Monthly Archives: September 2015

Remember the Sabbath for the right reasons (Luke 13:1-17), September 30, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Luke 13:1-17

Set – Zechariah 8; Luke 13

Go! – Zechariah 7-9; Luke 13

Luke 13:1-17
¹ As He said this, some people told Him the latest news about a group of Galilean pilgrims in Jerusalem—a group not unlike Jesus’ own entourage. Pilate butchered them while they were at worship, their own blood mingling with the blood of their sacrifices.
Jesus: ² Do you think these Galileans were somehow being singled out for their sins, that they were worse than any other Galileans, because they suffered this terrible death? ³ Of course not. But listen, if you do not consider God’s ways and truly change, then friends, you should prepare to face His judgment and eternal death.
⁴ Speaking of current events, you’ve all heard about the 18 people killed in that building accident when the tower in Siloam fell. Were they extraordinarily bad people, worse than anyone else in Jerusalem, so that they would deserve such an untimely death? ⁵ Of course not. But all the buildings of Jerusalem will come crashing down on you if you don’t wake up and change direction now.
⁶ (following up with this parable) A man has a fig tree planted in his vineyard. One day he comes out looking for fruit on it, but there are no figs. ⁷ He says to the vineyard keeper, “Look at this tree. For three years, I’ve come hoping to find some fresh figs, but what do I find? Nothing. So just go ahead and cut it down. Why waste the space with a fruitless tree?”
⁸ The vineyard keeper replies, “Give it another chance, sir. Give me one more year working with it. I’ll cultivate the soil and heap on some manure to fertilize it. ⁹ If it surprises us and bears fruit next year, that will be great, but if not, then we’ll cut it down.”
¹⁰ Around this time, He was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath, the Jewish day of rest. ¹¹ A woman there had been sick for 18 years; she was weak, hunched over, and unable to stand up straight. ^12-13 Jesus placed His hands on her and suddenly she could stand straight again. She started praising God, ¹⁴ but the synagogue official was indignant because Jesus had not kept their Sabbath regulations by performing this healing.
Synagogue Official: Look, there are six other days when it’s appropriate to get work done. Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath!
Jesus: ¹⁵ You religious leaders are such hypocrites! Every single one of you unties his ox or donkey from its manger every single Sabbath Day, and then you lead it out to get a drink of water, right? ¹⁶ Do you care more about your farm animals than you care about this woman, one of Abraham’s daughters, oppressed by Satan for 18 years? Can’t we untie her from her oppression on the Sabbath?
¹⁷ As the impact of His words settled in, His critics were humiliated, but everyone else loved what Jesus said and celebrated everything He was doing.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

How easy to get hung up on the words of your traditions and forget the spirit of My laws. I instituted the Sabbath as a day of rest for three reasons. First, I wanted you to stop your normal activities to focus on Me. Spend time together worshiping Me. So I commanded you to set aside the Sabbath to do just that.

Second, I knew that physically you need a day of rest. You cannot go on day after day without taking some time to rejuvenate. Working seven days a week without end will wear out your body, mind, and spirit. You need to stop and rest. The Sabbath gives you that one day a week to stop from your labors and rest.

Third, I knew that unless I forced you to look beyond the every day routine, you would become engrossed in the material things of life instead of looking up to the heavenly. You would become enamoured with the world instead of enamoured with Me. I wanted you to break away from your daily business to spend time with Me in community with others to know the joy of worshiping Me.

The Sabbath is important, but it is important in understanding the importance of relationship and community with Me and others. It’s not about rules, regulations, and traditions. It’s not even about the form of worship you desire or participate in. It’s about Me. It’s about My plan for humanity within a community of believers sharing together in worship and remembering what really matters in this world and the next.

Remember the Sabbath for the right reasons and keep it holy. Set time aside and remember Me.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Chose the intangibles (Luke 12:13-34), September 29, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Luke 12:13-34

Set – Zechariah 4; Luke 12

Go! – Zechariah 4-6; Luke 12

Luke 12:13-34
¹³ A person in the crowd got Jesus’ attention.
Person in the Crowd: Teacher, intervene and tell my brother to share the family inheritance with me.
Jesus: ¹⁴ Since when am I your judge or arbitrator?
¹⁵ Then He used that opportunity to speak to the crowd.
Jesus: You’d better be on your guard against any type of greed, for a person’s life is not about having a lot of possessions.
¹⁶ (then, beginning another parable) A wealthy man owned some land that produced a huge harvest. ¹⁷ He often thought to himself, “I have a problem here. I don’t have anywhere to store all my crops. What should I do? ¹⁸ I know! I’ll tear down my small barns and build even bigger ones, and then I’ll have plenty of storage space for my grain and all my other goods. ¹⁹ Then I’ll be able to say to myself, ‘I have it made! I can relax and take it easy for years! So I’ll just sit back, eat, drink, and have a good time!’”
²⁰ Then God interrupted the man’s conversation with himself. “Excuse Me, Mr. Brilliant, but your time has come. Tonight you will die. Now who will enjoy everything you’ve earned and saved?”
²¹ This is how it will be for people who accumulate huge assets for themselves but have no assets in relation to God.
²² (then, to His disciples) This is why I keep telling you not to worry about anything in life—about what you’ll eat, about how you’ll clothe your body.²³ Life is more than food, and the body is more than fancy clothes. ²⁴ Think about those crows flying over there: do they plant and harvest crops? Do they own silos or barns? Look at them fly. It looks like God is taking pretty good care of them, doesn’t it? Remember that you are more precious to God than birds! ²⁵ Which one of you can add a single hour to your life or 18 inches to your height by worrying really hard? ²⁶ If worry can’t change anything, why do you do it so much?
²⁷ Think about those beautiful wild lilies growing over there. They don’t work up a sweat toiling for needs or wants—they don’t worry about clothing. Yet the great King Solomon never had an outfit that was half as glorious as theirs!
²⁸ Look at the grass growing over there. One day it’s thriving in the fields. The next day it’s being used as fuel. If God takes such good care of such transient things, how much more you can depend on God to care for you, weak in faith as you are. ²⁹ Don’t reduce your life to the pursuit of food and drink; don’t let your mind be filled with anxiety. ³⁰ People of the world who don’t know God pursue these things, but you have a Father caring for you, a Father who knows all your needs.
³¹ Since you don’t need to worry—about security and safety, about food and clothing—then pursue God’s kingdom first and foremost, and these other things will come to you as well.
³² My little flock, don’t be afraid. God is your Father, and your Father’s great joy is to give you His kingdom.
³³ That means you can sell your possessions and give generously to the poor. You can have a different kind of savings plan: one that never depreciates, one that never defaults, one that can’t be plundered by crooks or destroyed by natural calamities. ³⁴ Your treasure will be stored in the heavens, and since your treasure is there, your heart will be lodged there as well.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Satan has managed to turn people’s eyes toward material things so easily. You long for the things you can see instead of the things that really have value. Look around you where you sit right now. How many of those things did you have ten years ago? Twenty years ago? Or turn it around, how many of the things that you see around you will still be in your possession ten years from now? Twenty years from now?

See, all those tangible things will disappear. No matter how long you might think they will last, even if your looking at something that came from what is thought antique, it will someday crumble into dust. Nothing tangible lasts forever. But your soul, that I breathed into you when you took shape inside your mother’s womb, will last forever. I will last forever. Heaven lasts forever. And hell lasts forever. The tangible things of this life will be gone before you know it, but your immortal soul lives on through eternity.

I want you to live with Me. It is your choice, though. Choose to treasure the intangible. Choose to seek and find Me. Choose to build up your treasures in heaven by loving others with Christlike love.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Keep on…(Luke 11:1-13), September 28, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Luke 11:1-13

Set – Zechariah 2; Luke 11

Go! – Zechariah 1-3; Luke 11

Luke 11:1-13
¹ Another time Jesus was praying, and when He finished, one of His disciples approached Him.
Disciple: Teacher, would You teach us Your way of prayer? John taught his disciples his way of prayer, and we’re hoping You’ll do the same.
Jesus: ² Here’s how to pray:
Father [in heaven], may Your name be revered.
May Your kingdom come.
[May Your will be accomplished on earth
as it is in heaven.]
³ Give us the food we need for tomorrow,
⁴ And forgive us for our wrongs,
for we forgive those who wrong us.
And lead us away from temptation.
[And save us from the evil one.]
Imagine that one of your friends comes over at midnight. He bangs on the door and shouts, “Friend, will you lend me three loaves of bread? ⁶ A friend of mine just showed up unexpectedly from a journey, and I don’t have anything to feed him.” ⁷ Would you shout out from your bed, “I’m already in bed, and so are the kids. I already locked the door. I can’t be bothered”? ⁸ You know this as well as I do: even if you didn’t care that this fellow was your friend, if he keeps knocking long enough, you’ll get up and give him whatever he needs simply because of his brash persistence!
⁹ So listen: Keep on asking, and you will receive. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened for you. ¹⁰ All who keep asking will receive, all who keep seeking will find, and doors will open to those who keep knocking.
¹¹ Some of you are fathers, so ask yourselves this: if your son comes up to you and asks for a fish for dinner, will you give him a snake instead? ¹² If your boy wants an egg to eat, will you give him a scorpion? ¹³ Look, all of you are flawed in so many ways, yet in spite of all your faults, you know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to all who ask!

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Experts in any field recognize that repetition makes you an expert. Whether talking about sports, music, sciences, writing, art, or any other field, doing something many times makes you better and better the more you do it. So it is with seeking Me and My will for your life. The more you read My word, the better you understand Me and what I want for you. The more you listen to My voice, the easier it is to recognize My voice amidst the cacophony of voices around you.

Just coming to Me at an altar one day and asking for forgiveness doesn’t mean I’m through with you. I want you to continue to seek Me day after day, week after week, year after year for the rest of your life. I want you to become an expert at hearing My voice and finding Me in places others might never expect to find Me. But you will because you have become an expert at hearing My voice. I want you to know My voice the way a mother knows the single cry of her baby among the dozens of cries in a nursery.

That’s what I was trying to tell My disciples that day as they asked Me to teach them to pray. Prayer isn’t so much about form and getting the words right as it is about just talking with Me…a lot. Get to know Me. Spend time hanging out with Me. Take a look at My world and see My handiwork. Then talk to Me about what you think about it. Let Me know what you think about the world I made, the place you live, the family you have, the country you live in. Some things you won’t like about it, but that’s okay. Sin has left a lot of ugly scars on My creation, but Ican help you see beyond the scars and see the beauty of the world I created for you.

Tell Me about your problems. Tell Me about your blessings. Tell Me about the needs others have shared with you. Tell Me about your dreams. I want to know all about you and want to share My dreams for you. I have plans for you and when you get to know Me well, you will understand that I have your best in mind…always. So keep on asking, you’ll get better at asking and you’ll receive. Keep on seeking, you’ll get better at seeking and you’ll find. Keep on knocking, you’ll get better at knocking on My door and I’ll answer you. Keep on staying in touch with Me every way you know how. I’ll be here.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Who is your neighbor? (Luke 10:21-37), September 27, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Luke 10:21-37

Set – Haggai 2; Luke 10

Go! – Haggai 1-2; Psalms 129; Luke 10

Luke 10:21-37
²¹ Then Jesus Himself became elated. The Holy Spirit was on Him, and He began to pray with joy.
Jesus Thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. Thank You for hiding Your mysteries from the wise and intellectual, instead revealing them to little children. Your ways are truly gracious. ²² My Father has given Me everything. No one knows the full identity of the Son except the Father, and nobody knows the full identity of the Father except the Son, and the Son fully reveals the Father to whomever He wishes. ²³ (then almost in a whisper to the disciples) How blessed are your eyes to see what you see! ²⁴ Many prophets and kings dreamed of seeing what you see, but they never got a glimpse. They dreamed of hearing what you hear, but they never heard it.
²⁵ Just then a scholar of the Hebrew Scriptures tried to trap Jesus.
Scholar: Teacher, what must I do to experience the eternal life?
Jesus (answering with a question): ²⁶ What is written in the Hebrew Scriptures? How do you interpret their answer to your question?
Scholar: ²⁷ You shall love—“love the Eternal One your God with everything you have: all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind”—and “love your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus: ²⁸ Perfect. Your answer is correct. Follow these commands and you will live.
²⁹ The scholar was frustrated by this response because he was hoping to make himself appear smarter than Jesus.
Scholar: Ah, but who is my neighbor?
Jesus: ³⁰ This fellow was traveling down from Jerusalem to Jericho when some robbers mugged him. They took his clothes, beat him to a pulp, and left him naked and bleeding and in critical condition. ³¹ By chance, a priest was going down that same road, and when he saw the wounded man, he crossed over to the other side and passed by. ³² Then a Levite who was on his way to assist in the temple also came and saw the victim lying there, and he too kept his distance. ³³ Then a despised Samaritan journeyed by. When he saw the fellow, he felt compassion for him. ³⁴ The Samaritan went over to him, stopped the bleeding, applied some first aid, and put the poor fellow on his donkey. He brought the man to an inn and cared for him through the night.
³⁵ The next day, the Samaritan took out some money—two days’ wages to be exact—and paid the innkeeper, saying, “Please take care of this fellow, and if this isn’t enough, I’ll repay you next time I pass through.”
³⁶ Which of these three proved himself a neighbor to the man who had been mugged by the robbers?
Scholar: ³⁷ The one who showed mercy to him.
Jesus: Well then, go and behave like that Samaritan.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

As you try to get through the message of Good Samaritan, it probably doesn’t register very well with you today. You’ve heard the story many times and you’ve heard how Jews had a deep dislike for the Samaritans. You’ve heard about the failure of the priest and the Levite, two individuals who should have gone to the aid of the injured man. But you probably don’t get the whole picture because you didn’t live in the culture of the day.

Put your emotions into the story. Suppose the characters are updated a little. Let’s make the priest a well known pastor, the Levite a Christian Sunday School teacher, and the Samaritan an ISIS soldier, does that make a difference in how you understand the story? Now, who is the injured man’s neighbor? That’s what the scholar heard from his visceral emotions. He felt about the Samitans as you probably feel about those who behead the children of Christians in Syria.

So how could any of those among ISIS do any good? How could you think well of any of them? They are still My creation. They still have a living, eternal soul that I died to save. I still long for them to learn of Me and find My grace and the truth of My salvation. They are special to Me just as you are special to Me. I wove together every bone and sinew of their bodies just as I did yours. Have they been led astray by Satan’s lies? Yes. Can they be saved? Yes! Will they be saved? As readily as anyone who calls on My name for the forgiveness of their sins and believes in Me as the Son of God.

I hold no prejudices against any nation, race, gender, creed, or color. I died for all humanity. But I let you choose whether or not to believe in Me. Can you get over your prejudices? Think again about the story of the pastor, the Christian, and the ISIS soldier. Who is your neighbor? Who do you lift in prayer? How can you show Christ to those who seem unloveable? I died for them. What will you do?

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Ranking against others doesn’t make sense (Luke 9:46-62), September 26, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Luke 9:46-62

Set – Psalms 127; Luke 9

Go! – Ezra 4; Psalms 113,127; Luke 9

Luke 9:46-62
⁴⁶ Later the close followers of Jesus began to argue over the stupid and vain question, “Which one of us is the greatest disciple?”
⁴⁷ Jesus saw what was going on—not just the argument, but the deeper heart issues—so He found a child and had the child stand beside Him.
Jesus:⁴⁸ See this little one? Whoever welcomes a little child in My name welcomes Me. And whoever welcomes Me welcomes the One who sent Me. The smallest one among you is therefore the greatest.
John: ⁴⁹ Master, we found this fellow casting out demons. He said he was doing it in Your name, but he’s not one of our group. So we told him to stop.
Jesus: ⁵⁰ What? No! Don’t think like that! Whoever is not working against you is working with you.
⁵¹ The time approached for Him to be taken back up to the Father; so strong with resolve, Jesus made Jerusalem His destination.
⁵² He sent some people ahead of Him into the territory of the Samaritans, a minority group at odds with the Jewish majority. He wanted His messengers to find a place for them to stay in a village along the road to Jerusalem. ⁵³ But because the Samaritans realized Jesus was going to Jerusalem, they refused to welcome them.
James and John (outraged): ⁵⁴ Lord, do You want us to call down fire from heaven to destroy these people who have rejected You?[a] [Just as Elijah did.][b]
Jesus (turning toward them and shaking His head): ⁵⁵ You just don’t get it. [⁵⁶ The Son of Man didn’t come to ruin the lives of people, but He came to liberate them.][c]
He led them on toward another village. ⁵⁷ Farther along on the road, a man volunteered to become a disciple.
Volunteer: I’ll follow You to any destination.
Jesus: ⁵⁸ Foxes are at home in their burrows. Birds are at home in their nests. But the Son of Man has no home. ⁵⁹ You (to another person)—I want you to follow Me!
Another Volunteer: I’d be glad to, Teacher, but let me first attend to my father’s funeral.
Jesus: ⁶⁰ Let the dead bury their dead. I’m giving you a different calling—to go and proclaim the kingdom of God.
A Third Volunteer: ⁶¹ I’ll come, Jesus. I’ll follow You. But just let me first run home to say good-bye to my family.
Jesus: ⁶² Listen, if your hand is on the plow but your eyes are looking backward, then you’re not fit for the kingdom of God.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Humanity, even My disciples tried to establish a pecking order about who was greatest among them. I’m not sure why you do that. When you really think about it, what does your pecking order matter? You spend so much wasted energy trying to figure out some kind of ranking among yourselves when your comparisons are so insignificant. If you want to compare yourself, compare yourself to Me. Then you will begin to understand why ranking is so futile.

Set yourself against My standards, My measurements, My holiness, My perfection. See how you measure up against Me and then discover how well you rank. That’s the basis from which you should start your personal introspection. Don’t compare yourself to others. It’s useless. There will always be someone better in some areas and some worse in other areas than you, but what does that matter in the space of eternity. They do not measure up to Me either.

Set your sights on Me and run diligently to be like Me. Make Christlikeness your goal. Don’t worry about whether you are first or second or third in the race. The point is to finish the race and spend your energy becoming like Me in every way possible. Learn everything you can from Me and act like Me in every way you can . Let your spirit touch My Spirit and learn to soar. Become more than you ever think you could by reaching out to Me.

Keep your eyes on Me instead of others and you’ll be okay. Don’t worry about where you stand in relation to others on your spiritual journey, just keep searching for more of Me. Keep seeking. Keep learning. Keep talking with Me. Keep reading My word. Let Me determine how fast and far you can grow. Let Me determine what I want of you spiritually now and in eternity. Let Me figure out where you stand with Me. Don’t let others do it. They don’t know your heart. I do.

So it does no good to compare yourself to someone else. You are unique in the universe and so your standing with Me is unique. You’re not like anyone else. I want a relationship with you. I don’t want you to measure yourself with some set of rules or standards, I want a relationship. How are you supposed to measure that against someone else’s relationship with Me? Every relationship is unique just as every person is unique. But all of them can be incredibly rich and joyful and wonderful. It’s your choice. How much do you want to put into your relationship with Me?

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Learn from the mistakes of the Israelites (Ezra 3:7-13), September 25, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Ezra 3:7-13

Set – Ezra 3; Luke 8

Go! – Ezra 2-3; Luke 8

Ezra 3:7-13
⁷ Jeshua, Zerubbabel, and their fellow returning expatriates exercised King Cyrus of Persia’s permission to pay masons and carpenters and send food, drinks, and oil to the Sidonians and Tyrians in exchange for a shipment of Lebanese cedar by sea to Joppa.
⁸ In the second month of the second year after they had begun preparations for the True God’s temple in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel (son of Shealtiel), Jeshua (son of Jozadak), and the priests and Levites and all who had been exiled, began construction of the Eternal’s temple. The Levites 20 years old and older oversaw the construction, ⁹ and Jeshua and his relatives, Kadmiel and his sons, the descendants of Judah, oversaw the True God’s temple laborers, the descendants of Henadad and their brothers the Levites.
¹⁰ After the laborers had laid the Eternal’s temple foundation, the priests and Levites praised the Eternal as their beloved King David of Israel had prescribed. The priests dressed in their vestments and played trumpets, the Levite descendants of Asaph played their cymbals, ¹¹ and together they sang praises and gave thanks to the Eternal.
Priests and Levites: We praise him because He is good and because of His continual and loyal love for Israel.
All the people joined in, shouting praises to the Eternal because the foundation of His temple was complete. ¹² But in the midst of those praises, the priests, Levites, and tribal leaders who remembered the first temple wept loudly when they saw it because they knew this temple could never be as grand as Solomon’s. ¹³ There were shouts of joy intermingled with cries of sorrow, and the entire ensemble grew so loud it could be heard a great distance away.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Ezra, Zerubbabel, and the others who returned with him to rebuild My temple were pleased they could return and see the construction of My earthly home again. But they wept because of the poor replica this one was compared to the magificence of the temple Solomon constructed from the plans and materials David collected for the first temple. There was little comparison in terms of pure grandure. Remember, I had pilaged the Egyptians when My people escaped from slavery.

A great deal of that gold and silver came back to the temple and became part of the implements of worship. Gold lined the walls of the temple and covered the ceilings. There was so much gold it couldn’t be counted and the silver was as common as stones in Solomon’s day. That was the wealth and prosperity My people gave up when they gave up Me. They lost it all.

The good news, though, is that I brought them back. They left Me, but I made a way to bring them back. Still they didn’t understand that I couldn’t be kept in a building. Ezra and those who returned with him put their heart into getting the construction of the temple underway and getting it completed as fast as they could, but it wasn’t the stones and wood and implements of worship I was really interested in when I brought them back to Jerusalem.

I wanted Ezra and Zerubbabel to return to their homeland to understand I could do anything I pleased. I prophecied their return 70 years earlier. I even gave them the name of the king who would declare their return. Nebuchadnezzar put them into exile, but Cyrus returned them to their home. Babylon seemed undefeatable when they took Judah and Jerusalem into exile, but the Persians were soon to defeat them just as they conquered others. Cyrus sent My people home.

I wanted them to learn I had their lives in My hands. I could do the impossible. I could take care of them if they let Me. I didn’t need the temple, they did. I didn’t need the synagogues, they did. I didn’t need their offerings and their praise, but they needed to give it. It was always that way. I’m God, they were not.

The same holds true today. You can find Me in your churches and synagogues and temples, but you cannot confine Me to those places. I created the universe and all that it contains. I gave you life and will live in you if you let Me. But I cannot be contained. I do the impossible and can do the impossible in your. I can cleanse you of your sin if you trust Me to do so. I want to do so much more for you than you can begin to imagine. But I also demand your worship because I am a holy God and as I told Moses in the desert, I will have no other gods, in fact, nothing else more important in your life than Me.

I want you to learn from the lessons of Ezra and those who accompanied him. Understand I want to bring you back to Me. Know that I cannot be confined in the structure of a place. Worship is what I desire from you. It will come from an outpouring of love for Me when you know Me and understand who I am and what I’ve done for you. Get to know Me and don’t suffer the anguish of the Israelites. Learn from their mistakes.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Do you love God’s temple? (Psalm 84), September 24, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Psalms 84

Set – Psalms 84-85; Luke 7

Go! – Ezra 1; Psalms 84-85; Luke 7

Psalms 84
¹ How lovely is Your temple, Your dwelling place on earth,
O Eternal One, Commander of heaven’s armies.
² How I long to be there—my soul is spent,
wanting, waiting to walk in the courts of the Eternal.
My whole being sings joyfully
to the living God.
³ Just as the sparrow seeks her home,
and the swallow finds in her own nest
a place to lay her young,
I, too, seek Your altars, my King and my God,
Commander of heaven’s armies.
⁴ How blessed are those who make Your house their home,
who live with You;
they are constantly praising You.
⁵ Blessed are those who make You their strength,
for they treasure every step of the journey to Zion.
⁶ On their way through the valley of Baca,
they stop and dig wells to collect the refreshing spring water,
and the early rains fill the pools.
⁷ They journey from place to place, gaining strength along the way;
until they meet God in Zion.
⁸ O Eternal God, Commander of heaven’s armies, listen to my prayer.
O please listen, God of Jacob.
⁹ O True God, look at our shield, our protector,
see the face of Your anointed king, and defend our defender.
¹⁰ Just one day in the courts of Your temple is greater
than a thousand anywhere else.
I would rather serve as a porter at my God’s doorstep
than live in luxury in the house of the wicked.
¹¹ For the Eternal God is a sun and a shield.
The Eternal grants favor and glory;
He doesn’t deny any good thing
to those who live with integrity.
¹² O Eternal One, Commander of heaven’s armies,
how fortunate are those who trust You.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

The sons of Korah acted as the worship leaders of the Israelites. These Levites held the responsibility of leading the music, the choral readings, the congregational hymns, the common prayers of My people. They led the worship as My people assembled together in the Temple in Jerusalem.

Perhaps watching the faces of My people coming into My house to worship helped them see the inner beauty of worship. They saw beyond the gold and silver and ornate tapestry of the faciltiy and saw My presence in the Temple as My people sang praise to Me each day.

Perhaps preparing the music and worship activities helped bring the Korahites into a close relationship with Me as they put words and sounds together lifting their praisees and petitions to Me in orchestrating the parts of their worship service. Maybe their study of My word began to show them how beautiful worship can be.

But maybe the author if this psalm just figured out that spending time with Me is better than living life in any other place or in any other way. Spending time with Me is better than life itself. Perhaps the song writer spent time doing more than just reading My word and singing My praise. Perhaps he spent significant time alone with Me in prayer, not just talking to Me, but also listening to My voice. And what did he learn?

He learned that there is no better place than being in My presence. He learned that it can be an even better experience when several of My people humble themselves in My presence and call on Me in adoration and praise. He learned that when My people call on Me I hear them from My throne in heaven and I answer their prayers. He learned that I know what’s best for him and those he cares for and I will never let him down because I will never fail.

The writer of the psalm found the words of the hymn flowing easily from his pen because he knew Me. He spent time with Me. His worship was more than coming into My house and getting through the routine. He poured out his heart to Me with every word he sang and every prayer he prayed. He put his heart and soul into his worship because it was for Me. The writer knew Me and longed to be near Me in this life and the next. And his desire showed in everything he did.

How does your worship measure up to his? Is that how you come to the Temple, synagogue, church, altar every time you come into My presence? Do you dig into My word so that you might truly know Me. Do you spend time in prayer listening to Me as much as talking to Me? Are our conversations two-way conversations or one-way? Do know Me or just know about Me?

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Know God, not just about him (Luke 6:27-49), September 23, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Luke 6:27-49

Set – Daniel 12; Luke 6

Go! – Daniel 11-12; Luke 6

Luke 6:27-49
Jesus²⁷ If you’re listening, here’s My message: Keep loving your enemies no matter what they do. Keep doing good to those who hate you. ²⁸ Keep speaking blessings on those who curse you. Keep praying for those who mistreat you. ²⁹ If someone strikes you on one cheek, offer the other cheek too. If someone steals your coat, offer him your shirt too. ³⁰ If someone begs from you, give to him. If someone robs you of your valuables, don’t demand them back. ³¹ Think of the kindness you wish others would show you; do the same for them.
³² Listen, what’s the big deal if you love people who already love you? Even scoundrels do that much! ³³ So what if you do good to those who do good to you? Even scoundrels do that much! ³⁴ So what if you lend to people who are likely to repay you? Even scoundrels lend to scoundrels if they think they’ll be fully repaid.
³⁵ If you want to be extraordinary—love your enemies! Do good without restraint! Lend with abandon! Don’t expect anything in return! Then you’ll receive the truly great reward—you will be children of the Most High—for God is kind to the ungrateful and those who are wicked. ³⁶ So imitate God and be truly compassionate, the way your Father is.
³⁷ If you don’t want to be judged, don’t judge. If you don’t want to be condemned, don’t condemn. If you want to be forgiven, forgive. ³⁸ Don’t hold back—give freely, and you’ll have plenty poured back into your lap—a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, brimming over. You’ll receive in the same measure you give.
³⁹ Jesus told them this parable:
Jesus: What happens if a blind man leads a blind man? Won’t both of them fall into a pit? ⁴⁰ You can’t turn out better than your teacher; when you’re fully taught, you will resemble your teacher.
⁴¹ Speaking of blindness: Why do you focus on the speck in your brother’s eye? Why don’t you see the log in your own? ⁴² How can you say to your brother, “Oh, brother, let me help you take that little speck out of your eye,” when you don’t even see the big log in your own eye? What a hypocrite! First, take the log out of your own eye. Then you’ll be able to see clearly enough to help your brother with the speck in his eye.
⁴³ Count on this: no good tree bears bad fruit, and no bad tree bears good fruit. ⁴⁴ You can know a tree by the fruit it bears. You don’t find figs on a thorn bush, and you can’t pick grapes from a briar bush. ⁴⁵ It’s the same with people. A person full of goodness in his heart produces good things; a person with an evil reservoir in his heart pours out evil things. The heart overflows in the words a person speaks; your words reveal what’s within your heart.
⁴⁶ What good is it to mouth the words, “Lord! Lord!” if you don’t live by My teachings? ⁴⁷ What matters is that you come to Me, hear My words, and actually live by them. ⁴⁸ If you do that, you’ll be like the man who wanted to build a sturdy house. He dug down deep and anchored his foundation to solid rock. During a violent storm, the floodwaters slammed against the house, but they couldn’t shake it because of solid craftsmanship. It was built upon rock.
⁴⁹ On the other hand, if you hear My teachings but don’t put them into practice, you’ll be like the careless builder who didn’t bother to build a foundation under his house. The floodwaters barely touched that pathetic house, and it crashed in ruins in the mud.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

You hear a lot of sermons from a lot of people. The question is, do they live the life they tell you to live? I did. The things I ask you to do, I lived in front of you for the time I walked beside you in the flesh. I showed you the way to live authentically. But you can’t do it in your own power. You need something more to live by the directions I give you in the Sermon on the Mount. You need more than your own will power to make it through the schemes Satan lays out in front of you. You need Me empowering your life.

With My Spirit empowering you, you can learn to love and that wraps all the other commands together. Love God and love others. Everything else will fall into place if you do those two things well. You can love Me and love others if you allow Me to focus your mind, emotions, and will. You can love others if you give yourself wholly to Me. You can truly love if you let go of yourself and let Me fully into your life and know Me, not just know about Me.

What does it take to know Me? First, acknowledge your sin. Second, believe I came and died for your sins. Third, repent and accept Me into your life as Lord, Savior, and Director of your life. Then read My word. Talk with Me at every opportunity. Learn to know Me, not just about Me. Seek Me and you will find Me.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Can you relate to Daniel? (Daniel 9:1-19), September 22, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Daniel 9:1-19

Set – Daniel 9; Psalms 123; Luke 5

Go! – Daniel 9-10; Psalms 123; Luke 5

Daniel 9:1-19
Daniel: ^1-2 In the first year that Darius the Mede (Ahasuerus’ son) ruled over the Babylonians, I, Daniel, was studying the word of the Eternal One according to the prophet Jeremiah and discovered in the scrolls the number of years that Jerusalem must lie desolate before it is restored, that is, seventy years.
³ After learning this, I turned to the Lord God, praying diligently, begging for His mercy, grieving and fasting in sackcloth and ashes. ⁴ I prayed to the Eternal One my God, praising His greatness and confessing our sins: Lord God, You are great and awesome! You are always faithful to the covenant You made with us. Your unfailing love extends to all who love You and keep Your commandments. ⁵ But we have sinned and wronged You. We have acted wickedly in our rebellion, going so far as to disregard Your commandments and regulations. ⁶ We have ignored the message given through Your servants, the prophets, who spoke on Your behalf to our kings, princes, ancestors, indeed every last person of the land. ⁷ O Lord, You always do what is right. It is Your due, but we deserve nothing this day but public and open shame. The people of Judah, Jerusalem—indeed of all Israel, those who are in neighboring regions and those who are in the farthest reaches, driven into exile by You for all the treacherous acts they committed against You—we all deserve nothing but shame. ⁸ Eternal One, public and open shame is our due, for we have sinned against You, all of us, our kings, princes, and ancestors. ⁹ But You, O Lord our God, still show us compassion and forgiveness even though we have openly rebelled against You. ¹⁰ We have not obeyed the voice of the Eternal our God, for we have failed to live by the teachings You gave us directly through Your servants, the prophets. ¹¹ All the people of Israel have abandoned Your teachings, deserted Your covenant, and refused to obey Your voice. This is why the curse and the oath inscribed in the law of Moses, the servant of God, has been poured out on us—for we have sinned against You. ¹² By unleashing on us this great calamity, You have carried out Your solemn words warning us and our leaders who led us astray. Under all of heaven, nothing like what happened to Jerusalem has ever happened before. ¹³ All the calamity that has befallen us fulfills the warnings written in Moses’ law; but despite our adversity, we have not sought the favor of the Eternal our God by walking away from our sins and pursuing insight into Your truth. ¹⁴ And now we have earned the misery that the Eternal has stored up for us. Truly, the Eternal our God was right to do all He has done, for we refused to obey His voice.
¹⁵ Now, Lord our God, You have made Your name great among the nations to this day by liberating Your enslaved people from the land of Egypt with powerful deeds; yet we have sinned against You, our Liberator, and we have acted wickedly. ¹⁶ Lord, the reputation of Your city Jerusalem has suffered, and Your people are mocked by those around us because we and our ancestors have done wrong. I beg You to spare Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; turn away Your burning anger and fiery wrath from Your people according to all Your covenant mercies. ¹⁷ Now, God, please hear the prayers and petitions voiced today by your servant. Shine Your face on Your destroyed and desolate sanctuary for the sake of Your name, my Lord. ¹⁸ Lend an ear, my God, and hear this prayer. Open Your eyes and see our deserted streets and witness the devastation across the city that bears Your name. We are crying to You and asking for mercy, not because we are righteous and deserve it. No, we bring these petitions to you because we know of Your great mercy. ¹⁹ Lord, hear our prayer! Lord, forgive our sins! Lord, pay attention to our plight and act without delay, not for our sake, my God, but for Yours because these people and this city bear Your name.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

I heard Daniel’s prayer. He was a faithful servant to Me. Daniel recognized he was a part of the nation and the nation abandoned Me. So Daniel pled for forgiveness for himself in his part as well as those of his countrymen.

Have you thought of the role you play in the demise of your country? Have you shared My message with those you influence each day? If you lived as Christ in front of your neighbors and co-workers and friends, would it make a difference in your behavior or theirs each day? If you did everything as if you were doing it for Me, would it make a difference in the quality of your work? Maybe it’s time to join Daniel and make his prayer your own! What would happen if all Christians in your country or state or city or church took his attitude in prayer? I might just hear you!

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Stay on the Victor’s side (Luke 4:1-13), September 21, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Luke 4:1-13

Set – Daniel 8; Luke 4

Go! – Daniel 7-8; Psalms 137; Luke 4

Luke 4:1-13
¹ When Jesus returned from the Jordan River, He was full of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit led Him away from the cities and towns and out into the desert.
² For 40 days, the Spirit led Him from place to place in the desert, and while there, the devil tempted Jesus. Jesus was fasting, eating nothing during this time, and at the end, He was terribly hungry. ³ At that point, the devil came to Him.
Devil: Since You’re the Son of God, You don’t need to be hungry. Just tell this stone to transform itself into bread.
Jesus: ⁴ It is written in the Hebrew Scriptures, “People need more than bread to live.”
⁵ Then the devil gave Jesus a vision. It was as if He traveled around the world in an instant and saw all the kingdoms of the world at once.
Devil: ⁶ All these kingdoms, all their glory, I’ll give to You. They’re mine to give because this whole world has been handed over to me. ⁷ If You just worship me, then everything You see will all be Yours. All Yours!
Jesus: ⁸ Get out of My face, Satan! The Hebrew Scriptures say, “Worship and serve the Eternal One your God—only Him—and nobody else.”
⁹ Then the devil led Jesus to Jerusalem, and he transported Jesus to stand upon the pinnacle of the temple.
Devil: Since You’re the Son of God, just jump. Just throw Yourself into the air. ¹⁰ You keep quoting the Hebrew Scriptures. They themselves say,
He will put His heavenly messengers in charge of You,
to keep You safe in every way.
¹¹ And,
They will hold You up in their hands
so that You do not smash Your foot against a stone.
Jesus: ¹² Yes, but the Hebrew Scriptures also say, “You will not presume on God; you will not test the Lord, the one True God.”
¹³ The devil had no more temptations to offer that day, so he left Jesus, preparing to return at some other opportune time.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

The devil is sneaky. He knows your weaknesses. He can’t make you do something, but like a good fisherman, he knows the best lures to use catch you. He tried to catch Me after I had spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness. I won’t remind you about your last fast, but 40 days is a long time and I was hungry, weak, and My brain was focused on food, not on debating Satan.

That’s exactly when Satan came. He caught Me at My weakest and tempted Me at My weakest point. “Just turn these rocks into bread.” He knew I was present at creation and could do it. He knew I could satisfy My hunger just by picking up one of those rocks and suddenly it could become edible. But I wasn’t going to let My human side overpower My spirit. The stakes were too high. I came to live without falling to Satan’s tricks and showing you I could help you defeat him. How could I do that if let your adversary defeat Me even in these small areas.

But Satan tried. My word tells you I was tempted in every area of life in which you are tempted, but without sin. I never acted on the temptations Satan sent My way. Sometimes, as in the wilderness during My fast, I had to stand on the scriptures I studied as a child to repel his advances. At other times, like you, I found the exit and got away to show you running away from him is okay. In all cases, I will never allow you to be tempted beyond your capability to either withstand or get away from the temptation. You can say no to Satan’s temptations just as I did.

The brief mention of My temptations in the wilderness covered some tough areas – physical needs, political power, and an easy path to demonstrate My Godhead authority and power. Those are tough temptations for the human mind. Stop and think about it a moment. What I knew I would endure for you and the easy path Satan offered from a human perspective to avoid the suffering. But I knew it wouldn’t work and the Father deserved My worship more.

You know what your weakest points are. Expect Satan to hit you there. He’s sly as a fox. But remember I will always make a way of escape for you. I will always help you if you will turn to Me for strength. I came to show you the way. I lived alongside you to show you that you can defeat him with My help. I came to help you live like I want you to live with abundant peace and joy. He’s the father of lies. I know, I was there when the Father kicked him out of heaven. I’ve already overcome him and his minions, they just haven’t figured it out yet. Follow Me and you’ll be on the side of the Victor!

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.