Ezekiel 28, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Jesus Came to Serve

God's cure for the common life includes a strong dose of servanthood. It's a timely reminder. As you celebrate your unique design, be careful. Don't so focus on what you love to do that you neglect what needs to be done.

A 3:00 AM diaper change fits in very few sweet spots. Visiting your sick neighbor might not come naturally to you. Still the sick need to be encouraged, and diapers need changing.

The world needs servants. People like Jesus who did not come to be served, but to serve. He chose remote Nazareth over the center-stage in Jerusalem, his dad's carpentry shop over a marble-columned palace, and three decades of anonymity over a life of popularity.

He selected prayer over sleep, the wilderness over the Jordan, feisty apostles over obedient angels. I'd have gone with the angels, given the choice.

Not Jesus.  He picked the people. He came to serve! May we do the same.

from Lucado Inspirational Reader

Ezekiel 28

The Money Has Gone to Your Head

1–5  28 God’s Message came to me, “Son of man, tell the prince of Tyre, ‘This is what God, the Master, says:

“ ‘Your heart is proud,

going around saying, “I’m a god.

I sit on God’s divine throne,

ruling the sea”—

You, a mere mortal,

not even close to being a god,

A mere mortal

trying to be a god.

Look, you think you’re smarter than Daniel.

No enigmas can stump you.

Your sharp intelligence

made you world-wealthy.

You piled up gold and silver

in your banks.

You used your head well,

worked good deals, made a lot of money.

But the money has gone to your head,

swelled your head—what a big head!

6–11  “ ‘Therefore, God, the Master, says:

“ ‘Because you’re acting like a god,

pretending to be a god,

I’m giving fair warning: I’m bringing strangers down on you,

the most vicious of all nations.

They’ll pull their swords and make hash

of your reputation for knowing it all.

They’ll puncture the balloon

of your god-pretensions.

They’ll bring you down from your self-made pedestal

and bury you in the deep blue sea.

Will you protest to your assassins,

“You can’t do that! I’m a god”?

To them you’re a mere mortal.

They’re killing a man, not a god.

You’ll die like a stray dog,

killed by strangers—

Because I said so.

Decree of God, the Master.’ ”

11–19  God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, raise a funeral song over the king of Tyre. Tell him, A Message from God, the Master:

“You had everything going for you.

You were in Eden, God’s garden.

You were dressed in splendor,

your robe studded with jewels:

Carnelian, peridot, and moonstone,

beryl, onyx, and jasper,

Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald,

all in settings of engraved gold.

A robe was prepared for you

the same day you were created.

You were the anointed cherub.

I placed you on the mountain of God.

You strolled in magnificence

among the stones of fire.

From the day of your creation

you were sheer perfection …

and then imperfection—evil!—was detected in you.

In much buying and selling

you turned violent, you sinned!

I threw you, disgraced, off the mountain of God.

I threw you out—you, the anointed angel-cherub.

No more strolling among the gems of fire for you!

Your beauty went to your head.

You corrupted wisdom

by using it to get worldly fame.

I threw you to the ground,

sent you sprawling before an audience of kings

and let them gloat over your demise.

By sin after sin after sin,

by your corrupt ways of doing business,

you defiled your holy places of worship.

So I set a fire around and within you.

It burned you up. I reduced you to ashes.

All anyone sees now

when they look for you is ashes,

a pitiful mound of ashes.

All who once knew you

now throw up their hands:

‘This can’t have happened!

This has happened!’ ”

20–23  God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, confront Sidon. Preach against it. Say, ‘Message from God, the Master:

“ ‘Look! I’m against you, Sidon.

I intend to be known for who I truly am among you.’

They’ll know that I am God

when I set things right

and reveal my holy presence.

I’ll order an epidemic of disease there,

along with murder and mayhem in the streets.

People will drop dead right and left,

as war presses in from every side.

Then they’ll realize that I mean business,

that I am God.

24  “No longer will Israel have to put up with

their thistle-and-thorn neighbors

Who have treated them so contemptuously.

And they also will realize that I am God.”

25–26  God, the Master, says, “When I gather Israel from the peoples among whom they’ve been scattered and put my holiness on display among them with all the nations looking on, then they’ll live in their own land that I gave to my servant Jacob. They’ll live there in safety. They’ll build houses. They’ll plant vineyards, living in safety. Meanwhile, I’ll bring judgment on all the neighbors who have treated them with such contempt. And they’ll realize that I am God.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Sunday, September 08, 2024

Today's Scripture

Psalm 87

A Korah Psalm

1–3  87 He founded Zion on the Holy Mountain—

and oh, how God loves his home!

Loves it far better than all

the homes of Jacob put together!

God’s hometown—oh!

everyone there is talking about you!

4  I name them off, those among whom I’m famous:

Egypt and Babylon,

also Philistia,

even Tyre, along with Cush.

Word’s getting around; they point them out:

“This one was born again here!”

5  The word’s getting out on Zion:

“Men and women, right and left,

get born again in her!”

6  God registers their names in his book:

“This one, this one, and this one—

born again, right here.”

7  Singers and dancers give credit to Zion:

“All my springs are in you!”

Insight

The word Zion is mentioned more than 150 times in the Bible. It’s used literally to refer to Jerusalem (city of David/city of God) and spiritually to refer to God’s heavenly kingdom (see Hebrews 12:22). It occurs mostly in Old Testament prophetic literature (about fifty times in Isaiah) and the Psalms (about forty times). The first reference is, in a way, a blueprint for future usage: “David captured the fortress of Zion—which is the City of David” (2 Samuel 5:7). The ancient fortress, previously held by Jebusites/Canaanites, was taken by David and his soldiers. Zion was a significant place occupied by a significant person (God’s anointed) who would rule over a significant people (God’s chosen people). Psalm 132:13-14 beautifully captures the importance of Zion: “The Lord has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling, saying, ‘This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it.’ ” By: Arthur Jackson

United at Last

All my fountains are in you. Psalm 87:7

In 1960, Otto Preminger provoked controversy with his movie Exodus. Based on Leon Uris’ novel, it provides a fictional account of Jewish refugees emigrating to Palestine after World War II. The film concludes with the bodies of a young European-Jewish girl and an Arab man, both murder victims, buried in the same grave in what would soon be the nation of Israel.

Preminger leaves the conclusion to us. Is this a metaphor for despair, a dream forever buried? Or is it a symbol of hope, as two peoples with a history of hatred and hostilities come together—in death and in life?

Perhaps the sons of Korah, credited with writing Psalm 87, would take the latter view of this scene. They anticipated a peace we still await. Of Jerusalem, they wrote, “Glorious things are said of you, city of God” (v. 3). They sang of a day when nations—all with a history of warring against the Jewish people—will come together to acknowledge the one true God: Rahab (Egypt), Babylon, the Philistines, Tyre, Cush (v. 4). All will be drawn to Jerusalem, and to God.

The conclusion of the psalm is celebratory. People in Jerusalem will sing, “All my fountains [springs] are in you” (v. 7). Who are they singing of? The One who is the Living Water, the Source of all life (John 4:14). Jesus is the only one who can bring lasting peace and unity.   By:  Tim Gustafson

Reflect & Pray

What conflicts, both global and personal, cause you distress? How will you trust God to bring about His peace?

I pray, Father, for the peace and unity of all people as they’re drawn to Your Son.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Sunday, September 08, 2024

Determinedly Demolish Some Things

Demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. —  2 Corinthians 10:5

Deliverance from sin isn’t deliverance from human nature. There are certain things in human nature, such as prejudice, which the Christian has to destroy by neglect; we have to flat-out refuse to give these things air. Other things we have to hand over to God, then stand still and witness the power of his salvation.

But there are also things which have to be destroyed by violence—by drawing on the divine strength imparted to us by God’s Spirit. Any theory or idea that raises itself up against the knowledge of God has to be determinedly demolished, not through fleshly effort or compromise but by drawing on his power. “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4).

Only when God has altered our disposition and we have entered into the experience of sanctification can this fight begin. Our fight isn’t against sin. We can never fight against sin; sin is Jesus Christ’s domain, and he deals with it through redemption. The war we must fight is the war of turning our natural life into a spiritual life. This is never easily done, nor does God intend it to be easily done. It’s done only through a series of moral choices. God doesn’t make us holy in the sense of instantly giving us a good character. He makes us holy in the sense of imparting innocence. It’s up to us to turn that innocence into holy character by a series of moral choices.

These choices are continually in conflict with the entrenched habits of our natural lives—the pretensions and arguments that raise themselves up against the knowledge of God. We can refuse to make the moral choice, knowing that if we do, we’ll be of no account in his kingdom. Or we can determinedly demolish every pretension, and let Jesus bring us to glory.

Proverbs 3-5; 2 Corinthians 1

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

We are only what we are in the dark; all the rest is reputation. What God looks at is what we are in the dark—the imaginations of our minds; the thoughts of our heart; the habits of our bodies; these are the things that mark us in God’s sight. 

The Love of God—The Ministry of the Unnoticed, 669 L

Ezekiel 27, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Every Life is Long Enough

We speak of a short life, but compared to eternity, who has a long one?  A person's days on earth may seem like a thimbleful. But compared to the Pacific of eternity, even the years of Methuselah filled no more than a glass.  James was not speaking just to the young when he said, "Your life is like a mist. You can see it for a short time, but then it goes away." (James 4:4 NCV).

In God's plan every life is long enough and every death is timely. And though you and I might wish for a longer life, God knows better.

And this is important.  Though you and I may wish a longer life for our loved ones who have gone on before us, they don't.  Ironically, the first to accept God's decision of death is the one who dies.

While we're mourning at a grave, they're marveling at heaven. While we're questioning God, they're praising Him!

 from Lucado Inspirational Reader

Ezekiel 27

Tyre, Gateway to the Sea

1–9  27 God’s Message came to me: “You, son of man, raise a funeral song over Tyre. Tell Tyre, gateway to the sea, merchant to the world, trader among the far-off islands, ‘This is what God, the Master, says:

“ ‘You boast, Tyre:

“I’m the perfect ship—stately, handsome.”

You ruled the high seas from

a real beauty, crafted to perfection.

Your planking came from

Mount Hermon junipers.

A Lebanon cedar

supplied your mast.

They made your oars

from sturdy Bashan oaks.

Cypress from Cyprus inlaid with ivory

was used for the decks.

Your sail and flag were of colorful

embroidered linen from Egypt.

Your purple deck awnings

also came from Cyprus.

Men of Sidon and Arvad pulled the oars.

Your seasoned seamen, O Tyre, were the crew.

Ship’s carpenters

were old salts from Byblos.

All the ships of the sea and their sailors

clustered around you to barter for your goods.

10–11  “ ‘Your army was composed of soldiers

from Paras, Lud, and Put,

Elite troops in uniformed splendor.

They put you on the map!

Your city police were imported from

Arvad, Helech, and Gammad.

They hung their shields from the city walls,

a final, perfect touch to your beauty.

12  “ ‘Tarshish carried on business with you because of your great wealth. They worked for you, trading in silver, iron, tin, and lead for your products.

13  “ ‘Greece, Tubal, and Meshech did business with you, trading slaves and bronze for your products.

14  “ ‘Beth-togarmah traded work horses, war horses, and mules for your products.

15  “ ‘The people of Rhodes did business with you. Many far-off islands traded with you in ivory and ebony.

16  “ ‘Edom did business with you because of all your goods. They traded for your products with agate, purple textiles, embroidered cloth, fine linen, coral, and rubies.

17  “ ‘Judah and Israel did business with you. They traded for your products with premium wheat, millet, honey, oil, and balm.

18  “ ‘Damascus, attracted by your vast array of products and well-stocked warehouses, carried on business with you, trading in wine from Helbon and wool from Zahar.

19  “ ‘Danites and Greeks from Uzal traded with you, using wrought iron, cinnamon, and spices.

20  “ ‘Dedan traded with you for saddle blankets.

21  “ ‘Arabia and all the Bedouin sheiks of Kedar traded lambs, rams, and goats with you.

22  “ ‘Traders from Sheba and Raamah in South Arabia carried on business with you in premium spices, precious stones, and gold.

23–24  “ ‘Haran, Canneh, and Eden from the east in Assyria and Media traded with you, bringing elegant clothes, dyed textiles, and elaborate carpets to your bazaars.

25  “ ‘The great Tarshish ships were your freighters, importing and exporting. Oh, it was big business for you, trafficking the seaways!

26–32  “ ‘Your sailors row mightily,

taking you into the high seas.

Then a storm out of the east

shatters your ship in the ocean deep.

Everything sinks—your rich goods and products,

sailors and crew, ship’s carpenters and soldiers,

Sink to the bottom of the sea.

Total shipwreck.

The cries of your sailors

reverberate on shore.

Sailors everywhere abandon ship.

Veteran seamen swim for dry land.

They cry out in grief,

a choir of bitter lament over you.

They smear their faces with ashes,

shave their heads,

Wear rough burlap,

wildly keening their loss.

They raise their funeral song:

“Who on the high seas is like Tyre!”

33–36  “ ‘As you crisscrossed the seas with your products,

you satisfied many peoples.

Your worldwide trade

made earth’s kings rich.

And now you’re battered to bits by the waves,

sunk to the bottom of the sea,

And everything you’ve bought and sold

has sunk to the bottom with you.

Everyone on shore looks on in terror.

The hair of kings stands on end,

their faces drawn and haggard!

The buyers and sellers of the world

throw up their hands:

This horror can’t happen!

Oh, this has happened!’ ”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Saturday, September 07, 2024

Today's Scripture

Joshua 3:7-17

God said to Joshua, “This very day I will begin to make you great in the eyes of all Israel. They’ll see for themselves that I’m with you in the same way that I was with Moses. You will command the priests who are carrying the Chest of the Covenant: ‘When you come to the edge of the Jordan’s waters, stand there on the river bank.’ ”

9–13  Then Joshua addressed the People of Israel: “Attention! Listen to what God, your God, has to say. This is how you’ll know that God is alive among you—he will completely dispossess before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites. Look at what’s before you: the Chest of the Covenant. Think of it—the Master of the entire earth is crossing the Jordan as you watch. Now take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from each tribe. When the soles of the feet of the priests carrying the Chest of God, Master of all the earth, touch the Jordan’s water, the flow of water will be stopped—the water coming from upstream will pile up in a heap.”

14–16  And that’s what happened. The people left their tents to cross the Jordan, led by the priests carrying the Chest of the Covenant. When the priests got to the Jordan and their feet touched the water at the edge (the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest), the flow of water stopped. It piled up in a heap—a long way off—at Adam, which is near Zarethan. The river went dry all the way down to the Arabah Sea (the Salt Sea). And the people crossed, facing Jericho.

17  And there they stood; those priests carrying the Chest of the Covenant stood firmly planted on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground. Finally the whole nation was across the Jordan, and not one wet foot.

Insight

Crossing the Red Sea was the definitive miracle reminding the Israelites of God’s power: “When the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord . . . [they] feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant” (Exodus 14:31). To encourage them to trust Him and their new leader, Joshua, God parted the Jordan River (Joshua 3:7-17): Joshua explained, “The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea . . . so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful” (4:23-24). By: K. T. Sim

Step Out in Faith

When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river. Joshua 3:8

The guest speaker spoke on the wisdom of trusting God and “stepping into the river.” He told of a pastor who trusted God and chose to speak the truths of the Bible in a sermon despite the new law of his land. He was convicted of hate crimes and spent thirty days in jail. But his case was appealed, and the court ruled he had the right to give a personal interpretation of the Bible and to urge others to follow.

The priests carrying the ark of the covenant had to make a choice too—either step into the water or stay on the shore. After escaping Egypt, the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years. Now they stood on the banks of the Jordan River, which was at flood stage and dangerously high. But they took that step, and God caused the waters to recede: “As soon as . . . their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing” (Joshua 3:15-16).

When we trust God with our lives, He gives us the courage to move forward, whether choosing to speak the truths of the Bible or to take a step into unknown territory. During the pastor’s trial, the court heard the gospel through listening to his sermon. And, in Joshua, the Israelites crossed safely into the promised land and shared about the power of God with future generations (v. 17; 4:24).

If we step out in faith, God will see to the rest. By:  Alyson Kieda

Reflect & Pray

When have you faced a frightening situation and were afraid to take the first step? How did God help you to move forward?

Dear God, I need Your courage. Please help me to step out in faith.

For further study, read When Fear Seems Overwhelming.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Saturday, September 07, 2024

Springs of Irrepressible Life

The water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life. — John 4:14

In John 4:14, our Lord doesn’t speak of a trickle of water but of a mighty spring, swelling its banks. Be filled with this water, and the sweetness of a vital relationship to Jesus will flow out of you as lavishly as it is imparted. If you find that your life isn’t flowing out as it should, search for the reason. It’s certain you are to blame, because you have not kept right with the source. Does Jesus say that when you keep right with him, you will be personally blessed? No. He says that out of you will flow rivers of living water—irrepressible life.

Jesus wants us to be channels through which he can flow. He wants to use us to bring his rivers of living water in blessing to everyone we meet. Some of us are like the Dead Sea—always taking in and never giving out. If we stay rightly related to our Lord, then as surely as we receive from him, he will pour out through us. When he is not pouring out, it means something is wrong in our relationship with him.

Has something come between you and Jesus Christ? Has something hindered your belief in him? If not, then Jesus says out of you will flow rivers of living water. These waters are neither an experience nor a blessing passed on; they are a continually flowing river. Guard well your belief in Jesus Christ and your relationship to him, and there will be no dryness and no deadness, only a steady flow for other lives.

Do you find it extravagant to say that mighty rivers will flow out of you—an individual believer of no particular significance? Have you looked for the rivers in your life and failed to see them? In the history of God’s work, it has nearly always started from those who, though they were obscure, unknown, and ignored, were steadfastly true to Jesus Christ.

Proverbs 1-2; 1 Corinthians 16

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

Beware of bartering the Word of God for a more suitable conception of your own. 

Disciples Indeed, 386 R

1 Peter 2, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: SAY YES TO JESUS - September 6, 2024

You aren’t on a dead-end street. Your journey doesn’t end with your final heartbeat. You are not here for possessions, power, or prestige. The story of Eden is not just the story about the first person but a picture of God’s plan for each person. What God did for Adam he did for you. He formed you. He breathed life into you. And he destined you to serve him in a perfect place. Can you hear him? “I see something great in you. Would you accept my destiny for your life?”

If you’ve never said yes to Jesus, take a moment and do so. It’s not complicated. Just say something to him like this: “Jesus, I am not perfect, for I have sinned. But I believe in you. Save me, change me, forgive me. I give you my life. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”

What Happens Next

1 Peter 2

So clean house! Make a clean sweep of malice and pretense, envy and hurtful talk. You’ve had a taste of God. Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God’s pure kindness. Then you’ll grow up mature and whole in God.

The Stone

4–8  Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor. Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you’ll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God. The Scriptures provide precedent:

Look! I’m setting a stone in Zion,

a cornerstone in the place of honor.

Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundation

will never have cause to regret it.

To you who trust him, he’s a Stone to be proud of, but to those who refuse to trust him,

The stone the workmen threw out

is now the chief foundation stone.

For the untrusting it’s

… a stone to trip over,

a boulder blocking the way.

They trip and fall because they refuse to obey, just as predicted.

9–10  But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.

11–12  Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives.

13–17  Make the Master proud of you by being good citizens. Respect the authorities, whatever their level; they are God’s emissaries for keeping order. It is God’s will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you’re a danger to society. Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government.

The Kind of Life He Lived

18–20  You who are servants, be good servants to your masters—not just to good masters, but also to bad ones. What counts is that you put up with it for God’s sake when you’re treated badly for no good reason. There’s no particular virtue in accepting punishment that you well deserve. But if you’re treated badly for good behavior and continue in spite of it to be a good servant, that is what counts with God.

21–25  This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step.

He never did one thing wrong,

Not once said anything amiss.

They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right. He used his servant body to carry our sins to the Cross so we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way. His wounds became your healing. You were lost sheep with no idea who you were or where you were going. Now you’re named and kept for good by the Shepherd of your souls.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Friday, September 06, 2024

Today's Scripture

Ephesians 4:22-29

Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.

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

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

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

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

Insight

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul wrote from prison (6:20) to a community of primarily gentile believers in Jesus (3:1; 4:17). He described a great “mystery” being unveiled (3:3)—that through Christ, Jews and gentiles were being united into one multiethnic family, or body, of believers (v. 6). And the apostle urged believers in Jesus to remain rooted in His love (vv. 16-19). This meant they must continue to throw off their old way of life and the lies of pagan culture. Instead, they were called to put on the “new self,” for God had created them to be “like [Him] in true righteousness and holiness” (4:24). “You were once darkness,” Paul emphasized, “but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)” (5:8-9). By: Monica La Rose

Speaking Truthfully in Christ

Each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. Ephesians 4:25

A man was adept at beating his personal traffic tickets by lying. When he appeared before various judges in court, he would tell the same tale: “I broke up with my girlfriend and she took my car without my knowledge.” In addition, he had been repeatedly reprimanded for misconduct while on the job. Prosecutors finally charged him with four counts of perjury and five counts of forgery for allegedly lying to judges under oath and providing fictitious police reports. For this man, lying had become a lifelong habit.

In contrast, the apostle Paul said that telling the truth is a vital habit for believers in Jesus to live out. He reminded the Ephesians that they’d put away their old way of living through surrendering their lives to Christ (Ephesians 2:1-5). Now, they needed to live like the new people they’d become, incorporating specific actions into their lives. One such action was something to cease—“put off falsehood”—and the other action something to practice—“speak truthfully to your neighbor” (4:25). Because it protected the unity of the church, the Ephesians were to always have their words and actions be about “building others up” (v. 29).

As the Holy Spirit helps us (vv. 3-4), believers in Jesus can strive for truth in their words and actions. Then the church will be unified, and God will be honored. By:  Marvin Williams

Reflect & Pray

What will help you consistently tell the truth? How do your words reflect new life in Christ?

Dear God, please help me to put away falsehood and clothe myself in Your truth.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Friday, September 06, 2024

Diffusiveness of Life

Rivers of living water . . . — John 7:38

A river touches places of which its source knows nothing. Jesus says that if we have received his fullness, it doesn’t matter how small the visible measure of our lives may be; out of us will flow rivers that will bless the farthest reaches of the earth. We have nothing to do with the outflow; it is the mighty work of God. God rarely allows a soul to see how great a blessing it is.

A river is victoriously persistent, overcoming all barriers. It goes steadily along in its course, then comes to an obstacle and, for a while, is blocked. But it soon makes a pathway around. Or a river may drop out of sight for miles, then emerge again, broader and grander than ever. So it is with the Spirit of God.

Has an obstacle come into your life? Do you see God using others while you seem to be of no use? Keep paying attention to the source, and God will either take you around the obstacle or remove it. The river of the Spirit of God overcomes all. Never focus on the obstacle or difficulty; the river is completely indifferent to anything in its path and will flow steadily through you when you remember to keep your sights on the source. Never allow anything to come between you and Jesus Christ. Nothing—no emotion, no experience—must keep you from the one great source.

Think of the healing and far-flung rivers nourishing themselves in our souls! God has been awakening our minds to amazing truths, and each truth he awakens points to the wider power of the river he will flow through us. If you believe in Jesus, you will find that God has nourished in you mighty torrents of blessings for others.

Psalms 148-150; 1 Corinthians 15:29-58

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

The life of Abraham is an illustration of two things: of unreserved surrender to God, and of God’s complete possession of a child of His for His own highest end.

Not Knowing Whither, 901 R

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Friday, September 06, 2024

When Your Words Come Back to You - #9825

Now there are happy video tape recordings. You know, audio recordings of our kids when they were little before their voices changed, Karen and I giving our vows to each other at our wedding.

And then, there are not so happy tapes. Like the ones of former President Richard Nixon years ago, after the Watergate scandal. The accusations flew back and forth without any fatal damage until an aid testified that the President had recordings of his oval office conversations. There was a big legal battle over releasing those tapes, but eventually the world heard the not very pretty things that were said behind closed doors. I wonder if President Nixon just forgot, sometimes, that the recorder was running, or if he thought no one would ever hear what he was saying. Wow, was he wrong!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When Your Words Come Back to You."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew 12:34. Jesus said, "For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you."

Pretty sobering, huh? You show what your heart is full of by your words and then He says the divine tape recorder is always running. When you're on the phone, when you're angry, when you're whispering, when you're talking behind someone's back, when you think no one heard it, the recorder is running. And one day all of it will be played back in the presence of the living God. You talk about being without defense, wow, there it is, listening to yourself say it.

See, words really do matter. By your words you show what's in your heart. By your words you will be acquitted. By your words you will be condemned. Our words will be there to meet us when we stand before God: encouraging words, God-praising words, Christ sharing words, loving words. But also our careless words, our dirty words, our hurting words, those backstabbing words, angry ones, lying ones. If our words will be the measure of our judgment there are some steps we need to take now!

First, we need to realize we don't stand a chance before God's judgment without a Savior. The Savior - the only One who died for our sins. That would be Jesus. There are just too many words that have done too much damage. They are objective proof of the darkness that has been inside us called sin. The sin that God's one and only Son died to pay for. He paid the death penalty for all of it. If you've put all your trust in Him to be your personal sin-rescuer today, you will be forgiven once and for all.

But beyond that we need to listen to ourselves to ask God to help us hear what He hears in our words. It's time we join David in his prayer, "Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips (Psalm 141:3).

Ultimately the weight of our words should cause us to make Jesus Christ Lord of our tongue every new day, every hour. If we can win the word battle, we can win anything. But believe me, it takes the control of Jesus Christ himself to tame a runaway tongue. So, if you're judged by your words, if they are evidence of the sin and the darkness in your heart, the words that have hurt people, the angry words, the dirty words, the unforgiving words, the hurtful things, isn't it time to make the Savior who died for all of that your savior.

The only way to escape God's judgment is to accept the payment that He made when He took God's judgment for you on the cross. So reach out to Him today and say, "Jesus, I'm yours. I'm pinning all my hopes on you for the forgiveness of my sins." Go to our website. It'll help you be sure you belong to Him. It's ANewStory.com.

Talk is not cheap. It can be very expensive. The President of the United States was ultimately judged by his own words, and we will be too.

Ezekiel 26, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: REIGNING WITH CHRIST - September 5, 2024

God’s storyline concludes with you, me, all his children living, ruling, dining, and serving with him in a perfect world. In the Bible’s final book, these words are said to Jesus: “You were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:9-10 NIV).

That’s you, my friend. The final stop in your heavenly itinerary involves not just Eden, but a position of authority in God’s garden. Pause and let that promise sink in: you will reign with Christ. God’s purpose and plan for you may begin in this life, but it won’t be fully realized until the life to come.

What Happens Next

Ezekiel 26

As the Waves of the Sea, Surging Against the Shore

1–2  26 In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, Tyre cheered when they got the news of Jerusalem, exclaiming,

“ ‘Good! The gateway city is smashed!

Now all her business comes my way.

She’s in ruins

and I’m in clover.’

3–6  “Therefore, God, the Master, has this to say:

“ ‘I’m against you, Tyre,

and I’ll bring many nations surging against you,

as the waves of the sea surging against the shore.

They’ll smash the city walls of Tyre

and break down her towers.

I’ll wash away the soil

and leave nothing but bare rock.

She’ll be an island of bare rock in the ocean,

good for nothing but drying fishnets.

Yes, I’ve said so.’ Decree of God, the Master.

‘She’ll be loot, free pickings for the nations!

Her surrounding villages will be butchered.

Then they’ll realize that I am God.’

7–14  “God, the Master, says: Look! Out of the north I’m bringing Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, a king’s king, down on Tyre. He’ll come with chariots and horses and riders—a huge army. He’ll massacre your surrounding villages and lay siege to you. He’ll build siege ramps against your walls. A forest of shields will advance against you! He’ll pummel your walls with his battering rams and shatter your towers with his iron weapons. You’ll be covered with dust from his horde of horses—a thundering herd of war horses pouring through the breaches, pulling chariots. Oh, it will be an earthquake of an army and a city in shock! Horses will stampede through the streets. Your people will be slaughtered and your huge pillars strewn like matchsticks. The invaders will steal and loot—all that wealth, all that stuff! They’ll knock down your fine houses and dump the stone and timber rubble into the sea. And your parties, your famous good-time parties, will be no more. No more songs, no more lutes. I’ll reduce you to an island of bare rock, good for nothing but drying fishnets. You’ll never be rebuilt. I, God, have said so. Decree of God, the Master.

Introduced to the Terrors of Death

15  “This is the Message of God, the Master, to Tyre: Won’t the ocean islands shake at the crash of your collapse, at the groans of your wounded, at your mayhem and massacre?

16–18  “All up and down the coast, the princes will come down from their thrones, take off their royal robes and fancy clothes, and wrap themselves in sheer terror. They’ll sit on the ground, shaken to the core, horrified at you. Then they’ll begin chanting a funeral song over you:

“ ‘Sunk! Sunk to the bottom of the sea,

famous city on the sea!

Power of the seas,

you and your people,

Intimidating everyone

who lived in your shadows.

But now the islands are shaking

at the sound of your crash,

Ocean islands in tremors

from the impact of your fall.’

19–21  “The Message of God, the Master: ‘When I turn you into a wasted city, a city empty of people, a ghost town, and when I bring up the great ocean deeps and cover you, then I’ll push you down among those who go to the grave, the long, long dead. I’ll make you live there, in the grave in old ruins, with the buried dead. You’ll never see the land of the living again. I’ll introduce you to the terrors of death and that’ll be the end of you. They’ll send out search parties for you, but you’ll never be found. Decree of God, the Master.’ ”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Thursday, September 05, 2024

Today's Scripture

1 Corinthians 13:4-13

Love never gives up.

Love cares more for others than for self.

Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.

Love doesn’t strut,

Doesn’t have a swelled head,

Doesn’t force itself on others,

Isn’t always “me first,”

Doesn’t fly off the handle,

Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,

Doesn’t revel when others grovel,

Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

Puts up with anything,

Trusts God always,

Always looks for the best,

Never looks back,

But keeps going to the end.

8–10  Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.

11  When I was an infant at my mother’s breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.

12  We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

13  But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

Insight

Writing to a divided church in conflict and deficient in love, Paul instructed the believers at Corinth how to love one another and described what true love looks like (1 Corinthians 13:4-13). Jesus taught that love is a requirement for those who believe in Him. Loving God and our neighbor are the most important commandments for “the entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:40 nlt). Building on the original standard of “love your neighbor as yourself” (v. 39), Christ sets a higher standard, patterned now after His sacrificial love. He wants us to “love one another [as] I have loved you” (John 13:34). Calling it a new commandment, Jesus said love was the distinguishing mark of those who believe in Him (v. 35). Loving others is proof that we’re God’s children who’ve experienced His love (1 John 4:7-12, 19-21).

Learn more wisdom from Paul's letters to the church in Corinth By: K. T. Sim

Grace Now

[Love] is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered. 1 Corinthians 13:5

We hurried to a fast-food restaurant to have lunch together on my friend Jerrie’s short work break. Arriving at the door about the same time, six young men got inside just in front of us. Knowing we didn’t have much time to spare, we grumbled inwardly. They stood as a group at both registers to be sure each of them could order first. Then I heard Jerrie whisper to herself, “Show grace now.” Wow! Sure, letting us go first would have been nice, but what a great reminder to think of others’ needs and desires and not only my own.

The Bible teaches that love is patient, kind, and unselfish; it’s “not easily angered” (1 Corinthians 13:5). “It often . . . prefers [others’] welfare, and satisfaction, and advantage, to its own,” wrote commentator Matthew Henry of this love. God’s kind of love thinks of others first.

In a world where many of us are easily irritated, we frequently have occasion to ask God for help and the grace to choose to be patient with others and to be kind (v. 4). Proverbs 19:11 adds, “A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.”

That’s the kind of loving action that brings honor to God, and He might even use it to bring thoughts of His love to others.

With God's strength, let’s take every opportunity to show grace now.

By:  Anne Cetas

Reflect & Pray

In what ways might you need to not act out of frustration? How could turning to God help you?

I’m in need of Your help, God. I face many levels of irritation but want to instead be filled and overflowing with Your kind of love.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Thursday, September 05, 2024

Keeping Watch

Watch with Me. — Matthew 26:38

When Jesus says, “Watch with me,” he is telling us to watch with no private point of view at all. In the early stages of our life with him, we do not watch with Jesus; we watch for him and expect him to watch with us. It takes us time to begin to view everything that happens in the way our Lord views it—through the revelation of the Bible.

Jesus asked his disciples to watch with him in the garden of Gethsemane, when peril was close at hand. In the same way, he comes to us, in some present-day Gethsemane where his honor is at stake, and says, “Watch with me.” He does this to teach us to identify ourselves with him and to see things from his perspective. But we will not. We say, “No, Lord. I can’t see the meaning of this. It’s too awful.”

If we don’t understand our Lord, if we don’t even know what his suffering is for, how can we ever watch with him? The disciples loved Jesus to the limits of their natural capacity, but they didn’t understand what he was after; they couldn’t grasp why his goal was to go to his death. In the garden of Gethsemane, they allowed themselves to be consumed by their own sorrow, and they fell asleep instead of keeping watch. At the end of three years of the closest intimacy with their Lord, “all the disciples deserted him and fled” (Matthew 26:56).

And yet, the disciples did eventually learn to watch with Jesus. How? After Gethsemane, a series of wonderful things happened. Our Lord died, was resurrected, and ascended into heaven; he sent the Holy Spirit, telling his disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you” (Acts 1:8). This is how the disciples were changed. On the day of Pentecost, “all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit” (2:4), and they learned to watch with Jesus for the rest of their lives.

Psalms 146-147; 1 Corinthians 15:1-28

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

The attitude of a Christian towards the providential order in which he is placed is to recognize that God is behind it for purposes of His own. 

Biblical Ethics, 99 R

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Thursday, September 05, 2024

Getting Used to the Stink of Sin - #9824

Years ago I had some friends who lived near a heavy industrial area where the mills filled the air with a shall we say very distinctive aroma; well, actually, smell would be a better word for it. It was sort of a sulfur-like, rotten eggs type of odor. When you first went there, you would sniff and you'd go, "What is that?" And the people who lived there would say, "What's what?" See, they'd lived around the stink so long, it didn't even register any more. Well, you know, there are some smells you should never get used to.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Getting Used to the Stink of Sin."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from the prophet Ezekiel. He is receiving his instructions from the Lord in the form of a vision, and here's what it says in chapter 9, verse 2. "With the six men, I saw one clothed in linen who had a writing kit at his side. They came in and stood beside the bronze altar. Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side, and said to him, 'Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.'"

Okay, God is saying here, "I'm looking for some people who don't gloss over the sin around them; people who grieve over sin." Well, they were hard to find then; they're hard to find now. Those kinds of people were special then, and they're special now. People who don't get so used to being in the middle of sin that they don't notice the smell any more.

Chances are that you come in daily contact with a lot of sinful garbage; lying that's considered just to be smart business, an acceptance of adultery, a flippant attitude toward sexual purity. That's being casual about something God calls sacred. You can tell by the phrases and the words people use about sexual intimacy. It's a flippant "who cares" approach to a sacred act of love, created by God for a lifetime bond. Well, how does it make you feel when you hear that?

See, we're around it so much sometimes it doesn't break our heart any more, but it breaks God's heart all the time, and He's looking for people whose hearts it can break. We hear people treat God's name, Jesus' name, like dirt. Jesus, the name at which every knee will bow. There are attitudes that amount to nothing less than idol worship, and we're no longer bothered by it: living for money, living for a guy or a girl, living for your music, living for the next party, living for your children. It's time we prayed, "God, give me back my sense of spiritual smell when there is something more important than You to people."

Unless we get with God daily and see what He sees, feel what He feels, we will be worn down, we're going to be eroded until, honestly, sin really doesn't look that bad. Imagine telling a drunk driving joke to a man who kept saying, "Please, I don't think it's funny." You say, "What is your problem?" "Because a drunk driver killed my son."

See, that's how God feels about the sin that we take so lightly. It killed His Son. You want to see what sin looks like? It's God's Son hanging by nails from a tree. Ask God to make you wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil rather than being intrigued by it.

We don't sit in judgment of people. No, the Bible says to tell them about our hope with gentleness and respect. But by the same token, sin should stink to us. It's the rotting odor of death, no matter how glamorously it is perfumed. So, don't get used to the smell.

Ezekiel 25, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: WHERE ARE YOU? - September 4, 2024

“When they heard the sound of God strolling in the garden in the evening breeze, the Man and his Wife hid in the trees of the garden, hid from God” (Genesis 3:8 MSG). They hid from God! We’ve been hiding ever since. We cover ourselves in work or status. God sought them out. “God called to the Man: ‘Where are you?’” (v. 9). This was not a question of geography. This was a question of the heart.

And God began sending message after message, miracle after miracle, mercy after mercy. In heaven’s finest act of love, God became human. When Jesus died on the cross, he died our death, he paid our price, he took our place. He, the sinless, became a sinner so that we, the sinners, could be regarded as sinless. As a result, God will walk with his children in the garden again.

What Happens Next

Ezekiel 25

Acts of Vengeance

1–5  25 God’s Message came to me:

“Son of man, face Ammon and preach against the people: Listen to the Message of God, the Master. This is what God has to say: Because you cheered when my Sanctuary was desecrated and the land of Judah was devastated and the people of Israel were taken into exile, I’m giving you over to the people of the east. They’ll move in and make themselves at home, eating the food right off your tables and drinking your milk. I’ll turn your capital, Rabbah, into pasture for camels and all your villages into corrals for flocks. Then you’ll realize that I am God.

6–7  “God, the Master, says, Because you clapped and cheered, venting all your malicious contempt against the land of Israel, I’ll step in and hand you out as loot—first come, first served. I’ll cross you off the roster of nations. There’ll be nothing left of you. And you’ll realize that I am God.”

8–11  “God, the Master, says: Because Moab said, ‘Look, Judah’s nothing special,’ I’ll lay wide open the flank of Moab by exposing its lovely frontier villages to attack: Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim. I’ll lump Moab in with Ammon and give them to the people of the east for the taking. Ammon won’t be heard from again. I’ll punish Moab severely. And they’ll realize that I am God.”

12–14  “God, the Master, says: Because Edom reacted against the people of Judah in spiteful revenge and was so criminally vengeful against them, therefore I, God, the Master, will oppose Edom and kill the lot of them, people and animals both. I’ll waste it—corpses stretched from Teman to Dedan. I’ll use my people Israel to bring my vengeance down on Edom. My wrath will fuel their action. And they’ll realize it’s my vengeance. Decree of God the Master.”

15–17  “God, the Master, says: Because the Philistines were so spitefully vengeful—all those centuries of stored-up malice!—and did their best to destroy Judah, therefore I, God, the Master, will oppose the Philistines and cut down the Cretans and anybody else left along the seacoast. Huge acts of vengeance, massive punishments! When I bring vengeance, they’ll realize that I am God.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Wednesday, September 04, 2024

Today's Scripture

Philippians 3:12-21

Focused on the Goal

12–14  I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.

15–16  So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.

17–19  Stick with me, friends. Keep track of those you see running this same course, headed for this same goal. There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals, and trying to get you to go along with them. I’ve warned you of them many times; sadly, I’m having to do it again. All they want is easy street. They hate Christ’s Cross. But easy street is a dead-end street. Those who live there make their bellies their gods; belches are their praise; all they can think of is their appetites.

20–21  But there’s far more to life for us. We’re citizens of high heaven! We’re waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He’ll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.

Insight

Paul is driven by his urgent passion “to know Christ” (Philippians 3:10). He wants to “know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection” (vv. 10-11). Being transformed to be like the resurrected Christ requires us to pursue that goal with everything we have (vv. 13-14, 17). Yet even as we “press on toward the goal” (v. 14), we know it’s only possible through complete reliance on God, who will one day resurrect believers to finally reflect Christ perfectly (v. 21). By: Monica La Rose

Excelsior!

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14 esv

Sometimes surprisingly spiritual messages turn up in unexpected places, like in a comic book, for example. Marvel Comics publisher Stan Lee passed away in 2018, leaving behind a legacy of such iconic heroes as Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, and many others.

The famously smiling man with sunglasses had a personal catchphrase that he used to sign off in monthly columns in Marvel comics for decades—the word excelsior. In a 2010 tweet, Lee explained its meaning: “ ‘Upward and onward to greater glory!’ That’s what I wish you whenever I finish tweeting! Excelsior!”

I like that. Whether Stan Lee realized it or not, his use of this unusual catchphrase certainly resonates with what Paul wrote in Philippians as he admonished believers to look not behind but ahead—and up: “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (3:13-14 esv).

We can easily become entangled in regrets or second-guessing past decisions. But in Christ, we’re invited to relinquish regrets and to press upward and onward to God’s greater glory through embracing the forgiveness and purpose He so graciously gives us! Excelsior!  By:  Adam Holz

Reflect & Pray

Why do you tend to look forward or backward in your life and in your faith? How can you let go of past mistakes and move forward?

Heavenly Father, thank You for forgiveness. Thank You that You invite me to move forward, upward, and onward for Your glory.

Learn how forgiveness can help you move forward. 

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Wednesday, September 04, 2024

His

They were yours; you gave them to me. — John 17:6

A disciple is one in whom the Holy Spirit has forged this realization: “I am not my own.” To say “I am not my own” is to have reached a point of great spiritual nobility. If I am a disciple, I make a sovereign decision to give myself over to Jesus Christ. Then the Holy Spirit comes in to teach me his nature. He teaches me this not so that I’ll hold myself apart from others, like a showroom exhibit of holiness, but in order to make me one with my Lord. Until I am made one with him, he won’t send me out. Jesus Christ waited until after the resurrection to send his disciples to preach the gospel, because only then did the power of the Holy Spirit come upon them, enabling them to perceive who Jesus Christ was and to become one with him.

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children . . . such a person cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). Jesus doesn’t say, “Such a person cannot be a good and moral individual.” He says, “Such a person cannot be one over whom I write the word mine.” Any of the relationships Jesus mentions may be a competitive relationship. I may prefer to belong to my father or my mother, to my spouse or to myself. If I do, Jesus says I cannot be his disciple. This doesn’t mean I won’t be saved; it simply means I won’t be his.

“You will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). Our Lord makes his disciples his own possessions. He becomes responsible for them. The spirit the disciple receives isn’t the spirit of hard work or of doing practical things for Jesus. It’s the spirit of love and devotion, of being a perfect delight to him. The secret of the disciple is “I am entirely his, and he is carrying out his work through me.”

Be entirely his.

Psalms 143-145; 1 Corinthians 14:21-40

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

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

The Shadow of an Agony, 1166 R

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Wednesday, September 04, 2024

SOMEONE'S BRIDGE TO HEAVEN - #9823

I once spoke for a large youth conference at one of the East Coast's most popular vacation spots: Ocean City, Maryland. The boardwalk, the hotels, the restaurants, the amusements seem to stretch for miles there. My friend told me he'd been coming to Ocean City since the 1970s, when most of what I was seeing wasn't there. Not that many folks used to come to Ocean City at all. I asked my friend what changed that. He said, "Oh, the bridge." The building of what is called the Bay Bridge opened up this beautiful spot to many people who literally had never experienced it before.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Someone's Bridge to Heaven."

It's amazing what a difference a bridge can make - it literally brings people and places together. And for most people, there needs to be a bridge for them to get to the most important destination of all - to get to heaven. For some people you know, you are that bridge.

Actually, Jesus has bridged the grand canyon between a holy God and us sinners by His death for our sins. And most people will not make it to Jesus unless a Christian they know is the bridge they can cross to Jesus. You see, your lost friends can't see Jesus. But they can see you. The question is: "Are you taking them to Him?" If you don't, they may never make it to Him. They may never make it to heaven

Jesus spells out your role as His bridge in our word for today from the Word of God. First, there's God's part in bringing a lost person to Him. "God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ." It might be good to put in this verse maybe the name of someone you know who doesn't belong to Jesus as far as you know. "God was reconciling (put their name in there) to Himself in Christ, not counting that person's sins against them. And He has committed to us (put your name in there) the message of reconciliation. We are, therefore, Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us (that's through you). We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." That's 2 Corinthians 5:18-20.

Reconciling. Well, we know what that is; bringing two people together. I think sometimes we make this business we call "witnessing" way too complicated. You don't have to explain all about Christianity, all about Christians, everything the church has ever done, all about the differences between religions. Because it's all about Jesus. He said, "Follow Me." Not my followers, not my religion, not my rules. "Follow Me." I'm glad it's all about Jesus, aren't you?

So His invitation is still the same, "Follow Me." So your assignment as Jesus' ambassador - as Jesus' bridge - is to bring two people together. You take Jesus in one hand, you take that lost person you care about in the other hand and you bring them together - forever. What a beautiful picture! And what a beautiful eternal tribute to the life you lived here. They'll be in heaven with you.

Will you reach out to a person you know who doesn't belong to Jesus yet? There's somebody you know who doesn't know your Jesus. Listen to the Holy Spirit's voice and step up and be their bridge. Would you take them by the hand and walk with them up Skull Hill, and bring them to the bottom of that old rugged cross and let them stand there for a moment and look at what Jesus is doing for them there.

Show them Jesus. Show them His cross, and tell them, "What He's doing on that cross is for you, for every wrong thing you've ever done, and nobody loves you like Jesus does." You are pointing them to the greatest love in the universe, proven at a cross, the greatest power in the universe, proven at an empty tomb.

Listen, our website is there, if you've never begun a relationship with Him, to help you know how to do that. You can go to ANewStory.com.

If that one you know doesn't get to Jesus, they're not going to get to heaven. And they may never get to Jesus without a bridge. That is why God put you there.

Ezekiel 24, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: ENTER JESUS CHRIST - September 3, 2024

After Adam and Eve rebelled, God set in motion a plan of redemption that includes promises, prophets, and miracles. He made a covenant with Abraham. He raised up Joseph in Egypt. He gave courage to David and strength to Esther. But still the people sinned. It would take a perfect man and a perfect sacrifice to overcome it.

Enter Jesus Christ.

Like Adam, Jesus had no earthly father. Like Adam, Jesus was given authority over creation. Like Adam, Jesus was tempted. But unlike Adam, Jesus never sinned. We can thank the apostle Paul for this concise summary found in Romans 5:18 (MSG): “Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life!”

What Happens Next

Ezekiel 24

Bring the Pot to a Boil

1–5  24 The Message of God came to me in the ninth year, the tenth month, and the tenth day of the month: “Son of man, write down this date. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. Tell this company of rebels a story:

“ ‘Put on the soup pot.

Fill it with water.

Put chunks of meat into it,

all the choice pieces—loin and brisket.

Pick out the best soup bones

from the best of the sheep in the flock.

Pile wood beneath the pot.

Bring it to a boil

and cook the soup.

6  “ ‘God, the Master, says:

“ ‘Doom to the city of murder,

to the pot thick with scum,

thick with a filth that can’t be scoured.

Empty the pot piece by piece;

don’t bother who gets what.

7–8  “ ‘The blood from murders

has stained the whole city;

Blood runs bold on the street stones,

with no one bothering to wash it off—

Blood out in the open to public view

to provoke my wrath,

to trigger my vengeance.

9–12  “ ‘Therefore, this is what God, the Master, says:

“ ‘Doom to the city of murder!

I, too, will pile on the wood.

Stack the wood high,

light the match,

Cook the meat, spice it well, pour out the broth,

and then burn the bones.

Then I’ll set the empty pot on the coals

and heat it red-hot so the bronze glows,

So the germs are killed

and the corruption is burned off.

But it’s hopeless. It’s too far gone.

The filth is too thick.

13–14  “ ‘Your encrusted filth is your filthy sex. I wanted to clean you up, but you wouldn’t let me. I’ll make no more attempts at cleaning you up until my anger quiets down. I, God, have said it, and I’ll do it. I’m not holding back. I’ve run out of compassion. I’m not changing my mind. You’re getting exactly what’s coming to you. Decree of God, the Master.’ ”

No Tears

15–17  God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, I’m about to take from you the delight of your life—a real blow, I know. But, please, no tears. Keep your grief to yourself. No public mourning. Get dressed as usual and go about your work—none of the usual funeral rituals.”

18  I preached to the people in the morning. That evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I’d been told.

19  The people came to me, saying, “Tell us why you’re acting like this. What does it mean, anyway?”

20–21  So I told them, “God’s Word came to me, saying, ‘Tell the family of Israel, This is what God, the Master, says: I will desecrate my Sanctuary, your proud impregnable fort, the delight of your life, your heart’s desire. The children you left behind will be killed.

22–24  “ ‘Then you’ll do exactly as I’ve done. You’ll perform none of the usual funeral rituals. You’ll get dressed as usual and go about your work. No tears. But your sins will eat away at you from within and you’ll groan among yourselves. Ezekiel will be your example. The way he did it is the way you’ll do it.

“ ‘When this happens you’ll recognize that I am God, the Master.’ ”

25–27  “And you, son of man: The day I take away the people’s refuge, their great joy, the delight of their life, what they’ve most longed for, along with all their children—on that very day a survivor will arrive and tell you what happened to the city. You’ll break your silence and start talking again, talking to the survivor. Again, you’ll be an example for them. And they’ll recognize that I am God.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Tuesday, September 03, 2024

Today's Scripture

Psalm 39:4-13

 “Tell me, what’s going on, God?

How long do I have to live?

Give me the bad news!

You’ve kept me on pretty short rations;

my life is string too short to be saved.

Oh! we’re all puffs of air.

Oh! we’re all shadows in a campfire.

Oh! we’re just spit in the wind.

We make our pile, and then we leave it.

7–11  “What am I doing in the meantime, Lord?

Hoping, that’s what I’m doing—hoping

You’ll save me from a rebel life,

save me from the contempt of dunces.

I’ll say no more, I’ll shut my mouth,

since you, Lord, are behind all this.

But I can’t take it much longer.

When you put us through the fire

to purge us from our sin,

our dearest idols go up in smoke.

Are we also nothing but smoke?

12–13  “Ah, God, listen to my prayer, my

cry—open your ears.

Don’t be callous;

just look at these tears of mine.

I’m a stranger here. I don’t know my way—

a migrant like my whole family.

Give me a break, cut me some slack

before it’s too late and I’m out of here.”

Insight

That our life on earth is “fleeting” and “a mere handbreadth” (Psalm 39:4-5) is the consistent reminder of Scripture (see Job 14:1-2; Psalm 144:3-4; James 4:14). In Psalm 90, “Moses, the man of God,” asks God to “teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom” (v. 12 nlt). David offers the same wisdom: “Show me, Lord, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is” (39:4). The wise know their own end and understand how brief and uncertain life is (vv. 5-6). But their trust and hope is in God (v. 7). By: K. T. Sim

God Hears Us

Hear my prayer, Lord, listen to my cry for help; do not be deaf to my weeping. Psalm 39:12

The first grader called the number for emergency dispatch. The 9-1-1 operator answered. “I need help,” said the boy. “I have to do take-aways.” The operator proceeded to assist, until he heard a woman enter the room and say, “Johnny, what are you doing?” Johnny explained that he couldn’t do his math homework, so he did exactly what his mother had taught him to do when he needed help. He called 9-1-1. To Johnny, his current need qualified as an emergency. To the compassionate listener, helping the young boy with his homework was top priority in that moment.

When the psalmist David needed help, he said, “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is” (Psalm 39:4 nlt). He said, “My hope is in” God (v. 7). So, he pleaded for Him to hear and answer his “cry for help” (v. 12). Then, strangely, he asked God to “look away from” him (v. 13). Though David’s needs remain unspoken, throughout Scripture he declared that God would always be with him, hearing and answering his prayers.

Our confidence in God’s constancy allows us to process our fickle feelings, while affirming there’s no request too big or too small for the unchanging One. He hears us, cares for us, and answers every prayer we utter. By:  Xochitl Dixon

Reflect & Pray

How has God demonstrated His love for you by answering prayers you thought would be too small to bring to Him? Which of your needs seems too big or too small?

Loving God, thank You for hearing and answering every prayer I place in Your hands.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Tuesday, September 03, 2024

The Waters of Satisfaction Scattered

The three mighty warriors . . . drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the Lord. — 2 Samuel 23:16

Have you recently received something that is like water from the well near Bethlehem? Has God given you love? Friendship? Spiritual blessings? It’s at the peril of your soul’s well-being that you use his gift to satisfy yourself. If you do, you cannot pour it out before the Lord. Remember that you can never sacrifice to God that with which you long to satisfy yourself. Satisfy yourself with one of his blessings and it will corrupt you. Rather, you must do what common sense says is an absurd waste and pour it out.

How am I to pour out before the Lord the love I receive from others? There’s only one way: through the determination of my mind. People may do certain things for me which are humanly impossible to repay, things I could never accept if I didn’t know God. Since I do know him, I am able to accept others’ loving acts because I know that God will repay them—so long as I give the thing back to him in my mind. I do this by saying, “This is too great and worthy for me; it’s not meant for a human being at all. I must pour it out.” The moment I commit something to the Lord, it will begin to flow in rivers of living water all around. If instead I hoard the love others give me, it will turn to poison. Love has to be transfigured by being poured out before the Lord.

Have you become bitter and sour because you have clutched one of God’s blessings for yourself? If instead you had poured it out to him, you would have been the sweetest person on earth. God wants to use you to enlarge other people’s horizons. Get into the habit of immediately giving back to him everything he gives to you, and he will make you an immeasurable blessing to others.

Psalms 140-142; 1 Corinthians 14:1-20

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

The vital relationship which the Christian has to the Bible is not that he worships the letter, but that the Holy Spirit makes the words of the Bible spirit and life to him. 

The Psychology of Redemption, 1066 L

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Tuesday, September 03, 2024

Prayer That Wins Battles - #9822

Back in my old school days, we used to do an experiment in science class. When I told my then teenage sons about this, they were very surprised to find out that there was a science class when I was in school! But there was and we used to dissect the triceratops and the tyrannosauruses.

There was this little experiment we would do for real. Maybe you remember it. There's this little hand crank. You know, sort of a generator. And you'd crank it as fast as you could, and it would make a light bulb slowly light up. If you cranked fast enough, you could get a pretty bright light in that bulb. But as you started to wear out, you slowed down and the bulb started to dim and go out.

That little hand crank method was okay for the limited demands of a light bulb, but, man I'd hate to run my whole house that way, huh. I mean, there's the stove and the microwave, the computers, and the TV. Fortunately all of those are not plugged into some little hand crank system when we're trying to get as much juice out of it as we can. That would make you cranky for sure. We plug into this tremendous current and voltage that flows through our house; into a much bigger source really. Now, it's amazing how many folks are trying to run everything in their life by a hand crank.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Prayer That Wins Battles."

Now, our word for today from the Word of God comes from Exodus 17; we'll begin at verse 8. "The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, 'Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.' As long as Moses held up his hands that day, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning."

Now, that's interesting! The difference was made by the leader holding up the staff of God. What's the deal with the staff? Well, it represented and in a sense contained the power and the presence of the Lord. What it really means is given to us after the battle is won and in later verses where it says, "Moses built an altar and called it 'the Lord is my banner.' He said, '...for hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord."

See, Moses standing on that hill holding high God's power, represents a leader interceding for his troops. And when he is, there's victory, and when he isn't, there's defeat. You're probably in a leadership role of some kind; I mean you've got influence in your family, or maybe with a group of friends, or in your church or at work. Your number one responsibility is to hold high the power; to keep the focus on prayer, on intercession as the way to win the battles.

Now, our tendency? Well, it's to trust in hand-cranked power; yeah, the power of planning, committees, money, and the power of good ideas and experts, and how smart we are. But human generators cannot meet all the demands of our complex lives. We need the kind of voltage that only prayer generates. We tend to feel that we're not doing anything when we pray. It may seem like it's kind of passive.

Well, Moses might have said, "Well, you know, I'm not fighting the battle. I'm not doing anything." But intercession determines whether all the other weapons will win or not. Prayer doesn't make a difference; it makes the difference. It's not just a glancing prayer. No, you keep at it relentlessly until that battle is won. You don't stop; you don't give up.

Look, are you leading the people around you to make prayer their first resort; not their last resort? Are you modeling for them, asking big with great faith in a great God? Do you model that prayer is a power lifestyle for your family? Do you model to your family that prayer is your primary method of getting things done? Do you pray with people; not just for them, but with them?

Stand like Moses stood above the fray; interceding, reminding your troops regularly where the voltage comes from, and hold high the power! 

Exodus 32, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

 

onday, September 1, 2014

Max Lucado Daily: Soaring and Sitting

Perhaps you’ve seen the sight! Tethered to a high-speed boat, the parasail lifts the rope-clinging customer six hundred feet into the air. High above, the passenger hangs on and enjoys the view, letting the boat do the work. What choice does he or she have? To reach such heights, help is needed. To maintain such heights, power is mandated. No person can self-elevate to such a level.

Watching as one of my daughters flew high above on the parasail, I thought, “Isn’t this a picture of grace? Look at her, soaring and sitting.” Those two words seldom appear in the same sentence. Especially religious sentences. We tend to think soaring and working; soaring and striving, soaring and struggling. But soaring and sitting? It happens. It happens when you let the boat do the work. It happens when you let God do the same.

From In the Grip of Grace

Exodus 32
The Golden Calf

When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods[a] who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”

2 Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods,[b] Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”

5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord.” 6 So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.

7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. 8 They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’

9 “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. 10 Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”

11 But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. 13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” 14 Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

15 Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. 16 The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.

17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “There is the sound of war in the camp.”

18 Moses replied:

“It is not the sound of victory,
    it is not the sound of defeat;
    it is the sound of singing that I hear.”
19 When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. 20 And he took the calf the people had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it.

21 He said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?”

22 “Do not be angry, my lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how prone these people are to evil. 23 They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’ 24 So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”

25 Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. 26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him.

27 Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’” 28 The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. 29 Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.”

30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”

31 So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.”

33 The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. 34 Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of, and my angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.”

35 And the Lord struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.


Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, September 01, 2014

Read: Psalm 13

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
    How long will my enemy triumph over me?
3 Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
    Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
4 and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
    and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
    my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing the Lord’s praise,
    for he has been good to me.
Footnotes:

Psalm 13:1 In Hebrew texts 13:1-6 is numbered 13:2-6.

Insight
All believers go through times of frustration due to unanswered prayer. Yet the Scriptures provide hope for this apparent dilemma. Psalm 13 illustrates the release that grows out of praying through a problem. David asks God four times “how long” he must wait to get an answer to prayer (vv.1-2). Eventually he understands that his perspective has not been a divine one. He then asks God to “give light to my eyes” so that he can have the strength to endure opposition (vv.3-4). David redirects his heart to trust in God’s unfailing mercy. The Hebrew word for “mercy” here is hesed, which connotes enduring, unfailing, and gracious care. With a new perspective, David now sings of God’s goodness with petitions of praise (vv.5-6).

I Am Not Forgotten
By Marion Stroud

Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. —Psalm 33:20

Waiting is hard at any time; but when days, weeks, or even months pass and our prayers seem to go unanswered, it’s easy to feel God has forgotten us. Perhaps we can struggle through the day with its distractions, but at night it’s doubly difficult to deal with our anxious thoughts. Worries loom large, and the dark hours seem endless. Utter weariness makes it look impossible to face the new day.

The psalmist grew weary as he waited (Ps. 13:1). He felt abandoned—as if his enemies were gaining the upper hand (v.2). When we’re waiting for God to resolve a difficult situation or to answer often-repeated prayers, it’s easy to get discouraged.

Satan whispers that God has forgotten us, and that things will never change. We may be tempted to give in to despair. Why bother to read the Bible or to pray? Why make the effort to worship with fellow believers in Christ? But we need our spiritual lifelines most when we’re waiting. They help to hold us steady in the flow of God’s love and to become sensitive to His Spirit.

The psalmist had a remedy. He focused on all that he knew of God’s love, reminding himself of past blessings and deliberately praising God, who would not forget him. So can we.

Lover of my soul, who draws close
in the darkest and longest night, please
keep me trusting You, talking to You,
and leaning on Your promises.
God is worth waiting for; His time is always best.


My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, September 01, 2014

Destined To Be Holy

. . it is written, ’Be holy, for I am holy’ —1 Peter 1:16
We must continually remind ourselves of the purpose of life. We are not destined to happiness, nor to health, but to holiness. Today we have far too many desires and interests, and our lives are being consumed and wasted by them. Many of them may be right, noble, and good, and may later be fulfilled, but in the meantime God must cause their importance to us to decrease. The only thing that truly matters is whether a person will accept the God who will make him holy. At all costs, a person must have the right relationship with God.

Do I believe I need to be holy? Do I believe that God can come into me and make me holy? If through your preaching you convince me that I am unholy, I then resent your preaching. The preaching of the gospel awakens an intense resentment because it is designed to reveal my unholiness, but it also awakens an intense yearning and desire within me. God has only one intended destiny for mankind— holiness. His only goal is to produce saints. God is not some eternal blessing-machine for people to use, and He did not come to save us out of pity— He came to save us because He created us to be holy. Atonement through the Cross of Christ means that God can put me back into perfect oneness with Himself through the death of Jesus Christ, without a trace of anything coming between us any longer.

Never tolerate, because of sympathy for yourself or for others, any practice that is not in keeping with a holy God. Holiness means absolute purity of your walk before God, the words coming from your mouth, and every thought in your mind— placing every detail of your life under the scrutiny of God Himself. Holiness is not simply what God gives me, but what God has given me that is being exhibited in my life.

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, September 01, 2014

ONE MORE PERSON AT YOUR HOUSE - #7211

For four years my wife and I did whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. It was the first four years we were married, just the two of us. Now I'm happy to say that neither of us required diapers or formula or having to have an early bedtime. And then along came this precious little bundle, our daughter. Our lives were never the same. Maybe you know that experience.

Now, as child number two, and child number three came along, that ability to do what we wanted when we wanted? Oh, that really diminished. And needs? Our needs didn't matter anymore. No, we had to consider our three children. Oftentimes, when we planned to do something, we were just too tired once we got everything together that they needed. Forget about it, you know?

Well, as the children got a little older, we began to choose things to do that they could do with us. Then their school schedule, of course, became a major factor in our schedule, and their feelings and their opinions became an issue in decisions from vacation to whether we were going to move or not. And we had someone else to shop for; someone else to buy for. Life for our house was a whole new adventure from the day another person joined our family.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "One More Person at Your House."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 1 Chronicles 13:14. It's an inside look at a family that had a very unusual presence in their house. When you hear about the Ark of God in the Old Testament you know that that was the physical container for the presence of God as it were. So it says, "The Ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house for three months. And the Lord blessed his household and everything he had."

You can just imagine the neighbors going, "Did you hear what's going on over at Obed-Edom's house? There's something exciting going on over there." Yeah, the glory of the Lord – the Ark of the Covenant – was in his house. Now the Ark is gone, but the glory is still moving in people's homes.

You see, we're all supposed to live really as Obed-Edom did, with a strong sense of God's personal presence right in our home. What a privilege! It's the great responsibility of a Christian parent to see that our children grow up knowing that Jesus lives at our house.

We had Mom and Dad and three children, and I always hoped that our kids would so feel the reality of Jesus that they would tell you that six people lived at our house. Your kids ought to say there's one more person than they can see living there, because Jesus lives there.

See, too many homes have Jesus as a belief or a list of rules, or someone whose meetings we attend but not a member of the family; the ruling member, the one who casts the deciding vote on family choices. The glory of the Lord fills the house where Jesus is an acknowledged member of the family. So, is He at your house? Do your kids sense the reality of this presence as you talk to Him and as you pray with them?

You know, they'll find out that He's really there when you consult Him often, when you talk about Him in your big things and your little things of your life, when you include Jesus' perspective when you're talking about your bills, or a biology test, or boyfriends, or girlfriends, when you include Him as part of your mealtime conversation, when you continually seek His opinion on things. "Well, what does Jesus think about this?" And maybe you get His Book open to find out.

When you include Jesus in teachable moments and you include His perspective, He becomes real, when you get together to tell Him that you love Him as a family, when you tell Him that you're sorry, maybe in their presence. When you send them off with Him and say, "Have a nice day with Jesus." That's spiritual reality.

My wife and I learned what a difference another person could make when that person entered our family. Well, when that person happens to be the Lord Jesus, He will make all the difference at your house.