Monthly Archives: January 2016

Don’t murder…and more (Matthew 5:21-22) January 11, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Genesis 4-7

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 5:21-22
Jesus: As you know, long ago God instructed Moses to tell His people, “Do not murder; those who murder will be judged and punished.” But here is the even harder truth: anyone who is angry with his brother will be judged for his anger. Anyone who taunts his friend, speaks contemptuously toward him, or calls him “Loser” or “Fool” or “Scum,” will have to answer to the high court. And anyone who calls his brother a fool may find himself in the fires of hell.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

It’s easy for us to condemn the murderer. After all, do not murder is something every society says is wrong. Everyone knows killing someone is bad. If we let people go around killing each other, we could never live with any peace or security within our community. So we know it’s wrong to murder. Anyone who commits murder should be punished, right?

We could argue about the justice of capital punishment or the equity between sentencing between rich and poor, the lines between first, second, and third degree murder, or a host of other aspects involved in the judicious meeting out of punishments for murder. But all of us would probably agree that murder is wrong. Every society across our globe holds murder as a most offensive action against society.

However, Jesus points out that murder never starts out as murder. It always starts with the thought, “You’re different than me. Either I’m better than you or you’re better than me, but we’re not equals.” So we call our brother, that person next to us scum, or fool, or loser, or pick another slang that makes you feel superior in that moment. In World War II, they were Krauts, in Viet Nam, Gooks, in the Middle-east, they’re Rag-heads. Are they different from me? No. God made us all and we all want the same thing, a better life for our children, peace and security from day-to-day. We have different ideas about how we obtain those ideals, but basically we want our daily bread, security, and a better life for our kids in this life.

So that first thought that gives rise to “I’m better than you,” makes it possible to move on to I hate you because you have something I don’t have. Maybe it’s money. Maybe it’s education. Maybe it’s more land or better land. Maybe it’s power or fame. Maybe it’s a relationship you think will bring you happiness. But whatever that something is, the thought that the object of your desire centers on what that person has that you don’t have drives you to hate that person.

Once you reach the emotional level of hate, murder is just the physical expression of that mental state. It’s only a behavior away from what you’re already thinking. Jesus got it absolutely right. He explained our situation so well and yet we still harbor ill-will against our brothers and sisters that God created. Can I condone sinful action on the part of others? No. Neither did Jesus. He never condoned sin, but He always loved the person and worked hard to bring them back into a relationship with God.

Remember the woman caught in adultery? First, I always wonder why they didn’t bring the man out with her. He was also guilty and deserving of stoning. Jesus didn’t let her off the hook. He didn’t throw a stone. He didn’t have to condemn her. Her actions did that for her. All He wanted to do was forgive her and lead her to a life in which she no longer sinned. Remember Jesus is never identified as our accuser, only as our judge when the day of judgment comes. Satan will do his best to accuse. Jesus stands both as our advocate and as judge.

It’s not always easy to love all of God’s creation when you look around the world at the corruption, the war, the evil resident everywhere it seems. But in all those places, God has a remnant of followers that remain true to Him and His word. He has a few that stay on His path of righteousness and will not stray from it despite the persecution they face or the enticements the world offers. And in those places, we must remember that God created us all. Many follow the broad way that will lead them to their own destruction because they refuse to listen to the truth of God’s word, but that few continue to share God’s truth anyway. They continue to pray and hope that one more will give their life to Him and so add another to His kingdom.

If I am to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and the Apostles and the great figures of the church, I must remember God created us all. I must remember these words of Jesus and let Him help me stop my thoughts of self importance and disregard of my brother or sister. I must let Him into my life so I avoid those initial thoughts that can lead to hatred which is just a single behavior away from murder, an act we all agree is wrong and worthy of the severest punishment.

Jesus’ words take us back to Cain’s question in the Garden of Eden and what seems a rhetorical answer viewed throughout the rest of God’s word. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Yes, at a minimum, I must extend the grace and mercy and love God shows me to him. So, how do your thoughts measure up?

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.

Will you fulfill the law? (Matthew 5:17-20) January 10, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Romans 3-4

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 5:17-20
Jesus: Do not think that I have come to overturn or do away with the law or the words of our prophets. To the contrary: I have not come to overturn them but to fulfill them.
This, beloved, is the truth: until heaven and earth disappear, not one letter, not one pen stroke, will disappear from the sacred law—for everything, everything in the sacred law will be fulfilled and accomplished. Anyone who breaks even the smallest, most obscure commandment—not to mention teaches others to do the same—will be called small and obscure in the kingdom of heaven. Those who practice the law and teach others how to live the law will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you this: you will not enter the kingdom of heaven unless your righteousness goes deeper than the Pharisees’, even more righteous than the most learned learner of the law.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

I find it interesting that Jesus tells those around Him that even the smallest, most obscure commandment will remain in effect. Jesus didn’t come to do away with the law, even though He talks to His disciples about a new covenant and then His disciples talk to the Gentiles about the futility of circumcision and other Jewish rituals that they need not keep as followers of Christ. Is this a double standard? Did Jesus mean what He said when He spoke these words to the Pharisees and the crowds gathered around Him that day?

I think Jesus meant every word, but I also think Jesus saw the greater meaning of the Father’s word and His law. God gave Moses and the Israelites the law the Pharisees tried to impose on those Jesus spoke to that day. But He told the crowd their righteousness must go deeper than the Pharisees if they expected to see the kingdom of heaven. Stop and think about that for a minute.

The scribes and Pharisees spent their lives studying the law God gave Moses, but Jesus counted them as unrighteous. Why? Because they didn’t live the concepts of the law they studied. Abraham didn’t have the law, but God counted him as righteous. Cornelius didn’t follow Jewish law, but Jesus said of Him, “I haven’t seen such faith in all of Israel.” Enoch didn’t have the law, but God saw such obedience in his life that Enoch didn’t suffer death, but rather God took him straight to heaven. He did the same for Elijah, one of his great prophets.

So stop and think about God’s law for a minute. What does Jesus mean when He talks about God’s law? I really think when we listen to God, He does what He says He will do and puts His law in our hearts. We don’t need a bunch of rules and regulations because His Spirit in us will lead us toward righteousness. He will keep us on the path of righteousness so we do not soil His name. Just look at every civilization across the world. All of them have laws against murder, theft, adultery, and other crimes against other members of the community. Most have regulations and rules that govern behavior concerning the major religion of the community.

How do those rules come into existence? Why do we establish those laws in the first place? I think it’s because God places within the heart of every human being the innate knowledge that He exists and demands our worship and our obedience to His laws. As Paul points out in his letters, God gave us the laws to that we will understand better how to behave in society because we have become so corrupted in our societal fall from grace. Those boundaries that the written law gives us keep us in line so we can come to know God and learn to hear Him amid the clamor the world raises to try to drown out His voice.

Once we come to know Him, though, we can hear Him. We can distinguish His voice among all the others in the same way you can hear your baby’s cry in a room full of infants. We can distinguish His commands from the cry of the world in the same way we can pick out our spouse’s voice among the din in a crowded room. We can hear Him, because He puts His law in our heart. We no longer need a list of written rules and regulations because God transforms our mind so we become more like Him each day. We begin to live according to His wishes instead of our own. We begin to live within the boundaries of His law, His precepts, His directions and commands, so that we stay by His side on this journey of life.

What is the sacred law? It’s God’s Spirit directing us when we give ourselves completely to Him. Will it be different from His written word? No! God doesn’t contradict Himself. That’s why Jesus can say, “…not one letter, not one pen stroke, will disappear from the sacred law—for everything, everything in the sacred law will be fulfilled and accomplished.” He wants to accomplish His law in you and me. The question each day is, “Will I let Him?” What’s your answer?

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.

Let your light shine (Matthew 5:15-16) January 9, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Matthew 3-4

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 5:15-16
Jesus: Similarly it would be silly to light a lamp and then hide it under a bowl. When someone lights a lamp, she puts it on a table or a desk or a chair, and the light illumines the entire house. You are like that illuminating light. Let your light shine everywhere you go, that you may illumine creation, so men and women everywhere may see your good actions, may see creation at its fullest, may see your devotion to Me, and may turn and praise your Father in heaven because of it.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Jesus said we are like an illuminating light. Light dispels darkness. Not the other way around. If you ever study the properties of light, you discover there is no such thing as darkness. It’s really a word we made up to describe the absence of light. Just like we made up the word cold to describe the absence of heat. Heat and light describe energy, power, something that you cannot see and really no one can truly understand completely, but we see the effects of it all around us.

Light comes from our sun and warms our planet to just the right temperature for our survival. It excites the rods and cones on our retina and sends electrical impulses to our brain so we can interpret those signals into patterns of light and dark and different colors so we can “see”. Light gives us those incredible capabilities because of the wave and particle properties it possesses.

But darkness? Nonething. Darkness is just the absence of those wave and particle properties that give life and light and heat to the universe. A single candle can be seen for miles on a clear night. Why? Because light dispels the darkness. It pushes through the vacuum of nothingness and excites the senses like nothing else can. It takes away the fear of night because just a little light dispels the darkness.

When we come to know Christ, His light shines on us and in us. We begin to understand the truth of His words and we no longer fear the darkness around us because His light dispels that darkness. We know we will be victorious over the tempter of our souls if we just follow the light ahead of us. We can feel the warmth and joy that comes from the presence of His light. And when we have His light, the words of this verse make so much more sense because not only will His light illumine us, but we have an opportunity to let His light in us, illumine others.

So Jesus asks, “Who would hide a lamp under a bowl?” It would be a silly thing to do. When He shines His light on us and illumines our heart, our minds, our inner thoughts, He wants us to let His light shine in us so that others see it. He wants us to live as He would in a world that sorely needs His light. People run around blindly because they live in darkness. Satan puts blinders on the men and women of this world to shut out the light and so people grope around trying to find their way in the dark. But as God’s light, we can help them see the world differently. We can help them find hope and life and light for themselves by introducing them to the source of it all.

We can’t share that light if we hide our Christianity, though. We can’t share His light if we try to cover up who we follow. We can’t be a light to the world if we just attend church every once in a while and then look and act like the world the rest of the time. If we expect to be a light to those around us, we must demonstrate Christ’s love, grace, and mercy to those around us. We must show Him to the world through our good works.

Good works don’t save us, but are a natural outflow of the grace He extends to us. If we try to hide the love He gives to us, we will be like a candle trapped under a glass. Soon the oxygen is consumed and the flame goes out. The light is gone. To keep our light burning, we need to let it shine so others can see it. Hiding it means it will snuff out our own light. God doesn’t do it, but we snuff it out ourselves because we refuse to let it shine in the open air as light is meant to do.

So listen to Jesus words. “Let your light shine everywhere you go, that you may illumine creation, so men and women everywhere may see your good actions, may see creation at its fullest, may see your devotion to Me, and may turn and praise your Father in heaven because of it.”

Let Jesus’ light in you become a conflagration that consumes you and points others to Him giving Him praise, turning others to Him, seeing creation at its fullest.

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.

Are you salt or asphalt? (Matthew 5:13) January 8, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Isaiah 7-11

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 5:13
Jesus: You, beloved, are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes bland and loses its saltiness, can anything make it salty again? No. It is useless. It is tossed out, thrown away, or trampled.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We don’t think much about salt today. We put it on our food for flavoring, but that’s about it. But even today, if you really look at the many uses for salt, you find what a useful compound it is. In the kitchen it can be make things salty or take the bitterness out of some foods. It can preserve meat, fish, and foul to allow you to keep those things outside of refrigeration for long periods of time without harm. It helps you peel eggs, makes egg whites whip better, prevents cheese from molding, and keeps milk from spoiling.

You can use salt to clean a greasy pan or keep things from sticking to a pan. You can put out a grease fire with it. Or shine your silver with salt. You can keep your mirror from fogging with a saltwater solution and you can remove stains from your clothes with salt. Salt can clean your teeth, relieve sore muscles and aching feet, soothe mosquito bites and bee stings, and help a sore throat.

Salt was so important in ancient times, Roman soldiers often received part of their pay in salt. Our word salary finds its root in the word salt. The word salad finds its history in the word salt because people would sprinkle salt over raw greens to make them more palatable. Salt was highly prized and most governments restricted its production and taxed it because of its universal use.

Now, are you beginning to get a feel for how important salt was for those who initially heard Jesus’ words? He tells His followers, “You are the salt of the earth. You are the single most popular condiment, the single most important spice, the single most taxed item in the world. Something not just used by everyone, but universally needed by everyone because you carry the message from God to the rest of the world.”

Meditate a little on Jesus words for a minute. You are the salt of the earth. Think about what He was telling you and me. Without salt, you die. Without salt, the world is not only flavorless, but nothing alive as we know it can exist. You, as one of Jesus’ followers, hold a crucial place in His kingdom. You might think yourself an unimportant cog in the wheel of the intricate machinery of God’s universe, but you are. Think about a Swiss watch. Hundreds of single gears work together to make the watch operate with high efficiency and accuracy, but remove one of those tiny pieces and the watch no longer works. It will stop and until the watchmaker replaces the missing piece, the watch continues to keep inaccurate time or remain at a halt.

God wants every part in place so His plans work perfectly. Can He make allowances for your absence? Yes. Will He work around you and without you if He must? Yes. But that is not His plan. His plan includes you in His garden, in His home, the one He’s building with your wants and wishes in place. Holes in His plans are not what He wanted when He created the world, but God also wanted men and women who would willingly follow the path He wanted them to take, not creations that followed like robots follow their programming instructions.

So He gives us a choice. We can be salt for Him. Useful. Flavorful. Giving life and utility to the world around us in the manor He chooses in His overall plan for the world and His individual plan for each of us. Or we can choose to take our own path. But when we do, we are like that salt that looses it’s saltiness. It’s like the salt mined from the ground over which water flowed to removed the pure mineral leaving asphalt, useful only for paving roads. So when the “salt [mined from the ground] loses its saltiness, can anything make it salty again? No, its useless. Tossed out, thrown away, or trampled.”

Am I going to allow the world to let me lose my edge, my saltiness for God? Am I going to let the world decide that I will not be useful to God and His kingdom? Am I going to lose my enthusiasm and excitement for the things of God after all the blessings He gives me from day to day? Am I going to just stand by and let His plans go on without me? I know God’s plans will be accomplished. I know everything He wills finally comes to fruition with or without me. God doesn’t need me, but I need Him. And I want to be a part of His glorious plans. I want to be on His winning side. I want to experience the greatness of His kingdom.

I can only experience God’s kingdom by maintaining that intimate relationship with God that keeps my spirit pure, like the purity of salt. Nothing added, just plan sodium chloride. I must operate like that salt mine. I must let God throw out all the impurities, all the asphalt, so that all that’s left is the pure salt. However He chooses to do that is His business. Sometimes it will take His gentle prompting to teach me. Sometimes, it might take pretty tough discipline. Sometimes it will bring me joy and happiness, and sometimes it will bring me pain and sorrow. But I know that with God in charge of the mining operations, He can keep me in perfect balance so that I can be salt to the world, or my neighbor, or my family, as He chooses me to be.

How about you? Do others see you as salt or asphalt? 

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.

The Be Attitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) January 7, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Job 1-2

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 5:3-12
Jesus: Blessed are the spiritually poor—the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
Blessed are those who mourn—they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek and gentle—they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness—they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful—they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are those who are pure in heart—they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers—they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness—the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
And blessed are you, blessed are all of you, when people persecute you or denigrate you or despise you or tell lies about you on My account. But when this happens, rejoice. Be glad. Remember that God’s prophets have been persecuted in the past. And know that in heaven, you have a great reward.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We call the first part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, recorded in Matthew, the Beatitudes. I sometimes refer to them as the Be Attitudes, though. I think, Jesus really wants us to get past what we usually want from the definition we give this portion of the sermon. You see, the word beatitude means supreme blessedness; exalted happiness. It’s one of those “what’s in it for me” kind of words.

Sure, that’s the end result of the life of those who follow the pattern Jesus gives to those who listened to Him on the mountainside that day, but He wants to convey so much more to us if we will listen to His words. What Jesus tells us in this short sermonette gives us insight into the transformed spirit He puts within us as we let Him take charge of our life. He changes our attitude toward life and toward others so that we can truly have that supreme blessedness and exalted happiness we talk about in the beatitudes.

The secret to the happy life, Jesus tells us, is not in the outcome of these verses, but in the input. We get the blessing by changing our attitude toward life. When we demonstrate the characteristics He outlines in these verses, we begin to reap the rewards, but not before. So as we recognize we are poor in spirit, as we mourn our condition, as we walk through life with a meek and gentle spirit, then, God begins to bless us with the rewards He talks about in these verses. We inherit heaven, comfort, and the earth. We begin to experience real joy. We understand as our character changes what blessings and exalted happiness is all about.

We don’t understand happiness in this life because too often we chase the wrong things. Sometimes we buy into the world’s lie that things we see will bring us happiness so we accumulate things. It might be houses, cars, big boy (or girl) toys that glitter and shine in the sunlight. People will ooh and ahh over them. Many will express their envy over the toys you collect. But the problem with toys of whatever shape or size, however expensive or at a bargain price, they will never satisfy.

Things bring momentary happiness and last until the next model comes out. Think about how the commercial world works. Apple is a great example. I admit I bought the first model iPhone when it came out. Steve Jobs had me hooked. I loved it because of all it could do for me. But guess what, my original iPhone didn’t last long. It’s not even supported anymore. I now own an iPhone 6 plus and it’s my fourth iPhone. I’m trying to avoid getting a 6s and waiting until at least the 7 or 8 comes out. Not sure I’ll be able to make it since I do a lot of my business on my phone. The iPhone only made me happy for a little while, now every generation of iPhone frustrates me because I know a new one will be out next year and I’ll have to get it because my old one won’t be supported much longer.

That’s what happens with every material thing. It all breaks, wears out, becomes obsolete. No matter what it is. Even silver or gold or land that all the speculators tell you will never lose value, loses value. None of it really means anything in the end. You can’t take any of it with you and what you have someone will always be trying to take from you so you’ll just worry about all that stuff anyway. Your happiness from things will always be short-lived.

Maybe you think power or prestige will make you happy. Nope. Someone will always be more powerful than you. Someone will always scheme to take your place. Someone will always attack you if you are in a place of power and leadership whether you are a great leader or a poor leader. You’ll always be looking over your back. You’ll always be watching for your enemies. You’ll always expect opposition if you chase power and prestige.

But when you work with God to let Him transform your character. When you let Him change your attitude and you live those “Be Attitudes of the Beatitudes”, you’ll find the supreme blessings, the exalted happiness, the beatitudes that come with living for the Almighty Creator of the universe. You’ll understand that things are temporal, but your changed spirit because of His spirit in you is eternal. You’ll find indescribable joy that comes from living within the kingdom of heaven even as you abide on earth.

You can be the person you were created to be with transformed attitudes shaped by the one who created all things. All it takes is letting go of yourself and following in the footsteps of the One who loves you most, Jesus, the Savior of all humankind. 

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.

It’s time to get moving! (Matthew 4:19) January 6, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 1-2

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 4:19
Jesus: Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Jesus doesn’t use a lot of words when a few clearly spoken will do. His command to Simon Peter and Andrew are just one example. “Come, follow Me.” He also tells them the task He will give them when they obey His command. I’ll not just make you fishermen, but I’ll let you catch a more important haul, men.

Jesus’ calling of these first two of His circle of twelve intimate disciples tells us something about how He calls not just them, but us. If we look at Jesus’ words we see how He calls each of us when we listen to His voice.

First, He says, “Come.” You can’t follow Jesus from afar. He wants you within arms reach. Trying to follow Him from a distance just doesn’t work. Remember the story of Elijah whining about his plight and God letting him hear His voice on the mountainside? Elijah didn’t hear God’s voice in the thunderstorm or in the earthquake, but in the still small voice he had to listen carefully to hear.

I learned a technique from my father many years ago that served me well with my children and in counseling and disciplining soldiers during my military career. When I really want someone to listen and hear what I’m saying, my voice gets softer, not louder. Our instincts are geared to put us into a fight or flight mode when we hear loud noises or aggressive actions from an enemy. So when we shout at someone or raise our voice in anger, the person on the receiving end no longer hears us. Their brain is getting into a fight or flight mode preparing to defend themselves. So I lower my voice and get you come close. I get you to almost strain to hear the words. I get you to listen instead of fighting against the words.

God does the same thing, but so much better. God cannot be defeated. He never fails and so has no need of defense. So when He speaks to us, He doesn’t need to scream at us to make us hear Him. That puts us in a fight or flight mode. Why would He want to do that? Instead, He whispers, “Come. Get close so I can talk to you. I have some things to tell you that I really want you to hear.”

See, you can’t be a disciple, a follower, a Christian from long distance. You just can’t hear what God has to say when you’re far away from Him. You need to snuggle up close so He can put His lips up to your ear and whisper His commands, His blessings, His thoughts to you. He wants you at His fingertips ready to talk to you all the time. He can’t do that if you’re not right there in His presence. So first, He says, “Come.”

The second thing Jesus told those crusty fishermen was, “Follow me.” When we come to Jesus, He won’t leave us alone. He won’t leave us where we are. God wants to change us. He doesn’t want to leave us in the state we live in now. He calls us to Him to transforms us, to make us over into the creation He wants us to be. And so He says, “Follow me.”

Jesus will take us into places that challenge us. Places that test us. Places that causes us to rethink how we approach others. Places that make us weep and laugh and stand in awe of Him and fall on our face in worship and lay prostrate before Him for our failures and thank Him for His strength in our successes. He will take us to places that transform us into His likeness and help us to understand love and mercy and grace. He will take us to the mountain tops and to the lowest valleys in our spiritual journey. And as we follow Him we will know sorrow and we will know indescribable joy.

Jesus tells us to follow Him because He knows exactly the path we must take individually to make us more like Him each day. He knows the transformation that must happen and just like a skilled surgeon, He knows each operation that He must perform on us and the order each must take place. And although some of them may be painful and the recovery from some of those operations might seem difficult and arduous, Jesus knows, as the Master Creator He is, exactly how to lead us along this path of life to make us the child of God each of us are meant to be.

Jesus also reminds us in His command to follow Him, that we never walk on that path alone. If we follow, it means we walk along with Him, not by ourselves. It means He is just ahead of us. I sometimes think about the point-man in a squad walking toward an objective on a battlefield when I think of Jesus’ command. Jesus is that point-man. I follow Him, but He is out front making sure the path is clear. Watching out for any booby-traps. Watching for enemy troops waiting in ambush. Jesus is right there with Me, but clearing the path ahead of me on my journey through life.

Finally, Jesus’ command tells us the task He gives Simon and Andrew as they follow. They will fish for men. I think, Jesus has a task for everyone. God gives each of us different gifts to build His church. Paul tells us some have the gift of teaching, some preaching, some hospitality, healing, speaking in different languages, and the list goes on. I think, Paul would say mathematics skills is a gift, or science, or IT skills, or prowess in a sport. All of these talents and skills can be used for God’s glory. The question is, how do we use the talents, skills, experiences, desires, gifts that God has given to us?

Jesus said, “Come, follow me, I have a job for you to do.” Have you followed close enough on the path to hear His task for you? He’s ready to talk, but He also keeps walking along. It’s time to get moving!

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 it now! (Matthew 4:17) January 5, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Joshua 1-5

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 4:17
Jesus: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

The beginning of verse Matthew 4:17 tells us preaching became a part of Jesus’ work after Herod imprisoned His cousin John for reproaching him for marrying his current wife. The theme of Jesus’ messages were the same as John’s. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” But what did it mean for those who heard the message and for us as we hear His words?

If you look up the word repent in the dictionary, you’ll find two definitions, as you will with many words that come to us through scripture. As I’ve mentioned every day this year, Satan likes to twist and turn God’s word to meet his purposes rather than God’s so it shouldn’t be a surprise that we have twisted the definitions of words to make them mean something other than what the writers intended as they penned the words originally.

So, let’s start with that word repent. The two definitions are: 1. to feel sorry, self-reproachful, or contrite for past conduct; regret or be conscience-stricken about a past action, attitude, etc. (often followed by of):
He repented after his thoughtless act. And: 2. to feel such sorrow for sin or fault as to be disposed to change one’s life for the better; be penitent.

It’s the second definition that God’s message encompasses. Repentance doesn’t stop at feeling sorry or contrite for past conduct. It includes turning around and walking the other way. It means going the opposite direction. It means turning away from evil and walking toward good. It means letting go of selfish ways and grabbing hold of God’s ways. Repentance means so much more than just being sorry, regretting or conscience-stricken about the past. It’s about change.

John’s message, the message from the prophets, Jesus’ message as He walked alongside us, all pointed us to the same thing. Turn from your wicked ways. Stop in your tracks, do an about-face on the path you are taking and walk the other way. Walk toward God, not away from Him. See, there are only two directions you can go in life. You can walk toward God or you can walk away from Him. Repentance means feeling such sorrow over your past actions that you do something about it. You ask forgiveness of those things and then change!

Jesus’ message includes the why of repentance as well. We have always been this way, but it seems like we get a little worse with each passing generation. We all want to know the answer to the question, Why? We don’t want to blindly follow orders. We want to know what’s in it for us before we launch out on some new quest. We want to know why we should step out and make the investment or change our pattern of life before we do that about-face.

Jesus and those preachers before Him give us the answer. “…the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Maybe that doesn’t mean much to you today with all the sci-fi spectaculars that try to reduce the place of God in our minds. Movies try to diminish the role and our concept of God to some creature that planted us here from another galaxy as an experiment or an effort to save their race from extinction or some other movie plot a playwriter dreams up.

But for those Jesus spoke to who grew up around the temple and heard the words of God from His priests and prophets, they understood what it meant for the kingdom of heaven to be at hand. It meant judgment. It meant rewards for the righteous and punishment for the unrighteous. And those labels are determined not by man’s courts, but by God. Those definitions don’t change when we decide to change a definition to better suit what we think is fair or just. The definitions of righteous and unrighteous are determined by the Master of the kingdom of heaven. He alone will judge each person according to his or her deeds.

And the truth is found in Romans 3:23. All of us have sinned and failed in our futile attempts to reach God in His glory. We all fail the test. None of us are good enough to make it into the kingdom of heaven. But because of His love for us, He decided to use His power to put some of our DNA in Him and create Himself in human form and live alongside us for a while. He gave Himself up as a perfect sacrifice for our sins and paid the penalty for our sins so that we can approach Him in His glory.

None of us are good enough. But He is. None of us can do enough. But He did. None of us can offer the perfect sacrifice. But He is the perfect sacrifice. And His message to us is, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” There’s not much time. Do it now. 

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.

You can’t get enough of God’s word (Matthew 4:10) January 4, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Genesis 4-7

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 4:10
Jesus: Get away from Me, Satan. I will not serve you. I will instead follow Scripture, which tells us to “worship the Eternal One, your God, and serve only Him.”

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

I believe Jesus faced his temptation in the wilderness as fully man. Yes, He was God, but I think while He lived alongside us, He showed us how to live in our humanness. So He set aside much of the power of His diety when He faced the problems we face from day-to-day. I think His emotions, His desires, His temptations were just as powerful as ours because He was fully human. His advantage with respect to temptation compared to the rest of us lies in the fact that He was not born of Adam’s seed. Born to a virgin mother, Jesus suffered and endured everything we do as humans.

That’s why Jesus’ words during this forty days of temptation are so important to us. This final barrage Satan throws at Jesus and His response give us a final victory cry that causes Satan to flee in defeat. These words from the mouth of our Savior gives us a powerful lesson in how to stand against the temptations that come our way. They are simple words, but if we will listen well, we, too, can stand in victory against the tempter.

Did you get it? Jesus said, “Get away from Me Satan. I will not serve you. I will instead follow the Scripture…” The point of this particular temptation focused on worship, but note that every temptation Satan threw in Jesus’ path, He answered with Scripture. Now, Jesus tires of Satan’s games and first tells him to go away, then tells him why. “I will follow the Scriptures,” Jesus tells him.

Those are important lessons for us as we begin this new year. If we could just remember those two lessons as temptations come, we would stay so far ahead in life, we would be awed by our spiritual progress. Let’s look at the first retort Jesus gives. How many times do we continue to dabble at the edges of wrong-doing before we seek escape? How often do we just get in Satan’s face and just tell him to go away when he comes with his cheap imitations of joy and pleasure?

If you’re like me, I have to admit I try to stand up to his temptations more often than I just tell him to go away. I think I can make it on my own strength and forget I have this all-powerful God that will push away the tempter when I call on his name. Or at least he will show me the exit signs so I can run away. Our problem is we fail to stop and call on him. Satan can’t stand up to Jesus and will leave or we will get the extra strength we need to get our legs in motion and get out of there.

God let’s us face those temptations, but He never abandons us to face them alone. The test comes when we decide what path we take. Will we yield to the temptation and sin or will we lean on God and live the more abundant life He wants us to enjoy. The secret to success over temptation comes in leaning on God. Using Scripture as Jesus did to rebuff him. Deciding every day as the day begins that you will answer every temptation the way Daniel did. He resolved not to defile himself with the kings food before the menu came. That’s how we should face the day. Resolve not to sin before the temptation comes, whatever temptation it might be. Say no to Satan before he shows up, then when he puts something in front of you, the answer has already been given. “No!” You don’t have to think about it. You’ve already answered Satan. Now that you’ve answered, lean on God to help you escape or drive Satan away.

The second important lesson from Jesus’ words, He said, “I will follow the Scriptures…” How many times do we get side-tracked with our denominational traditions or blinded by the “progressive” movements around us? We get hung up on something someone picks out of a single verse or two, take it out of context, and build a religion on it. Remember that God’s word doesn’t contradict itself. The concepts and precepts and principles of God are congruent. So when you take a verse or two out of context to prove a point, you may be doing just what Satan tried to with Jesus.

How do you overcome such twisting and turning of the Scriptures by the false prophets that spread so many lies and build so many religions of convenience? Know the Scriptures. Read them. Make them a part of you. Be like the Bereans of Acts 17:11 and search the Scriptures to see if what teachers and preachers say is true. Don’t even trust me. Look it up. Make sure what I and others say is consistent with God’s word. Look it up for two reasons. First, you’ll know if you are hearing the truth. Second, it gets you into God’s word one more time. You really can’t get enough of His word! Just remember to follow it when you read it.

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.

Let God’s word keep you safe (Matthew 4:7) January 3, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Romans 1-2

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 4:7
Jesus: That is not the only thing Scripture says. It also says, “Do not put the Eternal One, your God, to the test.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Isn’t that just like the Devil to twist scripture to lure us aware from God? It has been said you can use the Bible to prove anything you want to prove. It even says in Psalms 53:1, “there is no God.” Of course those words are taken completely out of context and if you read the whole verse it says, “The foolish are convinced deep down that there is no God. There souls are polluted, and they commit gross injustice. Not one of them does good.”

There’s just a little bit of difference in what the foolish and arrogant might want to tell us and what God’s word really tells us. So, how do we escape the rhetoric and know what God really wants to tell us? How do we face the temptations that the Devil puts in our path when he uses things that sound so convincing and even uses scripture against us like he did with Jesus? After all, Jesus was and is God. How are we supposed to stand up against the Devil’s schemes when those times come?

The answers lay in doing exactly what Jesus did. Jesus knew the counterfeit message Satan tried to pawn off as truth because He knew the scriptures. He didn’t just sit in a pew at the synagogue every once in a while to appease His mother. He didn’t just attend church to feel good or let his neighbors know he was religious. Remember, He told the Pharisees they were religious but they wouldn’t make it to heaven unless they changed.

No, Jesus learned His Father’s words and wants us to do the same. We must spend time, reading and studying God’s word if we are to really know His word. Then we can know when the words we hear from those who would want to deceive us with parts of God’s word are the false prophets the early church leaders warned us against. We will know when someone is trying to tempt us to stray from the straight and narrow path God’s word gives us in this “progressive” world we live in by trying to use part of his word against us.

It’s like the way people quote Jeremiah 29:11. Yes, it says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Eternal, “plans for peace, not evil, to give you a future and hope—never forget that.” But many forget that the verse is in the middle of a letter written to the Jews exiled in Babylon. Jeremiah tells them in the letter, get use to Babylon. Plant gardens, start businesses, build houses, let your kids get married and enjoy your grandkids.

The rest of the letter tells the Jews that think God will rescue them from their exile that He won’t. Get used to their new country. Yes, God knows the plans He has for those Jews in exile, but their return to their homeland won’t come for another 70 years, just like He told them through the prophets. The exiles will have peace, but not in their land, in Babylon. The have a future and hope, but the next three generations will learn a new language, grow up in foreign country, integrate into the culture of the captors.

Then, and only then, will a small number of the Israelite return to their homeland to rebuild the destroyed temple and begin to rebuild their country. But not until 1948, when the United Nations gives them back their land after World War II will they govern themselves again as an independent sovereign nation. Jeremiah 29:11 is a great verse, I like it, but remember it’s context.

Satan tried to use some great verses with Jesus. He liked them growing up. He understood them when He disappeared in the crowds that tried to seize Him and throw Him over cliffs or wanted to stone Him because of the words He spoke or plotted to kill Him before the time His Father set for His sacrifice. Jesus understood the words Satan tried to use to tempt Him. But He was not about to let Satan use them inappropriately to lure Him away from the mission His Father had given Him.

Satan will try to lure us away from our mission, too. He will do whatever he can to get your mind away from the task God gives you to do. He will try to make you think God is not real. Remember Psalms 53? He will twist and turn God’s word and make his lies sound real, and the only way you will know the difference is to stay firmly connected to God.

Can I challenge you this year to not just skim through the Bible this year, but to really pick it up and make it a major part of your life? Can I challenge you to let passages sink into your heart until they become part of you? Don’t let your favorite verses be the only thing on which you meditate this year, but like Jesus, make God’s word a steady diet until you it devours you. Until it becomes a part of you. Until it transforms your mind.

Do what Jesus did when He faced temptation. Let God’s word keep you safe. 

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.

A joke or a discipline? (Matthew 4:4) January 2, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Matthew 1-2

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 4:4
Jesus (quoting Deuteronomy): It is written, “Man does not live by bread alone. Rather, he lives on every word that comes from the mouth of the Eternal One.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

No doubt you’ve heard someone use the first of those words as part of a joke at some time or other. “Man does not live by bread alone. He needs some peanut butter or ice cream or pie or fill in the blank to go along with it.” When words become familiar it’s easy to use them the way we want to make them mean whatever we want. But what purpose did Matthew have in recording these words of Jesus?

First, we need to remember that Jesus is both fully God and fully Man. Do I understand how? Absolutely not! But I believe completely Jesus is one with the Father and Spirit, yet He became flesh, completely Man, one of us for a period of time to become the perfect sacrifice for our sins. If you’ve read my bio, you know I’ve been a minister a long time, so it’s easy for me to believe Jesus is God. But I think those of us who know He is God, part of the triune Godhead, sometimes forget the human side of Jesus.

These words remind us of His humanness. Jesus felt the hunger of His forty-day fast. Some would like to think because He was God He could breeze through those forty days without a problem and just go about His business. I don’t think that is true. I think Jesus went through the same process of discipling Himself in the habits of the Jewish faith as all of the Father’s faithful followers. I believe in Jesus’ humanness, He memorized scripture and sometimes struggled with learning the long Hebrew passages, especially the genealogies in Chronicles.

I think Jesus fasted often as the Hebrew Scriptures and the Jewish leaders recommended as a spiritual discipline, but the physical hardship in doing so still causes real physical and mental pain. Jesus endured it as a spiritual discipline. He knew fasting and spiritual discipline comes from taking charge of His humanness and mastering it. He refused to submit to those pangs of hunger in a way that disobeyed those scriptures He memorized as a child. He knew who He was because He saw in those same scriptures the prophecies fulfilled in His life and the stories His mother told Him about the angel that announced His birth. The shepherds who visited His feeding trough crib. The wise men who brought Him gifts. The rush to Egypt and the lack of children His age across the region.

All those memories Mary pondered in her heart, she shared with her son, Jesus as He grew. He too, pondered them. But He also matched them with the scriptures He learned and disciplined His body to obey God, His Father’s commands. Jesus set aside the throne of heaven to live alongside us. I wish sometimes we could read and learn from His early habits and disciplines. I think from these few words, though, we can capture two habits that were very important to Him.

Jesus made fasting a habit. This forty day fast was not His first fast. He was familiar with the practice and fasted often as a spiritual discipline to ready Himself for the mission His heavenly Father had for His human side. He used those times of fasting to become master of His body, not the other way around. Jesus understood pain and suffering. He knew sleepless nights and hunger. He knew poverty and hard work to just get by in the eyes of the world. Jesus mastered His humanness just like He asks us to do. He did it the same way we can, through practiced disciplines…every day.

Second, Jesus absorbed the scriptures. He knew them. He memorized them. He knew what the Father meant by each word, each sentence, each paragraph and section because He studied them. Jesus made the scriptures a significant part of His life so that when the temptations of life came and His humanness wanted to take an easy way out, He could lean on those scriptures to help Him through the temptations without falling to them. He asks us to do the same.

We can use those few words to start of quick joke, or we can use them like Jesus did. Are you disciplined enough to let the scriptures keep you safe from the snares Satan sets in front of you? Remember the second half of Jesus’ answer to the Devil are so much more important the first. Don’t forget to use them. “Rather, he lives on every word that comes from the mouth of the Eternal One.”

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.