Monthly Archives: October 2016

A simple pattern of prayer (Luke 11:2-4) October 31, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Deuteronomy 7-9

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 11:2-4
Jesus: Here’s how to pray:
Father in heaven, may Your name be revered.
May Your kingdom come.
May Your will be accomplished on earth
as it is in heaven.
Give us the food we need for tomorrow,
And forgive us for our wrongs,
for we forgive those who wrong us.
And lead us away from temptation.
And save us from the evil one.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

How many times have you recited the Lord’s Prayer without really thinking about what you’re saying? If you’re honest, you’ll admit you’ve done it a lot if you’ve been to very many religious events. Somewhere along the way we decided to pray that prayer and let it become our prayer. But too often we just recite the words without thinking. We don’t let it be the pattern of our prayer, but instead just let it become the words we say without thinking about them.

If you’ll go back and examine the scriptures again, the disciples never asked Jesus to teach them what to pray, but how to pray. They never asked what words to say, but how to reach the Father and get the results Jesus seemed to get when He reached out to His Father. That’s what the disciples were searching for, a pattern for prayer that kept them close to the One who could make a difference in their lives.

So let’s look at the pattern and see what we can find. First, Jesus acknowledged who God is and His sovereignty as the One worthy to be revered. Then He shows His desire for servant-hood to the Creator relishing His will above our own. His plans and His direction. So the second thing Jesus says we should do is seek His direction for our life and ask for God’s help in using us to accomplish His purpose and plans through us.

Next, God knows we have needs and Jesus says to ask God to meet those needs. But He also shows us that abundance is not what we should seek, but enough for tomorrow. That’s all. We should do that for two reasons. Having enough for tomorrow means tomorrow we need to come back to God to ask again for provisions for the next day. We must depend on Him consistently for our needs. Second, have just enough but not too much keeps us from falling into the trap of the wealthy thinking we don’t need God because we have everything we need.

Fourth, we should ask God to search our hearts and see if there is anything that stands between us and our brothers so that we can forgive them, then search our hearts and see if there is anything between us and God. You might think I reversed those, but I really didn’t. God expects us to forgive those who wronged us first. Remember, He forgives us in the same way, in the same measure, to the same extent, we forgive others He says. So search your heart to find anyone you need to forgive then ask for God’s forgiveness. You’ll be surprised at how well that works.

Finally, ask God for His protection as you journey the path He lays out for you. Satan does not want us to follow God and will put every temptation in our path he can to keep us from following Him. But God can help us through those times of tempting if we let Him. He can give us the strength to withstand the things Satan puts in our path or better yet, give us an exit from the situation so we don’t even have to face the temptation in the first place. That’s the real secret to success, find the exit sign and leave!

So there we have it. A simple pattern to follow in prayer. Acknowledge who God is. Ask what He wants done. Ask for help with your concerns and needs. Ask for His forgiveness for any wrongs. Ask for protection. How much time do you spend in each of those five sections Jesus introduced? It’s up to you. Jesus gave His disciples a very short example and sometimes you may have only a few minutes to share with your Father in heaven. Sometimes you might have a lot to talk about in one or more sections. Sometimes you might even spend hours discussing with God who He is to you and why He matters so much in your life. Maybe He overwhelms you in that very first section of your prayer and you just spend your whole devotion time stuck there sometimes.

Maybe you find some problems overwhelming your life some days and those “give us what we need for tomorrow” words remind you God will help you through those troubles, but you need to spend some time there for His assurance and to help settle your mind in the middle of the crisis you’re facing.

Maybe you’re facing some terrible temptations that are bringing you to the verge of falling and you need His strength to help you find a way out. You need God to give you a flashing exit sign. You just can’t seem to see the doors quick enough and need something to help you find your way out. You need His protection and seek it with all your heart.

A simple but powerful pattern Jesus gave us. Now go out and use it to touch the throne room of heaven as you pray today.

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.

Sometimes you just need to stop and listen (Luke 10:41-42) October 30, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – James 4-5

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 10:41-42
Jesus: Oh Martha, Martha, you are so anxious and concerned about a million details, but really, only one thing matters. Mary has chosen that one thing, and I won’t take it away from her.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

It’s easy to get busy doing good things, isn’t it? I remember my days as Chief of Staff at the Army Medical Department Center and School at Fort Sam Houston. My calendar was crazy. It wa filled with meetings and appointments that were good. They were important. They needed to be conducted. But looking back, I’m not sure I really should have let my schedule get as crazy as I did.

I let other people handle my schedule and I ended up with back to back meetings every 30 minutes from 7 in the morning until 6 in the evening five days a week and most evenings and weekends were filled with Army, city, and church activities. I had no time left over in the schedule for three years for much of anything. I had to schedule time with Carole and my kids and there wasn’t near enough of it as I look back at those years.

It wasn’t that I was doing bad things, but it certainly wasn’t the best things. Oh, I had an important position and everyone at Fort Sam Houston knew who I was. I interacted with a lot of important people as I acted as advisor to the city council on matters pertaining to the installation at times, state and federal agencies operating in and around Fort Sam Houston, or interfaced with organizations like the Red Cross, Veterans’ Administration, several of the school districts, the medical community in San Antonio, the Chamber of Commerce, and a host of other agencies and activities. I did a lot of good things with all those appointments and meetings and conferences. As I look back at those things, I think I helped the installation, the school and the medical community progress in its care of both military personnel and the civilian community, particularly in the area of trauma support.

But was it the best use of those hours during those three years? Quite frankly, I don’t know. I was able to share my story a few times both with individuals and in public forums giving credit to God for the successes I enjoyed in my career, but I was called to preach in 1980 and I had very little time left in my calendar to preach or provide the blogs and podcasts I’m doing now, sharing God’s words consistently.

So was what I was doing what Martha doing? Going around attending to all the details at the expense of sitting at the feet of Jesus and soaking in the best He has for me? I admit, sometimes I think I was. I think I let my job and those responsibilities keep me from the call God placed on my life on that I promised to fulfill on that September evening in 1980. I still did things with my church. I still kept up my devotions. I still shared with some about the faith I felt and used to keep everything in perspective. But I let the details block out the goodness of just stopping sometimes and sitting at the feet of the Master.

I’m trying to do better. I’m trying to leave room in my calendar for God to work. I try to remember that everything is secondary to His schedule. Like the Good Samaritan that disrupted his plans and spent at least a day and a night tending to a stranger injured on the road, I want to be ready to give up my schedule to the best God has instead of the good I might have planned.

So what about you? Have you let your life get so cluttered with details that you don’t have time to let God intervene with His schedule? Have you planned every moment and hold on to those moments with such tenacity that God can’t get in no matter how hard He tries? That’s what Martha did and she was scolded when she tried to get Mary to stop listening to Jesus and help her with all those preparations.

Sometimes we just need to remember God cares more about our relationship with Him than He does the glitter and glamor and ritual and preparation we seem to do to get ready to meet Him. He just wants us to sit at His feet and listen. Don’t let all the other stuff become distractors from listening to His voice. Even when we do good things we can sacrifice the best if we’re not careful. So how do we know we are doing the best and not just the good?

Stay in His word. Pray often. Listen for His spirit’s prompting and then obey that still small voice that speaks to you. Become sensitive to His voice and obey when you hear Him call. Don’t let anything become more important than His words in your ear. When you listen to Him and obey His call, you won’t be sorry. You’ll discover incredible truth and do incredible things in His name.

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.

Just help! (Luke 10:30-37) October 29, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Acts 11-12

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 10:30-37
Jesus: This fellow was traveling down from Jerusalem to Jericho when some robbers mugged him. They took his clothes, beat him to a pulp, and left him naked and bleeding and in critical condition. By chance, a priest was going down that same road, and when he saw the wounded man, he crossed over to the other side and passed by. Then a Levite who was on his way to assist in the temple also came and saw the victim lying there, and he too kept his distance. Then a despised Samaritan journeyed by. When he saw the fellow, he felt compassion for him. The Samaritan went over to him, stopped the bleeding, applied some first aid, and put the poor fellow on his donkey. He brought the man to an inn and cared for him through the night.
The next day, the Samaritan took out some money—two days’ wages to be exact—and paid the innkeeper, saying, “Please take care of this fellow, and if this isn’t enough, I’ll repay you next time I pass through.”
Which of these three proved himself a neighbor to the man who had been mugged by the robbers?
Scholar: The one who showed mercy to him.
Jesus: Well then, go and behave like that Samaritan.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We don’t have to hear the story of the good Samaritan to know there are a lot of people like the priest and Levite in our world today. Think about all the stories you hear today about people being beaten, raped, or killed in the streets of our cities. And what do people do? They used to close their doors and windows and pretend nothing was going on. Police would canvas the neighborhood to see if anyone heard or saw anything and the answers were pretty much alike.

“No, officer. I had the TV on pretty loud, I guess. I didn’t hear anything. Did something happen out there? This is usually a pretty quiet neighborhood. I can’t believe someone would get hurt around here.”

“No, officer. I guess I’m a pretty heavy sleeper. You could drop and bomb next to me and I wouldn’t wake up. Sorry I can’t help you.”

That’s what we used to do when someone needed help. What do we do now? Pull out our cell phone and take video. Maybe we can get it on the news or send it to our friends and make it go viral. But help the person?

“No way am I getting involved in that. I might have to go to court or something. That might tie up my time for hours. I can’t do that. Besides, it might just be a family squabble. I’ll just take my video and maybe get rich on it or at least have something to text my friends about on Facebook when I get to work today. That will make the day go a little faster since I’m sure I’ll get to answer a lot of Facebook comments instead of dealing with all that office paperwork anyway.”

Yeah, we’ve become the priest and the Levite. We ignore people in trouble that need our help. We don’t even help the people on the corner that ask for assistance. They are their because they want to be, not because they have to be, right? It’s their own fault. Why don’t they just get a job instead of panhandling. Besides if I try to help them, they’ll just go spend anything I give them on booze so I’m really helping by not helping, right?

Yep, we have some great arguments with ourselves to keep from doing the right thing for people. I’m not saying we should give money to every homeless person on the street. I believe it is better to teach a person to fish than to give them a fish and that gets hard when we live in a society that loves to focus on giving material things instead of getting our hands dirty really helping people solve the real issues in their lives.

Is it hard? Absolutely. Does it take time and effort? More than you can imagine. Just look at what the Samaritan did. It would have taken him 30 seconds to pass by the bruised and broken man. The Bible doesn’t tell us how long he spent with the man, but I’ve tended to some folks who were broken up pretty badly and helped get them ready for transport to a hospital for better care. Just to get them ready to transport so they don’t receive further injuries while moving means you have to assess the injuries and see what must be fixed immediately to keep them from dying. You have to make sure they have a clear airway. You have to stop the bleeding. You must gently stabilize broken bones. You must find a way to move them since they can’t move under their own power. And that movement has to be such that they don’t sustain more injuries. The Samaritan did all those things knowing the bandits who did this might still be in the area. Then took the man to an inn, cared for him through the night, and paid the bill for the innkeeper to care for him until he was well enough to leave.

Was the Samaritan just looking for something to do? I don’t think so. I expect there were people at the end of his journey worried that night when he didn’t show up. I expect he lost some business that day because he helped someone in need.

Was it worth it? Ask Jesus?

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.

All you need is love (Luke 10:26-28) October 28, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Zephaniah

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 10:26-28
Jesus (answering with a question): What is written in the Hebrew Scriptures? How do you interpret their answer to your question?
Scholar: You shall love—“love the Eternal One your God with everything you have: all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind”—and “love your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus: Perfect. Your answer is correct. Follow these commands and you will live.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

A couple of weeks ago we held a community event at our church. We had a pumpkin patch and bounce house for the kids. A petting zoo and hay ride. Some of the members organized games and face painting and we had some gourmet food trucks that provided goodies throughout the day. But the big event was the antique car show. A couple of the local car clubs brought their cars to show off. I was roped into the role of DJ for the day.

Until the pastor asked me to fill in that role, I had almost forgotten the times one of the local stations in the town I went to high school let me run a show for them once a week as part of preparing for extemporaneous speaking competitions, debate, and other speaking contests I participated in during my high school days. It wasn’t much of an audience, but I did get to spin a few records. Well…I plugged in a few 8-tracks and had to make sure the commercials ran on time, grabbed the news and weather off the teletype and made sure I could read through all the typos that appeared in the faded ink on that flimsy yellow paper.

As the DJ in this particular community event, though, I decided to use a fifties theme since we were using the car show as the major draw for the community. So I pushed the top 100 hits from the 50s all afternoon and everyone had a blast listening to those old songs. At least they were polite enough to tell me they enjoyed the music. Based on their expressions and activity, I’m pretty sure their compliments were true.

So, that brings me to today’s verses, they reminded me of a Beatles’ song made popular in the 60s. You probably remember the words to the chorus. They go like this:

All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need

The Beatles probably weren’t thinking about agape kind of love, God’s unconditional love, but those words are true. We just can’t seem to get them right. We try to put other stuff in there instead of loving God and loving others and think that’s what’s necessary to please God. It’s not. The scholar who came to Jesus seeking information about the greatest commandment got it right. In Matthew, Jesus is said to have summed up the law in those two statements, love God and love your neighbor. He went on to tell us that all the other commands, every other law is built on those two commands.

If you think about it, it’s true. If we love God, we will do nothing that would cause Him harm or pain or displeasure. We would obey Him in every respect. We would worship Him for who He is and give Him our whole self to do with us whatever He chooses. We would never say no to one of His instructions to us if we really love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

And what about loving our neighbor? Wouldn’t we do everything we could to advance our neighbor if we loved him? Wouldn’t we always say kind words about him? Wouldn’t we help whenever we could? Wouldn’t we be a listening ear and a helping hand when she needed one? Wouldn’t we be the very best friend we could be if we really loved our neighbor with God’s unconditional love? Wouldn’t we share the story of God’s salvation to our neighbor is our neighbor isn’t a Christian so that he would know God’s grace and saving mercy so that he would not find himself facing judgment without hope? If we really loved our neighbor wouldn’t we do everything we could to introduce her to the Savior so she could know the peace and joy that comes from serving Him?

Isn’t that what love is all about? Isn’t love about giving it away and not about trying to get it from others? At least that’s what Jesus seemed to teach us about God’s love. Yep, the words of the song are right when you talk about the right kind of unconditional agape love that God can put in our hearts. All you need is love. Love is all you need. Sometimes it’s a little hard to find these days, but you can share it. You can plant the seeds of God’s love around you and who knows, you might grow a bumper crop in the neighborhood where you live. Give it a try. It certainly won’t hurt anyone to love them. And it might make a huge difference in their eternity.

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 wisdom of heaven (Luke 10:21-24) October 27, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Ecclesiastes 1-2

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 10:21-24
Jesus: Thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. Thank You for hiding Your mysteries from the wise and intellectual, instead revealing them to little children. Your ways are truly gracious. My Father has given Me everything. No one knows the full identity of the Son except the Father, and nobody knows the full identity of the Father except the Son, and the Son fully reveals the Father to whomever He wishes. (then almost in a whisper to the disciples) How blessed are your eyes to see what you see! Many prophets and kings dreamed of seeing what you see, but they never got a glimpse. They dreamed of hearing what you hear, but they never heard it.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

I’ve mentioned it before, but it’s worth saying again. Children and the elderly are too often, the throwaways in society, especially in ours. We have a tendency to think our parents don’t know anything. Because technology keeps advancing so quickly and each generation has so much technology at their fingertips, each successive generation begins to discard the older generations because they don’t use the latest game platforms or want to know information instead of looking it up on their smartphone – if they even have one. We forget Solomon’s words really are true, there is nothing new under the sun. Things come in different packaging, but because we haven’t changed in how we think, what we desire, how we relate to one another, there is really nothing new under heaven.

We would do well to listen to the wisdom of our elders and learn from their lessons so we don’t make the same mistakes they made. We could make it through like a lot better if we would pay attention to the simple rules our parents learned through their experiences and then applied them to our lives so we would succeed in some of the areas in which they failed. But because we too often believe our parents just don’t know anything, we end up making the same mistakes and we seem to never learn the life lessons that would help us if we would just pay attention and learn from them.

But what I really want to point out today is what we do with children. We could really learn a lot from them if we would. It isn’t until we start training them with our bad habits that they learn to distrust and hate and assume others are lesser or greater than they are. Just watch a room full of young children. They will usually play well together at a young age. Yes, they show tendencies of selfishness, they aren’t good at sharing their favorite toy and they often want their way. But it doesn’t take long for a group to figure out how to play together and none of the things that seem to bother adults get in the way of children.

Children don’t care about race. The color of a person’s skin doesn’t matter to them. They will ask questions of each other about why one is brown and one is tan and one is yellow, but they all play together without prejudice. To them, color of skin is about as important as color of hair. They just don’t care until we adults teach them something different.

They don’t care about socioeconomic status. How much money is in a banking account or what size house you live in or what kind of car they arrived in just doesn’t matter. They just see each other as someone to enjoy playing with on the playground. None of that material stuff matters to them. Until we adults teach them that stuff is important and they need to pay attention to it.

Physical therapists will tell you that if you moved like a child does when you bend or squat or lift things, the way they just do things naturally, you’d never be overweight and you’d never hurt yourself by lifting or moving the wrong way. But we learn bad habits early and move in ways our bodies were not intended to move and do things our bodies weren’t supposed to do. We can learn a lot from children.

If you listen to children, they will also tell you some pretty incredible things about God. They will tell you about His love and about trust and grace and forgiveness. They will show you many of His characteristics before we teach them how to cover up the better qualities He help them display as children. We can learn to laugh from them. We can learn to cry from children. We can learn to care about other people. We can even love them for no reason except they are people.

God hides His mysteries from the wise and intellectuals and reveals them to little children. Be careful that you don’t discard those children next door or down the street or in your house. God might be wanting to teach you His mysteries through them. If you think you are wise, you can bet He won’t entrust His wisdom to you. So keep your eyes on those kids out there. You might just learn something about the wisdom of the heaven from them. 

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 miracle to behold (Luke 10:18-20) October 26, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 122-124

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 10:18-20
Jesus: I know. I saw Satan falling from above like a lightning bolt. I’ve given you true authority. You can smash vipers and scorpions under your feet. You can walk all over the power of the enemy. You can’t be harmed. But listen—that’s not the point. Don’t be elated that evil spirits leave when you say to leave. Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We often talk a lot about the things we can do if we have God’s spirit living in us. He gives us His resurrection power to carry out the tasks He gives us. We can face incredible obstacles in accomplishing His will and they just seem to melt away because He is in the plan. We see the evidence of God at work when we carry out His will. It seems nothing can stop His work from going on to completion. The best Satan puts up in defense crumbles when God comes on the scene.

I’ve had the privilege of watching God at work on many occasions. I’ve watched Him melt hearts with sermons I thought were not so good, but He propelled them to someone’s heart to help them see His truth. I’ve watched Him heal in what could only be called miracles. I’ve watched Him change the financial situation of individuals and churches and organizations in ways that baffled financial wizards who said the financial resolution of that particular problem was impossible.

God can and does do the impossible sometimes and we can relish those times. We can point to those events and remember them as the stories in our own lives that point to God’s intervention and His power over this world and Satan’s attempts to frustrate us and keep us from Him. We use those times to remind us of His power and we can rejoice over the fact that He does give us the power to stay victorious as we journey on the path He lays out before us in this life.

But how often do you just stop and remember the good news that your sins have been forgiven? When is the last time that you just stopped and thanked God for His mercy and grace in placing your name in His book of life? Do you look for the miraculous and wonder where God is when you don’t see miracles happening around you? Can you just bask in the wonder of forgiveness?

We forget that the real miracle comes in God’s willingness to take us back despite our disobedience. We forget that God performed a huge miracle in wrapping Himself in human flesh and living among us for over 30 years. Can you imagine what it must have been like to give up heaven to live like us? But He did that so that we could be forgiven. Sometimes I think we take that so lightly. We look for the miraculous when it stares us in the face.

Because He came and lived with us, died for us, and rose from the dead, we can be forgiven. We can be assured He has power over sin and death and the grave. We can know that when He forgives our sins and casts them as far as the east is from the west, never to be remembered against us again, our sins really are forgiven. He really does bring us into His kingdom as His children. He adopts us into His family and gives us so much more than we deserve.

We deserve death as the penalty for our disobedience. We deserve eternal separation from God since we acted as His enemies. But instead He gives us opportunities to find repentance and forgiveness. He gives us the opportunity to find acceptance in His love and grace. He lets us make the choice to worship Him and make Him our God and Lord of life. He give us the opportunity to right the wrongs we have committed against Him and He makes us new. He transforms us into the person He created us to be in the first place.

We can still marvel at the miracles He performs for us and around us. We can still be awed by the wonder we see in this world as we see His handiwork in creation and in His answers to prayer on our behalf. But spend some time thinking about the real miracle that takes place when His Spirit comes to us and convicts us of our sin and draws us to Him. Then the miracle that continues when we seek Him with a repentant heart and ask for His forgiveness. And the even greater miracle that comes when in His mercy He forgives us and wipes away our sins. And the incredible miracle that occurs when He writes our name in His book of life that allows us to know we will join Him in heaven through all eternity when this present age comes to a close.

What a God we serve, that He would allow us to join Him for eternity just for the asking. Now that is a miracle to behold. 

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.

I can’t decide for you (Luke 10:10-16) October 25, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 2 Chronicles 25-28

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 10:10-16
Jesus: Of course, not every town will welcome you. If you’re rejected, walk through the streets and say, “We’re leaving this town. We’ll wipe off the dust that clings to our feet in protest against you. But even so, know this: the kingdom of God has come near.” I tell you the truth, on judgment day, Sodom will have an easier time of it than the town that rejects My messengers.
It’s going to be bad for you, Chorazin! It’s going to be bad for you, Bethsaida! If the mighty works done in your streets had been done in the cities of Tyre and Sidon, they would have been moved to turn to God and cry out in sackcloth and ashes. On judgment day, Tyre and Sidon will have an easier time of it than you. It’s going to be bad for you, too, Capernaum! Will you be celebrated to heaven? No, you will go down to the place of the dead.
Listen, disciples: if people give you a hearing, they’re giving Me a hearing. If they reject you, they’re rejecting Me. And if they reject Me, they’re rejecting the One who sent Me. So—go now!

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Scary words again from Jesus’ lips. Just before this, we heard Him tell seventy of His disciples to travel throughout the region and tell His message to everyone who would listen. He told them and us to start at home and spread out to the surrounding areas until the whole world heard the message of salvation. Jesus gave them the bold messge that they would have the power to heal and drive out demons and do miraculous things in His names as they carried the Father’s message with them.

Now Jesus gives those He sends out this message of encouragement. It doesn’t sound like much encouragement, but it really is. It says that not everyone will listen and respond to the message of repentance that they share. That might sound discouraging to you, but after preaching God’s words for over 30 years, I find His words encouraging. I’ll tell you why.

My job is not to win people to Christ. I’m not responsible for saving anyone. I’m not responsible for changing people’s minds and turning them into Christians. My responsibility is to share the message the best way I know how and to live its message daily in my own life. My responsibility is to ensure I’m ready at any moment to give my testimony to anyone who is willing to hear it. I am not accountable for their response, but I am accountable for sharing the message to those God prompts me to receive my testimony.

There is a passage in Ezekiel Chapter 3 that I’m often reminded of when I’m prompted by God to speak to someone. God is speaking to Ezekiel and says, “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.”

At the judgment, I don’t want to stand before God with anyone else’s blood on my hands. I want to make it to heaven and I want to bring others with me. I want to give those around me an opportunity to meet the One who can restore them to a right relationship with God just as He did for me. I want to let others know they do not have to bow down to the tyranny of sin, but can be freed by the powerful blood shed for them on the cross one day long ago on the hill called Golgotha. I want them to know they can have the same testimony I have and millions of others have had throughout the ages. Jesus saves me from my sins. He set me free through His shed blood. He lives today in my soul. He is the Lord of my life.

I can’t make the decision whether you will accept my words as true. I can’t make the decision whether you will ask Jesus to forgive you of your past. I can’t decide for you if Jesus will be the Lord of your life and your reason for living. I wish I could. But it’s not a decision I can make. Each of us must decide for ourselves. We must come to the conclusion personally that we want Jesus to reign in our life and them let Him do so. No one can do that for you except you. But it is a decision you will never regret if you decide to let Him rule your life. He is God, after all.

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 harvest is ready (Luke 10:2-9) October 24, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Deuteronomy 4-6

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 10:2-9
Jesus: There’s a great harvest waiting in the fields, but there aren’t many good workers to harvest it. Pray that the Harvest Master will send out good workers to the fields.
It’s time for you 70 to go. I’m sending you out armed with vulnerability, like lambs walking into a pack of wolves. Don’t bring a wallet. Don’t carry a backpack. I don’t even want you to wear sandals. Walk along barefoot, quietly, without stopping for small talk. When you enter a house seeking lodging, say, “Peace on this house!” If a child of peace—one who welcomes God’s message of peace—is there, your peace will rest on him. If not, don’t worry; nothing is wasted. Stay where you’re welcomed. Become part of the family, eating and drinking whatever they give you. You’re My workers, and you deserve to be cared for. Again, don’t go from house to house, but settle down in a town and eat whatever they serve you. Heal the sick and say to the townspeople, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.”

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

So, are you ready to hear a really scary statistic? Here it is. In the United States, 50% of the population does not claim any religious affiliation of any kind. Not Christian, not Mormon, not Muslim, not Hindu, nothing. Does that scare you? It does me. It says that half of our country has no religious influence directing their moral compass. Is there any wonder we are in the shape we are in as a nation? When half our population has no moral compass, but just does what seems right in their own eyes, we are in the state Israel was in at the beginning of the book of Judges. Do you remember what that was like?

The nation was ripe for invasion by every religious charlatan that came through and the people fell for it. God poured out His wrath on them by letting those nations sweep through an conquer them over and over because of their apostasy. The nation had no leadership. There was no cohesion. There was civil war between the tribes. Others plundered the land at will. Sounds a lot like what’s happening to us now doesn’t it.

Jesus told those gathered around Him the harvest was plentiful but their were few workers to go out into the field. He was talking about the number of souls that needed to hear the message and come to God in repentance. He was talking about needing people who were willing to just go share their testimony about what God had done in their lives to others who needed to hear that message. He was talking about people unafraid to bear the ridicule and persecution of the world if it came because they knew the joy that comes from living for God and know the importance of sharing it at all cost.

So here we sit in the middle of a country that needs God desperately. Jesus lived in an age when the majority of people had some kind of religion. Most were polytheistic, but they believed in their gods. Today, half our population doesn’t even have that to guide their behavior, just their own conscience. Truly the harvest is plentiful if we can just get the message of God’s salvation to them.

But who will go? Who will dare to just talk to their neighbor or a friend or a co-worker or a teacher or anyone about the God who saves? What does it cost to just share your testimony about the change God made in your life? It might cost little or it might cost a lot, but the point is, it is our mission. Jesus commands us to go make disciples. To be His witnesses at home and abroad. He commands us to be those harvesters and tell others about the plan God has for His children.

Jesus says go out without any concern for what you’ll eat or where you’ll sleep or what you’ll wear. I think He says just go share your testimony. That tells me that sometimes we will share our testimony at home where we already have the food we need and a bed to sleep in. It tells me it doesn’t matter what we wear when we share His message. We might be dressed up to go out for dinner or we might be in our workout clothes at the gym or we might be in filthy jeans and a t-shirt cutting the grass. But wherever we are and whenever we have a chance we should be ready and willing to take every opportunity to share our testimony to someone who needs to hear it.

Remember, 50% of the people in the United States claim to have no religious affiliation. That means if you do, there is a good chance the person you are talking to might not. You have an opportunity to do something really incredible by just telling someone your story. You might make them understand that God is real and wants to bring all of us into His kingdom if we will just turn to 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.

Get in the zone (Luke 9:58-62) October 23, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – James 1-3

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 9:58-62
Jesus: Foxes are at home in their burrows. Birds are at home in their nests. But the Son of Man has no home. You (to another person)—I want you to follow Me!
Another Volunteer: I’d be glad to, Teacher, but let me first attend to my father’s funeral.
Jesus: Let the dead bury their dead. I’m giving you a different calling—to go and proclaim the kingdom of God.
A Third Volunteer: I’ll come, Jesus. I’ll follow You. But just let me first run home to say good-bye to my family.
Jesus: Listen, if your hand is on the plow but your eyes are looking backward, then you’re not fit for the kingdom of God.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Psychologists and psychiatrists preformed numerous studies on productivity in this country because of our interest in increasing the output of the workforce. So we learned that multi-tasking is really not possible. Our brain really only focuses on one activity at a time. It switches back from one thing to another and sometimes can do so quickly if they are relatively routine activities, but with complex activities like trying to keep up with a conversation and doing calculations simultaneously, mistakes creep in and multi-tasking introduces a plethora of errors when you disengage from one activity and reengage in the next. While you might think you are doing both activities well, you are not. That’s exactly the reason so many traffic accidents are caused by drivers talking on cell phones or grabbing a bite of food or touching up their makeup or reading a text or any number of other distractors other than paying full attention to driving.

Those studies also tell us that we can begin to work on a project or activity and get into what has been referred to as the zone and lose all track of space and time. We become so focused on the what we are doing that we don’t even notice the things going on around us. People can talk to us and we don’t hear them. Things happen around us and we don’t see them. We become super focused as it were. When we are in the zone. We become almost robotic doing incredible things in that place mentally and physically. Things we could not do when not in the zone. We probably all experienced that spot at some time or other. The best of us, learn how to capture that moment at will.

Jesus didn’t need the psychological studies to understand the principle when He talked to His disciples and those who would follow Him. He understood focus. That’s the principle He shares with these would be followers that day. You can’t focus on multiple activities and expect them to come out well. Give you full attention to Jesus if you want to follow His commands. Get in the zone when it comes to doing His will and blot out everything else around you.

That’s really what Paul talks about when He says to live in the Spirit. Stay so focused on God indwelling in you that everything else pales to nothing and what you hear is His voice and His alone. He want’s us so in tune with His voice that we hear nothing else. He wants us so laser focused on Him that everything else is so out of focus we can’t even see it. Then we can follow in His footsteps and be the men and women He wants us to be. We can carry out His work with the drive and purpose that will accomplish what intends.

We can’t let the things of this world distract us if we expect to carry out God’s work the way He wants us to, even good things. Because the good things will keep us from the best things God has for us. So Jesus uses these examples to show us we must keep focused on the work at hand. Stay in the zone. Don’t lose sight of the goal.

So what is it God has asked you to do? Are you doing it? Are you focused fully on His work? Have you let things around you distract you from what God would have you do? Have you taken your eyes off the goal? Have you let good things distract you from the better things for the best things God has in store for you?

Jesus says put those things aside. Follow Him with such intense focus that all those things disappear from view. Put those things aside so that the only voice you hear and the only face you see are His. When you do, you will be amaze at what you accomplish for Him.

How do you get in the zone with Him? Just listen to His voice and follow His directions, He’ll help you stay there if you let 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 will they find Him? (Luke 9:55-56) October 22, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Acts 9-10

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

Today’s Devotional

Luke 9:55-56
Jesus (turning toward them and shaking His head): You just don’t get it. The Son of Man didn’t come to ruin the lives of people, but He came to liberate them.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Football season has started in earnest once again. It’s always interesting to watch the energy and enthusiasm displayed by fans. Some go a little over the top with their enthusiasm, though. When you paint your body green and then stand in sub-zero temperatures to root for your team with nothing on to cover you but that green paint, that’s going a little far. And if you start to say something about that fan’s favorite team, start looking for a fight. Don’t dare get in the way of a true fan and his love for the team. You might find yourself enjoying the services of one of the finest hospitals in your hometown. This sports fan stuff is serious business.

James and John were acting like those sports fans. “Jesus, these guys are not on our team! Should we do like Elijah did and pray for fire and brimstone to fall from the sky and destroy these people who don’t follow you? Don’t they understand that you are the Son of God. Don’t they understand that God has come to earth and you are here to save all of us? Jesus, just say the word and we will join you in prayer and get rid of all these folks that are on the wrong side of the aisle. What do you say?”

James and John were pretty adamant about folks choosing sides and then wiping out anyone that wasn’t sitting on their side of the field. But that wasn’t what Jesus came to do. He certainly wanted people to choose what side they would be on. He wanted everyone to make a choice about who they would follow. He wanted to see all come to the realization that God wanted salvation for everyone. That was His mission. He came to save the lost. But James and John didn’t understand the rules and let their enthusiasm turn their understanding into a game of follow the leader instead of true faith.

James and John wanted Jesus to ascend to the throne of David and free His people from the bondage they had suffered since Babylon enslaved them 600 years earlier. They didn’t understand that Jesus wanted to free everyone who would ever live from the bondage of sin that ensnares us. This was a battle to be fought in the spiritual realm, not on the political or military battlefields around Judea or Rome.

And oh, by the way, these same people that James and John wanted to destroy, God created in the same way He created James and John. He made everyone and everything in all creation. So how could God not want to do everything He could to call these back into His favor just as He was trying to call the Israelites back into His favor. You see, that was part of the problem that caused Him to come into our world in the human form in the first place.

God entrusted the message of salvation to a group of people descended from Abraham and gave Abraham a covenant that included instructions to bless all nations with that message. Share with the world the story of the God you serve. Let them know how Jehovah blesses and keeps and provides and protects when you serve Him with all your heart. But Abraham and his descendants failed to share that message. They failed to live the message and even those who understood the story God wanted them to share horded it instead of sharing it.

God wanted to use His chosen people as His emissaries to the rest of the world to spread His message of salvation. When they failed, He came to share the message Himself. When His people still didn’t listen, God sent messengers like Paul and Barnabas and Peter to evangelize the Gentiles to spread the good news that God could and would lift the guilt of sin from our shoulders if we would but repent and ask His Son, Jesus for forgiveness, through the washing of His the blood He shed for us on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins.

James and John didn’t understand. Too many of us today don’t understand, either. We act just like James and John pushing anyone that’s not like us, that’s not part of our team away. Hey, they don’t belong to our church or our denomination, so they can’t be part of the kingdom or God’s work. Hey, they don’t have the same color of skin, so they aren’t welcome in my church. Hey, they don’t speak the same language I speak, I don’t know what they’re saying behind my back, so they can’t come around here. They might be plotting some sinister threat against us. They come from one of those countries on the terrorist watch list. How do we know they aren’t here to gather information and kill us all? We can’t let them in.

You see, we can get just as bad as those rabid sports fans or as bad as James and John if we’re not careful. Jesus wants everyone to find Him. But how will they find Him if you and I don’t tell them? 

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.