Monthly Archives: April 2016

Have a little faith (Matthew 17:20-21) April 20, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 45-47

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 17:20-21
Jesus: Because you have so little faith. I tell you this: if you had even a faint spark of faith, even faith as tiny as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and because of your faith, the mountain would move. If you had just a sliver of faith, you would find nothing impossible. But this kind is not realized except through much prayer and fasting.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

When I was a kid, on rainy Saturdays when it was too wet to go outside and play, I remember watching cartoons on television. Those were great cartoons. Mickey Mouse, Rocky and Bulwinkle, Atom Ant, Deputy Dawg, Felix the Cat. If you’re old enough to remember some of those old black and white cartoons, you’ll probably remember the public service announcement that came on with them every once in a while.

This big giant bear would show up in the middle of the forest wearing overalls and a park ranger hat. Of course, it was a cartoon forest and a cartoon bear, but Smokey Bear fit the bill. He’d come on and show us a news clip of a campfire that was left smoldering in the forest or a cigarette that was carelessly flicked out a car window onto the dry brush on the side of the road.

The next scene was that of acres of forest aflame and the forest animals running for their lives to flee the onslaught of the flames. The scene would shift to the devastation left because of the carelessness of one person with that campfire or that cigarette and Smokey Bear would come back into the picture. You probably remember his famous words. “Remember. Only you can prevent forest fires.” Of course, I learned as I grew older that most forest fires are actually caused by lightning strikes. But there are enough caused by man’s carelessness that the public service announcement was worth the cost with the cities encroaching on the forests around them. The safety of those living on the borders of those forests and the lives of the park rangers and firefighters were at stake.

Jesus’ words today reminded me of that commercial. Just one little spark, one smoldering ember can create acres and acres of forests to catch flame and destroy hundreds of years of forest growth. I don’t know if Jesus saw many forest fires in Judea. When I was in the middle east, I don’t remember seeing much that would create a wildfire. But we understand wildfires in this country and the devastation they can cause. Just a little spark and it seems like the whole world is on fire if you live in one of those wildfire prone areas.

Jesus tells us we only need that much faith, just a spark we could tell a mountain to move and it would move from one place to another. You might wonder how that is done. God could do it any number of ways you know. He could generate an earthquake that shifts the crust of the earth and makes on mountain disappear as the crust of the earth pushes above it and causes the crust to push up in another place. It has happened in the past and can happen again.

He might use a volcano to do the work for Him. Volcanologists talk a lot about how the geography of the west and midwest would change if the supervolcano under the Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park were to erupt. They tell us it’s past time and if it errupts with the explosive power they say it will, the terrain of the region will be forever changed. Mountains will move.

God could use water to crash through some natural barrier and forge new rivers through what was a mountain and reduce it to nothing. Think of what would happen to the terrain downstream if the Hoover Dam were to suddenly let loose its tons of water all at once. It’s not the only dam holding back a reserve of such mass that nothing, including a mountain, could hold it. What if God decided to shift an ocean? You think mountains might change?

Or God could decide to tell a thousand people to pick up a pick and shovel and get to work. With faith, the mountain could move from one place to another. All you need to do to see that truth is follow our highways across this country. How many hills and mountains have shifted by the hands of men and machines to make way for steel rails and asphalt roads so we could get commercial goods from one side of the country to another. Yep, a little faith can move mountains.

So why is it so hard for us to believe in God. We believe we can do incredible things, like make holes in mountains to drive through. Impossible feats. Yet we don’t believe in the Creator who put that rock there in the first place. We don’t believe it took a Master Designer to make these biological miracles we call life to actually take form and breath and move and live and die. Somehow we get the idea all this just happened. Hmmm.

If I didn’t think about the complexity of the world we lived in, you might convince me there is no God. But the more I think about the complexity of life. The more I see how intricate the support of each substance and each species of life on another. The more I examine the vastness of the universe we live in and the extreme improbability that life could even exist in this vast almost limitless space. The more convinced I become there is a God in heaven. And to think He knows each one of us personally and loves each one of us individually. What a God we serve. Have a little faith.

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 dog in the park (Matthew 17:17) April 19, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Exodus 9-12

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 17:17
Jesus: This generation is no better than the generation who wandered in the desert, who lost faith and bowed down to golden idols as soon as Moses disappeared upon Mount Sinai! How long will I have to shepherd these unbelieving sheep? (turning to the man) Bring the boy to Me.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

In the weekly church staff meeting I attend, we try hard to stay on task. We usually have a lot of ground to cover and need to keep on our agenda because all of us are busy and what we really want to get to is the prayer requests that have been given to the staff. If we spend too much time on business that can be done elsewhere or start down tangents, we can easily lose lots of time in the meeting. You’ve probably all been there if you’ve been in more than one meeting in your life.

Invariably, though, something will be thrown on the table that sparks a discussion and off we go. We act just like those young pups you see in the park the owners are trying to train. They are pretty obedient in the middle stages of their training until a squirrel darts across the playground. Then all bets are off. Whatever the trainer was trying to do just ended. That squirrel has become the center of attention and the dog is off to chase it.

No matter how good the treats the trainer offered. No matter how important the training benefitted the dog. No matter how much better off the dog would be with the obedience to the commands the trainer provided. That squirrel was all that was on that dog’s mind. You’ve seen it happen. It seems like just a little thing that distracts the animal and yet it’s whole purpose changed. But a well trained dog will keep its instincts under control. It will let that squirrel run by and leave it alone. It knows his master’s commands to sit and be still will keep it from running into the street and getting hit by a car or will result in a kind word or even his favorite treat from his master.

We’re a lot like that dog being trained. We so often let our fleshly desires chase after insignificant things that will cause us to run out in front of a car instead of keeping them under control so we can get the real rewards in life. We fail to listen to the commands of our master and instead run to and fro after some illusive target that we have little chance of capturing in the first place, but we run as fast as we can to get it only to have it disappear up a tree and we’re left with nothing.

We’ve risked everything. Lost the benefit of all the training we’ve had. Given up that prime spot next to the master. Lost the reward that was just in our reach. For a glimmer of something that stayed out of reach and then disappeared forever.

Jesus described the Israelites that wandered in the desert like that. Wandering sheep in the desert who lost faith and bowed down to idols. They chased after some illusive thing that they thought could do something it couldn’t. They thought they could capture God in a piece of gold and chased after it, but the dream escaped them and He couldn’t be found there. They lost their faith because they chased after a squirrel instead of remaining obedient to the commands of the Master. Consequently, they lost the land promised to them by God. The only adults who left Egypt to enter the promised land were Joshua and Caleb. All the rest died in the desert sands chasing squirrels.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want that as a legacy. Jesus warned His disciples and those around Him about the problem. It’s easy to get off track and chase the things the world throws in front of us. It’s easy to see the glamor and the glitter and think those are important because the world keeps telling us they are important. But all those things will disappear. Those things are temporary. They cannot last. Just look around at the great civilizations and name those that have lasted. They belong in history books and they are covered with dust, buried under tons of sand. They lasted a few hundred years and then they were gone. But what is that in the span of eternity? It’s just the blink of an eye.

We must be steadfast in our faith if we want to see the promised land, heaven. We must listen and obey the commands of God if we expect to make it through the desert of this world to life everlasting with Him. We must stop our flitting around, chasing after every new fad that passes by that sounds good to our ears and pick up God’s word and meditate on it. We must make it part of our daily routine and let it permeate our life. We must become like that well trained dog in the park so that when the squirrels run by, we sit quietly at the Master’s feet knowing our reward is at hand. 

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 all in there (Matthew 17:11-12) April 18, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 1 Corinthians 15-16

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 17:11-12
Jesus: Scripture tells us clearly that indeed Elijah will come to restore all things. But see this: Elijah has come already. No one recognized him for who he was, so he was arrested and killed. That is part of the preparation of which our Scripture speaks: for the Son of Man, too, will be arrested and killed at the hands of people who do not see Him for who He is.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

There’s a problem that all prophets have when God gives them a glimpse into the future. How do you describe what you see? In the 1800’s for instance when people talked about a ‘horseless carriage’, they had some precedent to describe it. There were plenty of carriages and steam engines began to come around so a horseless carriage could be described. But what if you lived in 500 AD? How would you describe a modern automobile? Or better yet, if you lived in 50 AD, how would you describe a Boeing 757?

What if God gave you a glimpse into today from that vantage point and you saw a battle taking place? The battles you had seen were pretty gory and you thought they were loud. Roman soldiers establish their phalanx and marched toward their enemy. The sound of spears and swords smashing against shields were the noises you heard. Then above that din, you would hear the screams of the wounded and the dying.

Now transport that prophet from 50 AD to 2000 AD with its tanks, jets, smart bombs, landmines, and so forth. The noise on the battlefield is loud enough to actually cause eardrums to burst and bleed. How would a prophet describe that war? Would he call the jets metal birds? Dragons? Flying beasts that spit thunder and fire from their belly? What would you say about them? How would you describe a tank? Or the rifles? Or even the gear the soldiers wear? If you saw a fully outfitted soldier would you even recognize he is a human?

So the Bible’s prophets tell us the best they can about what will come. They talk about Elijah will come again to announce the Messiah. How best would you describe John except by comparing him to Elijah, a voice calling in the wilderness to prepare the way for the one who comes. It’s exactly what John did. It’s where he lived. It’s how he dress. The prophet described John well comparing him to Elijah.

And so did the prophets who described Jesus. The suffering servant. The perfect sacrifice. The Lion of Judah. The Messiah. Jesus point out the sad truth, though. Scripture described John but no one recognized him for who he was. The scriptures described Jesus, too, but no one recognized Him for who He was. Soon they would parade Him through the streets of Jerusalem as King of kings. They would sing Hosanna to Him and praise Him honoring Him as king in the lineage of David. But by the end of the week, the religious leaders would stir the crowd to cry crucify Him.

We all have the same scriptures available to us. Some of us see God’s word as just a collection of stories to entertain us. Some of us read them and know they are God’s word, but assume there is plenty of room to interpret them any way we want. We think since God is love, He will surely overlook anything we have done and just let us into heaven because He loves us. We don’t need to change. His love will cover us in the end because He wants all of us to live with Him. Besides, He hasn’t come yet. We have plenty of time to get right with Him before He comes.

Some read God’s word and recognize His word is truth. What God says, He means. Yes, God is love. Yes, He wants all of us to live with Him. But in making us in His image, He gives us the choice for our eternal destiny. He has left the choice of our destiny up to us. We can live with Him or we can choose not to. We read His word and recognize we are fallen, broken, in need of His grace and mercy. We learn the only way we can find our way to Him is to see He has already reached out to us and we must accept the gift of grace He holds out to us. We must believe in His Son, Jesus for salvation.

We can also see Jesus words and John’s revelation and in those descriptions, it’s not too difficult to see the signs they talked about when the end would be very near. Earthquakes, famine, signs in the sun, moon and sky. We are closer than many want to believe. The earth is going through pains like a woman in childbirth. Last year over 25,000 earthquakes above 3.0 on the richter scale shook our planet. They are coming faster and stronger this year than last, just like a woman in labor as described in scripture.

Is it time for us to read the Bibles on our tables and bookshelves and see the signs, read the descriptions, and understand that time is running out? Check it out for yourself. 

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.

Get up, don’t be afraid (Matthew 17:7-9) April 17, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Mark 11-12

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 17:7-9

Jesus: Get up. Don’t be afraid.
And when the disciples got up, they saw they were alone with their Lord.
The four men hiked back down the mountain, and Jesus told His disciples to stay silent.
Jesus: Don’t tell anyone what happened here, not until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

What would you do if you had been Peter, James, and John? These were Jesus’ closest friends. He stuck to them closer than to any of His other disciples. He shared with these three more than He shared with the other nine. He seemed to sense that these three would carry the weight of the development of the early church on their shoulders. The new converts would look to these three for guidance, interpretation of Jesus’ teaching, a strong but loving hand in the face of the adversary in the midst of the growing church.

Jesus had a special assignment for His three friends this day. He took them to the mountain top with Him to pray. While Jesus was praying, the three of them saw Him in His glorified form. Bright and shining like the sun, Jesus stood with two other figures that the three identified as Moses and Elijah, the great prophets that foretold their Savior’s coming. What would you do if you had been there? How would you react to such an appearance?

I expect I would do the same thing they did. I’d fall flat on my face and try to crawl into a hole that wasn’t there. Complete and total fear would describe the reaction. Oh, we’d like to say we’d be all brave and sit around and enjoy the event, talk to Jesus and Moses and Elijah. We’d like to brag about how we’d just revel in the thought of being in their presence. I don’t really think so.

Jesus in His glorified form as the Son of God, light of the world, brighter than the morning sun would scare me to death. He has everyone who has seen Him. Paul fell on His face as though dead. Daniel fell on His face as though dead. John fell on his face as though dead. These three together fell on their face as though dead. That’s the reaction when you see Jesus as He really is. He is God. We are not. Standing before God is a fearful, yet wonderful thing. But I expect our first reaction will always be to fall on our face. Either in fear or in worship or both.

I like what usually happens when Jesus breaks in on the scene, though. The first words He usually says to those who believe in Him and are trying to follow God’s path are, “Don’t be afraid.” He calms our fears. He lets us know He’s on our side. He wants us to know He is for us, not against us. When we’re flat on our face, He says, Get up, don’t be afraid. What wonderful words.

Peter, James, and John were ready to run down the mountain and tell everyone they saw what happened. They wanted to give this irrefutable proof that Jesus was the Son of the living God. They heard God speak. They saw Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus on the mountain. They saw Jesus shining like the sun. They saw Jesus standing between heaven and earth, in His human form, but wearing His heavenly glory. They were astonished, afraid. They didn’t know what to make of it, but they knew without a doubt that Jesus was the person He said had been saying He was. Jesus was the Son of God.

But Jesus told them to hold on to that information until after His resurrection. Keep the encounter a secret until He was raised from the dead. Now that is a mysterious statement at this particular time. Jesus hinted at His death and resurrection, but hadn’t come out and told them in plain language about it. They still saw Jesus as a political savior as well as a spiritual leader. They still wanted Jesus to break the political bonds that held their nation.

Jesus wanted it kept quiet. He still had a mission to complete. He knew His task meant the sacrifice of His life for the sins of humankind. He marched that direction, but hadn’t arrived yet. And at this point, He was to close to His goal to have a circus of people distract Him from that goal. If the three disciples started telling others about this encounter then, Jesus would have faced incredible crowds that would want to see the sight for themselves. The arguments about who He was and the factions that wanted Him to prove His deity would stop His progression toward the cross.

Jesus’ transfiguration would lend credence to the disciples’ claims later as they told the story of their travels with Him. But to tell of the event now, would disrupt Jesus’ plans and the Father’s plans. We see God’s resurrection power at work as Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus on the mountainside. We will see it in full force in just a few months after Jesus’ crucifixion. He will rise from the dead and appear in all His glory. The disciples will fall on the face in fear again. And Jesus will say, “Get up. Don’t be afraid.”

When He is on our side, we have nothing to fear.

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.

What is your soul worth? (Matthew 16:23-28) April 16, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Jeremiah 17-21

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 16:23-28
Jesus (turning to Peter): Get away from Me, Satan!
You are a stumbling block before Me! You are not thinking about God’s story; you are thinking about some distorted story of fallen, broken people. (to His disciples) If you want to follow Me, you must deny yourself the things you think you want. You must pick up your cross and follow Me. The person who wants to save his life must lose it, and she who loses her life for Me will find it. Look, does it make sense to truly become successful, but then to hand over your very soul? What is your soul really worth? The Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory, with His heavenly messengers, and then He will reward each person for what has been done. I tell you this: some of you standing here, you will see the Son of Man come into His kingdom before you taste death.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Sometimes I like reading about Peter. I want to be so much like him when he does things like step out of the boat or be part of the group that serves the 5,000 those baskets of bread and fish or declares that Jesus is the Son of the living God. At other times, like today, I really don’t want to be much like Peter, but I’m afraid I’m more like him than I want to admit. Peter declares his loyalty to Jesus and says I won’t let anyone or anything harm you. I’ll die before I let them take you!

Boy, I’d like to say those words, just like Peter. And I think I would die for my faith. I would die for Jesus. I haven’t been put in that place yet. I haven’t faced the knives in the hands of ISIS terrorists or the torture of government sponsored atheists in China or the killing squads hunting down Christians in the Sudan. I can’t guarantee that I would die for my faith, but I think I would. I’m pretty sure I would lose my life for Him.

But then, look what happens. Jesus turns to Peter and says, “Get away from Me, Satan!” Ouch! Peter, unbeknownst to him was being used by the prince of darkness. I do not want to be like Peter in that circumstance, but if I were a betting man, I would bet my words have been a stumbling block to someone at one time or another. Something I have said led someone down a path I did not want them to go or God did not want them to go.

It’s so easy isn’t it? Peter thought he was doing the right thing. He was standing up for his Lord. He was doing what any good soldier in this world would do for his leader. But Jesus isn’t from this world. He has a different set of rules. He comes from a different realm and wants to raise us to that same plane on which He lives and loves. He wants to teach us what life is really about. The life the Father intended for us. Jesus saw this physical world’s goals creeping into Peter’s mindset. Jesus wanted to get it out. Jesus saw Satan’s clutches grabbing hold and replacing the Father’s goal with worldly goals, replacing temporary biological life with real, true eternal life.

So Jesus lashes out. He uses the same words He used in the wilderness temptation. Get away from Me, Satan! You’re a stumbling block. You’re not focused on the right story. You’re focused on temporary things. You’re focused on the world’s idea of success, not mine or the Father’s. I know where I’m headed and I can’t take any shortcuts. Don’t try to entice Me with your false trophies. The things you are thinking about come from the distorted view of fallen, broken man. Centuries of disobedience to the Father and the lies of Satan have shaped your story! Get away from Me.

No, as often as I would like to be like Peter, I wouldn’t want to be Peter at that moment.

Then, Jesus takes Peter and the others under His wing and explains what His path is like. Follow the Father’s will. It’s not always an easy path. In fact, in the world’s view it looks a lot like a cross and suffering and pain. In the world’s view, it looks like defeat and agony and death. But when you take up your cross and follow Jesus, it means life, joy, peace, sharing in His glory, joining the family of the Father. It means an eternity with Him, never bothered again by the evil in this world because Satan has already been defeated.

When we lose our life in Him, we find our life in Him. When we try to keep our life, we lose it. He goes on to ask an important question if we try to weigh the difference between our physical life with our spiritual one. The answer is an incomprehensible amount. What can you give in exchange for your soul? What temporary thing is your eternal soul worth? There is no worldly thing that compares, yet we trade it for such fleeting pleasure. Jesus tells us in His words, focus on the important. Get your eyes off the world. Set your sights on God and His kingdom. Think on eternal values. Those will get you through.

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 keys to heaven! (Matthew 16:17-19) April 15, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Job 29-30

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 16:17-19
Jesus: Simon, son of Jonah, your knowledge is a mark of blessing. For you didn’t learn this truth from your friends or from teachers or from sages you’ve met on the way. You learned it from My Father in heaven. This is why I have called you Peter (rock): for on this rock I will build My church. The church will reign triumphant even at the gates of hell. Peter, I give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Have you thought much about Jesus’ words to Peter? I have. From the very first sentence, Jesus gives Peter and us a tremendous blessing and responsibility. First, He says if we really know Him, we are blessed. And if we really know Him, it is because we learned about Him from our heavenly Father, the Creator of all things. We come to know Him because of God’s Spirit teaching us from the inside out.

We can know about Him from sages and teachers we’ve met on the way, but to really know the truth about Jesus, we must get that from God’s Spirit living in us. That comes from faith and letting Him rule our lives. We have that intimate knowledge the Bible talks about by letting His Spirit in us control our lives. We must focus on His Spirit in us rather than the desires of the flesh, Paul would say. Then we, like Peter, can declare, “You are the Son of the living God.”

Second, Simon is called Peter or rock because of what he knows. And Jesus says on this rock, some will say on Peter, most will say (and I agree with them) on the knowledge Peter holds, He will build His church. On the truth we can hold within us by the knowledge we can gain only from the Father, Jesus will build His church. His church will grow. He will build it. The solid foundation of His church will be the truth that Jesus IS the Son of the living God. If we ever falter on our belief in this single truth, the very foundation of the church begins to crumble. This statement, this fact, this knowledge of Jesus from the Creator forms the bedrock of the church.

Third, the church will march on. Satan can try to defend against it, but he cannot prevail. Satan has tried his best to turn this verse around in our thought process and put us on the defense saying that hell cannot break down the church. But read the verse carefully. The church reigns triumphant even at the gates of hell. That sounds to me like heaven marches to hell’s gates, not the opposite. Jesus burst through hell’s formidable doors, they couldn’t hold Him. His church can march triumphant on the offensive against evil in this world. We do not need to defend ourselves against evil. Evil must defend itself against righteousness, but Jesus says, evil will lose.

Finally, Jesus tells Peter and the church, he holds the keys to heaven in his hands. Whatever he binds on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever he looses on earth will be loosed in heaven. Does that mean we have the power to damn people to eternal punishment? In some sense, and I’ll explain. Does that mean we have the power to forgive sins? In some sense, and I’ll explain.

I must make clear we are not God and do not have the capacity or the perfect judgment ability to forgive sins for eternal judgment for the day of reckoning all of us will face. But consider this from Ezekiel 3:18, God says to Ezekiel “If I send this message to a wicked person – ”You will die“ – but then you fail to warn him or help him to reconsider his wickedness so that he may not die, then he will die as a result of his evil deeds. It will be your fault for not warning him. His blood will be on your hands. But if you do forewarn a wicked person and give him My message, and yet he does not change his wicked thoughts and actions, then he will die as a result of his evil deeds. But you will have saved your own life by doing what I directed.”

God’s message to Ezekiel fits Jesus’ message to Peter and to those disciples who come after him in the church. We hold the keys to heaven in our hands. We know how to get there. We know Jesus and know that He is the way to heaven. We know because His Spirit testifies with our spirit that this message is truth. Like God’s message to Ezekiel, if we fail to share that message and shut the door on people by failing to share the message with them, we potentially close an opportunity to find the path we have found to heaven. We ‘bind’ the keys and so ‘bind’ them in our efforts. When we let loose the keys, the message, the good news that Jesus is Lord, the truth, the way, the Light, and Life and others find Him through that message. We loose on the earth and into heaven the opportunity for others to find and believe in Him. We become keys, instruments, tools, to open the door of opportunity to find salvation. We can’t save, but we can be instruments to introduce people to the One who can.

So what is Jesus’ message to Peter and to us, His disciples following after Him? You are blessed if you know Him. Knowledge of the truth of His Sonship to the Father comes from the Father Himself and this knowledge is the bedrock, the foundation of the church. Because of that solid foundation, we, the church can march against evil knowing it cannot defeat us. God has already won the war. It’s just a matter of time until Satan figures it out. In fact, it is our responsibility to share the message of this great truth because we will be held accountable for the use of those keys to heaven we hold in our hands. 

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.

Two important questions (Matthew 16:13-16) April 14, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 42-44

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 16:13–16</blockquote

Jesus (to His disciples): Who do people say the Son of Man is?
Disciples: Some say John the Baptist. And some say Elijah. And some say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.
Jesus: And you? Who do you say that I am?
Peter: You are the Anointed One. You are the Son of the living God.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

These are two of the most important questions you’ll ever answer, especially the last one.

It seems the questions caught Jesus’ twelve disciples a little off guard. Who do people say I am? They had been out into the villages and hamlets and cities all around the countryside as Jesus had instructed them. They had shared His message that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. They had shared that Jesus was the promised One. The One pointed out in the scriptures as the coming Messiah. They let everyone they saw know about this remarkable man.

Now it was time to report. In my thirty years of service, my bosses sent me out on a lot of inspections, investigations, and missions. And I sent a lot of those who were under my authority out to do the same. I can’t count the number of those missions I accomplished in my thirty year career. But every time I went out on one of those missions, I expected to report back to my boss the answers to the questions he had and I expected a report from all those soldiers I sent out on similar missions.

It’s just common sense, isn’t it. If we’re going to expend time and effort and treasure on a task, we ought to get something out of it. We should find out if the mission was successful or not. We should know at the end if the time and effort and treasure expended was worth it, right? How else can we know that unless there are reports rendered by those engaged in the mission?

So Jesus asks His disciples this simple question, “Who do people say I am?” The disciples were ready with their report. Their surveys were done. All the data was entered and analyzed. They had their spreadsheets completed. They pushed the buttons on their laptops and out came their report. (Well, use your imagination a little there.) “Some say John the Baptist. And some say Elijah. And some say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

So Jesus had His answer from the disciples’ surveys. He knew how well others believed His disciples when they told their story in the villages and hamlets and cities in the areas in which He traveled. But there was a more important question to ask. Jesus listened to the disciples answer and noted that Messiah wasn’t included in their answer. Son of God didn’t appear there. So there is a fundamental question that needed to be asked to know whether or not their sharing in the communities could be convincing.

Now what do I mean by that? It is said that some people can sell air conditioners to Eskimos because they are just that good at selling. Most salesmen aren’t like that, though. Most salesmen are effective in their business only when they are sold themselves on their products and services. If you don’t believe in your product personally, you won’t be very sincere in the delivery of your sales pitch. And that’s all it will be, a pitch. A bunch of words thrown out for someone to swing and maybe get a hit every once in a while.

No, a real salesman understands and believes in the product he sells. She knows all the pros and cons and knows the pros far outweigh the cons. She either has the product or wants the product personally and the only thing keeping her from having it is the price or the lack of immediate need. But when the need or the money is available the salesman knows his product is the one he will purchase.

And so, Jesus asks His emissaries, “Who do you say I am?” Do you believe I’m the Messiah? Do you believe I’m God incarnate? Do you believe I am who I say I am? Do you believe so you can tell my story with complete and total conviction when you share it with others?

He asks the same of us. If we are half-hearted in our belief, we will be half-hearted in our witness. When we are, the best we can do is get reports like the disciples got in their first mission journeys. Some will think Jesus a good man. Some a great prophet. Some will think He is just a story. Until you meet Him in faith and know Him so you might believe who He says He is, your story will only confuse those around you.

What is your status? How would you report when Jesus asks His questions? Who do those you share your story with say Jesus is? But more important for you and for your witness, Who do you say Jesus is? It’s the most important question you’ll ever 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.

To make bread you need the right yeast (Matthew 16:6) April 13, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 42-44

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 16:6, 8-11
Jesus: Be careful; avoid the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Jesus: You men of little faith, do you really think that I care which baker you patronize? After spending so much time with Me, do you still not understand what I mean? So you showed up without bread; why talk about it? 9-10 Don’t you remember that we fed 5,000 men with five rounds of flatbread? Don’t you remember that we fed 4,000 men with seven rounds of bread? Don’t you remember what excess, what abundance there was—how many broken pieces and crusts you collected after everyone had eaten and was sated? 11 So when I speak about leaven, I am not talking about what we will eat for dinner. I say again, avoid the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Reading so much about bread in the Bible the last several months, I started experimenting with making bread myself. I’ve done a little bit of baking off and on since I retired. It’s something I enjoy, but probably not enough to make it a real hobby. But I’ve come to understand it a little. And because I was a chemistry major in college, I get interested in the why baking soda or baking power is needed in a recipe. How does yeast work or what difference does it make when you add vinegar and soda in a red velvet cake.

I know, it’s a little weird, but that’s just who I am. All of us have a weird streak in us somewhere and that’s part of mine. So when Jesus tell the disciples to be careful and avoid the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. You have to understand a little about leavening to know what He’s talking about.

The problem today, we don’t do much baking at home, except as a hobby like me. Most of us go to the store and buy our bread or get a cake mix that just needs water and a couple of eggs and we’re done. We don’t know what else has gone into that mix to make it rise for that perfect, bouncy, delicious, moist texture. We just stir, bake and eat.

So here’s a little lesson on leavening. First, leavening doesn’t have to be yeast, although in Jesus’ day it usually was. The yeast or other biological consumed simple and complex sugars to form carbon dioxide which forms bubbles in the dough making it rise. But leavening is any number of substances that introduces air into dough or batter to make it lighter or softer. We think of yeast most often, but it can be anything for dough that causes fermentation or produces air from a biological reaction, yeast, beer, ginger beer, kefir to name a few.

There are also chemicals that leaven or create that air we’re looking for in baking, like baking soda and baking powders. These chemicals combine with acids like sour milk, buttermilk, or vinegar and cause the resulting compound to foam creating the bubbles the dough or batter needs to rise.

Bakers also use mechanical leavening like creaming butter and sugar together. The sugar crystals break into the lipid structure of the butter and when heated the crystals break down and leave behind very tiny bubbles in their place. Now we also use steam to create the effect or nitrogen or a number of other discoveries since yeast was first used in baking, but all have the same effect. The chemical or biological process introduces air into the dough or batter, softens it and makes it rise. The gluten or other proteins in the dough or batter hold the structure tight enough to prevent the bubbles from escaping and so the dough transforms into the baked goods we enjoy.

Okay, so now you’ve had a lesson in baking. What does that have to do with what Jesus wants us to know?

I’ve baked enough now, that I’ve made the mistake of using the wrong leavener in what I was making. I’ve used baking powder instead of baking soda. I’ve used regular milk instead of sour milk. I’ve used the wrong stuff enough to know that when you do, you definitely don’t get the results you’re looking for. And once it’s in there, you can’t take it out. It goes through the whole batter and you can’t remove it. Period. The whole batch is ruined and goes into the trash.

That’s what Jesus warns His disciples. If they let the false teachings of the Pharisees and the Sadducees invade them, they can’t get it out of them. It permeates and fills them. It’s as hard to remove those teachings as it is to remove leaven from bread. It infects the whole of a person. So Jesus warns them. Be careful about who you listen to. Be careful about what you let into the windows of your soul. Be careful about the studies you undertake. Those things have an affect on you that you cannot just forget.

Can God help you recover from false teaching and help you walk the path He wants you to take? Yes. But talk to recovering alcoholics. It takes very little to push them back over the edge. Talk to recovery drug addicts. They don’t want pain killers for fear they will be trapped once again in the vicious circle that pulled them into the death trap they were in before. All those things linger in our physical frame and our minds trapped in this mortal body, these vessels of clay. We can’t get rid of the consequences of letting the garbage in. Just try to convince a terrorist his cause is wrong. You won’t get very far for the same reasons.

We must keep up our guard. Jesus says using this metaphor of leaven. When you understand the chemistry behind this tiny bit of biological or chemical compound and what it can do to a large batch of dough, you understand just how dangerous the wrong kind of leaven can be. If you make a loaf of bread you want the right yeast.

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.

Have some faith without the signs (Matthew 16:2-4) April 12, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 1 Samuel 21-25

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 16:2-4
Jesus: At evening time, you read the sky as a sign—you say, “The weather will be fine because the sky is shading red,” and in the morning, you read the sky as a sign, saying, “The red, stormy sky tells me that today we will have storms.” So you are skilled at interpreting the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times? Only a cheating and evil generation such as this would beg for a miraculous sign from heaven. The only sign you will get will be the sign of Jonah.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

God, I would believe in you if you make me rich. God I would believe in you if you heal my kid. God I would believe in you if you get me that promotion. God I would believe in you if you turned my hair blue.

We make fun of the Pharisees and Sadducees that came to Jesus asking for a sign from heaven, but so many of us do the same thing. They used to call those foxhole conversions back in the days of World War II, Korea, and Viet Nam. We don’t dig very many foxholes any more. But we still try to get a sign from heaven so we can believe that Jesus is who He says He is. Show me the evidence. I just can’t take someone’s word for it. I need to see something miraculous for myself before I can believe.

Did you ever meet someone like that? Are you someone like that? Be careful.

Jesus poked a pretty big stick in their eye with their request. They wanted a sign from heaven. So Jesus pointed to heaven. See that moon up there? What’s going to happen if it’s red? Well, there’s a little poem that everyone near the sea knows, “Red in the morning, sailor’s warning; red at night, sailor’s delight.” We look at the moon and we tell the weather by the color of the moon.

These guys knew that poem. They learned it as kids just as you probably did. But they also knew scripture. They were supposed to be the religious leaders watching expectantly for the coming of the Messiah. They should have their charts all laid out with the things that would show them when He arrived. We’ll give them credit for a few things we know that they didn’t. They didn’t know Mary and Joseph had a baby in Bethlehem, the place where the Messiah would be born. But it wouldn’t take much to find out Jesus was born there.

So let’s go from there. All the kids around His age were killed except Him. His mother and father miraculously whisked Him off to Egypt and saved Him when Herod had all the kids killed. Joseph settled in Nazareth. The home of the coming Messiah. Lineage of David? Yep. In the temple in Jerusalem at the age of twelve confounding the rabbis with His knowledge of the scriptures. Does things no one has ever done before like make blind men see, make the deaf hear, make the lame walk, raise the dead back to life. Hmmm? Is it possible that this guy could be who He says He is?

Surely not. He doesn’t look the part. He doesn’t sound pious. He doesn’t spend all His time at the temple, instead He’s out here healing and teaching. What religious leader worth his salt would stay out in the hot sun all day doing that? Surely the Messiah would want to stay in the shade and converse with the rabbis, right?

Well, let’s just make sure we’ve got it straight. Hey, Jesus. We have this argument. We know you fit the bill from scripture, but you we don’t think you look or act like we think a Messiah should look and act. So do us a favor and show us some miraculous sign from heaven just so we can make sure. Then we’ll know and we can get on board with you. Sound okay with you?

They got the same answer we get from our foxhole confessions. Exercise faith first. God doesn’t make deals. Who do we think we are that we can set the rules for our salvation? We deserve every punishment God could dish out for our disobedience. He is God, after all. Jesus said don’t be looking for a sign. Just look around and see that God is already at work. If you can’t see Him around you, how are you going to exercise any faith if you see some sign in the sky? You’ll just try to explain that away with some scientific mumbo-jumbo anyway.

Instead, just be honest with Him. Either believe in Him or don’t. He knows anyway. But there is only one way to heaven and that’s to believe in Him for salvation. If you don’t, well,…the book has those signs listed pretty well, too. In fact, that path is pretty broad and easy to follow. Just join in with the crowd headed that way. You’ll find that path pretty easily. It’s just that you really don’t want to get to the destination at the end of that road. Really, you don’t. Have some faith in Him. 

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.

How much do you have? (Matthew 15:34) April 11, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Exodus 5-8

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 15:34
Jesus: How much bread do you have?

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Have you ever wondered about this second set of questions from Jesus’ disciples? We read in chapter thirteen about the feeding of the 5,000 men and all the women and children with them. When Jesus told them to feed the crowd they doubted their ability and asked where they would get food to feed so many. Jesus asked what they had. Remember?

So here we are again. A crowd has gathered around Jesus to hear His teachings, to see His miracles, to bring their problems to Him for resolution. They’ve been on the hillside with Him for three days without food and Jesus says, feed them. They touch My heart, I want to take care of their physical needs, so disciples, go feed these people.

I expect the disciples Matthew writes about are not the twelve hand-picked disciples. Some of those might have been among those who questioned His feeding miracle the first time, but I expect this batch was another group of disciples. Why do I say that? Because there were hundreds at His ascension. Those gathered at His ascension were in danger of losing their lives for being there. Those were His disciples and I’m sure many of them were among this crowd of onlookers and early believers.

I expect these disciples were new to the teachings and miracles of Jesus. But when they came in contact with the incarnate God, they believed and followed Him. Now they became part of His entourage and did everything they could to assist the twelve. Perhaps the twelve were moving among the crowd assisting as Jesus had instructed them when they went to the cities and villages in the area. Perhaps they were in the cities and villages and this crowd was a result of their spreading the word about Jesus’ coming and announcing His ministry on the hillside.

We don’t know who spoke the words to Jesus recorded by Matthew other than His disciples. Someone who longed to be like Him and wished to study under His tutelage. Like many other disciples of many other rabbis of the day, they followed their teacher. They listened to His teaching. They paid attention to His interpretation of the scriptures. They tried their best to mimic His actions and lifestyle. But Jesus was different.

How could they possibly be like Him? How could they do the things He asked them to do? How could they understand the lessons He taught? They were so different from the messages of the other rabbis, the other teachers. The religious leaders of the day hated this Man who did so much good and performed acts that surely belonged in the realm of God. They wanted to be like Him but couldn’t begin to understand how.

So that brings us to Jesus’ words to these new disciples. “How much bread do you have?” Kind of sounds like that discount suit salesman, doesn’t it? How much does this suit cost? Well, that depends on how much you have. Or the loan officer at the car dealership. How much can you afford for a car payment? Well, do I have a deal for you! Only Jesus has a slightly different motive. Well, slightly different isn’t the right description. Jesus is about to feed the multitude again. His motive is just the reverse of the shady deals you might have fallen into in the past.

But there is one thing that’s alike. Jesus wants it all. How much bread do you have? Give it all to me. Don’t save any for yourself. Don’t hoard any of it away. Don’t think you can save a few crumbs and do okay for yourself. Jesus wants it all. Every last morsel. He wants even the smell of the bread to be given to Him if you could. Because He is about to do something miraculous with it.

Jesus asks the same of us. Paul describes it as being living sacrifices for Him. Giving Him every morsel of who we are. Giving up all we possess, all our ambitions and dreams, giving up everything to His governance. The amazing thing is that many times, in fact, in my experience, most of the time, when we really give Him everything, He gives it right back to us multiplied many times over. I don’t know how He does it except that He is God and we are not.

See I don’t want to let God control just My tithe. I live better on 9/10ths of my income than I do 10/10ths. I don’t understand the math, but I’ve found it to be true over the years. But I don’t want God just to control that 10%. Because if He can make 90% work better than 100%, don’t you think He can make 100% work better than 100%. It’s His math, not mine. I’m stuck with only the math that the world teaches. Two plus two equals four. But God makes two plus two so much more than four. He fed a multitude with seven rounds of bread and a few small fish probably about the size of a sardine. Now you figure out the math if you can.

All I know is that when Jesus asks, “How much do you have?” Get ready for the next comment. “Give it to Me, I want to do God-sized things with it.” But remember, it has to be in His hands for it to happen. Our hands can’t do it. Our math doesn’t work. Our skills fall short. But in God’s hands miracles happen. 

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.