to each of us, seeking to rescue us and sheltering us in a rich pasture. He longs for us to follow the Good Shepherd, He who lays down His life for His sheep (see John 10:14–15). By:  Amy Boucher Pye

Reflect & Pray

How does Jesus, the Good Shepherd, care for you? How could you offer Him any wounds that need tending or weakness you’d like strengthened?

Dear God, You love me even when I go astray and wander. Help me to stay always in Your sheepfold, that I might receive Your love and care.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Tuesday, February 07, 2023

Spiritual Dejection

We were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. —Luke 24:21

Every fact that the disciples stated was right, but the conclusions they drew from those facts were wrong. Anything that has even a hint of dejection spiritually is always wrong. If I am depressed or burdened, I am to blame, not God or anyone else. Dejection stems from one of two sources— I have either satisfied a lust or I have not had it satisfied. In either case, dejection is the result. Lust means “I must have it at once.” Spiritual lust causes me to demand an answer from God, instead of seeking God Himself who gives the answer. What have I been hoping or trusting God would do? Is today “the third day” and He has still not done what I expected? Am I therefore justified in being dejected and in blaming God? Whenever we insist that God should give us an answer to prayer we are off track. The purpose of prayer is that we get ahold of God, not of the answer. It is impossible to be well physically and to be dejected, because dejection is a sign of sickness. This is also true spiritually. Dejection spiritually is wrong, and we are always to blame for it.

We look for visions from heaven and for earth-shaking events to see God’s power. Even the fact that we are dejected is proof that we do this. Yet we never realize that all the time God is at work in our everyday events and in the people around us. If we will only obey, and do the task that He has placed closest to us, we will see Him. One of the most amazing revelations of God comes to us when we learn that it is in the everyday things of life that we realize the magnificent deity of Jesus Christ.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

I have no right to say I believe in God unless I order my life as under His all-seeing Eye. Disciples Indeed, 385 L

Bible in a Year: Leviticus 1-3; Matthew 24:1-28

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Tuesday, February 07, 2023

MEN'S WORK - WOMEN'S WORK - #9412

At our house as the kids were growing up, you didn't have to wait for the Fourth of July to have fireworks. No. All you had to have was one of those days when one of my sons declined an assignment with these wonderful words, "Nah, that's women's work!" Oh, no! No, don't wait for the Fourth of July. No, my wife and daughter were nowhere near excited about that particular philosophy of life. They had a problem with that idea that there are certain jobs that a man is above. Actually, I have a problem with that idea. Actually, I think God has a problem with it.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Men's Work - Women's Work."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from John 13. I'll begin reading at verse 2. We're going to read an episode from the life of the most secure man who ever lived; a man who had nothing to prove - the ultimate man, Jesus Christ. "The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power and that He had come from God and was returning to God; so He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist."

Okay, now wait. Here's the most complete man that ever lived, and He is demonstrating His sense of manhood and identity in a very graphic way, in a surprising way. He knows who He is. He's coming from God; He's going to God. He's got it together, and He demonstrates that as it says in verse 5, "He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him."

Here's the only Son of God. He's not too good to do the lowliest job in the house. Well, the real man is man enough to choose to be a servant; to pitch in on the dirty work; to be as manly doing the laundry as he is lifting some heavy furniture; to be as macho changing a diaper as he is changing spark plugs.

Not too long ago there was an interesting comment from the wife of a friend of mine who had just come back from a great tour of speaking...kind of the conquistador, you know, and they loved him where he was. He came in and he wanted to tell all his war stories of how much they loved him there, and his wife said, "Honey, do you know you always come home like a spoiled king." Ohhh... and you know what? He had to admit, she was right. He said, "I wanted the world to revolve around me."

Well, I'll tell you, there's nothing very manly about coming home like a spoiled king. It's small; it's selfish. Jesus was just coming off Palm Sunday with the cheers of the crowd still ringing in His ears, and yet He went and washed the disciples' feet. How many of us men make our wives feel totally insignificant by implying that what she does all day long is too unimportant for us to touch?

See, the sign of a real man is that he makes a woman feel important. And he does that when he arrives in her world like the Cavalry arriving just in time. He demonstrates his manhood when he serves his wife. Not because he's a wimp, but because he's secure and strong enough to love her in the ways that really mean something to her.

You demonstrate your dignity, not by how many people do things for you, but how many people you do things for. That's manhood! Jesus, the ultimate model of manhood - a muscular carpenter - can be a foot washer. The mighty Son of God can be a servant. That's the kind of real man that a woman loves to love.