Matthew 19 Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: God Calls the Shots

Every time Satan sets out to score for evil, he ends up scoring a point for good.  Consider Paul.  Satan hoped prison would silence his pulpit, and it did, but it also unleashed his pen.  The letters to the Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians were all written in a jail cell.

Satan is the Colonel Klink of the Bible.  Remember Klink? He was the fall guy for Hogan on the television series, Hogan’s Heroes. Klink supposedly ran a German POW camp during World War 2. Those inside the camp, however, knew better. They knew who really ran the camp:  the prisoners. They listened to Klink’s calls and read his mail. They even gave Klink ideas, all the while using him for their own cause.

Over and over the Bible makes it clear who really runs the earth. Satan may strut and prance, but it is God who calls the shots.

from The Great House of God

 Matthew 19

Divorce

1–2  19 When Jesus had completed these teachings, he left Galilee and crossed the region of Judea on the other side of the Jordan. Great crowds followed him there, and he healed them.

3  One day the Pharisees were badgering him: “Is it legal for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?”

4–6  He answered, “Haven’t you read in your Bible that the Creator originally made man and woman for each other, male and female? And because of this, a man leaves father and mother and is firmly bonded to his wife, becoming one flesh—no longer two bodies but one. Because God created this organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art by cutting them apart.”

7  They shot back in rebuttal, “If that’s so, why did Moses give instructions for divorce papers and divorce procedures?”

8–9  Jesus said, “Moses provided for divorce as a concession to your hard heartedness, but it is not part of God’s original plan. I’m holding you to the original plan, and holding you liable for adultery if you divorce your faithful wife and then marry someone else. I make an exception in cases where the spouse has committed adultery.”

10  Jesus’ disciples objected, “If those are the terms of marriage, we’re stuck. Why get married?”

11–12  But Jesus said, “Not everyone is mature enough to live a married life. It requires a certain aptitude and grace. Marriage isn’t for everyone. Some, from birth seemingly, never give marriage a thought. Others never get asked—or accepted. And some decide not to get married for kingdom reasons. But if you’re capable of growing into the largeness of marriage, do it.”

To Enter God’s Kingdom

13–15  One day children were brought to Jesus in the hope that he would lay hands on them and pray over them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus intervened: “Let the children alone, don’t prevent them from coming to me. God’s kingdom is made up of people like these.” After laying hands on them, he left.

16  Another day, a man stopped Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

17  Jesus said, “Why do you question me about what’s good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you.”

18–19  The man asked, “What in particular?”

Jesus said, “Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as you do yourself.”

20  The young man said, “I’ve done all that. What’s left?”

21  “If you want to give it all you’ve got,” Jesus replied, “go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me.”

22  That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crestfallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn’t bear to let go.

23–24  As he watched him go, Jesus told his disciples, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the rich to enter God’s kingdom? Let me tell you, it’s easier to gallop a camel through a needle’s eye than for the rich to enter God’s kingdom.”

25  The disciples were staggered. “Then who has any chance at all?”

26  Jesus looked hard at them and said, “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.”

27  Then Peter chimed in, “We left everything and followed you. What do we get out of it?”

28–30  Jesus replied, “Yes, you have followed me. In the re-creation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule gloriously, you who have followed me will also rule, starting with the twelve tribes of Israel. And not only you, but anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields—whatever—because of me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life. This is the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Saturday, May 03, 2025

by Marvin Williams

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Philippians 1:12-18

They Can’t Imprison the Message

12–14  I want to report to you, friends, that my imprisonment here has had the opposite of its intended effect. Instead of being squelched, the Message has actually prospered. All the soldiers here, and everyone else, too, found out that I’m in jail because of this Messiah. That piqued their curiosity, and now they’ve learned all about him. Not only that, but most of the followers of Jesus here have become far more sure of themselves in the faith than ever, speaking out fearlessly about God, about the Messiah.

15–17  It’s true that some here preach Christ because with me out of the way, they think they’ll step right into the spotlight. But the others do it with the best heart in the world. One group is motivated by pure love, knowing that I am here defending the Message, wanting to help. The others, now that I’m out of the picture, are merely greedy, hoping to get something out of it for themselves. Their motives are bad. They see me as their competition, and so the worse it goes for me, the better—they think—for them.

18–21  So how am I to respond? I’ve decided that I really don’t care about their motives, whether mixed, bad, or indifferent. Every time one of them opens his mouth, Christ is proclaimed, so I just cheer them on!

And I’m going to keep that celebration going

Today's Insights

False teachers masquerading as apostles in the Corinthian church sought to discredit Paul’s ministry and authority (2 Corinthians 11:1-15). They falsely charged that he wasn’t a true apostle and claimed he was dishonest, lacked official letters of authorization (2:17-3:6), was weak and unimpressive in appearance and speech (10:10), and lacked ecstatic spiritual experiences (12:1-10). In his defense, the apostle highlighted the hardships, imprisonments, and beatings he endured for the gospel (1:8-10; 6:4-10; 11:23-27) and argued that his suffering authenticated his apostleship and ministry (see Acts 9:15-16).

God’s Perspective

I want you to know . . . what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. Philippians 1:12

In 2018, pastor Tan Flippin had a cycling accident that landed him in the hospital with fractures to his hip. When the doctors ordered a CT scan to check for a concussion, they discovered a large malignant tumor on the front of his brain. The discovery led to a long medical journey with more masses found and extensive treatments performed—including a bone marrow transplant. Flippin believes that “God allowed the accident for my brain tumor to be found.”

Paul told the Philippians that God can use accidents and other adversities for His glory. The apostle was under Roman house arrest, awaiting trial before the emperor Nero for a capital offense. Rather than being sad, Paul rejoiced. How could he be joyful? He counted being “in chains for Christ” (Philippians 1:13) as a privilege (v. 29). Next, looking at his adversity from God’s perspective, Paul said, “What has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel” (v. 12). He used his incarceration as an opportunity to share the gospel with the guards chained to him. Finally, as he preached the good news of Jesus while in bondage, his example encouraged other believers “to proclaim the gospel without fear” (v. 14). 

When adversity comes, let’s trust God’s perspective and believe that—even from what’s difficult—He can bring something good.

Reflect & Pray

How did you respond to a recent challenging situation? How can you embrace God’s point of view and see Him working it out for good?

Heavenly Father, please use my challenging moments to bring out Your will in my life.  

Learn to live with humility by reading Humble Like God.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Saturday, May 03, 2025

Vital Intercession

Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. — Ephesians 6:18

If we are praying as this verse commands, our prayers might cost the ones for whom we pray more than we expect. When we begin to intercede in prayer for others, God begins to lift them into a totally

different sphere, a process that may involve trials and difficulties. We have to make sure that our natural sympathy doesn’t get in God’s way. If we slip from identifying with his interests in others into personal sympathy for them, our vital connection with God will be lost. Putting sympathy first is a rebuke to him.

It is impossible to pray vitally unless we have perfect confidence in God. Personal sympathy and prejudice weaken this confidence; identification with God ensures it. Whenever we stop being identified with God, it is because of sympathy, not sin. Sin isn’t likely to interfere with our relationship to God, but sympathy will make us say, “I refuse to allow this to happen.” When we refuse to allow God to have his way, we have lost our vital connection with him.

If we are interceding properly, we have neither time nor inclination to pray for our own sad, sweet selves. It’s not that we’re working hard to keep thoughts of ourselves at bay; thoughts of ourselves simply aren’t there. In vital intercession, we are completely and entirely identified with God’s interests, and our natural sympathy—for ourselves and for others—is entirely eclipsed.

1 Kings 14-15; Luke 22:21-46

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

Defenders of the faith are inclined to be bitter until they learn to walk in the light of the Lord. When you have learned to walk in the light of the Lord, bitterness and contention are impossible.

Biblical Psychology, 199 R

Genesis 32, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: REST FOR YOUR SOUL - May 2, 2025

Waiting is easier said than done. Waiting doesn’t come easy for me. I’ve been in a hurry all my life. Pedal faster, drive quicker. I used to wear my wristwatch on the inside of my arm so I wouldn’t lose the millisecond it took to turn my wrist. I wonder if I could’ve obeyed God’s ancient command to keep the Sabbath holy, to slow life to a crawl for twenty-four hours? The Sabbath was created for frantic souls like me. People who need this weekly reminder: the world will not stop if you do.

Isaiah 40:31 promises, “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Fresh strength. Legs that don’t grow weary. Wait on the Lord. He will bring rest to your soul!

You'll Get Through This: Hope and Help for Turbulent Times

Genesis 32

And Jacob went his way. Angels of God met him. When Jacob saw them he said, “Oh! God’s Camp!” And he named the place Mahanaim (Campground).

3–5  Then Jacob sent messengers on ahead to his brother Esau in the land of Seir in Edom. He instructed them: “Tell my master Esau this, ‘A message from your servant Jacob: I’ve been staying with Laban and couldn’t get away until now. I’ve acquired cattle and donkeys and sheep; also men and women servants. I’m telling you all this, my master, hoping for your approval.’ ”

6  The messengers came back to Jacob and said, “We talked to your brother Esau and he’s on his way to meet you. But he has four hundred men with him.”

7–8  Jacob was scared. Very scared. Panicked, he divided his people, sheep, cattle, and camels into two camps. He thought, “If Esau comes on the first camp and attacks it, the other camp has a chance to get away.”

9–12  And then Jacob prayed, “God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, God who told me, ‘Go back to your parents’ homeland and I’ll treat you well.’ I don’t deserve all the love and loyalty you’ve shown me. When I left here and crossed the Jordan I only had the clothes on my back, and now look at me—two camps! Save me, please, from the violence of my brother, my angry brother! I’m afraid he’ll come and attack us all, me, the mothers and the children. You yourself said, ‘I will treat you well; I’ll make your descendants like the sands of the sea, far too many to count.’ ”

13–16  He slept the night there. Then he prepared a present for his brother Esau from his possessions: two hundred female goats, twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty camels with their nursing young, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. He put a servant in charge of each herd and said, “Go ahead of me and keep a healthy space between each herd.”

17–18  Then he instructed the first one out: “When my brother Esau comes close and asks, ‘Who is your master? Where are you going? Who owns these?’—answer him like this, ‘Your servant Jacob. They are a gift to my master Esau. He’s on his way.’ ”

19–20  He gave the same instructions to the second servant and to the third—to each in turn as they set out with their herds: “Say ‘Your servant Jacob is on his way behind us.’ ” He thought, “I will soften him up with the succession of gifts. Then when he sees me face-to-face, maybe he’ll be glad to welcome me.”

21  So his gifts went before him while he settled down for the night in the camp.

22–23  But during the night he got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven children and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He got them safely across the brook along with all his possessions.

24–25  But Jacob stayed behind by himself, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he couldn’t get the best of Jacob as they wrestled, he deliberately threw Jacob’s hip out of joint.

26  The man said, “Let me go; it’s daybreak.”

Jacob said, “I’m not letting you go ’til you bless me.”

27  The man said, “What’s your name?”

He answered, “Jacob.”

28  The man said, “But no longer. Your name is no longer Jacob. From now on it’s Israel (God-Wrestler); you’ve wrestled with God and you’ve come through.”

29  Jacob asked, “And what’s your name?”

The man said, “Why do you want to know my name?” And then, right then and there, he blessed him.

30  Jacob named the place Peniel (God’s Face) because, he said, “I saw God face-to-face and lived to tell the story!”

31–32  The sun came up as he left Peniel, limping because of his hip. (This is why Israelites to this day don’t eat the hip muscle; because Jacob’s hip was thrown out of joint.)

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Friday, May 02, 2025

by Elisa Morgan

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

1 Peter 3:15-16

Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They’ll end up realizing that they’re the ones who need a bath.

Today's Insights

First Peter was written to believers in Jesus who were being persecuted because of their faith. In chapter 2, echoing Christ’s teachings in Matthew 5:10-16, Peter encourages believers to live holy lives and to do good so that those who don’t believe might be won to Jesus (1 Peter 2:11-25). In chapter 3, he says to remain faithful, to continue to “revere Christ as Lord” and to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (v. 15). Paul makes similar calls for righteous living in his letters (see Philippians 2:14-16; Colossians 4:5-6; 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12; Titus 2:7-8).

Salty Answers

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:6

Bert placed his debit card atop the restaurant bill. The waiter scooped it up and then paused to ask, “Wait, who is this guy who says, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life?’ That’s so conceited!” Bert realized the waiter was reacting to the words printed on the card by his Christian financial company—Jesus’ words from John 14:6. Amused at the waiter’s response, Bert explained the identity of “this guy” and His sacrificial offering to bring us to God.

When we encounter people who know nothing about our faith, we might respond with ridicule or even judgment. But the apostle Peter challenged us, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). Then he warned, “Do this with gentleness and respect” (v. 15). In Colossians 4:6, Paul explained the power of such a response, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Just as salt on our food enhances flavor, salty answers invite others to come closer to faith.

Questions may come in surprising settings from those completely unfamiliar with Jesus. When we respond with gentleness and grace, our answers offer a saltiness that entices questioners to yearn for more.

Reflect & Pray

How have you been surprised by a question about God? How might you prepare yourself to give a “salty” answer to the questioners in your life?

Dear God, please prepare me for the questions You bring my way, that I may give gracious and loving answers.

Be prepared for the next time you need to give an answer for your faith.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Friday, May 02, 2025

The Passion of Patience

Though it linger, wait for it. — Habakkuk 2:3

Patience is not indifference. Patience is an immensely strong rock, withstanding all onslaughts. The vision of God is the source of patience, because it gives moral inspiration. Moses was able to be patient, not because he had a sense of duty but because he had the vision of God: “He persevered because he saw him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27). If God gives you a time of temptation in the wilderness, when there is no word from him at all, be patient. The power to endure is yours because you see God.

A person who has had a vision of God is devoted to God himself, not to any particular cause or issue. You always know if the vision you’re having is of God because of the inspiration it brings. When you see God, everything around you is energized. Everything is larger, more vibrant, more.

“Though it linger, wait for it.” The proof that we have the vision is that we are reaching out for more than we have grasped. It is a bad thing to be satisfied spiritually. We have the tendency to look for satisfaction in our experience. We think that because we’ve experienced salvation and sanctification, we have the power to endure anything. The instant we begin to think this way, we are on the road to ruin. If we have nothing more than our experiences, we have nothing. If we have the inspiration of the vision of God, we have more than we can experience.

Never let yourself relax spiritually. Press on toward your goal. “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (Philippians 3:12).

1 Kings 12-13; Luke 22:1-20

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

There is no condition of life in which we cannot abide in Jesus. We have to learn to abide in Him wherever we are placed. 

Our Brilliant Heritage, 946 R

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Friday, May 02, 2025

THE CHOICE THAT CHANGES MANY FUTURES - #9995

Marty McFly met a strange scientist with a machine that promised interesting results - the ability to go back in time. And he did. He went, as the title of the movie about it said, "Back to the Future." He had a most amazing experience getting to know his mother and father when they were teenagers. His dad, George McFly, was a milquetoast, bossed-around kind of guy, afraid to stand up to anybody. Marty always knew him to be that kind of a guy, until he was transported back to the night that would determine the course of the rest of his Dad's life - and his Mom's. One decision - whether or not George McFly will stand up to the bully who is attacking his girlfriend - who is to become Marty's mother - is the turning point of George's life. And Marty is there to help his Dad make the right and courageous choice. It totally changes the course of George McFly's life. He steps up, defends his girl, and neutralizes the bully who wanted her. So instead of the life Marty has known with a pretty unsuccessful, wimpy dad, he returns to his life with a strong and successful dad because of that choice. A very different life because of one decision that changed the future.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Choice That Changes Many Futures."

Some of us might wish we could somehow go back to the crossroads moments in our lives for a do-over. But that's only in the movies. What is possible is to make a choice now that will change not only your future, but the futures of many others.

The choice that changes many futures revolves around the man who made this simple but profound promise: "I am making everything new!" (Revelation 21:5). Those are the words of Jesus Christ, the man who has changed so many lives, so many families over so many years. I know I got a new dad because one day he acknowledged he had the spiritual cancer that the Bible calls sin - that he needed Jesus Christ in his life to forgive him and change him. And Jesus did change him - dramatically. I know. I lived that change. That transformed man planted seeds in me that have come up in my children, and now in my grandchildren. It all would have been so different had it not been for that day when my dad placed his life in Jesus' hands.

Psalm 102:18, our word for today from the Word of God, comments on this potential we all have to profoundly leave our mark on the future. It says: "Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord." One man or one woman who gets right with God can inject a life-changing, life-stabilizing faith into many who will come after him.

For you, for those you love, and for those who come from your life, so much depends on what you do with Jesus. The miracle begins when you recognize your need for the forgiving, life-changing work of Jesus Christ, as my dad did - the miracle made possible by Christ's death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. If there's never been a time when you've opened your life to this amazing Savior, if you've lived enough days without His love, His forgiving, His power in your life, why don't you tell Him that you want this to be the day you begin your personal relationship with Him. "Jesus, I believe You are the Man who died for my sin and only You can forgive my sin and remove my sin. So here I am, I'm Yours."

I would invite you to check out our website today to help you know how to cross over into the love of Christ and to be sure you belong to Him. That's why we have it. It's ANewStory.com and it could be the beginning of your new story.

Every life leaves a legacy. Every life marks the lives of many others - including people you'll never meet. There is no greater legacy you can leave than a life that radiates the love and the power of Jesus Christ. It begins with you the day you begin with Him.

Genesis 31, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: A HIGHER PURPOSE - May 1, 2025

God promises, “When you pass through the waters, I’ll be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, nor will the flame scorch you” (Isaiah 43:2 NKJV). Will your unhappy marriage become happy in a heartbeat? Not likely. Does God guarantee the absence of struggle? Not in this life. But he does pledge to reweave your pain for a higher purpose.

It won’t be quick. Joseph was 17 years old when his brothers abandoned him; he was 37 when he saw them again. Another year passed before he saw his father. Sometimes God takes his time. But remember this: you are a version of Joseph in your generation. His story is in the Bible for this reason: yo teach us to trust God to trump evil. And what Satan intends for evil, God redeems for good. You will get through this!

You'll Get Through This: Hope and Help for Turbulent Times

Genesis 31

Jacob learned that Laban’s sons were talking behind his back: “Jacob has used our father’s wealth to make himself rich at our father’s expense.” At the same time, Jacob noticed that Laban had changed toward him. He wasn’t treating him the same.

3  That’s when God said to Jacob, “Go back home where you were born. I’ll go with you.”

4–9  So Jacob sent word for Rachel and Leah to meet him out in the field where his flocks were. He said, “I notice that your father has changed toward me; he doesn’t treat me the same as before. But the God of my father hasn’t changed; he’s still with me. You know how hard I’ve worked for your father. Still, your father has cheated me over and over, changing my wages time and again. But God never let him really hurt me. If he said, ‘Your wages will consist of speckled animals’ the whole flock would start having speckled lambs and kids. And if he said, ‘From now on your wages will be streaked animals’ the whole flock would have streaked ones. Over and over God used your father’s livestock to reward me.

10–11  “Once, while the flocks were mating, I had a dream and saw the billy goats, all of them streaked, speckled, and mottled, mounting their mates. In the dream an angel of God called out to me, ‘Jacob!’

“I said, ‘Yes?’

12–13  “He said, ‘Watch closely. Notice that all the goats in the flock that are mating are streaked, speckled, and mottled. I know what Laban’s been doing to you. I’m the God of Bethel where you consecrated a pillar and made a vow to me. Now be on your way, get out of this place, go home to your birthplace.’ ”

14–16  Rachel and Leah said, “Has he treated us any better? Aren’t we treated worse than outsiders? All he wanted was the money he got from selling us, and he’s spent all that. Any wealth that God has seen fit to return to us from our father is justly ours and our children’s. Go ahead. Do what God told you.”

17–18  Jacob did it. He put his children and his wives on camels and gathered all his livestock and everything he had gotten, everything acquired in Paddan Aram, to go back home to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

19–21  Laban was off shearing sheep. Rachel stole her father’s household gods. And Jacob had concealed his plans so well that Laban the Aramean had no idea what was going on—he was totally in the dark. Jacob got away with everything he had and was soon across the Euphrates headed for the hill country of Gilead.

22–24  Three days later, Laban got the news: “Jacob’s run off.” Laban rounded up his relatives and chased after him. Seven days later they caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead. That night God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream and said, “Be careful what you do to Jacob, whether good or bad.”

25  When Laban reached him, Jacob’s tents were pitched in the Gilead mountains; Laban pitched his tents there, too.

26–30  “What do you mean,” said Laban, “by keeping me in the dark and sneaking off, hauling my daughters off like prisoners of war? Why did you run off like a thief in the night? Why didn’t you tell me? Why, I would have sent you off with a great celebration—music, timbrels, flutes! But you wouldn’t permit me so much as a kiss for my daughters and grandchildren. It was a stupid thing for you to do. If I had a mind to, I could destroy you right now, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, ‘Be careful what you do to Jacob, whether good or bad.’ I understand. You left because you were homesick. But why did you steal my household gods?”

31–32  Jacob answered Laban, “I was afraid. I thought you would take your daughters away from me by brute force. But as far as your gods are concerned, if you find that anybody here has them, that person dies. With all of us watching, look around. If you find anything here that belongs to you, take it.” Jacob didn’t know that Rachel had stolen the gods.

33–35  Laban went through Jacob’s tent, Leah’s tent, and the tents of the two maids but didn’t find them. He went from Leah’s tent to Rachel’s. But Rachel had taken the household gods, put them inside a camel cushion, and was sitting on them. When Laban had gone through the tent, searching high and low without finding a thing, Rachel said to her father, “Don’t think I’m being disrespectful, my master, that I can’t stand before you, but I’m having my period.” So even though he turned the place upside down in his search, he didn’t find the household gods.

36–37  Now it was Jacob’s turn to get angry. He lit into Laban: “So what’s my crime, what wrong have I done you that you badger me like this? You’ve ransacked the place. Have you turned up a single thing that’s yours? Let’s see it—display the evidence. Our two families can be the jury and decide between us.

38–42  “In the twenty years I’ve worked for you, ewes and she-goats never miscarried. I never feasted on the rams from your flock. I never brought you a torn carcass killed by wild animals but that I paid for it out of my own pocket—actually, you made me pay whether it was my fault or not. I was out in all kinds of weather, from torrid heat to freezing cold, putting in many a sleepless night. For twenty years I’ve done this: I slaved away fourteen years for your two daughters and another six years for your flock and you changed my wages ten times. If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not stuck with me, you would have sent me off penniless. But God saw the fix I was in and how hard I had worked and last night rendered his verdict.”

43–44  Laban defended himself: “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flock is my flock—everything you see is mine. But what can I do about my daughters or for the children they’ve had? So let’s settle things between us, make a covenant—God will be the witness between us.”

45  Jacob took a stone and set it upright as a pillar.

46–47  Jacob called his family around, “Get stones!” They gathered stones and heaped them up and then ate there beside the pile of stones. Laban named it in Aramaic, Yegar-sahadutha (Witness Monument); Jacob echoed the naming in Hebrew, Galeed (Witness Monument).

48–50  Laban said, “This monument of stones will be a witness, beginning now, between you and me.” (That’s why it is called Galeed—Witness Monument.) It is also called Mizpah (Watchtower) because Laban said, “God keep watch between you and me when we are out of each other’s sight. If you mistreat my daughters or take other wives when there’s no one around to see you, God will see you and stand witness between us.”

51–53  Laban continued to Jacob, “This monument of stones and this stone pillar that I have set up is a witness, a witness that I won’t cross this line to hurt you and you won’t cross this line to hurt me. The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor (the God of their ancestor) will keep things straight between us.”

53–55  Jacob promised, swearing by the Fear, the God of his father Isaac. Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and worshiped, calling in all his family members to the meal. They ate and slept that night on the mountain. Laban got up early the next morning, kissed his grandchildren and his daughters, blessed them, and then set off for home.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Thursday, May 01, 2025

by Brent Hackett

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

1 Kings 19:8-14

He got up, ate and drank his fill, and set out. Nourished by that meal, he walked forty days and nights, all the way to the mountain of God, to Horeb. When he got there, he crawled into a cave and went to sleep.

Then the word of God came to him: “So Elijah, what are you doing here?”

10  “I’ve been working my heart out for the God-of-the-Angel-Armies,” said Elijah. “The people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed the places of worship, and murdered your prophets. I’m the only one left, and now they’re trying to kill me.”

11–12  Then he was told, “Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will pass by.”

A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn’t to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn’t in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn’t in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper.

13–14  When Elijah heard the quiet voice, he muffled his face with his great cloak, went to the mouth of the cave, and stood there. A quiet voice asked, “So Elijah, now tell me, what are you doing here?” Elijah said it again, “I’ve been working my heart out for God, the God-of-the-Angel-Armies, because the people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed your places of worship, and murdered your prophets. I’m the only one left, and now they’re trying to kill me.”

Today's Insights

Some scholars believe that in 1 Kings 19, Elijah was suffering from depression. He was weary after three and a half hard years of ministry, the events on Mount Carmel, and his flight from the wrath of Jezebel. But notice how kindly God cares for his discouraged servant. He gives Elijah rest to compensate for his fatigue and then provides him with food to restore his strength (vv. 5-7). Later, God would continue His care for him by assigning him new tasks to focus on—anointing kings and training Elisha (vv. 15-18). Today, as we serve God, we can listen for His voice and receive His compassionate care.

Listening for God’s Voice

After the fire came a gentle whisper. 1 Kings 19:12

In the early twentieth century, New York City had become a noisy place. With an overhead train, cars, trolleys, newsboys yelling, and people rushing around—life was loud! Yet, one day at Broadway and 34th Street, a man named Charles Kellogg declared to his friend, “Listen, I hear a cricket.”

“Impossible,” his friend answered. “With all this racket, you couldn’t hear a tiny sound like that.” Yet Mr. Kellogg insisted and eventually found the cricket, chirping in the window of a bakery. “What astonishing hearing you have,” his friend proclaimed. “Not at all,” Mr. Kellogg replied. “It’s a matter of where you focus your attention.”

Elijah was a prophet of God who’d just seen Him perform an amazing display of His power, but now the prophet was hiding in a cave for fear of the pagan queen (1 Kings 19:1-9). This time, however, God didn’t want to communicate in a powerful way. Even though He had sent a great wind, an earthquake, and even a roaring fire (vv. 11-12), it was time now for Elijah to commune with God personally and quietly. God wanted to speak to the prophet in “a gentle whisper” (v. 12).

Today, there’s a surplus of noise in our lives, yet God still speaks in a quiet voice through the Scriptures and by His Spirit. Taking time to prayerfully focus our attention on God will help us tune in to His comforting, guiding voice.

Reflect & Pray

What noises are crowding in on your life? How can you listen for God’s voice in your busy world?

Dear Father, I thank You that I can listen for Your Spirit to speak to me quietly.

Learn how prayer helps us tune into to God's voice and focuses focuses our thoughts on Him.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Thursday, May 01, 2025

For we live by faith, not by sight. — 2 Corinthians 5:7 (moffatt)

At times, we are conscious of receiving God’s attentions; we feel the light of his inspiration shining upon us, and we delight to do his will. But when he begins to use us in ways we don’t like, putting us to work at tasks that seem lowly or unimportant, we take on a pathetic attitude. We begin to talk about trials and difficulties, not understanding that God wants us to do our duty in obscurity.

None of us would work in spiritual obscurity if we had the choice. We’d prefer to be illuminated saints, with gilded haloes shining about our heads, on display for all to see. But gilt-edged saints are no good. They are unfit for daily life and completely unlike God. We are men and women, not half-fledged angels. We are here to do the work of the world, and to do it with an infinitely greater power of endurance than those who haven’t been born from above.

Can we do our duty when God has shut up heaven? If we’re always trying to recapture rare moments of inspiration, it’s a sign that it isn’t really God we’re after. Instead, we’re making a fetish of a feeling, insisting that God deliver that feeling to us again and again. How many of us simply refuse to do anything until God inspires us? He never will—not until we take action. God wants us to walk by faith. He wants us to get up on our own, without the touch of his inspiration. When we do, we have the surprising revelation that God was there all along.

Never live for the rare moments. They are God’s surprises. God will give us the touch of inspiration when he sees we aren’t in danger of being led astray by it. We must never make moments of inspiration the standard for our lives. Our standard is our duty.

1 Kings 10-11; Luke 21:20-38

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

We are in danger of being stern where God is tender, and of being tender where God is stern. 

The Love of God—The Message of Invincible Consolation, 673 L

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Thursday, May 01, 2025

ANSWERS THAT AREN'T ANSWERS - #9994

Sometimes when I'm in a store and it's time to pay up, I'll say to the cashier, "Listen, I want to show you something from a museum." And I pull out some cash. I say, "Do you accept cash?" You should see the look! I get this bewildered kind of look, and they're like, "Well, of course we accept cash." Well, it may be the first cash they've gotten in several transactions though. It's probably a given that they see more 'plastic' money than 'paper' money these days.

I think many of us got credit cards in order to make it more convenient to buy items. Instead of being more convenient, credit cards have caused us to buy a lot of things that we can't afford. Somehow when you're shopping with a credit card you... well, you kind of lose touch with reality. I mean, there's no real sense of what you've spent. It feels like you haven't spent anything until the bill comes. And, therefore, these credit cards that were supposed to make life easier somewhat, account for massive debts and financial

bondage in a lot of people's lives.

That credit card was supposed to give us financial freedom. Instead, it's enslaved a whole lot of people. Well, credit cards, like a lot of things in life, can turn out to be an answer that only creates bigger problems.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Answers That Aren't Answers."

Our word for today from the Word of God: 2 Chronicles 25. I'll begin reading at verse 7. It's an incident from the life of the King of Judah, the Southern Kingdom. His name is Amaziah. Maybe you remember that the kingdom at one point was divided into two parts; Israel was the Northern Kingdom, Judah the Southern Kingdom. Amaziah was the King of Judah, and he had a major enemy coming against him. So he's hired 100,000 fighting men from Israel.

Here's what it says, "Amaziah called the people of Judah together and he mustered those 20 years old or more and found there were 300,000 men ready for military service able to handle the spear and shield. He also hired 100,000 fighting men from Israel for a hundred talents of silver." Well, that sounds like a good answer doesn't it if you're under military pressure? But it says, "A man of God came to him and said, 'Oh, King, these troops from Israel must not march with you, for the Lord is not with Israel. Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to overthrow.'"

There's a pretty powerful principle in that story. Amaziah has spent his money on what he thinks is an answer. He's depending on it, but it did not have the blessing of God. The battle's going to be lost if you don't have the blessing of God on it. See, it isn't your effort that matters. It isn't the size of the answer that you have. If you are employing a solution that God can't bless, you can't win.

Now, right now maybe you have a need for love and you are letting an unbeliever fill it. It won't work! God says, "Don't be unequally yoked." See, there are things God can't bless. He can't bless you if your way of doing it is to disobey your parents. Or if it means playing with the truth, flirting with immorality, or running ahead of God's timing. Oh, you may see what looks like an answer. It might make social sense, it might make financial sense, business sense, emotional sense, but if it will cost you the blessing of God, you can't afford it. It's too expensive.

In verse 9 it says the Lord can give you much more than that. Don't waste your time, don't waste your life on an answer that isn't an answer, because it misses the blessing of Almighty God.

Matthew 13:1-30, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: GRACE CHANGES HEARTS - April 30, 2025

When Jesus traveled through the city of Jericho, half the town showed up to take a look. Short-in-stature Zacchaeus was among them, hopping up and down behind the wall of people, hoping to get a glimpse.

Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector. Apparently the crowd blocked his view. He spotted a sycamore tree and shimmied up. He never imagined that Christ would take a good look at him, but Jesus did. Of all the homes in town, Jesus selected Zack’s. Financed with illegal money, avoided by neighbors, yet on that day it was graced by the presence of Jesus.

Zacchaeus was never quite the same. Grace walked in the front door and selfishness scampered out the back. It changed his heart. Is it changing yours?

Jesus, the God Who Knows Your Name

Matthew 13:1-30

A Harvest Story

1–3  13 At about that same time Jesus left the house and sat on the beach. In no time at all a crowd gathered along the shoreline, forcing him to get into a boat. Using the boat as a pulpit, he addressed his congregation, telling stories.

3–8  “What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road, and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn’t put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds. Some fell on good earth, and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.

9  “Are you listening to this? Really listening?”

Why Tell Stories?

10  The disciples came up and asked, “Why do you tell stories?”

11–15  He replied, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn’t been given to them. Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears. That’s why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward receptive insight. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they’re blue in the face and not get it. I don’t want Isaiah’s forecast repeated all over again:

Your ears are open but you don’t hear a thing.

Your eyes are awake but you don’t see a thing.

The people are blockheads!

They stick their fingers in their ears

so they won’t have to listen;

They screw their eyes shut

so they won’t have to look,

so they won’t have to deal with me face-to-face

and let me heal them.

16–17  “But you have God-blessed eyes—eyes that see! And God-blessed ears—ears that hear! A lot of people, prophets and humble believers among them, would have given anything to see what you are seeing, to hear what you are hearing, but never had the chance.

The Meaning of the Harvest Story

18–19  “Study this story of the farmer planting seed. When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn’t take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person’s heart. This is the seed the farmer scatters on the road.

20–21  “The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.

22  “The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it.

23  “The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.”

24–26  He told another story. “God’s kingdom is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. That night, while his hired men were asleep, his enemy sowed thistles all through the wheat and slipped away before dawn. When the first green shoots appeared and the grain began to form, the thistles showed up, too.

27  “The farmhands came to the farmer and said, ‘Master, that was clean seed you planted, wasn’t it? Where did these thistles come from?’

28  “He answered, ‘Some enemy did this.’

“The farmhands asked, ‘Should we weed out the thistles?’

29–30  “He said, ‘No, if you weed the thistles, you’ll pull up the wheat, too. Let them grow together until harvest time. Then I’ll instruct the harvesters to pull up the thistles and tie them in bundles for the fire, then gather the wheat and put it in the barn.’ ”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Wednesday, April 30, 2025

by Leslie Koh

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Psalm 32:6-11

These things add up. Every one of us needs to pray;

when all hell breaks loose and the dam bursts

we’ll be on high ground, untouched.

7  God’s my island hideaway,

keeps danger far from the shore,

throws garlands of hosannas around my neck.

8  Let me give you some good advice;

I’m looking you in the eye

and giving it to you straight:

9  “Don’t be ornery like a horse or mule

that needs bit and bridle

to stay on track.”

10  God-defiers are always in trouble;

God-affirmers find themselves loved

every time they turn around.

11  Celebrate God.

Sing together—everyone!

All you honest hearts, raise the roof!

Today's Insights

A penitential psalm is a personal lament where the author confesses sin, expresses sorrow in repentance, and entrusts himself to God’s mercy and forgiveness. David wrote five of the seven penitential psalms (Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 143). Scholars also attribute the remaining two—Psalms 102 and 130—to him, though the author isn’t identified. For about a year after his adultery with Bathsheba, David refused to repent until the prophet Nathan confronted him (2 Samuel 11-12). The superscription to Psalm 51 indicates it was written when “Nathan came to [David].” Many scholars believe this was also the background of Psalm 32. David speaks of the crushing burden of guilt in his denial of sin (32:3-4) and the joy of receiving God’s forgiveness when he confessed and repented (vv. 1-2, 5). He contrasts the blessedness of repentance (vv. 1-2) with the anguish of living with unconfessed sin (vv. 3-4). Repentance reveals our desire to willingly follow God and experience His purifying presence (1 John 1:9).

Truly Trusting God

I will instruct . . . you in the way you should go . . . with my loving eye on you. Psalm 32:8

The stray cat mewed pitifully, stopping me in my tracks. I had just walked past a pile of food that someone had carelessly discarded on the ground. Wow, God's provided a meal for this hungry cat, I thought. The food was hidden behind a nearby pillar, so I tried to lure the emaciated cat to it. It moved toward me trustingly—then stopped and refused to follow me further. I wanted to ask, Why don’t you trust my directions? There’s a whole meal waiting for you!

Then it struck me: Don’t I act similarly in my relationship with God? How often have I responded to His directions thinking, I do trust You, God, but I don’t think Your instructions are reliable—not realizing that His divine provision might be waiting right around the corner.

God’s paths are trustworthy, for He loves us and has our best interests at heart. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you,” He tells us (Psalm 32:8). Yet He doesn’t treat us like animals that need to be controlled (v. 9). He desires for us to follow Him willingly and promises His everlasting presence as we do so: “The Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him” (v. 10). All we need to do is just keep following Him, knowing that He’ll be with us every step of the way.

Reflect & Pray

What fears or concerns keep you from trusting God completely? What is He guiding you to do at this time?

Dear Father, please teach me to trust You completely, for I know You love me and desire nothing but the best for me.

For further study, read A Prayer for Wondering if God Is There.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Wednesday, April 30, 2025

The Spontaneity of Love

Love is patient, love is kind. — 1 Corinthians 13:4

Love is not premeditated. Love is spontaneous, bursting up in extraordinary ways. Consider Paul’s description of love: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Corinthians 13:4–5). There is nothing calculating about the kind of love Paul describes. It is free and easy, arriving without conscious effort on our part. When the Spirit of the Lord is having his way with us, we pour out his love spontaneously, living up to God’s standard without even realizing it.

Like everything that has to do with the life of God in us, the true nature of a loving action can only be seen in hindsight. Looking back on some loving action we took, we are amazed at how we felt in the moment: unselfish and uncalculating. That is the evidence real love was there.

Trying to prove to God how much we love him is a sure sign that we do not love him. The evidence that our love for him is true is that it comes naturally, bubbling up without our bidding at the command of the Holy Spirit. That is why we can’t see our own reasons for doing certain loving things: it is the Spirit in our hearts who does them. We can’t say, “Now I am going to always be patient.” The springs of love are in God, not in us. To look for the love of God in our hearts is absurd if we have not been born again by the Spirit: God’s love is there only when he is. “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5).

1 Kings 8-9; Luke 21:1-19

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

Both nations and individuals have tried Christianity and abandoned it, because it has been found too difficult; but no man has ever gone through the crisis of deliberately making Jesus Lord and found Him to be a failure.

The Love of God—The Making of a Christian, 680 R

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Wednesday, April 30, 2025

YOUR LONG LIFETIME SEARCH - #9993

If you happen to watch the Discovery Channel on cable TV, you can end up seeing some real "reality TV" - including some pretty unusual fare. How about this one, "The Search for the Giant Squid"? No, that is not an adventure flick - it was a documentary about one scientist's quest to film what no one had ever filmed - the giant squid. For the whole hour, the viewer follows this man's almost lifelong pursuit. You watch as the likely target area is identified - as an expensive expedition follows clues that seem to be leading to this elusive prey - the giant squid. But at the end, you find out you got sucked into an expedition that ultimately failed to find what it was looking for.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Your Long Lifetime Search."

It's disappointing - a long search, an expensive search, that ends up not finding what it was looking for. For many of us, that could be our life story. Maybe yours.

It could be that you've been on your quest since you were a teenager. You've been through a lot of relationships since then - sampled a lot of experiences - maybe enjoyed a few achievements along the way - even found a pretty respectable status quo. But you still haven't found what you hoped you would find by now. In spite of all the places you've looked, you still can't honestly answer the million dollar question, "Why am I here?" You still haven't found what will give you the love you need and fill that hole in your heart.

At the peak of her fortune and fame, Chris Evert had 146 tennis championships behind her and she was married to the man she loved, but she said this: "We get into a rut. We play tennis, we go to a movie, we watch TV, but I keep saying, 'John, there has to be more.'" Maybe you know that feeling. The good news is: there is more. Much more.

In John 4:13-14, which is our word for today from the Word of God, Jesus is talking with a woman who has been searching for a long time. In her case, her search has taken her into a series of unfulfilling relationships with men. Since they meet at a well where they have each come for a drink, Jesus puts his diagnosis of her restlessness in these words: "Whoever drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become a spring of water, welling up to eternal life."

Jesus says that all our earth-sources of love and meaning are wells we have to keep going back to for more - and they never satisfy for long. But what He offers is a relationship with Him that puts the source inside us where it can't be touched, where it will never leave us thirsty again. Those words "thirsty again" may vividly describe how you have felt after you've gotten everything that you thought would satisfy the hole in your heart...but you're "thirsty again."

That "eternal life" Jesus promises did not come cheap. We're searching because we're away from our Creator - not by His choice, it's ours. We've done our life our way, not His way. And the only way that wall between Him and us could come down was for Jesus to pay for the sinning you and I did - by dying on the cross for them.

Today, Jesus - the One you were made by and made for - is offering to be the end of your search. He's what you've been looking for your whole life - that search ends at His cross. You can tell Him right where you are - "Jesus, I'm tired of looking and I'm tired of not finding. You're right - I've blown it with God. But I believe You died to bring me to Him. I am Yours beginning today."

That wonderful relationship begins, for you, a whole new story. Which, by the way, is the address of our website - ANewStory.com. I would urge you to go there as soon as you can today. Find there the information that will help you anchor this new relationship with Jesus Christ.

You're so very close to the answers you've been searching for so long. His name is Jesus. Don't live another empty day without Him.

Genesis 30, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: JESUS CAME FOR THE OUTCAST - April 29, 2025

The woman at the well. Decades of loose living had left her tattooed and tabooed and living with a boyfriend who thought a wedding was a waste of time. Gossipers wagged their tongues about her and her 5 ex-husbands. How else can we explain her midday appearance at the water well? Other women filled their buckets at sunrise, but this woman preferred the heat of the sun over the heat of their scorn.

Jesus wasn’t put off by her past. He offered to make music out of her garbage, and she accepted his offer. The woman on the margin became the woman with the message. No one else gave her a chance, but Jesus gave her the chance of a lifetime. He came for people like her.

Jesus, the God Who Knows Your Name

Genesis 30

When Rachel realized that she wasn’t having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She told Jacob, “Give me sons or I’ll die!”

2  Jacob got angry with Rachel and said, “Am I God? Am I the one who refused you babies?”

3–5  Rachel said, “Here’s my maid Bilhah. Sleep with her. Let her substitute for me so I can have a child through her and build a family.” So she gave him her maid Bilhah for a wife and Jacob slept with her. Bilhah became pregnant and gave Jacob a son.

6–8  Rachel said, “God took my side and vindicated me. He listened to me and gave me a son.” She named him Dan (Vindication). Rachel’s maid Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son. Rachel said, “I’ve been in an all-out fight with my sister—and I’ve won.” So she named him Naphtali (Fight).

9–13  When Leah saw that she wasn’t having any more children, she gave her maid Zilpah to Jacob for a wife. Zilpah had a son for Jacob. Leah said, “How fortunate!” and she named him Gad (Lucky). When Leah’s maid Zilpah had a second son for Jacob, Leah said, “A happy day! The women will congratulate me in my happiness.” So she named him Asher (Happy).

14  One day during the wheat harvest Reuben found some mandrakes in the field and brought them home to his mother Leah. Rachel asked Leah, “Could I please have some of your son’s mandrakes?”

15  Leah said, “Wasn’t it enough that you got my husband away from me? And now you also want my son’s mandrakes?”

Rachel said, “All right. I’ll let him sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s love-apples.”

16–21  When Jacob came home that evening from the fields, Leah was there to meet him: “Sleep with me tonight; I’ve bartered my son’s mandrakes for a night with you.” So he slept with her that night. God listened to Leah; she became pregnant and gave Jacob a fifth son. She said, “God rewarded me for giving my maid to my husband.” She named him Issachar (Bartered). Leah became pregnant yet again and gave Jacob a sixth son, saying, “God has given me a great gift. This time my husband will honor me with gifts—I’ve given him six sons!” She named him Zebulun (Honor). Last of all she had a daughter and named her Dinah.

22–24  And then God remembered Rachel. God listened to her and opened her womb. She became pregnant and had a son. She said, “God has taken away my humiliation.” She named him Joseph (Add), praying, “May God add yet another son to me.”

25–26  After Rachel had had Joseph, Jacob spoke to Laban, “Let me go back home. Give me my wives and children for whom I’ve served you. You know how hard I’ve worked for you.”

27–28  Laban said, “If you please, I have learned through divine inquiry that God has blessed me because of you.” He went on, “So name your wages. I’ll pay you.”

29–30  Jacob replied, “You know well what my work has meant to you and how your livestock has flourished under my care. The little you had when I arrived has increased greatly; everything I did resulted in blessings for you. Isn’t it about time that I do something for my own family?”

31–33  “So, what should I pay you?”

Jacob said, “You don’t have to pay me a thing. But how about this? I will go back to pasture and care for your flocks. Go through your entire flock today and take out every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, every spotted or speckled goat. They will be my wages. That way you can check on my honesty when you assess my wages. If you find any goat that’s not speckled or spotted or a sheep that’s not black, you will know that I stole it.”

34  “Fair enough,” said Laban. “It’s a deal.”

35–36  But that very day Laban removed all the mottled and spotted billy goats and all the speckled and spotted nanny goats, every animal that had even a touch of white on it plus all the black sheep and placed them under the care of his sons. Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob. Meanwhile Jacob went on tending what was left of Laban’s flock.

37–42  But Jacob got fresh branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled the bark, leaving white stripes on them. He stuck the peeled branches in front of the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. When the flocks were in heat, they came to drink and mated in front of the streaked branches. Then they gave birth to young that were streaked or spotted or speckled. Jacob placed the ewes before the dark-colored animals of Laban. That way he got distinctive flocks for himself which he didn’t mix with Laban’s flocks. And when the sturdier animals were mating, Jacob placed branches at the troughs in view of the animals so that they mated in front of the branches. But he wouldn’t set up the branches before the feebler animals. That way the feeble animals went to Laban and the sturdy ones to Jacob.

43  The man got richer and richer, acquiring huge flocks, lots and lots of servants, not to mention camels and donkeys.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

by Jennifer Benson Schuldt

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Numbers 13:26-33

They presented themselves before Moses and Aaron and the whole congregation of the People of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. They reported to the whole congregation and showed them the fruit of the land. Then they told the story of their trip:

27–29  “We went to the land to which you sent us and, oh! It does flow with milk and honey! Just look at this fruit! The only thing is that the people who live there are fierce, their cities are huge and well fortified. Worse yet, we saw descendants of the giant Anak. Amalekites are spread out in the Negev; Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites hold the hill country; and the Canaanites are established on the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan.”

30  Caleb interrupted, called for silence before Moses and said, “Let’s go up and take the land—now. We can do it.”

31–33  But the others said, “We can’t attack those people; they’re way stronger than we are.” They spread scary rumors among the People of Israel. They said, “We scouted out the land from one end to the other—it’s a land that swallows people whole. Everybody we saw was huge. Why, we even saw the Nephilim giants (the Anak giants come from the Nephilim). Alongside them we felt like grasshoppers. And they looked down on us as if we were grasshoppers.”

Today's Insights

The negative report of the ten faithless spies must have created quite a commotion within the Israelite camp. We read that Caleb “silenced the people before Moses” (Numbers 13:30). The silence didn’t last. A mass protest soon broke out. “That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud” (14:1). There was serious talk of returning to the land of their enslavement (v. 4). God’s response was stern. None of the adults, save for the two faithful spies—Caleb and Joshua—would enter the promised land. Why? Because the people had disbelieved God by thinking He couldn’t bring them into the land He’d promised to give them. Caleb and Joshua, however, placed their hope and trust in Him.

Hopeless or Hopeful

We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it. Numbers 13:30

Every fall, plants like ragweed irritate my son’s sinuses. One night, his symptoms became so severe I thought he should see a doctor. Our family had just recovered from months of serious health issues, and I was so discouraged I didn’t even want to pray. My husband, however, found hope in all that God had already helped us through. He prayed for direction. Shortly after, with the help of medicine, our son’s condition improved.

Though some of their companions were discouraged, Caleb and Joshua also showed hope and optimism after scouting out the land of Canaan (Numbers 14:6-9). God had promised the area to Israel, and Caleb said, “We should . . . take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it” (13:30). The others felt it was impossible, that the Canaanites were too powerful and their cities too well fortified (vv. 28, 31-33).

These were serious challenges, but Caleb’s faith rested on God’s past faithfulness to His people in their struggles. God’s people did eventually conquer Canaan, and Caleb received his share because he had followed Him “wholeheartedly” (Joshua 14:9).

Many situations feel hopeless, but for those who know God and believe in His faithfulness, there’s always a reason for hope as we trust His power and grace to carry us through.

Reflect & Pray

How do you think God responds to your prayers when you’re discouraged, overwhelmed, or fearful? How does it help to know that He’s for you?

Dear God, please let courage and hope flow from my relationship with You to inspire others to turn to You when life is hard.

Learn more about fear, faith, and the true cost of not trusting God.  

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

The Graciousness of Uncertainty

What we will be has not yet been made known. — 1 John 3:2

Naturally, we are inclined to be so mathematical and calculating that we look upon uncertainty as a bad thing. We imagine that we have to reach some goal, but this isn’t the nature of the spiritual life.

The nature of the spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty. Certainty is the mark of the commonsense life; gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life. To be certain of God means that we are uncertain of the rest, never knowing what a day may bring. This is generally said with a sigh of sadness; it should be said with a burst of breathless expectation: we’re uncertain of the next step, but we’re certain of God.

The instant we abandon ourselves to God, he begins to fill our life with constant surprises. But when we become advocates of a creed, something within us dies. If we are clinging to a creed or a belief, we aren’t believing God himself; we are merely believing our beliefs about him.

Jesus said, “Unless you change and become like little children …” (Matthew 18:3). Spiritual life is the life of a child. A child isn’t uncertain of God, only of what God will do next. If we are sure of our beliefs, we are haughty and absolutely set in our opinions. Jesus said, “Believe also in me” (John 14:1). He didn’t say, “Believe your own ideas about me.” When we are rightly related to God, life is full of spontaneous, joyful uncertainty and expectancy.

Leave everything to God. It is gloriously uncertain how he will come, but he will come.

1 Kings 6-7; Luke 20:27-47

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

It is impossible to read too much, but always keep before you why you read. Remember that “the need to receive, recognize, and rely on the Holy Spirit” is before all else.

Approved Unto God, 11 L

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

WALLS WHERE THERE SHOULD BE BRIDGES - #9992

Ok, question for the day. What's the difference between a melting pot and a stew? Oh, yeah, there is a difference! You see, a melting pot is where all the ingredients blend together and pretty soon you can't tell what is what. In other words, the ingredients lose their separate identity.

And how about a stew? Well, you've got the beef, the potatoes, the carrots, the onions, and whatever else might be in the refrigerator. They all pretty much stay what they are. The beef still is beef, the carrots stay carrots, the onions stay onions, the potatoes stay potatoes, and they'll make a pretty nice mixture.

Now, did you know that your church - your family - is probably more of a stew than a melting pot, and if you're not careful, the pot will boil over.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Walls Where There Should Be Bridges."

Our word for today from the Word of God is written to the saint's stew at the Church of Rome. Now, you've got to understand, this letter to the people of Rome - the Christians that we call the Romans in the book - are an interesting group of people. They're not all alike. In fact, in that church you have slaves and slave masters. You have probably the very rich of Rome and some of the very poor. You have very religious Jews from a scrupulous Jewish religious background. And then you've got people who've come from a totally pagan Gentile background who have come to Christ. It's really a saint's stew.

And guess what they're doing? They're arguing. The carrots are arguing with the beef, and the beef's arguing with the potatoes, and they are arguing over everything from what food it's Christian to eat, to what days it's Christian to take off and honor. And into the middle of this saint's stew Paul comes with his admonition in our word for today from the Word of God, Romans 14:19.

And since you live in a group of Christians who are very different, even in your family, you need this word too today. "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification." Edification - that's a big old $100 theological word for making other people more important; for building them up, not tearing them down. Paul says you've got to work at it. He says you don't fall into this "make every effort." This is strain, this is really, you know, a lot of sweat and effort into this. Make every effort to do what leads to peace. Don't waste any energy on trying to get all of God's kids to be alike. He didn't make them to be alike; don't try to make them alike.

You know, God loves variety. That's why He created different fingerprints, different snowflakes, and that's why He makes His church a stew. The beef shouldn't become potatoes. The potatoes shouldn't become carrots. The carrots shouldn't become onions. Some of us pray loud, and some of us pray softly, and some of us are black, and brown, or white. We have different views on the 10% area of Christianity that Christians disagree on. But we're pretty much the same in the 90%. Why don't we emphasize the 90% we agree on? We worship at the same cross; we celebrate the same empty tomb. We're all family; we're going to be in heaven together forever.

Why do we let there be walls where there should be bridges? Now, you can be what God delights in - a bring-us-together person. Are you one of those? Emphasize what unites us as followers of Christ, not what divides us.

They'll know we are Christians by what? By our love. I'll tell you, there are enough people stirring up God's saint's stew. Why don't you keep it cool?

Genesis 29, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: BRING EVERYONE IN - April 28, 2025

The book of Titus 2:11 (NCV) assures us that “God’s grace that can save everyone has come.” We humans aren’t prone to this “whoever” policy. We’re prone to pecking orders. We love the high horse. The affluent over the destitute. The educated over the dropout. The old-timer over the newcomer. The Jew over the Gentile.

An impassable gulf yawned between Jews and Gentiles. No Jew would have anything to do with a Gentile. Unless that Jew, of course, was Jesus. Suspicions of a new order began to surface because of his curious conversation with a Canaanite woman. Her daughter was dying, and her prayer was urgent, yet her ancestry was Gentile. Even so, Jesus healed the woman’s daughter and made his position clear. He was more concerned about bringing people in than shutting certain people out.

Jesus, the God Who Knows Your Name

Genesis 29

Jacob set out again on his way to the people of the east. He noticed a well out in an open field with three flocks of sheep bedded down around it. This was the common well from which the flocks were watered. The stone over the mouth of the well was huge. When all the flocks were gathered, the shepherds would roll the stone from the well and water the sheep; then they would return the stone, covering the well.

4  Jacob said, “Hello friends. Where are you from?”

They said, “We’re from Haran.”

5  Jacob asked, “Do you know Laban son of Nahor?”

“We do.”

6  “Are things well with him?” Jacob continued.

“Very well,” they said. “And here is his daughter Rachel coming with the flock.”

7  Jacob said, “There’s a lot of daylight still left; it isn’t time to round up the sheep yet, is it? So why not water the flocks and go back to grazing?”

8  “We can’t,” they said. “Not until all the shepherds get here. It takes all of us to roll the stone from the well. Not until then can we water the flocks.”

9–13  While Jacob was in conversation with them, Rachel came up with her father’s sheep. She was the shepherd. The moment Jacob spotted Rachel, daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, saw her arriving with his uncle Laban’s sheep, he went and single-handedly rolled the stone from the mouth of the well and watered the sheep of his uncle Laban. Then he kissed Rachel and broke into tears. He told Rachel that he was related to her father, that he was Rebekah’s son. She ran and told her father. When Laban heard the news—Jacob, his sister’s son!—he ran out to meet him, embraced and kissed him and brought him home. Jacob told Laban the story of everything that had happened.

14–15  Laban said, “You’re family! My flesh and blood!”

When Jacob had been with him for a month, Laban said, “Just because you’re my nephew, you shouldn’t work for me for nothing. Tell me what you want to be paid. What’s a fair wage?”

16–18  Now Laban had two daughters; Leah was the older and Rachel the younger. Leah had nice eyes, but Rachel was stunningly beautiful. And it was Rachel that Jacob loved.

So Jacob answered, “I will work for you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”

19  “It is far better,” said Laban, “that I give her to you than marry her to some outsider. Yes. Stay here with me.”

20  So Jacob worked seven years for Rachel. But it only seemed like a few days, he loved her so much.

21–24  Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife; I’ve completed what we agreed I’d do. I’m ready to consummate my marriage.” Laban invited everyone around and threw a big feast. At evening, though, he got his daughter Leah and brought her to the marriage bed, and Jacob slept with her. (Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her maid.)

25  Morning came: There was Leah in the marriage bed!

Jacob confronted Laban, “What have you done to me? Didn’t I work all this time for the hand of Rachel? Why did you cheat me?”

26–27  “We don’t do it that way in our country,” said Laban. “We don’t marry off the younger daughter before the older. Enjoy your week of honeymoon, and then we’ll give you the other one also. But it will cost you another seven years of work.”

28–30  Jacob agreed. When he’d completed the honeymoon week, Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. (Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maid.) Jacob then slept with her. And he loved Rachel more than Leah. He worked for Laban another seven years.

31–32  When God realized that Leah was unloved, he opened her womb. But Rachel was barren. Leah became pregnant and had a son. She named him Reuben (Look-It’s-a-Boy!). “This is a sign,” she said, “that God has seen my misery; and a sign that now my husband will love me.”

33–35  She became pregnant again and had another son. “God heard,” she said, “that I was unloved and so he gave me this son also.” She named this one Simeon (God-Heard). She became pregnant yet again—another son. She said, “Now maybe my husband will connect with me—I’ve given him three sons!” That’s why she named him Levi (Connect). She became pregnant a final time and had a fourth son. She said, “This time I’ll praise God.” So she named him Judah (Praise-God). Then she stopped having children.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Monday, April 28, 2025

by Alyson Kieda

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Our orders—backed up by the Master, Jesus—are to refuse to have anything to do with those among you who are lazy and refuse to work the way we taught you. Don’t permit them to freeload on the rest. We showed you how to pull your weight when we were with you, so get on with it. We didn’t sit around on our hands expecting others to take care of us. In fact, we worked our fingers to the bone, up half the night moonlighting so you wouldn’t be burdened with taking care of us. And it wasn’t because we didn’t have a right to your support; we did. We simply wanted to provide an example of diligence, hoping it would prove contagious.

10–13  Don’t you remember the rule we had when we lived with you? “If you don’t work, you don’t eat.” And now we’re getting reports that a bunch of lazy good-for-nothings are taking advantage of you. This must not be tolerated. We command them to get to work immediately—no excuses, no arguments—and earn their own keep. Friends, don’t slack off in doing your duty.

Today's Insights

In 2 Thessalonians 2, some believers in Jesus had quit their jobs and were living off the generosity of the church because they’d been misled by false teachers that Jesus had already returned (v. 2). These freeloaders had become “busybodies” and threatened the unity of the community (3:11). Paul told the church to withdraw fellowship (v. 6) and withhold food from these idlers who disobeyed the church’s teaching and rejected the apostle’s example of working for a living (vv. 7-10). The church must continue to do “what is good” and help those who are unable to work (v. 13). But Paul says, “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat” (v. 10). The apostle commanded these idlers to get back to fruitful employment and productivity: “Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat” (v. 12). By doing so, they imitated Paul, who sought to imitate Jesus.

Imitate Me

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1

As his daddy cast his fishing line out into the lake, two-year-old Thomas mimicked his father’s actions with his own toy fishing pole. Later, as he stood on the shallow edge of the lake, Thomas also tried imitating his father’s example of throwing fish back into the water by dipping his pole in the water and “catching” weeds. After each “catch,” Thomas held the weeds up for his daddy to admire before releasing them back into the lake.

We tend to learn—both what’s good and wholesome and what’s definitely not—through observing and imitating others. Perhaps that’s why in the New Testament, followers of Jesus are often encouraged to look to faithful servants of the gospel as role models (see 2 Thessalonians 3:9; Hebrews 13:7; 3 John 1:11).

In 2 Thessalonians 3, Paul told his readers not to imitate idle, disruptive, and meddling lifestyles (vv. 6, 11) and told his readers to imitate instead the examples of integrity found in him and the other leaders (vv. 7-10). And he encouraged them to “never tire of doing what is good” (v. 13).

But Paul knew that ultimately his example was only worth imitating insofar as it pointed to reliance on Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). Only by rooting our lives in Christ’s faith and power can we grow in grace and wisdom.

Reflect & Pray

Who has been a godly role model in your life? Who might you influence in turn?  

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for the dear people You’ve placed in my life who’ve pointed me to You and are helping me learn what it means to live in Your power and love.

God calls us to make disciples of all nations. Learn how God gives the power to fulfill the Great Commission by to Follow Me.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Monday, April 28, 2025

What You Will Get

Wherever you go I will let you escape with your life. — Jeremiah 45:5

The scribe Baruch was seeking much more than his life from God; he wanted great things for himself and was full of self-pity that he hadn’t gotten them. “Woe to me!” he lamented. “The Lord has added sorrow to my pain” (Jeremiah 45:3). God told Baruch to stop seeking great things for himself, highlighting the futility of earthly blessings: “For I will bring disaster on all people” (v. 5). Yet God didn’t send Baruch away empty-handed. Instead, he said, “I will let you escape with your life.”

What more do we want than life? It is the essential thing. So many of us are caught up in the show of things—not necessarily in possessions, but in blessings. Both blessings and possessions will go one day, but there is something grander that will never go: the life that is “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

Are you prepared to let God take you into union with him? Are you prepared to stop paying attention to the things you consider “great”? To abandon entirely and let go? The test of abandonment lies in refusing to say, “But what about this?” Beware of such questions. They mean that you don’t really trust God—not enough to abandon yourself to him. The moment you truly abandon yourself to God, you no longer worry about what he is going to do. Abandonment means refusing yourself the luxury of asking questions.

The reason people are tired of life is that God hasn’t given them anything; they haven’t received their life from him. The way out is abandonment. When you do abandon yourself to him, you will be the most surprised and delighted creature on earth: God has got you absolutely and has given you your life! If you’re not in this place, it is because of either disobedience or a refusal to be simple enough.

1 Kings 3-5; Luke 20:1-26

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

We are in danger of being stern where God is tender, and of being tender where God is stern. 

The Love of God—The Message of Invincible Consolation, 673 L

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Monday, April 28, 2025

NO SECRETS - #9991

When our oldest grandson was 15 months old, he was our favorite entertainer. Who needed TV? Who needs some show you have to buy a ticket for? No, the show he put on was free! It seemed like he had a new trick every day. His parents used to throw a blanket over his head and ask, "Where's Jason?" He would pull that blanket off, flash a big smile, and his parents would say excitedly, "There's Jason!"

Now Jason took that to another level. He doesn't need the blanket. All we have to say is, "Where's Jason?" And he promptly puts both his little hands over his face. Of course, he's peeking between his fingers a little bit. I guess he thought he was hiding. Then, he pulls his hands away and shrieks with surprise and excitement. And we responded on cue, "There's Jason!" We loved it! Let me tell you a little secret. The whole time Jason thought he was hiding - we knew exactly where he was.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "No Secrets."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Hebrews 4:13, and it exposes our little games of hide-and-seek with God. We cover our face and we think He doesn't know where we are - and He knows all the time. God's Word says, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account" So, there's nothing you've done that God hasn't seen. There's nothing you've thought that God doesn't know. And there's nothing you are that God isn't aware of.

In Revelation 2 and 3, Jesus has a message for each of seven churches, and in a sense, for all believers. All seven messages follow the same pattern. He reviews what people see when they look at these folks and then He tells what He sees, which is often very different from the image everyone else sees.

Take the church at Sardis, for example. Here is Jesus' blunt spiritual X-ray: "I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead." Ask anyone else about these folks and they would tell you, "Oh, they're really alive over there!" Ask Jesus and He says, "I know they're really dead."

Those two sobering words are used with every group of believers - "I know." And what Jesus knows about you, that's the real you. That's the real deal. That's the untouched photos. That's the truth. Among these people in Revelation are some who are busy for the Lord. But Jesus looks underneath and says, "You don't love Me like you used to." He sees another group who appear to be totally together and successful but He says they're settling for spiritual mediocrity and "lukewarmness." As Samuel said so perceptively, "The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).

So, hide-and-seek games don't work with God. He knows where you really are all the time. Now at first that might seem like bad news, because there are some things you're not very proud of. But the good news is there is one Person in your life with whom you have nothing to hide - nothing you can hide.

You can experience the wonderful freedom of coming to your Heavenly Father with the real you. You don't have to hide yourself in spiritual God-talk; in saying what you're supposed to say, feeling like you're supposed to feel. You come as you really are, feeling like you really feel, needing what you really need - to a Savior whose love (thank God!) is totally unconditional! And as you bring the real you to Him, you'll find Him becoming more and more real to you. And you'll find yourself experiencing His forgiving, His cleansing, His healing in parts of you you've never opened up to Him before.

This God who knows all about you, this Savior who knows all about you and loves you anyway... isn't it time that you made the Savior your Savior if you never have? By going to His cross where He died for you, to say, "Jesus, for me" - those two words, "for me" - "you're doing this for me, and I'm Yours."

Our website will help you be sure you belong to Him. That website is ANewStory.com.

Take off the mask. Quit trying to cover your face. God already knows exactly where you are and He's ready to change you. 

Matthew 18:21-35, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Lu-KAH-doh or Lu-KAY-doh?

My last name has created some awkward moments. A woman said, “Max Lu-KAH-do—I’ve been wanting to meet you.”  I let it go thinking that was the end of it.  But then a man said to me, “My wife and I’ve been trying to figure out how you say your name.  Is it Lu-KAY-doh or Lu-KAH-doh! I felt trapped…as I looked at my new friend who had been mispronouncing my name.

On an infinitely grander scale, God faces with humankind a similar issue I faced with the woman. How can He be both just and kind?  How can He redeem the sinner without endorsing the sin?  From our perspective there are only two equally unappealing solutions. From God’s perspective, however, there is a third. It’s called the Cross of Christ!  And that’s one phrase you want to say correctly!

From He Chose the Nails

Matthew 18:21-35

A Story About Forgiveness

21  At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, “Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?”

22  Jesus replied, “Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven.

23–25  “The kingdom of God is like a king who decided to square accounts with his servants. As he got under way, one servant was brought before him who had run up a debt of a hundred thousand dollars. He couldn’t pay up, so the king ordered the man, along with his wife, children, and goods, to be auctioned off at the slave market.

26–27  “The poor wretch threw himself at the king’s feet and begged, ‘Give me a chance and I’ll pay it all back.’ Touched by his plea, the king let him off, erasing the debt.

28  “The servant was no sooner out of the room when he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him ten dollars. He seized him by the throat and demanded, ‘Pay up. Now!’

29–31  “The poor wretch threw himself down and begged, ‘Give me a chance and I’ll pay it all back.’ But he wouldn’t do it. He had him arrested and put in jail until the debt was paid. When the other servants saw this going on, they were outraged and brought a detailed report to the king.

32–35  “The king summoned the man and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy. Shouldn’t you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow servant who asked for mercy?’ The king was furious and put the screws to the man until he paid back his entire debt. And that’s exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn’t forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Sunday, April 27, 2025

by Karen Huang

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Lamentations 3:19-26

It’s a Good Thing to Hope for Help from God

19–21  I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,

the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed.

I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—

the feeling of hitting the bottom.

But there’s one other thing I remember,

and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:

22–24  God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,

his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.

They’re created new every morning.

How great your faithfulness!

I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over).

He’s all I’ve got left.

25–27  God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,

to the woman who diligently seeks.

It’s a good thing to quietly hope,

quietly hope for help from God.

Today's Insights

As its English title suggests, the book of Lamentations is a book of lament. Though the author is anonymous, Jewish tradition upholds Jeremiah’s authorship. The Septuagint (the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible translated into Greek), adds these words at the beginning: “And it came to pass, after Israel was taken captive, and Jerusalem made desolate, that Jeremiah sat weeping, and lamented with this lamentation over Jerusalem” (The Bible Knowledge Commentary). Jeremiah is lamenting over the fall of Jerusalem to the siege of Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian armies. In the Hebrew Bible, book titles were often based on the first word or phrase of the book. The original name of Lamentations in Hebrew is ’Ekah, which means “how”—taken from the book’s opening word. It laments at how the people of God have fallen so far from His protection and care. Nevertheless, central to the book is its well-known affirmation of hope in God’s mercy and faithfulness found in Lamentations 3:22-23. These two things reflect His “great love” for His people (v. 22).

God’s Love Never Runs Out

His mercies never cease. Lamentations 3:22 nlt

When Josie’s ill and aging father moved in with her, she felt overwhelmed by the daily needs of caring for him. The medications she needed to buy were expensive. The caregiving tasks and the wisdom needed to guide her decision-making for his worsening health condition, aside from her other “full-time” job, were wearing her down. She said, “How could I keep gathering and giving out strength, practical resources, wisdom, and love?”

Josie found hope in Lamentations, a book about the grief Jeremiah and God’s people felt. Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Babylonians, and the Jews now faced the uncertain days of exile ahead. The suffering was overwhelming, but God promised that “because of [His] great love we are not consumed” (Lamentations 3:22). His covenant love would remain with them, even if they were no longer in the promised land: “for his mercies never cease” (v. 22 nlt).

God’s love for His children has no limits. “God is my portion, my personal source of everything,” Josie realized, echoing verse 24. “I can gather and give out what’s needed each day because I draw my strength from Him, whose love never runs out.”

As we live in obedience to God, we can have hope, no matter what lies ahead. In His perfect wisdom, He knows what we need and will provide for us as He sees best.

Reflect & Pray

How does God’s perfect love give you comfort and confidence? How can you trust His wisdom in providing what you need?

Dear God, my hope is in You. I’ll wait for You.

Learn more about how the poet of Lamentations makes a final appeal to Yahweh’s unfailing love and great faithfulness, even in his season of despair. 

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Sunday, April 27, 2025

Should you then seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them. — Jeremiah 45:5

Are you seeking great things for yourself? Not seeking to become a great man or woman, but seeking great gifts from God? God wants your relationship with him to be closer than a relationship based on receiving his gifts. He wants you to get to know him. Nothing is easier than getting into a right relationship with God, except when you’re only looking for what you can get out of it.

If, in your walk in faith, you’ve only come as far as asking God for blessings, you haven’t begun to approach full abandonment to him. You’ve become a Christian, but you’ve become one on your own terms rather than his. “I asked God for the Holy Spirit,” you say, “but he did not give me the peace I expected.” God puts his finger on the reason at once: you aren’t seeking him at all; you’re seeking things for yourself.

Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given to you” (Luke 11:9). You cannot ask if you are not asking for a right thing. Are you asking God for the great gift of the Holy Spirit? If he has not given it, it is because you are not abandoned enough: there is still something you will not do. Are you prepared to ask yourself what you want from God and why you want it? “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8). Then why ask? So that you may get to know him. When you draw near to God, you will stop asking for anything other than him.

God ignores present perfection for ultimate perfection. He isn’t concerned about making you blessed and happy right now. He is working out his ultimate perfection: “That they may be one as we are one” (John 17:11).

1 Kings 1-2; Luke 19:28-48

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

When we no longer seek God for His blessings, we have time to seek Him for Himself. 

The Moral Foundations of Life, 728 L