Today’s Podcast
Today’s Scriptures
Today’s Bible reading plans include:
Ready – Matthew 22:34-46
Set – 2 Samuel 10; Matthew 22
Go! – 2 Samuel 10; 1 Chronicles 19-20; Psalms 20; Matthew 22
Matthew 22:34-46
34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, a group of Pharisees met to consider new questions that might trip up Jesus. 35 A legal expert thought of one that would certainly stump Him.Pharisees: 36 Teacher, of all the laws, which commandment is the greatest?
Jesus (quoting Scripture): 37 “Love the Eternal One your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind.” 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is nearly as important, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 40 The rest of the law, and all the teachings of the prophets, are but variations on these themes.
41 Since the Pharisees were gathered together there, Jesus took the opportunity to pose a question of His own.
Jesus: 42 What do you think about the Anointed One? Whose Son is He?
Pharisees: But, of course, He is the Son of David.
Jesus: 43 Then how is it that David—whose words were surely shaped by the Spirit—calls Him “Lord”? For in his psalms David writes,
44 The Master said to my master
“Sit here at My right hand,
in the place of honor and power,
And I will gather Your enemies together,
lead them in on hands and knees,
and You will rest Your feet on their backs.”
45 How can David call his own Son “Lord”?46 No one had an answer to Jesus’ question. And from that day forward, no one asked Him anything.
Today’s Devotional
From today’s background scripture God might say:
Why do people always want to question Me? Why can’t they just believe I am who I say I am? There are some in every crowd who think they are smart enough to outsmart me. It doesn’t work. How can mere humans outsmart God? I created you. Why do you feel the need to question Me instead of just exercising a little faith and letting Me work in your life.
The Pharisees and Sadducees kept themselves in trouble with Me and with the common people of Israel because they continued to question Me. I answered all of their questions, but they could never answer Mine. They tried to trip Me up with their intellect, not realizing how foolish they were. That’s the way with those who think they are wise.
Wisdom doesn’t come from books. You can’t get wisdom from memorizing facts and figures. No one can discern the makings of the universe. I created it; it’s beyond human understanding. I know you have scientists that put formulas together to try to explain it. All of them lead back to faith in some unknown, though. You always have to start with something that has no explanation. But I can explain it because I made it.
I know how to make everything from nothing. I know how to create breathe life into lifeless dust. I know how to form the stars and the planets. Your scientists have some ideas, but I know; I did it. Who designed the process to make sure every creature on the planet has the right kind of food to eat? I did.
In fact, if the world were not marred by selfishness and sin, there is more than enough food to feed everyone today. Tons of food goes uneaten every day. Tons of produce and meat spoil in ports around the world because of the corruption, selfishness, and greed of those who would keep it from those who need it most.
Who has wisdom? Not those who think they do and try to flout their intellect as a badge trying to prove I don’t exist. Their circular arguments will always get them in trouble. Oh, they might match wits with other people and cloud their minds with their fancy words and high sounding education, but they will never have real wisdom until they learn to fear Me. Remember, real wisdom begins with the fear of Me. I have the answers you need, not some college professor or some self-proclaimed wiseman.
Be careful who you put your trust in. Too many during the time I walked with you in the flesh put their faith in the intellect of the Sadducees and Pharisees. At each encounter, though, I showed them how foolish they really were. They thought themselves wiser than the God of the universe. But they could not answer the simplest questions about life, love, and faith. Trust Me and you’ll be on the right track.
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